Orcs Must Die! Deathtrap Character Tier List

All characters are not created equal in any game, and balance is rarely as good as we want it to be. The playable characters in Orcs Must Die! Deathtrap are no exception to this rule.

There are six characters to start with and an easily unlockable seventh character. It's technically a spoiler, though it might be the least surprising one ever. Consider yourself warned now.

We'll rank them from best to worst, though keep in mind that this is very subjective. We take a lot of factors into consideration, like solo play vs. groups. The traps and upgrades each character comes with can also cause them to shine more or less than others in specific situations.

Harlow - About the worst thing you can say about Harlow is that her Wind Blast isn't very good. It doesn't do damage, though the strong wind shot can force enemies over ledges or back through traps. Her secondary attack, Pretty Lights, puts down a zone of damage for a period of time.

Combined with her primary Blunderbuss, she excels at dealing damage. And that's not even counting her sidekick, Henry. The furry little dragon passively fires at nearby enemies. It has the neat side effect of alerting you to foes off-camera, too.

Henry's Treat Time is her Overdrive skill, and it causes the little guy to go big and burn enemies in an area for a while. Her Boom Barrel traps might be one use per wave, but they're also incredibly powerful.

Maximilian - The original orc-hunting War Mage can be unlocked by finding five pieces of a mirror floating around the home base. Once you do, you'll have a very strong War Mage at your disposal.

He's great alone or in a group with solid damage and abilities. If you've played any of the previous Orcs Must Die! games, his kit will feel familiar. His main weapon is a crossbow that spreads in a wider arc as you fire it repeatedly. You can keep a steady pace of accurate shots, or unload as enemies get closer.

His Stun Bolt secondary stuns enemies, Nade Spam does great damage, and his Bladestaff overdrive can make quick work of large enemies. He also has a double jump, which is great for navigating stages quickly. His Friendly Flip trap is okay for helping allies get to high places, but otherwise don't have much use.

Wren - She might not be everyone's cup of tea at first, but if you take the time to micromanage her abilities, she can put out a ton of damage. Her Wand has high-damaging shots that are incredibly accurate.

She can use a Time Crystal trap to reduce the reload time of adjacent traps, as well as a Trap Blast that immediately triggers all traps in an area of effect. Her Proximity Orb special ability is especially useful, as it will deal heavy damage to enemies who get too close to her. It's great for dealing with Gnolls.

Her Perfect Reload is a unique mechanic straight out of Gears of War. Time a button press when reloading to get extra ammo for your next "clip." All of these abilities are enhanced by her Overdrive, Mirror Images. Clones of Wren come out to copy your moves, dealing especially devastating amounts of damage when used.

Vaan - The nice thing about Vaan is that he's a solid solo character. His Overdrive, trap, and passive trait all help protect the Rift. It's especially useful when you can't always send a team member to guard it during highly stressful scenarios.

His Charge Beam can leave you vulnerable, but it does a lot of damage to enemies caught in it. His Crossbow is a solid weapon, and his Rift Orb can enhance the damage of nearby traps. He's not incredibly powerful, but his ability to protect the Rift is second to none.

Kalos - To be clear, Kalos is a great character. He's entirely melee-based as he swings a massive hammer around to cleave enemies. However, he has nothing to respond to ranged threats well. You may struggle in solo play, but he shines as a second or third character in a group.

He can lay down a Calling Stone to taunt enemies into a conveniently smashable pile. His survivability is insane with his Nature's Protection passive ability. It effectively gives him a second health bar that recharges over time like shields in Mass Effect. His Rage Ward overdrive can help the entire team power up, which is another reason he's better for group play.

Healing Berries are useful for anyone who needs some health quickly, especially if you've been cursed to a round without healing drops. His Slam Jump is incredibly fun but takes a lot of time to get the hang of its finicky nature.

Mac - Like Kalos, this is a character who works better in group play. He's basically a sniper, which you might not guess from his Wrench Staff weapon. He right-clicks to zoom in, increasing the damage and reducing the spread of his primary attack. His Head Count trait gives him a damage multiplier for each successful headshot in a magazine.

The damage can build up fast. However, all that single target, ranged focus can cause you to get jumped by groups you're not paying attention to. Hence his improved role as a secondary team member. His Gravity Lift trap isn't particularly useful, but his Gravity Blast throws bombs that hold enemies up for a short period.

His overdrive skill is Scan Weak Points. It allows him to do a debuff to enemies, making headshots especially potent.

Sophie - The chronically misanthropic Sophie is a fun character, but has a few unfortunate flaws. She's great in a team with someone like Kalos who can keep enemies distracted. She's another melee-focused character with fast-slashing daggers.

Her right-click allows her to throw a knife at an enemy. Her Shadow Form turns her into a shadow that darts around the screen without taking damage for a short period. When she leaves that form, it damages all the enemies she runs past. This is a great escape tactic, as well as an offensive move. To help make up for her lack of health and general need to be in melee range, she has a lot of health regain on critical attacks.

Her passive gives her health whenever she lands a crit, and her Vampiric Jaws trap applies Rend to an enemy. Rend causes all damage done to the target to be critical. Her biggest help is her overdrive, Bartholomew. He's a powerful, snarky skeleton warrior who will fight with her until his own health is depleted.

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