Last Updated on by Samuel Franklin
Counterside Tier List For PvE & PvP Guide (Global & SEA)
This Counterside tier list provides a guide to both PvE and PvP content for Global or SEA players to reference when deciding on their character line ups. As one of the most popular gacha games on the mobile (and now PC) market Counterside has literally hundreds of character choices for players to build their perfect team for a range of content challenges. With hundreds of options though comes decision fatigue as players try to separate the powerful characters from the weaker ones to overcome the pinnacles of different content pieces.
Whether you’re seeking to expand your collection towards the top tier choices or already have a large array of characters and looking to select the strongest options this Counterside tier list is designed to serve as a quick reference guide to character power. Importantly the tier list table within this guide rates each hero on their strength in PvE and PvP separately given these game modes require a different set of character skills to be successful. This tier list content is also applicable across SEA and Global Counterside servers, while the current differences in content and length of time the servers have been online have some minor impacts on tier rating it’s not significant and any gap is likely to close over time as the meta games merge together.
Counterside Tier List – Ranking Factors
Factors in determining the tier list rankings for Counterside characters are as follows:
- Base Stats and Skills: At the heart of each character in Counterside is stats and skills which provide a foundation of their power level and dictate how effective they are at their intended role. A strong character in Counterside will have a basic, passive, special and an ultimate skill that are perfectly suited to their role which combined with the right mixture of stats (and high value stats) across HP, ATK, DEF, CRIT, HIT and EVA make them a must have for your party.
- Flexibility and Utility: Some flexibility is required in Counterside as it allows players to better react to the current situation and prevents players from having a rigid team that excels at only a single game element. Characters that can be flexible without sacrificing too much overall power level in Counterside are thus highly rated and a character may not need to be strong in their own right for your Counterside team if they offer significant utility to other characters in your team.
- Role: Given Counterside has several roles for characters that each bring their own specialty to a team players are unlikely to see success if they invest heavily into a single role type and sub speciality. As a result characters on this tier list have been ranked with consideration to other options within that specific role rather than focusing solely on cross role comparison.
- Rarity: Counterside doesn’t shy away from the fact that rarer characters generally offer greater power levels inherently. While these should ultimately be the goal for any account there are a number of characters that outperform their rarity level that have been rated higher on this tier list as they offer a viable pathway for players (particularly free to play gamers) to push content or PvP victories with the limited resources they have available.
Counterside Tier List – Rankings
Given the above the following rating system has been applied to the current available characters in Counterside in Global and SEA. As with all video game tier lists these lists do include some subjective elements and with the right team and understanding of a character you may find a certain character slightly stronger than shown here.
- S Tier: An incredible character that doesn’t require specific setups or teams to be effective with a power level that is well above the average character option in Counterside that makes them an important asset to any account.
- A Tier: A strong character that doesn’t quite reach the same power level of an S tier hero and may have a weakness that is easily overcome and remains deadly for their team role.
- B Tier: A character that can fill slots in your team if required or enables a particular team dynamic to be effective but generally are not effective out of the box and rarely worth further investment at the same time.
- C Tier: Limited to characters that have a niche use that can occasionally shine but requires significant investment or a particular team composition to thrive. They can fill niche gaps in your team but are rarely a regular inclusion in your Counterside roster.
- D Tier: The worst characters available that have weak stats, don’t fit into the game meta (and likely never will) that simply should be avoided at all costs and only used if you have no other options.
Counterside Tier List – Best Characters (PvE and PvP)
The table provides a tier list reference for players and is sorted based on PvE ratings first (and then PvP) from S to D Tier as described above with any specific notes related to that character for reference (S tier ranks only). Note that it includes all characters including the normal and rearmed variants of them. PvE is a generalist rating across all PvE content types such as story, raid, challenge, dungeons while PvP is a blended rating across strategy and ranked versions.
| Character | Rating (PvE) | Rating (PvP) | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Kestrel Xiao Lin | S | S | An incredible sniper with a rarity to match who hits hard at ground units between single target and area of effect (although she is a single target specialist) with touched of crowd control through stun at higher levels. Note she has no air target options though so may need support in this area. |
| Abyssal Ravage Orca | S | S | Another ground specialist of the striker archetype that grants them both solid health and attack values along with the ability to self heal. They can be countered in PvP although not enough to impact their S tier elements. |
| Evelyn Keller | S | S | The strongest healing characters in the game this supporter is also currently the only hero that is air based that creates some great combinations and generally provides better safety overall across PvE and PvP content. |
| Near Astraea Esterosa | S | S | An incredible and notable hero given they have fantastic immortality on their leadership skill that is a common tactic for various content pieces. |
| Ministra | S | S | A debuff specialist that can be annoying to deal with in the PvP realm that is surprisingly backed up by raw damage. |
| Carmen | S | S | Another top tier healing character and while they are ground based compared to Evelyn Keller you’ll find survival is still fairly high due to attack range and evasion stat. |
| Ifrit | S | S | The best of the mech archetypes in Counterside that offers great flexibility to your team with air and ground attacks that always hit hard considering the deployment cost of this unit. |
| Xiao Lin | S | S | The trend of S tier snipers continues with Xiao Lin that is capable of hitting hard with guaranteed basic attack critical although requires a little more babysitting than other S tier heroes as the trade off is a squishy health pool. |
| Awakened Lee Sooyeon | S | S | A powerful option given they are air based but able to attack both ground and air units that are uncommon amongst the character roster of Counterside (particularly with stats this high). |
| Rita Arsenico | S | S | A fantastic mech counter that has uses across PvE and PvP Rita is a specialist in this area but even when not facing mechs can hold their own through damage, being flying based and debuffs. |
| Awakened Yuna Springfield | S | S | A flexible kit makes this Counterside hero a top ranked option that can literally do most things (tank, damage, debuff and selfheal). While she is eventually overtaken by other S tier heroes in both PvE and PvP you won’t be sad about having her around. |
| Awakened Horizon | S | S | A solid striker that can take to the air while still attacking ground and air units that is already a powerful base to work from. This is supported with attacks based on percentage of HP for later stage PvE content and immunity that is always effective for PvP. |
| Serapel | S | S | A durable tank that belongs to the defender class and has no issues with absorbing attacks for the team. Supporting this with some healing abilities and counterattack mechanics they have a strong character design that few other defenders can match. |
| Gaeun | S | S | Another do it all character in the ranger class that goes beyond the damage of this archetype to also offer crowd control for a potent mix that is hard to ignore in PvE and PvP. |
| Admin. Rifleman | S | S | A fantastic low cost character (2 deployment) that is within reach of most players as they are a SR rarity as well. They are somewhat let down by their health value but the accessibility of this ranger keeps them S tier for PvE and PvP. |
| Yang Harim | S | A | Another supporter focused character that spreads this support across healing, shields and buffs that make them a flexible PvE choice although hurts the PvP potential due to common counters against these mechanics. |
| Replacer Queen | S | A | A sniper focused unit that is not shy at carrying a team with hard hitting skills with some minor debuffing themes. She does have some common counters in PvP that make her less usable in that arena though (notably the Evolved One). |
| Awakened Joo Shiyoon | S | A | A striker character with high base values that likes to counter attack enemies that makes them deadly in PvE although hurts their effectiveness in PvP as they shine in being attacked first that is not always a great tactic against other players. |
| Nanahara Chifuyu | S | A | One of the higher ranked 3 deployment cost characters that can hold their own at the ground level with a blended character design that can generally fit into any team role. This generalisation does hurt her PvP potential though. |
| Awakened Shin Jia | S | A | A buffer that can turn your PvE units into even harder hitting variants through buffs to attacks alongside some crowd control elements. |
| Sigma | S | A | For players that want to utilise tower or mech characters Sigma is the best of the bunch with a summon adding even further durability to her ability to hold ground in PvE and PvP. |
| Rosaria le Friede | S | A | A ranger that hits hard from the skies this character also comes with invincibility on deployment to ensure they do at least something when deployed. Despite this the glass cannon nature hurts her PvP ranking as you won’t get much from her as she’ll likely be focused quickly. |
| Awakened Jake | A | A | A mech counter that can deal with these employees while also boosting their own survivability at the same time. In story they are debatably a S tier hero given mechs are fairly prevalent but in other PvE (or PvP) content they quickly lose effectiveness if mechs aren’t present. |
| Lyudmila | S | A | A sniper that lacks the survivability of other options in this class but makes up for it somewhat by being air based (in PvE at least). |
| Awakened Seo Yoon | S | A | A unique character that supports herself with a summon to create two potential sources of damage and allow her to reach top levels of damage output. This is supported with some good crowd control and healblock in PvP although is a little vulnerable there and does have a hefty deployment cost of 6 to work with. |
| Sky Layfield | S | B | Another solid buffer to the PvE space through ATK boosts and some crowd control stuns that comes with a 3 deployment cost and the flexibility to attack air and ground units. Significantly weaker in PvP though as battles rarely last long enough to utilise all of their utility focused kit. |
| Karin Wong | S | B | A relatively durable sniper that can deal with units in air and ground effectively that makes them a consistent damage dealer in PvE although there are simply stronger options in PvP for the deployment cost. |
| Lin Xien | S | B | Lin is a great PvE choice for her battery mechanic that allows you to instantly refund some deployment resources when placed that can help you field a stronger force than you would otherwise. With this already being a rare feature on Counterside characters the strong base stats she also offers is simply the icing on the cake. Note that this is less relevant in the PvP space though. |
| Seo Yoon | S | C | Like other buffers/debuffers Seo Yoon shines in PvE where you can utilise the various ATK boosts and enemy DEF reductions to maximum effect. For PvP these are difficult to get value from as battles are generally quick that means she should be avoided in that mode where possible. |
| Tarrasque | S | C | Another reliable PvE option that is a SR rarity and shines in the PvE content outside the story given the defence focused skills have more value there. |
| Maestra Nequitia | A | S | A high deployment cost tower that is designed to counter other units with buffs and crowd control. Notably a map wide seal skill and damage boost help this Counterside character contribute to your team across game modes although the high cost keeps their power level in check. |
| Eins & Zwei | A | S | Offers a broad kit (crowd control, summoner, light tanking) for a deadly low deployment cost of 2 and the best of this deployment cost tier. Add the fact that these are effectively two units you’ll find higher stat values across the board that make them a regular inclusion in many setups. |
| Investigator Kang | A | S | Designed primarily as a sniper counter this makes them an effective PvP option with the right gear ensuring a near instant kill with several debuffs to fall back in if the first volley of attacks isn’t successful. |
| Horizon | A | S | A well rounded control ground character that can lock down a battlefield with ease that provides great effectiveness across PvE and PvP content. While there are some removers that can impact your PvP effectiveness they are not common enough to warrant not using Horizon. |
| Grendel | A | S | A high DPS mech themed option that has sniper elements and some additional tricks to ensure they can deliver their role in PvE and PvP although they are let down by the squishy nature of this role archetype. |
| Replacer King | A | S | A high deployment cost ground defender that has a unique unlimited range basic attack that provides good counter to sniper enemies. They have great effectiveness in Danger Close (PvE) in particular although other PvE content strength is not as evident. |
| Claudia Nelson | A | S | One of the strongest characters of this rarity class that make them a great early to mid game goal to acquire given they can carry you through PvE and PvP while being reasonably obtainable. In actual gameplay you’ll have a heal on deployment that always provides value and a generally low cost of 3. |
| Spira | A | S | A debuffer with healblock potential that moves and attacks on the ground. These abilities and her general approach to combat of diving into a backline after blinding targets makes her a PvP specialist that counters so many backline awakened characters although isn’t as impactful in PvE. |
| Lucrecia | A | S | Another character that has an air movement type but capable of attacking both ground and air units that provide a good level of base protection. Adding in the array of buffs and debuffs that Lucrecia offers makes her a consistent contributor across both game modes with an immortality buff and low cost to deploy. |
| Awakened Hilde | A | A | |
| Veronica | A | A | |
| Yamata no Orochi | A | A | |
| Assault Trooper | A | A | |
| Admin. Shieldman | A | A | |
| Kyle Wong | A | A | |
| Revenant | A | A | |
| Kaci Bins | A | A | |
| Dorothy | A | A | |
| Roy Burnett | A | B | |
| Arius Esquede | A | B | |
| Nanahara Chinatsu | A | B | |
| Lee Yumi | A | B | |
| Janus | A | B | |
| Shin Jia | A | B | |
| Orca | A | B | |
| Esterosa de Chevalier | A | B | |
| Edel Meitner | A | C | |
| Kim Sobin | A | C | |
| Dash | A | D | |
| Terminator | A | D | |
| Lone Lee | A | D | |
| Awakened Yoo Mina | B | S | A decent contributor in PvE although is outshined by other options in some notable core content (Shadow Palace and Dive). In PvP they have fluctuated in power over time but are currently a solid option given their on deployment damage although she needs to look out for buff removers. |
| Amy Firstwing | B | S | A PvP specialist that allows you to execute targets that always plays a role in a team composition although needs to be deployed at the right moment for maximum effect. With this ability being less notable in PvE and the high cost of Amy they aren’t quite as effective in PvE content though. |
| Purple Mist Laura | B | S | Another PvP specialist that debuffs, executes and summons while having the flexibility to attack ground and air units with their kit. Purple Mist Laura is also surprisingly durable with their cat Pluto and Perfect Evasion although this is less of an important factor in PvE contnet. |
| Arti Lana | B | S | A deadly 2 cost deployment unit that has a deadly blend of buffs and debuffs while having flexible attack options although won’t hit as hard as similarly themed characters that lowers her PvE relevance for most game modes. |
| Awakened Na Yubin | B | S | A specialist defender that can always contribute to a PvP match with their ability to slow down an enemy push given they have great evasion durability with the right kit. Ideal to counter towers they have strong pushing ability themselves although this unique skillset is not required for most PvE content challenges. |
| Blue Blood Elizabeth | B | S | An interesting blend of character mechanics that is capable of hitting hard and soaking up some damage from time to time. Deployable anywhere on the battlefield she is a flexible PvP unit although this is offset by accuracy (HIT) issues. |
| Machine Collector | B | S | Designed to be an anti mech support unit this is a useful unit to have on your sideline to utilise as necessary the threats of this archetype. Separate to this they play a supporter role in the team with a focus on damage boosts and resistances that occasionally comes in handy for PvE as well although these stages are few and far between. |
| Admin. Sword Fighter | B | A | |
| Special Forces Sorim | B | A | |
| Awakened Maria | B | A | |
| Mors | B | A | |
| Carlota | B | A | |
| Kang Soyoung | B | A | |
| Overflow | B | A | |
| Nest Keeper Xiao Lin | B | A | |
| Ironside | B | A | |
| Christina Brecht | B | A | |
| Yen Xing Lanchester | B | A | |
| Lee Jisoo | B | A | |
| Frederick Doma | B | B | |
| Joo Shiyoon | B | B | |
| Regina MacCready | B | B | |
| Clareth | B | B | |
| Hayami Sanae | B | B | |
| Alex | B | B | |
| Eddie Fisher | B | B | |
| Choi Jihoon | B | B | |
| Nicole | B | B | |
| Cindy Looper | B | B | |
| Maria Antonov | B | B | |
| Biblide | B | B | |
| Jane Doe | B | B | |
| Liona | B | B | |
| Nayuka Minato | B | B | |
| Hilde | B | C | |
| Mone | B | C | |
| John Mason | B | C | |
| Choi Ina | B | D | |
| Stronghold | B | D | |
| Cathy Wade | B | D | |
| Lucid | B | D | |
| Lee Yuri | C | S | Focused on counters this makes them a PvP specialist that can comfortably take out counter units that are at low health through execution for relatively low cost. While effective this use is less relevant for PvE content. |
| Ingrid Johanna | C | S | A deadly PvP option with low rarity and deployment that makes them an accessible ground vs ground option. As a paratrooper they specialise in disrupting an enemy backline although lacks other uses in PvP. |
| Dark Seven Sylvia | C | S | Lacking the power to be capable in PvE there is still hope for her in PvP if players can obtain her where she can make quick work of an enemy backline and notably increases the cooldown of enemy skills. She is squishy though so might not be your first pick for this role if you have other PvP specialists available to use. |
| Raphaela Juri | C | S | A tower that you won’t use in PvE but has some great PvP power given the high maximum damage limit that makes them near impossible to kill and a great counter to rushes at a cost of 3 deployment. |
| Evolved One | C | S | The Evolved One is a well known defender mech in the community for its PvP power that primarily comes from the difficulty to kill them while still being a reasonable damage threat. In PvE they suffer from a lack of ability to healed that is often core to PvE content advancement. |
| Best Streamer Miya | C | A | |
| Replacer Bishop | C | A | |
| Sylvia Lena Cooper | C | B | |
| Lee Sooyeon | C | B | |
| Agent Eujin | C | B | |
| Joo Shiyoung | C | B | |
| Irie Alford | C | B | |
| Goliath | C | B | |
| Sparrow | C | B | |
| Dracasia | C | B | |
| Lycoris | C | B | |
| Miya | C | B | |
| Na Yubin | C | C | |
| Rivet | C | C | |
| Han Sorim | C | C | |
| Best Mascot Irie | C | C | |
| Gabriel | C | C | |
| Ryan Ferrier | C | C | |
| Elizabeth Pendragon | C | C | |
| Expert Merc Yoo Mina | C | C | |
| Titan | C | C | |
| Lara Jaeger | C | C | |
| Dominic King Reginald | C | C | |
| Fione Lowell | C | D | |
| Jake Walker | C | D | |
| Peacekeeper | C | D | |
| Woodpecker | C | D | |
| Hound | C | D | |
| Lily | D | S | While a useless PvE hero they still deliver some PvP strength through high time crowd control (instant sleeping grenade) that is annoying to deal with and can be useful to a range of compositions if you are lacking in this area. |
| Harab | D | S | A confusion focused Counterside hero that makes them instantly a top tier PvP choice if you want to utilise this deadly mechanic although this mechanic is not useful in PvE. |
| Gremory | D | S | With the deploy anywhere ability from the paratrooper archetype Gremory is perfectly designed to jump into a backline and cause some respectable chaos that is enhanced by their ability to evade damage. |
| Naielle Bluesteel | D | A | |
| Lulu | D | A | |
| Kang Minwoo | D | A | |
| Glitch | D | A | |
| ATF-35 Thunderbolt | D | A | |
| Rhino | D | A | |
| Lumi | D | A | |
| Replacer Knight | D | B | |
| Buzzard | D | B | |
| Shena | D | B | |
| Mika ★ Star | D | B | |
| Jaina Kropel | D | C | |
| Arachne | D | C | |
| Eujin | D | C | |
| Brownie Moore | D | C | |
| Hayami Kanade | D | C | |
| Yoo Mina | D | C | |
| Liv Allen | D | C | |
| Lee Jin | D | C | |
| Benedict Constantine | D | C | |
| Recoiless Gunner | D | C | |
| Laura Beatrix | D | C | |
| ACH-4 Clan | D | C | |
| Edith Twins | D | C | |
| Reaper | D | C | |
| Kim Chowon | D | D | |
| Shieldman | D | D | |
| Rifleman | D | D | |
| Maya Hunt | D | D | |
| Sweeper | D | D | |
| Hirose Aki | D | D | |
| ATL-1 Lincoln | D | D | |
| Ballista | D | D | |
| Adamant Sniper | D | D | |
| ATAC-130 Gunship | D | D | |
| Cho Hojin | D | D | |
| Thaddeus Morgan | D | D | |
| Suppressor | D | D | |
| Yuna Springfield | D | D | |
| Scout | D | D | |
| Estaque | D | D | |
| Tommy the Die-hard | D | D | |
| Charlie Rockwood | D | D | |
| Oh Saerom | D | D | |
| Ogami Masaki | D | D | |
| Bomi | D | D | |
| Yang Hansol | D | D | |
| Park Hyunsoo | D | D | |
| Lee Minseo | D | D | |
| Jessica Green | D | D | |
| Frederick Yuma | D | D | |
| Amy Strickland | D | D | |
| ZSU Shilka | D | D | |
| UBGL Rifleman | D | D | |
| PZH Mobile Gun | D | D | |
| MA1 HMMWV | D | D | |
| HM MRLS | D | D | |
| Black Tail | D | D | |
| ATB-1B Spear | D | D | |
| Mortar Team | D | D | |
| Stinger Gunner | D | D | |
| Shim Somi | D | D | |
| Sniper | D | D | |
| Chariot | D | D | |
| Choi Gangsan | D | D | |
| Zena Bird | D | D | |
| Nina Anderson | D | D | |
| Lee Dafoe | D | D | |
| Tactical Transporter | D | D | |
| Kim Chulsoo | D | D |
