Firstly, particle closure phenomena play a critical role; the initial cracking observed during the early cycles is at least partially reversible during discharge. This partial recovery delays the cumulative effects of crack propagation, which would otherwise disrupt electrical and ionic connectivity within the electrode matrix. As observed using EELS the centre of the particle may not have been ingresses by electrolyte and inactive phases like rock-salt may yet to have formed, causing irreversible cracks. Consequently, multiple cycles are necessary for the repeated opening and closing of cracks to degrade the structural integrity of the electrode significantly and allow for full penetration of electrolyte to the centre. Secondly, the kinetics of oxygen defect migration from the particle surface to the bulk structure are notably sluggish. This slow migration process requires repeated cycling to deeply discharged states to induce the formation of reduced surface layers. Over time, these reduced surface layers accumulate and begin to manifest as measurable capacity loss. This potentially challenges the conventional belief of particle cracking in itself being a catastrophic degradation mode. This being said, the repeated cracking hysteresis and volume fluctuations over an extended cycling protocol will inevitably lead to some irreversible changes and reduction in overall cell capacity. While we have demonstrated that a substantial number of particles experience cracking during the initial cycle, we have also evaluated the progression of cracking by imaging the same particles after the cell underwent 10 additional cycles at 1C. These cycles were conducted to an upper cut-off voltage of 4.2 V, followed by imaging after discharging to 2.5 V and allowing the cell to rest for approximately 10 minutes. This analysis enables us to investigate a second mechanism of cracking, which arises as a function of repeated cycling. These two modes of cracking have been previously proposed, with the progression of cracks due to successive cycles often highlighted in the literature as a significant pathway for cell degradation. Notably, cycle-life-mediated crack formation is frequently emphasized as a key factor influencing long-term performance. Repeated cycling of the cell induces greater particle cracking due to cumulative volume hysteresis, evident even at low SoC during the 10th cycle (Figure ). A manual line scan shows that the pristine particle exhibits higher pixel intensity at its centre compared to 4.2 V during the first charge and after 10 cycles. The ortho slice confirms a reduction in pixel intensity where cracks form, as validated by the line plot and 3D visualization. Figure highlights reduced grey-level pixels (associated with cracking), which increase from 77 µm³ in the pristine state to 82 µm³ during the first charge, and 95 µm³ after 10 cycles. This progression aligns with prior literature, showing cumulative damage from cycling. Mean pixel intensity (Figure ) significantly decreases after 10 cycles, with larger particles most affected (Figure ). This demonstrates that while first-cycle top-of-charge cracking is notable, cumulative cycling has a more pronounced impact (Figure ). After 10 cycles, mean pixel intensity reduction is apparent in both full particles and phase-ring-removed analyses (Figure ). Cracking at low voltage (2.5 V) after ageing resembles that at high voltage in the first cycle, suggesting that post-ageing high-voltage states could induce further damage. Alternatively, high-voltage first-cycle cracking may establish steady-state cracks persisting across charge cycles. Larger particles in the top decile (D10) exhibit the lowest relative mean pixel intensity, consistent with their vulnerability to repeated cycling (Figure ). Intriguingly, deciles 5 and 6 show increased pixel intensity, possibly due to a significant phase-enhanced peripheral region affecting observed damage or differing edge versus centre behaviour. Edge regions, characterized by aligned crystallites, are less damaged at low voltages after ageing. Damage factor analysis reveals a shift in particle damage states. Initially, 40% of particles are minimally damaged (53% moderately, 7% highly damaged). After 10 cycles, highly damaged particles increase to 17% (+10 percentage points), minimally damaged particles drop to 31% (-9 percentage points), while moderately damaged particles remain stable, likely transitioning between states. Segmentation analysis (Figure ) enables skeletonization of crack paths, simplifying the visualization of cracking directions (Figure ). In the pristine particle, a central region of low-attenuation pixels indicates small defects and potential nucleation points for cracks. At 4.2 V during the first cycle, low-attenuation voxels increase and concentrate near the particle's centre, consistent with electrochemically induced cracking. After cycling, these voxels further increase and remain concentrated at the centre. The skeletonized pristine particle reveals small, central crack paths without significant thickness. At 4.2 V, cracks form a large central void with smaller branching paths. Two prominent perpendicular cords, highlighted in red (indicating thicker paths), dominate the central region. Post-cycling, these structures persist, with additional smaller offshoots emanating from inherent weak points.