Endfield Arknights: Endfield Characters Tier List

This Tier List is an extremely preliminary analysis of the Operators early into the game's release. There are definitely more updates to be made with exact placements, as more info is discovered and more players reach endgame.

As for methodology, we don't have a strict baseline for Operators. We try to evaluate flexibility, top-end strength, best case scenario, AoE, single-target, etc. Every Operator can be valuable in different ways, and you can read more below.

Lastly, everyone, including us understands that a tier list 3-6 months from now will look completely different. Some Operators that provide utility may have better long term value, while DPS Operators often become less valuable as characters with higher multipliers release. However, getting a strong DPS early on provides a greater immediate boost to your account's power, so those criteria can often be at odds.

S-Tier

Laevatain

Right now, Laevatain is simply the strongest Operator/Team in the game. Her kit does it all, good damage, extremely easy/accessible team to build, AoE, non-strict team-building for future potential. One of her best team is also very accessible, needing only "free" Operators: Ardelia, Akekuri, Antal.

Chen Qianyu Endministrator

As time has passed, people have begun to realize how powerful Chen & Endmin are. Physical teams are extremely impressive from top to bottom, using other 6-Stars or even 4-Star Operators. Chen is non-negotiable on Physical teams. She contributes a ton of damage, applies the most Vulnerable, and is the glue for Physical teams. Endministrator is the the primary or secondary Vulnerable consumer and in general an amazing Operator for damage payoff.

Pogranichnik

Pogranichnik is another ceiling raiser for Physical teams. He provides Sub DPS, Breach (debuff enemy physical damage taken), SP regeneration, and an amazing Attack buff with Thermite Cutter. Vanguards are extremely strong right now due to their buffing capabilities combined with SP generation.

Gilberta

Gilberta was initially rated lower from beta testing, but other Operators had their Susceptibility numbers nerfed, making Gilberta stand out more. She has great synergy with Yvonne thanks to her Nature Infliction and the fact she's able to Lift enemies, shattering solidified enemies for extra damage. She will likely be a good teammate for Rossi as well, since both characters have a hybrid approach (Arts + Physical).

Lastly, her AoE skills make Overworld content (currently most of the game), smoother to progress through.

Tangtang

Tangtang is a strong operator that adds a lot of value for Cryo Teams. SP efficient Inflictions, Susceptibility, great damage and an Ultimate that immobilizes enemies (including bosses!). Just like Wulfgard for Laevatain teams, Tangtang is a competitive choice for both Last Rite and Yvonne teams, opening up more team-building options.

While Tangtang's Susceptibility is much lower than Gilberta, her signature makes up for it, as it increases her damage and applies Arts DMG Taken% on enemies. Her damage output is surprisingly high to the point where it's possible to use her as a main DPS.

A+ Tier

Akekuri

Akekuri is another generalist Operator, being able to be slotted into any team for SP Generation. She's extremely competitive for just about any team. Laevatain, Physical, Electric, Cryo, etc. Link is strong for any operator with a heavy hitting Ultimate, but the high-cost of her Ultimate can be a challenge for some teams.

Last Rite Xaihi

Tangtang release solved a lot of issues Last Rite teams used to have: the lack of AoE and more Cryo applications, all of this while they also benefit from each other, increasing both of their damage output. While all Cryo teams benefit from Tangtang, the improvement is much more noticeable on Last Rite teams. Because of this, we are moving Last Rite to A+.

Perlica

Perlica is a versatile unit for Arts teams, something that keeps getting attention since the release of the game. Laevatain, Cryo Teams and Rossi, all of these units can make use of Perlica to increase their damage potential. While Rossi can't make full use of Electrification, Perlica synergizes well with her team options and it's an amazing option for F2P players.

Rossi

Rossi is a interesting unit with a solid kit that set a foundation for Hybrid teams. Her MVs and Crit Buffs are surprisingly high, with a even split of Physical and Heat damage. For the same reasons, Rossi is also finding some issues with her team options. She needs Arts Inflictions, but her only move that applies Infliction is her Ultimate. The split between Physical and Arts damage means that finding a good support to increase the damage on both sides is a challenge.

We will keep a close eye on Rossi performance and synergy with future characters and adjust her position, if needed.

A-Tier

Yvonne

Yvonne performance has always been questionable since her release, requiring other limited operators to perform well. Tangtang definitely improves the experience and the damage of Yvonne teams, but she's also improving Last Rite teams both on the damage and gameplay flow. Because of this, we will keep Yvonne in the A-Tier, away from other Cryo Units.

Wulfgard

Wulfgard dropped down from our tier list when Crisis was the current endgame content. With Umbral changing the game (starting with 0 Ultimate Energy), Wulfgard has once again become Laevatain's best general teammate for this mode and for overworld. His faster Heat Infliction is also more important for Laevatain's Energy build, making him a mainstay in the meta right now.

Avywenna

Avywenna is the main unit for Mono-Electro teams, and while it's still a strong team, other teams can use a 6-Star operator for much better damage potential.

Lifeng

Much like Pogranichnik, Lifeng raises the ceiling of the of the Physical team with his Sub DPS contribution and Physical Susceptibility application. However, players are finding other replacements for Lifeng (such as Akekuri) are still just as strong. Lifeng provides more value at P1, but that isn't a fair baseline to evaluate his meta role.

Ardelia

While Ardelia is one of the most flexible Operators in the game, Gilberta is taking her spot in the meta. She's still a comfort pick for any team, mainly Laevatain teams, as she provides good healing and access to both Corrosion and Susceptibility, without the risk of triggering the wrong Arts Reaction and consuming Inflictions from enemies.

Ardelia still shines in scenarios that requires healing (such as the first Umbral Monument), but as Cryo teams raises in the meta, sharing the spotlight with Physical Teams, Ardelia keeps losing space for operators with more damage or better buffs.

B-Tier

Antal

Antal is an accessible 4th slot for both Heat and Electric teams, both of which are very strong at the current moment. However, his main "meta" role is on Laevatain teams for Crisis, where the content is single target and you start with 100% Ultimate. Outside of this, Wulfgard is the better general teammate for overworld and Umbral.

Alesh Estella

Alesh and Estella are paired together because they synergize in the F2P Physical Cryo team with Endministrator and Chen. SP and Solidification from Alesh and Lift/Physical Susceptibility from Estella.

They certainly don't perform better than Pog + Lifeng or Pog + Akekuri, but they are a competitive F2P option.

Alesh is slightly more valuable, as he's currently run on Yvonne's best Nature team (Yvonne Xaihi Gilberta Alesh). This is because his Ultimate applies Cryo Infliction, meaning you run all Energy Gear on him. Furthermore, he can hold Thermite Cutter, making him a strong bonus for the team as well.

Ember

Ember is currently being utilized with her high base Stagger + Sundered Prince to constantly stagger lock bosses. This is used in conjunction with Swordmancer from other teammates to apply a ton of Stagger. Right now, this variation of Physical can do very impressive runs, but we're unsure if this would be considered a cheese strategy and something that will be viable going into the future.

Ember could easily go up the tier list if Stagger becomes a necessity for certain fights. She could also move back down if the devs decide to nerf this Stagger strategy.

Lastly, her survivability can make her a good Operator for Umbral Monument, where enemies currently hit very hard. This can make her a comfortable choice to build and play with.

Fluorite

With Cryo teams getting more attention, Fluorite value raised a bit. Yvonne can make use of her Nature Inflictions and Last Rite benefits from the extra Cryo stacks. She won't increase the damage potential of these teams by a lot and, in most cases, other 5-Star operators are better, but in case you're missing some potentials or a 6-Star operator, Fluorite will do the job for you.

Da Pan

Da Pan helps the Physical team, but he's not really a necessity to build. You can replace him with Endministrator, but Endmin is free and future Potential unlocks will make them better.

If you want to run Endmin + Panda together, you can, but this variation hasn't shown to perform amazingly. Overall, this puts Panda at a lower/weirder spot in the meta.

C-Tier

Arclight

Arclight is a Sub DPS/SP Generation/Buffer that can be used for the Electric team, but it's been found that Akekuri simply just performs better than her for Avywenna teams. As such, her role in the meta is not very apparent at the moment.

Snowshine

Snowshine is a F2P option for Yvonne Cryo teams. Her Infliction is cheaper than Estella, but the enemy does need to hit you. Compared to Last Rite in the same team role, she doesn't fall too far behind, but once again, Yvonne's best team uses Gilberta and a Vanguard for Thermite Cutter instead of maxing out on Cryo Inflictions.

D-Tier

Catcher

Catcher is the budget form of Ember, which doesn't put him in a great spot. He does apply Vulnerable, so if you really want to play Physical and add some comfort, you can run him, but there are many Physical Operators that raise the ceiling of Physical teams, while Catcher does not.