Building the right team around Laevatain is just as vital as optimizing her gear. As the premier Heat-element Striker on Talos-II, she thrives as a hyper-carry, but her true potential is locked behind her Melting Flame mechanics. To keep her ‘Combustion’ loops active, she needs a squad that can feed her constant Heat Inflictions to consume.
The good news? Laevatain’s most effective synergy web is incredibly F2P-friendly. By pairing her with accessible units like Wulfgard and Akekuri, you can ensure 100% uptime on her stacks, allowing her to delete entire waves with her Twilight ultimate. This guide breaks down her best team compositions—from the ‘Free-to-Play Specialist’ squad to high-end builds featuring Ardelia for that sweet Corrosion resistance shred.
Before we dive into the squad, make sure your sword is sharp—check our [Laevatain Best Build Guide] for equipment tips, or head over to the [Arknights Endfield Guides Hub] for more strategy.
Laevatain’s Optimal Team Composition
Core Team: Laevatain + Akekuri + Antal + Ardelia
This quartet represents Laevatain’s strongest team setup, and remarkably, it’s completely achievable without spending a dime. Here’s why this combination works so well:
The Heat Infliction Engine
Laevatain has a fundamental weakness—she struggles to apply Heat Infliction on her own until she activates her Ultimate. This is where Akekuri becomes invaluable. She consistently applies Heat Infliction stacks to enemies, feeding Laevatain the elemental application she desperately needs. Antal then follows up through his Combo Skill, adding even more Heat Infliction to the mix.
This constant stream of Heat Infliction matters because Laevatain absorbs these stacks and converts them into Melting Flame stacks. These accelerate her damage rotation and help her reach her final phase faster—where her damage potential truly explodes. As a bonus, absorbed Heat Infliction allows Laevatain to ignore enemy Heat resistance, making her effective even against tanky opponents.
Layered Buffing and Debuffing
What separates a good team from a great one is how well buffs and debuffs stack together.
Akekuri’s Contribution: Beyond Heat Infliction application, Akekuri brings significant damage buffs through her weapons and gear sets. She functions as both a sub-DPS and buffer, increasing the team’s overall damage ceiling while contributing respectable damage herself.
Antal’s Support Kit: Antal’s entire kit revolves around making enemies take more Heat damage. His Battle Skill applies Focus, which inflicts Heat Susceptibility on targets—essentially making them squishier against Laevatain’s attacks. His Ultimate takes this further by granting both Laevatain and Akekuri Heat Amp, directly boosting their Heat damage output. He’s a pure support character who excels at making your DPS shine.
Why Ardelia Belongs in a Heat Team
At first glance, Ardelia seems like an odd choice—she deals Nature damage, not Heat. But her inclusion is what makes this team composition truly exceptional.
Ardelia’s gameplay centers around the Corrosion elemental reaction. When she absorbs Corrosion, she debuffs enemies with Arts Susceptibility, which increases all Arts damage they take—including Heat damage from Laevatain. More importantly, when Ardelia applies Corrosion to enemies, she triggers Laevatain’s Combo Skill, which is a significant damage source.
Beyond damage amplification, Ardelia provides crucial survivability through her Combat Skill and Ultimate, giving the team the sustain needed to handle challenging content. She fills multiple roles simultaneously: support, healer, buffer, and debuffer.
Understanding how elemental reactions work will help you maximize the synergy between Ardelia and Laevatain.
Why This Team Excels
This composition isn’t just good for Laevatain—it’s one of the strongest teams in the entire game. What makes it even better is the accessibility:
- Akekuri and Antal are both 4-star characters you’ll naturally acquire through regular pulls
- Ardelia is a free 6-star character everyone receives
- Ardelia’s 6-star weapon is also free, giving her immediate power without gacha luck
You’re getting top-tier performance with zero premium currency investment. That’s rare in gacha games.
Alternative Option: Wulfgard
If you haven’t pulled Akekuri yet or want to experiment, Wulfgard serves as a solid substitute. He’s another F2P-friendly character who applies Heat Infliction through both his Battle and Combo Skills, filling a similar role to Akekuri in maintaining elemental application uptime.
For more character options and synergies, check our comprehensive characters guide.
Battle Skill Priority
Knowing when to activate abilities can dramatically impact your damage output. Here’s the optimal skill rotation:
Priority Order: Akekuri > Antal > Laevatain > Ardelia
Rotation Breakdown
Akekuri (Highest Priority): She should lead off every rotation by applying Heat Infliction stacks. In longer fights, you’ll need to cycle back to her Battle Skill frequently to maintain those stacks, since Laevatain constantly absorbs them for Melting Flame conversion. Keeping this application consistent is critical for maintaining Laevatain’s damage momentum.
Antal (Second Priority): Use his Battle Skill at the start of combat to apply the Focus debuff, which grants enemies Heat Susceptibility. After the initial application, you only need to refresh it at the beginning of each new damage rotation. His Ultimate should be saved for when Laevatain is ready to unleash her burst phase.
Laevatain (Third Priority): Once Akekuri and Antal have set up the elemental foundation and debuffs, Laevatain can go to work. Her skills will be most effective when enemies are already stacked with Heat Infliction and debuffs.
Ardelia (Lowest Priority): While she’s essential for the team’s success, her skills can be activated after the Heat setup is complete. Her Corrosion application triggers Laevatain’s Combo Skill automatically, so timing isn’t as critical as maintaining the Heat Infliction cycle.
Team Roles at a Glance
Laevatain:
- Main DPS
- Heat Infliction (post-Ultimate)
Akekuri:
- Sub-DPS
- Heat Infliction
- Buffer
Antal:
- Support
- Heat Infliction
- Buffer
- Debuffer
Ardelia:
- Support
- Healer
- Buffer
- Debuffer
Maximizing Team Performance
To get the most out of this composition:
- Maintain Heat Infliction uptime through frequent Akekuri Battle Skill usage
- Layer your buffs and debuffs before Laevatain’s burst windows
- Time Ardelia’s Corrosion application to trigger Laevatain’s Combo Skill during peak damage phases
- Refresh Antal’s Focus debuff consistently to maintain Heat Susceptibility on priority targets
Understanding your stats and optimizing your settings will further enhance your team’s effectiveness.
Getting Started
New to the game? Download Arknights Endfield on Google Play or the Epic Games Store to start building your Laevatain team today.
Don’t forget to grab any available redeem codes and check out Twitch Drops for free rewards. If you’re considering rerolling to secure specific characters, our guide can help optimize that process.
For players interested in team-based content, our multiplayer and co-op guide covers collaborative gameplay strategies. Also check the gacha system guide to understand pull mechanics better.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is this team composition viable for endgame content?
Absolutely. This Laevatain team isn’t just viable—it’s one of the strongest compositions in the game for endgame content. The combination of consistent Heat Infliction, layered buffs/debuffs, and Ardelia’s sustain gives you everything needed to tackle challenging encounters. The fact that it’s F2P-accessible makes it even more impressive.
Can I use this team if I don’t have Laevatain’s signature weapon?
Yes, this team composition works regardless of Laevatain’s weapon choice. While her signature weapon (Forgeborn Scathe) maximizes her damage potential, the team synergy itself remains strong even with F2P weapon alternatives like Wave Tide or Fortmaker. The elemental application and buff stacking from your teammates will still significantly boost her performance.
What should I do if I pull a 6-star character who could replace someone in this team?
The core synergy of Akekuri/Antal for Heat Infliction and Ardelia for sustain/Corrosion is hard to beat. However, if you pull a limited 6-star Heat damage buffer or a character with stronger elemental application, you could experiment with replacing Akekuri or Antal. Laevatain and Ardelia should generally remain fixed due to their irreplaceable roles as main DPS and healer/reaction enabler respectively.
How important is skill leveling priority for this team?
Focus on leveling Laevatain’s skills first since she’s your main damage dealer. After that, prioritize Akekuri’s Battle Skill to maintain consistent Heat Infliction application. Antal’s skills come third, followed by Ardelia’s. However, don’t neglect Ardelia entirely—her healing scales with skill levels, and inadequate sustain can cause runs to fail even with perfect damage optimization.
