The Elemental System is a core gameplay mechanic in Arknights: Endfield, a 3D real-time strategy RPG developed by Mountain Contour. The system governs combat interactions through five distinct elements: Physical, Cryo, Electric, Heat, and Nature. These elements interact to produce various status effects, damage bursts, and reactions, serving as a foundational component for team composition and combat strategy.
Overview
The combat system classifies damage and effects into two primary categories: Physical and Arts.
Physical: Responsible for all physical damage and specific crowd-control mechanics such as Stagger. Physical effects operate independently from Arts interactions, with the exception of the Shatter reaction.
Arts: Encompasses the four elemental types: Cryo, Electric, Heat, and Nature. These elements are responsible for Arts Damage, Arts Bursts, and Arts Reactions.
Mechanically, the system is built around inflictions. Applying an element to a target applies an infliction. The interaction depends on the sequence and type of elements applied:
Arts Burst: Triggered when the same elemental infliction is applied twice.
Arts Reaction: Triggered when two different elemental inflictions are applied. The specific reaction is determined by the second element applied, regardless of the first.
Physical Element
The Physical element is distinct from the four Arts elements and focuses on dealing damage and inflicting control effects like Stagger. Its mechanics revolve around the Vulnerable status.
Status Effects
The physical combat loop follows a specific sequence of status applications:
Vulnerable: Applied the first time a Physical effect is inflicted on an enemy.
Advanced Status: If a Physical effect is applied to an enemy who already possesses a Vulnerable stack, the status evolves into one of four advanced effects depending on the skill or combo used: Lift, Knock Down, Crush, or Breach.
- Lift: Launches the enemy airborne. If already Vulnerable, launches the target and deals damage based on ATK.
- Knock Down: Knocks the enemy to the ground. If already Vulnerable, knocks down the target and deals damage based on ATK.
- Crush: Deals heavy damage to Vulnerable targets. If target is not Vulnerable, applies Vulnerable. If target is Vulnerable, consumes stacks to deal high scaling damage (up to 750% ATK at 4 stacks).
- Breach: Debuffs the target’s physical durability. If target is not Vulnerable, applies Vulnerable. If target is Vulnerable, consumes stacks to deal damage and increase Physical Damage Taken (up to 20% for 30s).
Some operators, such as Gilberta, possess unique abilities that can bypass the prerequisite Vulnerable stack to inflict advanced statuses like Lift directly.
Arts System
The Arts system relies on the interplay between Cryo, Electric, Heat, and Nature.
Arts Burst
An Arts Burst occurs when the same element is inflicted on a target twice consecutively (e.g., Heat followed by Heat). This triggers an immediate burst of extra damage.
Scaling: The damage multiplier increases based on the operator’s level.
Stacking: Unlike other effects, Arts Burst damage does not scale with the number of existing infliction stacks; it provides a fixed bonus (e.g., +233% ATK).
Arts Reactions
Arts Reactions occur when a different element is applied to a target that already has an active elemental infliction. There are five distinct reactions: Solidification, Shatter, Combustion, Electrification, and Corrosion.
The type of reaction triggered is determined solely by the second element applied.
Solidification
- Trigger Element: Cryo
- Prerequisite Elements: Nature, Heat, Electric
- Effect Description: Deals Cryo damage and Freezes the enemy. Duration scales with infliction stacks (6–9 seconds).
Shatter
- Trigger Element: Physical
- Prerequisite Elements: Triggered on Solidified enemies
- Effect Description: Dealing Physical damage to a Solidified (Frozen) enemy triggers Shatter, dealing massive Physical damage. Multipliers scale significantly with stacks (up to 872% ATK).
Combustion
- Trigger Element: Heat
- Prerequisite Elements: Nature, Electric, Cryo
- Effect Description: Deals immediate Heat damage and applies a Damage over Time (DoT) debuff for 10 seconds.
Electrification
- Trigger Element: Electric
- Prerequisite Elements: Nature, Cryo, Heat
- Effect Description: Deals Electric damage and applies a debuff that increases Arts Damage taken (up to 24% for 30s). Affects damage from all Arts sources.
Corrosion
- Trigger Element: Nature
- Prerequisite Elements: Cryo, Heat, Electric
- Effect Description: Deals Nature damage and reduces the target's Elemental Resistance. Structure involves ramping reduction that caps before expiration (up to -24% Resistance).
