Tier list

Previously, we tried to emphasize the main strengths of each Nikke and assess them accordingly. This allows certain Nikkes to rank very high but only for a specific purpose, causing a lot of misunderstanding. Therefore, moving forward update, we have decided to also consider the impact that each Nikke gives and analyze their overall usage in various game modes, including the recurrent Union Raid and Solo Raid.

Remember that, with each new unit released, the tier list might shift to adapt to the new meta. In the tier lists below, each unit is evaluated independently based on their Burst sequence. For instance, avoid comparing Burst II units and Burst III units of the same rank. Instead, view each Burst list separately from the rest.

Early vs High Deficit story

Story (Low-deficit) is aimed toward beginners who are just starting out the game, thus not owning most of the meta characters yet and are forced to rely on alternatives. It is also less harsh when it comes to stat penalty from CP deficit, and the tier list should still be applicable for late-game clearing without high CP deficits. Note that this tier list assumes that OL is unavailable or has inefficient rolls, but expects proper teambuilding in cases like A2, where a healer is needed alongside her. This tier list is also applicable for Simulation Room: OverClock mode, since it has no Stat penalty at all.

Story (High Deficit) refers to any late-game story-clearing content where people attempt to clear stages, whether in Campaign or Tower, with over >30% CP deficit. Several features of this tier list include:

• Some stages in later chapters have special mechanics, such as hitcount, which can be handled easily by MG but not other weapon types.
• All units are assumed to have been adequately provided OL gear and well-invested skill wise.
• Extremely high CP deficit leads to a massive damage reduction, which makes ATK buff more valuable.
• This tier list assumes that people have access to a more complete roster, thus team building becomes the primary concern instead of individual performance.
• This tier list appears to have more emphasis on faster rotations and higher burst gen, as they allow you to kill enemies before they can even kill you.
• This tier list is a matter of who kills whom first. It's not damage. As long as the enemy dies before they shoot, you gain the upper hand. In fact, high CP deficits make enemy hit harder, so tanking isn't really the ideal way to survive. Offense is a good defense.

Special markings:

• To easier spot characters that require high investment we've marked them with a $ icon in top left corner of their card. Check the High investment tab for more information.
• Limited characters are marked with this icon.

The concept of usability in each game-mode can be different, even if a unit is good. Tier Lists tend to only show the strengths of certain characters but can fail to show how usable they might be in situations. An SS tier character in Campaign Tier List, although strong, needs to compete for a spot in 1 team for campaign which only has 5 units. At the same time an SS tier character in PvP or Boss (Solo), who are again very strong units, compete for a spot in 3 to 5 teams! (15-25 spots). Hence, an SS tier Campaign unit will struggle to find a spot for Campaign, while an SS tier Boss(Solo)/PvP unit will see plenty of use in Raids / Special Arena! This is what we call "slot pressure".

With the addition of Meta Lines, we intend to showcase the usability of a Nikke, and whether or not they really are worthy of investments or not depending on the user's play-style using:

• Meta Line
• Units above the purple line: Meta, Highly Usable Unit. Will not have a problem to fit into teams. The absolute best units for this game mode. These units make the game easy.
• Best replacement / Situational
• Units above green line: Either they are the best units to use if you don't have units above purple, or their use is situational (i.e. depends on element or design of stage/boss, requirement of heals/taunts, etc.). An example is: Maid Privaty would be used over the likes of 2B against a boss like Crystal Chamber in Solo Raids, while the opposite would happen if the Boss was fire weak and far away, like Stormbringer Solo Raid.
• Units below green line: These units are often used when players do not have units above green line. If you have all units, these units will struggle to find a spot in meta teams, and are often used for their niche. (such as Ade's buff dispel, Nihilister being used for fire elemental QTE barriers, Admi being used for her reload speed, etc.)

Note: Meta Lines are more applicable for commanders who have most units already available. If you are a New Commander, using tiers as a literal guide will be more beneficial overall.

14.04.2024

• Added [Bay] to the tier list,
• Made several changes to the PVP tier list:
• [Emilia] SS SSS - She is too strong and too valuable. Meta.
• [Maid Privaty] S SS - She has proven rival of Maiden and often is a better choice for nuking opponents.
• [Makima] SS S - With the arrival of new units, her use has declined due to new ways of countering SGs have come to light.
• [Drake] SS S - Nothing has changed. She's still very useful and can be used in both attack and defence as the buffer. However she cannot be used as main B3s with high effect so we demoted her.
• [Noir] SS S - Same as Drake.
• [Pepper] SS S - Nothing has changed. To fit in better with the tier list rework, Pepper is now S tier. Similar to Rosanna, she can nuke the highest attack unit. Her burst gen isn't conditional like Rosanna's and overall she is a good addition to the team. However, she is less flexible than the units ranked above her.
• [Harran] S A - While Harran is still one of the best units to use early game, but later on as commanders reach higher levels, the disparity between HP and ATK stat is too much. Since at higher levels HP has better scaling than ATK, Harran's nuke becomes incapable of one-shotting opponents!
• [Privaty] S A - Privaty is also a unit who finds extreme usage early game, but can fall prey to meta units once players start having more complete rosters.

30.03.2024

• Added [Rem] to the tier list,
• [Blanc] and [Noir] SSS SS in Story (High Deficit) and Boss (Adds) - The bunny duo competes with the Schoolgirls (Tia and Naga) for the top spot, in which the bunnies lose in damage buffs and shielding ability. If that wasn't enough, while bunnies provide more healing, Tia and Naga provide cover heal, which all in all simply makes them an overall superior combo. While the indomitability and survivability allows Bunnies to shine against Solo Bosses, pick any Campaign stage, and you'll find that the Tia Naga duo enables higher CP deficit clears than what was previously possible, something also reflected by our Meta Story Teams guide. Furthermore, when for example you kill one wave completely and the next wave drops down, Tia Naga keep the damage buffs while the bunnies lose the "damage taken debuff" that Blanc applies. All of this amounts to Tia Naga just allowing us to push the limits further than the bunny duo can. Hence, bunnies have now been demoted in campaign type stages, and in Bosses where waves are prevalent.
• [Scarlet] SS S in Boss (Solo) - Scarlet is simply weaker against the likes of B3 present in SSS and SS tier. It is sad to see, but our beloved drunkard has been extremely power creeped.
• [Centi] SS S in Story (High Deficit) - While she still stands tall as a very valid option, she is best suited as a replacement for when players do not have the two duos.
• [Red Hood B1] SS SSS in Story (High Deficit) - We believe that people have a right to know how strong Red Hood really is. Red Hood on one hand is one of the best B3s available. But her job can be shifted to that of a DPS, to that of a Buffer. She is the best replacement of Liter for campaign type stages that allows >37% CP Deficit clears, often even higher than Liter!
• [DWife] and [Dorothy] SSS SS in Boss (Solo) - Nothing has changed, these units are still meta. However we wanted to clarify that liter is still the queen of B1s. Hence Dorothy and DWife have their own tier now.
• [SHelm] and [Dolla] SS S in all categories - The gap between the 2 duos and the others was decently big, which is now bridged due to the existence of Rem. To put it in simple words, they have been powercrept. All other B2 units rated below have been demoted one tier due to this change.
• Demotion of pure healers SS S/A in Boss (Solo) - Notable healers like S.Mary, Marciana and Rapunzel are extremely good at what they do: heal. Whenever the Situation requires it, these will be the nikkes we will turn to for survival. However, due to the nature of how Nikke works, it is better to run multi-talented healers (like Blanc, Naga, Rem, Helm) who can give buffs/deal damage alongside their heal. Not just that, while it is true that healers can provide comfort, it is very situational that healers are better than damage buffs for the stage in question in the overall meta. Hence, we have readjusted their ratings to reflect the actual meta. It is almost always better to run as few pure healers as possible.
• Mass demotion in Low Deficit Tier List. Due to the addition of simulation room: Overclock being part of the Low Deficit Tier List, instead of just catering to newer players, we decided to overhaul the ratings to better fit for casual gameplay as well. We still uphold the fact of having non optimal Overload gear.

24.03.2024

• Added [Emilia] to the tier list,
• Updated Story (High deficit) ratings of several characters:
• [A2] SS S - Emilia has powercrept A2 when it comes to her role,
• [Harran] S A - Her performance is on par with Privaty: Unkind Maid at high deficits,
• [Helm] S A - While still one of the top picks for Elysion Tower, there are better ways to provide healing to your allies now. With Rem incoming, we think her value goes down now for Hard Campaign stages.
• [Volume] A S - The Value of CDR cannot be understated, considering how rarely they are being released. Volume can be used with Tia-Naga and Blanc-Noir combos and can allow for an extra burst using these duos. Furthermore, the value of crit goes up with this current Collab releasing Rem as well, adding to the crit synergy in case you do not have the 2 support duos.

11.03.2024

• Added [D: Killer Wife] to the tier list.

29.02.2024

• Reworked Boss (solo) and Boss (adds) tier lists.

24.02.2024

• Added [Elegg] to the tier list.

16.02.2024

• Added [Ade] to the tier list.

14.02.2024

• Added [Privaty: Unkind Maid] to the tier list.

• Alice - requires OL gear and leveled skills,
• Snow White - requires OL gear and leveled skills,
• Maxwell - requires leveled Burst as DPS
• Miracle Fairy Anne - requires leveled Burst,
• Privaty - requires leveled S1,
• Guillotine - requires OL gear,
• Summer Anis - requires leveled Burst (if using without Privaty),
• Novel - requires leveled Burst.