Summary
Version 4.6 has refreshed Anomaly Arbitration, giving players a new rotation with several demanding encounters and a new Checkmate boss. The 4.6 update went live on September 28, and Anomaly Arbitration was specifically refreshed with the version update.
This rotation places a particularly strong emphasis on Elation teams, but several stages can still be cleared with other established compositions. If you want to complete all three Nights efficiently, understanding each boss mechanic is more important than simply bringing your highest-investment team. To build the Elation teams this rotation favors, buy Honkai: Star Rail Top Up and gear the right characters faster.
Anomaly Arbitration Night 1 Guide
Night 1 features Mega Pom-Pom, along with Joyous Sentinels and a Quantum-resistant enemy. The stage applies several mechanics that make team composition and timing important.
One major effect causes allies to lose 500 HP at the start of each turn, while Veracity Corrosion can further complicate the fight. The Quantum-resistant enemy also has 80% Quantum RES, making some normally powerful teams less effective here.
Best Teams for Night 1
Elation teams have a significant advantage because of the stage's Punchline mechanics. Pearl is especially useful in a full Elation composition because her Ultimate can provide a large amount of Punchline after targeting an Elation ally.
The basic strategy is to build Punchlines and save your major damage until you reach enough stacks to remove the boss's damage-reduction effects. Once those stacks disappear, use your strongest attacks to push Mega Pom-Pom through its HP as quickly as possible.
Several compositions can perform well:
Elation Hypercarry teams
Himeko Nova + Welt
Evernight Hypercarry
Archer-based teams
Aglaea teams
Firefly teams
Aventurine's Elation composition is less comfortable here because the Quantum-resistant enemy directly reduces the effectiveness of Quantum damage.
Himeko Nova is particularly useful because she can take advantage of the stage's Fire weakness while Welt can delay enemies and help prevent additional defensive mechanics from becoming a problem.
Mega Pom-Pom Strategy
The key is not to spend your strongest burst immediately.
Build Punchlines first, then use your burst around the point where the boss's defensive stacks can be removed. Proper timing can significantly reduce the number of actions required to finish the encounter.
The boss's HP is also lower than in some previous versions of the encounter, while the absence of the previous damage-reduction effect makes this version more manageable once its mechanics are understood.
Anomaly Arbitration Night 2 Guide
Night 2 revolves around Pollux, supported by multiple Gundam-type enemies.
This stage introduces two important effects. Allies receive damage reduction stacks that can be removed through Ultimate usage, while enemies gain additional Speed after allies use their Ultimates.
Pollux has around 9 million HP, while the supporting enemies have around 3.7 million HP. The encounter also includes 80% Fire and Physical RES, so Fire-focused compositions should be used carefully.
Best Teams for Night 2
Pollux is linked across multiple targets, making single-target and bounce attacks particularly effective. Damage dealers that can exploit linked targets can perform especially well.
Strong options from the source include:
Castorice
Evernight
Serene
Robin SP
Hyacine
Archer
Aventurine SP
Blade
Saber
Aglaea
Castorice is particularly effective because the encounter's target structure works well with her damage profile.
Pollux Strategy
Avoid delaying Pollux too early with techniques or Ultimate effects before he reaches the appropriate state. Doing so can interfere with the intended timing of the encounter.
Because enemy Speed increases after your characters use Ultimates, you should also pay attention to your Ultimate order instead of activating everything immediately.
The biggest mistake is treating Night 2 like a conventional DPS check. Target selection and Ultimate timing have a major impact on the final clear time.
Anomaly Arbitration Night 3 Guide
Night 3 features Swarm Sam and is comparatively straightforward once its unique debuff is understood.
Each ally attack adds a stack of the stage's debuff. At six stacks, the character becomes imprisoned and loses part of their Energy. The stacks can reset when the character begins their turn or applies a debuff.
The encounter also features increased HP, but without some of the more restrictive defensive mechanics found in other stages.
Best Teams for Night 3
Because the stage allows more flexible damage patterns, a wide variety of teams can perform well:
Archer
Aventurine
Himeko Nova
Firefly
Siren
DoT teams
Saber
Gilgamesh
Seele
Robin SP compositions
Sustainless compositions are also viable if your team has enough damage and can control the encounter effectively.
Swarm Sam Strategy
The small bugs around Swarm Sam are important targets. Killing them weakens the boss and prevents it from recovering too much HP.
Rather than focusing exclusively on the boss, clear the supporting enemies when necessary to prevent their healing and defensive effects from extending the fight.
Robin SP is particularly useful because of her ability to maintain strong offensive pressure while fitting the stage's action requirements.
Checkmate Boss Guide
The new Checkmate encounter is the most distinctive part of the 4.6 rotation.
The boss introduces a powerful shield mechanic. At specific HP thresholds, it gains a shield equal to a large portion of its maximum HP, and the shield provides substantial damage reduction against non-Elation attacks.
This makes team selection extremely important.
Why Elation Teams Are Strong
Checkmate heavily rewards Elation compositions because their mechanics interact directly with the boss's shield.
Once the shield appears, non-Elation damage can be heavily reduced, making conventional DPS teams take considerably longer to break through it. Elation teams can therefore bypass much of the encounter's intended defensive pressure.
Pearl is particularly relevant because she provides both sustain and Elation-related support, allowing teams to maintain offensive pressure without completely sacrificing survivability.
Checkmate's Lighthouse Mechanics
The boss also summons lighthouse-type enemies that must be dealt with during the fight.
These enemies can interfere with your team by:
stealing maximum HP,
healing the boss,
providing additional buffs,
contributing to the boss's control mechanics.
Ignoring them can quickly make the encounter much harder.
The boss also uses a tug-of-war mechanic involving multiple stacks. Failing to manage these stacks can trigger heavy AoE damage and action delay.
Recommended Checkmate Teams
Elation compositions should be your primary consideration for this encounter.
The source specifically highlights teams built around:
Pearl
Silver Wolf
Elation Trailblazer
Elation carries
Robin SP
Other highly invested DPS options
Non-Elation teams can still work, but they generally require substantially higher investment or specialized mechanics to deal with Checkmate's defensive shield.
How to Build Teams for 4.6 Anomaly Arbitration
The most important lesson from this rotation is that there is no single team that comfortably handles every stage.
Night 1 favors teams that can efficiently exploit Punchline and Elation mechanics.
Night 2 rewards strong single-target or bounce damage and careful Ultimate timing.
Night 3 is more flexible, but controlling the supporting enemies is essential.
Checkmate places the strongest emphasis on Elation because of its shield and damage-reduction mechanics.
This makes a flexible roster much more valuable than simply building one dominant team.
Final Tips for Anomaly Arbitration 4.6
Before entering each Night, check the enemy resistances and stage mechanics rather than automatically using your strongest saved team.
For Night 1, prioritize Punchline generation and burst timing. For Night 2, manage Ultimate usage carefully and bring damage that can efficiently hit Pollux's linked targets. For Night 3, control the supporting enemies before they extend the fight. Against Checkmate, Elation teams can significantly simplify the shield phase.
With Version 4.6 now live, Anomaly Arbitration is one of the main fresh endgame activities for players looking to test their rosters. The mode's previous rotation already generated a substantial amount of player-clear data, with Prydwen reporting 12,778 submitted clears for the 4.5.1 cycle.
For 4.6, understanding the mechanics of each encounter—and choosing the right team for each Night—is more important than forcing one composition through the entire rotation. If you're missing the key characters for a particular Night, Honkai: Star Rail Top Up can help you pull them before the rotation ends.
