FEST OF BRILLIANCE: SPECIAL HEADHUNTING RERUN

The Fest of Brilliance Special Headhunting banner goes live on May 14, 2026 at 12:00 server time, dropping in alongside the Wuling Test Area expansion and the Thunder of Renewal banner’s final week. Four launch-window meta operators — Laevatain, Gilberta, Ardelia, and Pogranichnik — return to the pool on a dedicated rerun banner with its own independent pity track. For Administrators who started after Phase 1, this is the catch-up window the system was designed around. For day-one veterans, the math is much narrower.

TL;DR - Key Points

• Banner type — Special Headhunting (rerun), separate from Chartered Thunder of Renewal pity
• Featured 6★ pool — Laevatain, Gilberta, Ardelia, Pogranichnik (rate-up split 25% each among the four)
• Independent pity counter — Does not consume or carry Zhuang Fangyi pity; Fangyi pity still rolls forward to 1.3
• Selector at 120 pulls — Spark guarantees a copy of any featured unit
• Dupe token at 240 pulls — Second featured copy for potential investment
• Live alongside — Thunder of Renewal final week, Wuling Test Area, Curious Use of Xiranite, Wuling Super Chef
• Audience fit — Strong value for new/returning players; veterans should skip unless chasing P1+ on a specific unit
• Designation Selector — Hold the free 6★ selector until rerun pulls resolve to fill the gap

Related read: Arknights Endfield 1.2 Part 2: Full Breakdown goes deeper on fest of brilliance.

Banner Mechanics: How the Rerun Pity Works

The Fest of Brilliance banner uses the Reconvener system introduced in Version 1.2, which gives reruns a dedicated pity track that operates completely independently of any Chartered Headhunting in progress. Pulls on Thunder of Renewal do not move the Fest of Brilliance counter, and vice versa.

The featured rate-up is split evenly across the four operators. When a 6★ rolls on the featured rate, each of Laevatain, Gilberta, Ardelia, and Pogranichnik has a 25% chance to drop — there is no single highlighted unit. The 120-pull spark grants a Designation Selector that lets you pick whichever featured operator you still need. Reaching 240 pulls grants a second selector token, which is the practical ceiling for P0 → P1 investment on a single Reconvener target.

Critically, the Zhuang Fangyi pity from Thunder of Renewal does NOT transfer to Fest of Brilliance. It does, however, carry forward to Version 1.3, so if you are sitting on accumulated Fangyi pity and considering pivoting, the carryover protects future Chartered pulls — not this rerun.

See also: Version 1.2: Wake of Spring Area Update for more on version 1.2.

Featured Operators: Strategic Priority Order

All four operators were meta-defining at 1.0 launch and remain in S/SS tier conversations five months in. Priority order depends on your current roster gaps, not on raw power — every unit here is worth pulling for the right account.

Laevatain (6★ Heat Striker)

The launch-window Heat carry whose AoE Heat generation defines every fire-element comp in the game. Pair her with Akekuri or Wulfgard for Melting Flame chains, or Ardelia for sustain through prolonged Heat windows. If you do not own a 6★ Heat DPS, she is the top pull on this banner.

Gilberta (6★ Nature Support)

A Nature-coded support whose Corrosion application enables the Tangtang/Rossi dual-DPS comps that dominated April 2026. Gilberta also slots into Yvonne Cryo teams as a Solidification enabler when paired with Xaihi. Universal utility, low pity pressure — pull her if Nature is missing from your roster.

Ardelia (6★ Healer / Lynx Set Carrier)

Ardelia’s healing echo and Lynx Set treatment scaling made her the centerpiece of the Tidal Grief Stage 3 solo cheese strategy and a permanent fixture in Walking Chrysopolis Agony comps. She also scales with self-heal frequency, meaning Lynx Set treatment math turns her sustain into a wall. Skip only if you already own a dedicated sustain unit.

Pogranichnik (6★ Physical SP Battery)

The 35/40 SP recursion engine behind every sustainless Physical rotation — Endministrator, Lifeng, Chen Qianyu all run hotter with Pogranichnik feeding the shared SP pool. If you are building toward Physical mono or the God Squad roster, Pogranichnik is the highest single-target ceiling raiser on the banner. He also pairs natively with Thermite Cutter for the +28% team ATK Thermal Release loop. See our sustainless Physical meta brief for the rotation Pog anchors.

Pull Priority by Roster Profile

The veteran “scam” label that circulated during 1.1 reruns applies here too — if you own all four units at P0, this banner exists to fund someone else’s catch-up, not yours. The 30 free pulls coming in Version 1.3 are more valuable than rerolling for marginal dupes.

Designation Selector Timing

Most active accounts have a free 6★ Designation Selector waiting in their mailbox from completed missions. The correct play is to resolve Fest of Brilliance pulls FIRST, then use the selector to plug whichever featured unit you missed. Selector priority cascade after rerun resolution:

1. Pogranichnik — if not owned, highest impact single grab
2. Last Rite — not on this banner, but top pick for Cryo teams
3. Lifeng — Physical amp specialist, pairs with Pogranichnik
4. Ember — Stagger engine, off-field utility
5. Ardelia dupe — only if base copy already owned and Lynx Set built

Selecting before pulling wastes the slot if RNG hands you the unit you would have selected. Pull first, select second.

Banner Window and Concurrent Content

Fest of Brilliance is live from May 14, 2026 through the Version 1.2 conclusion. It overlaps with:

• Thunder of Renewal final week — Zhuang Fangyi Chartered closes shortly after Fest opens
• Wuling Test Area — new exploration zone with Tianshi Pillar lore drops
• Curious Use of Xiranite — Test Area guide event, Oroberyl rewards
• Supply: Wuling Super Chef — 7 staggered supply tasks, daily 04:00 unlock cadence
• Umbral Monument: Turbidity Manifest — ongoing Stage 1-6 rotation through May 22

The Oroberyl income from Curious Use and Wuling Super Chef contributes directly to Fest of Brilliance pull funding. Clear both event tracks before evaluating spark feasibility.

F2P Spark Feasibility

The 120-pull spark requires approximately 6,000 Oroberyls assuming standard 8-Oroberyl-per-pull pricing and no Hetonite stockpile. Active F2P accounts entering May 14 should expect:

• ~30 free pulls from version mailbox, sign-in, and event clears across Phase 2
• Battle Pass / Protocol Pass — ~10-15 additional pulls per cycle
• Daily Oroberyl income — supply caches, weekly Oroberyl missions, friend list maintenance

A new player starting on May 14 with no reserves cannot realistically hit spark before banner close. Returning players with 1.1 reserves should reach 120 pulls comfortably. The Designation Selector remains the safety net if pity falls short.

What This Banner Is NOT

A few corrections to community misconceptions worth flagging:

• Not a 50/50 banner — there is no off-rate steal mechanic on featured rates; the 25% split is straight-up among the four
• Not Limited — all four operators remain in the standard pool after the rerun closes
• Not weapon-paired — the Fest of Brilliance Weapons selection runs as a separate Arsenal banner with its own pity, NOT bundled with the operator pulls
• Not transferable pity — Reconvener pity does not carry forward to future reruns; finish what you start

Bottom Line

If you missed Phase 1 or only own 1-2 of the featured four, this banner is the cheapest path to a complete 1.0 launch roster — one pity track buys four shots at the strongest units the game has shipped. Veterans with full rosters should pocket their pulls for Version 1.3, where the Mi Fu prototype and the rumored 13th Feranmut Proxy expansion will demand fresh reserves. Pull first, select second, and let the independent pity track do what it was designed to do: catch up the people who need catching up.