Arknights: New Operator Spotlight - Nian

Nian is the first truly limited unit in Arknights. As Arknights’ Chinese New Year unit, she is only available on special banners; she has not been added to Recruitment or to the regular Headhunting pool. Although this could change in the future, for now there is no evidence that Nian will stop being limited anytime soon.

Because limited units can gobble up a lot of your Originium Prime if your luck is bad, many Doctors will be wondering, “Is Nian worth it?” We’ll give a full review of Nian here so Doctors can decide for themselves how many pulls they’re willing to do for this draconic Operator.

Special Thanks to YouTuber Dreamy for assistance with this article.

Nian’s limited banner, “Earthborn Metals,” works a little differently from other banners. For one thing, there are two 6★ Operators on it: Nian, and Specialist Operator Aak. (Aak is not a limited Operator; he will be added to the regular Headhunting pool after the “Earthborn Metals” banner ends.)

When pulling a 6★ from this banner, there is a 70% chance it will be one of the rate-up Operators. Furthermore, this banner had its own pity system, not shared with other banners.

On the CN server, there has been a second limited banner since Nian’s banner (we won’t say who it was for, to avoid spoiling anybody). This second limited banner added a unique Spark system (watch out for spoilers at that link!) to help players pull its limited Operator. 

Will this Spark system be implemented for the “Earthborn Metals” banner when it comes to Global? We don't know yet. Since it wasn’t programmed into the original banner for CN, don’t expect it to come for Global either. However, keep your fingers crossed; the devs might surprise us!

Nian is a 6★ Normal Defender who blends defense- and utility-focused buffs with a hefty dose of Arts damage. To learn more about her Talents, Skills, stats, and other details, take a look at her Operator page.

The most noteworthy aspects of Nian are the shields from her Clairvoyance Talent and the buffs from her S3, Iron Defense. Clairvoyance grants Nian three “stacks” of a shield buff that will completely block one incoming attack. If you deploy Nian in front of a nasty enemy who can one-shot any Operator, her shields will allow her to survive three attacks from them, buying you a lot of extra time you may not have otherwise had.

Iron Defense, meanwhile, is a Skill that increases Nian’s ATK and also grants a bevy of buffs over a wide area. All allies within range receive a large DEF buff, the Status Resistance buff—which halves the duration of Stun, Cold, and Freeze effects—and a unique Block +1 buff. The power of the Block +1 buff cannot be overstated and is probably Nian’s biggest selling point. She is the only Operator currently in Arknights who can increase the Block count of her allies, and the fact that it comes alongside so many other benefits and has a pretty long duration is just icing on the cake.

• Nian’s bulky HP and DEF stats, combined with Block-3, make her an ideal frontline Defender.
• Her Tectonic Armor Talent grants all allied Defenders bonus HP, so she’s great to add to a team that already has another Defender or two in the lineup. The buffs from Iron Defense also benefit other Defenders enormously.
• Her Clairvoyance shields make her especially good at blocking powerful attacks.
• Her Skill 1, Tin Burning, and her Skill 2, Copper Seal, both deal Arts damage. Nian has pretty high ATK for a Defender, and dealing Arts damage further increases her DPS against most opponents. Meanwhile, Iron Defense has a huge ATK increase, so no matter what Skill she’s using, her damage is going to be pretty high (for a Defender).

• Her Skill 2, Copper Seal, can also Silence enemies, preventing them from using special abilities. If you desperately need Silence, Nian can provide it (though Operators like Lappland are a more reliable source). This Skill also offers one of the largest DEF increases of any Defender Skill.

• Her Skill 3, Iron Defense, can help Nian and her allies survive powerful physical attacks thanks to the DEF buff. A lot of Defenders can increase their own survivability, but few can increase the survivability of others in this manner. Iron Defense can also be used to help allies survive friendly fire, i.e., from Aak’s Skills.
• Iron Defense also allows your Operators to Block more enemies, so it’s great against enemy swarms. (Keep in mind that Blocking more enemies means taking more damage, even with the DEF buff, so make sure your Medics are up to the task!) This is especially potent on Operators with the ability to attack multiple targets equal to their Block count, such as AoE Guards.
• Finally, Iron Defense's Status Resistance buff can also be a big help on stages that involve Stuns or Freezing effects. Especially in combination with the DEF buff, this makes Iron Defense a strong counter against Defense Crushers, which can be tricky to handle.

• Nian is not the most efficient unit if your team is primarily ranged Operators. Her Tectonic Armor will probably be wasted, Iron Defense loses its luster if your Operators aren’t being attacked and don’t Block, and the effects of her other Skills can be better replicated by other Operators (Arts Guards for melee Arts damage, Lappland for Silence, etc).
• It is very easy for the Clairvoyance shields to get used up at non-critical moments. If you’re counting on Nian using her shields to delay a specific enemy or soak a specific attack, then it may require not deploying Nian for a large portion of the map.
• Nian has no innate RES and none of her Skills help her mitigate Arts damage. Her high HP and Clairvoyance shields can help, but there are several other Operators who are better at surviving enemy Casters.
• Keep in mind that you can’t have Nian dealing Arts damage (or inflicting Silence) while also using her Block +1 buff, since these abilities are on different Skills.
• Iron Defense's Block +1 buff is incredibly powerful, but it can be a double-edged sword. Blocking an extra enemy may cause an Operator to take more damage than they can handle, even with the DEF buff. Some Operators, like the Controller Specialists and Duelist Guards, rely on having low block counts to avoid or reduce enemy damage, and Iron Defense can screw them over. And of course, if you haven’t killed the extra Blocked enemies by the time Iron Defense runs out, then you may find a bunch of extra enemies suddenly surging past your frontlines.

Let’s compare Nian to the other 6★ Normal Defender currently available in the game: Hoshiguma.

Nian versus Hoshiguma

• Stats: Nian and Hoshiguma have fairly comparable HP and DEF. Nian has much more ATK, but also slower attack speed, which actually makes their regular attack damage quite comparable. This is a draw.
• Talents: Both Operators buff all other Defenders on the field (HP for Nian, DEF for Hoshiguma). Nian can block bigger hits than Hoshiguma with Clairvoyance, but Hoshiguma’s Tactical Armor is active throughout an entire battle and has a decent chance of proccing. More often, this is a win for Hoshiguma.
• Skills: Both Operators have potent Skills with high DPS potential, but Hoshiguma’s Saw of Strength doesn’t benefit allies the way Nian’s Iron Defense does. Saw of Strength is better for standing in a chokepoint and chewing up a horde of weak enemies, but Nian can still do this job while also bringing other benefits. We’re giving this one to Nian.

So Is Nian the Best Defender?

I’d say Nian and Hoshiguma are about equal in strength and value. The difference is how their strength is applied. Hoshiguma is a selfish Defender who focuses purely on her role of holding a chokepoint. Nian brings a lot more support to the group as a whole.

If you have Hoshiguma already raised, you don’t need to replace her with Nian, as they both have their strengths. Nian can increase her own Block count, which Hoshiguma cannot, but in most situations, Hoshiguma’s ability to grind through enemies quickly with her Saw of Strength will keep her from being overrun anyway. Both Operators are able to fill the Defender role well in most situations.

There’s a convincing argument for raising Nian alongside Hoshiguma, however. Nian brings a lot of boosts to other Defenders, between Tectonic Armor and Iron Defense, and there are several maps that require more than one Blocker anyway. Having Hoshiguma as a main Blocker also makes it easier to hold Nian’s Clairvoyance shields for later in a map.

Nian is a very unique Operator, and there’s a lot to be said for the breadth of utility that her kit offers. If you have any interest in pulling and raising her, you can be assured that she’ll reward your investment.

That being said, don’t force yourself to spend resources on Nian if you’re not interested in what she brings to the table. Like all Operators in Arknights, there is no stage where you MUST have Nian’s skillset in order to win. In fact, in some stages and with some team comps, getting full value out of her tools can be trickier than you’d expect.

It may not be Chinese New Year when Nian hits Global servers, but hopefully a little leftover holiday magic can bring luck to your pulls regardless. Best of fortune, and happy Arknights-ing!