Hypergryph / hanagataArknights is filled with unique operators, but some on its ever-expanding roster are better than others — and using the best characters is essential, because it’ll help you in conquering your enemies and dominating out on the battlefield.
So whether you’re a seasoned pro or a newbie just getting your feet wet in Arknights, our tier list will point you in the direction of which operators will give you that winning edge in 2025.
All classes in Arknights
Each operator in Arknights is placed into one class — of which there are eight in total — and changes up the way you’ll approach play. These are:
The true strength of an operator depends on the specific scenario and how that character synergizes with the other characters in the party, so our tier list is broken down by class to help you understand who’s best within what role.
Our tiers explained
- S: The very best Heroes in the game.
- A: Very good Heroes that are also worth picking.
- B: Viable options but there are much better choices.
- C: Avoid playing these Heroes unless you have an affinity for them.
When ranking the game’s Operators, we looked into their overall kit, including how much value their skills offer, their overall effectiveness, and their versatility. The highest-ranked characters are often viable when they get put in different map layouts, and they’re capable of going against different enemy types.
There’s also a synergy factor, which makes them an even more valuable addition when paired with others. While it’s generally recommended to pull for them, do keep in mind that you can also use others outside the S-tier, or whichever you’d prefer, as they can also shine if you play them right.
Hypergryph / KaneniIn the tier list below, we’ve included over 250 characters from all the different roles from the Global server.
Unlike the CN server, the Global server is several months behind in terms of characters, but we’ve included the newest ones below, such as Thorns the Lodestar, Tecno, and Rose Salt, all of which were introduced on June 5, 2025.
Caster tier list
Hypergryph| Tier | Heroes |
|---|---|
| S | Eyjafjalla, Goldenglow, Laapland the Decadenza, Logos, Nymph |
| A | Carnelian, Ceobe, Ebenholz, Ho’olheyak, Ifrit, Kjera, Leonhardt, Lin, Marcille, Mostima, Passenger |
| B | Absinthe, Amiya, Aroma, Astgenne, Beeswax, Click, Corroserum, Delphine, Diamante, Dusk, Gitano, Greyy, Harmonie, Haze, Indigo, Iris, Lava, Lava the Purgatory, Leizi, Minimalist, Mint, Pudding, Qanipalaat, Rockrock, Santalla, Skyfire, Steward, Tecno, Tomimi, Warmy |
| C | 12F, Durin, Nightmare |
Specializing in magic damage, Casters are usually ranged operators with a reasonably limited health pool. Don’t let this put you off, though, as the best casters can wipe out entire armies with their abilities in seconds.
When it comes to casters, you can never really go wrong with Logos, as he’s a very well-rounded Operator. Being able to deal extra damage and having a plethora of buffs and debuffs, easily makes him belong in the S-tier on this list.
Defender tier list
Hypergryph| Tier | Heroes |
|---|---|
| S | Horn, Jessica the Liberated, Mudrock, Penance, Saria, Shu |
| A | Aurora, Blemishine, Blitz, Bubble, Cement, Cuora, Czerny, Gummy, Hoshiguma, Liskarm, Nian, Shalem |
| B | Ashlock, Asbestos, Bassline, Beagle, Bison, Cardigan, Croissant, Dur-Nar, Firewhistle, Heavyrain, Hung, Mattherhorn, Nearl, Philae, Senshi, Spot, Underflow, Vulcan |
| C | Friston-3, Lutonada, Noir Corne |
Defenders are front-line operators in Arknights, and are highly sustainable characters, capable of withstanding anything the enemy might throw at them.
However, you should note that these operators cannot deal much damage and are primarily helpful for blocking incoming attacks.
Still, if you have someone like Shu in the team, you’re in for a treat. As one of the best Defenders, Shu is capable of providing burst healing her allies, reducing incoming damage, and disrupting enemies’ movement with her teleportation.
Guard tier list
Hypergryph| Tier | Heroes |
|---|---|
| S | Blaze, Chongyue, Degenbrecher, Executor the Ex Foedere, Gavial the Invincible, Hellagur, La Pluma, Mlynar, Mountain, Nearl the Radiant Knight, Qiubai, Rathalos S Noir, SilverAsh, Specter, Surtr, Thorns, Viviana, Vina Victoria, Zuo Le |
| A | Akafuyu, Amiya, Bibeak, Broca, Ch’en, Cutter, Doc, Flint, Highmore, Hoederer, Irene, Lappland, Lessing, Odda, Pallas, Pepe, Skadi, Tachanka, Tequila, Ulpianus, Utage, Whislash, Wind Chimes |
| B | Arene, Astesia, Ayerscarpe, Beehunter, Conviction, Dagda, Estelle, Flamebringer, Franka, Fuze, Humus, Indra, Jackie, Laios, Leto, Luo Xiaohei, Matoimaru, Melantha, Midnight, Mousse, Savage, Sideroca |
| C | Bryophyta, Castle-3, Dobermann, Frostleaf, Morgan, Popukar, Quartz |
Guards are melee-based operators who can block enemies while soaking up bursts of damage.
While these characters are nowhere close to being the front line for your party, instead, they deal a notable amount of physical damage with their attacks alongside a not-so-squishy health pool.
Among all these Defenders, we’d say Degenbrecher is the best solely due to her valuable skillset. Aside from being able to deal high burst damage, she’s got decent crowd control, which allows her to pull enemies with force.
Medic tier list
Hypergryph| Tier | Heroes |
|---|---|
| S | Eyjafjalla the Hvit Aska, Kal’tsit, Nightingale, Reed the Flame Shadow, Warfarin |
| A | Amiya, Honeyberry, Lumen, Mulberry, Papyrus, Perfumer, Ptilopsis, Rose Salt, Shining |
| B | Breeze, Ceylon, Chestnut, Folinic, Gavial, Harold, Hibiscus the Purifier, Myrrh, Paprika, Purestream, Silence, Sussurro, Tuye, Vendela, Whisperain |
| C | Ansel, Hibiscus, Lancet-2 |
As the name suggests, Medic operators excel at healing their allies instead of attacking enemies, and as such, it should be noted that these operators are highly squishy.
With shallow defensive attributes, Medic operators should be positioned accordingly in combat to increase their overall survivability.
If you’re looking for the best Medic, we’d recommend Eyjafjalla the Hvit Aska, who not only has an excellent range in terms of healing but is also capable of cleansing Elemental damage to allies. She brings a lot of utility, which can help you clutch the situation.
Sniper tier list
Hypergryph| Tier | Heroes |
|---|---|
| S | Ch’en the Holungday, Narantuya, Poca, Pozemka, Ray, Rosmontis, Typhon, Wis’adel |
| A | Fiammetta, Pinecone, Platinum, Schwarz, Toddifons, W |
| B | Adnachiel, Ambriel, Andreana, April, Caper, Coldshot, Erato, Executor, Fartooth, Firewatch, GreyThroat, Greyy the Lightningbear, Insider, Jessica, Jieyun, Kroos, Lunacub, May, Meteor, Meteorite, Provence, Sesa, Shirayuki, Totter |
| C | Aciddrop, Aosta, Catapult, Justice Knight, Rangers, Terra Research Commission, Vermeil, Exusiai, Archetto, Ash, Blue Poison, Melanite |
Instead of marksmen, Arknights features Snipers, a class of operators who specialize in dealing damage from a long range. These characters can inflict massive bursts in a reasonably short duration, but are pretty squishy and can be taken out rather quickly.
We’d recommend Wis’adel if you’d like to run a Sniper, as her turrets are incredibly useful thanks to her AoE attacks that can essentially delete multiple enemies and her ability to stun them.
Specialists tier list
Hypergryph| Tier | Heroes |
|---|---|
| S | Ascalon, Ela, Ethan, Gladiia, Kirin R Yato, Lee, Phantom, Specter the Unchained, Texas the Omertosa, Thorns the Lodestar, Weedy |
| A | Aak, Cliffheart, Crownslayer, Dorothy, Enforcer, FEater, Figurino, Frost, Gravel, Jaye, Kafka, Kazemaru, Manticore, Mizuki, Mr. Nothing, Robin, Shaw, Swire the Elegant Wit, Tin Man |
| B | Almond, Bena, Iana, Projekt Red, Rope, Snowsant, Waai Fu |
| C | Kirara, Spuria, THRM-EX, Verdant |
Specialists are operators who are experts at disabling or applying debuffs to enemies when required. While they can be beneficial up to a certain level, their true potential is revealed in the PvP mode as crowd-controlling units.
Remember that these operators are not ideal for damage-dealing and should be used according to their specialization.
With that in mind, Texas the Omertosa is highly recommended due to how versatile she is. She’s got all the useful things you’d want in a character, whether that be having fast redeployment, low DP cost, stun, and even burst damage, among others, making her a valuable pick.
Supporter tier list
Hypergryph| Tier | Heroes |
|---|---|
| S | Angelina, Coldshot, Gnosis, Ling, Magallan, Skadi the Corrupting Heart, Suzuran, Valarqvin, Virtuosa |
| A | Civilight Eterna, Glaucus, Grain Buds, Mayer, Pramanix, Proviso, Quercus, Roberta, Sand Reckoner, Scene, Shamare, Silence the Paradigmatic, Stainless |
| B | Catherine, Contrail, Deepcolor, Heidi, Istina, Lucilla, Podenco, Sora, Windflit |
| C | Earthspirit, Nine-Colored Deer, Orchid, PhonoR-0, Tsukinogi, U-Official |
Supporters are mainly equipped with tools that aid other operators in their party. Be it to provide buffs for your allies or debuff your enemies, these characters are handy in PvP matches combined with Specialist operators.
When it comes to support, Virtuosa is considered an ideal Operator to use since she can trigger Necrosi on multiple enemies. She can also make bosses and elites take more Elemental injury to help finish them off.
Vanguard tier list
Hypergryph| Tier | Heroes |
|---|---|
| S | Bagpipe, Cantabile, Elysium, Ines, Muelsyse, Saileach, Vulpisfoglia, Myrtle |
| A | Blacknight, Fang the Fire-Sharpened, Flametail, Puzzle, Saga, Wanqing, Chilchuck |
| B | Beanstalk, Chiave, Courier, Kestrel, Mitm, Poncirus, Reed, Scavenger, Vigil, Wild Mane, Zima, Siege, Texas, Vigna |
| C | Fang, Grani, Plume, Vanilla, Yato |
Another class of tanky operators who can serve as the front line for your army in combat, these characters also feature abilities and skills that allow you to regenerate additional Deployment Points for deploying other units.
An excellent Vanguard you can run is Ines, who offers strong DP generation. She’s also equipped with talents that let you pull off helpful crowd control effects, binding enemies and slowing them to finish them off. If that’s not enough, she can also reveal nearby enemies that are invisible.
That’s our Arknights operator tier list for 2025. If you’re looking for more character rankings across some other mobile games, you can also pick from our offerings, like our tier lists for Brawl Stars, AFK Arena, Clash Royale, and Genshin Impact.
