If you just started playing Skull Up, one of the first things you’ll probably search for is a tier list. Everyone does. You want to know which heroes are worth your time, which ones are traps, and which ones will carry you through early progression without wasting weeks of resources.
This SKULL UP Tier List guide is built specifically for beginners, meaning early-to-mid game, low-to-mid star heroes, limited awakenings, and no endgame artifact setups yet. Things will absolutely change later, but right now this is about helping you push content without regret.
Before jumping into specific classes, it’s important to understand something most tier lists don’t explain properly.
SKULL UP Tier List Guide – Best Classes & Heroes Guide
A hero ranked lower isn’t automatically bad for your account. If you have more copies of a lower-tier hero, that hero may outperform a “better” one simply because stars matter a lot early on. Tier lists are best used when you’re deciding between two heroes at similar investment, not as a reason to instantly abandon something that’s already working.
Also, Skull Up is very animation-driven. Two heroes might have similar stats, but one lands attacks more consistently, hits better AoE angles, or survives longer because of how their skills actually play out on the battlefield. Watching how a hero attacks is just as important as reading numbers.
With that out of the way, let’s break things down by role.
Tanks
Early on, tanks decide whether your team stabilizes or collapses instantly.
Some beginner tanks exist mostly as filler. Barkley, for example, sits at the very bottom for most players. It’s not that the hero is completely unusable, but compared to what you can unlock early, there’s just no real reason to stick with it unless you’re severely limited on options.
Creatin falls into that awkward middle space. It’s usable, especially at the very start, but it gets replaced fast. The problem isn’t that it fails; it’s that other tanks do the same job better with less effort.
Moving up, Bruiser surprises a lot of people. On paper, it looks like it should be dominant, but in practice it lands more in the middle tier. Some players get good results with it, especially if stars are high, so this is one of those heroes you don’t immediately scrap if it’s already invested.
Where things start getting interesting is with Dawn and Pan. Dawn works particularly well in setups that benefit from synergy rather than raw tanking. Pan, though, is where damage reflection and survivability really start to shine. When placed correctly at the front, Pan can soak damage and punish enemies hard enough to feel almost unfair in early content.
Later on, limited heroes like Bucky start entering the picture, and this is where beginner tier lists begin to blur. These heroes aren’t always immediately dominant, but once stars climb, they stay relevant far longer than most early tanks.
Attackers / Assault
This is the category where Skull Up tricks a lot of players.
Some heroes are marketed hard and look incredible on banners, but don’t actually perform well when it matters. Screech is the perfect example. Despite how much attention it gets, it struggles to keep up with other attackers and often ends up being more useful as fodder than as a core DPS.
Mid-tier attackers like Thurin, Slash, and Pokey aren’t useless, but they lack the consistency and scaling that makes long-term progression smoother. They can work early, especially if paired with the right buffs, but most players will eventually move on.
The B-tier range includes heroes like Exor, which many players continue using longer than expected. These heroes often feel comfortable, reliable, and forgiving, even if they’re not top damage dealers.
Once you reach higher tiers, heroes like Drana and Neza begin to stand out. In other regions and later-game environments, these attackers remain relevant well into endgame, which says a lot about their design. They scale better, survive longer, and contribute more consistently.
Limited attackers are where things really explode. Hexy, Grim, and especially Trey are absolute monsters when invested. Trey in particular stands out because even at lower stars and levels, it can match or outperform heroes with double the investment. That alone makes it one of the best event heroes beginners can realistically benefit from.
Mages
Mage heroes are often where beginners experiment the most, and also where they make the most mistakes.
Some mages look powerful early but fall off quickly. Luna, for instance, can help push through specific walls but rarely stays in a final lineup. It’s a temporary solution, not a long-term plan.
Wizzy and similar low-tier mages suffer from inconsistent output. They might look decent on paper, but once you compare them to true AoE carries, the gap becomes obvious.
The standout here is Sparky, and it’s not even close for beginners. Sparky combines reliable AoE damage, easy copy acquisition, and forgiving scaling. Because it doesn’t require insane class-specific copies, it’s one of the most accessible carries in the game. Many players build entire teams around Sparky early and see strong results.
Other mages like Spinner, Lady Draga, and Zero sit in the middle. Some players swear by them, especially with specific team comps, but they usually require more investment to shine.
Supporters
Most beginners delay using supports, and that’s understandable. Damage feels more important early. But once stages start hitting harder, supports suddenly become game-changing.
Low-tier supports like Harpie and Corner don’t offer enough to justify a slot early on. They’re niche at best.
Kit, however, is often underrated. Revives are incredibly powerful in progression-focused content, and many players stick with Kit far longer than tier lists suggest because it simply works.
At the top, Joan and Warren are widely considered essential for late-game and high-difficulty pushes. Their healing, sustain, and team-wide impact completely change how fights play out, especially once enemy damage ramps up.
Instead of blindly following tier lists, try this approach: pick one hero per day and actually read their skills. Look at what scales, what buffs apply, what triggers on hit, and what affects allies versus enemies. Understanding why a hero works will do more for your account than chasing every new banner.
Skull Up is at its best when you’re experimenting, adjusting, and slowly building teams that feel right rather than just copying someone else’s lineup. Tier lists are tools, not rules.
