Once you're past the story, SoC becomes a question of where to spend Hope Luxite and upgrade resources. This guide covers pull priority and the systems (dupes, weapons, ascension skills) that decide whether a unit is worth chasing, from community consensus, reworded.
Pull priority
Supports first. There are very few support units in the game — under ~5% of the roster — and stages increasingly bury your team in debuffs. A strong dispel / speed-control / turn-engine support (Taair, Heshan, SP Inanna, Credenza) is used forever and never falls off.
Then a piercing-damage carry. The 2026 meta shifted from AoE nukes to piercing damage against stacked-shield enemies. A carry that pierces (Rogneda, Afra, Kvare) or an amp that adds piercing vulnerability outlasts a pure AoE unit.
Then a tank you can rely on. An unkillable tank (SP Alexei) or a team-protection tank (Arman) changes how you approach hard content — you stop babysitting and start acting freely.
Skip: expensive units whose kit is now standard on newer releases, and units 'waiting on an ascension skill' unless you specifically need their role now.
Dupes and star levels
Most units are strong at low stars — SoC is not a game where you need max copies to function. A one- or two-star copy of a meta unit clears everything short of leaderboard pushing.
Specific units want more stars for a breakpoint: some unlock a key effect at 5 stars (extra actions, a full aura, a range increase). Those are noted on the unit's page where known.
Nydia and Finn-type 'gives you a second body' units are the main ones that genuinely need 5 stars to be viable.
For a new or mid-game account, breadth (more units at 1–2 stars) beats depth (one unit at 5 stars).
Weapons and Astral gear
See the Gear tier list guide for specifics. In short: the go-to trinket (Shield of Justice) and the go-to Legendary for your unit's weapon type (Newborn Blade for swords, Diffusing Prism for staves) come before any signature weapon — weapons only fit their own weapon type.
A unit's Astral (signature) weapon is a big power jump but almost always locked to that unit — only pull it for a unit you'll run long-term, and only after your core is built.
A one-star copy of a great weapon beats a five-star copy of a mediocre one. Don't over-invest star levels early.
Ascension skills
Some units get a later 'ascension skill' — effectively a free buff or rework that can move a unit up a tier (creators tag these '2.0' / '3.0'). Rico, Caris, Momo, Luvata and others got meaningful ones through 2026.
An ascension skill is a reason to keep or invest in a unit you already have — it's not usually a reason to pull a new one.
The Tier List notes where an ascension skill is the reason a unit sits where it does.
SP (Spiral Program) versions
SP-prefixed units (SP Inanna, SP Alexei, SP Samantha, …) are alternate versions with different kits — treated as separate units, separate pulls.
The SP version is usually the meta one (SP Inanna over Inanna, SP Alexei over Alexei). Check the Tier List — they're ranked independently.
You don't need both the base and SP version of a character.