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Interestingly enough, Garena Free Fire does have a few nifty features that set it apart from counterparts such as PUBGand PUBG Mobile. For instance, Free Fire has the option to let players choose a character as a basis for their avatar, and this certainly adds a certain layer of flexibility to personalizing in-game characters. The following are the best Garena Free Fire characters.

Updated December 30, 2022, by Rhenn Taguiam: Despite the lack of news for any major updates for 2023, Garena Free Fire remains one of the top mobile battle royales out there. Whereas other battle royales in the platform are either leaning towards realism or adaptations of existing console battle royales, Garena Free Fire takes a step ahead and incorporates hero-based abilities with the intensity of open-area battle royale matches. In turn, player choice with regard to their weapon matters just as much as the hero they have chosen as their avatar. Not only that but since their heroes often have unique abilities, choosing the right hero at one’s disposal can turn the tide of battle quickly. Some of these heroes are built specifically to break shields, punish heavy hitters, encourage offense, and even boost healing speeds.

15 Xayne (Xtreme Encounter)

Shields and protections remain an active component in Garena Free Fire gameplay, with various characters offering numerous defensive approaches designed specifically to prolong their survival. For players who want to gain an edge against others who rely heavily on defense, Xayne is definitely the operative for them.

Key to her skillset is her Character Ability, Xtreme Encounter. Thanks to this skill, not only does Xayne get an extra 120 HP temporarily, but she also deals extra damage to shields and Gloo Walls. When used effectively, in other games like Fortnite itcan spell disaster for building-focused players. Xayne can tear through enemy defenses quickly and ensure the enemy cannot fall back to a more advantageous position.

14 Maxim (Gluttony)

As with other battle royale games, Garena Free Fire gives players access to a wide variety of consumables such as Med Kits and Mushrooms to give them a temporary advantage in combat. Thing is, players can’t exactly consume these items while moving around, leaving them vulnerable to attack if they eat these foods in the wrong places. Thanks to Maxim, players can greatly reduce this risk.

With Maxim, players get access to his Character Ability named Gluttony. As the name implies, this ability gives players an advantage when it comes to eating their consumables. When triggered, Gluttony grants as much as a 10-percent reduction in the time it takes to use Med Kits and other consumables, giving players an edge when it comes to recovery. In the thick of combat, that 10 percent can be the decisive advantage players need to secure victory, something that Vampire: The Masquerade - Bloodline makes use of with health-restoring vampiric bites that also leave players vulnerable during the feeding process.

13 Shimada Hayato (Bushido)

Intense combat is often what it takes to define a battle royale player’s strategy - are they more prone to secure safety by retreating, or do they take the risk and push for the extreme offense? In the case of Shimada Hayato in Garena Free Fire gameplay, his gameplay approach encourages players to go for extraordinary measures, giving players the risk of being killed earlier in exchange for stronger offense - something similar to the aggression-oriented Shadow Royale of Apex Legends.

With Bushido, players controlling Hayato get a whopping 10-percent decrease in HP. In exchange, players can get as much as a 9.5-percent boost in armor penetration, practically encouraging players to go on the offensive whenever encountering enemies in combat. His character is perfect for players in love with aggressive approaches.

12 Homer (Senses Shockwave)

Compared to other characters featured in Garena Free Fire gameplay, Homer has a more sophisticated look compared to the more combat-friendly units. And this seems deliberate, as his techy appearance is linked to his leadership in one of the most prominent tech gangs in Griza. When used in the brutal battle royale of the shooter, Homer’s Senses Shockwave can turn the tide against a tough opponent, especially against players used to the brutal gameplay of Bloodshore.

When used, Senses Shockwave releases a drone to the nearest opponent in front of Homer. Upon reaching the target, the drone releases a shockwave that not only deals 25 damage to the opponent but also inflicts debuffs. The target hit by Senses Shockwave suffers a 35-percent reduction in firing speed and a 60-percent reduced movement speed for five seconds. Despite its short duration, five seconds can be a difference between a team surviving or dying in an encounter.

11 Dimitri (Healing Heartbeat)

Created in collaboration with real-life DJ Dimitry Vegas, Garena Free Fire gameplay features a character known as Dimitry. While not necessarily a famous DJ, the world of Free Fire has Dimitry as a renowned sound engineer. Such was his passion for music that his sounds can quite literally improve the lives of others - something the battle royale makes use of via Healing Heartbeat.

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Through Healing Heartbeat, Dimitry can create a 3.5-meter healing zone that affects his allies. Not only does this help Dimitry’s team heal for 3 HP per second, but downed users can use self-recover to get up instead of seeking assistance. These benefits can make Dimitri the perfect agent for a player new to battle royales.

10 Wukong (Camouflage)

Sometimes, players in battle royale games need to play dirty to win a match - and a lot of times, this means catching enemies by surprise and killing them before they get to react. This can come in a lot of forms, such as sniping or even ambushing, but, thanks to Wukong, Free Fire players can get wild with another idea: disguises.

Thanks to his Camouflage ability, Wukong can transform into a bush for ten seconds but has the drawback of a 40% movement speed reduction. Not only that, but this also has a 250-second cooldown at the base level that Wukong can reset for each kill. While ten seconds seem a bit too short, players who love their stealth games know this is more than enough time to creep up on an unsuspecting team and introduce them to the business end of their weapons.

9 Alvaro (Art Of Demolition)

Players of any battle royale game know that a throwable explosive can dish out enough damage to wipe out teams when used properly, and Alvaro and his love for explosives is a match made in heaven for those players. Serving as the game’s demolitions expert, Alvaro has the right tech to make sure that the player’s explosives are deadlier than ever.

He does this through his Art of Demolition, which not only gives explosives a 10% damage boost but also gives their explosive range a 7% boost. This increases the potency of grenades due to the ability to affect a greater area, making more offensive plays viable for aggressive teams.

8 Skyler (Riptide Rhythm)

Gloo Walls are an incredible source of defense in Free Fire, especially since this non-damaging explosive creates a wall that gives cover against bullets. While this can be annoying to players that have to cross Gloo Walls to kill enemies, CEO-superstar Skyler has just the right tools to eliminate the competition.

Courtesy of his Riptide Rhythm, Skyler can unleash a sonic blast that destroys up to five Gloo Walls within 50 meters. Not only that, but Skyler also gets 4HP back whenever he deploys a Gloo Wall in the game, incentivizing more defensive builds.

7 Clu (Tracing Step)

Aggressive players know that missing an enemy is an invitation to be taken down in a fierce counterattack, so players on the offense are always on the prowl for moving opponents. Clu is the character suited for the job, as this private detective has all the means to track enemies moving around her.

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She does this courtesy of the Tracing Step ability, which gives her a 50-meter radius that pings all opponents who aren’t in squat or prone positions. This is nifty for an aggressive team, as Clu can pinpoint where enemies are roaming around waiting to be ambushed. She can also help augment the abilities of other recon agents by securing targets with her unique parameters.

6 Jota (Sustained Raid)

Practically speaking, players don’t necessarily need to be careful in a battle royale if all their opponents are dead - but this is usually a mentality reserved either for sweaty players or extremely aggressive ones. Thankfully, Jota can help make this playstyle extremely viable, since his gameplay essentially encourages mayhem over caution.

It’s thanks to his Sustained Raid that all of this is possible, as it allows him to gain a small amount of HP whenever he shoots down an enemy. Not only does this incentivize proper aim, but it also encourages extremely risky - yet rewarding and fun - gameplay strategies, such as third-partying an ongoing firefight or outright ambushing foes. After all, gaining health after shooting an enemy is an instant reward.

5 Captain Booyah/K (Master Of All)

It’s the concept of EPs that makes Free Fire wildly different from other battle royales, especially since this allows players to use EP to heal HP without needing recovery items - provided they earn enough EP, that is. Not a lot of characters can augment the way EP works in the game except for Captain Booyah, whose abilities maximize EP-to-HP recovery.

Thanks to his Master Of All ability, his EP total gets 50 more points, allowing him to raise his EP to as much as 250. Not only that, but he can also switch between two modes to boost EP potency in a variety of ways. Under his Jiu-Jitsu Mode, all allies within six meters get a 500% boost in EP conversion rate. Meanwhile, he can heal as much as 3 EP per second through Psychological Mode, allowing him to constantly stock up on EP.

4 DJ Alok (Drop The Beat)

Battle royales can get dangerous for players pretty quickly, not necessarily because they can die in a firefight, but because they didn’t get to recover from a previous firefight before running into the next enemy. It’s this lack of recovery time that often leads to fatal encounters, and the music from DJ Alok seems to help them recover even just for a bit.

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Thanks to this Drop The Beat, DJ Alok summons a five-meter zone that not only heals players and allies inside for 5 HP/second for ten seconds but also gives them a 15% movement speed boost. Not only that, but its short cooldown time means DJ Alok can become an incredible support character in the game. Players can have more aggressive plays knowing that DJ Alok can be there to heal them if need be.

3 Chrono (Time Turner)

In a fierce battle royale like Free Fire, preserving one’s life is perhaps more important than damage. And, while having a lot of healing components can make life much easier, it’s still evidently more convenient if players didn’t take any damage at all. This is where Chrono steps in. A time-traveling bounty hunter, Chrono aims to use his skills to help the weak and the powerless.

Combat-wise, Chrono relies on the Time Turner. This is a shield that can not only defend against up to 600 damage but also gives Chrono a 10% movement speed boost. This makes Chrono a must-have character, as he’s one of the rare characters to be able to protect not just himself, but his entire team from damage.

2 A124 (Thrill Of Battle)

It’s one thing for players to know that EP can slowly be used to replenish HP in critical moments, and another to actually find it useful for their needs. Players with a full stock of EP might not end up using it if they take too much damage too quickly, but, thankfully, A124 can circumvent this inconvenience with her nifty ability.

This assassin has the Thrill Of Battle ability that can instantly convert 25 EP into HP, although this comes with a 90-second cooldown. Not only that, but this initial condition improves as soon as the ability is upgraded, making the instant conversion much more potent. This is an extremely useful ability to have, especially since A124 can conveniently rely on an instant heal in a heated firefight.

1 Kelly (Dash)

Sometimes, the best abilities in a game come from characters that offer a lot of practical uses for said ability, and Kelly is exactly this. Being the game’s speedster, Kelly relies on her quick wit and athletic build to outrun and outpace her opponents - an ability that is always critical in a battle royale in which trouble could be anywhere.

This translates into gameplay through her Dash, which simply gives her a faster sprinting speed. Despite the mundane nature of this ability, Dash does have a lot of uses. Aside from being able to enter and exit firefights faster, the faster sprinting speed allows players to make more distance-based decisions in fights. This includes sprinting towards a drop or rushing into the danger zone to get a coveted item.

Garena Free Fire was released in 2019 and is available on Android and iOS devices.

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