On October 6, GRYPHLINE hosted a preview special program ahead of the Version 1.6 'Sanctuary of Ink' update for Arknights: Endfield. During the broadcast, Producer Hai Mao, Designer Lua, and several key developers made appearances to unveil a wealth of upcoming content—starting with a new main story and area, followed by two new Operators, a major overhaul of the integrated industrial system, new challenge content, various quality-of-life improvements, 1st anniversary events, and future updates.
A Mystical Realm Infused with Ink-Wash Aesthetics: New Area 'Si's Painting'
With this main chapter update, the new area "Si's Painting" will officially open. Blending unique Eastern visuals and the graceful style of traditional ink-wash painting across the realm, this painted world is ruled by Si, the Agent of Behemoth. Here, players will embark on a journey to treat the Endministrator—who suffers from a supernatural brand—and search for clues to resolve anomalous phenomena.
As a world inside a painting, various interactive mechanics related to art are introduced. Players can draw with a brush to repair severed paths or restore withered trees and collapsed pavilions to their original state. Additionally, activities such as solving Xiangqi (Chinese chess) puzzles at pavilions will be added.
New enemy types will also spawn in the new area. Entities born from transformed objects within Si's painted world, such as Chichang and Muliang, attack the Endministrator's party by spraying ink. Every hit from ink stacks a status effect, and once it accumulates beyond a certain threshold, Muliang becomes significantly stronger, requiring caution.
Frost-Synergy Freezing Supporter 'Si', High-Mobility Electric Striking Guard 'Ye Minghui'
Detailed information was subsequently revealed for the new rate-up Operators of this version, Si and Ye Minghui.
Arriving in the first headhunting banner, Si is a 6-star Frost Supporter. Using her Battle Skill "Landscape in One Stroke" deals damage to enemies, inflicts Pen Will, and applies an infusion based on the element of the Operator in slot 1 of the party. Pen Will records a portion of damage taken by the target and deals widespread true damage equal to the stored amount upon expiring. After cast, her Battle Skill temporarily transforms into "Raise the Brush," extracting an Ink Soul from the marked target. All damage and effects suffered by the Ink Soul are transferred to the original body; if the original body falls while an Ink Soul is active, it attaches to another enemy and inflicts Pen Will upon them. While the Ink Soul is present, the Battle Skill becomes "Lower the Brush," which returns the Ink Soul to the body, causing an explosion that deals damage.
Her Combo Skill "Ink Destiny Preserved" can be activated after an enemy's Frost or Heat infusion is consumed or absorbed, summoning an Ink Dragon to inflict massive damage. The damage of the final strike increases based on the number of infusion stacks consumed or absorbed. Activating her Ultimate Skill "Who Dares Spoil the Mood" summons a giant Ink Dragon dealing area-of-effect Frost damage, granting Frost Amplification and Heat Amplification to the entire party for a set duration. It also reduces the Combo Skill cooldown of the Operator in slot 1, enabling continuous combo chains.
Headlining the second-half headhunting banner is Ye Minghui, a 6-star Electric Guard Operator. His Battle Skill "Shadow Suppression" inflicts AoE Physical damage and a knock-up effect. After triggering a Combo Skill, his Battle Skill transforms into "Rushing Thunder," dealing Electric infusion, Shock, and 1 stack of Guard Break. His Combo Skill "Starlight Trajectory" triggers when an enemy is in a Guard Break state, dealing multiple hits of Electric damage while applying Electric infusion. Thus, executing the Shadow Suppression - Starlight Trajectory - Rushing Thunder combo quickly stacks Guard Break and Shock, seamlessly enabling synergies with Electric and Physical Operators. Additionally, his Talent "Sky-Splitting Lightning" increases all damage taken by enemies when Shock is applied and grants Thunder stacks corresponding to the stack count, enabling high burst damage in coordination with teammates.
His Ultimate Skill "Firmament Rend" charges forward while continuously dealing Electric damage to enemies ahead, concluding with a leap into the air that deals Electric damage and applies 1 stack of Electric infusion, followed by thrusting his spear into the ground to deal heavy area impact and Electric damage. Heavy impact detonates accumulated Thunder stacks from Shock, making it easy to overpower enemies with burst damage following a combo.
Cultivation Improvements, Inn Experience, and Powered-Up Martial Arts Event
Upon unlocking the "Si's Painting" area after the Sanctuary of Ink version update, the limited-time event "Bound by Flames" will open, allowing players to manage an inn. Starting with tilling fields and raising Originium Slugs, this simulation event involves running and managing an inn—setting menus, preparing ingredients, welcoming guests, and serving orders. Smoothly fulfilling customer orders raises the inn's star rating and yields greater rewards, which can be reinvested into facilities for more efficient inn management.
Along with the inn event, cultivation features used to gather inn materials are receiving comprehensive improvements. First, players can now plant crops in top-down view mode, placing them side-by-side without gaps. Operator assistance will also speed up fertilization. Furthermore, agricultural automation facilities that sow and harvest automatically from afar will be unlocked. As players progress through the story, automated farming equipment placement will also unlock in Wuling City's cultivation zones, reducing farming tedium.
The event "Colorful Martial Arts," which inherits and expands upon the card-draw and combat mechanics of the previous Blade & Martial Arts event, will also take place. While the system of determining combat difficulty and final rewards through plate draws remains the same, combat power point limits have been uncapped, allowing players to take on higher risks for immediately higher rewards. New tile patterns and hand combinations have also been added, enabling players to aim for high rewards beyond simple strong enemy encounters.
In addition, the landscape photography event "Kali's Flower and Grass Fairy Tale" will be introduced, alongside new series updates for permanent content such as Shadow Waypoint, Traveler of Hidden Area, and Echoes of War.
Along with the Version 1.6 update, a log-in check-in event will offer rewards including 5 limited-time Headhunting Permits for each banner phase. In the second half, Ye Minghui's story event "Into the Wild" will unlock. Additionally, Tangtang's headhunting banner will rerun from October 29 to November 19.
Five new gear sets craftable with active gear components will be added, along with the commemorative event "Colors Blooming from Ink." Completing event missions in "Si's Painting" during the event period allows players to exchange tokens at the Talosite Exchange for various rewards, including Tangtang's "Power of the Evil Eye" photo pose.
Upgraded Quality-of-Life and Conditions: Crisis Contract Season 2 'Operation Gray Experiment'
Version 1.6 will also launch Season 2 of "Crisis Contract," titled "Operation Gray Experiment," a signature core mode since original Arknights days. Reflecting feedback from Season 1, the mission risk preset load feature has been improved to let players select multiple risk indicators at once. Unselecting a hidden risk indicator will temporarily save previously selected locked indicators, automatically applying them when re-activating hidden risks to eliminate tedious manual selection.
Three new hidden risk indicators have also been added. "Environment: Blockade" increases Combo Skill damage, but locks Combo Skills for a set duration every time two Combo Skills are used. "Environment: Silence" accelerates skill gauge regeneration speed and amount, but once an Operator casts a Battle Skill, Battle Skills cannot be reused until every party member has cast a Battle Skill once.
In addition to hidden risks, various other risk indicators will allow players to take on diverse challenges. Introduced in the broadcast were "Environment: Vanish," which drains party members' Ultimate gauges the moment any Operator casts an Ultimate; "Operation: Hyperemia," where enemies regenerate HP every second unless inflicted with Guard Break or Arts infusion; and "Environment: Focus," which prioritizes targeting the main Operator—along with numerous other risk indicators coming in Season 2.
Presets, Improved Targeting, and Building Facilities Directly from Storage
System optimizations were also detailed. Preset functionality is being added, and craftable equipment with optimal combinations will be highlighted at the top of the menu. Adjusting the target craft quantity directly will also allow players to complete precision forging in a single batch.
Combat targeting has been refined. On PC, holding down the mouse wheel to target enemies is improved; rotating the camera toward an enemy and releasing the wheel automatically locks onto the target closest to the crosshair. Existing target lock-on and target switching functions remain intact.
When multiple Operators satisfy Combo Skill activation conditions simultaneously, skills previously triggered strictly in party order. A priority customization system has been added so players can set their preferred order. An auto-consume feature for time-limited Sanity potions is also included: expiring potions automatically convert into Sanity, and any excess beyond the cap will be stored as Sanity Essence potions.
The integrated industrial system and inventory management have been streamlined. Starting in Version 1.6, players will no longer need to keep facilities in their inventory, as they can place field structures directly using facilities stored in warehouses or by immediately consuming raw materials. Cargo transport commissions will also be completed sequentially by applicants 2–3 hours after dispatching orders, preventing them from expiring unfulfilled. Regional commission listings have been expanded to reduce the need for constant refreshes.
Operators can now be assigned to Shift A and Shift B, enabling instant roster swaps by shift. Visiting friends now includes a button to transition directly to the next friend's O.M.V. Dijiang, and clues gifted by friends can be claimed in bulk. Controller inputs for Operator and weapon management have also been refined to streamline character development.
'Endfield' Roadmap Teases Rhodes Island Debut and 1st Anniversary Events
Before wrapping up future update previews, a PV was revealed for Rhodes Island, the core faction of the previous title. The story of Rhodes Island—formerly a pharmaceutical company and relief organization on Terra—traveling to Talos-II to assist Endfield Industries Operators with exploration and reconstruction will unfold in upcoming versions. Additionally, the familiar Operator Warfarin appeared at the end of the PV, drawing keen attention from veterans.
A brief introduction to the new region, Cretaceous Frontiers, followed. A land of endless wilderness and prehistoric ruins lying in quiet slumber, this region is settled by ancient tribes and holds crucial clues to unraveling the mysteries of Talos-II. Following the journey through Si's painted world, players will travel to Cretaceous Frontiers for a whimsical adventure through a mushroom realm alongside Rhodes Island Operator Kay.
Meanwhile, a new array technology, "Light Circuit," will be added to the integrated industrial system. Supplied with gas nutrients, Light Circuit activates to generate a specific array zone; materials passing through this zone undergo mutation influenced by the array into new products. These mutated products will be used in rebuilding the Northern Forbidden Zone opening in a future update, allowing players to stockpile materials in advance to unlock progress quickly. Furthermore, addressing feedback regarding the need to overhaul existing production lines with every new version update, developers are providing a new Integrated Core Hub, allowing players to build anew without destroying existing setups. The new industrial facilities will be used in rebuilding the Northern Forbidden Zone, and new equipment will utilize existing active gear components rather than requiring new component types.
A new series, "Unveiled Evil," will be added to Shadow Waypoint. Featuring formidable boss battles, these stages allow players to experience various unique mechanics. As high-difficulty content, even richer rewards are planned. Other teased features include a friend card game event titled "Lucky Carrot Whimsical Play" and "Destroyed Protocol," which evokes the Integrated Strategies from the previous game while offering fresh gameplay.
Beyond in-game events and content, additional news was announced. An official short comic delving into Si's past, titled "The Beginning of the Story: Origin," and an online special concert titled "Echoes of Doomsday" will be released in the near future. The Steam version is scheduled to launch on October 15, and in collaboration with Naver Webtoon, an Endfield fan creation contest will run from October 13 to November 8. Participants can create illustrations, emoticons, or webtoons themed around Endfield and enter by posting on social media with designated hashtags or submitting via the event page.
Finally, a 1st anniversary offline festival will take place on January 9 and 10, 2027, at KINTEX in Ilsan. Applications for fan creation booths will be open from October 6 through November 15, alongside various other events designed to help fans create lasting memories.
More details regarding Version 1.6 'Sanctuary of Ink' of Arknights: Endfield, as well as upcoming updates and events, can be found on the official lounge.
