With the relaunch of Illusion Connect: Re, knowing which Radiants to invest your limited resources into is the difference between smooth sailing and hitting a wall. This tier list is built directly from the latest community-agreed PvE rankings for 3-star characters — the reality for most players who aren’t whaling. Below, you will find every SSR and key SR sorted into SS, S, and A tiers, plus detailed breakdowns of the top performers and how to use them.
Illusion Connect: Re PvE Tier List (3-Star Focus)
The table below shows exactly where each Radiant stands at base star level. Tiers are taken directly from community PvE rankings.
| Tier | Characters |
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| SS | Miyuki, Kasumi, Yuffie, Gemmy, Phoebe, Shiki |
| S | Maki, Anna, Selena, Kiraya, Gagaku, Astaroth, Rikia, Pan, Rotania, Yume |
| A | Nicola, Vivian, Hersey, Edward, Saya, Nina, Victoria, Ann, Diana, Annie, Diamond, Gigi |
| B | Angela, Rie, Fenebeth, Hotaru, Barinas, Camille, Amon, Jasmine, MadHatter, Carol, Chiyo |
| C | Mei, Frantiva, Beatrice, Polly, Shanti, Tiffany, Loro, Mary, Ashwaya |
| D | Harto, Nanalie, Mia, Flora, Bontenmaru, Penny |
SS Tier
These six Radiants define the current PvE meta. If you own any of them, build them immediately. If you are rerolling, target these first.
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Miyuki is the undisputed best character in the game. Her AoE damage clears waves, and her ability to reduce enemy Rage delays opponent ultimates across all content. Best of all, you get a free copy on day eight of the login event. Even at 3-star, she outperforms almost everyone. |
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Kasumi is the premier single-target damage dealer for boss fights and high-HP enemies. Her column attacks and self-buffing CRIT rate make her a delete button. She becomes available in the standard pool 24 days after account creation — save your diamonds for her banner. |
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Yuffie is an AoE sorcerer who also boosts the entire team’s AoE damage. She is a top reroll target alongside Miyuki. Her unique skill hits all enemies for massive magic damage, and her passive gives a 16.5% damage boost to the whole squad. |
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Gemmy provides unique utility that scales well into late-game content. While not as flashy as Miyuki, her consistent performance in PvE earns her a solid SS spot. |
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Phoebe is the $1 starter pack unit. She grants Invincible status to three random allies on deployment and revives once per battle. For the price, no other character offers this much survival power. |
 Shiki |
Shiki is available from the battle pass and delivers high burst damage. Her skillset rewards proper timing, and she remains relevant throughout all story chapters. |
Miyuki
Kasumi 
Yuffie
Gemmy
Phoebe
S Tier
These ten characters will carry you through most PvE content. Many are easier to obtain than SS tiers, and some are outright staples for free-to-play teams.
 Maki |
Maki was the first limited banner and rotates into the standard pool after eight days. She deals revenge damage when allies die — excellent for content where your frontline collapses. |
 Anna |
Anna is the best healer in the game. Her AoE heal keeps your entire team alive through prolonged fights. If you have her, she never leaves your lineup. |
 Selena |
Selena is a pure tank with massive HP and DEF. She can survive two fatal hits per battle, making her nearly unkillable in story content. |
 Kiraya |
Kiraya provides team-wide shields, not just self-mitigation. She protects your backline from chip damage and is the safest tank investment. |
 Gagaku |
Gagaku offers strong sustained DPS. She fits into almost any team composition without requiring synergy. |
 Astaroth |
Astaroth is a reliable Guardian who can taunt and absorb damage. Solid frontline option if you lack Selena or Kiraya. |
 Rikia |
Rikia is one of the best low-rarity units. She inflicts random debuffs on enemies and cleanses debuffs from allies upon deployment. |
 Pan |
Pan is a low-rarity DPS who lands critical hits well above her weight class. A staple filler for free-to-play players for months. |
 Rotania |
Rotania performs well at 3 stars but scales even better with dupes. Still perfectly usable now. |
 Yume |
Yume brings utility and decent damage. She rounds out the S tier as a safe fallback option. |
All other S-tier characters are reliable. You will not regret building any of them to fill out your roster for content that requires multiple teams (Expedition, Illusion Corridor, etc.).
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A Tier — Solid but Replaceable
These characters work fine in early-to-mid content. They will eventually be replaced by SS or S tiers, but several have unique utility worth knowing.
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Nicola |
Nicola is a long-term project. At 3 stars, her performance is decent but not overwhelming. What makes her valuable is her passive ability, which reduces enemy DMG Res Rate by 33%, making her an excellent support for boss fights even before she scales up. Once you farm her shards over time, her damage becomes top-tier. For early PvE, use her for the debuff rather than expecting carry-level damage. |
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Vivian |
Vivian provides valuable energy management and support utility to your team. She fits into many team compositions and offers consistent value across different game modes. Not a flashy carry, but a reliable enabler. |
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Edward |
Edward, Saya, Nina, Victoria, Ann, Diana, Annie, and Diamond are usable filler characters. They can help clear early story stages but will fall off as you acquire higher-tier Radiants. Diana has niche value as a healer option, and Annie can serve as a budget tank if your frontline options are limited. |
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Saya |
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Nina |
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Victoria |
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Ann |
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Diana |
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Annie |
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Diamond |
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Gigi |
Gigi rounds out the A tier as a decent early-game option. She can hold her own in the first few chapters but should be replaced once you obtain better tanks or damage dealers. |
B Tier — Situational or Outclassed
These characters are generally outclassed in PvE at 3 stars. Use them only if you lack better options.
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Angela |
Angela has a unique revive mechanic for allies, which can be valuable in specific high-difficulty fights or sacrifice-based compositions. |
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Fenebeth |
Fenebeth is the most accessible anti-healer in the game. She shuts down enemy healing — essential for certain boss fights where regeneration is a problem. |
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Rie |
Rie offers decent damage but gets outperformed by higher-tier Radiants. |
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Jasmine |
Jasmine is a budget healer. If you do not have Anna, Jasmine can keep your team alive through early content. |
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MadHatter |
MadHatter and Carol bring niche utility but no consistent PvE value. |
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Carol |
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Chiyo |
Chiyo is the weakest of this tier. Only use her when your roster is extremely limited. |
C Tier
C-tier Radiants have very limited impact in PvE at 3 stars. Building them is almost never efficient.
Mei, Frantiva, Beatrice, Polly, Shanti, Tiffany, Loro, Mary, Ashwaya — none of these provide meaningful damage, healing, or utility compared to higher tiers. Some, like Beatrice and Polly, have extremely niche skills that rarely matter in story or expedition content.
If you have any C-tier character in your main lineup, replace them as soon as you unlock an A-tier or higher Radiant.
D Tier
D-tier characters should never receive resources at 3 stars. They are outclassed in every role.
Harto, Nanalie, Mia, Flora, Bontenmaru, Penny — these units have poor base stats and skills that do not scale well. Even as free-to-play filler, they will hold your progression back. Bench them permanently.
One Extra Thing: How Star Levels Change the Rankings
Farming shards over time shifts some Radiants significantly. Below are the only characters whose max-star tier differs from their 3-star tier by at least one level. (If a character is not listed, they stay roughly the same.)
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Change |
Characters |
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▲ +2 tiers (into SSS) |
Nicola, Maki, Anna |
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▲ +2 tiers (into SS/S) |
Angela, Fenebeth, Hotaru, Rie, Mei, Frantiva |
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▲ +1 tier |
Vivian, Hersey, Kiraya, Selena, Diana, Ann, Barinas, Camille, Amon, Jasmine, MadHatter, Carol, Beatrice, Polly, Shanti, Tiffany, Harto, Nanalie, Mia, Flora |
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▼ -1 tier |
Ashwaya |
- Priority shard farming targets (biggest gains): Nicola, Maki, Anna, Angela, Fenebeth, Hotaru, Rie, Mei, Frantiva.
- Already great at 3★, still great at max★ (no rush to farm): Miyuki, Kasumi, Yuffie, Gemmy, Phoebe, Shiki.
If you plan to play for months, prioritize farming shards for Nicola, Maki, Anna, Angela, Fenebeth, Hotaru, and Rie. If you only care about immediate power, focus on the 3-star SS and S tiers.
How to Build Your Team With This Tier List
Do not obsess over perfect synergy in the first two weeks. You lack most leader unlocks and specialized team bonuses. Instead:
- Slot your highest-tier characters — any combination of SS and S tiers will clear early content.
- Always include a healer — Anna (S tier) is ideal. If you do not have her, use Jasmine (B tier) as a budget option.
- Include at least one tank — Kiraya or Selena (both S tier) are best. If you have neither, use Angela (B tier) or Gigi (A tier) temporarily — but do not invest rare resources into them.
- Build Miyuki first — she is free on day eight and will be your main DPS for months.
- Save diamonds for Kasumi — she is the single most valuable banner target.
Conclusion
This tier list reflects the current PvE meta for 3-star characters in Illusion Connect: Re. Focus your resources on SS and S tiers first. Do not chase dupes early — shards can be farmed later. Claim your free Miyuki on day eight, save for Kasumi, and use LDShop for any top-ups to secure a smooth progression curve. Log in daily, build your core team, and enjoy the relaunch.
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Nicole Experienced Game Editor
Hi, I’m Nicole, a game content writer and editor who focuses on breaking down complex game systems into clear, practical guides that players can actually use. I spend most of my time exploring how progression mechanics work in modern RPGs and live-service games—especially systems involving character building, resource loops, and upgrade structures like console setups, module systems, and gacha-style mechanics. My goal is to take all the confusing parts of a game and turn them into something simple, readable, and efficient, so you can spend less time guessing and more time progressing.
