Destiny: Rising functions as a character-driven game, presenting a unique meta where some characters rise to prominence while others remain less favored. This forms a tier system encompassing top-tier characters, niche options, hidden gems, and those that might not offer much enjoyment in their current iteration.

Below is our ranking of the top characters in Destiny: Rising as of the Season of Daybreak.

Top Characters in Destiny Rising, Rated

As the game evolves and new characters are introduced, the current meta may change. Some characters may yet showcase their true potential, so it’s wise to keep an eye on their abilities and any updates to the rankings.

S-Tier

Tan-2 and Gwynn stand out as the finest representatives in their respective roles. They are universally beneficial, whether participating in strikes or raids.

Tan-2 excels as a support character due to his Blessing of Dawn/Dusk Super (a familiar favorite). The Blessing of Dawn continuously heals allies, while The Blessing of Dusk enhances damage output in the vicinity. Apart from his Super, Tan-2 also provides team healing with the Sunrise ability and contributes damage with the Sunset ability.

Gwynn is unparalleled in DPS, specializing in close-range assaults with her Void Dance ability, especially when empowered with six Void Spirits. She can also heal teammates, leading into her Super that maximizes Void Spirit output for considerable damage.

For tank roles, Jolder is the top pick, showcasing outstanding self-sustain with healing and protective overshields. A highlight of her abilities is the Barrier of Starlight Super (akin to a protective bubble). Unlike a similar ability from Destiny 2, Jolder’s bubble allows for attacking while reloading her submachine gun for excellent DPS potential.

A-Tier

Characters classified in A-Tier are robust choices, suitable for a variety of in-game activities, though they aren’t as overpowering as those in S-Tier.

Recent entries to the A-Tier include Estela and Umeko. Estela focuses on Solar DPS through summoning, dealing respectable damage and demonstrating utility in endgame scenarios, but she currently trails behind Gwynn.

Umeko serves as a Void support character and ranks among the top four-stars available. She can heal herself and allies while debuffing adversaries. Although her damage output might not be as high, pairing her with the right weapon, such as Izanagi’s Burden, allows her to remain competitive.

Ning Fei, another Hunter in this category, is an Arc offensive character capable of creating clones to distract enemies while also inflicting damage. His abilities shine particularly in more challenging content where redirecting enemy attention is crucial.

Wolf emerges as a surprisingly strong starter character for a gacha game, offering solid damage output and self-sustain through overshields. While Gwynn may still hold the advantage in challenging activities, Wolf is a commendable option for solo or less-communicative matchmaking scenarios requiring a Solar character.

B-Tier

B-Tier characters tend to be either situational choices or generalist options, facing limitations that prevent them from climbing to A-Tier.

Attal is a versatile character combining healing from her Mint Mend and Delightful Companion passive with offensive capabilities from her Arc Missile and Mini Missile abilities. Although she excels in adaptability, she falls short compared to characters like Tan-2 and Umeko due to weapon selection limitations.

Kabr, on the other hand, proves useful in specific contexts by blinding enemies, an ability mainly beneficial in high-difficulty situations. In standard Strikes or initial Calamity Ops, players often find alternative characters more effective.

C-Tier

Characters in C-Tier generally lack the effectiveness of their higher-tier counterparts. They require enhancements in either weapon loadout or skill capabilities to elevate their performance.

Ikora can deliver decent damage via her Nova Bomb, but her gameplay approach, relying on crowd control with a breach-loaded grenade launcher, lacks sufficient rewards. Similarly, Xuan Wei employs a fusion rifle as a primary weapon, which does not yield optimal results.

Finnala stands out as a character with notable potential, possessing a solid defensive skill set–particularly when augmented by suitable Artifacts–and strong weapon options. However, she struggles to match the impact of characters in higher tiers.