Early Tier List and Character Breakdown
from:@sspenguins
From a personal perspective, I don't think early tier lists should matter too much. Many things will likely change from CBT2 to release, and the community will also learn more about the game and what works/what falls short.
Even still, with combat being fast paced and skill testing, you can always try to make work with what you get. That's always part of the fun of gacha games. Even still, I would consider this the general consensus for the meta. Can't wait to see how wrong it is in a month.
For the free characters, I figured rating them this early to be moot. Some characters provide comfort with healing (Baizhi), Yangyang for some mob grouping in exploration, Sanhua is solid DPS, etc. You'll get one copy for free, so give them a try and see if you like them in game rather than trust numbers from CBT2.
5-stars Brief Breakdown ------
Yinlin (event): Currently the only 5-star hybrid DPS (good on-field/off-field), great outro skill for electro dmg and liberation dmg buff. Her + Calcharo likely make the strongest damage pair in the game. Will release halfway through 1.0.
Verina: OP support. Doesn't require much field time for her skills/energy generation, has ATK buffs, heals (can be nice), flexible on any team.
Jiyan (event): I find it quite likely Kuro releases/tweaks him to be highest solo dps on release. He is the event character after all. DPS characters often get powercreeped over time, but on launch, big numbers help carry you through more content.
Calcharo: Strong and solid DPS. Pair with Yinlin for the "meta" team most people are going for. On his own he's still good.
Encore: Also good DPS character, likely competitive with Calcharo solo damage wise. Kuro also teased Changli, (likely fusion character for 1.1). Maybe this pairing will be as good as Calcharo + Yinlin.
Lingyang/Jianxin:
Kuro stated these two will get buffs/changes to their kit in their cbt2 feedback post (can't find the source again unfortunately, but screenshots are out there).
These two were considered on the weaker side during CBT2, but I see no reason they won't be able to tackle tower/holograms.
Lingyang has good damage, but was clunky to play due to his mid-air fighting. If you wanna be based and play on hard mode, Lingyang is your guy. The clunky playstyle can result in a big loss of damage. But maybe on release he'll get buffed to be a competitive 5-star. Also pairs nicely with Sanhua (free) for a Glacio damage duo.
Jianxin is in an interesting position. Her kit has a bit of everything. Venti like grouping, shielding, aoe damage, and more. But many players found her clunky as her cast time is slow and forte circuit generation is also slow. Truly a jack of all trades character. But some players prefer dodging attacks and dealing bigger numbers.
Gacha 4-stars ------
There are only four 4-stars that you can only get from the gacha. Here's a quick rundown.
Mortefi: Great subdps and outro skill buffs heavy atk, making him a solid teammate for Jiyan/Calcharo.
Aalto: Aero buff outro skill, fairly decent kit as a secondary dps, but doesn't have the same off-field impact as Mortefi.
Danjin: Very high damage, plays like a Berserker, sacrificing your own health for damage. Great for Hologram/boss fights. Dodge and deal big numbers.
Taoqi: Tank character that provides shielding. As a support, not as great as Baizhi/Verina. Can potentially play as main dps. Skill dmg buff outro skill. Defense scaling character. Damage is lacking though. But if you wanna fulfill the class fantasy of being a tank, go for it. Can also potentially help avoid one shots in hologram, not sure on the scaling for end end game.
Free 4-stars ------
Rover: Solid choice to invest into. Decent kit, time stop outro skill, and free dupes.
Yangyang: Good for exploration, can group enemies in a small radius.
Chixia: Damage is underwhelming.
Baizhi: Budget Verina, healer, and atk buff. Solid unit for comfort, not necessarily needed for boss fights, but great for comfort play.
Sanhua: Solid Glacio DPS character. Can be played main/hybrid. Glacio dmg buff outro skill, but people aren't a fan of lingyang. With event 5-star glacio dps, can see this pair being quite good.
Yuanwu: Electro off-fielder, but lacks outro skill that buffs other characters. Still not bad, but Yinlin effectively replaces him, unless you play without a healer/verina and go mono electro.
You do You ------
Meta is temporary and always changing, and it's never wrong to just go for what you want. It's a pve game, and beating content with lower rated characters has it's own sense of accomplishment. Even still, I find tier lists and discussions to be informative for players. Just take things with a grain of salt since who knows what'll change from CBT2, or new characters can change the meta quickly.
Mentioned games
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