Hypergryph has announced that ‘What the Firelight Casts’ Side Story as the next major event for Arknights, featuring Reed the Flame Shadow as a limited operator as well as various additions coming to the game.
‘What the Firelight Casts’ is Arknights’s 17th Side Story event, and it serves as an interlude between Episode 11 and 12.
The story will focus on Reed’s journey of self-redemption and maturing on becoming a new leader for the oppressed Tarans while facing Eblana, the Leader of Dublinn and her sister.
The origins of Dublinn and the lost Taran Kingdom will also be unveiled in this story event.
The event will be released in two parts:
- Part 1: July 13 – July 27
- Part 2: July 20 – July 27
During the event period, players can receive various rewards by completing event stages and exchanging them in the River Valley Caravan store, including high tier materials, LMD and Headhunting Permits.
New Operators
Alongside the event, the long-awaited limited operator 6★ Reed the Flame Shadow will be making her debut in the ‘To Bloom From A Dim Flame’ Headhunt Banner together with a new 5★ Mystic Caster – Harmonie.
Reed the Flame Shadow will be the focus protagonist of ‘What the Firelight Casts’ Side Story event and is an alternate variant of her 5★ Charge Vanguard counterpart.
She will be the second Incantation Medic added to the game and has the hybrid power between a Medic and Caster, allowing her to be flexible in multiple squad compositions.
Debuting together with Reed the Flame Shadow is Harmonie, a 5★ Mystic Caster who can slow enemies in an area and focus her attacks on currently blocked enemies.
Players will also receive 5★ Puzzle as a free Welfare Operator after fulfilling specific mission objectives in the event stages.
Puzzle is a 5★ operator of the Agent Vanguard archetype which gains the benefits of ranged attacks, and he is also able to gain DP and inflict poison to enemies through attacking.
His Tokens can be redeemed at the aforementioned River Valley Caravan store to further upgrade him.
New Skins
Together with the Side Story event, this update will also come with new limited-time operator skins from the Icefield Messenger series and a rerun of the [CAMBRIAN] series operator skins.
The skins will be purchasable from 13 July, 2023, 10:00 (UTC-7) to 27 July, 2023, 03:59 (UTC-7).
The Originite Prime (OP) cost for each skins is as follows:
- ‘Attendant of the Bright Night’ for 6★ Goldenglow – 18 OP
- ‘Untold Stories’ for 5★ Erato – 18 OP
- ‘Prince After The Performance’ for 5★ Greyy The Lightningbearer – 15 OP
- ‘Soft Wool’ for 5★ Bibeak – 18 OP
- ‘Casual’ for 4★ Arene – 18 OP
- ‘Modeling Night’ for 4★ Gravel – 15 OP
Limited-Time Login Event
A new limited-time login event will also begin shortly after ‘What the Fightlight Casts’ begins, starting on 14 July until 28 July, players who accumulated 10 days of login will obtain various rewards and the ‘Gleaming Fey’ skin for 4★ Pudding.
New Furnitures
Additionally, new themed furniture sets will also be added into the game for players to decorate their dormitories.
Part of ‘Reed’s Cabin’ furniture sets will only be purchasable from 13 July, 2023, 10:00 (UTC-7) to 27 July, 2023, 03:59 (UTC-7).
The other parts of ‘Reed’s Cabin’ furniture set is obtainable through ‘What the Firelight Casts’ Side Story event.
Other Features:
Other notable features in this update includes:
‘Mansfield Break’ event to become permanently available through Record Restoration, starting 20th July 2023, 10:00 (UTC-7).
New stage for the Annihilation mission mode called ‘Research Base Hanger Operation’ starting from 17th July to 11th September.
New Modules can also be unlocked for various operators, focusing mostly on Musha Guard and Besieger Sniper archetypes.
The operators receiving new Modules are:
- 4★ Totter
- 4★ Utage
- 5★ Akafuyu
- 5★ Erato
- 5★ Harmonie
- 5★ Toddifons
- 6★ Archetto
- 6★ Hellagur
- 6★ Mizuki
- 6★ Rosa (Poca)
Hypergryph note that they will be performing a server maintenance before ‘What the Firelight Casts’ side story event come live on 13 July 203 from 04:00 to 10:00 (UTC-7).