Best FragPunk Lancers: Character Meta Tier List

FragPunk was just released a few days ago, and players have started recognising it as a competitive 5v5 hero shooter. Like many games in this genre, not all Lancers (the in-game term for characters) are created equal. Season 0 features 13 different Lancers, each with their own set of abilities and play styles.

In this tier list, I'll rank all Lancers from S-tier to C-tier based on several factors including:

• Overall effectiveness in matches
• Ability impact and utility
• Ease of use vs. reward
• Versatility on attack and defense
• Team synergy potential

Without wasting any more time, let us take a look at the complete Fragpunk Character tier list along with the best lancers in the current meta.

Note: We updated this FragPunk Lancer Meta Tier List on March 15, 2025.

FragPunk Lancer Tier List

Here's how the 13 Lancers rank in FragPunk:

Tier	Lancers
S-Tier	Pathojen Broker Serket Nitro Hollowpoint
A-Tier	Zephyr Kismet Spider Corona
B-Tier	Axon Sonar Jaguar
C-Tier	Chum

Now let's break down each character to understand why they sit where they do on the tier list.

Best FragPunk Lancers in Current Meta

Hollowpoint

The first major change after a few early days of FragPunk launch is that Hollowpoint has moved into S Tier, and if Meteora doesn't get nerfed in the next patch, she will be staying here for a long time. Hollowpoint brings sniper capabilities to FragPunk with a kit built around long-range dominance and information gathering.

• The "Meteora" railgun defines her playstyle with its one-shot potential. The charging mechanic creates a risk-reward dynamic – fully charging nearly guarantees a kill but leaves you vulnerable while preparing. What separates skilled Hollowpoint players from average ones is knowing when to release early for faster, less damaging shots versus when to fully charge. On maps with long sightlines, Hollowpoint can lock down entire areas single-handedly. Her effectiveness drops significantly in close-quarter environments where charging the railgun becomes impractical.
• The "Smoke Screen" ability creates advantages when paired with her railgun. Hollowpoint can see silhouettes through it while charging. This creates unfair gunfights where you can see enemies but they cannot see you. Setting up these one-sided smoke walls requires practice, but the payoff is enormous in controlling critical areas.
• Her "Paparazzi" trap provides flank protection and intelligence that complements her sniper role. Placing these on common flank routes allows you to focus on holding angles without constantly checking your back.

Just like every other character in the game, she has her weaknesses as well. Hollowpoint struggles against aggressive teams that can close distance quickly or flush her out with utilities. Her railgun's lengthy reload time creates windows of vulnerability that skilled opponents will exploit. But there is always a bypass to such situations if you pick an SMG as your primary weapon.

For players with strong aim and positional awareness, Hollowpoint can control games from afar. She rewards patience and precision but punishes poor positioning more severely than most other Lancers.

Nitro

Hollowpoint is not the only character that was able to climb up the ladder in ranking, as she is closely followed by another lancer - Nitro. She is an information-gathering and area-control style Lancer in FragPunk that earns her a place in S-tier. Her strength lies in controlling space and providing constant intel to her team.

• The "Chug Chug" controllable drone serves multiple purposes beyond its modest damage output. It can scout dangerous areas without risking your Lancer, check corners before pushes, or harass enemies to reveal positions. The ability to jump with the drone lets you access unexpected angles for information gathering. Skilled Nitro players use the drone to distract enemies during pushes or to pinpoint exact locations for teammate abilities. This constant information pressure forces opponents to either deal with the drone (revealing their position) or risk being spotted.
• "The Wall" deployable cover might seem simple, but its versatility is impressive. Beyond basic protection, you can use it to create new headglitch spots, block doorways, or stack it with map objects to create completely new angles that opponents won't expect.
• Her "Mr. PewPew" provides modest damage but exceptional information. Placing turrets on walls above eye level makes them harder to spot and destroy while expanding their coverage area.

Nitro sits in S-tier because she excels at controlling areas and gathering information. On defense, she can effectively lock down a site alone but struggles when forced to play aggressively.

She performs best on maps with tight choke points where her walls and turrets can effectively deny access. Open maps with multiple approach angles diminish her effectiveness as enemies can more easily avoid or destroy her deployables.

Pathojen

Pathojen's position as the sole healer in FragPunk makes her invaluable, but it's the versatility in how she supports teams that cements her S-tier status.

• The "Emotional Rescue" is one of the strongest abilities in the game right now. In most firefights, trading damage equally would result in both sides backing off to recover. With Pathojen, your team can quickly heal and re-engage while enemies are still wounded. This healing circle also enables more aggressive plays since teammates know they can fall back to safety.
• Her "Shroom Wall" is far more strategic than it first appears. Beyond simply blocking doorways, you can place it to create advantageous peek angles, split enemy teams during pushes, or provide temporary cover. The wall's health pool is decent enough that enemies must either commit resources to destroy it or take longer rotation paths – both outcomes giving your team an advantage.
• "Killer Queen" offers surprising versatility. On defense, it can deny plants or defuses by covering the objective with its damage-over-time effect. On attack, it can clear tight corners or force defending players to relocate. The manual activation option allows you to bait enemies into its radius before triggering it for maximum impact.

Being the sole healer in the game, I believe she is kind of a must pick in nearly every game as she can provide a significant advantage with her healing.

Broker

The broker's position in S-tier is earned through a perfectly balanced kit that brings both damage and utility. He's the character that we think will remain viable from beginner to professional play levels.

• "Goddard's Vengeance" rocket launcher transforms Broker from support to damage dealer instantly. The two-charge system rewards thoughtful usage – spam both rockets quickly for an aggressive push, or save one for unexpected situations.
• "Smokestack Lightning" sets the standard for smoke abilities in FragPunk. Its line-based deployment gives you creative control over exactly which sightlines to block. Unlike static smoke, the continuous line prevents enemies from finding small gaps to peek through. I've found it particularly effective for creating safe paths for teammates to rotate through open areas.
• Broker's "Cherry Bomb" completes his kit by adding area denial capabilities. While not as immediately impactful as his other abilities, these bombs excel at controlling flanks or delaying pushes. They're especially effective when placed in choke points during rotations.

What makes Broker S-tier is how his abilities maintain value throughout an entire match. He fits into virtually any team composition and performs well throughout the game, making him the most consistently valuable Lancer across different scenarios.

Serket

Serket's high skill ceiling and playmaking potential earn her a place in S-tier despite being one of the harder Lancers to master. Her kit revolves around controlling space and creating opportunities that opponents simply cannot predict.

• "Station to Station" teleportation provides unmatched repositioning capabilities when used correctly. What makes this ability exceptional is the information gathering component – revealing enemies as dust storms gives you critical data about defender positions before committing to a teleport.
• Her "Gold Dust Woman" tornado provides versatility through its manual control. Release it to push forward slowly as a standard smoke, or stop it early to create a larger area. The slowing effect means enemies caught inside it become vulnerable to team-focused fire.
• "Dilemma" is another reason why we ranked her so high. This trap slowly pulls enemies toward its center, forcing them out of cover or defensive positions. When coordinated with teammates, this pull effect can drag defenders into pre-aimed angles or other ability effects. Even when enemies avoid the full pull, the threat of it often causes them to reposition, creating openings for your team.

The learning curve for Serket is steep – new players often teleport into unfavorable situations or fail to maximize her utility. However, with practice, she becomes one of the most unpredictable and dangerous Lancers in the game, capable of being an annoyance for enemies.

A Tier Lancers in FragPunk

Spider

Spider's toolkit revolves around spatial manipulation and team mobility, earning him a solid place in A-tier. His abilities create unique strategic options that can completely reshape how a map is played.

• The "Teleporter" ability fundamentally changes how teams approach map control. Placing teleporters between bomb sites allows for instant rotations that opponents cannot anticipate. This creates constant pressure as defenders must watch multiple entry points simultaneously.
• "Spirited Away" offers one of the most disruptive abilities in the game. Teleporting enemies back to your position might seem gimmicky, but it creates opportunities for coordinated team plays. Set up crossfires with teammates, then teleport defenders into the middle of your setup. Combine with other Lancers' area-of-effect abilities to create devastating traps.
• His "Spider Web" trap complements his kit by providing control over teleporter areas. Placing these near your teleporters blinds and slows enemies who might be camping your exit points, giving you valuable seconds to reorient after teleporting.

Spider sits in A-tier because his effectiveness scales dramatically with team coordination. In solo queue or with uncoordinated teams, his impact diminishes as teammates fail to utilize teleporters effectively.

Zephyr

Now that a few early days of launch have passed, Zephyr has slid down to A tier, and the main reason is that people now understand how to counter her effectively. Zephyr represents the highest risk-reward ratio in FragPunk, with a kit designed for players who prefer causing chaos and securing key eliminations. What makes her truly deadly is how her abilities can be chained together for devastating results.

• "Midnight Rambler" cloaking alone would be useful but limited by its duration. However, when combined with her "Fade Away" area, Zephyr can maintain unlimited cloaking within a specific zone. This creates opportunities for baiting enemies into unfavorable positions or holding critical areas invisibly.
• Mastering Zephyr requires understanding her limitations. Audio cues are her biggest weakness – her footsteps are clearly audible even while cloaked.
• Her "Get Back" teleport beacon creates insane outplay potential. You can place it in a safe location, cloak and move aggressively for a back-stab, then instantly return to safety before enemies can react. This makes Zephyr exceptionally good at picking off isolated players or key targets like Pathojen without trading her life in the process.

The one-shot melee from behind while cloaked is Zephyr's most dangerous feature, but landing it consistently requires significant practice. You need to approach from the correct angle, time your swing properly, and account for enemy movement. Missing the backstab often results in being quickly eliminated as Zephyr lacks defensive options once discovered.

She also becomes less effective against teams that consistently use detection abilities or stick together, making her somewhat matchup-dependent.

Kismet

Another character that dropped down from S to A tier is Kismet. Kismet stands out as one of the most versatile Lancers in FragPunk. Her ability set combines information gathering with damage and mobility.

• Her "Hello Goodbye" scan might seem basic at first, but its ability to reveal enemies through walls sets up countless opportunities for pre-firing opponents or calling out positions to teammates. In high-level play, information is often more valuable than raw damage, and Kismet delivers this consistently.
• The "Misery Angel" bomb is game-changing because it deals approximately 100 damage through walls. This means enemies hiding behind cover aren't safe, and you can force them to move or risk taking massive damage.
• What truly elevates Kismet to S-tier is her "Walk on the Wild Side" ability. The combination of invisibility and invulnerability gives you options that no other character has. You can use it to cross dangerous open areas, flank unsuspecting enemies, or escape when cornered. The tradeoff of not seeing enemies during this state creates a skill gap that rewards map knowledge and game sense.

Kismet performs exceptionally well on maps with long sightlines for her bomb and multiple flank routes to utilize her invisibility.

Corona

Corona is designed as a mobile disruptor with abilities focused on creating advantageous engagement conditions.

• "Fast Lane" dash provides quick horizontal repositioning. It excels at quickly getting behind cover or crossing dangerous open areas.
• "Ashes to Ashes" creates a zone that damages enemies while providing Corona with damage reduction and movement speed when inside it. This creates favorable dueling conditions. However, smart opponents will simply avoid engaging Corona in his war zone, negating much of the ability's value.
• His "Hothead" flash ability suffers from significant drawbacks that limit its effectiveness. The brief charge-up time before activation gives aware enemies a chance to look away or retreat. Additionally, it only affects enemies directly looking at Corona, making it ineffective against opponents who are already aimed elsewhere or who have good reflex timing. When it does land successfully, it creates opportunities for easy eliminations, but these occasions are too inconsistent against skilled players.

Corona climbs up to A-tier because of his aggressive playstyle and damage output. He is not the easiest character to play in the game, but once you get used to his kit, he can feel quite strong.

B Tier Lancers in FragPunk

Sonar

Another big change in the current meta is Sonar falling down to B tier.

• Echolocation" serves as a motion detector that reveals enemy movement within its radius. What makes this ability particularly powerful is its duration – once placed, it continues to provide information without requiring further input. Strategic placement on flanks, near objectives, or at key choke points forces enemies to either move slowly (reducing their rotational speed) or accept being revealed.
• "Sonic Surge" combines information gathering with crowd control in a unique way. The initial sonic wave reveals enemy positions, while the delayed blast knocks them back, dazes them, and further exposes their location. The ability to fire this through walls means you can displace enemies from common positions without exposing yourself.
• Her "Sound of Silence" ability brings strategic value by dampening teammates' footsteps and providing immunity to enemy Sonar devices. This enables coordinated silent pushes that opponents won't hear coming. In a game where audio cues are crucial for awareness, the ability to move silently as a team opens up quite a window for heavy pushing. This ability synergizes particularly well with Zephyr, as it masks her biggest weakness (audible footsteps while cloaked).

Although Sonar is one of the best intel-gathering characters in FragPunk, she heavily relies on the teammate for a follow-up, and that's what limits her capability. In solo queue or with uncoordinated teams, her impact is less noticeable as teammates fail to capitalize on the information she gathers.

Jaguar

Jaguar's kit focuses on enemy tracking and area denial through electrical traps. While these abilities have their uses, several limitations keep him firmly in B-tier.

• "Live Wire" creates electrical shock traps that damage enemies. The damage isn't enough to secure kills on its own, making it primarily an information-gathering tool. Placing these in common rotation paths or chokepoints can alert you to enemy movements, but unlike higher-tier trappers, the effect isn't immediately impactful enough to change the course of an engagement.
• "Electric Avenue" cages enemies in an electrical field that blocks vision, similar to smoke, but targets specifically on opponent positions. However, players can simply step out of the cage, limiting its effectiveness against experienced opponents.
• His "I Can See For Miles" ultimate gives him the ability to detect enemies and those affected by his abilities.

Jaguar falls to B-tier because in everything he does, other Lancers do better. His kit lacks the synergy needed to create plays that higher-tier Lancers can manage easily. He performs best on defense, where his traps can cover common entry points, but struggles on attack, where his reactive abilities have less value.

Axon

Axon is currently in B-tier despite his entertaining playstyle due to fundamental limitations in his kit:

• The "Electric Guitar" shotgun provides strong close-range burst damage but suffers from inconsistent pellet spread that makes one-shot kills unreliable even at point-blank range. The integrated ability to quickly throw sticky grenades while aiming adds some versatility but doesn't compensate for the limited effective range.
• "Sticky Fingers" grenades provide decent area denial and chip damage but bounce unpredictably, making them difficult to land consistently on targets.
• "Super Freak" blind immunity is perhaps the most situational ultimate in the game. It provides value only when facing teams with flash abilities, and even then, only during the brief window it's active. Against teams without blinding abilities, this ultimate provides literally no value whatsoever.

C Tier Lancers in FragPunk

Chum

Chum falls down to C tier due to reliability issues. Chum brings pet mechanics to FragPunk through his fish companion Chomper.

• The base "Chomper" ability deploys your companion to patrol an area. While this creates some distraction value, Chomper's movement is predictable, which is the main reason why Chum is in B Tier.
• "Explosive Bait" transforms Chomper into a mobile explosive that follows Chum and charges at nearby enemies. This creates more threat than his standard form, but still suffers from predictability and relatively low damage output. The most effective use is as a distraction during team pushes – while enemies focus on destroying Chomper, your team can capitalize on their divided attention. You can also place a trap instead, which can explode when triggered.
• "Smoking Bait" offers Chum's most unique utility by turning Chomper into a controllable smoke generator. This creates opportunities for creative smoke that can be adjusted by controlling Chomper's direction. However, Chomper moves slowly and can be easily eliminated, cutting your smoke coverage short at critical moments. Just like Explosive Bait you can use this ability as a static smoke as well.

Chum sits in C-tier because his effectiveness depends too heavily on Chomper's survival, which can't be guaranteed against high tier opponents. All of his abilities become significantly less impactful if Chomper is quickly eliminated.

Conclusion

For new players, focusing on Broker, Pathojen, or Kismet provides a solid foundation to learn the game. More experienced players might enjoy the high skill ceiling of Zephyr or Serket. Regardless of your preference, understanding each Lancer's strengths and weaknesses will help you make better decisions during matches.

Remember that team composition matters as much as individual Lancer selection. A well-coordinated team with B-tier Lancers can often outperform disorganized S-tier picks. As FragPunk evolves through its earlier seasons and beyond, expect the meta to shift as players discover new synergies and the developers implement balance changes.

Which Lancers are your favorites? Are there any you think deserve a different ranking?