Reverse: 1999 | Top 10 Characters

Reverse: 1999 is a really ambitious project that has entered a really crowded gacha market, competing with games that have truly popularized the genre, like Genshin Impact, Honkai Star Rail, Blue Archive, etc. The plot is amazing, too. You have the setting in the year 1999, but it's an alternate version of our world where humans coexist with magical creatures.

There's also the presence of a supernatural event, a rain that causes time to move backward. Both the plot and the gameplay of Reverse: 1999 can keep you busy for hours of gameplay, but what remains as a hook that lures the players into gacha games are the characters. So, based on my 100+ hours of playthrough, here are the top 10 Reverse: 1999 characters that will help you get started or further your game sense.

1. Ezra [Ezra Character Guide]

Ezra is a formidable tank with strong support and special skills, including mushrooms. He covers for the squad, amplifies damage and survival with buffs, and provides advantageous advantages in battles.

Ezra's skills include skill 1, which scales attack and Genesis damage towards two targets; skill 2, which gives the squad a one-turn shield with 2000 HP; and skill 3, which provides offense bonuses like Eureka and Moxy.

Mushroom mechanics include Red Mushroom-Honey Fungus and Blue Mushroom-Ghost Fungus-allies critical damage enhancement. Ezra's ultimate and mushroom effects offer buffs and debuffs based on Moxy and support the squad during damage windows. He excels in protracted encounters and can be used with high-damage skills.

2. Isolde [Isolde Character Guide]

Isolde is a versatile character in Reverse: 1999, known for her offensive support capabilities and debuff-focused strategies. She is designed with an operatic theme and has three phases: Prelude, Interlude, and Finale.

Isolde's main attack skill is Twirling Melody, which gains penetration as she progresses. Desired Freedom is a critical debuff that reduces enemy defense. Choking on Blood is her ultimate skill, causing 5 stacks of burn damage on enemies.

To maximize Isolde's potential, equip specific Psychubes and enhancements, such as Knock on the Door, Blaze of Night, Balance Pea, or Yearning Desire. Isolde can work with both attack and crit-focused builds.

3. Jessica [Jessica Character Guide]

Jessica, a powerful DPS character, is the heart of the poison team, boosting her damage by applying poison to enemies. She has inside passives related to poison, such as insight 1, giving a 20% damage bonus against poison enemies, and insight 3, allowing her to apply a stack of poison whenever she attacks an enemy not currently poisoned.

Jessica's AOE skill, Good Friends, has a base multiplier of 135% and can increase to 165% if the target has debuffs. For Resonate, the standard attack, crit, and attack plus damage bonus build is recommended. To use Jessica to her full potential, a poison support team is essential. Bkornblume and Sotheby are the best teams to play with Jessica, as they provide damage bonuses from her insight and Blasphemous of Night.

4. Kaala Baunaa [Kaala Baunaa Character Guide]

Kaalaa Baunaa is a powerful character in Reverse: 1999 Guide, known for her Planet and Divination Buffs. She has three types of planets: Red, Yellow, and White. Each orb has three functions: stat boost, insight, and ultimate will.

The oldest orb is discarded, providing a divination buff. Kaala's Ultimate Will discards all orbs and consumes the Divination bonus, healing her for 84% of the damage. The most discarded orb gives her a free rank 3 incantation attack, benefiting from Brave New World trigger and incantation might from White orbs.

To play her effectively, it is recommended to be content with rank 2 follow-ups and not force rank 3 follow-ups. For her Psychube, Brave New World is recommended, along with Luxurious Leisure, Hopscotch, or His Bounden Duty.

5. Charlie [Charlie Character Guide]

Charlie is a main DPS with HP and Buff skills, which require time to build but are worth it. She has two one-target attacks, one dealing more mental damage if she is wearing buffs and the other dealing more damage if her health is over 80 percent.

After Insight 3, she can boost permanently if her health is above fifty percent, receiving a damage boost bonus and damage mitigation buffs. Charlie's ultimate ability is a Mass Attack that dispels all foes' buffs before the damage is dealt, making her a valuable addition to the metagame.

However, she has a slow base critical hit and only deals C damage. To improve her, use Psychube, such as Oli Psychube or Windsong Psychube, and her attack cards after the ultimate.

6. Windsong [Windsong Character Guide]

Windsong is a powerful single-target DPS with a unique playstyle, allowing her to hoard numerous incantations and unleash them all at once with her ultimate. Her kit includes an Eureka mechanic, Measure, a stacking buff, and Preparation-Windsong.

The Eureka mechanic converts excess critical rate into critical damage, while the Measure mechanic grants a 3% critical rate and critical damage per stack. Preparation-Windsong is crucial for maintaining her rotation and can be stacked. However, it is not refreshed when used with a tuning skill.

Windsong's gameplay involves loading up cards and stacking buffs before using her ultimate. To optimize her stacking, use her skill 2 every turn and keep as many pre-cast versions of her skill 1 as possible by fusing them. The new tuning skill allows for faster rotation and generating pre-cast versions of both skill 1 and skill 2 of a selected character.

Jiu Niangzi's Psychube is stronger than Windsong's signature when fully stacked, giving up to 50% critical damage and 28% critical rate. For secondary support or sub-DPS, choose 37 for synergy, as she deals Genesis damage and counts as a follow-up attack. 6 is a solid option for cover and healing, while Tooth Fairy and Vila work well with Villa.

7. Kakania [Kakania Character Guide]

Kakania, also known as "Kakia," is a powerful support character with abilities similar to those of a paladin. She boosts her team's endurance by absorbing half of the damage directed at her teammates and providing passive healing.

Kakania's kit revolves around a resource called Empathy, which allows her to store 10% of damage every time she is dealt. She also absorbs 50% of the damage taken by her teammates and can heal her entire team for 10% of her Max HP. When healed, she can deal damage equal to 100% of her current Empathy to all enemies.

Kakania's ultimate ability is High Burst Potential, which deals 400% of her attack as mental damage and unleashes Genesis damage equal to ten times her current Empathy. She has several skills, including Basic Attack, Buff and Self-Heal Mechanic, and HP resonance focus. Kakania's team synergy and strategy include burst damage dealers like Wison, healers like Vira and Tooth Fairy, and low-health buff synergies like SOS and Jay.

8. Lucy [Lucy Character Guide]

Lucy, the second true limited unit in Reverse: 1999, is a powerful fighter who can clear mobs when paired with the right squad. To maximize her potential, master her dynamo and understand her Incantation Advancement system. Dynamo powers up her skills and allows her to advance one of her skills.

She gains Dynamo stacks by gaining Moxie and Eureka and defeating enemies with Data Iteration and Conservation of Energy. Lucy's ultimate is a game-changer, granting her Pragmatist, leadership, and charge animations. However, her ultimate is Advanced, granting Overcharge Ammunition and starting with 1 Moxy.

Lucy has two phases in battles. The first phase focuses on Dynamo management. During this phase, focus on generating Dynamo to advance Lucy's skills quickly. Fusing Lucy's skills is a good strategy, as it allows her to stack Buffs and speed up skill advancement.

After warming up, Lucy's rotation simplifies dramatically, with her overcharged ammo and five Moxies providing additional Dynamos. Getian is a preferred Dynamo generator, and her ultimate is used every two turns, allowing her Afflatus to buff almost permanently.

Teammate options include healers like Tooth Fairy and Villa, Eureka Generation characters like Getian, and supporting characters like 6 or Kakania. Lucy's signature is the best choice for her Psychubes, and her portraits have a significant impact on her rotation and skill usage priority.

9. Mercuria [Mercuria Character Guide]

Mercuria is a powerful support character with a unique mechanic called Cosmic Energy, which grants extensive buffs to her team. For every stack of Cosmic Energy, Mercuria grants a 2% damage bonus, increasing to 50% if 25 stacks are accumulated.

She can provide different buffs depending on the number of Cosmic Energy stacks she has at the beginning of each turn. To maximize Mercuria's performance, teams should use the Incantation Rank-Up Team, Lucy and Mercuria Team, or the Broken Team. Additional tips for maximizing Mercuria's performance include the Ultimate Rank Boost, Portraits, and P5 resonance.

10. Shamane [Shamane Character Guide]

Shamane is a Meta Support unit that can support both mental and reality DPS. He can cause enemies distress and lower their defense. Shamane's kit includes a stacking buff called Nature's Blessing, which can be obtained through insights 1 and 3. His ultimate, Edict of Atman, deals 500% damage and an additional 20% crit chance.

Shamane's debuff skills are fun at P0 and P2, with P1 allowing for a double ultimate. His ultimate damage is competitive against other DPS despite having only one damage skill. Shamane can support Mental and Beast teams but may lose out to non-Beast reality teams at a lower portrayal. For 4-man teams, Shamane is a good support, paired with 6 for additional critical damage to his ultimate.