Ch'en the Dawnstreak is a 6-star Arts Fighter Guard introduced in First of A Thousand Autumns. She is a one-block melee damage dealer with adaptive Weakness Damage, self-sustain, and a powerful S3 that becomes especially dangerous on maps with narrow paths and suitable terrain.

Her Arts Fighter trait makes normal attacks deal Arts damage. After promotion, her first talent converts the Physical and Arts damage she deals into Weakness Damage, automatically choosing the more effective damage type based on the target’s DEF and RES. This gives Ch'en useful coverage against enemies that would normally resist a single damage type.

Promoting Ch'en, mastering her skills, and upgrading her module requires a large amount of LMD, EXP, skill books, chips, and stage materials. OSLink supports emulator multi-instance management and automated farming, allowing players to run several Arknights accounts and repeat Auto Deploy material stages in the background. It is useful when farming resources for multiple Operators without manually managing every account.

Ch'en the Dawnstreak Role

Ch'en works best as a burst DPS placed near an important lane rather than as a permanent solo blocker. Her main value comes from her flexible damage type and S3’s unusual range.

Her second talent restores a random amount of HP every seven seconds while she has not recently taken damage, then lets her evade the next Physical or Arts hit. This sustain is helpful, but constant chip damage can interrupt the talent’s healing cycle.

Skill Breakdown

S1: Chi Xiao – Fleeting Night

S1 increases Ch'en’s ATK, turns every attack into two hits, and Silences enemies she attacks until the skill ends.

At M3, it provides ATK +120%, costs 20 SP, and lasts 18 seconds. It offers reliable sustained damage and can disable enemies whose abilities are affected by Silence. However, Silence is not universally useful, and S1 lacks the range and burst potential of S3.

Best use: Sustained single-target damage and Silence-sensitive enemies.

S2: Chi Xiao – Shadowless: Chase

S2 targets the nearest enemy around Ch'en and performs ten consecutive slashes, with each slash dealing Arts damage. When a target is defeated, she searches for another nearby enemy and gains one extra slash.

At M3, each slash deals 480% ATK as Arts damage. Once the sequence finishes, Ch'en receives a major ATK boost and 60% Physical and Arts Dodge for six seconds. She is untargetable during the slashing animation.

The movement effect requires careful planning. If the final target survives and stands on a valid deployable tile, Ch'en moves to that position. If no valid movement occurs, she returns to her original tile. Moving is treated as a special retreat and redeployment: existing skill effects and most buffs are not preserved, and her SP is cleared after redeployment.

S2 can clear weakened groups or reposition Ch'en aggressively, but it may leave her in a dangerous tile. Do not activate it without checking where the final target is standing.

Best use: Fast elite assassination, grouped enemies, and planned repositioning.

S3: Chi Xiao – Heaven’s Plaint

S3 releases a sword-qi wave directly ahead. The wave deals Arts damage equal to 6% of each enemy’s current HP, with a minimum damage value based on Ch'en’s ATK.

At M3, that minimum is 580% of her ATK. During the 20-second skill, her range expands and every normal attack hits up to four ground enemies three times, with each hit dealing 210% ATK as Arts damage. S3 has 18 initial SP and costs 25 SP at M3.

The wave turns clockwise when it approaches an Incursion Point, Protection Objective, or terrain enemies cannot enter. Each enemy is normally hit once before the wave turns, but it can hit the same enemy again after another turn. This allows large enemies and bosses in tight spaces to take several hits from one activation.

S3 remains useful on open maps because of its expanded range and triple-hit attacks, but its highest ceiling depends on terrain.

Best use: High-HP bosses, multi-tile enemies, narrow corridors, and dense ground waves.

Skill Mastery Priority

S3M3 improves its minimum wave damage, follow-up attacks, initial SP, and total skill cycle. S2M3 has decent gains but is more difficult to use consistently. S1 can normally remain at Level 7.

Potential Recommendations

Ch'en is fully functional at Potential 1.

P3 and P5 are useful, but neither changes how she is played. One copy is enough for normal and high-difficulty content.

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Pre-set Keymaps for Easy Play

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Cross-Platform Support

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Best Module

Ch'en currently has AFT-X: Remnant Pages of Memory.

Module Level 1 is the best general breakpoint. The unblocked ASPD bonus fits S3 well because Ch'en can attack from extended range while another Operator holds the lane. Levels 2 and 3 mainly improve survival rather than damage.

Recommended order: S3M3 → Module Level 1 → Module Level 2 or 3 if needed.

Best Operator Pairings

Placing a Defender ahead of Ch'en helps activate her module’s unblocked ASPD bonus while allowing her to attack through the Defender during S3. ATK buffs also improve the minimum damage of her sword-qi wave and her triple-hit follow-up attacks.

Best Use Cases

Ch'en performs best against:

High-HP bosses and elite enemies

Multi-tile enemies

Narrow lanes with several terrain turns

Ground enemy waves during S3

Enemies with uneven DEF and RES

She is less effective when forced to block continuously or when S3 has no useful route. S2 also becomes risky on maps where the target stands near hazards or unsupported lanes.

Should You Pull Ch'en the Dawnstreak?

Ch'en the Dawnstreak is a strong pull for players who need a flexible melee burst DPS. Weakness Damage prevents many enemies from fully resisting her, while S3 offers strong general damage and a much higher ceiling on favorable maps.

She is available through Standard Headhunting rather than being a limited Operator. Players with restricted pulls can therefore prioritize limited targets first, especially if their roster already has several established boss killers.

One copy is enough. Build S3M3 first, unlock Module Level 1, and treat S2 as an optional technical skill. While Ch'en handles bosses and difficult waves, OSLink can keep multi-instance Auto Deploy and material farming running in the background, helping prepare the resources needed for her promotion, mastery, and module.