Azur Lane Tier List: Best Ships Ranked for Every Fleet (October 2026)

Last updated: 14 October 2026

Azur Lane hands you hundreds of shipgirls, but only enough upgrade materials to build a small fleet properly. This Azur Lane tier list ranks the ships that actually matter on the global server right now, with separate rankings for battleships, carriers, cruisers, destroyers, submarines, and healers, so every ship is judged against others doing the same job.

Azur Lane tier list banner

Azur Lane Tier List 2026 – All Ships Ranked 

Here is the full ranking split by ship type. Scroll down for a simple breakdown of the best ships in every tier.

Ship TypeEX TierS TierA TierB Tier
Battleships and BattlecruisersAlsace, Musashi, Bismarck Zwei, New Jersey, Mecklenburg, Lion, Sovetsky Soyuz, Raffaello, Friedrich der Große, VanguardKearsarge, Ulrich von HuttenOwari, Daisen, Prinz Rupprecht, Izumo, Oumi, Indiana, Kansas, Warspite, Odin, Monarch, Georgia, Kii, Roma, Vittorio VenetoHood, Richelieu, Nelson, Duke of York, Washington, Marco Polo, Champagne, Admiral Zenker, Flandre
Aircraft CarriersAdmiral Nakhimov, Implacable, Lexington II, Yorktown II, Fritz Rumey, Amagi (CV), HakuhouShinano, Hakuryuu, Glorious META, Franklin, Shangri-LaEnterprise, Essex (Retrofit), August von Parseval, Independence (Retrofit), Centaur, Chkalov, Bois Belleau, ImperoArk Royal (Retrofit), Illustrious, Saratoga (Retrofit), Formidable, Intrepid
Heavy and Large CruisersGuam, Gouden Leeuw, Ägir, Brest, Kronshtadt, UnzenDrake, NapoliHindenburg, Anchorage, Azuma, Cheshire, Ibuki, Friedrich Carl, PittsburghRoon, Portland (Retrofit), Baltimore, Takao, Choukai
Light CruisersPlymouth, Helena (Retrofit), San Diego (Retrofit)Noshiro, De Zeven Provinciën, Shimanto, Bayard, Jeanne d’Arc, Yat Sen (Retrofit)Harbin, Chapayev, Aurora, Sirius, Santa Fe, Fargo, Neptune, Dmitri DonskoiDido, Seattle, Montpelier, Juneau, Boise
DestroyersZ52, Laffey II, William D. PorterShimakaze, Eldridge (Retrofit), Mogador, TrafalgarJavelin (Retrofit), Yuudachi (Retrofit), Kitakaze, Wakatsuki, An Shan (Retrofit), Chang Chun (Retrofit), Tai Yuan (Retrofit), Fu Shun (Retrofit)Ayanami (Retrofit), Z23 (Retrofit), Laffey (Retrofit), Tashkent, Jervis
SubmarinesI-404Flasher, Archerfish, Albacore, U-101, U-96, U-552U-81, U-37, U-47, U-556 META, Leonardo da Vinci, Maggiore BaraccaI-168, I-58, I-13, Cavalla
HealersUnicorn (Retrofit), AquilaPerseus, Cowpens, Zuihou, VolgaPainlevé, Klaudia Valentz, RyuuhouShouhou

How Our Azur Lane Tier List Works

We built this ranking by cross checking the English community tier list kept by veteran players with the newest community rankings and the latest ships added to the global server. Where rankings disagreed, the most recently updated one decided the spot. Ships are judged on how well they handle tough content like Chapter 14, Operation Siren, and boss fights, and every ranking assumes the ship is fully limit broken and decently geared.

TierWhat It Means
EXThe best ships in the game. If you own one, she goes first in line for upgrades.
STop picks that handle any content and sit just a step behind EX.
AStrong, dependable ships that carry you through most of the game. Great long term investments.
BSolid ships for early and mid game. Perfect placeholders until something better shows up.

If you are new, here is the one thing to know before reading on. Every fleet has two halves:

  • Vanguard: Destroyers, light cruisers, and heavy cruisers. They sail in front, take most of the hits, and fire torpedoes and guns at close range.
  • Main fleet: Battleships and aircraft carriers. They sit in the back and deal most of your damage. The ship in the flagship slot must survive or you lose the battle.
  • Submarines: They sit in a small fleet of their own and join battles as extra support.

EX Tier: The Best Ships in Azur Lane

These ships sit at the very top of our Azur Lane tier list and define the current meta. Each one is the best at her job, and most of them stay useful for years after release.

Alsace (Battleship)

Alsace gets value out of every single volley. Each time her main guns fire, she marks a target so it takes more damage, adds a bonus barrage, and leaves a long special burn behind. Once her Fury condition switches on, that mark effectively stays up for the whole fight. She also gives crit support to her faction, pressures your other fleet, and has an emergency heal for herself.

Musashi (Battleship)

Musashi has been a fixture at the top of Azur Lane tier lists for years, and she is still there. At max skill level, every main gun salvo can trigger her special barrage, and her lightning strikes make enemies take more damage from your whole team. Sakura Empire gear speeds up her reload and boosts her crit damage, and she can protect other backline ships while sending barrages to your second fleet.

Bismarck Zwei (Battleship)

Bismarck Zwei is packed with damage tricks. Her first volley always lands a critical hit, she buffs her own firepower and reload, and her barrage creates a vortex that pulls enemies into one tight group for your fleet to wreck. Her companion Geryon either powers up her burst or attacks on her own. Her Iron Blood buffs are nice, but you do not need a full Iron Blood fleet to use her well.

New Jersey (Battleship)

New Jersey fires very accurate shells with a tight spread, so more of her damage actually lands, especially when enemies are slowed. Her barrage mixes shells that set enemies on fire with shells that break their armor. She also buffs other Eagle Union battleships in her fleet and Eagle Union carriers in your other fleet, which makes her a great anchor for American teams.

Mecklenburg (Battleship)

Mecklenburg is a boss killer, and the best part is that you never have to pull for her. She comes from the Research system in the Shipyard, so time and coins are all she costs. She fires with a tight spread, deals extra damage to heavily armored enemies, and marks targets so they take more damage while she lands more crits on them. She can also cover your flagship and has a one time full dodge for emergencies.

Lion (Battleship)

Lion brings constant pressure and a surprising amount of toughness for a battleship. Her timed barrages apply a debuff called Lionfire, and enemies under Lionfire take extra damage while Lion lands more critical hits on them. She also supports your other fleet, which adds even more value to her slot.

Admiral Nakhimov (Aircraft Carrier)

Admiral Nakhimov is one of the best carriers ever added to Azur Lane, and she is another Research ship you can unlock without gacha luck. She has three powerful plane slots, launches an extra airstrike every time she attacks, slows a wide area of enemies, lowers enemy air defense and evasion, and makes her priority targets take more damage. That mix of damage and control makes her a top pick for boss fleets.

Implacable (Aircraft Carrier)

Implacable is the queen of crowd control. Her airstrikes slow enemies until they come to a complete stop, hold them there, and then leave a lingering slow plus an evasion debuff. That gives your whole fleet a free window to land every shot. She deals strong damage herself and even sends a once per battle stop to your other fleet.

Lexington II (Aircraft Carrier)

Lexington II arrived on the global server in the A Note Through the Firmament event in December 2025, and she quickly earned her EX spot. She gets repeated moments of invincibility, adds an extra airstrike barrage, and can turn her slow into a full root on targets with weakened air defense. She also heals and buffs Lexington class and Essex class carriers, so she fits perfectly into Eagle Union carrier teams.

Yorktown II (Aircraft Carrier)

Yorktown II supercharges Eagle Union carrier fleets without giving up her own damage. She speeds up Yorktown class and Essex class carriers, gives them bonus damage, marks priority targets with an air defense debuff, and heals herself repeatedly. She hits light armor hardest, but her buffs and flexible plane slot let her deal great damage to any enemy.

Guam (Large Cruiser)

Guam covers almost every job a frontline cruiser can do. She stacks huge air defense for herself and the team, takes less damage from planes, and rotates shields and special shots off her main guns. On top of that, she scans enemies, breaks their armor, and calls in support fire. She shines brightest in stages packed with enemy aircraft.

Ägir (Large Cruiser)

Ägir is a main tank who also hits hard. She belongs in the front slot of your vanguard, where her high HP and support skills keep everyone safe. Her slow sets enemies up for your backline, and her passive armor break makes shelling damage hit even harder. Give her a large cruiser gun to activate her skill.

Plymouth (Light Cruiser)

Plymouth does almost everything at once. She carries three main gun mounts for steady damage, fires a special barrage every 10 seconds, and boosts the damage of a battleship flagship against marked targets. Damage reduction and a self heal let her survive in the front line too, which is rare for a light cruiser.

Helena Retrofit (Light Cruiser)

Helena is proof that a ship does not need to be rare to be elite. Her Radar Scan gives enemies a chance to take 40% more damage for 10 seconds, and it triggers every 20 seconds. Boss fleets build their gun timings around her because of it. Even better, new players can buy her from the guild shop and retrofit her later. Place her in the middle slot of your vanguard.

San Diego Retrofit (Light Cruiser)

San Diego is the best air defense ship in the game. Her anti air gun can raise your whole fleet’s air defense by up to 50%, and her retrofit adds a second main gun mount and an exclusive barrage. She also deals excellent surface damage, so she never feels like a pure support pick.

Z52 (Destroyer)

Z52 is a destroyer with a ridiculous amount packed into her kit. Her main gun builds up Thunder Heart, which fires extra hits and applies a debuff that makes your airstrikes and shells deal more damage. She also stacks air defense, protects your flagship, heals herself, and adds support fire to the stage.

William D. Porter (Destroyer)

William D. Porter was a free Ultra Rare from the A Note Through the Firmament event, and she is far more than a damage destroyer. She gives your flagship emergency evasion and an Eagle Union damage buff, launches timed torpedo barrages, and spreads a short damage taken debuff with her special attack. She also boosts fleet air defense, cuts her own damage taken, and supports your other fleet.

I-404 (Submarine)

I-404 is the only submarine in EX tier, and she was earned through event points in A Dance for Amahara Above rather than the gacha. She combines strong torpedo pressure with a large seaplane slot, buffs critical hits for your whole submarine fleet, and gives extra torpedo stats to Sakura Empire subs. Her support strike even reaches enemies outside her range, adding a burn and a 5% damage taken debuff.

S Tier Azur Lane Ships

S tier ships are only a small step behind EX in this Azur Lane tier list. Most of them dominate in specific team setups, so they are excellent picks if they match the fleet you are building.

Kearsarge (Aviation Battleship)

Kearsarge is a Research ship that mixes planes, main guns, and a barrage for smooth, staggered damage. Her planes usually launch before she fires, so her debuff is always active when her shells land. She buffs carriers when sortied with another Eagle Union main fleet ship. She needs Eagle Union or Northern Parliament guns and planes to unlock all of her buffs, and her defense against suicide boats is weak.

Ulrich von Hutten (Battleship)

Ulrich von Hutten deals excellent damage whether she is your flagship or not. Her reload trick actually makes her even stronger off the flagship slot, and you can use it to spread out her shots for mob fights or line them up for bosses. If she runs out of ammo while clearing mobs, swap her into the flagship slot to keep her damage up.

Shinano (Aircraft Carrier)

Shinano carries nine planes instead of the usual eight, which gives her huge single target damage and a guaranteed aimed torpedo barrage. Her first slot accepts any plane type, so you can bring a fighter for air control, a dive bomber for general use, or a torpedo bomber for bosses. Sortie her with at least two other Sakura Empire ships to unlock her carrier buff.

Hakuryuu (Aircraft Carrier)

Hakuryuu is a flexible damage carrier with very strong dive bombers, two adjustable plane slots, and several barrages. Allies deal more damage to enemies hit by her special airstrike, so she helps the whole fleet. Equip at least one Sakura Empire plane to trigger her better self buff.

Noshiro (Light Cruiser)

Noshiro fits into almost any fleet. She survives by dodging attacks, deals good torpedo damage, and brings great support skills. She works best as a main tank, but late game bosses with high accuracy can catch her, so pair her with a healer in the hardest stages.

Shimakaze (Destroyer)

Shimakaze is all about torpedoes. Two preloaded torpedo volleys, strong barrages, and a support barrage for your other fleet give her massive damage at the start of a fight. Her damage dips after that opening burst, so put her in the middle slot of your vanguard to keep her safe.

Eldridge Retrofit (Destroyer)

Eldridge makes your whole vanguard invincible for short windows, letting them ignore huge bursts of enemy fire. She is fragile herself, so never put her in the tank slot. Her All Out Assault adds respectable damage on top of the protection.

Archerfish (Submarine)

Archerfish is one of the best Eagle Union submarines. Two strong barrages give her outstanding damage per sortie, and she buffs every Eagle Union sub in the fleet, including herself, when you bring at least one other Eagle Union submarine.

A Tier Azur Lane Ships

A tier ships are reliable workhorses. Many of them are easier to get than EX and S tier ships, which makes this the most important tier for new and free to play players.

Enterprise (Aircraft Carrier)

Enterprise is still a fantastic carrier, especially in boss fleets. Her signature skill doubles her airstrike damage and gives her a short burst of damage immunity. She tends to overkill weak mob enemies, so save her for the boss fight. She is also much easier to get than most top carriers.

Independence Retrofit (Light Carrier)

Independence is one of the biggest retrofit glow ups in Azur Lane. Her retrofit turns her into a full carrier with eight planes, a torpedo bomber focus, and a powerful barrage. Her buff for your other fleet is strong too. Grab carrier retrofit blueprints early from the guild shop, because Unicorn, Independence, and Saratoga all have accessible retrofits.

Monarch (Battleship)

Monarch is a Research ship and one of the best flagship battleships you can build without gacha. Her shells and barrage hit hard on their own, and her slow helps the rest of your fleet land their attacks. A self heal keeps her alive in long mob stages. Her only weak spot is light armor bosses, which are rare in late game content.

Hindenburg (Heavy Cruiser)

Hindenburg has very high firepower plus several offensive buffs and barrages. Put a heavy cruiser gun in her third slot to unlock extra damage. She is sturdy enough to fight in the vanguard, but she is a damage dealer first, so keep a proper tank in front of her.

Anchorage (Heavy Cruiser)

Anchorage is a tough main tank with a powerful barrage and solid gun damage. Both of her skills depend on firing torpedoes as often as possible, so give her fast loading torpedoes to boost both her damage and her survival.

Harbin (Light Cruiser)

Harbin is unusual because she carries both two gun mounts and torpedo mounts, and she can fire a quick second torpedo salvo right after the first. Add strong buffs and barrages, and you get one of the best damage light cruisers in A tier. Her smokescreen is unreliable on auto battle, so treat it as a bonus.

Yuudachi Retrofit (Destroyer)

Yuudachi’s retrofit is a huge upgrade. She gains a lot of firepower, improved barrages, and much more bulk, and her damage buff changes from a chance based boost to a guaranteed 20% buff. If you already own her, the retrofit is well worth the materials.

B Tier Azur Lane Ships

B tier ships will not carry hard endgame content, but they are easy to get and perfect for pushing through the early chapters.

Portland Retrofit (Heavy Cruiser)

Portland is a very tanky heavy cruiser that you can buy from the guild shop on day one. Her retrofit gives her great stats, which makes her an easy early game main tank. Her skills are forgettable, so swap her out once you land a stronger tank.

Z23 Retrofit (Destroyer)

Z23 is one of the three starter ships, and her retrofit turns her into a strong gun focused destroyer. She has high firepower for a destroyer, a chance to fire a strong barrage every 20 seconds, and guaranteed critical hits on her main gun when that barrage triggers. Her unique augment adds even more damage and survival.

Ayanami Retrofit (Destroyer)

Ayanami is a torpedo specialist who can pump out huge torpedo damage with her stats and torpedo buff. Her main gun is weak, but a fast firing gun lets her trigger her All Out Assault often. Her unique augment makes her torpedoes even stronger.

Roon (Heavy Cruiser)

Roon is a tanky Research cruiser who protects herself with shields. She swaps her ammo type during battle, so give her the gun with the highest raw damage. Her buffs stack up over time, so she performs best in longer fights.

Best Healers in Azur Lane

Healers keep your vanguard alive through long mob stages, which matters more and more as you push into harder chapters. That is why they get their own section in this Azur Lane tier list. You do not need one in every fleet, but your mob clearing fleet will thank you.

Unicorn Retrofit

Unicorn is the best healer for most players and one of the first ships you should buy from the guild shop. She starts battles with a preloaded airstrike, so her fighters and torpedo bombers clear the first wave in most stages. Every airstrike heals your vanguard, and her first strike also heals your main fleet with a bonus heal on the weakest backline ship.

Perseus

Perseus heals both your main fleet and your vanguard, which gives you a lot of freedom when building teams. Her two preloaded airstrikes can wipe out the first few enemy waves instantly, and a random timed plane barrage fills the long gaps between her strikes. She even heals the vanguard of your other fleet for a small amount.

Aquila

Aquila works in two ways. In support mode, she shields and heals targeted allies and brings two fighter slots for strong air defense. In attack mode, her faster cooldown and preload let her clear mob waves quickly. Decide which job you need before building around her.

Other healers worth using are Cowpens, Zuihou, and Volga in S tier, plus Painlevé, Klaudia Valentz, and Ryuuhou in A tier. Volga deals great damage, but her heal can land on random allies, so she is not reliable as your only healer.

New Azur Lane Ships We Didn’t Rank Yet

These recent Ultra Rare releases do not have a settled community ranking yet. We will slot them into the Azur Lane tier list once players have tested them properly in endgame content.

ShipTypeFactionReleased InHow Players Got HerTier
AzuchiBattlecruiserSakura EmpireTales of the Paranormal (September 2026)Limited ConstructionTBA
TigerLight CruiserRoyal NavyTales of the Paranormal (September 2026)Event point shopTBA
Belfast (Retrofit)Light CruiserRoyal NavyDepths of the Astrarium (August 2026)Retrofit items from the Sealane Protector minigameTBA
Götz von BerlichingenBattleshipIron BloodAlliance Before the Hagiobull (May 2026)Limited ConstructionTBA
U-2501SubmarineIron BloodAlliance Before the Hagiobull (May 2026)Event rewards and point exchangeTBA

Best Free Ships in Azur Lane for Beginners

Not every ship on this Azur Lane tier list needs gacha luck. These ships cost no Wisdom Cubes and stay useful for a long time.

ShipWhere to Get HerWhy She Is Worth It
UnicornGuild shopA mob fleet healer you will use for the whole game
HelenaGuild shopHer Radar Scan is one of the strongest boss buffs in the game
PortlandGuild shopA sturdy early tank with an accessible retrofit
PennsylvaniaGuild shopAn easy flagship battleship with a focused barrage
Laffey, Javelin, or Z23Starter choice, and all three drop from campaign stagesAll three get strong retrofits
Monarch and RoonResearch in the ShipyardReliable battleship and tank picks with no gacha luck needed
Admiral Nakhimov, Mecklenburg, and KearsargeResearch in the ShipyardEX and S tier power, paid for with time and coins

Every new player starts with 4,000 guild coins. Buy Unicorn and Portland first, refresh the shop for 50 guild coins, and then grab Helena and Pennsylvania if they show up. Hold off on heavy Research spending until you reach Chapter 9, and ideally Chapter 12, because Research eats a lot of coins.

How to Build a Strong Fleet in Azur Lane?

Our Azur Lane tier list only helps if your fleet works as a team. Here is how to turn these rankings into fleets that clear content for you reliably:

Vanguard: Tank, Damage, and Support

Your first vanguard slot takes the most hits, so put your sturdiest ship there, like Ägir, Brest, Anchorage, or Portland (Retrofit). Use the other two slots for damage dealers and support ships. Fragile supports like Helena belong in the middle slot.

Main Fleet: Flagship and Backline Damage

If your flagship sinks, you lose the fight, so give that slot to a durable ship. Battleships with flagship barrages, like Monarch, Izumo, Owari, and Prinz Rupprecht, are built for it. Fill the side slots with your strongest battleships or carriers.

Mob Fleet vs Boss Fleet

Most campaign stages let you bring two fleets. Your mob fleet clears the regular enemy fleets, so it wants a healer and ships that wipe waves quickly. Your boss fleet wants burst damage and debuffs like Helena (Retrofit), Implacable, and Admiral Nakhimov. Line up your backline guns with Helena’s 20 second Radar Scan for the biggest damage windows.

RoleBest PickStrong Alternative
Main tankÄgirPortland (Retrofit)
Boss debufferImplacableHelena (Retrofit)
HealerUnicorn (Retrofit)Perseus
Battleship damageAlsaceMonarch
Carrier damageAdmiral NakhimovEnterprise
Air defenseSan Diego (Retrofit)Guam
DestroyerZ52Javelin (Retrofit)
SubmarineI-404Archerfish

Azur Lane Beginner Tips to Save Resources

These tips come straight from veteran players and will stretch your resources much further than any single ship pull:

  • Fully limit break one ship at a time – Limit breaks add stats and extra guns or planes, which is a massive power jump. A fully limit broken ship beats several half finished ones, and an Ultra Rare without limit breaks performs worse than most finished ships.
  • Pull only on event banners – Look for banners marked as events, aim for one copy of each new ship, and save cubes in between. Your daily single pull on the light pool is fine since the daily mission refunds that cube.
  • Do not chase permanent Ultra Rares – You will collect them over time through events. The game also lets you pick an Ultra Rare of your choice after 200 pulls, and event banner pulls count toward that total.
  • Push to Chapter 9 early – Fully clearing a stage from Chapter 9 onward unlocks an oil cap, which saves oil and earns more coins on every run.
  • Skip farming Akagi and Kaga. They each have a tiny 0.75% drop rate in the fourth stage of Chapter 3, and the oil you would burn farming them could carry you to the mid game.
  • Plan retrofits around level 85 – Retrofits are big power spikes, and several of the best budget ships in this list depend on them.
  • Ignore faction only fleets – Mixing factions is far easier and stronger than forcing a single faction team.

More Gacha Tier Lists on Driffle

If you play other gacha games alongside Azur Lane, these guides will help you build stronger teams there too. Anime gacha fans can check our Blue Archive tier list, Arknights tier list, and Heaven Burns Red tier list. If you enjoy collecting military themed girls, our Girls Frontline 2 Exilium tier list and NIKKE tier list are great next reads. You can also browse our FGO tier list, Punishing Gray Raven tier list, and Honkai Star Rail tier list.

Top Up Azur Lane With Driffle Gift Cards

Gems pay for skins, extra dock space, and event packs. A budget friendly way to grab Gems is with a Google Play gift card on Android or an Apple gift card on iPhone and iPad. Driffle delivers your code by email moments after checkout, so you can top up before an event ends. Still unsure about buying digital codes online? Read our breakdown of whether Driffle is legit.

Azur Lane Tier List FAQs

Who is the best ship in Azur Lane right now?

There is no single best ship because each type does a different job. Alsace, Musashi, and Bismarck Zwei lead the battleships, Admiral Nakhimov and Implacable top the carriers, and Ägir and Guam are the best large cruisers. Helena (Retrofit) is the best boss support you can get for free.

What is the best free ship in Azur Lane?

Unicorn and Helena from the guild shop are the best free ships for new players. If you want endgame power without the gacha, Research ships like Admiral Nakhimov and Mecklenburg are EX tier and only cost time and coins.

Who is the best healer in Azur Lane?

Unicorn (Retrofit) is the best healer for most players because she heals your vanguard with every airstrike and is cheap to get. Perseus and Aquila are excellent too, with Perseus healing both your vanguard and main fleet.

Is Enterprise still good in Azur Lane?

Yes. Enterprise sits in A tier and remains one of the best boss carriers you can realistically get. Newer carriers outclass her, but she still doubles her airstrike damage and shrugs off hits with her damage immunity.

Should new players chase UR ships in Azur Lane?

No. Ultra Rare ships need a lot of limit breaking before they shine, and the materials for that are slow to collect. Build accessible ships like Unicorn, Helena, and the starter destroyers first, and pick up Ultra Rares naturally through events.

What does EX mean in an Azur Lane tier list?

EX is the tier above everything else. In any Azur Lane tier list, it is reserved for ships that are exceptional at their job in almost any content, like Musashi or Admiral Nakhimov.

Are Azuchi and Tiger good in Azur Lane?

Both are Ultra Rares from the September 2026 Tales of the Paranormal event, with Azuchi as a Sakura Empire battlecruiser and Tiger as a Royal Navy light cruiser. Their rankings are still TBA while the community tests them in endgame content.

Is Azur Lane worth playing in 2026?

Yes. Azur Lane celebrated its 8th anniversary in August 2026 with 900 free Gems and a Promise Ring for every player, and new events still arrive every few weeks. If you want to compare it with other games, check out our list of the best gacha games of 2026.

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