Arknights tier list - Best characters sorted from the top down

Casters are characters that specialise in Magic Damage. They are usually ranged, and they are the equivalent of Mages in other similar games. When it comes to the best Casters, you can look at units with great amounts of damage that can obliterate opponents in a matter of seconds (ideally speaking). Casters completely ignore Armor, so in order to counter them, you should build Magic Resist.

Contrary to what their name implies, Guard Operators are not the first line of defense. Instead, they are powerful melee damage dealers who specialise in Physical Attacks - their defense is slightly higher than the defense of Casters, but they're nowhere as tanky as Defenders.

Defenders are the typical tank characters that will be able to stand on the front line (or in this case, on the last line?) and soak up most of the damage coming their way. They are great for acting as the last line of defense when characters come rushing in, and if you pair them up with some top-tier healers, they'll be outstanding.

As the name suggests, Medic Operators are units able to heal - in other words, Medics are the equivalent of Healers in pretty much any other game. They are ideally placed on a safe tile, away from the incoming units, since they mostly lack defensive or offensive skills.

Special units, oftentimes called Specialists, are Operators that can perform very specific tasks, such as setting traps, pushing, pulling, draining SP, and so on. They can be great in certain levels, but they shine most in PvP and as CC units. They don't have nearly as much damage as units dedicated to damage dealing, so you'll need a few damage dealers if you plan on deploying Special Operators.

Snipers are the equivalent of Archers or any other long-ranged unit with the ability to deal massive amounts of burst damage in a relatively short time. They typically have high attack speed, and they can be either single target focused or AoE.

Supporters are, just like the name suggests, units that can aid their team. They can either provide buffs for their allies, or debuff enemy units, and that's extremely useful in PvP together with the Special units. However, there are also Supporters who can summon minions, which are ideal when you're trying to add more units to your team.

Vanguards are similar to Defenders, in the sense that they are tanky characters with DP recovery which can act as your first line of defense since they have a relatively low cost and the DP recovery will generate DP constantly.