Destiny: Rising tier list: Who are the strongest Lightbearers?

Destiny: Rising has been out for several months for iPhone and Android devices so far, and reception has been very positive. Developed by NetEase Games, the free-to-play mobile game lets players take part in Bungie’s Destiny universe, but in an alternate timeline. With fun missions, minigames, and more, there’s been plenty to like.

There are now 13 characters available in Destiny: Rising, each with their own unique abilities that can turn the tide in various missions. With some Lightbearers being chargeable, you may want to learn what each character brings before you spend your money on one. With this in mind, we’re putting every Lightbearer into a tiered list to help you decide on which one to play as.

As of November 2025, players can pick one of 13 Lightbearers. Each of them has abilities that can help with attacking and defensive moves, as well as healing, when in certain missions. We’ve used each of these and put them into a tier list, which ranges from S to C, depending on how each Lightbearer fares.

Below is our Destiny: Rising tier list. As of November 2025, this features 13 Lightbearers, split into four tiers. As more characters are made available in 2026, we’ll be updating the list as they appear.

Despite being able to get Kabr and Ikora for free, you have to pull from one of the Gacha banners in order to have more characters. Doing this will gift you one of them at random. You can pay to reroll if you wish, but we recommend doing this responsibly, as the game will charge you. 

These characters have been ranked based on our own experiences in playing Destiny: Rising since its launch. However, as patches are brought out for the game, the ranking may change for some Lightbarers, so do check this page in the future if this happens and we decide to update it.

Gwynn, Tan-2, and Umeko are the best Lightbearers you can have in your team, thanks to their powerful attacks and abilities that eclipse the other 10. First off, Gwynn’s electric burst attack can be ideal for mid-range battles, meaning she can adapt to many missions you take on throughout Destiny: Rising. For Tan-2, the character can come to your aid in those tense moments, thanks to its Blessing of Dusk attack, maximising team damage when it counts.

With a valuable 40% weapon buff, Umeko is a great support Lightbearer that can be great for those moments when you may find yourself slightly overwhelmed by a bunch of enemies. Ultimately, all three Lightbearers can be crucial when it matters, which is why they’re in the S-Tier list.

Five Lightbearers make the A-Tier list here, which includes Maru, Ning-Fei, Wolf, Estela, and Xuan Wei. Maru can be great for the endgame in missions and big attacks. Being fast is a great help when waves of enemies are coming at you. Ning-Fei can attack multiple enemies at once thanks to the clone summon ability, making her a good choice for those who want to tactfully plan some missions.

Wolf, a close-range Lightbearer, can deal plenty of damage thanks to the sword he wields. Estela can use her Misfortune attack on multiple enemies, making it easier for others in your team during missions to strike the finishing blow. Finally, Xuan Wei can deal huge short-range damage thanks to his shotgun, making him great for those moments when some enemies need to be quickly dealt with. Overall, these Lightbearers can be critical in completing certain missions when required, thanks to their buffs and close-range attacks.

Three characters feature in our B-Tier, and for good reason. Ikora can cast area spells and team buffs, becoming great support during missions, but lacks those powerful offensive attacks compared to others in higher tiers. Jolder can perform aggressive melee attacks against a bunch of enemies, but can be unreliable in encounters with larger enemies. Finnala is a great defensive Lightbearer, a solar-type with a great spinning attack that can deal a lot of damage at those crucial moments. Ultimately, if you unlock one of these Lightbearers, they’ll still be adept at helping you through some difficult missions, but make sure your own character is levelled up considerably.

Kabr and Attal do fall short of other Lightbearers on this list. Kabr uses a Thunder Shield to fire a powerful light beam, but doesn’t deal as much stun damage as hoped during missions, meaning he may be a frustrating character to have for those crucial moments. For Attal, she can fire bird-shaped projectiles at enemies, dealing a lot of damage, but can also heal team members, becoming a Lightbearer that could be crucial in those tense moments. However, both Lightbearers could be a hindrance in later missions, keeping them, for now, in the C-Tier.