Dark Scrolls Hero Tier List: All 9 Heroes Ranked 2026

This Dark Scrolls hero tier list ranks all nine characters by consistency, Shoppe synergy, and ceiling. The game doesn't have a lot of wrong hero picks. Every one of doinksoft's nine characters can clear the game. What the tier list actually measures is how much the hero helps itself, how forgiving it is when you make a mistake, and how high its ceiling gets once the Shoppe starts stacking perks. Some heroes demand almost nothing of you. Others hand you the tools to wreck a dungeon if you put in the work.

TL;DR: Grizz is the safest top-tier pick, consistent from the first room to the final boss. Pigeon has the higher execution ceiling. Biscuit and Nezumi sit in A tier once unlocked, while Quinn, Emerys, Saturn, Confit, and Ironbeard fill the more specialized B/C group. The official manual confirms all nine names and every special, so this list does not leave unnamed roster slots.

Dark Scrolls hero tier list: quick answer

Grizz and Pigeon are the top two. Grizz wins on accessibility, Pigeon wins on execution ceiling. Biscuit is a strong co-op pick once you free it, and Nezumi takes real learning but pays off. Quinn, Emerys, Saturn, Confit, and Ironbeard are more specialized rather than undocumented.

S tier: Grizz and Pigeon

Grizz is the barbarian built around axe-lobbing and ground-pounding attacks. The official manual names his special Axe Nova: a circle of bouncing axes flies across the screen when the Star Meter is full. That gives Grizz a simple, legible damage plan without relying on the old, unsupported "sneeze" name or a made-up chain formula.

Shoppe compatibility is the other reason Grizz sits at the top. The manual says Shuriken spawns a bouncing shuriken when you shoot, while Thorns makes damage drain collected money instead of health unless the money is depleted. Allies add independent coverage. Almost nothing in the Shoppe needs a fabricated ricochet or contact-reflection description to make Grizz reliable across run variations.

Pigeon hurls dual daggers and has a double jump. Her special, Stealth, grants temporary invincibility and makes attacks deal critical hits. That gives her a high execution ceiling through active movement and special timing without claiming an undocumented downward dagger angle or multi-direction burst.

What Pigeon asks for in return is positioning discipline. The dual-dagger kit and double jump reward players who keep moving with the run, while Stealth is best saved for a dangerous contact window or a high-value critical-hit sequence. This ranking treats her as a high-ceiling pick, not as a character with an unverified attack angle.

GODEEPER: The Shoppe is where both heroes multiply. Understand which perks compound and which ones don't before your next run. Dark Scrolls Best Builds: All 9 Heroes Ranked 2026 →

Each hero in Dark Scrolls has a completely different attack pattern: the tier list separates consistent performers from high-ceiling picks based on Shoppe synergy and attack coverage.

A tier: Biscuit and Nezumi

Biscuit requires an in-run unlock: free the dog from its cage during the stage 1 boss fight. Missing the cage means no Biscuit. Once unlocked, Biscuit is permanently on the roster and immediately competes with Grizz for second-best overall.

Biscuit's barks pierce enemies, and the manual describes a bouncy double jump. The special is Scary Bark, which stuns every enemy on screen. That screen-wide stun creates a real co-op setup window; there is no need to invent a pinball form, infinite jump, or contact-damage special.

In co-op, Biscuit is one of the strongest setup characters. Scary Bark can stun every enemy on screen while the partner repositions or attacks. The Steam page confirms that co-op supports combining attacks and reviving a fallen partner; exact ghost edge cases are covered separately and sourced to a third-party guide.

Nezumi is the saxophone rat. The Devolver marketing told players not to pick Nezumi, which was a deliberate bit to make it the most-picked hero at launch. The honest assessment: Nezumi is the hardest hero to play and the most rewarding once it makes sense.

Nezumi uses saxophone magic. The manual specifies 1 = UP, 0 = FORWARD, and 2 = DOWN; notes roll over after five, double-jumping sends the stored notes as homing projectiles and clears the sax, and Perform attempts the song. A valid song clears the sax and triggers its associated named effect for both players. That is a distinctive learning curve, but the manual does not justify the old "16+ effects" count.

The cost is attention split between movement, enemies, and note sequences simultaneously. During learning runs Nezumi underperforms. After practice, the gap closes fast.

B/C tier: Quinn, Emerys, Saturn, Confit, Ironbeard

Emerys fires bouncy fireballs and can blink-dash. His Orbitals special summons magical orbs that damage enemies and destroy projectiles. That combination gives him both a forgiving projectile pattern and a concrete defensive tool, but it is not an orb shield.

The ceiling on Emerys is lower than Grizz or Pigeon in this ranking because his value depends on fireball paths and timing Orbitals around incoming projectiles. Ally perks can add coverage, while the manual-defined projectile destruction makes Orbitals the special to plan around.

Quinn shifts between walking and flying, fires love-infused arrows, and uses Aura for a healing ring plus a temporary fire-rate increase. Saturn flies with an alien machine gun; Abduct is a tractor beam that pulls in enemies, coins, and props and improves ammo capacity, fire rate, and firepower through the gained experience. Confit flips steaks, and Cook launches damaging food or creates hearts. Ironbeard launches pickaxes, makes temporary platforms with double-jumps, and uses Tinker to build a cannon that fires cannonballs. They are specialized choices, not undocumented characters.

GODEEPER: Co-op changes which heroes matter most. Biscuit in particular jumps a full tier in group play. Dark Scrolls Co-op Guide: Ghost System and Hero Pairings →

Solo vs co-op tier differences

The tier list above is calibrated for solo play. Co-op reshapes it.

Biscuit moves into S tier in co-op. Scary Bark has obvious partner value because it stuns every enemy on screen while a partner repositions or attacks. Grizz stays in S tier because his straightforward axe and ground-pound kit remains reliable when a partner is drawing enemy attention.

Nezumi drops slightly in co-op viability, not because it's weaker, but because managing note sequences while coordinating with a partner is cognitively heavier. Experienced Nezumi players can still carry games. For new co-op pairs, Grizz and Biscuit is the strongest pairing.

Emerys and Pigeon pair well together: Pigeon handles aggressive forward positioning while Emerys provides safe rear screen coverage. The playstyle types complement each other without competing for the same dungeon space.

Co-op changes the tier picture: Biscuit jumps to S tier for its stun coverage on recovering partners, while Pigeon and Emerys pair well because they occupy different spatial roles.

How Shoppe perks change the tier picture

The rankings above assume a mixed Shoppe. If you're building around a specific perk, the picture shifts.

Shuriken runs favor Grizz and Pigeon because both already shoot projectiles. The manual's description is narrower than the old tier-list claim: shooting spawns a bouncing shuriken; it does not document a ricochet multiplier on every hero projectile.

Ally builds favor Biscuit in co-op and Emerys in solo. Allies provide steady screen coverage and don't require the hero to stay at front range, which suits Emerys's float pattern.

Thorns is a defensive economy tradeoff rather than contact reflection. The manual says damage drains money instead of health unless money is depleted, so rank it by how comfortable you are spending coins to preserve HP, not by a fabricated on-contact proc.

Don't split perks between categories without a reason. The star meter feeds burst attacks and threshold perks on every hero, which means consistent attacking is always the right instinct regardless of which category you're building.

The same build-around-your-roster logic shows up in bigger games too: our Arknights Endfield tier list ranks all 29 operators the same way, by what a run actually needs rather than raw numbers.

For the exact unlock steps, use the Dark Scrolls unlock guide. For detailed Shoppe priorities, see the Dark Scrolls best builds guide.

Step-by-Step: choosing a Dark Scrolls hero

1. Start with Grizz if you want the simplest documented special loop: axe-lobbing, ground-pounding, and Axe Nova.
2. Choose Pigeon or Nezumi when you want a higher execution ceiling through Stealth timing or saxophone song inputs.
3. In co-op, consider Biscuit for Scary Bark's screen-wide stun or Emerys for Orbitals' projectile destruction, then check the Dark Scrolls co-op guide before building the pairing.

Frequently Asked Questions

Who is the best hero in Dark Scrolls? Grizz is the best all-around hero for this ranking. His axe-lobbing and ground-pounding kit is easy to read, and Axe Nova creates a circle of bouncing axes when the Star Meter is full. He works with a broad range of Shoppe perks and has a forgiving starting loop.

Is Pigeon better than Grizz in Dark Scrolls? Pigeon has a higher ceiling than Grizz but a steeper learning curve. Her dual daggers, double jump, and Stealth special reward active movement and critical-hit timing. For most players, Grizz is the safer pick.

How do you unlock Biscuit in Dark Scrolls? Free the dog from the cage during the first stage's boss fight. Biscuit joins your permanent roster immediately and can be selected from the hero screen on any future run. Missing the cage means no Biscuit until you attempt that stage again.

Is Nezumi good in Dark Scrolls? Nezumi is very strong once you understand the song inputs. The manual specifies a five-note buffer and a Perform special that triggers a valid song's named effect for both players. The learning investment is higher than most heroes, but the kit is mechanically distinctive.

What makes Emerys different from the other heroes? Emerys fires bouncy fireballs, can blink-dash, and uses Orbitals to summon magical orbs that damage enemies and destroy projectiles. That projectile-destruction effect gives him a concrete defensive angle without requiring an orb-shield claim.

How many heroes are in Dark Scrolls total? Dark Scrolls has 9 heroes: Grizz, Pigeon, Emerys, Biscuit, Quinn, Confit, Ironbeard, Saturn, and Nezumi. Grizz, Pigeon, and Emerys start unlocked; the official manual lists the exact trigger for each other hero.

Related Reading

• Dark Scrolls: Devolver Co-op Roguelike Launches June 22: Dark Scrolls launches June 22, 2026 from doinksoft (Gato Roboto, Gunbrella) and Devolver. A co-op
• Dark Scrolls Unlock Heroes Guide: All 9 Characters: Dark Scrolls unlock heroes: 3 start free (Grizz, Pigeon, Emerys). Biscuit needs the Stage 1
• Dark Scrolls Dungeon Guide: All Floors and Stage Threats: Floor-by-floor breakdown of enemy patterns and how hero choice affects stage priorities.
• Dark Scrolls Review: 9 Heroes, One Sharp Roguelite: Full assessment of the game's design, Shoppe system, and co-op performance.
• Dark Scrolls Tips: Beginner Guide for New Players: First-run fundamentals including star meter use and Shoppe decision-making.

References

• Dark Scrolls on Steam: Release info, features, community hub
• Dark Scrolls official instruction manual (PDF): official roster, specials, unlocks, routes, perks, trinkets, and Nezumi songs
• Dark Scrolls official Steam announcements: official hero posts, including Saturn, Biscuit, Quinn, Confit, and Ironbeard
• Devolver Digital: Dark Scrolls: Publisher page, official character descriptions
• Gamespress: Dark Scrolls launch release: Official press release with character descriptions including Confit and Saturn
• Nintendo Life: Dark Scrolls review: Independent review with hero analysis