Arknights Endfield Trade Routes and Logistics – How to Maximize Income from AIC

Trade routes and logistics in Arknights: Endfield are built around Outposts pulling from Depots, with your AIC factories feeding those Depots 24/7. Maximizing income means prioritizing high‑value materials (like Cuprium lines), keeping Depots stocked, and leveling Outposts so their Orders and shops get better over time.

​How Trade and Logistics Actually Work

Outposts are the trading hubs; Depots and the PAC network are your logistics backbone.

• Depots:
  • Regional storage points that hold finished goods; items can be moved between regions (e.g., Valley IV → Jinlong).
  • Outpost Orders pull from Depots automatically—if storage is full of the right items, Orders complete themselves over time.
• Outposts and Sub-PACs:
  • Each Outpost has a Sub-PAC and its own local factories; it issues supply Orders that behave like trade contracts with local communities.
  • Completing Orders grants outpost XP and Convention Certificates / Stock Bill currencies used in regional shops.​​

Think of the loop as: AIC lines → Depots → Outpost Orders → certificates and shop unlocks.

Best Practices for Trade Routes

To maximize income, treat every region as a small trade ecosystem.​

• Keep depots on trade routes full:
  • Maintain stable production lines for items that Orders frequently request (basic processed ore, components, explosives, plant products).
  • When you unlock a new Outpost, route surplus from your main Hub AIC to that region’s Depot so the new Orders start filling immediately.
• Use Sub-PACs as regional hubs:
  • Place Sub-PACs near clusters of resource nodes and build simple local loops that feed directly into the Outpost’s Depot.​
• Use stock redistribution systems:
  • Regional Development / Stock Bill lets you ship excess items to NPCs once per day per location for extra profit and shop progression.​

Guides recommend designing trade routes so every mined or crafted item has a “customer” at some Outpost, either via automatic Orders or daily redistributions.​

What to Produce for Maximum Profit

Some materials are far more valuable in trade systems than others.

• Cuprium mining rigs:
  • Memu and EnjoyGM call Cuprium setups “one of the best outpost reward sources” when wired to Depots, because many Orders and shop items scale off Cuprium products.
• Explosive and construction lines:
  • Industrial Explosives and similar packaged goods are often required by regional communities and fetch strong Order rewards.
• Staple vs elastic goods:
  • Regional Development splits shop items into staples and elastic goods; leveling these shops and regularly selling elastic goods increases profit potential, especially for Credits.

If you must choose, prioritize 1–2 high‑value chains per region (e.g., Cuprium + explosives) over trying to produce every possible product.

Leveling Outposts and Shops

Higher-level Outposts and shops make all trade routes more lucrative.​

• Outpost XP:
  • Orders grant experience; once the bar fills, you get quests to level the Outpost, which unlocks more build space and additional trade items.​​
• Stock Bill & shops:
  • Regional Development / Stock Bill systems expand staple and elastic goods inventories as you invest and complete deliveries.
  • Credit guides stress leveling these “rabbit shops” to unlock more elastic goods and increase daily profit.

The more efficiently your AIC feeds Orders, the faster Outposts level and the more valuable items you gain access to, including pulls and rare mats.​

Daily Logistics Routine for Maximum Income

A short daily loop keeps trade routes and logistics optimized.

• Before logging off:
  • Confirm power and belts are active on all Cuprium/priority lines.
  • Make sure Depots linked to Outposts are not full, so Orders can keep drawing items.
• When logging in:
  • Collect completed Outpost Orders and Stock Bill/delivery rewards.​
  • Check Regional Development shops for profitable staple/elastic trades and invest where available.
  • Adjust production if you see recurring shortages in commonly requested goods.

Handled this way, your AIC trade network effectively becomes an idle economy: factories and Depots keep running in the background, Outposts quietly convert goods into currencies and shop upgrades, and you step in only to steer production and cash out rewards.