Team composition matters more in Arknights: Endfield than in most gacha games. Developer Hypergryph built the combat system around arts (elemental types), combo skills, and chain reactions between characters. A well-built squad amplifies damage, generates SP efficiently, and triggers powerful status effects. A poorly matched team struggles to clear even mid-tier content.
This guide covers optimal team compositions for each art type: Cryo, Heat, Electric, and Physical. You will find both high-investment six-star squads and accessible free-to-play alternatives. Each section explains why certain characters synergize and how to trigger their key reactions.
How Arknights: Endfield Team Building Works
Before diving into specific comps, you need to understand three core systems.
Arts Infliction applies elemental stacks to enemies. Characters inflict Cryo, Heat, Electric, or Physical statuses through skills and basic attacks. Stacking infliction enables combo skills and arts reactions.
Combo Skills trigger automatically when specific conditions are met. For example, Last Rite combos when enemies have Cryo Infliction stacks. Fluorite combos when enemies reach two stacks of Cryo or Nature Infliction. These automatic attacks deal bonus damage and often provide utility like SP generation or debuffs.
Arts Reactions occur when certain statuses combine. Key reactions include:
| Reaction | Trigger | Effect |
|---|---|---|
| Corrosion | Nature + Heat/Cryo/Electric | Lowers enemy resistances |
| Shatter | Physical Status + Solidification (frozen) | Deals large burst damage |
| Combustion | Heat Infliction consumed | Damage over time, enables further combos |
Strong teams stack infliction quickly, trigger combos consistently, and exploit reactions for bonus damage or debuffs.
Last Rite Cryo Team Comp
This squad centers on Last Rite as your primary damage dealer. She consumes Cryo Infliction to fuel her combo skill and regenerate ultimate energy.
Core Team
| Role | Character | Priority |
|---|---|---|
| DPS | Last Rite | Required |
| Healer/Amplifier | Xaihi | Required |
| Sub-DPS | Fluorite | Recommended |
| Cryo Inflictor | Estella or Snowshine | Flexible |
Why This Works
Last Rite operates independently but scales with Cryo Infliction stacks. Her skill applies Cryo Infliction. Her combo consumes those stacks for ultimate energy. She wants teammates who stack Cryo quickly without consuming it themselves.
Xaihi is the meta support for Cryo teams. She heals, applies Arts Amp, Cryo Amp, and Nature Amp. These amplification buffs increase all damage of the corresponding type. She also enables Nature/Cryo hybrid strategies for Corrosion access.
Fluorite has excellent synergy with Last Rite. When an enemy reaches two stacks of Cryo or Nature Infliction, Fluorite combos in and adds a third stack. This triggers Last Rite's combo immediately. Fluorite also applies Nature Infliction, giving you access to the Corrosion reaction for resistance shredding.
Fourth Slot Options
The fourth slot is flexible. Neither Estella nor Snowshine is perfect, but both contribute.
Estella applies Cryo Infliction through her skill. Her combo relies on Solidification, which this team does not prioritize. Use her purely for infliction stacking.
Snowshine provides Cryo Infliction, healing, and shielding. She applies Solidification, which has no synergy here since you lack Physical Statuses to trigger Shatter. Choose her if you need more survivability.
Avoid Alesh in this specific comp. He consumes Cryo Infliction to apply Solidification, which directly conflicts with Last Rite's kit. His SP battery role does not compensate for this anti-synergy.
Yvonne Variant
If you pull Yvonne from Laevatain's banner before her featured run, she works as an alternative DPS. Yvonne's ultimate locks her in place during channeling. Pair her with Snowshine for shields and sustained protection during vulnerable windows.
Laevatain Heat Team Comp
Heat teams focus on the Laevatain and Wulfgard duo. They pass Heat Infliction and Combustion back and forth for stacking damage.
Core Team
| Role | Character | Priority |
|---|---|---|
| DPS | Laevatain | Required |
| Sub-DPS | Wulfgard | Required |
| SP Battery | Akekuri | Required |
| Healer/Amplifier | Ardelia, Ember, Antal, or Gilberta | Flexible |
Why This Works
Laevatain consumes Heat Infliction stacks for Melting Flame. She then inflicts Combustion through her skill and regenerates ultimate energy. Her ultimate-enhanced basic attacks deal massive AoE damage.
Wulfgard applies Heat Infliction rapidly. He feeds Laevatain the stacks she needs. His skill consumes Combustion (which Laevatain creates) for additional damage. This creates a continuous cycle of status application and consumption.
Akekuri fits every team thanks to her neutral kit. She happens to be a Heat character whose skill applies Heat Infliction. Her Stagger-based combo generates SP. Her ultimate provides team-wide SP support. She is the optimal battery for this comp.
Fourth Slot Options
Ardelia is the best option if available. She heals effectively and applies Nature Infliction. Nature plus Heat triggers Corrosion, lowering enemy resistances for the whole team.
Ember is a Heat character, but she cannot apply Heat Infliction. She provides healing but does not contribute to the infliction cycle. Use her only if you need the survivability.
Antal is an interesting choice. Despite being an Electric character, his skill and ultimate inflict Heat Susceptibility and Heat Amp. He provides minor healing through his Improviser talent. He is a damage-focused alternative to pure healers.
Gilberta is the ideal fourth member but hard to obtain before her featured banner. She heals through her Late Reply talent, applies Nature for Corrosion, and inflicts Arts Susceptibility in an AoE. She also groups enemies together, which is perfect for Laevatain's AoE ultimate attacks.
Electric Team Comp (Free-to-Play)
This is the most accessible team comp. It requires no six-star characters and performs well into mid-game content.
Core Team
| Role | Character | Priority |
|---|---|---|
| DPS | Avywenna | Required |
| Sub-DPS | Perlica | Required |
| SP Battery | Arclight | Required |
| Amplifier | Antal | Required |
Why This Works
Avywenna throws Thunderlances with her ultimate and combo. Her combo triggers when a final strike hits an enemy with Electric Infliction or Electrification. The lances return for additional damage. She wants consistent Electric status application from teammates.
Perlica is the best Electric inflictor in the game. Her skill and combo apply both Electric Infliction and Electrification. Her combo is also final-strike-based, creating natural synergy with Avywenna's triggers.
Arclight combos on Electrification for extra SP. Her skill consumes Electrification for SP and damage. She keeps the team's skill rotation flowing smoothly.
Antal applies Electric Susceptibility and Electric Amp through his skill and ultimate. Enemies take more Electric damage and deal more damage to themselves. His Improviser talent provides minor healing.
Progression Notes
This team carries you through early and mid-game content. All four characters are low-rarity and easy to obtain. Invest in Avywenna and Perlica first since they drive the damage. Arclight and Antal are support-focused and scale less with investment.
Physical Team Comp (High Investment)
Physical teams are the most expensive to build. They require multiple six-star characters to function at peak performance.
Core Team
| Role | Character | Priority |
|---|---|---|
| DPS | Lifeng | Required |
| Sub-DPS | Pogranichnik | Required |
| Battery/Utility | Endministrator | Recommended |
| Healer/Vulnerability | Ember or Chen | Flexible |
Why This Works
Lifeng is your primary damage dealer. His skill applies Physical Susceptibility. His combo grants Link, which his multi-hit ultimate consumes for massive bonus damage.
Pogranichnik defines Physical team strength. He Breaches enemies by consuming vulnerability stacks, making them take more Physical damage. He combos when Breach or Crush consume vulnerability, performing extra attacks and generating SP. His ultimate summons Shieldguards that attack whenever a Physical Status is inflicted, up to five charges.
Endministrator applies Crush with their skill, feeding Pogranichnik's combo trigger. Their combo sticks Originium Crystals to enemies. Physical Statuses consume these crystals for extra damage. Endmin synergizes with every Physical attacker.
Fourth Slot Options
Chen excels at applying vulnerability stacks. She feeds both Pogranichnik and Lifeng the debuffs they need. She provides no healing.
Ember inflicts a Physical Status through her skill and combo despite being a Heat character. She also heals. If you need survivability, she is the better choice.
Physical/Cryo Hybrid Team Comp (Budget Friendly)
This hybrid comp bypasses the six-star requirement for Physical teams by exploiting the Shatter reaction.
Core Team
| Role | Character | Priority |
|---|---|---|
| DPS | Endministrator | Required |
| Sub-DPS | Estella | Required |
| Battery | Alesh | Required |
| Healer/Shielder | Snowshine | Required |
Why This Works
Shatter deals large burst damage when a Physical Status hits a frozen (Solidified) enemy. This team builds around triggering Shatter consistently.
Alesh freezes enemies by consuming Cryo Infliction that Estella provides. His combo triggers on Arts Reactions, including when Estella Shatters a frozen enemy.
Estella provides Cryo Infliction and combos on Solidification. Her combo applies the Physical Status Lift, triggering Shatter. She also inflicts Physical Susceptibility for bonus damage.
Snowshine heals, shields, applies Cryo Infliction, and freezes enemies with her ultimate. She provides redundancy for the freeze setup.
Endministrator applies Crush, which is excellent for Shatter since Crush already consumes vulnerability for extra damage. Their Originium Crystals get consumed by Physical Statuses, and Alesh combos on Originium Crystal consumption. This creates additional synergy between your Physical and Cryo characters.
Limitations
This team performs well in early and mid-game content. It falls off in endgame compared to full six-star Physical squads. However, it requires only low-rarity characters and is an excellent starting point for new players.
Building Your First Team
If you just started Arknights: Endfield, focus on the Electric team. All four characters (Avywenna, Perlica, Arclight, Antal) are obtainable without premium currency luck. They teach you the infliction and combo systems while clearing story content.
As you pull banners, build toward either Cryo or Heat teams depending on your six-star pulls. Last Rite and Laevatain are both excellent first investments. Xaihi and Wulfgard are the priority support characters for their respective elements.
Save Physical teams for later. They require Lifeng and Pogranichnik to compete with other art types. The Physical/Cryo hybrid works as a stopgap until you obtain those characters.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the best free-to-play team in Arknights: Endfield?
The Electric team (Avywenna, Perlica, Arclight, Antal) is the best free-to-play option. All four characters are low-rarity and easily obtainable. The team performs well through mid-game content.
Why does Alesh not work in Last Rite teams?
Alesh consumes Cryo Infliction to apply Solidification. Last Rite needs Cryo Infliction stacks for her combo skill. Alesh directly interferes with her core mechanic.
What is the Shatter reaction?
Shatter triggers when a Physical Status hits a frozen (Solidified) enemy. It deals large burst damage. The Physical/Cryo hybrid team builds around triggering Shatter consistently.
Should I pull for Laevatain or Last Rite first?
Both are excellent DPS characters. Choose based on your existing roster. If you have Wulfgard, prioritize Laevatain. If you have Xaihi, prioritize Last Rite.
How important is Pogranichnik for Physical teams?
Pogranichnik is essential for high-end Physical team performance. His Breach mechanic and Shieldguard summons define the Physical meta. Physical teams struggle without him.
Can I mix art types in a team?
Yes, with purpose. The Physical/Cryo hybrid exploits Shatter. Heat teams benefit from Nature characters for Corrosion. Random mixing without reaction synergy weakens your team.
