There are different shard types, and mixing them up wastes a scarce resource:
- Hero-specific shards only work on that one hero.
- Purple universal shards are used for star-ups on SSR heroes.
- UR universal shards are used for star-ups on UR heroes.
Spend specific shards first, universals only to close the gap
The best use of universal shards is usually to finish a star-up when you already have some hero-specific shards — not to fund a star-up from zero.
For example: if a hero needs 60 shards total and you already have 34 hero-specific shards, spending 34 specific + 26 universal to finish that star-up is a much better trade than spending all 60 universal shards on a hero sitting at 0/60 specific.
Rule of thumb: specific shards first. Universals only close the gap.
Cheap star-ups are often worth taking anyway
Not every star-up costs the same number of universal shards. If an active hero only needs a small top-up — say 4, 10, or 20 universal shards — that can be a very efficient permanent upgrade even without any hero-specific shards banked.
If a hero needs the full 60 universal shards with nothing specific behind it, think harder before spending — that’s a much bigger commitment, especially for a premium UR hero where universal shards are harder to replace than they are for SSR heroes.