TOP 6: Grace
Although Grace doesn’t have weak stats, her clunky damage-dealing mechanics make her extremely awkward to use in most scenarios. The overall user experience is poor. What’s worse, she is completely outclassed by Yukong, who features the advanced Polarity Disorder mechanic. This leaves Grace with virtually no place in the meta.
Among all Anomaly-type characters, Xingyi (Anby Demara) dominates the top spot, with Yukong and Jane also showing strong performance. Grace falls far behind all of them. Even among the six permanent S-ranks, she’s the weakest overall and is not recommended for investment at all.
TOP 5: Nekomiya Mana
Currently, Nekomiya is mainly used in a speed-swap burst style alongside Qingyi, relying on enhanced skills and ultimates for damage. However, since her basic abilities are average, her performance has struggled to keep up with the stat inflation in the current meta. Even in Physical-weak environments, she only performs decently.
Moreover, with the upcoming 2.1 banner introducing the new Physical Anomaly main DPS Alice, Nekomiya’s standing among Physical carries is expected to drop further. Her overall priority is very low.
TOP 4: Rina
Rina was popular at launch when support characters were limited. As a versatile buffer who could boost Electric teams and provide general Penetration Rate buffs, she was a natural choice. But in reality, her buffs in most teams are fairly mediocre. Penetration Rate only becomes truly impactful at high levels, and there are currently no teams built specifically to capitalize on it.
In addition, Rina’s buffs from her base (0 Emitter) last very briefly, requiring constant switching to maintain them. Without at least Emitter 1, her performance can even be worse than some A-rank supports. So if you plan to use Rina, consider getting her to E1 first.
TOP 3: Soldier 11
Soldier 11 is seen as a budget alternative to Evelyn. With the release of Zhu Yuan in 2.0, Soldier 11 received an indirect boost. Her team flexibility is solid, pairing well with powerful Breakers like Lycaon, Zhu Yuan, and Ben. She also has a wide range of viable support options, making her a usable choice for F2P players lacking a strong main DPS.
On top of that, her combat feel is excellent. When teamed with Zhu Yuan and Nicole, she can maintain high Fire infusion uptime even without perfect rotation skills. However, since Fire-weak enemies are currently rare and Evelyn is a strictly superior pick, Soldier 11’s priority is still fairly low — mainly used by dedicated fans.
TOP 2: Corin
Corin is a quick-swap Breaker who doesn’t hog field time and deals burst Daze damage through enhanced skills. Previously lacking utility, she’s now been improved thanks to the newly released “Mountain King” Break Set in 2.0.
Still, her versatility is quite limited. Her Daze-phase Chain Attack buff only truly synergizes with Evelyn. Players without Lycaon, Zhu Yuan, or Ben but who do have Evelyn might find her useful — but few other carries pair well with her.
That said, her signature W-Engine is arguably the best Breaker weapon in the game. It offers a solid base stat boost and excellent passive bonuses like off-field energy regen and increased Impact. Almost all Breakers benefit from it, including Lycaon, making Corin’s signature engine a top-tier investment.
TOP 1: Lycaon
Lycaon is a top-tier Breaker for Ice teams. Despite being a permanent character, he combines powerful Break output with great utility. His abilities include a 35% Daze Vulnerability debuff and a passive 20% Ice RES reduction — buffs that rival those of limited characters.
He currently pairs well with three Ice DPS:
Ellen, who received a massive buff in 2.0 and now performs very well.
Xingyi, the only current Ether Seeker, who is arguably the strongest DPS in the game. Paired with Lycaon in the "Xingyi-Wolf-Cang" comp, they offer an incredibly high-value team that’s very budget-efficient.
Hugh, Lycaon’s long-time partner, also remains a compatible option.
Lycaon is essentially a timeless Breaker in ZZZ and is highly recommended for investment.
Final Thoughts
There’s now a significant performance gap among the permanent S-rank characters. But for players with different account needs, each character has a different value. Always decide based on your own roster and avoid blindly following tier lists.
