Counter Side Tier List

Early PVE

The previous iteration of the Early PVE Tier List became redundant over time because most characters had the same Early and Late ratings, and the few truly relevant characters were given high arbitrary ratings to signal their importance. A painstaking amount of care has been put towards distinguishing between Early PVE and Late PVE and setting clear boundaries to prevent overlap. We hope our new approach, as detailed below, will help return some sense of purpose to the list.

The Early PVE Tier List gauges character performance in the following PVE content:

• Mainstream (Story) Chapters 1~6
• Substreams
• Challenge Mode
• Shadow Palace
• Dives 1~50

Late PVP

The Late PVE Tier List gauges character performance in the following PVE content:

• Mainstream (Story) Chapters 7+
• Britra, Inhibitor, Kraken Raids
• Consortium Coalition Battle
• Dimension Trimming
• Dives 51+
• Danger Close

PVE tier definitions

It is important to stress that a character’s rating is not reflective of their general performance. Under the current format, the Prydwen tier list essentially averages character performance across some arbitrarily defined “Late game” and “Early game” game modes. Certain characters will have high ratings because their gimmick is relevant, but this rating does not indicate anything regarding their performance outside the specific situations you would bring them to.

• SSS - Characters who almost always represent the strongest option on the team.
• You can expect these characters to have widespread application. These are flexible characters that can be easily slotted into the team and you can expect them to consistently perform far above the baseline relative to other frequently used PVE characters.
• These characters significantly impact their teams’ performance by contributing an incredible amount of value, either as stat stick monsters or through powerful utility built into their kits.
• SS - Characters not strong enough to be SSS but better than the average S tier unit.
• These characters are exceptionally good at what they do.
• S - Characters that excel in their role/ in a frequently occuring niche.
• These characters are good at what they do. They are staples members of the roster that will see frequent use across CounterSide’s various PVE game modes.
• A - Characters that excel in an uncommon, but important niche.
• These characters are as good as S-tier characters, but there may be less opportunities for them to display their strengths.
• B - Characters playable if you like them
• B-tier characters won’t be the best at what they do but their stats are decent enough that they can contribute to the team. Many of these characters have significant role-overlap with stronger alternatives.
• C - Characters with limited application.
• Many characters have one or two very specific use cases for certain stages. These are situations that are more-the-less exclusive to one particular stage. These novel interactions are worth noting, but it does not occur enough for it to be considered a “niche”.
• Many of these characters do not have the stats to compete against high-tier alternatives that occupy the same niche.
• D - Strictly worse than the alternatives.
• These characters struggle to make a noticeable impact, and you are generally discouraged from using them. Oftentimes these characters lack the raw stats needed for them to perform the basic duties of their roles.
• Contrasting PVP, you won’t be punished for bringing a D-tier character into any particular PVE stage. Given the nature of PVE, it is entirely possible for D-tier characters to perform their role. However, there will be a significant gap in performance between a D-tier character and the stronger alternatives.
• E - Unused
• The E tier was deemed unnecessary and so it has been removed. All previously E-rated characters have been shifted up to D.
• It turns out there’s not much point determining if a bad character is so bad they’re unplayable, or bad but still functional by virtue of their raw stats. Regardless, you wouldn’t use them.

Since the last PVP tier list evaluation, stronger and stronger characters have been introduced into the game. Balance updates, new additions to the Rearmament system, and now the Alternium Reactor system continue to push the limits of character strength. Over time, the top tiers (SSS/SS/S) have become bloated with all the new entries to the point where it has become difficult to assess character power level from rating. To address this issue, the tier list has been overhauled and the character pool has been re-evaluated to properly allocate characters as appropriate.

PVP tier definitions

• SSS - Meta-defining characters who shape the weekly meta with their existence.
• These characters dictate the weekly meta when they are free. This includes the pacing of games, the viability of lesser comps, and unit considerations when assembling teams.
• These meta-warping characters see widespread use when they are unbanned.
• SS - Solid well-rounded characters with few weaknesses.
• These characters are strong options in the week but they are a tier below meta-defining characters. While they are good, their viability is dependent on the availability of other (SSS) units.
• The counterplay to these units usually comes from running comps with innately better matchup. Individual counters can be unreliable and/or inefficient.
• S - Decent characters with good performance that don’t see heavy use.
• Many characters are not individually capable of contributing enough to sway the meta, but act as solid supporting units that round out the team by filling the roles that need filling.
• Many of these characters represent the first-choice option for those roles.
• A - Niche characters strong in their niche.
• These characters have unique gimmicks in their kit that help them stay relevant. Not every comp can take advantage of their gimmicks, but you may periodically find yourself in situations where they “tick all the boxes” for the kind of unit you would need.
• These units are not bad but they are used considerably less than the higher tier units as their performance swings heavily with the weekly bans.
• B - Niche characters usable in their niche.
• These characters have far more situational kits than A-tier units. Many of these characters are outperformed by other similar units that occupy a similar niche. Some of these units have unique utility with limited PVP application.
• Characters core to niche comps that are otherwise underwhelming individually (mechs and soldiers) have been assigned here unless they are flexible enough to be used outside their namesake comps.
• C - Mediocre characters playable on UP
• Many characters are too expensive for what they provide to the team. The buffs applied to UP units are enough to make these mediocre characters relevant.
• D - Irredeemably bad.
• Irredeemably bad.