Raynn Von Valancius Tier List as of 1 July 2026

S Tier

Psyker

Strengths

• Highest sustained AoE damage in the game.
• Deletes elite and specialist enemies quickly.
• Incredible crowd control through stagger and suppression.
• Strong team utility via shields, soulfire, or support talents.
• Very high build variety (melee, caster, gun psyker).

Weaknesses

• Lowest margin for mistakes outside of Hive Scum.
• Peril management adds mechanical complexity and even experienced Psykers occasionally explode.
• Squishy if caught out of position or buffs aren't maintained.
• Can struggle if overwhelmed in melee without preparation.

Why S Tier
A skilled Psyker can solve almost every problem a mission throws at the team while maintaining elite damage output. It not being as squishy as the Hive Scum is ultimately what gives it the top spot, despite my personal belief that a good player can take the Scum further. 

Hive Scum

Strengths

• Highest mobility in Darktide.
• Massive DPS through crits, toxins, and close-range weapons.
• Excellent dodge economy.
• Flexible talent tree supporting melee, gunslinger, or chem builds.
• Extremely rewarding once mastered.

Weaknesses

• Very fragile. Seriously, if a Crusher sneezes in your direction and you don't dodge you'll take a dirt nap.
• Punishes poor positioning and inexperience.
• High APM (actions per minute) and constant movement required.
• Difficult for newer players.

Why S Tier
Hive Scum has arguably the highest skill ceiling in the game. When played well, it's ' god mode' by combining incredible damage, mobility, and survivability through movement rather than armor. 

A Tier

Arbites

Strengths

• Extremely tanky.
• Powerful crowd control.
• Cyber-Mastiff adds constant utility.
• Excels at protecting teammates.
• Strong melee and ranged options.
• Easy to learn.

Weaknesses

• Lower damage ceiling than Psyker or Hive Scum.
• Less mobility.
• Relies more on consistency than explosive plays.

Why A Tier
Arbites rarely has a bad mission.  May not top the damage charts every run, but its survivability, utility, and reliability make it one of the safest picks. 

B Tier

Veteran

Strengths

• Best traditional ranged combat.
• Excellent elite and special killing.
• Strong weapon selection.
• Ammo efficiency.
• Straightforward gameplay.

Weaknesses

• Limited melee dominance.
• Less flexible than newer DLC classes.
• Can feel outclassed by Psyker or Skitarii in utility.

Why B Tier
Still a dependable ranged specialist but no longer defines the meta as it once did. Also regulated to 'shout duty' because it simply outclasses the other two choices by a mile. 

Skitarii

Strengths

• Hybrid support/DPS.
• Powerful electrical weapons.
• Servo-skull companion adds utility.
• Flexible skill tree.
• Strong burst damage.

Weaknesses

• Learning curve.
• Lower toughness than expected.
• Build optimization matters a lot.
• Doesn't dominate any single role.

Why B Tier
Skitarii is versatile and enjoyable but requires thoughtful builds to shine. Feel like it is a nice middle ground between Veteran's consistency and Psyker's complexity.

Zealot

Strengths

• Excellent melee.
• High survivability through toughness regeneration.
• Strong clutch potential.
• Fast-paced gameplay.
• Good boss damage.

Weaknesses

• Limited ranged options.
• Requires staying aggressive.
• Less team utility than Arbites or Psyker.
• Can struggle against dispersed ranged enemies.

Why B Tier
A very solid all-round melee class, but its niche overlaps somewhat with Hive Scum, which generally offers a higher ceiling if you already fundamentally understand the combat.

C Tier

Ogryn

Strengths

• Highest health pool.
• Great stagger.
• Excellent crowd control.
• Can rescue teammates under pressure.
• Forgiving for beginners.

Weaknesses

• Huge hitbox.
• Lower overall DPS.
• Weak against distant ranged enemies.
• Less build diversity.
• Often contributes less damage than other classes.

Why C Tier
Ogryn still remains valuable as a frontline tank and crowd controller, they are still the ultimate safety nets, even compared to Arbites.  But with all that damage, mobility, and utility available to the other classes, it tends to have the lowest overall impact in high-level play. The one build it does have that brings that insane damage also annoys the hell out of teammates because of explosions, smoke, and tossing enemies around like confetti.