Climbing the ranks in Raid: Shadow Legends takes more than just leveling up your champions—you need the right ones that bring consistent value, versatility, and impact across all areas of the game. Whether you’re pushing in the Arena, dominating dungeons, or clearing endgame content, having strong champions makes all the difference. In this guide, we’ve rounded up the 20 best champions for ranked progression—powerful picks that shine in both PvP and PvE, and can carry you through the toughest challenges. If you’re looking to build a squad that wins more and climbs faster, these are the champions you’ll want on your side.
Reliquary Tender is one of the most underrated support champions in Raid: Shadow Legends, and a great pick for early to mid-game players looking for consistency and utility. She brings a strong combination of healing, debuff removal, and even a revive—all of which are crucial for keeping your team alive in tough battles. Her abilities make her especially valuable in Faction Wars, Doom Tower, and even Arena defense setups. While she won’t carry fights with damage, her support kit can be the difference between a wipe and a clutch win. If you’re looking for a reliable support that brings survivability and turn control, Reliquary Tender is a must-have in your ranked roster.
Apothecary is a speed-boosting, single-target healer that every Raid: Shadow Legends player should consider building early. He’s easy to get, easy to use, and insanely effective in a wide range of content—from Arena to Dungeons and Faction Wars. His key ability, Boon of Speed, fills your team’s turn meter and increases their speed, helping you outrun enemies and take control of the fight. On top of that, his heal is on a short cooldown and can be clutch in longer fights or boss battles. Apothecary might not deal much damage, but his utility makes him one of the best Rare supports in the game—and a top-tier ranked pick if you’re looking to build momentum and keep your team alive.
Warmaiden is one of the best free-to-farm champions in Raid: Shadow Legends, and an absolute gem for ranked progression—especially in the early to mid-game. Her standout skill is an AOE Decrease Defense debuff, which can completely change the pace of battles by setting up your damage dealers to hit much harder. Pair her with champions who deal AOE damage, and you’ll melt through waves in Dungeons, Arena, and Campaign stages with ease. She’s easy to build, easy to book, and fits into almost any comp looking for defense break support. If you’re pushing ranked content and need a solid debuffer who punches above her rarity, Warmaiden is a champion worth investing in.
Coldheart is a powerhouse Rare champion whose value far exceeds her rarity, especially when it comes to Dungeon farming and high-level PvE content. Her signature skill, Heartseeker, delivers massive enemy max HP damage and fully depletes turn meter—making her a top-tier pick for bosses like Fire Knight and Spider. She also brings AOE damage and some healing reduction, giving her added utility in longer fights. Coldheart shines in ranked progression thanks to her ability to nuke bosses and completely disrupt enemy turn cycles. If you want a champion who can handle endgame content and bring huge burst when it matters most, Coldheart is a must-have for any serious team.
Kael is hands down one of the best starter champions in Raid: Shadow Legends, and he stays relevant well into late-game content, making him a strong pick for ranked progression. His AOE poison, strong single-target damage, and excellent wave-clearing potential make him incredibly versatile—whether you’re grinding Campaign, pushing through Dungeons, or climbing in Arena. His poisons are especially valuable in Clan Boss and Dragon, where damage-over-time effects shine. On top of all that, Kael scales well with gear and books, so the more you invest in him, the harder he carries. If you’re looking for a solid, easy-to-build nuker who can do it all, Kael is an MVP worth building and keeping in your core lineup.
Maneater is a game-changing Epic champion, especially when it comes to endgame content and ranked progression. His unkillable and block debuffs combo is the backbone of some of the most powerful Clan Boss teams in the game, including the infamous unkillable team setup. With the right speed tuning, he can completely nullify the need for healing and revives, letting your team survive for full 50-turn fights. Beyond Clan Boss, Maneater also shines in Doom Tower, Arena, and Faction Wars thanks to his turn meter manipulation and survivability. If you’re aiming to climb the ranked ladder with a team that can take on anything and last forever, Maneater is a must-build champion who brings both safety and serious strategic value.
Stag Knight is an incredibly versatile Epic support who fits into almost every part of the game, making him a top-tier pick for ranked progression. His main strength lies in his AOE Decrease Defense and Decrease ATK debuffs on a single skill—both of which are huge for setting up your damage dealers and keeping your team alive. He’s fast, reliable, and easy to slot into Dungeon, Clan Boss, Doom Tower, or Arena teams. What makes Stag Knight stand out is how much impact he brings with just one move—lowering enemy defenses while weakening their attack in the same breath. If you want a support that keeps your team alive and boosts your damage output at the same time, Stag Knight is a champion you’ll use from mid-game all the way through late-game ranked content.
Renegade is a niche but incredibly valuable Epic champion, especially for players running speed-tuned teams in late-game content. Her standout ability is her skill cooldown reduction, which allows your team to cycle powerful abilities much faster—making her essential in certain endgame compositions like Speed Nukers, Unkillable Clan Boss, and high-efficiency Dungeon runs. While she’s not a damage dealer or traditional support, her utility makes elite teams tick. She works best when paired with heavy hitters or champions with long cooldowns, helping them fire off ultimates more frequently. If you’re building serious speed comps or trying to shave seconds off your best runs, Renegade is a ranked sleeper pick that can take your team to the next level.
High Khatun is a speed-boosting support champion who’s perfect for players climbing through ranked and pushing progression content. As a free reward from the Login Program, she’s accessible to all players—and absolutely worth building. Her kit includes a team-wide speed buff and turn meter boost, which is crucial for taking the first turn in Arena and staying ahead in PvE content like Dungeons and Faction Wars. She also brings an AOE decrease speed debuff, helping to control enemy waves and bosses. High Khatun’s value lies in her ability to set the pace of the fight—literally. If you’re looking for a reliable turn control champion to speed up your runs and boost your entire team’s momentum, she’s a fantastic ranked pick to build early and keep around long term.
Seer is one of the most powerful wave-clearing champions in Raid: Shadow Legends, making her a top-tier pick for ranked content, especially in Dungeons and Doom Tower. Her devastating Karma Burn ability removes all buffs from allies and enemies to deal massive AOE damage based on the number of buffs stripped—meaning with the right team setup, she can one-shot entire waves in seconds. Seer shines in speed-farming comps where champions like Mausoleum Mage or Madame Serris stack buffs to fuel her nukes. While she’s not great in every situation, in the right setup, she’s unmatched for efficiency. If you’re looking to blaze through PvE content and shave time off your clears, Seer is an absolute must-build and a true ranked game-changer.
Tuhanarak is a powerful Legendary support champion known for her cleanse, block debuffs, and passive ally protection—making her a fantastic ranked pick for tough endgame content and high-tier Arena. Her kit keeps your team safe from crowd control and nasty debuffs, while her passive consistently removes a random debuff every turn, giving her huge value in long, grindy fights like Doom Tower, Hydra, and Clan Boss. Tuhanarak also brings AOE buffs and healing, allowing her to play both defensive support and sustain roles at once. She doesn’t need a complex setup to shine—just good speed and smart timing. If you want a reliable support who keeps your team clean, alive, and ready to fight, Tuhanarak is a standout one-trick pick for ranked progression.
Rotos the Lost Groom is a powerhouse Legendary champion built for dominating in ranked Arena and PvE alike. He’s known for his brutal single-target damage, unkillable mechanics, and his ability to ignore defense, block revive, and scale into late fights like few others can. His kit is designed to punish tanky teams and revive-heavy comps—once he starts rolling, it’s hard to stop him. Rotos also becomes incredibly annoying to kill thanks to his passive that prevents him from taking big bursts of damage. Whether you’re climbing Arena or smashing bosses, Rotos brings relentless pressure and serious carry potential. If you’re looking for a hard-hitting, self-sustaining nuker who can win fights solo, Rotos is a top-tier champion to build and dominate ranked with.
Prince Kymar is one of the smoothest champions to use in ranked, especially if you love fast runs and clean wave control. His skill reset gives your entire team a second wind—letting your nukers nuke again and your supports cycle their big cooldowns fast. On top of that, his AOE sleep shuts down enemies before they even get a turn, making him amazing in Arena and high-level Dungeons. Kymar is all about tempo—he speeds up your team, slows down the enemy, and makes everything feel effortless when played right. If you’re building a comp around speed, resets, and smooth clears, Prince Kymar is a must-have for ranked content.
Duchess Lilitu is one of the best support champions in the entire game, and an absolute nightmare to deal with in ranked Arena. Her kit brings everything you could want—team-wide block debuffs, revive, damage reduction, and even veil to protect your nukers. She makes your whole team harder to kill while giving you the tools to outlast and outplay almost any comp. In high-end Arena, she’s often the reason a team survives long enough to win. But she’s not just for PvP—she’s just as strong in Doom Tower, Hydra, and Faction Wars thanks to her sustain and utility. If you want a support that brings insane value every round and carries even the toughest fights, Duchess is a top-tier pick that belongs in every serious ranked roster.
Warlord is one of the most frustrating and powerful champions to face in ranked Arena—and that’s exactly why he’s so good. His infamous ability to fully lock out enemy skills by putting all their abilities on cooldown can instantly shut down entire enemy teams before the fight even starts. He’s the ultimate tempo controller, forcing opponents to rely on weak default attacks while your team goes to work. Add in solid healing, a strong shield, and tanky base stats, and Warlord becomes a nightmare to deal with in any high-level match. If you want to control the pace, throw off enemy game plans, and give your team a massive advantage right out the gate, Warlord is a top-tier one-trick pick for dominating ranked battles.
Taras the Fierce is a powerhouse Legendary champion who brings brutal single-target damage, strong control, and team protection all in one. He’s built for high-stakes ranked play, especially in Arena, where his passive punishes enemies for targeting his team, and his attacks hit incredibly hard—often nuking even tankier champions. What really sets Taras apart is his ability to both deal damage and defend, making him a rare blend of bruiser and protector. When paired with champions like Marichka, he becomes even more terrifying. If you want a champion that can bully through enemy teams, survive tough matchups, and keep your squad in the fight, Taras is a top-tier pick worth building for serious ranked progression.
Lydia the Deathsiren is one of the most complete debuffers in Raid: Shadow Legends and an absolute game-changer for ranked content—especially since she’s a free reward from Faction Wars. Her kit brings everything: Decrease Defense, Weaken, Block Buffs, and Fear, all packed into powerful AOE skills that make waves easier to handle and bosses easier to burn down. On top of that, she provides ally buffs like Strengthen and Speed, adding survivability and momentum to your team. Lydia doesn’t just support—she controls the fight from start to finish. If you’re serious about climbing and want a champion that fits into nearly every team and setup, Lydia is a no-brainer for ranked progression.
Marichka the Unbreakable is one of the strongest support champions in the game and an absolute force in ranked Arena. Her kit is packed with insane utility—she can revive allies, cleanse debuffs, boost turn meters, and even place Protected Strengthen and Increase Resistance, making her team incredibly hard to kill. Paired with champions like Taras, she becomes a nightmare for opponents, but even on her own, she brings more defensive value than most legendaries in the game. Her passive also helps your team recover from crowd control, making her clutch in high-pressure matches. If you’re looking for a support champion that can carry your team through tough fights and keep everyone alive through nearly anything, Marichka is one of the best one-trick picks in all of ranked content.
Siphi the Lost Bride is one of the most dominant support champions in all of Raid: Shadow Legends, and a staple in top-tier ranked Arena. Her kit is loaded with everything a high-level team needs: a fast-turn meter boost, a full heal, block debuffs, increased defense, and a revive with full turn meter. She also brings passive healing and crowd control resistance, making her incredibly hard to counter. Siphi’s speed and sustain can carry both defensive and offensive comps, and she fits just as well in Doom Tower and Hydra as she does in Arena. If you want a champion who keeps your team alive, moving fast, and always ready to fight, Siphi is an elite support that makes ranked progression feel effortless.
Arbiter is the queen of speed and one of the most essential champions for ranked progression in Raid: Shadow Legends. She’s accessible as a reward from the Arena missions, and once you unlock her, everything changes. Arbiter boosts your team’s turn meter, revives fallen allies, increases attack, and heals—giving you insane control over the pace of every fight. In Arena, she helps you go first and hit hard. In Dungeons and Clan Boss, she keeps your team alive and cycling cooldowns. Her value across all content is unmatched. If you’re serious about climbing ranked and dominating both PvP and PvE, Arbiter is the ultimate one-trick champion to build your team around.
Climbing the ranks in Raid: Shadow Legends takes smart team-building, and having the right champions can make all the difference. Whether you’re dominating in Arena, grinding Dungeons, or pushing late-game content, the 20 champions on this list are proven powerhouses that bring game-changing value to any lineup. From nukers and speed boosters to sustain supports and control champions, these picks offer the tools you need to win more fights, clear content faster, and climb higher with confidence. So whether you’re early-game or endgame, building around these champions will give you a serious edge in ranked progression.
Posted On: April 26th, 2025
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