NIKKE 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 >25% 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:

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.

Story (LD and HD)

• SSS - Powerful, versatile units that can be used to bruteforce most stages. Either they have a godly damage output, or they have unrivaled supporting capabilities. They have a comprehensive kit that barely has any weaknesses.
• SS - Strong units featuring remarkable DPS and supportive capability. They are, however, a bit niché, and some are used situationally depending on the stage design or element. They are deployed from time to time even outside their best form because they are quite versatile as well but overall weaker than SSS.
• S - These units are much more situational compared to their SS counterparts but can be used with success if you know what you are doing (and have no access to better alternatives). They function more as replacements. Their overall performance is much weaker, and pushing with them will not feel as rewarding/comfortable.
• A - These units are rarely effective, and are technically out of the actual meta for campaign. They cannot compete with the top units, but occasionally might be able to help progress in a stage or two. Tribe tower meta units mostly exist here.
• B - These units are very hard to use. They can even be considered replacements for the best company tribe tower units. In campaign however, there is at best one situation in 30+ chapters where they may be able to fit in, and that too only if they are fully built. Even then, it will definitely be easier to use higher tier units and clear out the stage.
• C - Highly niche. It's improbable that these units are ever used in high deficit, but they are at the very least better than D tier units. Maybe in tribe tower these units can rarely find a use.
• D - These units are barely usable. They provide little to nothing for their teams, have harsh requirements for their skills, and have little effect even if their skills are activated properly.
• E - R unit hangout stage.

Bossing

• SSS - Powerful, versatile units that have a godly damage output or have unrivaled supporting capabilities. They have a comprehensive kit that works against almost every boss, and they are often the primary choice if there is no better substitute.
• SS - Strong units that are often the second choice. Impactful DPS and supportive skills. They are very likely deployed in every season of Solo Raid. Some of them also function as enablers and must be present for their most optimal team to flourish. Without them, the overall usability of the team would plummet.
• S - Units that have decent DPS and acceptable supportive capability but are secondary to their big sisters in the SS rank. They either complement each other, require them to excel, or help push them to their true limits. They are unlikely to be deployed alone, and some of them may be situational.
• A - Units that are waiting for that one boss. Highly specific units that are used when the right time and situation comes. However, in other scenarios, these units will falter.
• B - Casual friendly usable units that can either help with survivability, deal okayish damage, or can at the very least buff their team to an extent. These units are not meta but if the player has incomplete rosters, they can definitely make use of them. In extremely harsh situations, such as need fkr cleanse, these units may shine bright.
• C - Extremely mid tier units. They are useful can be for players with incomplete rosters who come up against Elemental Shields and don't have enough units of the right element.. However, their performance is never on par with the top units. These units have glaring problems but are at the very least usable in their own extreme niche.
• D - These units are barely usable. They provide little to nothing for their teams, have harsh requirements just to activate their skills, and have little effect even if their skills are activated properly.
• E - R unit hangout room.

PVP

• SSS - Units used almost everywhere in PvP. There is no good reason to exclude them, and if someone does, that means they are challenging the norm and being creative.
• SS - Units with high presence and overall power. Some of them may be niché, but in that niché, they far outclass their competitors. Otherwise, they can be seen almost everywhere but are not necessarily required for proper compositions to exist.
• S - Awesome alternatives for people who want to experiment with new teams, have no access to better units, or want to throw off opponents with some novel builds. These units usually have an innate drawback or are too expensive investment wise, or their niché is very rare. Clip SGs who serve as batteries also belong here.
• A - Niche or second best replacements fits them best. In PvP, not many units can be effectively used. The remainder of units that can possibly be used to win are present in this tier. They also might have niche or "special" usage that is rarely effective.
• B - Decent units for when one is just starting out. Incomplete rosters can especially make use of these units to boost their teams performance. For older players, this tier is more or less irrelevant. These units may be used to increase combat power for the team if going up against a much stronger opponent, since at the very least they can provide something to the team, which is better than nothing.
• C - Will never be used by veteran players. May be used when starting out. These units provide barely anything to the team but can help, even if the benefits are small.
• D - Bad SSR and SR units exist here. These units are unusable and are very easily countered. If you see these units in opponent teams, chances are that you can make something that can beat them easily. Of course, as long as you are not in critical CP deficit.
• E - R unit hangout zone.

13.09.2024

• [Misato Katsuragi] has been added to the tier list.

06.09.2024

• [Mari Makinamii] has been added to the tier list.

30.08.2024

New additions:

• [Rei Ayanami] has been added to the tier list.

We have revamped the Story, Bossing and PVP tier list and here's the list of the most important changes. Thank you all for the feedback we have received recently!

• Story:
• Asuka (SS SSS): Core Damage boost proves to be more valuable than expected for Alice, Modernia, and Rei. She also has similar performance to Alice in Campaign, where optimum conditions are unachievable.
• B. Soda (A S): The only Iron wiper for Electric stages. Favorable against stages that spawn a lot of fragile mobs weak to nukes like hers. Full Burst extension can either help solidify or break your team (assuming no CDR). She also deals fixed skill damage upon hitting enemies, regardless of how many pellets land.
• SAnis (S SS): Simply the enabler of Electric teams. Without her (and also Crown), Electric teams just don't feel like worth using. Reason? They want maximum reload speed. She also has soft AoE damage that can help you manage distant mobs that other units cannot reach (because S2 has no range).
• Ein (S SS): True damage is goated with stat penalty. Also, constant ATK buff stabilizes her damage, and her wipe can easily finish off enemies.
• Scarlet (SSS SS): She doesn't really become weak, but more like we are moving her so that she harmonizes with the tier list rework. Nowadays, Scarlet alone does not feel as rewarding as she is before (likely due to CP inflation). Fortunately, Crown + SAnis fixes her janky basic attacks. She is also rivaled by Ein and exhibits similar performance. Both have wipes and are still useful.
• Tia (SSS SS): Naga has decided to leave her friend behind and "mated" with Crown. Tia, who is now lonely, has somewhat become obsolete. She is still the best B1 available if you do not have Crown.
• Dorothy (SS S): Requires Privaty to work well, which leads to slot pressure in Campaign. Alone, she does not do much. In fact, with higher stat penalty, her ATK may even be too low to even make an impression, let alone if you don't have ATK OL.
• Bunny Alice (SS S): A reliable burst healer that does not sacrifice another Burst Skill. We believe she fulfills that purpose well, but in Campaign, Rapunzel just integrates better than her. The reason is that Rapunzel allows you to burst one more time in RH B1 comps (and you can even get another RH B1 burst in the following rotation, bringing the total to 4).
• Volume, Dolla, SHelm (S A): Generally useless units that are used for CDR. They don't do much and are just fillers/alternatives once you get better ones. Nowadays, we have more options to choose from, and oftentimes you can win without CDR.
• Bossing (Solo):
• Asuka (SSS SS): The demotion is not because she performs below expectation, but rather, we are fixing the tier list so that it is easier to differentiate meta units across tiers and within the same rank. In the past, our gap of tolerance before a unit is promoted or demoted was too large. About 10-20% of performance difference was not enough reason for us to place them in a different tier. However, now, with this update that tightens the scope from S~SSS and demotes many units from S to A, we can now visualize/highlight these performance gaps much more conveniently.
• Asuka has a powerful DPS potential, and her supportive buffs are outstanding (better than anything). The reason for her demotion is the fact that it is hard to scale her further, and her support skills simply deactivate when core is not present. Both Alice and Asuka lose a tremendous amount of damage if an enemy does not have core. But, Alice is different in the way that she still can buff SBS (who excel against bosses with no core and have relatively higher DPS among the meta units).
• Meanwhile, Asuka loses all her support capabilities under these circumstances. She's still a great DPS, though, and comparatively stronger than a lot of other meta Nikkes whose damage is inflated due to core presence (i.e. Modernia). She also deals bonus damage against Wind.
• In other words, Asuka would have deserved SSS if her support skill is still usable against no-core enemies, but that is not the case, making her supportive side less versatile than Alice's.
• Asuka still remains SSS tier in Bossing (Adds) due to her Pierce.
• Modernia (SSS SS): The reason for her "demotion" is that her DPS doesn't live up to the meta of the meta anymore (Alice, SBS). She does not really offer anything except DMG. Her burst gen is very high, however, and she can help teams deal with projectiles and mobs, but there is no reason for her to be SSS anymore. Her 15s Full Burst also makes her harder to integrate in non 1-1-3 teams. She also cannot benefit from Crown's ATK buff (since does not want to Burst).
• xLudmilla (SSS SS): Still one of the most versatile semi-DPS and support B3, but while Asuka's supportive capability plummets when there is no core, Winter Ludmilla's DPS is the one affected instead when there is no core. Her supportive capability remains intact.
• Ein (SS S): Ein offers excellent DPS, and her True Damage proves useful against bosses with high DEF. Ein is also more scalable than Scarlet as she can benefit from True Damage buffs. The reason why she is in S is because Ein does not feel that worth using alone. Her DPS is high but not towering, and she somewhat relies on SAnis to perform or at least compete with the DPS from more superior teams.
• Laplace (Treasure) (SS S): Laplace Treasure has astronomical multipliers. Her problem is the lack of ATK buff, and building an optimal team around her at the moment is challenging. For example, FrimaTr can be used to buff LaplaceTr and Ein, but then who is the B2? If you use Rem, then you get slot pressure from using Dolla/SHelm. And if you use Rem, Ein will not get ATK buff. Similar problems arise when you try to perfect this team because there will always be one DPS who gets sacrificed. However, we will see if the introduction of Mari will change her rating (again).
• Rem (SS S): Powercrept by Crown. Still a decent healer and semi-DPS. Can buff Rocket Launchers. It is just hard to slot her into various teams nowadays since there is always a better option. Rem may still be used against Fire bosses.
• S.Sakura (SS S): Summer Sakura has big multipliers, but her issue is that the team needs to destroy parts regularly to maximize her damage. Unfortunately, not many bosses present this behavior. SSakura also doesn't have ATK buffs in her kit and has to rely on supports to shine. Thankfully, due to the rising trend of Elemental, she may still see use against Iron bosses, despite these setbacks.
• Bunny Alice (SS S): We kind of expected too much from B. Alice being the "core unit of SG team because she fixes Tove's issues", but at the end most people prefer to reroll Tove's RNG than to use B. Alice and lose damage due to slot pressure. In fact, people now use SG teams with Blanc and Noir, so no more lack of healers! B. Alice still offers nice ammo support, though, and her healing does not sacrifice the use of other B1's Burst Skill, so she still rocks
• Maid Privaty (SS S): Similar reasoning as the one we gave for Ein. Maid: Privaty is a good DPS indeed, but the problem is that she needs babysitting. Yes, her entire kit just doesn't work without Tove or Leona. And when she does, she still relies on BSoda to enable her. Moreover, she is only preferred against Water element since usually there are better options against other elements. For instance, Sugar against Electric bosses.
• 2B, Diesel (Treasure) (SS S): Simply power crept. With the incoming pierce support of Mari, we think that Diesel will now have an extremely hard time finding a team to fit into. Alongside that, with the influx of not 1, but 2 Meta fire B3s in Asuka and Rei, 2B will now have a hard time fitting into top 5 teams even in fire raids, but still might pop in for rare situations due to her ability to tank insane amounts of damage which often are directed to the highest ATK unit.
• S.Rosanna (S SS): A nikke who has shown how drastic dilution can be. Summer Rosanna shines bright as she provides a very unique Damage Taken debuff, and allows 3 DPS to benefit from it! Each and every current meta DPS is filled to the brim with ATK and Attack Damage buffs, as well as some even buffing damage dealt to core. All of these self buffs dilute the help they can receive from most meta B2s, such as Tia+Naga and even Crown. This can especially be seen in the recent releases of Asuka and Rei. Rosanna provides an almost always undiluted Damage Taken Debuff that helps all units alike. This helps to reduce pressure from Crown and Tiga as they can buff some other units better comparatively than they could buff Asuka for example. This aid in lowering slot pressure is highly appreciated.
• PVP:
• RedHood B1 (S SS): The best offensive B1 support unit. Without her, some wipers don't work properly or don't have enough damage to truly wipe the enemy.
• B. Soda (S SS): Comes with an aggressive and independent wipe. Counters Noise's, Biscuit's, and SAnis's element and can evaporate them easily once invested. Also can be used to deter or punish unprotected Noise tanking.
• Quiry (A S): Stall teams need her to sustain considerably longer; also doesn't feed Scarlet & Jackal. There is no stall without Quiry.
• Ein (S SS): A damage over time unit with her true damage dealing feathers earns her a spot above others. Her DPS from her burst skill is quite strong and Ein has a serious shout for being used in the champions arena as a main B3.
• 2B (SS S): Glaring counters. Can be countered in multiple ways. Still exists as a good alternative overall.
• S. Sakura (SS S): Needs ATK buff to actually deal big damage. Her kit is self-limiting. Low burst gen and feeding is the main reason she's being demoted. Still highly regarded as a B3, and even as an off burst unit.
• Kilo (SS S): Actually, her wipe is decently strong, but she is MG, and she feeds. Nom nom.

22.08.2024

• [Asuka Shikinami Langley] has been added to the tier list.

19.08.2024

• [Frima - Treasure] and [Viper - Treasure] have been added to the tier list.

10.08.2024

• [Zwei] has been added to the tier list.

03.08.2024

• [Exia - Treasure] has been added to the tier list.

26.07.2024

• [Ein] has been added to the tier list.

25.07.2024

• [Noah] SS > SSS in PvP. Her burst gen has been patched, she now hits with both bullets, which means her burst gen is now ×2. This puts her burst gen above all Clip SGs, and immensely increases her already near constant presence in PvP.

15.07.2024

• [Diesel - Treasure] has been added to the tier list.

12.07.2024

• [Rosanna: Chic Ocean] has been added to the tier list.

06.07.2024

• [Sakura Summer] has been added to the tier list.

22.06.2024

• [Laplace - Treasure] has been added to the tier list.

20.06.2024

• [Clay] has been added to the tier list.

08.06.2024

• [Alice: Wonderland Bunny] has been added to the tier list.

01.06.2024

• [Soda: Twinkling Bunny] has been added to the tier list,
• [D: Killer Wife] SS SSS in all categories but PVP. While Liter still remains at the top of the food chain, D: Killer Wife comes extremely close. Not only is D simply a better support to the two best DPS (Alice and Red Hood), she is also a better CDR unit for campaign, since she has no ramp up time. While the ramp up time with liter is low, at high deficit gameplay, it can be the reason of your team surviving or dying. With D, we finally have a support who can consistently replace Liter in most situations. Hence, we are raising her rating back to where she was placed when she was released.
• [Privaty: Unkind Maid] S SS in Boss (Solo). With Bunny Soda's release and Bunny Alice incoming, we finally have the SG comp that Shift Up has been trying to make since back in November, when Tove got released. Not only does Tove have enough units to be considered a good support now, the damage of the SG team is comparable to the top teams since Soda not only does amazing damage herself, she also buffs the likes of MaidPriv to her level! The SG team also has completely different units that do not clash with the existing meta! This is a huge point, since this means they compete in damage while not sharing resources that may weaken your other teams! While they may not see use in every raid, we definitely believe that they will see use against a lot of bosses! Another point to note is that both M.Priv and B.Soda have AoE damage, allowing them perform better against bosses with Adds!
• [Tove] S SS in Boss (Solo) and B S in Boss (Adds).
• [Leona] A S in Boss (Solo) and C A in Boss (Adds).
• [Rapunzel] A S in Boss (Solo). With Crown's arrival, Rapunzel has taken it onto herself to be her pair, but only in situations where there is dire need of healing. While she might not be the top pick every time, she definitely can be a strong pick for most occasions.
• [Alice] S SS in Campaign (Low Deficit). The biggest issue that Alice has in Low Deficit and casual gameplay apart from the manual intensiveness and high Skill requirement, is the extreme lack of ammo. This was one of the biggest reasons as to why Alice was favoured less for casual players. Now however, the ammo problem can be circumvented with the introduction of crown, who can buff reload speed, allowing Alice to hit more than enough shots during burst. This, paired with Privaty being a free unit, as well as Resilience cube being one of the early game cubes, helps raise her standing even in casual gameplay!
• [Novel] S A in Boss (Solo). Once at the top of the ladder, now a remnant of the past. Powercreeps upon powercreeps, Novel is slowly dying out of the meta. That's to say, if she hasn't already. She has not seen use at all at the very top branch of raids for quite some time, be it UR or SR.
• [Emilia] S A in Boss (Solo) and SS S in Boss (Adds). Emilia, while stronger than A2, fills the same purpose as A2. Both are used when Bosses with parts are in play since both of them scale immensely with the amount of targets to hit. However, in most cases, both see a decline in play, especially with newer units simply doing more DPS in bosses with less number of parts or no parts.
• [Kilo] A B in Campaign (High Deficit) and S A in Campaign (Low Deficit). While Kilo has a really good AoE, one that scales with HP buffs as well, allowing for a max HP buffer to heal the team along with buffing Kilo AoE, her shield is immensely problematic. It can be destroyed very easily in all formats, be it bossing or be it campaign, and hence she struggles to perform to a higher level.

18.05.2024

Added [Trony] to the tier list.

29.04.2024

Made several changes to the tier list to better showcase the impact of Crown on the meta:

• [Blanc] and [Noir] SSS SS in Boss (Solo). With the release of Crown and Tia Naga, this combo is now starting to show its age, and it's quite noticeable the farther you push in Campaign. They are considerably outclassed by newer releases. While they are still meta, we are sorry to inform you that they have simply been powercrept by Crown and the Schoolgirls.
• [Rapunzel] S SS in Campaign (High Deficit). Rapunzel has always held some sort of value throughout NIKKE's history. Due to her immensely good passive heal abilities, she was featured in Campaign multiple times. While we may have better options for the flex spot, Rapunzel is also one of the best supports for Crown. To maximize Crown's S2 uptime, one needs to continually heal her. Not to mention, Rapunzel also has that clutch revive. Her heal, revive and indirect buff to overall damage of the team due to increasing Crown's Skill 2 has helped her case as one of the better Nikkes for Crown teams's flex spot.
• [Rosanna] S SS in PvP. Rosanna has proven to be a truly amazing unit for PvP and is a must-have/must-invest for PvP enjoyers. Even if she's MG, and with the addition of new units she seems to have been consistently usable, be it for Defense teams or Attack teams. While she can struggle in DEF teams if the attacker knows what they're doing, and needs high investments to work, her unique nuke + hyper Burst Gen gain makes her one of the best in business for Attack comps!
• [Scarlet: Black Shadow] SS SSS in Boss (Adds) and S SS in Story (High Deficit). The introduction of Crown shook the meta heavily for Campaign, as units supersede one another in a seemingly unending cycle. This includes Scarlet: Black Shadow, who has risen to eminence thanks to Crown. While she may not be the best for all occasions, her performance is becoming more and more in line with our overreaching expectations. In the past, SBS's strength was held back by the lack of proper support. Naga buffs Core Damage, which can be translated as a ~45% buff to final damage (can be higher or lower depending on Crits, Range Bonus, etc.), but SBS's primary damage is her distributed damage of her Skill 1, which does not benefit from this core damage buff. Hence, SBS was receiving upto 45% less buffs than her peers who were able to benefit from her kit to the fullest and were able to perform at a higher level. This is different with Crown, who grants "excessive" Attack Damage as well as ATK to units who use their Burst Skill, all of which benefit SBS! And the best part? This is only ONE unit, which means you can run 1-1-3 comps where we can fit in Alice+other buffers, or even another DPS who can help us clear a path by killing small raptures so that SBS can nuke the Boss! This is now applicable in both Campaign (High Deficit) and Boss (with Additional Raptures). While Scarlet:Black Shadow still can't compete with the likes of Alice, Modernia, and Red Hood, she does create a power gap between SS and S tier now for campaign! Crown is a gift that keeps on giving! Thanks to this, we are raising her rank

27.04.2024

• Added [Kilo] to the tier list.

26.04.2024

• Added [Crown] to the tier list.

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.