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Arknights 5 Stars Selector Tier List - Who to Pick: November 2025

Ashi Prasadi
|2025-11-14

Are you a new Doctor in Arknights staring at your precious 5-Star Selector ticket, wondering which operator will carry you through early story, Annihilation, and beyond? Or did you snag one from a login event or anniversary rewards? Choosing wisely from an Arknights 5 stars selector tier list can supercharge your roster, filling critical gaps in DPS, crowd control, or sustain while you farm for those E2 promotions. So, this guide ranks only the most selector-relevant 5-Stars who are versatile powerhouses that shine from day one, and aren't easily replaced by free recruits or shop options.

Arknights 5 Stars Selector Tier List

Quick Pick Recommendations

Before we start, here is a quick way to decide from the Arknights 5 stars selector tier list based on your roster and progress:

Quick Pick Recommendations

  • Must-Pick (SS Tier): Choose Shamare or Lappland depending on your needs. Pick Shamare if you need strong slows and crowd control, or Lappland if you want ranged silence and burst damage.

  • For New Players: Shamare is the safest pick for reliable crowd control, while Ptilopsis is great if you need consistent healing.

  • If You Already Have Basics Covered: Specter or Elysium offer strong damage and help with DP generation for easier deployment.

  • Avoid Early Snipers or Niche Operators: They can be useful later, but at this stage, focus on versatile operators unless you need arts damage.

SS Tier Operators – Must-Haves

Game-changing operators that will carry you through early and mid-game content are ranked in this SS tier. These are the ideals for any mode to be recommended from our Arknights 5 stars selector tier list.

Shamare – Supporter

Shamare

Shamare is your go-to for controlling enemies. She can stack slow effects up to four times on three targets at once, which makes dealing with drone swarms and bosses much easier. You want her for almost every stage that’s difficult. Focus on her skill Eternal Curse, which automatically triggers slows without extra input. Prioritize her for Elite 2 immediately.

Lappland – Guard

Lappland

Lappland combines ranged silence with strong arts damage. She completely shuts down caster enemies and can hold lanes by herself. Her Wolves Hunting skill fires a silence beam that’s perfect for stopping enemies in their tracks. She’s essential for challenging maps and should also be promoted to Elite 2 as soon as possible.

Ptilopsis – Medic

Ptilopsis

Ptilopsis isn’t just a healer. She generates SP automatically for chain healing and her attacks ignore enemy DEF and RES, meaning she can heal even the toughest tanks through heavy defense. You can use her Memory Anchor skill for a global heal and SP recovery. She’s high priority for Elite 2 if you want reliable healing.

S Tier Operators – Strong Picks

If you want some reliable staples from the Arknights 5 stars selector tier list who are strong in most situations, there you go with the S tier.

Specter – Guard

Specter

Specter is a berserker who can summon drones and tank for long periods. She heals herself and teammates, and her burst can deal heavy damage to elites. Her skill Deep Sea Hunter makes her a durable choice for maps with constant pressure. Promote her to Elite 2 for better survivability.

Elysium – Vanguard

Elysium

Elysium prints deployment points very quickly and can be redeployed infinitely fast. She’s great for early-game rush strategies and scales well with modules. Activate Glory to summon clones and generate even more DP and give high priority for Elite 2 if you want strong early support.

La Pluma – Guard 

La Pluma

La Pluma is a frontline tank with self-healing and bind abilities. She drops in, stuns and silences enemies, and survives arts damage. Use her Feathers of Nirvana skill to bind enemies while healing herself and La Pluma is useful in medium-difficulty stages.

A Tier Operators – Situational Picks

Solid choices for the Arknights 5 stars selector tier list are here. They are always here to fill gaps in your roster and that is why they are kinda average.

Myrtle – Vanguard 

Myrtle

Myrtle is fantastic for gaining DP through kills. She shines in early-game maps and speed-clearing stages. You can activate Yearning to boost your team’s attack speed and DP gain with this operator and give some medium priority for Elite 2 depending on your playstyle.

Projekt Red – Specialist

Projekt Red

Projekt Red is a stealthy burst assassin that can deal true damage to single targets. She is perfect for taking out dangerous enemies quickly, and Projekt Red’s Sabotage skill deploys her and explodes, making her a deadly pick for key targets. Giving medium priority for Elite 2 with this operator is more ideal.

Liskarm – Defender

Liskarm

Liskarm is a budget-friendly tank who stuns enemies and reduces their resistance. She’s perfect for maps with lots of arts damage, and you can use Power Strike γ to stun multiple enemies at once. And yes, just give low to medium priority for Elite 2.

B Tier Operators – Niche Picks

Operators that are situational or only shine in certain stages

Ceobe – Caster 

Ceobe

Ceobe becomes a powerhouse after reaching Mastery 3. She’s high-risk but deals massive AoE damage, making her great for farming stages that require annihilation. Use her Bonfire skill for extended nuking potential. Low priority should be given to Ceobe unless you already have her fully upgraded.

Top 5-Star Picks: Pros, Cons, and How to Use Them

And now from our Arknights 5 stars selector tier list, let us highlight you the strongest 5-Star operators you can pick with your selector ticket. You will find each operator’s main strengths, weaknesses, suggested build, and where they shine in-game in detailed as follows.

Shamare – The Slow Goddess (SS Tier)

Shamare is your go-to crowd control operator. She slows enemies for 35 seconds, which can completely stop melee rushes and make fights much easier. Shamare has an amazing ability to work well with almost any DPS operator.

Shamare

  • Pros: Long-lasting slows, low deployment cost, works on all lanes.

  • Cons: Fragile, needs careful positioning.

  • Suggested Build: E2, then M3 on Skill 3. Add a module if available for extra slow effect.

  • Best Use: Annihilation stages, 8-4, and drone-heavy stages like IS2.

Lappland – The Silence Queen (SS Tier)

Lappland is highly recommended for her excellency against arts-heavy enemies. Her silence can disable up to 80% of caster threats, and her arts damage is strong enough to melt bosses. Lappland even has tge ability to heal herself when she silences enemies.

Lappland

  • Pros: Long-range silence, high arts DPS, self-healing on silence.

  • Cons: Short melee range on Skill 1, consumes a lot of SP.

  • Suggested Build: E2, then M3 on Skill 2. Potentially Pot2 for extra SP gain. Modules can improve her range.

  • Best Use: Stages with lots of casters like 8-28, and CI maps with arts enemies.

Ptilopsis – The Heal Battery (SS Tier) 

Want to deploy a reliable healer and SP generator from the Arknights 5 stars selector tier list? Then there is Ptilopsis. She keeps a single lane fully sustained, making her great for tough boss fights and endless corridor stages.

Ptilopsis

  • Pros: Heals 2x HP per second and generates SP for allies.

  • Cons: Single-target only, cannot affect all lanes.

  • Suggested Build: Max E1, then E2, followed by M3 on Skill 3.

  • Best Use: Boss fights and long-sustain stages like endless corridor.

Specter, Elysium, and La Pluma – The Power Trio (S Tier)

These three operators offer unique ways to strengthen your team in different situations.

  • Specter: Survives solo fights with “zombie mode,” making her perfect for 1v1 bosses.

  • Elysium: Solves DP shortages and can be used in creative strategies for quick deployment.

  • La Pluma: Acts as a fast-redeploy guard, filling gaps where you might miss operators like SilverAsh early on.

How to Choose Based on Your Roster

Gap in Team

Pick This

Crowd Control

Shamare

Arts Damage/Defense

Lappland

Healing

Ptilopsis

Frontline Hold

Specter / La Pluma

DP/Early Game

Elysium / Myrtle

Burst Delete

Projekt Red

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People Also Ask

Can I change my 5-star selector pick later? 

No, selectors are one-time use other than those who are in the Arknights tier list. So, save it until Ch4-5 when you know your gaps, and don't rush at tutorial.

Is Specter worth it if I have Surtr?

Yes because Specter excels in multi-lane defense and FR utility, freeing Surtr for burst lanes.

What's the best 5-star for IS4+ clears?

Shamare edges out for drone/boss control, but you have to pair with Lappland for hybrid threats.

Conclusion

So, this is all we have for the best options from our Arknights 5 stars selector tier list. Make sure to end yourself with the most ideal strength you want. And we hope that this guide can be an ultimate way to find it. Select your best operator, claim the best freebies with Arknights codes, and let the battles run with power.

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Ashi Prasadi
|
Senior Content Writer

I’ve spent over 6 years exploring MMO, RPG, and Simulation games, breaking down complex mechanics to create guides that make gaming easier and more fun. I am a 24 year old computer science student who love studying computer systems, design patterns, and numerical planning in games as those are my field. Beyond that, I enjoy photography and cinematography in general. For me, sharing knowledge is as rewarding as playing itself