God tier



The God Tiers are a series of the highest levels of power available to players of Sburb. Achieving God Tier status provides the beneficiary with godlike power in their respective aspect, channeled through their respective class. Reaching the God Tiers allows players to level further up even after reaching the top of their Echeladder, which is the limit under normal circumstances.

After attaining God Tier status, the player then begins to level up further, though the increase in power to a person already called a god is likely redundant. John and Jade, as well as Dave and Rose, have all leveled up after attaining their God Tier. It is unknown how far Vriska got into her levels but indicated at one point that she HS 4979 (still had tiers she hadn't reached), and whether Aradia increased in level as well. As shown by the HS 6192 (leveling up of John and Jade), normal stats still increase in the God Tiers. However, instead of Boondollars (because that shit is for babies), the player in question receives HS 6194 (Achievement Badges for their Kiddie Camper Handysash), the sash itself being modeled on the players' kingdom alignment, Prospit or HS 6248 (Derse).

Requirements


To reach the God Tiers, a player's dead or dying body must be present on his/her Quest Bed (or Quest Cocoon), a process apparently referred to as taking a "legendary nap" by Consorts. The specific cause of death does not appear to be important and it may also be sufficient to be placed on a Quest Bed within a certain time span after death occurs.

It is unknown whether a player absolutely has to have gained all the levels (all of them) of their Echeladder before proceeding with the ascension - both John and Vriska had fulfilled this alleged requirement, and Jade, having successfully bred the Genesis Frog just before her death, likely was as well. It is possible that Dave has as well, merely by the fact that he was in the Medium for much longer than the other kids (in a relative, Weird Time Shit sense).

The Process of Ascension


Each player has two Quest Beds, one located on their planet and the other at the center of Prospit or Derse's moon. In some cases (such as John's ascension) there also appears to be a Skaian Quest Bed for each player. Consequently, there are also two different ways to ascend to God Tier level.

John, Jade and Vriska all ascend by dying [as their original selves] on the Quest Bed of their planet. This would soon cause their dream self to appear on the Skaian Quest Bed. During this process, both Jade and John were visited and enshrouded by a totem creature of their Planet - John by fireflies and Jade by hummingbirds.

The second method of ascension involves the other set of Quest Beds hidden deep within the center, or 'Crypt' of each kingdom's moon. When a dream self has taken on the role of a dead player, dying on this bed causes the dream self to resurrect as a God Tier player. This method was used by Rose, Dave and Aradia.

Aradia's quest bed was in the crypt of Derse itself, rather than its moon. Andrew Hussie has that since she was dead to start with, her dream self didn't "belong" with the living players on the moon, and was sequestered in the planet. This is also why the moon of Derse only had five towers. Another unusual aspect of her ascension is that a separate instance of herself existed as Aradiabot. When she ascended to the God Tiers, her soul [and therefore her consciousness] merged with her dream self's, thus leaving the robot empty and causing it to explode soon after.



This unusual aspect also applies to Jade, who resurrected her dream self as Jadesprite. Jade was already labeled "dead" before being put on her Quest Bed, challenging the assumption that the moment of death must take place on the Quest Bed. It doesn't seem to matter where your dream self is in relation to the bed on Skaia, as Vriska's dream self was transported from Prospit to her corresponding Quest Bed, where she ascended, while John's dream self, and then later Jade's dream self, in the form of Jadesprite, were already on Skaia. It should also be noted that Jadesprite wasn't anywhere near her corresponding Quest Bed when Jade ascended, though this might relate to Jade's dream self being a separate sentient being at the time.

It can be noted that all Prospit dreamers reaching God Tier have used the quest bed on their planet, while all Derse dreamers have used the quest bed in the core of Derse or its moon. It is not known if the distinction between Derse and Prospit ascensions is significant. "Crypt Beds" have only been depicted in Derse and its moon, so the second method may only be available - or recommended - for Derse dreamers. Andrew has, however, implied that both methods can be used by dreamers of either kingdom.



In all known cases, it is the dream self that becomes the God Tier character, as the original player is dead before ascension occurs. However, after the death of the main self triggers the process, their consciousness will merge permanently into the body of the dream self, and the new form will be given a significant power increase. Accompanying the ascension is a new hooded outfit for the newly-ascended god -- a godhood, as it were. A player's title affects the general design of the god tier hoodie, based on a vaguely medieval motif, while the color is determined by the symbol of their aspect. For no given reason, the player's choice of eyewear is also included in the outfit, even if just an accessory (such as Dave's shades). Whether a player who needed corrective lenses still has impaired vision after ascending isn't clear - Vriska was upset at losing her glasses, but didn't seem to need them. Although this could be because of specific items being on their person at the time, considering Dave's still had the Royal Deringer with him after ascension.



According to what the Trolls believe, the process required to ascend is a test issued by Sburb to see if the player in question is willing to face their own demise in order to obtain greater power. In the course of the sessions seen, six characters have ascended and none of them have done so unequivocally willingly; Dave and Terezi even explicitly denied the ability to face their own deaths. John Egbert was killed by Jack Noir and Jade Harley by Courtyard Droll's shaving-cream bomb, but other characters arranged their transportation to their quest beds. Vriska Serket chose to die in her Quest Cocoon only after she was beaten half to death by Aradia. Aradia Megido's dream self was sleeping in her Quest Cocoon at the heart of Derse when she was killed by Jack Noir's Green Sun powers. Likewise Dave Strider and Rose Lalonde died in the wake of their creation of the Green Sun, though they did not make any attempt to escape the explosion and had previously accepted this task as a suicide mission, arguably making them the only ones to face their own death properly. Aranea and Meenah also reached God Tier status in their session, along with others, but we don't know any details on their ascensions.

Feferi and Eridan HS 6589 (are shown) as having reached God Tier in an alternate timeline. During "Caliborn: Enter" a doomed God Tier Tavros was seen as well. According to Karkat's rant to himself, reaching God Tier doesn't mean a timeline won't be doomed. Exactly how they reached God Tier in their timeline is unrevealed, but there's no evidence that it was anything other than the established methods.

Powers and abilities


The key aspect of the power of God Tier players relates to their mythological aspect: the level of power they exert over is significantly enhanced to the point of near-complete control.

John, the Heir of Breath, has shown that he can manipulate the breeze at levels both fine enough to fly a car around and strong enough to create a massive tornado powerful enough to drill cleanly through The Battlefield.

Vriska, the Thief of Light, is capable of commanding fortune, an ability said by Terezi Pyrope to only be accessible and controllable to those who have full mastery over the power of light.

Shortly after her ascension, Aradia, the Maid of Time, immediately demonstrated her level of power over time by freezing the rampaging Jack Noir (who possessed a godlike power) completely of her own accord without the aid of any time-controlling items.

Aranea Serket, as the Sylph of Light, offered to help Terezi Pyrope literally "look at things honestly", basically healing Terezi's blindness and freeing her from having to lick and sniff everything. However, Terezi turned down the offer stating that she'd rather stay blind and use her other senses to see because it was the only connection she had with her lusus before it died.

Jade, as the Witch of Space, can shrink entire planets into her playthings with no external tools whatsoever, a power she did not have as her main self and which her Bec-prototyped dream self seemed unable to use to this extent, manifesting her role as Hero of Space- only through making glasses that could see every part of space and breeding the Genesis Frog. Absolutely no specific training seems to be necessary to access the full extent of their power even immediately after ascending.



There are several abilities that all God Tier players gain, regardless of their associated aspect and title, such as the ability to fly. Players who achieve God Tier are also biologically immortal (they can't die unless they are killed), and after completing a session, would live in the newly created universe as literal gods. They can be permanently killed, but the death must either be "heroic" or "just."

A heroic death requires that they fall while opposing a corrupt adversary or through a noble self-sacrifice for the greater good. A just death requires that they deserved to be killed, either through becoming corrupted and being slain by a hero, or else through causing HS 5735 (something terrible).

keeps a grandfather clock, with a pendulum ticking between the "heroic" and "just" halves of the clock, while displaying the symbol of the player in question. It is unclear if the clock simply displays the outcome or if it has deeper ties to the resurrection of God Tier players. Vriska Serket is so far the only God Tier player that has visibly died a permanent death when she was stabbed by Terezi to prevent her from accidentally tipping off Jack Noir to the trolls' location and killing them; according to the clock, Vriska's death was just. However, some theories state that she died simply because the clock was destroyed by Spades Slick, and the "just" judgement given by the clock was merely because of the direction it was leaning when it was broken. How doomed timeline God Tier players received their permanent deaths is still unknown. However it is possible that the cessation of their timelines was enough to ensure their deaths beyond the two normal criteria for permanent death, or that even remaining in the doomed timeline counts as "heroic" as it allows the alpha timeline to continue.



God Tier players appear to be able to dreamshare at will. Vriska was able to enter and interfere with the nightmares of the Wayward Vagabond, and Aradia demonstrated mastery of dream bubbles in her conferences with Tavros, Kanaya, and Jade.

The physical result of ascension to the God Tiers has ties to the cultural image of perfection and the perception of what godhood should be like for the species in question. Since troll biology is largely based on insect-like metamorphosis, fairies are often seen as an (imaginary) ideal, as a caterpillar becoming a butterfly. Consequently the God Tier trolls gain butterfly wings. Mindfang's journal HS 5658 (mentions) that Tavros' Ancestor, The Summoner revealed wings similar to the ones trolls receive upon ascending to God Tier status, most likely due to him being the Hero of Breath from the HS 5953 (failed session). For reasons unknown, the God Tier Karkat shown in HS 6386 ([S] Roxy: Sleepwalk) did not seem to have wings like the other trolls. However, he simply may have concealed them, an ability mentioned by Calliope and also demonstrated by Vriska. They can also choose not to wear their God Tier outfits; Vriska and Gamzee have demonstrated the ability to change in and out of their outfits. Meenah does not wear her God Tier clothes, as she disliked the Thief outfit. Aranea also changed between outfits at will, but this is likely due to the nature of Dream Bubbles.

Humans have no real cultural equivalent to the trolls' wing ideals, and so instead merely get the outfit. Jade, however, retains the animal ears of Jadesprite upon ascension, which could be concurrent with her ideal for the pinnacle of human form and its manifestation in her love for anthropomorphic fauna. It could also be because of her dream self having the exception of being a sprite prototyped with some of Bec's features, some carried over through ascension.

Pre-Scratch troll session

 * Aranea Serket, the Sylph of Light
 * Meenah Peixes, the Thief of Chicken

Post-Scratch troll session

 * Vriska Serket, the Thief of Light
 * Aradia Megido, the Maid of Time
 * Gamzee Makara, the Bard of Rage (unclear)*

Pre-Scratch human session

 * John Egbert, the Heir of Breath
 * Rose Lalonde, the Seer of Light
 * Dave Strider, the Knight of Time
 * Jade Harley, the Witch of Space

God Tier players in alternate/doomed timelines

 * At least one instance of Tavros Nitram, the Page of Breath
 * At least one instance of Karkat Vantas, the Knight of Blood
 * At least one instance of Eridan Ampora, the Prince of Hope
 * At least one instance of Feferi Peixes, the Witch of Life
 * Potentially at least one instance of Gamzee Makara *

John Egbert

 * Galesmate
 * Revenge of Doctor Ragnarok
 * Reward: Gift of Gab (No need for chat client to talk)

Jade Harley

 * Growing Panes Await
 * Sayonara Kansas
 * Reward: Gift of Gab

Rose Lalonde

 * Pentacle Therapist
 * Ariadne's Threadspinner
 * Reward: Gift of Gab
 * Surya's Lurid Glare (not yet achieved)

Dave Strider

 * Hotpotato Butterfingers
 * Revenge of Ricky Schrödinger
 * Reward: Gift of Gab
 * Pimpslayer (not yet achieved)

Trivia

 * The wings that the trolls gain upon reaching god-tier are tinted in their respective blood color.
 * Eridan's wings are reminiscent of his lightning-bolt shaped horns.
 * Feferi's wings are reminiscent of her zodiac sign.
 * In addition, The Summoner's wings follow these rules, showing his blood color, as well as having protrusions shaped in a similar fashion to his horn style.
 * Vriska's god-tier wings do not represent her horns, however one of her wings has 7 dots on it, while the other wing only has one, mirroring her pupils. Aranea's wings are exactly the same as Vriska's.
 * Likewise, Aradia has empty circles on her wings, mirroring the blank eyes she had as a ghost, sprite and robot, as well as possibly her previous fixation on the number 0.
 * In a sketch of Gamzee at God Tier that Andrew drew, two of Gamzee's clown emoticons on his wings, one smiling and the other frowning, much like his two polarised moods.
 * Calliope's drawing of Dirk in his (at the time) hypothetical God Tier outfit showed him with Wings, due to her assumptions. They are Orange due to his associated color (instead of red like his blood), while the design itself is reminiscent of a heart, which could be a reference to his title, the Prince of Heart.
 * Various puns have been spawned due to ridiculous designs or the fact that they're so easy to make.
 * Jade has been referred to as the "Dog Tier", due to her nature as both a furry and a dog lover (Not to mention the dog ears she seems to possess in her God Tier)
 * Eridan has been referred to as "Duck Tier", or "Psyduck Tier", due to the headband along with the buttons and color of his outfit resembling that of a duck's head and bill.
 * Gamzee has been referred to as "Cod Tier", due to the presence of his Tier's iconic codpiece.
 * It is worth noting that the color of each pre-Scratch kid's footwear matches the color of the God-Tier outfit of the person they were paired with in Karkat's shipping chart (which was based on the only couples capable of non-incestual reproduction). It may also be of relevance that the hoodies for these aspects were introduced to the what pumpkin store in groups of two. The bottom of the shoes, however, correspond with their own associated God-Tier color. (i.e. John with blue, Vriska with yellow, Dave and Aradia with red, Jade with Black) This applies to all but Gamzee and Rose but this could be due to their style of shoe.
 * John's shoes are yellow, which matches Rose's clothes, and Rose's slippers are blue to match John. The light and the breath hoodies were introduced to the store at the same time.
 * Jade's slippers are red, like Dave's outfit, and his shoes are black like Jade's outfit. The time and the space hoodies were introduced to the store at the same time.
 * On that note, Calliope's drawing of Dirk in God Tier depicted him with greenish shoes (the colour associated with the aspect of mind). The heart and the mind hoodies were introduced to the store at the same time.
 * The Troll's God Tier shoes have all been the same colour as their dream self shoes so far (with the exception of Tavros having yellow instead of brown), which is the same as their text colour in most cases.
 * Vriska jokes HS 5751 (on this page) that if Tavros reached the God Tier, he would be completely indestructible (implying that he's too lame to die a heroic death or a just one), but during HS 7161 (this flash), he was shown to be a dead God Tier, meaning he must have died after achieving God Tier.
 * The Page God Tier may be a reference to Dick Grayson, Robin from Batman. Both costumes are similar, and it may be playing upon the fact that Robin was - in some ways - Batman's apprentice. A page is the apprentice of a knight - and Batman was often called the "Dark Knight."