Survivors' Character Designs - a Tier List
As of this day, there are 17 original survivors in the game. I'm a bit of a nut for lore and character design, so I thought I'd make a tier list of how good each character's design is (how well their look flows together, how good their color palette, how well their appearance reflects their lore, etc.). Licensed characters are not included because BHVR didn't design them.
The tier list ranges from C tier, meaning the most boring and bland designs, all the way to S tier, meaning unique designs that reflect the character's lore quite well. The position of a character in a tier determines how high or low they are in that tier (the more to the right they are, the worse they are). Obviously, when it comes to appearance, I'll be talking about their default cosmetics.
C TIER
Most of the characters here are the original 4 of the game - my belief is that their design was intended to be bland, as they were supposed to represent the average Joe's that get killed nonchalantly in campy horror movies.
- FENG
Unpopular opinion: Feng is, in my opinion, the most bland character in the game. She feels more like a dev self-insert than a character. Her appearance has no nuance: she just wears a simple pro-gamer fit, which does fit her lore quite well, but even her lore is... lackluster. There's no nuance or detail here.
- JAKE
I always joke with my friends that Jake is the ugliest character in the game, and for good reason. His look suffers from a drab and dull color palette, making it hard for any detail or nuance to pop out. His tattered clothes do fit his "survivalist" theme, but Jake honestly just feels unpleasant to look at.
- CLAUDETTE
Claudette looks like a regular civilian you'd cross on the street. Her design is boring, and it doesn't have a single neat detail about it. Without reading her lore, you really wouldn't have a clue of who she is. Worse of all, she shares a similar color palette with Meg, for some reason, making the two somewhat blend together.
- DWIGHT
Dwight represents your everyday man, a.k.a. you, the player. His office look, with the shirt and tie, reflects his lore well, and there are a few nice details about his design. His grimace and twisted glasses hint at his cowardly nature, and the tiny string bracelets on his wrist are an unexpected element. But other than that, he has a very "normal" design.
B TIER
Now onto B tier! These characters might have one or two interesting details about them, but still suffers from boring designs or uninspired colors.
- JEFF
Jeff is a very boring interpretation of the metalhead cliché. I feel like whoever wrote for his character knew this, and tried to subvert expectations by making him look scarred and hardened, but actually be a softie in the lore. But there's really nothing about Jeff that we haven't seen elsewhere.
- NEA
Nea fits the part as the campfire's "rebel". Her beanie, her defiant look, the chains on her cuffed jeans, and her skate sneakers are all good clues as to who she is. Her only fault is having rather dull colors in her outfit. Also, you'd think the Entity would look a bit more unique.
- DAVID
David's always fighting in the lore, and this is shown perfectly in his rugged face and crooked nose. But he honestly looks a bit too old for what he should be (lore points towards mid-twenties, he looks like he's 35). A personal gripe of mine is that his face and haircut look boring: his mullet cosmetic looks so much more interesting on him, especially with that red rose tattoo. It should have been his default look.
- MEG
Meg's design isn't all that special, compared to the others in the original cast, but it is better put together than the others. Her color palette is on fleek: the red from her shirt goes very well with the dark, vibrant blue of her sweatpants. Also, her shirt matches with her shoes, making for a pleasant-looking outfit that also perfectly reflects her lore. You look at her for the first time and go: this chick is definitely a track star or something.
- ACE
I know Ace deserves S tier simply for being a Chad... but unfortunately, he is one of many survivors to suffer from boring, looking clothes, with boring colors. However, he is very high in this tier because he's full of interesting details that tell a story: his trademark smirk, obviously, his sunglasses, and we can also see that he wears a wedding ring...
A TIER
Now onto some really good designs! These characters are well put together, and reflect their backstories quite well, with only being held back from S tier due to their simplicity, and sometimes lack of detail.
- ADAM
Adam's design is incredibly simple, but it all goes hand-in-hand. With a glimpse, you could guess that he's a teacher. You wouldn't think that a brown color palette would be interesting (I sure wouldn't), yet Adam's colors are very pleasant to look at. His dark skin, along with his dark tie, pants and vest, are beautifully contrasted by his beige overcoat, which creates a very pleasant contrast. His hair looks a bit wonky (especially in-game), and his design does lack detail, but I appreciate its efficiency.
- ZARINA
Zarina is incredibly fashionable. I love her jacket and scarf, which complement her gorgeous boots. As we all know, Zarina is a journalist, and her outfit perfectly paints this picture for us: someone who wants to look respectable. And of course, in every cosmetic, you'll see that Zarina carries around a tape recorder on her belt: a neat little detail.
- ÉLODIE
Élodie has the simplest design in this tier, but there are quite a few elements about it that are so pleasant to me. I love her beautiful hair and the earrings, but what I like the most is her shirt: it has a very unique pattern and a vibrant orange color, which really pops out from all the black, brown and white in her outfit.
- JANE
Thicc. Other than that, Jane also has a very simple design, but an efficient one. Her gorgeous suit shows us that this is someone who spends a lot of time in front of the cameras, and clearly cares about ratings (notice the unbuttoned shirt).
S TIER
Ah. S tier. The characters here all have near-perfect design. They reflect their lore well, have beautiful color palettes, are pleasant to look at, and are rich in detail.
- KATE
Kate is a country singer, and this is perfectly mirrored in her wardrobe. The cowboy boots, the shorts, and the bandana top with the beautiful patterns. And of course, what I love the most: her tattoos. Kate is a very attractive character, but what really makes her design so good is how well it reflects her personality, and how rich it is in detail.
- FELIX
Felix has a somewhat simpler design, but he stands out so much amongst the other male characters. The other guys in the cast look like regular dudes, but you can tell just from a glance that Felix is someone big. His gorgeous indigo suit and expression tell us immediately that this is someone wealthy, but not exactly arrogant. How all of this is conveyed just from his portrait is what makes his design so good.
- YUN-JIN
Yun-Jin perfectly looks like someone who you would find in the music industry. Everything about her is extravagant and eccentric: the bleached hair, the aggressive lipstick shade, the white fur coat over the purple shirt - but then there's a beautiful contrast with her skirt and shoes that makes her outfit so colorful, yet so classy. Gorgeous design that goes hand in hand with the lore.
- YUI
In my opinion, the best character design in the game: Yui. She has so much detail, yet doesn't feel over-designed. Yui's a street-racer from Japan, and her outfit perfectly conveys it. Her purple sportswear beautifully contrasts with the pink details in her outfit: the bandana around the wrist, the crop top, and those goggles which nestle underneath her blonde hair, which help to break the colors a little bit. I also love her motorcycle boots, along with the writing on her jacket and the logo behind.
As you've just seen, she's one of the few characters with, like, 6 or 8 interesting details about her. There's so much going on in her design, but everything flows together so well. And, I must admit, I'm a sucker for purple/pink/blue color palettes, which she has.
CONCLUSION
And there it is! Feel free to tell me if you agree/disagree! I'm also working on a character design tier list for killers, so tell me if that would be interesting.
Comments
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I think Jeff’s look is pretty solid. It’s kinda basic but they were going for a clear theme and it worked just like Kate or Jane but gets a lot better once you read into his lore
The scar Jeff has is more so a permanent reminder of his old life as a roadie and how it affected his life.
One thing I like too is how all of his cosmetics (barring the mad max one) are all of him at different points in his life from being a roadie to being at an art exhibit when he’s older.
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