Your first Danger 5 win — the five characters we'd pick

Danger 5 roughly doubles what the game asks of you compared to Danger 3: enemies are tankier, denser and hit harder, and the wave 20 boss has a lot more health. The characters that get through it first are not always the highest on the tier list; they are the ones whose scaling does not depend on a lucky shop.

1. Golem

Golem cannot heal, which sounds like a handicap and is instead a design that makes Armor your health bar. Max HP and Armor modifications scale 33% harder, and armor-scaling weapons like the Spiky Shield turn defence into attack. Build: Medieval set, Armor every shop, never a healing item.

2. Ranger

Ranger starts with +50 Range and ranged damage that scales 50% harder. The run plays itself from a distance. Build: Gun or Precise set, Ranged Damage, Range, Armor; skip Max HP since it is reduced.

3. Brawler

Brawler punches at +50% speed with Unarmed weapons and starts with +15% Dodge. Fists and Claws are cheap and common, so the rack completes early. Build: six Unarmed, Melee Damage, Dodge to 60, then Armor.

4. Engineer

Engineer scales one stat and the turrets do the fighting. Danger 5's density is what turrets are for. Build: Engineering, Tool weapons, structure items, Max HP early.

5. Loud

Loud takes +50% Enemies for +30% Damage, which on Danger 5 means an enormous material and XP income. Build: Armor early, then explosions and on-kill items; the crowd is the economy.

Why not the S tier?

Some of our S-tier characters (King, Arms Dealer) peak higher but depend on the shop cooperating. For a first Danger 5 win, consistency beats ceiling.

The common thread

All five buy Armor earlier than feels natural. On Danger 5 the question is never whether you deal enough damage by wave 20; it is whether you are alive at wave 12. Read each one's page in the character guides for the mistake that ends their runs.