Win those battles in Azur Lane with ease. Here is the ultimate Azur Lane tier list to help you win more battles.
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.
Table of ContentsShow
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 |
|---|---|---|
| Ayanami | Destroyer | Vanguard |
| Azuma | Large Cruiser | Vanguard |
| Baltimore | Heavy Cruiser | Vanguard |
| Bremerton | Heavy Cruiser | Vanguard |
| Centaur | Light Aircraft Carrier | Back Row |
| Chapayev | Light Cruiser | Vanguard |
| Drake | Heavy Cruiser | Vanguard |
| Enterprise | Aircraft Carrier | Back Row |
| Formidable | ||
| Friedrich der Grosse | Battleship | Back Row |
| Gascogne | Battleship | Back Row |
| Georgia | Battleship | Back Row |
| Helena | Light Cruiser | Vanguard |
| Howe | Battleship | Back Row |
| I-13 | Submarine Carrier | Back Row |
| Monarch | Battleship | Back Row |
| Nagato | Battleship | Back Row |
| Odin | Battleship | Back Row |
| Richelieu | Battleship | Back Row |
| Roon | Heavy Cruiser | Vanguard |
| Ryuuhou | Aircraft Carrier | Back Row |
| San Diego Retrofit | Light Cruiser | Vanguard |
| Seattle | Light Cruiser | Vanguard |
| U-101 | Submarine | Support |
| Warspite Retrofit | Battleship | 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 |
|---|---|---|
| Akashi | Repair Ship | Back Row |
| Alabama | Battleship | Back Row |
| Amagi | Battle Cruiser | Back Row |
| An Shan | Destroyer | Vanguard |
| Bismarck | Battleship | Back Row |
| Bunker Hill | Aircraft Carrier | Back Row |
| Cheshire | Heavy Cruiser | Vanguard |
| Duke of York | Battleship | Back Row |
| Eldridge | Destroyer | Vanguard |
| Essex | Aircraft Carrier | Backline |
| Graf Zeppelin | Aircraft Carrier | Back Row |
| I-168 | Submarine | Support |
| Illustrious | Aircraft Carrier | Back Row |
| Intrepid | Aircraft Carrier | Back Row |
| Jean Bart | Battleship | Back Row |
| Jintsuu Retrofit | Light Cruiser | Vanguard |
| King George V | Battleship | Back Row |
| Kitakaze | Destroyer | Vanguard |
| Laffey Retrofit | Destroyer | Vanguard |
| Minneapolis | Heavy Cruiser | Vanguard |
| Montpelier | Light Cruiser | Vanguard |
| Neptune | Light Cruiser | Vanguard |
| Ning Hai Retrofit | Light Cruiser | Vanguard |
| Noshiro | Light Cruiser | Vanguard |
| Perseus | Aircraft Carrier | Back Row |
| Ping Hai Retrofit | Light Cruiser | Vanguard |
| Portland Retrofit | Heavy Cruiser | Vanguard |
| Saint Louis | Heavy Cruiser | Vanguard |
| Saratoga Retrofit | Aircraft Carrier | Back Row |
| Swiftsure | Light Cruiser | Vanguard |
| Tashkent | Destroyer | Vanguard |
| Tosa | Battleship | Back Row |
| U-47 | Submarine | Support |
| Unicorn | Light Aircraft Carrier | Back Row |
| Vestal | Repair Ship | Back Row |
| Yat-Sen Retrofit | Light Cruiser | Vanguard |
| Yukikaze | Destroyer | Vanguard |
| Z23 Retrofit | Destroyer | Vanguard |
| Zara | Heavy Cruiser | Vanguard |
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 |
|---|---|---|
| Albacore | Submarine | Support |
| Ark Royal | Aircraft Carrier | Back Row |
| Aurora | Light Cruiser | Vanguard |
| Birmingham | Light Cruiser | Vanguard |
| Casablanca | Aircraft Carrier | Back Row |
| Cavalla | Submarine | Support |
| Champagne | Battleship | Back Row |
| Cleveland | Light Cruiser | Vanguard |
| Columbia | Light Cruiser | Elite (Special) |
| Dido | Light Cruiser | Vanguard |
| Hanazuki | Destroyer | Vanguard |
| Hermione | Light Cruiser | Vanguard |
| Hood | Battle Cruiser | Back Row |
| Hyuuga Retrofit | Aviation Battleship | Back Row |
| Ibuki | Heavy Cruiser | Vanguard |
| Javelin | Destroyer | Vanguard |
| Jeanne D’Arc | Light Cruiser | Vanguard |
| Kaga | Aircraft Carrier | Back Row |
| Kawakaze | Destroyer | Vanguard |
| Little Bel | Light Cruiser | Vanguard |
| Littorio | Battleship | Back Row |
| London | Heavy Cruiser | Vanguard |
| Mogami Retrofit | Heavy Cruiser | Vanguard |
| Newcastle Retrofit | Light Cruiser | Vanguard |
| Nicholas Retrofit | Destroyer | Vanguard |
| North Carolina | Battleship | Back Row |
| Queen Elizabeth | Battleship | Back Row |
| Shouhou | Light Aircraft Carrier | Back Row |
| Tirpitz | Battleship | Back Row |
| U-81 | Submarine | Support |
| Valiant | Battleship | Back Row |
| Z1 Retrofit | Destroyer | Vanguard |
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 |
|---|---|---|
| Algerie | Heavy Cruiser | Vanguard |
| Arizona | Battleship | Back Row |
| Belfast | Light Cruiser | Vanguard |
| Curacoa Retrofit | Light Cruiser | Vanguard |
| Curlew Retrofit | Light Cruiser | Vanguard |
| Eskimo | Destroyer | Vanguard |
| Gangut | Battleship | Back Row |
| Hiryuu Retrofit | Aircraft Carrier | Back Row |
| Izumo | Battleship | Back Row |
| Kagerou Retrofit | Destroyer | Vanguard |
| Kizuna Al | Destroyer | Vanguard |
| Little Renown | Battleship | Back Row |
| Prinz Eugen | Heavy Cruiser | Vanguard |
| Sheffield | Light Cruiser | Vanguard |
| Shoukaku | Aircraft Carrier | Back Row |
| Sirius | Light Cruiser | Vanguard |
| Souryuu Retrofit | Aircraft Carrier | Back Row |
| Suruga | Battleship | Back Row |
| Victorious | Aircraft Carrier | Back Row |
| Wichita | Heavy Cruiser | Vanguard |
| Zuikaku | Aircraft Carrier | Back Row |
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 |
|---|---|---|
| Akagi | Aircraft Carrier | Back Row |
| Bataan | Aircraft Carrier | Back Row |
| Biloxi | Light Cruiser | Vanguard |
| Carabiniere | Destroyer | Vanguard |
| Eagle | Aircraft Carrier | Back Row |
| Fumiruiru | Aircraft Carrier | Back Row |
| Kinu | Light Cruiser | Vanguard |
| Mikasa | Battleship | Back Row |
| Reno | Light Cruiser | Vanguard |
| Sendai Retrofit | Light Cruiser | Vanguard |
| Shangri-La | Aircraft Carrier | Back Row |
| Taihou | Aircraft Carrier | Back Row |
| U-73 | Submarine | Support |
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 |
|---|---|---|
| Anniversary Kizuna Al | Aircraft Carrier | Back Row |
| Chaser | Light Aircraft Carrier | Back Row |
| Hibiki | Destroyer | Vanguard |
| Icarus | Destroyer | Vanguard |
| Isuzu | Light Cruiser | Vanguard |
| Naganami | Destroyer | Vanguard |
| Tanikaze | Destroyer | Vanguard |
| Tartu | Destroyer | Vanguard |
| U-556 | Submarine | Support |
| Zeppy | 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.
