Arknights Endfield Gear and Equipment System Explained for New Players
Arknights: Endfield’s gear and equipment system is built around fixed‑stat armor pieces with 3‑piece set bonuses plus separate upgradable weapons that use essences and tickets. New players do not need to reroll gear; instead, you craft sets at the Assembly Station and pick bonuses that match each operator’s role and element.
Gear Slots, Types, and Set Effects
Gear is your “wearable equipment” (separate from weapons) and comes in a small, clear slot system.
- Slots:
- Sets and bonuses:
Icy‑Veins lists 19+ gear sets with their 3‑piece effects, and Endfield.gg’s gear page confirms the 1 Armor / 1 Gloves / 2 Kit layout and set‑bonus rules.
How to Get and Craft Gear
Endfield’s gear system removes most RNG by giving fixed stats instead of random sub‑stats.
- Source and crafting:
- Fixed stats and no leveling:
Guides praise this as “RNG‑light” since you aim for the right sets and rarities rather than praying for perfect rolls.
Weapons vs Gear: Two Separate Systems
Weapons are their own progression track and matter as much as gear sets.
- Weapon categories: sword, greatsword, polearm, guns (dual pistols), orbiter/artificer types.
- Acquisition:
- Progression:
Reddit comparisons note that all future operators share these weapon categories, and weapon gacha/progression sits on top of the fixed‑stat gear system.
Early Game Gear Priorities for Beginners
Beginner and CBT2 equipment guides converge on simple early priorities.
- Equip any full 3‑piece set you can craft for your main DPS and tank first, even at lower rarity, just to turn on set bonuses.
- For tanks/defenders, use defensive sets (e.g., Iron Hand‑style or AIC Heavy/Light early on) that give DEF%, damage reduction, or extra HP.
- For DPS/Strikers/Casters, use offensive sets that boost skill burst damage, elemental procs, or basic attack damage.
- Do not over‑craft for every operator early; focus your high‑rarity gear on 4–6 core units and slowly upgrade sets as you obtain more materials.
The CBT2 progression guide explicitly notes that “gear assembly is the way to get all gear from Gold (highest tier) to lowest tier,” and that you should aim to gradually replace low‑tier equipment with gold pieces as your account matures.
How Gear Ties Into Builds and Skills
Because gear stats are fixed, the main optimization is matching set effects to operator skills and elements.
- Offensive operators: pick sets that amplify their primary damage type (e.g., Heat anomaly triggers, Arts damage, Physical burst).
- Tanks: prioritize sets that increase DEF, HP, and damage reduction; some sets also synergize with self‑healing or stagger play.
- Supporters: lean toward sets that buff skill uptime, SP generation, or enhance debuff effectiveness.
Equipment guides repeatedly emphasize that you should read your operator’s skills first, then choose a gear set whose 3‑piece effect directly benefits what they actually do in combat.
