Introduction
There’s a lot of debate in the community about whether alters are good for the game. I tend to think that they’re a good thing. The AK roster is already huge so expanding it deeper rather than wider seems like a good thing. However, when a unit like Eyjafjalla gets an alter, I have to wonder if I’m on the wrong side of the argument. Why did an already popular and meta 6★ get another meta 6★ alter when so many other units languish in the dusty, cobwebbed back corner of rosters? Oh well. It is what it is and Swire getting a bad summer skin alter bothers me far more anyway.
This article specifically covers the new units from the So Long, Adele 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: Probably yes, leaning very heavily towards a hard yes. Eyjafjalla the Hvít Aska is a meta unit. However…
Eyja2 is probably as good as a pure-healing Medic can be. Her healing numbers are absurd and there’s very little in the game she can’t forcefully heal through (ignoring one-shots). She also practically negates Elemental damage and can even heal Elemental damage off of Enmity OPs like Reapers and Juggernauts. She generates a lot of discussion on forums and sites like Gamepress as to what exactly makes an EX unit. No support unit has really stimulated that debate since Skadi2 way back in 2021 and well before the concept of an EX-tier unit was a thing. Arknights is a DPS-first game, so there’s a very valid question here: Can a support unit ever be a must-pull (e.g. an EX-tier unit) in Arknights?
I don’t think there’s a clear answer here. Personally I play a lot of niche clears that necessitate an above average amount of bulk and healing compared to hard meta runs. I greatly appreciate the value a unit like Eyja2 brings. However, when it comes down to it, I think the answer is ultimately no. If Skadi2, Suzuran, and Bagpipe aren’t EX units, then neither is Eyja2. If Eyja2 is your only 6★, you are probably still going to struggle. In a sense, she is the ultimate quality of life unit.
To be clear, Eyja2 is an extremely strong unit. This banner is worth pulling on for her alone for almost all players! However, given the above, a very weak supporting 6★, and a bad supporting 5★, I can’t quite give my usual emphatic “Yes” that comes with these sorts of banners. Pull here, yes, but maybe give a slight bit of caution if you're low on funds and have a personal can’t-miss unit on the horizon.
Q: I already have Honeyberry and/or Mulberry raised. Should I still consider Eyja2?
A: Yes. The fact Eyja2 is a Wandering Medic and heals Elemental damage is somewhat secondary to her meta value. Certainly, it does matter, and she is absurdly good at it. However, her value is much broader than the Berries’. Rather, Eyja2 has an absurd amount of regular healing that makes her the go-to Medic in virtually any stage, even ignoring Elemental damage.
I usually have a lengthier question specific to each new 6★ but between this and the pull question, I’ve covered all I wanted to say on Eyja2, so let’s move on.
Q: Is Swire the Elegant Wit bad?
A: Kinda. She certainly isn’t meta if that’s your primary concern. She tends to rank near the bottom of community voted tier-lists, but personally, my opinion on her is a bit higher. Unfortunately, there’s no denying that her skills are undertuned and she’s going to be a bit of a dud for the average player.
Like the other Merchants, Swire2’s kit does a lot of things and most of them are different and favor creativity. However, unlike the other Merchants she hasn’t really found a good niche for any of her skills. Lee can permanently stall dangerous lanes and is immune to control, Mr.Nothing can stunlock IS#3 bosses, and Jaye is a super cheap general-purpose monster. In comparison, Swire2 is rather restricted by some odd design choices. There’s little reason to use her S1 when Jaye exists and S3 is held back by a tiny Force level that restricts it to some minor memes. S2 and her talent are almost useful, but even then they’re mostly limited to low-op clears which don’t appeal to very many players.
As said though, I don’t go quite as far as to call her awful. I think there’s enough built into her kit that she is generally more viable than other low-tier 6★s like Siege or Pallas. She certainly isn’t a must raise for most players, but I think she’ll at least be rewarding for those that do want to raise her anyway.
Q: Where is Typhon? Wasn't she supposed to be between Executor and Eyjafjalla the Hvít Aska?
A: Yet again I answer this question, but Typhon will almost certainly be getting the Dorothy treatment and will be delayed. Due to how Yostar currently organizes the schedule, there isn't enough time for CN’s July event before the global anniversary. That event was Dorothy last year, and it's Typhon this year.
Additionally, Typhon's event is the story lead-in event to IS#4. We know that the final IS#3 update will probably drop in January. Given that Eyja2's event likely runs through the end of January, it makes sense that Typhon’s banner will get shifted to February instead.
Although the usual caveat applies here. We never know for sure with Yostar until it actually happens…
Q: Any Module thoughts this patch?
A: EN - So Long, Adele
On CN, this patch had both Centurion and Reaper Modules. However, Yostar moved the Reaper Modules up to Executor’s event to match his release, so we only have the Centurion Modules to discuss!
- Centurion - The Modules here are pretty much universally good — even Savage’s. The base effect is incredibly strong thanks to how base attack scales in Arknights. It adds a big dose of damage to an already strong archetype that may not be evident at first glance.
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Gavial the Invincible - Gavial is the most meta Centurion which makes the base effect worth grabbing by default. However, her upgrades are actually not that special. While not bad upgrades by any means, they aren’t major buffs either and are quite costly. Mod2 adds about 3% DPS, while mod3 adds about 1.5% per blocked enemy. Mod3 is particularly questionable since it will often not even kick in when using her main skill, S2. They’re worth considering simply because of how meta Gavial is, but definitely luxury options if your resources are limited.
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Blaze - Blaze fans rejoice! She regains some of her former glory with this patch. Her Module and upgrades are monstrous. All told, her fully upgraded Module is a whopping 40% more DPS with S2 up, plus significantly higher ATK for dealing with high DEF enemies. Unfortunately it does take more than raw damage to shine in the current meta and there are dozens of competitive laneholders these days. But if the big cat is a favorite of yours, then her upgrades are some of the best in the game.
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Specter - As if Abyssal Hunters needed another buff. OG Specter has always been strong and now she gets significantly stronger. The base effect is a huge DPS increase (as it is for all Centurions). Her upgrades are a noticeable improvement as well, even just to herself. It’s not a huge buff, but it’s definitely noticeable and makes it one of the better 5★ Module upgrade options, with or without AH teams.
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Savage - Savage still isn’t good, but I’m including a note about her here just to illustrate how good the Centurion Modules are. Even on poor off-meta, over-priced, and severely undertuned Savage, her Module is a big 19% DPS increase!
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Estelle - I only mention Estelle here because I’ve talked up the Centurion base effect a lot, but Estelle is the only one who got the other branch. While CEN-Y isn’t as good as CEN-X, Estelle’s Module and upgrades are still very solid and add a huge amount to her self sustain (the whole reason to use her).
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Broca - I wasn’t going to include Broca, but I commented on everyone else, so what the hell. Like the rest, the base effect is great. If you use him, grab it. His upgrades are questionable though. It’s a nice sized buff but its conditional nature probably isn’t worth the price unless you’re a Broca superfan
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CN (lookahead) - The Rides to Lake Silberneherze
- Mech-Accord Casters - The Mech-According Modules are rather… unique? For most archetypes, the stats are just a nice bonus with the real prize being the effect enhancements. Not so with the Mech-According Modules. The Modules and upgrades represent a good damage increase for all of them, but it’s almost all isolated to the ATK increase! There’s a lot of nuance here for all of them which I’ll get into during the full write-up in 6 months, but for now, they’re all worth upgrading on any Mech-Accord Caster you use regularly. They represent a 10-20% DPS increase depending on the unit which is a solid upgrade for a DPS unit. The only caution would be with Goldenglow. Many people are anticipating that her eventual second Module will be better as it would affect her RES Talent, although as we’ll see in a moment discussing Suzuran, that might not be worth waiting for.
- Incantation Medics - Most recent Module branches have been really good, especially for meta operators. However, the Incantation Medics aren’t quite as crazy as the last few branches. The base effect only adds more healing. It’s a good amount, but their healing was already solid and not really why you brought the class. Reed the Flameshadow is good enough that her base Module is still worth grabbing, but her upgrades are quite poor. Unusually, Hibiscus the Purifier actually got the best Module here. It doesn’t change her off-meta nature, but if you regularly use her, then her Module is a very solid upgrade to her damage.
- Suzuran - Suzuran’s second Module is a good illustration of how even if a second Module might theoretically be good, it might not be worth waiting for. A lot of people anticipated Suzuran’s second Module since it would affect her Fragile Talent. Since Gnosis got a good sized buff to his Fragile and Suzuran’s first Module isn’t too special, a lot of people were waiting for her second. And what we got is… nothing special. Fully leveled, Suzuran’s second Module buffs her Fragile by only 4% during skill-up. That might matter some day in some super advanced max-risk clear, but for 99.9% of content, you’ll never notice the difference. Both Module base effects are good, but neither needs upgrades.
Q: "The shilling myself question"
A: If you missed it in the previous updates, I published my first fictional work. You can find the clean version of it over on AO3 here.
So Long, Adele - Cloudtop Lucid Dreams
Eyjafjalla the Hvít Aska
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S3M3 | S | S+ | S+ |
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S1M3 | A+ | A | S- |
Eyjafjalla’s alter is an interesting unit. Across this priority guide, the top graded units are almost all DPS units. It takes something truly special for a support oriented unit to shine. Eyja2 is that sort of special where the usual top priorities fall into question… or she would be if not for being ridiculously overtuned. As a general rule, Eyja2 already does her job spectacularly well at SL7, which keeps her overall grades down compared to other meta-caliber units. For those just beginning their journey into Masteries, DPS units should still take priority in spite of Eyja2’s high-end station in the meta.
For those further along and with more resource flexibility, the skill to start with depends on your philosophy as a player. S1 is her most commonly used skill, but her S3 (which is also extensively used) has much better gains. So what to invest in first, the skill you’ll use more often or the gains you’ll get more out of when needed? There isn’t an absolute answer to that! That said, this guide does ultimately have to assign grades, and I favor S3 here. The point is, adjust to your own preferences!
To go into more detail, S1 is her more commonly used skill which aligns with Eyja2’s quality-of-life attribute. Her healing is so ridiculous already that as long as you can survive the wind-up time, no other attention is usually needed regarding healing! However, the Mastery gains are notably poor. The only gain to her normal healing occurs at M3 and it’s a paltry ~7.5% difference. Most of the Mastery gain instead lies in the Elemental healing aspect, but that aspect is already strong, plus best left to her S3 when it’s insufficient. Her S1 is a great skill and any great skill is worth pursuing, but as a matter of priority, you will usually be perfectly fine with it at SL7.
Meanwhile, it’s tempting to call S3 her burst skill compared to S1’s consistency, but a very long uptime and a longer downtime make it unusual compared to other burst skills. Nevertheless, it is by far her most unique application. The global range is the most noticeable aspect, but the healing numbers are absolutely ridiculous as well. While it isn’t as “set and forget” as her S1, the burst outcomes are far better and S3’s Masteries represent much bigger gains than S1s. S3M3 clocks in at around ~17% more HPS during the skill, more than twice S1M3’s gain. Simply put, S3’s Masteries will matter more when you need them.
You can pass on her S2 Masteries, although they might be justified if you personally favor Eyja or are a true end-game maximizer. It’s a good skill, but it’s also the most overtuned. Even at SL7 the shield covers enough Elemental damage to protect against three full triggers of fallout and there is virtually nothing in the game that deals out that much that fast. Investing into the Masteries is simply overkill that’s unlikely to ever be practically useful. Note that S2M3 can allow for 100% shield uptime which might theoretically have some value, but places where that would matter over SL7 or one of her other skills are basically non-existent.
Swire the Elegant Wit
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S2M3 | A- | A | A |
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S3M3 | B- | B- | B- |
Swire the Elegant Wit is a unit struggling to find a niche. Her kit does a whole lot in aggregate, but none of it stands out as particularly useful and her grades here reflect that unfortunate reality. She is the sort of unit that most players won’t want to raise at all, but could also be a potential M9 for those players that like creative units or just Swire herself.
If you are raising Swire, then start with S2. That is largely because it has the highest damage potential, but it’s also in part because of flaws in her other two skills. At first glance you might assume the bottles behave the same as Trapmasters, but Swire will continually place the bottles on even enemy-occupied tiles which allows her to stack up some pretty respectable damage. The Mastery gains aren’t too crazy here, but they do matter for the skill’s usability. The extra damage means fewer bombs are needed which allows her to sustain longer without getting overwhelmed.
Unfortunately, things decline from there. S3 is the next Mastery target after S2, but it ends up being less appealing despite a valuable Force increase at M3. The skill has a lot of interesting tech attached thanks to extremely short wind-up burst potential mixed with the push, but it’s also quite difficult to use effectively. At M3, it’s still only Force level 1, which even at 10 hits won’t meaningfully move most dangerous enemies. Although a useful skill worth maximizing if you’re planning to raise and use Swire, S3 is largely a gimmick with fairly limited use-cases.
Her S1 is an unfortunate pass. There’s some interesting fringe tech here as a FRD-melee-healer, but it’s fairly poor in general use. The obvious comparison is with Jaye’s S2. No wind-up and not having to worry about DEF would seem to be quite beneficial. However, since the effect only triggers by consuming Coins, which only generate every 3s, Swire2’s net healing is usually significantly lower than Jaye’s. She only comes out ahead at over 1000 DEF and that’s on top of costing three times as much. S1 also doesn’t increase her offensive value, and her Talent is a better form of personal sustain to begin with. It all makes her S1 far less valuable than it should be.
Poncirus
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S2M3 | None | ||
As the first Vanguard with an infinite duration skill, you might think that Poncirus would have a niche as the premier AFK-team Vanguard, but unfortunately her DP-generation numbers are quite undertuned for that potential. The 1 DP per 4 second rate once her skill comes online is well below even the default 4★ Vanguard skill, Charge β, which clocks in at 1 DP per 3.6 seconds at SL7 (let alone M3). Instead, she’s mainly useful as a stat-stick, which is a rather odd role considering she is a Vanguard who takes 701 seconds to come fully online. Vanguards need to be quick to hold their value and Poncirus is… not. Still, her total stats are decent which will no doubt give her at least some potential value in niche clears.
Regardless of her lack of meta potential and the flaws of her skill, S2 is the skill to go with for Mastery should you want to raise her. It is her unique value and the gains are reasonably solid. It may take a while to come online but she can crack 750 DEF and 3000 HP (when fully invested, including Module) which is at least satisfying to see! S1 meanwhile is a generic Charge skill which has no value outside of AFK clears, and even if that interests you, the much cheaper Courier or Scavenger’s S1s are a better starting point.
1Note that this number is a simplified version of the total picture. Poncirus does have 15 seconds of uptime on her stat increases within that window for the first activation.
Bryophyta
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S2M3 | None | ||
Perhaps symbolically, Bryophyta is a type of moss, and this unit is about as useful as some moss to your team. He is the most recent entrant into “worst 5★ in the game” territory which has seen many recent contestants in the race to the bottom. Buffing is already a fairly weak niche in this game. Limited team and deployment space means a buff (or the unit attached to it) needs to have a very strong value to justify bringing over another unit that simply achieves the intended task independently. Not only does Bryophyta not pass that benchmark, but he doubles down on it by focusing on the worst stat to buff as well. There’s just almost no value in a DEF buffer in Arknights, and Bryophyta isn’t even good at it!
If Bryophyta’s kit appeals to you anyway, then the skill to target is one of Whislash’s skills. She is also a welfare (freely available in Record Restore of the Maria Nearl event) who is better than Bryophyta in every meaningful way. At least Whislash’s S2 has some offensive value that lets her carry her own weight and has the courtesy to not stun herself at the end! That isn’t really a joke either. Their kits are slightly different, but in practice, there will be very few spaces Bryophyta performs better. Bryophyta is a unit to avoid, and like other units of his caliber, there just isn’t a good skill suggestion to make.
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, risk 18 on CC permanent stages, and the SSS game mode.
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 or IS#3). 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 IS#3, only up to Ascension 7 (trimmed medal) is considered for grades, however write-ups may include suggestions for higher Ascensions.
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
Degenbrecher and company are added below. Full previews for To the Grinning Valley event will be next update. First impressions though, Ray is quite good and joins the high ranks of Snipers along with Pozy and Typhon. Warmy looks like she'll be worse than Diamante who is already pretty forgettable. And yes, I am excited for the bunny event.
| Skógrinn Svartr Vill Einn Draumr | ||
| Santalla | Gacha | Santalla is a unit who isn't quite there. The effects, in principle, are nice. Freeze is a powerful effect, and a rare one at that. However, poor uptime and a strong RNG component really hinder her usability. The icicles actually aren't completely RNG, falling in a pattern of left column, right column, center column. This *can* mitigate some of the RNG (but not all), however this just adds a layer of complexity to maximize an already subpar unit. For most, Santalla will just not be worth the effort and frustration she requires, especially considering how many quality 4 and 5★ Casters there are. Still, she has good utility, and will likely pull out a low grade on her S2. |
| Typhon | Gacha | At first glance, Typhon may look like a side-grade or a debatable and incremental upgrade to Rosa, however the early going has shown Typhon to be a more "complete" unit. She is designed better from the ground up, rather than having a Module tacked on to an undertuned base. Modules can only fix so much. Typhon's primary boss killing skill (S3) is much more potent, while her secondary (S2) skill covers the general use scenarios much better. The result is a high damage unit with a big range that can be both a boss killer and a general DPS in one. This dual-value has made her a top IS#4 pick in the early going. Typhon will be a more highly graded M6 compared to Rosa. In Rosa's case, her S2 tends to "make up" for some of the flaws in her S3, while Typhon has two clear and powerful roles between her skills. Plan for the M6 (S2 and S3) with Typhon, but her S3 should be first, however, due to being her more unique role. Also be aware that Typhon still needs her Module too, although she is a little less reliant on the upgrades than Rosa is. |
| IS#4 | ||
| Valarqvin | Welfare | The first operator to inflict Elemental Damage for the good side, Valarqvin is, if nothing else, an interesting look into the potential future. On her own, she's a modest unit. The Apoptosis/Necrosis is quite nice itself, but outside of IS#4 she doesn't apply it particularly reliably and she has nowhere near the value that Highmore does in her IS chapter. For now, she is mostly a novelty. Stick with S2 if you do raise her, which outputs enough to trigger the effect against bosses. S1 just doesn't do enough of the Elemental damage to ever reliably apply the effect outside of IS#4. She needs 3 activations to trigger the effect on normal mobs, but can only store 2. |
| Come Catastrophes or Wakes of Vulture | ||
| Coldshot | Welfare | While I always applaud HG for trying new things, Coldshot seems like a half baked idea. There's potential in the archetype and I look forward to what the eventual 6★ can do, but in Coldshot's case, the kit just isn't there. The ammo mechanic is a hindrance with no upside that regular skills couldn't do which leaves her as a low DPS, poor range, single target unit with no utility. She at least hits fairly hard which is nice, but even then doesn't compare well to similar options at the rarity. She will be ungraded, but stick with S2 if you do raise her. S1 just has no upside in comparison. |
| Almond | Gacha | Being a Hooker (puller) already put Almond in a tough spot even before we knew her kit. The competition is tough between Gladiia and Cliffheart who are both commonly available welfares and both extremely good. Surprisingly then, Almond’s kit is "ok" for what it is. Not good exactly, but she at least has value in various Nicheknights. However, for the general player with no access restrictions, both of her skills are inferior to her competition. Gladiia's S1 is better than her S1 since she has no force increase at M3, and Cliffheart's S2 is generally better than her S2 since her cycle is much worse. |
| Jessica the Liberated | Gacha | We haven't had a unit like Jessica in a long time, who has quite a difference in value, depending on the game mode. As an overall unit, she is merely average. She is a hybrid Defender mixing some utility, alright damage, and alright bulk. Not a bad package, but not especially great either. However, Jessica has carved herself out an incredible niche in the Roguelike mode. She ends up providing a near perfect mix of attributes for the demands of the mode with few flaws. The biggest flaw, her fairly low ATK on S2, isn't an issue in her basic laneholding role either (at least in IS#4). It's difficult to get too into the nuance in a single paragraph, but she's become the top Defender pick in IS#4, even edging out Horn who struggles a bit in the more confined maps. For Story players, her S3 will be the higher graded skill with a mid-level grade. It has a big ATK boost and lots of utility to go with it. S2 will be somewhere behind. The fairly low ATK on the skill will make it harder to find general use. However, for the Roguelike specifically, S2 will be the highest graded skill thanks to its better cycle and burst. It just ends up used more often than S3. |
| Episode 13 - The Whirlpool That Is Passion | ||
| Delphine | Welfare | Delphine is surprisingly decent given how bad the recent 5★s and story welfares have been. She is another well designed Mystic Caster like Harmonie, and can output some pretty decent total damage, especially with the Arts DoT attached to her S2. Of course, 5★ Casters have a tough time justifying investment costs and that remains true here. Delphine is certainly a marked improvement relative to the recent lower rarities, but she will still be a fringe option. There’s a chance she picks up a grade, but if she does it will be lower than either Harmonie or Indigo due to a lack of utility. |
| Verdant | Gacha | Verdant is a somewhat similar situation to Humus, but much worse. He has the same fundamental problem of being worse than a freely available welfare unit (Bena, available from Record Restore), however unlike Humus and despite being a good archetype, Verdant isn't a particularly good take on the Dollkeepers. The Achilles heel of the Dollkeepers (and why Specter2 was so bad on release) is their effective cycle time since they can't generate SP in doll form. That flaw is on full display with Verdant, which is especially egregious since his S2 is already a bad DPS skill. Then to grind some salt into the wounds, his doll does essentially nothing in the meantime. Go with S2 if you do want to Master a skill. A bad DPS skill is better than no DPS skill and he doesn’t have the stats to tank with S1. |
| Vendela | Gacha | Generally, Vendela is worse than the already ungraded Hibiscus the Purifier, so she is unlikely to pick up a grade. However, she is at least usable which is a step up from many recent 5★s. The unique value of her kit is in her S2, and abusing the taunt and reflect is the key to any niche she has above Hibiscus, however that is ultimately very situational and in most cases Vendela will just seem underwhelming. Her fairly mundane S1 may actually be the better daily driver given it has higher uptime and damage potential (before accounting for the reflect), although again Vendela's S1 is inferior to Hibiscus' S1 and Hibiscus doesn't have the reliance on it to begin with. |
| Hoederer | Gacha | Hoederer is a tricky unit to evaluate. The damage is certainly there but in general people are getting carried away by highlight reels, which tend to play to his strengths and avoid his weaknesses. For example, he can solo 7-18 which is impressive.... but Executor2 could do it pre-Module on CM and he isn't top-tier meta either. Those Crusher weaknesses are potentially harsh too. The archetype frailty is here, S3 can be draining without a steady flow of enemies, and the cycle time is.... weird to say the least, among other issues. To be clear, he is good, especially relative to expectations of the archetype, but he is also probably not the new Surtr (which yes, I have seen someone say). We'll need some time to really assess just how good he is, but regardless his S3 should be well graded as his main skill. His S2 will pick up a grade also due to the stunlock potential on longer-windup enemies, however Mastery doesn't influence that use-case. S1 may be graded as well due to how much it heals on a short SP cost, but its uses will probably be crowded out by S3 and S2. |
| Zwillingstürme im Herbst | ||
| Caper | Red Certs | While recent non-6★ of new archetypes have been very undertuned, Caper is an exception who makes for a pretty nice low-rarity DPS unit. She has a good stat spread, strong DPS, a unique range, and doesn't seem to be as impacted by ASPD debuffs as other units. On the other hand, she has little utility, and meta-chasers won't find any value in what she brings. Still, niche players will find her to be a quite nice addition, and she's probably even good enough to justify the cert cost for newer players. S2 will be the skill for Mastery. It has far better damage thanks to the extra projectile. S1 doesn't do anything special and doesn't have good damage numbers for an Offensive Recovery skill of its nature. |
| Diamante | Red Certs | Diamante has gone pretty well under the radar, and that's largely because he's probably the least interesting unit in the patch. He's awkwardly set up to do most of his damage to units already under Elemental fallout, but the units best at applying Elemental fallout (Virtuosa and Ebenholz) don't need his help. He also isn't great at applying Necrosis himself, and even in the best case scenarios, his damage isn't particularly noteworthy. Add on a 600 red cert cost and you get a unit that’s not really worth the cost. That said, I wouldn't be too shocked if he shows up in some niche clears as a source of pseudo-True Damage, but even that will depend on if other Elemental damage dealers line-up with the niche theme. In such rare cases, either skill might have potential. His S1 is probably best in an isolated vacuum since it's the skill that can actually apply Necrosis, but S2 will out damage it if paired with other Elemental units. |
| Lessing | Welfare | After a strong start, the 6★ Welfares really fell off a cliff and that trend continues with Lessing. He's in a natively bad archetype and has meaningless utility, resulting in a unit with no good place on a roster. Self status removal seems an odd choice to design a unit around given that Lumen (another welfare) can already do it for everyone. There's a decent chance Lessing becomes the second ungraded 6★ after Vigil. If he does pick up a grade, it will be on his S3 which is the most impactful in total. Husbando and Welfare players will probably want his S2 as well, but for the general player, the effective cycle is far too long to be useful. |
| Bassline | Gacha | Bassline is the best gacha 5★ in quite a while. He fills a strong basic role with plenty of niche value that makes him a pretty appealing consideration. His S1 is identical to Nearl (Defender) but he overall trades some healing effectiveness for bulk. Although like Nearl, the choice to invest in him rather than the much cheaper (and great in IS) Gummy is a fair question. His S2 adds some unexpectedly great additional niche value as well. It is the single best no-damage-stall skill currently available (think the UT gas cans / eggs or flowers) with a full 60 second uptime (20 seconds more than Nearl's S2), and the external Arts mitigation is also rare. To be clear, that niche will rarely see practical use. But it’s still worth nothing that he’s the increasingly rare kind of 5★ with the potential to appear in advanced end-game content. |
| Viviana | Gacha | It's not really fair to compare Viviana to Surtr, who is one of the best units in the game. However, it's rather inevitable. It's also useful, I think, to show why Viviana is a below average 6★. Viviana lacks everything that makes Surtr so good, resulting in an ultimately subpar unit with little upside. She does cap out at some very high Arts DPS from a melee tile, which is natively a pretty strong niche to have, but the upside ends there. She has a long wind-up, no RES-shred, heavy RNG, a focus on "dueling", and no self-sustain. Whereas Surtr is brain-dead drop and delete, Viviana is quite a bit harder to use for usually far worse results. S3 will be her main, and probably only, skill for Mastery. It has the highest DPS and limits the RNG to her shields rather than her damage. There won't be much need to invest beyond that. S2 is decent enough, taken alone, but in places where it's better than S3, you should probably be using a different unit instead. The extra block will often result in her shields getting eaten up by trash hits. |
| Virtuosa | Gacha Limited | Virtuosa (a.k.a. Arturia) is a remarkably unique unit. While most "unique" units end up being quite niche or gimmicky, Virtuosa is very powerful as she is the first unit to truly exploit the potential of friendly Elemental Damage. I do not have the space here to give a full write-up of the Necrosis effects, but the important part is that, when triggered, it effectively deals 12k True Damage. This is more than enough to kill most basic mobs and many elites, and Arturia can often trigger it on large groups with her Talent alone! She is currently the best "sweeper" in most situations, while also being similarly effective against bosses.
S3 will be her primary graded skill, with S1 somewhere behind. S3 triggers the Necrosis Fallout incredibly fast on all targets in a wide area. S1 will be more situational, but at S1M3 she begins with a full 3 charges which allows her to heli-drop the Necrosis Fallout effect against even bosses. Her S2 will probably be a pass. It's still good, but she's so good with her other skills there's rarely reason to bring another unit into the fold. Lest I oversell her, there are two drawbacks to keep in mind. First, enemies can have both resistance to the Elemental Damage itself and to the resulting damage. Only enemies from her initial event currently have either resistance, which is why she is so powerful, but like normal RES with Casters, if it becomes more common, it will severely limit her. Second, her DPS isn't actually that high. As HP pools bloat in difficult content, she will become less and less effective compared to more traditional DPS options. |
| The Rides to Lake Silberneherze | ||
| Harold | Welfare | One has to wonder why Harold exists (As a unit, not as a character. As a character, he’s fantastic). There are already two 5★ Wandering Medics who are both good, and now a 6★ one as well, who is broken, so the design space is already pretty crowded. Harold straddles the line somewhere between the two Berries. He has better regular healing than Honeyberry S1, but a better cycle than Mulberry’s S2. That’s useful, especially if Harold fits into your niche or preferences, but anyone with either Berry or Eyja already raised won’t find him useful. His S2 will be graded similar to the Berries. The numbers between S1 and S2 are very comparable, but S2 has the additional Elemental Healing, which doesn’t leave much benefit for S1. |
| Leto / Лето | Gacha | A Physical based Guard isn’t necessarily a bad thing. Being Physical is why SilverAsh is so good, for example. However, Leto just doesn’t hit hard enough and has no other real benefit to compensate. At max she tops out at around 1.6k ATK which is enough to punch through some basic DEF, but not tough DEF. She doesn’t bring much else to the table either. Aside from her DPS, she has almost no utility. Only Rosa’s S2 really benefits from her buff, and she has an awkward and unnecessary drawback. Overall, she is functional enough that she may find use in various niche clears but not much else. Leto will be ungraded, but go with S2 if you plan to raise her anyway. It has the higher ATK which she needs to puncture armor as well as the usual Lord benefits. |
| Degenbrecher | Gacha | There’s an angry rant brewing, come Degenbrecher’s global release. I don’t get too fussed by powercreep in general, but Degenbrecher does it by tossing out one of the basic design principles of her archetype. She has Auto Recovery on her S3 instead of Offensive Recovery, which every other Swordmaster skill before this has had. And, shockingly (/s), it makes her really good. Her S3 is quite literally Irene’s S3 but better. AAAAAAAAAAA- ahem. Anyway, Degenbrecher teeters on the EX-tier with very strong burst damage on a competitive cycle. She also brings a new keyword, Tremble, which like previous new keywords will have to have specific coded immunities on enemies which gives her a leg up versus other forms of control. Her S3 will be among the highest graded skills in the guide. As mentioned, the Auto Recovery gives it a huge advantage and it also happens to be her best damage too. Only S3 is necessary for Mastery, but both S1 and S2 can make justifiable secondaries. S1 for AFK memes, but S2 otherwise with its shorter potential cycle and a reliable Tremble trigger. |
