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 in a normal session. John and Jade, as well as Dave and Rose, have all leveled up after attaining their god tier. It is unknown how far the troll god tier players got into their levels but it was indicated at one point that Vriska HS 4979 (still had tiers she hadn't reached). 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 Achievement Badges for their Kiddie Camper Handysash, the sash itself being modeled on the players' kingdom alignment, HS 6194 (Prospit) or HS 6248 (Derse).

Requirements
One way to reach god tier is for a player's recently deceased or dying body must be present on their 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. There is, however, a point when one's deceased body is viable: since their dream self experiences the same injuries on a delay, the body must be placed on the Quest Bed before the dream self has also died from reflecting the injuries of their original bodies, or they can no longer ascend. Should a player still have "another self", their consciousness will merge permanently with the dying self into the body of the ascended god tier self, and the new form will be given a significant power increase.

The second and only other known way to ascend is for a player to die on his sacrificial slab, a stone slab at the core of his respective dream planet's moon. After death, the player is resurrected in his current spot as a god tier right away, regardless of the state of his original or dream self body. A player does not have to have a living dream self to ascend in this way.

It is unknown if a player absolutely has to have gained all the levels (all of them) of their echeladder before proceeding with the ascension. HS 4975 (John), HS 5104 (Dave), HS 4494 (Vriska and Aradia) fulfilled this alleged requirement. It is unclear if Rose and Jade scaled their echeladders, however Jade's successful breeding of the Genesis Frog likely allowed her to do so, as important mythological milestones have been shown to result in major jumps in the echeladder. It is also unclear if Jane, Jake, Roxy and Dirk managed to completely scale the echeladder before ascension, having been stuck in a void session for several months with nothing to do but wait and slay underlings. The argument can be made that they may have gained levels during their partly unseen trickster mode adventures. Jane, for example, solved her quest to bring her planet back to life with a single trickster energy blast.

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. Consequently, there are also two different ways to ascend to god tier level. There is also a Skaian Quest Bed for each player, although it only seems to play a role in the ascension if the Planet Quest Bed was used.

John, Jade and Vriska all ascend by dying on their Planet Quest Beds as their original selves. This would soon cause their dream self to appear on the Skaian Quest Bed. Jade's dream self, however, was in a sprite, so she did not appear on her Quest Bed on Skaia. 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. These are known as Sacrificial Slabs. When a player is left with only one remaining self, dying on these Slabs is the only way for them to resurrect as a god tier player. This method was used by Aradia, Rose, Dave and all the B2 kids. While it was previously believed to only work on Dream bodies, the fact that Jake ascended disproved this theory.

Aradia's dream self was already situated upon her Quest Bed within the crypt of Derse, rather than in a tower like the other dream selves. 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 consciousnes 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. 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 as 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.

Accompanying the ascension is a new hooded outfit for the newly-ascended god -- a "godhood", as it were. A player's title defines the design of the god tier outfit, based on a vaguely medieval motif: the shape of the clothing is defined by their class, while the color and symbol of the outfit is determined by 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), although this could be because of specific items being on their person at the time, considering Dave and Dirk still had their swords with them after ascension. 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. It may vary from player to player. Ascension can also repair old injuries and unwanted bodily alterations, which seems to vary from player to player. For example, when Vriska ascended, her lost arm and eye were restored, while Caliborn retained his robotic leg and gold tooth, and Jade ended up looking mostly human, but retained Jadesprite's dog ears and some of her dog instincts. (This seems to be similar to how HS 4476 (Terezi's dream self reflected Terezi's injury), while Vriska and Tavros's dream selves did not.) It's not clear if Dirk or Jake retained their tattoos.

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, 10 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 was killed by Jack Noir and Jade by the Courtyard Droll's shaving-cream bomb, but other characters arranged their transportation to their Quest Beds. Vriska chose to die in her Quest Cocoon only after she was beaten half to death by Aradia. Aradia's dream self was sleeping in her Quest Cocoon at the heart of Derse when she was killed by Noir's Green Sun powers. Likewise, Dave and Rose 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. Although the B2 kids had planned to kill each other or themselves they were very hesitant, and in the end they all died in explosions caused by Jack Noir and the Condesce, which destroyed the moons of Prospit and Derse respectively. Aranea and Meenah also reached god tier status in their session, along with others. While no details have been revealed about Aranea's ascension, Meenah was beaten to death by Damara. Meenah also speculates that Damara was fatally injured during the same fight and taken to her Quest Cocoon by Rufioh, a possible parallel to Vriska and Aradia's situation in HS 4478 ([S] Make her pay.) Damara does not, however, confirm any of this or if her alpha self ascended at all.

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. He also appears to have the ability to turn himself into wind.
 * 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. However at a later point HS 7917 (Terezi reconsidered the offer) and had her eyes healed.
 * 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.

It is unclear if a player needs further training to use the full extent of their aspect's power after ascending. Jade and Aradia demonstrated immediate mastery over their power. However, it should be noted that they were likely aware of what these powers were and how to use them due to previously having a self that was a Sprite. John was able to use his powers soon after ascension, however he had already previously learned about his ability to control the breeze. The B2 Kids show no immediate understanding of their powers upon ascension and are instead easily overwhelmed by their aggressors.

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.

Having only one self left god tier players dream in the dream bubbles of the Furthest Ring. It is unclear if Vriska's ability to enter and interfere with the nightmares of the Wayward Vagabond is related to this or an independent phenomenon.

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, though this was eventually revealed to be a mutation unrelated to the God Tier wings, which even his pre-scratch version had. The alternate 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 demonstrated by Vriska and Meenah. A player can also choose not to wear their god tier outfit. Meenah does usually not wear her god tier clothes, as she disliked the Thief outfit and Life color scheme. Aranea, Vriska and Meenah 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 should be noted that Aradia did not retain any visual frog traits, due to her frog sprite being prototyped with the ghost of her original self, as opposed to her dream self.

Pre-Scratch troll session (A1)

 * Aranea Serket, the Sylph of Light HS 6676
 * Meenah Peixes, the Thief of Life HS 7327

Post-Scratch troll session (A2)

 * Vriska Serket, the Thief of Light HS 5030
 * Aradia Megido, the Maid of Time HS 5197

Pre-Scratch human session (B1)

 * John Egbert, the Heir of Breath HS 4987
 * Rose Lalonde, the Seer of Light HS 6009
 * Dave Strider, the Knight of Time HS 6009
 * Jade Harley, the Witch of Space HS 6009

Post-Scratch human session (B2)

 * Jane Crocker, the Maid of Life HS 7747
 * Roxy Lalonde, the Rogue of Void HS 7746
 * Dirk Strider, the Prince of Heart HS 7746
 * Jake English, the Page of Hope HS 7747

Cherub session

 * Caliborn, the Lord of Time HS 8145

Instances of god tier players from unknown alternate timelines

 * At least three instances of Tavros Nitram, the Page of Breath * HS 7161
 * At least two instances of Karkat Vantas, the Knight of Blood * HS 6386
 * At least two instances of Eridan Ampora, the Prince of Hope * HS 6590 HS 7327
 * At least two instances of Feferi Peixes, the Witch of Life * HS 6590 HS 7327
 * At least two instances of Damara Megido, the Witch of Time HS 7327
 * At least two instances of Rufioh Nitram, the Rogue of Breath HS 7327
 * At least two instances of Mituna Captor, the Heir of Doom HS 7327
 * At least one instance of Kankri Vantas, the Seer of Blood HS 7327
 * At least two instances of Meulin Leijon, the Mage of Heart HS 7327
 * At least one instance of Porrim Maryam, the Maid of Space HS 7327
 * At least one instance of Latula Pyrope, the Knight of Mind HS 7327
 * At least one instance of Horuss Zahhak, the Page of Void HS 7327
 * At least one instance of Kurloz Makara, the Prince of Rage HS 7327
 * At least one instance of Cronus Ampora, the Bard of Hope HS 7327

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)

Caliborn

 * Lordling

Trivia

 * The first time a god tier symbol was seen was on HS 4528 (this page), not counting the symbol of light being used to represent the sun in several pages, for example HS 1982 (here) and on Jade's bed.
 * The wings that the trolls gain upon reaching god-tier are tinted in their respective blood color. As so far, both dancestors in a pair shown with wings have been identical, it's safe to assume this is the case for all of them.
 * Aradia and Damara have empty circles on their wings, a reference to the former's fixation on the number zero. There is also a shape that resembles a very simplistic ghost, likely a reference to Aradia being dead in the form of a ghost at the start of Hivebent.
 * Tavros and Rufioh's wings have long horn-shaped protrusions in the middle.
 * Sollux and Mituna's wings are double pointed on the top and bottoms of the wings
 * Nepeta and Meulin have generically pointed wings, cat-ear like in shape and pattern.
 * Karkat and Kankri have not been shown with wings in either of their god tier outfits. Whether they are hidden, too small to be seen, or non-existent for the pair has yet to be established.
 * Kanaya and Porrim have the same wings as their Virgin Mother Grub lusus.
 * Terezi and Latula have leaf shaped wings, perhaps as a reference to the former's (and maybe latter's) dwelling in the trees. They may also be modeled after their horns from the highly pointed shape of them.
 * Vriska and Aranea have wings with a single dot on one wing, and a pattern of seven dots arranged like the vision eightfold, on the wing opposite of the eye with it.
 * Equius and Horuss have wings with a crook at the tip, perhaps arrow shaped like their horns
 * Gamzee and Kurloz have wings with a :o) face on one wing, and a :o( face on the other
 * Eridan and Cronus' wings on the upper half are modelled after their horns
 * Feferi and Meenah's wings are designed after their symbol.
 * Dirk, in a drawing done by Calliope, display him with orange wings, his associated color, instead of his blood color.
 * 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."
 * It is also worth mentioning that Damara, Mituna, Meulin, and Kurloz did not give straight answers when asked whether they had attained their god tiers.
 * Caliborn is the only alpha timeline god tier in the entire story to have achieved this status through the intended manner of intentional suicide, though Vriska comes close by attempting assisted suicide after a mortal wounding.
 * This is ironic, as every other aspect of his session has been immensely screwed up in some way.