Stagger & Finisher Combat Guide

The Stagger and Finisher system is one of Arknights: Endfield's most powerful combat mechanics. Mastering it dramatically increases your damage output, resource generation, and crowd control capabilities.

What is Stagger?

Stagger is a hidden meter that builds up on enemies as you attack them. When the stagger meter fills completely, the enemy enters a Staggered state—a vulnerable status where they take increased damage and can be finished with a powerful Finisher attack.

Think of it like a break bar in games like Final Fantasy or a stance break in Dark Souls.

How Stagger Works

Building Stagger Meter

Every attack your operators perform deals stagger damage in addition to regular HP damage. Different attacks build stagger at different rates:

Visual indicator: When an enemy's stagger meter is nearly full, you'll see a white/silver glow effect around them.

Staggered State

When the stagger meter fills, enemies enter the Staggered state for approximately 5-7 seconds.

Effects during Stagger:

• Enemy is momentarily stunned/interrupted
• Takes increased damage from all sources (~20-30% damage boost)
• Can be targeted for a Finisher attack
• Movement and attack animations are disrupted

Critical timing: You have a limited window to capitalize on the stagger. Use your highest-damage skills or set up a Finisher during this window.

Finisher Attacks

A Finisher is a special ultimate attack that can only be triggered when an enemy is in the Staggered state.

How to Perform a Finisher

1. Fill an enemy's stagger meter until they enter Staggered state
2. A purple indicator appears above the staggered enemy
3. Switch to an operator with full SP (Skill Points)
4. Approach the staggered enemy
5. Press the Finisher button (appears on-screen when conditions are met)

Result: Your operator performs a devastating special attack that deals massive damage and grants significant bonuses.

Finisher Benefits

1. Huge Burst Damage

Finishers deal 300-500% of normal damage depending on the operator performing it. This is one of the highest single-hit damage sources in the game.

2. Instant SP Recovery

The operator who performs the Finisher instantly recovers 50-75% of their SP after the attack completes.

This creates a powerful loop:

Build SP → Stagger enemy → Use Finisher → Recover SP → Repeat

3. Extended Crowd Control

The Finisher animation locks the enemy in place for the duration, providing extended crowd control beyond the initial stagger window.

4. Team-wide SP Generation

Some operators grant SP to the entire team when they perform Finishers, making them even more valuable.

Finisher Strategy

Optimal Finisher Rotation

Step 1: Use high-stagger-damage attacks to build the meter quickly

• Physical operators with Lift/Knock Down
• Arts operators using reactions that deal stagger damage
• Operators with skills that specifically mention stagger generation

Step 2: Once the enemy is staggered, immediately switch to your main DPS operator with full SP

Step 3: Position close to the enemy and trigger the Finisher

Step 4: After SP recovery, immediately use your next skill to capitalize on the damage boost

Step 5: Repeat the cycle

Team Composition for Stagger Focus

Stagger Builders (Support role):

• Operators with fast attack speed
• Physical damage dealers (Vulnerable stacks also deal stagger damage)
• Operators with skills that specifically boost stagger generation

Finisher Executors (DPS role):

• High-damage operators
• Operators with expensive ultimate skills (they benefit most from SP recovery)
• Operators with Finisher-specific bonuses

Example team:

• Wulfgard (Physical DPS, high stagger generation with Lift attacks)
• Laevatain (Heat DPS, powerful Finisher damage)
• Gilberta (Nature support, Arts reactions build stagger)
• Catcher (Physical support, Knock Down builds stagger fast)

Advanced Combat Mechanics

Animation Canceling

Animation canceling allows you to skip recovery frames after attacks, letting you attack faster and deal more damage in the same time window.

How to cancel animations:

1. Swap Canceling

After performing an attack, immediately switch to another operator before the recovery animation finishes.

Operator A attacks → Immediately swap to Operator B → Swap back to Operator A → Attack again

This cuts off the end of Operator A's attack animation, letting you attack faster.

2. Dash Canceling

Perform an attack, then dash immediately to cancel the recovery animation.

Heavy attack → Dash forward → Attack again

This is especially effective with heavy attacks that have long recovery times.

3. Skill Canceling

Cast a skill, then swap or dash to cut the ending animation short and get back to attacking faster.

Sequence Storage

Some operators can store attack sequences while switching. This means:

1. Start a combo with Operator A
2. Switch to Operator B mid-combo
3. Switch back to Operator A
4. Operator A continues where they left off in the combo

This allows you to maintain complex combos across multiple operator swaps.

Use case: Build a combo with a support character, swap to DPS for burst damage, swap back to finish the combo for buffs/debuffs.

Optimal DPS Rotation with Animation Cancels

Maximum damage combo:

1. Heavy attack → Dash cancel
2. Basic attack combo → Swap cancel
3. Skill cast → Swap to second operator
4. Second operator attacks while first skill is on cooldown
5. Swap back → Continue attacking
6. Repeat

Advanced players can increase DPS by 20-30% using animation canceling compared to basic attack rotations.

Stagger Damage Sources

Best Stagger Generators

Physical Attacks:

• Lift status effect (adds stagger + Vulnerable stack)
• Knock Down status effect (high stagger generation)
• Heavy attacks from Physical operators

Arts Reactions:

• Solidification (Cryo trigger) stuns enemies, building stagger indirectly
• Combustion (Heat trigger) deals bonus stagger damage over time

Specific Operator Skills:

• Check operator skill descriptions for "Stagger Damage +" effects
• Ultimate skills typically deal the most stagger damage

Stagger vs. HP Damage

Important distinction: Stagger damage and HP damage are separate values.

An enemy might have:

• 100,000 HP
• 10,000 Stagger meter

You could fill the stagger meter multiple times during a single fight if the enemy has high HP. This creates multiple opportunities for Finishers.

Boss strategy:

• High-HP bosses can be staggered 3-5+ times in a single fight
• Each stagger = another Finisher opportunity
• Chain Finishers for continuous SP regeneration and burst damage windows

Finisher Priority Targets

When to Use Finishers

• ✅ High-HP elite enemies: Maximize burst damage windows
• ✅ Bosses: Multiple stagger opportunities mean multiple Finishers
• ✅ Dangerous enemies: Crowd control from Finisher animation buys time
• ✅ When your DPS has full SP: Convert SP into damage + recover SP for next rotation

When NOT to Use Finishers

• ❌ Low-HP trash mobs: They'll die before you can finish them
• ❌ When no operator has full SP: You can't trigger Finishers without full SP
• ❌ During time-sensitive mechanics: Don't waste time on Finishers if you need to dodge or reposition

Combat Flow Example

Practical fight against a boss:

1. Opening (0-20 seconds):

• Build stagger with basic attacks and skills
• Apply Arts Inflictions for reactions

2. First Stagger (20-30 seconds):

• Enemy enters Staggered state
• Switch to main DPS (Laevatain with full SP)
• Trigger Finisher → Massive damage + SP recovery

3. Burst Window (30-40 seconds):

• Immediately use recovered SP to cast another skill
• Continue attacking to rebuild stagger meter

4. Second Stagger (40-50 seconds):

• Enemy staggers again
• Switch to second DPS (Wulfgard with full SP)
• Trigger second Finisher

5. Repeat cycle until boss is defeated

Result: You've dealt 2x Finisher burst damage, recovered SP twice, and controlled the boss for 10+ seconds of crowd control.

Stagger Meter Management

Tips for Consistent Staggers

• ✅ Rotate stagger-heavy attacks: Use Lift, Knock Down, and high-stagger skills deliberately
• ✅ Watch the visual indicator: When enemies start glowing, prepare your Finisher operator
• ✅ Don't waste SP too early: Save at least one operator's full SP for Finisher opportunities
• ✅ Chain staggers against bosses: Multiple staggers = multiple Finishers

Common Mistakes

Advanced Animation Cancel Examples

Laevatain DPS Optimization

Basic combo: Heavy attack → Wait for recovery → Basic attack
Optimized combo: Heavy attack → Dash cancel → Basic attack (20% faster)

Wulfgard Stagger Loop

Basic combo: Lift attack → Wait → Heavy attack
Optimized combo: Lift attack → Swap cancel → Swap back → Heavy attack (builds stagger 30% faster)

Gilberta Arts Reaction Setup

Basic combo: Nature skill → Wait for animation → Swap to Heat DPS
Optimized combo: Nature skill → Immediate swap cancel to Heat DPS → Trigger Combustion faster

Finisher Damage Scaling

Finisher damage scales with:

• Operator's base attack stat
• Current buffs active (Arts Inflictions, team buffs, etc.)
• Enemy debuffs (Corrosion, Breach, etc.)
• Weapon level and stats

Pro tip: Stack all buffs/debuffs before triggering Finisher for maximum damage.

Optimal setup:

1. Apply Corrosion (lowers enemy defense)
2. Apply Electrification (increases Arts damage taken)
3. Use Physical Breach (lowers Physical defense)
4. Activate team buffs
5. Then trigger Finisher for maximum burst

FAQ