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Arknights: Should You Pull? From the Spark: Pallas

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From the Spark: Pallas

The "From the Spark” Banner included with the "Interlocking Competition - Hymnoi Wisdom" event features the following Operators:

Featured Operators:

Rarity Operator
6★ Rate Up Pallas - Support Guard
5★ Rate Up Projekt Red - Fast-Redeploy Specialist
Specter - AoE Guard
  • 6★ Rate-Ups have a 50% chance of appearing when pulling a 6★
  • 5★ Rate-Ups have a 50% chance of appearing when pulling a 5★
Test out your luck for this banner on our:[From The Spark] Summon Simulator!

Should You Pull?

Probably Not.

Pallas is the centerpiece of this banner, and although she’s notably better than existing members of the Support Guard archetype, she still shares many of their flaws. She has good damage output and decent buffs, and she can be an effective generalist Operator. However, her buffing has severe limitations, and even at max performance her overall impact is usually surpassed by stronger, more specialized Operators. 

And of course, we have to add the usual PSA:  A very strong limited Operator will be coming soon, so meta-focused players should make sure they are comfortable with the number of pulls they have for that banner before pulling elsewhere.

As with all banners, a 5★ or higher Operator is guaranteed in the first 10 rolls. Should you pull just for that? Yes. Specter and Projekt Red are both quite strong for 5★ units (especially Specter) and can be useful in many different situations. If you’re missing either Operator, this is a good chance to get them.

Quick Overview

Instructor Guard

+ Usual archetype strengths: Longer attack range than most Guards (1x3), has Block-2, and attacks quickly

+ Does bonus damage to enemies she isn’t personally blocking

+ E1 Talent gives Vigor buff (ATK up when HP is high) to all Minos Operators

+ E2 Talent heals Pallas and the ally in front of her every time Pallas attacks, providing decent sustain

+ S1 scales multiplicatively with her other buffs, and the double hit triggers her healing talent twice, resulting in a competitive DPS + sustain combo. This is arguably her best DPS skill.

+ S2 has good uptime, extended range, and the potential to “Stun-lock” enemies that attack slowly by canceling their attack animations

+ S3 buffs Pallas (ATK up, attacks hit multiple targets) and the ally in front of her (enhanced Vigor buff, DEF up, Block count +1); if there is no ally in front of her, Pallas gains all of the buffs herself

= High DEF but low HP

= Compared to previous members of this Archetype, her kit emphasizes her own damage potential over her support capability. This increases her usefulness for players with smaller rosters but limits her appeal in harder content (“jack of all trades, master of none” syndrome).

= wants module to be competitive with consistent DPS alternatives.

- Usual archetype weaknesses: Can’t hit aerial enemies; as a hybrid DPS/ support unit, she is usually less effective than fielding either a dedicated DPS or a dedicated buffer

- DPS falls dramatically if she is blocking (trait limitation) or loses HP (Talent limitation). This especially limits her use as a cornerstone.

- The 80% Max HP threshold for her Vigor buffs (E1 Talent, S3) can be hard to maintain if the Operator is blocking

- Application of her E1 Talent is limited because there aren’t many Minos Operators in the game yet (and most of them are not very strong at present, either)

- S1: Has very good consistent damage against low-/ mid- DEF enemies, but this is not typically a very threatening combat situation and can be easily handled by many other Operators

- S2: Between the low damage modifier, brief Stun duration, and high-but-not-100% Stun activation chance, S2 is a purely tech-based Skill that is surpassed by existing alternatives (i.e., Mountain, Weedy, Phantom, Eunectes)

- S3 only works on melee allies deployed directly in front of Pallas, and the Vigor buff does not stack with her E1 Talent. The damage increase and flexibility is less impressive than other strong buffing options (i.e., Skalter, Aak, Warfarin)

AoE Guard

+ Usual archetype strengths: Multi-target attacks that hit a number of enemies equal to Block count

+ Currently the only Operator who can escape death multiple times on a single deployment

+ Talent recovers her HP over time (very powerful for lane holding, especially combined with her S2)

+ S2 gives her a massive ATK buff and prevents her HP from falling below 1, allowing her to absorb an infinite amount of damage for the duration

+ S2 has very high Initial SP (especially at M3), allowing her to be used as a heli-drop

= S2 self-Stuns her when it wears off; this can allow enemies to walk right past her, but it can also save her life by giving her Talent (or an allied healer) time to recover her HP

- Usual archetype weakness: Must be E2’d to increase her Block count (and thus her number of targeted enemies) to 3

- S2 has a relatively short duration, so it must be timed very carefully, especially because of the self-Stun afterwards

Fast-Redeploy Specialist

+ S1 offers bonus damage and survivability, making her a good assassin for squishy single targets

+ S2 offers AoE damage + Stun; drop her on enemies for the quick Stun, pull her back, and do it again

- Typical Fast-Redeploy weaknesses: mediocre base stats, DP cost can become expensive after multiple redeploys

Pallas

Pallas E2

Pallas cultivates an aura of mystery, grace, composure, and dignity, as befits a priestess from the land of Minos. It’s all an act. Pallas is drunk on the heroism of combat (and also on alcohol) and determined to burn the deeds of Rhodes Island into the records of history. Whether she gains personal glory from flagellating enemies with her chain-on-a-stick or grants the glory to others through her HP-dependent Vigor buffs doesn’t matter to her. The only important thing is glorious, glorious battle! And getting drunk afterwards!

Specter

Specter E2

Specter is the Undying Operator, able to laugh in the face of death for several seconds at a time with the boundless power of her S2. Once her S2 is activated, Specter can withstand any amount of damage without falling below 1 HP, cackling madly as she drives her buzzsaw-on-a-stick into the soft, squishy bodies of her enemies. Did we also mention the massive, bloody ATK buff she gets? We might have forgotten amidst the carnage.

Projekt Red

Projekt Red E2

Projekt Red has a reputation as a stone-cold killer, but her real claim to fame is her ability to drop an instant AoE Stun when deployed with her S2. As a Fast-Redeploy Operator, you can drop Projekt Red on the field multiple times in a single fight, utilizing her Stun over and over to disrupt the enemy team. Plenty of other Operators can assassinate squishy targets, but few can crowd-control enemies so effectively in such quick succession.

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About the Author(s)

A 4★ Supporter Operator with the "Writer" tag. Loves creative writing, all forms of editing, video game design, and badgers.

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