Here’s the ultimate Solo Leveling: Arise tier list that ranks every hunter character you can get in the game from best to worst.
Netmarble launched Arise with 24 hunter characters to clear high-level Gates and defeat Solo Leveling bosses. Since then, nine new characters have been added, including Gina with the October 10 patch update, bringing the total roster to 33.
However, it is tricky to know which are the top characters to use and assemble the strongest hunting team possible.
Solo Leveling Arise tier list: Best characters ranked & ordered
| Tier | Characters (Hunters) |
|---|---|
| S | Go Gunhee, Amamiya Mirei, Harper, Charlotte, Alicia Blanche, Cha Hae-In |
| A | Emma Laurent, Meilin Fisher, Han Se-Mi, Seo Jiwoo, Min Byung-Gu, Yoo Soohyun, Woo Jinchul, Choi Jong-In, Lee Bora. |
| B | Gina, Silver Mane Baek Yonhoo, Hwang Dongsoo, Lim Tae-Gyu, Kang Taeshik, Baek Yonhoo, Nam Chae-Young, Park Heejin |
| C | Anna Ruiz, Lee Joohee, Kim Chul, Yoo Jinho, Hwang Dongsuk, Han Song-Yi, Son Chiyul, Kim Sangshik, Jo Kyuhwan, Park Beom-Shik |
Our tiers explained
- S: The best Hunters in Solo Leveling: Arise.
- A: Very good Hunters. While they’re not top-tier, these are still fantastic characters to use.
- B: There might be situations where they can perform well.
- C: Best to avoid these fighters unless you find yourself drawn to them.
Meta analysis
Cha Hae-In was the top hunter in Solo Leveling: Arise during its initial months, championed for her exceptional DPS and all-out attack style. However, the meta has evolved with the introduction of new characters such as Go Gunhee, Amamiya Mirei, Harper, and Charlotte, who now occupy the top four spots.
These hunters not only excel in DPS but also boast strong defensive capabilities and unique effects, with Gunhee and Harper also recognized as the best Break units in the game.
While the majority of new hunters have instantly surpassed their older counterparts, Cha Hae-In remains a formidable S-Tier character, thanks to the continued meta dominance of DPS units. Nevertheless, the newer hunters provide more balanced kits, featuring unique effects and support buffs, making them the better choice.
Despite Netmarble’s efforts to improve Fire characters through balance changes and the introduction of the new Fire Element hunter, Gina, in the October 10 update, they still significantly trail behind other elements in the rankings. While top Fire characters like Choi Jong-In and Yoo Soohyun have been buffed, their overall ranked positions remain largely unchanged.
S-Tier
Go Gunhee
Go Gunhee has become the best hunter character in Solo Leveling: Arise since being released into the gacha game on August 28.
He scales all of his attacks from his Defense stats as a Light Damage dealing Tank unit. His superiority of being the top-ranked hunter centers around him being the second-best Break character that is also capable of providing effective support buffs and dealing huge Critical Hit Damage from his attacks.
Being a Tank, he is also incredibly tough and can stay on the battlefield for long periods.
Pros:
- Insane Break abilities
- Decent DPS unit
- High survivability
- Strong support skills
Cons:
- Weak mobility
- Requires multiple advancements to gain strong support buffs
- Slow cooldowns
Amamiya Mirei
Amamiya Mirei is close behind Go Gunhee as the second-best hunter. Ever since she was added to the gacha on July 31 she’s proved to be the strongest DPS hunter in Arise capable of wiping out anybody with ease.
She scales off of her Attack stats and her gameplay centers around charging up and using her almighty Ultimate Skill. Mirei’s skills can also grant her buffs, which with everything combined, enable her to inflict insane amounts of Wind Damage and Critical Hit damage.
Pros:
- Best DPS unit
- High burst damage dealer
- Specializes in single-target DPS
Cons:
- Needs upgrades to get the most out of her
- Mana management is vital during fights
- Dependant on Ultimate Skill
Harper
Harper is the greatest Break unit you can use in Arise and therefore should be your first choice when assembling your team to fight difficult Gate bosses and high-level enemies.
Her insane Break capabilities alone make her one of the strongest DPS characters on offer .However, she’s remarkably tough to beat due to being a Tank unit and offering a range of useful support buffs for your team.
Pros:
- High DPS unit
- Best Break hunter
- Can inflict Almighty Break Damage with Basic Skill
- Combines well with Charlotte
- Effective support buffs
- Strong survivability
Cons:
- A bit complex to use
- Costly Advancements
Charlotte
Harper’s sister Charlotte, who was available to players a week later on September 19, has proved to be just as impressive.
The hunter’s key strengths lie in her Ultimate Skill, which deals massive Dark Damage, making her one of the top damage dealers. Additionally, her high Basic Attack damage allows her to maintain constant DPS while quickly charging up her superior Ultimate Skill.
Pros:
- High DPS unit
- Can inflict an insane amount of damage with her Ultimate Skill
- Every skill inflicts high damage
- Strong survivability
Cons:
- When not controlling the character the AI makes her weak
- Fairly dependent on Harper being on your team
- Costly Advancements
Alicia Blanche
Despite being technical to use, the Ice Mage hunter deals massive Water damage and has unique abilities related to her Freezing effect that make her standout on the roster. [Add Paragraph]
Not only is she one of the best DPS dealers in Arise, but her Shield and Freeze abilities make her remarkably versatile during fights. However, she heavily depends on character and weapon dupes to level up her Advancement Tiers and grant OP benefits.
Pros:
- Insanely high DPS unit
- High burst damage
- Specialises in AoE attacks and crowd control
- Unique Freeze abilities
- Shield increases survivability of her and the team
- Critical Hit buffs
Cons:
- Complex to use
- Requires several Advancements to be one of the top hunters
Cha Hae-In
Cha Hae-In is the second strongest DPS unit compared to every other hunter, with Amamiya Mirei having narrowly taken the crown.
She can deal exceptionally high amounts of normal damage and Critical Hit damage combos on your enemies. She can also use a unique ability that stops enemies from healing themselves, which can be key against tough monsters.
Pros:
- Second best DPS unit
- Excels at dealing high burst damage
- Greatly benefits from team buffs
- Stops enemies from healing
- Strong Advancement benefits
Cons:
- Limited AoE Capabilities
- Relys on Critical Hit damage
- Very attack focused
A-Tier
Emma Laurent
Emma Laurent is the best all-around hunter in Arise, offering a wealth of support, Breaking, and damage-dealing benefits.All her skills can Break bosses, and deal enormous Fire damage. This combined with her ability to use Burn attacks to weaken enemies, while increasing Fire damage and Defense Penetration for your hunting team, makes her incredibly useful.
Pros:
- Best all-around character
- High Break Damage
- Massive AoE attacks
- Powerful DPS unit
- Strong support buffs
Cons:
- Limited to what she can offer
Meilin Fisher
Meilin Fisher has proved to be a fairly strong support character, who as a Health-based unit scales Attacks and buffs for teammates off her Health.She can boost Water Damage for her and others, which makes her best suited with Alicia Blanche or other Water hunters to be most effective.
However, her support skills and abilities are less superior to Min Byung-Gu overall, who remains the best support character in Solo Leveling: Arise.
Pros:
- Impressive healer
- Vast amount of buffs and debuffs
- Basic Skill can remove enemy Shield effect quickly
Cons:
- Relies on high Health to deal high damage
- Some buffs are fairly ineffective or weaken her DPS
Han Se-Mi
Han Se-Mi is a similar character to Meilin Fisher and can provide major Health buffs to her and teammates via abilities and skills. Despite being a Wind Element unit that can support any character in your hunting team, she is more formidable when paired with Wind hunters due to her unique buffs granted.
While top Fire characters like Choi Jong-In, Emma Laurent, and Yoo Soohyun have received enhancements, their overall ranked positions remain largely unchanged.
Pros:
- Major Healing support buffs
- Can provide Mana recovery
- Impressive survivability
- Perfect support for Amamiya Mirei
Cons:
- Average DPS output
- Requires teams with Wind characters to maximise potential
- Other support characters offer more benefits
Seo Jiwoo
Seo Jiwoo is a diverse character that, thanks to her skill reset abilities, allows her to deal damage while solo for long periods.
This paired with her strengths in Breaking enemies, such as bosses, and her ability to also give Shields to your hunting team, makes her a strong choice. However since new hunters have been added with better Break capabilities, she has become less effective in the overall meta.
Pros:
- High DPS
- Decent Break unit
- Can battle solo for long periods
- Unique cooldown reset ability
- Great against bosses
- Strong survivability
- Protects team with Shield
Cons:
- Requires Advancements to be most effective
- Newly added hunter characters are better Break units
Min Byung-Gu
Min Byung-Gu is the best all-around support character in Arise, who can weaken enemies, as well as heal and buff characters in your hunting team quickly.
He will easily fit into any team, but because his abilities are less specialized, other character’s support buffs may be better for you depending on your team composition.
Pros:
- Versatile support unit that will benefit all characters
- Powerful healer
- Strong Critical Hit buffs
Cons:
- Specialized support characters may be more beneficial for your team
- Average DPS in comparison
- Critical Hit buffs will not benefit Cha Hae-In
Yoo Soohyun
Yoo Soohyun instantly became the best Fire Damage dealer in the game when they joined, finally knocking off Choi Jong-In from the top spot.
This has also made her the third-highest DPS dealer in Solo Leveling: Arise. Her simplistic, but effective abilities, will make her an asset to any hunting team, especially when leveled up.
Pros:
- High DPS unit
- Decent against all elements
- Effective solo buffs and debuff abilities
- Powerful with little investment
Cons:
- Slow skill animations
- Clunky movement
Woo Jinchul
Woo Jinchul’s weakness used to be his damage, which is still nothing amazing, but updates and meta changes have meant he can now deal reasonable damage. Not only this, but the character has been given the ability to deal Break damage from low-level attacks and can apply the Stun effect to enemies.
He also is hard to hit, due to being able to dodge and evade attacks easily, and can even spawn Shields for his teammates. Overall, the changes have turned a somewhat useless character into a versatile choice for your team.
Pros:
- Can deal Break damage from Basic Attacks
- Stun and Shield abilities provide versatile utility
Cons:
- DPS output still fairly weak compared to other hunters
- Requires upgrades to boost damage significantly
- Doesn’t have specialized strengths as abilities are broad
Choi Jong-In
Choi Jong-In is a strong hunter in Arise, who can deal high amounts of Fire damage at range. His ability to use Burn attacks to constantly weaken enemies, as well as his Ultimate to issue insane amounts of damage make him one of the best damage dealers.
Despite him being unable to deal Critical Damage, his DPS far makes up for it, especially with upgrades. However, following updates and stronger Fire characters being introduced, he has fallen down the pecking order.
Pros:
- High DPS
- Strong burst damage attacks
- Benefits greatly when teamed with Fire characters
Cons:
- Biggest weakness is he can’t deal Critical Hit Damage
- Fairly squishy with a lack of survivability
- Requires costly upgrades to maximize full DPS potential
- Longer skill cooldowns for most powerful abilities
Lee Bora
Lee Bora is strong as an off-field support hunter, who can deal a reasonable amount of Dark damage, as well as the ability to weaken an opponent’s damage.
She is especially useful against bosses, due to her debuffing abilities, which allow her to reduce the attack and movement speed of enemies.
Pros:
- Can deal decent Critical Damage with single-target attacks
- Syncs well with Sung Jinwoo due to being a Dark Element hunter
- Powerful debuffs weaken and slow down enemies
- Especially good against bosses
- Fast attack speed provides constant DPS output
- Deals passive damage to opponents when not using
Cons:
- Weak DPS unit in comparison
- Fragile unit that requires healers and support characters to last longer
B-Tier
Gina
Gina failed to make the desired impact in the meta when she was added on October 10 and overall is fairly average in comparison to other hunters in Solo Leveling: Arise. Furthermore, there are simply far better Fire hunters to choose from such as Choi Jong-In and Emma Laurent.
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The Fire Mage unit is a decent all-around support for the Fire unit. However, she is most effective when combined with a team full of Fire characters, which aren’t a high priority in the meta due to not being the strongest.
Pros:
- Strong all-around support for Fire characters
- Versatile and unique effects
Cons:
- Weak DPS unit
- Limited to benefiting Fire teams
- Doesn’t specialize in anything
- Requires high Advancement to get the most out of her
Silver Mane Baek Yonhoo
The once previous best boss killer in Solo Leveling: Arise, Silver Mane boasts insane bleeding damage and the ability to buff himself greatly.
As his health decreases, he will only get stronger during your fights with his unique Tanking abilities and will be able to deal increasingly high amounts of Dark damage. However, his unique effects also make him less versatile, not a team player and his DPS is far from anything special.
Pros:
- Especially powerful against bosses
- Super effective Bleed effect to deal constant damage
- The lower the health, the more damage he will deal
- Shield and Super Armor abilities make him tough to eliminate
Cons:
- Fairly weak DPS unit
- Selfish unit that doesn’t support other hunters
- Using Healers in your team will only reduce his DPS output
- Complex playstyle
Hwang Dongsoo
Hwang Dongsoo is a fairly strong Wind-type hunter that is especially effective against bosses that have armor, due to his unique ability to remove it.
He’s also a great Tank who can increase his Defense, all while being able to deal reasonable damage.
Pros:
- Specializes in fighting bosses
- Insane Shield debuffs
- Strong Defense buffs
- Reasonable Wind damage dealer
- Hard to beat
Cons:
- There are much better options to choose from for eliminating bosses
- No teammate support abilities
Lim Tae-Gyu
Lim Tae-Gyu is another strong hunter for boss fights due to his Breaking abilities, but mainly for his Ultimate Skill being able to deal one of the highest damage potentials in Solo Leveling: Arise.
Despite his DPS being reasonably high, his various ranged attacks are hard to hit his targets.
Pros:
- Specializes in fighting bosses
- Capable of dealing decent Break damage
- Insane damage dealt from Ultimate Skill
- Effective burst damage attacks
Cons:
- Ranged attacks are difficult to master
- Hard to hit enemies who move quickly
- If you aren’t taking on a boss you are better off using most other hunters
Kang Taeshik
Kang Taeshik’s strengths come from his high DPS compared to others, and his ability to deal damage by Bleeding enemies.
If you haven’t got Silver Mane at your disposal, who has very similar abilities and strengths, further upgrades make Taeshik a decent pick.
Pros:
- His Bleed debuff inflicts insane DPS over time
- Strong burst damage attacks
- Unique stealth abilities allow you to creep up on enemies
- Can dodge and evade attacks easily
Cons:
- Vulnerable to counterattacks if stealth skills fail
- Weak Health and Defense stats
- Requires several Advancements and upgrades to compete with higher-ranked hunters
Baek Yonhoo
Baek Yoonho was previously the best Breaker in the game and one of the top hunters for defeating bosses. However, there are plenty of far more superior Break hunters that have been added to Arise following updates.
But, he is still a great all-round character, in which all of his attacks, abilities, and skills will allow you to Break opponents quickly. This is paired with reasonably strong support skills, damage, and the ability to passively weaken enemy defenses.
Pros:
- Decent Break damage dealing unit
- Powerful Defense debuffs
- Most effective when fighting bosses
- Versatile skill utility
- Difficult to eliminate Tank unit
Cons:
- Slow skill animations make him an easy target
- Several new hunters are simply far better at dealing Break damage
Nam Chae-Young
Nam Chae-Young is impressive at taking down enemies’ guards with her ranged Water damage attacks, but needs considerable upgrades to give her damage a boost.
She also has the added ability of being able to Freeze opponents, which is especially useful as a support when fighting bosses to let your stronger damage hunters attack.
Pros:
- Freeze abilities are some of the most useful in the game
- Strong against bosses
- Easy to use ranged Water damage attacks
Cons:
- Requires a lot of investment to make a worthy choice
- Alicia Blanche can also Freeze opponents and is a way better character due to her insane DPS output
Park Heejin
Another support option is Park Heejin, who can help your hunting team in various ways. These include increasing Ultimate damage, overall damage, and removing debuffs.
Pros:
- Versatile support unit
- Can increase teammates’ Ultimate Skil damage, Power Gauge meter and DPS output
- Able to remove debuffs from your whole team
- Advancement tier 5 allows her to start fights with Ultimate Skill ready
Cons:
- Superior support skills require several Advancements
- Weak DPS unit
- Only useful as a basic support character
C-Tier
Anna Ruiz
Ann Ruiz’s strengths come from her unique ranged Water attacks that can inflict waves of damage, debuffs, and can even break her enemies.
But, she will need a lot of upgrades to give her damage a boost.
Pros:
- Reasonable Break damage dealer
- Poison abilities deal Break and normal damage passively
- Bind skill effect can immobilize targets
- Easy to use ranged attacks
Cons:
- Low DPS output
- Requires a lot of upgrades to make somewhat effective
Lee Joohee
Lee Joohee is only good for healing, but it is not that useful in Solo Leveling: Arise.
Her damage lacks and so does her and support abilities to give attack increases and mana recovery boosts to your hunting team.
Pros:
- Strong healer unit
- Super Armor and Health buffs
- Advancement tier 3 provides effective Mana recovery abilities
Cons:
- Apart from healing doesn’t do much else well
- Weak damage increase buffs are fairly pointless
Kim Chul
Kim Chul is a great Tank hunter who can create a Shield for himself and your hunting team. By using his Ultimate, he can reduce the damage dealt to your allies and provide more Shields. He also can Stun enemies for a few seconds, making him an okay support character.
However, his attacks are fairly pointless and the A-tier ranked hunter Woo Jinchul is a much better choice in Arise who can also use Stuns and Shields, or S-tier Alicia Blanche who can Shield teammates and Freeze opponents instead, all while dealing considerably more DPS.
Pros:
- Provides strong survivability for him and the team
- Shield and Stun abilities
- Versatile support utility
Cons:
- Very Weak DPS unit
- Better hunters can do his abilities
Yoo Jinho
Sung Jinwoo’s best friend, Yoo Jinho, has the benefits of being able to Break and Stun enemies, as well as being able to heal, provide defense boosts, and give attack increases to your team.
However, his abilities and DPS aren’t very strong compared to others. Similar to Kim Chul, you are better off using Woo Jinchul or Alicia Blanche if you want to benefit from stronger survivability and perform immobility effects.
Alternatively, if you want a Break unit, then the best hunter in the game, Go Gunhee, and several of the top S-tier hunters are in a whole different league. Overall, don’t waste your time with Jinho.
Pros:
- One of the easiest hunters to use
- Can Break and Stun opponents
Cons:
- Low DPS unit
- Not particularly strong at anything
- Much better hunters can do the same
- Nothing unique
Hwang Dongsuk
Hwang Dongsuk is a hard-to-beat Tank hunter who can heal and give Shield boosts to himself, as well as being able to Break and Stun enemies when attacking. But, he is not a team player, and the low amount of damage and lack of effectiveness in his abilities make him the best to avoid.
Pros:
- Breaking is his strongest ability
- Self-buffing Shield and healing effects make him last long on the battlefield
- Stuns can prove useful
Cons:
- Jack of all trades, master of none in terms of skills
- There are plenty of better Break units
- Weak DPS unit
Han Song-Yi
Despite her damage per second being okay, she is still one of the weakest overall and is by far the worst Water hunter. If you have no choice, then make sure you upgrade her damage and Critical Damage.
Pros:
- Reasonable normal damage and Critical Hit Damage dealer
- Can protect herself with Shields
Cons:
- Worst Water character in Arise
- Even with upgrades, there is not much improvement
Song Chiyul
If you don’t have Choi Jong-In, then Song Chiyul is another option who shares similar skills and abilities. However, he is severely weak against bosses and is best to keep upgrading to wipe out Gate monsters.
Pros:
- Most effective at clearing low-level enemies in Gates
- Strong AoE attacks against large groups
- Great as a starter hunter in the early game stages
Cons:
- Only useful for eliminating mobs
- Completely useless against tougher opponents and bosses
- Requires Advancements and upgrades to be worthwhile
Kim Sangshik
Kim Sangshik has considerably low damage, ineffective skills, and a small skill range. The only positive is his ability to Break, which many have, and do massively better.
Pros:
- Can deal Break damage
- Healing and Defense increase abilities
Cons:
- Very weak DPS unit
- Break damage attacks are far worse than others
- Skills are remarkably lackluster
- No real benefits
Jo Kyuhwan
Jo Kyuhwan is fairly lackluster overall, with his damage, range, skills and abilities being average. He does have the ability to Break and Stun enemies when upgraded, but again it is nothing special and makes him the second worst character in the game.
Pros:
- Can deal Break damage and Stun enemies
Cons:
- Severely weak DPS unit
- Lackluster skills and abilities
- Need to reach Advancement tier 5 to be able to use Stun effect
- Has no special qualities
Park Beom-Shik
Park Beom-Shik is the worst hunter character of all you can choose in Solo Leveling: Arise.
His skills are not the worst and his damage is okay, but his health is severely lacking and there is nothing special or particularly great about him. Just choose anybody else if you can.
Pros:
- Alright Knockdown abilities and skill utility
- Reasonable DPS unit
- Can unleash fast attacks when health is low
Cons:
- The weakest hunter character in the game
- Easy to eliminate due to incredibly low Health and Defense stats
For Solo Leveling: Arise we have also provided the best build for Sung Jinwoo and Cha Hae-In, as well as the best Artifact sets and weapons for every hunter character. If you need free Arise codes or are wondering what the current and next banners are, then we have you covered.