Arknights Endfield Tier List v1.2: Best 2026 Operators

Landing on the harsh terrain of Talos-II quickly teaches you that survival requires more than just grit. To thrive, you need a combination of devastating firepower, optimized base construction, and a team that operates with perfect synchronization. You have arrived at the premier destination for the most definitive Arknights Endfield tier list available.

We aren’t just giving you a basic S-to-D ranking. Endfield is a massively deep game that blends real-time RPG combat with intense factory automation (the AIC system). A character might hit like a wet noodle in a boss fight, but absolutely carry your Originium production back at base!

As of April 2026, the meta has undergone a total transformation following the extensive Version 1.2 update, which introduced high-burst setups for Nature and Electro elements.

Settle in and prepare for a deep dive as we provide the most thorough analysis of every operator essential to your current roster.

Breaking Down the Arknights: Endfield Tier List Methodology

Our ranking criteria for these operators focus on their maximum potential in endgame scenarios.

Due to the multifaceted nature of Endfield’s mechanics, our assessment incorporates two primary metrics: effectiveness in battle and functional utility within the base.

• T0 (Meta-Defining): These are your account-carriers. They boast extreme versatility, dominate core team comps, and often have top-tier factory skills. Pull them, build them, and never take them off your team.
• T1 (Core Powerhouses): These operators deliver incredibly stable performance and high damage ceilings. They are the undeniable core of their specific elemental teams.
• T2 (Reliable Utility): Solid, balanced characters that fill specific gaps. They are great for early-to-mid game progression, but might get swapped out when you hit high-level boss domains.
• T3 (Niche Specialists): These units require highly specific setups or are only useful for very niche factory nodes; low priority for your precious resources.

See Also: Linnea Build Guide: Is She Genshin’s Best Geo Yet?

Best Arknights: Endfield Tier List by Factions

In Endfield, team synergy extends beyond simple elemental pairings to include both mechanical design and narrative lore.

Recognizing the various factions is key to grasping operator histories and identifying potential future team combinations:

Endfield Industries

Endfield Industries is the independent organization at the heart of our story. Established on Talos-II by Rhodes Island and various conglomerates, they have a main gig: improving industrial development, advancing AIC tech, and surviving the Blight.

Since this is the protagonist faction led by the Endministrator, you will be spending a lot of time with these operators. The following ranking details the current standing of the Endfield Industries roster:

1. Endministrator (6-star | Physical Guard)

The Endministrator stands as your reliable lead character, earning a solid T1 ranking for combat effectiveness.

Comparable to a top-tier hypercarry for the early game, they are remarkably accessible for new players and feature a kit that makes chaining combos effortless.

With inherent debuffs for physical vulnerability, they serve as the ideal cornerstone for any team focused on physical burst damage.

2. Yvonne (6-star | Cryo Striker)

Yvonne is a formidable T0 powerhouse and a highly flexible primary damage dealer who excels in both AoE and single-target combat.

Her Brr-Brr-Bomb provides potent Solidification crowd control, establishing her as an essential acquisition for players looking to lock down the battlefield with freezing effects.

3. Perlica (5-star | Electric Caster)

While she sits at T2 in raw combat, Perlica is a T0 Factory god. As the supervisor, she provides a massive flat efficiency boost to all Assembly Line productions.

Get her off the battlefield and into your base immediately!

4. Chen Qianyu (5-star | Physical Guard)

A highly serviceable T2 physical sub-DPS. She is great for bridging the gap before you pull stronger 6-star Guards, but she eventually falls off in late-game high-difficulty bosses.

5. Wulfgard (5-star | Heat Caster)

Currently sitting at T3. He lacks the burst damage needed for the endgame meta, making him a niche pick unless you desperately need a Heat enabler.

6. Antal (4-star | Electric Supporter)

Do not sleep on this 4-star! Antal is a T1 elemental amplifier who applies a “Focus” effect, supercharging Arts and Energy damage for your main DPS. He is a mandatory flex pick for Electric teams.

7. Fluorite (4-star | Nature Caster)

A T3 specialized accessory. She exists purely to stack Cryo/Nature infliction for boss killers like Last Rite. Her painful 40-second cooldown holds her back from true greatness.

8. Estella (4-star | Cryo Guard)

A T3 supportive damage dealer who, unfortunately, gets overshadowed by stronger Cryo units in the current patch.

9. Catcher (4-star | Physical Defender)

A T3 survivalist. He offers emergency single-target shields, but in a game where AoE damage is everywhere, his single-target protection just isn’t enough for the hardest content.

10. Akekuri (4-star | Heat Vanguard)

A super solid T2 SP support. She is fantastic at generating team energy and applying Heat Infliction, keeping your skill rotations buttery smooth.

Rhodes Island Pharmaceuticals Inc.

Is Arknights: Endfield a sequel? Well, seeing Rhode Island operating independently under Warfarin certainly hits right in the nostalgia!

They helped establish Endfield and handle the treatment of the Infected on Talos-II. Unsurprisingly, their operators are some of the most broken units in the game.

1. Ardelia (6-star | Nature Supporter)

The undisputed T0 Universal Support. Imagine a character who provides global damage amplification (reducing both Physical and Arts resistance) while simultaneously pumping out AoE healing. That’s Ardelia. She fits into literally every single team.

2. Laevatain (6-star | Heat Striker)

Another T0 royalty. Laevatain is the ultimate AoE Main DPS. She stacks Melting Flame to trigger devastating Combustions.

If you need to wipe out three waves of enemies before your coffee gets cold, she is your girl.

3. Gilberta (6-star | Nature Supporter)

A high-ceiling T1 grouper. Her Gravity Field sucks enemies into one spot, setting them up perfectly for your AoE nukers. She forms a lethal combo with Yvonne!

4. Pogranichnik (6-star | Physical Vanguard)

The T1 core of any Physical team. She provides the “Breach” effect, consuming vulnerability stacks to make enemies take absurd amounts of physical damage.

5. Snowshine (5-star | Cryo Defender)

A dependable T2 survival specialist capable of absorbing damage to grant your vulnerable DPS characters the necessary window to recover.

Hongshan Academy of Sciences (HAS)

Formed after the First Aggeloi War, HAS focuses on agriculture and scientific research. They might be nerds, but they hit incredibly hard on the battlefield and in the factory.

1. Lifeng (6-star | Physical Guard)

Lifeng is an exceptional physical unit with a dual-purpose kit. Though she contributes significant support damage during encounters, her true strength is often found in her top-tier T1 industrial abilities geared toward agricultural output.

2. Da Pan (5-star | Physical Striker)

A beefy, balanced T2 damage dealer. He’s got smooth normal attacks and great on-field survivability, making him the perfect F2P-friendly bruiser for early-to-mid game wave clearing.

Seš’qa

An enigmatic floating metropolis, this city acts as the cultural heart for the Sarkaz. It is a place of mystery and home to one of the most devastatingly powerful operators available.

1. Last Rite (6-star | Cryo Striker)

Last Rite is the definitive T0 boss-eraser, focusing exclusively on massive single-target burst potential.

Her ultimate, Winter’s Devourer, is capable of completely wiping out a boss’s health bar in an instant. Because she relies on specific synergies to maximize this power, you must build a dedicated Cryo team around her to truly excel.

Order of Steel Oath

This knightly order is the main military faction defending humanity from the Aggeloi. They are the literal human shields of Talos-II.

1. Ember (6-star | Heat Defender)

Ember is an exceptional T2 survival specialist who serves as the quintessential tank for your squad. She offers a combination of persistent burning damage, personal sustain, and minor shields for the entire team.

If you find your team faltering in intense, high-pressure domains, she is an ideal candidate to reinforce your frontline.

Cabal of Tranquility

Dedicated to studying ancient civilizations, scripts, and remnants of Talos-II’s past.

1. Xaihi (5-star | Cryo Supporter)

Xaihi is a standout T1/A-Tier support who shines as a primary enabler for elemental reactions.  By partnering her with Nature sub-DPS units, players can trigger devastating damage spikes.

See Also: Best ZZZ Tier List v2.7: Meta Agents in 2026

Hannabit Circuit

The Hannabit Circuit consists of a modest nomadic community that has allied with Endfield Industries.

Deeply rooted in the tradition of pilgrimage, their culture places a high value on individual expertise, martial prowess, and personal capability.

1. Arclight (5-star | Electric Vanguard)

Arclight is a highly dependable T2 unit for sustained damage.

Functioning as an excellent SP battery, she also provides useful stun-based crowd control, which positions her as a perfect transitional choice for Electric-themed compositions.

Talos-II General Chamber of Commerce (TGCC)

As the planet’s most expansive conglomerate, their operations are primarily profit-oriented; however, their strategic investments frequently support the continued survival of Talos-II.

1. Avywenna (5-star | Electric Striker)

Avywenna is a high-performing T1 Electric DPS. Although the latest Version 1.2 roster offers significant competition, she remains a powerhouse of consistent damage for players navigating the mid-game.

United Workers’ Syndicates of Talos-II (UWST)

The largest union comprising self-governing worker syndicates that physically built the infrastructure of Talos-II.

1. Alesh (5-star | Cryo Vanguard)

Classified as a T3 support damage dealer, Alesh features an interesting concept that is unfortunately undermined by a kit with insufficient scaling.

In the current landscape, he struggles to match the performance of superior Cryo enablers or more efficient SP generators.

Arknights Endfield Tier List Breakdown by Class and Role

Each operator in Arknights: Endfield is categorized into a particular Class. View these classes as different pieces on a chessboard; attempting to defeat an opponent using only pawns is a losing strategy.

Mastering the way Defenders protect, Vanguards provide energy, and Casters destroy is the essential formula for constructing a balanced and highly effective squad.

The Significance of Classes in Arknights: Endfield

Before we start ranking your favorite waifus and husbandos, why do classes even matter? Every operator belongs to one of six distinct Classes: Defender, Guard, Striker, Supporter, Vanguard, or Caster.

Your class dictates your primary job on the battlefield. Are you the meat shield soaking up damage? Are you the battery feeding the team skill points (SP)? Or are you the nuke waiting to be dropped?

By combining different classes, you create deadly synergies, like using a Supporter to group enemies before your Striker unleashes a massive Area of Effect (AoE) laser.

Defenders

Defenders are your durable frontline specialists. Whenever an enemy boss winds up an attack that looks like it could wipe your entire squad, your Defender is the one who steps up to eat the damage.

They protect the team through heavy shielding, massive damage mitigation, and even some emergency healing.

1. Ember (Heat Element | Standard Headhunting)

For squads tackling the most grueling content, Ember functions as the definitive anchor, masterfully fusing defensive tanking with crowd control.

Her signature ability is a high-impact Area of Effect (AoE) Ultimate: she launches herself at an opponent to deliver a massive physical strike that floors enemies.

Ember stands out primarily due to her healing capabilities that scale with Will. Activating her shield doesn’t just protect; it restores health to whichever operator you are actively managing at that moment.

For those utilizing a balanced or Heat-centric team, Ember is a vital asset for maintaining party longevity.

(Other Notable Defenders: Snowshine, Catcher)

Guards

If Defenders are the shields, Guards are the broadswords. They excel in close-range physical combat, offering incredibly serious sustained damage while packing enough crowd control to disrupt enemy formations and hold the frontline.

1. Lifeng (Physical Element | Standard Headhunting)

Lifeng is an incredibly reliable physical damage dealer who excels at making enemies weak in the knees. He rapidly stacks Vulnerability and Physical Susceptibility debuffs, acting as a massive damage amplifier for the rest of your squad.

His Chain Skill is a game-changer because it enhances follow-up abilities, especially his own high-burst Ultimate. He is a ridiculously flexible pick for any physically oriented team.

2. Endministrator (Physical Element | Starting Operator)

That’s right, it’s you! As the player avatar, the Endministrator is a zero-cost investment that pays out massive dividends. Utilizing Crush mechanics and an Originium Crystal attachment loop, they deal fantastic early-game physical DPS.

Don’t bench them once you get a 6-star unit. Their highly adaptable Chain Skill allows them to smoothly transition into a potent sub-DPS role that fits comfortably into almost any endgame composition.

(Other Notable Guards: Rossi, Chen Qianyu, Estella)

Strikers

Do you like seeing massive numbers pop up on your screen? Then you need a Striker. These are high-impact damage specialists who unleash devastating, combat-ending abilities.

However, they usually require specific conditions or team setups to maximize their explosive potential.

1. Laevatain (Heat Element | Chartered Headhunting)

Hailed as the queen of area-of-effect damage, Laevatain flourishes in high-intensity, multi-target combat. Her combat style centers on accumulating Melting Flame to bolster her abilities, leading up to a powerful, wide-range laser Ultimate.

She needs a team built around feeding her mechanics, but the payoff is unmatched wave-clearing capability. If you want to dominate mob stages, she is your top pick.

2. Last Rite (Ice Element | Standard Headhunting)

If Laevatain kills the mobs, Last Rite kills the boss. She is a top-tier main DPS utilizing brutal Ice stack mechanics to deliver massive single-target burst damage while regenerating her own energy.

Pair her with operators who can apply Freeze (like Yvonne), and watch her damage numbers skyrocket. She is an unbelievable investment for Ice-focused squads.

(Other Notable Strikers: Avywenna, Da Pan)

Supporters

Every great DPS needs an amazing Supporter standing right behind them. Supporters strengthen your squad through healing, defensive buffs, and crippling enemy debuffs.

They are the glue that ensures your team actually survives long enough to deal damage.

1. Ardelia (Nature Element | Standard Headhunting)

Ardelia is, without exaggeration, the game’s most universal supporter. She combines top-tier healing with the ability to spread Corrosion, slapping enemies with team-wide Physical and Arts Susceptibility buffs.

Her kit is beautifully straightforward and requires zero precise execution. Regardless of whether you are engaged in mob-clearing or boss encounters, she is a seamless addition to any team.

2. Gilberta (Nature Element | Chartered Headhunting)

As a premier enabler for elemental compositions, Gilberta is a god-tier asset. Rather than pursuing foes across the battlefield, Gilberta utilizes her Gravity Well and Anomalous Gravity Field to draw them into a central vortex.

This crowd-control maneuver simultaneously inflicts Slow and Nature Infliction, effectively clustering enemies for your team. By clustering enemies and boosting their damage taken, she sets up the absolute perfect alley-oop for your AoE Strikers.

(Other Notable Supporters: Xaihi, Antal).

See Also: Honkai Star Rail Tier List: Best DPS, Supports, and Healers Ranked & Reviewed

Vanguards

If you find that your Ultimate abilities take an eternity to ready, you require a Vanguard. Functioning like a caffeine jolt for your team, these operators facilitate aggressive skill usage by generating additional SP (Skill Points).

This is typically achieved through the consumption of various combat status effects on the field.

1. Pogranichnik (Physical Element | Standard Headhunting)

More than just an energy battery, she transforms resource management into a lethal advantage. Through her use of Breach-driven Physical Susceptibility debuffs, she effectively dismantles enemy defenses while ensuring your team’s energy levels remain at their peak.

Her distinctive rotation is a perfect catalyst for your team’s burst potential. She represents a top-tier investment for players aiming to execute physical abilities continuously and without friction.

(Other Notable Vanguards: Alesh, Arclight, Akekuri)

Casters

Last but certainly not least, we have the Casters. These operators wield devastating elemental arts, serving as the core damage source in ability-focused teams. They rely heavily on Arts Inflictions and Reactions to melt enemy health bars.

1. Yvonne (Ice Element | Chartered Headhunting)

Yvonne is arguably the premier single-target elemental damage dealer in the game right now. Her entire kit is a masterclass in Freeze mechanics and Cryo DMG. She locks enemies down, boosts her own damage, and rapidly accelerates her Ultimate recharge.

She is the undeniable backbone of the Pure Ice teams. If you pull her, build her immediately. Her unparalleled single-target prowess makes high-HP elites and bosses look like absolute jokes.

(Other Notable Casters: Tangtang, Perlica, Wulfgard, Fluorite)

Arknights Endfield Version 1.2 Characters Tier List Overview: The New Meta

The April 2026 update brought in some absolute game-changers that you need to be saving your pulls for:

1. Zhuang Fangyi (SS/T0 Tier | Electric DPS)

As the current leader in burst-oriented combat, she employs Electrification to output significant and swift Lightning damage.

Given her high SP consumption, it is essential to construct a squad capable of supplying her with constant energy.

2. Li Zhiyan (SS/T1 Tier | Nature Sub-DPS/Support)

An ideal catalyst for elemental synergy, she delivers substantial Nature damage from off-field. This allows your primary damage dealer to maintain a steady stream of potent elemental reactions.

Top-Tier Weapon & Gear Recommendations in Arknights: Endfield

To truly push these characters to their limits, you need the right gear:

• Thermite Cutter: The absolute Best-in-Slot (BiS) for physical burst characters like the Endministrator. It provides massive base ATK and a passive that shreds armor on consecutive hits.
• Umbral Torch: A must-have for Arts/Elemental casters. This weapon significantly boosts Infliction buildup rates, making it perfect for operators like Yvonne or Ardelia who rely on applying status effects fast.

Best Team Compositions for Arknights: Endfield 1.2

Are you prepared to synthesize these strategies? Check out the most formidable team builds currently ruling the meta:

1. The Cryo-Nature executioners (Boss Killers)

• Last Rite (Main DPS) + Yvonne (Sub DPS/CC) + Gilberta (Grouper) + Ardelia (Healer/Amp)
• Operational Mechanics: Gilberta handles enemy grouping, followed by Yvonne utilizing Brr-Brr-Bomb for freezing. Ardelia manages resistance shredding and team sustain, setting the stage for Last Rite to deliver a devastating tactical nuke to eliminate remaining hostiles.

2. The F2P Physical Steamroller (Low Investment)

• Endministrator (Main DPS) + Pogranichnik (Breach/Support) + Da Pan (Bruiser) + Ember (Tank/Shields)
• Team Dynamics: This composition offers a secure and potent approach to combat. While Ember manages enemy aggression, Pogranichnik triggers a Physical Breach, clearing the path for the Endministrator to deliver the decisive damage.

See Also: Complete Genshin Impact Characters List 2026: v6.3 Tier List & Ascension Guide

Conquering the Arknights Endfield tier list can be a smooth experience. Your primary goal should be to obtain a T0 Main DPS, such as Last Rite, Laevatain, or the newly released Zhuang Fangyi, while prioritizing heavy investment in versatile supports like Ardelia.

By staying on top of your AIC factory developments and enhancing your essential weaponry, you will be well-equipped to dominate Talos-II.

Then, who are you saving your pulls for in Version 1.2? Get out there and start building!