DNF Duel Character Tier List: All Ranked [2023]

The Fighting game DNF Duel is an offshoot of the Dungeon And Fighter series. You must have the greatest character if you want to win against everyone. And to find the best character in DNF, you need the DNF Duel Characters tier list.

Basic Combat Mechanics In DNF Duel

DNF Duel might be (or at least feel) a lot more simple than your typical Tekken Games or Guilty Gear, but that doesn’t mean it lacks an intriguing variety of combat techniques and mechanics that make the game challenging yet enjoyable to play.

We’ll cover each of these mechanisms and define them to you, from the various types of damage and how to manage your MP bar towards the Conversion feature as well as other defensive measures. Learning them will make you a better combatant and enable you to make the most of your favorite characters.

Red And White Damage

When you engage in combat for the first time, you’ll notice that the health gauge behaves differently than usual. It can also acquire large portions of white or grey rectangles in addition to red markings. This is because DNF Duel features a fighting system that uses both Red and White Damage.

The Red Damage is the sort of damage that your fighter or the adversary sustains and cannot recover from. Except for fighters that possess a similar ability or life steal, of course. It’s conceivable, though, that you’ll face White Damage more frequently than Red Damage.

It is because White Damage may be generated using all of your other resources. It includes Basic Attacks, Grabs, and Skills; however, Red Damage can only be generated utilizing The Awakening Skills and MP Skills (further information on these is provided later in this guide).

White Damage is serious damage, but it has two special properties. It can heal after a time if you don’t take Red Damage for several seconds and can also be utilized for Conversion, which we’ll discuss next. But first, you must grasp that in a DNF Duel battle, you simply generate White Damage and afterwards convert it to Red Damage. However, your fighter and playing style will have a significant impact on how you approach it.

Conversion

One of DNF Duel’s key characteristics is conversion. It’s similar to a Red Roman Cancel in Guilty Gear, except it costs health rather than your ability gauge. Conversion is a move that beginners may use to cancel the majority of their attacks (grabs, awakening abilities, and some MP skills don’t count).

By using the current White Damage bar, you can also gain some MP. In other words, by giving up health, you can increase the meter for your special moves as well as (presumably) halt your current move. You might not use this risk-reward concept right away, but as you get the idea of the game, you’ll attempt to understand more about it.

Being able to withdraw most of your actions helps you to build combos or adjust your approach if you miss or are about to get attacked. Being able to replenish MP whenever you need it is also fantastic.

MP Guage And MP Skills

The “super bar” from other fighting games is the MP Gauge in DNF Duel. You may use MP Skills, your character’s most powerful technique, by pressing only one button and moving in one direction. All thanks to this gauge (excluding the nonaligned MP Skill).

The amount of MP you always have is always indicated by a number under your HP. With time, your MP gauge will naturally restore. However, the recovery is already quick. You can make it even quicker by using the full motion input when using your MP Skills.

As an example, you may often use your right MP Skill by clicking Right + The MP Skill Attacks (the straightforward method) or by making a quarter-circle to the right and pushing the MP button. The latter will speed up MP restoration.

The MP Meter is fascinating since you can make good use of it. You can still perform an MP skill if it requires 50 MP and you only have 20. You’ll reach the bottom of the bar and enter the “Exhaustion” state whether you’re utilizing easier or tougher motion controls.

You’ll have to wait longer than normal for the MP to recover under this condition. In other words, you’ll temporarily lose access to your unique skills. So you should ensure that the trade-off is advantageous to you.

Guard Cancel And Guard Guage

Blocking is your primary defensive tactic in this game unless you’re the kind of player who thinks that a powerful attack is the strongest weapon. By blocking while standing or crouching, you may defend yourself from nearly any strike (and pressing the path opposite to the enemy, of course).

Only grabs can get past your guard. As long as your Guard Gauge has energy, you can properly block every attack you receive. It is the half-moon gauge that is visible to the left of the timer, on the other side from your Health and MP gauges.

When the Guard Gauge is completely depleted, a single strike from your adversary will leave you susceptible to a blow without the ability to stop it. On the other side, Guard Cancel is essentially a buster that will throw your adversary and damage them while deflecting their strikes.

When under a lot of strain and in need of some breathing room, it’s a fantastic feature. However, the action is rather pricey, and it requires 100 MP. Use it sensibly. In DNF Duel, you may also roll or dodge. If you are near enough to your adversary, it allows you to go to their opposite side quickly. It is set to one button by default—a fantastic tool for aggressive play.

Awakening Effects And Skills

We’ll look at the next two systems: the Awakening Skills and Awakening Effects. When the character has less than 30% of their maximum health, you can use one of them. When your health gauge reaches this point, you’ll automatically start to experience The Awakening Effects.

The passive benefits vary depending on the character. For instance, considering the damage you give to your opponent, Berserker grows the capacity to heal. Strength, armor, and other beneficial benefits are increased for other fighters.

On the other side, your best move is Awakening Skill. When connected, it launches a cinematic strike that significantly reduces your adversary’s health bar. However, keep in mind that you may only use this move once every round, so try to save it for the end of a combination.

DNF Duel Character Tier List Breakdown

Every DNF Duel character is included in this Tier List. Find out which are most successful by using it. According to how mighty they are in the game, each of them is here on the tier list. Each fighter is allocated a rating between S and C, with S being the highest and C being the lowest. So let’s get started.

S-Tier

The S-Tier Fighters are almost always a wise decision. These fighters are the greatest in the DNF Duel, and you can rely on their abilities and damage output.

Crusader

Crusader is the strongest DNF Duel character in our Character Tier List. Even more robust than Grappler, this behemoth transforms into a beefier fighter thanks to his awakening effect. Crusader is a fighter that causes enormous quantities of damage from a single, potent blow.

Additionally, He possesses the finest airborne missile in the game—a quick light lance that detonates when it hits the ground. He also possesses a large hammer which he can use to attack anyone at a medium range, and a slow-moving missile that helps him distract his opponents.

He may build a wall behind the opponent to turn them into a corner and lengthen their combinations, despite not having the longest combos. When he accomplishes that, he may cause enormous damage. The wall may also strike the adversaries, bringing them nearer to him.

And if that wasn’t enough, he also has a strong charge attack that combines well with his awakening skill. Like Grappler, Crusader also possesses a counter special, although it doesn’t use any MP. With his down+MP, he also possesses an absurdly potent unstoppable reversal.

We have not finished. Furthermore, Crusader gets a boost that extends his combos and gives him armor when an adversary is up on the wall he built. And if that’s not enough, he also possesses an endless combination.

Swift Master

The quickest DNF Duel fighter in the Character Tier List is Swift Master. He possesses effective missiles, a fully charged Skill, and combo-expanding special attacks that give the impression that his onslaught never ends. Additionally, he has quick strikes that allow him to whiff-punish almost everything.

Great muddles may also be found in Swift Master. He may attempt left and right combos, attack or hurl mix-ups, as well as frame traps all at once by encircling himself with the wind. Swift Master can chisel your guard meter away from a safe distance, which can compel you to guard cancel and try to roll away if that isn’t enough.

He can also use the MP Skills while being in the air if none of it sounds particularly impressive. His true MP skills, which are not an air version, also come into action once he leaps. But there is more. The fastest fighter in the game is made even quicker by the Wind Master and Awakening Effect.

However, Swift Master also has a flaw. He has barely 850 HP. But you can’t hurt him if you can’t touch him. When you’re facing this fighter, 850 HP may feel like much too much health due to his fast movement, the little tornadoes that are swarming around him, and his invincible reversal.

Striker

The ideal DNF Duel fighter for new players would be Striker since she is simple to handle and to entertain while you are first experiencing the game.

She can chain the majority of her buttons together, so everything works. Once you’ve mastered Striker, she becomes a scary character with extended combinations and the ability to corner you with a single blow.

She can keep up the pressure after she drags you down or breaks your block, forcing you to guard canceling her again. The Striker may also switch the MP skills into certain MP Skills in addition to that.

She may convert her impenetrable uppercut to tornado strikes or perhaps another MP skill, thanks to her special trait. In other words, if she does have the mana to follow up her invincible reversal with something else, she can make it safe on block.

Troubleshooter

He does all of Hitman’s tasks more effectively. The Troubleshooter possesses longer-reaching MP Skills, the ability to deal white damage to himself, explosives for Okizeme and stress, traps for setups, and higher damage from fewer hits.

He can also zone you, do a tonne of damage with down+B, and have an unstoppable reversal that rivals Hitman in range. No matter where on the screen it appears, The Troubleshooter is a hassle to work with.

He excels in almost every area and always appears to have an answer for the majority of what the other characters can accomplish. Yes, he moves a little more slowly than Hitman, but he has far more powerful equipment. Therefore this doesn’t bother him. He cannot be compared to Hitman as a result of that. He is superior.

Berserker

Berserker possesses some of the finest MP Special attacks in the game, deals a lot of damage, has long reach, fireballs, and tremendous combo potential from any low attack. He is difficult to punish, his strikes are difficult to avoid, and because of his capacity to deal white damage to himself, he regularly extends combinations.

Since Berserker has the choice to receive white damage, he is always able to cancel dangerous moves to make them safe and rapidly restore MP. Each time he strikes an opponent, Berserker’s Awakening Effect restores HP to him. This not only aids in his recovery, but it also works nicely with his capacity to deal himself white damage.

Hitman

Hitman is talented in all areas. His powerful, invincible reversal attack, respectable damage, extended sword swings, respectable HP, and multiple-hitting strikes are all strengths. He isn’t very unique, but again the fact that he is reliable and competent in all areas keeps him in the S-Tier.

He also possesses the incredible Awakening Effect Battle Command. It enables him to launch an additional attack after using some of his MP Skills. This might make a blocked strike safe or raise the impact of your combinations.

For instance, he may cancel onto Shattering Strike with his Awakening after using the invincible reversal. Fireballs, full-screen strikes, and very potent setups are absent from Hitman. But Hitman possesses the reach, the power, and the skills to deal with any character, and he will always sting when he hits you.

A-Tier

Characters from the DNF Duel Character A-Tier List are stronger than others and are solid performers for overcoming various opponents in your fight.

Vanguard

Vanguard uses no projectiles and is a zoner. He may make use of having the game’s longest-reaching melee weapon to pressure and whiff-punish his opponents. Additionally, when Vanguard gains access to additional mana, his lengthy, high-damaging combinations make him far too deadly.

Having said that, Vanguard may find himself in a terrible scenario with the wrong maneuver. He is slightly more pressure-sensitive than the majority of the fighters on the roster after you manage to take him down. Although he has an unbeatable reversal, you can ignore it.

In other words, you become immune to Vanguard’s down+MS assault if you use a move that decreases your pain box, like Striker’s down+B. Although the pressure from Vanguard is not as intense as that of Ghostblade or Striker, it is nevertheless threatening enough to make you take a chance by trying to attack him.

His damage rate on hit, nevertheless, is among the greatest and is comparable to Ghostblade’s. Although he lacks mix-ups, his ability to reach you from a great distance makes him a reliable opponent and a dangerous one.

Ranger

Ranger can execute lengthy combinations and is a full-screen zoner. He uses sluggish regular attacks, some of which are missiles that fill the entire screen. You’ll be sent across the screen to another end of the screen by his regular combo ender.

He wants you there so he can start looking for the strike that will result in another combination. Fighting Ranger is incredibly annoying since he has methods to get far from you and pull off an unstoppable reversal. When you eventually get near Ranger, it’s not rare for him to flip and smash you, sending you flying away.

However, even though he has strong tools, his basic attacks have an excessive number of startup frames. In addition to utilizing his down+MS, Ranger finds it challenging to safely escape from constricting pressure strings. He frequently needs to take a big risk to get away from his enemies.

Grappler

Grappler has 1050 HP, excellent damage, crazy command throws, and effective mix-ups. In DNF Duel, Grappler has a tremendously high health bar. He even possesses an air control throw that is effective against characters that are grounded and in the air. Like the majority of the cast, he has a variety of strong tools.

Unfortunately, he moves slowly and has a limited range for his basic attacks. Grappler must frequently attempt to get with his armored techniques to make up for it, but they are all quickly defeated by any low-hitting strike.

Kunoichi

Kunoichi is quick, deals excellent damage, and may trap you in block stun for an excessive amount of time. She also boasts a double leap and an unbreakable reversal. She may push you, hurry you down, make set moves, or make you lose focus.

Despite having only 900 Health, this fighter is by no means feeble. You’re going to be locked in a pretty extended combo if she receives a hit. She will shoot storms and toss kunai at you, dealing plenty of white damage if you don’t let her near you.

Unfortunately, Kunoichi has to hold back her special moves to maintain her pressure. She simply does not always receive it for free. Kunoichi is capable of doing everything, but not consistently or always.

She still has to charge her Ninjutsu attacks to receive the additional boost even though her Awakening makes them stronger.

B-Tier

Fighters within the B-tier are average fighters who fall somewhere in the middle.

Launcher 

Fighters who play passively risk suffering severe chip damage from Launcher, a zoner character. Her strategy is to trap her adversaries in a block string or make them take a chance so she can get rid of them and pay out the resulting white damage. Her total damage is a little low, though. She lacks effective low attack combo routes.

Inside a game where fighters don’t even need to approach you closely, Launcher’s advantages don’t appear all that amazing. Too many fighters can strike you with down+B and then begin a combination from half the screen away.

Dragon Knight

Dragon Knight can do a tremendous amount of damage if you have the right setup, even though her base damage initially is not that high. She is particularly difficult to block because of her long-reaching special techniques and high and low mix-ups.

You will surely have to guess how to prevent her from committing an infraction if she corners you and summons her dragon. She has great reach, good speed, good combinations, and fireballs. She does, however, only have 900 health.

Her Awakening Effect enables her to recover mana much more quickly when she is low in health. That plus technical inputs might turn her into a pressure monster if you practice her. Dragon Knight doesn’t come across as cheap while being swift and strong.

Her most flashy combinations require lots of MP to complete, and she rarely manages to remove the majority of HP from any strike. Nevertheless, a decent character.

Enchantress

Enchantress is a character that can use various ranged attacks and MP stealing skills to defeat her opponents. She also has the ability to control her doll Madd for using her against the enemies for coordinated hit attacks. When she is controlling her doll, the MP automatically decreases, giving her even more time to use it.

Enchantress’s dodge has reduced recovery which makes her invulnerable against the hits She has some decent damage attacks, but at the same time, she can be easily defeated as she cannot endure extreme pressure.

C-Tier

The DNF Duel Character C-Tier list character or Fighters are some of the worst performers, and these are the weakest and poorest characters. The more prominent characters defeat them.

Inquisitor

The Inquisitor boasts extended block strings, several powerful standard attacks, a technique to deplete a target’s guard meter, and an unstoppable reversal. She possesses decent damage, a controlled dash, a diving kick, and strong damage.

She is reasonably competent at everything, but she doesn’t truly excel at everything to the point that she seems superior to the other players on the squad. Having stated that, Inquisitor may spam her fire wheel far more frequently after she has her Awakening Effect.

That may lead to some intriguing setups and mix-ups when used with the oil strike, the command dashes, and dive kicks. Completely avoid being touched. With only 850 HP, Inquisitor is unable to endure extreme pressure for very long.

Lost Warrior 

Lost Warrior is rather gimmicky. He doesn’t have particularly strong normals or an unbeatable reversal, though. Once you get to the Lost Warrior, he may be bullied, and others may find it simple to stop him from doing everything he wants if they are aware of his equipment.

Nevertheless, if he continues to poke you with his MP Skills, he does have a method to stop time from moving. Chances are, if Lost Warrior succeeds in freezing the screen, he will inflict much too much harm on you. After freezing someone, a Lost Warrior who has awoken will almost certainly win the battle.

Ghostblade

Ghostblade is a character who can cause massive amounts of damage from the majority of blows, much like Striker. Some of the game’s greatest long-reaching buttons are on this character. In addition, he possesses teleport and full-screen punishments, enabling him to be harmful wherever he appears on the screen.

Tier List Criteria

The DNF Duel Character Tier List took a lot of thought and effort to develop so that it could help both novice and veteran players by revealing relatively undiscovered game elements. Our team rated each occasion-based alternative as well as the outcome of the game.

In addition, seasoned gamers with a lot of experience were requested to rate each fighter fairly and (to the best of their ability) objectively. We do, however, anticipate that the tier list was enough for you to take full use of the game. Who are your top selections among the fighters? Let us know what you think by leaving a comment below.