Arknights Endfield 1.4 - Arcane and Si. Precursors and Nefarith!

Patch 1.4 for Arknights: Endfield dropped today alongside the release of Arcane in the gacha. I completed it in one go, taking about seven hours. It can be considered the end of the Wuling arc, even though we will likely see a few more patches before moving to an entirely new area.

The story centers on the effort to close the Great Rift, end the risk of calamity in Wuling, and reclaim the lands lost long ago. While this is the main plot, it felt more like a character story focused on Arcane, her past experiences, and her current self.

I don't want to say much about it, but Arcane do you think this is the right outfit for someone going into battle against monsters?

Apparently Ardashir is not even human anymore, killing him has no effect whatsoever on his body. Arcane tried multiple times...

She survived that tragedy, which caused her to internalize her trauma and push forward. She managed to open up to the Endministrator when they fell into a rift together, allowing her to find peace. She even showed emotion and cried, though as nobody else saw her, it remains a secret. I really liked her story arc and her portrayal, making it easy for me to pull for her.

Of course, the important story developments arrived in the final hour of the mission, when the Great Rift became the central point of contention. The first important key involves the identity of the Endministrator; it seems she is more closely related to the enemy (Foundation/Precursors) than we previously thought.

Endministrator taking Arcane home, I understand the feeling Administrator, but consider her wishes first! She has a cat to take care of!

Si is really a tsundere character, I wonder what relationship she shared with Endministrator before the memory loss.

She was the one who created the giant soldier we fought as the final boss, and they claim we were "deceived by that woman." It is unclear who this woman is, but I suspect it could be related to Ardashir and Nefarith, as they also mentioned a woman they are working with. Speaking of which, Nefarith appeared again; as usual, if you don't see the body, you can't prove someone is dead.

Both Ardashir and Nefarith agree that an incoming event will cause a mass extinction in the universe, and they need unity and a strong sovereign to stop it. Ardashir thinks the Endministrator is the best choice, while Nefarith does not care and just wants to do her own thing, completely separated from the others. I am not sure why she stabbed Ardashir, though...

Is it me or she reminds me of Kal'tsit? Of course I can't prove it yet, but...you know what I mean...

That annoyed face is perfect, only few weeks and we'll be able to roll for her too!

I think I enjoyed the patch, even though the issues that made previous patches mediocre persist here as well. This includes the over-the-top glorification of Wuling, the continued withholding of information from the Endministrator by allies and enemies alike, and the uneven explanations throughout the campaign. Sometimes they are obnoxious with details, and other times they gloss over important parts, which can be annoying.

Now, we wait for the release of Lady Si in the banner in a few weeks. I like her character design a lot, and I am curious to see if she has an associated side story. Perhaps it will concern the healing of the Endministrator, which was hinted at the very end of the patch content?