Joint Operation 2 Headhunting Information
Featured Operators:
| Rarity | Operator |
| 6★ Rate Up |  Blaze - AoE Guard
 Saria - Healing Defender
 Mostima - AoE Caster
 Hellagur - Enmity Guard
|
| 5★ Rate Up |  Nearl - Healing Defender
 Firewatch - Long-Range Sniper
 Greythroat - Anti-Air Sniper
 Hung - Healing Defender
 Executor - Boomstick (Close-Range AoE) Sniper
 Glaucus - Slower Supporter
|
- The listed operators will be the only units available for their respective rarity
- Operator Feature Banners do not add Operators to the Distinction shop
Should You Pull?
If you want Blaze and/or Saria, then yes. Otherwise, probably not.
Joint Operation banners are excellent because their mechanics favor the player, but the units on this banner leave something to be desired. Some of these units are pretty niche, like Executor and Glaucus; others are simply outperformed by other options, like Hung and Firewatch. Blaze and Saria are far and away the best options on the banner, and they’re strong enough that it might be worth pulling for them despite everything. However, if you already have both Operators, this banner probably isn’t a good choice for you.
Even if you do have Blaze and Saria already, you may still want to do Headhunt x1 until you pull a 5★ or higher Operator, since one is guaranteed in the first 10 rolls.
Quick Overview: 6★ Operators
+ Enormous damage
+ Once-per-battle “survive anything” card with her Emergency Defibrillator Talent
+ Enormous damage
+ A melee Operator who can extend her attack range permanently
+ Still does enormous damage you guys
- Needs to be E2-promoted for Block-3 in order to unleash her full power
+ Extremely efficient and effective ground-deployed healer
+ Can Block-3 and can also take a hit (especially after her E1 Talent has increased her DEF)
+ E2 Talent grants SP to allies that Saria heals (they must actually recover HP, though; it doesn’t work if they’re already at full HP when she heals)
+ S2 and S3 offer awesome AoE healing over a different range from any existing Medic
+ S3 is terrifyingly effective, both at healing and as a RES/ movement speed debuff
- Has no damage mitigation on her Skills, so she has trouble surviving enemy damage spikes
+ E1 Talent increases rate of SP gain for allied Casters
+ E2 Talent passively Slows enemies within her attack range
+ S2 Stuns all enemies within her attack range for several seconds and deals damage over time
+ S3 massively increases her damage, range, and crowd-control
= Her crowd-control is much better than her damage
- Usual archetype weaknesses: High DP cost, slow ASPD
- Long Skill cooldowns and short durations, leading to poor Skill uptime (her SP-gain Talent helps this a little, at least)
+ Extremely high HP and ATK
+ Great for Contingency Contract (CC) events
+ Can 1v1 most enemies with no help, even big nasties like Avengers and Rockbreakers (if RNG is on his side)
= Has Block-1 (typical of Enmity Guards)
- Usual archetype weaknesses: High DP cost, can't be healed directly (although passive regen, i.e., Angelina, does work)
- Rarely necessary outside of CC (when healing and Operator choices are less limited, and solo 1v1 Operators are less valuable)
Quick Overview: 5★ Operators
+ Ground-deployed healer with a lot of healing power
+ E2 Talent increases the healing received by all allies while Nearl is deployed
- Low HP and no DEF-boosting Skills, so she is not a good damage soak
- Inferior to Saria in basically every way
+ Usual archetype strengths: wider attack range than most Sniper archetypes, high base ATK, prioritizes low-DEF enemies
+ Her Talent deals bonus damage to ranged enemies
+ Massive AoE and ST damage potential with her S2
- Usual archetype weaknesses: slow attack speed hampers her DPS despite her high ATK
- S2 is slow to charge, and getting maximum damage out of it takes skill, luck, and Mastery
+ Skills allow her to fire multiple shots at once
+ Her multiple-hit Skills synergize perfectly with her crit-chance Talent
- Talent is very RNG-dependant
+ Can be a better damage soak than most Healing Defenders; Talent increases DEF, S2 buffs DEF
+ S2 provides a lot of team healing and also generates SP for healed allies
= Skills charge when [Getting Hit]; they can charge very quickly during a wave, but they don’t charge at all in between waves
- Often less durable than a Normal Defender, but heals less efficiently than other Healing Defenders (low ATK, needs to get hit to charge his heals)
+ Deals tremendous AoE physical damage
+ One of the better Snipers against high-DEF targets because he has some DEF Ignore
- Usual downsides of the archetype: short attack range and slow attack speed
+ Currently the only Arts damage unit who targets aerial enemies first; great when Snipers are banned or when facing high-DEF drones
+ Good crowd-control with her Slow Trait and her Skill 2
+ Can nuke Drones very effectively with her Skill 2 (and Stun them if they survive)
= As a Supporter, she has a different attack range from any currently existing Sniper
- Has a hard time dealing damage to Drones with high RES
- Lower ATK and slower ATK speed than equal-rarity Anti-Air Snipers
- Reduced damage and crowd-control output against ground-based enemies
Blaze
Blaze is the only 6* AoE Guard currently in Arknights, and she’s the strongest example of what is already a strong archetype. She hits multiple targets at a time, her DPS is through the roof, she can permanently increase her attack range, and she comes with a free “Get Out of Dying Once” card up her sleeve.
I definitely recommend pulling for Blaze.
Saria
Saria doesn’t kill enemies in droves the way most broken Operators do. Instead, she’s probably one of the most powerful utility units in the game. She’s tanky enough to block all but the most powerful enemies, she grants SP to her allies when she heals them, and her S2 generates enough AoE healing (from a ground tile, no less!) to replace a Medic. Her S3 is an incredibly potent debuff that Slows incoming enemies and dramatically increases the Arts damage they take, giving all Arts DPS on your team a massive advantage for the duration. Saria is the linchpin for all kinds of different strategies on all kinds of different stages, proving conclusively that direct DPS isn’t the only thing that matters in Arknights.
I definitely recommend pulling for Saria.
Mostima
Mostima works around the disadvantages of the AoE Caster archetype by focusing on heavy crowd-control abilities. She passively increases the rate of SP gain for Caster Operators, and she Slows all enemies within her attack range whether she’s attacking them or not. Her S2 is a guaranteed Stun on all enemies within her attack range, and her S3 makes her attacks true AoE (instead of just splash damage) that also knock enemies backwards. Combined with her Slowing Talent, her S3 simply makes it impossible for most enemies to make headway toward your forces.
Despite her great utility, Mostima still suffers from the disadvantages of AoE Casters. She has a very high DP cost, and her slow ASPD means that her DPS is uncomfortably low. Her powerful Skills help make up for this, but their SP costs are so high (even with her SP-charging Talent in effect) that she doesn’t get to use them as much as you’d like.
I don’t recommend pulling for Mostima. She’s a strong crowd-control unit if you want to raise her, though.
Hellagur
Hellagur is self-sufficient to a fault. He can’t be directly healed by other Operators; instead, he relies on his own abilities, recovering HP when he attacks enemies or when he isn’t Blocking. His S2 makes his attacks hit twice and gives him tremendous Physical Dodge, making him almost impossible for physical opponents to kill. Meanwhile, his S3 gives him 3-range attacks that can hit multiple targets at a time, slicing through enemies like a scythe through wheat. Be careful, though: because he can’t be directly healed, even the mighty Hellagur can be overwhelmed and defeated if he faces an enemy whose damage outpaces his on-hit regeneration.
I don’t recommend pulling for Hellagur, but he’s worth raising if you pull him. His ability to hold a chokepoint by himself without assistance is pretty impressive.
Nearl
Nearl is a great ground-based healer, with strong healing Skills and an E2 Talent that increases direct healing given to all allies anywhere on the battlefield while Nearl is deployed. This Talent makes Nearl a powerful multiplier for other healers, such as her fellow Healing Defenders. However, on her own, Nearl can struggle: her S1 only activates on allies below 50% HP, her S2 has a long charge time, and her low HP makes it difficult for her to Block strong enemies.
I don’t recommend pulling for Nearl, especially in comparison to Saria. She’s a decent backup Healing Defender if you can’t get Saria, though.
Firewatch
Firewatch is great fun to use because of her S2, which drops multiple warheads onto the field for big explosions and even bigger damage. If luck drops the bombs close enough to each other, the multiple blasts can rack up mindboggling damage on their targets! When she’s not calling in the air strike, however, Firewatch isn’t as effective. Her regular attack hits hard, especially on ranged enemies (her Talent increases her damage against ranged enemies), but her ASPD is so slow that it neuters her DPS into the ground.
I don’t recommend pulling for Firewatch.
GreyThroat
GreyThroat is basically a mini-Exusiai, focusing on spraying multiple attacks into a single target as quickly as possible. Her E2 Talent gives her a chance to crit on attacks, and both of her Skills cause her to fire multiple shots at once, presenting multiple opportunities to crit per attack. Because her Talent is RNG-dependent, she needs some luck to hit her maximum damage potential, but when things go her way, she puts enemies in the ground like nobody’s business.
I don’t recommend pulling specifically for GreyThroat unless you desperately need another Anti-Air Sniper (you should have at least 2), but she’s worth raising if you don’t have Exusiai.
Hung
Hung is one of the rare Healing Defenders with a Skill that increases his DEF, making him a more effective damage soak than some members of his archetype (looking at you, Nearl!) His S2 increases his ATK and his DEF, heals adjacent allies, and grants SP to every ally healed. The downside? The SP charge type for his Skills is [Getting Hit], so if Hung isn’t taking damage, he’s not able to charge his Skills.
I don’t recommend pulling for Hung, especially in comparison to Saria. He can be very effective in some situations, but his performance is too erratic.
Executor
Executor ignores a flat amount of enemy DEF with his shotgun blasts and targets all enemies within his (admittedly short-range) attack area, giving him tremendous AoE damage potential. His damage is amped up even higher on adjacent enemies thanks to his Trait. Positioned well, Executor shreds his enemies as easily as he shreds his junk mail.
Unfortunately, it’s not as easy as “place Executor, kill everything.” Between high DP cost, slow ASPD, and limited attack range, Executor can’t always pull his weight. It’s a testimony to the strength of his Trait and Talent that Executor is usable at all, considering the way slow ASPD usually nerfs a unit’s DPS.
I don’t recommend pulling for Executor. He’s great on some maps, but he’s a little too unreliable. That being said, he’s worth raising if you’re willing to put in the work to set him up where he can be effective.
Glaucus
Glaucus is ostensibly a Slower Supporter, but she desperately wants to be an Anti-Air Sniper instead. Her Talent causes her to prioritize aerial targets and deal more damage to them, and her S2 is a wide-area crowd-controlling nuke that does twice the damage to flying enemies. Even against ground enemies, Glaucus still inflicts Slow and can Bind with her S2; the bonuses she brings to bear against flying targets make her even better.
That being said, lower ATK and slower ASPD than an equal-rarity Anti-Air Sniper make Glaucus less effective at the role. She can be valuable on stages where Snipers are banned, and dealing Arts damage gives her a niche against high-DEF armored drones. However, you’re usually better off fielding an Anti-Air Sniper to handle your aerial opponents.
I don’t recommend pulling for Glaucus. She fills a useful niche on Challenge and CC event stages, however, so she can be worth raising if you pull her.
