Best Co-op Carries Tier List: Who Should Deal Damage in Multiplayer?
In STS2 co-op, not all characters are built to carry — the carry is the player responsible for dealing the majority of team damage while allies provide block, debuffs, and utility. After the Devour the Tower tournament (May 25) and weeks of community data, we now have a clear picture of who carries hardest. This tier list ranks all 5 characters as primary DPS carries in 2/3/4-player teams.
🥇 Necrobinder — Support-DPS Hybrid God
Why S-Tier: Necrobinder won 6/10 top finishes in Devour the Tower, and for good reason. Gravebind (+25% team damage to target) benefits every teammate simultaneously. Mark of the End applies AoE Doom, enabling executes for the entire team — not just yourself. Doom executes share across the team — any player can trigger a Doom execute once stacks are applied, making Necrobinder the only character who enables kills for allies while dealing top-tier damage themselves.
Best Duo Partners: Silent (Sly Discard boosted by Gravebind), Ironclad (Exhaust fodder + Gravebind amplify)
Tournament Performance: 6/10 Devour the Tower top finishes. 100% pick rate in top 8.
🥈 Silent — The Glass Cannon
Why A-Tier: 35.6% solo WR translates directly to co-op. Sly Discard cycles so fast that Silent can output damage every turn while allies focus on blocking. Downside: zero team utility. Silent doesn't buff allies, debuff enemies (outside of Weak), or provide block to teammates. She's a pure DPS slot — you bring Silent when the rest of the team handles defense and utility.
Best Duo Partners: Necrobinder (Gravebind), Defect (Frost orbs provide block so Silent can go full aggro)
🥉 Ironclad — The Tank-Carry
Why A-Tier: Exhaust Engine + Juggernaut (buffed to 6 in v0.107.0) makes Ironclad the tankiest carry in co-op. While dealing competitive damage, Ironclad can self-sustain with Reaper + Strength scaling, reducing the support burden on allies. In 3-player teams, Ironclad + Necrobinder + Defect is the statistically strongest comp (Devour the Tower data).
Best Duo Partners: Defect (Frost orbs), Necrobinder (Gravebind + AoE Doom)
Defect — The Setup Carry
Why B-Tier: Defect can carry if the team survives the first 4 turns. Focus + Frost + Blizzard is a slow-but-inevitable win condition. In co-op, allies can provide the early-game block Defect lacks while orbs scale. However, Defect's 22.8% solo WR reflects how often runs die before orbs come online — and co-op enemy HP scaling (2× for duo, 3× for trio) makes setup even harder.
When to Pick as Carry: 3-4 player teams with dedicated block support (Ironclad/Regent tanking). Avoid as solo carry in 2-player teams.
Regent — The Off-Tank, Not a DPS
Why C-Tier: Regent's 21.2% WR reflects the reality: this character is not a primary DPS. Monarch's Gaze buff (3→2 cost) helped, but the archetype still deals less damage than any other character. Regent shines as an off-tank/support hybrid — Reflect + block stacking provides team-wide defense, and Regent's minion summons draw enemy aggro, protecting the actual carry. Don't draft Regent expecting to top the damage charts.
Role in Teams: Block anchor + aggro magnet. Pair with Silent or Necrobinder as the actual DPS.
Optimal Team Compositions by Player Count
| Team Size | Best Comp | Carry | Support |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2-Player | Necrobinder + Silent | Silent (DPS) | Necrobinder (Hybrid) |
| 3-Player | Ironclad + Necrobinder + Defect | Ironclad + Necrobinder (Split) | Defect (Frost) |
| 4-Player | All except double-up except Regent | Necrobinder + Silent | Defect + Ironclad |
Also check: Co-op Multiplayer Guide · Co-op Team Comps · Co-op Synergy Deep Dive