KAIZEN Cursed Technique Tier List [KASHIMO]

Updated on March 5, 2026: Added Mythical Beast Amber from the Kashimo Update.

KAIZEN’s cursed technique system is all about progression and farming across Grade 4, 3, 2, 1 and Special. It’s not worth it to grind each Grade and CT so instead let’s talk about the best CTs in early, mid and late game. Here’s my KAIZEN cursed technique tier list and guide.

Cursed Technique Tier List in KAIZEN

The best cursed techniques in KAIZEN are King Curses and Idle Transfiguration for both PVP and PVE with KC having an edge in PVP. The A-Tier is full of alternative options for early, mid and pre-late game until you get King Curses or Idle. Let’s talk about each CT individually below and why I’ve ranked it the way I did.

Tip #1: Our KAIZEN Locations guide will show you where to find world bosses to grind the best CTs

Tip #2: Combine these with the best clans in our KAIZEN Clan Tier List

S-Tier Cursed Techniques

S-Tier CTs	Ranking Reasons
Mythical Beast Amber Special Grade	• I need more testing but this CT is definitely in the top 2 best cursed techniques for both PVP and PVE • I like it more than Idle because you have so much mobility with Z and X for PVP (Also great combo starters and extenders) • Plus the V move gives you so much safety with the massive jump for PVP and deals a ton of damage along with C for PVE • Make sure to combine it with the Kashimoto clan for the MBA skill buffs/transformation • I’m still trying to figure what the Domain is good for since the lighting storm doesn’t micro-stun for combos or slow and it’s blockable so that’s the only weakness
King Curses Special Grade	• The highest DPS potential of all CTs, especially with the Sukuna Clan • Best for both PVE and PVP now that Limitless is a bit weaker • Fuga/Divine Flame and the Domain have massive AOE damage that hits everything • That said, requires a ton of grinding for the base version and farming Domain Shards for the Domain • Just be careful of using the Sukuna Clan with this in PVP because the Clan ability is punishable due to animation lag
Idle Transfiguration Special Grade	• Up there with King Curses as the top 2 best CTs in the game • Really strong against humanoid enemies due to the grabs • Has a lot of PVE and PVP flexible moves with both single target and AOE damage • I would go for Idle over King Curses if you don’t want to grind as much since IT is easier to farm and strong without Domain too

A-Tier Cursed Techniques

A-Tier CTs	Ranking Reasons
Limitless Special Grade	• Still has good burst damage and a decent domain so it’s good for PVE • That said Limitless isn’t top-tier anymore in terms of DPS and the domain is a bit weaker than before • Still a great choice but there are cheaper options that are just as good
Blood Manipulation Grade 1	• A bit tricky to farm for Grade 1 standards since you have to grind Choso raid • That said it’s really strong for a kiting playstyle where you try to outrange your opponent • The R can deal a ton of damage on a full hit and the Clan ability heal plus speed buff are quite good for PVP • Plus it’s just really safe to play for PVE too due to great range • Not as strong as Finger Bearer DPS wise or S-Tiers but a valid flexibile option for PVE/PVP
Finger Bearer Grade 1	• The best mid-to-late game option if you want to main CE and CTs without weapons and fighting styles • The best G1 DPS for farming and I find it a bit easier to get than Blood Manipulation • Leans more toward PVE with its damage bursts but it’s okay for PVP as well if you learn how to land the moves reliably
Straw Doll Grade 2	• Really underrated due to being Grade 2 but it’s actually an incredible farming tool and support CT • One of the best things to rush in PVE for progression • The V is your main tool for immobilization and comboing with Melee/Swords • Just an overall excellent supporting moveset that will carry you into the late game • Combine with Blood Scythe or Frost Fangs for a strong mid to late game build

A-/B+ Tier Cursed Techniques

B-Tier CTs	Ranking Reasons
Cryofrost Grade 1	• One of the best CTs for a couple of specific uses which is bosses and PVP • For PVP Cryofrost has massive combo potential even though it doesn’t do the best damage like King Curses • For PVE bosses you can combo them for massive damage • That said I put it a bit lower since it’s not the best overall use CT due to lower DPS
Shock Amplification Grade 2	• Shock Amplification is another excellent PVE farming tool due to high AOE damage and being easy-to-get • Finger Bearer and Blood Manipulation are better but they’re also harder to grind • Cryofrost is better for PVP so SA is strictly for farming and progression • Once you get higher-tier CTs switch to them but SA will carry you there
Rot Grade 1	• The weakest B-Tier IMO but decent overall damage with rotations for PVE • Grade 2 Shock Amp and Straw Doll are easier to get and better at PVE farming though • Only go for Rot if you really like the playstyle since it has good mobility and safe moves with the V and R • Otherwise it’s not super worth it to grind it since you can use those two Grade 2s to farm Special Grades • Decent for PVP but not the best

C-Tier Cursed Techniques

C-Tier CTs	Ranking Reasons
Cursed Speech Grade 3	• With the rework it’s actually quite good for PVE farming • The moves deal great AOE damage and there’s some PVP potential too mid-game with the Clan ability enhanced hitbox • That said, it gets outclassed by CTs B-Tier and higher
Boogie Woogie Grade 3	• Quite good to have as a mobility/utility tool on a Weapon or Melee focus build • Otherwise it’s horrible to focus on for a CE build

D-Tier Cursed Techniques

D-Tier CTs	Ranking Reasons
Devil’s Broom Grade 3	• Decent utility with this one but overall weak DPS • Note that the M1s scale with the Weapon stat
Construction Grade 4	• An okay CT when you’re starting out for progression • Switch it out when you can
Cloning Technique Grade 4	• Probably the weakest CT in the entire game

KAIZEN Cursed Technique FAQ

That’s it for my KAIZEN Cursed Technique tier list and guide. Check out our KAIZEN Weapon and Fighting Style Tier List if you’re playing a melee or weapons build.

The post KAIZEN Cursed Technique Tier List [KASHIMO] appeared first on Destructoid.

Marathon is finally out. The game, which saw huge activity during its free-to-play server slam, replicated its previous success by opening to over 86,000 players, this time at a $40 price tag. Of course, this is being described as a “flop” by some, because we simply cannot have nice things in 2026.

Negative narratives around basically anything nowadays tend to form rather quickly, often propagated by people (and of course bots) who never actually experienced the thing they’re hating. It seems that nowadays, following the “Fall of Concord” back in 2024, games have to blow it out of the park every single time lest they be considered complete failures.

Highguard was a recent example, and even if that game doesn’t really scream quality at the top of its lungs, it certainly didn’t deserve the hate train coming its way, boarded almost exclusively by those without any hours clocked in the title.

And now Marathon is on the chopping block.

During its development, Marathon was marred by problems and hitches. It had several directors swapped out, had a few playtests that weren’t so well-received by those who participated in them, and so on. It crossed out every prerequisite for “development hell,” indicating the actual release would be a terrible experience for Bungie and perhaps the final nail in its coffin.

But that turned out not to be true, even during the server slam. It had over 130,000 concurrent players at that point and has over 86,000 now that the game costs $40 U.S. dollars. Nothing about Marathon tells us that it’s a flop or a failure or even underperforming for that matter.

And those are just the Steam numbers, which I imagine represent about half of its total player base, if not less.

The hate train keeps chugging along, however, no matter what.

While browsing X, I spotted one user arguing that, since Marathon is performing worse than Destiny and the recently released Slay the Spire 2 (which costs about 50 percent less than Marathon), it must be considered a “complete flop of a game” and, of course, as “Concord 3.0″ (the other one being Highguard).

“Marathon is dead on arrival,” another user wrote. Dexerto, a video game outlet, also compared Slay the Spire 2‘s performance to Marathon, saying the former “beats out” Bungie’s shooter, as if the two were ever comparable, both in price and genre.

The narrative is forming and slowly being propagated by so many people and even news outlets, who use superficial arguments to frame a game as a failure despite the fact that it had probably earned over three and a half million USD if we go by Steam’s concurrent numbers alone, which are in fact much larger, especially when consoles are taken into account.

And what’s worse, it’s people who either didn’t play the game or haven’t even seen what it has to offer. Those who did say it’s a good title, with it having 81 percent positive reviews on Steam at the time of writing, which improved as the launch day progressed, and are set to grow as time goes by.

Compare that to Highguard‘s 45 percent and its myriad of regions that have it at mostly negative or even worse. Highguard was also a free game that ended up flopping, whereas Marathon is already raking in a lot of cash that should see it sustained for the foreseeable future.

Online arguments and narratives have become so toxic and tiresome, to the point where I’m almost willing to give up on trying to reason with people and to pragmatically view every single game on a case-by-case basis. Why do we have to go out of our way to frame things negatively before they’re even out or without trying them for ourselves, at least for a little while?

I have every hope that Marathon will succeed and grow into a great game, because as I noted in one of my recent features, its art direction deserves all the praise it can get, as that’d prove to developers that giving a damn about looks (not just in terms of graphics) is crucial for a successful title.

The post Marathon opens to great numbers on Steam—but a hateful narrative is already forming because this is the internet in 2026 appeared first on Destructoid.