[Guide] Arknights – Should You Pull For Rathalos S Noir Corne (Monster Hunter Collaboration)

The Oni Noir Corne puts down his shield for a fiery Long Sword and is now clad in full Rathalos armor, ready to slash his way in the Arknights and Monster Hunter crossover collaboration event.

Noir Corne was a member of the infamous Teidou clan of Higashi and who had been trying to dissociate himself from the clan’s past. He joined Rhodes Island to be part of the Operations Reserve Team A4 after his life changed when he met with Yato, a former Higashi assassin and now his squad leader.

In the Monster Hunter crossover event of Arknights, Noir Corne will be wearing the iconic Rathalos armor and joining Yato on a special mission.

Class and Archetype

Rathalos S Noir Corne is a 5★ operator and a limited alternate variant of 2★ Noir Corne. As part of the crossover event between Arknights and Monster Hunter, Noir Corne wore the Rathalos S armor and took on the role of a Musha Guard, an archetype specializing in both DPS and survivability.

Musha is a brand of the Guard class that possesses high HP and ATK as well as DP cost in exchange for low DEF and is only able to block a single enemy. Due to their high DP cost, Musha Guards cannot be deployed in the early game.

Furthermore, this archetype cannot be directly healed by other friendly units like Medics and Guardian Defenders, so hard-hitting enemies and Arts attackers may pose a challenge to them. However, indirect healing such as the ones from Bard Supporters can still rejuvenate them, thus recommended if you have trouble keeping these operators alive.

While operators under this archetype cannot receive healing directly, their attacks do recover some of their HP and when they are on the brink of defeat, they will become stronger due to their innate Tenacity buff.

Talents

Rathalos S Noir Corne’s talent generally focuses on his role as a Musha Guard, granting him a Tenacity buff and improving his damage potential.

His first talent, Decisive, grants Noir Corne an attack speed and DEF Tenacity buff that greatly increases both stats when his max health is dropped by 70%. A Talent that fits nicely with his Musha Guard archetype, allowing him to swiftly attack to recover HP when low on health.

On the other hand, his second talent is Spirit, themed after the Long Sword’s signature mechanic in Monster Hunter. The talent grants Noir Corne increased ATK every time he had attacked 5 times consecutively outside of any of his Skills’ activation, stacking up to a maximum of 3 times.

Spirit on its own is a simple Talent that grants a stackable ATK buff, but it does come with interesting interactions with his Skills.

Skills

Rathalos S Noir Corne’s Skills are both tastefully themed after the Long Sword’s moves from Monster Hunter, generally focusing on allowing him to inflict more damage in combination with his Talent.

His first Skill, Iai Spirit Slash, based on the iconic attack of the same name, has Noir Corne sheathe his Long Sword for a short while and assume a counterattack stance. When attacked, Noir Corne parries the hit and launches multiple slashes onto nearby enemies, gaining 1 stack of Spirit, his Second Talent. Notably, should Noir Corne successfully defeat an enemy with Iai Spirit Slash, it will be activated again, allowing him to potentially deflect several attacks consecutively.

Another iconic Long Sword attack, Spirit Helm Breaker, is also represented in Arknights in the form of Rathalos S Noir Corne’s second Skill. When activated, Noir Corne will consume 1 stack of Spirit and unleash 7 slashes to nearby enemies. The Skill can be stored up to 2 charges and is a more aggressive choice among the 2 abilities.

As both Skills can inflict multiple hits, they naturally synergize with Rathalos S Noir Corne’s trait as a Musha, allowing for consistent self-sustain.

Final Thoughts

No longer a forgettable 2★ Protector Defender, Noir Corne donned the iconic Rathalos armor and takes on the archetype of a Musha Guard, a good one at that. Both Rathalos and the Long Sword are iconic to the Monster Hunter franchise and the developers did not disappoint when it comes to bringing them into Arknights.

Despite not being able to be healed by his comrades, Rathalos S Noir Corne is able to stand his ground through the good use of the Rathalos’ scales of his armor, possessing impressive damage output and self-sustainability.

Unfortunately, you can only select one of either of his Skills rather than having both together, thus the interactivity of Noir Corne’s Long Sword feels somewhat incomplete. Both of his Skills have different interactions with Spirit, his Talent, where his Skill 1 grants an extra stack while his second Skill takes a stack away.

That said, individually, both Skills are strong and allow Noir Corne to casually cut down enemies in his path. Note that his first Skill, Iai Spirit Slash, will disarm Noir Corne and cause him to stop attacking, losing some damage if timed wrongly. The ability can also be wasted especially if he attracted the wrong enemy attack and ended the effect prematurely.

While Rathalos S Noir Corne is a strong character, note that he still suffers from the usual drawbacks of Musha Guard and requires proper planning to be used effectively.

Ultimately, as a collaboration operator, Rathalos S Noir Corne is a truly Limited character who will not likely be returning in the future so best to try to pull him now because he is gone forever.

Download

Arknights Global

Publisher: Yostar Inc

Developer: Hypergryph

Release Date: 2020-01-16

Android, iOS

Take on the role of a key member of Rhodes Island, a pharmaceutical company that fights both a deadly infection and the unrest it leaves in its wake. Together with your leader Amiya, you’ll recruit Operators, train them, then assign them to various operations to protect the innocent and resist those who would thrust the world into turmoil. Your tactics will determine the future of Rhodes Island. Fight for the Dawn!

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