Mastering Laios and Marcille in Arknights

The collaboration between Arknights and Delicious in Dungeon brings two unique operators into the mix: Laios and Marcille. Understanding their abilities, playstyles, and how to effectively deploy them can significantly enhance your gameplay. Both characters are exclusive to the Crossover Limited Headhunting banner, meaning players will need to navigate the gacha system to unlock them. Once you've secured one of these operators, you'll want to maximize their potential, which is where this guide comes in handy.

Laios: The Curious and Calculated Frontliner

Laios is a 5-star melee unit from the Dreadnought Guard branch, known for his strong single-target offense. What sets him apart is his ability to reward players who pay close attention to enemy types and capitalize on repeated spawns. He's not a unit you can simply place anywhere and expect stellar performance; instead, he's tailored for players who strategize and adapt to his unique traits.

At Elite 2, Laios unlocks the talent Reliable Companion, which provides 25 initial mana and a powerful team-wide buff when your squad includes four or more Laios’s Party members. This talent boosts ASPD and DEF for the entire group, significantly enhancing both offensive and defensive capabilities.

Skills and Combat Use

Laios's skills are designed to maximize his effectiveness in specific scenarios:

• Curious Strike: A skill that increases his attack power against specific enemy types, making him a formidable force when used correctly.
• Calculated Assault: This skill allows Laios to deal increased damage to enemies that have been previously attacked by him, rewarding players who manage his positioning and timing.
• Party Leader: Enhances the performance of Laios’s Party members, making it a crucial skill for team synergy.

Marcille: The Versatile Mage

Marcille, a 5-star caster, brings a versatile skill set to the table, focusing on mana management and strategic deployment. Her abilities revolve around the amount of mana you're willing to spend and the timing of her deployment.

Skills and Combat Use

Each of Marcille’s three skills offers different utility and damage profiles:

• A Top Student’s Abilities: A burst skill that enhances Marcille’s attack. If no enemies are nearby, she heals allies instead, making it a versatile choice for mixed-role usage.
• Summon Familiar: Creates a companion that boosts her basic attacks and adds slow effects. Activating it again enhances the familiar, increasing her range and adding a stun to each hit. Ideal for crowd control and stalling tactics.
• Explosion Magic: A high-mana skill that, after chanting, causes a massive AoE explosion with a stun effect. Continued chanting and additional mana turn it into a multi-hit attack, perfect for clearing groups of enemies quickly.

Marcille’s gameplay loop involves managing her uptime, deploying her during key wave moments, using her skills, and then retreating to build mana again. This cycle rewards good timing and planning, especially when paired with SP-focused supports or delay tactics.

Building and Synergy

Marcille truly shines at Elite 2, where her second talent not only provides more starting mana but also adds significant team-wide buffs when running a crossover-themed squad. For skill priority, Summon Familiar is often the most flexible and effective across various stages, while Explosion Magic is ideal for situations requiring massive burst damage.

Recommended Development Path:

• Promotion Priority: Elite 2 for mana scaling and support synergy.
• Skill Upgrade Focus: Summon Familiar for utility; Explosion Magic for burst.
• Best Potentials: ATK increase and redeployment time reduction.

For synergy, Marcille works well with operators who can protect her during chants or indirectly boost her SP. She pairs excellently with Laios and other Laios’s Party units to leverage the team buff, and also fits into caster-focused compositions where both damage and control are needed.

Laios and Marcille add a unique flavor to Arknights, offering gameplay that rewards precision, tactical placement, and strategic mana management. Together, they form a versatile core capable of tackling both single-target and AoE challenges.

If you're interested in exploring new team builds, particularly those centered around the Laios’s Party tag, both operators offer strong synergy potential. For the smoothest gameplay experience, especially during intense missions, consider playing Arknights on PC with BlueStacks. This setup provides better controls, larger visuals, and uninterrupted gameplay, ensuring every move counts.