CastleStorm on PC (Steam) and Co-op

[buckZor]

My Son and I are trying to play Survival together, on PC (Steam). We are having difficulty in that whomever plays the Hero is always level 1 and just gets MANGLED. The starting waves are level 6-10 and it just gets harder. Has anyone found a way to start with the Hero at a higher level? The player with the castle has the Equipment option but upgrades to the hero in this screen seem to have no effect.

Please advise.