While that’s hardly unusual for fighting games, I was a bit surprised to see that some Multiversus characters are noticeably more complex. Don’t be fooled by the title’s crossover cuteness; there is a real platform fighter at the heart of this game, and that means having to learn and master various fighters in order to get ahead. Before we dive into that, though, here are a few things you should know about these rankings.
This is not a tier list or general power ranking of the Multiversus characters. The purpose of this list is to rank the game’s currently available characters by how hard they are to learn. This list assumes you have little to no experience with platform fighters and are playing Multiversus for the first time. A character’s skill floor is the most important factor in terms of rankings. The easier it is to get the most out of a character as soon as possible, the “lower” they rank on this list. Having said that, every character’s overall power level did influence the rankings somewhat. So, if two characters are roughly as complicated and one doesn’t currently seem to be as powerful as the other, the latter character was sometimes ranked a bit higher because it’s harder to get more out of them. Finally, your experience will vary. Some players will take to a more complicated character surprisingly quickly, while others may struggle with an “easier” character. These rankings are a reflection of the game’s built-in expertise system, community feedback, and personal experience.
With that out of the way, here is every Multiversus character in the closed alpha ranked easiest to hardest. Shaggy is your basic platform fighter brawler. He prefers to get up close, and he’s ultimately working towards building his rage meter to pull off devastating special attacks. While properly playing Shaggy means learning to spot opportunities to fill that rage meter as fast as possible, it’s really not that complicated of a mechanic. Your rage meter fills up pretty quickly through the natural course of play, and it’s easy enough to spot opportunities to fill it from a distance. Overall, Shaggy is pretty easy to learn and not that difficult to master, especially when you consider his power potential
14. Wonder Woman
While Wonder Woman isn’t quite the special attack-fuelled powerhouse you may suspect she’d be, this legendary superhero is absolutely one of the best beginner characters. As a Tank, Wonder Woman is designed to absorb damage for both her and her partner. That means she’s not only naturally able to take more punishment than non-Tank characters but also come equipped with a variety of useful moves that offer additional defenses or can keep opponents at a distance. Overall, Wonder Woman’s mix of melee attacks, high natural defenses, and complementary abilities makes her an ideal starting character. As a tank, Superman also benefits from some of the defensive buffs that Wonder Woman enjoys. Unlike Wonder Woman, Superman has a few more creative abilities up his sleeve, including an Ice Breath attack that can freeze enemies solid after a long enough period of exposure. He’s also one of the only characters capable of performing an upward dodge. You’ll have to spend a little more time learning some of Superman’s additional abilities, but he’s still closer to a “pick-up-and-play” character than most.
12. Harley Quinn
While some of Multiversus’ assassin characters are actually relatively complicated, it’s surprisingly easy to get the hang of Harley Quinn’s kit. Aside from a unique “Confetti Debuff” ability that can eventually cause opponents to take damage over time, Harley’s abilities are pretty simple. She’s got some creative melee attacks, she has access to a couple of nice ranged abilities, and her Jerk-In-The-Box proximity mine is surprisingly valuable. Quinn is just well-equipped to handle a variety of situations with moves that aren’t that difficult to get the hang of. She’s also quite powerful. Taz is a Bruiser character who is actually capable of applying a debuff over time that eventually turns opponents into mostly helpless roasted chickens. When Taz attacks those chickens, he generates dropped items that can heal him and his teammates. Keeping with that theme, Taz is also capable of eating enemies and either chewing on them (which deals damage) or spitting them out (which is a great way to buy yourself some space or use your enemies as a projectile). He can also spit out apples, which is a nice little additional projectile ability that progresses an enemy’s debuff meter. Taz’s tornado attacks certainly take some getting used to (they’re the ones that require a little more practice with your timing), but he’s a powerful character who can really annoy an opponent through somewhat simple attacks.
10. Finn
Another assassin character that isn’t that tricky to learn, Finn’s main gimmick is the fact that he needs to stay on the move as much as possible in order to charge some of his abilities. He also earns gold from attacking opponents, which acts as both a buff and grants Finn access to additional abilities. Fortunately, most of Finn’s attacks are designed to allow him to stay on the move and safely generate a respectable amount of coins. As long as you’re ok with a basic “hit and run” strategy, you should be able to make the most out of Finn’s quick (and sometimes devastating) special melee abilities. You’ll rarely be doing much with him at longer ranges, which is kind of a blessing in disguise if that’s not your specialty as a player. Unfortunately, Finn’s Sweet Deals ability (which requires him to stop and open up a shop to buy buffs and companions) is kind of hard to properly use during the middle of a match. It can also be challenging to recover with Finn if you get out of rhythm with him. Still, he’s definitely on the “easier” side of these rankings. Velma is one of Multiversus’ rare (or at least currently rare) Support characters. While that means she is especially skilled at helping teammates, many of her abilities still deal damage. Actually, her ability to collect “evidence” from enemies and eventually summon a police car that stuns foes is shockingly powerful. In general, she excels at keeping opponents away from her, which is a nice trait when you’re just learning the ropes. It will take you some time to get used to Velma’s Support playstyle, especially if you’re in a 1 vs. 1 scenario. However, her simplest attacks can do a lot of the legwork, and she’s a great option for those looking to assist a more experienced partner.
8. Jake
Fans seem torn on how “easy” Jake is at the moment. Some say that he’s the toughest character for them to really get the hang of, while others report that they figured him out instantly. As you can see, I’m somewhere in the middle of those two arguments. The thing about Jake is that his moveset certainly looks more complicated. He’s a brawler, but he’s a brawler who relies on his various transformation abilities. You’re going to have to shift shapes quite often to get the most out of him. It’s all about reading the situation and realizing when is the right time to change forms. However, I’ve found it to be fairly easy to get the hang of when to use Jake’s moves. As long as you’re ok with relying on a few basic (and still fairly strong) attacks while you’re figuring out the timing of his transformation abilities, you should be ok. Despite being listed as a Bruiser, Batman actually likes to keep his distance during most fights. His Batarang serves as a versatile little ranged attack, while his smoke bomb helps him escape tough situations and apply useful debuffs. You’re basically looking to “stick-and-move” with Batman. You don’t want to stay in the thick of most fights longer than it takes you to pull off a powerful uppercut. That evasive style of play certainly takes some getting used to, but if you’re ok with picking your fights more than you will with some other characters, Batman can still be a viable option for new players.
6. Bugs Bunny
Bugs Bunny is another one of those characters who some players just latch onto right away. However, I think that many new players will have at least a bit of trouble figuring out Bugs’ various abilities and when to use them. As a “Mage” character, Bugs is more dependent on his special attacks than most. That means that you’re going to have to work to keep your distance while managing the cooldowns and ranges of some special abilities. If you’re not especially good at landing ranged attacks (or finding the right window for some of Bugs’ ranged attacks), you’re going to have a bad time as you watch other characters pound you into the ground. Resource management demands aside, Bugs’ abilities allow him to attack from a variety of angles and are fairly easy to get a hang of over a long enough period of time. Just don’t be surprised if you encounter a bit of a learning curve while you’re playing as him. Well, you may understand Reindog’s basic abilities pretty early, but it will take you some time to really figure out how to use them well. Most of Reindog’s attacks aren’t quite good enough to help them out of a jam and, unlike Velma, Reindog doesn’t benefit from a wide array of ranged deterrents. He has access to some notable ranged attacks, but they’re a little slow and lack the “get away from me now” appeal of other ranged abilities. I suspect Reindog’s Love Leash ability (which helps prevent your partner from being knocked off a stage) will end up being pretty useful in some team matchups, but Multiversus’ only original character so far definitely comes with a bit of a learning curve.
4. Garnet
As a Bruiser character, Garnet is designed to get in close and deal tremendous amounts of damage with powerful attacks. That should mean that she’s naturally easier to play than some other ranged characters and others who rely on complex movements. However, Garnet’s slow attacks and longer cooldown abilities make her surprisingly difficult to master. Nearly every move in her arsenal is a home run swing. They’re incredible to land and devastating to miss. You’ve really got to get a feel for the windows some of her cooldown-based abilities require, and that means putting up with the pain of missing a big attack and leaving yourself vulnerable to all kinds of punishment. Generally speaking, I don’t think it will take new players long to understand the basics of Garnet’s moves and how they all contribute to her hard-hitting playstyle. However, it will take most players a little longer than that to figure out how to use all of her considerable abilities properly. However, it turns out that Arya’s most important ability (Face-Stealer) basically makes her the Kirby of the Multiversus roster. See, Arya can either use that ability to stun an opponent (presumably from the shock of suddenly fighting themselves) or to “steal” their Neutral Attack ability and use it up to five times. While that ability can give Arya’s basic moveset an extra layer or two, properly using it means really knowing your opponents and when to best utilize very specific abilities. Indeed, there are times when you’ll simply use “face steals” as a stun if the matchup/situation isn’t right for that theft ability. On top of that, getting the most out of Arya’s attacks means dodging incoming attacks and eventually earning a brief “backstab buff.” It can be a lot to keep up with, though Arya’s overall power level makes a case for putting up with her learning curve.
2. Steven Universe
While this isn’t strictly a power ranking, there are times when a character’s slightly more complicated moveset is further complicated by their situational playstyle and relative strength. Steven Universe is probably Multiversus’ clearest example of such a situation. As a Support character, it makes sense that Steven isn’t as equipped to take care of himself in the ways other characters are. What’s slightly harder to deal with is just how defensive he really is. Getting the most out of him means learning to dodge incoming attacks so that you can generate a shield that protects both you and your partner. While often useful, it can be very difficult to consistently spawn that shield while still managing Steven’s somewhat strange attacks that aren’t really intended to do incredible amounts of direct damage. A really good Steven Universe player should be one of the most annoying opponents in the game. However, becoming a really good Steven Universe player is going to be an uphill battle. There’s just a lot to keep up with when you decide to play as Tom and Jerry. Many of their abilities often leave one character or the other vulnerable, and they often depend on the confusion of the average battle for attack windows. While they’re often the source of that confusion (and their ability to deflect projectiles is certainly useful), don’t be surprised to pick Tom and Jerry only to find that Bruisers and Tanks are all over you before you can really make the most of their tandem-based projectile abilities. Much like Steven Universe, Tom and Jerry’s potential is obvious. They’re an incredibly versatile duo that can really get under someone’s skin. Whether you stick with them long enough to really unlock that potential is going to be the big question.
