Azur Lane Ship Tier List (October 2026)
This Azur Lane ship tier list ranks 42 ships for PvE, events and boss stages, based on the most recent community rankings from October 2026.
We merged two sources and followed the majority view where they disagreed. Ships that both put at the top sit in S tier.
Musashi 
New Jersey 
Friedrich der Große 
Vanguard 
Ägir 
Gouden Leeuw 
Unzen 
Plymouth 
Helena (Retrofit) 
San Diego (Retrofit) 
Shinano 
Shimakaze 
Enterprise 
Alsace 
Lion 
Sovetsky Soyuz 
Hindenburg 
Kearsarge 
Mogador 
Trafalgar 
Jeanne d'Arc 
Yuudachi (Retrofit) 
Kitakaze 
Warspite 
Harbin 
Santa Fe 
Azuma 
Ibuki 
Roon 
Fargo 
Tashkent 
Hood 
Nelson 
Dido 
Seattle 
Baltimore 
Takao 
Cleveland 
Yukikaze 
Belfast 
Edinburgh 
How we rank
We rank ships by boss damage, fleet-wide support, survivability and how flexible they are across current PvE and event content. Sources disagree on a few ships, so we placed them where the majority and the most recent update agree. Retrofit ships use the base ship icon.
Tier by tier
S Tier, the meta
- Musashi: Top battleship boss damage, still the benchmark
- Bismarck Zwei: Iron Blood flagship, elite battleship damage and synergy
- New Jersey: Strong battleship damage with great durability
- Friedrich der Große: High-end battleship pick named by both sources
- Vanguard: Amplifies damage for the whole fleet
- Ägir: Front-line anchor that tanks and hits hard
- Gouden Leeuw: Tank and damage large cruiser
- Unzen: Premium cruiser damage on the front line
- Plymouth: Light cruiser support with mixed damage
- Helena (Retrofit): Damage amplification for synchronized fleets
- San Diego (Retrofit): Best anti-air cover against aircraft threats
A Tier, excellent
- Shinano: Premium carrier damage with strong fleet fit
- Shimakaze: Torpedo destroyer burst specialist
- Enterprise: All-purpose carrier, reliable burst
- Alsace: Top-rated battleship in one list, strong in both
- Lion: Powerful battleship, great for boss fights
- Sovetsky Soyuz: Strong Sovereign battleship option
- Hindenburg: Late-game vanguard with sustained output
- Kearsarge: Solid modern battleship pick
- Mogador: Good destroyer, works in most teams
- Trafalgar: Reliable destroyer in current meta
- Jeanne d'Arc: Flexible light cruiser for many comps
B Tier, solid
- Yuudachi (Retrofit): Evasive torpedo destroyer, still useful
- Kitakaze: Dependable destroyer, outclassed by newer ships
- Warspite: Classic battleship, ok for general PvE
- Harbin: Decent light cruiser support
- Santa Fe: Steady light cruiser option
- Azuma: Balanced heavy cruiser
- Ibuki: Fine heavy cruiser, no longer a top pick
- Roon: Solid older cruiser for mid-game
- Fargo: Reasonable light cruiser filler
- Tashkent: Old reliable destroyer
C Tier, situational
- Hood: Iconic but squeezed by newer battleships
- Nelson: Slow early-game battleship pick
- Dido: Anti-air cruiser, easily replaced
- Seattle: Basic light cruiser, early game only
- Baltimore: Solid early, outclassed later
- Takao: Older heavy cruiser, niche use
D Tier, skip
- Cleveland: Old light cruiser, roles taken by newer UR ships
- Yukikaze: Older destroyer squeezed by UR releases
- Belfast: Classic cruiser, rarely needed now
- Edinburgh: Older cruiser, skip for current content
Playing Azur Lane right now? Grab the freebies too: our Azur Lane codes page is re-checked regularly, with every working code and what it pays out.
Azur Lane tier list FAQ
Who is the best ship in Azur Lane right now?
Musashi and Bismarck Zwei lead the battleships, with Vanguard and Helena Retrofit as top support picks.
Which ships should a new player build first?
Build Vanguard, Plymouth, Helena Retrofit and a strong battleship like Musashi or New Jersey first, as they cover damage and support roles.
Are older ships still worth using?
Many older ships still clear early and mid-game stages, but newer UR ships have squeezed their roles in hard PvE.
How often does this tier list change?
We check it when major ships or balance changes arrive. The Azur Lane meta shifts with each new event release.