Arknights tier list (2025) – best operators for all classes
Arknights 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 areeight 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, soour tier list is broken down by classto help you understand who’s best within what role.
Our tiers explained
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.
In 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 asThorns the Lodestar, Tecno, and Rose Salt, all of which were introduced on June 12, 2025.
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Caster tier list
Specializing in magic damage, Casters are usuallyranged operatorswith a reasonablylimited 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
Defenders are front-line operators in Arknights, and arehighly sustainable characters, capable of withstanding anything the enemy might throw at them.
However, you should note that these operatorscannot deal much damageand are primarily helpful forblocking 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
Guards aremelee-based operatorswho canblock enemieswhilesoaking 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
As the name suggests, Medic operatorsexcel at healing their alliesinstead of attacking enemies, and as such, it should be noted that these operators arehighly 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
Instead of marksmen, Arknights features Snipers, a class of operators who specialize in dealing damage from a long range. These characters can inflictmassive 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
Specialists are operators who areexperts at disabling or applying debuffs to enemieswhen required. While they can be beneficial up to a certain level, their true potential is revealed in thePvP 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
Supporters are mainly equipped with tools that aid other operatorsin their party. Be it toprovide buffsfor your allies ordebuff your enemies, these characters are handy inPvP matchescombined 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
Another class oftanky operatorswho can serve as the front line for your army in combat, these characters also feature abilities and skills that allow you toregenerate additional Deployment Pointsfor 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 othermobile games, you’re able to also pick from our offerings, like our tier lists forBrawl Stars,AFK Arena,Clash Royale, andGenshin Impact.
