Story Tier List

With Surface exiting beta, and to make a slot for our Surface Tier List in the future, we are reworking our Story Tier Lists, simplifying them into 1 called Story Tier List. There will be no more distinction between Low Deficit and High Deficit. The tier list will assume the same deficit constraint as the High Deficit one (>25%). The reason for this is because being in High Deficit constantly is something that’s encouraged for all players for competitive reasons. We hope the simplification will also make it easier for new players to get the gist of a unit’s strength without going too deep into the specifics.

Changes:

• Unification of Story Tier List. We are retaining the High Deficits>25% Deficit baseline as the main criterion.
• Situational Line is being dropped. We are dropping the guidelines from SS (Meta) and S (Best Replacement & Situational) to SS (Meta) and A (Best Replacement & Situational) to allow for finer distinctions in the upper tiers.
• Equalization across Burst Types. For a long time, we have held the principle that units from different Burst Types shouldn’t be compared and that each Burst Type is evaluated on its own (basically minitiers). From now on, that no longer holds true. We are equalizing the value and power level across all Burst Types, which means the possession and strength value of B1 units in S will be the same as those in B3 S.
• Increased requirements for upper tiers. Because the upper tiers have been stretched from 2 brackets (SS-SSS) to 3 (S-SSS), the upper tiers will be stricter. It becomes harder for a new unit to be rated SS/SSS as opposed to before the revamp.
• Simplified criteria. The main evaluation criteria will be: the possession value of a unit (how much you benefit from owning said unit), its strength/power level, and whether there is existing competition (if a unit is good at doing something, but there are multiple other units that can do the same, that impacts its rating). This may include Neutral & Elemental.

Updated Assumptions

• Adequate provision of OL gear, Doll, and Cube, and skill upgrades. Investment costs will not be factored in during rating.
• Optimal (but reasonable) gameplay, so no auto Alice/BMilk. RH B1 & Liberalio will require stalling tech. Crown requires prestacking to 17~19, etc.
• Mastery of advanced tech, including burst genning, stalling, instant double rotations (RH B1 + 2 B2 tech), iframing, etc.
• Willingness to restart for perfect RNG.
• 60 FPS or Min. Firing Rounds Adjustments turned on.
• Ability to leverage faster rotations and higher burst gen and understanding why these matter a lot in High Deficit.
• Higher emphasis on team performance than individual performance. Units are rated in their best (and other suitable) teams.
• Input from the lowest clears of various stages (all-time and/or after a groundbreaking unit release).
• Ability to follow reference videos/understand why they work or the ability to create your own optimal run.
• Familiarity with different team formations/templates and their gimmicks. Not tied to simply “1-1-2FLEX” with Siren B1 because, while that’s the meta, there are alternatives.

Ratings Explained

• SSS: The absolute best of the best; if you don’t have these, you’re screwed (literally).
• SS: Either they go along with the SSS units or they replace them, outshining them in some situations, typically on elemental advantage or favorable stage designs.
  • === META LINE ===
• S: Either they go along with the higher-tier units or they are used as alternatives. They can outshine higher-tier units in some contexts.
• A: Same as S but with worse overall possession value/strength. They can still outshine higher-tier units in some contexts.
  • === SITUATIONAL LINE ===
• B: You don’t normally use these units for mobbing, but you can make them work. Some may have niche uses, but they are otherwise outshone.
• C: Same as B but worse or more restricted.
• D: If you need emotional support, they can help.
• E: Why add a Rapture to your team?
• F: Reserved for R units.

Major Tier List Changes

• RRH B1 & RH B1 (SSS → SS): RRH B1 & RH B1 are still powerful Campaign options and can beat Siren in some stages and comps. The reason for their demotion is that most of the time, Siren is a superior choice (more convenient, can stun, can give burst gen, and cover more stages). They are also demoted to free up the space in the upper tiers following our TL revamp and to calibrate value balance across Burst Types.
• Liter, Rouge, DWife (SS → S): They are demoted just to make space and to match the values of similar tiers across Burst Types better. They are no longer as powerful as the units in SS+ and are only there to be used situationally (for some comps) or as a replacement in 2026.
• SolineFT, Tia (S → A): They are demoted just to make space and to match the values of similar tiers across Burst Types better. Their being brought down to A also reflects our “first impression” of them better, so beginners don’t mistake them as being OP.
• XBrid (SS → S): The awkwardness of Blanc’s placement in the S tier, as well as the psychological effect of some unit placements in B1 & B3 S, has caused us to “overrate” her and place her in SS. Demoting her to S brings her in line with other units of the same power level (BAde, Grave, Naga).
• Blanc (S → A): Damage Taken is not a sustainable debuff during wave clearing, and Blanc requires the presence of Rouge/Noir, which can be unideal to compromise for in some comps. She matches our A units better than S.
• Alice (SSS → SS): Slightly worse single-target performance than BMilk in 2026, but can enable SBS and is much more convenient to manual. Alice remains one of the best Fire DPS in Campaign/Tower, but her reign as the Campaign Queen has long been superseded by RRH & TVesti.
• Red Hood (SSS → SS): An awesome B3 (or FLEX B1) for burst gen. Good singletarget damage and good self ATK buff to deny deficit. She remains one of the most well-rounded B3s. Easy to pick up, works for most things, and doesn’t require too much investment. Same reason for demotion as Alice.
• Asuka: Shikinami Langley (SS → S): Since the Campaign veered off Fireweak (Ch. 3032), Asuka’s dominance has begun to drop. She remains a usable B3, providing Core Damage to Fire allies (there are many good Fire B3s in Campaign who utilize Core Damage) and contributing good personal damage & burst gen through Pierce. She is still one of the best Nikkes to use in Fireweak, too, although TVesti and RRH outclassed her already.
• Bunny Milk (S → SS): With our criteria change, stipulating that all units are rated based on optimal gameplay, Bunny Milk rises back to SS for being one of the best Iron B3 in High Deficit due to having high self ATK buffs.
• Ludmilla: WO, Maxwell, Asuka: WILLE (S → A): These units are never the best in Campaign, although they can be situationally useful. Since we are dropping our Best Replacement/Situational line to A+, these are demoted too because they reflect the possession value/strength level of A units better than the existing S.
• Crow (D → E): No comment.

Other Tier Changes

• Promotions:
  • Anchor A → S
  • Bready B → A
  • Poli, PoliTreasure, Admi, Anis, Helm C → B
  • Yan D → C
  • BMilk S → SS
  • Pepper C → B
  • Epinel, Vesti, K, D, AnneMF, Flora, Mast, Clay D → C
  • RH B2 E → D
  • Himeno, Yulha, Maiden E → D
• Demotions
  • Mana, Privaty, Diesel Treasure, Rapunzel: A → B
  • Rei Tentative, B.Alice, Sakura, Tove Treasure: A → B
  • Volume, Delta: Ninja Thief: A → B
  • Marciana, Noise, Tove B → C
  • Isabel, MiharaBC C → D