Arknights Moon Over Water: Knockdown, Relay Deploy Guide
Arknights Moon Over Water Event Overview: Dates, Access and Rewards
CN server update window
The CN client went into forced maintenance on 04 September 2026 from 06:00 to 12:00, which required a full reinstall afterwards. Compensation was 5 Originite Prime for anyone with an account created before 06:00 that day, claimable within seven days of maintenance ending. A second hotfix notice followed on 20 September at 16:00, so expect further small patches.
Global server typically runs roughly six months behind the CN schedule. Treat these dates as the CN timeline and check your own server's event page for the actual window.
The collaboration banner
The collab banner is called (Holy City Spring Student Headhunt). Collaboration operators are only obtainable during the event and do not enter standard headhunting afterwards. Operators from Persona 3 Reload included in this run are Makoto Yuki, Aigis and Yukari Takeba.
Rewards worth more than the event itself
The same version update added three Operator Records (Fiammetta, Lingyin, Hadiya), one Paradox Simulation (Lingyin) and four exclusive modules: Ch'en the Holungday (second module), Makoto Yuki, Aigis and Yukari Takeba (source: official update notice). For veteran accounts those four modules are the real prize. Modules are permanent progression, the Side Story is not.
Arknights Moon Over Water Knockdown Rules: How Weak Points Work
Physical and Arts weak points
Enemies with a physical or Arts weak point are deliberately tanky. Chipping their HP bar down directly is inefficient, but dealing enough damage of the correct type knocks them down immediately (source: PRTS event stage notes). Practically, this means a high-attack physical operator does literally nothing against an Arts weak-point enemy. Wrong type, no progress.
Elemental weak points need an elemental burst
For enemies flagged with an elemental weak point, the condition is not "deal Arts damage" but "make them elemental burst" . You need at least one reliable way to trigger an elemental burst in the squad, otherwise these enemies stay standing and block the field-wide knockdown check.
The field-wide total attack
When every enemy on the field is down at the same time, your side launches one total attack that deals heavy true damage to all enemies, and it scales with the attack of your on-field units. That is your main damage source in this event. True damage ignores defence, so raw attack stats beat penetration; attack speed and skill multipliers do nothing for the total attack.
Arknights Moon Over Water Relay Tiles: Cutting Redeploy Time
How relay tiles behave
Some tiles carry a relay marker. Operators can be deployed on top of each other there to hand off the position, and the relayed operator's redeploy time is drastically shortened. The logic mirrors the way Preservation Post works. The check is on the tile, not on deployment order, so a single relay tile can be reused several times per stage.
Who should take the relay slot
Save relay slots for operators with a one-shot function and a long cooldown: an early vanguard holding a lane, a support who only needs to fire one skill, a caster that enters for a specific window. Putting a main DPS on a relay tile wastes them, because their value comes from staying on the field.
Relay timing
The payoff is time: relay cuts the wait between deployments, turning one operator into two usage windows. That shifts team building away from DP management and toward usage counts. Give the two relay tiles to your elemental-burst operator and your Arts filler, since those two have the shortest windows and the highest need to come back.
Arknights Moon Over Water Team Builds
| Team | Roster | Plan | Sequence |
|---|---|---|---|
| Budget clear | 2 physical DPS, 1 Arts DPS, 1 elemental burst source, 2 healers/supports, 1 vanguard | Clear one weak-point type at a time | Vanguard holds, read the wave, knock down by type, save bursts for the total attack |
| Mid-investment | Two physical carries rotating, 1 Arts, 2 supports with attack buffs, healer | Split carries across two lanes, relay for Arts and burst | Carry takes wave one, relay swaps to Arts, buffs cover the total-attack window |
| Speed clear | 1 high-attack physical, 1 AoE Arts, 1 burst source, 2 relay supports | Make the total attack your primary damage | Force field-wide knockdown fast, stack attack buffs, dump the total attack |
The mistake to avoid in the budget build
Do not try to solve every enemy type with one team. Knock down one category at a time and hold skills for the total-attack window instead of firing them at whichever enemy is currently alive.
Arknights Moon Over Water Practical Tips
Read weaknesses in the first two waves
The first two waves are small and low-HP, which makes them a free scouting window. Deploy cheap units, note which enemies are physical weak points and which are elemental, then place your carries. Place them wrong and there is no second attempt in the later waves.
Three common failures
- Using a high-panel physical operator on an elemental weak-point enemy. No knockdown, wasted DP.
- Firing attack buffs too early. The total attack resolves the moment every enemy is down, so buffs should land two to three seconds before that.
- Ignoring relay tiles, which turns redeploy time into a fixed cost and breaks your rotation when waves stack up.
Trade-off note: I would not invest priority into attack-speed supports for this event. The total attack resolves off on-field attack, and attack speed adds nothing to the resolution window, while an attack buff gets multiplied once more. The same 30-second buff is worth roughly double on attack.
Arknights Moon Over Water Resource Planning
| Priority | Item | Reason |
|---|---|---|
| Highest | Elemental burst source and Arts DPS | Elemental weak points are the hard gate |
| High | One or two high-attack physical carries | Physical knockdowns set the pace |
| Medium | Attack-buff supports | Only serve the total-attack window, low investment needed |
| Low | Attack-speed and defence operators | This event's mechanics ignore both |
| Separate | Ch'en second module, Makoto Yuki/Aigis/Yukari modules | Permanent value, not event-dependent |
Shop order: module materials and Data Supplement first, then skill summaries, then battle records, and LMD and parts last. Run your daily farm first and spend leftover sanity on event stages — first-clear rewards do not shrink if you start late.
Arknights Moon Over Water FAQ
Q: Can I clear Moon Over Water without the collaboration operators?
A: Yes. Knockdown and the total attack are stage mechanics, not operator checks. Stage access only requires clearing main story 1-10.
Q: Can one operator handle both physical and Arts weak points?
A: No. Knockdown checks damage type, so build separate physical and Arts answers.
Q: What counts as an elemental burst here?
A: The enemy needs an elemental-burst trigger, not plain Arts damage. Bring a reliable source or those enemies become the bottleneck for the field-wide check .
Q: When is a relay tile worth using?
A: For short-window operators like your burst source and Arts filler. Relaying a main carry is a net loss.
Q: How do I claim the maintenance compensation?
A: Accounts created before 06:00 on 04 September 2026 get 5 Originite Prime, claimable within seven days of maintenance ending.
Come discuss in the Gghubs comments.
Action Checklist
- Scout weaknesses in the first two waves with cheap units before placing carries.
- Reserve both relay tiles for the elemental-burst and Arts operators.
- Clear the medal set's stage objectives first; they do not care about your rating.
- Follow the shop order: module materials, Data Supplement, skill summaries, battle records, filler.