Character progression in Arknights: Endfield encompasses the systems and mechanics through which players enhance their Operators’ combat effectiveness. The game features multiple interconnected progression systems including level advancement, skill mastery, equipment acquisition, and weapon enhancement.
The progression system in Arknights: Endfield is characterized by deterministic resource requirements with minimal randomization, distinguishing it from similar mobile games that rely heavily on random attribute generation. Players acquire upgrade materials through automated production facilities and exploration-based farming.
Operator Attributes
Each Operator possesses one primary attribute and one secondary attribute. The primary attribute, indicated by a yellow highlight, provides a substantial bonus to the Operator’s Attack stat. The secondary attribute, marked with a gray highlight, grants a smaller Attack bonus.
The four attribute types are:
- Strength increases the Operator’s maximum HP.
- Agility reduces incoming Physical damage.
- Intellect reduces incoming Arts damage.
- Will increases the effectiveness of healing received by the Operator.
Operator Level and Promotion
Operators can be leveled from 1 to 99. At levels 20, 40, 60, and 80, Operators undergo Promotion, advancing through Elite tiers from Elite 1 to Elite 4.
Level increases raise an Operator’s base HP and Attack stats. Promotions unlock additional Talent Nodes and increase the maximum rank of the Operator’s skills. Elite 4 Promotion is required to access Mastery levels for skills.
Leveling from 1 to 60 consumes Combat Records, while levels 61 to 99 require Cognitive Carriers as experience materials.
Level Costs
The cumulative experience and T-Creds (in-game currency) required to reach each level threshold are:
- Level 20: 22,860 EXP and 820 T-Creds
- Level 40: 271,400 EXP and 13,360 T-Creds
- Level 60: 747,110 EXP and 37,260 T-Creds
- Level 80: 1,313,610 EXP and 170,150 T-Creds
- Level 99: 3,081,070 EXP and 1,122,310 T-Creds
Promotion Costs
Each Elite tier requires specific materials and minimum Operator levels:
Elite 1 requires 1,600 T-Creds, 8 Protodisk, 3 Pink Bolete, and Operator Level 20.
Elite 2 requires 6,500 T-Creds, 25 Protodisk, 5 Red Bolete, Operator Level 40, and Outfitting I.
Elite 3 requires 25,000 T-Creds, 40 Protoset, 5 Ruby Bolete, Operator Level 60, and Outfitting II.
Elite 4 requires 225,000 T-Creds, 75 Protoset, 8 Vitrified Plants, 56 Rare Progression Materials, Operator Level 80, and Outfitting III.
Outfitting
Between each Promotion tier, an Outfitting Node must be unlocked to allow the Operator to equip higher-quality gear (Blue, Purple, and Gold tiers). Unlocking Outfitting I, II, and III costs 1,800, 6,500, and 25,600 T-Creds respectively, totaling 33,900 T-Creds.
Ability Matrix
The Ability Matrix encompasses an Operator’s Basic Attack, Battle Skill, Combo Skill, and Ultimate. Each ability can be upgraded to Mastery 3 (M3), resulting in 12 total mastery levels across all four abilities.
Maximizing all abilities to M3 requires 172,200 T-Creds, 82 Protoprism, 130 Protohedron, 3 Kalkodendra, 4 Chrysodendra, 4 Vitrodendra, 6 Mark of Perseverance, 21 Valuable Vitrified Plants, and 59 Rare Progression Materials.
Operator Potentials
Duplicate Operators convert into Potentials, ranging from Potential 0 (no duplicates) to Potential 5 (maximum). Reaching Potential 5 requires obtaining the same Operator six times total.
Unlike the original Arknights, Potentials in Endfield do not unlock core character abilities. Instead, they provide incremental bonuses to attributes and abilities. Potentials 1, 3, and 5 unlock special character illustrations that can be displayed in the player’s reception room.
Weapons
Arknights: Endfield features five weapon types: Swords, Greatswords, Polearms, Handcannons, and Arts Units. Weapons can be leveled from 1 to 99 and undergo Tuning (the weapon equivalent of Promotion) up to Tuning 4 (T4). Weapons also have a Potential system identical to Operators, reaching up to Potential 5.
Each Operator has a signature weapon of matching rarity (5-star Operators have 5-star signature weapons, 6-star Operators have 6-star signature weapons). Signature weapons are not restricted to their associated Operator and can be equipped by any Operator compatible with that weapon type. Operators are not required to use their signature weapons for optimal performance.
Weapons possess up to three Passive abilities depending on rarity. Each Passive can have up to 9 pips, unlocked through Tuning and Potential increases, and further enhanced through Essence imbuing.
Material Acquisition
Promotion and Tuning materials can be farmed through the OMV Dijang automated production system or obtained from rare sites in specific exploration zones:
- Elite 1 and Tuning 1 materials: The Hub
- Elite 2 and Tuning 2 materials: Originium Science Park, Origin Lodespring
- Elite 3 and Tuning 3 materials: Power Plateau, Jingyu Valley
- Elite 4 and Tuning 4 materials: Wuling Outskirts, Wuling City
Gear
Gear is crafted using Components from the Gearing Unit in the AIC (Automated Industrial Complex) combined with Stockbills currency. Basic gear recipes unlock automatically through account level progression. Advanced gear set recipes must be discovered through world exploration. Gold-tier gear can be further enhanced through the Gear Artificing system, which becomes available in Wuling City.
Operators can equip one armor piece, one pair of gloves, two kits, and one Tactical item. Most gear sets provide bonuses when two or three pieces from the same set are equipped. The two kit slots can be filled with identical kits (effects stack) or different kits depending on the Operator’s requirements. Tactical items can be shared across multiple Operators, with up to three units deployed per battle.
Essences
Essences are farmed by expending Sanity at active Energy Alluvium sites. Players can deploy weapon facilities (turrets) around these locations to expedite farming efficiency.
Each Energy Alluvium site displays a preview of potential Essence drops, allowing players to target specific attributes. Tickets can be spent to narrow the pool of possible Attributes and Skill Stats on farmed Essences, reducing randomization.
The Essence Etching system allows players to sacrifice unwanted Essences as fodder to upgrade Essences with desired statistics, further mitigating the randomized nature of Essence acquisition.
