Arknights, the tower defense RPG by Yostar has been globally recognized as one of the original L2D tower defense mobile game that gained widespread attention. One of the original hits by Yostar, Arknights has long been looked up to as one of the innovators in the tower defense genre. The game features a tactical and strategic combat that forces players to develop new strategies for countering the different stage mechanics that it likes to throw at players with its abundant PvE content. Arknights is available to be downloaded and installed as a free-to-play game on both the Google Play Store and iOS App Store with in-game microtransactions enabled. 

Best Arknights Tier List

1. S Tier Operators
2. A Tier Operators
3. B Tier Operators

Arknights is a gacha game at the core, with its collectible characters being called “Operators” in the official in-game terminology. Players can recruit these Operators from the in-game headhunting banners that feature some of these operators. Almost all of the operators are available to be summoned, excluding some limited-time operators that have their special banners featured during a specific time of the year. Here are the different rarities of operators along with their probability of being summoned:

• 6-Star Operators – 2% Probability of being summoned
• 5-Star Operators – 8% Probability of being summoned
• 4-Star Operators – 50% Probability of being summoned
• 3-Star Operators – 40% Probability of being summoned

In this tier list for Arknights, we will be ranking the best operators at the time of writing. Since Arknights has more than 150 Operators at the time, we cannot each and every single one of them. Hence, we have decided to take into consideration several factors while making this tier list. When taking into account the best operators, we must see their usage in different content in the game. Not just pertaining to the early game players but also towards late game players that are facing challenging content that is added to the game with new updates. The base rarity and availability of the character will also play an important role in determining their ranking on the tier list. Since Arknights is a PvE (Player V/S Environment) only game, feel free to use any operator in the game without regret since there’s essentially nothing to lose except some resources that can be earned again over time.

This tier list is just to be used as a reference point of view for new players as not all players have access to the same characters. All players will have access to different types of operators as they play the game and progress. Players can take inspiration from this tier list while building their teams but this is in no way shape or form, a definitive tier list that everyone has to follow through.

S Tier Operators

Let’s take a look at some of the operators in this tier:

POZEMKA

Pozemka is a 6-Star operator that is classified as a Sniper in-game. She is a ranged operator that deals physical damage with her basic attacks. Pozemka is rated as one of the best operators in the game due to her great damage multipliers, great versatility on her skill set and the fact that can safely deal damage from range. Her map control is also nothing to be ashamed of. Definitely one of the best DPS operators in the game till date for the global version of Arknights. Her 1st active ability Iamb states the following – “ATK +20%; When attacking, has a 30% chance to deal 130% damage”. 

Pozemka’s 2nd active ability Precis has both passive and active effects. It states as follows – “Passive Effect: When this skill is equipped, the Redeployment Time of ‘Typewriter’ is reduced to 70%. Active Effect: Immediately attacks 3 times in front of this unit, with each attack dealing 160% ATK as Physical damage”. Lastly, Pozemka’s 3rd active ability Opprobrium does as follow – “Attack Range expands, Attack Interval is reduced, and each attack deals 140% damage (Increased to 155% against enemies in the front 3 tiles)” After being modified, this skill can deal damage at the reduced attack interval of -0.6.

GAVIAL THE INVINCIBLE

Gavial the Invincible is a 6-Star operator that is classified as a Guardian in-game. She is a melee operator that deals physical damage with her basic attacks. Gavial the Invincible is rated as one of the best lane operators in the game due to her high damage output, her great base stats the prove her to be quite sturdy in lane. Her lack comes in the form of no self-sustain so she might need a healer support to keep her topped up. However, on the counterpart unlike most laneholders, Gavial the Invincible can also prove to be quite dominating against bosses with top tier nuking abilities. Her 1st active ability Precise Thrashing states the following – “ATK +30%, each attack restores HP to this unit equal to 25% of the damage dealt”. 

Gavial the Invincible’s 2nd active ability Chainsaw Assault states as follows – “Attack Range expands, ATK +80%, DEF +30%; When attacking unblocked enemies, pulls them towards this unit moderately”. Lastly, Gavial the Invincibles’ 3rd active ability Soul of the Jungle does as follow – “ATK +70%, ASPD +40, Block +2; While this skill is active, this unit only takes 50% of incoming damage, with the remaining amount dealt as HP loss over 20 seconds after this skill ends”.

SURTR

Surtr is a 6-Star operator that is classified as a Guardian in-game. She is a melee operator that deals arts damage with her basic attacks. Surtr is often the poster child of power creep in Arknights as many players think that all future content in the game has to be balanced so that she does not break the game. Her passive ignores 20 Resistance of enemies, hence, she deals good damage even against enemies that have high resistances. Her abilities have some of the highest damage scaling which makes her a threat against any enemy. Her 1st active ability Laevatian states the following – “Increases the ATK of the next attack to 200%. If the target is defeated, immediately recover all Skill Points”. 

Surtr’s 2nd active ability Molten Giant states as follows – “ATK +50%, attack range +1 and attack target count +1. When attacking only one enemy, deal 140% ATK as damage to the target”. Lastly, Surtr’s 3rd active ability Twilight does as follow – “Immediately recover all HP; ATK +180%, attack range +2, attack target count +2 and Max HP +5000. Gradually lose HP (HP loss caps at 20%/second after 60 seconds); Unlimited duration”.

CH’EN THE HOLUNGDAY

Ch’en the Holungday is a 6-Star operator that is classified as a Sniper in-game. She is a ranged operator that deals physical damage with her basic attacks. Ch’en the Holungday is one of the best AOE-targeted damage dealer that also comes with great damage multipliers with her abilities. Further, being a sniper, she uses her ammo instead of normal skill cooldown. This allows players to manually trigger all of her skills instead of delaying skills. She also comes with some additional defense reduction abilities that helps amplify her damage output. Her 1st active ability High-Pressure Splash states the following – “ATK +40%, attacks apply this unit’s Trait effect to all enemies within range”. 

Ch’en the Holungday’s 2nd active ability Night of Violet states as follows – “ATK +35%, attacks create a layer of sticky liquid within Attack Range that lasts for 5 seconds. Ground enemies passing over the sticky liquid have Movement Speed -10% and DEF -50 (Does not stack). Charged effect: Changes to 20 ammo”. Ch’en the Holungday’s 3rd active ability Holiday Storm does as follow – “Attack Range expands, ATK +40%. Attacks deal damage twice, apply this unit’s Trait effect to all enemies within range and create a layer of sticky liquid within Attack Range that lasts for 5 seconds. Ground enemies passing over the sticky liquid have Movement Speed -20% and DEF -100 (Does not stack).”.

LING

Ling is a 6-Star operator that is classified as a Supporter in-game. She is a ranged operator that deals arts damage with her basic attacks. Ling is quite a menace when it comes to building low op strategies as her abilities summon different units that can be placed on either melee or ranged tiles. Ling usage are quite popular among players of low-op strategies. Her summons are versatile and combined with her low SP cost, she can spam her 2nd skill quite effectively.  Her 1st active ability Sips of Wine has both active and passive effects. It states the following – “Passive: Summons may be deployed on melee tiles. Active: Ling and her summons gain +20% ATK and +20 ASPD. The summons deal Arts damage”. 

Download Arknights on PC

Download Arknights on PC

Ling’s 2nd active ability Amidst Pleasant Melodies has both active and passive effects as well. It states as follows – “Passive: Summons may be deployed on ranged tiles and deal Arts damage. Active: Ling and her summons deal 250% ATK as Arts damage to 2 enemies within Attack Range and Bind them for 1.5 seconds”. Ling’s 3rd active ability To Remain Oneself also has active and passive effects. It does as follow – “Passive: Summons may be deployed on melee tiles. If there are other summons within their Attack Range, combines with them into a Higher form. Active: Ling and her summons gain +40% ATK and +40% DEF. Each summon deals 20% of Ling’s ATK as Arts damage to enemies in the four adjacent tiles every 0.5 seconds”

A Tier Operators

Let’s take a look at some of the operators in this tier:

CANTABILE

Cantabile is a 5-Star operator that is classified as a Vanguard in-game. She is a melee operator that deals physical damage with her basic attacks. Cantabile is one of the few operators that can make use of the Camouflage mechanic and become immune to certain types of attacks from enemies. She also has one of the highest DP regeneration rate when attacking enemies continuously as she gains DPS when attacking enemies. Cantabile’s damage is also nothing to laugh at. Her 1st active ability Penetrating Gaze states the following – “After deployment, ATK +35%. Generates 1 DP after each attack”. 

Cantabile’s 2nd active ability Spectacular Reflection states as follows – “ATK +10%, ASPD +10, gains Camouflage. Generates 1 DP after each attack. Skill activation grants 13 ammo and the skill ends when all ammo is used (Can manually deactivate skill)”. Cantabile’s 1st talent ability Protean states the following – “ASPD +6 when not blocking an enemy, ATK +6% when blocking an enemy”.

BAGPIPE

Bagpipe is a 6-Star operator that is classified as a Vanguard in-game. She is a melee operator that deals physical damage with her basic attacks. Bagpipe is a great DP gainer as she gains +1 DP on kills and gets a complete refund upon being retreated. She is a great continuous damage dealer that guarantee’s critical hit and a secondary attack on a random enemy with her 1st talent. Vanguards are generally not good at DPS output but Bagpipe is an exception this general classification. Her 1st active ability Swift Strike Y states the following – “ATK +20%; ASPD +20”. This is an active ability that costs 45 SP to be used. 

Bagpipe’s 2nd active ability High-Impact Assault states as follows – “Increases the ATK of the next attack to 130%, and strikes an additional time. Can store up to 1 charge”. Bagpipe’s 3rd active ability Locked Breech Burst does as follow – “ATK interval increases, Block +1, ATK and DEF +30%, and attacks hit 3 times in a row” Bagpipe’s talent ability Precise Reloading states the following – “When attacking, has a 28% (+3%) chance to increase ATK to 130% and strike an additional target”.

SAILEACH

Saileach is a 6-Star operator that is classified as a Vanguard in-game. She is a melee operator that deals physical damage with her basic attacks. Saileach is a great DP regenerative operator that excels both offensively and defensively. She is most widely used due to her Attack speed boost for her allies along with attack speed decrease for enemies that waver around her flag. Inspired by the Joan of Arc, Saileach is quite mesmerizing to look at as well. Her 1st active ability Support Y states the following – “Stops attacking and recovers 18 DP over the skill duration.” Saileach’s talent ability Unwavering Banner states the following – “Deploys with a banner; Within the surrounding 8 tiles of the banner, allied units have ASPD +5 and enemies have ASPD -5”.

Saileach’s 2nd active ability Inheritance of Faith states as follows – “Stops attacking and generates a total of 20 DP over the skill duration. Throws the banner to the location of the allied unit with the lowest HP percentage within range, granting them DEF +10% and restoring their HP equal to 10% of Saileach’s ATK every second. When the skill ends, retrieve the banner”. Saileach’s 3rd active ability Glorious Banner does as follow – “Stops attacking and immediately gains 10 DP. Throws the banner to the location of ground enemies, dealing 170% Physical damage and Stunning them for 2.5 seconds. Enemies within the surrounding 8 tiles of the banner are inflicted with Slow and 15% Fragile effect. When the skill ends, retrieve the banner”.

SIEGE

Siege is a 6-Star operator that is classified as a Vanguard in-game. She is a melee operator that deals physical damage with her basic attacks. Her 1st active ability Charge Y states the following – “Instantly gains 12 Deployment Points.” Siege’s talent ability King of Beasts states the following – “All Vanguard Operators’ ATK and DEF +4%”.

Siege’s 2nd active ability Aerial Hammer states as follows – “Deals 220% of ATK Physical damage to all nearby enemies in the next attack; Gains 3 DP. Can store 1 charge(s)”. Siege’s 3rd active ability Skull Breaker does as follow – “Attack Interval increases. Increases ATK to 260% when attacking and has 40% chance to Stun the target for 0.5 seconds”.

B Tier Operators

Let’s look at some of the operators in this tier:

SNOWSANT

Snowsant is a 5-Star operator that is classified as a Specialist in-game. She is a melee operator that deals physical damage with her basic attacks. Snowsant is quite underwhelming as her kit brings no new mechanic to the table. She can be placed on both melee and ranged grids, so that’s a saving grace for players trying to use Snowsant. Her 1st active ability Barbed Clawhook states the following – “The next attack drags the target towards this unit slightly, dealing 110% ATK as Physical damage and Slow it for 1 seconds”. Snowsant’s 1st Talent ability Bug Catcher states the following – “When dragging an ‘Infected Creature,’ the strength of the shift increases by 1 degree, and silences the target for 4 seconds”

Snowsant’s 2nd active ability Telescoping Electric Net states as follows – “Launches a net forward, dragging all enemies caught within it towards this unit slightly, dealing 130% ATK as Arts damage and Slow them for 2.1 seconds”. 

HEIDI

Heidi is a 5-Star operator that is classified as a Supporter in-game. She is a ranged operator that heals allies with her basic attacks. Her 1st active ability Tale of Fiction: A Warrior’s Anger states the following – “All ally units within range have -3 Block and gain Inspire equal to 50% of Heidi’s ATK”. Heidi’s 1st Talent ability Crafty Rebel states the following – “When Skill 1 is equipped, allies within range gain +2% ATK; when Skill 2 is equipped, allies within range gain +2% DEF”

Heidi’s 2nd active ability Tale of Fiction: Rust states as follows – “All ally units within range gain +1 Block, and Inspire equal to 15% of Heidi’s DEF and 11% of Heidi’s max HP. This unit’s Trait effect is increased to 15%”.

TSUKINOGI

Tsukinogi is a 5-Star operator that is classified as a Supporter in-game. She is a ranged operator that deals arts damage with her basic attacks. Her 1st active ability Without A Trace states the following – “Grants 25% Physical and Arts Dodge to allies within Attack Range, and reveals Invisible enemies”. Tsukinogi’s 1st Talent ability Blessing states the following – “Apply 12% Shelter effect to allies within range with less than 40% HP”

Tsukinogi’s 2nd active ability Forest’s Embrace states as follows – “Stops attacking; HP Ratio required to activate this unit’s Talent is increased to 50%, and the Shelter effect is increased to 1.4 times. Heals all allies within Attack Range for 6% of this unit’s ATK every second”.

This concludes our tier list for the best operators in Arknights. To install and play Arknights on a bigger screen of your PC, it is highly recommended to use BlueStacks along with your keyboard and mouse.