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, you’ll be happy to know that the game also has unique battle mechanics.
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How Battles Work In Azur 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.
Note that 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 at the end of the level.
Now that you have an overview of how battles work in Azur Lane, you probably have a clearer idea of how you’ll structure your game. Without further ado, let’s dive into the tier list.
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 of the situations that the game throws at you.
| Ship | Type | Placement |
|---|---|---|
| Helena | Light Cruiser | Vanguard |
| Centaur | Light Aircraft Carrier | Back Row |
| Friedrich der Grosse | Battleship | Back Row |
| Formidable | Aircraft Carrier | 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 |
| Drake | Heavy Cruiser | Vanguard |
| Baltimore | Heavy Cruiser | Vanguard |
| Gascogne | Battleship | Back Row |
| Essex | Aircraft Carrier | Backline |
| Azuma | Large Cruiser | Vanguard |
| Odin | Battleship | Back Row |
| Richelieu | Battleship | Back Row |
| U-101 | Submarine | Support |
| Howe | Battleship | Back Row |
| Warspite Retrofit | Battleship | Back Row |
| Ayanami | Destroyer | Vanguard |
| Monarch | Battleship | Back Row |
| Bremerton | Heavy Cruiser | Vanguard |
| Ryuuhou | Aircraft Carrier | Back Row |
A-Tier
A-Tier ships are good and powerful. They’re not top-of-the-class ships like those in S Tier, but still rank quite high in our list.
| Ship | Type | Placement |
|---|---|---|
| Chapayev | Light Cruiser | Vanguard |
| Neptune | Light Cruiser | Vanguard |
| Yukikaze | Destroyer | Vanguard |
| Cheshire | Heavy 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 |
| Tosa | Battleship | Back Row |
| Perseus | Aircraft Carrier | Back Row |
| 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 |
| Tashkent | Destroyer | Vanguard |
| Bunker Hill | Aircraft Carrier | Back Row |
| Akashi | Repair Ship | Back Row |
| U-47 | Submarine | Support |
| Zara | Heavy Cruiser | Vanguard |
| Vestal | Repair Ship | Back Row |
| Noshiro | Light Cruiser | Vanguard |
| Saratoga Retrofit | Aircraft Carrier | Back Row |
| Graf Zeppelin | Aircraft Carrier | Back Row |
| Minneapolis | Heavy Cruiser | Vanguard |
| Jintsuu Retrofit | Light Cruiser | Vanguard |
| An Shan | Destroyer | Vanguard |
| Duke of York | Battleship | Back Row |
| Portland Retrofit | Heavy Cruiser | Vanguard |
| Intrepid | Aircraft Carrier | Back Row |
| I-168 | Submarine | Support |
| Alabama | Battleship | Back Row |
| King George V | Battleship | Back Row |
| Unicorn | Light Aircraft Carrier | Back Row |
B-Tier
In this tier, we have ships that constitute the game’s current meta. Although they’re not as powerful as those above, they 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 |
| Birmingham | Light Cruiser | Vanguard |
| Champagne | Battleship | Back Row |
| Littorio | Battleship | Back Row |
| Javelin | Destroyer | Vanguard |
| Dido | Light Cruiser | Vanguard |
| Hood | Battle Cruiser | Back Row |
| Z1 Retrofit | Destroyer | Vanguard |
| Casablanca | Aircraft Carrier | Back Row |
| 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 |
| London | Heavy Cruiser | Vanguard |
| Columbia | Light Cruiser | Elite (Special) |
| Hermione | Light Cruiser | Vanguard |
| 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 |
| Hanazuki | Destroyer | Vanguard |
| Nicholas Retrofit | Destroyer | Vanguard |
| Cavalla | Submarine | Support |
| Jeanne D’Arc | Light Cruiser | Vanguard |
| Valiant | Battleship | Back Row |
| U-81 | Submarine | Support |
C-Tier
Here we have average ships that can hold their own but have a hard time standing out. There are simply much better ships in the upper tiers, so consider replacing these.
| Ship | Type | Placement |
|---|---|---|
| Newcastle Retrofit | Light Cruiser | Vanguard |
| Kawakaze | Destroyer | Vanguard |
| Eskimo | Destroyer | Vanguard |
| Gangut | Battleship | Back Row |
| Little Renown | Battleship | Back Row |
| Algerie | Heavy Cruiser | Vanguard |
| Belfast | Light Cruiser | Vanguard |
| Sheffield | Light Cruiser | Vanguard |
| Kinu | Light Cruiser | Vanguard |
| Hiryuu Retrofit | Aircraft Carrier | Back Row |
| Wichita | Heavy Cruiser | Vanguard |
| Arizona | Battleship | Back Row |
| Sirius | Light Cruiser | Vanguard |
| Kizuna Al | Destroyer | Vanguard |
| Prinz Eugen | Heavy Cruiser | Vanguard |
| Souryuu Retrofit | Aircraft Carrier | Back Row |
| Victorious | Aircraft Carrier | Back Row |
| Shoukaku | Aircraft Carrier | Back Row |
| Izumo | Battleship | Back Row |
| Kagerou Retrofit | Destroyer | Vanguard |
| Curlew Retrofit | Light Cruiser | Vanguard |
| Suruga | Battleship | Back Row |
| Zuikaku | Aircraft Carrier | Back Row |
| Reno | Light Cruiser | Vanguard |
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 |
| Mikasa | Battleship | Back Row |
| Fumiruiru | Aircraft Carrier | Back Row |
| Akagi | Aircraft Carrier | Back Row |
| Taihou | Aircraft Carrier | Back Row |
| Sendai Retrofit | Light Cruiser | Vanguard |
| Tanikaze | Destroyer | Vanguard |
| Eagle | Aircraft Carrier | Back Row |
| Biloxi | Light Cruiser | Vanguard |
| Shangri-La | Aircraft Carrier | Back Row |
| Bataan | Aircraft Carrier | Back Row |
| U-556 | Submarine | Support |
| U-73 | Submarine | Support |
| Carabiniere | Destroyer | Vanguard |
| Naganami | Destroyer | Vanguard |
F-Tier
Our advice regarding these ships would be to avoid them 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 |
| Tartu | Destroyer | Vanguard |
| Icarus | Destroyer | Vanguard |
| Chaser | Light Aircraft Carrier | Back Row |
| Hibiki | Destroyer | Vanguard |
| Anniversary Kizuna Al | Aircraft Carrier | Back Row |
Conclusion
So there you have all Azur Lane’s available shipgirls ranked from best to worst. Consider following this guide if you want to boost your performance in this game.
Of course, there’s more to the game than just owning powerful units. 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.
