Characters (also known as Test Subjects or Survivors) are the playable units in Eternal Return. There are currently 77 characters in the game.
Description[ | ]
Each character is unique, with different strengths and weaknesses, and their own playstyle. Different characters also have access to a different list of weapons, with some of them also having certain items of different types be exclusive to them. These characters become stronger by gaining bonuses to their statistics as their level goes up, which increases whenever they gain ranks in their masteries. Additionally, augments (a set of perks that can be picked before a match begins) provide them with useful passive effects. Apart from this, Tactical Skills allow for additional customization.
Every player has access two free character rotations, one for Lumia Island and one for Cobalt Protocol (characters who are part of these rotations are highlighted with a green and blue open lock icons respectively). The set of characters available change on Wednesday each week.
To unlock characters permanently, players must use 
A-Coins, a currency earned by playing the game. Another options is to unlock characters with 
NP, the game's cash currency, or 
Event NP (obtained from promotions and events). Different characters have different costs. The latest character release always has an increased A-Coins cost of 9,900 for the first 2 weeks.
Players can also earn Yuki, Hyejin and Eva for free by completing the Basic Tutorial course (any characters already owned will refund their full A-Coins cost instead). It is worth mentioning that redeeming cosmetic skin codes from promotions and giveaways for unowned characters will also unlock the character they belong to for free (Purchasing skins for unowned characters won't unlock the character they belong to).
New character releases are always banned from Ranked matches for a week to give players time to familiarize themselves with them, and in case there are any unforeseen problems or exploits that may affect ranked in a negative way.
For more in-depth information on each individual character, their skills and lore, please visit their respective pages. Additionally, a sortable list with all current playable characters and their general details, release dates, etc. can be found here: List of characters.
Playable characters[ | ]
Upcoming characters[ | ]
Notes[ | ]
- Character's base attack speed and attack range are different depending on what weapon type they are using. These weapon base stats can be found here: Weapon.
- Each character also gets a different Weapon Mastery bonus depending on the weapon they are using. These bonuses can be found under "Weapon Mastery" in each character's profile on the wiki.
- To maintain balance in Cobalt Protocol, the game applies additional percentage buffs and nerfs to different character aspects (such as damage dealt, damage taken, shields applied, etc.). These additional balance changes can be found under "Modifiers" in each character page on the wiki.