Plants vs Zombies: Garden Warfare 2 features 14 base classes split between Plants and Zombies, each with unique playstyles, abilities, and strengths. Whether you are new to the game or looking to optimize your class selection, this tier list ranks every base class from worst to best based on damage output, versatility, survivability, and overall effectiveness in both PvE and PvP modes.
This ranking focuses on base classes and their core mechanics. Each class also has multiple variants that can significantly change performance, so the best variant for each class is mentioned in its respective section.
14Chomper
A melee-focused Plant class that swallows Zombies whole. Using Goop to slow, and setting traps to dangle enemies in place.
Chomper is widely considered the worst class in Garden Warfare 2. As a melee character with no reliable ranged options, Chomper struggles against most Zombie classes that can easily kite or burst him down before he gets close. The Burrow ability provides flanking potential, but experienced players anticipate and punish it easily.
Pros: High damage per bite, can instantly vanquish with swallow, good for ambushing isolated targets.
Cons: Extremely limited range, vulnerable during digestion animation, loses most matchups against aware opponents, worst class mobility.
Best Variant: Twilight Chomper offers the best combination of speed, damage (43 per bite), and a superior warp ability that makes him actually viable.
13Scientist
A close-range support Shotgun class with healing capabilities and warp mobility.
Scientist excels in close quarters but struggles with the Zombie team’s lack of strong healing synergy compared to Sunflower on Plants. The warp ability provides excellent mobility for flanking and escaping, but Scientists must get dangerously close to deal meaningful damage.
Pros: Strong burst damage up close, warp provides excellent mobility, and can heal teammates.
Cons: Ineffective at range, healing is underutilized in most team compositions, and requires precise positioning.
Best Variant: Computer Scientist offers fantastic damage with an extremely fast reload and the devastating Crunch Mode ability.
12Engineer
A support-oriented Zombie class with turrets and crowd control abilities. (Splash damage)
The engineer provides solid utility through his Sonic Grenade stun and turret placement. However, his primary weapon lacks the punch of other classes, making him reliant on abilities and team support to be effective.
Pros: Sonic Grenade provides valuable stun utility, turrets add zone control, decent at multiple ranges.
Cons: Lower damage output than other classes, turrets are easily destroyed, requires ability cooldown management.
Best Variant: Painter rewards skilled players with high damage potential if shots are landed consistently, while Electrician excels at crowd control.
11Rose
A magic-wielding Plant with homing projectiles and transformation abilities.
Rose features homing shots that make her beginner-friendly, but her low damage output and lack of mobility options prevent her from climbing higher. The Goatify ability can turn the tide of fights, but the long cooldown limits its impact.
Pros: Homing projectiles are easy to land, Goatify provides powerful crowd control, Time Snare offers escape utility.
Cons: Low damage per shot, slow movement speed, no mobility abilities to escape pressure.
Best Variant: Frost Rose deals 50 splash damage on max charge with a fast projectile and can counter Imps effectively. Necrose’s Jinx debuff (75% increased damage taken) is also extremely powerful for team play.
10Citron
A tanky Orange looking Plant that transforms into a ball for high mobility.
Citron’s Ball Form provides unmatched mobility among Plants, allowing for quick repositioning and objective play. However, his primary weapon is a constant beam that deals minimal damage at range (2 damage per shot), forcing him into dangerous close-quarters engagements.
Pros: Ball Form offers exceptional mobility, high health pool, strong up close with 12 damage per shot.
Cons: Useless at long range, large hitbox makes him easy to hit, requires commitment to close the gap.
Best Variant: Iron Citron is considered one of the highest skill-ceiling characters, dealing 50 damage per shot with the “Batman strategy” of jump-firing in and out of Ball Form. Party Citron and Frozen Citron are also excellent picks.
9Imp
A tiny, fast Zombie with double jumps and a powerful mech suit.
Imp offers incredible mobility with double jumps and small hitbox, making him difficult to track. His mech provides a significant power spike when available. However, with only 75 HP, Imp can be one-shot by many abilities and struggles to trade effectively.
Pros: Highest mobility in the game, small hitbox is hard to hit, mech is extremely powerful.
Cons: Lowest health in the game (75 HP), countered hard by fire and splash damage characters, mech has long cooldown.
Best Variant: Party Imp is a direct upgrade with identical stats plus a party meter. Shrimp’s mech is particularly devastating.
8Super Brainz
A melee-focused Zombie superhero with beam attacks and mobility.
Super Brainz combines punching combos with a ranged beam attack, giving him more versatility than Chomper. His abilities like Turbo Twister provide damage reduction and escape options. However, he is hard countered by ice characters and can struggle to close gaps against aware opponents.
Pros: Strong melee damage, beam provides ranged option, good mobility with Heroic Kick, Turbo Twister offers escape.
Cons: Hard countered by ice characters (Ice Cactus, Ice Pea, Frozen Citron), predictable approach patterns, struggles against grouped enemies.
Best Variant: Party Brainz adds a party meter to the solid base kit. Cosmic Brainz prevents revives on vanquishes, which is powerful in team modes.
7All Star
A tanky Zombie with suppressive Gatling gun fire and tackling abilities.
All Star excels at sustained damage with his minigun-style primary weapon. Sprint Tackle and Imp Punt offer strong engagement and crowd-control options. The class is well-rounded but suffers from overheating mechanics that leave him vulnerable during extended fights.
Pros: High sustained DPS, tanky health pool, Sprint Tackle is excellent for mobility and damage, Imp Punt provides crowd control.
Cons: Overheat mechanic limits sustained fire, slow movement while shooting, large hitbox.
Best Variant: Hockey Star and Regular All Star are the best picks due to manageable overheat and consistent damage output. Rugby Star offers superior splash damage.
6Peashooter
A versatile Plant with splash damage projectiles and Hyper mobility.
Peashooter is the quintessential balanced class with good damage, splash radius, and the Hyper ability for increased speed and jump height. Many variants are considered top-tier, with some featuring broken mechanics like manual detonation.
Pros: Good splash damage (10 damage splash), Hyper provides excellent mobility, versatile at multiple ranges, and many strong variants.
Cons: Not exceptional at any specific role, struggles at extreme long range, and splash can be inconsistent.
Best Variant: Plasma Pea is widely considered the best Plant in the game, with no movement penalty while charging, one ammo per charged shot, and effectiveness at all ranges. Agent Pea and Electro Pea are also S+ tier picks.
5Kernel Corn
A fully automatic Plant with high ammo capacity and explosive abilities.
Kernel Corn brings consistent damage with his dual cob busters and powerful abilities like Butter Barrage and Husk Hop. His 50-round magazine allows for sustained pressure, and he performs well at all ranges without significant weaknesses.
Pros: Consistent damage at all ranges, high ammo capacity, Husk Hop provides escape utility, strong abilities.
Cons: No standout strength compared to specialists, slightly lower DPS than top-tier options.
Best Variant: Party Corn maintains identical stats to Colonel Corn while adding a party meter. Colonel Corn’s legendary meter provides 50 ammo, extra movement speed, damage reduction, and 25% damage boost.
4Cactus
A long-range sniper Plant with drone capabilities and mines.
Cactus dominates at long range with high damage per shot and precise accuracy. The Garlic Drone provides aerial harassment and scouting, while Potato Mines offer area denial. She excels in Turf Takeover where sightlines are valuable.
Pros: Highest single-shot damage among Plants, controls long-range engagements, Garlic Drone adds utility, Potato Mines for area denial.
Cons: Vulnerable up close, relies on team protection, limited mobility options.
Best Variant: Future Cactus can deal 102 damage headshots at range. Petrified Cactus with manual detonation is devastating up close. Camo Cactus two-shots most characters with 66 damage headshots.
3Sunflower
The primary healer for Plants with solid damage output.
Sunflower provides essential healing that no Zombie class can match effectively. Her damage is respectable at 12 per shot, and the Sunbeam ability offers devastating stationary DPS. Sunflower’s healing makes fire damage strategies on Plants far more effective since Zombies lack equivalent healing support.
Pros: Best healing in the game, consistent damage output, Sunbeam offers high DPS, enables fire damage strategies for team.
Cons: Low health pool (120 HP), no mobility abilities, targeted first by experienced players.
Best Variant: Stuffy Flower and Reg Sunflower are top picks with identical damage but Stuffy has faster fire rate. Mystic Flower has the highest DPS potential but requires precise aim.
2Captain Deadbeard
A versatile Zombie sniper with shotgun close-range and barrel mobility.
Captain Deadbeard offers the best of both worlds with a scoped sniper for long range and Scurvy Scattershot for close quarters. The Barrel Blast ability provides unique mobility and escape options. His versatility makes him effective in any situation.
Pros: Effective at all ranges, Barrel Blast provides escape and mobility, Parrot Pal offers scouting and harassment, high skill ceiling.
Cons: Requires switching between weapons, vulnerable during scope, Barrel can be shot down.
Best Variant: Captain Cannon with manual detonation is S+ tier and “drops bombs like Oppenheimer.” Captain Flameface combines fire damage with the strong base kit.
1Foot Soldier
The quintessential all-rounder Zombie with rocket jumping and strong primaries.
Foot Soldier is the most balanced and consistent class in Garden Warfare 2. His assault rifle is accurate at all ranges, ZPG provides burst damage, and Rocket Jump enables aggressive plays and escapes. There are virtually no situations where Foot Soldier is a bad pick.
Pros: Effective at all ranges, Rocket Jump provides unmatched mobility, ZPG deals massive burst damage, easy to learn with high skill ceiling.
Cons: Jack of all trades means specialists can outperform in their niche, requires good aim to maximize potential.
Best Variant: Reg Foot Soldier and Mechanic are S+ tier with nearly identical performance. Super Commando offers high burst damage. Sky Trooper melts health with high fire rate.
Conclusion
Notes
As I was unable to join a matchmaking lobby, all photos were taken in the questing section of Plants vs. Zombies: Garden Warfare – the Backyard Battleground.
In the first game (Garden Warfare 1), there were 4 classes for each, with very similar variations. In Garden Warfare 2, there are 14 Classes with 5-6 Variations, which can be overwhelming to compare, as there are usually minimal changes between them, though sometimes, variations can massively overperform. Those are noted in each section, as they may be important to more experienced players who have variations of base classes unlocked.
Unlocking Variations
All 14 Characters are unlocked from level 1, though variations are unlocked through Sticker Packs.
You can unlock variations by buying Sticker Packs from the Sticker Shop – accessed either by interacting with vending machines with packets of stickers in them, or during the post-game intervals. Choose the ‘Phenomenal Character Pack’ for 75,000, as this guarantees a new variation – though it is more cost-effective to slowly progress all characters rather than unlock 1, as the Wonderous Pack of Greatness costs 35,000 and awards 8 items for random variations and consumables.
Realistically, it should not take too long to start unlocking Variations (As little as 5 multiplayer games), but if you want to speed up the process, you can buy coins for $5 (which could afford 1-2 Variations) to $60 (which could buy 33 Variations).
