Fortress Defender
< Defender
| Defender branches | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Protector | Guardian | Juggernaut | Arts Protector |
| Duelist | Fortress | Sentinel Protector | – |
| “ | When not blocking enemies, prioritizes dealing ranged AoE Physical damage. | ” |
| —Trait description |
Fortress Defender is a branch of the Defender class in Arknights.
Fortress Defenders are unique in which they have a ranged attack dealing splash damage over a radius of 1 tile centered on the target with a range of 2×3 tiles ahead of a minimum range of the 2×2 tiles ahead of them with a 1-tile extension up front at Elite 2 that is used when not blocking enemies, and this attack can only target ground enemies (which is not stated in-game); otherwise the Fortress Defender uses a single-target melee attack. They also have higher ATK than other Defenders but with lower DEF, slow attack interval – the slowest of all Defenders, and a high DP cost that is somewhere between Duelist and Protector Defenders.
Operators
| 6★ |  | |
|---|---|---|
| 5★ |   | |
Operator Modules
| Module | Information |
|---|---|
 FOR-X
|
New trait: Increases ATK to 110% when attacking blocked enemies |
Strategies
- Fortress Defenders are best treated as a ground-placed Artilleryman, and unusually for a Defender, should be placed behind the frontlines, as they are less well-suited to blocking enemies compared to other Defenders; their Skills and Talents are often more focused on outputting damage instead of tanking which means they are less tanky than normal Defenders, and they can only use their melee attack when blocked instead of the stronger ranged splash attacks.
- Similar to Besiegers, Fortress Defenders' abnormal long range is both a strength and weakness: On one hand, they can bombard from a farther, safer distance, which is very helpful against enemies that become dangerous when damaged/defeated upclose like Infused Originium Slugs, Pocket Sea Crawlers, etc. As for the other, Fortress Defenders have a minimum range that is even larger than that of Besiegers (2 tiles in front of them instead of 1 tile) and needs another melee Operator to cover their blind spot.