Universal Tower Defense Tier List [UPD 0.5]

Updated on January 8, 2026: Remade the entire tier list for the 0.5 Update. Tweaked tier list visuals and best traits.

The best units in Universal Tower Defense depend on five categories which are Hybrid, Hill, Ground, Support and Farm. I’ll show you the best ones for all roles as well as talk about specific game modes, traits and relics. Here’s my Universal Tower Defense tier list and guide.

Universal Tower Defense Unit Tier List

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This is just a preview of the Universal Tower Defense tier list but the real ranking reasons are below. I’ll go into each individual unit and talk about why it’s ranked where it is, as well as the best game modes for it and specific traits. Note that I won’t go much into progression since any unit can be good to progress with if you upgrade and Etherealize it with some Relics equipped. I’ll focus more on Nightmare, Infinite, Challenges and Virtual Realm.

Stat & Evo Assumptions: I’ll assume you’re feeding and upgrading the units with good stat rolls from the Traits NPC. I’ll also assume the EVO versions of units if they have an EVO. You can assume the non-EVO versions are a tier below in the same categories. For example, the base Admiral is still a good support but instead of a Hybrid he’s a good Ground unit.

Best Stats: Usually the best stat to increase is Damage for overall DPS or SPA since most Relic Set Bonuses have effects that trigger on 5th/6th attack so the faster you trigger these the better.

Best Traits: I’ll list the best traits for each unit below.

Best Relics: I’ll list the best relics below the tier list breakdowns.

Farming Tips: Check out the FAQ below for the best farming tips for Gems, Trait Rerolls and more.

Meta Hybrid

S-Tier HybridRankings Explained

Berserker (Enraged) Mythic	• Top 3 DPS unit in the game overall and arguably the best Hybrid due to game mode flexibility and CC • Fast ramp-up value • Obliterates armored enemies, slows and increase all damage taken on enemies • Second-best unit for VR after Kriatu EVO • Decent on Infinite but not the best • Best Trait: Ruler or Sacred
Jinoo (Monarch) Banner Secret	• Top 3 DPS unit with shadows dealing massive damage with the scaling buff • Best unit for Infinite due to the massive scaling and decent on VR • Note that he’s not the best for faster game modes since he takes a while to scale up • That said, he got a massive buff on December 20 giving his passive to the unevolved version and pumping his mana gain and damage • Best Trait: Ruler or Eternal
Koyote (Number One) Mythic	• A Hybrid-on-upgrade DPS machine that spams wolf summons on takedown dealing sustained DPS and charging energy (Especially on E4) • Also has a massive damage burst Nuke that fires on max energy doing 500% damage • Koyote is one of the best hybrid DPS and overall DPS units in the game for any mode • Best Trait: Ruler for main DPS or Sacred/Eternal for secondary DPS
Admiral (Magma) Legendary EVO	• The best budget unit in the game since you get it easily as a Legendary and it stays strong in the late-game via EVO • Easily one of the best Fire units in the game • Admiral is good for two reasons, he deals impressive DOT damage but also acts as a support with Confusion • Confusion makes enemies walk back which is amazing stalling for your main DPS units • Best Trait: Wizard or Fission

Good Hybrid

S-Tier HybridRankings Explained

Ichiko (Rage) Secret	• Ichiko is good, don’t get me wrong, but he’s just raw DPS with not a lot of utility past the 5-second active stun that’s on a 90s cooldown • Requires a specific build around crit chance and damage to maximize his passive damage and overall DPS (Go full damage on substats) • Still one of the better units in the game, just slightly weaker than the ones above • Best Trait: Ruler or Sacred
Dragon Guy (Silverite) Challenges Secret	• Got massive buffs to Twin Dragon Hunting Flash, Shatter and Are You Scared helping him in faster modes • He’s not a Meta DPS but he is Meta if you consider him a Hybrid DPS Support mix since he can CC enemies • Great on Virtual Realm and Infinite but takes a while to activate his Trance (This is not as much of a problem anymore due to buffs) • He’s best with units that can apply Freeze since his Shatter deals burst damage on frozen targets • He can also self-cleanse stuns which is really good for Infinite • Best Trait: Ruler or Eternal
Scarlet Maid (World) Get from Virtual Shop	• A hybrid DPS and Support that can now be viable with the December 20 buffs to her skill damage and The World ability • Stuns enemies, has Slows and deals great DPS with Time Gauge stacks which trigger various high damage attacks • The only downside is that her CC needs to be activated by attacking and is not on every attack like other CC units • Great on Infinite • That said, she’s best when you have E6 since the CC lasts for a long time • Best Trait: Ruler or Sacred
Mob (100%) Mythic	• Overall a great slowing unit and an always useful Hybrid that got a slight damage buff which adds up fast • Really good for VR and Infinite as a supporting slowing option with Eternal and decent with Ruler as a DPS but I would stick to it as a support/DPS mix • Best Trait: Ruler or Eternal

Meta Ground

S-Tier GroundRankings Explained

Grommjow (Panther) Exclusive	• Deals Meta-level AOE DPS and works similarly to Koyote where you’re collecting meter but instead of a nuke, Grommjow transforms on full meter • The transformation boosts both single-target DPS and AOE damage due to the explosion per enemy • Great against armor • Best Trait: Ruler or Eternal
Kriatu (Cheater) Mythic	• The best ground unit in the game currently • Also the best unit in the game for VR • Deals increasingly more damage as he crits • Get the Duelist trait on him ASAP so that he can crit more and therefore ramp up damage faster • He can only gain more crit from Traits • Got a huge buff on ability damage making him even better • Best Trait: Duelist
Sasku (Chakra) Mythic	• Overall great on any mode with excellent DoT damage, utility and overall DPS (Especially with the buffs on Arrow and Kirin) • The utility mainly comes from the passive which has some hybrid potential • Also has decent CC for pseudo-supporting • Excellent for grinding Story since he’s easy to get and EVO • You can either run him as your main DPS with Ruler or off-DPS with Wizard for DoTs • Best Trait: Wizard or Ruler
Shunks (Conqueror) Mythic	• You get both damage and stuns all in one unit making Shunks one of the best units in the game • Definitely worth to EVO • Meta support DPS for all game modes due to stuns • Best Trait: Ruler or Sacred

Alternative Ground

A-Tier GroundRankings Explained

Ronin Obito/Rogue Oni Exclusive Day 7 Daily Reward	• The best on Story mode since you can get him for free Day 7 and grind story • Impressive DoT damage but not as much utility as other DoT units like Sasuke, Ace and Admiral • Will be much stronger if they gave him an EVO like Rule • Best Trait: Wizard
Footballer (Ego) Exclusive BattlePass Reward Level 25	• Decent DPS with the self-buff and mini damage buff on ally but doesn’t combo with anything nor excel in anything • Great for Story since you can get it fast for free via BattlePass • Overall a decent DPS option if you don’t have anything else • Best Trait: Ruler or Sacred
Gen Legendary	• Can be good for Story and other game modes if you invest a lot into it as a beginner • That said later it’s not that good • Best Trait: Sacred or Eternal

Meta Air/Hill

S-Tier AirRankings Explained

Tierabel (Hydro) Mythic	• Arguably the best Hill/Air unit currently, since she has great damage with spawning AOE damage tides • Plus, she also slows enemy units offering mini support potential • Becomes even stronger in her mode • Note that it isn’t that worth it running Nell just for the combo on the first passive since it’s not that much • Best Trait: Eternal
Spade (Donut) Mythic	• The best Air/Hill DPS unit and one of the best units in the game overall due to the passive on-shield damage • Amazing for progressing story/legend stage since you can get it fast and you need a good Air ASAP • Otherwise great for VR and Infinite as your Hill slot with Ruler as a main DPS or Astral as a secondary DPS • Best trait is Astral since Spade is the best Burn DOT unit in the game right now • Best Trait: Astral or Ruler
Ultiorra (Oblivion) Mythic	• Similar to Tierabel in that Ultiorra deals decent DPS and also has supporting abilities from Unpredictable Despair where he can Confuse or Stun enemies • I prefer him over Spade when not facing shields since Spade is better against shields • You also get an active Nuke that deals massive damage on a 45s cooldown which is pretty good for clearing important waves • Best Trait: Ruler or Eternal
Cyborg (Fearless) Mythic	• The weakest Air/Hill unit but can still hold his own due to the December 20 buffs • The main reason he’s much better now is that his Nuke got a massive buff for targeted damage and is on a much lower CD • Decent DoT and he’s a must-have if you don’t have Spade or other Hill units to hit fliers • Best Trait: Wizard or Ruler

Alternative Air/Hill

A-Tier AirRankings Explained

Pebble Legendary	• Great starter Hill unit with good beginner DPS • Best Trait: Artificer
Great Early Game Air/Hill Units	• Your beginner package for Hill units before you get the Legendaries

Meta Support

S-Tier SupportRankings Explained

Rule (ROOM) Exclusive BattlePass Reward Level 50	• Incredibly versatile support that stuns and teleports enemy units • Great on all modes but especially on Virtual Realm • Best Trait: Ruler or Eternal
Dragon Guy (Silverite) Challenges Secret	• Got massive buffs to Twin Dragon Hunting Flash, Shatter and Are You Scared helping him in faster modes • He’s not a Meta DPS but he is Meta if you consider him a Hybrid DPS Support mix since he can CC enemies • Great on Virtual Realm and Infinite but takes a while to activate his Trance (This is not as much of a problem anymore due to buffs) • He’s best with units that can apply Freeze since his Shatter deals burst damage on frozen targets • He can also self-cleanse stuns which is really good for Infinite • Best Trait: Ruler or Eternal
Tierabel (Hydro) Mythic	• Arguably the best Hill/Air unit currently, since she has great damage with spawning AOE damage tides • Plus, she also slows enemy units offering mini support potential • Becomes even stronger in her mode • Note that it isn’t that worth it running Nell just for the combo on the first passive since it’s not that much • Best Trait: Eternal
Admiral (Magma) Legendary EVO	• The best budget unit in the game since you get it easily as a Legendary and it stays strong in the late-game via EVO • Easily one of the best Fire units in the game • Admiral is good for two reasons, he deals impressive DOT damage but also acts as a support with Confusion • Confusion makes enemies walk back which is amazing stalling for your main DPS units • Best Trait: Wizard or Fission
Miku (Super Star) Mythic	• Buffs all units around her with either increased Damage or Range • Etherealize up to 6 is key here to increase the buffs • The best buffer in the entire game and she becomes worth it after you place some units already so don’t use her as a starter or second unit • Amazing for Infinite • Best Trait: Artificer

Alternative Support

A-Tier SupportRankings Explained

Lulu Quest Secret Check out how to unlock him>	• Our Lulu/Lelouch Quest Guide will show you how to unlock this unit • Lulu is a great support unit when he works that doesn’t attack but instead issues orders based on his cooldown • He can stall units a lot which helps your main DPS units get in more damage • He can also stun enemy units • That said, there’s also some great damage here with the Beam order (Which got buffed) • Great for all game modes and is overall one of the best supports • Laughing Captain Relic set bonus is great on him for reduced active cooldowns • Best Trait: Ruler or Sacred
Shunks (Conqueror) Mythic	• You get both damage and stuns all in one unit making Shunks one of the best units in the game • Definitely worth to EVO • Meta support DPS for all game modes due to stuns • Best Trait: Ruler or Sacred
Scarlet Maid (World) Get from Virtual Shop	• A hybrid DPS and Support that can now be viable with the December 20 buffs to her skill damage and The World ability • Stuns enemies, has Slows and deals great DPS with Time Gauge stacks which trigger various high damage attacks • The only downside is that her CC needs to be activated by attacking and is not on every attack like other CC units • Great on Infinite • That said, for Supporting purposes she’s lower on the list since she’s best when you have E6 for a massive duration boost which can be slow to grind • Best Trait: Ruler or Sacred
Mob (100%) Mythic	• Overall a great slowing unit and an always useful Hybrid that got a slight damage buff which adds up fast • Really good for VR and Infinite as a supporting slowing option with Eternal and decent with Ruler as a DPS but I would stick to it as a support/DPS mix • Best Trait: Ruler or Eternal
Nelle (Primal) Mythic	• A weird DPS unit that revets between baby and adult form granting various buffs that ultimately produce sub-optimal damage • That said has some decent supporting abilities with Ichiko and Tierabel which are both really good units • That said, I wouldn’t run Nellee unless you really like her from Bleach
Shakumira EVO Legendary EVO	• A low DPS unit but offers great support potential with a stalling ability • Not the best unit to EVO for all modes but pretty great on Infinite, especially with the cooldown buff on the CC • Best Trait: Artificer
Zora Legendary	• Great beginner unit and overall a decent support with the CC effect • Scarlet Maid is a better unit and DPS but Zora’s CC is more reliable for supporting • Best Trait: Artificer

Farm

FarmRankings Explained

Fastcart Epic	• The only Farm unit in the game • Get the Fortunate trait on him ASAP • Good for all modes • Best Trait: Fortune

Best Relics in Universal Tower Defense

Below you’ll find a list of all Relics and their set bonuses as well as which units you should use them on.

Set & Bonus
HeadSet & Bonus
Body/LegsBest Units

Junior Ninja Head • Increase received buffs by 10%	Junior Ninja Body/Legs • +5% Damage • +10% Wind Damage	Wind Units if you’re running them with Miku (Super Star) in your team or other buff units
Master Ninja Head • Every 5 attacks, increase DOT damage by 20% for 10 seconds	Master Ninja Body/Legs • +5% Damage • +10% Dark/Rose/Fire Damage	Dark, Rose or Fire units that have DoT effects like Admiral (Magma)
Sun God Head • Every 6 attacks the wearer gains a damage buff equal to their range for 7 seconds 1 Range = 1% Damage	Sun God Body/Legs • +5% Damage • +10% Light/Water/Ice Damage	Light, Water or Ice units that have high attack speed like Kriatu
Laughing Captain Head • -10% Active Ability Cooldown	Laughing Captain Body/Legs • +5% Damage • -5% Cooldown • +5% Range	Great for any DPS unit that has an active ability like Lulu
Berserk Shinigami Head • Every 5th hit the next attack is buffed to deal 20% extra True Damage that ignores resistances	Berserk Shinigami Body/Legs • +5% Damage • +15% Armor Damage	Great on armor shred units like Berserker or to give your main DPS units some armor shred
Ex Captain Uraharo Head • Refund 5% of Yen spent on upgrades	Ex Captain Uraharo Body/Legs • +10% Critical Rate • +25% Critical Damage	Great on Mythics and Secrets that have the Duelist Trait Don’t put on Kriatu since he doesn’t benefit from Crit Rate other than from Traits

Universal Tower Defense FAQ

That’s it for my Universal Tower Defense tier list and guide. Check out our Universal Tower Defense codes for a bunch of free goodies.

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