Arknights Characters List: The Best Operators in Each Class

Arknights has a huge roster of characters that are divided into eight classes. With over 50 Operators, it’s no surprise that there will be characters that will shine brighter than the rest. That said, it’s essential to know which characters are the best so you can create a better team. Knowing the best Arknights tier can also be helpful because it will let you see which characters can be replacements for the ones that you don’t have yet. This way, you can adjust your team accordingly and you can still make a formidable team out of the Operators that you might already have.

If you’re wondering which Operators are the best among the rest, look no further than this Arknights tier list that we have prepared for you.

How We Ranked Arknights Characters

For this Arknights tier list, the characters will be split by class and ranked from top to bottom. Here, you’ll be able to see which Arknights characters are the best and the ones that you might want to replace once you get better characters.

To create our list, we have taken things like function and performance into consideration. It’s important to note that Arknights characters, despite being in the same class, might have different roles in the game. That said, we also considered how these Operators perform when used in the game itself. It’s also important to note that Operators with one and two-star rarities are not included in this list.

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Without further ado, let’s take a look at the Arknights tier lists!

Best Arknights Caster List

Casters perform roles such as AoE, Debuff, and single-target. They usually have high deployment costs which means that you might not be able to deploy other Operators if you choose a Caster off the bat. They deal with Arts Damage that ignores enemy defense and is reduced by resistance.

Ifrit, Eyjafjalla, and Ceobe make it on top of the list because they are some of the strongest Arknights characters in the game. The three of them make it on top of the list because they deal great damage and they can utilize their skills to finish off enemies faster.

Amiya, Gitano, Skyfire, and Mostima are great substitutes if you don’t have any of the three best ones. They can deal large amounts of Arts damage and work with AoE damage pretty well. However, in terms of damage dealt, they still lag behind the first three Operators.

Haze, Absinthe, Beeswax, Nightmare, and Click fall short on dealing damage. However, they are great choices if you’re just starting in the game and need formidable casters to help you get on your feet. Sadly, if you’re looking for Casters that can deal great amounts of damage, you’re better off investing in Amiya than any of these characters.

Lastly, Lava and Steward are Casters that you can obtain right off the bat. They aren’t necessarily bad, but they aren’t characters that you would want to keep. They fall relatively short on damage dealt and sadly, their skills aren’t enough to get you through higher levels.

Arknights Defender List

There are two types of Defenders in the game, namely Healing and Normal. Defenders are tank characters that come with great defense, health, and resistance. However, they are not the type of Operators that can ward off enemies because their damage output is very low. Hence, you need to surround them with other Operators that can deal higher damage so that you can finish off opponents.

Hoshiguma, Cuora, and Saria are the top Arknights characters when it comes to Defenders. Hoshiguma is one of the best Defenders in the game because of her ability to reflect damage to the enemy. Saria, on the other hand, can heal allies because of her passive healing skill. However, if you don’t have high rarity Operators yet, Cuora is a great option because she is the only Operator who can block four enemies at once.

Next up are Liskarm, Croissant, Vulcan, and Heart. They might not be able to deal or reflect as much damage as the top-tier Operators, but they can pack a punch. Liskarm, for example, can deal a significant amount of damage while Croissant can push back and stun enemy units.  Matterhorn, Beagle, and Gummy are Defenders that are great if you’re just starting. Matterhorn provides great defense and Beagle is a tank that will last a couple of rounds. Gummy, like Saria, can also heal surrounding allies.

In the last spot are Cardigan and Spot. They aren’t necessarily bad Defenders, but they are the type that you might want to replace once you get Beagle or Gummy. They are standard tanks that might not fare well in the latter parts of the game.

Arknights Guard List

Guards are your primary DPS units. Guards deal high damage and usually have multi-hitting techniques. They are equipped to do as much damage as possible while they are on the field.

SilverAsh, Lappland, Spectre, and Hellagur are the best units for the job. Spectre, in particular, is a five-star Operator that can deal massive AoE damage while blocking three opponents at once. Hellagur is another noteworthy Guard because of his special power spike that you’ll get with his Elite 2 evolution.

Indra, Astesia, Utage, and Bibeak come in second because of their ability to deal with high amounts of damage. It might not be as great as those at the top tier, but they are better than most Guards in terms of skill and damage dealt. Melantha, Popukar, and Swire are units that are easy to obtain because of their rarity. Melantha will be one of your first Guards and one that you might want to keep as a substitute for other Guards if necessary. Not only does she have a low deployment cost, but she has decent stats when maxed out.

Lastly, Dobermann, Midnight, and Estelle are guards that have average stats. Their usefulness also depends on the situation and they might not be Guards that you would want to keep. Switch them out with other Operators in the same class once you get ones on the higher tiers as you’ll benefit more from switching than sticking with these three in the long run.

Arknights Medic List

Medics are essential to your team. They keep other Operators alive while performing different functions. There are single-target healers while other Medics are great AoE healers. It’s best to study the map and assess your team to see which Medic fits in the best. Positioning your Medics requires a huge amount of strategizing because it will affect their overall performance in the game.

Silence and Shining are the best Medics in Arknights and make great additions to any team. Silence, in particular, is a great option because she can heal single targets and also heal those around her. Shining is best for single-target healing and can be a better option in the long run.

Nightingale, Perfumer, and Ptilopsis come in second. They are AoE healers that are great for wider maps. However, they don’t necessarily provide high healing abilities compared to Shining and Silence. Ansel, Myrrh, and Folinic are standard healers. They aren’t as impressive as the ones in the higher tiers but they can still provide healing buffs. Finally, Hibiscus and Gavial come in last because they are much weaker healing units that might only be good at the first few levels of the game.

Arknights Sniper List

Snipers are your long-range damage dealers. Most of them deal physical damage against single opponents and some can deal AoE damage. Snipers avoid melee units and usually find purchase on ranged tiles. They also usually attack aerial opponents.

At the top of this Arknights tier list are Exusiai, Rosa, and Firewatch. These three Operators are your best bet at Snipers because of the damage that they deal and how fast they can deal it.

Jessica and Kroos make it into the tier list because they are great attackers and are free units. They are easily obtainable and perform just as well as units in the higher ranks.

Shirayuki and Meteor can get through defenses easily and can deal significant amounts of damage. They have great range but still lack the punch that those in the higher tiers have. Lastly, Adnachiel puts out decent damage. However, if you have Kroos in your team, you might want to switch him out. Although they have the same abilities, Adnachiel tends to perform weaker than Kroos.

Arknights Specialist

Specialists are unique Arknights characters. They can dispatch units, slow them down, or stun them. However, they are rather hard to rank because they have multiple functions and perform a variety of roles.

Cliffheart is at the top of the list because she is very helpful when it comes to crowd control. She can attack multiple opponents and drag them towards a specific area. Gravel and FEater come next because they are great fighters and heavy hitters. However, they fall short when it comes to longevity. They will need a strong healer to back them up; otherwise, they won’t last long in the field.

Manticore and Projekt Red are Operators that you can use only on a few occasions. Manticore can stun and hit enemies within her range while Projekt Red stuns all opponents that are adjacent to her.

Rope and Shaw are easily obtainable. They can be great substitutes for the Arknights characters that are in the higher tiers. In terms of performance, they are significantly weaker versions of Cliffheart and FEeater. They require more attention on the field as they can be easily wiped out.

Arknights Support List

Supporters serve a couple of functions that include buffs, debuffs, summon, and slow. They don’t do much damage and they shy away from combat as a whole, but their purpose lies in providing their allies with buffs and summoning units to block opponents. They can also remove buffs from enemies and slow them down so you can have more time to strategize.

Magallan, Suzuran, and Angelina are top-tier Supporters. They are great with crowd control and work well with almost every Operator. Angelina is a great example as she can slow down all of the enemies on the field.

Sora is a Supporter that buffs allies and debuffs enemies within her range. On the contrary, Pramanix can also drastically slow down allies which is great if you have a DPS like Ifrit. Deepcolor, Podenco, and Earthspirit are standard Support units. They are weaker versions of those in the higher tiers and tend to be useful only during specific situations.

Finally, Orchid is a slowing unit that you can use in the earlier stages of the game. However, she isn’t one that you would want to keep around because she is significantly weaker than other Supporters and won’t be able to assist you in heavier battles.

Arknights Vanguard List

Vanguards are usually the first Operators that you place on the battlefield. These Arknights characters are low-cost units that usually serve as the first line of defense. Their main purpose, aside from protecting the front lines, is to generate deployment points that you can use to add more Operators in the field.

Myrtle and Siege are noteworthy Vanguards because they generate massive amounts of deployment points and also deal decent damage against enemy units. Texas and Zima follow right after as they serve the same functions and they also pack a punch. Courier is one of the strongest four-star Operators in the game. This Operator is usually available in the game shop and can be purchased with in-game credits. Snag a couple of copies of Courier so you can benefit from its upgrades.

Vanilla, Fang, and Flame make it to the bottom for being standard Vanguards. They aren’t necessarily bad at their job but they can do better. They also don’t deal as much damage as the others so you won’t be able to get a head start against adversaries that much.

Learning About Arknights Characters

Getting to know Arknights characters is essential to the game. Not only will players be able to work better with their Operators but they will be able to form great strategies and progress faster as well. A good Doctor should know how to properly use their Operators on the field by pairing them with those that will complement their skills the best. Arknights characters might be in the same class, but they have skills that make them unique from each other. It’s best to know which ones excel in their class so you can try and obtain them for yourself. Ultimately, it’s still best to try and work with the Operators that you have regardless of their place in the Arknights tier list. An Operator is only as good as their Doctor so it is up to the player whether their Operators will excel or not. Needless to say, Arknights characters, regardless of tier, will still be able to shine as long as they are taken care of by their Doctor.