What to do first, what to skip, and how to avoid the mistakes that slow most new players down.
Starting Arknights: Endfield without knowing a few things in advance means spending your first few hours making decisions that take a long time to undo. The game is generous with what it gives you early, but it also has systems that quietly punish players who rush through without understanding what they are building toward. Here is what actually matters in your first sessions.
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Your first priority: unlock the factory early
The game doesn’t explain this very well, but the factory system is not optional side content. It is the backbone of how you get stronger. The moment the AIC tutorial becomes available, complete it and place your first mining extractor and processor. Even a minimal production chain generates materials passively while you play and between sessions.
Most new players skip this or delay it because they are focused on the main story. The result is that they reach a point where crafting better gear requires materials they do not have and would need to grind for manually. Players who start the factory early have those materials waiting for them when they need them.
You do not need to build anything complicated at first. One extractor feeding into one processor is enough to get the loop started.
Build the free operators before pulling for anything
Here is what the game also does not tell you clearly: the operators you earn through story progression are genuinely strong. Ardelia and Antal in particular are used in top-tier team compositions and you get both of them for free. Build them first before spending any resources on operators you pulled from banners.
This matters because upgrade materials are shared across your roster. Spreading them across five different operators early means none of them reach the power level where harder content becomes manageable. Focus your first few weeks on two or three operators and max out their levels and skills before expanding.
Ardelia as your support and any strong damage dealer as your main DPS is a solid foundation that handles everything the early and mid game throws at you.
Save your pulls
If you’re just starting out, here’s what matters most about the gacha system: do not pull on every banner. The limited operator banners have a guarantee at 120 pulls, which means you need to save that many before opening a limited banner to guarantee the featured operator regardless of luck.
The new player mistake is pulling 20 or 30 here and there across different banners and ending up with random operators and no guarantee progress on anything. Instead, pick one limited banner per cycle, save everything toward the 120-pull threshold, and spend there.
The free 6-star selector available to players who complete the Break the Siege mission early on is worth using on Ardelia or Laevatain depending on which role you need most. Ardelia is the safer choice because she works in any team composition you build later.
What to do in each session
Once you have the factory running and your core operators being built up, a typical session has a clear shape. Collect what your factory produced, spend the upgrade materials on your main operators, progress one or two story chapters, and explore the current region for resource nodes to add to your factory network.
The game does not impose aggressive time-limited pressure in the early hours. You are not missing out by playing at a comfortable pace. The Authority Level system that gates story chapter access encourages you to engage with exploration and side content, but that engagement is rewarding rather than punishing if you approach it as part of the game rather than an obstacle.
The one mistake that costs you the most time
Upgrading operators you will replace. Early banners will give you operators that seem strong in isolation but do not fit into the team compositions you will want to build as your roster grows. The game doesn’t explain this very well either, but investing heavily in a unit whose role is already covered by a better option is how players fall behind.
If you are unsure whether an operator is worth upgrading, check the tier list, confirm they fit your current team, and only then spend the materials. Once you understand this system, everything about resource management makes more sense.
The early hours of Endfield reward players who engage with its systems intentionally. Do that and the game opens up quickly into something genuinely worth spending time in.
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