Laevatain doesn't play like most 6-star Strikers. You drop her in, she swings, and then… nothing happens unless you're feeding her the right stuff. That's why a lot of players end up looking for shortcuts like Arknights endfield boosting in the first place, because her damage isn't "free." It's tied to Melting Flame stacks, and those stacks only show up if enemies are getting Heat Infliction around her. Once you notice that, her kit makes sense. She's not meant to be spammed. She's meant to be managed.
Melting Flame and why your damage feels random
Melting Flame is the whole deal. She absorbs Heat Infliction from targets and turns it into up to four stacks. Hit your Battle Skill too early and it feels weak. Sit at four stacks and suddenly she's chunking elites and wiping packs. The trick is learning the "wait" timing. A lot of people panic-press skills on cooldown, then wonder why her Ultimate takes ages and her burst looks mid. Don't do that. Let Heat land, watch the stacks climb, then spend them when it matters. Her Combo Skill and Battle Skill both cash those stacks in, and that's where the Combustion swings the fight.
Weapons that actually fit her, not just look good
If you've got Forgeborn Scathe, you're basically set. The Intellect and Attack are fine, but the real value is how it leans into Heat damage and makes her post-Ult basic string hit harder. That matters because her Ultimate isn't just a nuke button; it changes how she keeps pressure up while stacks rebuild. If you don't have it, you can limp along with Umbral Torch or White Night Nova, but you'll feel the gap. It's not about raw stats, it's about the way Scathe keeps her damage "on" during the windows where other weapons go quiet.
Gear choices and the common Ultimate-speed trap
Early game, Mordvolt Insulation is a clean, boring pick. It keeps her Intellect high enough that her scaling doesn't fall over. Later on, Hot Work is the switch you want, because the Heat DMG bonus feeds straight into the parts of her kit that delete waves. People sometimes stack Ultimate Gain Efficiency because they're sick of waiting on her ult, but it often backfires. You end up ulting a bit more, sure, but each ult window is softer. In practice, you're better off making every stack spend count and letting the team cover gauge flow.
Team mates, the loop, and keeping it consistent
She needs friends who drip-feed Heat so she can farm stacks without begging the enemy to cooperate. Wulfgard is the obvious partner since he keeps Heat rolling while still doing real damage. Add Akekuri and suddenly your cycle feels smooth instead of clunky, because the SP support gives you more chances to line up four-stack spends. Ardelia is the safe fourth: heals plus Corrosion for easier combo triggers. If you know the stage and don't need the safety net, Antal can be nasty for resistance shred, and that's when Laevatain starts looking unfair. If you want that kind of consistency without grinding forever, it's no surprise some players check out Arknights endfield boosting for sale when they're trying to lock in the full setup and start playing the fun version of her kit.
