Arknights Endfield Operator Leveling and Promotion Guide for Beginners

Operator leveling and promotion in Arknights: Endfield are gated by four Elite breakpoints (Lv 20, 40, 60, 80), and early progression is fastest if you push one main team through those caps instead of half‑building everyone. The basic loop is: rush story to unlock Protocol Space and AIC, farm the right XP/promotion nodes, and invest heavily in 4–6 core operators.

Level Caps and Elite Promotions

Endfield uses level caps tied to Elite tiers, similar to classic Arknights. Each promotion unlocks higher stats and sometimes extra kit power.​​

• Operators level up with generic EXP items, but can only pass level checkpoints at roughly Lv 20, 40, 60, and 80, where Elite promotions are required to continue.​​
• Promotions cost a mix of credits, generic promotion mats (e.g., Protodisks/Protosets), and operator‑specific items obtained from Protocol Space and exploration.​

Beginner guides recommend aiming to finish the story with a core team around Elite 3, level 60 rather than trying to push everyone to max level 99 early.​​

Where to Farm Leveling and Promotion Materials

Story drops and exploration alone are not enough; you must use specific farming spots.​

• Operator EXP & promotion items:
  • Protocol Space combat/resource stages near the Core AIC Area and other labeled upgrade nodes are the main source of EXP items and promotion materials.​​
  • ProGameGuides notes you will “spend a lot of time making friends with these farming spots” for both operators and weapons.​
• Weapon EXP & level caps:
  • Arms EXP items are used to level weapons at any stage; they drop from dedicated weapon XP stages.​
  • Cast Die items unlock each 20‑level weapon bracket and can be farmed near the Originium Byproduct Processing Center.​
• Skill levels:
  • Protoprism and Protohedron are farmed at a spot close to the Core AIC Area and take skills from 1 to 9 before masteries.​

High‑tier “gold” materials for beyond Lv 80 and high masteries come from late‑game Deep Dive challenges, which you can ignore as a beginner.​

Priority Order: Who to Level and Promote First

Resources are limited; beginner guides are clear that you will not fully build more than one main team early.​

Priority operators for early investment:

• Your main DPS: Endministrator or your best 6★ (Laevatain, Last Rite, etc.).​
• One sturdy defender: Snowshine/Ember or other reliable tank.​
• One universal support/healer: Ardelia and a key low‑rarity support like Antal if you use Heat/Electric.

LDShop’s free‑operator guide explicitly states Endministrator is “the highest priority character for the early game” and should have level and weapon upgrades prioritized. Reddit’s beginner guide likewise advises focusing on one team you like and expects you’ll end roughly at Lv 60 E3 on that core by story end.

Efficient Leveling Routine for Beginners

A simple, repeatable pattern keeps operator growth efficient.

• Push story until Protocol Space and main upgrade nodes are unlocked, then:
  • Farm operator XP/promotion stages to push your core four toward the next Elite tier.​​
  • When stuck on damage, detour to Arms EXP and Cast Die stages to raise your main DPS’s weapon and unlock the next weapon level cap.​
  • Spend some stamina on Protoprism/Protohedron to bring core skills to roughly level 5–7 before worrying about masteries.​
• Let the AIC/base produce extra EXP and materials passively so you can slowly raise backup operators without heavy stamina spending.​

Following this approach—one focused squad, correct farm nodes, and sensible breakpoints—lets beginners level and promote operators quickly enough to finish story and unlock endgame without exhausting early resources.