Despite being a pay-to-earn game that can be played mostly automatically, GoldenKnights: Metaverse actually has an engaging and thrilling real-time action combat system, in which players can choose from over 200 unlockable characters, and take to the fields to defeat any enemy that stands in their way. And with so many options to choose from, the complexity of the game doesn’t come from defeating the enemies themselves, but figuring out the best characters for doing so in the fastest and easiest way.

In the spirit of helping both newcomers and veterans to gacha games alike, we’ve decided to dive into the character roster in GoldenKnights: Metaverse, and find the best characters in the game. In this sense, if you’re looking to reroll in this gacha action RPG, then your best bet would be to aim for these awesome heroes and heroines:

S Tier

The characters on this tier are those that can single handedly carry the entire team on their backs, and win stages without the need for help or any complicated setups. These are, by far, the best characters in GoldenKnights.

• Monet (UR, Light, Support)

Though support characters are often ignored in games like these, you can actually achieve a lot by having one good character in this role in your squad. And as luck would have it, Monet just so happens to be one of the best, combining not only powerful heals with AoE stuns, but also making the team impervious to skill attacks for a short duration. Her kit makes Monet ideal as a support in both PvE and PvP contexts.

• Krauser (UR, Light, Defense)

One of the particularities of tanks in games like these is that, while they can resist a veritable ton of damage, they are often lacking in the damage and DPS department, making them subpar for quickly clearing content. However, defense types in GoldenKnights are ideal units for auto-combat usage, since they rarely need supervision due to their self-sufficient kits and powerful defensive cooldowns. Krauser, on the other hand, is not only exceedingly tanky, but can also activate a skill that lets him ignore 70% of the enemy’s defenses with every attack. And not only that, but he also has very decent AoE capabilities, letting him mow down hordes of enemies with brutal efficiency.

• Dokebi (UR, Dark, Attack)

Attack heroes in GoldenKnights are the characters that can deal the most DPS, as their role is simply to mow down their enemies as fast as possible. However, their strong damage comes at the cost of survivability as these units tend to be quite squishy. In other words, the best defense for these characters is having a good offense, and in this regard, Dokebi delivers in droves. This character not only deals massive damage with his skills and basic attacks, but he can buff his critical damage, further boosting his damage output whenever he lands a crit. Furthermore, he’s also a great tank-buster, since his ultimate can pierce through invulnerability effects.

A Tier

In this tier, we have characters that are almost as powerful as those in the S Tier, but that benefit much more from team synergies, and only realize their full potential in optimized squads, though they can be used as is, with slight difficulties in the tougher stages.

• Rex (SR, Dark, Defense)

Rex is the quintessential tank in GoldenKnights: Metaverse, offering skills to not only block incoming damage, but also to deal with groups of enemies effectively and efficiently. One of his most notable aspects is that he can deploy a shield for the entire team that allows all characters to block incoming damage for a short duration, which activates 70% of the time. Moreover, similar to Dokebi, Rex’s ultimate also ignores invulnerability effects, making him a decent fighter on the field, even though his main focus is on tanking and survivability.

• Labolas (SR, Poison, Attack)

One of the biggest challenges that DPS characters have to face is going up against enemies with high defenses that let them resist lots of attacks. Labolas, however, does away with this shortcoming with a powerful self-buff that lets him ignore defenses with 70% of his attacks. This, alone, allows him to perform admirably against even the sturdiest heroes, though it also means that this skill is effectively wasted when he’s fighting against the squishier enemies. As such, Labolas is great mostly for dealing with tanks effectively.

• Genie (SR, Nature, Support)

Arguably one of the best “true” support characters in the game, offering mostly skills to heal and protect her teammates. Genie has two powerful heals; one that can instantly restore the HP of herself and nearby allies, and another that can do the same, but with a heal over time effect that affects the entire squad. Most importantly, however, is her invulnerability buff that renders her team immune to all forms of damage for a short duration, with a 70% chance to activate on any attack. This buff alone is enough to make Genie a valuable addition to any team, though her entire kit is designed to keep the team alive and topped up.

Play GoldenKnights : Metaverse on PC

Play GoldenKnights : Metaverse on PC

Oh, and she can also knock down enemies with her powerful blasts.

B Tier

This is where you’ll find the vast majority of characters in any given gacha game, as it’s made up of the units that aren’t bad per se, but that are outclassed by the better characters. Suffice to say, your main squad will be full of B-Tier characters early on, though you’ll want to work towards securing better options as you progress.

• Ethan (A, Nature, Defense)

The standard protagonist in most gacha RPGs is very much the same in GoldenKnights: Metaverse. Ethan’s kit and skill set are middling, at best, though they can be quite serviceable if upgraded, allowing him to carry you through the first couple of chapters without a hitch. However, as his kit focuses more on defensive buffs and AoE damage, his single-target potential is somewhat lackluster, making him decent for progressing through stages, but mediocre for fighting against bosses.

• Vincent (S, Steel, Attack)

Usually, DPS characters are judged based on two general factors: Their abilities to dish out single-target damage for dealing with bosses, and their AoE skills that let them make short work out of waves of enemies. Vincent is very proficient in the latter category, as he has ample skills that affect several enemies at once. And since he’s a ranged character, you can easily position yourself so that your attacks affect the most enemies possible. Consequently, Vincent is a very decent character that will carry you through most of the levels, up until you get to a boss and need to switch to someone with actual single-target potential.

• Karren (SR, Fire, Attack)

Speaking of single-target damage, Karren is a good candidate for this category, mostly due to her main nuke that deals extreme damage to one enemy. However, on top of this powerful ability, she can also provide light support to the group with her invulnerability shield that activates 70% of the time and blocks all incoming damage for a duration. And as if that wasn’t enough, she can also inflict moderate AoE damage and knockdown effects on the enemy.

C Tier

This tier only exists for one reason; to illustrate the characters that you should avoid at all costs, either because they’re weak in stats, or have subpar skills, or a combination of both. You’re better off playing with literally any other character.

• Skellzard (A, Fire, Support)

The defining aspect of a support character is to be able to lend support to their teams. And while Skellzard can definitely buff his team in certain ways, these are mostly ineffectual in the current meta, considering that one of his buffs is a skill that increases the max HP of the entire team for a short duration. This effect in itself doesn’t do much, especially since you could always just roll with a support that has healing skills, which in practice would be the same. 

Even though he has a rather useful ATK buff, Skellzard’s lack of proper healing and subpar offensive and CC options make him into a forgettable support hero.

• Dragon Lizard (A, Nature, Attack)

We seriously think Dragon Lizard is a mislabeled hero, since he offers more support skills than actual damaging abilities. And while it’s always useful to have a character that can enhance the abilities of their teammates, we’d rather have our attack champions actually be able to attack and defeat enemies, rather than having them provide aid to the team.

Dragon Lizard isn’t technically bad, he’s just not a proper attack hero, and shouldn’t be used as such.

• Most A Rarities and Under

The vast majority of A-rarity characters, and those below it, exist mostly for one purpose: to serve as fodder for upgrading other heroes in the Upgrade Hall. And while some A ranks can definitely be serviceable early on, you’ll want to swap them out as soon as you get better S, R, and SR units.

Now that you know the best GoldenKnights: Metaverse characters to look for—and which to avoid—we encourage you to leave your own picks in the comments below!