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Arknights: Endfield is a real departure from the tower-defense roots of the original Arknights. It’s a real-time action RPG with squad tactics and base-building, and you play as the Endministrator, responsible for both combat operations and building out infrastructure. If you’re coming in expecting the original game’s format, the first thing to adjust is that expectation.

Endfield launched on January 22, 2026 on PC, PlayStation 5, iOS and Android. On PC it launched outside Steam; a Steam version follows on October 14, 2026 (October 15 in Asian time zones), with cross-platform saves, so you can move an existing account over rather than starting again.

Combat is action-first, not tower placement

Instead of placing Operators on a map and letting them fight automatically, Endfield puts you directly in control of a squad of Operators on the field, switching between them in real time and chaining their skills together in combos. Getting comfortable with actively swapping Operators mid-fight, rather than picking one favorite and sticking with them, is a bigger early skill than any single Operator’s raw strength.

Reactions between Arts and Physical damage matter

Endfield carries over Arknights’ distinction between Arts damage and Physical damage, and combat includes reaction-style interactions between them. Building a squad with a mix of damage types, rather than four Operators that all do the same kind of damage, tends to open up more of what combat actually rewards. See our guide to Operator combat and reactions for how that actually works once you have a full squad.

Your base runs whether you’re playing or not

Alongside combat, Endfield has a genuine base-building layer, the Automated Industry Complex (AIC), where you set up resource extraction and production that keeps running even while you’re exploring or logged out. Treating base setup as a one-time chore instead of an ongoing system means missing out on resources that would otherwise accumulate passively.

Stock Bill has more uses than it first appears

Stock Bill, one of Endfield’s currencies, is earned and spent per region. It can go toward upgrades, gear crafting, and a rotating shop that includes materials, gifts for Operators, and other currencies. It’s worth checking what’s currently available in the rotating shop before spending it reflexively on the first option you see.

The six Operator classes

Every Operator belongs to one of six classes, and a squad works best when it mixes them:

  • Guard: applies Physical statuses and makes enemies Vulnerable, while dealing solid damage.
  • Caster: applies Arts inflictions and triggers Arts reactions, also a strong damage dealer.
  • Striker: cashes in the Physical or Arts effects other Operators set up for big damage.
  • Vanguard: recovers Skill Points (SP) so the rest of the squad can use skills more often.
  • Defender: very tough, protects and heals teammates, and counterattacks.
  • Supporter: weakens enemies with control effects and buffs the team.

How Endfield’s reactions actually trigger

Arts reactions happen when an enemy already carrying one Arts infliction is hit with a different element. There are four: Combustion, Electrification, Solidification and Corrosion, and the second element decides which one you get.

Physical statuses work in two steps. The first Physical status you apply to an enemy makes it Vulnerable instead of taking effect. Once it’s Vulnerable, Lift and Knock Down deal extra damage and add more Vulnerable stacks (up to four), and Crush or Breach consume all the stacks for a bigger payoff. That’s why a Guard setting up and a Striker finishing is such a natural pairing.

Skill Points are shared by the whole squad: you can hold up to 300, most Battle Skills cost 100, and SP regenerates during combat, faster with Vanguards and perfect dodges. Spending them all at once leaves your next Operator with nothing.

A practical first-session priority order

  1. Get comfortable switching between Operators mid-fight before worrying about which specific Operators are “best.”
  2. Build a squad with a mix of Arts and Physical damage rather than four of the same type.
  3. Set up basic AIC production early, since even a simple chain running in the background beats none at all.
  4. Check the rotating Stock Bill shop before spending it, rather than defaulting to the first item shown.

Endfield rewards treating combat and base-building as equally important systems from the start. Neither one is the “real” game while the other is a side activity. Visit the Arknights: Endfield hub for everything else we’ve covered.

Sources

Facts in this guide were checked against these pages in October 2026: