Arknights: Should You Pull? The Glory of SilverAsh

Our first Special Rate-Up Banner for Arknights is now live, featuring prominent Kjerag Faction member 6★ Vanguard SilverAsh; his younger sisters, 5★ Supporter Pramanix and 5 ★ Specialist Cliffheart; and his personal guardsman 4★ Defender Matterhorn.  We start with some of the reasons a player may want to spend precious Orundum pulling on this banner, and some reasons it may be better to save your resources.   

For each Operator, we list their likely availability from future banners and Shop appearances.  Afterward, for those that want more in-depth information, we introduce each of these Operators and discuss their abilities, Talents, Stats, Skills, strengths, and weaknesses.  

There is a lot of information here, so use the Table of Contents above to quickly jump to what you are interested in.

• Most players will want to pull until they get a 5 or 6 ★ for the "Guaranteed 5★ or above in the first 10 rolls".

• You really want SilverAsh (and you should really want SilverAsh).  He is a very strong ranged Guard with versatile Skills (ST attack, defense, and burst AoE).  He will make a big difference as part of your roster. This is the only solo rate-up he’s had to date in CN, so if you want him and do not plan to spend Distinctions (Gold Certificates) on him, now is the best time. Read more details about his strengths in his analysis below.

• Pramanix is the only Operator in the game (and still is to date in CN) that provides her special niche debuffs.

• You love any of the Operators on the banner.  Love > Gameplay. In case you didn’t notice: 3 of the 4 Rate-ups have fantastic tails

• You already have SilverAsh.

• You are looking for an Operator to enhance your early game experience.  SilverAsh might, but ranged Guards are not required early, and his high Costs don’t start to really pay off until higher levels.  Pramanix and Cliffheart will likely not make a noticeable impact on early game.

• Cliffheart is already given free through the beginner consecutive login event, and Rope is an easily accessible option who provides similar utility.

• Pramanix is available on the Launch 5★ Exchange Voucher, so if you want her it is possible to get her there.

• There are generally equal or more effective Defenders than Matterhorn that are quite accessible.

• Siege, Nightingale, Eyjafjalla, and Ifrit are 6★ Operators that will likely be on rate-up on upcoming banners, in case you prefer to roll for one of them instead of SilverAsh.

Including this one, SilverAsh has now appeared on 5 different banners on the CN version.  However, this is the only one where he is on solo rate up. That makes this the best chance of bringing him home.  Other banners that he has appeared on include:

• Standard Pool 5

• Standard Pool 12

• Joint Action

• Standard Pool 18

He has been available during one banner for purchase with Distinction Certificates:

• Standard Pool 12

SilverAsh is a Guard with a ranged attack that is capable of attacking from behind other units and targeting aerial units.  Other Operators that fill this role include:

• Lappland

  • 5 ★. 

  • Can disable enemy special Abilities.  

  • Has a Skill that adds melee Arts Damage. 

  • Has a Skill that makes her fairly tanky. 

  • Lower stats than SilverAsh mean less overall utility and damage.

• Frostleaf 

  • 4 ★.

  • Expanded Range at E1.

  • Skills add slowing and crowd control potential to attacks.

  • Lower stats than SilverAsh: less utility, defense, and damage.

With his high damage potential, ranged attack abilities, and multiple skills that can be tailored to specific situations, SilverAsh will make an instant noticeable difference on any player’s roster.  Eventually, other excellent 6★ Guards will be added to the Operator Pool, but to date in CN, he is still the only 6-★ ranged Guard. He also has the rare ability to detect invisible units from afar (albeit only after heavy Elite 2 investment).  Adding him to your roster will see returns for a long time to come.

A running joke in the Arknights community is telling new players to not pull for SilverAsh because he makes the game too easy. While it does take Elite 2 (a multi-month grind) for SilverAsh to truly shine, it’s not an exaggeration to say he trivializes some of the upcoming content.

SilverAsh is currently the only 6★ Guard in the game.  He can block 2 enemies and is one of 3 Guards that has an extended range (the other two being Lappland and Frostleaf). His range at non-elite is this:

And after promotion to Elite 1 extends to this:

His ranged attacks have the drawback of having only 80% of normal attacks, but they are also able to hit aerial foes.  This range gives SilverAsh great versatility, as he can provide damage while safely hiding behind a Defender, or aid or replace Snipers in taking down flyers.  All from the (usually more numerous) lower-level map squares.

As a 6★ rarity Op, SilverAsh has two talents, the first unlocking at E1, and the second at E2.  Leader, his first talent, increases his own Attack and reduces the Re-Deployment Time of Operators that have been retreated or killed.  His second talent, Eagle Eyes, reveals those pesky invisible enemies when they are within his range, allowing them to be taken down all the sooner.

Here are SilverAsh’s stats at non-Elite, Elite1, and Elite2:

He has the highest Defense of any Guard, above average ATK, and average HP.  Overall, good and balanced stats.

His 3 skills are all quite different and allow him to adapt to various roles.  His first skill, Power Strike Y, is a low-maintenance, straight-up DPS skill.  It charges up on attack, is used automatically, and increases the ATK of the next attack.   Rules of Survival, his second skill, allows him to play a more defensive and sustain role.  When he uses this skill he goes into “Protect Mode” and will stay in that mode until the skill is used again to put him back into “normal mode.”  While in Protect Mode, he raises Defense and restores a percentage of HP per second.  The price he pays for these benefits is a reduced attack range, putting his range more in line with typical melee Operators.

His 3rd skill, Truesilver Slash, turns him into a 3-target AoE killing machine with a huge range for 20 seconds.  His Attack increases, he hits 3 enemies at a time, the ranged Attack penalty is removed, and his range extends to this:

The drawback of this skill, however, is that his Defense is reduced drastically, so it should be used with caution, especially if he is being used for blocking.  It also has a very long recharge time, so it cannot be used often.

SilverAsh’s only real weaknesses are his Cost, coming in at the most expensive non-AoE guard, and the long Cooldown on his third Skill.  However, you definitely get what you pay for. Overall, SilverAsh is a very powerful and versatile Guard that will provide long-term benefit to your roster.

Including this one, Pramanix has now appeared on 4 different Banners on the CN version, with no solo rate-ups. Other banners that she has appeared on include:

• Standard Pool 8

• Standard Pool 14

• Standard Pool 18

She has been available during one banner for purchase with Distinction Certificates:

• Standard Pool 8

She is also one of the options to choose with the Launch 5 ★ Exchange Voucher.  See our 5 ★ Exchange Voucher Guide for advice on whether Pramanix is the right hero to use your Voucher on.

None.  Her debuffs are unique among Support units, as is her attack range once she reaches E1.

To date in CN, Pramanix is still the only Support unit with her particular set of debuffs.  Her debuffs are most useful against high Defense or Resistance bosses or Elites, but don't help as much against units that simply have high raw HP. Because these two statements often contradict each other, her usefulness is niche.

Pramanix is a 5★ Supporter Class with Ranged Arts attacks. She has the following range at non-Elite:

Extending to the following on promotion to E1:

The shape of her range allows her to attack enemies behind her, a marked difference from typical Casters, and her extended range at E1 is unique even among other Supports, potentially making her useful on maps with certain layouts.  The drawback is, if trying to use her as an offensive option, her attack is much weaker than that of most Casters, especially those at equal rarity.

Pramanix has two Talents, the first being Weakening, which increases the damage taken by enemies within her range when those enemies are under 40% HP.  A useful talent against high HP enemies or in AoE situations. Her second talent, available at E2, is Double Tinkle. Other than making me giggle, it also allows Pramanix to attack 2 enemies simultaneously, which in some situations can make up for her low Attack.

Here are Pramanix’s stats at non-Elite, Elite1, and Elite2:

She has the highest HP of all Supporter Class Operators, a decent Attack (among the Class), low Defense, decent Arts Resist, and low Deployment Cost.

Pramanix’s first skill, Echolocation, enables her to attack 2 targets at the same time along with reducing the attack speed of enemies in her range.  It is manually triggered, charges per second, and lasts between 10 and 20 seconds depending on level. A useful skill for AoE or multi-target situations against fast or hard-hitting enemy units.  The “Attack 2 targets” of this skill does not stack with her Double Tinkle Talent, which also enables her to attack 2 targets.  It’s kind of odd that this redundancy exists, but it makes this Skill far less useful when she reaches E2.

The second Skill, Natural Deterrent, reduces the Defense and Resistance of all enemies in her range. It is manually triggered, charges per second, and lasts between 10-25 seconds depending on level.  This skill is great for taking down high Defense or Resistance targets, but has less effect against targets that have primarily high HP. In such cases, using a unit with higher innate DPS will likely be more effective than the Pramanix debuffs

Overall, Pramanix is a debuffing Support unit that can be useful for her large range and low Deployment Cost, making her easy to deploy early. Her Attack is a bit low compared to other Arts attackers, but is made up for in some cases with the ability to attack multiple targets.  Her debuffs can come in handy against certain enemies, but they can definitely be situational. She is an Operator who will typically not make a huge difference in the early game, but she does gain niche value as players progress into late game.

Cliffheart is earned from the Beginner Missions for logging-in for 7 consecutive days,  Thus, she is widely available for all players.

Including this one, Cliffhart has now appeared on 3 different Banners on the CN version.  She has not appeared on solo rate-up. Other banners that she appeared on include:

• Standard Pool 9

• Standard Pool 17

Cliffheart has not been available yet for purchase with Distinction Certificates on CN.

Cliffheart is a Special Class with the Shift ability Pull, which allows her to instantly kill enemies by pulling them into holes or traps. She is most comparable to Operator Rope.

• Rope

  • 4 ★. 

  • Can also Pull enemies.

  • Skill 2 has a longer reach than Cliffheart can achieve.

  • Cliffheart has higher potential damage, crowd-control, and can grab a higher number of enemies.

  • Cliffheart’s Skill 2 has a wider Range.

The Pull ability itself is the primary reason for bringing a Pull specialist. Every player will want at least one Pull specialist with leveled Skills.  

Snowsant is another 5★ Pull Operator that eventually gets added to the game who has an AoE pull with Arts damage and crowd control, but lower Attack potential.  She isn’t strictly better or worse than Cliffheart, but might be more useful for large swarms of enemies.

Cliffheart is a 5★ Special Class that specializes in Shifting enemies by pulling them with her climbing tools. Although she is a physical melee damage dealer, she can be deployed on Ranged Grids.  Her range at non-Elite is this:

And after promotion to Elite 1, it extends to this:

A huge advantage of using Shift Operators is their ability to forcibly move enemies into holes or pits in the ground, instantly killing them.  Every enemy has a Weight value, and how heavy an enemy an Operator can pull is determined by their Skill and Skill Level. Therefore, for these Operators, Skill level is generally more important than Operator level or Promotion level in terms of their effectiveness on the battlefield.

Cliffheart’s Talent, Karlan Hunter, increases her Attack and Defense when she is not blocking any enemies.  Since Pull Operators are typically used for their instant-kill abilities, and since a pit must exist between them and their enemy in order to pull them into it, it is rare for them to be actively blocking.  Thus, the talent will likely be active more often than not. However, since we just mentioned that their primary use is for instant kill, the damage and defense increase are welcome, but typically not significantly impactful as far as Cliffheart’s primary role.

Here are Cliffheart’s stats at non-Elite, Elite1, and Elite2:

Comparing her stats to other Operators isn’t generally very useful, as Pull Operators are used primarily for their Skills and not their stats.  Compared to the other Pull Operator, Rope, she has higher Attack and HP, but lower Defense.

The bread and butter of every Shift Operator is their Skills.  Cliffheart’s first skill, Chain Hook, pulls its target towards her and adds extra Arts damage.  The strength of the pull and the damage go up with level. It charges per second, is used automatically, and can be used every 4 seconds.

Her second skill, Binding Chains, provides a jump in utility. It enables her to pull 2 or 3 targets( depending on Skill level), does Defense- and Resistance-ignoring Arts damage, and stuns the targets for a short time.  This makes Cliffheart one of the only sources of True Damage (not modified by Def or Res) in the game. The drawback here is that it has a much longer cooldown than Chain Hook, so which Skill is better to use will depend on the frequency and group size of enemy spawns.  The Range of effect for Binding Chains is also larger, as seen here:

Overall, Cliffheart is currently the strongest Pull Operator in the game with the highest potential.  However, Rope serves the same essential function at a cheaper development cost and should not be ignored for early game use.  Players may want to hold off on developing Cliffheart until the upgrade over Rope is truly needed or beneficial. In addition, since she can be obtained for free through the Beginner Consecutive Login Mission,  players do not need to spend resources on this banner to get her specifically.

Being a 4★ Defender, getting Matterhorn depends on the Gacha gods, but is more common than higher-rarity Operators.

4★ Operators are not typically on banner rate-ups. They do not appear on rate-ups for standard pool banners, only the occasional special banners like this one.

Matterhorn is a 3-Block Defender with high HP and skills that enhance his HP to even higher levels.

• Beagle

  • 3 ★. 

  • Lower base stats, especially HP, but Defense is higher when Skills are activated.

• Gummy

  • Lower Defense and HP, but with the option to heal.  Higher Defense while Skill 2 is activated.

• Cuora

  • Lower HP and Attack, but higher Defense.  Second Skill allows her to block 4.

Not significantly better than other current 4★ options, nor even 3★ Beagle in many situations.  Can be fine for use early game, but starts to fall off into mid-game and will not be used late game.

Matterhorn is a 4★ Defender that can block 3 enemies.  He has the typical single-square attack range of basic melee Operators.

Matterhorn’s Talent, Snowfield Guard, increases his passive Arts Resistance, not a common attribute among Defenders.

Here are Matterhorn’s stats at non-Elite, Elite1, and Elite2:

He also has a base Arts Resistance of 5.  Of 4★ Defenders (the others being Gummy and Cuora), Matterhorn has the highest HP, second highest Defense (Cuora has the highest), and second highest Attack (Gummy has the highest).  His Base Arts Resistance is comparable to Gummy’s and higher than Cuora’s.

Matterhorn’s first skill, Stamina Enhancement, increases his Max HP and restores his HP per second over 25-30 seconds.  It charges per second, has a manual trigger, and has an average length cooldown (45-35 seconds).  As an HP-heavy tank, this talent is in-line with his strength, as it is better with higher HP levels.   However, the heal portion is not very effective during times of spike damage, which is where Matterhorn tends to struggle the most, since the Skill does not improve Defense or Resistance.  He basically becomes a heal sponge, which is fine if you have the Medics to support it.

His second Skill, Cold Resistance, increases his Max HP, Defense, and Resistance. It charges per second, has a manual trigger, and has an average-length cooldown (30 to 50 seconds).   It is an all-around Defensive buff that gives him a little improvement in all areas rather than a large improvement in a single area. This makes him good for general situations where he is required to tank multiple types of damage; however, it makes him a worse choice than other options for specific types of damage.

Overall, Matterhorn fills the role of high-HP and Arts Resistant tank.  Since most enemies in the game do physical damage, and the first 2 Annihilation Modes especially benefit from a tank with high Def and block counts, Cuora tends to better fill the needs of early game players.  With Cuora being purchasable in the Shop Voucher Store, it is hard to justify the development and resource investment in Matterhorn.  

Gummy has more effective healing abilities, which tends to be more effective at dealing with Arts and non-spike damage than Matterhorn’s higher HP. Plus, Gummy’s second skill gives a Defense buff that puts her Defense over Matterhorn’s when comparing them both with their 2nd Skills activated.  Even Beagle is better able to handle spike physical damage, as her first Skill enhances Defense, whereas Matterhorn’s is HP only. Gummy and Beagle are also very accessible, as Gummy can be purchased with the $.99 starter pack, and Beagle is a 3★ Defender who is easy to maximize through recruitment.

If you lack other options, or just really like him as a husbando or character (those shoulders tho), it is fine to develop him and use him as a tank.  Otherwise, there are probably better options for your enhancement materials.