Pulling the wrong character in a gacha game hurts. You burn through premium currency, watch the animation play out, and end up with someone who collects dust on your roster forever. Arknights: Endfield makes these decisions even more consequential because team synergy matters as much as individual power. A character ranked highly in isolation might underperform without the right teammates supporting them.
I’ve spent over 100 hours testing every operator currently available, running them through Protocol Spaces, boss fights, and the endgame content that actually challenges optimized builds. This tier list reflects real performance rather than theoretical potential. Some placements might surprise you, especially if you’ve been following tier lists that ignore how elemental teams function together.
how the ranking system works
Characters fall into five tiers based on combat contribution and team utility. SS-tier operators define the meta and justify building entire teams around them. S-tier fills essential roles that make compositions function. A-tier provides solid performance with some limitations. B-tier works but gets outclassed by better options. C-tier struggles to justify investment over alternatives.
Element matters enormously. A character might rank lower overall but become irreplaceable within their specific team type. I’ll call out these situations so you understand when a “lower” ranked operator actually deserves your resources.
ss-tier operators
laevatain (fire, six-star)
The strongest AoE damage dealer in the game by a significant margin. Laevatain’s empowered skill requires absorbing four fire stacks from teammates, but once charged, she wipes entire enemy waves with her spiritual sword ultimate. Content with multiple enemies becomes trivial when she’s on the field.
Her single target damage is respectable too, though not her specialty. The main weakness is fire resistance on certain enemies, which limits her effectiveness in specific matchups. Build your fire team around her without hesitation.
ardelia (nature, six-star)
The most versatile healer available and a damage amplifier that fits into almost any composition. Her ultimate summons healing ships that restore health when you walk over them, providing sustained survivability without constant attention. Her combo triggers corrosion automatically, lowering enemy resistances for the entire team.
She’s technically meta in fire teams with Laevatain because corrosion triggers Laevatain’s combo and grants stacks for her empowered skill. But honestly, Ardelia works everywhere. If you pull her, she immediately becomes your default healer regardless of which element you’re building.
yvonne (ice, six-star)
The highest single target damage character in the entire game. Her ultimate transforms her into a pistol-wielding executioner who unloads devastating sustained damage against frozen enemies. The burst window is long enough to delete bosses that would otherwise require multiple rotation cycles.
She needs enemies frozen to maximize output, which her own skill and combo can handle. Teammates who apply ice help charge her ultimate faster, but she’s surprisingly self-sufficient compared to other DPS operators. Ice teams revolve around her for good reason.
s-tier operators
last right (ice, six-star)
An alternative ice DPS with combo-based burst instead of sustained damage. Her skill applies ice stacks, and when enemies reach three stacks, her combo consumes them for massive damage plus ice susceptibility. Her ultimate has arguably the highest scaling in the game, hitting three times with full buff stacking.
She needs teammates who apply ice consistently to reach maximum performance. Florit and Shai are her best partners. In premium ice builds, you can actually run both Last Right and Yvonne together, with Yvonne freezing enemies while Last Right capitalizes on the setup.
gilberta (nature, six-star)
A pure support who massively amplifies elemental damage for the entire team. Her ultimate creates a zone that slows enemies and increases all damage they take for several seconds. That window is when you dump every burst ability you have.
Her skill groups enemies together, perfect for AoE damage dealers. She fits into electro teams, ice teams, and basically any composition that deals elemental damage. Gilberta arrives on the second banner and competes with Antal for the amplifier slot, but she does the job better in most situations.
wolfgart (fire, five-star)
The best fire applier in the game and mandatory for Laevatain compositions. His skill and combo stack fire rapidly, feeding Laevatain the stacks she needs to empower her abilities. When enemies have combustion, Wolfgart can consume it for huge damage while boosting fire damage for everyone.
Outside of fire teams, he has limited use. But if you’re playing Laevatain, Wolfgart isn’t optional. The synergy between them is too strong to ignore.
abiwena (electro, five-star)
The premier electro DPS who deals massive damage by recalling spears stuck in electrified enemies. Her damage ceiling rivals six-star operators when properly supported, making electro teams surprisingly competitive despite being entirely free-to-play accessible.
She needs Perlica applying electrification consistently. Without that setup, her damage falls off dramatically. In electro compositions, she’s the carry. Outside them, she doesn’t function.
perlica (electro, five-star)
The most consistent electrification applier in the game and a free starter character. Electrification causes enemies to take increased elemental damage, which benefits the entire team regardless of element. Her ultimate also has excellent scaling for sub-DPS contribution.
Perlica works in almost any team as a support option if you’re missing better alternatives. In electro teams specifically, she’s mandatory because Abiwena and Arkite depend on her electrification to function. You’re going to build her eventually.
the endmin (physical, six-star)
The protagonist and a legitimately strong physical DPS you get for free. His skill applies crush to consume vulnerability stacks, dealing massive damage. His combo applies crystals consumed by his ultimate for additional burst.
Physical teams built around him can reach high damage ceilings, though the best versions require premium supports like Progritnik and Lefang. Even with free-to-play options, he carries physical compositions effectively.
a-tier operators
chen qianyu (physical, five-star)
Another free starter who excels at applying vulnerability stacks for physical DPS characters to exploit. Her ultimate deals strong damage on its own, adding sub-DPS value alongside her support capabilities.
She’s meta in physical teams regardless of whether you’re running premium or free-to-play builds. The vulnerability stacks she provides are essential for the crush mechanic that defines physical damage.
arkite (electro, five-star)
An SP battery for electro teams who also amplifies electro damage. She generates resources through her skill and combo, letting teammates use abilities more frequently. The catch is she depends on electrification to function, making Perlica a required partner.
The Perlica plus Arkite combination works as a battery support core in various teams. In electro compositions specifically, Arkite’s damage amplification makes her nearly mandatory alongside Abiwena.
shai (ice, five-star)
A healer who amplifies ice and nature damage through her ultimate. Her skill provides strong single target healing, and overhealing grants damage buffs. Her combo applies ice stacks while lowering enemy ice defense.
She’s the default healer for ice teams, providing both survivability and offensive amplification. If you need more defensive coverage than Ardelia offers in ice compositions, Shai fills that role perfectly.
florit (nature, four-star)
A support with sub-DPS capabilities whose combo triggers on two ice stacks to apply a third. This synergy with Last Right is exceptional because it helps reach the three-stack threshold for Last Right’s burst combo.
Her grenade skill applies nature for corrosion setups, and her ultimate deals respectable damage. She’s a key enabler for ice teams built around Last Right rather than Yvonne.
akuri (fire, four-star)
The most versatile SP battery in the game thanks to her easy combo activation and ultimate generation. She works in almost any team that needs extra ability uptime, though she’s specifically meta in Laevatain compositions.
Her skill applies fire stacks, feeding Laevatain’s empowered mechanic. Even outside fire teams, Akuri performs well enough to slot in when you lack better battery options.
progritnik (physical, six-star)
The best SP battery for physical teams with breach mechanics that amplify physical damage taken by enemies. He generates resources while contributing respectable damage himself, making him extremely efficient.
The premium price tag limits accessibility. Free-to-play physical teams function without him but lose significant damage potential. If you pull him, he immediately upgrades your physical composition.
b-tier operators
antal (electro, four-star)
A pure support who amplifies electro and fire damage. He does the same job as Gilberta but worse. If Gilberta is unavailable or assigned to another team, Antal fills the slot adequately.
His healing is too weak to rely on for sustain. Treat him as a damage amplifier only and bring a real healer alongside him.
lefang (physical, six-star)
A premium support with sub-DPS who applies physical susceptibility and vulnerability stacks. His ultimate deals strong damage, and his combo boosts subsequent abilities.
He’s meta in optimized physical teams but offers nothing outside that niche. The six-star investment only pays off if physical damage is your primary focus.
alesh (ice, five-star)
The only ice battery in the game and the only character who can freeze enemies that already have ice applied. He fits physical-ice hybrid teams and pure ice compositions needing SP generation.
His value depends heavily on team energy requirements. Some ice builds don’t need the extra SP and prefer damage-focused alternatives.
snowshine (ice, five-star)
A tank with strong single target healing through her combo. Her ultimate applies area freeze for defensive coverage and damage setup. She can replace Stella in physical-ice teams for more survivability.
The trade-off is lower damage contribution compared to offensive options. Use her when content requires extra defensive tools.
stella (ice, four-star)
A support for physical-ice hybrid teams who freezes enemies, breaks the freeze for damage, applies physical susceptibility, and contributes vulnerability stacks. She does a lot but doesn’t excel at any single thing.
Physical-ice teams are functional but generally outperformed by pure physical or pure ice compositions. Stella becomes less relevant as you acquire premium options.
c-tier operators
thepan (physical, five-star)
A hybrid DPS-support who applies vulnerability stacks and crush through his combo rather than his skill. The combo cooldown limits how often crush triggers, hurting his DPS output.
His performance improves against multiple enemies thanks to cooldown reduction on kills. Single target fights expose his weaknesses compared to dedicated DPS operators.
catcher (physical, four-star)
A tank who tries to do everything and ends up mediocre at all of it. He has more personal damage than Ember but weaker protection, sustain, and support capabilities.
Specialized characters outperform him in every role he attempts. Build him only if you have no alternatives.
ember (physical, six-star)
A tank who guarantees team survival through shields, damage reduction, and healing. She’s nearly immortal and can apply vulnerability stacks for DPS characters.
The problem is that her personal damage contribution is minimal. Endgame content rewards faster clears rather than safe ones. She’s valuable when progression is blocked by survivability issues but falls off once your team can handle content without the extra defense.
final thoughts on pulling
Electro teams offer the best value for free-to-play accounts. Every core character is four or five stars, making full optimization achievable without gambling on six-star pulls. Fire and ice teams perform better at ceiling but require premium investments.
Save your Oroberyl for operators who actually improve your target composition rather than chasing every new banner. A complete team outperforms a collection of unsynergized high-rarity characters.
For deeper coverage of how these operators fit into specific compositions with rotation guides, check out the ultimate Arknights: Endfield guide and the best teams breakdown.
For deeper coverage of how these operators fit into specific compositions with rotation guides, check out the ultimate Arknights: Endfield guide and the best teams breakdown.
