In Arknights, Ch’en can be a crucial Operator in any team due to her unique skills and talents, however, she has some weaknesses.
Overview
Arknights is a popular tower defence, free-to-play mobile game. It is set in the dystopian, post-apocalyptic future setting of the fictional planet Terra. People of Terra show kemonomimi features and have animal characteristics or mythological races.
Some in-game natural disasters have left behind a valuable mineral called Originium, which enables the use of a magic called Arts. It also infects people with the evolving disease, Oripathy. Due to the 100 percent mortality rate and the high infectivity at the time of death, the unfriendliness towards the infected became widespread. This led to an expulsion by governments worldwide and a mass quarantine. Subsequently, tension arose between the non-infected and infected.
Players are allowed to take on the role of the amnesiac Doctor, and they are in command of a team of Operators on Rhodes Island. It is a medical, pharmaceutical and self-defence organisation. As the disease spreads, the team must search for a cure while defending themselves against threats such as the Reunion Movement.
Arknights features over 200 operators that players can obtain. It can thus be very confusing to know which character is worth having. The characters are divided into eight different classes: Specialists, Snipers, Supporters, Defenders, Medics, Casters, Vanguard and Guards.
It is also important that players are aware that each class features multiple sub-classes. Each sub-class has its own unique abilities and skills. The Operators in the classes are ranked by stars; the one-star units are very easy to obtain and the most common, while the six-star units are the best and the most sought-after.
Ch’en
One of the six-star units that players can obtain in Arknights is Ch’en. She is the chief of the Special Inspection Unit of the Lungmen Guard Department. During her time with the unit, Ch’en was recognized for her efforts to combat criminal activity and organized crime. Now, on loan to Rhodes Island as part of a special cooperation agreement, she offers command and tactical support.
Ch’en forms part of the Guard class. The class has high Health Points (HP) and attacks (ATK), which gives them high damage-per-second (DPS) output. Guards often have good synergy with other classes, especially Defenders.
The only weakness that most Guards have is that they have no base resurrection. This makes them very vulnerable to Arts Guards and enemy Casters. As a Guard, Ch’en takes on a melee damage-dealing role. However, she falls into the Fencer subclass.
This means that Ch’en is able to deliver two hits in one attack. This effect doubles the damage she deals with an average attack. She is also able to block up to two enemies. It is important to note that all Fencer Guards’ skills have offensive skill point (SP) recovery. Even though their attacks hit twice, it is still considered as one attack. Fencer Guards thus gain only one SP in each attack.
Ch’en’s abilities
The following table indicates Ch’en base skills, talents, skills and a short description of each:
| Ability name | Description of ability |
| Talent: Scolding | Players will be able to use the talent once they unlock Upgrade 1. It restores one skill point once attacking, or when attacked every four seconds when deployed. |
| Talent: Blade Art | This talent will be unlocked with Upgrade 2. It increases attack and defence by five percent. While physical dodge is increased by 10 percent. |
| Skill: Sheathed Strike | Ch’en will strike the enemy using the sheath, dealing 200 percent attack and physical damage. The skill also stuns the enemy for a second. |
| Skill: Chi Xiao – Unsheath | The skill deals 330 percent attack physical damage and 330 percent of Arts damage to four enemies. |
| Skill: Chi Xiao – Shadowless | Ch’en seeks the closest enemy and launches 10 slashes in a row. Each slash deals 200 percent attack, physical damage. It also stuns the target on the last hit for two seconds. |
| Base skill: Integrity and Capability | When Ch’en is assigned to the Control Center, each Operator from Lungmen Guard Department increases the Morale of all Operators in the center by 0.5 per hour. |
| Base skill: Polce Superintendent | If Ch’en is assigned to the Reception Room, Clue search speed increases by 25 percent. |
Ch’en overview
Ch’en’s Scolding talent is possibly her most potent ability. It causes all friendly units with skills of “Getting HP” or “Attacking Enemy” skill point (SP) charge type to gain a SP every five seconds. This can either be used solo or stacked with other SP-gain abilities to allow more frequent skill use.
Together with her trait that allows her to deal damage twice, what makes her so special is the effectiveness and variety of her skills. Ch’en’s role in combat changes depending on the skill she uses, and she is pretty good at all of them.
Che’n’s greatest weakness is that she is only able to charge her skills while she is attacking. Even though her talent softens the blow, it is frustrating for players to wait for her skills to charge. Despite the weakness, her skills and swordplay can completely control the battlefield.