Arknights: Endfield Turns Players Into Engineers Amidst Gacha Combat

Arknights: Endfield has quickly become a talking point for players around the world—not just for its gacha combat but for its surprisingly deep factory-building system. While many initially expected a combat-focused open-world gacha game with anime-style visuals similar to titles like Genshin Impact or Wuthering Waves, the reality is that this game offers much more in terms of management and strategy.

On Reddit, one user humorously titled their post: “Came for the combat. Stayed to be a factory worker”. The post, accompanied by playful illustrations, poked fun at the unexpected charm of the factory system. Although players might initially resist spending time managing infrastructure, many quickly found themselves enjoying it.

Another Reddit post highlighted that the game’s balance between combat and factory management is skewed: what players expect as a 50/50 split actually feels more like 30% combat and 70% factory building. One player shared that after 10 hours of gameplay, they spent over 7 hours designing and managing their factory, fully immersed in optimizing layouts and systems.

The game’s electric grid and infrastructure mechanics add another layer of strategy. Players must install power lines to expand electricity across the map, sometimes bridging gaps in terrain manually since there is no main power source. This has inspired humorous comparisons to being an electric company employee, with some players even creating parody clips to showcase the experience.

The blend of combat and factory simulation sets Arknights: Endfield apart from other gacha games. New players are advised to follow the in-game tutorials carefully; learning the systems gradually makes the factory-building experience both satisfying and addictive. Many players find themselves unknowingly spending the majority of their playtime crafting the perfect factory, discovering a hidden engineer mindset in the process.

Finally, the game is designed for single-player enjoyment, allowing players to explore combat and factory management at their own pace without competition. This balance ensures both strategy enthusiasts and gacha fans can find something to enjoy, making Arknights: Endfield a unique blend of action and simulation.