Arknights: Endfield CBT2 start date and major changes announced
By Marco Wutz
Hypergryph has announced that the second closed beta test for Arknights: Endfield will start on November 28, 2025, for PC, iOS, and Android. Fans can now sign-up via the official website.
CBT2 will feature a reworked main storyline with brand-new dialog and cutscenes as well as differing story branches bringing unique content to players depending on their choices.
It’ll also bring the debut of Wuling, a region inspired by traditional Chinese aesthetics mixed with sci-fi elements. Feature additions for this test include a photo mode and a Crate Detector gadget, which spots chests for players. Allied characters will guide players to nearby crates as well in addition to picking up drops from the ground. During this test, players will be able to share infrastructure with other users, such as Ziplines, and maintain them together.
A total of 24 Operators will be available during CBT2, including nine brand-new additions: 6-Star Operators Ardelia, Last Rite, and Pogranichnik join the roster alongside 5-Star character Alesh and 4-Star Operators Estella, Fluorite, Catcher, Antal, and Akekuri.
It’s not just the main storyline that’s gone through major reworks: Hypergryph has done a lot of work on the game’s class and combat system, which now features Guard, Vanguard, Caster, Defender, Striker, and Supporter as classes and Physical, Heat, Electric, Cryo, and Nature as DMG Types.
The interactions between DMG Types have been overhauled, especially when it comes to the Physical Status Effects. You can now inflict Lift or Knock Down on enemies to apply Vulnerable and Stagger, while Crush and Breach abilities consume Vulnerable to deal Physical DMG or inflict weakness to Physical DMG.
Accordingly, several characters have been reworked along with their skill sets and visuals.
Dodge works two times in quick succession now and the newly introduced Perfect Dodge reduces Stamina consumption and restores Skill Points.
Stronger enemies will feature Stagger Nodes, which are smaller breakpoints on the Stagger Bar that cause the enemy to be interrupted briefly upon reaching them. Combat also revolves more around weak points now: Enemies will react differently when certain body parts are attacked, enabling them to fully block attacks or causing them to take extra damage.
The AIC System – or factory system – will be expanded with the Blueprint System, allowing users to create and share layouts, which can then be copy-pasted by others. Several system expansions, such as the introduction of the AIC Steward for easier space expansion as well as place-anywhere BUS systems will be present in CBT2 as well. The introduction of Wuling also brings liquid materials into the equation.
The Dijiang – our spaceship – will be expanded with a Reception Room, which serves as a place for players to showcase their achievements and collection. We can also visit the vessels of friends. Additionally, Hypergryph teased what sounded like a roguelike mode by the name of Etchspace Salvage that will be accessible from here.
On a technical level all platforms can expect better controller support, while mobile users can fully customize the on-screen UI to their liking.
Hypergryph also went into detail about the gacha system. CBT2 will feature the New Horizons banner, a starter banner giving a guaranteed 6-Star Operator, as well as the Basic Headhunting and Chartered Headhunting banners. Every 80 pulls on these guarantees a 6-Star Operator and every 120 pulls guarantee the featured Operator. What’s more, featured Operators remain in the rotation for two banners following their own, giving players more time to get their desired unit (there’ll still be traditional reruns as well) — though this feature won’t make it into CBT2.
The Arsenal Exchange once again allows players to purchase selected weapons directly or use the gacha system. A 6-Star weapon is guaranteed after four attempts, the featured one after eight, and another selected 6-Star weapon is guaranteed at ten attempts. After that, every eight attempts guarantee a 6-Star weapon with the featured weapons being guaranteed every 16 attempts.
Finally, Endfield will feature a battle pass system called Protocol Pass, which will allow players to earn enough premium currency to purchase the next edition of the pass on top of including other rewards. Outside of China, though, no monetized features will be available during CBT2.
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