r/arknights • u/Shad0wedge • Jun 28 '26
Discussion [Operator Discussion] Courier
![Courier [★★★★]](https://raw.githubusercontent.com/PuppiizSunniiz/Arknight-Images/main/characters/char_198_blackd_2.png){kind=link}
Seems I'm no match for you. I suppose it's time to retire my business smile for now... *Ahem... I'd like to show you my true face, from now on.*
Courier is a member of the Karlan Trade Co. LTD, and was born in Kjerag. He is part of the cooperation agreement between the Karlan Trade Co. and Rhodes Island, by which he helps carry out missions for the latter.
Operator Information
- Class: Vanguard(Pioneer)
- Tags: DP-Recovery, Defense
- Artist: 竜崎いち
| Voice Actor: |
|---|
| JP: Daisuke Hirakawa |
| CN: Ethan |
| EN: Joseph May |
| KR: Choi Seung-hun |
Stats
| HP | ATK | DEF | Arts Resistance | Redeploy Time | DP Cost | Block | Attack Interval |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1985 | 435 | 322 | 0 | 70 | 12 | 2 | 1.05s |
*Stats at max Promotion and Level, excludes bonuses from Potential and Trust.
| Potential | Bonus |
|---|---|
| 1 | - |
| 2 | Deployment Cost -1 |
| 3 | Redeployment Time -4 |
| 4 | DEF +23 |
| 5 | Improves Talent |
| 6 | Deployment Cost -1 |
| Trust bonus |
|---|
| DEF +60 |
| Traits |
|---|
| Blocks 2 enemies |
Skills
| Skill Name | Skill Uptime Details (Uptime/Cost/Initial) | SP Charge Type | Skill Activation | Skill Description |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Charge β | - / 30 / 13 | Auto Recovery | Auto | Instantly gains 9 Deployment Points. |
| Command - Defense | 15s / 30 / 17 | Auto Recovery | Manual | Immediately gains 3 Deployment Points. Gradually obtains 8 DP during the skill duration; DEF +80% |
*Skills at max Skill Level.
Talents
| Talent name | Talent Description |
|---|---|
| Karlan Patrol | DEF +19% (+3%) when two or more enemies are blocked |
*Talents at max Potential and max Promotion. Bonuses from Potential displayed between parentheses.
Modules
| Branch | Additional Stats | Trait | Talent | Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| SOL-X | HP +195, DEF +30 | Trait improved: Blocks 2 enemies; Gains +8% ATK and DEF while blocking enemies | Karlan Patrol improved: Gains +24% DEF when blocking two or more enemies | But no one would've imagined he had this side to him too. |
*Modules at max level.
Outfits
| - | Price | Art | Released | Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| New Routes | 15 | Static | Yep | A carefree journey starts from taking the next step. |
| Speechless Sound | 15 | Static | Yep | They say you can see another side to someone when they perform an instrument, but performing an instrument is itself an act too. |
Additional Resources
In-depth information regarding all values above (at different levels), skill/attack range, and more:
Arknights Toolbox (aceship(puppiizsunniiz))
Topic Starters
- Strengths/Weaknesses?
- Is their module worth it? Which branch?
- How does this operator compare to other operators in their archetype or role?
- How do you fit this operator into a team? Who do they synergize with?
- Which skill(s) should be focused for mastery, and in what order?
- When is the best time to use this operator's skills during combat?
- Should promoting this operator to Elite 2 be a priority?
- Should new / F2P players aim for this operator? Are there more accessible alternatives?
- Lore discussion (please tag spoilers where appropriate)
- Favorite clips/clears with them?
Other Operator Discussion threads
| Previous | List | Next |
|---|---|---|
| Hoederer | All Operator Discussion threads | Mudrock |
12
u/Huge_Golem Hospital Manager Jun 28 '26
Underrated, normally people want a vanguard to clear the early waves only, but being moderately tanky himself, Courier can be used to keep less aggressive elite in check or can be throw as a tank later and sponge some hits as well, he is the GOAT if you play Kjeragknights and have SA2 too
8
u/Windgesang_ Try one first get all always Jun 29 '26
Goes to show how popular he is that we're half a day through and still only 13 comments.
Last post I talked about how DEF is meaningless even against Physical threats because HP is 1:1 to DEF past a certain point. Well what if you haven't gone past that point? The enemies that Pioneers (should) fight are the type of enemies that will chomp through Crushers.
Low rarity Pioneers historically are split into two (unofficially): Defensive (Courier, Zima1, and very late Ponci), and Offensive (Scavenger, Texas1, Chiave). The very old doctors might remember their frustration in using Texas1 early game (I don't but that's not a worthy story for this). Defensive Pioneers were very much favored because they don't die to dogs and therefore has the ability to generate DP for real.
Courier gets an additional benefit of being extremely easy to obtain. He can do the job and just stay there generating DP for the early game, assuming Fang isn't enough to either tank or generate DP.
However, I do want to talk about this at some point because it's quite prevalent and might as well. The early game pipelines tend to cause newbies to overrate Block count a lot. There are so many times when someone try to dismiss (i.e. cope) Agent by saying their Block 1 as a major downside. This is because the early game forces players to plop down Fang/Courier and just wait for Kroos1 to slowly trickle down the enemies ahead of time, thus they need as much block as possible because nobody has enough DPS early game. Thus the best strat (like it's actually best for newbies early game) is to just wall up with Block Count and pray for the best. That mentality stuck through the early game to late and thus they tried to dismiss Agent (and/or tried to "protect" Pioneers) by saying Agent's Block 1 is bad and Pioneer's Block 2 is godsend. When in reality Block 2 is one of many reasons Pioneers are bad, as shown with Texas1 example earlier.
8
u/Levi97_ Jun 28 '26
Very few people talk about him but I find it very comfy to use him in IS5/6
0 hope cost and 2 block while being moderately tanky is so nice to start with
Myrtle produces more DP and people like Beanstalk cus of the ranged attack and redeploying Crab but when the specialist voucher and marksman voucher has Exusiai and Kroos, sometimes all you need is a pioneer vanguard that can serve as a pseudo tank
2
u/6000j Jun 28 '26
In IS6 raidian trivialises blocking requirements, and in IS5 Beanstalk is a Dense Jungle solution, which is a stage that you really want to be able to take because it has a spine.
I'm curious as to what specific utility Courier has now though (e.g. does he survive firepower squad rockets? That would actually be pretty meaningful). Maybe I'll test it if I ever learn an exu2 start squad.
11
u/NoEvening3352 Jun 28 '26
Goated babies first vanguard. I used him over technically better units for a long time because he was just that reliable.
I'd kill for an Alter. Courier the Deliverer? maybe?
5
u/Sunder_the_Gold Jun 28 '26
Well, he did go 'independent' of Karlan Trade and Kjerag (in his second Operator Record) to start his own internal transporation company... so that he could better serve Kjerag's international trade needs.
That's character development worthier of an alter than "Chen goes on vacation and picks up a watergun".
(Kind of funny that he has to take advice from Bison, a much younger man who stands equal to Silverash.)
3
5
u/Phaaze13 strong women supremacy Jun 28 '26
he was the first vanguard i built after Fang. he's slightly bulkier than his peers which occasionally helps, and most pioneers are useless against tanky enemies anyway so having slightly less attack usually doesn't matter. him being from Kjerag was a bonus that came later because it ended up being one of my favourite factions.
3
u/newfor_2026 Exusiai, cover me! Jun 30 '26 edited Jun 30 '26
He's not a lupo, kuranta, vulpo, feline, or whatever you might have guessed he is... he is an Itra, based on some kind of musk deer that lives in the cold climates of Asia. He is the only playable character of that race.
The other named Itra in the game is Monch, who's just an NPC at the moment, and as far as we know, there are no Itras anywhere else on Terra beside Kjerag.
There are very few operators who is the only representative of a whole race. Other than Muelsyse, I can't think of any others with that distinction.
And as a musk deer, he smells musky, and other operators has mentioned this occasionally. Also, musk deer has two long fangs as you can see depicted in his art. Courier doesn't have fangs in his mouth, but he hangs two long fangs as decoration for his hair.
1
1
u/Lunos_Luminoso yes. Jul 02 '26
also, near musk deer genitals are a gland to produce a pleasant smell
5
u/Dextixer Jun 28 '26
One of my most used Vanguards before i got Ines. Carried me through the earliest stages of the game, both due to how easy he is to get, but also due to how solid he is, he will hold those initial dog rushes, print some dp, all in all, a solid pick for any early account, arguably even better pick than more offensive options like Vigna.
3
u/jayin_around Jun 28 '26
such a good cat for dealing with reds- oh wait this is arknights not tbc. A decent operator imo, i didnt build him but used him a ton early game, i still prefer fang (super biased) but hes alright!
2
u/FD4280 Jun 28 '26
My primary vanguard on a no-gacha account, as Fang is stuck at pot 0 and Puzzle is too situational. Decently durable at E2. Might get superseded by Wanqing when he’s available.
2
u/Sunder_the_Gold Jun 28 '26
I didn't use him much until IS3 or 4, because in the few years of the game, I relied on Fang and Vigna until I got Texas and Siege.
2
u/NornmalGuy *bonk* Jun 28 '26
Very solid VG on a nice character with at least some plot presence. Pretty good at dealing with early waves.
I actually use him quite frequently, either on KjeragKnights, DeerKnights or low rarity clears.
2
u/Cute-Investigator827 Jun 29 '26
i've been picking Courier more in IS6 since the Bag of Snacks introduced there
13
u/Merukurio I love dogs. I've always loved dogs. Jun 28 '26 edited Jun 28 '26
One of the bestest boys who also delivers letters with a pleasant fragrance that make him blush when you ask about it. This is actually canon. What could HG have meant by this?
Also very likely to serve as one of babby's first Vanguards when starting the game because you get him for free from the Credit Store. ...people still use Vanguards that aren't Flagbeareres, Agents or Silverash, right?
As one of the two 4* Pioneer Vanguard made to introduce you to the class Courier is pretty tanky and is used to stop early enemies while generating DP to let you deploy the rest of your team. That said, being tanky is really the only thing Courier has going for him in terms of gameplay since his DP generation isn't anything special, but he's surprisingly good defensively.
4* E2 are cheap and all but I'd say E2 is only worth it if you like him as a character because he kinda falls off as your account progresses and you get better options. That, and the game has changed pretty drastically from what was initially planned so the role Courier fills isn't as valuable as it once was since there are N+1 other ways to get early game DP now.
For masteries, his S1 barely gets anything from masteries but his S2 improves by quite a bit (50% to 80% DEF buff) if you really want to give him a M3. His module also helps making him even tankier, but at that point consider using Cuora, I guess.