Arknights: Endfield's combat doesn't reward stacking whoever you pulled last — free unit movement and skill-chaining mean a team's composition matters more than any single Operator's raw numbers. Here's how to think about building your first solid squad instead of just running your highest-rarity pulls.
Roles come before rarity
Because positioning and free movement are core to combat, a team of four or five 5-stars covering distinct roles — someone to hold aggro, someone to control space, a dedicated damage dealer and a support who keeps skill chains flowing — will usually outperform a squad built entirely around one or two flashy 6-stars with no one to set them up.
Skill chaining is the actual skill expression
The combat system's real depth is in chaining Operator skills together in the right order and window, not in individual damage numbers. Practicing a team's chain order in easier content before pushing into harder Echoes of War stages pays off far more than chasing a marginally better weapon roll.
Don't sleep on base-building for team power
Endfield's factory and production systems aren't just a side activity — materials and production lines feed directly into Operator upgrades. A base that's actively producing while you're out exploring will keep your whole roster progressing, not just whichever Operator you're actively leveling.
A practical starting squad
Purrchena, currently obtainable for free in the 1.5 update, is a reasonable anchor for a first team precisely because she doesn't cost any pulls — build around whichever free and early-game 5-stars you already have covering a role she doesn't, rather than benching her while saving for a specific banner unit.
