The Arknights: Endfield 1.6 banners feature Si, Argent Flow, and a Tangtang rerun. Sanctuary of Ink launches on October 15, 2026, with Si available first, Tangtang returning on October 29, and Argent Flow arriving on November 5.
For players choosing where to spend, the main split is between improving a Heat or Cryo team with Si, adding Tangtang’s control and Arts support, or building around Argent Flow’s Electrification and Crush interactions. Owning a matching damage dealer helps, but the deciding factor is often the teammate you would replace.
Arknights: Endfield 1.6 Banner Schedule
All dates below are in 2026 and use server time. Si’s banner opens after the version update; its starting time is tied to maintenance completion.
| Featured operator | Banner | Starts | Ends |
|---|---|---|---|
| Si | Rejuvenation — Chartered Headhunting | October 15, after maintenance | November 5, 11:59 |
| Tangtang | Ancestral Spring Flows Anew — RE-Factor Headhunting #1 | October 29, 12:00 | November 19, 11:59 |
| Argent Flow | The Hearth Fire Beckons the Starry Flow — Chartered Headhunting | November 5, 12:00 | Before the next version update and maintenance |
Si and Tangtang overlap from October 29 until November 5 at 11:59. That gives players interested in both a chance to try Si before committing to the rerun. Tangtang then remains available alongside Argent Flow until November 19.
Argent Flow’s announcement gives a maintenance-based closing point rather than a calendar date. Do not treat Tangtang’s November 19 deadline as his banner end date.
Who Should You Pull in Version 1.6?
| Your current roster | Priority | Reason |
|---|---|---|
| Laevatain with an established Heat team | Si | Heat application, Heat amplification, and a Combo Skill linked to consuming or absorbing Heat fit Laevatain’s existing playstyle. |
| Yvonne or Last Rite with Tangtang and Xaihi | Si | You already have Cryo setup and healing, making it easier to add Si without leaving a basic team function uncovered. |
| A Cryo carry that struggles with setup or enemies moving out of attacks | Tangtang | Her Cryo application, Arts Susceptibility, and control address those problems directly. |
| Tangtang, Arcane, and Xaihi, but no interest in another conventional carry | Si | The team can build around Si’s own Combo damage and Cryo-consuming reactions. |
| Mi Fu or Endministrator, with an interest in Crush teams | Argent Flow | His debuffs and Crush interactions offer a new teammate, provided you manage who consumes Vulnerability. |
| A developed Nature team and limited savings | Save unless you want a second team | Neither new operator is an automatic replacement for the supports your existing team needs. |
If you can afford only one character, choose the problem you want to fix. A Cryo team with reliable setup but room for more damage points toward Si. A team that repeatedly loses its damage window because enemies move away has a stronger reason to pick Tangtang.
Argent Flow deserves a separate decision. Pulling him because you want to play a Crush-focused rotation is more convincing than buying him simply because your account owns an Electric damage dealer.
Si: A Cryo Supporter for Cryo and Heat Teams
Si’s element does not describe all of her uses. Her Battle Skill applies Heat Infliction when the operator in the first squad slot is Heat; otherwise, it applies Cryo Infliction. Her Ultimate amplifies Cryo and Heat damage, while her Combo Skill responds to Cryo or Heat Infliction being consumed or absorbed.
That last condition matters. Applying more Infliction is only part of the team’s job. Someone must consume or absorb it to activate Si’s Combo Skill.
Her Inksoul and delayed damage also give her more to do than cast a buff and leave. The revealed kit records part of the damage dealt and releases delayed area damage, while the Inksoul provides another target connected to the affected enemy. These tools make her worth considering for encounters where keeping damage on a moving enemy is awkward.
Where Si Fits in Cryo Teams
Yvonne, Tangtang, Si, and Xaihi were shown together in the special program. This is a useful starting point for an account that already owns the other three: Yvonne supplies the main damage, Tangtang handles setup and control, and Xaihi preserves healing.
If your current fourth member is Gilberta, adding Si means giving up Gilberta’s grouping and support effects. That is a real tradeoff in fights with scattered enemies. Removing Xaihi instead keeps more offensive support but leaves the team without her healing.
For Last Rite owners, Last Rite, Tangtang, Si, and Xaihi is a sensible lineup to consider from the revealed mechanics. It should not be presented as a proven best team before comparative testing. The practical attraction is straightforward: it keeps Cryo setup and sustain while adding Si’s amplification and Combo damage.
Si with Arcane: Pay Attention to the Build
Si, Tangtang, Arcane, and Xaihi can put Si at the center of the damage sequence. The special-program demonstration showed Cryo being built up, then consumed through Arcane’s Nature application to trigger Corrosion and enable Si’s Combo Skill.
The distinction between Arcane’s INT and WILL builds matters here. A support-focused setup needs WILL to exceed INT; changing her teammates does not automatically switch her mode. Check the final attributes after equipping her weapon and gear.
For this Si-focused approach, put Si in the first squad slot so her cooldown-reduction effect benefits her own Combo Skill. Build the required Infliction, consume it, and then follow with Si’s damage sequence. Repeatedly applying Cryo without a consumer leaves the team’s central interaction unfinished.
Si with Laevatain and Camille
Laevatain gives Si a direct Heat partner. Place Laevatain in the first squad slot to make Si’s Battle Skill apply Heat. Laevatain’s Heat absorption can then satisfy Si’s Combo condition.
Camille also responds to Heat consumption or absorption through his marked-target interaction, providing SP support alongside his other effects. This gives Laevatain, Si, and Camille a clear reason to share a team.
The remaining slot depends on what you need to keep fights comfortable: healing, extra setup, or another support. Do not remove your only reliable SP supplier or healer just to fit another damage amplifier.
Is the Tangtang Rerun Worth Pulling?
Tangtang is especially valuable when your Cryo team has damage but struggles to deliver it consistently. She combines Cryo application, Arts Susceptibility, and control, helping the carry finish its attack window against troublesome enemies.
Her Whirlpool-to-Waterspout sequence rewards preparation. Generate Whirlpools before spending them with her Battle Skill to improve the resulting support effects and SP refund. Extra Waterspouts should not be mistaken for a separate Cryo Infliction stack from every hit.
Her Ultimate presents another choice. Keeping its control active can protect a damage window; using the Dive Attack interaction ends that control early for the follow-up wave. Against an enemy you need to hold still, immediately diving can defeat the reason you used the Ultimate.
Tangtang Rerun Teams
- Yvonne, Tangtang, Gilberta, Xaihi: an existing option that combines control, grouping, and healing. Si can take the fourth offensive-support position when you are willing to lose Gilberta’s contribution.
- Last Rite, Tangtang, Perlica, Xaihi: an established team to build from if you are not also pulling Si.
- Si, Tangtang, Arcane, Xaihi: an option for players who want Si to be the damage focus rather than support another Cryo carry.
You do not need to buy Si and Tangtang as a package. If your existing team already controls enemies and produces the required Infliction reliably, Si is the more direct addition. If those basics are the problem, Tangtang can be the more useful first purchase.
Argent Flow: Electrification Meets Crush
Argent Flow is an Electric Guard whose revealed sequence connects Vulnerability, Electric Infliction, Electrification, and Crush. His Combo Skill responds to Vulnerability application, and his enhanced Battle Skill develops the Electric side of the sequence. His debuffs then support the damage that follows.
His Ultimate also applies Crush. This is important when pairing him with another operator who wants to consume the same Vulnerability stacks.
Pairing Argent Flow with Mi Fu or Endministrator
Endministrator appeared alongside Argent Flow in the demonstration, giving a direct example of the Physical interaction. For Mi Fu’s MOVE 2 to MOVE 3 sequence, the timing needs more care: she wants to consume at least three Vulnerability stacks to unlock her finisher.
If Argent Flow uses Crush first, those stacks are no longer waiting for Mi Fu. Establish the debuffs, let Mi Fu complete the sequence you built the team around, and place Argent Flow’s own Crush where it will not interrupt her setup.
That is also why adding Endministrator, Mi Fu, and Argent Flow together is not automatically better than choosing one main damage sequence and supporting it. More operators competing for the same stacks can make the rotation less reliable.
Does Argent Flow Belong in a Zhuang Fangyi Team?
There is a reason to consider the pairing: Argent Flow supplies Electrification-related effects that Zhuang Fangyi can use. What the reveal does not establish is which existing teammate he consistently replaces for a net gain.
Arclight’s SP recovery and Liino’s healing and Electric amplification cover different needs. Removing either just because Argent Flow is also Electric can leave the team short on resources or sustain.
If Fangyi already spends long stretches waiting for SP, fix that before adding another Battle Skill to the rotation. Pull Argent Flow for the playstyle and interactions he offers, rather than assuming he is a compulsory Fangyi upgrade.
Version 1.6 Weapon Banners
| Weapon | Issue | Opening time | Availability |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jade Vessel | Seal of Jade Issue | October 15, after maintenance | Ends after three Chartered Headhunting banners |
| Lunar Calling | Moongleam Issue | November 5, 12:00 | Ends after three Chartered Headhunting banners |
| Brigand’s Calling | Tangtang’s returning weapon | October 29, 12:00 | November 19, 11:59 |
The new weapon issues remain available across three Chartered Headhunting banners, so their closing points should not be copied from the corresponding operator banners.
For a limited budget, secure the character needed to complete your team before pursuing its signature weapon. A weapon upgrade does not supply the missing healer, Infliction application, or SP recovery that makes a rotation work.
When comparing Tangtang’s alternatives, separate her personal damage from the support a weapon adds to the whole team. A small personal-damage gap does not necessarily mean the same gap in total team output. Exact percentage claims need matching gear, refinement, and rotation assumptions.
Pity, Rerun Rules, and Pull Budget
Si and Argent Flow use Chartered Headhunting; Tangtang uses RE-Factor Headhunting. These are separate banner types, even though they accept the same general Chartered HH Permits and Oroberyls.
- Chartered Headhunting: the six-star guarantee is within 80 attempts, and progress toward it carries between Chartered banners. The featured operator is guaranteed within the first 120 attempts, but that featured guarantee does not carry to the next banner.
- RE-Factor Headhunting: the 80-attempt six-star guarantee carries between RE-Factor banners. Progress toward the 120-attempt featured guarantee carries only between reruns with the same banner name.
- Urgent Recruitment: the rerun’s bonus attempts at the 30, 60, and 90 milestones do not count toward pity or the banner’s accumulated-attempt rewards.
For example, progress toward Yvonne’s RE-Factor six-star guarantee can carry into another RE-Factor banner, but her named 120-attempt guarantee does not become Tangtang’s guarantee. Neither counter transfers into Si’s Chartered banner.
At 500 Oroberyls per attempt, 120 eligible attempts equal 60,000 Oroberyls before permits. Splitting that budget among all three operators does not guarantee any one of them. Choose your first target and stop when you get that character unless you have already budgeted for another goal.
The announced version rewards include five permits for each new operator banner through sign-ins and another five for each through AIC Quota exchange. The New Version Guide webpage also offers 1,000 Oroberyls. Include only rewards you can claim before your target banner closes, and check active Endfield redemption codes before calculating any remaining shortfall.
What Version 1.6 Changes for Existing Teams
The new operators reward teams that already have a clear sequence. Si needs Cryo or Heat to be consumed or absorbed. Argent Flow makes the order of Electrification setup and Crush more important. Putting four individually strong operators together can still leave someone unable to trigger a Combo Skill or waiting for resources.
Version 1.6 adds Combo Skill priority settings for skills that become available together. Use those settings to place setup effects before the attacks intended to benefit from them. Gear Plans also make Arcane’s different attribute builds easier to manage between teams.
A developed Typhoeus team does not need rebuilding simply because the new banners emphasize other elements. If it handles your usual content and you do not want another team, saving is a reasonable decision.
Arknights: Endfield 1.6 Banner FAQ
Can Si be a main DPS without Yvonne or Last Rite?
Yes. Si, Tangtang, Arcane, and Xaihi can build around Si’s own damage. Arcane’s Nature application consumes Cryo through Corrosion, enabling Si’s Combo Skill. Put Si in the first squad slot for her cooldown benefit. You do not need to pull another Cryo carry simply to make her usable.
Is Si worth pulling without Tangtang or Arcane?
For a Laevatain account, yes: Heat absorption already provides the interaction Si needs. A Cryo account should keep enough Infliction application and healing around its existing carry. Missing Tangtang or Arcane limits some lineups, but it does not make both characters mandatory purchases. An account built entirely around Nature or Electric has less reason to prioritize Si for immediate improvement.
Should Si replace Xaihi in my Cryo team?
Keep Xaihi if you depend on her healing. In Yvonne, Tangtang, Gilberta, and Xaihi, replacing Gilberta preserves sustain but sacrifices her grouping and support. Replacing Xaihi instead is an offensive choice that leaves you without her healing; it is a poor default if surviving the fight is already a problem.
Does Si work with Rossi?
Yes, their revealed mechanics connect. Rossi’s Combo Skill consumes Arts Infliction, and consuming Cryo or Heat can enable Si’s Combo. Si also amplifies Rossi’s Heat damage. Keep Rossi’s Vulnerability setup intact when choosing who to replace. This supports trying the pairing, but does not establish Si as Rossi’s best support.
Should I pull Argent Flow to replace Arclight?
Not if your reason is to improve SP recovery. Argent Flow’s revealed strengths are damage, debuffs, and Electrification–Crush interactions. Arclight keeps skills supplied with SP. For a Fangyi team already short on SP, removing Arclight can undermine the rotation you are trying to improve.
Should I skip 1.6 and save for Kay or Warfarin?
Save if those characters matter more to you and your existing teams handle the content you play. Future appearances do not establish banner dates or complete playable kits, so do not justify skipping with an assumed strength ranking. Set aside your preferred character’s budget first; spend the remainder only if a 1.6 operator offers a team you actually want to play.
