Update 3.0 Part 2 reshaped the unit rankings in Universal Tower Defense X, dropping a new Universal carry, ten fresh units, and a Synchro Drive option into the meta. The strongest picks now win games through more than raw numbers. Damage still matters, but the units that climb highest combine it with crowd control, armor breaking, team buffs, follow-up attacks, and economy value across Infinite, Challenges, Virtual Realm, and Ragnarok content.
Universal Tower Defense X tier list (all units, June 2026)
The ranking below assumes late-game investment. That means fully evolved units, full Etherealization bonuses, strong traits, and matched relics. A high-rarity unit with the wrong trait and weak relics can underperform a lower-ranked unit that is set up correctly.
| Tier | Units |
|---|---|
| SS | Merciless God, Jinoo (Monarch), Water God (Primordial), Ultimate Fused Warrior, First Emperor (Greatest), Ant King (Savage), Angel Born in Hell (Unrivaled), Phantom Captain (EVO), Super Roku (Third Ascension) |
| S+ | Migumen (Finale), Evil Incarnate, Ichiko (Rage), Limit Breaker Prince (Marked), Dragon Guy (Silverite), Berserker (Enraged), Underworld God (Death), Enlightened God (Holy), Big Brother (Vengeance), First Human (Father), Tai Yang |
| S | Angel Born in Hell (Super), Nursefather (Thumb), Fused Warrior (Earring), Grommjaw (Panther), Bio-Android, Rohan & Robot 16, Super Roku (Enraged), Spade (Donut), Jangluu (Eclipse) |
| A | Kriatu (Cheater), Sasku (Chakra), Cyborg (Fearless), Ultiorra (Oblivion), Fallen Prince (Ruthless), Psycho (100%), Lord of Flies (Tempered) |
| B | Shakumira, Ruka, Pebble, Gen, Greybeard, Nejo, Masked Ninja, Footballer (Ego), Nellee (Primal) |
| C | Laffy, Garu, Roku, Ranji, Nutaru (Kid) |
| D | Namo, Orahemi |
SS tier units: the strongest picks right now
SS tier covers the units that can anchor an endgame team by themselves, either through infinite scaling, huge damage, or boss-killing mechanics that nothing else replicates. Several of these arrived or got an upgrade path in Update 3.0 Part 2.
| Unit | Role | Why it ranks here |
|---|---|---|
| Merciless God | DPS / Summoner | The strongest and most versatile pick across every mode. Pulled from the Universal Festival Banner. |
| Jinoo (Monarch) | DPS / Summoner | Infinite scaling through mana and shadow summons. Extends your defense line and dominates long modes once ramped. |
| Water God (Primordial) | DPS / Utility | Combines DoT, slow, crit ramp, and scaling damage. Best on longer maps with strong team synergy. |
| Ultimate Fused Warrior | DPS Carry | Top damage with constant AoE burst. Evolves from Fused Warrior (Earring). |
| First Emperor (Greatest) | Specialist / Support DPS | Stance switching adds crowd control, bleed, and team follow-up attacks that lift the whole team. |
| Ant King (Savage) | DPS Carry | Kill-based scaling with strong AoE and slow. Snowballs hard and can carry full waves. |
| Angel Born in Hell (Unrivaled) | DPS Carry | Deletes any enemy type once it reaches its later EVO. Evolves from Angel Born in Hell (Super). |
| Phantom Captain (EVO) | DPS / Summoner | Planes ignore range limits and apply constant AoE pressure with strong burst windows. |
| Super Roku (Third Ascension) | DPS / Utility | Teleport and stun control. From the Freakybuu Incident Raid or by evolving Super Roku (Enraged). |
S+ tier units: top alternatives if you miss SS pulls
These units clear waves nearly as well as the SS picks and slot cleanly into serious teams. Several are Festival Part 2 arrivals.
| Unit | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Migumen (Finale) | DPS | True damage and massive burst, but risky due to self-stun after her main nuke. |
| Ichiko (Rage) | DPS | Kill-based scaling with built-in stun. Becomes a late-game powerhouse. |
| Limit Breaker Prince (Marked) | Ground DPS / Support | Anti-leak follow-ups, last-hit stun, and strong Super Warrior team buffs. From the Freakybuu Incident Raid or by evolving Fallen Prince (Ruthless). |
| Dragon Guy (Silverite) | DPS / Utility | Burst transformation with emergency tools. Falls off once the duration ends. |
| Berserker (Enraged) | DPS | Excellent anti-armor scaling, weaker against normal waves. |
| Underworld God (Death) | DPS / CC | Gains damage per debuff and adds stun after scaling. |
| Enlightened God (Holy) | Support / DPS | Stacking buffs and flexible stance utility. Needs setup to shine. |
| Big Brother (Vengeance) | Exclusive | Earned from the Season 3 Battlepass: Universal Festival, Part 2. |
| First Human (Father) | Support / DPS | Copies nearby unit effects for flexible utility. Strong but team-dependent. |
| Tai Yang | Specialist | Manual targeting with burn, stun, and confusion. Best in fire-heavy setups. |
| Evil Incarnate | Secret DPS | From the permanent Otherworld Hell gamemode. |
S tier units: strong story and progression picks
S tier units handle story progression well and stay useful in some harder content. Move them aside once you can field S+ or SS carries.
| Unit | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Nursefather (Thumb) | Ground DPS | Anti-Hyper Armor damage, separate boss and normal enemy effects, and a Lucio companion that redirects stuns. From the Season 3 Battlepass. |
| Angel Born in Hell (Super) | DPS | Mythic from the Universal Festival Banner and the base for the Unrivaled EVO. |
| Grommjaw (Panther) | DPS / Debuffer | Applies damage vulnerability and bleed scaling that lifts team output. |
| Bio-Android | DPS | Evolves mid-match into a strong carry with crowd control. Slow start, big payoff. |
| Rohan & Robot 16 | DPS | Consistent combo damage with strong burst once ramped. |
| Super Roku (Enraged) | DPS / Utility | Teleport and stun mechanics. Weak early, strong late. |
| Spade (Donut) | DPS | Burn DoT that bypasses defenses. Needs time to ramp. |
| Jangluu (Eclipse) | DPS / Support | Freeze-based damage amplifier with scaling crit damage. |
A, B, C, and D tier units
Lower tiers still hold value in early and mid-game, and a few have evolution paths that turn them into real powerhouses later. Treat them as bridge picks while you farm materials for the top units.
| Tier | Unit | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| A | Kriatu (Cheater) | Flexible scaling across multiple paths, but complex to play. |
| A | Sasku (Chakra) | Reliable stun and burn, limited by short range. |
| A | Cyborg (Fearless) | Free upgrades and scaling, but pauses damage periodically. |
| A | Ultiorra (Oblivion) | Resurrection mechanic with burst, inconsistent overall. |
| A | Fallen Prince (Ruthless) | Crit and armor damage that needs kills to peak. |
| A | Psycho (100%) | Slow aura and CC synergy, held back by short range. |
| A | Lord of Flies (Tempered) | Delayed burst with stun immunity support. |
| B | Shakumira, Ruka, Pebble, Gen, Greybeard, Nejo, Masked Ninja, Footballer (Ego), Nellee (Primal) | Solid but outclassed by units with game-breaking scaling. |
| C | Laffy, Garu, Roku, Ranji, Nutaru (Kid) | Early-game filler that gets replaced quickly. |
| D | Namo, Orahemi | Weak support with minimal impact even early. |
New Festival Part 2 units and how to get them
Update 3.0 Part 2 Divine Judgment added a new Universal unit, ten units total, and one Synchro Drive option. Here is where each one comes from.
| Unit | Rarity | How to unlock |
|---|---|---|
| Merciless God | Universal | Universal Festival Banner. Three paths (Rose, Duo, Fusion) with Normal and Shiny models. |
| Ultimate Fused Warrior | Boundless | Evolve Fused Warrior (Earring). |
| Angel Born in Hell (Unrivaled) | Unrivaled | Evolve Angel Born in Hell (Super). |
| Fused Warrior | Secret | Divine Wrath Ultra Boss. |
| The Drink (Super Rage) | Secret | Evolve The Drink. |
| Evil Incarnate | Secret | Otherworld Hell gamemode. |
| Super Roku (Third Ascension) | Secret | Freakybuu Incident Raid or evolve Super Roku (Enraged). |
| Limit Breaker Prince (Marked) | Secret | Freakybuu Incident Raid or evolve Fallen Prince (Ruthless). |
| Big Brother (Vengeance) | Exclusive | Season 3 Battlepass: Universal Festival, Part 2. |
| Nursefather (Thumb) | Exclusive | Season 3 Battlepass: Universal Festival, Part 2. |
| Angel Born in Hell | Mythic | Universal Festival Banner (Unevo and Shiny). |
| Fused Warrior (Super) | Synchro Drive | Synchro Drive Super Roku (Third Ascension) and Limit Breaker Prince (Marked). |
Merciless God sits behind the new Universal Banner, which uses a separate Universal Gems currency. Universal Gems drop from all stages, including the Daily Challenge, with newer gamemodes paying out more. You can convert older Universal Gems into the new Part 2 version through the Merciless God NPC in the lobby at a 1:1 rate, subject to a daily limit.
How to summon new units
Step 1: Open the Areas button on the left side of the screen. This brings up the navigation panel for the lobby.
Step 2: Go to the Summon area to start pulling. The active banner is shown here, so check which units are currently featured before spending.
Step 3: Choose 1x Summon (50 Gems) or 10x Summons (450 Gems). The 10x option is the more efficient use of Gems if you are chasing a specific banner unit.
How to read the meta after Update 3.0
Units are no longer judged purely on damage output. The game pushes them into clearer roles, so it helps to know whether a unit works best as raw DPS, a specialist, a utility piece, or a support.
Raw DPS units are your primary wave-clearing carries. Specialists are situational, bringing armor breaking, boss pressure, or mode-specific strengths. Utility units control or weaken enemies with debuffs, while support units boost your team, improve your economy, or make your strongest units even stronger. That is why some units rank above what their damage alone would suggest. A unit that slows, stuns, applies DoT, extends affliction time, buffs crit stats, reduces upgrade costs, or counters armored enemies can be worth more than a selfish carry with better paper DPS.
Best traits by role
The right trait can change a unit's ceiling. Ruler is the premium carry trait, but placement limits, wave scaling, DoT stacking, boss damage, and farm-only income all change the answer depending on the job.
| Role | Best traits | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Main carry DPS | Ruler, Eternal, Sacred, Fission | Ruler is the strongest pure carry trait on units worth a single placement. Eternal keeps gaining damage and range in long modes. Sacred is the safest all-rounder. Fission adds Radiation DoT on top. |
| DoT / affliction / control | Astral, Wizard, Fission, Eternal | Astral extends afflictions, lowers SPA, and lets DoTs stack. Wizard boosts DoT-heavy kits. Fission adds Radiation pressure. |
| Boss / armor pressure | Duelist, Ruler, Sacred, Eternal | Duelist gives boss damage, crit rate, and range. Ruler still wins on elite single-placement carries. |
| Utility / support | Sacred, Eternal, Artificer, Astral | Supports value uptime, range, and relic scaling. Artificer improves stats gained from relics. |
| Farm / economy | Fortunate | Farm-only trait that raises income by 20%. Best on Bulmo or Fastcart. |
Building a late-game team
A standard late-game comp runs one main carry, one secondary carry or specialist, one support or buffer, one control or debuff unit, and one farm slot. That structure is why units like Water God (Primordial), First Emperor (Greatest), Virtual Idol (Superstar), Love Goddess, Bulmo, Ice Empress (Frost), and Bambee (Blitz) keep appearing in serious builds.
To get the most out of these rankings, treat them as a starting point. Spend Gems on banners that can realistically improve your current team rather than chasing every new unit. Secure your core roles before owning several expensive DPS pieces with no synergy. Farm evolution materials before pouring resources into rerolls, since a strong evolved unit with a decent trait usually beats an unfinished unit with expensive stats. Then match relics to each unit's actual job and push the Etherealization breakpoints that unlock their biggest passives.
Rankings will shift as balance changes land, so re-check your core carries whenever a new part of the Festival rolls out and a fresh batch of units enters the index.