After going through a period of extreme stagnation, fighting games have gained stability one more and are continuing down a progressive path with many new titles surfacing in the market these days. And we are seeing what can only be described as a renaissance in the fighting game genre. It is a good time to be a fan, and in celebration of the competitive spirit and passion that unites all fighting game fans, we will leap into the world of a newly released title with the DNF Duel Tier List.
It’s a new game, developed by legendary studio Arc System Works and published by none other than Nexon themselves. Once again, the title is still in its infancy, having been released only a couple of months ago. But like all games, it deserves a fair shake from all of us.
Key Points
- Our ranking list is based on the current meta.
- Here we will be ranking all 15 characters in the game so far.
- The highest rank includes characters like Crusader and Hitman.
- Among the lower ranks, you will find Inquisitor and Ghost Blade.
Summary
We will rank all characters in the title in a short table below.
| S Rank | A Rank | B Rank | C Rank |
|---|---|---|---|
| Berserker | Swift Master | Striker | Launcher |
| Crusader | Ranger | Inquisitor | Ghost Blade |
| Hitman | Enchantress | Trouble Shooter | |
| Grappler | |||
| Dragon Knight | |||
| Kunoichi | |||
| Vanguard |
You can learn more about them in the article below.
S Tier
An Example of Prime Excellence.We begin our journey with the S Tier, a mark of prime excellence and peak perfection.A place where all characters who are destined for greatness can be found.
These characters have it all: front runners with good move sets, origins, tactics, and aesthetics, presented as a comprehensive package of brilliance. So are you curious enough to see which character made it?
Berserker
| HP | 980 |
| Guard | 1200 |
An all-out offensive character filled with nothing but Bloodlust for his opponents, Berserkeris a devil, a doom bringer of chaos, and one of few chosen characters that fight using a weapon, which for him a being a Goujian. He holds a fairly diversified move set and is entitled to several attacks, consisting of numerous one-hit attacks, hop attacks, sweeps, and long combo chain attacks.
Did Not Finish follows a two-dimensional movement mechanic, which means that there will be a lot of aggressive plays when eliminating side-stepping, aiding all of DNF’s offensive characters big time; in this regard, Berserker is an unstoppable force and should be the ultimate pick for every player. His offensive attributes and move set several long-range attacks, enabling a player to hit an opponent with multiple strikes in a frenzy.
Most of his abilities are designed to boost attacking attributes. Upon using his power called Frenzy, Berserker trades a portion of his health to increase his attack damage, making it a double-edged sword; however, if used correctly, it can be a lethal beacon to power fearless and decimating attacks. Berserker’s Awakening is called Thirst, a boost that helps him to recover health for every attack that he lands on his foes. For most effect, try hitting combos. Once Awakened, Berserker then uses his Awakening Skill called Blood Riven, whereby he transforms into a ferocious beast filled with blood lust that hunts down its opponents for his mere excitement.
Crusader
| HP | 1130 |
| Guard | 1300 |
Crusader is a fairly popular choice among players, as he pops up more in online matches than any other character. He is a great all-around character with both strong offensive and defensive attributes and stats. In the current 1.0 patch of DNF Duel, Crusader is blessed with the highest health stats, making him an instant cheat code to win matches. When taking a closer look at his move set, Crusader has it all, a strong poke game, significant low attacks, long-range projectile attacks, and a special move that blocks opponent movements by creating a wall behind them. Apart from his utility, most of his actions are considerably simple and easy to learn.
From a gameplay perspective, Crusader is a character more suitable for players with a passive playstyle because of his solid defensive understanding, not to mention his Awakening, which further increases his defensive stats. Many players who play with Crusader have an initial game strategy in mind to exhaust their opponents using his impeccable health stats and then deliver a daunting punishment using his powerful combos and challenges. Crusader’s Awakening is called Merciful Strength, which decreases the damage of all the attacks he sustains and helps recover health over time, allowing players to withstand opponent attacks without losing much health. Once Awakened, Crusader uses his Awakening Skill, a thrust attack called Ascension, where he slams his opponent with his holy hammer followed by a Pure Thunder, dealing total damage of 400 hit points.
Hitman
| HP | 1020 |
| Guard | 1200 |
Hitman has excellent stats and a wide range of attacks, including regular pokes, low peery, multiple strike attacks, and standing punishments. Long-range attacks are his staple; through his Submachine Gun, Hitman can efficiently perform a multiple-hit long-range attack which prevents all enemy movements, ultimately shutting them down. A character destined to make top ranks. Like Crusader, he is a character more suitable for passive plays. A feeling that excels at distant attacks can be significantly utilized by players who adhere to a defensive playstyle, as they can use their long-range, not multiple-hit attacks to create an opening before going in for more damage and inflicting punishment to wipe out their opponents.
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His Awakening is called Battle Command, which enables him to use a special combo chain attack named Shattering Strike after an MP Skill is performed. Once Awakened, Hitman uses his Awakened Skill called Dusk Wings, which is a forward thrust combo chain attack, whereby he first delivers a series of blows to his opponent with his Odachi, which is then followed by numerous bullet hits from his Submachine Gun, dealing total damage of 450 hit points. For a lasting effect and to flex on your opponent, players should use Dusk Wings to finish a combo chain, adding a natural extension to their attacks.
A Tier
A Step Short From Greatness.A Tier contains some exceptionally ranking characters and is a category to list all the second-best fighters in DNF Duel.
Every character in this category of the DNF Duel Tier List is in a class of their own. They are only being ranked second to those present in S Tier because of their certain shortcomings that can influence their overall gameplay to an extent.
Swift Master
| HP | 900 |
| Guard | 1150 |
Swift Master, in my opinion, is a character that is edging into the greatness of S Tier. However, some flaws or shortcomings restrict him from moving up the ranks. Swift has a midge-like appearance with dark-colored attire and black hair; he is a relatively complex but adaptive character, with his forte of movement speed, agility, and mobility. Also, another interesting fact about Swift Master is that unlike other characters in-game animations, Swift levitates mid-air and has more area coverage while performing a Front Step or Back Step.
He is a Gimmicky character, relying on his lightning-fast speeds to execute attacks and counters, his performance to evade or perform attacks while being airborne is also unmatched. Taking a look at his move set, Swift Masters has a lot of utility at his disposal, a collection of solid neutrals, easy combo attacks, and quick evade, not to mention that all of his MP Skills can also be performed while being airborne. But he is not a durable character, having health that is lowest in all of Did Not Finish Duel, adding up to a mere 850 hit points, which can compare to almost nothing, as a single of Dusk Wings or Frenzy can deplete half of it, throwing players in a severe disadvantage in terms of health lead.
His Awakening is called Wind Master, which increases his movement speed at a trade of 30% of Swift’s health. Once Awakened, Swift Master uses his Awakening Skill called Stormy Eliminator, a wide-range multiple-hit attack that can be transformed into an elongated combo attack using various MP Skills.
Ranger
| HP | 980 |
| Guard | 1150 |
Ranger appears to be in an all-pink attire, with long white spiky hair and a revolver in his original character design. He is a reasonably well-thought-out character equipped with a well-balanced move set, consisting of both unique and grapple throw attacks; being an Outlaw Ranger is also well versed in taking rapid shots at his opponents with his revolver, aiding him greatly in doing effective crowd control. An easy character to master with relatively adaptive moves.
Ranger’s Awakening, called Sudden Death, has several different effects on his opponents after a blow is dealt, causing them to decrease their attack damage, weakened defense stance, and low rate of stamina recovery to execute MP Skills. Once Awakened, Ranger then performs his Awakening Skill called Seventh Flow, which starts with a barrage of different attacks and ends with a fatal revolver shot, which deals total damage of 400 hit points. To take maximum advantage of Seventh Flows, players should try to implement it at the end of a combo attack.
Enchantress
| HP | 900 |
| Guard | 1150 |
Enchantress has excellent looks and is quite simply a character who will gain instant popularity and fame because of her looks, red-blood hair, a heinous smile, and long pointy ears like an elf. She is also accompanied by her possessed dolls, creating a mystical and spooky vibe. She is a ranged-attack specialist who likes to keep a distance between her and her enemies. Her animations and stances are a bit unorthodox, which can throw off some players in the beginning.
Her Awakening is called Favoritism, which steadily consumes her MP a little at a time until her Awakening Skill activates called Forest of Dolls, in which she unleashes an arcane consisting of all her possessed dolls who rampage on her enemies, almost working as a thrust attack imploding in a specified targeted area.
Grappler
| HP | 1100 |
| Guard | 1250 |
Grappler is an out-and-out beast at close range because of his overwhelming ability to catch his enemies in mid-attack, perform a reversal, or execute countless grapple-throw combo attacks. Grappler is full of surprises, which has blessed Did Not Finish Duel with an element of raw excitement and peak anticipation, a gaming experience you would only find in good fighting games that have any sense of engaging a broad audience. Though sadly, he is not a character meant for novice players, as remembering command combinations and being able to execute them with great fluidity may prove to be a fuss. This is the reason he has been placed in the A Tier of the list, despite him being capable enough to go toe to toe against all nominations of skillful S Tier.
Grappler’s Awakening is called Iron Physique, which is a defensive tactic, boosting up all of his guard and defensive capabilities to a great extent, allowing players to be a little more reckless in their in-game decisions. Once Awakened, Grappler becomes eligible for using his Awakening Skill called Sole Bearer: Quaking Tiger. Like all of his other attacks, it has an element of throw attack. In Sole Bearer: Quaking Tiger, enemies are pulled towards Grappler for an easy hold, which leads to a big slam. In my opinion, to make most Quaking Tiger, it should be executed at the end as a combo chain attack as a finisher, which I admit requires some extensive practice.
Dragon Knight
| HP | 930 |
| Guard | 1150 |
Dragon Knight is a unique take on how a fighting character should be portrayed across FGC. In most fighting games, it is considered almost Taboo to jump around while fighting to owe to the simple reason that a simple miscalculated movement from any player can lead to a fatal punishment, not to mention different defensive mechanics like blocks, evades, back steps, and what not, that aid in countering attacks in the first place. Having said that, game developers over at Nexon were crazy enough to develop a character design that, instead of hopping around, attempting different maneuvers, could fly and reign terror on her enemies from above. Transforming a notoriously hated mechanic into an absolute cheat. Holding J key bind, Dragon Knight can fly around without drainage of any Stamina Bar.
Her Awakening is called Dragon’s Wrath, in which she performs several basic attacks and recovers her MP at a tremendous rate. Once Awakened, she uses her awakening skill, Dragon Sortie, where she first strikes her enemies with her golden sword, sending them airborne and then summoning a massive dragon from thin air for an epic finisher, dealing total damage 0f 405 hit points.
Kunoichi
| HP | 930 |
| Guard | 1150 |
Kunoichi perfectly encapsulates what a fighting character is meant to be; she is a very well-balanced character with a solid standing punish and easy-to-remember combo chain attacks. She is a complete assessing, hunting down her enemies with utmost fidelity. She is also a Gimmick character, with most of her tactical advantages coming from her lightning-fast movements and agility. She can rift through space, allowing her an ability to teleport, making it relatively easy, almost effortless, to block and evade attacks. Along with hard-hitting damage stats, her attacks are pretty divergent, having airborne attacks to time-bound explosive attacks, adding an element of surprise to her move set.
She also has several stigma attacks that leave a lasting impact on opponents health working as a pressure tool, messing with opponents’ nerves, and making them more prone to committing a fatal mistake which, considering her offensive capabilities, may very well mean a round loss. Kunoichi’s Awakening is known as Ninjutsu, in which she syncs her heart and soul, focusing all her energy to perform a total of 6 blazing fire attacks. Once Awakened, she uses her Awakening Skill called Sword of Kusanagi, a thrust attack consisting of multiple hits dealing total damage of 400 hit points.
Vanguard
| HP | 1100 |
| Guard | 1200 |
A character that primarily relies on broad range attacks, Vanguard is a fighting character in this ranking who possesses some sort of demonic power and feeds on the souls of others to grow stronger; he has long dark blue hair with dark metallic armor and a rustic weapon of choice, known as Demonic Lance. He is a complete beast and is almost uncontested when it comes to normal moves execution; he also has a lot of different tactics and abilities to break down opponents’ stances and create opportunities for executing various combo attacks and other different maneuvers. He is a sort of passive-aggressive that can quickly turn up competitiveness and batter his opponents for a truly humbling experience.
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His Awakening is called Demonic Lance Mastery, which aids him in combat by depleting the opponent’s defense guard and refrains them from countering any incoming attacks, almost making them a sitting duck, waiting for their beating of a lifetime. Once Awakened, Vanguard then uses his Awakening Skill, known as Demonic Inferno, which is a thrust attack, stabbing his enemies countless times, bleeding them out for a big finish dealing total damage of 410 hit points.
B Tier
Average at Best.B rank is the most mediocre tier in the DNF Duel Tier List. A place that is in danger of always being considered a selection of either good characters or subpar characters. But whatever people may think, the truth is that each fighter inducted into this tier is pretty average at best.
These characters have no distinct features to stand out, nor any potent attacks or guard to humble their opponents.
Striker
| HP | 950 |
| Guard | 1150 |
We inaugurate our B Tier with a familiar character known to players in the shape of Striker, a character mostly recognized throughout Did Not Finish, as a training dummy in tutorial mode. She is a character that strictly adheres to principles of close-quarter or hand-to-hand combat. She is an easy character to master, with a relatively simple move set. Her moves are seemingly effortless to perform, almost like child’s play. Though DNF allows its players with a variety of different color combinations, having said that, each character has its original character design, which Nexon promotes them. When taking a peak at Striker, she rocks an all-orange attire with long thick brown hair and MMA gloves.
Her Awakening is called Power Fist, an effect that significantly increases her offensive capabilities, enabling her to deal more significant damage and also easing her to perform multiple combos. Once Awakened, she then unlocks her Awakening skill, Empress’s Climactic Fist, which in all its entirety is a long combo-chain attack dealing total damage of 400 hit points. Striker is a character designed for fast-paced gameplay, one where high damaging pokes and punishment attacks prove to be of great assistance. However, despite having some pretty commendable abilities, she is a part of B Tier as she is very basic, lacks the jazziness that comes with other DNF characters, and has some poor animations, making her a dull option to play with.
Inquisitor
| HP | 930 |
| Guard | 1150 |
Inquisitor is a believer of Devine, whose forte comes from a crowd control mechanic; she is a passive-aggressive character that encompasses a number of different movement characteristics and attacks which prove to be a great asset in ceasing opponent movement. She offers players a decent bit of versatility, with many of her moves aimed at damaging her opponents at point blank range while having some long-range maneuvers.
Her Awakening is called Coldhearted Inquisitor, which works as an MP boost-up, aiding her to perform numerous special and combo chain attacks instantly without the expense of Stamina Bar. Once Awakened, she activates her Awakening Skill, called Blazing Hell, which first starts with a series of teasing pokes leading to a blazing final hit with her pickup axe for a relentless punishment dealing damage of 300 hit points. Blazing Hell cloud also is used as a combo finisher for a more prolonged effect. Learning about its hit pattern and range is crucial and requires a lot of attention to master.
Trouble Shooter
| HP | 1080 |
| Guard | 1200 |
Our next fighter is Trouble Shooter, a lethal mercenary infamous for notorious explosives, which has been his ace card to reign victorious in countless battles. He rocks a dark green camo, a light stubble, a pair of glasses, and a double barrel shorty. He is the most resourceful in medium to long-range engagements with opponents and is one of the most superficial characters to master in all of Did Not Finish Duel. He is also equipped with an effective crowd control mechanic; he has several traps that set timely explosions, gaining him a good advantage and numerous opportunities to create a savage punishment.
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Trouble Shooter’s movement speed is severely unattractive, which makes it very difficult to evade or counter any incoming attack or to hit your opponent with any special moves in a locked neck-in-neck showdown. His Awakening effect is called Handle Explosives, which is employed as a boost for Trouble Shooter’s offensive acumen, increasing attack speed and damage if blocked and using a different motion for single strike attacks to truly humble your foes and gain the upper hand in combat. Once Awakened, Trouble Shooter then employs his Awakening Skill called incredible, a thrust that wipes all of Trouble Shooter’s opponents from existence. Dealing deadly damage of 400 hit points.
C Tier
The Worst Fighters.At last, we reach our final stop on the list. All the fighters here list are inferior to their higher-ranked counterparts.
They require a complete overhaul to be able to put up a decent performance and generally make it to a position where they are considered a viable option for players opting to play the game. These characters are not a good trade and are now edging towards being a complete flop.
Launcher
| HP | 950 |
| Guard | 1150 |
Next up we have Launcher. This character generally offers a more passive gameplay experience, as most of her offensive strats and tactics, instead of directly targeting and damaging her enemies, aim at getting a high tactical advantage for having the upper hand in combat, making her a very tactical character to master, one that is undoubtedly going to make you rip your hair out, due to the higher level of detail and skill it takes to master her truly.
She makes use of extremely high-tech weapons to defeat her enemies. Also, being able to use long-range attacks and pressurizing standups whips in combat also entitles her to a fair bit of welcoming utility; having said that, a fighting character in a game that just dropped may not gain those high ranks of popularity and fame ad other, as may players may keep her at a distance in search of relaxing and laidback hand-to-hand action. Her Awakening is called Overheat, which works as a damage boost increasing every attack damage up to several notches. Once Awakened, she then unlocks her Awakening Skill called Ancient Trigger, a long-range one-strike attack mechanism. She first obliterates her foes with her strong arms, then animations roll of her activating the Ancient Trigger dealing damage of 400 hit points.
Ghost Blade
| HP | 950 |
| Guard | 1150 |
Ghost Blade, in my opinion, has to be regarded as the most fantastic concept for any fighter in Did Not Finish. I mean, a wandering swordsman who for eternity is locked in an acquainted bond with a long-lost warrior. Despite having a wealthy background, Ghost blade also kills it when it comes to aesthetics because only a mere glimpse of the heart-wrenching fighter is enough to send chills down the opponent’s spine. He always makes an appearance in a party of two, being accompanied by his bonded ghost of a lost warrior. Also, quite ironically, he has a complete pale white appearance like a ghost, whereas his acquaintance appears in shining red armor representing alternative realities. Nonetheless, an impressive effort was made to introduce something new and fresh to FGC.
Ghost Blade lacks severely in multiple aspects of gameplay; he may have a good standing punish and poke game. However, it is still hard to comprehend his inability to counter incoming enemy attacks, which puts him at a severe disadvantage, making his options to defend against enemy attacks significantly slim. His Awakening is known as Phantasmal Bintor, which works like a boost increasing Blade’s ability to deal more significant damage to his opponent if his attacks are blocked or countered. His Awakening effect is called Phantasmal Slayer, an all-out attack involving Ghost Blade to double team his opponents along with his ghost in a series of different barrage attacks, dealing total damage of 400 hit points.
Lost Warrior
| HP | 1050 |
| Guard | 1250 |
Up till now, every fighter that has been mentioned in our DNF Duel Tier List is a base character and has been a part of the character roster since its inception. Having said that, the game is full of surprises, with a lot of rabbit holes for the player to go down. And the Lost Warrior is one of them.
This is a fighter that can only be obtained if a player beats the story mode, bringing the total character count to 16. Though nothing is known about his origins, he is a boss character with multiple different scars across his entire body, with long gray hair and a shining blue orb in his core.
The Lost Warrior exhibits a very unorthodox fighting style, having the ability to inflict damage on his foes through his defense stances and numerous different movement patterns. In short, it is safe to say that the Lost Warrior is everything other than your average run of the mill fighting character.
Comparison Table
| Name | Tier | HP | Guard |
|---|---|---|---|
| Berserker | S | 980 | 1200 |
| Crusader | S | 1130 | 1300 |
| Hitman | S | 1020 | 1200 |
| Swift Master | A | 900 | 1150 |
| Ranger | A | 980 | 1150 |
| Enchantress | A | 900 | 1150 |
| Grappler | A | 1100 | 1250 |
| Dragon Knight | A | 930 | 1150 |
| Kunoichi | A | 930 | 1150 |
| Vanguard | A | 1100 | 1200 |
| Striker | B | 950 | 1150 |
| Inquisitor | B | 930 | 1150 |
| Trouble Shooter | B | 1080 | 1200 |
| Launcher | C | 950 | 1150 |
| Ghost Blade | C | 950 | 1150 |
| Lost Warrior | C | 1050 | 1250 |
Patch Notes Version v1.09
The most recent patch notes for DNF Duel introduce changes for the following characters.
- Berserker
- Vanguard
- Striker
- Grappler
- Ranger
- Launcher
- Inquisitor
- Crusader
- Swift Master
- Enchantress
- Kunoichi
- Ghostblade
- Hitman
- Trouble Shooter
- Dragon Knight
- Lost Warrior
Verdict
Fighting games have seen a tough time over the past few years. While they were once on the brink of almost disappearing from mainstream gaming, a whole new generation of modern titles have now graced the Fighting Game Community with their presence. But in this DNF Duel Tier List, we diverted our attention to one of the newest titles; DNF Duel, a game that is heavily focused on crazy graphics and animations.
We have categorized all of the fighters into distinct categories, depending on what we thought was the correct ranking based on their skills. But please note that we are also just gamers, and our opinions on the matter are subjective. The characters I like are not necessarily going to be ones you think highly of, and the same is true in reverse, But we have tried our absolute best to bring you an article that was true to our own experiences.
But we are also open to opposing opinions, and we will take into account any and all criticisms directed at us. So if you have some strong feelings you want to convey, go ahead and leave a comment down below.
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