Ranking and Grading

In the Tower, Weapons, Inventory Items, Wands, Pockets, Lighthouses and even the different skills mastered by Rankers and Regulars (e.g. Intelligence, Weapon Mastery) are all given ranks according to their level.

Both Rank and Grade are used in this relation and bear the same meaning.

We do not yet know by who or how these ranks are decided. But it is safe to assume that a Ranker's or a Regular's ranking will change as they gain strength and obtain more skills.

This Rank and Grade is not to be confused with the (overall) rank that only Rankers have and which is given by the Ranking Administration Office or ranks of Regulars given by their rate of climb. Those are separate grades given without direct connection to each other.

The Levels of Ranks

The ranking system goes from SS+ as the highest and down to 10F as the lowest. The scaling also applies for classification of items, weapons, etc.

PLEASE NOTE: What follows about the ranking of people has been wrongly extrapolated from stat cards that have become obsolete. Besides in his blog post from Volume 2, Chapter 100 SIU made a statement about the existence of B-rank and C-rank Regulars, which therefore confirmed that what was assumed was wrong.

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It is assumed that any Ranker's final Grade being above A makes them a High Ranker.

Known Examples of Ranked Skills of High Rankers, Rankers and Regulars

High Rankers

• Yu Han Sung overall: 8A
  • Intelligence: 2A
  • Shinsu Control: 7A
  • Shinsu Resistance: 4C
  • Physical Ability: 8E
    

Rankers

• Lero-Ro overall: 10B
• Lo Po Bia Ren overall: 10B
• Mule Love overall: 2C
• Quant Blitz overall: 5C
  

Regulars

• Aleksai Amigochaz overall: 8F (in Part 1)
• Androssi Zahard overall: 6E (in Part 1)
• Anak Zahard overall: 10E (in Part 1)
• Blarouse overall: 9F (in Part 1)
• Hatsu overall: 7F (in Part 1)
• Hong Chunhwa overall: 7F (in Part 1)
• Khun Aguero Agnis overall: 3F (in Part 1)
• Levin overall: 10F (in Part 1)
• Parakewl overall: 10F (in Part 1)
• Phonsekal Laure overall: 5F (in Part 1)
• Rak Wraithraiser overall: 7F (in Part 1)
• Ship Leesoo overall: 8F (in Part 1)
• Sunwoo Nare overall: 9F (in Part 1)

Known Examples of Ranked Weapons and Items

It is unknown how weapons and other items are ranked, but it's likely linked, in part, to the quality of raw materials that were used in their creation. For example, the Lighthouses used by the Regular-class Light Bearers in Part I consisted of low purity Suspendium that required Shinsu manipulation to float and move. This is in contrast to one of Hatsu's swords, which was capable of floating without any use of Shinsu to power it. In the case of wands, it is known that the contract of a wand is one of the main factors in determining its rank.

A-ranked weapons and items are extremely rare, to the extent that even Rankers seldom own them. So rare are the A-ranked and above weapons and items that only High Rankers could be expected to own more than one. To illustrate just how rare and precious A-rank weapons and items are, one may notice that none of the following Rankers - Lero-Ro, Lo Po Bia Ren or Quant Blitz - have been seen using one.

• Black March: a B-rank Needle (A-rank when ignited). Owned by Yuri Zahard (currently in possesion of the irregular Twenty-Fifth Baam)
• Carrier: Of the 10 Carriers which were created, three are A-rank and seven are B-rank. Adori Zahard owns one.
• Golden November: an S-rank weapon (weapon type unknown). Owned by Adori Zahard.
• Green April: a 7B-rank Hook (most likely A-rank when ignited). Owned by Yuri Zahard.
• Narumada: a 7D-rank Sword. Owned by Hong Chunhwa.
• Opera: Rank currently unknown but likely S-rank, considering it's one of the the highest grades of Lighthouses in the Tower. All three are currently owned by different people.
• Vagnil: A spear which can be used as an arrow (probably D-rank or C-rank), turns into a B-rank when ignited.
• White Oar: the only S+ Rank weapon in the Tower (a Sword). Owned by Arie Hon.

Notes and Trivia

• Notice that it seems as if the normal numeric system is not used for S+ or higher rank items. Maybe because there are so few S+ or higher rank items.
• Since all Regulars receive an E-rank Pocket when entering the Tower, it seems safe to assume that E-rank is the lowest grade of Pockets.