Ardelia is a free 6-star Nature Arts Supporter Operator in Arknights: Endfield, available from Day 3 of the permanent Awakening Sign-In event. As a versatile sustain unit, she excels at applying Corrosion (an Arts Reaction that reduces all enemy resistances), consuming it to grant Physical and Arts Susceptibility (increasing damage taken), and providing team healing through pickup-based Mr. Dolly shadows. Her self-sufficient kit makes her a plug-and-play choice for nearly any team, boosting both Arts and Physical damage dealers while offering strong survivability. Often compared to a "Shorekeeper equivalent" for F2P players, Ardelia dominates early-to-late game content and remains meta-relevant.
Ardelia's Skills and Talents
Ardelia's kit revolves around a Corrosion setup-consume loop for debuffs, paired with healing shadows created on skill hits.
| Skill | Description | Key Effects |
|---|---|---|
| Rocky Whispers (Basic Attack) | 4-sequence Nature DMG attack. Final Strike deals 18 Stagger; finisher near Staggered enemies recovers SP. | Low priority; used for Combo triggers. |
| Dolly Rush (Battle Skill) | Ram target for Nature DMG + Stagger. Consumes Corrosion to apply 12% Physical/Arts Susceptibility (30s). Creates 3 healing shadows. | Core skill: SP Cost 100. Top upgrade priority. |
| Eruption Column (Combo Skill) | Homing cloud explodes on clean enemy (no Vulnerable/Arts Infliction), applying 7-stack Corrosion (10s). Trigger: Final Strike. CD: 18s. | Setup for Battle Skill. |
| Wooly Party (Ultimate) | Channel AoE Nature DMG (multiple Mr. Dolly throws). 10% chance per hit for extra shadows. SP: 90, CD: 15s. | AoE clear + healing. |
Talents
- Friendly Presence: Shadows heal controlled operator (or lowest-HP ally at full HP) for 45-90 + 0.38-0.75 x Will. Up to 10 shadows (10s duration).
- Mountainpeak Surfer (E2): Battle Skill recast once for free near Corroded enemies.
Potentials (Priority: P1 > P5 > P2)
- P1: +8% Susceptibility on consume.
- P5: Combo CD -2s, +20% DMG, +4s Corrosion.
Best Weapons
Ardelia equips Arts Unit weapons. Her signature is free and BiS for Arts teams.
| Weapon | Rarity | Key Stats/Bonuses | Best For |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dreams of the Starry Beach (Signature, Free) | 6★ | Will/Healing Eff/Infliction. Post-consume: +16% Arts DMG Taken (25s). | All teams, especially Arts DPS. Essence: Infliction > Treatment Eff > Intellect. |
| Freedom to Proselytize | 5★ | Will/Treatment Eff/Medicant. Extra heal on Battle Skill. | Early F2P. |
| Stanza of Memorials | 6★ | Max HP/Team ATK buff on Ultimate. | Physical teams. |
| Monaihe | 5★ | Will/Ult Gain Eff/Inspiring. | Fallback for Ult spam. |
Best Gear and Stat Priorities
Primary Set: Eternal Xiranite (3pc) - HP +1000; +16% team ATK on Susceptibility (15s).
- Armor: Eternal Xiranite Armor / LYNX Cuirass (healing alt).
- Gloves: Eternal Xiranite Gloves T1 / Hot Work Gauntlets T1.
- Kits: 2x Eternal Xiranite Power Core T1 / LYNX Aegis Injector (healing focus).
Early Game Alt: Mordvolt Resistant (Full Set) - Will +50; +30% Treatment at <50% HP.
Stat Priority: Will (healing scale) > Intellect > Treatment Eff > HP > Ult SP Gain / Arts Intensity.
Skill and Talent Upgrade Priority
- Battle Skill (Rank 9-12): Core debuff/heal.
- Ultimate (Rank 9-12): AoE + shadows.
- Combo Skill (Rank 6-9): Corrosion uptime.
- Basic Attack (Base): Minimal investment.
- Talents: Friendly Presence > Mountainpeak Surfer (E2 first).
Best Teams
Ardelia slots as Sustain in any comp. Avoid teams that spam Vulnerable/Arts Infliction (blocks Combo trigger).
| Team Type | Composition | Synergy Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Heat Arts (Meta) | Laevatain (DPS), Wulfgard/Akekuri (Sub-DPS/Support), Ardelia | Corrosion triggers Laevatain Combo; full Arts for sig weapon amp. |
| Physical F2P | Endministrator (DPS), Chen Qianyu/Ember/Lifeng (Sub), Ardelia | Susceptibility boosts Physical; easy early access. |
| Electric | Yvonne/Avywenna (DPS), Alesh/Xaihi/Arclight (Sub), Ardelia | Debuffs amplify Electric DPS. |
| Cryo | Avywenna (DPS), Perlica (Sub), Arclight (Support), Ardelia | Flexible sustain. |
Playstyle and Rotation
Ardelia's loop: Setup Corrosion → Consume for buffs → Burst DPS → Heal via shadows.
- Open with Final Strike on clean enemy to trigger Combo (Eruption Column) for Corrosion.
- Battle Skill (Dolly Rush) on Corroded target: Consume for Susceptibility + shadows.
- Pickup shadows: Heal self/lowest-HP ally.
- Ultimate for AoE clears/extra heals.
- Recast Battle via talent; weave Final Strikes for uptime.