Universal Tower Defense Units Tier List

Units are the characters you use to fight enemies in Universal Tower Defense. Some characters perform much better than others, making levels easier and helping you progress faster. However, with units spread across five different rarity levels and each having different abilities, knowing which characters to use can be confusing. This Universal Tower Defense tier list ranks every unit from best to worst, explaining which characters you should focus on building and which ones to replace when you get better options. Understanding unit strength helps you make decisions about who to upgrade and use in your team. For complete details about every unit and their abilities, check our full guide on all units in Universal Tower Defense and their abilities.

Here's how every unit ranks from S Tier (best) to D Tier (worst):

Tier	Units
S Tier	Jinoo Shadow Monarch, The Strongest of Today, The Strongest in History, Cursed Vessel (Shrine), Sasku (Great War), Dragon Warlord (Rage), Judgment Sorcerer (Domain), Ancient Mage (Slayer), Gluttonous Warlord (Despair), Underworld God (Primordial), Quake Warlord (Destroyer)
A Tier	Infinity Sorcerer (Void), Nutaru (Beast), Mimicry Sorcerer (Cursed Love), King Sailor (Unrivaled/Vessel), Triple Threat (Unrivaled), Alpha Devil (Omega), Devil Hunter (Mercenary), Joyful Captain, Sharpshooter King (Trapper), Phantom Captain, Dragon Slayer (Hero), Beru, Lulu, Crow Shinobi (Reanimated)
B Tier	Spade, Sharpshooter, Karbonoto (Sage), Gambler Sorcerer (Jackpot), Sasku (Chakra), Prodigy Mage (Apprentice), Kurourushi (Yuta's Lover), Shadow Knight (Risen), Jinoo (Monarch), Unparalleled Armor, Majestic Armor, Tai Yang, Ancient Shinobi (Reawakened), Dragon Guy, Berserker (Enraged), Jane Juliet (Larper), Cyborg Disciple (Fearless)
C Tier	Shakumira, Kriatu (Cheater), Psycho, Rule, Virtual Idol, Shunks (Conqueror), Love Goddess, The Drink (Enraged), Rogue Oni, Footballer (Ego), Ichiko, Rohan & Robot 16, Mochi Pirate (Conqueror), Zorus, Gen, Pebble, Greybeard, Bulmo, Masked Ninja
D Tier	Admiral, Ruka, Shakumira (base), Dragon Slayer (base), Ancient Mage (base), Karbonoto (base), Prodigy Mage (base), Nutaru (base), Fire Foot Cook, Triple Threat (base), Nejo, Fastcart, Spade (base), Cyborg Disciple (base), Sasku (base), Roku, Nataru, Namo, Gaaru, Laffy, Ranji, Orahemi

S Tier - Best Units

These units are the strongest characters in the game. They deal high damage, have powerful abilities, and help you win the hardest levels.

Unit	Rarity	Element	Role	Why S Tier
Jinoo, Shadow Monarch	Boundless	Dark	Hybrid	Generates a full mana-fueled army of shadow summons including soldiers, bears, dragons, knights, and an Ant King. Every summon scales off his level, and The System passive keeps growing his damage and unlocking stronger summons up to level 100. The combination of constant passive mana regen, scaling damage, and an ever-growing army makes him the most self-sufficient unit in the game.
The Strongest of Today	Boundless	Light	Ground	Deals 300% damage to every enemy on the map with Infinite Purple, freezes all enemies in range with Domain Expansion for 30 seconds, and triples damage against Timestop targets. Six Eyes makes him immune to debuffs and resets all cooldowns every 600 kills. The combination of map-wide nukes, a 30-second mass stun, and debuff immunity at this scale is unmatched.
The Strongest in History	Boundless	Dark	Ground	Permanently marks every enemy hit and scales up damage taken as more enemies are marked. With 21 or more marked enemies in range, all enemies take 25% more damage and are slowed. The Ten Umbra summons add constant follow-up pressure, and Perfect Curse copies his damage while applying stuns, bleeds, and radiation independently. His passive damage amplification for the entire team makes him invaluable.
Cursed Vessel (Shrine)	Mythic	Fire	Ground	Applies bleed on every attack with a 50% follow-up chance that triggers fire arrows or AOE spider web attacks. At Ethereal 6, Domain Expansion deals 25% damage to all enemies in range every 0.5 seconds, applies 20% slow, and increases all damage taken until death. The Fire Arrow follow-up on bosses during Domain Expansion alone does 350% circle AOE damage. The volume of damage over time effects stacking simultaneously is what puts him here.
Sasku (Great War)	Secret	Dark	Ground	Combines the base Uchiha Bloodline stun and dodge with Rinnegan, which gives three separate active abilities: an Almighty Push that deals 200% damage and knocks enemies back, an Almighty Pull that stuns 15 enemies for 5 seconds, and a teleport that boosts crit damage. Dimensional Warp instantly deals 300% damage to any boss that drops below 30% health. The sheer number of tools packed into one unit gives him unmatched flexibility.
Dragon Warlord (Rage)	Secret	Ground	Fire	Builds a rage meter that continuously boosts damage and range, and at 100 rage enters Dragon Form where you manually control a dragon dealing 150% damage for 90 seconds at Ethereal 6. Dragon Assault moves him to attack position every other hit and applies AOE follow-ups. The combination of a permanently scaling stat line and a manually controlled nuke form with that much damage makes him one of the highest damage-ceiling units available.
Judgment Sorcerer (Domain)	Mythic	Light	Ground	Domain Expansion applies confusion, stun, 20% increased damage taken, and activates the Execution Sword which gives 50% crit rate and 125% crit damage at Ethereal 6. If enemies survive an attack during Execution Sword, he gains up to 50% stacking damage. Talent Rivaling the Honored One stacks damage and range every wave up to 15 waves, then grants debuff immunity. The execution-style damage ceiling and wave-scaling make him exceptional in longer runs.
Ancient Mage (Slayer)	Secret	Light	Hybrid	Switches between four combat classes — DPS for 50% boss damage, Utility to stun and increase damage taken, Support to buff crit damage and rate for all allies, and Specialist for 50% true damage and 40% DOT. Every attack applies Wind Shear for 60% damage over 10 ticks on top of class effects. The class-switching flexibility means he fills any role your team needs at any point in a match.
Gluttonous Warlord (Despair)	Secret	Hill	Rose	Stuns all ally units in range every 12 seconds and converts each stunned unit into a damage and range buff for himself. Soul Harvest summons up to 10 ghosts from kills, each adding 1% damage stacking to 25%. Special Companions spawn Flame Cloud and Lightning Cloud sub-towers that follow up on every attack with burn and electrified effects. Ethereal Life Force summons a Giant Ghost with 250% of his damage as health for boss fights. The sheer amount of self-sustaining power from passive mechanics is exceptional.
Underworld God (Primordial)	Synchro	Hybrid	—	Converts every negative buff into a positive one permanently at Ethereal 4, making him effectively immune to any debuff while turning enemy mechanics against themselves. Wind Shear on every attack stacks 2.5% damage per afflicted enemy up to 50%, after which attacks also stun. Sibling Combined Weapon adds 60% hyper armor damage and a 100% damage follow-up on the first hit of armored enemies. As a Synchro unit, the raw stat multipliers on top of these passives push him over most non-Boundless units.
Quake Warlord (Destroyer)	Exclusive	Ground	Water	His one-time active deals 350% damage to every enemy on the entire map, applies 15 seconds of Quake Stun which stacks with regular stun, and marks every enemy hit to take 50% more damage until death. When Spade is in range he gains an additional 40% damage. A single activation of this ability can swing entire boss waves. The map-wide impact justifies the one-time use limitation entirely.

A Tier - Very Good Units

These units perform well and help your team significantly. They're strong options that work in most situations.

Unit	Rarity	Element	Role	Why A Tier
Infinity Sorcerer (Void)	Mythic	Water	Ground	Reduces SPA by 15% for all Sorcerer-tag allies in range and slows all enemies by 30% passively. Domain Expansion stuns everything in range for 10 seconds, then applies confusion for 4 more seconds to survivors. Unlimited Strength gives 1.25x damage to enemies with movement afflictions, and every wave reduces his own SPA by up to 4% while gaining range. The sustained passive value for Sorcerer teams is enormous.
Nutaru (Beast)	Secret	Wind	Ground	Beast Mode transforms his attack cycle into a three-hit combo that ends with a 50% damage bonus, and the Chakra Control passive auto-enters Beast Mode at 100% chakra. Shadow Clone summons clones every 8 attacks dealing 75% of his damage, and a bonus 20% damage triggers when each clone disappears. Summoning Jutsu adds a Kitsunox on top of everything else in Beast Mode. He brings consistent self-buffing damage that doesn't rely on team synergy.
Mimicry Sorcerer (Cursed Love)	Secret	Rose	Ground	Stuns the first enemy he hits for 3 seconds on every attack and summons a Cursed Lover at Ethereal 4 on placement that copies his damage and range with a locked fast SPA. Mimicry copies passive abilities from other Sorcerer units for 75 seconds at Ethereal 6, giving access to Cursed Vessel's bleed, Infinity Sorcerer's slow and damage zone, Gambler's crit scaling, or Judgment's damage and debuff immunity. The flexibility of Mimicry alone makes him a top-tier pick.
King Sailor (Unrivaled/Vessel)	Unrivaled	Water	Ground	Applies chain lightning to 5 enemies after every attack at Ethereal 4 for 20% damage each, and has a 50% chance to ignore stun or debuff when applied. Buffs allies with Magi or Water tags with up to 50% damage and 50% attack speed. Manipulator of Fate gives him stacking damage for every tag-sharing unit and stacking attack speed for every non-sharing unit, meaning he scales positively regardless of team composition.
Triple Threat (Unrivaled)	Unrivaled	Ground	Wind/Utility	Reduces incoming stun on allies by 50% and by 75% for Piece-tag units. King of Heck adds 50% damage and 100% crit chance while active, and Pirate Hunter adds 50% damage, 75% hyper armor damage, and 50% crit rate against any boss in range. Brutal Slashes applies critical bleed for 85% damage over 7 seconds with a 75% damage follow-up. The boss-specialist kit combined with ally stun reduction fills two roles simultaneously.
Alpha Devil (Omega)	Exclusive	Ice	Ground	Switches between four weapon modes: Katana applies Timestop to stunned enemies and deals 1.5x damage against them, Demonic Gauntlets adds 50% damage at the cost of range, Phantom Sword applies 80% bleed to any afflicted enemy, and Mirage Barrage gains 1000% range and continuously attacks everything on the map. Demon Awakened mode at 100% Motivation meter adds another 50% damage. The Mirage Barrage mode alone makes him useful in almost any situation.
Devil Hunter (Mercenary)	Exclusive	Fire	Ground	Demoncycle weapon applies stun for every active DOT on a hit enemy, and Fancy Hat trades attack cost for 100% damage scaling. Freestyle builds style rank from D to SSS with 5% damage per rank, staying active at Ethereal 6 until not attacking for 10 seconds. Awakening meter fills faster at Ethereal 4, triggering Demon Awakened for 50% damage. The Freestyle mechanic rewards consistent positioning with a massive damage ceiling.
Joyful Captain	Universal	Ground	—	Three separate paths give completely different playstyles: Snakeman chains attacks across enemies and deals 180% to lone targets, Bounceman builds charge stacks for up to 10x range, damage, and knockback bonuses, and Joyboy switches between four random attack variants with true damage and bounce area effects. All three paths share Conqueror for a free area stun every 30 seconds. The path-switching flexibility and Bounceman's charge ceiling are exceptional for a single unit.
Sharpshooter King (Trapper)	Secret	Hybrid	—	Places up to 6 traps (Fly Eater for 150% burst, Bamboo for bleed and stun, Vines for AOE splash) when no enemies are in range, and switches to infinite-range sniper mode when clearing. Every active trap adds 10% damage, and when the trap cap is reached and an enemy enters range, the enemy takes 20% more damage permanently, or 40% if a boss. The trap and sniper system rewards smart positioning with consistent high output.
Phantom Captain	Mythic	Light	Hybrid	Deploys two types of planes after every attack — Explosive Ordinance for large AOE blasts and Mounted Weaponry for rapid focused fire — and maintains up to 9 planes simultaneously at Ethereal 6. Call the Fleet summons 4 to 6 planes that move along the path and AOE explode on contact. The Blessed Enterprise buffs all planes with 30% crit rate and 50% damage for the first 10 seconds of their life. Sustaining 9 planes with permanent crit boosts on spawn creates enormous consistent DPS without relying on any team synergy.
Dragon Slayer (Hero)	Secret	Fire	Ground	Slayer of Foes gives 50% bonus boss damage and 100% damage against stunned bosses. At Ethereal 6, performs a follow-up attack for every individual DOT active on an enemy. Lightspeed Reflexes deals 60% instant damage to any enemy entering range. When stunned, he reduces the stun by 50% and immediately gains 100% crit chance for 4 stacks. The anti-boss kit and the DOT follow-up scaling at Ethereal 6 make him one of the best boss killers available.
Beru	Secret	Dark	Ground	Applies 60% radiation over 6 ticks and 15% slow on every single attack. Predatory Gluttony gives 30% base true damage, stacks 1% true damage per kill up to 30%, and instantly maxes the true damage cap on a boss kill before resetting after 10 seconds without a kill. Monarch's Devotion adds 20% damage and 10% range when Jinoo is in range. The combination of guaranteed radiation on every hit and true damage scaling makes him a powerful sustained damage option.
Lulu	Secret	Dark	Hybrid	Issues orders that control enemy movement rather than attacking directly. Stand Still stuns enemies for 4 seconds, Retreat forces them to walk backward for 40% of the time they see him, and Attack walks them back for 2 seconds while making them collide. Absolute Control applies any active order to every enemy on the entire map simultaneously. Beam summons the Shinhira for a 200% damage hit on demand. Map-wide crowd control on a single button press justifies his placement here.
Crow Shinobi (Reanimated)	Secret	Fire	Hill	Amaterasu applies Black Burn for 60% damage over 10 ticks on every attack, and if the enemy already has Black Burn it applies Time Snail instead, adding 20% DOT, status amplification, and 30% slow. Enemies below 60% health take 4% Black Burn damage continuously until death. Moon God Counter Crash deals 150% damage and removes all enemy modifiers on use. The self-sustaining Black Burn into Time Snail loop with the execute-style below-60% mechanic is extremely efficient.

B Tier - Good Units

These units are decent and help you progress. They work well enough but aren't as strong as higher tiers.

Unit	Rarity	Element	Role
Spade	Mythic	Fire	Hill
Sharpshooter	Mythic	Fire	Hill
Karbonoto (Sage)	Secret	Rose	Ground
Gambler Sorcerer (Jackpot)	Mythic	Wind	Ground
Sasku (Chakra)	Mythic	Dark	Ground
Prodigy Mage (Apprentice)	Secret	Rose	Hill
Kurourushi (Yuta's Lover)	Exclusive	Dark	Ground
Shadow Knight (Risen)	Secret	Wind	Ground
Jinoo (Monarch)	Mythic	Dark	Hybrid
Unparalleled Armor	Synchro	Hybrid	—
Majestic Armor	Synchro	Hybrid	—
Tai Yang	Exclusive	Fire	Ground
Ancient Shinobi (Reawakened)	Secret	Water	Ground
Dragon Guy	Secret	Ice	Ground
Berserker (Enraged)	Mythic	Light	Ground
Jane Juliet (Larper)	Mythic	Water	Ground
Cyborg Disciple (Fearless)	Mythic	Fire	Hill

C Tier - Decent Units

These units are okay for early game but should be replaced with better options when you get them.

Unit	Rarity	Element	Role
Shakumira	Legendary	Light	Ground
Kriatu (Cheater)	Mythic	Ice	Ground
Psycho	Mythic	Rose	Ground
Rule	Mythic	Water	Ground
Virtual Idol	Mythic	Light	Hybrid
Shunks (Conqueror)	Mythic	Rose	Ground
Love Goddess	Exclusive	Rose	Ground
The Drink (Enraged)	Mythic	Fire	Ground
Rogue Oni	Exclusive	Fire	Ground
Footballer (Ego)	Exclusive	Fire	Ground
Ichiko	Secret	Dark	Ground
Rohan & Robot 16	Mythic	Light	Hybrid
Mochi Pirate (Conqueror)	Secret	Ground	Utility
Zorus	Legendary	Dark	Ground
Gen	Legendary	Fire	Ground
Pebble	Legendary	Rose	Hybrid
Greybeard	Legendary	Dark	Ground
Bulmo	Legendary	Rose	Ground
Masked Ninja	Epic	Fire	Ground

D Tier - Weak Units

Unit	Rarity	Element	Role
Admiral	Legendary	Fire	Ground
Ruka	Legendary	Ice	Ground
Shakumira (base)	Legendary	Light	Ground
Dragon Slayer (base)	Legendary	Fire	Ground
Ancient Mage (base)	Legendary	Light	Hybrid
Karbonoto (base)	Legendary	Rose	Ground
Prodigy Mage (base)	Legendary	Rose	Hill
Nutaru (base)	Rare	Water	Ground
Fire Foot Cook	Epic	Fire	Ground
Triple Threat (base)	Epic	Rose	Ground
Nejo	Epic	Wind	Ground
Fastcart	Epic	Rose	Ground
Spade (base)	Mythic	Fire	Hill
Cyborg Disciple (base)	Mythic	Fire	Hill
Sasku (base)	Mythic	Dark	Ground
Roku	Rare	Fire	Ground
Nataru	Rare	Water	Ground
Namo	Rare	Water	Ground
Gaaru	Rare	Water	Ground
Laffy	Rare	Wind	Ground
Ranji	Rare	Wind	Ground
Orahemi	Rare	Rose	Hill