The Cat Faction is an exceptionally effective Faction that has held many high-tier spots in the meta for quite a while. Cats carved out their spot in the meta by being the best choice by far for anyone looking for an assassin or rogue class. Their weapons and movement kits are carefully crafted to allow Cat players to have an easier time scoring critical hits on their targets than most other carnivore players.
There are two Cat build styles, Feline-style and Panther-style. The Feline-style Cats generally have higher Mobility but lower Power, while Panther-style Cats are stronger, bulkier, and have access to the Panther's signature moves, Roar and Growl.
Feline Style Cats[]
Cheetah[]
Cheetahs are ranked lowest on the tier list. They have the highest movement speed of any land build, which is definitely an impressive title to hold, and when it comes to scoring kills on builds with high Mobility (Gazelles, Antelope, Ostriches), there are few better at it than the Cheetah. But while this works against those particular targets in that particular situation, it serves no purpose when it comes time to actually defend the kill. And as a result, a high percentage of the kills a Cheetah gets end up getting stolen by Lions, Hyenas, and Leopards. Cheetahs need higher Power and/or Defense stats to actually be able to reap the benefits of their high Mobility. The Cheetah's inability to defend itself also makes the early game extremely difficult for new Cheetah players. High-level players can't prevent stronger builds from griefing the new Cheetah players, and as a result, very few Cheetahs even reach the late game where they can abuse their high Mobility stat. Long story short, Cheetahs are F-tier because they get bodied way too hard by competing builds.
Lynx[]
In D tier, we have the Lynx. They have low medium stats across the board except for Stealth, and they do possess one relatively useful ability, "Snow Paw," which allows them to move silently through snow. They're best at taking out small prey using Stealth, but there are better choices for this playstyle, such as the Owl or the Viper. While they don't get griefed nearly as badly as Cheetahs, they do have to watch out for Cougars, Wolves, and Coyotes. The only advantage that choosing Lynx could give would be their hearing, which allows them to be more alert to incoming predators and prey than a more sight-based build like the previously mentioned Owl.
Cougar[]
Now in C tier, we have the Cougar. While it's Stealth is actually a bit lower than the Lynx's, all other stats are a good bit higher. However, it's not quite strong enough to overpower mid-weights like Deer and Elk without putting itself at risk for taking damage. While it can climb well, it's most comfortable duking it out on the ground. Added up, this may sound like a pretty terrible build, but given that its only feline competitors in the area are Lynx and Domestic Cat players, Cougar mains can get considerably more loot than a player in a more cramped server, like Africa. However, they still have to compete with the North American server's other top predators, like Wolves and Falcons. For these reasons, it looks like they won't be breaking C tier any time soon.
Domestic Cat[]
No cat ranks higher than the Domestic Cat, which is placed in S tier. It hunts small animals well with human protection to make up for its bad health and defense stats. While the Domestic Cat may seem like low-tier trash due to its small size, its special move "Bold and Brash" completely makes up for this fact. This special move reduces fear in the infected target, and while it was originally used to make hunting smaller, nervous players easier, it is now used by Domestic Cat mains to live in Human settlements. When a Domestic Cat uses Bold and Brash on a Human player, the Human feels affection towards the Domestic Cat, allowing it to live in the homes of Humans and take part of their loot. This ability can be detrimental to the Cats, however, as some Humans choose to keep the Cats indoors for the remainder of the Cats' playthrough, giving it significantly less chance to find loot in the less developed forest servers.
Notably, Cats originally sought out the free kills against the Mouse and Rat Mains attracted to Human players bases when some early Human mains unlocked the Agriculture skill tree several patches ago. As this protected the Humans farmed XP sources from these low-mid level griefing attempts, and allowed the Cat mains to increase their K/D ratio fairly easily, (while also using the humans larger size and safe bases to ward off its own bad matchups,) the team up between the two was kind of a no brainer. While it is true that Cats have their own support class, Toxo Plasmogondi, (whose presence boosts the effectiveness of the Bold and Brash skill) these players only began becoming a factor after several joint playthroughs.
Panther Style Cats[]
Leopard[]
The Leopard build is the next rung up on the tier list, being Africa's premier solo road class. Leopards are the smallest of the Panther-style class. This offers them maximum Mobility while climbing, a trait they use as much as they can. While the Leopard is definitely stronger than the Cheetah, it's still no match for gank squads like Lions or Hyenas. However, Leopard mains have developed an expert strategy to avoid getting their kills stolen by stronger players. Leopards can climb much better than any of their competitors, and they have just enough strength to carry their kills with them. This allows them to hide their kills high up in trees and gain all the XP they deserve. All these traits together earn the Leopard high B tier. However, Snow Leopard players have a strong argument for A tier because of their added Stealth bonus.
Tiger[]
Sitting in the bottom of A tier, we have the largest of the Cats: The Tiger. Tiger players don't have very many unique abilities, just generally high stats. While Tigers do have decent Stealth, they rely more on their Power for winning fights. This allows them to take out tough and dangerous players like the Boar. One top-tier ability they do have is their incredibly powerful Jump move, making them deceptively mobile while appearing to have only average speed. In a one-on-one fight, Tigers can beat many of the builds on this list, only being rivalled by Jaguars and Lions. What makes this build fall short of S tier is their lack of teamwork. While Tiger mains can take down tough prey, they can't compete with the coordinated strategies of Lion mains and Jaguar's Jungle Tooth. Sorry, pal. but they are S tier in genral A- to cats
Lion[]
Lions are the poster-child of coordinated attacks, one of the most overpowered strategies in the entire game. So far, many of the other Cats we have talked about generally target players with soft or thin hides, but Lion players are some of the only ones bold enough to deliberately attack a tank. Even though they have lower Power than their orange brethren, the Lions' high Intelligence allows them to create smart, strategical attacks. Their highly organized parties allow them to control entire sections of the map, and their defined roles prevent leaching and protect newer players from gankers. All in all, the Lion is a great build that is easily high A tier.
Jaguar[]
The Jaguar embodies everything excellent about the Cat build. They are, without a doubt, the best builds in the entire game when it comes to one-shotting players with a critical hit. They may not have the raw stats that the Lion and Tiger do, but they more than make up for it with their special abilities. The most important of their abilities, "Apex Eyes," negates all Stealth bonuses. Most Cats have great vision and can even see in the dark, but the Jaguar can see a target obscured by darkness or hiding in murky water. They also have the most damaging bite of any of the Cats, enough to pierce armour because of their ability "Jungle Tooth," and their incredible accuracy lets them nail their target right in the weak point, the back of the head. Jaguars are also the most versatile Cat build available. They're great sprinters and pristine climbers, but because of their ability "Amphibious," they're just as at home hunting in the water as they are in a tree. No other build can boast dominance in the arboreal, terrestrial, and aquatic map zones. Given that it can one-shot anything on its server and dominates three of the four main play zones, it's almost undeniable that Jaguars are in S tier.