Universal Tower Defense Tier List – Units, Traits & Relics

Updated on December 15, 2025: Added how to get Lulu in his entry below (Meta Air/Support).

The best units in Universal Tower Defense depend on five categories which are Hybrid, Hill, Ground, Support and Farm. I’ll show you the best ones for all roles as well as talk about specific game modes, traits and relics. Here’s my Universal Tower Defense tier list and guide.

Universal Tower Defense Unit Tier List

This is just a preview of the Universal Tower Defense tier list but the real ranking reasons are below. I’ll go into each individual unit and talk about why it’s ranked where it is, as well as the best game modes for it and specific traits. Note that I won’t go much into progression since any unit can be good to progress with if you upgrade and Etherealize it with some Relics equipped. I’ll focus more on Nightmare, Infinite, Challenges and Virtual Realm.

Stat & Evo Assumptions: I’ll assume you’re feeding and upgrading the units with good stat rolls from the Traits NPC. I’ll also assume the EVO versions of units if they have an EVO. You can assume the non-EVO versions are a tier below in the same or other category. For example, the base Admiral is still a good support but instead of Hybrid he’s a good Ground unit.

Best Relics: I’ll list the best relics for all units below the tier list.

Meta/S-Tier Hybrid

S-Tier Hybrid	Rankings Explained
Berserker (Enraged) Mythic	• Top 3 DPS unit in the game overall and arguably the best Hybrid due to game mode flexibility • Best Challenge mode carry due to fast ramp-up value • Decent on Infinite but not the best • Second-best unit for VR after Kriatu EVO • Best Trait is easily Ruler
Jinoo (Monarch) Banner Secret	• Top 3 DPS unit with shadows dealing massive damage with the scaling buff • Best unit for Infinite due to the massive scaling and decent on VR • Note the best for faster game modes like Story and Challenge since he takes a while to scale up • Great with Eternal and Sacred traits
Dragon Guy (Silverite) Challenges Secret	• Similar to Jinoo DG thrives in slower modes where he can scale up slowly so he’s amazing on Virtual Realm and Infinite • I would skip him for Challenges though he’ll get the job done if you don’t have better Challenge units like Berserker/Rule/Kriatu • Great with Eternal, Sacred or Ruler
Scarlet Maid (World) Get from Virtual Shop	• One of the best Supports in the game • Stuns enemies, has Slows and deals great DPS with Time Gauge stacks which trigger various high damage attacks • A must-have for Infinite • Actually not the best for VR but decent for Challenges • Great with Eternal and Sacred traits
Admiral (Magma) Legendary EVO	• The best budget unit in the game since you get it easily as a Legendary and it stays strong in the late-game via EVO • Easily one of the best Fire units in the game • Admiral is good for two reasons, he deals impressive DOT damage but also acts as a support with Confusion • Confusion makes enemies walk back which is amazing stalling for your main DPS units • Get Fission or Wizard traits ASAP

A-Tier Hybrid

A-Tier Hybrid	Rankings Explained
Mob (100%) Mythic	• Overall a great unit and an always useful Hybrid, just lower DPS/utility compared to the Hybrids above • Still really good for VR and Infinite as an alternative option

Meta/S-Tier Ground

S-Tier Ground	Rankings Explained
Kriatu (Cheater) Mythic	• The best ground unit in the game currently • Also the best unit in the game for VR • Amazing for Challenges too • Deals increasingly more damage as he crits • Get the Duelist trait on him ASAP so that he can crit more and therefore ramp up damage faster • He can only gain more crit from Traits
Ronin Obito/Rogue Oni Exclusive Day 7 Daily Reward	• Top 3 Ground unit • Really strong on Challenges and okay for VR • Will be much stronger if they gave him an EVO like Rule • Great with Eternal and Sacred traits
Sasku (Chakra) Mythic	• Overall doesn’t excel in any specific game mode but is good for everything offering nice Full AOE DPS with some utility • The utility mainly comes from the passive which has some hybrid potential • Excellent for grinding Story since he’s easy to get and EVO • Great with Eternal and Sacred traits
Rule (ROOM) Exclusive BattlePass Reward Level 50	• Incredibly high Ground DPS that will carry you in Story if you rush BattlePass • Top 2 Challenge unit after Berserker • Great with Ruler, Eternal and Sacred traits

A & B-Tier Ground

A-Tier Ground	Rankings Explained
Footballer (Ego) Exclusive BattlePass Reward Level 25	• Decent DPS but doesn’t combo with anything nor excel in anything due to a lack of utility • Great for Story since you can get it fast for free via BattlePass
Shakumira EVO Legendary EVO	• A low DPS unit but offers some support potential with a stalling ability • Not the best unit to EVO but not terrible either
Gen Legendary	• Can be good for Story and other game modes if you invest a lot into it as a beginner • It gets the job done but overall it gets out-scaled by Legendaries with EVO and Mythics • Great for beginners though

Meta/S-Tier Air/Hill

S-Tier Air	Rankings Explained
Spade (Donut) Mythic	• The top 2 Air/Hill DPS unit next to Cyborg • Amazing for progressing story/legend stage since you can get it fast and you need a good Air ASAP • Otherwise can be good for VR and any game mode if you need a good Air unit fast and can’t wait for your Hybrids to upgrade
Lulu Quest Secret Check out the Quest >	• Our Lulu/Lelouch Quest Guide will show you how to unlock this unit • Lulu is an amazing Air/Hill support unit that doesn’t attack but instead issues orders based on his cooldown • He can stall units a lot which helps your main DPS units get in more damage • He can also stun enemy units • That said, there’s also some pretty good damage here with the Beam order • Amazing for all game modes and is overall one of the best supports • Laughing Captain Relic set bonus is great on him for reduced active cooldowns
Cyborg (Fearless) Mythic	• Almost the same as Spade, just slightly different stats and attack types

A & B-Tier Air/Hill

A-Tier Air	Rankings Explained
Zora Legendary	• Great beginner Air/Hill unit with some stun potential
Pebble Legendary	• Great starter Hill unit with good beginner DPS
Great Early Game Air/Hill Units	• Your beginner package for Hill units before you get the Legendaries

Meta/S-Tier Support

S-Tier Support	Rankings Explained
Lulu Quest Secret Check out how to unlock him>	• Our Lulu/Lelouch Quest Guide will show you how to unlock this unit • Lulu is an amazing Air/Hill support unit that doesn’t attack but instead issues orders based on his cooldown • He can stall units a lot which helps your main DPS units get in more damage • He can also stun enemy units • That said, there’s also some pretty good damage here with the Beam order • Amazing for all game modes and is overall one of the best supports • Laughing Captain Relic set bonus is great on him for reduced active cooldowns
Admiral (Magma) Legendary EVO	• The best budget unit in the game since you get it easily as a Legendary and it stays strong in the late-game via EVO • Easily one of the best Fire units in the game • Admiral is good for two reasons, he deals impressive DOT damage but also acts as a support with Confusion • Confusion makes enemies walk back which is amazing stalling for your main DPS units • Get Fission or Wizard traits ASAP
Miku (Super Star) Mythic	• Buffs all units around her with either increased Damage or Range • Etherealize up to 6 is key here to increase the buffs • The best buffer in the entire game and she becomes worth it after you place some units already so don’t use her as a starter or second/third unit • Amazing for Infinite
Shunks (Conqueror) Mythic	• You get both damage and stun potential all in one unit • Definitely worth to EVO • Meta support DPS for all game modes
Scarlet Maid (World) Get from Virtual Shop	• One of the best Supports in the game • A must-have for Infinite • Actually not the best for VR but decent for Challenges

Farm

Farm	Rankings Explained
Fastcart Epic	• The only Farm unit in the game • Get the Fortunate trait on him ASAP • Good for all modes

Best Relics in Universal Tower Defense

Below you’ll find a list of all Relics and their set bonuses as well as which units you should use them on.

Set & Bonus Head	Set & Bonus Body/Legs	Best Units
Junior Ninja Head • Increase received buffs by 10%	Junior Ninja Body/Legs • +5% Damage • +10% Wind Damage	Wind Units if you’re running them with Miku (Super Star) in your team or other buff units
Master Ninja Head • Every 5 attacks, increase DOT damage by 20% for 10 seconds	Master Ninja Body/Legs • +5% Damage • +10% Dark/Rose/Fire Damage	Dark, Rose or Fire units that have DoT effects like Admiral (Magma)
Sun God Head • Every 6 attacks the wearer gains a damage buff equal to their range for 7 seconds 1 Range = 1% Damage	Sun God Body/Legs • +5% Damage • +10% Light/Water/Ice Damage	Light, Water or Ice units that have high attack speed like Kriatu
Laughing Captain Head • -10% Active Ability Cooldown	Laughing Captain Body/Legs • +5% Damage • -5% Cooldown • +5% Range	Great for any DPS unit that has an active ability like Lulu
Berserk Shinigami Head • Every 5th hit the next attack is buffed to deal 20% extra True Damage that ignores resistances	Berserk Shinigami Body/Legs • +5% Damage • +15% Armor Damage	Great on armor shred units like Berserker or to give your main DPS units some armor shred
Ex Captain Uraharo Head • Refund 5% of Yen spent on upgrades	Ex Captain Uraharo Body/Legs • +10% Critical Rate • +25% Critical Damage	Great on Mythics and Secrets that have the Duelist Trait Don’t put on Kriatu since he doesn’t benefit from Crit Rate other than from Traits

That’s it for my Universal Tower Defense tier list and guide. Check out our Universal Tower Defense codes for a bunch of free goodies.

The post Universal Tower Defense Tier List – Units, Traits & Relics appeared first on Destructoid.

Call of Duty grinders, the wait for competitive play is just a bit longer, but it’s well on the way.

Ranked Play in Black Ops 7 is not available at launch, but it’s coming before you know it. When it arrives, multiplayer gamers will have all sorts of ranks and rewards to earn as they level up and climb the competitive ladder.

Here’s everything we know about Ranked Play in BO7, including when to expect it.

When is BO7 Ranked Play coming out?

According to Treyarch and Activision, Ranked Play will be available as part of season two of BO7. The start date for season two is not official yet, but according to the season one battle pass’s in-game countdown timer, it should be on Feb. 5, 2026.

CoD seasons last about two months long, and season one began on Dec. 4, 2025. While Feb. 5 is not set in stone, it’s a likely date alongside Feb. 12 or even Feb. 19 depending on if it gets delayed or not (which is, unfortunately, always a possibility). When this season is live, Ranked Play will be live along with it.

Season two will also bring everything that CoD players expect from seasonal drops, like new weapons, new maps, new Zombies experiences, new Warzone modes, and even updates for the PvE Endgame activity. But Ranked Play is where the hardcore players will be looking to flex.

More about Ranked Play will be revealed in January 2026, but for now, players can expect more of the same when it comes to Ranked that was seen in previous titles like Black Ops 6 and Modern Warfare III, including:

• Multiple ranks and skill divisions to grind through
• Call of Duty League-inspired ruleset, modes, and maps
• Exclusive rewards like camos and player cards every season
• Plus more

Stay tuned for more official info from Activision some time after the holiday season on when to expect season two of BO7 and everything that will be included within it.

The post When is Black Ops 7 Ranked Play coming out? appeared first on Destructoid.