I have been an Arknights: Endfield fan because the first world technical take a look at in January 2024. Its artwork model that blended anime with realism and similarities with RPGs I loved like Genshin Affect satisfied me to strive it. Within the course of, I discovered an intriguing world with a layered fight system and constructing mechanics that set it other than opponents. Now, with the sport’s newest construct, developer Hypergryph has reforged and polished these techniques to really feel even snappier and extra accessible than what I bear in mind.
Based on developer Hypergryph, the crew has redone 80 to 90% of the cutscenes and dialogue, about 50% or so of the construction of the maps, and practically 40 to 50% of the sport’s total degree design–a lot of the sport I first performed again in 2024 is simply not there anymore. However, after previewing Arknights: Endfield once more for over 5 hours forward of the official beta’s launch, I’ve little doubt I might spend one other 20 on this courageous new world.
After I first booted up this new model of Arknights: Endfield, I used to be shortly reintroduced to the controls with an action-packed battlefield. The participant character, the Endministrator (or simply Endmin), harnesses the ability of a useful resource referred to as Originium, which they will use to assault throughout fight and create and restore Originium-based machines. Later, we study that the Endmin was the chief of Endfield Industries and the creator behind most of the machines that they management. Perlica, the poster character for Arknights: Endfield, and Chen Qianyu, a counterpart of Ch’en (a preferred operator from the unique Arknights), come from the identical faction.
The intro did not have the type of impression I hoped for with a frantic however senseless boss battle and heavy exposition that slowed down the pacing with a number of time skips that detailed what occurred main into Endfield’s story. Nonetheless, after the primary 20 minutes or so, the story begins to select up when Perlica joins the Endmin on their first mission.
Arknights: Endfield is an open-world motion RPG with constructing mechanics that encourage you to basically construct your individual mining and transportation infrastructure. Combat-wise, you’ll be able to deploy as much as 4 characters directly and even struggle alongside them on the sector, however you’ll be able to solely management one character at a time. Every character has expertise that you should use as long as you may have talent factors, which you cost up as you struggle with actions like dealing harm and dodging. You too can benefit from combo expertise, which you’ll be able to manually set off with a button whereas utilizing one other character as long as the circumstances are met.
Through the first mission, a immediate to activate Perlica’s combo talent appeared after the Endministrator briefly surprised an enemy. Whereas I might have timed expertise one after the opposite within the authentic take a look at to extend harm, with the ability to stack an assault on prime of the opposite with a combo talent added a further strategic layer to the fight system I already loved.
Making fight snappier than earlier than
Ryan, one of many co-founders of HyperGryph and lead designer on the unique Arknights title, defined to me through a translator the modifications his crew made for the second beta like this shift in fight. Because the lead designer on Arknights: Endfield, he primarily handles techniques design and oversees all issues design-related, together with characters and environments.
“This [change to combat] is completed primarily as a result of we obtained suggestions that sure gamers imagine our fight will not be as easy as they’ve needed,” Ryan instructed me. “Primary assaults, for instance, could simply get interrupted and [break] their combos. So we have added dodge, and we have additionally made modifications to fundamental fight. So proper now, gamers ought to have a a lot smoother fight move and combos.”
Dodging works equally to how it could in most motion video games, the place urgent a button at simply the precise time evades harm. In Endfield, profitable dodges additionally cost your talent level meter in order that your characters can extra steadily forged stronger assaults.
Dodging is not the one strategy to cost your talent meter–landing fundamental assaults and stringing collectively combos can too. Earlier than, the closest I might get to dodging was utilizing the sprint button to shortly transfer out of the best way of an assault. A real dodge mechanic makes evading enemy assaults a lot smoother and erases a number of the frustrations I had with fight again in 2024. The inducement to play extra skillfully with the intention to cost your talent meter can be a plus.
Combo expertise additionally assist recharge your talent factors, however they’re trickier to arrange. Every character has a combo talent that depends upon a selected set off, and you might have to construct your crew round these triggers to maximise synergy.
A neater to grasp manufacturing facility system
Ryan additionally led the revamp of Arknights: Endfield’s signature manufacturing facility system. I began taking part in with manufacturing facility mechanics inside the first 90 minutes or so of the preview, the place I recovered an open area to make use of for the AIC–aka your essential “energy plant” hub. From right here, I relearned how you can arrange machines to routinely convert ores into higher-quality supplies for constructing. Arknights: Endfield incentivizes you to make use of this manufacturing facility system to streamline farming, construct handy transportation factors between your most visited areas, and even promote merchandise afterward.
Arknights: Endfield simply jogs my memory of present gacha RPGs with its fight menu and character development techniques, but it surely’s the one one inside the style that I might consider with the power to craft and place constructions throughout the map with some type of utility behind them. Whereas the AIC is confined to at least one space, you’ll be able to construct towers and ziplines throughout the map relying on the place you need to direct energy to your machines or construct ziplines for straightforward transport. I constructed a machine to routinely harvest ores, a machine to remodel stacks of ore into supplies for brand new towers, and so forth.
You may also want to make use of the manufacturing facility system to resolve environmental puzzles, which appealed to the issue solver in me. I discovered deserted machines that wanted an influence supply to be operated, for instance, so I constructed relay towers between them and the AIC. As soon as the machines have been powered, I might use them to open gates that had treasure locked behind them.
This newest beta holds your hand when it introduces the manufacturing facility system with a tutorial that particulars specific directions all through the method, which I appreciated once I wanted to learn to construct once more. Arknights: Endfield additionally now has a blueprint system that permits you to copy others’ manufacturing facility system layouts, so that you simply needn’t construct them your self when you do not need to or cannot work out how you can. Between the extra detailed tutorial and new blueprint characteristic, the manufacturing facility system is much more approachable than it was earlier than.
“Some gamers really feel that the manufacturing facility system is a really daunting activity, so they do not know how you can get began with [it],” Ryan defined. “On the identical time, some core gamers who’re extra acquainted with the manufacturing facility system really feel that they want more room and playgrounds to check out extra complicated designs. Based mostly on these above concerns, we considered the blueprint [system] as an ideal answer, which might care for the 2 points that we talked about earlier.”
Sci-fi is extra difficult than you suppose
I requested Ryan what he thought was an essential however underrated facet of a recreation like Endfield that he did not suppose gamers would discover straight away. In response, he introduced up Arknights: Endfield’s idea designs in sci-fi.
“So, from a participant’s perspective, they might not discover loads of distinguishing variations [between genres]. However, in actuality, when making a recreation, I believe sci-fi ideas are rather a lot tougher to make than fantasy ones. When it comes to recreation designs, sci-fi is an even bigger problem as a result of, from structural designs to designs of monsters and all types of in-game parts, having a sci-fi theme means all these designs must have a sure sense of logic in them. They must have a sure sense of reasonability in them in comparison with different ideas, and which means we now have to place loads of concerns into our idea designs. Perhaps some gamers could not be capable to see this or really feel this instantly upon taking part in the sport, however we imagine having these parts and concerns in our recreation design will assist us to supply extra authentic work.”
For these not acquainted with the collection, Arknights: Endfield takes place in the identical universe because the Arknights tower protection cellular recreation in a future far, distant. Its futuristic setting options chrome-laden environments full of buildings, machines, and constructions (like shelters, farming plots, and so on.) that indicate the existence of a technologically and scientifically superior society.
Arknights: Endfield kicks off in a area referred to as Valley IV, which appears to be like like a tech middle hit by an apocalypse. Equipment in these areas are rugged, however elements of their design nonetheless level towards every of their authentic purpose–maybe mining or irrigation. In my final 90 or so minutes with Endfield, I additionally explored Wuling Metropolis, which was considerably redone between this take a look at and the final. This space options tall buildings and bustling streets like a metropolis, but in addition contains water-themed constructions that match the surroundings round it.
Ryan estimates it could usually take between 20 to 30 hours to enter the Wuling space when you centered on story content material, so do not count on to see it as quickly as I did. Wuling Metropolis additionally attracts inspiration from most of the Hypergryph devs’ alma mater, the China Academy of Arts.
“Quite than duplicating a sure constructing per se, all the map attracts some inspiration from the China Academy of Arts. Which will embrace structural references, but in addition sure designs are literally achieved by professors inside the China Academy of Arts,” Ryan mentioned.
“I believe you’ll find particulars and items everywhere in the map that pulls inspiration right here and there, particularly in [the city part of] Wuling Metropolis.”
It is by no means too late for this gacha
Final however not least: the gacha. Arknights: Endfield is a free-to-play gacha RPG, similar to Genshin Affect and Wuthering Waves. It options limited-time banners with an elevated drop price for the featured character and each 5-star and 6-star characters.
Sadly, the gacha system wasn’t obtainable for testing through the preview. So I requested Ryan what we should always count on to see when that system goes on-line. He wasn’t capable of inform me the precise numbers for the pity system (the utmost variety of occasions a participant would want to trade foreign money on the banner), however he did reveal that Arknights: Endfield does not merely copy paste the identical system from video games like Genshin Affect.
Often, limited-time banners characteristic a personality you can solely get for six or so weeks. When the banner ends, you have to await the character to come back again throughout a rerun. As an alternative of solely operating characters for a restricted time, Arknights: Endfield characters featured in limited-time banners will nonetheless be obtainable indefinitely after their debut. Nonetheless, the elevated drop price for a featured character will nonetheless solely be obtainable through the limited-time banner. They’ll basically simply turn into one other character you may get on the usual banner.
“So, merely put, there might be two essential swimming pools for gamers to make use of: the fundamental one, and extra of a time-limited one. However we now have achieved modifications in order that characters that get their chances up within the restricted pool, they are not going to vanish after the time of the occasion. They’re nonetheless going to be there for some time for some gamers to catch up,” he defined.
To this point, Ryan has confirmed Perlica, Chen, and Wulfgard because the three free-to-play characters you’ll be able to count on to see at this level in growth. These three have been a giant assist to me within the first beta, and the reworked kits for Perlica and Chen that I attempted out have been much more fluid than final time.
If you wish to strive the sport for your self, you’ll be able to join the second beta now from the Arknights: Endfield official website. Arknights: Endfield Beta II Take a look at formally begins on November 28, 2025.
Arknights: Endfield is slated to launch in early 2026 for PlayStation 5, PC, and cellular units.