Whiteout Survival: Edith Hero Guide [2026]

Overview

Quick Verdict

Edith is a defensively-oriented Gen 7 Legendary whose real value lives in Expedition: she's one of a small handful of heroes whose troop-buff kit helps every troop type simultaneously, making her a flexible garrison/rally piece regardless of what your march composition looks like. Her Exploration (Arena) kit is more niche — a two-phase survival-then-explode pattern built around her companion Mr. Tin — and tends to underperform her Expedition side in player reports.

If you're on a Gen 7+ server and building your Infantry bench, Edith belongs in the conversation. If you're rationing Hero Shards, her Expedition skills alone justify moderate investment before Exclusive Gear ever enters the picture.

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Who Is Edith?

Edith arrived with Generation 7, roughly 80 days after Gen 6 — meaning servers need to reach ~Day 440 before she becomes obtainable through standard shard sources. State #1 saw her debut on February 5, 2024; all subsequent states follow the age-based unlock rather than a fixed calendar date.

Her defining mechanical quirk is Mr. Tin, the mechanical companion unit that actually fights in Exploration content. Most of Edith's Exploration skills trigger off Mr. Tin's state — his current HP, his death, or his attacks. This is flavor, but it's also a design choice with real consequences: some of her best lines only fire under specific conditions, and those conditions can fail to materialize in a short or lopsided Arena fight.

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Skill Kit — Full Breakdown

Exploration Skills (Arena / Hero Combat)

These are active and passive skills used in hero-vs-hero content.

1. Ironclad Punch — Active, fan-shaped AoE

Mr. Tin deals Attack × 100% / 110% / 120% / 130% / 140% damage in a frontal cone, stuns targets for 1 second, and buffs his own Attack by 20% / 40% / 60% / 80% / 100% for 2 seconds.

The self-attack buff is where this skill earns its keep at higher levels. The damage scaling from L1 to L5 is only +40% (a 1.4x multiplier on the hit itself), but the self-buff jumps from +20% to +100% — meaning follow-up auto-attacks inside the 2-second window effectively double in output at L5 versus only gaining 20% at L1.

Combo window damage — total output per cast: Assuming ~2 auto-attacks land inside the 2-second buff window (reasonable for standard attack speed), total damage output per Ironclad Punch engagement is:

The L1→L5 jump is +59% total combo damage, not the +40% the headline numbers suggest. The compound gain comes from the self-buff scaling faster than the base hit damage. If your Mr. Tin only gets 1 auto in the window (slow-attacker scenarios), the math shifts: L1 outputs 220% total, L5 outputs 340% — still a +55% L1→L5 gain. Either way, leveling Ironclad Punch pays compound interest.

Verdict: Level to 5 or don't bother. Intermediate levels capture only a fraction of the skill's potential.

2. Escape Capsule — Passive, death trigger

When Mr. Tin's HP drops to 0, he detonates, dealing Attack × 200% / 220% / 240% / 260% / 280% damage to nearby enemies.

This is a one-shot skill per battle and only fires if Mr. Tin dies. In a matchup where he survives, this skill contributed nothing. In a matchup where he dies instantly with no enemies nearby (positioning, flank), it also contributes nothing. Community reports flag this as one of Edith's more inconsistent skills — the "guaranteed on death" phrasing hides the fact that death positioning and enemy spread matter enormously.

Conditional expected value framework: Escape Capsule's realized contribution is gated by two probabilities you don't fully control:

• P(death) = probability Mr. Tin dies before the battle ends
• P(in-range) = probability enemies are clustered near his final position when it triggers

Expected damage contribution per battle = P(death) × P(in-range) × 280% Atk (at L5).

Sensitivity table for L5:

In a long, grinding matchup where Mr. Tin definitely dies and he dies in a brawl (both probabilities near 100%), Escape Capsule is a massive 280% Atk finisher. In a short, lopsided matchup or one where he's flanked and dies isolated, it's closer to rounding error. This is why reported Arena performance varies — the skill's realized value hinges on matchup shape, not just its level. Level Escape Capsule last, after Preemptive Alerts and Ironclad Punch, because its expected value is the most volatile skill in her kit.

3. Preemptive Alerts — Passive, damage reduction chance

Mr. Tin has a 10% / 20% / 30% / 40% / 50% chance to reduce incoming damage by 50%.

This is the workhorse defensive skill. Expected-value effective HP scaling:

Note the non-linear return: levels 1→2 adds ~5.8% eHP, but levels 4→5 adds ~8.3%. The last level is the most valuable, which is the opposite of how upgrade costs scale. Plan accordingly.

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Expedition Skills (Rallies, Garrison, Large Battles)

These are passive troop buffs applied when Edith is equipped on a march or in a garrison. This is where most F2P/light-spender players will get their value.

1. Strategic Balance

• Reduces Marksman troop damage taken by 4% / 8% / 12% / 16% / 20%.
• Increases Lancer troop damage dealt by 4% / 8% / 12% / 16% / 20%.

A dual-effect skill touching two troop types Edith herself isn't. Situationally strong in mixed compositions, less valuable in mono-troop builds.

2. Ironclad

Reduces Infantry troop damage taken by 4% / 8% / 12% / 16% / 20%.

Pure Infantry defense. If you're running Edith on an Infantry march, this is your priority skill.

3. Steel Sentinel

Increases the HP of all troop types by 5% / 10% / 15% / 20% / 25%.

The universal buff. This is what makes Edith valuable regardless of composition — every troop in your march gets more HP whether it's Infantry, Lancer, or Marksman. Combined with her other skills, she triple-stacks on troops she "matches":

This distribution is the strongest argument for building Edith: she doesn't punish you for having a mixed march or being between troop-type specialists.

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Exclusive Gear: Charm Toolkit

Edith's Exclusive Gear unlocks and levels two Special Skills that don't appear in her base kit.

Pocket Engineer (verified at Gear Level 5)

When Mr. Tin first falls below 50% HP in a battle, he restores 35% of his Max HP and gains +30% Defense for the rest of the battle.

This is a single-trigger survival skill. The healing alone is notable (Mr. Tin effectively goes from 50% HP back to 85% HP), but the permanent +30% Defense is the sneakier effect — it applies for the entire remainder of the fight, compounding with Preemptive Alerts' chance-based mitigation. Together they give Mr. Tin a two-phase durability curve: normal → heavily fortified after the 50% threshold.

Effective HP contribution: Without Pocket Engineer, Mr. Tin has one pool of HP to deplete — 100% of Max. With Pocket Engineer L5:

1. Phase 1 consumes 50% of Max HP (100% → 50%)
2. Heal adds 35% of Max HP back (50% → 85%)
3. Phase 2 consumes 85% of Max HP (85% → 0%) Total HP consumed across battle = 50% + 85% = 135% of Max HP

That's a +35% eHP floor from the heal alone, before accounting for the permanent +30% Defense in Phase 2. Stacked with Preemptive Alerts L5 (25% avg DR → 1.333× multiplier), the combined durability math:

The Defense component's exact impact isn't in verified data (the underlying damage formula for Defense scaling isn't documented in available sources), but it's additive on top of the 1.800× floor. A reasonable way to think about Pocket Engineer is: Exclusive Gear L5 buys you a minimum of +35% more eHP on Mr. Tin, and quite possibly more. (Level 1–4 values are single-sourced and not independently verified. See Known Ambiguities.)

Fortworks (verified at Gear Level 5)

Increases Defender Troop HP by 15%. "Defender Troop" refers to troops in a defensive/garrison context.

This turns Edith into a meaningful city defense piece. When she's garrisoned, every troop defending gets +15% HP — and this stacks with her Expedition kit's Steel Sentinel (+25% all troop HP) on top. A fully-kitted Edith garrison gives defending troops +40% HP on all types, plus the matchup-specific buffs from Strategic Balance and Ironclad. (Level 1–4 values are single-sourced and not independently verified.)

Widget Cost Table

Standard Mythic-tier Exclusive Gear progression. Widgets are consumed per level:

The two Special Skills (Pocket Engineer and Fortworks) unlock or upgrade as you push through gear levels, with L5 being the publicly-documented benchmark for their values.

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Investment Tiers — What to Aim For

Named tiers to anchor planning decisions. Each tier is a natural stopping point — you can pause here without feeling like you wasted the investment.

Tier 1 — Minimum Viable (≈115 shards to 3★)

Get her to 3★ and level Steel Sentinel and Ironclad on your primary Expedition slot. At this stage she's already a functional troop-buff hero for Infantry compositions. Skip Exclusive Gear entirely. Her value is almost entirely from the Expedition passive aura.

Tier 2 — Functional (≈300 shards to 4★, Exclusive Gear L1–L3)

4★ unlocks her full Expedition skill cap in terms of usability, and the first few gear levels start introducing Pocket Engineer / Fortworks at reduced values. This is a reasonable long-term hold point for most F2P players — she's contributing across all content without dominating your resource budget.

Tier 3 — Optimal (5★, Exclusive Gear L5)

Full 5★ (600 shards total) plus Exclusive Gear Level 5 is the documented "power spike" benchmark. Pocket Engineer and Fortworks are at their verified values, Expedition skills can all hit L5, and she becomes a top-tier garrison piece and versatile Expedition hero. This is where most committed players should stop unless they have specific reasons to push further.

Tier 4 — Maxed (6★ + Gear L10)

Full push. Unless you're competing at the top of your state or participating in large-scale events where marginal percentages decide outcomes, this is overinvestment relative to the gains. Diminishing returns set in hard past Tier 3.

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Skill Leveling Priority Order

Depends heavily on what you're using Edith for. Pick one track.

Expedition-First (Rally / Garrison Players — the majority of use cases)

1. Steel Sentinel — universal +HP; benefits every troop type you'll ever run.
2. Ironclad — if your primary march is Infantry; critical for Infantry survivability.
3. Strategic Balance — fills out the kit; strongest in mixed-composition rallies or Marksman-heavy defenses.

Swap (2) and (3) if you're predominantly running Marksman or mixed compositions.

Exploration-First (Arena-Focused Players)

1. Preemptive Alerts — proc chance scales linearly (+10% per level) but eHP gain is non-linear (see the table above); L5 is the highest-return level, not just the last one.
2. Ironclad Punch — the self-attack buff jumps from 20% to 100% across levels; L5 or bust (compound combo gain of +59% over L1 — see combo window math).
3. Escape Capsule — least reliable because of its death-trigger conditionality; level last.

The Scaling Asymmetry (Why Max-Level Matters Differently for Different Skills)

Not every skill level is worth the same. Edith's kit mixes two types of scaling, and recognizing which is which changes how you should distribute skill manuals.

Non-linear scaling (DR and proc-based effects): Every +4% or +10% damage reduction buys more effective HP than the previous level did. The curve bends upward. L5 is disproportionately valuable.

• Ironclad (Infantry DR): L1→L2 adds ~4.3% eHP; L4→L5 adds ~8.3% eHP
• Strategic Balance (Marksman DR side): same curve
• Preemptive Alerts (chance × DR): same shape — L4→L5 is the biggest single-level gain

Linear scaling (flat HP and damage): Every level adds the same absolute amount; percentage gains actually diminish slightly as the base grows.

• Steel Sentinel (+HP): L1→L2 adds 4.76% eHP; L4→L5 adds 4.17% eHP — roughly equal per level
• Strategic Balance (Lancer damage side): same — +4% more damage per level, flat
• Fortworks (+Defender HP): same

What this means in practice: If skill manuals are constrained and you have to choose between "max Ironclad to L5" vs "two skills at L4 with Ironclad and Steel Sentinel partially-leveled" — max the DR skills first. You're buying eHP on an upward-bending curve. Steel Sentinel at L4 instead of L5 only sacrifices about 4.2% eHP on the HP side, but Ironclad stuck at L4 instead of L5 sacrifices 8.3% eHP on the DR side. Both cost the same manuals; they don't return the same value. This is the single most actionable skill-leveling insight in her kit: max your DR skills, partial-level your HP/damage skills without losing meaningful value.

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Hero Shard Acquisition & Cost Planning

Shard Totals per Star Tier

The curve is back-loaded: reaching 5★ from 4★ costs as many shards as reaching 4★ from scratch. This shapes stopping-point planning — 4★ is a meaningful midpoint because it represents half of the total investment to 5★, not a quarter.

Verified Shard Sources

• King of Icefield event (replaces Hall of Chiefs after a state's first State of Power)
• State of Power event
• Daily Deals
• Hero Rally

Note: The official wiki also lists Hall of Chiefs, but on Gen 7+ servers that event no longer exists. Whether Edith shards eventually rotate into Hero Hall key recruitment as your server ages past Gen 8 is a general game mechanic — Hero Hall typically offers shards for heroes two generations prior — but this isn't specifically verified for Edith.

Lucky Wheel is not a confirmed source for Edith (the single tier list that claims otherwise also miscategorizes her as a Lancer, which is incorrect). Bradley is the confirmed Gen 7 Lucky Wheel hero.

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The Mr. Tin Combat Cycle (Arena Mechanics)

Worth breaking out separately because it's the mechanical core of her Exploration identity. A fully-skilled Edith with Charm Toolkit L5 goes through a distinct three-phase combat arc in Exploration:

Phase 1 — Aggressive opener (100% → 50% HP) Mr. Tin enters at full HP, opens with Ironclad Punch for the AoE damage + stun + self-attack buff, and coasts on Preemptive Alerts' 25% average damage reduction (at L5). Standard fighter behavior.

Phase 2 — Fortified midgame (50% threshold → death) Pocket Engineer fires the first time HP drops below 50%, restoring 35% Max HP (putting Mr. Tin back near 85%) and granting +30% Defense for the rest of the battle. Combined with Preemptive Alerts still running, Mr. Tin becomes significantly more durable in this phase than he was at full HP.

Phase 3 — Death explosion If Mr. Tin eventually falls to 0 HP, Escape Capsule detonates for up to 280% Attack in an AoE — a final burst contribution.

The gap between Edith's potential and her realized performance in Arena comes from this cycle being fragile to matchup conditions. A fight short enough that Pocket Engineer never triggers, or a fight where Mr. Tin dies far from enemies, strips out half her kit. A fight where she survives the whole duration with HP to spare also skips Escape Capsule entirely. Edith rewards team compositions that extend fight duration — forcing Mr. Tin to cycle fully through all three phases.

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Composition Logic

Role-based, not hero-specific. These are the archetypes where Edith's kit is contributing meaningfully.

Garrison Anchor

This is Edith's strongest role. Fortworks adds +15% HP to defending troops; Steel Sentinel adds another +25% on top for all troop types; Ironclad or Strategic Balance then adds 20% damage reduction depending on what's being defended. A garrison with a fully-kitted Edith in it is significantly harder to break through than the base stats suggest, and the effect is composition-agnostic.

Rally Joiner (Infantry Focus)

On an Infantry rally, Edith's Expedition skills stack: Ironclad's 20% Infantry DR plus Steel Sentinel's 25% HP. Strategic Balance contributes nothing to pure Infantry but hurts nothing either. Works as a supporting slot behind a dedicated Infantry damage lead.

Rally Leader (Mixed Troops)

If you're leading a rally with mixed troop composition and don't have a specialist leader for the dominant type, Edith's universal Steel Sentinel + partial coverage through Strategic Balance and Ironclad gives her better baseline than mono-troop specialists in this situation. Not optimal against a specialist lead — but functional.

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Three Worked Scenarios: Expedition Stacking Math

Concrete numbers for three common deployment contexts, using a fully-built Edith (5★, all Expedition skills L5, Charm Toolkit L5). eHP math uses base_HP × HP-multipliers × DR-multiplier, where DR-multiplier = 1 / (1 − DR).

Scenario A — Pure Infantry Garrison Defense

Edith garrisoned in a base being attacked by an Infantry-heavy rally. Active buffs on defending Infantry:

• Steel Sentinel: +25% HP (× 1.25)
• Fortworks: +15% Defender Troop HP (× 1.15)
• Ironclad: 20% Infantry DR (× 1.25 eHP multiplier)
• Strategic Balance: inactive (no Marksman/Lancer)

Infantry eHP vs baseline = 1.25 × 1.15 × 1.25 = 1.797× Your Infantry defenders absorb roughly 80% more damage before dying than they would without Edith in the garrison slot. This is her strongest stacking scenario.

Scenario B — Marksman Rally (Edith as Secondary Slot)

Edith equipped on a Marksman rally. Buffs on friendly Marksman:

• Steel Sentinel: +25% HP (× 1.25)
• Strategic Balance: 20% Marksman DR (× 1.25 eHP multiplier)
• Ironclad: inactive (no Infantry)
• Fortworks: inactive (not defender context)

Marksman eHP vs baseline = 1.25 × 1.25 = 1.5625× Your Marksman absorb ~56% more damage than baseline. Strong contribution for a "secondary" slot, though the Infantry garrison case wins on raw multiplier.

Scenario C — Mixed Garrison (Infantry + Marksman + Lancer)

All three troop types defending together. Edith garrisoned:

No troop type is unaffected. Every defender in the garrison gets +44% to +80% more eHP, and Lancers additionally get +20% damage output. This is what "universal utility" looks like quantitatively — it's why Edith is a mixed-comp specialist's favorite garrison piece.

The Uninvested Baseline (for comparison)

A 1★ Edith with all Expedition skills at L1 in Scenario C:

The gap between uninvested and fully-built: Infantry eHP 1.094× → 1.797×, roughly +64 percentage points of effective durability. That's the investment return you're buying with shards and manuals.

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Arena Matchup Heuristics

Edith's Exploration performance is highly matchup-dependent. Rough heuristics for predicting how well she'll contribute:

She performs best when:

• The fight lasts long enough for Pocket Engineer to trigger (Mr. Tin reaches 50% HP) — typical of evenly-matched fights
• Enemies are clustered around Mr. Tin at death, maximizing Escape Capsule AoE landing
• Her team can extend fight duration so Preemptive Alerts' 25% average DR compounds over many damage instances
• Opposing team lacks burst that can skip Mr. Tin past the 50% threshold in a single instance

She underperforms when:

• Mr. Tin gets burst down from 100% to 0% in one sequence, skipping Pocket Engineer entirely
• The fight ends with Mr. Tin alive but at low HP (no Escape Capsule, Pocket Engineer only partially used)
• Enemies are spread out or behind terrain when Mr. Tin dies (Escape Capsule lands empty)
• She's placed in a frontline that draws focus fire (high burst risk)

Positioning principle: Edith wants to be a mid-HP-cycle brawler, not a peel tank. If your team comp has another hero who draws initial aggro, Edith's three-phase cycle has time to fully play out. If she's the first target, her kit degenerates into "passive DR + maybe an explosion."

Where Edith Shines

• Mixed-troop garrisons and rallies where her universal Steel Sentinel outperforms specialists who only buff one troop type.
• Long Arena fights where Mr. Tin cycles through all three combat phases fully.
• Infantry-centric compositions where Ironclad + Steel Sentinel + (at L5 gear) Fortworks triple-stack on Infantry survivability.

Where Edith Falls Short

• Short Arena matchups. If Mr. Tin dies before Pocket Engineer triggers, or the fight ends before Escape Capsule fires, significant parts of her kit contribute zero.
• Mono-troop specialized metas. When you're running pure Marksman or pure Lancer and have a dedicated specialist for those types, Edith's advantage over them shrinks considerably.
• Positioning-dependent Escape Capsule. The death-explosion only lands value when enemies are clustered near Mr. Tin's final position, which is out of your control.

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When to Stop Investing

A narrower but verified guide is more useful than a speculative one. Here's the honest stopping-point guidance:

Stop at Tier 1 (3★, no gear) if:

• You're still ascending Gen 6 priority heroes.
• You only use Edith as an Expedition slot and not in Arena.
• Your state isn't highly competitive and you won't see meaningful returns on further investment.

Stop at Tier 2 (4★, low gear) if:

• You want a consistent Expedition contributor without heavy spending.
• You're prioritizing breadth of hero roster over depth on any single hero.
• Gear Widgets are a bottleneck you'd rather spend elsewhere.

Continue to Tier 3 (5★, Gear L5) if:

• Edith is your primary Infantry Combat hero and you actively use her in competitive garrison or rally content.
• You've verified Pocket Engineer L5 and Fortworks L5 values give you meaningful upside in your specific content.
• You have shard surplus after funding higher-priority heroes.

Push to Tier 4 (6★, Gear L10) only if:

• You're in top-tier competition where marginal stat increases decide outcomes.
• You've already maxed your primary damage lead heroes.
• You understand the steep diminishing returns.

A fully-skilled 5★ Edith with Gear L5 outperforms an under-skilled 6★ Edith with no gear. Skill levels and Exclusive Gear unlock kit, not just stats — prioritize them.

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Should I Build Edith? — Decision Framework

Use this as a branching walkthrough for your specific situation. Start at the top, take the first branch that matches.

1. Server Generation Check

• Server < Day 440 (pre-Gen 7): Edith is not obtainable. Build toward unlocking — focus on Gen 5/6 heroes and save general shard events for when she rotates in.
• Server Day 440–600 (early Gen 7): She's obtainable but shard rate is slow. Target Tier 1 first, reassess at 3★.
• Server Day 600+ (mature Gen 7 or Gen 8): Shard sources have stacked. Tier 2 is reasonable F2P, Tier 3 is realistic for light spenders.

2. Playstyle Check

Primary content you engage with →

• Mostly Expedition (rallies, garrison, large battles): Edith is worth building. Her Expedition kit is where 80%+ of her realized value lives.
• Mostly Arena / hero combat: Edith is a niche pick. Her kit is conditional on matchup shape. Build only if she fits your team and other heroes are handled.
• Mixed / all content: Build her for Expedition; Arena use is a bonus, not the justification.

3. Roster Position Check

• You have no fully-built Gen 6 or earlier Infantry Combat hero: Edith is a reasonable first Infantry project since her kit scales across many contexts.
• You already have a maxed Infantry Combat specialist: Edith becomes a secondary slot / garrison piece. Tier 2 is the sweet spot; Tier 3 only if she's genuinely replacing an older hero in your top slots.
• You're building toward a specific composition goal (mono-type rally, specialized garrison): Check her skills against your goal. If your comp is pure Lancer, she contributes Steel Sentinel and Strategic Balance's damage half — useful but not top-tier for that specific lane.

4. Resource Budget Check

• Heavy shortage of shards + Widgets: Stop at Tier 1 (3★, no gear). She's already functional.
• Moderate budget, progress over time: Tier 2 is the destination; Tier 3 over 6–12 months.
• Comfortable budget, light/moderate spender: Tier 3 (5★ + Gear L5). The documented power spike benchmark.
• Heavy spender / top-tier competition: Consider Tier 4, but understand the ROI drops sharply past Tier 3.

5. The "Do Nothing" Option

Not every hero needs to be built. It's a legitimate choice to pull Edith shards opportunistically (via KoI and State of Power) without committing manuals, then decide at 3★ whether to invest further. This preserves optionality without wasting resources on a hero who might not fit your evolving roster.

Quick summary table:

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Known Ambiguities

Transparency about what isn't verified. Plan around the uncertainty rather than assuming the optimistic case.

• Pocket Engineer Levels 1–4 values. Only the Level 5 values (35% Health restore, 30% Defense) are confirmed across verified sources. Community sources show a scaling pattern but it's single-sourced. Don't commit to the optimistic interpretation of intermediate levels.
• Fortworks Levels 1–4 values. Same issue. Level 5 is 15% Defender Troop HP; intermediate values are not independently verified.
• Max Exploration stats (Attack 5,466 / Defence 7,126 / Health 106,892) and max Expedition buffs (650.52% Attack / 650.52% Defence) are displayed on the wiki but the exact conditions for achieving them (star level, gear level, exclusive gear level) aren't explicitly stated. Some sources label Expedition stats as "Lethality" and "Health" rather than "Attack" and "Defence" — whether these are the same underlying stats with different UI labels is not explicitly confirmed.
• Bear Hunt / Polar Terror interaction. A single source claims Edith is "not effective against bear attacks." This hasn't been independently verified and likely refers to her lack of Bear-specific buffs rather than a literal zero-contribution case. If Bear Hunt is important to you, don't build Edith for that mode, but don't assume she contributes nothing either.
• Lucky Wheel source claim. One tier list lists Edith as a Lucky Wheel hero. That same source also miscategorizes her as a Lancer. The weight of evidence places Bradley as the Gen 7 Lucky Wheel hero and Edith's sources as King of Icefield, State of Power, Daily Deals, and Hero Rally. Plan acquisition around those four sources.

Final Note: Edith's place in the Gen 7 roster is defensive versatility, not raw damage. If that's the role you need filled — anchoring a garrison, supporting mixed-troop rallies, providing a Mr. Tin engine in Arena — she delivers. If you're looking for a carry, look elsewhere in the generation.