Guide: Integrated Strategies

Integrated Strategies

Themes

Guide

Trivia

A comprehensive guide for Integrated Strategies, which is relevant for Phantom & Crimson Solitaire onwards and based from the Guide subpage of CS first written by Feonixe.

Terminologies used for this guide:

• IS: Integrated Strategies
• CS: Phantom & Crimson Solitaire
• CA: Mizuki & Caerula Arbor
• EJ: Expeditioner's Joklumarkar
• {x}F: x floor
• XP2: Expansion II

Starting out

Remember that:

• 6★ Operators cost 6 to recruit and 3 to promote.
• 5★ Operators cost 3 to recruit and 2 to promote.
• 4★ Operators cost 2 to recruit and 1 to promote.
• 3★ and Operators are free to recruit but cannot be promoted.

This can, however, change based on the difficulty level the player starts the run at in CA.

The player will start a run with 6 but has the potential to acquire more either from the Operation Reward or choosing Support Squad. One also has the potential to lose 1 if they choose to exchange it for a Collectible.

Potential starting teams

• Assuming the player has 6 when starting a run, the player can choose:
  • Three 3★ or lower
  • Three 4★
  • One 6★, two 3★
  • (As Your Heart Desires) One 6★, Temp. Rec. 4★, and 3★
• If the player uses Support Squad or gains +2 as the Operation Reward (8 ):
  • One 5★, two 4★
  • Two 5★, one 4★
  • One 6★, 4★, and one 3★ or lower
  • (As Your Heart Desires) Two 5★, one Temp. Rec. 4★
• If the player both uses Support Squad and gains +2 as the Operation Reward (10 ):
  • One 6★, two 4★
  • One 6★, one 5★, one 3★ or lower
  • (As Your Heart Desires) One 6★, 5★, and Temp. Rec. 4★

The Hope costs for the operators can change depending on whether or not the player chooses to run one of the Tactical Operative Squads in CA.

The player may also choose to borrow others' Support Units, but it must be done during their initial recruitment; Support Units can no longer be recruited afterwards!

Squads

• Support Squad can be useful for picking more high-rarity Operators into the starting lineup, and the starting +20 may allow more purchases in the Rogue Trader at the end of 1F.
• The Tactical Squads are very helpful as it saves the trouble of promoting Operators of certain classes and allows them to perform at peak efficiency upon being recruited.
  • From CA, Tac. Squads remain useful despite being nerfed to only immediately promote random Operators of the respective class since it now also reduces the Hope needed to recruit and promote them.

• With the "Rationality and Estimation" Cognitive Shaping node unlocked, Resourceful Squad will raise the odds of the player getting better results from their die rolls.
  • Even without upgrades, Resource Squad can still be useful by giving an additional die roll (two additional die rolls once the "Practice" Cognitive Shaping node is unlocked) when entering a new floor and (although not stated in-game) allows the player have one additional Collectible to choose from on Wish Fulfilled!
  • (XP2) The "For Survival" Cognitive Shaping node gives a massive 15 die rolls during operations once unlocked, which synergizes very well with its base effect.
• People-Oriented Squad slightly reduces the Hope needed to recruit Operators, which is a great bonus.
  • With the "Common Sense" Cognitive Shaping node unlocked, People-Oriented Squad also reduces the Hope needed to promote Operators; 4★ will become free to promote with this, so prioritize unlocking said node to get the most out of People-Oriented Squad!
  • With the "Habit" Cognitive Shaping node unlocked, People-Oriented Squad also allows the player to use a Safe House twice, essentially doubling the rewards!
  • (XP2) Unlocking the "All For One" Cognitive Shaping node allows the player to reach Command Level 11, so try to enter as many operations as possible to reap its benefit!

• Special Training Squad gives 3 Objective Shields at the start and eliminates the need to spend Hope to promote Operators, which is an incredible boon as while similar to CA's People-Oriented Squad in principle, it makes the common problem where one gets a Rec. Voucher of a needed class but lacks the Hope needed to promote them, known as a "Voucher-Hope desync", no longer an issue at all!
  • Special Training Squad also, at least on paper, allows the player to recruit more Operators on average than other Squads due to Hope being saved up.
• With Scientific Thinking Squad, the player's Anti-Interference Index will increase by 2 when entering a new floor (outside of the secret floor from Bosky Passages) at the expense of starting the run with zero Index. While the bonus sounds simple, it is very effective due to the many uses of Indexes such as taking vertical branches which gives experienced players more opportunities to turn the situation in their favor by taking on more (Emergency) Operations and events, and entering Bosky Passages (which is highly recommended as it not only helps the player's development, but also boosts the final score).
  • The Scarred Amber is a perfect complement to the Scientific Thinking Squad since having the Index went past the normal cap of 6 can be easily achieved, giving the player the most opportunity to make the most out of the Amber.
  • Scientific Thinking Squad also works particularly well with Migrate when its Accord effect is triggered. Paired with Scarred Amber, this can snowball the run in great heights and it isn't uncommon to see the Index at 20 or more should this occurs!
  • Having no Index right off the bat can be unpleasant for beginners, but not much so for experienced players as there are some strategies where the initial three Operators will always be using the same setup no matter what (Emergency) Operations one ended up getting in 1F.
  • Do watch out for situations where there are not much vertical paths to take or the vertical paths are not that useful, making Scientific Thinking Squad less effective and it its major drawback.
• With Eternal Hunting Squad, clearing an operation without losing Life Points (not Objective Shields) lowers Collapse by 2, but if one do lose LPs during the operation, the Collapse will rise by 1 after it is cleared instead (which does stack with the penalty at higher Braving Nature levels)! In addition, Eternal Hunting Squad also increases the LP cap by 2.
  • Eternal Hunting Squad is very backloaded in that its true strength does not fully kick in until later on in the run, especially in higher Braving Nature levels where the Collapse rises upon entering a new floor, making it a mostly unavoidable part one must be accustomed to; this Squad changes that that dynamic.
  • Eternal Hunting Squad is actually fairly strong in higher Braving Nature levels due to how nightmarish some runs can get with even a tiny bit of Collapse that snowballs negatively, forcing one to make do with debilitating Collapsal Paradigms such as Barometric Anomaly/Disorder (slows DP generation rate), Injury/Crisis Trigger (friendly units lose HP when deployed), and Substantial/Propagating Collapse (Dominions appear on the map, which debuffs ASPD more when deepened); Eternal Hunting Squad makes such occurrences far less common.
  • It is worth noting that clearing operations perfectly also becomes easier in the later half of the run where one is more likely to have more Objective Shields, making it very easy to go on with the Collapse-lowering streak; in fact, it is not uncommon for Eternal Hunting Squad, even on Braving Nature +15 runs, to reach the final Dreadful Foe with zero Collapse!
  • Eternal Hunting Squad's weak point is the random factors not tied to Collapse/Collapsal Paradigms, which can be significant in some runs as sometimes one may be left at the mercy of Rec. Voucher drops, Rogue Trader wares, and more.

Operation Rewards

• +2 can allow the player to pick more high-rarity Operators into the starting lineup, especially if used in conjunction with Support Squad.
• The Hot Water Kettle can be helpful, giving +1 and 2 Life Points; in fact, some Monthly Contracts will require the player to start a run with it a set amount times.
• +5 may help the player purchase more items at the 1F Rogue Trader.
• +3 can allow the player to leak enemies that they may not be equipped to deal with earlier on, especially as there are no repercussions for leaking enemies in CS.
• (CA only) +3 Objective Shields can be helpful for leaking enemies without reducing Light.
• Exchanging all Originium Ingots for a random Collectible is not recommended unless the player is feeling lucky, as one could have probably used the Ingots to buy multiple items at the Rogue Trader.

General tips

• Because IS is a roguelike game mode, always keep in mind that a run won't often go in the direction the player wants or expects, so there is no need for concern over a few failed runs!
  • Adapt to the randomness and do not stick to one strategy all the time; try out a different approach if the previous one didn't work out.
  • Failure is a delayed success; every failed run can be considered a lesson and experience that can be used to be better familiarized with the different, possible situations.
  • Sometimes the player may start the run in a highly unfavorable situation, especially if one is using the As Your Heart Desires initial Rec. Vouchers which has the possibility to give either a few damage-dealing Operators or none at all. If this happens, simply quit-out and start over.
  • Even if fortune is not on one's side or against them (which happens quite often in CA due to the die mechanic), as long as one still has at least 1 LP, the run is not over; the player will still be able to and is advised to progress, despite the odds not in their favor, so that they may learn and experience the operations. Who knows that one might even end up further than initially thought!
• Try to raise desired Operators to at least Elite 1, max level and with skill level 7, so that they would perform better in this game mode.
• Always plan ahead when spending Hope for Operators to avoid the imbalance of rarities in the squad. Ideally, ensure that there are Hope remaining to get other 4★ or above Operators. Therefore, getting 6★ Operators early on might leave the player with no choice but to pick Operators at lower rarities, which in turn lower the average strength of the squad.
  • It is advised to invest in certain 3★ and 4★ Operators due to their low Hope cost, allowing for leftover Hope to be used for future recruitments or promotions.
  • A good way to save Hope is to spend them only when it's certain that there will be leftovers after the next operation. This can be ensured with the following:
    • If the next operation will not increase the Command Level yet, save at least 2 to 3 Hope when recruiting/promoting Operators.
    • If the next operation will increase the Command Level, spend the current Hope for high-rarity Operators as they will be replenished after the next operation.
    • The above suggestions still apply even if one has stocked a lot of Hope in later floors.
• Maximize the theme-specific enhancements! The enhancements will help one a lot in IS runs and are not to be underestimated.
• Prioritize Operations! Clearing Operations is the only way to obtain additional Rec. Vouchers for recruiting and promoting Operators. Of course this rule is not sacred, as the following should be considered:
  • Try to prioritize Emergency Operations in the first three floors, as they will award a Collectible while not being too difficult.
  • From 4F onwards, one should consider carefully if the risk of losing Life Points is worth the reward from Emergency Operations. Still, it is encouraged for newer players to enter Emergency Operations from 4F as it will help familiarize them with the operation for future runs.
  • Try to avoid Encounters which can force the player into ISW-DU or ISW-SP Operations, unless one is absolutely sure that it can be cleared with as minimal leaks as possible. This also includes looting the Rogue Trader from CA onwards.
• When entering the Rogue Trader for the first time, it is advised for the player to buy items depending on the needs of their current run; if the player is missing some much-needed Operators or needs to fill a certain role in their squad, then it is recommended for them to prioritize Rec. Vouchers over other wares, and only if there are surplus Originium Ingot that they should be bought. Try to prioritize those that gives additional Hope.
  • If the player has Collectibles that are dependent on their carried Originium Ingots (e.g. Chivalric Commandments - New Edition), try to avoid spending at the Rogue Trader or at least don't spend too much on his wares.
  • (CA only) Looting the Rogue Trader, especially early in the run, is not advised because the player will no longer be able to buy anything from him afterwards, but if the player has invested a lot of Ingots in CA, causing one of his wares to be more expensive, looting the Rogue Trader is sometimes a viable solution. Regardless, be sure that the looted items' value and usage are worth the trouble, as the resulting ISW-SP Operation is rather difficult if the player doesn't have strong enough Operators in their squad.
    • However, if the player encounters the Rogue Trader in 5F or 6F, depending on if they have fulfilled the conditions for the third ending, then the player can choose to loot him as it will be the last time the player will encounter the Rogue Trader in that run, and the player is expected to have a strong enough squad at that point.
• Unless the player have a lot of resources or are nearing the end of the run, avoid spending in Downtime Recreations.

Operator evaluation

Recommendations

Operators that are recommended to be the player's core during IS runs.

Operators	Evaluation
	Having a low cost and a block count of 2 means that Fang and Vanilla are very useful across all floors, moreso than Chargers.
	As an Agent Vanguard, Cantabile is very versatile as she can be used for gaining DP, as helidrop, or as a normal Vanguard.
	As everyone's favorite DP-generating Durin, her rarity makes Myrtle relatively cheap to both recruit and deploy, and with enough investment in her skills, she becomes a core part of the squad, allowing for players to be able to more quickly deploy the rest of their squad whenever needed. However, keep in mind that while Myrtle is useful for securing the squad's deployment, her own stats are subpar, and with only 1 block count, deploying her in the frontlines is ill-advised.
	Tactical Delivery increases the initial DP, allowing for marginally-quicker deployments, but where she really shines is her Sword Rain which offers some crowd-control utility and generates DP along with it, taking pressure off other Operators when needed. This is especially helpful for certain enemies with Low-Altitude Hovering which CA has a considerable amount of, allowing for her to be a cheap option for grounding such enemies. Do note, however, that Texas is a squishy Vanguard and will die easily to stronger enemies, and even at Specialization Level 3, Sword Rain has somewhat poor uptime, so plan accordingly.

Operators	Evaluation
	For what they cost, Reaper Guards are good lane holders due to their 1×3 range on top of not having to rely on healing, and do not need to be promoted for full effectiveness. Highmore in particular is able to remove Elemental Damage on herself, which is useful especially in CA because many enemies can either inflict Corrosion Damage or Nervous Impairment.
	Amiya has a unique trait that allows her to be recruited using either Caster or Guard Rec. Vouchers, making her both accessible and versatile. Not to mention that most IS enemies have low RES, allowing both versions of Amiya to perform effectively.
	Although not self-sustaining, Chainsaw Extension Module makes Blaze a good lane holder without the need for promotion regardless, and with Emergency Defibrillator, she can still perform decently well under high-stress situations against strong enemies.
	Though lacking Mountain's self-sustain and needing to be promoted to function at maximum capacity, Chongyue is still viable in early floors due to Whisk's AoE damage and charge-storing mechanic. Once promoted and gaining Anatta, he can serve as an exceptional DPS due to his low attack interval and An End to War, allowing for him to take down even some high-DEF enemies.
	Cutter's skills increase her range and allow her to strike aerial enemies, helping to take the pressure off other Operators and giving players an option to take out aerial enemies if they are missing a Marksman Sniper, making her viable for early floors.
	With a relatively low cost for her DPS, Lappland is able to Silence many tricky enemies such as Infused Originium Slugs. Her Wolf Spirit allows her to temporarily act as an Arts Fighter Guard; her versatility can help a lot when the player is lacking in Operators.
	A solid lane holder with Sweeping Stance's low SP cost, +1 block count, and HP regeneration, but the DEF reduction can make Mountain trickier to use against waves of high-DEF enemies.
	Everyone's favorite uncle and salaryman's Unresolved Sorrow can be used as support DPS for taking out spaced-out threats and its ability to be cancelled early is extremely useful for cycling, especially when paired with its secondary effect of not resetting his trait so long as he manages to defeat an enemy with it. Upon promotion, he will be able to use Unbrilliant Glory, one of the most broken skills which is great for clearing waves or defeating bosses due to its high damage. Keep in mind that being a Liberator Guard, Młynar only attacks when his skill is active and while his Taunt could be helpful in easing pressure off squishy or ranged Operators, he may also be susceptible to either being bursted down by waves of ranged Arts enemies without healing support or being disabled by certain enemies, preventing him from activating his skill, so exercise caution.
	Even when unpromoted, the Radiant Knight can function as a decent support DPS with Flaming Edge when placed either behind a Defender or out of the way of danger as she has below-average DEF, and her Night-Scouring Gleam allows her to perform very well as a helidrop unit, especially with the Shields in tandem with its ability to ignore the Unit Limit. Upon promotion, she becomes an even more potent DPS Operation with her Blazing Sun's Obeisance allowing her to both deal True damage and ignore a portion of the enemy's DEF, allowing for some of her attacks to bypass dodge when the enemy is blocked by herself or the Blazing Sun, but her long redeployment time with Night-Scouring Gleam and her 1 block count when waiting for her Blazing Sun Obeisance skill to be up again will work to her detriment. In CS, the Hand of Shredder will bolster the Radiant Knight's damage output further.
	SilverAsh is good even when not promoted due to his Rules of Survival making him a good tank. Once promoted, his Truesilver Slash can inflict massive burst damage despite the long cooldown, making him good at clearing waves or defeating bosses. Additionally, his Eagle Eye can be useful to reveal invisible enemies especially in certain Emergency Operations.
	Use Laevatain or Molten Giant for a consistent Arts support DPS and Twilight for tougher enemies. Keep in mind that Twilight's HP penalty and Remnant Ash forces Surtr to be used as a helidrop unit when she has Twilight equipped.
	As always, Thorns is useful for lane holding but can only get to this point after promotion and will underperform otherwise. While his Destreza has no AoE capability at all, he more than makes up for it by it bolstering his single-target DPS further on top of being permanent from the second use.

Operators	Evaluation
	For earlier floors, Gummy and Spot should be the go-to Guardian Defenders, with the former remaining useful in later floors and against Dreadful Foes. Gummy should use Provisions.
	Juggernaut Defenders bring a very high DEF and self-sustain to play. Mudrock is a solid lane holder who can sustain herself very well with Ward of the Fertile Soil and Crag Splitter. Meanwhile, Penance's Barrier and Stoic Atonement are also good for dealing with hordes of enemies, allowing her to even deal decent damage against high-DEF targets. Penance's Trial of Thorns, however, is situational, and the mileage will vary depending on the operation. Keep in mind that Juggernauts have an extremely high DP cost, so it is not recommended to recruit them earlier in the run and a Vanguard is needed to deploy them in a timely manner.
	Cuora can come in handy as a clutch Defender when Operators are being overwhelmed, especially with her ability to block four enemies and regenerate her health with Shell Defense, paired with her high DEF particularly with the PRO-X Operator Module.
	If one's offensive options for the initial squad are lacking, Dur-nar can take out enemies with her skills, but her high attack interval may cause potential leaks in early floors and her higher DP cost and lower DEF might cause issues at later floors.
	As a Fortress Defender, Horn is very versatile as she can both tank and deal damage at the same time. Flare Grenade can be used to reveal invisible enemies from afar (but has to attack a visible enemy in order to activate it) and simultaneously dealing high damage. With Tempest Command, she can function as a strong pseudo-Centurion Guard when the enemy is within melee range and can unload all her ammo at once for a significant burst of damage within her ranged attack's area. When promoted, she gains access to Ultimate Line of Defense, which allows her to bombard enemies from afar, dealing extremely high burst damage so long as the target remains within her range. However, her high DP cost means that Vanguards are required to deploy her earlier and her high attack interval may be difficult to manage when she is blocking an enemy without Tempest Command.
	Liskarm's 2-tile range helps her to take out more enemies with Counter Arc, and her Tactical Defense also allows her to help charge allies' skills.
	Saria is well worth her Hope cost and should be promoted once recruited. Promoting her will boost her healing output and enable her to use Calcification, which can slow bosses down significantly and increase the damage output of Arts DPS Operators.

Many aerial enemies are featured in IS, making at least one Marksman Sniper almost compulsory.

Operators	Evaluation
	Even when not promoted, Blue Poison and Jessica can reliably fill the role of a Marksman Sniper.
	Ambriel can attack enemies across the map using Radar Sweep, allowing her to pick off targets that are unreachable by other Operators. She is also able to perform well without the need for promotion, though the extra stats and damage from her module may be beneficial.
	Archetto can attack multiple targets with her skills, and her Landen Tactics can help support other Snipers with offensive recovery skills. However, promoting her is required to draw out her full potential and enable her to increase her attack range with Thundering Arrows. She can be a disadvantageous pick when Hope is a limiting resource.
	One of the most broken skills, "Holiday Storm" is the Holungday's bread and butter. If not available, "Night of Violet" also works well. When carefully positioned, Ch'en the Holungday can clear most Operations solo, aside from final Dreadful Foes. Her only weakness is her high initial DP cost and "Holiday Storm"'s relatively long cooldown, so she should be supported by other Operators covering the field during her downtime.
	Exusiai can output good DPS even when not promoted.
	Ko-ko-da-yo~ at its best! Her low cost and surprisingly good DPS on top of her accessibility means that Kroos will remain useful in virtually every floor.
	Unlike other Snipers, May brings a set of incredibly powerful crowd-control abilities to the table. Her Binding Shock makes quick work of any bonus enemy that may spawn during the first two floors. Later on, her Paralyzing Shell scales really well with ASPD, providing an (almost) infinite Slow to anything she decides to shoot at.
	Pozëmka's skills and Typewriter allow her to inflict massive DPS when given the opportunity, especially if both are placed so their ranges would overlap, and can deal with the bosses in record time. It is recommended to unlock Pozëmka's ARC-Y Operator Module, since this allows her (but not her Typewriter, unfortunately) to bypass Physical dodge!
	With Pegasian Sight, Platinum can inflict heavy damage on enemies from long distance due to her increased ATK and attack range, and she does not need to be promoted for full effectiveness. However, she needs some time to charge the skill up, and her lack of AoE/multi-target capability means that she needs to be supported when there are multiple enemies.
	Armor Penetration Arrow and Final Tactics allow Schwarz to inflict heavy damage against the bosses, and Crossfire also buffs the ATK of other Snipers. However, Final Tactics narrow Schwarz's range to a linear tile, so she can be tricky to use.

Operators	Evaluation
	Mech-Accord Casters output good damage for their rarity and cost, and is worth taking along as consistent, focused Arts DPS sources if the player does not have strong Core Casters.
	Dusk is the best pick for her branch. Flowing Ink allows for wide-area control, and Image Over Form can provide Freelings to block waves of enemies. However, her high cost in both Hope and DP hinders her effective use.
	Ebenholz' skills and talents focus on taking out Elite enemies. Desolate Echoes will spawn Old Day Remnants on any empty tile, which can help slow or shift enemies when insufficient melee Operators have been recruited. Do be mindful, however, that they may also detonate on unintended targets and if Ebenholz has insufficient charges, he may not summon enough of them in time to deal with oncoming waves. When sufficiently buffed, his Sound of Silence works great as an anti-boss skill when there is sufficient downtime for him to store his charges.
	Ignition's consistent Arts DPS allows Eyjafjalla to clear the first two floors without support, while Volcano, as always, is useful for melting down strong enemies especially bosses. Volcano's long cooldown, however, means that Eyjafjalla will be less effective on later floors and Dreadful Foes.
	Has good DPS potential especially with Surging Current and especially Crystalline Shine which allows her to attack enemies across the map and will remain active even if Goldenglow herself is disabled. She requires tactical placement and can potentially clear operations by herself if she has high enough ASPD.
	Indigo is able to Bind enemies at times with her Gentle Binding Gaze, which can help slow down bonus enemies as well as unblockable ones. Her low cost helps with recruitment, and she does not need to be promoted for full effectiveness.
	Once dismissed as the weakest 6★, Passenger finally shines in IS thanks to certain Collectibles which benefits Chain Casters including Passenger, notably Hand of Diffusion which gives them 2 SP whenever they damages an enemy. His Glorious Shards can vaporize most enemies that spawn in tightly bunched groups, and Focused Command can also be a solid alternative or if consistent DPS is needed. However, do note that Passenger must use his Operator Module for all this to work!
	Steward is very accessible due to his 0 Hope cost. However, using him requires tactical consideration, as his Armor Break will cause him to focus on enemies with higher DEF and ignore smaller enemies. This can cause trouble if one relies on him to pick off cannon fodders such as Originium Slugs.

Operators	Evaluation
	Low-rarity Decel Binder Supporters are very valuable due to their ability to space out streams of enemies, giving the lane holders a breathing room. Podenco is able to temporarily serve as a Medic using her Aromatherapy, which is useful when Medics are not available.
	Bard Supporters are considered more of a tactical luxury than a must-have branch, but can be useful to buff or provide passive healing to Operators, notably being able to provide healing for Juggernaut Defenders and Musha Guards. The Corrupting Heart is also able to provide a strong buff to other Operators' DPS when promoted; however, the high Hope cost to do so can be a limitation and using her requires tactical planning.
	Gnosis' ability to inflict Cold and Freeze allows him to somewhat serve the role of a Decel Binder Supporter as well as a Core Caster simultaneously. Unlocking his true potential requires the Collectibles which cause enemies to receive Arts damage every second when Stunned, Bound, or Frozen.
	Ling's versatility with her summons can greatly simplify many operations but familiarity with the stage is required to decide which skill to use and where to place her summons. Due to the high DP cost to field both her and her summons, a Standard Bearer Vanguard may be needed to allow her to quickly deploy them. She requires heavy investment to be useful, and one needs to plan her summons within the deployment limit. However, in the hands of an experienced player, she can make clearing IS a breeze.
	Her Mobile Buggy Cams allow her to reveal invisible enemies, and her Panoramic Overload allows her to refill the Buggy Cams on top of buffing them significantly.
	Suzuran synergizes very well with most other Operators by locking in enemy units into their attackable range and is worth promoting despite her cost, giving her access to Foxfire Haze, expanding her range, healing, and debuffing and slowing enemies and bosses alike to make for easier clearing.

Operators	Evaluation
	Their low recruitment cost can help in tight situations, with their comparatively low healing output can be compensated by deploying both or even all three.
	Wandering Medics are very useful due to the abundance of enemies which can inflict Elemental Damages, especially in CA. They should be supported with other Medics as the situation requires.
	Ptilopsis is able to use Enkephalin immediately after recruitment, and is a reliable healer in all situations who can allow for faster skill cycling. Perfumer is a good alternative who provides a global HP regeneration including to units that cannot be healed directly.
	Since certain operations have multiple lanes, Kal'tsit and Mon3tr won't be effective in the long term, but can still be used to either hold one of the lanes or eliminate annoying enemies and deal some damage to bosses with Command: Meltdown. Just remember that Kal'tsit heals herself and Mont3r over other friendlies, so don't use her as the main Medic.
	When unpromoted, Lumen can function well as a pseudo-Medical Drone with In Drizzle, Privation, and In Downpour, Grace, can be a serviceable emergency healing and Negative Status removal when Overcharged. He really shines when promoted, however, gaining access to This Lantern, Undying, providing him a permanent skill that boosts his ATK and ASPD that bolsters his healing significantly, provided he does not expend his ammo in removing Negative Statuses on Operators.
	Some IS operations contain lots of enemies that deal Arts damage. Nightingale's ability to reduce Arts damage taken will significantly reduce the difficulty of these operations and her Mirages can be used to draw aggro away from certain Operators (they can also be kept longer by putting them in the range of a Bard Supporter and/or a Medical Rune).
	The Flame Shadow functions very well as an Arts damage amplifier and dealer as well as healer, with Cinder allowing her a chance to inflict Arts Fragility on enemies she attacks. Even when unpromoted, Wither and Thrive has the potential to deal extremely high damage when split-boxxing an enemy unit in between two Operators. When she is promoted, however, she'll gain access to Ember of Life which, while boasting good wave-clearing potential, relies heavily on its explosion damage, as the ATK modifier of the skill only gives a decent boost to Reed's own damage, so against medium or high-RES enemies, Wither and Thrive is not as effective (not to mention that it might cause technical issues on low-end devices when used against large groups of enemies clumped together).
	Silence is preferred over Warfarin due to her Medical Drone being much more useful in earlier floors compared to Warfarin's Emergency Triage.
	Sussurro's Deep Healing skill is not to be underestimated. Most early floor operations should end before a third use of Deep Healing is required, and she can support other Medics well in later floors.

Operator	Evaluation
	The innocent Zalak's Resonators will prove to be extremely useful, paired with the versatility of her skills. Dangerous Entity Removal has the highest ATK modifier of her three skills and can function as a support skill for melee Operators. Quicksand Generation can be used to stall certain enemies (such as the Basin Sea Reapers in CA) to ease pressure on some melee Operators by delaying an oncoming wave, but the bread and butter of Dorothy's kit is High-Speed Resonating Troubleshooters she gains upon promotion which deal a hefty amount of Arts Damage in a cross-shaped area to enemies that activate them and can detonate other Resonators caught in the explosion, providing potential stacking damage, but it is important to note that Dorothy cannot place Resonators on tiles occupied by either enemies or Operators and is almost a DP-neutral Operator, meaning constant deployment of her Resonators will slow down the DP-generation and leaves the player unable to deploy other Operators as quickly, so either pair her with a Vanguard or ensure that there are sufficient lane-holders before wildly replacing and refreshing Dorothy's Resonators.
	Ethan's ability to inflict Bind is very useful against bosses, especially those in the 3rd floor's Dreadful Foe. His branch trait also allows him to survive longer while on the field, stopping elite enemies from leaving the attack range of deployed DPS Operators.
	As always, Gravel is very useful for stalling/emergency blocking.
	Jaye's low cost and ability to heal allies with Sashimi Platter makes him very useful in earlier floors. However, he should be supported with at least one Vanguard to ensure he can stay on the field.
	Like the original Specter, an unpromoted Specter the Unchained is still very useful as a helidrop unit and potential lane holder when equipped with either The Thirst to Survive or The Skill to Survive. It is recommended to equip her with The Skill to Survive until her promotion, unless if one is entering an operation with a tough enemy where it is needed, as she will be switched with her Subsitute upon it expiring; without her PUM-X Operator Module however, neither the speed reduction nor the Arts damage is sufficient to prevent potential leaks. Upgrading her PUM-X Module all the way to Stage 3 is highly recommended for the Unchained to perform at peak performance since The Thirst to Survive will be her primary skill. Meanwhile, The Pressure to Survive is intended to be used as a skill to deal with bosses with high HP.
	The Lupo that had fulfilled her pact, the Omertosa can not only Silence enemies with Silent Drizzle, but can also act as a helidrop with Unrelenting Downpour and a "stunbomb" with Torrential Sword Rain. The versatility of hers combined with the low DP cost makes her one of the top picks when choosing a Specialist.

Honorable mentions

Operators that are situationally useful.

Operators	Evaluation
	Despite their high DP cost, low-rarity Chain Casters can be useful in early floors due to their jumping attack and decent DPS, especially in operations featuring enemies that move in tight clusters. It is important to mention that due to their high DP cost and damage falling off in later floors, it is recommended to only recruit Chain Casters when they are available as Temporary Recruitment Operators.
	A niche pick for the Tactician Vanguard, while the professional breeder sports worse DP generation than some Vanguards in other branches, she more than makes up for this with her Metal Crab Guard Team that not only function as a viable blocker in earlier floors but also allows for Beanstalk to deal +1.5× damage to enemies being blocked by the Metal Crab. Not only this, but her Everyone Together will spawn up to 4 additional Metal Crabs in the adjacent tiles to the prime one and buffs their DEF, allowing for more temporary blockers for the player to use in early operations. This is especially helpful for operations with early rushes, and given that the Tactician Vanguards are ranged units, this gives the player more options for positioning, allowing for Beanstalk to take out certain enemies such as Infused Originium Slugs without putting herself in too much danger.
	With Collectibles that increase her ASPD or Arts damage, Carnelian could be used to clear waves with Mark of Gluttony or Binding annoying enemies with Sand Fetters. However, do remember her Phalanx Caster branch's flaw of being unable to attack unless the skill is active.
	With Exorcise Evil when unpromoted, Mr. Lee may act as a serviceable damage amplifier support for other Operators, but once promoted, he will gain access to Honored Guests which will give him a high chance to dodge both Physical and Arts attacks from outside his range and hold lane against cannon fodders, but most notably, he will gain access to Preparedness Averts Peril which will consume 5 DP to block an instance of Stun or Freeze and Stuns the source, which can potentially be useful for dealing with Nervous Impairment and the Lost Colossus in CS, and Crying Thief in CA.
	Specter's ability to function as a helidrop assassin can be useful, especially since she does not need to be promoted to access Bone Fracture, but be wary that she will be Stunned immediately after it expires.

Operator	Evaluation
	Strikes of Victory allows Pallas to achieve one of the highest possible DPS against the Big Sad Lock, which scales incredibly well with Collectibles that increase ASPD as well as Spinach Pack/ No. 073 Safety Reagent/ Wrath of Siracusans, but doesn't do much without them. Her heavy reliance on Collectibles and limited range compared to Lord Guards make her fall behind elsewhere.
	Shalem's performance is boosted by his Land of Memories talent, however his skills and branch place him in a rather awkward place, so he can be hard to use. However, deploying him 10 times there is required for the "Theatre Apprentice" medal, so he will need to be brought along at some point if a complete medal set is desired.

Operators	Evaluation
	With their respective third skills (Chi Xiao - Shadowless and Judgment), Ch'en and Irene are extremely effective against both Paranoia Illusion and The Last Knight given that they are unaffected by the former's ASPD debuff and the latter's Cold when hit while unleashing said skill (except Irene's Judgement against The Last Knight, who will be inflicted with Cold on the first shot and be Frozen on the second shot).
	Many enemies in CA has Low-Altitude Hovering, which makes ranged Stun capability valuable. Do note that the Keen Glint's access to Stun relies on her Bullseye, which means that depending solely on her for that is not an excellent choice.