With Arknights: Endfield smashing records and drawing in over 30 million players since its January 22 launch, the conversation has shifted from combat tier lists to industrial efficiency. While the combat is flashy, the real endgame lies in the Automated Industry Complex (AIC). Many Operators are currently hitting the dreaded "mid-game slump"—where power grids fail and production lines turn into spaghetti. If you are struggling to keep your Thermal Banks fed or your conveyor belts are jamming, you aren't alone. This Arknights: Endfield factory layout guide breaks down the essential mechanics to untangle your base and maximize output.

Mastering the 0.5/s Rule: Conveyor Belt Logic

The most common mistake new administrators make is overestimating their transport belts. In the current build, a standard transport belt has a hard throughput cap of 0.5 items per second (or one item every two seconds). This isn't just a stat; it's a hard limit that dictates your entire Arknights: Endfield automation guide strategy.

If you feed three Smelters onto a single belt, the third one will likely stall because the belt simply cannot carry the output fast enough. The golden rule for early game is the 1:1 Ratio. Generally, one extraction or processing unit saturates one belt line. Don't merge outputs unless you are dealing with slow-producing high-tier items. Keep your lines independent and linear to prevent the dreaded "backlog jam" that shuts down production while you are away exploring.

The Power Crisis: Upgrading to LC Valley Batteries

Your first major bottleneck will be electricity. Early on, you likely fed raw Originium Ore directly into your Thermal Banks. This is sustainable for the first few hours, but as you expand, ore burns too quickly to maintain a stable grid. You need to transition to Arknights: Endfield resource farming for batteries immediately.

The LC Valley Battery is the game-changer here. A single battery provides significantly more runtime and power density than raw ore. To automate this, you need a dedicated production loop:

  • Input 1: Originium Ore processed into Originium Powder.
  • Input 2: Amethyst Ore processed into Amethyst Parts.
  • Assembly: Feed both into a Packaging Unit to create LC Valley Batteries.
  • Feedback Loop: Route the output belt back into your Thermal Banks, with a splitter sending the overflow to your Depot.

This self-sustaining loop ensures your lights never go out, allowing you to venture further into dangerous zones without worrying about a base blackout.

Optimizing the Protocol Anchor Core (PAC)

The Protocol Anchor Core (PAC) is the heart of your base, but it comes with a fatal flaw: limited output ports. You only start with six ports to pull resources out of your storage. This is the primary choke point for Arknights: Endfield base building tips in 2026.

To bypass this limitation, avoid using PAC ports for common raw materials like stone or basic ore if you can help it. Instead, build your processing units directly near the mining source. Transport the finished product to the PAC, rather than hauling raw materials back and forth. For example, smelt your ore at the mine site. Transporting 50 refined bars takes up less belt time and storage slots than transporting 100 raw ore chunks. Decentralization is key to preserving your precious PAC ports for complex crafting recipes later.

Advanced Layout: The "Manifold" Method

Avoid the "spaghetti" mess of crossing belts. Crossing belts slows down logistics and makes troubleshooting a nightmare. Instead, use a manifold layout. Run a main "bus" line of resources and use splitters to pull materials off at right angles into your machines. This keeps your factory organized and scalable. When you unlock Blueprints, save this modular layout immediately so you can paste it into new zones without rebuilding from scratch.

Strategic Blueprinting for Outpost Orders

Don't just build randomly; build for profit. The game rewards you heavily for completing Outpost Orders, which often ask for specific manufactured goods like Buck Capsules or building materials. Create specific, isolated factory blocks dedicated solely to these items.

A "Buck Capsule Block" should be self-contained: automated farming of Buckflower, processed immediately into capsules, and fed into a dedicated storage box (not the main PAC). This prevents your main storage from filling up with low-tier consumables while ensuring you always have stock ready for instant trade completion. Smart segregation of production lines is the hallmark of a veteran player.