WEAPON RECOMMENDER
Stat-matched weapon recommendations for every character. Find BiS, alternatives, and optimize your builds with our advanced recommendation engine.
About this recommender
The Weapon Recommender scores every weapon in Arknights: Endfield against each character's stat priority list, then ranks them by match score. The result is a tier-sorted list of which weapons best align with that character's stat priorities — useful when you have a banner choice to make, an essence farming decision to lock in, or a build refresh after a balance patch. Coverage spans all 26 current playable characters.
Use this tool to shortlist weapons quickly. The match score is a fast proxy for stat fit, but it does not model active weapon skills — for the full-fight DPS comparison including skill synergy, pair this with the Operator Builds page (which ranks weapons by simulated DPS) and the Damage Calculator (which lets you compare two specific weapons head-to-head). Treat 60%+ as 'excellent', 40–59% as 'solid alternative', and below 40% as 'use only if you have no better option'.
📊 Stat Categories Legend
🎯 What Do Match Scores Mean?
The Match Score % shows how well a weapon's substats align with your character's stat priorities. Higher scores = better weapon choice for that character.
💡 Note: Most weapons have 2 substats. Even BiS weapons typically have 1 priority stat + 1 secondary stat, making 60% the practical maximum.
👤 Select Character
Select a Character
Choose a character from the list to see their best weapon recommendations.
❓ How Match Scores Are Calculated
Each weapon substat is scored based on how well it matches the character's stat priorities:
- +10 points for substat in top 3 priorities (highest priority stats for this character)
- +5 points for substat in priorities 4-6 (secondary stats)
- +2 points for substat not in priority list (off-stat)
- Max score: 100% if ALL substats match top 3 priorities (very rare)
Most weapons have 2 substats. A weapon with 1 top-priority stat + 1 secondary stat scores around 60%, which is considered excellent.
Tier Explanations
- Tier 1 (S-Tier) - Best in slot weapons with top stat alignment. These weapons have substats that perfectly or nearly perfectly match the character's priority stats.
- Tier 2 (A-Tier) - Good alternatives with solid stat matches. May have 1-2 off-stats but still perform well.
- Tier 3 (B-Tier) - Viable options if BiS is unavailable. Usually have more off-stats but can work in a pinch.
Limited vs Standard Pools
- Limited - Weapons that only appear in special event banners. Harder to obtain and may not return soon.
- Standard - Weapons available in permanent pools. Easier to obtain through regular pulls.
Where the stat priority list comes from
Every operator in Arknights: Endfield has an idealised stat priority list — the ordered set of substats that contribute most to that operator's effective damage or utility. We extract those lists from the Operator Builds dataset, which itself is built from community theory-crafting, in-game rotation testing, and DPS simulations run against standardised endgame combat scenarios (boss damage profiles, sustained rotation length, average buff uptime). The priorities reflect endgame play; early-progression characters benefit much less from optimal substats and can run almost any reasonable weapon.
The recommender pulls the priority list for each of the 26 currently playable operators, scores every weapon's two substats against that list, and ranks the results into Tier 1, Tier 2, and Tier 3 buckets. Because the scoring engine looks only at substat alignment, it produces consistent rankings whether you are reviewing a new banner, planning your essence pull route, or rebuilding a roster after a balance patch.
Stat category groupings
- Main Stats — Agility, Strength, Wisdom, Willpower. These set the base scaling for an operator's skill multipliers; almost every endgame build has at least one main stat as a top-3 priority.
- Combat Stats — ATK, HP, Physical DMG. Universal damage and survivability stats; ATK appears as a high priority on virtually all DPS roles.
- Elemental Stats — Fire DMG, Electric DMG, Natural DMG. Element-specific damage multipliers that are mandatory top-3 priorities on element-locked carries (Yvonne for Fire, Rossi for Pulse, Xaihi for Cryo) and irrelevant on physical operators.
- Advanced Stats — Crit Rate, Healing Bonus, USGS (Ultimate Skill Generation Speed). These appear in mid-priority slots for specialist roles: Crit Rate on burst DPS, Healing on dedicated medics, USGS on ult-cycling supports like Perlica.
Why match scores cap below 100% in practice
A weapon scores 10 points per top-3-priority substat, 5 per priority-4-to-6 substat, and 2 per off-priority substat. With only two substats per weapon, the realistic maximum is 10 + 10 = 20 raw points, which the recommender normalises against the operator's full priority list. Most "Best in Slot" weapons in practice land one top-3 stat and one secondary stat, scoring around 60% — that is excellent, not mediocre. Weapons clearing 80% require both substats to land in the very top of the priority list, which is unusual outside of a small number of perfectly-tuned 6★ limited weapons.
When to trust the score and when to override it
The match score measures stat alignment only — it deliberately ignores weapon skills, the active effect each weapon adds beyond its substat block. A Tier 2 weapon with a perfectly synergistic skill (a basic-attack damage amp on an operator whose rotation is 80% basic attacks, for example) routinely out-DPSes a Tier 1 weapon with a generic skill. Use this tool to shortlist candidates, then cross-reference against the Operator Builds page (which ranks by simulated full-fight DPS including skills) and the Damage Calculator (for head-to-head two-weapon comparison) before committing essence to a build.
Limited vs Standard pool implications
Standard weapons live in the permanent pull pool — they appear on every weapon banner and can be wished for at any time. Limited weapons appear only on featured-banner reruns, usually tied to a specific operator's release window, and may not return for several months. The recommender does not penalise either pool; it ranks by raw stat alignment regardless of availability. When your top recommendation is a Limited weapon outside its rerun window, the next-best Standard alternative is the practical pick until the Limited returns.
Hybrid roles caveat: some operators serve dual roles (sub-DPS plus buffer, main DPS plus healer). The priority list encodes the dominant role — the one driving 60%+ of damage or utility output. If you run an operator off-role, the headline match score may underweight stats that matter for your specific playstyle; look at the secondary substat columns rather than the ranking alone.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why is 60% considered a high match score instead of, say, 80%?
Almost every weapon in Arknights: Endfield has exactly 2 substats. The scoring formula gives 10 points for each substat that matches the character's top-3 priority stats, 5 for priorities 4–6, and 2 for off-priority. The realistic maximum for most weapons is therefore 10 + 5 = 15 raw points (one top-3 stat + one secondary stat), which normalizes to roughly 60%. Hitting 80%+ requires both substats to land in the top 3 priorities, which only happens for a small number of perfectly-tuned BiS weapons. Treat 60% as 'excellent', not 'mediocre'.
Is a Tier 1 weapon always better than a Tier 2 in-game?
Usually yes, but not always. The tier ranking weighs substat alignment against an idealized stat priority list, but it does not account for weapon skills — the active effect each weapon adds beyond its raw stats. A Tier 2 weapon with a perfectly synergistic skill (e.g., a basic-attack-amp on an operator that lives on basic attacks) often outperforms a Tier 1 weapon with mediocre skill synergy. Cross-reference the recommender with the Operator Builds page DPS rankings, which factor in skill effects, before committing essence to a weapon.
What does 'Limited' vs 'Standard' mean for weapons?
Standard weapons are in the permanent pull pool — they appear on every banner, can be wished for any time, and tend to have lower headline stats but more consistent availability. Limited weapons appear only on featured-banner reruns (often tied to a specific operator's release window) and may not return for months. The recommender shows both so you can plan around availability: if your BiS is limited and not currently available, the next-best Standard alternative becomes the practical pick until the limited returns.
How does the recommender handle operators with hybrid roles?
Some operators serve dual roles (sub-DPS + buffer, main DPS + healer). The recommendations data file encodes the dominant role's priority list — usually the role that drives 60%+ of damage output. For hybrid operators, the recommender may underweight stats that matter for their secondary role. Treat the output as 'best weapons assuming you main this operator as the listed role'. If you run an operator in a non-default role, look at the secondary stat columns rather than the headline match score.
Where does the priority stat data come from?
Stat priorities are derived from community theory-crafting and DPS simulations published in the operator builds dataset — the same source feeding the Operator Builds page. Priorities reflect endgame combat content (boss damage profiles, sustained DPS rotations) rather than early-game farming. For story-mode and early-progression players, almost any reasonable weapon works; the recommender's value is at endgame, where the difference between a 60%-match weapon and a 30%-match weapon translates to noticeably higher clear rates on hard content.