Echoes of War is one of the most challenging endgame modes in Arknights: Endfield, putting your operators, team compositions, and battle strategy to the test. Each cycle introduces different enemies, mechanics, and difficulty levels, so success isn't just about having powerful characters—it's about bringing the right team and adapting your strategy for every stage.

In this Arknights: Endfield Echoes of War guide, we'll walk you through how the mode works, recommended teams, stage mechanics, difficulty levels, rewards, and practical strategies to help you earn more stars and clear every cycle. If you're upgrading operators, preparing different teams, or pushing for higher ratings each season, OSLink lets you play your Arknights: Endfield PC session remotely from your phone, making it easy to continue your progression whenever you have time.

Arknights Endfield Echoes of War Preparations 

While Echoes of War becomes available fairly early in your progression, it is designed as an endgame activity that expects players to have a well-developed roster. Before taking on your first Cycle, it's worth spending some time preparing your account, as stronger operators and better team synergy will make a noticeable difference once you reach the higher difficulties.

Unlock Requirements

To unlock Echoes of War, you'll need to complete Chapter I – Process II: Paving the Way and reach Authority Level 40. Once these requirements are met, the mode becomes permanently available, allowing you to participate in every new seasonal Cycle as it releases.

Build More Than One Team

One of the biggest mistakes new players make is relying on a single powerful lineup. Echoes of War is designed around unique stage mechanics, meaning a team that dominates one battle may struggle in the next. Building multiple operators across different roles and damage types gives you much more flexibility when adapting to each stage's requirements.

Prepare Your Operators

For Normal difficulty, a reasonably upgraded roster is usually enough to learn the mechanics. However, Hard and especially Brutal difficulty are much less forgiving. Before attempting these challenges, make sure your main operators are properly leveled, their skills and equipment are upgraded, and your primary team compositions are fully developed. A well-prepared roster allows you to focus on learning mechanics instead of fighting against a lack of damage or survivability.

Learn the Stage Before Increasing the Difficulty

There's no disadvantage to starting on Normal difficulty first. Use your initial clear to learn enemy attack patterns, identify important mechanics, and understand how each encounter works. Once you're comfortable with the fight, moving up to Hard and Brutal becomes much easier, allowing you to improve your Star rating without repeatedly struggling through unfamiliar mechanics.

Understanding Echoes of War Mechanics

Unlike most combat content in Arknights: Endfield, Echoes of War is designed around changing mechanics rather than repeating the same battles every week. Each Cycle introduces different encounters with unique modifiers, encouraging players to adjust their teams instead of relying on a single strategy. Understanding how these systems work is the key to earning higher Star ratings and consistently clearing Hard and Brutal difficulty.

Cycles and Stages 

Each Echoes of War season is divided into multiple Cycles, with every Cycle featuring three different stages. Every stage presents its own enemies, combat modifiers, and special mechanics that change how battles are approached. As new Cycles become available, stage combinations and challenges rotate, encouraging players to build flexible teams that can handle a variety of encounters rather than preparing for only one boss.

Difficulty Levels 

Every stage can be challenged on Normal, Hard, or Brutal difficulty. While the core mechanics remain the same, higher difficulties significantly increase enemy health, damage, and survivability, making efficient rotations and optimized team compositions much more important.

For players new to the mode, completing Normal first is often the best approach. Once you've learned the mechanics and enemy patterns, progressing to Hard and eventually Brutal becomes much more manageable, especially when aiming to complete each challenge within the stricter time requirements.

Stage Mechanics and Combat Modifiers 

Every Echoes of War stage includes unique mechanics that directly influence how the battle should be played. Some stages reward defeating enemies in a specific order to gain powerful buffs, while others encourage applying elemental effects or overcoming bosses with unique resistances. Because these mechanics vary from stage to stage, adjusting your operators and strategy is usually more effective than simply bringing your highest-damage team.

Before starting a new stage, always review its mechanics and build your lineup around the objectives. A team that excels in one encounter may perform poorly in another if it cannot take advantage of the stage's special effects.

Echoes of War Rewards

After completing Echoes of War, you'll earn progression materials that help upgrade your operators and strengthen your account. While rewards improve at higher difficulties, the exact drops vary by stage and are refreshed as the mode receives new updates.

Each stage awards Stars based on the highest difficulty you've completed. Earning more Stars throughout a season contributes to your overall seasonal progress and unlocks increasingly prestigious Season Titles that showcase your achievements. Since new Cycles rotate throughout the season, improving your clears and completing higher difficulties is the best way to maximize your final seasonal rating.

Cycle of Recalling I Walkthrough 

Cycle of Recalling I is the opening Cycle of the Season of Recalling, introducing players to the core mechanics of Echoes of War while still providing a challenging endgame experience. Rather than relying on a single strategy, each of the three stages tests a different aspect of combat, encouraging you to adapt your team composition and approach for every encounter.

Throughout this Cycle, you'll face elite enemies with unique combat modifiers, battles that reward frequent elemental applications, and powerful bosses with enhanced defensive mechanics. Understanding what each stage is designed to test is just as important as building strong operators, as making the most of the stage mechanics can dramatically improve your clear speed and overall performance.

Before diving into each battle, here's a quick overview of what to expect:

The following sections break down each stage individually, covering their mechanics, recommended teams, and practical strategies to help you earn higher Star ratings across every difficulty.

Scars of Landbreaking 

Scars of Landbreaking is the first challenge in Cycle of Recalling I, but don't let that fool you into thinking it's an easy introduction. Rather than overwhelming you with a single powerful boss, this stage pits you against multiple elite enemies that each provide a unique combat buff when defeated. Deciding which target to eliminate first has a direct impact on the rest of the battle, making target priority one of the most important mechanics to understand.

Stage Mechanics 

Each elite enemy grants a different permanent buff after being defeated:

• Bonekrusher Vanguard – Increases Stagger Efficiency by 50%, helping your team break enemy defenses more quickly.

• Bonekrusher Arsonist – Grants Arts Intensity +100, boosting the effectiveness of Arts-focused operators.

• Bonekrusher Executioner – Increases Skill Damage by 100%, making ability-based teams significantly stronger.

• Heavy Ram – Increases Basic Attack Damage by 100%, benefiting operators that rely on normal attack damage.

All enemies have improved stats compared to their standard versions, and only HP Treatment tacticals and consumables can be used during the challenge. Since you can only gain these buffs by defeating the corresponding enemy, choosing the right elimination order is often more important than simply attacking the closest target.

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Recommended Teams 

The following team compositions are among the most reliable choices for Scars of Landbreaking. Each lineup takes advantage of the stage's mechanics in different ways, allowing you to choose the one that best matches your available operators and preferred playstyle.

Scars of Landbreaking Strategy 

Before engaging, identify which buff benefits your team the most and prioritize that enemy first. Arts-focused teams should generally eliminate the Bonekrusher Arsonist early, while skill-heavy or stagger-focused lineups may gain more value from defeating the Executioner or Vanguard first.

Avoid splitting your damage across multiple targets. Focusing down one elite at a time lets you secure its buff sooner, making the remaining enemies much easier to handle. As each buff is acquired, your team's damage output and combat efficiency will increase, allowing you to clear the later enemies much more quickly.

For Hard and Brutal difficulty, efficient skill rotations become increasingly important. Save your strongest burst abilities for elite enemies rather than wasting them on weaker targets, and use executions whenever possible after breaking an enemy's stagger bar to maintain momentum. Since the Brutal challenge also includes a strict time requirement, minimizing downtime between enemies is just as important as maximizing your damage.

Quick Tips

• Decide your target priority before the battle begins.

• Focus on one elite enemy at a time to secure its buff as quickly as possible.

• Match your first target to your team's strengths instead of following the same kill order every run.

• Use executions after breaking stagger bars to maintain pressure and improve clear speed.

• If you're attempting Brutal difficulty, avoid unnecessary delays between fights to stay ahead of the timer.

Silver Watercutter

Silver Watercutter is the second stage of Cycle of Recalling I and places a strong emphasis on elemental application rather than raw damage. While the enemies are tougher than those found in earlier content, the stage rewards players who can rapidly apply Arts Infliction, making team synergy and elemental consistency far more valuable than simply bringing the highest damage dealers.

Stage Mechanics

Silver Watercutter introduces a unique stage buff that activates after Arts Infliction has been applied 20 times during the battle. Once this requirement is met, every operator on your team gains 50% increased Final Damage, dramatically increasing your damage output for the remainder of the encounter.

Like the other Echoes of War stages, enemies have improved combat stats, and only HP Treatment tacticals and consumables can be used. Because of this, reaching the Arts Infliction requirement as early as possible should be your highest priority before committing your strongest burst skills.

Recommended Teams

The following teams are excellent choices for Silver Watercutter thanks to their ability to consistently apply Arts Infliction while maintaining strong sustained damage throughout the fight.

Silver Watercutter Strategy

At the start of the battle, focus on building Arts Infliction stacks instead of immediately using every Ultimate. Rotate through your operators' combat skills to trigger elemental applications as efficiently as possible, allowing you to activate the 50% Final Damage buff early in the fight.

Once the buff is active, shift your focus to eliminating priority targets with coordinated burst damage. Strong skill rotations and well-timed Ultimates become significantly more effective after the damage bonus is applied, allowing you to defeat elite enemies much faster than if you had used them earlier.

For Hard and Brutal difficulty, maintaining consistent pressure is essential. Avoid long periods without attacking, continue applying elemental effects whenever possible, and save your largest burst windows for the toughest enemies that appear later in the encounter. Activating the stage buff quickly while maintaining efficient rotations is the key to comfortably meeting the stricter time requirements.

Quick Tips

• Prioritize building 20 Arts Infliction stacks as quickly as possible.

• Save your strongest burst rotation until after the Final Damage buff is active.

• Use operators that can consistently apply elemental effects instead of focusing only on raw DPS.

• Keep attacking between skill cooldowns to maintain pressure and generate resources.

• Coordinate your Ultimates during the later waves to make the most of the damage bonus.

Howling of Undying Beasts

Howling of Undying Beasts is the final challenge of Cycle of Recalling I, featuring a showdown against the formidable Skydrummer. Unlike the previous stages, this encounter revolves around overcoming the boss's high elemental resistance while maintaining steady damage throughout a longer fight. Building a team with strong buffs, debuffs, and consistent damage output is the key to securing a successful clear.

Stage Mechanics 

At the start of the battle, the Skydrummer gains 50 Resistance to all elements, making elemental damage significantly less effective until you can compensate with debuffs or powerful team buffs. Unlike its standard encounter, the Skydrummer also does not enter its Enraged state, creating a more predictable fight but one where sustained damage is essential.

As with the other stages in Echoes of War, enemies have improved combat stats, and only HP Treatment tacticals and consumables can be used. Because the boss naturally reduces your elemental damage, operators capable of weakening its defenses or increasing your team's overall damage become especially valuable.

Recommended Teams

The following teams perform exceptionally well against the Skydrummer thanks to their ability to maintain strong damage output while supporting the entire party throughout the fight.

Howling of Undying Beasts Strategy 

Rather than rushing your strongest abilities at the start of the encounter, spend the opening moments establishing your buffs and preparing your damage rotation. Since the Skydrummer begins with high elemental resistance, applying debuffs or activating your team's support abilities before committing to your main burst window will produce much better results.

Throughout the fight, focus on maintaining steady pressure instead of chasing short bursts of damage. Use stagger opportunities to interrupt the boss and create safe windows for your highest-damage skills. Once your buffs and debuffs are active, coordinate your Ultimates and strongest abilities together to maximize their impact before returning to your normal rotation.

On Hard and Brutal difficulty, patience and consistency are often more valuable than aggressive play. Learning the boss's attack patterns, avoiding unnecessary damage, and maintaining efficient rotations will make the encounter significantly smoother while helping you stay comfortably within the challenge timer.

Quick Tips

• Apply buffs and debuffs before using your strongest burst skills.

• Take advantage of stagger windows to safely unleash high-damage abilities.

• Prioritize sustained damage over short, inefficient burst rotations.

• Save your Ultimates for coordinated burst windows instead of using them individually.

• Learn the Skydrummer's attack patterns to reduce downtime and avoid unnecessary damage.

Tips for Clearing Hard & Brutal

Once you're familiar with each stage's mechanics, success in Hard and Brutal difficulty comes down to clean execution and efficient combat. Keep these general tips in mind to improve your consistency across every Echoes of War Cycle.

• Use Executions Whenever Possible – Executions deal significant damage while giving you a brief moment of safety, making them an important part of maintaining your momentum.

• Don't Let Your Rotation Stall – Weave in Normal Attacks while waiting for skill cooldowns to maintain pressure and keep combat flowing smoothly.

• Coordinate Your Burst Windows – Combining buffs, debuffs, and Ultimates will almost always produce better results than using powerful abilities one at a time.

• Practice on Normal First – Learning enemy patterns and mechanics before moving to Hard or Brutal will save time and make higher difficulties much more manageable.

Conclusion

Echoes of War is one of the most rewarding endgame activities in Arknights: Endfield, challenging players to master unique stage mechanics, build flexible team compositions, and refine their combat strategy with every new Cycle. By understanding each encounter, adapting your operators to the stage, and practicing efficient rotations, you'll be well-equipped to earn higher Star ratings and tackle even the toughest Brutal challenges. If you're farming upgrade materials, preparing for upcoming Cycles, or fine-tuning your teams while away from your PC, OSLink lets you remotely access your Arknights: Endfield game from your phone, making it easy to stay on top of your progression wherever you are.