Not everyone is watching all anime PVs for the upcoming season. As they release scattered over months it's easy to miss some. So this is an opportunity to experience all PVs of the next season with fellow enthusiasts. We get together and watch a list of non-sequel PVs for the upcoming Spring Season in unison.

Friday, 24th of March, at 19:00 PM UTC+0.

Watch2Gether Room

Join us via voice chat by entering the Discord channel u/chiliehead created for this purpose: https://discord.gg/JhExKs4p
18:30 UTC+0 - Arknights
19:00 UTC+0 - Anime PVs

#	Name	Alternative Name	Videos
1	Hell's Paradise	Jigokuraku	Teaser
			PV1
			PV2
2	The Dangers in My Heart	Boku no Kokoro no Yabai Yatsu	Teaser
			PV1
3	Oshi no Kou		Teaser
			PV1
4	Edomae Elf		PV1
			PV2
			CM
5	Mashle: Magic and Muscles		Teaser
			PV
			PV2
6	Loving Yamada at Lv999	Yamada-kun to Lv999 no Koi wo Suru	PV1
			PV2
			Character PV
7	I Got a Cheat Skill in Another World and Became Unrivaled in The Real World, Too	Isekai de Cheat Skill wo Te ni Shita Ore wa, Genjitsu Sekai wo mo Musou Suru: Level Up wa Jinsei wo Kaeta	Teaser
			PV1
8	Insomniacs After School	Kimi wa Houkago Insomnia	PV1
			PV2
			PV3
9	Summoned to Another World for a Second Time	Isekai Shoukan wa Nidome desu	Teaser
			PV1
			PV2
10	A Galaxy Next Door	Otonari ni Ginga	PV1
			PV2
			PV3
11	My One-Hit Kill Sister	Isekai One Turn Kill Nee-san: Ane Douhan no Isekai Seikatsu Hajimemashita	PV1
			PV2
			Character PV
12	The Reason Why Raeliana Ended up at the Duke's Mansion	Kanojo ga Koushaku-tei ni Itta Riyuu	PV
13	My Home Hero		Teaser
			PV1
			PV2
14	Skip and Loafer	Skip to Loafer	Teaser
			PV1
			PV2
15	Dead Mount Death Play		PV1
			PV2
16	Pokemon		Announcement
			Teaser
			PV1
17	Yuri is My Job!	Watashi no Yuri wa Oshigoto desu!	Teaser
			PV1
			PV2
18	The Legendary Hero Is Dead!	Yuusha ga Shinda!	PV1
			PV2
19	The Aristocrat's Otherworldly Adventure: Serving Gods Who Go Too Far	Tensei Kizoku no Isekai Boukenroku: Jichou wo Shiranai Kamigami no Shito	PV1
			PV2
			PV3
20	Sacrificial Princess and the King of Beasts	Niehime to Kemono no Ou	PV1
			PV2
			PV3
21	Heavenly Delusion	Tengoku Daimakyou	Teaser
			PV1
22	The Blue Orchestra	Ao no Orchestra	PV1
			PV2
23	The Café Terrace and Its Goddesses	Megami no Cafe Terrace	Teaser
			PV
			Character PV
24	Magical Girl Magical Destroyers		Teaser 2
			PV1
			PV2
25	The Marginal Service		Teaser
			PV1
			PV2
26	Too Cute Crisis	Kawaisugi Crisis	PV
27	My Clueless First Friend	Jijou wo Shiranai Tenkousei ga Guigui Kuru.	PV1
			PV2
			CM
28	Kaminaki Sekai no Kamisama Katsudou		PV
29	Opus.COLORs		PV
30	Rokudou no Onna-tachi		PV
31	Alice Gear Aegis Expansion		Teaser
			PV
32	KonoSuba: An Explosion on This Wonderful World!	Kono Subarashii Sekai ni Bakuen wo!	PV
			PV2
			PV3
33	World Dai Star		PV
			PV2
			CM
34	Kizuna no Allele		PV1
			PV2

Previous watches:

Year	1	2	3	4
2018	Winter	Spring	Summer	Fall
2019	Winter	Spring	Summer	Fall
2020	Winter	Spring	Summer	Fall
2021	Winter	Spring	Summer	Fall
2022	Winter	Spring	Summer	Fall
2023	Winter	Spring	Summer	Fall

Not everyone is watching all anime PVs for the upcoming season. As they release scattered over months it's easy to miss some. So this is an opportunity to experience all PVs of the next season with fellow enthusiasts. We get together and watch a list of non-sequel PVs for the upcoming Spring Season in unison.

Friday, 24th of March, at 19:00 PM UTC+0.

u/chiliehead has also created a discord server for voice chat during the viewing: https://discord.gg/JhExKs4p
18:30 UTC+0 - Arknights PVs
19:00 UTC+0 - Anime PVs

#	Name	Alternative Name	Videos
1	Hell's Paradise	Jigokuraku	Teaser
			PV1
			PV2
2	The Dangers in My Heart	Boku no Kokoro no Yabai Yatsu	Teaser
			PV1
3	Oshi no Kou		Teaser
			PV1
4	Edomae Elf		PV1
			PV2
			CM
5	Mashle: Magic and Muscles		Teaser
			PV
			PV2
6	Loving Yamada at Lv999	Yamada-kun to Lv999 no Koi wo Suru	PV1
			PV2
			Character PV
7	I Got a Cheat Skill in Another World and Became Unrivaled in The Real World, Too	Isekai de Cheat Skill wo Te ni Shita Ore wa, Genjitsu Sekai wo mo Musou Suru: Level Up wa Jinsei wo Kaeta	Teaser
			PV1
8	Insomniacs After School	Kimi wa Houkago Insomnia	PV1
			PV2
			PV3
9	Summoned to Another World for a Second Time	Isekai Shoukan wa Nidome desu	Teaser
			PV1
			PV2
10	A Galaxy Next Door	Otonari ni Ginga	PV1
			PV2
11	My One-Hit Kill Sister	Isekai One Turn Kill Nee-san: Ane Douhan no Isekai Seikatsu Hajimemashita	PV1
			PV2
			Character PV
12	The Reason Why Raeliana Ended up at the Duke's Mansion	Kanojo ga Koushaku-tei ni Itta Riyuu	PV
13	My Home Hero		Teaser
			PV1
			PV2
14	Skip and Loafer	Skip to Loafer	Teaser
			PV1
			PV2
15	Dead Mount Death Play		PV1
			PV2
16	Pokemon		Announcement
			Teaser
			PV1
17	Yuri is My Job!	Watashi no Yuri wa Oshigoto desu!	Teaser
			PV1
			PV2
18	The Legendary Hero Is Dead!	Yuusha ga Shinda!	PV1
			PV2
19	The Aristocrat's Otherworldly Adventure: Serving Gods Who Go Too Far	Tensei Kizoku no Isekai Boukenroku: Jichou wo Shiranai Kamigami no Shito	PV1
			PV2
			PV3
20	Sacrificial Princess and the King of Beasts	Niehime to Kemono no Ou	PV1
			PV2
			PV3
21	Heavenly Delusion	Tengoku Daimakyou	Teaser
			PV1
22	The Blue Orchestra	Ao no Orchestra	PV1
			PV2
23	The Café Terrace and Its Goddesses	Megami no Cafe Terrace	Teaser
			PV
			Character PV
24	Magical Girl Magical Destroyers		Teaser 1
			Teaser 2
			PV
25	The Marginal Service		Teaser
			PV1
			PV2
26	Too Cute Crisis	Kawaisugi Crisis	PV
27	My Clueless First Friend	Jijou wo Shiranai Tenkousei ga Guigui Kuru.	PV1
			PV2
			CM
28	Kaminaki Sekai no Kamisama Katsudou		PV
29	Opus.COLORs		PV
30	Rokudou no Onna-tachi		PV
31	Alice Gear Aegis Expansion		Teaser
			PV
32	KonoSuba: An Explosion on This Wonderful World!	Kono Subarashii Sekai ni Bakuen wo!	PV
			PV2
			PV3
33	World Dai Star		PV
			PV2
			CM
34	Kizuna no Allele		PV1
			PV2

Previous watches:

Year	1	2	3	4
2018	Winter	Spring	Summer	Fall
2019	Winter	Spring	Summer	Fall
2020	Winter	Spring	Summer	Fall
2021	Winter	Spring	Summer	Fall
2022	Winter	Spring	Summer	Fall
2023	Winter	Spring	Summer	Fall

Welcome to the Help Center and Megathread Hub!

This is the Help Center, a weekly help thread where you can ask basic or very personalized questions that do not deserve their own thread.

Helpful resources:

arknights Wiki - A compilation of many tools, resources, and guides on various topics.

Frequently Asked Questions

The other megathreads are linked below in the stickied comment of this post!

If you are new to the subreddit, please read the subreddit rules here.

Someone from arknights told me to post this here, so... there ya go.
I made this last night, I did saw a few other attempts at making her floating around the internet, so I decided to make my own take on it, hope you like it
https://preview.redd.it/30am9od0jsoa1.jpg?width=1920&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=2390208e0ba8075ba99128b90cc9777993c7e5eb
https://preview.redd.it/6zo56sd0jsoa1.jpg?width=1920&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=1e1f246c8a8e7a0e0b8dc6e6fd4c67da877c381b
https://preview.redd.it/y05y6sd0jsoa1.jpg?width=1920&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=af98e0b762184081ebdccdf9ab94a64eb2406000
https://preview.redd.it/uk40mpd0jsoa1.jpg?width=1920&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=034326cc0bf329f0bc355dd7a11f645a3fcb016d
https://preview.redd.it/3f1c60z6jsoa1.jpg?width=1920&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=250bea4937e5971aea2507b8abb3d84f9b1652ae
https://preview.redd.it/gs56szy6jsoa1.jpg?width=1920&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=f72572b9b5a655e3f4f85db46b406a5026420642

Astgenne [★★★★★]

Columbia's technology keeps advancing, and as a researcher, I can almost see that future I'm looking for. My dream is right there, and I'm going to make it come true.

Rhine Lab Energy Section Researcher Dr. Elena Urbica. While aboard Rhodes Island, she will use her original name as her codename. While she is more than capable of keeping her enemies at bay with her handmade staff and unique Originium Arts, rather than fighting on the frontlines, she prefers to provide support from the rear by working on research and machinery maintenance.

Operator Information

• Class: Caster (Chain Caster)
• Tags: DPS
• Artist: YUJI

Voice Actor:
JP: Saho Shirasu
CN: Cheng Li
EN: Maya Aoki Tuttle
KR: Kim Yi-an

Stats

HP	ATK	DEF	Arts Resistance	Redeploy Time	DP Cost	Block	Attack Interval
1440	630	122	20	80	34	1	2.3s

*Stats at max Promotion and Level, excludes bonuses from Potential and Trust.

Potential	Bonus
1	-
2	Deployment Cost -1
3	Redeployment Cooldown -10
4	Deployment Cost -1
5	Attack Power +28
6	Deployment Cost -1

Trust bonus
Attack Power +75

Traits
Attacks deal Arts damage and jump between 3 enemies. Each jump deals 15% less damage and inflicts a brief Slow.

Skill Name	Skill Uptime Details (Initial/Cost/Uptime)	SP Charge Type	Skill Activation	Skill Description
Double Diversion	0 SP / 7 SP / -	Per Second	Auto Trigger	Increases the ATK of the next attack to 125%; The attack will target 2 targets, and each attack will jump between at most 4 enemies. Can store 3 charges
Starlight Intersection	20 SP / 40 SP / 25s	Per Second	Manual Trigger	Attack Range expands, ATK +40%, and attack up to 2 targets simultaneously

*Skills at Mastery 3.

Talent

Talent name	Talent Description
Passion for Research	Gains +4 ASPD for every 15 seconds this unit remains on the battlefield, stacking up to 5 times

Modules

Branch	Additional Stats	Trait	Talent
Cha-Y	Max Hp + 120, Atk +74	Attacks deal Arts damage and jump between 4 enemies. Each jump no longer deals less damage and inflicts a brief Slow	Gains +4 ASPD for every 10 seconds this unit remains on the battlefield, stacking up to 7 times

*Modules at max level.

Additional Resources

In-depth information regarding all values above (at different levels), skill/attack range, and more:
GP Arknights Wiki
Arknights Toolbox (aceship)
Fandom Arknights Wiki

Topic Starters

• Strengths/Weaknesses?
• Is their module worth it? Which branch?
• How does this operator compare to other operators in their archetype or role?
• How do you fit this operator into a team? Who do they synergize with?
• Which skill(s) should be focused for mastery, and in what order?
• When is the best time to use this operator's skills during combat?
• Should promoting this operator to Elite 2 be a priority?
• Should new / F2P players aim for this operator? Are there more accessible alternatives?
• Lore discussion (please tag spoilers where appropriate)

Other Operator Discussion threads

List of Operator Discussion threads

'Ello, arknights! I'm running a Discord server for text-based roleplaying and tabletop roleplaying. When it comes to roleplay, you can pursue anything as long as it isn't against Reddit or Discord's ToS. There's no need to worry about character approval gates so you can jump straight into roleplaying as any original, canon, or altered character you'd like the second you get verified! Characters from other media are allowed as well! Similarly, you can pursue any narrative or theme you like, even if it is significantly divorced from the game's plot or canonical lore. We view the world of Terra as a sandbox to have fun in, whatever that fun might be.
We're also working on a tabletop roleplaying system for TTRPG events in the server, and while such a daunting task takes time to complete, we're happy to say that the current framework is shaping to allow quite a bit of character diversity. If you enjoy d6 dice pools and keeping the focus on the player characters, you'll want to give a glance over what we currently have. This is honestly just in its format planning phase, but we have a decent number of fundamentals established that we can bring up!
Anyway, thank you for your time! Hope to see you there!

“Beatiful Dorothy” is a redundancy because Dorothy IS beautiful. The word Beautiful is assumed and included in the name of Dorothy
Since Dorothy is the paragon of human virtue without equal past or present, she is most resplendent in love, tributes and accolades. Waking or sleeping, I must not forget Dorothy’s great boon and in order to return her favour by day and by night, I should only think of fulfilling my loyalty.
Who is Dorothy?
For the blind, she is their vision. For the deaf, she is their music. For the mute, she is their voice. For the anosmiac, she is their aroma. For the numb, she is their feeling. For the atrophied, she is their muscle.
For the starved, she is their sustenance. For the thirsty, she is their water. For the exhausted, she is their energy.
For the depressed, she is their happiness. For the disillusioned, she is their hope. For the pessimistic, she is their optimism.
For the disadvantaged, she is their champion. For the marginalised, she is their justice. For the oppressed, she is their salvation.
For the righteous, she is their symbol. For the enlightened, she is their muse. For the erudite, she is their education.
If Dorothy speaks, I listen. If Dorothy questions, I answer. If Dorothy orders, I obey.
If Dorothy opines, I agree. If Dorothy fears, I assure. If Dorothy hopes, I dream.
If Dorothy is happy, I am jubilant. If Dorothy is angry, I am apoplectic. If Dorothy is sad, I am disconsolate.
Dorothy is my ideal, Dorothy is my romance, Dorothy is my passion.
Dorothy is my strength, Dorothy is my compass, Dorothy is my destination.
Dorothy is my language, Dorothy is my culture, Dorothy is my religion.
Dorothy is my ocean, Dorothy is my mountain, Dorothy is my sky, Dorothy is my air, Dorothy is my sun, Dorothy is my moon, Dorothy is my world.
Dorothy is history, Dorothy is present, Dorothy is future.
If Dorothy has a million fans, I am one of them. If Dorothy has a thousand fans, I am one of them. If Dorothy has a hundred fans, I am one of them. If Dorothy has ten fans, I am one of them. If Dorothy has only one fan, that is me. If Dorothy has no fans, I no longer exist.
If the whole universe is for Dorothy , then I am for the whole universe. If the whole universe is against Dorothy, then I am against the whole universe.
I will love, cherish, and protect Dorothy until my very last breath; my successors will love, cherish and protect Dorothy until their very last breath.
link to comment

Edit: HG are sadists...
My predictions have been wrong twice now much to my endless torment, so this time I wanted to let the community vote on it.
Reasoning for each candidate:

• Ascalon: Story relevant, with her sprite revealed in Chapter 10. Her position as Head of S.W.E.E.P makes her a strong candidate to become the first 6* Agent, and she's not so hype that I feel like she'd distract people from the anniversary banner. Could be quite interesting lore-wise.
• Closure: Story relevant, with a brand new sprite revealed in Chapter 10. The hype behind her goes without saying, but I'd be surprised if they didn't save her for a limited banner since (limited or not) she'll make tons of cash. Would presumably be a 6* Artificer, Drone Caster, or Summoner.
• Ines: Story relevant, with her sprite revealed all the way back in Darknights Memoir (would probably be revamped like Irene's). Paprika's conversation lines not only imply that she's alive, but that she should be playing a bigger role in the next few Chapters. Also a great fit for 6* Agent, and I'd argue that she's the most likely choice given her foreshadowing. This would also let HG blueball me again, so I'm pretty sure it's gonna be her.
• Logos: Story relevant, with his sprite revealed in Chapter 11. As beautiful and hyped as this man is, I don't think it'll be him. For one, I doubt HG would do two male 6*s in a row (i.e. Stainless then Logos), especially since Stainless's revenue was pretty bad. I also feel like he's shoehorned into becoming the second 6* Mystic Caster, which would mean that HG will have to take their time with his kit if they want him to perform well. Above all else though, I feel like he's the type of Operator who deserves his own event. There's still a bunch about the Sarkaz that we don't know, and Logos would be a great place to start.
• Shining OR Siege Alter: Either of them would be surprising since it'd be the first time a Chapter banner included an alter, but I wouldn't put anything past HG at this point. Both have story relevance, both have the hype, and both are quite niche in their current archetypes. With Shining especially it only feels like a matter of time, but I wouldn't be surprised if they want to make her limited (or if they feel like she'd draw too much focus the 4th Anniversary banner). There is such a thing as too cool for a pre-Anniversary banner. Starting to feel like the Liberator archetype was designed for Shining, while Siege has multiple options in the Guard tree (e.g. Arts Fighter, Crusher).

I'll also give a shoutout to Misery, as while he isn't as flashy as the others he's got a sick look, cool Arts, and is also playing a role in the Victorian Arc. Personally I expect him to be a 5*, but who knows what HG will opt for. There's also Allerdale, but I really doubt they'll pull a Horn again. That, and it'd be two Felines in a row.
Take your guess, and we'll see what happens in the coming month!
View Poll

Welcome to the Help Center and Megathread Hub!

This is the Help Center, a weekly help thread where you can ask basic or very personalized questions that do not deserve their own thread.

Helpful resources:

arknights Wiki - A compilation of many tools, resources, and guides on various topics.

Frequently Asked Questions

The other megathreads are linked below in the stickied comment of this post!

If you are new to the subreddit, please read the subreddit rules here.

Ch'en [★★★★★★]

I know every nook and cranny in Lungmen. The docks, the neon signs, the winding paths, I can see them all in my mind, clear as day. I'll never forget them.

Ch'en, head of the Lungmen Guard Department's Special Inspection Unit, graduated from the Royal Victorian Guard School with superb grades and outstanding achievements. During her time with the Department, she cracked down on crime, fought violent offenders, tracked down armed fugitives, and brought down international criminals. Now works at Rhodes Island, providing on-site tactical command.

Operator Information

• Class: Guard (Swordmaster)
• Tags: Nuker, DPS
• Artist: 唯@ｗ

Voice Actor:
JP: Shizuka Ishigami
CN: Jen Zhang (Mandarin) Bao Shaoye (Cantonese)
EN: Amy Lennox
KR: Chung Yu-joung

Stats

HP	ATK	DEF	Arts Resistance	Redeploy Time	DP Cost	Block	Attack Interval
2880	610	352	0	70	23	2	1.3s

*Stats at max Promotion and Level, excludes bonuses from Potential and Trust.

Potential	Bonus
1	-
2	Deployment Cost -1
3	Redeployment Cooldown -4
4	Attack Power +23
5	Improves Second Talent
6	Deployment Cost -1

Trust bonus
Attack Power +50
Defense +50

Traits
Normal attacks deal damage twice

Skill Name	Skill Uptime Details (Initial/Cost/Uptime)	SP Charge Type	Skill Activation	Skill Description
Sheathed Strike	0 SP / 4 SP / -	Attacking Enemy	Auto Trigger	On the next attack, strike the enemy using the sheath, dealing 320% ATK as Physical damage and Stun them for 1.5 seconds
Chi Xiao - Unsheath	20 SP / 20 SP / -	Attacking Enemy	Manual Trigger	Deals 500% of ATK Physical damage and 500% of ATK Arts damage to at most 7 enemies in front of this unit
Chi Xiao - Shadowless	20 SP / 30 SP / -	Attacking Enemy	Manual Trigger	Seeks the closest enemy around and launches 10 slashes in a row, each dealing 320% ATK as Physical damage and Stun the target on the last hit for 4 seconds

*Skills at Mastery 3.

Talent

Talent name	Talent Description
Scolding	Every 4 seconds when deployed, restores 1 Skill Point to all deployed allies that have an ATK Recovery or DEF Recovery skill.
Blade Art	ATK +6% (+1%); DEF +6% (+1%); Physical Dodge +13% (+3%)

*Talent at max Potential and max Promotion. Bonuses from Potential displayed between parentheses.

Additional Resources

In-depth information regarding all values above (at different levels), skill/attack range, and more:
GP Arknights Wiki
Arknights Toolbox (aceship)
Fandom Arknights Wiki

Topic Starters

• Strengths/Weaknesses?
• Is their module worth it? Which branch?
• How does this operator compare to other operators in their archetype or role?
• How do you fit this operator into a team? Who do they synergize with?
• Which skill(s) should be focused for mastery, and in what order?
• When is the best time to use this operator's skills during combat?
• Should promoting this operator to Elite 2 be a priority?
• Should new / F2P players aim for this operator? Are there more accessible alternatives?
• Lore discussion (please tag spoilers where appropriate)

Other Operator Discussion threads

List of Operator Discussion threads

At long last, our long night of terror is over. On the dawn, she has finally arrived upon her golden chariot of ethically questionable science. Praise be!
This article specifically covers the new units from the Dorothy's Vision event. The main guide covering the rest of the game can be found here on Gamepress. The Gamepress version of this update can be found here. Please note that although the reddit version of the main guide still exists, I no longer maintain it to the same extent and it may be out of date. Refer to the Gamepress guide for the most up to date information!

FAQ and Banner Discussion

Q: Should I pull?
A: This is the most anticlimactic thing in the history of these articles. Despite all the waiting and whining and drama… no, probably not. Some of the most powerful banners in the history of the game are coming very soon. Dorothy and Stainless’s banners are the only “easy skips.” Neither unit is bad by any means, but in the face of the raw power of Mlynar, Texas, and Reed, it’s hard to recommend pulling for either Dorothy or Stainless.
Good luck.
​
Q: Wait, Dorothy is a skip? I thought you said she was strong?
A: Dorothy is good and nothing from the look-ahead has changed. However, there are two things to consider.
First, there are many significantly stronger units very close on the horizon. Just being "good" isn't good enough. Most players who are not big spenders can't get everyone, and units like Mlynar and Texas ultimately have a lot more value. Actually, that undersells it. Not just more value, but literally the best value in the game. By many measures they are two of the best units in the game and that's even before accounting for other units like Penance. Unless you're a whale, you'll get better value from your pulls elsewhere.
Second, Dorothy is not a unit that will appeal to everyone. She is a strong solution, but often a round-about one. For most players, she’s far more effort than she's worth. Not everyone will find it appealing to run a stage 30 times in order to optimize the mine timing just so you can say you did it. If you are that kind of player, you probably don't need my advice either
​
Q: Astgenne or Leizi or Pudding? (i.e. Tac needs to ramble about grade adjustments)
A: There's a lot of history with the Chain Casters. Any time I try to write about it I feel like an old person rambling about times past. BACK IN MY DAY, CHAIN CASTERS WERE SHIT! AND WE LIKED IT! Something like that. The short version of it is that Chain Casters were a terrible archetype for years. Leizi had an irredeemable 80 SP cost and Passenger was so bad on his release that he became a meme. It's telling that Pudding, a 4★, seemed so good compared to the others on her release.
That's all changed quite a bit in the last year, and the non-6★ Chain Casters are a group that need to be adjusted in this guide. Out with the old, and in with the new. Leizi suddenly looks a lot better with her Module upgrades, while Pudding looks a lot worse, and they now also have new competition with Astgenne.
So, point by point: first, Leizi is now added to the main guide. While I knew her Module upgrades were good, I underestimated just how good, especially in SSS. After using her quite a bit I am of the opinion that she is now one of the best 5★ Casters in the game. I actually did this update a couple of weeks back due to the downtime. The upgrade had been in the works for a while but was just waiting for this patch, which was taking far too long to arrive. You can find her updated write-up in the main guide or on her operator page over on Gamepress.
In turn, Pudding is getting a downgrade. I still think Pudding is a great low-rarity option, but she doesn't compare all that favorably to either Leizi or Astgenne anymore. Her damage caps out quite a bit lower than either and she no longer has the benefit of a better cycle time. She's more in line with typical 4★s now – perfectly usable, but a step down from the higher rarities.
Last comes Astgenne. The comparison between Leizi and Astgenne is pretty tricky. They are effectively sidegrades to one another, with the better one depending on the situation. Astgenne has better DPS and a more predictable and reliable cycle time, while Leizi has more total damage and can have a significantly higher uptime when she can abuse her Module upgrade, such as in SSS. To further complicate matters, Astgenne has far worse Mastery gains so the grades don't necessarily reflect how close she is to Leizi.
Which is best? I favor Astgenne here. She's more reliable and isn't as dependent on expensive upgrades (she'll work well with SL 7 and no Module upgrades). However, it's really a coin flip, so raise the one you personally like more. I wouldn't call any of them a must-raise, but they are all appealing secondary options.
​
Q: Any new Module thoughts for this patch or for the new CN patch?
A: I said I wasn't going to have this be a regular thing... yet here we are again.
Dorothy's Vision (this global patch) - There's no grade updates this time. However, the AA Modules are very solid. If you've been waiting to complete the 5★ Module quest, April is the best target for it.
Where the Vernal Wind Blows (CN patch) - The Core Caster Modules are generally very solid. However, I don't think there will be any grade adjustments. For the most part, they just make them do their existing jobs better. That has a lot of value and they are very good, but nothing really changes either.
The exception I wanted to highlight is Ceobe. Her Module is extremely good. However, I don't think she'll end up with a major grade update. Why? Well, frankly she's probably overgraded already. Her current grades are pretty good, which is both a reflection of the Mastery gains, but also where she was in the meta when I first wrote the guide. That place has declined quite a bit over the last few years and she was on the short list for a grade demotion. So instead of Ceobe seeing a grade improvement, she will most likely remain the same (or get a minor adjustment), but with an updated write-up.
No Modules came with A Death in Chunfen, and the Modules that came with Leaves Chasing Fire are nothing special.
​
Q: IS#3 is slowly approaching. How will it be handled in the Mastery guide?
A: That's a great question, and I'm open to feedback if you have anything you would particularly like to see. It's a tricky topic.
As I see it now, I plan to do two things.
First, the current main IS Mastery guide will be transitioned to an IS#2 specific guide. I’ve already stopped updating it. New units will, of course, be very usable in IS#2. However, maintaining this side guide takes up a lot of time for minimal gain. It has had pretty low view numbers since release, with most people sticking to the main guide.
That’s fine by me – it was worthwhile to do originally. The initial IS#2 release represented a major change to how the Mastery Guide was done, so it made sense to have a more focused article addressing it. IS#3 is a far smaller change. The value of that kind of introductory article isn't what it used to be, and the release of IS#3 will be a good excuse to finally pull the plug and focus my efforts elsewhere.
Second, the general "Roguelike" grade will be updated to reflect both IS#2 and IS#3. Specifically for IS#3, it will represent suggestions for Ascension (difficulty) level 7. There will be some cases where a grade might reflect one, but not the other. It's unavoidable without adding a massive amount of complexity to the guide. There's no perfect answer here, and this seems like the best option.
However, grades will not be weighted based on content higher than difficulty 7. There are no rewards above 7 (and even 7 is only a trimmed medal). More importantly, strategies become more specific as they approach the highest difficulty levels. There are some skills that are useful there but nowhere else, and that doesn't seem worth adding the complexity of new grades for a specific niche and rewardless scenario. It would be like attempting to measure the Advanced grades against a single CC.
I may do a full article as we approach the release of IS#3, but most likely I will just do a few grade touch-ups. Stay tuned for more.
​
Q: One last thing?
A: One last thing. I've mentioned this in other places already, but I'm planning to do a relatively large grade update soon on the larger guide. I do this about once a year. Since the guide is done over time as new units are introduced, grades do fall out of whack as the meta shifts and new units come. If you have any suggestions you would like to make, now is the time! Let me know in the comments. I'm unlikely to be this receptive to changes again for a while!
​

Pathfinder of Sands

Dorothy

Skill	Story	Advanced	Roguelike
S3M3	A+	S-	A+
S2M3	A-	S-	A-

Dorothy is one of those units whose priority will depend on the sort of player you are. She is a high cost and high effort unit for results that can usually be found elsewhere. Most players likely won't want to invest deeply into her at all. However, if you're one of those players that finds satisfaction in that sort of gameplay, Dorothy can be extremely valuable with near mandatory Masteries. Trapmasters are reliant on renewing their traps to be effective, so the reduced SP cost alone is worthwhile before even looking into the effects, and Dorothy has big gains to the effects as well.
Should you be one of the few brave enough to pursue Dorothy, she is a very strong M6 consideration. Both S2 and S3 have strong use cases, and regular Dorothy users will definitely want both. However, start with S3 if you only do one as it is her main source of damage. It oftentimes requires extensive planning to optimize, but the results are as satisfying as they are effective. The gains from Mastery are massive too. In addition to the previously mentioned renewal rate, Mastery is also a well above average improvement to both damage and control.
S2 is a similarly solid skill, though it is of lower importance than S3. It trades some damage for better control, but the most effective form of control is a dead enemy and the damage potential loss is quite large. This makes places where S2 is the better choice a little less common. With that said, the global reach of a solid duration bind on top of large Mastery gains makes it a strong secondary consideration.
Don't bother with her S1 unless you are a Dorothy simp. While it does have some use, it only affects one target and the debuff is nothing special. Situations where it is the best option are extremely rare.

Greyy the Lightningbearer

Skill	Story	Advanced	Roguelike
S2M3	None	None	None

While many Niche players may find decent value in Greyy due to his wide range Slow and Arts damage, his kit ends up being both weak and frustrating for most. The Flinger archetype is flawed to begin with, and Greyy’s poor damage and low-chance RNG component to his control mean that he is largely more trouble than he is worth.
Should you be one of those niche players, or simply find Greyy an appealing unit despite his flaws, you will probably want to stick with S2 Mastery, which has better odds on his control uptime, and decent gains. Be especially wary of him in IS. Many popular relics don't affect his lightning ball, you don't want RNG to end your run, and the archetype lacks the flexibility you typically need from a Sniper ticket.

Astgenne

Skill	Story	Advanced	Roguelike
S2M3	B-	B-	B-

While the 5★ Caster class is crowded and full of questionable value, the Chain Caster archetype has been increasingly useful of late. They combine decent damage with decent control that stacks especially well with the ASPD buffs common in IS and SSS. Astgenne brings a measure of reliability to that role which her rival, Leizi, sometimes lacks. S2 is the go to skill for Astgenne, but the Mastery gains are notably poor, with low damage gains and no improvement to uptime. That keeps her grades down a bit when compared to similar units, so the grades don't necessarily reflect her total value. For most people, she will work perfectly fine at SL 7.
Pass on her S1, even the M1 breakpoint. While charge based skills tend to have some value, the higher SP cost significantly narrows the gap on Astgenne. There are vanishingly few places where S1 will outperform S2.
A related aside, be aware that Chain Casters only bounce to three targets at E1. It only increases to their usual four targets at E2. While Astgenne can work well at SL 7, she still needs E2. If left at E1, S1 looks significantly more appealing since the extra target is built into the skill itself.
​

Mastery Look Ahead

The MonHun collab will have only just dropped when this article goes up, so full write-ups are not included this time. However, since I know many people are interested, Yato looks to be extremely good, though a tier under Texas2 still. That said, it’s been so long that there’s two full new banners worth of units added anyway!

Unit	Type	Comments
An Obscure Wanderer
Provisio	Gacha	She is essentially the 5★ version of Podenco, which makes her pretty decent. However, Proviso lacks an important feature of Podenco in cost effectiveness. Proviso costs quite a bit more for what is ultimately a fairly minor upgrade, so she is unlikely to get a grade. Go with S2 if you want to do one anyway, which a lot of people will thanks to her base skill (but don't raise units only for base skills!)
Mlynar	Gacha	At the risk of starting a war in the comments, Mlynar is a direct powercreep to SilverAsh and anyone arguing otherwise is high on the copium. While SilverAsh most definitely does not become a bad unit and still holds some very important niches that will keep him long-term meta relevant, Mlynar is almost twice as good when it comes to damage. No amount of utility can make up for that. He is the single best unit ahead of us (Pozy is close though) and most people should aim to be pulling for him. His S3 will be among the highest graded Masteries in the game. His S2 might pick up a low grade, but it's a situation where his better skill is just too good to give up.
The Legend of Luo Xiaohei
Luo Xiaohei	Collab Welfare	There isn't a lot to say about this collab unit. He is fine, but nothing special, and you'll be better off just using Arene for your low rarity ranged Guard needs. That said he will definitely appeal to a lot of people and doesn't cost much, so go with S2 if you want to Master a skill which gets a decent increase to his damage output and is the more impactful skill. S1 is certainly a novel skill, but the low damage per hit means it just isn’t that useful for anything but cuteness.
Mizuki and the Caerula Arbor
Highmore	Welfare	Highmore is very similar to La Pluma to the point their S1 is literally identical. La Pluma is still the better unit in general since her ASPD talent is better for what the class does, but Highmore will still be a very viable alternative (or addition, double reaper go brrrr). This is especially true in IS#3 where she is the better pick with some big advantages thanks to her mode specific talent. There is a much bigger difference across their S2s however, with Highmore’s being far less valuable. The bulk that her S2 brings isn’t as useful and is much more niche in addition to some pretty poor gains. Stick with just her S1 for Mastery which makes her a very consistent and reliable option in IS#3. La Pluma will perform better elsewhere though.
Chapter 11 - Return to Mist
Dagda	Welfare	Brawlers have always been a bad archetype (the best Brawler only becomes good by turning into a Centurion instead), and Dagda doesn't change that. Her damage is subpar even with her skill active, and is comically bad when her skills are down. And she can only block 1. There is very little to like here. Even her Mastery gains are poor, which makes any suggestion difficult. Go with S2 if you insist on raising her. Who the hell thought Defensive Recovery on her S1 was a good idea?
Totter	Gacha	Totter is a pretty good unit for what he is. His niche is a helpful one, though not quite enough to put him into the top tiers of 4★s. Instead, he’s a solid unit that can be useful to have at times. He incidentally comes out at the same time as a new SSS stage that plays to his strengths extremely well. He's still unlikely to be graded, but both of his skills will have use if you want (favor S1 for SSS specifically).
Paprika	Gacha	One has to wonder why Paprika exists. She isn't bad in the absolute sense, but she serves no purpose in the broader game, competing directly with some very strong units while offering no special value herself. If you need the healing, there are plentiful other options that provide much better support or much lower costs (or both). She will be ungraded and you shouldn't be raising her, but go with S2 if you insist. It at least brings her healing up to a respectable total compared to her S1.
Stainless	Gacha	The only good unit from the Chapter 11 patch; however, Stainless is still pretty niche. He does have plenty of support use, so he is far from a bad unit, but the setup he requires puts him on the gimmicky side of things. He'll have pretty low Mastery grades. Without Mastery he can still be a pretty effective support unit, with neither his S1 or his S2 being exceptionally worth a Mastery; in particular, his S2 is a great skill, but it only needs SL 7). S3 will be his best Mastery option. The setup it requires can be a burden, but it has a huge attack multiplier with a lot of flexibility. If that DPS aspect doesn't interest you though, he can still be safely used at M0. Be wary of overvaluing his S1. Although the final number is good, it requires much more setup than other comparable buff skills.
Il Siracusano
Vigil	Welfare	Vigil looks to be the weakest 6★ of 2022. Even on paper, his kit isn’t very good. It has low DP gen, no ATK improvement, and no real utility. However, it's even worse than that. His wolves, which his skills are reliant on, are incredibly weak. They are statistically worse than Beanstalk's or Blacknight's pets, and the supposed benefits of them come nowhere close to making up the difference. If that weren't enough, there are many bizarre interactions in his kit, bordering on bugs, which remain unfixed as of this writing. There's too many to list here in this look ahead, but check this write-up by Boelthor for some more info. You'll get much better value raising Blacknight, or even Beanstalk. I hope this changes by his release on EN, but as it stands, he'll be among the lowest graded 6★s post-Module upgrades.
Lunacub	Gacha	Lunacub’s permanent stealth will certainly have some uses, but her DPS isn't high enough to justify the added investment. Her cycle time is perplexingly long for a year four unit, and the lack of attack multiplier on her S2 means she'll struggle more compared to her competition. She's a bit like Kirara in that regard: a nice idea hamstrung by poor damage and skill uptime. She'll be ungraded, but go with S2 if you particularly like her.
Penance	Gacha	If you relied only on the initial flurry of highlights, you could be forgiven for thinking that Penance is the hyper meta unit of this banner. She is a cautionary tale of not using only Youtube/Bilibili highlights to guide your opinion. Of course, she’s still a monster of a unit. She hits hard, has a mountain of bulk, and an absolutely incredible damage reflect. She is potentially the best solo lane holder in a lot of scenarios. However, for general purposes, Mudrock remains the go to choice, as Penance’s kit works poorly in a full team comp. Because she is reliant on having enemies to kill in order to maintain her bulk, she ends up rather inflexible compared to her competitors. S3 will be her main skill worth Mastery. Her other two skills are fine, and big Penance fans will find both of them useful, but her S3 is far and away the best option. They won't justify the investment cost for most.
Texas the Omertosa	Gacha Limited	Texas is the banner’s real winner and the latest to power creep an older unit (RIP in pieces Phantom). She is extremely powerful and is at the very tip-top of the meta. She has better ST Arts DPS than both Surtr and Eyja. Not only that, she also has a mountain of utility; her S2 has a strong RES debuff which makes her effective against nearly all enemies, her S3 has range, anti-air, and heavy crowd-control, and that's on top of the benefits of being a FRD. Both her S2 and S3 will receive top tier grades. She will be the highest graded M6 yet, so plan for both.
Quartz	Red Cert Shop	Quartz certainly has an eye-catching stat-line, but she isn't any better than other alternatives, even at her rarity. She mainly seems to be here to tease the ridiculous stats the eventual 6★ on the archetype will have. She'll be ungraded due to said alternatives. There just isn't much value in raising her beyond novelty. However, you'll want to prioritize S2 should that appeal to you.
Qanipalaat	Red Cert Shop	Qanipalaat is a fairly interesting unit with some unique aspects to his kit. He's pretty decent too, for his rarity, with good crowd control and reasonable damage. However the ever present problem with the 5★ Casters is present here. It's a crowded group and being just decent isn't enough to particularly standout. Ultimately he doesn't justify the investment, especially with the added red cert cost. The Mastery gains on his S2 are pretty good, so he may end up with a low grade, but he shouldn't be on most people's planners for any reason but personal desire. Pass on his S1 which is just a worse version of Amiya's S1.
What the Firelight Casts
Puzzle	Welfare	A lot of people, myself included, initially scoffed at Puzzle. He clearly isn't as good as Cantabile (who almost everyone has) and has fairly high SP costs for a Vanguard. However, he's proven himself to be a solid option, especially for a Welfare. To be clear, he is nowhere near as valuable as Cantabile. He is more DPS oriented, which is nice, but not really the purpose of the role. However, his DPS and utility are good enough that his S2 warrants moderate consideration. It charges surprisingly quickly and outputs a ton of damage on top of his flexible archetype. His S1 may be worth considering as well, but it only gains damage at M2 and M3 so odds are it will be ungraded aside from the M1 breakpoint.
Harmonie	Gacha	Within the realm of 5★ Casters, Harmonie is pretty decent. How many times have I said that before? It's a crowded group. Harmonie is still far from a must-raise, but she stands out as having a well designed kit. It has decent damage, good utility, and it all works well together. Niche players especially will find her quite nice. S2 will be the obvious choice for Masteries and will likely end up with a modest grade. Although she exists in a crowded space, her utility along with solid gains will make it something to consider on the lower end of priority.
Reed the Flame Shadow	Gacha	How do you improve the often subpar Caster class? By making them a Medic, of course. Makes total sense. Duh. Reed's alter form is just the most recent big meta unit. There's a lot of those lately and I only have so many adjectives to describe how busted these units tend to be. Reed is a tremendous unit. She features the highest Arts ST DPS in the game, alongside some of the highest HPS and extremely flashy mass crowd-clearing to boot. However there is some reason for caution. Certainly she will be an upper crust unit, but a few small usability quirks may keep her off the very top. Unlike units like Surtr or Ch’alter she has to choose between ST or AoE damage, she needs other units to deal full ST damage, and Arts Weakening isn’t as good as RES shred. She is extremely strong but we’ll need some time to judge just exactly how strong. Regardless, Reed will be a top graded M6. Plan for both S2 and S3.
Where the Vernal Winds Will Never Blow
Jie Yun	Welfare	Jie Yun is one of those units that's quite good... for her rarity. While she lacks the utility that elevates the more meta 5★ options, she has solid damage and a surprisingly good cycle time. Beyond that, there isn't much else to say since her kit is pretty straightforward. Most players tight on resources won't want to invest, but she is good enough and has enough appeal outside of the meta that she'll garner a modest grade. Stick with S2 for Mastery. It is the better skill and has extremely strong gains. S1 has significantly worse DPS and its only real benefit is being auto recovery.
Firewhistle	Gacha	Fire Whistle is a good unit because her archetype is inherently strong. However, she has a slightly different niche than Ashlock. While Ashlock is useless if forced to block, Fire Whistle’s skills work mostly as normal (like Horn’s S2), making her an effective blocker as well as a long range nuker. In my opinion, this isn’t as valuable since effective blocking isn’t why you bring the archetype to begin with and Ashlock does the nuking part better. Still, Fire Whistle is quite good and much more forgiving. Both of her skills are usable and likely to be graded. While S2 has the greater total damage and is better for blocking, it has a notable lack of burst and a high SP cost. S1 meanwhile will be more consistent, reliable, and better against armor.
Lin	Gacha	HG disappoints yet again with the Phalanx archetype. The perplexing decision to make Lin a Phalanx caster aside, they just can't seem to get it right after Beeswax and Mint. She rates slightly better than Carnelian (not a compliment), and really only because she requires no ramp up for her damage. Overall, her damage is nothing special by current standards and she has a shockingly long cycle time. There is a decent chance she finds some fringe use in the meta thanks to her shield, and should still be more than serviceable for those who like the character. However, given the relative strength of recent 6★s, her grades will end up fairly low. Both S3 and S2 are worth considering, though S2 may end up ungraded due to awful gains.
Chong Yue	Gacha Limited	Yet another hilariously busted unit. Chong Yue hits hard and fast over a long range. He also gets a lot out of buffs, meaning that he should scale nicely into difficult content. His kit can be deceptive since unlike other dual strike units, his hits count independently. This means he gains SP twice as fast and can even trigger his S3 off of the second attack. In fact, he activates his S3 so often that he is the new king of voice-line spam – to the point some might consider it a major drawback. edit: DV took so long to come out this was already patched. RIP. Anyway... However, he isn't quite very tip-top busted thanks to a few drawbacks. They are relatively minor but with how the power level of the game has escalated recently, they are worth at least acknowledging. He's a relatively frail one block unit with no self-sustain who also requires a fair bit of wind-up. Sharing his rate-up with the disappointing Lin also hurts his value. It should make pull decisions quite interesting. His S3 is the only Mastery worth considering and it will have a top-tier grade. On top of being an extremely strong DPS skill, it has large improvements to his SP cost that are nearly mandatory to use him effectively.
A Death in Chunfen
Wind Chimes	Gacha	When Quartz was released, many were curious as to what the higher rarities of the Crusher archetype would bring. Turns out the first 5★ attempt is... really bad. Her primary gimmick is just too weak and her cycle time is just too long. Even if her S2’s SP cost was halved, she wouldn’t be good – but it isn’t, and she has a perplexing 30 second cycle for a paltry amount of damage. Wind Chimes is a unit to avoid, but if you were intent on raising her anyway I'd actually consider S1 instead despite the fact that it’s a generic Attack Up skill. The power on S2 is just so anemic that only two hits from S1 will out damage it (in less time than the 5 second wind-up), but even then she's quite a bit worse than the commonly available Centurions.
Qiu Bai	Gacha	Qiu Bai is a difficult unit to rank, and she has caused quite a bit of discussion. I suppose that means she's actually well balanced compared to the hyper-meta state of many recent units. Qiu Bai has some significant drawbacks such as an RNG factor, a lack of RES shred, and an unusually long downtime. However, her range, control, and strong multi-target DPS still give her a ton of potential. S3 is likely to be her "meta" skill when she appears in high end gameplay due to its extremely high DPS, but S2 will often be the better "every-day" skill due to its much shorter cycle. S1 may be appealing, too, since it is her most consistent control skill, though I am unsure if it will garner a grade. Regardless of how you intend to use her, S3 should be your highest priority target. It has some of the most extreme gains over Mastery of any skill in the game; Mastery will be essential to using it at all.

Hello fellow Doctors,
It's time for the sub's unscheduled sanity check.
This time we'll go over some rule changes as well as open up applications for new moderators.

Rule adjustments and additions

You can read the full rules here.
We are adding some bits to some of our existing rules to keep up with recent technological developments.

Rule 2: No mundane content.

We're adding AI generated texts/chats screenshots to rule 2.

Rule 4: Only one non-OC (original content) art post every 2 weeks.

First with the smaller change: we're adding Koikatsu and other such software (CM3D, Honey Select, etc.) to the non-OC section along with all the restrictions that apply.
Now to address the elephant in the room: AI generated and AI assisted art. We're adding the following requirements:

• All AI art (both AI-assisted and full-on AI) is subject to the 2 week rule, OC or not. As such, the flair assigned to these posts should be non-OC fanart.
  
• You're required to clearly state in the title that AI tools were used. If we suspect anything, we will ask for proof. If you're unable to provide it, we'll take appropriate measures for the case in question.
  
• We reserve the right to remove any piece where the character doesn't resemble who they're supposed to be.
  

The reason for the AI change is that the tech is rapidly getting better, to the point that we've already had several AI pieces on the front page without a single report. Most people are already unable to distinguish AI art without glaring mistakes.
By taking this approach we hope to control the flood of AI art while allowing the average user to know what kind of art they're supporting.

Rule 5: Use the Megathreads.

With IS3 coming up and Reddit not giving us a third pin, we've opted to forgo a permanent IS3 thread and we'll instead redirect you to the Help Center (composition questions, ending help, etc.) or Lounge (bragging about successful clears, weird composition ideas, funny interactions, etc.).
We're still going to allow videos of clears/guides as their own threads.

Moderator applications

Moderators are expected to enforce the subreddit's rules at minimum. Other tasks they may collaborate with will most likely include creation and maintenance of event threads; managing the stickied posts on the subreddit as needed; periodically updating links, automoderator config, user flairs, etc. Don't worry if you are not familiar with any of this, it's easy to learn. Where there's a will, there's a way!
Accounts created after this form is posted will not be considered when processing applications.
Applications close on March 24, 2023.

Submit your application HERE