Destiny Rising Season 4 Tier List

You are playing a gacha game. The characters you pull will either carry your fireteam or collect digital dust until the end of time. This guide exists to prevent the latter. Every Lightbearer in Season 4 is ranked below: from the ones worth spending real money on to the ones you will regret rolling within a week.

The Destiny Rising character rankings here are based on PvE performance first, with PvP notes where relevant. Raids, Calamity Ops, and high-end content are the benchmarks. If a character cannot function in those, the rating suffers.

COMPLETE TIER TABLE

Every playable Lightbearer as of Season 4 launch. Sorted by tier, then by overall utility.

These are not charity placements. Destiny Rising PvE best characters in the A tier can carry content: they simply require more team coordination or have exploitable weaknesses. Worth investing in if you lack S options.

I CORA (5-STAR)

The most dramatic upgrade in the game. Four-star Cora was unremarkable. Five-star Cora reloads weapons on dodge and doubles magazine capacity: two rockets or two grenade launchers per dodge. Her ultimate drops orbital strikes that occasionally miss moving targets, which is the one embarrassment on an otherwise excellent kit. Available for free via her event while it runs. Get her.

TAN-2

The Destiny Rising support tier list has Tan-2 at or near the top for well-based setups. A 40% damage boost in a well is legitimately insane. The problem is that endgame encounters punish static positioning: most raid bosses will not stand still long enough to appreciate it. His fireball abilities still do strong standalone damage. Low A or high B depending entirely on whether the content lets you plant.

YUMIKO (4-STAR)

The only 4-star worth an explicit recommendation. She heals. She marks enemies for increased damage taken. She does both at the same time. Every other 4-star is filler; Yumiko is a support unit that competes with 5-stars on actual utility.

B AND C TIER: WORKABLE TO WORTHLESS

For Destiny Rising gacha pulls guide purposes: do not spend premium currency chasing B-tier characters. Use them if you have them; do not pursue them.

• Kabir (5★): Solid defense. His 5-star ability set is an improvement over the 4-star version, but downgraded weapon loadout (scout rifle + linear fusion) undermines the upgrade. A tank that cannot shoot well is a limited proposition.
• Jolder: The bubble is genuinely useful as a panic button. It provides no meaningful damage boost. If you want support, you have better options. B is honest.
• Ning Fei: Was relevant when the crossbow exploit existed. It was patched. He has speed and clones, which has value in timed modes and PvP, but his raw damage output no longer justifies a roster slot in serious PvE content.
• Rosie-11: Bow and linear fusion loadout again. Potentially decent; not confirmed dominant by enough data. Treat as a wildcard, not a priority.

WHERE TO SPEND YOUR PULLS

1. Jaren Ward: Highest DPS ceiling, best ult animation, covers the most Shinker types. Get him first.
2. Helhest: Irreplaceable in any content that goes long. No one else generates Heavy ammo at this rate. Check if her banner is still live; limited banners do not wait.
3. Estela: If you somehow missed her. The Divinity-equivalent passive alone earns her place.
4. Aphrodite: Strong new addition. Low S for now; may rise as the community optimizes her rotation.
5. Yumiko (4★): Free or low-cost support upgrade. There is no reason not to have her leveled.

The Destiny Rising Lumina Leaves spending guide answer is simple: S-tier limited banners have hard pity at 60 pulls with carry-over. Do not spend on standard banner characters chasing mediocrity when limited banners offer characters who are genuinely better at a structural level.

PVP: DIFFERENT GAME, MOSTLY SAME ANSWER

In Destiny Rising PvP tier list contexts, the priorities shift slightly. Mobility and burst damage outweigh sustained DPS. Ning Fei's clone mechanics become genuinely annoying rather than merely inefficient. Gwynn's Void kit has historically performed well in PvP even as her PvE relevance erodes. Jolder's bubble becomes more valuable as a tactical tool rather than a liability.

That said: Jaren Ward and Aphrodite do not suddenly become bad in PvP. They are just less uniquely dominant because the one-shot potential of mobility characters becomes more relevant in player-versus-player modes. Tan-2's well is, naturally, useless in PvP.

For Destiny Rising meta team composition building, the formula is consistent: one ammo generator, one or two damage dealers, one well or heal support. Season 4's ideal endgame fireteam looks like this:

The optional fourth slot in larger formats: Tan-2 if the boss is stationary, I Cora for sustained explosive output, or Yumiko if you need extra healing layer. Jolder if the raid encounter is punishing and you need a defensive bubble on standby.