Okay, so lots of folks have been asking me about NIKKE rankings lately, especially with all the new characters popping up. I figured it was time I sat down and really hammered out my own NIKKE tier list for 2024, based on what I’ve actually seen work in my day-to-day playing.
Getting Started – What Even Matters?
First thing I did was just stop and think. What makes a Nikke good? It’s not just about raw damage, right? I started jotting down the big things:
- Burst Skill Impact: How game-changing is their burst? Does it wipe the screen, provide crazy buffs, or keep the team alive?
- Burst Generation: How fast can they help fill that gauge? Super important. Some characters are just amazing batteries.
- Overall Damage/Healing/Tanking: Their basic job performance outside of bursting.
- Team Synergy: Do they make other Nikkes better? Do they fit into the top teams easily?
- Versatility: Are they only good in one specific mode, or can you use them pretty much everywhere? Story, bosses, PvP, towers…
I decided these were the main points I needed to weigh for each character.
The Long Grind – Playing and Watching
This wasn’t just a spreadsheet job. I spent a ton of time actually playing. I swapped characters in and out of my main teams for story stages, interception bosses, and pushed as high as I could in the Tribe Towers. You really get a feel for a Nikke when you’re relying on them not to wipe your run.
I paid attention to which units kept showing up in top teams for stuff like Solo Raid and Union Raid. You see patterns, you know? Certain combinations just work. I also had to consider the newer Nikkes. Sometimes they shake things up big time, other times they’re more niche. Had to use them myself to get a real sense, not just go off what everyone else was saying immediately.
Drafting the Actual List
Okay, then came the hard part. I opened up a simple document. I decided to group them by Burst type (I, II, III) because that’s usually how you build teams. Then, within those groups, I started sorting into tiers: S, A, B, C, maybe a D for characters I really think need help or are just super niche.
Putting down the obvious S tiers was easy. You know the ones. The characters that define the meta. Red Hood, Liter, Blanc, Noir… those went in first.
Then it got messy. Moving characters up and down. Is this one really A tier, or just a high B? Does this support enable enough damage to justify an S ranking even if their personal damage is low? I spent ages fiddling with the Burst II section, that one always feels the trickiest to rank.
There were some tough calls. Characters who are amazing in one specific setup but just okay elsewhere. Or older characters who’ve been power crept but are still solid for newer players. I tried to balance overall usefulness with peak potential.
Refining and Thinking About Teams
I looked at the draft list and thought about actual teams. Does this ranking make sense when you put them together? Like, having strong individual Burst III attackers is great, but they need the right Burst I and II support to really shine. So, I tweaked things again, making sure the supports who enable the big damage dealers got the respect they deserved.
I also specifically thought about common content. Who do I rely on for Campaign pushes? Who is essential for beating tough bosses like Modernia or Blacksmith? This helped solidify some rankings.
Final Thoughts (For Now)
So, that’s basically how I got to my 2024 list. It was a lot of playing, thinking, drafting, and shuffling things around. It’s based on my own experience and observations.
Honestly, these lists are always changing. A new Nikke drops, a balance patch hits, and suddenly everything gets shuffled again. But for now, this is what feels right based on countless hours sunk into the game. It’s a snapshot of where things stand from my perspective. Hopefully, it helps some folks figure out who to build!
