Okay, here’s my take on sharing my “arknights tier list” journey, blog-style.
Alright folks, so I jumped down the rabbit hole of making my own Arknights tier list. It started innocently enough, just trying to figure out who to actually invest my resources in. You know how it is, that gacha struggle.
First thing I did was a deep dive online. Scoured all the usual places – GamePress, Reddit, YouTube, the whole shebang. I tried to get a feel for the general consensus, see what the ‘experts’ were saying. But honestly? A lot of it felt kinda… detached from my own experience. Like, yeah, Saria is amazing, no duh. But what about my team comp? What about the stages I’m actually struggling with?
So, I decided, screw it, I’m doing this myself. Step one: making a spreadsheet. Classic. I listed out every single operator I had, then started making columns for different things: damage output, survivability, crowd control, healing… you get the picture. Basically, all the stuff that I found important when clearing stages.
Then came the grunt work: playing the game. A lot. I went back to some of the stages I was having trouble with, experimented with different operator combinations, and just generally paid closer attention to how everyone performed. I noted down everything – how long they lasted, how much damage they did, whether they were clutch in a pinch, the whole nine yards.
This is where it got interesting. Some operators that were highly rated online just didn’t click with me. Maybe my playstyle was different, maybe I wasn’t utilizing them properly, who knows? But then, some of the “lower tier” operators? They were absolute beasts in my hands! Like, I discovered that my E2’d Projekt Red can basically solo some early game bosses if you time her skills right. That’s something you don’t see in the standard tier lists.
Ranking time. Based on my notes, I started assigning tiers. S Tier: Operators I could rely on in almost any situation. A Tier: Solid performers, reliable in most situations. B Tier: Good in specific situations, but not always the best choice. C Tier: Niche picks, or just outclassed by other operators. And D Tier: well… they exist. I tried to be objective, but let’s be honest, some personal bias definitely crept in.
The most surprising thing was how much my list differed from the “official” ones. Some of my S-tiers were B-tiers elsewhere, and vice versa. But hey, that’s the point, right? This was my list, based on my experiences.
Finally, I cleaned up the spreadsheet, added some notes on why I ranked each operator the way I did, and shared it with some friends who also play Arknights. Got some interesting feedback, some disagreements, but overall, it was a really helpful exercise.
What’s the takeaway? Tier lists are a good starting point, but don’t take them as gospel. Experiment, find what works for you, and build your own team based on your own experiences. And hey, maybe make your own tier list! It’s a lot more fun than you think.
