ZHUANG FANGYI: ROTATIONS, TEAMS & GEAR ANALYSIS | ENDFIELD BLOG

Zhuang Fangyi has established herself as one of the most mechanically complex and rewarding DPS operators in Arknights: Endfield. Her Electric-based Sunderblade kit demands precise timing, resource management, and team composition knowledge to reach peak performance.

This guide provides a complete breakdown of her rotations, team synergies, gear optimization, and the significant DPS gains from her Potentials.

TL;DR - Key Points

• Sunderblade stacking is critical — First rotation focuses on building to 9 Sunderblades before entering the Ultimate loop; subsequent rotations maintain efficiency through field presence
• Perlica is mandatory — Provides free electrification and initial Electric Infliction; pair with Qingbo set to match Fangyi’s 17s cooldown
• Xiranflow set is non-negotiable — Only viable gear option; Lynx Slab offpiece for raw DPS or EX UGE% kit for quality-of-life
• Lone Barge dominates — Signature weapon delivers ~28% more DPS over Battle Pass option; Flickers in the Mist B0 is the budget alternative
• Potentials are exceptionally strong — Up to 60% DPS increase with significant quality-of-life improvements across all levels
• SP management dictates rotation depth — 3-5 Base Strikes per Ultimate depending on SP setup and team composition

Related read: Tangtang: Cryo Caster Breakdown goes deeper on tangtang.

Rotation Strategy

The First Rotation (Setup)

The opening rotation prioritizes stacking Sunderblades from zero to 9 while generating Ultimate energy. This setup phase requires careful timing and patience.

The Process: Apply Electric Infliction using Perlica and execute your combo sequences. The goal is to establish Sunderblade presence on the field before committing to the Ultimate phase.

The Timing: Be extremely careful not to perform Final Strikes before the 17-second combo cooldown resets. Unless you are hitting perfect dodge timestops, you need to stall for a few seconds or throw in an extra Base Strike string to avoid desyncing the rotation.

The Ultimate Phase

Once you enter the Ultimate phase, the loop becomes straightforward: Base Strike —> Final Strike —> Combo Strike.

Animation Canceling: You must cancel the Base Strike animation — it is far too long otherwise. This is essential for maintaining DPS throughput.

SP Management: You need to save 150-200 SP to sustain your second rotation onwards. This is the single most important resource consideration for multi-rotation encounters.

Rotation Depth by SP Setup:

Second Rotation Onwards

Once your Sunderblades are already on the field, efficiency skyrockets.

The Loop: You only need 1 Combo Strike and 4 Base Strikes with Zhuang Fangyi to maintain your energy. Reduce to 3 Base Strikes if running a UGE% kit.

Optimization: You can stop using Base Strikes with Perlica at this point. You maintain your blades through Ultimate rotations and occasional electrifications, significantly simplifying execution.

See also: Xaihi Build Guide: Best Weapons, Teams & Skills for more on build guide.

Teambuilding & Synergies

Perlica (Mandatory)

Perlica provides free electrification and the initial Electric Infliction to get the first rotation moving. She is not optional for optimal performance.

• Weapon: Wild Wanderer
• Set: Qingbo (crucial for matching Zhuang Fangyi’s 17s cooldown)
• Placement: Always place her after Zhuang Fangyi for proper combo priority

Arclight

An incredible SP generator. Use her Combo Strike as soon as it becomes available. Her M1 is a massive boost for SP sustain.

• Weapon: TC / Obj: EoL
• Set: Frontiers

Akekuri

Makes rotations extra smooth and enables the 5 Base Strike Ultimate chain.

Note: Her Link does not activate the EX set. Calculations show her numbers are approximately 1% lower than Alesh’s, but she remains top-tier for rotation fluidity. Stack maximum UGE% gear on her.

Alesh

Provides stronger buffs than Akekuri, but they are randomized and he cannot hold the EX set. The higher theoretical ceiling comes with consistency tradeoffs.

Antal

Provides massive Amplification and Susceptibility. He is the best option for nuking bosses but falls behind in very long fights due to his 100 SP / 60s cost.

• Weapon: Detonation Unit (DU) for extra Electro Infliction

Gilberta

Underperforms in this specific team composition. Her debuff duration is too short for the length of Zhuang Fangyi’s rotation, usually affecting only one skill. Use her primarily as a Stanza holder if needed.

Avywenna

Can function as a dual DPS but is clunky because she must take the field to retrieve her lances, interrupting Fangyi’s rotation flow.

Gear & Weapons

The Xiranflow Set

This is the only real option for Zhuang Fangyi. No alternative set comes close in performance.

Optimal Offpiece: Lynx Slab for raw DPS output.

QoL Offpiece: An EX UGE% kit represents a slight DPS loss but makes rotations significantly smoother, enabling a 3 Base Strike setup that reduces execution complexity.

The “Meme” Build: Running full EX UGE% to Ultimate every 15 seconds using only 2 Base Strikes sounds appealing but deals roughly 50% less damage (67% of total DPS) compared to the standard build. Avoid this unless you specifically want the rapid Ultimate cycle for content that rewards it.

Weapon Rankings

Lone Barge is the clear winner, offering the highest damage output by a significant margin. Flickers in the Mist B0 is the best Battle Pass / low-spend choice. Oblivion and Monaihe remain respectable alternatives at 12% and 20% behind the signature respectively.

Final Calculations

Zhuang Fangyi’s Potentials are among the strongest available in Endfield, offering up to a 60% DPS increase alongside significant quality-of-life upgrades at each level.

The damage calculations use the standard formula: Total Damage = Base x Multipliers. Frame data and simulation results account for rotation execution, SP management, and team composition variables.

Key takeaways:

• Each Potential level delivers meaningful DPS gains, not marginal increases
• Quality-of-life improvements compound with raw damage to increase effective throughput
• Team composition can shift absolute numbers but not relative rankings

For the complete spreadsheet with detailed frame data and simulation parameters, refer to the supplementary materials linked in the original video breakdown.

This guide is based on community-sourced calculations and testing. If you spot any errors in the frame data or have suggestions for team tweaks, the Endfield Hub community welcomes your contributions.

Endfield Hub is a fan-made resource for Arknights: Endfield. Not affiliated with Hypergryph or Yostar. Arknights, Endfield, and all related content are trademarks of Hypergryph/Yostar.