Arknights Skill and Module Upgrade Priority Guide

Arknights buries you in upgrade paths. Skill levels, two tiers of promotion, mastery training, modules - and every single one of them wants the same LMD, the same farming stages, and the same sanity. The good news is that order matters way more than speed here. Players who dump everything into the wrong slot early end up grinding for weeks to catch up. Players who follow a rough priority list mostly skip that pain.

This breaks down what each system actually costs, what it gives back, and where your money should go first when you can't afford everything (you can't afford everything).

Skill Levels 1 Through 7 and What Each Unlocks

Every operator at 3★ and above starts each skill at level 1 and can push it to level 7 through the Skill Upgrade menu on their character page. One detail about that system saves you a shocking amount of money: buying a level raises all of that operator's skills at once. It's not per skill. SilverAsh's level 7 payment pumps Power Strike γ, Rules of Survival, and Truesilver Slash together in one purchase.

How the seven levels are gated

The early levels are cheap and ungated. Levels 2 and 3 run on Skill Summary 1 books plus low-tier mats. From level 4 onward the operator has to be Elite 1 first, and the bills shift to Skill Summary 2 books. Level 7 is where Skill Summary 3 comes in, stacked alongside Tier-3 materials.

Skill count depends on rarity, and that shapes when levels matter most:

• 3★ operators have one skill, full stop.
• 4★ and 5★ operators have two. The second shows up at Elite 1.
• 6★ operators have three - the second at Elite 1, the third at Elite 2. Amiya is the odd 5★ with a full three-skill set like a 6★.

Here's the part people miss: because the level is shared, a 6★ you push to skill level 7 before promoting will get their third skill at level 7 the moment E2 lands. Nothing gets wasted. The levels you buy early keep paying out later.

What the levels actually give you

Mostly straight number scaling, and it adds up. SilverAsh's Power Strike γ goes from 190% ATK on the next hit at level 1 up to 290% at mastery 3, with the SP cost dropping from 4 to 2 along the way. His Truesilver Slash climbs from +110% ATK hitting 3 targets at level 1 to +160% ATK hitting 5 targets at level 7. Same skill, same DP cost, nearly double the output.

The catch is that level 7 is a plateau, not a peak. For most kits the genuinely big jumps live past 7, in mastery territory - and mastery has its own price tag (more on that below).

Farming the books

Skill Summaries drop from the CA tactical drill stages. CA-4 costs 25 sanity and gives 1 Skill Summary - 3, while CA-5 costs 30 and gives 2. That's 15 sanity per book on CA-5 versus 25 on CA-4, so CA-5 is the better deal the moment you can clear it. The CA stages aren't always open - they rotate in on the supply schedule, so stock up when they are.

Elite Promotion Requirements and Material Costs

Promotion is your limit break. It raises the level cap, bumps stats, and unlocks talents and skills. Only 3★ and up can promote at all - 1★ and 2★ units sit at level 30 forever with no skills.

Elite 1

The operator has to hit their E0 max level first: 40 for a 3★, 45 for a 4★, 50 for both 5★ and 6★. Then you pay:

| Rarity | LMD | Chips | Materials | Level cap after | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | 3★ | 10,000 | none | none | 55 (their ceiling) | | 4★ | 15,000 | 3 Chips | some Tier-2 | 60 | | 5★ | 20,000 | 4 Chips | some Tier-2 | 70 | | 6★ | 30,000 | 5 Chips | a pile of Tier-2 | 80 |

E1 is cheap for what it hands back: the second skill (on 4★ and up), the first talent, extended range for most ranged classes, and a fat stat bump. Getting your whole core squad to E1 is the single best LMD-to-power trade in the game.

Chips come from the PR chip stages, which rotate by class each day. Farm the day your class is up.

Elite 2

Only 4★ and above can go further - 3★ operators cap out at E1 level 55. The E1 max level gates are 60 (4★), 70 (5★), and 80 (6★). Then it gets expensive:

| Rarity | LMD | Promotion item | Materials | | --- | --- | --- | --- | | 4★ | 60,000 | 5 Chip Packs | a pile of Tier-3 | | 5★ | 120,000 | 3 Dualchips | Tier-3 and Tier-4 | | 6★ | 180,000 | 4 Dualchips | Tier-4 and Tier-5 |

Dualchips don't drop anywhere. You assemble them in the Workshop out of the chips the PR stages give you, which is why E2 for a 6★ tends to be a multi-week project rather than a single shopping trip.

So what do you get? A big stat cap raise (6★s end at level 90, 5★s at 80, 4★s at 70), improved talents, and - the real prize - 6★ operators gain an entirely new third skill at E2, plus another talent. For a lot of 6★s, that third skill is the whole reason you pulled them. Some branches get structural wins too: Centurion guards go from blocking 2 enemies to 3, which changes what lanes they can hold solo.

Who gets the E2 first

The community-standard order, which the wiki backs up: damage dealers first (Casters, Guards, Snipers), then your frontline (Defenders and Vanguards), then Medics, then Supporters. Specialists vary too much by branch to rank as a group. Quality over quantity holds here - one E2 that changes how you clear stages beats three E2s that just have bigger stats.

Mastery Ranks Worth Investing LMD Into First

Mastery (officially "Specialization training") is what comes after skill level 7. Three more ranks, called M1, M2, and M3. The gates: the operator needs to be 4★ or above, promoted to E2, with the skill already at level 7. Training happens in the RIIC Training Room - level 1 room for M1, level 2 for M2, level 3 for M3.

And here's the big contrast with skill levels: mastery is bought per skill. No package deal. That's why picking the right one matters so much.

What each rank costs

| Rarity | M1 | M2 | M3 | Base time each | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | 5★ | 5 Skill Summary - 3 | 6 | 10 | 8h / 16h / 24h | | 6★ | 8 Skill Summary - 3 | 12 | 15 | 8h / 16h / 24h |

On top of the books you're spending Tier-4 materials for M1 and M2, and M3 throws in a Tier-5 item - the same rare stuff E2 promotions want. 4★ masteries cost less across the board. Every rank also charges LMD, which adds up faster than people expect when you're running these back to back.

The clock is its own cost. Base training time is 8, 16, and 24 hours per rank - 48 hours of real time per skill if you do nothing clever. Assigning a trainer of the right class speeds it up, and Logos and Irene have base skills that can halve the M2 and M3 timers. Pulled off properly with fast trainers, a full M3 run takes around 19 hours instead of two days.

Which masteries to grab first

Start with the skill you actually keep toggled on your main damage dealer. Community staples that have held up forever:

• SilverAsh S3 (Truesilver Slash) - goes from +160% ATK on 5 targets at level 7 to +200% ATK on 6 targets at M3.
• Surtr S3 - the burst nuke skill; M3 tightens the cooldown and cranks the damage.
• Eyjafjalla S2 (Volcano) - her real bossing tool, and M3 makes the burst sting hard.
• Thorns S3 - the afk-lane-holder pick, and his module makes it even better.
• Saria S3 - if you want a support pick in the first batch, this one's the usual choice.

The M1 breakpoint trick

Plenty of skills don't gain much per rank - they gain everything at one specific rank. Blue Poison's Venom Spray is the classic example. At level 7 it's +30% ATK with each attack hitting 2 extra targets. At M1, every attack also strikes the primary target a second time. That extra hit changes the shape of the skill. M3 then pushes ATK to +50%, which is polish.

So a cheap way to stretch your books: M1 the skills with a known breakpoint, then stop. Healers and buffers often get most of their value at M1 or M2, and plenty of skills gain so little at M3 that the Tier-5 material is better saved for an E2. M3 the one or two skills that define your account, M1 the rest of what you use.

Module Types and How They Change Operator Kits

Modules are equipment, sort of. Each one belongs to a single operator (no sharing, even within the same branch), and equipping it upgrades their class trait and stats. Deeper module stages upgrade their personal talents instead.

The entry gate is steep: Elite 2 level 40 for a 4★, level 50 for a 5★, level 60 for a 6★. On top of that, each operator has two Module Missions to clear first. One can be done in basically any stage, the other has to be done in a specific named stage - and both require deploying your own copy. Borrowed supports don't count.

The four module families

• X and Y modules are the standard pair. The base effect rewrites your class trait, and it's identical for everyone on that branch. A Splash Caster with SPC-X gets the same range extension as every other Splash Caster with SPC-X. Stages 2 and 3 then upgrade that operator's own talents instead. Most operators get one or the other; 6★s can end up with both, each feeding a different talent.
• Δ (Delta) modules are 6★ only. They make bigger, more personal changes than X or Y - frequently adding Elemental damage or Elemental Injury effects to a kit that never had them.
• Specialized modules only function inside Integrated Strategies or Reclamation Algorithm. In exchange for working nowhere else, they cost a single Module Data Block per stage (3 total) and make the most drastic changes of any type.

What a trait swap actually looks like

The branch-level effects give you a real choice between playstyles:

| Module | Effect | | --- | --- | | SPC-X (Splash Caster) | Attack range extends to 3x3 with a tile up front | | SPC-Y (Splash Caster) | DP cost drops by 8 | | PRO-X (Protector Defender) | +20% DEF while blocking | | PRO-Y (Protector Defender) | Can block 4 enemies alone | | CCR-X (Core Caster) | Attacks ignore 10 RES | | CCR-Y (Core Caster) | Restores 1 SP when hitting elite or boss enemies | | GUA-X (Guardian Defender) | +15% healing on allies that dropped under half HP |

A Lord Guard who wants to hold a lane alone probably wants the survivability pick. The same class built for a DP-tight opening wants the cost cut. Read the pair against how you actually field the unit.

Module upgrade costs

Full module development eats Module Data Blocks: 3 total for a 4★, 6 for a 5★, 12 for a 6★. SilverAsh's LOR-X runs 4 blocks per stage plus LMD - 80K for stage 1, 100K for stage 2, 120K for stage 3.

Stage 2 adds Data Supplement Sticks (60 of them for a 6★) and requires 50% Trust with the operator. Stage 3 needs Data Supplement Instruments and full 100% Trust. So a maxed module wants you to actually use the character, not just own them.

The payoff can be dramatic. SilverAsh's LOR-X gives +190 HP and +45 ATK and makes his attacks deal an extra 10% ATK as Arts damage on top of the physical hit. Stage 3 takes his Leader talent up to +25% ATK (115% against elites) and widens the squad-wide redeployment time cut.

Blocks are scarce, so know your sources: one from the weekly mission batch, four a month in the Distinctions Store for 20 certs each, four a month in the green Purchase Certificate Store for 120 each, plus first-clears in Stationary Security Service and event rewards. Sticks flow from SSS missions too - up to 60 a month - and event shops stock them.

Prioritizing Upgrades on a Limited Resource Budget

With all the prices on the table, here's a working order for an account that can't buy everything at once (so, every account):

1. Elite 1 your core 8-12 operators. Cheap, and it unlocks second skills and first talents across the whole squad.
2. Push skill levels to 4 or 5 on everyone you field. Shared across all skills, so the value compounds.
3. First E2 goes to your best 6★ damage dealer. 180K LMD and 4 Dualchips buys you a third skill and a second talent, which usually changes how you clear content.
4. Skill level 7 on that carry.
5. M1 their main skill. Catch any M1 breakpoint and you often get most of the power for a third of the books.
6. Module stage 1 on the carry once they hit E2 level 60 and the missions are done.
7. M3 the carry's main skill. This is where the Tier-5 materials go.
8. Spread M1s to your second and third string, then start stage 2 modules on the operators you use every single day.

The logic behind the order: E1 is the best cheap jump in the game, a 6★'s E2 third skill is usually the point of pulling them, and modules are structurally last because they can't start until E2 level 60 anyway. Trying to shortcut straight to modules on a fresh account just stalls everything behind them.

Where the money actually goes

Run the math on one fully built 6★: 180K for E2, another 80-120K per module stage, LMD on every mastery rank, plus all the EXP cards to get from level 1 to 90. One finished character eats a healthy chunk of a million LMD. When you're broke, the CE money stages are the direct fix, and event shops are usually a better exchange rate for rare materials than raw farming - grab the Tier-4 and Tier-5 items there before anything else on the shelf.

The monthly cert-store Module Data Blocks (four at 20 Distinctions, four at 120 green certs) are the best recurring purchases in those shops. Those two lines come before anything else on the shelf, because blocks are the one module material you can't farm directly.

What to skip

• E2 on a 4★ you don't field. 60K LMD and 5 Chip Packs is real money for a bench unit.
• Module stage 3 on anyone under 100% Trust anyway - the gate will stop you, so don't bank materials for it early.
• M3 on a skill you never turn on. If the skill stays at level 7 through every stage you run, its mastery was never going to matter.

A finished SilverAsh with Truesilver Slash at M3 and his LOR-X module does more for a roster than five half-built projects, and his first module mission wants Truesilver Slash used 10 times anyway - you were going to do that regardless.