Si sits in an awkward spot on most Endfield tier discussions because she is a six-star Cryo Supporter competing for a slot that most accounts would rather spend on a damage dealer, and the shared three-segment gauge every four-operator squad has to live with punishes any pick that does not convert its segments into a burst window. New players who pull her on the standard banner often wonder whether to invest or bench her, and veterans revisiting the roster after the last patch treat her as a flexible utility option for the Camille tier bracket rather than a permanent fixture. This article breaks down the Arknights: Endfield Si tier placement on the current list, her gauge economy, her stagger uptime, and the realistic ceiling for her six-star kit.
Si's Kit and Where She Sits in the Six-Star Band
The launch roster ships 19 six-stars, and the Supporter class makes up only four of them: Si, Gilberta, Ardelia, and Liino. Si is the Cryo one, which gives her the widest defensive element coverage of the four, but it also puts her in direct competition with Gilberta, the Nature Supporter most teams reach for first. Her frame leans on Heavy Attack chains and Tactical Skill windows that refund one segment of the shared gauge on a clean parry. The refund is the entire reason she shows up on any tier list at all: a Supporter who hands back gauge without external setup frees a slot that would otherwise go to a dedicated battery, and that is worth real currency in a four-operator format.
The ceiling problem is straightforward. Her ultimate is locked behind a long charge timer and her combo skills only chain with one partner, so any team built around her has to commit a slot to a Gilberta-style chain receiver. That is a real cost when you consider that Camille, Ember, and Endministrator all chain with two or more partners and unlock value across a wider roster. Her Supporter frame also caps her base attack well below the six-star damage carries, which means her stagger window closes faster on tankier enemies unless you bring Laevatain or another imbalanced-state amplifier.
What Si actually does well
Her parry refund is the headline. In practice, the refund window lets a Si-led team run one extra tactical skill every 30 to 45 seconds compared to a team without a gauge battery, which is enough to keep your burst window open through mid-fight downtime. Players running Si as the third slot behind a Last Rite anchor and a Camille sub-DPS report that she holds the A-tier bracket for the first 40 hours of progression before falling off.
Her second strength is the Heavy Attack chain. The chain pushes a segment of gauge per hit, and Si can land three heavies inside a stagger window if you time the parry correctly, which means she is one of the cheaper sources of stagger value among the six-star Supporters. For teams without a leveled Gilberta or Ardelia, that is a real reason to invest.
Where the kit falls short
The ultimate charge is the weak link. Si's ultimate is locked behind a long timer and it does not refund gauge, so firing it on cooldown without a stagger window set up by another operator wastes the rotation. Compare that to Camille, whose ultimate both refunds and amplifies, or Endministrator, whose ultimate resets the imbalance meter. Si's ultimate is a raw damage button with no system interaction, which is why she never climbs above the A-tier bracket on any current list.
| Operator | Rarity | Class | Element | Gauge Refund Source | Chain Partners |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Si | 6-star | Supporter | Cryo | Parry refund (1 segment) | 1 |
| Last Rite | 6-star | Striker | Cryo | Heavy chain refund (up to 2) | 3 |
| Camille | 6-star | Vanguard | Heat | Skill cast refund (1) | 2 |
| Endministrator | 6-star | Guard | Physical | Ult reset on stagger | 2 |
| Gilberta | 6-star | Supporter | Nature | Combo chain refund (1) | 2 |
| Ardelia | 6-star | Supporter | Nature | Team buff on combo | 2 |
How Si Stacks Against the Current Tier Anchors
The Arknights: Endfield camille tier discussion is where Si's ceiling shows up most clearly. Camille shares Si's six-star rarity but brings a Heat Vanguard kit that both refunds gauge and amplifies the next heavy attack, and he has two chain partners rather than one. Si's parry refund is more accessible than Camille's skill cast refund because you do not need to commit a gauge segment to trigger it, but the trade-off is that Si's refund only works against enemies with a stagger bar, while Camille's refund works on any hit.
When you stack Si against the Arknights: Endfield endministrator tier bracket, the gap widens. Endministrator's ultimate resetting the imbalance meter is a system-level interaction that no Supporter can replicate, and their base attack sits far above the Supporter band. Si is not in the conversation as a replacement for Endministrator; she is a utility pick for the slot until you pull a dedicated anchor.
Against the Arknights: Endfield last rite tier bracket, Si is firmly a side-grade. Last Rite is the current ceiling for stagger value because her heavy chain refunds up to two segments and extends the imbalance window. Si's parry refund is half the value and her chain is one partner deep, so she never replaces Last Rite, but she can fill a similar role for teams that cannot field a dedicated Cryo Striker carry.
| Tier | Operators | Stagger Uptime | Gauge Cost | Investment Floor |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| S | Last Rite, Endministrator | 80%+ | 1 segment per rotation | 6-star + signature |
| A | Camille, Gilberta, Ember | 60-70% | 1-2 segments | 6-star + good artifacts |
| B | Si, Laevatain, Wulfgard | 40-55% | 1-2 segments | 6-star or 5-star + decent gear |
| C | Ardelia, Arcane, launch four-stars | 30-40% | 2+ segments | Stock build |
The Arknights: Endfield gilberta tier bracket is where the comparison gets more interesting. Gilberta's combo chain refund and her heal-on-stagger interaction make her a better anchor for teams that run Heat or Nature damage windows, while Si's parry refund works in any team comp. If you are running a Gilberta-led team already, Si is a redundant slot; if you are running a Last Rite-led team without a chain partner, Si is a real upgrade over running no Supporter at all.
The Arknights: Endfield ember tier conversation is the closest match to Si's actual role. Ember is a Heat Defender whose kit revolves around heavy attack chains and combo refunds, and her ultimate has a shorter cooldown than Si's, which makes her the better anchor for stagger-first teams. Si's parry refund trades against Ember's shorter cooldown, and the choice between them comes down to which role your fourth slot needs — Ember's frontline soak or Si's Cryo support.
Gauge Economy, Stagger Uptime, and the Rotation Math
The shared three-segment gauge is the spine of every team in Endfield, and it is the single biggest reason tier placement shifts between patches. A six-star that eats two segments per rotation can rank below a cheaper operator that delivers the same stagger value for one, and that is why meta lists shift with each version rather than staying fixed. Treat any ranking as a snapshot of the current version and re-check after every patch, because changes to skill costs, imbalance thresholds, or new gear sets move operators between brackets without any direct balance patch.
Si's parry refund lets her run the one-segment rotation for most fights. The rotation looks like this: open with a tactical skill for stagger value, run a basic attack string to refill the shared gauge, parry the next heavy attack to refund a segment, then dump the combo and the ultimate inside the imbalance window. The refund window closes fast on tankier enemies, so the practical skill is timing your parry inside the stagger window instead of trying to refund after it.
The rotation cost in real numbers
For a standard mid-game fight against an enemy with a 100-segment imbalance meter, Si's rotation breaks down as follows: 1 segment for the opening tactical skill, 1 segment for the combo, 1 segment reserved for the ultimate. The parry refund covers the combo cost, which means the full rotation runs on the base gauge plus one refund. That is the same cost as the cheapest damage rotations in the six-star band, which is why Si holds the A-tier bracket for early-to-mid game despite being a Supporter rather than a carry.
The rotation breaks on harder content where the imbalance meter exceeds 150 segments. Against those targets, Si's parry refund cannot keep pace with the gauge cost, and you have to commit a second operator slot to a gauge battery like Laevatain or Wulfgard to keep the rotation running. That is the actual ceiling: Si is a one-segment-rotation operator against mid-game content and a two-segment-rotation operator against end-game content, which is why the B-tier bracket is her floor on the long-term list.
| Content Tier | Stagger Meter | Si's Rotation Cost | Recommended Battery |
|---|---|---|---|
| Early game (1-20) | 60-80 segments | 1 segment | None needed |
| Mid game (20-40) | 80-120 segments | 1 segment + parry refund | Slot 3 (light support) |
| Late game (40-60) | 120-150 segments | 1-2 segments | Slot 3 (battery required) |
| End game (60+) | 150+ segments | 2 segments | Slot 3 + slot 4 battery |
Why "tier" is a moving target
The official Arknights: Endfield website frames tier placement as a statement about gauge economy rather than raw damage, and that framing is correct. An operator with the right refund source can out-value a higher-damage kit with the wrong one, and the gap closes further when you factor in the cost of leveling and gearing. Si's value is highest when she is your only refund source, and lowest when your team already has Camille or Last Rite covering that role.
For a deep dive on how the combo skill chain system works and how to pre-plan which two operators you want to pair, the the official Endfield site (French) breaks down the rotation math in detail. The short version is that combo chains are the second layer on top of tactical skills, and chaining them lets a team break defenses faster than any single operator can alone, but the chain only works if the gauge economy supports it.
When Si Earns a Slot and When to Bench Her
The honest answer on the Arknights: Endfield si tier question is that she earns a slot early in progression, then falls into a utility role once you pull a better anchor. The decision tree is straightforward: if your main team is missing a refund source and you have not pulled Camille, Last Rite, or Endministrator, Si is the most accessible Supporter for the slot. If your main team already has a refund source, Si is a bench operator until you need a sub-DPS for a niche team comp.
The niche team comps where Si still holds value are Physical and Cryo teams that run a Last Rite or Gilberta anchor. In those comps, Si's parry refund is a secondary source of gauge economy, and her heavy attack chain adds a third stagger source behind the anchor and the sub-DPS. For a full breakdown of how those teams are built, the team synergy overview covers the anchor-sub-DPS-battery triangle in detail.
The investment floor
Si is a Supporter rather than a signature carry, so the investment floor is lower than a dedicated damage anchor's. You want her at level 60 with a decent artifact set and a baseline weapon, which is achievable within the first couple of weeks of progression. The artifact ceiling is the Tidal Remnants set if you have it, or the Heavy Strike set as a budget option, both of which push her stagger uptime by 10-15% without changing her refund profile.
The signature weapon is where the cost curve bends. Si's signature weapon sits in the mid weapon brackets, so it is cheaper to pull and level than a six-star carry signature, but it does not push her above the A-tier bracket the way a top signature pushes Last Rite or Endministrator. If you are spending limited resources on signature weapons, Si is a lower-priority target compared to those two anchors, but a reasonable one if you have already invested in them.
| Investment Tier | Cost | Stagger Uptime | Tier Bracket |
|---|---|---|---|
| Stock (level 1) | Free | 30% | C-tier |
| Level 60 + base artifacts | 1-2 days farm | 40% | B-tier |
| Level 60 + good artifacts | 1 week farm | 50% | A-tier |
| Signature weapon + good artifacts | 2 week farm | 55% | A-tier (ceiling) |
The role she fills on a long-term roster
Once you have a deep six-star roster, Si shifts into the sub-DPS role for Physical and Cryo teams that need a third stagger source. She is not a permanent fixture on the main team, and she is not a replacement for a dedicated damage anchor, but she is a reliable bench option that you can swap in when the fight calls for a parry refund. For players running a Gilberta-led team, the Gilberta team build covers how Si slots in as the third member.
For a side-by-side comparison of Si against the other refund sources on the roster, the Last Rite build guide includes a refund-source tier table that places Si in the B-tier bracket alongside Laevatain and Wulfgard. The framing is consistent across the current meta: Si is a utility pick for the refund source slot, not a permanent upgrade over the dedicated anchors.
Side-Grade Comps and Long-Term Roster Planning
The case for keeping Si leveled past the early game is her side-grade value on niche comps. A Physical team running Last Rite as the anchor and Gilberta as the chain partner can swap in Si as the third member for fights where the parry refund is more valuable than the chain refund. The swap is a 5-10% stagger uptime gain against enemies with a fast parry window, and a 0-5% loss against enemies with a slow parry window, which means the swap is content-dependent rather than a permanent upgrade.
The case for benching Si is the Ember comparison. Ember occupies a different rarity slot in a different class, but her shorter ultimate cooldown and her dual chain partners make her the better anchor for stagger-first teams. If you have both Si and Ember leveled, Ember is the better long-term investment, and Si is a bench operator unless you are running a comp that needs the parry refund specifically.
| Operator | Best Role | Best Team Comp | Replacement Priority |
|---|---|---|---|
| Si | Parry refund support | Physical / Cryo | Low (side-grade) |
| Ember | Heavy chain anchor | Physical / Heat | Medium (anchor) |
| Gilberta | Chain refund anchor | Heat / Nature | High (anchor) |
| Camille | Skill cast refund | Heat / Nature | High (anchor) |
| Last Rite | Heavy chain refund | Universal | Highest (anchor) |
For players building a long-term roster, the priority is Last Rite > Endministrator > Camille > Gilberta > Ember > Si, which is consistent with the Arknights: Endfield last rite tier and Arknights: Endfield endministrator tier brackets on the current list. Si is the lowest priority of the refund sources because her Supporter frame caps her damage ceiling, but she is the cheapest to invest in because her gear and signature weapon both sit below the top brackets.
When to pull her off the bench
The two content windows where Si earns a slot are early-to-mid game progression and niche Physical / Cryo comps for end-game fights. Outside those windows, she is a bench operator, and you should rotate her out in favor of Ember or Gilberta once those operators are leveled. The decision rule is simple: if your main team does not have a refund source, Si is in. If your main team has a refund source, Si is out unless the comp calls for a parry refund specifically.
For players deciding whether to spend resources on Si's signature weapon, the answer is no unless you have already invested in Last Rite and Endministrator signatures. The mid-bracket signature is a small upgrade that does not move her tier bracket, and the resources are better spent on a top-bracket signature that does. The same logic applies to her artifact ceiling: push her to the Heavy Strike set and stop, rather than chasing the Tidal Remnants set if it would slow down your progress on a higher-priority operator.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Si worth building as a new player?
Yes, Si is one of the most accessible Supporters for early progression because her parry refund gives you a gauge source before you pull a dedicated anchor. Invest her to level 60 with a decent artifact set and she will hold the A-tier bracket for early-to-mid game. Once you pull Camille or Last Rite, she shifts to the bench.
How does Si compare to Ember in the Arknights: Endfield ember tier conversation?
Si and Ember both sit in the B-tier bracket, but Ember is the better long-term anchor because her shorter ultimate cooldown and dual chain partners make her a stronger fit for stagger-first teams. Si's parry refund is more accessible than Ember's chain refund, but the trade-off is that Si's refund only works against enemies with a stagger bar, which limits her ceiling on end-game content.
Where does Si rank against the Arknights: Endfield endministrator tier bracket?
Si is firmly below the Endministrator tier because her ultimate has no system interaction, while Endministrator's ultimate resets the imbalance meter and refunds gauge on stagger. The gap is structural, not stat-based, which means Si will never climb into the same bracket as Endministrator on the current meta list.
Should I pull Si's signature weapon?
Only if you have already invested in Last Rite and Endministrator signatures, because the mid-bracket signature is a small upgrade that does not move her tier bracket. The resources are better spent on a top-bracket signature that pushes a higher-priority anchor into the S-tier range. For a full breakdown of the refund-source tier table, the Last Rite build guide covers the side-grade math in detail.
Does Si work in a Heat or Electric team comp?
Not ideally. Si's parry refund works in any team comp, but her Cryo frame scales best with Physical and Cryo damage windows, so a Heat or Electric team will not get full value from her kit. For Heat and Electric teams, Gilberta is the better Supporter anchor, and Si is a bench operator unless the fight calls for a parry refund specifically.