The Reverse: 1999 meta has shifted toward rewarding smart team composition over raw individual power. Damage numbers alone don't carry you through endgame content like Reveries, Main's Bulletin, and Tides of Thought anymore — what actually matters is how well your arcanists compensate for each other's gaps. This tier list evaluates patch 3.2 through 3.4 performance at P0 (no dupes), so every placement reflects what you can expect without heavy investment in copies.
Arcanist roster overview
How does this tier list work?
Every placement here prioritizes role compression (how many functions a unit handles simultaneously), consistency across different modes, and team synergy instead of isolated damage testing. A unit that performs incredibly well in a vacuum but collapses without a specific teammate ranks lower than one that slots into three different team compositions without friction. The tiers are S+, S, A+, A, and B.
S+ tier: the arcanists defining the meta right now
These units don't just perform well — they establish the benchmark that everything else gets measured against. If you're deciding where to spend pulls, start here.
Marsha is the most discussed unit in the current meta for good reason. She handles buffs, shielding, moxie generation, and control protection simultaneously, which means she's not just supporting her team — she's actively elevating what the entire composition can do. She's the core piece of Lingering Glow and works in hybrid setups with equal effectiveness.
Kiperina solves the sustain problem more thoroughly than any other unit. Auto-cleanse combined with passive mitigation and no moxie dependency means she never competes with your damage dealers for resources. She handles survivability, control resistance, and team stability without slowing your offense down.
Brume is the current benchmark for DPS output. Her scaling sits ahead of most other carries, which makes her dominant in Reveries and Tides. She does require proper setup to hit peak numbers, but once optimized, no other main DPS comes close.
S tier: core meta arcanists worth building
These units are slightly more team-dependent than the S+ picks, but they're still among the best investments in the game. Most top compositions run at least one or two of them.
Beryl is the primary carry for Lingering Glow teams and delivers exceptional endgame numbers when paired with Marsha. She's fragile and needs setup, but the payoff is real. Liang Yue has climbed significantly in the meta thanks to follow-up mechanics that ramp quickly in longer fights.
Tooth Fairy becomes especially important as a Plant Impromptu enabler alongside Paper Heron. Anjo Nala and Barcarola form the backbone of Impromptu compositions, with Anjo Nala described by community testing as one of the strongest duos in the game when paired correctly.
Corvus is worth noting as a specialist: she delivers extremely high performance specifically in Main's Bulletin, but her usability in other modes is more limited. Build her if that's your target content.
A+ tier: strong picks that won't let you down
A+ units are flexible and perform well across multiple teams and modes. They don't shape the meta, but they're excellent investments and often fill gaps that S-tier units leave open.
Notable picks in A+ tier include 6 (a buffer with improved scaling after recent updates), Aleph (core Impromptu support with high role compression), Willow (significantly improved after a rework, now offering real burst in poison teams), and Vila (reliable sustain with healing, cleanse, and mitigation). Kakania provides defensive utility and mitigation as a backup sustain option when your primary supports are occupied on a second team.
Melania stands out here as one of the better F2P-accessible options, offering moxie control that stays useful across multiple composition types. Medicine Pocket is a reliable healer through all stages of the game, though she's been partially power-crept in the highest endgame content.
A tier: situational picks with specific use cases
These arcanists work, but they need the right setup to justify the investment. Jessica is strong in poison teams with proper support. Eternity can perform in longer fights but struggles to match current meta damage standards. Centurion was once a top DPS option but has been outpaced by newer units in most scenarios.
None of these are bad choices if you already have them built, but they shouldn't be your first resource targets when better options are available.
B tier: low priority for endgame investment
J, Sotheby, 37, Noire, Ms. NewBabe, Lilya, Shamane, and Spathodea all fall here. Sotheby's healing output is too low for modern content. Lilya is one of the most power-crept units in the roster. These characters can handle early and casual content fine, but they're not worth heavy long-term investment.
What are the best characters to build for endgame?
If you're targeting top performance in Tides of Thought and Main's Bulletin, the priority list from the current patch 3.2 to 3.4 meta looks like this:
- Marsha — non-negotiable for Lingering Glow and most hybrid comps
- Brume — the highest damage ceiling available right now
- Paper Heron — defines the Plant Impromptu archetype
- Nautika — consistent across modes, reliable kit density
- Flutterpage — the most future-proof support in the game
These five form the backbone of the strongest current teams. Building any of them is a safe long-term investment.
What are the best F2P-friendly arcanists?
Not every strong unit requires deep investment. These picks give you solid performance without demanding perfect team setups or heavy resource spending:
- Regulus — easy to use, fits multiple Impromptu compositions
- Melania — flexible moxie control that works across team types
- Pickles — niche but genuinely useful for dispel mechanics
- Jessica — strong in poison teams with the right partners
- Vila — dependable sustain if you're missing top-tier supports
These units won't carry you to the top of the leaderboards, but they'll keep your teams functional while you pull for higher-tier options.
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