Many DNF Duel players have already figured out the best picks in this fighting game. The tier lists of various top players have already found some common ground for the strong characters in this game. Here’s the DNF Duel tier list according to what works strongly in the game on release.
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DNF Duel Tier List
Currently, DNF Duel’s competitive meta revolves around characters that have high damage potential and have high consistency in closing out rounds with their strengths and tools. This is how the characters are arranged in the meta so far:
- SS Tier: Swift Master
- S Tier: Hitman, Dragon Knight, Kunoichi, Striker, Berserker, Crusader, Troubleshooter
- A Tier: Ranger, Ghostblade, Grappler, Inquisitor
- B Tier: Launcher, Vanguard, Lost Warrior
Most of DNF Duel’s cast all have the potential to end rounds in a few seconds when they have the right resources. However, the difference between these characters is in the reliability and ease of starting their winning game plan to take those rounds.
Strong Picks You’ll Likely See In Ranked
Knowing the strong picks means that you’ll most likely see them when playing online and climbing up the ranks. Here’s what you can expect from the stronger characters in the game.
Swift Master
This character currently sits on the throne of the DNF Duel tier list. Swift Master currently enjoys a lethal mix of fast offense tools and various special moves that always end pressure to his advantage. As of now, Swift Master has an advantaged matchup against all of the characters.
His reversal remains the only special move that’s immediately punishable on block. Unlike most reversals, Swift Master’s reversal also pulls in opponents which limits their options in defending against this move.
DNF Duel is definitely Swift Master’s game for many players that have faced a good one on ranked. The only downside for this character is his low health, which will kill him if he makes one or two mistakes.
Hitman
This character is the second best in our DNF Duel tier list due to his explosive potential while staying defensive. The common game plan for Hitman players is to take damage enough to enter Awakening mode. During this state, Hitman has access to high damage combos that remove 60% health at a minimum.
The character also functions as a midrange zoner when far from the Awakening buff. Hitman enjoys far-reaching attacks that can be very punishable. Hitman’s special moves can deal massive chip damage on the block. He can go for Guard Break setups if their opponent respects his defensive strength too much.
Players fighting against Hitman have to steadily keep damaging him but keeping his health high enough away from Awakening. Once this is achieved, players will then need to assure that the next confirm against him will be a killing combo unless they want to suffer his strong comeback potential.
Dragon Knight
This character is currently one of the best characters due to Dragon Knight’s high mobility and intense pressure. Her strong points are unique air mobility, assistance through her dragon Astra, high MP regeneration, and high damage potential.
Her long combos consist of looping some of her special moves and launching them into Astra’s attacks then catching them again for as long as her MP can sustain. Pressuring opponents can also be easy for Dragon Knight as she can command Astra to start her offense.
Her air mobility allows her to vary her jump-ins through her Flight MP move to steer herself out of danger and easily follow up if the air fireball (Jumping S) connects. Overall, she boasts a standard rushdown character’s kit with reliable tools. The only possible issue is she may feel stubby if Astra is always stopped for the offense.
Kunoichi
This character has access to mobility and speed due to her double jumps and fast attacks. She enjoys strong neutral as all her specials cover a wide area and can cover her approaches. Her pressure is strong after combos as her special moves leave explosive marks on her enemies.
Generally, she enjoys freedom in fighting at any range and has the tools to attack at any angle. Her downside is that her combos are expensive which limits her damage without taking hits for an extended MP bar. Moreover, her optimal meterless combo damage can be inconsistent especially if done outside the corner.
Kunoichi earns her spot in the S-tier due to her robust utility and potential if she has too much MP to work with.
Striker
Striker is an offensive powerhouse once she gets in her range and delivers unique pressure to open up her enemies. She has strong Guard Break routes against defending opponents. Both routes lead to high damage combos which makes her rewarding to play.
She is a character that gets an offense going on both hit and block. However, her downside is her reach that is too short and can struggle against characters with further attacks than her.
Berserker
This character enjoys a solid offense due to his far-reaching attacks. He can push his momentum at the cost of his health. As the game’s poster character, Berserker generally enjoys tools that work well in DNF Duel’s systems. He is one of the few characters that damage himself to get access to Conversion cancels.
His self-damage in combos allows him to generally go for high damage routes even if he still has full health. In DNF Duel, losing health grants players an extended MP bar. Berserker can do just that without risking his opponents landing a fatal combo on him.
Berserker is an all-arounder but he can feel sluggish compared to other top tiers.
Crusader
Among the S-tiers, Crusader can feel like a slow juggernaut that’s only good for his defense and heavy hits. However, this character has strong control over neutral. His tools consist of far-reaching hammer normal attacks, insanely fast Spear of Victory air fireball, and portable corner.
His strong neutral is complimented with the access to his armor buff that allows him to combo his far pokes into itself. Players can cancel out the armor’s negative effects by spending it early as a resource for a special move.
This slow big-body character also has access to strong damage even at high health which makes him a solid pick for players who would like to avoid getting hurt if they don’t need to. However, he has arguably a bad matchup against characters that can bypass his armor, like Grappler or when he needs to prioritize offense.
Troubleshooter
This character can play at any range with explosives. He can deal high-damage combos at any confirm he makes. Troubleshooter’s offense can turn into setplay with his Oppression special move that leaves a minefield for his foes.
However, Troubleshooter has difficulty starting his offense due to his slow attacks. This character must punish the opponent’s openings on offense and defense to get anything started. He may fall flat against players with a strong defense which is common at high levels.
Why Lower Tiers Are Hard To Play
Most of the DNF Duel characters are as blessed as the other picks in their damage potential. However, the other characters have more obvious flaws that allow more openings and make their win conditions harder to achieve.
The characters in A-Tier to B-Tier often have offense or defense issues that stop them from pushing their momentum consistently.
DNF Duel’s competitive meta may change down the line depending on how the developers plan to balance the game. They are currently working on releasing a patch to fix issues and adjust characters. More than knowing the characters, other guides could help well in playing DNF Duel moving forward:
DNF Duel How To Unlock Lost Warrior | DNF Duel Move List | DNF Duel How To Guard Cancel