Introduction
Boy that CC was a tough one, wasn't it? But we made it through, and onwards and forwards to the next event. I've personally been looking forward to this one, though it's also a tricky one, so proceed with some caution!
This article specifically covers the new units from the Guiding Ahead event, You can find the full version of the guide here, or on the banner below which covers all of the other noteworthy Masteries in the game
FAQ and Banner Discussion
Q: Should I pull?
A: That's the tricky part, but in short, probably not. The thing is that Fiammetta is actually a pretty good unit. She has very good damage and generally rates as a bit above average. Relative to the rest of the game, that's pretty good! However she falls in between several other *very* good units, and under the assumption that most players don't have the resources to roll for everyone, someone has to be skipped. Unfortunately for Fia, she ends up being the obvious first cut.
If you personally like her, you should absolutely roll. Fiammetta is a good unit and Kazemaru is decent one too. But just know she isn't as good as Horn or Irene (or even post-module Spec2) and the next easy skip isn't until Ebenholz, so if meta is what matters to you more (and it will for many players), you'll have to cut someone or count on some hefty luck...
Q: Why isn't Fia that meta?
A: Fairly simple, Fia has strong damage but that's about all she has. She otherwise has high costs and an irritating talent that requires other units to maximize her (though she synergizes very well with Skalter). She also doesn't have any utility outside of her range. Her damage also tends to end up restricted to certain tiles and she is highly dependent on positioning. For her S2 it's the line in front of her while her S3 is at the impact point. When things line up for Fia, she's great, but when they don't, she can end up being underwhelming and inconsistent
Fiammetta is lucky she is a 6★, because her 6★ stats keep her damage up enough that she can actually be an above average unit. Were she a 5★ though, the tone of this article would no doubt be different.
Q: Should I raise Enforcer?
A: If you were unaware, Enforcer has two unique traits among Pushers which are not immediately obvious. For one, his skills deal no damage, meaning he can move enemies that would otherwise trigger on damage like the Sarkaz Sentinels. For two, he shifts in the direction he is facing rather than the direction the enemy came from. This means he can shift through himself as well as shift enemies he blocks from behind, such as into a hole he is directly in front of! None of the others can do this and makes him fairly unique among his contemporaries.
That said though, Shifters generally fall into the 'if you have to ask' sort of category and Enforcer is really no exception to that despite his unique traits. Enforcer can be very powerful to a certain type of player and useless to other types. Some more helpful advice though is that he isn't necessarily better than FEater (the other 5★ pusher), just different, so if you have raised and found FEater to be a fun or useful unit, then you'll likely find the same from Enforcer. But if you haven't found any reason to raise FEater or Cliffheart (similar idea even if she's a Puller), then Enforcer probably isn't going to change your mind. What he brings is a really cool niche, but with how AK stages are designed, it will never be required or even optimal.
Q: Should I raise Kazemaru?
A: I would lean towards yes, though it isn't a slam dunk, especially if you're early on in your Arknights career. I'm personally a big fan of her so my bias might be showing, but she has a fairly powerful kit that's a lot easier to make use of over Bena. Summoning her doll on-demand is really useful as bait plus a tacked on powerful arts nuke. Being a Specialist with solid stats at a lower Hope cost makes her appealing for IS as well. Though of course your core DPS units should still take priority and her Mastery gains shy towards being a bit unimpressive, so for a lot of players full investment isn't even necessary to make use of her.
Q: Any thoughts on the new boss-rush mode on CN? Will it affect grades?
A: I think the mode is pretty neat and I love the mechanical interaction of the moving map. I look forward to seeing what they can do with it in the future. As far as the guide goes though, there will be no changes. For one, the mode isn't that difficult. But it also doesn't have a lot of replayability right now and the 'meta' for it (if there is one) is the same as Story mode. So like SSS, it will just be rolled into the Story grades, though unlike SSS, I don't expect any adjustments at all to account for the mode.
Q: Although asked before, powerful modules continue to come out. Will there be any grade changes as a result, especially for the Abyssal Hunters?
A: Generally the answer is still no since the modules don't really make or break which skills are the best or not. Not to say that modules aren't worthwhile or don't vastly improve units, but on a relative power scale, few things drastically change. However I bring the topic up again because the Abyssal Hunters (Gladiia, Specter, Skadi, and Andreana) continue to get very powerful and self feeding "tribal" type modules, in addition to some of the strongest base effects. For example, Gladiia's recent module reduces damage taken by a whopping 30% for all Abyssal Hunters.
I could write an entire article on the nuances they bring to each other (and possibly will, could be a fun one), but that's well beyond the scope of this update, so for now I'll keep it brief and general. This makes a situation where all four Abyssal Hunter's are likely to see adjustments up to their grades or write-ups. Although much of it will be contingent on raising the others and spending on modules, the AHs are a situation where new considerations are warranted as they continue to improve.
Expect to see Andreana S2 graded, Spec2's S2 and S3 higher than expected, Skadi1's S2 and S3 improved, and Gladiia's S2 improved.
Guiding Ahead - Flame of Immaculacy
Fiammetta
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S2M3 | S | A+ | S+ |
 |
S3M3 | A+ | A- | B+ |
While Fiammetta is a viable M6 consideration, her S2 is the far better choice for Mastery and her S3 isn't nearly as good as many people think it is. That's an understandable thing since it's rare these days that a 6★s key skill is NOT their S3 and Fia's S3 is certainly a flashy looking skill. However her S3 has a pretty bad positioning problem. It's only really her best DPS in a small tile-and-a-half sized circle at the impact point, and given it's so far away from her it becomes highly map dependent if ideal positioning can be achieved. In many cases she just gives a few chip shots as enemies pass. Though it does still have value, especially if you favor the lazier variety of clears, be aware the Mastery gains on it are fairly small as well and it comes out as a luxury overall.
Instead, focus on her S2 Masteries. Her S2 has its own issues, but they are less restrictive than the S3 issues. The straight line where damage is at its highest is far easier to deal with than S3's ranged pinpoint. S2 is also the go to skill in the IS mode where it interacts better with the ASPD relics since she can double dip with her second talent, along with the better flexibility. And last, S2 has far better gains over Mastery than S3. While the improved sp cost on S3 barely matters on an infinite duration skill, it makes a very sizable difference for a skill used as often as S2.
A small note on the matter of her S2 and IS, be aware that S2 does not work with the Spinach-type relics. The damage takes too long to apply so the buff is lost before the damage happens.
Kazemaru
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S2M3 | B+ | A- | A- |
Kazemaru's main skill is her S2. Her clone's ATK is based off of her own and the skill enhancement effect is applied before the nuke from her Talent, resulting in a triple whammy of damage increase, though the total increase is still somewhat modest for the cost which keeps her grades down just a touch.
Her S1 is ungraded due to it being quite a bit more niche on a non-meta unit, but it's something to consider for those who particularly favor Kazemaru. In addition to strong gains and superior single target damage, it is a rare example of a Dollkeeper skill that is available immediately after the doll summon ends. Since the doll doesn't gain SP, it can make skills like her S2 or Bena's skills have deceptively long cooldowns. A majority of people won't find what her S1 brings to be terribly useful, but for a few, the gains will be worthwhile.
Enforcer
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S2M3 | B- | A- | None |
 |
S1M3 | C+ | B | None |
Enforcer's no-damage and directional shifts are his key advantages over the other Push Strokers, and the directional shift is only available on his S2. Additionally, those niches tend to favor less common scenarios. That is, they’re best to save for specific high impact moments, so the additional control and larger shift force also help make it by far his best skill.
Without the directional shift, his S1 only has a tiny niche that is inferior to other options like FEater’s S1, Weedy S1, or Shaw’s S1, so it is mostly not worth the resources. It does maintain modest grades due to the important shift force increase, however, and can be a reasonable target if he is your only raised Push Stroker. Like most Shifters his Masteries are quite important for his usage.
Note: This writeup has been updated since initial release to correct a mistake. However the grades and suggestions remain unchanged.
The Grading System
Story vs Advanced vs Roguelike
There are very few absolute answers when it comes to prioritizing upgrades. A major determining factor is what exactly your goals are. Now, there are actually many more types of players than these three, but the most obvious delineation as far as which Masteries to think about comes down to the type of content you're most interested in clearing. If you only find value in first time story clears and risk 18 CC, then your goals will be different for someone looking to reach high-risk (25+) in CC.
Story - A story player is a player who is only interest in rewarded content. This means all normal stages and challenge modes (without added personal challenges), risk 8 on CC daily stages, and risk 18 on CC permanent stages
Advanced - An advanced player here is any player interested in non-reward topics such as higher risk CC and more min-maxed gameplay or specialty clears.
A note on the topic of the Advanced grades is that these grades should not be taken as specific advice for a specific CC. There may be an occasional specific note to provide some context or example, but the intention here is to be more general than a particular event and prioritize skills that will be broadly useful in multiple scenarios. A skill appearing once in a high-risk CC is not enough for inclusion here as CCs tend to lend themselves to niche scenarios that can't really be planned for. Further still, Advanced grades encompass all min/maxed gameplay and do not, strictly speaking, have to be about CCs.
Roguelike - These grades are specific to the Integrated Strategies game mode (aka, the Roguelike mode or IS#2). These grades are slightly different compared to the Story vs Advanced delineation since the same sort of pressures apply in the mode regardless of the type of player you are. These grades tend to be more "meta" focused than the others. For a lengthier discussion on why this is, please check out the main Roguelike mastery guide linked below. I've excluded most of the discussion from the main guide, simply because this guide is already long enough as it is.
Additionally, please check out the main Roguelike guide for more in-depth operator specific discussions specific to that mode. Although I have updated most write-ups in this guide to reflect all of the grades, some of the nuance on the best picks won't come across as well here, and the main Roguelike guide will provide a better analysis of who is a strong pick.
The Grades
S - These Masteries are the cream of the crop. They are Masteries that everyone with the unit should do and give a high priority to. Units with S tier Masteries get an outsized value from them, either because the skill is incredibly powerful or because it changes how the unit is used. For the Roguelike mode, S-tier grades are reserved for the best skills on the most meta of units (whereas meta value is not necessarily a requirement in other mode grades).
A - These Masteries are powerful Skills that most players who have the unit should do. These are among the most powerful Masteries in the game, but less overtly overpowered than the S-tier Masteries.
B - These Masteries are reasonably powerful and worthy of consideration, but have a factor which hold them back. The impact may be relatively small for the cost, the unit may not be especially powerful already, the unit may not fit well into the meta, or there may be a better version available, among other examples.
C - These Masteries are strong enough to be noted, but should only be done by the most end game of players with nothing else to do. There's value in them, but most players will have something better to be doing.
Breakpoint - Not a true grade, but a designator given to an M1 that gives an unusually large benefit. In most cases, these should be prioritized immediately after the E2, thanks to their low cost and high value. Note that there are many M2 and M3 breakpoints but they are not considered breakpoints for this purpose as the cost is much more expensive. Also note that some breakpoints on valueless skills are excluded as well.
NG or None - Not a true grade, but these are sometimes used for Skills which are noteworthy but not worth Mastery. Either the skill or unit is not worth using, or the Mastery has very poor Mastery gains. NG stands for "No Grade".
Please remember all rankings here are considered independent of E2 priority, but do consider overall unit strength. And most importantly, these grades should be treated as guidelines rather than absolute requirements.
Mastery Look Ahead
Mlynar and Proviso are not included in the look ahead as they are brand new as I write this. However Mlynar looks to be a really ridiculous unit and a near direct powercreep to SilverAsh. Proviso is a better Podenco and should be a decent unit, especially for NicheKnights, though not meta and with 5★ cost being a major concern for the role.
| Chapter 10 - Shatterpoint | ||
| Heidi | Welfare | Heidi's kit will certainly enable some creative things with her block manipulation, and her Inspire effect is shockingly high, being comparable to Skalter's S3. However short uptimes (only 10 seconds on S1) in a tough archtype, as well as not stacking with Skalter, will hold her back from being anything too special. Most players won't get much value from her, but should you want to raise her anyway, stick with S1 which has the stronger mastery gains and more useful niche. |
| Chestnut | Gacha | Unlike Mulberry and Honeyberry, he's a really poor regular medic, which drastically limits his value. Six months ago on CN time there may have been value in his low rarity elemental healing versus the relatively expensive Berries, but being so far off now, there just isn't any reason to wait. If you are an active player now reading this look-ahead, he is a unit to avoid (and probably will be even for new players). Just raise Honeyberry or Mulberry instead who are worth much more long term despite their costs. Neither skill stands out as a good mastery either, though I would favor S1 since S2 is limiting on one of the more valuable aspects of the archtype. |
| Rockrock | Gacha | Lost a bit in the hype around Horn, Rockrock actually has some shocking DPS, almost matching Goldenglow's S1 single-target DPS. For a 5★ that's pretty incredible. Unfortunately she has a long cycle time thanks to Overdrive, and brings no other utility like GG does which limits her. She'll be a viable option for newer players with weak caster cores, though even then because of the mandatory and free Amiya, even that role is limited. S2 is her stronger skill and a very strong mastery. |
| Horn | Gacha | I was already high on Horn, but since her release I've come to consider her the single best OP ahead of us. She is very powerful across all of the major game modes which is something rather rare among even the most meta of OPs. She has top tier damage, range, and bulk all in one, and all of her skills will be strong considerations. However, that said, start with S3 with a lower priority for S2. Don't worry about S1 until we get closer to SSS as that mode is where her S1 will really shine. |
| Stultifera Navis | ||
| Lumen | Welfare | Lumen had a lot of hype around him on release which has rightly tempered a bit. He is still a very strong medic though, so it's a good thing he's welfare and we don't have to worry about deciding to pull him or not! Regardless of how you feel about him meta-wise, his S3 is his best skill and will garner the highest Mastery grade with the other skills unlikely to be graded. The windup time can be rough but it provides amazing HPS as well as instantly removing ever dangerous stuns which is both a unique and very powerful niche across many different game modes. |
| Windflit | Gacha | Another very disappointing and undertuned 5★, and worse, one who butchered one of the more interesting archetypes with incredibly poor numbers and a perplexing restriction (he'd be bad even with no restriction). Even Supporter specific players will find very limited use out of him. That leaves him as a husbando-only promotion, though those players may find use in both skills depending on how you're trying to use him. |
| Irene | Gacha | Irene is what happens when a Swordmaster is released in year 3 instead of year 1 (like Ch'en). She has very powerful burst damage that can hold up against even tough enemies. Although her damage is not as overtly broken as the top-tier of DPS units which keeps her from being a 'must-pull' sort of unit, the fact she has such strong burst holds a ton of value for all sorts of players (she has make high risk CC appearances, is a very strong starting IS pick, and destroys story mode enemies). There's a good chance that all of her skills get a grade, though give a very strong favor to her S3 which is where her power lies. S1 and S2 are both very good with strong Mastery gains, but have much more niche usage and will lean more towards luxury investments instead of necessities like her S3 is. |
| Specter the Unchained | Gacha Limited | Initially panned (rightly) on her release, Specter's Alter has gotten one of the best modules in terms of how it improves the unit. Her meta value is still in question, but she at least improves past her 5★ self a bit. It will make grading her quite difficult as a module level 3 is very expensive for a task that can usually still be accomplished by her far cheaper base form. Regardless, her best Mastery is S2 since S3 remains a very subpar damage skill for a 6★ even with mod 3. But S2's priority will depend on if you plan to go for her mod 3. If no, then it's a luxury. If yes, then it's a necessity. |
| Contingency Contract #9 - Operation Deepness | ||
| Erato | CC Welfare | Erato is an "if you have to ask, don't bother" sort of unit. There is potential in her kit, but similar to Kafka, there's no improvement on her primary factor (the sleep) over Mastery. Plus since her sleep is single target, it doesn't fit in well with existing sleep stall cycles. Her S2 may be an option for waifu purposes as it is the better damage skill, but overall her DPS is underwhelming so she's unlikely to be graded at all despite the potential. |
| Lingering Echoes | ||
| Czerny | Welfare | I will confess that I don't really have a good feel for Czerny. He isn't really a unit that inspires a lot of interest and there's been very few highlights of him so far. He can make a decently functional RES tank with his S1 which is a modestly rare niche, though the lower rarity Matterhorn does that role better and already barely sees usage. That leaves his S2, which is a fun skill, but one without particularly impressive numbers. If you wanted an offensive oriented Arts Protector, you'd be better off with Shalem, so Czerny will probably not have any graded skills. |
| Hibiscus the Purifier | Gacha | I'm quite fond of Hibiscus' design (both aesthetically and as a unit) and she will definitely find usage in various NicheKnights clears. However, as a general unit, the numbers aren't quite there to make her anything too special, although she is the best hybrid dps/healer so far. Both of her skills are options. You will probably want to focus on her S2 which is her more unique skill, though its low total damage and limited targeting gives plenty of room for her S1 to be useful despite being quite a basic skill. |
| Ebenholz | Gacha | There's been a lot of discussion on if Ebenholz is any good or not. Of course I will give my opinion here, though be warned there is still a lot of on-going discussion on him and my opinion could very well change. That said, I don't have an especially favorable view of Ebenholz, although I don't quite think he is awful either. His elite/boss killing niche is strong enough to be quite useful in Story content, but his kit is designed in a way where he doesn't have an easy way to generate charges once they're spent, and he is only really effective if the elites/bosses come in one at a time. To me, this makes him a unit that makes for nice Youtube highlights, but a difficult one to reliably use as a regular part of the team. If you plan to use him, you'll probably want to do both S2 and S3, though favor S3 if you only did one. S3 is the more important skill for his niche, while his S2 is the better option for general Caster duties (something better done by Goldenglow or Eyja). |
| Dorothy's Vision | ||
| Astgenne | Welfare | As a 5★ that only does straight damage, she will always be limited in a meta context, but Astgenne is a pretty good unit among other 5★ Casters at least. She fixes a lot of the issues Leizi has with shorter cycles and stronger damage which makes her perfectly usable. However she takes a lot of investment between Masteries and Modules, plus lives in that unfortunate gulf of competing with the free, strong, and mandatory Amiya. That makes her a waifu option only, but at least a pretty good one. S2 is by far her better skill as S1 doesn't have enough damage on it to justify its use. |
| Greyy the Lightning Bearer | Gacha | Greyy grew up pretty nicely with his new alter form. Once a joke at the tail end of the 4★ rarity, he now has a fairly solid niche in his extended range control and solid area damage. Sniper players especially will find him very valuable but unfortunate RNG and 5★ stats will keep him out of the general meta still. His S2 is his best skill by quite a bit, though his S1 will have some small niche value as well with a more consistent slow for its duration. |
| Dorothy | Gacha | Dorothy is reminiscent of Ling in many ways, but without the baggage of bogging down your team slots. There is a lot of powerful potential with her kit, but like the 5★ trappers, it's a kit that requires a lot of investment, both in resources and in effort. She is certainly not an easy unit to get maximum value out of, so for many she may come across as more of a luxury then her potential would indicate. Like all trappers, her Masteries are valuable (near mandatory) since they reduce the cycle of her traps and all three of her skills have value. Her S3 is probably the best target with its superior damage, though her S1 and S2 both have very appealing niches. She'll be an M9 candidate for some players, though an M0-M3 for others. |
| Ideal City: Carnival in Endless Summer | ||
| Minimalist | Welfare | Minimalist is a very usable unit, but he is yet another entry into the 5★ Caster realm. They are plentiful these days and all have similar issues finding their way onto teams or justifying the resources. With only pure DPS and no other utility at his disposal, he is just one of many options at the role. If you are reading this look-ahead now, you're very unlikely to need Minimalist by the time he is released on global. There are many alternatives and nothing he brings is worth waiting that long for. With that in mind, his S2 is his best skill with valuable Masteries and is a very rare example of a consistent Caster skill, especially at the non-6* rarity. |
| Cantabile | Gacha | Cantabile continues the tradition of 5★ Vanguards being surprisingly meta. She is an extremely versatile unit, especially in a CC context where her initial burst of DP is incredibly valuable, while the fact she's a Vanguard can get around many risk bans that otherwise would make FRDs unviable. Do be a little wary for pure Story players though as those roles aren't as valuable there. For Advanced players, she is an easy M6 with both skills being important. For Story though the difference is quite close so the M6 is probably unnecessary. I would give a slight favor to S2 since the Mastery gains are more important to using it effectively. |
| Gavial the Invincible | Gacha Limited | Gavial’s Alter reminds me of NTRK in many ways. She is not an overtly broken limited, but has a flexible kit that will definitely find its way into many clears, though she isn't quite as good as Nearl is either. Her S3 is her primary skill which gives her a very strong, high attack, ground based burst with pseudo-invincibility (not really, but she'll easily survive most enemies). Both of her S1 and S2 will have some niche usages as well, but should largely end up with luxury type grades, if they get any grades at all. |
| Pozyomka | Gacha | Pozy is the real winner on the banner. Think Schwarz, if she could summon a second Schwarz that was also an April and didn't take deploy slots. Her damage is absolutely ridiculous with her summon alone doing as much damage as Schwarz S3 normally does and on a similar cycle. Pozy's S3 will be in the tier of highest graded Masteries. Her S1 and S2 will both be strong considerations as well, though like many meta units, her S3 outshines them in a majority of cases. I favor S2 over S1 for a secondary Mastery, though that could change by Global release. |
