Arknights Endfield Snowshine Build & Analysis

Snowshine is a 5★ Defender in Arknights Endfield built around reactive protection, HP treatment that triggers under pressure, and consistent Cryo Infliction through counterplay. If the enemy is aggressive, she looks like a wall that hits back. If the enemy is passive, she becomes much harder to justify because her biggest value is tied to getting attacked.

If you are comparing Snowshine to other operators or trying to understand where she stands in the broader meta, this article is written to slot directly into our Arknights Endfield Tier List, where all characters are evaluated under the same conditions and assumptions.

Basic Information

Weapon: Great Sword
Role: Defender
Element: Cryo
Rarity: 5★
Main Attribute: Strength
Secondary Attribute: Will

Base Stats

Stat	Base	Max
HP	500	5495
ATK	30	297
DEF	0	0
Strength	18	154
Agility	12	104
Intellect	9	93
Will	11	108

Skills

Basic Attack — Hypothermic Assault

Up to 3 attack sequences dealing Physical DMG
Final Strike deals 23 Stagger when Snowshine is the controlled operator
Mid-air basic attacks become Dive Attacks, dealing Physical DMG in an area
Attacking a Staggered enemy triggers a Finisher attack, dealing heavy Physical DMG and restoring SP

Battle Skill — Saturated Defense

Raises a shield that blocks attacks
Grants Protection to self and nearby operators, and immediately returns some SP
When attacked while the shield is raised, retaliates to deal Cryo DMG and apply Cryo Infliction to the attacker
SP Cost: 100

Combo Skill — Polar Rescue

Trigger

After the controlled operator gets attacked and drops below 60% HP

Effect

Throws a Snowfield SAR Assistant to the controlled operator
On contact: massive instant HP Treatment to nearby operators and continuous HP Treatment in the area
Will increases the amount of HP Treatment

Ultimate — Frigid Snowfield

Leaps and slams down with her shield to deal heavy Cryo DMG in an area
Generates a Snow Zone that deals Cryo DMG over time
The Snow Zone forcibly applies Solidification to enemies caught inside for a duration
Ultimate Energy Cost: 80

Talents

Polar Survival

Promotion I: When Snowshine is present, for every surviving Defender in the team, the team gains DEF +5%
Promotion II: Treatment Effect +15% for targets at 45% HP or below
Promotion II (upgrade): Treatment Effect +25% for targets at 55% HP or below

SAR Professional

Promotion II: Saturated Defense improved — successful retaliation grants another 6 Ultimate Energy
Promotion III: Successful retaliation grants another 10 Ultimate Energy

Potentials

Potential I: Saturated Defense improved — during blocking, Arts Inflictions cannot be applied to allied operators with Protection
Potential II: Frigid Snowfield improved — effect radius +20%
Potential III: Frigid Snowfield improved — Solidification duration +2s
Potential IV: DEF +20, Will +20
Potential V: Saturated Defense improved — successful retaliation returns 10 SP

Promotions, Materials, and Bonuses

Promotion Materials

Promotion I

Protodisk ×8
Pink Bolete ×3
T-Creds ×1600

Promotion II

Protodisk ×25
Red Bolete ×5
T-Creds ×6500

Promotion III

Protoset ×40
Ruby Bolete ×5
T-Creds ×25000

Promotion IV

Protoset ×75
Quadrant Fitting Fluid ×56
Bloodcap ×8
T-Creds ×225000

Attribute Bonuses

Promotion I: Strength +10
Promotion II: Strength +15
Promotion III: Strength +15
Promotion IV: Strength +20

AIC Skills

Promotion I: Manufacturing Cabin Mood Drop −10%
Promotion II: Control Nexus Mood Regen +12%
Promotion III: Manufacturing Cabin Mood Drop −14%
Promotion IV: Control Nexus Mood Regen +16%

Analysis & Verdict

Snowshine’s value comes from two things happening at the same time: she gets hit, and your team stays alive long enough for the counter loop to matter. Saturated Defense grants Protection and refunds some SP immediately, but the real payoff is the retaliation bash. If enemies keep swinging, she keeps applying Cryo Infliction while generating Ultimate Energy and, with higher Potential, returning SP. This turns her into a defensive engine instead of a passive shield.

Polar Rescue is a very literal “panic button” that triggers when the controlled operator gets attacked and drops below 60% HP. It gives massive instant HP Treatment and then continues healing inside the area. The important part is that it is not a proactive heal. It is a reactive stabilizer. If the fight is clean, you may not see it. If the fight spikes, it saves the run.

Frigid Snowfield is where she stops being “just a Defender.” The slam deals heavy Cryo damage, but the key is the Snow Zone: it deals Cryo damage over time and forcibly applies Solidification to enemies caught inside. That forced Solidification is the kind of tool you bring when a target is dangerous and you need to shut it down regardless of what the rotation looks like.

The trade-off is simple. Snowshine’s Battle Skill relies on counter-attacks. If the enemy’s attack frequency is low, Saturated Defense becomes less valuable, because the retaliation loop is where her Cryo stacking and energy generation come from. In those encounters, she can still provide Protection and an emergency heal, but her identity becomes “safety net” rather than “engine.”

In high-difficulty content where survivability and forced CC matter, Snowshine becomes more valuable the harder the fight gets. In early progression or in passive encounters, she remains a reliable Defender, but you’re not extracting the part of her kit that makes her special.

Snowshine Build

Under Construction

Snowshine Teams