Character rankings are partly subjective. Recent community tier discussions use different criteria for beginner friendliness, base-deck strength, late-game ceiling, and Arena performance, so the order can change with your route, card pool, and skill level.
Fast answer
The answer before the background
For most players, start with Swordmaster. Her healing through damage gives her a dependable answer to long fights and reduces the punishment for imperfect routes or card choices. Chicken is the best simple aggressive alternative, while Bear Tamer is excellent when fights last long enough for the bear to scale. Admiral is a strong flexible pick for experienced players, and Alchemist has one of the highest ceilings but is harder to pilot. In Arena, favor heroes with reliable early decks and flexible card pools; in Hard Mode, prioritize sustain, consistent damage, and defensive answers over flashy burst.
Quick verdict
The strongest practical shortlist
Pirates Outlaws does not have an official character ranking. Every hero has a unique ability, starting deck, and preferred card pattern, and the game includes 16 heroes rather than one fixed class hierarchy. The most useful comparison is therefore a shortlist by job instead of a rigid S-to-D list.
Swordmaster is the best default recommendation. She is unusually forgiving because successful attacks can restore health, giving her a way to recover without relying entirely on taverns, healing events, or rare relics. She is especially good for learning routes and for normal Navigate runs where consistency matters more than maximum burst.
Chicken is the best low-friction damage pick once unlocked. She rewards aggressive play and can end ordinary fights quickly, which makes her useful for reputation farming and repeated runs. Her weakness is that she is less comfortable when a battle demands patient defense or when a poor opening hand prevents her from converting pressure into a fast kill.
Bear Tamer is the best recommendation for players who prefer a defensive engine. Her bear can attack or provide protection, and the companion becomes more valuable as a fight continues. That makes her strong against elite encounters and bosses, although her slower setup can feel weaker in short battles.
- Best first serious unlock: Swordmaster, if you want dependable recovery and a forgiving plan.
- Best aggressive farmer: Chicken, provided you are comfortable trading safety for speed.
- Best long-fight specialist: Bear Tamer, particularly when scaling and protection matter.
- Best high-ceiling project: Alchemist, but only after you understand card transformation and resource planning.
- Best flexible experienced pick: Admiral, whose value rises when you can exploit several card packages instead of forcing one archetype.
| Hero | Best use | Main strength | Main risk |
|---|---|---|---|
| Swordmaster | General Navigate and Hard Mode learning | Reliable sustain through damage | Needs good attack timing and can struggle when damage is blocked |
| Chicken | Fast normal runs and farming | High pressure and simple offensive plan | Less forgiving when fights cannot be ended quickly |
| Bear Tamer | Bosses and extended battles | Scaling bear value plus protection | Slower early turns and more setup |
| Admiral | Flexible experienced play | Can adapt to several deck directions | Less immediately obvious than simpler heroes |
| Alchemist | High-ceiling builds and experimentation | Powerful card-combination potential | Complexity and inconsistent early decisions |
The official game listings verify the roster size, modes, and broad hero differences. The ordering above is editorial advice supported by recent community comparisons, not a developer-published balance statement.
By stage and goal
How the recommendation changes during a run
In the opening of a run, consistency is usually more valuable than theoretical power. Choose a hero whose starting plan can win ordinary encounters without needing a specific rare card. Swordmaster and Chicken are easiest to evaluate here because their game plans are visible from the first few battles. Alchemist and other highly specialized heroes can be stronger later, but a weak opening can prevent them from reaching that point.
In the middle chapters, deck quality becomes the deciding factor. Remove cards that do not support the hero's main resource loop, avoid buying attractive cards that compete for the same resources, and spend upgrades on the cards you play repeatedly. Bear Tamer benefits from surviving long enough for the companion to matter; Swordmaster benefits from maintaining enough reliable attacks to convert damage into healing.
At the final boss, value damage that remains reliable through defensive turns, status effects, or awkward enemy patterns. Do not judge a hero only by how quickly she defeats the first map's regular enemies. A character who wins ordinary fights quickly but cannot stabilize against a boss is a poor Hard Mode recommendation.
For new players, prioritize heroes that teach transferable fundamentals: route selection, card removal, resource management, and when to defend. For challenge runs or speed-focused play, accept more volatility and use Chicken, Admiral, or Alchemist when their strengths match the route.
- Early stage: protect consistency and avoid oversized decks.
- Middle stage: remove cards that dilute the hero's resource loop.
- Final stage: test whether the build can survive a boss, not just clear regular fights.
- For learning: choose Swordmaster. For experimentation: choose Alchemist. For speed: choose Chicken.
| Player goal | Best starting choice | What to focus on |
|---|---|---|
| Learn the fundamentals | Swordmaster | Healing windows, route safety, and card removal |
| Clear bosses reliably | Bear Tamer | Protecting the bear and extending favorable fights |
| Finish ordinary battles quickly | Chicken | Aggressive damage while preserving enough defense |
| Explore advanced synergies | Alchemist | Efficient transformations and resource sequencing |
| Adapt to varied card offers | Admiral | Keeping several viable plans open |
A strong hero cannot compensate for an unfocused deck. The same character may feel weak when the deck keeps conflicting attack, defense, and resource packages instead of committing to one reliable plan.
Practical method
A simple way to choose and build any hero
First, decide whether the run is about learning, clearing, farming, or experimenting. That single choice prevents many bad comparisons. A farming run values fast, repeatable battles; a first Hard Mode clear values sustain and error tolerance; an Arena run values flexibility under random offers.
Next, play the first few encounters as a test of the hero's actual plan. If the starting deck cannot handle ordinary enemies without taking heavy damage, prioritize defensive cards, healing, or card removal before chasing a flashy combo. If the deck already wins comfortably, improve consistency rather than adding every high-damage option offered.
Finally, judge the hero after several complete runs, not one unlucky map. Roguelike variance can make a powerful character look weak after poor rewards, while a lucky relic can make a difficult character look universally dominant. Track whether the hero reaches bosses, survives them, and produces repeatable wins.
- Set the goal before selecting the hero.
- Test the starting deck against ordinary encounters.
- Remove cards that do not support the hero's main plan.
- Prefer repeatable damage and defense over one spectacular combo.
- Compare complete runs, not isolated lucky or unlucky battles.
FAQ
Common questions
Is Swordmaster the strongest character overall?
She is the strongest general recommendation for many players because her sustain is reliable and easy to understand. That does not make her the best at every task. Chicken can be faster, Bear Tamer can scale better in long fights, and Alchemist can exceed her ceiling with more demanding play.
Which hero should a new player unlock first?
Choose Swordmaster if you want the safest learning curve. She teaches attack timing, healing windows, route planning, and card removal without requiring a complicated resource engine. Choose Chicken instead if you already prefer aggressive play and want shorter fights.
Who is best for Hard Mode?
Start with Swordmaster, then try Bear Tamer. Both can convert longer fights into an advantage through sustain or protection. Once you understand the chapter routes and enemy patterns, Admiral and Alchemist become reasonable high-ceiling alternatives.
Is Alchemist worth learning?
Yes, if you enjoy complex deck building. Her card-combination potential can be excellent, but she is not the most forgiving first choice. Learn which transformations improve consistency, avoid filling the deck with disconnected effects, and judge her over several runs rather than one failed attempt.
Do the same rankings apply to Arena?
No. Arena gives access to cards and relics from all seven chapters, so early-deck quality, flexibility, and the ability to use imperfect offers matter more. Swordmaster, Chicken, and Admiral are safer broad picks, while more specialized heroes depend heavily on the draft.
Sources
What we checked
Official listings establish current availability and product facts. Community pages are used for mechanics and build history, then labeled separately.
- OfficialPirates Outlaws on Steam, official store page
- OfficialPirates Outlaws on the Apple App Store, official listing
- OfficialPirates Outlaws on Nintendo Switch, official store page
- CommunityBaby Kraken’s 2026 hero tier-list methodology
- CommunitySteam community discussion on character strengths and modes