Azur Lane Tier List [Aug. 2020 Update]

Azur Lane is a charming mix of side-scrolling shooting and RPG, with a sprinkle of gacha elements on top.

In this game, you collect human representations of World War II warships called “shipgirls”. If that’s not enough of a head-turner then you’ll be happy to know that the game also has unique battle mechanics.

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How Battles Work In Azure Lane

In Azur Lane, you position your ships in two rows: the front row (Vanguard) and the back row. There are 3 slots for each of these rows, so you have to strategize which ships you’ll bring and how you’ll place them for the incoming encounter. Certain ships can only be deployed in front while others are the opposite.

Once the placements are finished, the map starts scrolling and enemies will appear in front of the player’s fleet. The player must navigate their ships to destroy enemies and obstacles while mitigating damage on their side. The goal of every encounter is to reach the boss which is situated at the end of the level.

With that out of the way, let’s dive into the tier list. Additional information like ship type and whether the ship is allowed for the Vanguard or the Back Row are provided.

S-Tier

You’ll have the best experience playing this game if you have a handful of these ships at your disposal. They have excellent stats and skills that fit in most situations the game throws at you.

Ship	Type	Placement
Helena	Light Cruiser	Vanguard
Yukikaze	Destroyer	Vanguard
Centaur	Light Aircraft Carrier	Back Row
Akashi	Repair Ship	Back Row
Friedrich der Grosse	Battleship	Back Row
San Diego Retrofit	Light Cruiser	Vanguard
I-13	Submarine Carrier	Back Row
Roon	Heavy Cruiser	Vanguard
Enterprise	Aircraft Carrier	Back Row
Seattle	Light Cruiser	Vanguard
Georgia	Battleship	Back Row
Nagato	Battleship	Back Row
U-47	Submarine	Support
Gascogne	Battleship	Back Row
Unicorn	Light Aircraft Carrier	Back Row
Essex	Aircraft Carrier	Backline
Azuma	Large Cruiser	Vanguard
Warspite Retrofit	Battleship	Back Row
Ayanami	Destroyer	Vanguard
Monarch	Battleship	Back Row

A-Tier

Ships that constitute the game’s current meta. Not as powerful as those above, but can still dominate the game, especially in the hands of players who know what they’re doing.

Ship	Type	Placement
Mikasa	Battleship	Back Row
Neptune	Light Cruiser	Vanguard
Amagi	Battle Cruiser	Back Row
Illustrious	Aircraft Carrier	Back Row
Montpelier	Light Cruiser	Vanguard
Z23 Retrofit	Destroyer	Vanguard
Kitakaze	Destroyer	Vanguard
Bismarck	Battleship	Back Row
Eldridge	Destroyer	Vanguard
Swiftsure	Light Cruiser	Vanguard
Laffey Retrofit	Destroyer	Vanguard
Saint Louis	Heavy Cruiser	Vanguard
Yat-Sen Retrofit	Light Cruiser	Vanguard
Ping Hai Retrofit	Light Cruiser	Vanguard
Ning Hai Retrofit	Light Cruiser	Vanguard
Bunker Hill	Aircraft Carrier	Back Row
U-101	Submarine	Support
Vestal	Repair Ship	Back Row
Saratoga Retrofit	Aircraft Carrier	Back Row
Graf Zeppelin	Aircraft Carrier	Back Row
Minneapolis	Heavy Cruiser	Vanguard
Jintsuu Retrofit	Light Cruiser	Vanguard
Duke of York	Battleship	Back Row
Portland Retrofit	Heavy Cruiser	Vanguard
I-168	Submarine	Support
King George V	Battleship	Back Row

B-Tier

Ships that constitute the game’s current meta. Not as powerful as those above, but can still dominate the game, especially in the hands of players who know what they’re doing.

Ship	Type	Placement
Jean Bart	Battleship	Back Row
Izumo	Battleship	Back Row
Javelin	Destroyer	Vanguard
Hood	Battle Cruiser	Back Row
Z1 Retrofit	Destroyer	Vanguard
Queen Elizabeth	Battleship	Back Row
Shouhou	Light Aircraft Carrier	Back Row
Hyuuga Retrofit	Aviation Battleship	Back Row
Albacore	Submarine	Support
Mogami Retrofit	Heavy Cruiser	Vanguard
Little Bel	Light Cruiser	Vanguard
Kizuna Al	Destroyer	Vanguard
Columbia	Light Cruiser	Elite (Special)
Ark Royal	Aircraft Barrier	Back Row
Aurora	Light Cruiser	Vanguard
Ibuki	Heavy Cruiser	Vanguard
Tirpitz	Battleship	Back Row
North Carolina	Battleship	Back Row
Cleveland	Light Cruiser	Vanguard
Kaga	Aircraft Carrier	Back Row
Nicholas Retrofit	Destroyer	Vanguard
U-81	Submarine	Support

C-Tier

Average ships that can hold their own but have a hard time standing out. There are too many better ships in the upper tiers.

Ship	Type	Placement
London	Heavy Cruiser	Vanguard
Newcastle Retrofit	Light Cruiser	Vanguard
Kawakaze	Destroyer	Vanguard
Belfast	Light Cruiser	Vanguard
Hiryuu Retrofit	Aircraft Carrier	Back Row
Wichita	Heavy Cruiser	Vanguard
Arizona	Battleship	Back Row
Sirius	Light Cruiser	Vanguard
Prinz Eugen	Heavy Cruiser	Vanguard
Souryuu Retrofit	Aircraft Carrier	Back Row
Shoukaku	Aircraft Carrier	Back Row
Kagerou Retrofit	Destroyer	Vanguard
Curlew Retrofit	Light Cruiser	Vanguard
Zuikaku	Aircraft Carrier	Back Row

D-Tier

These are poor choices if you want to build a fleet that would carry you through the game’s endgame content. Consider dropping these ships immediately once better ones come along.

Ship	Type	Placement
Curacoa Retrofit	Light Cruiser	Vanguard
Fumiruiru	Aircraft Carrier	Back Row
Akagi	Aircraft Carrier	Back Row
Taihou	Aircraft Carrier	Back Row
Sendai Retrofit	Light Cruiser	Vanguard
Tanikaze	Destroyer	Vanguard
Shangri-La	Aircraft Carrier	Back Row

F-Tier

Try to avoid these ships entirely if you can. They have very little value except in early to mid-game. If you’re set on building the best fleet you can, then these ships should have no place in your roster.

Ship	Type	Placement
Isuzu	Light Cruiser	Vanguard
Zeppy	Aircraft Carrier	Back Row
Chaser	Light Aircraft Carrier	Back Row
Anniversary Kizuna Al	Aircraft Carrier	Back Row

And there you go. A definitive ranking guide for Azur Lane’s available shipgirls. There’s certainly more to the game than just owning powerful units.

But when you have a solid core of ships, you’ll be in a good position to tweak your team to your liking, while avoiding the frustration that comes when the game’s difficulty spike kicks in.

Azur Lane Tier List