Understanding Destiny Rising's Character System
Destiny Rising takes a completely different approach to character selection compared to Destiny 2. Instead of mixing and matching weapons and abilities freely, NetEase's mobile spinoff locks specific weapon loadouts and abilities to each Lightbearer. Your character choice directly impacts how you'll fight, survive, and support your team.
Each Lightbearer plays fundamentally differently, with unique strengths that can make or break your experience in both PvE campaigns and PvP matches. Some characters will carry you through the toughest content, while others work better as specialized picks for specific situations.
How We Rank Characters
Our tier system evaluates each Lightbearer across multiple factors: weapon versatility, ability synergy, team utility, and performance in both PvE and PvP content.
- S-Tier: Exceptional characters that dominate multiple game modes with versatile kits and strong team synergy
- A-Tier: Highly effective characters with clear strengths but some situational weaknesses
- B-Tier: Solid performers in specific scenarios that require particular team setups or playstyles
- C-Tier: Characters with significant drawbacks that need heavy investment to be effective
Character Tier Rankings
S-Tier Lightbearers: The Meta Kings
Tan-2 stands alone as the most versatile character in Destiny Rising. His Twilight Shift mechanic lets you swap between two completely different roles on the fly.
Duskstar Mode turns him into a damage dealing monster, perfect for melting bosses and priority targets. Dawnstar Mode transforms him into a healing powerhouse that can keep your entire team alive through situations that should absolutely kill them.
This dual mode system essentially gives you two characters in one. When your team needs raw firepower for a boss encounter, flip to Dusk mode and watch health bars disappear. When everyone's getting overwhelmed, switch to Dawn mode and become everyone's favorite medic.
Tan-2 excels across all content types and performs particularly well in both PvE and PvP scenarios due to his adaptability and long range capabilities.
Every team needs someone who refuses to die, and Jolder fills that role perfectly. Her Barrier of Starlight isn't just defensive, it's offensive defense at its finest. Think Ward of Dawn from Destiny 2, but better.
What makes Jolder special is her Rage mechanic. The more damage she takes, the harder she hits back. This creates an addictive gameplay loop where getting hurt actually makes you more dangerous. It rewards aggressive positioning and bold plays.
Her close quarters weapon setup of SMGs and Swords syncs perfectly with her tank role. You want to get up close where the action is hottest, soak up damage to fuel your Rage, and use your barriers to create safe zones for your team.
Jolder's Key Abilities
Jolder excels in team based content and provides excellent point control capabilities in PvP matches.
A-Tier Lightbearers: Highly Effective Specialists
Gwynn brings something unique to the table. She's the only character who can dual wield Sidearms. This gives her incredible mid range firepower that other characters can't match.
Her Void Dance ability keeps her alive during aggressive pushes by providing crucial healing. This self sustain lets Gwynn play dangerously without constantly needing team support.
Gwynn's Key Abilities
Gwynn performs exceptionally well in both PvE content for add clearing and PvP matches where her mobility and sustain make her a formidable duelist.
Wolf's real magic happens with Wolf's Strike, an ability that completely resets its cooldown on every kill. In the right hands, this turns Wolf into an endless chain of executions.
Don't let the fact that Wolf is your starting character fool you into thinking he's weak. This guy is the definition of reliability wrapped in Solar powered destruction. His weapon combo of Auto Rifles and Grenade Launchers gives him incredible versatility for any situation.
Wolf serves as an excellent foundation character for players learning the game mechanics and remains viable throughout all progression stages in both PvE and PvP content.
B-Tier Lightbearers: Situational Powerhouses
B-Tier Character Overview
| Character | Strengths | Weaknesses | Best For |
|---|---|---|---|
| Xuan Wei | PvP disruption, crowd control | Limited PvE utility | Competitive PvP matches |
| Ning Fei | High mobility, projectile deflection | Requires skill to master | Skilled PvP players |
| Kabr | Hybrid tank/DPS capabilities | Identity crisis, weaker than Jolder | Flexible team compositions |
| Attal | Decent support abilities | Outclassed by Tan-2 | Budget support option |
| Finnala | Impressive AoE damage | Increases enemy targeting | Coordinated teams only |
If you want to make other players rage quit, Xuan Wei is your guy. His Mighty Tether is basically Scorpion's "Get over here!" but with space magic, and it's exactly as terrifying as it sounds.
Pull unsuspecting players into shotgun range and watch them panic. His knockback effects create chaos in tight spaces, making him perfect for psychological warfare in PvP matches.
Ning Fei's Arts of Staff super is basically Arcstrider on steroids, complete with projectile deflection and AoE lightning damage.
Her mobility tools are incredible for creating confusion and misdirection in competitive matches. Ning Fei excels in PvP matches where her mobility and misdirection capabilities can create confusion and elimination opportunities.
Poor Kabr suffers from an identity crisis. His kit wants him to be aggressive and defensive at the same time, which sounds cool in theory but feels awkward in practice.
He's got decent tools for both roles, but he's essentially a worse version of Jolder when you need a tank. Kabr functions as a hybrid defensive character but generally performs below Jolder in similar tank roles.
Think of Attal as Tan-2's younger sibling who hasn't quite figured things out yet. She can heal, she can damage, she can inflict status effects, but she can't do any of it as well as the top tier characters.
Attal serves as a functional support alternative though she performs below Tan-2 in versatility and overall effectiveness.
Finnala's AoE damage is genuinely impressive, but there's a catch. Her abilities increase her enmity, meaning she draws more enemy fire than her teammates.
Her defensive options aren't strong enough to handle all that extra attention. Finnala specializes in area of effect damage but requires substantial team support to manage the increased enemy attention her abilities generate.
C-Tier Lightbearers: Avoid Unless You Love a Challenge
This one hurts. Ikora is a legend in Destiny lore, but in Rising, she's tragically underwhelming. Her weapon loadout sounds impressive until you realize you'll spend more time reloading than actually shooting.
Her Nova Bomb hits like a truck, but the cooldown is so long you'll forget you have it. Single shot weapons just don't work well in a game where sustained damage matters.
Team Building Strategies
- Start with Tan-2 or Jolder as your anchor
- Add reliable damage dealers like Wolf and Gwynn
- Ensure healing/defensive support coverage
- Balance damage, survivability, and utility
- Focus on disruption and elimination potential
- Use characters like Xuan Wei and Ning Fei for chaos
- Control key map areas with Jolder's barriers
- Capitalize on opportunities with damage dealers
Building Your PvE Squad
Effective PvE teams balance damage, survivability, and utility. Start with either Tan-2 or Jolder as your anchor. Tan-2 brings incredible versatility through his dual modes, while Jolder provides unmatched team protection.
For damage dealers, Wolf and Gwynn make excellent choices. Wolf delivers reliable mid range damage with his ability reset mechanics, while Gwynn specializes in aggressive close combat elimination.
Make sure someone on your team can heal or provide defensive support. Tan-2 in Dawn mode, Jolder's barriers, or even Attal's healing can keep your team alive through challenging encounters.
PvP Team Composition
PvP success comes down to disruption, elimination potential, and map control. Characters like Xuan Wei and Ning Fei excel at breaking enemy formations and creating opportunities for quick kills.
Jolder's barriers and Tan-2's damage zones give you strategic control over key map areas, forcing enemies to reposition or fight on your terms.
Gwynn and Wolf bring the elimination potential you need to capitalize on the opportunities your disruptors create.
Resource Investment Guide
Focus your precious upgrade materials on characters that give you the biggest bang for your buck across multiple content types.
First Priority: Tan-2 and Jolder offer the highest return on investment. Their versatility and power level make them worthwhile in almost any situation.
Second Priority: Wolf and Gwynn deserve resources if they match your preferred playstyle. Wolf works for everyone, while Gwynn rewards players who like aggressive positioning.
Situational Investment: Only invest in B tier characters after you've built your core team, and only if they serve a specific purpose in your favorite content.
Advanced Team Synergies
Understanding Role Combinations
Pairing Tan-2 with pure damage dealers like Wolf creates powerful combos where healing enables sustained aggression. Your DPS characters can play more boldly knowing they have reliable support.
Jolder's barriers combined with any healing source create nearly impenetrable defensive positions that let you control the pace of encounters.
Characters like Ning Fei work best when paired with area control abilities, using mobility to set up tactical advantages through smart positioning.
Adapting Your Playstyle
Aggressive teams built around characters like Gwynn and Wolf reward bold positioning with high damage output. These teams need good coordination and quick decision making.
Defensive approaches using Jolder and support configured Tan-2 let you control when and where fights happen, but require patience and good positioning.
The most effective teams blend both approaches, using adaptable characters like Tan-2 who can shift roles based on what each encounter demands.
Optimal Team Rotation Example
Start with support setup, establish defensive positions, initiate with damage dealers, and finish with high-mobility cleanup.
Final Thoughts
Character selection in Destiny Rising has lasting impact because of the locked weapon and ability system. You can't just swap loadouts if something isn't working. You need to choose characters whose strengths align with your goals and playstyle.
Focus on S tier characters first, then build around them based on your preferred content and team role. While specific situations might favor lower tier characters, these rankings provide solid guidance for making investment decisions that won't leave you with regrets later.
The beauty of Rising's system is that team composition actually matters. You can't just throw three damage dealers together and expect success. The best teams balance offense, defense, and utility while adapting to whatever the game throws at them.