The new free-to-play hero shooter Star Wars: Hunters is finally available on Nintendo Switch and mobile, and with it comes a roster of colorful characters all trying to make a name for themselves in A Galaxy Far, Far Away. From fearsome Wookiee warriors to Mon Calamari masterminds, hero shooter veterans will find many of the mechanics in this game familiar — which will mean you can jump right into the exciting gameplay without too much time in the training arena. However, an important question remains: which Star Wars Hunters character is best?
With characters like Rieve and Sprocket unlocked after tens of hours of gameplay, you wouldn’t be alone in thinking that the more effort it takes to grind for a hero, the better they are at combat. But that isn’t quite the case here. Below, we’ll run through all the characters available right now — including Season One newbie Aran Tal — and let you know where they rank. We’ll explain all the nuances, like why you’re better off picking a character like Imara Vex over J-3DI, even if he looks super fun on paper.
STAR WARS: HUNTERS TIER LIST
The current Star Wars Hunters tier list is as follows:
- S-Tier: Imara Vex, Sentinel
- A-Tier: Diago, Grozz, Aran Tal, Slingshot
- B-Tier: Zaina, Charr, Rieve
- C-Tier: Skora, J-3DI, Utooni
- D-Tier: Sprocket
S-Tier
In Star Wars Hunters, S-Tier characters really are the crème de la crème. They’re the fiercest fighters in this twisted deathmatch-slash-gameshow and who you’ll want to lock into first during each pre-game lobby. With easy-to-learn kits and abilities that can be useful in any game mode — be that Power Control, Trophy Chase, or otherwise — you’ll win round after round when you master the characters here.
Imara Vex
You may be surprised to learn that the first character you unlock in Star Wars: Hunters is one of the best available, but Imara Vex is considered a ruthless and efficient bounty hunter for a reason. This low-difficulty Damage class character perfectly embodies the role of a mercenary in the Star Wars universe, with a kit that gives you all the tools to tackle targets with unrelenting effectiveness.
While Imara Vex’s primary weapon, a fairly slow-firing automatic Blaster Rifle, is great at eroding the health of tougher enemies at a distance and picking off weaker prey when they’re dashing for a health pick-up, the real star of the show — and undoubtedly the best bit of her kit — is the Missile Launcher. Able to quickly let loose homing missiles that can deal up to 80 damage — and knock back enemies with impressive force when fully upgraded — this ability can effectively one-shot damaged enemies, making light work of anyone who dares cross your path in the arena.
Although that’s far from the only deadly missile attack at Imara Vex’s disposal. Her Seeker Salvo ultimate ability turns the devastation up to eleven, allowing her to fire a continuous barrage of homing missiles at anyone she can see. When you marry this with Grapple, which enables you to dart around the map using select anchor ledges, you can unleash this stunning salvo from unexpected angles and devastate an enemy team in mere moments.
Sentinel
An arrogant Imperial with an impressive command of his E-Web heavy repeater, Sentinel is a low-difficulty character you should consider using in your next match of Star Wars: Hunters. As a Tank class character with a decent health pool, Sentinel shouldn’t be dying too often. And he can leverage a weapon-mounted Combat Shield — meaning you can soak up even more incoming damage during a firefight. This makes him an ideal pick for newcomers, but also truly ruinous in experienced hands.
That isn’t the only reason he’s ranked so highly, though. The best part of his kit is his ultimate ability: Empire’s Finest. When you trigger this, Sentinel summons two AI-controlled Imperial Stormtroopers who follow you around, and fire upon any enemies that stumble recklessly into your field of view, for a limited time. They’re not the most ruthless murderers out there (which is very on-brand), but they do have a decent health pool and act as an effective distraction. So if you’re trying to capture or defend a control point, they’re advantageous to have around.
Beyond this, Sentinel is very effective in one-on-one combat encounters — even though he’s a Tank and not a Damage class character. Both Barrel Slam (a swinging melee attack) and Suppressing Shot (a charged ranged attack) can disrupt and stun enemies, Cancelling active abilities and opening enemies up to a barrage of blaster bolts from his fast-firing primary weapon. Oh, and not to mention, both abilities also deal a small amount of damage!
A-Tier
Characters in the A-Tier are far from the worst option if you miss out on playing as one of the S-Tier options, but they’re harder to master and come with some abilities that — while sounding good on paper — don’t quite make the impact you want them to. Still, they’re fun to use and worth checking out when you unlock them; you might find that these characters serve you better when you play in a more coordinated team, though.
Diago
For a blind sharpshooter, Miraluka Diago certainly knows how to hit a target. Provided you can also hit your targets, he can be a fantastic character to use in Star Wars: Hunters. His primary weapon, a Slugthrower Rifle, can deal high amounts of damage at a decent distance — damage that is impressively more-than-doubled when you’re ADS. If you’re prone to missing your shots, however, you will find that it’s quite easy to get caught short while reloading. While it isn’t the slowest reload, and Diago can quickly pull himself out of a tight spot using Grappling Hook on select anchor ledges, he’s far better-suited to longer-range firefights.
That being said, Diago’s Piercing Rounds ultimate can be devastating in the right pair of hands — and at any distance. Loading high-density slugs into his primary weapon, Diago can deal even more damage to his enemies for six shots. And, each Piercing Rounds slug will pass through multiple enemies, dealing the same amount of damage to all of them. If you’re pushing onto a crowded control point, or come across a Sentinel with Empire’s Finest active, Diago can make light work of anyone foolish enough to stand out in the open. Provided you land your shots, of course; these improved slugs do explode on impact, but the radius of these explosions is minimal.
Why isn’t Diago ranked higher, then? Well, ultimately, his other abilities just feel a little lackluster. Diago’s deployable Proximity Mine can be a useful deterrent to an eagle-eyed enemy and break up the flow of an oncoming attack, but it’s only really a game-changer at level six — where it deals 70 damage and concusses enemies for two seconds. On top of that, his Heightened Senses ability is just useless. Highlighting nearby enemies for several seconds sounds useful on paper, however, Star Wars Hunters’ maps are all quite compact and small enough that you’re never struggling enough to find your enemies in the middle of a match to warrant wasting the time using it. So, while it can be handy if you’re trying to corner-peek someone, it’s far from the finest compliment to the rest of his kit.
Grozz
If you’re looking for a character with solid survivability, you’ll be hard-pressed to find anyone on the Star Wars Hunters roster who’s tougher to take down than the Wookiee warrior Grozz. Running around the arena with a huge health pool and two Improvised Clubs, which also slow enemies when you deal damage, this Tank class character is truly unstoppable when max level.
Grozz can emulate Overwatch 2’s Reinhardt and charge at his enemies with Stampede, which also deals a decent amount of damage if you’re able to slam them into a wall; however, this mechanic isn’t executed nearly as well in Zynga’s hero shooter as it is elsewhere. So it does take some practice to get the timing just right. The same can sadly be said for his Upheaval ability (a short-range stun attack) and hit Boulder Bash ultimate (where he launches a bouncing boulder of debris at enemies). Both have their uses in the right situations, but charging into the fight swinging Grozz’s Improvised Clubs always feels like an equally valid option when you’re playing – and it often ends up being just as effective.
Although as the slowest melee-based character in Star Wars Hunters, you can feel exposed when pushing enemies with long sight lines. A well-timed Cry (which heals Grozz and gives him improved damage reduction for a limited time) can counter this problem, but a well-organized team can still leverage his slower speed and larger size against you if you’re not careful.
Aran Tal
If you enjoy faster-paced gameplay (and the occasional flamethrower), you will have a lot of fun playing as Aran Tal. Available through the Season 1 Arena Pass, this Mandalorian vanguard is a Damage class character boasting some of the best mobility in Star Wars Hunters and a sweet kit to match. As long as you can keep your cool under pressure, his Dual Blaster Pistols can deal with weaker enemies easily and dish out a decent amount of damage to tougher opponents before reloading.
But what makes Aran Tal really shine is that you can pursue your prey and deal a decent amount of damage without ever needing to fire a blaster bolt — not that you should completely avoid using his primary weapon, of course. As the great Din Djarin once said, weapons are part of a Mandalorian’s religion — and Aran Tal himself is one dangerous weapon. In a fight, you can take advantage of both Air Assault (a targeted leaping attack) and Jetpack Boost (a multi-directional dash attack) to deal damage to your enemies, knock them back, and run rings around anyone foolish enough to go toe-to-toe with you.
Then, to top off an already-excellent kit, Aran Tal can utilize wrist-mounted flamethrowers with two attacks: Tal’s Breath, and Fury of Clan Tal. The former is a short-range flash of flames that can deal additional damage when reloading, making it an effective way of having the final say in a fight. The latter, Aran Tal’s ultimate, is an extended flame-throwing attack that can burn an entire enemy team to ash when timed correctly. Aran Tal might be a little soft for someone clad in what’s allegedly impenetrable Beskar armor, but he makes up for his lower health pool with an impressive array of attacks.
Slingshot
As the final character you unlock on the Hunter’s Path, you will be quite an experienced Star Wars Hunters player by the time you get your hands on Slingshot — which is great, because he can be devastating in the right hands. An Ugnaught rolling around in a modified Droideka (which is without a doubt the coolest concept for a character in Zynga’s hero shooter), Slingshot takes full advantage of this Trade Federation destroyer droid’s Twin Blaster Cannons and Unstable Shield to be a real menace in the arena.
However, quick attacks dealing moderate damage and a larger health pool aren’t the only reasons Slingshot is an A-Tier character in Star Wars: Hunters. Trickshot (an attack you can charge to catapult yourself into the action) can be combined with Scatterboom (an attack that fires a flurry of short-range micro-missiles) to effectively initiate team fights and pounce on weaker enemies trying to escape to a health pick-up. And similarly, Slingshot’s Rollout (when out of combat) allows him to move faster and knock back foes. With mobility lacking for the other Tank class characters, this makes him a force to be reckoned with.
He is one of the larger characters on the roster, though, and doesn’t have as much base health as the other Tank class characters available. So, you’re something of an easy target when you’re making use of this unique movement mechanic. Thankfully, it takes mere moments for Slingshot to deploy his spherical shield and ready himself for a firefight — an ability that can be used simultaneously with his Rocket Stomp! ultimate. A bouncing attack that damages and slows enemies around him every time he hits the ground, it’s hard to argue with Slingshot’s effectiveness in the arena. He’s a little chaotic, sure, but he’s also a lot of fun.
B-TIER
The Star Wars: Hunters characters in the B-Tier are situational and require as much game sense as they do raw skill; they can be effective and make a good addition to any team, but they’re harder to master and you will find it’s tougher to triumph when running around alone. This doesn’t mean you shouldn’t give them a chance when you unlock them, but it’s worth tempering your expectations when it comes to squad wipes and sweeping victories.
Zaina
In many ways, Rebel Alliance hero Zaina is the archetypal ‘healer’ in Star Wars Hunters – something that makes her a great addition to any team, but decidedly weaker than the other options available. As a Support class character, she can burst-heal herself and any allies around her with Bacta Bomb, which is more effective against weaker allies and offers a brief damage reduction buff when upgraded. And, letting out a defiant yell, she can also dish out a decent amount of temporary health with her Rallying Cry ultimate. As you might imagine, when timed correctly, both of these abilities can make a huge difference in a team fight; and if things are getting tight at the tail end of a match, these can help you snatch victory.
However, her modified DL-44 Blaster Pistol (the same blaster Han Solo uses) is far from the best primary weapon available and you may struggle to defend yourself if you’re forced into a one-on-one duel. It deals a reasonable amount of damage per shot, which can mean you’re able to pick off weaker enemies effectively, but it fires very slowly and doesn’t quite compare to the likes of Aran Tal’s Dual Blaster Pistols, Imara Vex’s Blaster Rifle, or even Diago’s Slugthrower Rifle.
One thing you can use to better your chances is Zaina’s Dodge Roll, which can be useful if you need to break your enemies’ line of sight quickly. Although, in open combat, you may need to get lucky with it; the Dodge Roll is just not fast or far enough to make much of a difference against a skilled player. If anything, you’re giving your enemies more chances to attack you without retaliation.
Charr
When it comes to the Trandoshan trapper known as Charr, there are so many reasons why he should be higher up on this Star Wars: Hunters tier list. He’s a ferocious Tank class character with an ability kit that makes him an effective duelist, although he’s far from the easiest character on the roster and that can leave him feeling unreliable at times. For example, his Regen Booster can convert upwards of 200 incoming damage into healing over a short 2.5 seconds, which can make the difference in a duel. However, this requires a keen sense of timing and doesn’t guarantee you any amount of healing.
Couple this with Laser Tether, an ability that stops your enemies from escaping you for a limited time, and it’s easy to see why Charr can be a fantastic character. However, with this also forcing you to continue fighting, it’s an ability that can be quite punishing when you make a mistake. But with both Snare Trap (a deployable mine that can trap enemies) and Ferocious Hunt (a fast series of melee attacks that can be extended with eliminations) both effective damage dealers, why is Charr so far down on this tier list?
It all comes down to his primary weapon. It can be frustrating and doesn’t let you take full advantage of Charr’s exploitative kit. The Trandoshan Scatter weapon (something fans of Republic Commando will recognize) can only fire two shots at a time and has a very slow reload time. If you’re close enough and can land both shots effectively, you can deal decent damage and even two-shot weaker enemies. But its slow reload speed means you need to rely more heavily on the timing of Charr’s other abilities. Even Charr’s larger health pool is no match for the sheer amount of damage that other characters can deal in the time you spend reloading. It might be harsh, but Charr’s abilities only work if you can ensure your enemies aren’t breathing — and that’s not often guaranteed.
Rieve
Dark Side assassin Rieve is a glass cannon, which makes her a difficult character to use effectively in Star Wars Hunters. She can deal fantastic damage and chase down enemies, however, she has one of the lowest health pools in the game, and — as a melee-based character in a roster dominated by distance damage dealers — it’s hard to justify ranking her any higher. That being said, if you’re able to master her unique kit, she can be a fantastic asset — and a whole lot of fun.
Both Vicious Leap and Ruthless Pursuit give Rieve the mobility she sorely needs to take advantage of her basic Lightsaber attacks. And when you’re in a tight spot, Wild Defense can be a lifesaver when timed correctly; this lets you block and deflect incoming damage for a limited time. On top of that, much like how Rieve can use her mobility abilities to chase down weaker enemies, Lightsaber Throw can let you launch your primary weapon at enemies to finish them off. You won’t be able to attack or defend yourself in the moments while you’re throwing it, but it does make for a satisfying final blow in a frantic fight.
Rieve’s Crushing Will ultimate is another great way of capitalizing on any weaker enemies you face. When triggered, Rieve uses the Force to pull enemies toward herself, dealing a small amount of damage and stunning them. If you’re quick to attack, you can get the jump on anyone caught in Crushing Will and rack up a couple of takedowns for your trouble. However, Rieve’s lower health pool looms; this is mainly why she hasn’t got a spot in the A-Tier. You can only take advantage of all these awesome attacks if you’re alive, and that isn’t always easy when there are so many high-damage attacks and abilities to avoid.
C-TIER
Star Wars Hunters’ C-Tier characters are lacking a little in several areas and they’re generally quite tough to master. So you’ll need a well-organized team and some good timing to really make your mark on a match. However, these characters are still fun to play as, and, with some practice, you’ll still find yourself on the winning team more often than not.
Skora
Skora, much like Zaina, is a Support character that can be a useful asset to any team they’re on — but they can also struggle when they’re caught out alone in the arena. Unlike Zaina, though, Skora heals herself automatically (albeit slowly) while out of combat and she can use Adrenal Boost to double her movement speed — which is great if you need to get yourself out of a pinch. In some situations, this is very useful; however, the fact that Skora can’t actively heal herself in combat makes her harder to use than Zaina and only a viable pick over the other if you’re in a well-organized team.
But Skora finds her feet in this chaotic combat sport, thanks to her ability to damage enemies and heal allies simultaneously with her Unstable Cocktail ultimate. In this limited-time area of effect attack, she tosses a canister of something sinister down around her to create a pool of chemicals that can quickly change the tide of a team fight. Its rate of healing isn’t the strongest, but the fact that this also deals a similar amount of damage to enemies wandering through it makes up for that.
When you’re charging this up, Skora can heal her teammates and gradually damage her enemies with her primary weapon (an attack that is mechanically identical to Ana’s Biotic Rifle in Overwatch 2). It’s slow-firing, though, meaning you’ll need to be proactive with your healing; but, the range it offers — when coupled with Skora’s ability to maneuver the map quickly using Adrenal Boost — can make her an effective healer in the right hands. However, the thing holding her back from a higher tier is that she can’t self-heal in the middle of a fight. This ultimately leaves her feeling frustrating to play as sometimes — and, importantly, worse than Zaina.
J-3DI
Star Wars Hunters’ J-3DI is perhaps the most disappointing character on this tier list, which is a real shame if you’re hoping to swing a lightsaber as a Jedi Knight or Jedi Master in Zynga’s hero shooter. When you look at his kit, it sounds like it would be fun to play around with. However, in actuality, he’s lacking — which is something that, in a way, emulates the fact that he’s a droid custom-built to provide an authentic Jedi experience, but not a Jedi.
Leveraging a Lightsaber in combat, J-3DI does benefit from the ability to block and deflect most oncoming attacks for a limited time. When you’re in striking distance, you can quickly dispatch weaker enemies with melee attacks. However, unlike Rieve, he doesn’t have any movement abilities to take advantage of, and his Faux Pull ability (which you can use to pull an enemy towards you) has a limited range and feels inconsistent when latching onto enemies.
This can ultimately leave you feeling fairly exposed when running around the arena, coming up against characters like Aran Tal and Imara Vex, both of whom can deal damage that J-3DI can’t block with his Lightsaber. Spare Parts, a passive that drops small healing items exclusively for J-3DI every time he takes damage, is a saving grace. Although it can feel like you’re just delaying an inevitable demise when you’re chasing these small clusters of scrap metal — it’s not much of an edge in an encounter.
Utooni
Two Jawas in a trenchcoat sounds amazing. As charming as the Utooni are, they’re not nearly as effective in combat as they are adorable — which makes sense, given that they’re desert scrappers and not part of a people known for their fighting. A Damage class character with access to both long-range and short-range attack options, a skilled Star Wars Hunters player can use this character's arsenal to assist allies and dictate the flow of a firefight. However, all their abilities feel weaker than those the other Damage class characters can take advantage of, so it’s hard to justify placing Utooni higher on this tier list.
Utooni’s long-range Pulse Blaster deals moderate damage at a distance, but each shot has a surprisingly heavy recoil kick compared to other long-range primary weapons in the game. Meanwhile, their short-range Arc Caster is an effective way of finishing off a weaker enemy without the need to aim as precisely as other weapons suited to close-quarters combat. If things get a little too close for comfort, though, you can trigger Hands Off and create some distance between you and your enemies. This is useful given Utooni’s lower health pool but doesn’t do enough to stop an experienced enemy from continuing their attack — and, more often than not, winning the fight.
Interestingly, Imploder (a throwable that deals a small amount of damage and pulls enemies into the center of the explosion) can be a useful tool in setting up your allies’ attacks. But used in isolation, it’s disappointing, and taking full advantage of it takes more organization than a basic hero shooter like Star Wars Hunters affords; it doesn’t support communication between teammates nearly as much as other games in the genre. Scrap Cannon is this character’s saving grace, giving Utooni a temporary health boost and a high-damage beam attack for a short period. When this ultimate is timed right, this can devastate an unsuspecting enemy team, but it’s not enough to warrant a higher place on this tier list.
D-Tier
Here, you’ll find the hardest characters to master in Star Wars Hunters and options you may want to avoid entirely when choosing your character in the pre-game lobby. Those in the D-Tier do have some merits, and they can be used alongside some of the better characters to win games, but you will need to play smart and practice if you want to climb the ranks.
Sprocket
If you’re looking for an interesting character to try in your next game, you’ll find that in Sprocket; he’s a Mon Calamari mastermind with a unique selection of abilities at his disposal. In the right hands, this Support class character can have a decent impact on the game around him. But despite sounding like a good option in theory, Sprocket takes a lot of work to be a good option and ultimately feels lacking compared to the other heroes — most of which will be upgraded by the time you get to Sprocket, too.
With droids and drones aplenty, Sprocket can increase the damage an enemy takes for a limited time, reduce the damage an ally takes for a short period, and deploy a Medical Droid to offer a few seconds of healing to his teammates. These abilities all feel useful in the training arena, but in the reality of a ranked match, it can be ineffective. Similarly, his primary weapon (two Blaster Remotes not dissimilar to the Marksman-H training remotes Luke Skywalker uses in A New Hope) can deal moderate damage at a medium range. However, they’re neither better nor worse than all the other automatic primary weapons in Star Wars: Hunters.
But what’s Sprocket’s main problem? Why is he down in D-Tier? Well, he’s just weak — and he can’t defend himself effectively. The Medical Droid can be destroyed quite quickly by keen-eyed enemies and, despite Turbocharged boosting his movement speed when at critical health, he’s pretty low on health compared to others on the Star Wars Hunters roster. So, he’s unfortunately just far too easy to wreck — and you’d need to be alive to take advantage of all the buffs and nerfs he has to offer.
And that completely covers the current state of Star Wars Hunters’ character rankings. As new updates arrive, and new characters join the roster, this list will undoubtedly shift and change. So, keep an eye out as we update this list over time, and make sure you always know the best character to pick ahead of your next game.
