What to Expect From Arknights: Endfield

Arknights: Endfield Beta test recently concluded and I had the chance to play through it and see just what we can expect for the upcoming launch later this year. The data from the Beta does not carry over to the actual game so I was careful about getting too far to avoid having to replay it. However, the game met my expectations and I found myself drawn into it so here are the top things we can expect from GRYPHLINE's Arknights: Endfield once it launches!

Captivating Storyline

As someone who never played the original Arknights game and mostly has Genshin Impact gacha background, I was worried about the story being too "industrial," for the lack of a better word. Yet, Endfield quickly reassured me in this regard and the lack of fantastical elements (that I usually enjoy) wasn't an issue.

You wake up as an Endministrator and learn about the Talos II planet you once saved and are now fighting to protect alongside a trustworthy group of allies, led by Perlica. As you meet more characters you learn more about this mysterious world and the danger it finds itself in.

Open-World Fun

Arknights: Endfield stays within the tower-defense gameplay but is also an open-world game, allowing for resource collecting, battles, and on-field electrical work. I loved this aspect so much, as I truly enjoy hoarding materials (the inventory space could be bigger). The scenery was quite enjoyable as well and the open-world enemies grinding allowed for some extra gameplay while waiting for in-game energy system to replenish or materials to finish processing.

The open-world comes not only with exploration, but also puzzles, chests (cases?), and unlockable areas. Getting your whole team to cut wood and mine rocks is also pretty fun.

Beautiful Visuals

My worries about industrial wasteland were quickly dispelled: although Endfield is not the most beautiful game world out there it is still pleasant to look at and the visuals work well with the story lines, enemies, and character designs. Some views were simply breathtaking and it always felt like could find some beauty, even in the wasteland.

Electrical Engineering

"Trust me, I'm an engineer" should have played in the background every time I tried to connect two towers that could not be connected. The point of tower building in Endfield is to develop your starting point, the Automated Industry Complex (AIC) through connecting Protocol Anchor Cores (PAC) that provide energy and serve as the core of every grid facility with other towers/facilities that have various functions. Relay Towers transmit energy within the "base" while Energy Pylons transmit that power outside. As you progress, you unlock various other towers, including Sub-PACs, that help you with expanding, mining, processing materials, fighting, and more.

Placing and moving all of these elements is made easy through "move" and "stash" options that do not cost any resources. You can also enter bird-view mode to see the best placement options. There is something satisfying about finally connecting everything and hearing it whir to life.

Neat Battle System

The way Arknights: Endfield battle system functions is that it allows you to have four characters on field, all of which are fighting at the same time. You fight by completing hit sequences which grant you something called Final Strike, which in turns grants you Skill Points (used for special attacks, the so-called Battle Skills). By completing sequences you can also stagger enemies, causing them to take more damage. Battle Skills have to be cast manually, but you can cast them whenever you want, as long as you have enough points for them.

The ultimate attack, called Ultimate Energy, replenishes over time as you perform sequences and use Battle Skills. You activate them by long-pressing the Battle Skill key (this key corresponds with a numerical position of the character in your team).

Since all your characters are on-field, you should pay attention to team synergy and different elements (Heat, Cryo, Electro, Nature, and Physical) in order to trigger combo attacks, which deal more damage. You can also switch between characters with Q, for easier movement.

Charming Characters

As every gacha game out there, Arknights: Endfield is mainly there to sell you characters, or Operators, as they are called. And if they stay on this track, we're in for a treat. Compared to the Alpha test, the Beta changed some designs, names, and added more movements, making the interactions with playable characters more realistic. Voice acting is also spot-on, with quite a few different accents between the character lineup.

In addition to the charming and quirky personalities, I found character movements and animations to be especially praiseworthy as they felt fluid and smooth. Endfield has in-game texting system where you can chat with characters you own and talk to them about their daily troubles and tasks. A lot of effort went into making you feel like this cast cares for you and it shows. And I don't mind this just in the "lonely gacha player" case, but more on that below.

Fanservice

If you are not the type to read the dialogue and bother with character backgrounds, don't worry, since you won't feel left out. The fanservice IS there. I found that it leans towards female characters, but the variety wasn't too bad. The angles and movements of certain characters definitely cater to the eye.

There is also a giant panda, DA PAN. Goofy in a good way:

Gacha

I won't go into the specifics of how the gacha part of Arknights: Endfield will work, the odds and probabilities are likely to change by the time it releases sometime in 2025. Instead, I am leaving you with a recording of a very satisfying 10-pull:

And that's it for the things we can expect to to see in Arknights: Endfield! I'm leaving you with a full gallery of official character visuals (never managed to get Laevatain) to enjoy while we wait for the launch!