Arknights—the new game out that reached over 1 million pre-registers! This game is tons of fun and well worth your time. It is a tower defense-like game with an exciting story line and great visuals. But, like all new games there is going to be a bit of a learning curve. Let’s get into the tips and tricks you MUST KNOW in order to have a smooth and enjoyable time.
In this guide we will discuss, Rerolls, Leveling, Classes, Base, Store, Farming, and Team Building. Also some quality of life tips that you might not know but matter a lot!
Rerolls
- 1. Begin the game as you normally would, and sign in as guest
- 2. Play through the two tutorial battles
- 3. Once you reach the battle after your first single summon, open the settings in the top left corner of your screen to leave
- 4. Claim only the 3800 gems in your inbox
- 5. Roll on the 6 ★ banner
- 6. Go to your settings, then navigate to account. Choose Bind to Yostar account
- 7. Enter a Gmail + [number] Account (adding a number allows you to track your rolls)
- 8. Once the account is binded, logout from the account settings screen
- 9. When in the home screen, select Account Management, then select Guest and repeat
Adding these numbers to your email accomplishes two things:
- The verification code will still be sent to your main gmail account due to a Google feature (you aren’t actually having to create multiple gmail addresses)
- You will still have the option to choose a Guest Account when you log out to reroll again
Don’t forget to clear your cache so you can do it properly!
*Some tips on Rerolling:
- All reroll accounts get access to the Pre-registration rewards
- After you roll 10x on the newbie banner the next 10x does not guarantee anything
- Collect all to skip animations
Rerolling is a staple in all kinds of gacha games and this one is no different. Arknights does a great job in helping you start off on the right foot by giving you a free 10x pull and guaranteeing you a 6 ★ which is the highest tier in the game. In the pool of operators you can pull from are Siege, Shining, Angelina, Exusiai, Hoshiguma, and SilverAsh. Each one is a beast in its own respective category. Reroll to try to get more than one when you pull.
Personally, I think if you are to reroll you should aim for Siege and SilverAsh. These two units are super top tier and fun to use. Siege is a Vanguard which is necessary for gaining more deployment points or DP. While SilverAsh does tons of damage from a distance.
Although rerolling for 6 ★ units is great, please don’t think that you need these units in order to progress. In fact, getting these units and powering them up might be a detriment. Check out more on this in the Leveling section.
Leveling Units
When it comes to leveling units, you might be thinking that you want to upgrade your 6 ★ to the max and having that unit carry you. This is WRONG!! This will set you behind and stunt your progress. The correct thing to do is to evenly level your team and to max out lower rank units. For example, units like Kross, Melantha, Fang, Lancet-2, Hibiscus, and Lava are super useful in the early to mid game. They are easy to promote to E1 which unlocks their Talent and you will probably receive a good amount of duplicates which increases their potential and stats. Leveling and promoting these units are way more efficient because of how much more resources are required to level up 5 and 6 ★ operators.
The goal is to clear as much content as possible so you can get the maximum amount of rewards each week and be ready for new stuff. The 4, 5, and 6 ★ units will eventually outpace the 3 ★ units because of their access to extra talents and higher level cap. But in the beginning you need to be able to farm for the materials in order to even unlock those Talents. Trust me when I say do not sleep on the lower-tier units. That being said, also don’t go crazy on only powering up lower level units. Once you’re able to E1 some of the higher tier characters then you should. Just don’t make it a priority since it can hurt you.
Leveling Order
While leveling your units and operators evenly is important, you might be lost as to which units to level up first. This depends on your play style and what you like to use. Generally I try to upgrade what is dying and needs some extra stats. The order of leveling if you are limited with resources should be Vanguards, Snipers, Casters, Defenders, then Medics. Since Vanguards are units you send out right away to accumulate DP they need to be strong enough to survive and kill things. Then, Snipers for their long range and physical damage. Next up should be either Casters or Defenders depending on how well your Vanguards are doing. Lastly, Medics to round out your team and top everyone off. Check out the Team Building to understand what classes to bring and why.
Classes
It is very important to know the Classes because each class does their own specific job.
Vanguards – These Operators will be your starting units you drop down. The reason being, they passively will give you Deployment Points (DP) as the round goes on until the unit dies. As the Vanguard is killing enemies they will also be giving you DP for your next units. Make sure your Vanguard is well trained and leveled because if they die right away your round is lost.
Snipers – These are the physical ranged units in the game which can either do single target (ST) or Area of effect (AoE) damage. Super important addition to your team because of those pesky drones. The Snipers also have very long range and can whittle down enemies from afar before they reach your other units.
Guards – These units usually have high HP and high ATK damage. They are the ones you drop when a big boss is out and you need to either stall or kill him before they reach your other units. Very useful to have, but they usually only block and fight 1 unit so beware.
Casters – These are super important as they deal Ranged Arts damage(Magic) and can be either ST or AoE. The reason they are so important is because the game and story mode often likes to throw out bosses and high defense targets. The Snipers and Guards will struggle with them as they deal physical damage, but not the casters. The casters will rip right through these tanks and help you clear the stage.
Defenders – These are the heavy tanks in the game, usually blocking 3 enemies at once and can soak up so much damage. These units have high HP and DEF and are used to keep enemies in place so that your damage dealers can do work. They are very useful and a good defender can really change the game.
Medics – These are the healers of the game. Usually paired up with your Defenders and Vanguards so that they can survive even longer. Not much to say besides you need these on your team as healing your allies is an important factor in victory.
Supporters – These are the Debuff/Buff units in the game. They can slow enemies, buff allies, and even summon monsters. Perfect timing and usage of these units really give you an edge.
Specialist – These are like the wild cards of the game. Specialists have unique abilities and are only used in specific situations. For example, Gravel has a special trait that significantly reduces Redeployment time and a skill that activates once she’s deployed giving her +200% DEF decaying over time. Now this isn’t one of those units you drop on the field and leave alone, you want to take advantage of the fast redeployment and skill by constantly sending her in and out like an assassin. Being an expert at using the Specialists will make you a beast and a force to be reckoned with in the game.
Team Building
When it comes to team building you have to understand what you’re getting into.
In this screenshot you’ll notice Enemy Intelligence and Map, this is where you can scout out the playing field and see which units are best to bring. Take advantage of this and practice because you really don’t want to lose Sanity (energy system in game) as it is a super important aspect in the game which you’ll realize later on.
Now that you’ve scouted you can start building a team. No matter what you should always have these 5 Classes on your team. Those being Vanguards, Casters, Medics, Defenders, and Snipers. Refer to the Classes section to see what each of these roles do.
After you have these core slots you can then add the rest. I’ve read in many places the safest thing to do is to just double up on core classes and have support/guards fill out the rest. I find running 2 Vanguards, 2 Snipers, 2 Defenders, 2 Medics, 3 Casters (2 AoE and 1 ST), and a Guard to be the best. Certain stages might require you to bring a support that slows but this setup can really clear anything.
For a more indepth look and guide for clearing certain stages, check out the Team Building Guide.
Base
The base is where you can passively make useful items and get money. The Factory can make you Gold and Battle Records (EXP training tickets) while the Trading Post allows you to sell that Gold—a neat way to make some extra money and EXP on the side. Try to max out and complete your Base as soon as you can because in the long run you’ll be way ahead. Check out our Base Setup Guide to learn about each part of the base!
*Base Tip: Operators and how you will rotate them is important in your base. Certain operators prefer to be in certain places and picking the right ones will net you big bonuses. Keep in mind that once they are fatigued and at 0, you will need to place them in the dormitory to recover.
The Trading Post, Factory, and Power Plant are where you can customize and mix and match. Depending on what you need you’ll have more of one than the other. I personally will be going the 2 Trading Posts, 4 Factories, and 3 Power Plants (2-4-3) route. This route is easy with balanced productions and a fully upgradable base, also not very complicated to manage.
If you want higher output of production then consider 2 Trading Posts, 5 Factories, 2 Power Plants (2-5-2). This will give you a high balanced production of money and Battle records (EXP). But this will mean an incomplete base because of the lack of Power Plants and more work on your part.
Store Buying
The Store is a great place for getting outfits and discounted items. The only thing you need to worry about as a beginner is the Credit Store. Every day you will gain credits based off of the number of times you used a Friends Support Unit, and the number of times your Support Unit was used. Using a Friends Support Unit will net you 30 per day and 20 for someone using yours.
Another way to gain credit is Dorm Ambience and Reception Room. The higher the Ambience the more credits you’ll receive per day. Max at 50 credits. Reception Room is where you find and trade clues. There is no limit when dealing with these.
The Credit Store is great because as you buy you’ll be able to buy Operators as well as discounted items. Each Credit Consumed Milestone you hit will allow you to purchase either Courier or Gavial. Both very useful units and worth your time.
Make sure to spend until you have 300 and less. If not the game will take away any excess you have when the next day comes.
If you want to know more about this and learn how to maximize the store, check out our store guide to find all you need.
Free Recruitment
Free?? Too good to be true? Ok, well it’s not free but it might as well be. The game offers you a way to gain units without spending Orundum or Originite Prime. It will cost you some LMD (In game currency) and Recruitment Permits but totally worth it!
There is a way to know exactly who you’ll Recruit and which tags will equal which heroes. A full list and guide at our Recruit tags article. Check it out if you want to find out about how to get Recruit exclusive units and get yourself a 6 ★.
Combat and Must See Tips
Story or Combat! Get as far as possible. Specifically at least to 3-4. This is where you will unlock you’re last piece for the base and have unlocked all in-game content.
Retreat! This is where you can tell if you’re a good player or a great player. Utilizing the Retreat function in battle is super important when dealing with a hard stage. When a Operator/Unit is about to die, RETREAT! This will refund you some DP which is very important in a match and will start the redeployment timer faster. Also, this will allow you to put other units on the board. For example, once your Vanguards are no longer necessary then Retreat them and send out another badass unit.
LS, CE, and SK stages! These are also known as the EXP, MONEY, and BASE stages respectfully. This is super important to do as you will need these a lot to progress in the game. Beware though and do not overdo it. While all three of these resources are important if you blindly do them without purpose then you’re just throwing away Sanity. Only do these stages when you need them and make sure you plan out the SK stage as you only need a certain amount to max out the base.
*All Stages can only be Auto Deployed when you complete the stage without the help from a Friend Support Unit. Important to know so that you can level up your own Operators and not rely on others too much.
Clear the MIssion Board! This is something that’s easy to do as the Missions are very easy. This will give tons of good starting items and propel your game forward.
Trust! Using the same units will only make them stronger! Make sure to be consistent as it will only benefit you and your Operators. To gain more trust, put them in the base and to work!
Find Friends! Friends are very important when it comes to finding clues and assisting you on the hard levels in the story mode. So make sure you send out your Friend Code or add the people you have assist you! If you have a great Support Unit, odds are you will find friends fast.
Rewrite Auto! You can rewrite a saved Auto stage by clearing it with your new stronger units and then choosing to overwrite it at the end page where you get your drops.
Potential! Promoting units will reduce deployment time, increase ATK and overall make your unit stronger. You can only increase this by getting duplicates. Once you max out on duplicates you can trade in the tokens for Qualification Certificate in the Certificate Shop. (Bottom left)
You can find your Friend Code by either going to your Reception Room and Profile or Click on the Friends tab on the home page. If you need someone to add then add me! I am always looking for new people to play with. Friend Code in the image below.
* When you promote operators their art changes, which is a super cool and fun aesthetic! Promote them all to find your favorite!!