As a long-time Arknights franchise fan who’s spent dozens of hours in the Endfield closed beta, I’ve tested every playable unit released so far to break down what makes Arknights Endfield characters feel so distinct from the original tower defense title. Unlike its predecessor, Endfield is an open-world action RPG, so unit roles, kit synergy, and combat utility matter far more than just static lane defense stats. You don’t have to waste hours testing every unit yourself to build a strong team, either—this guide breaks down all the key details you need to pick the right characters for your playstyle.
Core Role Categories for Arknights Endfield Characters
Every playable unit in Endfield falls into one of five core role categories, each designed to fill a specific niche in both open-world exploration and instanced dungeon content. Picking a balanced mix of these roles will make even the hardest boss fights feel manageable, while stacking too many of the same role will leave you vulnerable to common enemy mechanics. It’s worth noting that some higher rarity units have cross-role utility, so they can pull double duty if you’re running a smaller team for exploration.
You can mix and match these roles depending on the content you’re tackling, but I always recommend keeping at least one Defender and one Support in any team comp, no matter what. Even if you’re just running around collecting materials in the open world, having a Defender to draw aggro from random world bosses will save you from a lot of unnecessary respawn runs.
Rarity Tiers and Investment Priorities
Arknights Endfield characters come in three rarity tiers: 3-star, 4-star, and 5-star. You might assume that higher rarity units are always better, but that’s not always the case, especially for new players who don’t have the resources to level up 5-star units to their full potential. I’ve seen plenty of new players dump all their upgrade materials into a 5-star unit they don’t know how to use, then struggle with basic content because the rest of their team is underleveled.
3-star units are completely free to unlock through normal story progression, and they have very low upgrade costs. They’re great for the first 10 to 15 hours of gameplay, and some 3-star supports are still useful in endgame content because their buffs don’t scale heavily with level. You won’t need to invest any rare ascension materials into them, so they’re a safe pick for new players who are still figuring out their preferred playstyle.
4-star units strike the best balance between accessibility and power for most players. They’re fairly common drops from the standard banner, and their upgrade costs are significantly lower than 5-star units, even at max level. Many 4-star units outperform lower-investment 5-star units if you build them correctly, so don’t sleep on them just because they don’t have the highest rarity badge.
5-star units are the rarest and most powerful units in the game, but they require a huge amount of rare ascension materials and duplicate copies to reach their full potential. If you get a 5-star unit that fits your team comp early on, it’s okay to invest in it, but don’t ignore the rest of your team to do so. You should only prioritize 5-star investment once you have a full core team of level 50 4-star units to avoid falling behind on progression.
Top Character Picks for New and Veteran Players
You don’t need to collect every unit in the game to have a strong team, but there are a few standouts that work well in almost every team comp. These picks are based on my own beta testing, as well as aggregate data from thousands of players who participated in the latest closed test phase. Keep in mind that team synergy matters more than individual unit strength, so you might have to adjust these picks based on what units you already have unlocked.
For new players, the best 3-star pick is definitely Li Yan, a Vanguard unit with a fast attack speed and a team energy generation buff that cuts down the time it takes to cast your team’s ultimate abilities by 20%. She’s unlocked automatically after completing the second story mission, so you won’t have to roll for her, and she stays useful well into the mid-game even after you unlock higher rarity Vanguards. If you only upgrade one 3-star unit, make it Li Yan—the energy buff she provides is too useful to pass up.
The best 4-star pick for most players is Frost, a Defender unit with a built-in ice elemental shield that slows any enemy that attacks her. She has higher base health than most 5-star Defenders when fully leveled, and her ultimate ability casts a team-wide shield that absorbs up to 50% of incoming damage for 10 seconds. She’s a common drop on the standard banner, so most players will unlock her within their first 10 rolls.
The best 5-star pick in the current roster is Blaze, a Strike DPS unit with a fire elemental infusion that deals continuous burn damage to enemies. Her ultimate ability deals 700% of her attack damage to all enemies in a 10-meter radius, and it applies a burn debuff that lasts for 15 seconds. She’s rare, but if you manage to pull her, she’ll carry you through almost all content in the game with minimal investment.
There are plenty of other great units that fit specific niche team comps, of course. If you prefer a more defensive playstyle, for example, the 4-star Support unit Lotus has a team-wide heal that also boosts defense by 25% for 8 seconds, which is perfect for players who struggle with boss mechanics.
Team Building Tips to Maximize Character Potential
Even the best Arknights Endfield characters will underperform if you put them in a bad team comp. You don’t have to follow meta builds exactly, but there are a few simple rules you can follow to make sure your team works as efficiently as possible. I’ve tested dozens of team comps during the beta, and these tips work for both casual open-world exploration and endgame dungeon content.
First, always make sure you have at least one of each core role in your main team. That means one Vanguard, one Defender, one Strike DPS, one Artillery DPS, and one Support. You can swap out roles for specific content if you want, but this balanced comp works for 90% of the game’s content with no adjustments. If you’re running a smaller team for open-world exploration, you can drop the Artillery DPS and run a second Vanguard to make traversal faster, but don’t do that for instanced dungeons.
Second, try to match elemental types across your team to get a team-wide damage buff. If you run three fire elemental units, for example, you’ll get a 15% damage boost for all fire attacks, which adds up to a huge increase in overall team output. You don’t have to run all the same elemental type, but matching at least two units of the same element will give you a noticeable power boost with no downsides.
Third, don’t waste skill upgrade materials on abilities you don’t actually use. Most units have three upgradable abilities, but many players only use one or two of them regularly. Check which abilities you use most often for each unit, and upgrade those first before you touch the less useful ones. This will save you hundreds of rare materials over the course of your playthrough that you can use to upgrade other units on your roster.
At the end of the day, the best Arknights Endfield characters are the ones you enjoy playing the most. You don’t have to follow meta picks or min-max every part of your team to have fun exploring the open world or clearing story content. If you follow the tips in this guide, you’ll be able to build a strong team that fits your playstyle without wasting dozens of hours on bad investment choices. Don’t be afraid to experiment with less popular units, either—you might find a hidden gem that works way better for you than the top meta picks.