Tier List

Chaos Zero Nightmare features a wide range of Combatants, each with unique specialties and skills. While every character has something to offer, some stand out as top-tier choices thanks to their performance, versatility, or overall value. This tier list breaks down the best Combatants in the current CZN meta.

Chaos Zero Nightmare Tier List 

Here's a quick overview of where each Combatant stands in the current meta. Use this table to quickly check which tier your favorite characters are in.

Tier	Characters
S	Cassius, Mei Lin, Mika, Tressa, Veronica
A	Beryl, Chizuru, Hugo, Kayron, Khalipe, Luke, Rei, Renoa
B	Haru, Nia, Rin, Selena, Yuki
C	Lucas, Magna, Orlea, Owen
D	Amir, Maribell

These are the key factors considered for this tier list ranking:

• Damage output is obviously important. You need characters who can hit hard without relying too much on specific setups or other team members to shine.
• Utility covers everything else that keeps your team running smoothly. This means buffs for your squad, debuffs for enemies, healing when things get rough, and shields to keep everyone alive.
• Ease of use is something people don't talk about enough. Some characters need crazy setups just to do their job. Others work right out of the box. The easier a character is to use, the more consistent they'll be.

S Tier - Best Characters in Chaos Zero Nightmare

These are the characters you should be pulling and investing if you want to clear endgame content with ease:

Name	Description
Cassius	If card draw is what you need, Cassius is your guy. He lets you shuffle your hand for fresh cards and even pick specific ones you want. On top of that, his quest mechanic provides heals, buffs, and debuffs through his potential nodes.
Mei Lin	Mei Lin sits at the top for good reason. She's your go-to single-target DPS for Passion teams. What makes her special is how she applies Passion weakness to enemies while dealing Tenacity damage to build up AP. She buffs your team while destroying enemies, which means she'll stay relevant even when new characters drop.
Mika	Here's the best part about Mika, she's completely free to play, and you get her right from the start! She focuses entirely on healing and AP generation, making her one of the most reliable supports in the game. You can slot her into almost any team and she'll do her job perfectly.
Tressa	Another free starting character that punches way above her weight class. Tressa specializes in damage over time effects that spread across the battlefield. Her 0-cost Shadow Daggers are perfect for combo decks, and she works great in follow-up attack teams.
Veronica	Veronica brings something unique to the table with her Ballista summons. These deal massive damage every turn without costing you anything. Plus, she can draw cards from other characters, which opens up some really strong team combinations.

A Tier - Excellent Choices

Still top-tier characters, but they might need a bit more setup or work better in specific situations.

Name	Description
Beryl	Burst damage is Beryl's game. She uses the Retain mechanic to hold onto her best cards, then unleashes them for massive damage or reduced AP costs. You can also stack cards to trigger upgrade effects for multiple devastating hits.
Hugo	Hugo excels at follow-up attacks alongside your other damage dealers. He's laser-focused on single targets, so don't pair him with AoE characters who don't use Targeting Attack Cards. With the right team interactions, he can even work as your main DPS.
Kayron	One of the most flexible DPS characters you'll find. Kayron works as either main or sub-DPS and fits into tons of different teams. He deals strong AoE damage and uses the Exhaust mechanic, which gets stronger the longer fights go on.
Khalipe	High AoE damage plus solid defenses make Khalipe a safe pick for most teams. Her cards are easy to set up, and she can deal Tenacity damage when you need to break enemies and gain AP.
Luke	Luke's all about that Bullet playstyle for single-target damage. The catch is his RNG nature. You'll need high Critical Chance to make him really shine, which means you need to invest in the right stats.
Rei	Yet another strong free character. Rei buffs your damage output while thinning your deck to improve card cycling. Her Morale buffs are huge for multi-hit damage units, making her work well with tons of different characters.
Renoa	Renoa's single-target damage with her Bullet playstyle is impressive, especially with her follow-up attacks for extra damage. Just be careful, her Dirge Bullets can clog up your deck fast. You'll want teammates who can help you discard or draw cards.

B Tier - Solid Performers

These characters are good at what they do, but they're either more situational or need more effort to reach their full potential.

Name	Description
Haru	Haru's Anchor Shot deals serious burst damage, especially if you can use it multiple times in a fight. However, she needs teams that help her gain more cards to really maximize what she can do.
Nia	A solid alternative support for high DPS characters who need help discarding cards or cheating them out through card search. She provides healing and easy-to-setup follow-up attacks too.
Rin	Rin is an egotistical single-target DPS who wants to be the only damage dealer on your team. She's AP neutral, which makes her tricky to fit with supports. She loves damage buffs because of her multi-hit epiphanies, but she loses momentum when other characters use attack cards.
Selena	A flexible DPS who can apply Mark and break Tenacity for your team. She also works great in Passion teams since she can apply Passion weakness too.
Yuki	Yuki dishes out constant AoE damage when her Inspiration tag activates. She needs card draw to boost her damage and she's pretty AP efficient when played right. But get her build wrong or put her in the wrong team, and she falls apart quickly.

C Tier - Niche Options

These characters can work, but they need specific team setups, or they just don't compete with higher-tier options.

Name	Description
Lucas	Lucas uses a Bullet playstyle for AoE damage and can apply Mark plus Passion weakness. Sounds good on paper, but he needs way too much AP to function smoothly, which holds him back.
Magna	An offensive tank who counterattacks and deals damage that scales with defense. She fits almost any team if you want more survivability, making her pretty flexible.
Orlea	A versatile support with consistent damage and HP sustain. Her Retain mechanics need careful hand management and time to ramp up. She's better in longer fights where she has time to get going.
Owen	Owen is free and can fill a DPS slot if you don't have better options yet. He's easy to set up but lacks damage compared to other characters. He can work as sub-DPS with heavy hitters thanks to his ability to grant multi-hits through his epiphanies.

D Tier - Consider Alternatives

Unless you really have no other options, you'll want to replace these characters as soon as you can.

Name	Description
Amir	Amir is a free tank who scales damage off defense, but her Metallization doesn't hit hard enough. She has one of the lowest defense stats among tanks, which defeats the purpose. Plus, she's awkward to fit into team compositions.
Maribell	An alternative tank with counterattack focus. She gains shields based on damage dealt and can deal damage based on shield amount. She's not bad, just outclassed by better options.

How to Use This Tier List

Remember that tier lists are guides, not absolute rules. Your team composition matters more than individual character strength. A lower-tier character in a perfect team setup can outperform a top-tier character with no synergy.

Focus on building teams around your best characters. If you pull Mei Lin, build a Passion team. If you get Hugo, focus on follow-up attack synergies. The game rewards smart team building more than just slapping together your highest-rarity characters.

For free players, the good news is that characters like Mika, Tressa, and Rei are all S or A tier. You don't need to spend money to build competitive teams. Focus on getting these free characters leveled up and properly built before worrying about pulling limited banners.