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Module Ratings - Unrealized Realities
Ratings and discussion of the Operator Modules introduced in the "Unrealized Realities" patch [Arknights]
Mal.io Introduction
Heya all, Mal here with another Modules writeup! This time for the “Unrealized Realities” patch, AKA the Nasti event. This patch is a fairly small one as far as Modules go. The Chain Medics got their Modules, there’s one new Operator with a Module (Nasti herself), and one second Module for an existing Operator, so this writeup will be a short one.
The Chain Medics occupy an awkward space in the game. Obviously the 6★ Operator, Mon3tr has a lot of stuff going for her due to the 6★ design space, but the fundamentals of the Branch simply aren’t all that interesting. Outside of some edge cases of abusing their range, or the ability to heal full HP targets (and thus applying “on-heal” effects), they generally are just a slightly different flavor of AoE Medic. The 5★s of the Branch are especially ailed by the fact that neither of them has particularly notably utility on top of the existing blandness of their inherited Traits.
All that said, the Trait upgrade the Chain Medics got is quite a decent one. It reduces the bounce penalty for each of the subsequent targets in their healing chain. As the penalty is imposed multiplicatively upon each subsequent target, a fairly small improvement to this penalty results in increasingly large benefits further down the chain. The result is that this Trait improvement substantially upgrades their ability to serve as AoE Medics, even though it doesn’t really improve their peak healing of their first target, the one who is likely to need the most healing.
As mentioned already, the 6★ Chain Medic, Mon3tr is not like the rest of the Branch. So much of her kit is defined by her ability to transform into a DPS unit on her S3. If that’s the only thing you use her for, you might want to skip this Module since it honestly doesn’t change much about that use case. However, Mon3tr is also a strong buffer, both via ATK and ASPD buffs to her allies. This Module improves her ATK buff, which is unfortunately not the buff that is magnified via her S2, but it’s still a sizable free buff to all allies near her Reconstruction Summon. As a result, if you do make use of Mon3tr’s S2 as a multi-target buffing ability, then you’re much more likely to want this Module. Though I should note it’s still not a game-changingly huge buff, a hypothetical future Module that buffs her ASPD Talent could be much more impactful. But as I always, I recommend against making Module decisions based on hypothetical future Modules, as they can often take years to come out, or be far less impactful than people predict. Often people will hold off on a Module and by the time the “better Module” comes out, the Operator is long powercrept and the second Module does far too little too late.
The 5★s are far more straightforward to evaluate than Mon3tr. Paprika and Papyrus are both basically pure healers and little else. Papyrus technically does provide a Barrier on top of her healing but in most cases this functions the same as pure healing. Their Modules do improve their ability to be AoE pure healers but not by enough to really allow them to compete with the premium healing options people use these days like Haruka, Shu, Eyjabery, or even the good 5★ healers like Ptilo, Rose Salt, or Quercus. That said, the improvement is big enough that if you use them, you’ll absolutely want that Trait upgrade from level 1. Ultimately, their Modules are let down by the low value of these units to begin with.
Next, we have Nasti, the new Operator. Nasti is a funny one, I’m very excited to use her and experiment with her gimmicky applications, but that is fundamentally what she is, a gimmick Operator. You might enjoy these gimmicks and find excuses to use them, but they’ll rarely be a better solution to stages than simply using the strongest Ops to nuke enemies off the map. What this means is that fundamentally I’m considering her value as an Operator to be on the lower end, not terrible, but not great either. Unfortunately, in addition to that, her Module is fairly uneventful. Each level provides a new quality of life upgrade that makes her devices easier to set up, which you might appreciate if you enjoy her gimmicks. If you’re trying to use Nasti in every stage, you might run into stages where that faster startup or the chaining devices allows her to work when she otherwise wouldn’t. However, I still generally categorize all of these improvements as “nice to have”, most of the time you want to use Nasti, you won’t notice these improvements. Ultimately, a skippable Module on a skippable Operator is just not really a Module I can recommend, even if I absolutely think her kit design is a lot of fun.
Lastly, we have Ray’s Module. Ray is a bit of a victim of some of the powercreep that started right after her, but I’d argue that her reputation is the bigger victim than her actual power. Despite all the other options like Wiš’adel or Lemuen, Ray remains a strong pick when you need high DPH, single target physical damage. This Module, her second, is a good one. It represents a solid damage upgrade, but only when used against beefy single targets that will live long enough for Ray to hit it a few times. As a result, whether this Module or her first one is better is a bit situational. I’d still recommend this one to someone who has neither built, but it’s not such a commanding upgrade that I can recommend it to someone who already has the first one built, unless they’re a heavy user of Ray.
Ratings System
This rating system aims to capture both the relative “meta value” of a unit as well as the strength of a Module. My aim is to have the ratings give an at a glance understanding for those just trying to figure out what is “good”, while those already interested in a unit regardless of the meta value of said unit, can read the detailed write-up of each Module to find out if it’s right for them, even if it’s a Module on a relatively low value Operator.
Each Module will be given a rating of [YES], [MAYBE], or [NOT RECOMMENDED] for whether it is worth building, as well as a recommended level to upgrade it to.
For Specialized Modules, ratings are given with the assumption that players are interested in the applicable game mode (for example Integrated Strategies).
Ratings
Chain Medic
Mon3tr
Ten Thousand Years of Memories
XAH-X
Rating
Maybe
Recommended Level
Level 3
This is a solid Module which leans into Mon3tr’s role as a support unit significantly more than it affects her role as a DPS unit. Luckily Mon3tr is already a quite good buffer and healer, so improving those is a worthwhile effect.
The Trait upgrade of this Module reduces the healing penalty when Mon3tr’s heals hit subsequent targets to 15% per bounce, down from 25% per bounce. This results in the 2nd target (not including the Reconstruction) getting a little bit more healing, and the 3rd target getting a lot more healing. This noticeably improves Mon3tr’s ability to perform the role of an AoE/multitarget healer.
The Talent upgrade of this Module does two things. First it increases the magnitude of the ATK buff granted by Mon3tr’s Reconstruction summon, to +25% ATK to surrounding allies, up from +15% ATK. Second, in addition to the “free” extra bounce with no reduction it gets with no Module, the subsequent bounce also doesn’t weaken as well. This means that Mon3tr can heal a chain of targets like the following: Reconstruction (100% heal) -> Operator 1 (100% heal) -> Operator 2 (100% heal) -> Operator 3 (85% heal). When combined with her Trait upgrade, this results in Mon3tr almost completely ignoring the characteristic weakness of Chain Medics’ Trait. The improved ATK buff from her Reconstruction is also nice, especially as it works in all the surrounding tiles and typically has high uptime. The only downside is that it’s not the portion of her buffing that is magnified by her S2.
Overall, Mon3tr as a unit is defined by two roles, her DPS role and her support role (healing + buffing). The former role is improved fairly marginally by this Module. Technically, she does gain some improvement from the base ATK of the Module (~11% DPS), but the Trait and Talent improvements do little to nothing. Technically the +ATK buff does apply to herself, but the reconstruction disappears during her S3, and while players can place it during the tail end of the skill, the improvement to her DPS is fairly small anyway due to it being heavily diluted by her skill’s massive ATK modifier. As for her role as a support unit, this side benefits much more sizably. Not only does she become a much more competent multitarget healer, but her very reliable AoE ATK buff is substantially increased.
How impactful players find this Module will largely depend on how much they value each of these roles. If they consider Mon3tr primarily a DPS unit, then they should probably skip this Module unless they need to eke out every possible amount of damage. If players rely on Mon3tr’s supportive capabilities, either as a healer or buffer or both, then they will very much appreciate the buffs this Module brings. It should be mentioned that the improvements are much more noticeable to her healing, while the Module upgrades don’t affect the substantial portion of her buffing power of her ASPD buffs. Therefore this should be a Module that some players consider, but not a must-build by any means.
Paprika
'Colorful Life'
XAH-X
Rating
Not Recommended
Paprika was the first Chain Medic, and it’s obvious, unfortunately. She heals, and that’s it. This Module does substantially improve her healing, but not by enough to make her competitive with the stronger healers, nor the healers who have noticeable utility.
The Trait upgrade of this Module reduces the healing penalty when Paprika’s heals hit subsequent targets to 15% per bounce, down from 25% per bounce. This results in the 2nd target getting a little bit more healing, the 3rd target getting a lot more healing, and while in S2, the 4th target getting way more. For comparison, pre-Module: Target 1 gets healed for 100%, Target 2 gets healed for 75%, Target 3 gets healed for 56%, and Target 4 gets healed for 42%. However, with this Module: Target 1 gets healed for 100%, Target 2 gets healed for 85%, Target 3 gets healed for 72%, and target 4 gets healed for 61%. In other words, Paprika becomes much more capable as a multitarget Medic.
The Talent upgrade of this Module increases the bonus healing Paprika applies to targets below a certain threshold, as well as easing the threshold. She now heals targets an additional 200 HP if their health is below 50%, up from 140 at below 40%. This upgrade is fairly mediocre, an extra 60 healing per instance is not very impactful, and the threshold matters less during her S2 anyway.
Ultimately, Paprika’s kit is very one dimensional. All of her power budget went into pure healing, and she simply still doesn’t compete. Most of the in-demand Medics have substantial secondary utility other than just healing. Paprika’s ability to serve as a multitarget medic is significantly improved by Module level 1, so if players already use her they’ll definitely notice it, but it’s not nearly enough to make meta players stop using their Ptilopsis, much less strong 6★s instead of her.
Papyrus
Little Seeds
XAH-X
Rating
Not Recommended
Papyrus has the benefit of having some measure of utility alongside her healing, the ability to provide friendly Operators with Barrier (treated as extra, temporary HP) in addition to healing. Unfortunately, Barrier hasn’t proven to be a particularly valuable niche on its own, and thus Papyrus generally tends to be evaluated on the merits of her raw healing, which is unimpressive. This Module does help her healing out somewhat in that regard, but not enough to make her nearly a meta pick.
The Trait upgrade of this Module reduces the healing penalty when Papyrus’s heals hit subsequent targets to 15% per bounce, down from 25% per bounce. This results in a 2nd target getting a little bit more healing, the 3rd target getting a lot more healing, and while in S2, the 4th Target getting way more. For comparison, pre-Module: Target 1 gets healed for 100%, Target 2 gets healed for 75%, Target 3 gets healed for 56%, and Target 4 gets healed for 42%. However, with this Module: Target 1 gets healed for 100%, Target 2 gets healed for 85%, Target 3 gets healed for 72%, and target 4 gets healed for 61%. In other words, Papyrus becomes much more capable as a multitarget Medic.
The Talent upgrade of this Module increases the Barrier Papyrus applies with each heal to 29% of her ATK (up from 22%). This ends up being, alongside the base ATK value of the Module, almost a 50% increase in the Barrier she provides. In addition, the duration of this Barrier is extended from 8 seconds to 10 seconds.
Ultimately, Papyrus’s extra utility of her Barrier ends up being too similar to strong pure healing in most cases, and she compares unfavorably to other healers that provide other forms of utility or stronger pure healing. Papyrus’s ability to serve as a multitarget medic is significantly improved by Module level 1, so if players already use her they’ll definitely notice it, but it’s not nearly enough to make up for the gulf between her and meta picks. The upgrades are also decent if players do rely on her Barrier, but once again, nowhere near enough to make her a meta pick, even among 5★s.
New Operators
Nasti
The Engineers
CRA-X
Rating
Not Recommended
Nasti is an interesting unit, whose value fluctuates drastically depending on the player’s interest in more gimmicky strategies. Stages will never be built such that she is necessary, and thus her power can never be too high, however it is undeniable that the ability to construct a ranged tile anywhere the player desires can certainly streamline many maps. Unfortunately, her Module doesn’t really amplify that power at all. Its upgrades are all quality of life relating to her Support Devices, whether the number carried, their cost, or their positioning.
The Trait upgrade of this Module increases the maximum stock of Support Devices Nasti can carry by 1 (up to 4), and reduces their DP cost (down to 2 for S1/S2, and down to 3 for S3). The latter of these upgrades is the only part players will notice, the lower DP costs allow Nasti to get rolling much faster in a stage. Meanwhile the maximum stock upgrade is fairly unimportant. Simply put, the typical ways Nasti is used doesn’t require having a large stock of devices, she usually either cycles through them faster than she can create them, or doesn’t need more than her initial stock to begin with.
The Talent upgrade of this Module does two things. At level 2, the first device Nasti places has its DP cost reduced by 3, meaning that combined with the Trait upgrade, under normal circumstances her first device is free. At level 3, her devices gain the ability to chain together. What this means is that one device can be placed within the range of another in order to also deliver its effects to the final target (similar to Raidian’s ranged Summons). In other words, two devices can be affecting one target while only using one of the adjacent four tiles. The DP reduction allows Nasti to get her devices up and running even faster (though they still have a Redeploy timer before the second can be placed). While the positioning change allows Nasti’s devices to both stack on one target even when tile availability is less convenient, and in some cases, allowing two devices when it would otherwise be impossible.
Overall, this Module primarily offers quality of life to a unit that is already much more of a desire-only pick due to her gimmicky nature. As a result, the Module shouldn’t be considered high priority by anyone. However, for those who have already decided to build and use Nasti, level 1, 2, and 3 each offer nice little upgrades to Nasti’s usability. Unfortunately, it simply doesn’t really transform how she performs to rise above her gimmicky nature, and 12 Module blocks are a lot to spend for QoL upgrades.
Second Modules
Ray
To Certify What?
HUN-Y
Rating
Maybe
Recommended Level
Level 3
Ray released right before Wiš’adel, and thus many players’ impression of her is on the lower end, however she remains a highly competitive pick for high DPH single target physical damage, especially when her extra range or Bind is needed. This Module is a good one, whose main drawback is that Ray already had a good first Module that this has to compete with.
The Trait upgrade of this Module increases the scaling of Ray’s attacks when she consumes Ammo to 133% of ATK (up from 120%). This straightforward damage upgrade is nearly always useful for Ray. It is in competition with her other Module’s Trait upgrade which allows Ray to reload two bullets when her Ammo is empty. In general, most of Ray’s use is with her S3, which significantly reduces the pain of reloading, so this Trait effect generally comes out ahead of that of her first Module.
The Talent upgrade of this Module improves Ray’s scaling on subsequent hits on the same target. At Module level 3, her ATK increases by 9% stacking up to 4 times (up from 8% up to 3 times). This results in a maximum scaling of 36% (up from 24%). This is a straightforward damage increase which is useful when Ray is pitted against hard single targets. Meanwhile, her other Module offers improvements to her Sandbeast Summon, both in its cycle, and its damage amplification to targets within its range. The damage amp offered by the Sandbeast does result in Ray’s damage being higher for the first few hits, but this Module results in Ray’s damage coming out ahead when that extra stack of ATK scaling comes into play on the 4th hit. You do lose out on the perfect alignment of the Sandbeast cycle with Ray’s S3, but in practice the perfect cycling is rarely needed.
Overall, this is an excellent Module on a strong Operator. The main disadvantage of this Module is that Ray’s first Module was already decent. For players who are building Ray for the first time, this Module Y is probably the better pick, as its damage often comes out ahead, and the cycling from her Module X isn’t that essential. For players who already have Ray’s X Module built on the other hand, the damage improvements are not that consequential, so they should probably consider skipping it unless they use Ray frequently, and even then this Module isn’t a universal enough upgrade that they would use it 100% of the time over the first one.