Looking for an Azur Lane tier list? This naval warfare-based gacha game is all about re-imagining real historical ships as anime girls, and even though it only launched a few years back, there are already over 250 different characters. That's a lot for anyone starting the game fresh to take in.
Luckily, the ships are divided into nations, then further divided into classes that dictate what they'll be doing on the watery battlefield. As with most gacha games, each ship also has a rarity, changing the likelihood you have of receiving it when you pull. But there are plenty of ways to acquire Azur Lane ships, whether through building them or special events.
If you're looking for more round-ups of characters, we have an Arknights tier list, an AFK Arena tier list, a Mobile Legends tier list, an Epic Seven tier list, and many others.
Azur Lane tier list (September 2023)
click to enlargeTo make things simpler, we've created an overall Azur Lane tier list of strong ships, and lists of the best ships for each of the game's four main nations. Most of these may be pretty rare, but as they represent the pinnacle of what the game has to offer, they are a good thing to aim for if you want to create the most powerful fleet possible.
| Tier | Ships |
|---|---|
| SS | Friedrich der Grobe, New Jersey, Ulrich von Hutten, Musashi, Vanguard, Theseus, Kuybyshev, Fu Shun, Ting An, Bismarck Zwei, Algerie META, Princess Hime, Kearsarge, Howe |
| S | Champagne, Gascogne, Georgia, Howe, Marco Polo, Monarch, Odin, Richelieu, Vittorio Veneto, Warspite, Prinz Rupprecht, Hwah Jah, Ting An, An Shan, Fu Shun, Hai Chi, Hai Tien, Bristol, Charybdis, Scylla, Royal Oak, Otto von Alvensleben, The 2nd, Chise Asukagawa, Akane Shinjo, Suffren, Hermoine |
| A | Akane Shinjo, Alabama, Amagi, Bismarck, Duke of York, Gneisenau META, Honoka, Iori Minase, Izumo, Kii, Nagato, Sovetskaya Belorussiya, Tosa, Patricia Abelheim, Repulse META, Brünhilde, La Galissonnière META, Chen Hai, Argus, U-556, Regensburg, IJN Shimanto, Namiko, Perseus, Eagle, Valiant |
| B | Gangut, Gascogne µ, Hood, Hyuuga, Jean Bart, King George V, Kaga, Little Renown, Littorio, Massachusetts, Nagisa, Prince of Wales, Queen Elizabeth, Sovetskaya Rossiya, Suruga, Washington, Seydlitz, Hass |
| C | Amagi-Chan, Arizona, Dunkerque, Fusou, Fusou META, Ise, Misaka, Mujina, Mutsu, Nevada, North Carolina, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, South Dakota, Super Gamer Kizuna AI, Tirpitz, Valiant, Yamashiro, Yume Minami |
Eagle Union Tier List
Here are the best Eagle Union ships:
| Ship | Type | Rarity |
|---|---|---|
| Seattle | Light Cruiser | Priority |
| San Diego | Light Cruiser | Super Rare |
| Georgia | Battleship | Priority |
| Enterprise | Aircraft Carrier | Super Rare |
| Essex | Aircraft Carrier | Super Rare |
| Minneapolis | Heavy Cruiser | Super Rare |
| Helena | Light Cruiser | Elite |
| Portland | Heavy Cruiser | Rare |
| Baltimore | Heavy Cruiser | Super Rare |
| Saratoga | Aircraft Carrier | Elite |
| South Dakota | Battleship | Super Rare |
| New Jersey | Iowa | Ultra Rare |
| San Diego Retrofit | Light Cruiser | Super Rare |
Royal Navy Tier List
Here are the best Royal Navy ships:
| Ship | Type | Rarity |
|---|---|---|
| Warspite | Battleship | Super Rare |
| Duke of York | Battleship | Super Rare |
| Centaur | Light Aircraft Carrier | Super Rare |
| Monarch | Battleship | Priority |
| Unicorn | Light Aircraft Carrier | Elite |
| Swiftsure | Light Cruiser | Super Rare |
| Illustrious | Aircraft Carrier | Super Rare |
| Neptune | Light Cruiser | Priority |
| King George V | Battleship | Super Rare |
| Theseus | Light Aircraft Carrier | Super Rare |
| Implacable | Aircraft Carrier | Ultra Rare |
| Royal Oak | Battleship | Super Rare |
| Scylla | Light Cruiser | Super Rare |
Sakura Empire Tier List
Here are the best Sakura Empire ships:
| Ship | Type | Rarity |
|---|---|---|
| Ayanami | Destroyer | Elite |
| Akashi | Repair Ship | Super Rare |
| Nagato | Battleship | Super Rare |
| Azuma | Large Cruiser | Decisive |
| Suzutsuki | Destroyer | Super Rare |
| Kitakaze | Destroyer | Priority |
| Noshiro | Light Cruiser | Super Rare |
| Shinano | Aircraft Carrier | Ultra Rare |
| I-13 | Submarine Carrier | Super Rare |
| Mikasa | Battleship | Super Rare |
| I-68 | Submarine | Super Rare |
Iron Blood Tier List
Here are the best Iron Blood ships:
| Ship | Type | Rarity |
|---|---|---|
| Roon | Heavy Cruiser | Priority |
| U-47 | Submarine | Super Rare |
| Friedrich der Grosse | Battleship | Decisive |
| Prinz Eugen | Heavy Cruiser | Super Rare |
| Graf Zeppellin | Aircraft Carrier | Super Rare |
| Bismarck | Battleship | Super Rare |
| U-101 | Submarine | Super Rare |
| Terpitz | Battleship | Super Rare |
| Z23 | Destroyer | Elite |
| Ulrich Von Hutten | Battleship | Ultra Rare |
| Bismarck Zwei | Battleship | Ultra Rare |
| Regensburg | Light Cruiser | Super Rare |
| U-556 | Submarine | Elite |
| Otto von Alvensleben | Destroyer | Super Rare |
Northern Parliament tier list
| Ship | Type | Rarity |
|---|---|---|
| Kuybyshev | Light Cruiser | Super Rare |
| Kronshtadt | Large Cruiser | Ultra Rare |
| Chkalov | Aircraft Carrier | Priority |
| SN Avrora | Light Cruiser | Super Rare |
| Chapayev | Light Cruiser | Super Rare |
| Kursk | Heavy Cruiser | Super Rare |
| Voroshilov | Light Cruiser | Super Rare |
| Sevastopol | Battleship | Elite |
How to get new ships in Azur Lane
Azur Lane is slightly different to many other mobile Gacha games and lets you build ships as a way to acquire them using cubes and coins. You can also earn ships as rewards for completing different stages in the campaign, and by completing missions.
Finally, you can exchange medals for specific ships. Of course, getting top-tier units is still likely to cost you a pretty penny, but even without them, you can still get yourself a decent enough team.
For more articles like this, take a look at our Only Mobile Gaming , OMG Guides , and Azur Lane pages.