ULTRAKILL Tier List — Current Rankings

This ULTRAKILL tier list ranks every major option by overall effectiveness. Rankings factor in damage output, survivability, versatility, gear requirements, and how well each option scales.

Tier definitions: S = best in class, always a strong pick. A = strong and competitive, minor weaknesses. B = solid but clearly outperformed in most situations. C = viable only for players who enjoy the playstyle.

Characters Rankings

Detailed Characters Analysis

Shotgun Main (S-Tier)

Focuses on the Core Eject and Pump Charge shotgun variants for close-range devastation. Core Eject swap-canceling produces the highest sustained DPS in the game. The bread-and-butter approach that works on every encounter.

Best with: Core Eject Shotgun, Pump Charge Shotgun, Whiplash, Knuckleblaster Stat focus: Close-Range DPS, Swap Speed, Blood Healing

Railcannon Specialist (A-Tier)

Uses Malicious and Electric railcannon variants to delete priority targets instantly. Railcannon shots bounced off coins deal double damage. Requires good target prioritization since railcannons have long cooldowns.

Best with: Malicious Railcannon, Electric Railcannon, Marksman Revolver, Coins Stat focus: Burst Damage, Cooldown Management, Target Priority

Coin Trickshotter (A-Tier)

Maximizes the coin mechanic for style points and guaranteed weak-point hits. Tossing multiple coins and shooting through them chains damage across the arena. The flashiest playstyle and the path to ULTRAKILL rank on style meter.

Best with: Marksman Revolver, Coins, Malicious Railcannon, Core Eject Shotgun Stat focus: Coin Accuracy, Style Meter, Multi-Target Damage

Nailgun Shredder (B-Tier)

Uses Attractor and Overheat nailgun variants for sustained area damage. The Attractor nailgun's magnet pulls all nails toward a target, concentrating damage. Overheat nails create explosions when detonated by other weapons.

Best with: Attractor Nailgun, Overheat Nailgun, Shotgun (detonator), Whiplash Stat focus: Sustained DPS, Area Coverage, Combo Damage

Rocket Surfer (B-Tier)

Incorporates rocket launcher movement tech into combat. Rocket surfing provides unmatched air mobility while Firestarter rockets leave persistent fire zones. The most mobile build but requires precise rocket aim to not self-damage.

Best with: Firestarter Rocket Launcher, Freezeframe Rocket Launcher, Shotgun, Whiplash Stat focus: Air Mobility, Area Denial, Rocket Accuracy

Weapons Rankings

Weapons Analysis

Piercer Revolver: Charged shot that pierces through all enemies in a line. Fully charged deals 3.5x normal revolver damage. Hitting a coin with a Piercer shot creates a beam that auto-targets and pierces through every enemy in sight. The ultimate room-clearing tool.

Core Eject Shotgun: Fires normally, then alt-fire ejects the heated core as a bouncing explosive. The core deals 5x shotgun damage on direct hit. Swap-canceling after the first shot lets you fire again immediately, producing absurd DPS. The highest skill-ceiling weapon.

Attractor Nailgun: Alt-fire places a magnetic point on any surface or enemy. All subsequently fired nails curve toward the magnet, guaranteeing hits on mobile targets. A magnet on a boss means every nail hits regardless of your aim. 200 nail capacity.

Malicious Railcannon: Fires a beam that deals massive damage and creates an explosion at the point of impact. One-shots most standard enemies and deals 30% of a boss's health bar. 16-second cooldown between shots. Bouncing it off a coin adds a damage multiplier.

Firestarter Rocket Launcher: Rockets leave a trail of fire on surfaces, creating persistent damage zones. Direct hits deal 80 damage plus afterburn. The fire zones last 8 seconds and stack with multiple rockets. Excellent for controlling arenas against swarm enemies.

Meta Analysis

The current meta in ULTRAKILL centers on style ranking system and blood healing. Builds that leverage both systems outperform those that focus on only one.

What's strong right now:

• Shotgun Main with Piercer Revolver is the benchmark. Everything else is measured against it.
• coin flipping builds are gaining ground as players find new synergies.
• Coin Trickshotter remains essential for learning hard content.

What's underrated:

• Railcannon Specialist is consistently overlooked despite being the most flexible option.
• Attractor Nailgun offers excellent performance for its investment level.

What's overhyped:

• Pure Rocket Surfer builds. High ceiling but the consistency isn't there for most players.

Quick Picks by Situation

For full build guides, see ULTRAKILL builds. For progression help, check the walkthrough.