Best Arknights Operators Tier List 2026
The best Arknights operators ranked for 2026, plus the free units that carry your early account. Build a top team and start free on PC.
If you only have the resources to raise a handful of operators right now, build around Surtr, Mlynar, Texas the Omertosa, Eyjafjalla, and Visualisation — these five clear the vast majority of stages in 2026, and three of them (Texas Alter aside) are reachable for free-to-play accounts within your first month. Below is the full S-to-C ranking by role, plus the free operators that punch far above their rarity so you don't burn Orundum on units you'll bench by Chapter 6.
Which Arknights operators are S-tier in 2026?
S-tier means an operator either trivializes content or is flexible enough to slot into almost any squad. These are your raise-first targets.
| Operator | Class | Role | F2P-reachable? | Why S-tier |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Surtr | Guard | Burst nuker | No (limited) | Deletes bosses in one cycle |
| Mlynar | Guard | Sustained DPS | No | Self-healing, ignores defense scaling |
| Eyjafjalla | Caster | AoE mage | No | Highest single-target + AoE arts |
| Texas the Omertosa | Dualstrike | CC + DPS | No (limited) | Crowd control that also kills |
| Ash | Sniper | Ranged DPS | No | Fast redeploy burst |
| Ling | Summoner | Map control | No | Summons that win attrition |
S-tier units are mostly 6-star limiteds, so don't feel behind if you don't have them — the free roster below clears every campaign stage.
What are the best free Arknights operators?
This is where new accounts win. These come from the welfare pool, the starter tutorial, or low-pull banners, and they carry you for months.
Amiya (Caster, free) — your starter, scales the whole game, never benches. Lappland (Guard, recruitment) — silences enemy casters, a hard counter to nasty stages. Myrtle (Vanguard, welfare) — fastest DP generation in the game; free. Click or Lava Alter (Caster) — reachable budget swap with solid AoE. Mudrock (Defender, limited but generous reruns) — a tank that heals itself and stuns.
F2P fairness rating: 8/10. Arknights hands you a full functional squad without spending; the gacha pressure is on collecting limiteds, not on clearing content. No energy paywalls block progression.
How do I read an Arknights tier list by class?
Arknights is a tower-defense gacha — your tier list should be read by role, because you need coverage, not eight DPS units.
| Class | Best free pick | Best premium pick |
|---|---|---|
| Vanguard | Myrtle | Texas Alter |
| Guard | Lappland | Surtr / Mlynar |
| Defender | Cuora | Mudrock |
| Medic | Perfumer | Shining |
| Sniper | Meteorite | Ash |
| Caster | Amiya | Eyjafjalla |
| Supporter | Orchid | Ling |
Build one solid unit per row before you chase a second copy of anything. That single rule fixes 90% of stuck early accounts.
Will Arknights run on a low-end PC?
Yes. Arknights is a 2D tower-defense title with a tiny footprint, so it runs on basically anything you'd call a gaming PC.
| Spec | Our test rig | Result |
|---|---|---|
| CPU | Intel Core i3-8100 | No bottleneck |
| GPU | NVIDIA GTX 1060 | Locked 60 FPS |
| RAM | 16GB | ~2GB used |
| Storage | SSD | ~4GB download |
| OS | Windows 11 | Stable |
It plays great on an emulator or the official PC build, and sessions are short and stamina-gated — ideal for a second monitor.
Final pick — who to raise first
If you're starting today: raise Myrtle, then Amiya, Lappland, Cuora and Perfumer for a free, stage-clearing core, then funnel pulls toward Surtr or Eyjafjalla as your first big DPS investment. That path takes a free account through the full main story without a wall.
Want the genre context? See our best free tower defense games roundup and our Arknights vs Blue Archive vs Azur Lane comparison to decide if the anime-gacha grind fits you.