Reviewing the Best Reverse 1999 Units: A Tier List Breakdown

Welcome to an in-depth look at the Reverse: 1999 global tier lists created by Prydwen, DotGG, and many more.

Here, we'll break down how to effectively use these tier lists and highlight some must-have units for early and late game in patch 1.3.

This article aims to serve as a comprehensive guide without turning into an hour-long read, so let's dive right in.

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Unveiling the Best Reverse 1999 Units: An In-Depth Tier List Breakdown (January 2024)

Why you Shouldn't Blindly Follow Tier Lists

Tier lists can be incredibly useful tools for understanding the relative strength of characters in a game like Reverse: 1999.

They offer quick insights and can be a helpful starting point for both beginners and experienced players.

However, tier lists often prioritize overall unit effectiveness but don't dive deep into situational utility, your personal playstyle, and your team synergy. This means that a "low-tier" character could be a perfect fit for your unique playstyle, or a "top-tier" character might not fit well with your team's composition.

Also, tier lists are often created based on the game's meta, which will always change. Balance updates, new character releases, or even new game modes can change what character is considered OP.

So, tier lists should be seen as guidelines rather than the universal truth; they can help you choosing characters to focus on or characters to reroll for, but make sure to take the time to understand why that unit is ranked the way it is, and feel free to experiment to find what works best for you.

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Said that, let's review the current best Reverse: 1999 characters in global version patch 1.3:

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OP Damage Dealers: Carrying Your Team

Kaalaa Baunaa, AKA Black Dwarf

Kaalaa Baunaa, released in patch 1.3, stands out as a Mental DPS with a unique ability to stack Planet buffs for single-target damage.

Her playstyle revolves around high damage output, using her buffs for either damage enhancement or self-sustain. However, she's the most AP-greedy character in the game, demanding careful team composition.

She lacks personal Moxie generation and needs supportive teammates who can function efficiently even as she dominates turns.

Teammates like Pickles and Tooth Fairy are recommended for their AP generosity and support capabilities. In team compositions, balancing her high damage ramp-up with supports that boost damage and provide healing is key to maximizing her potential.

If you want to dive deeper, check out our in-depth Kaalaa Baunaa guide.

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Eternity, The Self-Sustaining Slayer

Eternity, a powerful damage dealer, is available in the beginner banner.

When attacking, she drains her own HP and reduces the healing she can take.

If you want to maximize her potential, you'll need to take her to Insight 1. This insight level offers immunity to various debuffs like Poison, Bleed and Corrode.

She also gains stacks of "Blood of Longevity," enhancing her damage and providing self-healing capabilities, converting her in a self-sustaining DPS.

If you want to know more about her optimal build, check out our in-depth Eternity guide.

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Centurion, The Jack-of-All-Trades

Centurion stands as one of the best units in the game.

Though not as easily obtainable as Charlie or Eternity, her capabilities are worth the effort.

Centurion excels in both single-target and AOE damage, and his skill set revolves around gaining Moxie.

Her skills grant herself Moxie and also deals more damage based on how much Moxie she has, making her an extremely AP generous unit.

If you want to know more about her optimal build, check out our in-depth Centurion guide.

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Melania, the Moxie Stealer

Introduced in patch 1.1, Melania excels in single-target damage with her ultimate dealing 650% mental damage, making her effective in boss fights.

Her unique Thief Master mechanic enhances her abilities and synergizes well with her other skills.

Maximizing her damage output involves strategic use of her ultimate to gain Fixed Plan stacks, boosting her damage by 72% when fully stacked.

For team synergy, Melania benefits from teammates that provide AP, amplify mental damage, or offer control and debuff abilities. Characters like Pickles, An-an Lee, Sonetto, Diggers, and Baby Blue are ideal allies.

Comparatively, Melania may offer higher potential damage than Centurion, especially at higher portrait levels, but the choice depends on the team's specific needs.

If you want to dive deeper into her kit and best build, check our comprehensive Melania guide.

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Jessica, the Poison Queen

She was introduced in patch 1.2 and is one of the best DPS in the game.

Jessica is a strong choice for players who have built Sotheby and seek a poison-focused team, making her a critical character to pull for this strategy.

However, without Sotheby or Kanjira, her effectiveness, while still notable, may not be as impactful.

Check our in-depth Jessica guide to know how to build her optimally.

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Other Viable DPS Units

• 37 - An amazing support DPS for follow-up teams, but lacks flexibility and key members not yet released in EN
• Lilya and Regulus - The Crit Queens, they shine when paired with a team focused on enhancing crit rate/damage.
• A Knight - Great DPS against low-HP enemies, but not as good against ST bosses.
• Ms. NewBabel - Solid DPS that will get more damage with the introduction of 1.4 psychubes.
• Charlie - A 5-star unit. She becomes a powerhouse at Insight level 3, often outperforming many six-star units.
• Druvis III - The Petrify DPS, also not good against bosses due to their statuses immunity.
• Blonney, Eagle and Pavia - Solid 5-star and 4-star units that can do the job until you get a higher-rarity DPS.

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The Supporting Cast: Buffers and Debuffers

An-an Lee, The Versatile Aid

An-an Lee excels in both damage mitigation and amplification, plus she can upgrade her own cards.

Her unique skill cycles between "Break Time" and "Exorcism Time," either reducing incoming damage or enhancing her offensive capabilities.

She fits into most teams making her a universal support unit.

If you want to know more about her optimal build, check out our in-depth An-an Lee guide.

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Pickles, the Good Boy

Introduced in patch 1.1, Pickles is one of the best supports in Reverse 1999.

His ultimate ability, Thus Spoke Pickles, inflicts 500% mental damage and boosts all allies' damage by 30% for two rounds, extendable with the Clarified Topic status. This status, a key aspect of Pickles' utility, is gained by not acting in a turn and enhances his next incantation or ultimate, making him extremely AP generous.

Pickles is versatile but excels in teams centered around Mental Damage. He pairs well with DPS characters like Melania, Centurion, and Kaalaa Baunaa, and synergizes with healers and buff dispellers. However, he's less ideal with characters like Lilya, who rely on critical hits.

If you want to dive deeper into his kit and playstyle, here's our ultimate Pickles guide.

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Shamane, the Universal Debuffer

Shamane stands out as the most versatile support/debuffer by reducing both Reality and Mental DEF, increasing enemy damage taken, plus offering AP-generous gameplay and an impressive burst ultimate.

He fits into almost any team like Pickles thanks to its capabilities to debuff both damage types.

If you're lacking a solid support unit that can deal high damage and shred enemy defenses, Shamane is top-tier debufer to pull for in version 1.3.

Dive deeper into his kit and gameplay mechanics in our complete Shamane guide.

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6, The Buffer & Debuffer

6's ability to apply a wide range of buffs and debuffs makes him incredibly adaptable to most fights, enhancing both team damage output and survivability.

His unique skill set, especially the ability to increase the team’s incantation star, positions him as a valuable unit for craids.

Go deeper into his kit, builds and team compositions in our complete 6 guide.

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Bkornblume, The Reality Shifter

Bkornblume serves as a hybrid damage dealer and debuffer support.

She is especially effective in Reality-focused teams, applying potent debuffs that reduce enemy Reality defenses and increase damage taken.

If you need a higly offensive support for your team, Bkornblume is an amazing 5-star unit to add to your composition.

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Voyager, The Counterplay Master

Voyager is a 6-star unit with a complex but rewarding kit.

She thrives in crit-oriented teams with Lilya, Regulus or Eagle, and can apply "Counter" to teammates, allowing them to receive less damage and counterattack when targeted.

However, mastering her requires practice as you'll need to constantly use her cards to maximize her potential.

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Other Viable Support Units

• Sonetto - Free unit and can fit into most teams.
• Baby Blue - Great Mental damage support while being a 5-star unit.
• Diggers - Universal debuffer that can inflict Nightmare and Weakness to enemies.
• X - Not a typo, that's the unit's name. Can fit into most teams due to his dispelling skills, but doesn't help with dealing damage.
• Erick - Solid 4-star unit that can fit into crit-oriented teams. Can do the job until you get a higher-rarity support.

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Keeping the Team Alive: The Survival Units

Tooth Fairy, Healer and Crit Debuffer

Tooth Fairy, released in patch 1.2, is a top-tier choice for her exceptional healing skills.

Free-to-play players will find one copy enough, but those in competitive play or willing to spend might want to get extra duplicates for advanced content.

Her dual role in healing and debuffing marks her as a crucial unit in most game modes, such as Limbo and upcoming events.

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Balloon Party, The Defensive Support

Balloon Party, an easier-to-obtain five-star unit, provides mass damage reduction and Genesis counter damage through her "Party Balloons," which become permanent after Insight 3.

She also offers decent support damage that scales with her Reality defense, making her the best 5-star healer in the game.

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Medicine Pocket, The Ultimate Healer

Medicine Pocket is the go-to choice for keeping your team alive.

They offer healing, debuffing and damage reduction capabilities that can fit into any team.

Doesn't deal much damage, even for a healer, but is the best sustain unit we have on release.

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Other Viable Healers and Sustainers

• Dikke - Free unit that can be obtained on the 8th login day, can also be used as sub-DPS as her healing scales on ATK.
• Sotheby - Poison master, weak in the early game but can become a monster in late game if built correctly. She can also heal and regen HP based on her ATK.
• Tennant - Good shielder that can fit into Reality teams and can also provide great damage output.
• Oliver Fog and LaSource - Solid 4-star and 3-star units that can help with damage reduction and healing when you lack more powerful units.

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Final Thoughts on our Tier List Review

Understanding the tier list is crucial for your journey in Reverse: 1999.

From OP damage dealers like Centurion or Kaalaa Baunaa to invaluable supports like An An Lee or Pickles, choosing the right units can make or break your game.

Don't forget, as the game updates new units will get into these lists and we'll update this article accordingly, so keep coming back for updated character reviews.