So, you finally hit the Sun Queen Trials in AFK Journey and realized your standard brute-force meta isn’t doing squat. It happens to everyone. One minute you’re breezing through AFK Stages, and the next, Phraesto or some high-level Trial boss is absolutely melting your frontline. It’s frustrating. Honestly, the difficulty spike here feels less like a smooth curve and more like a brick wall designed specifically to make you rethink every single hero placement.
The Sun Queen Trials—part of the broader Season of Strife mechanics—aren't just about who has the highest combat power. If you’ve spent any time in the community Discords or scouring Reddit, you know the "just level up" advice doesn't apply here. This is tactical. You’re dealing with specific faction requirements, limited attempts, and bosses that punish you for not understanding how "True Damage" or "Energy Drain" actually works in the current 2026 meta.
What the Sun Queen Trials Actually Are (and Why They Matter)
Most players treat these trials as a side quest. Big mistake. This is where you get the materials for Celestial and Hypogean upgrades that you simply can't find elsewhere without opening your wallet wide. Basically, if you want your Reinier or Scarlita to actually do their jobs, you have to suffer through these stages.
The trials are essentially a gauntlet. You're pushed to use specific compositions, often revolving around the Mauler or Wilder factions depending on the weekly rotation. It’s not just about winning; it’s about efficiency. The game tracks your performance, and the rewards scale based on how "clean" your victory is. If you lose three heroes but still win, you’re missing out on the top-tier essence needed for late-game resonance.
It’s tough. Really tough.
The Team Comps That Actually Work Right Now
Let’s talk units. You probably think your Thoran is invincible. In the Sun Queen Trials? He’s a wet paper towel if he’s not positioned to soak the specific burst damage from the backline mages.
The Mauler Core
If you’re running the Mauler-heavy trials, Shakir is your best friend. Period. His damage reduction aura is the only thing keeping your DPS alive when the boss drops their ultimate. You want to pair him with Seth for that targeted backline pressure, but only if Seth is at least Mythic+. Without that signature item investment, Seth just jumps in and dies instantly. It’s painful to watch.
The Wilder Control Strategy
For the Wilder stages, it’s all about Eironn’s initial pull. But here’s the kicker: the bosses in the Sun Queen Trials often have high Tenacity stats. Your pull might fail. You need to stack Haste. Use the Awakening spell or specific artifacts that boost initial speed. If Eironn doesn't clump them up in the first two seconds, just restart the fight. Save yourself the time.
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Honestly, a lot of people sleep on Granny Dahnie here. She’s one of the few tanks that can actually sustain through the "Solar Burn" debuff that ticks away at your health throughout the fight.
Mistakes That Are Killing Your Progress
You're probably over-relying on Auto-battle. Look, I get it. We all want to just press a button and get rewards. But the Sun Queen Trials require manual ultimate timing. If you fire off Smokey’s heal right before a silence hit, you’ve wasted the cycle. You have to wait. Watch the enemy energy bars. It’s tedious, but it’s the difference between floor 15 and floor 25.
Another thing? Artifact selection. Most people just slap on the Confining Spell and call it a day. In the Trials, the Starshard Spell is often better because the fights go long. You need that percent-based damage to chip away at the massive HP pools these bosses have.
How to Handle the "Solar Burn" Mechanic
This is the mechanic that gives the Sun Queen Trials their name and their reputation for being "unfair." Every few seconds, your team takes a percentage of their max HP as true damage. You cannot dodge it. You cannot block it with shields.
You have to out-heal it or end the fight fast.
This is why "burst" comps are currently dominating the leaderboards. If the fight goes past 40 seconds, the Solar Burn stacks become too high for even a Supreme+ Hewlett to out-heal. You’re looking for high-impact, immediate damage. This is where Odie shines—if you have him at EX+10. His execute mechanic ignores the massive health pools, effectively ending the fight when the boss is at 15% HP, saving you from those final, deadly burn stacks.
The Gear Check: It’s Not Just Levels
Check your equipment. Seriously. In 2026, the resonance level matters less than the specific sub-stats on your gear. You need "Damage Reduction" and "Crit Resist" for your frontliners. If your tank has "Attack Power" sub-stats, you’re doing it wrong. Recast your gear until you get the defensive stats. It’s a gold sink, sure, but it’s necessary for the Sun Queen content.
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People often ask if they should pivot their entire wishlist for these trials. Kinda. If you’re stuck, you might need to prioritize a niche unit like Alsa just for the displacement. She’s surprisingly good at keeping the Trial minions away from your squishy mages.
Practical Steps to Clear the Next Five Floors
Stop wasting your daily attempts on the same failed formation. If it didn't work the first three times, it won't work the fourth time just because of RNG.
First, swap your positioning. Move your main DPS to the opposite corner. Sometimes the AI targeting in the Sun Queen Trials is hardcoded to hit the "nearest" unit, and moving back one tile can buy you five extra seconds of survival.
Second, check the battle records. AFK Journey has a built-in "Records" button for a reason. Look at what players with lower power levels are using. Often, you’ll see a random Epic-tier Lyca being used just for the initial Haste buff. Copy them. There is no shame in it.
Third, focus on your resonance synergy. Ensure your faction bonuses are active. A 3-2 split (three Maulers, two Graveborn, for example) is usually the sweet spot for balancing raw stats with utility.
Fourth, invest in your Artifacts. If your Starshard Spell isn't level 10+, go back and farm the previous trials. The jump in effectiveness at level 10 is massive—it adds a stun that can interrupt the Sun Queen's "Nova" cast.
Finally, manage your expectations. These trials are designed to be a marathon. If you clear one new floor every two days, you’re actually ahead of the curve. Don't let the whales on the leaderboard tilt you; they’ve spent thousands to ignore the mechanics you're currently mastering. Focus on the execution, time your ultimates manually to interrupt the boss's big orange telegraphs, and prioritize Haste over raw Attack. That is how you actually beat the Sun Queen Trials without losing your mind.