Arknights Endfield Comprehensive Beginner's Guide

Arknights Endfield offers complex action RPG gameplay right from the start. This beginner's guide will help you quickly grasp key systems like exploration, combat, team composition, gear, and gacha to avoid confusion at the beginning.

Starting with Arknights Endfield can be overwhelming for many new players. The game introduces a multitude of systems right from the start, from combat requiring quick reflexes and deep team building to factory management and resource extraction. However, once you grasp the fundamentals, everything will gradually become clearer.

This guide will focus on the most important knowledge for beginners, including movement, resource gathering, team building, combat, and equipment.

Please note that these instructions are still being updated.

Exploration and Resource

First, there's the movement and resource gathering system, one of the systems the game doesn't explain very clearly.

Movement Tricks

Normal jumps in Arknights Endfield are quite limited. To go further, you should dash right before jumping. This significantly increases your distance, which is essential when crossing gaps or reaching high platforms.

In many cases, resources are located high up and inaccessible by normal jumping. While airborne, perform an attack. The attack animation will propel your character upwards slightly, enough for you to reach the resource.

The Gathering System

AI teammates can automatically gather resources for you, but only after you've picked up that resource at least once. So, whenever you encounter a new resource, manually gather it first. Then, your team will automatically handle the rest, including picking up dropped items from enemies and assisting with base tasks.

Mining the Smart Way

Initially, you'll use portable atomic rigs. They work well but are quite inconvenient because they fill up quickly and require frequent emptying. When possible, upgrade to electric mining rigs.

By combining Electric Mining Rigs with Relay Towers and Electric Pylons to provide power, ore will be transported directly to storage without manual intervention. This is one of the most time-saving upgrades for new players.

Why is team composition extremely important?

A common mistake for newcomers is assembling teams based on intuition. In Arknights Endfield, the damage system is deep, and team composition directly impacts combat effectiveness.

The Arts subsidiary

The Arts team composition focuses on elemental damage. You can choose between stacking the same Arts type for burst damage, or combining different Arts types for special effects.

When using the same Arts type, for example two Cryo attacks, you will activate Arts Burst, dealing significant direct damage. When combining different Arts types, such as Cryo and Heat, you create Arts Reaction, causing enemies to freeze, stun, or take damage over time.

The game features four Arts types:

• Heat causes congestion.

• Cryo causes solidification.

• Electric causes electrification.

• Nature causes Corrosion

The Physical Assistant

The Physical team composition operates in a completely different way. Instead of chain reactions, your goal is to pile Vulnerables onto the enemy and finish them off with a single blow.

Basic process:

• Use Lift or Knock Down to increase Vulnerable.

• Use Crush or Breach to consume the entire Vulnerable stack and deal massive damage.

Some powerful enemies have a Stagger bar. When this bar is full, they will be stunned for a short time, creating an opportunity to deal maximum damage.

Combat tips to help you survive longer.

The Heavy Attack Problem

Each character has a Heavy Attack that appears after 4 or 5 normal attacks. This attack deals good damage, but the animation is quite long, making you vulnerable to counterattacks.

The solution is to cancel the animation. As soon as Heavy Attack hits the target, dodge or use a skill. You still get the damage but skip the unnecessary animation.

Use all four characters at the same time.

You don't need to switch to another character to use skills. While controlling the main damage dealer, simply press the skill button of the other character, and they will cast their skill from the backline.

All four characters share 3 Skill Points. Skill Points regenerate over time and regenerate faster when performing a perfect dodge or using a Heavy Attack.

• Battle Skills cost 1 Skill Point and can be used consecutively if enough points are accumulated.
• Combo skills don't cost Skill Points but require activation conditions such as the enemy being frozen or knocked down and having a cooldown.
• Ultimates require a full energy bar.

An effective tactic is to set up the right conditions, for example, freeze the enemy and then activate the corresponding Combo Skills to multiply the damage.

What equipment should be prioritized?

Newcomers often focus too much on bonus sets, but this isn't the most important factor.

Prioritize key metrics

Equipment should match the character's stats, scaled according to STR, AGI, INT, or WILL. The primary stat always has a much higher value than the sum of all sub-stats.

Prioritize appropriate bonus damage.

Once you have the right stats, look for bonuses like Battle Skill DMG Bonus if your character deals damage primarily through Battle Skills.

The bonus set comes last.

Bonus sets only really become important in the endgame when you're using high-end gear and need to optimize every detail.

Understanding the gacha system correctly

• New Horizons is a banner for beginners, requiring 40 pulls, a guaranteed 6 stars, and a weapon selector.
• Basic Headhunting guarantees 6 stars for every 80 pulls, and after 300 pulls in total, you can choose any 6-star.
• Chartered Banner features a 50/50 chance of getting a character with a 50/50 chance. If you miss, the next 6-star pull is guaranteed to win. Worst cases have 120 pulls. Pity is not currently shared between banners.
• Arsenal Exchange is for weapons. Tickets are obtained from character banners. Every 4 pulls guarantee a 6-star weapon, 8 pulls guarantee a weapon rate-up. You can also buy weapons directly if you want.

Summary

Arknights Endfield has many systems, but you don't need to master them all right away. Start with a clear damage build, Arts or Physical. Practice the animation cancel for Heavy Attack. Don't worry about set bonuses too early.

Most importantly, pick up every new resource at least once so that your AI teammates can automatically collect them later. This habit will save you a lot of time.

Approach each system slowly and deliberately, and you'll soon appreciate the smooth combat rhythm and depth of the game. Good luck, Endministrator.