Shalem

Shalem is a 5-star character in Arknights. Shalem's weapon type is Shield and class is Defender. Faction: Victoria.

On our Arknights tier list Shalem is B tier, 186th of the 293 characters ranked, from where 4 current tier lists put Shalem.

Shalem hits harder than most Defenders, close to Guard-level ATK, and his RES climbs with every promotion. Rapid Onslaught turns him into something like a Centurion Guard, dealing arts damage to multiple enemies with a shorter attack interval, while Carnival of Self-Immolation extends his range further and lets him hit several enemies per attack, though it drains his own HP over time and needs healer support to sustain.

He's a solid B, free to obtain, but Land of Memories only does anything inside Crimson Solitaire operations, so outside that mode he's mostly running on Proclamation of Doom's RES debuff alone.

His Chinese codename literally means "twilight" or "dusk" (not to be confused with Dusk from Yan).

On the other hand, his English codename refers to Shalim, the Cannanite god of dusk.

Nevertheless, his name actually refers to Salome in the New Testament, especially the eponymous play by Oscar Wilde.

This is further confirmed by two nodes:

An illustration of his was done by Chuzenji (Whisperain's and Gladiia's illustrator) with the Greek name for Salome (ΣΆΛΩΜΉ) written on the post.

In The Fruition outfit, the sculpture behind him features Salome performing the Dance of the Seven Veils and holding the head of John the Baptist in a plate, and such scene is the climax of the eponymous play.

Shalem has the traits of a Mexican black kingsnake (Lampropeltis getula nigrita), which is noted by the coloration and the glossy scales of his tail.

The face on his shield is likely inspired by the Gorgoneion, which is based on Medusa in Greek mythology.

Before the Under Tides Rerun update in the CN server, Shalem's Elite 2 icon reuses his base icon.

The Global server retroactively applied this when Phantom & Crimson Solitaire is released.

Shalem is the first Operator whose English/Korean CV is credited when he is revealed in the Global server's Twitter; his EN/KR dialogues had been added to CN alongside Dorothy's Vision, which precedes Crimson Solitaire's release in Global by nine days.

Shalem's Korean voice actor, Kim Myeong-jun, is a former musical actor, which fits the fact that Shalem himself was involved in a theatrical troupe.

His Chinese codename 暮落 (mù luò) translates to "twilight" or "dusk falls".

Reversing the characters in his Chinese name makes 落暮 (luò mù), which means "the curtain falls".

Shalem is strongly inspired by the depiction of Salome in the eponymous play, in which she was reinterpreted to be more unstable and bloodthirsty.

An illustration of him was done by Chuzenji (Whisperain's and Gladiia's illustrator) with the Greek name for Salome (ΣΆΛΩΜΉ) written on the post.

Shalem's tail is slightly translucent at the tip.

The outline of his leg is visible through it in his base skin.

Distinctions

Shalem is the first Operator whose English and Korean CV were credited when he was revealed in the Global server's Twitter.

His English and Korean voicelines had been added to the CN server alongside Dorothy's Vision, which on the Global server preceded Crimson Solitaire's release by nine days.

Before the Under Tides Rerun update in the CN server, Shalem's Elite 2 icon reuses his base icon; the Global server included this correction when Phantom & Crimson Solitaire is released.

Shalem's Korean CV, Kim Myeong-jun, is a former musical actor, which fits the fact that Shalem himself was involved in a theatrical troupe.

Come Ye to the Limelight: Never did Shalem imagine that one day, the limelight would be his.

Here he must stand firm as the "audience" throngs, and use the equipment he carries, coordinating with others to ford the crisis.

If only the Troupe were as acquiescent a foe—oh, would that it could be.

Y5 Paradox Simulations

Free Operator of Phantom & Crimson Solitaire, awarded through Castle Notes by accumulating Candle alongside Shalem's Token