To Bloom from a Dim Flame: Reed the Flame Shadow
Featured Operators:
| Rarity | Operator |
|---|---|
| 6★ | |
| 5★ |
Duration: July 13, 2023, 10:00 (UTC-7) - July 27, 2023, 03:59 (UTC-7)
★★★★★★:
Reed the Flame Shadow
(Accounts for 50% of the odds when pulling a 6★)
★★★★★:
Harmonie / Skyfire
(Accounts for 50% of the odds when pulling a 5★)
Should You Pull?
Do you really want Reed the Flame Shadow? Then yes. If not, then no.
Reed the Flame Shadow is very strong, and if this banner was coming out half a year ago, the answer would be “YES DEFINITELY PULL FOR HER.” However, Arknights experienced a massive jump in power recently with Mlynar and Texalter, and there are even more super-powered Operators coming up soon. (Yep, we’re not done with the powercreep yet!) In that light, Realter is good and can be worth your resources if you really like her kit or design, but she is not an essential pull by any means.
As with all banners, a 5★ or higher Operator is guaranteed in the first 10 rolls. Should you pull just for that? Definitely not. Harmonie is decent but not exceptional, and Skyfire is and has always been terrible. (Sorry to Skyfire fans. I’m sad about it too.)
Quick Overview
+ Archetype strengths: attacks and heals at the same time
+ E1 Talent gives her a chance to inflict Firebrand when attacking, lowering enemy ATK and increasing the Arts damage they take (also important for her S3)
+ E2 Talent heals Realter whenever she heals an ally
+ S2 summons fireballs around allies that damage nearby enemies; the fireballs heal the Operator they are protecting each time they hit an enemy and may also inflict Firebrand
+ S3 causes Realter to attack multiple enemies per hit and guarantees infliction of Firebrand; Branded enemies who die while S3 is active will explode, dealing AoE Arts damage and inflicting Firebrand on all nearby enemies, potentially leading to more kills and thus more explosions
- Archetype weaknesses: Cannot heal when there are no enemies in range to attack
- S2 grants the fireballs to random allies (although it does prioritize ground Operators), so it may not affect the Operators you want it to help
- Maximizing S2’s damage requires fencing your targets between two Operators who both gain Realter’s fireballs, which can be tricky to position correctly
+ Usual archetype strengths: Unusual attack range for a Caster, extremely high base ATK, “charges up” when not attacking to unleash a stronger hit later
+ Bonus damage when attacking Blocked enemies (Talent)
+ S2 creates a Slowing field over Harmonie’s attack range that does Arts damage over time and reduces Harmonie’s attack interval (so she attacks and charges more quickly)
+ S2 can Slow invisible enemies by virtue of being a field instead of a direct attack
= S2 ONLY targets Blocked enemies, which can allow her to build charges before attacking but can also result in a lot of lost DPS if enemies get stuck too far away from a Blocker
- Usual archetype weaknesses:
- VERY slow ASPD, dramatically reducing his actual damage potential
- Amassing a charge counts as an “attack,” causing delays in her ability to actually attack if enemies walk into her range while she’s charging, further slowing her actual DPS
- She can waste charges on overkilling weak enemies, since she can’t “save” them for strong targets
- S1 has a VERY short duration and can reduce the damage of a full-charged attack if timed incorrectly
+ Typical Archetype strengths: Splash-AoE Arts damage, high base ATK
+ Can Stun enemies with her S2, which can be good for stalling
- Typical Archetype weaknesses: High DP cost, low ASPD
- S2 does a lot of damage per hit, but it actually has less DPS than S1 due to dramatically slowing her already slow ASPD
Reed the Flame Shadow
Reed the Flame Shadow is taking a stand against Dublinn and their shadowy leader Eblana. For too long she’s hidden the full potential of her life-exciting, energy-combusting Originium Arts… but no longer! All of Reed the Flame Shadow’s enemies will be afflicted by her unique Arts-damage-enhancing Firebrand sigil. And then they will explode.
Harmonie
Harmonie is a master manipulator, a double- or even triple-agent, and a talented water mage with a sneaky fighting style. As a Mystic Caster, her fully-charged attacks will cause her enemies great pain and suffering. And her smug face will cause her allies great pain and suffering all the time, no charging required!
Skyfire
The heat of Skyfire’s temper is only matched by the heat of her AoE Originium Arts. Her meme-tastic S2 drops freaking meteors from outer space onto the battlefield, Stunning anything lucky enough to survive her wrath.
