Arknights: Endfield Is Ready for Beta Test 2 [Hands-On Preview]

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I recently got a look at Arknights: Endfield, and honestly, I’m really excited about it. It’s a free-to-play action RPG, but it also has these cool factory-building elements – sounds complicated, but it all works surprisingly well together. It’s a big step up from the original Arknights, which was a tower defense game, and it feels like the developers, Hypergryph, are really pushing the boundaries with this one. They’re definitely trying out some new things!

Game Rant recently got a hands-on look at the upcoming game Arknights: Endfield at an event in Los Angeles, specifically checking out the content for Beta Test 2. If you’re looking forward to the game, be sure to remember November 28th – that’s when the beta test will be available to players. It will be fascinating to see how players react to this large-scale game at this point in its development, and I was generally very impressed with what I saw. While there are a few minor issues, I expect Beta Test 2 will help address them.

Arknights: Endfield Defies Simple Definition

Arknights: Endfield is a complex, free-to-play game that doesn’t easily fit into one genre. It features a deep story that sends the player, as the Endministrator, and the Endfield Industries to a new planet called Talos-II. There, they become involved in a large conspiracy connected to the Endministrator’s past. The game starts with an attack on the Endfield Hub, forcing the player and their team of Operators to battle groups of bandits known as LBs in a troubled world. While the story is presented through many cutscenes and conversations, I found it captivating. Even though I didn’t experience everything the game has to offer, after playing the beginning, a few boss battles, and some later levels, I was genuinely intrigued by the narrative and especially curious about the villains.

Okay, so the story in Arknights: Endfield is really driven by cutscenes, and honestly, they look fantastic. The character introductions are epic, and there are some moments that really pull you in. You could easily call this a free-to-play action RPG with a factory-building element, but there’s a weird thing with the main character, the Endministrator (we just call them Endmin). During the big, cinematic scenes, Endmin has a voice actor, which is great. But when you’re choosing dialogue, they’re mostly silent! It’s kind of jarring, and it doesn’t feel as immersive as it should. Sometimes picking an option will get them to say something, but it’s inconsistent and takes some getting used to. Thankfully, all this story stuff wraps around some seriously fun combat, which is the main thing I’m enjoying.

What I enjoyed most about Arknights: Endfield was the combat and the unique character designs. Players control a team of up to four characters, chosen from a roster of over 20. These characters are diverse – you’ll find everything from a panda to a dragon-like character reminiscent of Dungeons & Dragons, and many more in between. While it’s not quite a traditional companion-based RPG, Endfield’s operator system offers some great ideas for the genre. You can switch between controlling different operators instantly, and each character has their own combo attacks and special skills, no matter who you’re currently playing as. These combos are really well-done, with each one having a distinct activation requirement, allowing for some impressive and exciting moments in battle. According to the lead designer, Ryan, these combos were inspired by tabletop and card games like Magic: The Gathering, and they really do feel like a complex series of actions unfolding, similar to resolving a stack of cards in MTG.

The combat in this game is deep, with special moves, combos, and powerful ultimate abilities. You can even perfectly dodge attacks and each character has unique attacks. While I worried it might get repetitive, I found it stayed engaging throughout my playtime. If anything, I’d have preferred more focus on the combat and less on the story, which felt constant. The boss battles were a definite highlight, especially one major story boss that provided a great challenge and really showcased the combat system. Everything felt important – basic attacks, combos, skills, elemental weaknesses, and weapon choices all mattered. There’s also a robust crafting system where you can create and customize weapons and gear to significantly improve your characters. It’s complex, but not overly complicated.

The factory-building aspects of Arknights: Endfield are fairly intricate, but not overly complicated. The game eases players in with plenty of guidance at the start, and a helpful tutorial library is available whenever you need it. These features make sense within the game’s story and gameplay, as Arknights: Endfield is about building up Endfield’s technology on Talos-II and turning the planet into a base. From what I’ve played, it feels quite natural to use, and players have a lot of control over how much they engage with it. According to Ryan, you can dive deep into the factory simulation if you want, or focus more on the story and battles – it’s up to you.

Arknights: Endfield Feels Like a Little Bit of Everything

The game is already packed with features, and there are many more to discover. It includes elements commonly found in live-service games, gacha systems, area exploration, boss battles, and a variety of exploration options, as well as features returning from the original game. The list goes on – and as long as players aren’t required to use everything, that’s not necessarily a problem. It almost feels like the developers took a bunch of popular features from different games over the last couple of years and included them in Arknights: Endfield. This kind of design can be risky, though. It might make it harder for the game to stand out, and it could potentially overwhelm players with too many options.

Playing Arknights: Endfield, I haven’t really felt like it’s falling into the traps a lot of games do. It’s super clear Hypergryph is going all-out with this one, and they’re really aiming high. The way they present everything – the story, the mechanics, how it all connects – made it obvious after just a few hours what the core gameplay is all about, and that’s a good thing. I’m not saying it’s perfect – there’s a lot to learn at the start, and you’ll definitely be spending time in menus – but the initial learning experience is way better than I expected. It could still be overwhelming for some, but if players keep giving Hypergryph feedback, especially during Beta Test 2, I think they can smooth things out. Honestly, after my time with it, I’m feeling pretty optimistic.

After playing the Beta Test 2 for Arknights: Endfield, I’m finding it hard to put into simple terms. It’s a free-to-play action RPG with elements of factory simulation, and it really delivers. The game boasts impressive cutscenes, well-developed characters (both in story and gameplay), and a thriving community. It also rewards consistent players with daily logins and includes features I’ve always wanted in a companion RPG. You’ll find plenty of exploration and a ton of extra features that make the experience truly unique. While Arknights: Endfield might not appeal to everyone, it offers a robust set of features that are welcoming to all.

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2025-11-11 19:07