Building the perfect squad in Arknights: Endfield requires understanding which operators truly shine when the stakes are highest. With 23 unique characters available at launch, knowing who deserves your precious resources can make or break your progression through Talos-II's most challenging content.
What Makes an Operator Tier-Worthy?
The key here is understanding that Arknights Endfield revolves around elemental reactions and team synergy. Unlike traditional tier lists where raw damage numbers tell the whole story, this game rewards strategic thinking and proper team composition above all else.
Our ranking system evaluates operators across multiple dimensions: raw performance, team flexibility, investment requirements, and long-term viability. Each operator receives ratings based on their effectiveness in their designated role, assuming you're building proper elemental synergies.
Tier ranking system overview
Important
Remember that even lower-tier operators can outperform S-tier choices when placed in optimal team compositions. Element matching and role synergy matter more than individual rankings.
S-Tier Operators: The Elite Squad
Laevatain - The Combustion Queen
This Heat striker dominates AoE scenarios like no other operator currently available. Her ultimate ability creates sustained damage zones that persist across enemy waves, making her invaluable for clearing multiple spawn groups efficiently. What sets Laevatain apart is her ability to function effectively even without maximum investment, though she truly shines when supported by Heat infliction enablers.
Her melting flame stack management becomes second nature once you understand the rhythm. Stack Heat inflictions, trigger Combustion reactions, then unleash her ultimate for devastating area damage that can clear entire enemy formations.
Last Rite - Single-Target Devastation
When you need one enemy deleted from existence, Last Rite delivers unmatched burst potential. Her Cryo-focused kit requires three Cryo inflictions to reach peak performance, but the payoff justifies the setup time. She applies Cryo Susceptibility while dealing massive single-target damage, making her perfect for eliminating priority threats.
The strategy involves building Cryo stacks through team coordination, then consuming them for explosive damage windows. Her strength lies in precise timing and target selection.
Pogranichnik - The Physical Enabler
Physical teams find their cornerstone in Pogranichnik. His Breach application lasts an impressive 30 seconds and operates on a separate damage multiplier from Physical Susceptibility, creating multiplicative damage scaling when combined properly. His ultimate provides enemy grouping effects that enhance team-wide efficiency.
SP generation scales with Vulnerability consumption, making him both a damage enabler and resource battery for Physical compositions. Teams built around his kit consistently outperform those without proper Physical synergy.
Ardelia - Universal Support Excellence
The only operator capable of applying both Physical and Arts Susceptibility simultaneously, Ardelia fits into virtually any team composition. Her healing capabilities provide additional value, while her Corrosion application opens up reaction possibilities for Nature-based strategies.
Her versatility makes her the ideal choice for players still experimenting with different team builds or those lacking specialized support options for specific elements.
Ardelia versatile support kit
A-Tier Operators: Strong Alternatives
Antal - Elemental Amplification Specialist
Heat and Electric teams benefit tremendously from Antal's dual Susceptibility application. His damage amplification buffs occupy separate multipliers, providing substantial damage increases when properly utilized. The four-star rarity makes him accessible while maintaining competitive performance.
Ember - Defensive Powerhouse
Despite her Heat element, Ember excels in Physical team compositions. She provides comprehensive defensive utility including damage reduction, healing, shields, and Vulnerability application. Her kit addresses multiple team needs simultaneously, though healing requires taking damage to trigger.
Gilberta - Crowd Control Master
Gilberta's enemy grouping capabilities make her invaluable for AoE-focused strategies. Her Arts Susceptibility application scales with enemy Vulnerability stacks, though this mechanic can feel awkward in practice. She performs best in scenarios with multiple enemies where her crowd control creates maximum value.
Gilberta enemy grouping effect
Team Composition Strategies
Physical Team Excellence
Physical compositions currently offer the most consistent performance across all content types. The combination of Pogranichnik's Breach application with Lifeng's Physical Susceptibility creates multiplicative damage scaling that few other element combinations can match.
Chen Qianyu serves as an excellent Physical DPS option with straightforward combo triggers and high ultimate multipliers. Estella provides Physical Susceptibility at low SP costs, though her short debuff duration requires precise timing coordination.
Pro Tip: Physical teams excel in both single-target and AoE scenarios due to their flexible damage scaling options and abundant support choices.
Heat Team Synergy
Heat teams revolve around Combustion reactions and sustained damage output. Laevatain serves as the primary damage dealer while Wulfgard enables through Heat application (requires P5 investment for optimal performance). Antal provides crucial amplification buffs that significantly boost team damage.
The strategy involves maintaining consistent Heat inflictions, triggering Combustion at optimal moments, then capitalizing on damage windows with coordinated bursts.
Investment Priority Guide
Understanding resource allocation helps maximize your team's potential without wasting precious upgrade materials.
Priority 1: Main DPS Investment
Your primary damage dealer deserves maximum investment attention. For most players, this means focusing on either Laevatain for AoE scenarios or Last Rite for single-target content. These operators provide immediate returns on investment and remain viable throughout all content difficulties.
Priority 2: Core Support Systems
After establishing your main damage source, invest in support operators that enable your chosen strategy. Ardelia offers universal value, while element-specific supports like Antal or Xaihi provide specialized benefits for focused team builds.
Priority 3: Defensive Options
Survivability becomes crucial in higher-difficulty content. Ember provides comprehensive defensive utility for Physical teams, while Snowshine offers budget-friendly protection for newer players.
Warning
Avoid spreading resources too thin across multiple operators early on. Focus builds around one or two core strategies before expanding your roster options.
Advanced Team Building Considerations
Element Reaction Mastery
Understanding elemental interactions separates good players from great ones. Each element type offers unique reaction possibilities that multiply damage when executed properly.
Combustion reactions (Heat + Corrosion) provide sustained damage over time, perfect for area control situations. Solidification (Cryo + Physical) creates burst damage opportunities while providing crowd control benefits.
Role Distribution Balance
Successful teams maintain proper role distribution across Main DPS, Sub-DPS, Support, and Sustain categories. Avoid overloading on damage dealers at the expense of utility and survivability.
Check out our Best F2P Teams in Arknights: Endfield guide for budget-friendly composition ideas that don't require premium operators.
Synergy Over Individual Power
The most powerful teams prioritize synergy over individual operator strength. A well-coordinated team of A-tier operators often outperforms poorly matched S-tier characters. Focus on building cohesive strategies rather than collecting the highest-ranked operators.
For new players, our Arknights: Endfield Ultimate Beginner's Guide provides essential foundation knowledge for understanding these team dynamics.
Meta Evolution and Future Considerations
The current tier landscape reflects launch meta conditions, but expect significant shifts as new content and operators arrive. Physical teams currently dominate due to abundant support options and consistent scaling, but future releases may strengthen other elemental compositions.
Nature teams remain underdeveloped at launch, with Fluorite struggling to find meaningful applications. However, this element type shows potential for future expansion as more Nature-focused operators join the roster.
Electric compositions show promise but lack the support depth of Physical teams. Avywenna and Perlica provide solid foundations, but the element needs additional enablers to compete with established meta strategies.
Info
Stay flexible with your team building approach. Today's B-tier operator might become tomorrow's meta-defining choice with the right support additions.
The tier system provides valuable guidance for resource allocation and team building decisions, but remember that player skill and strategic thinking ultimately determine success. Experiment with different combinations, understand elemental interactions, and build teams that match your preferred playstyle.
Whether you're pursuing the ultimate S-tier squad or crafting creative strategies around underrated operators, the key lies in understanding how each piece fits into your larger strategic vision. Master these fundamentals, and you'll conquer Talos-II's greatest challenges regardless of which operators you choose to deploy.