Arknights: Endfield Zeroth Directive Update Adds a Free 6-Star Operator

The Arknights Endfield Zeroth Directive Dev Comm has revealed some of the most meaningful changes yet for Arknights: Endfield. This update is mainly based on early-game balance, smoother progression, and quality-of-life upgrades.

One standout highlight is a new progress-based reward aimed at making team building far less punishing for newcomers. It also featured enemy level adjustments, factory control improvements, and a long list of upcoming refinements.

How to ge Free 6 Star Operator Permit In Arknights Endfield

Players completing the main mission Chapter I Process I: Break the Siege will receive a Designation Selection Permit. This allows players to select one 6 operator of their choice from Basic Headhunting as a huge boost for building out a reliable squad at the start of their new adventure! You will be able to find this item in the in-game mailbox after the February 5, 2026, Quick Update as well as if you completed this mission prior to then.

In addition to the Designation Selection Permit, new milestone level rewards provide additional help for overall progress. From now on, authority level milestones will grant players gear assembly components directly in Arknights Endfield. Authority levels 16 to 18 will now provide Ferrium Components to use for crafting blue (quality) gear. Levels 28 to 30 will provide Cryston Components to use for crafting purple-quality gear.

Each milestone rewards enough components to craft an entire set of four pieces. Players will no longer need to rely on developing with the AIC Factory during early progression stages. Players who have already reached these authority milestones will also receive rewards via the in-game mailbox. Keeping track of updated resources like All Arknights Endfield Codes can further help ease early-game friction and speed up account growth.

Enemy Level Nerfs and Map Improvements Arriving February 5

Enemy scaling has been adjusted to smooth out difficulty spikes during exploration. At Exploration Level 6, enemy levels drop from 60 to 55, while Level 7 enemies drop from 70 to 60. Importantly, loot tables remain unchanged, meaning players earn the same rewards with less friction. This change directly targets one of the most common early complaints around progression pacing.

The map experience has also undergone some refinements. Areas where you teleport, or collect rare materials and mine will now have their enemy density changed to make it less punishing to find an AIC facility within those areas.

In addition, a new view toggle will allow players to easily turn either all of the factory’s facilities on or off, as well as make power usage more intuitive during times of low power supply. These changes, along with tweaks to Percussive Device difficulty, will go live during the February 5 quick update scheduled between 8:00 and 8:10 AM UTC+8.

Major Quality-of-Life and System Upgrades Planned for Future Updates

Looking ahead, the Endfield team confirmed a wide range of optimizations currently in development. Early-game headhunting resources and AIC Quota sources are being expanded, while Operational Manual tasks and Protocol Spaces are being refined for smoother material farming.

AIC Factory management will have many upgrades to include more showroom general charge control, better shared facility controls, improved UI clarity, and enhanced zipline navigation. In addition, camera zoom will be improved, and keyboard shortcuts for PC users will be implemented. Guides such as How to Reroll in Arknights Endfield remain especially useful for securing a strong opening lineup before diving deeper into Endfield’s evolving systems.

Combat and interaction systems will also be improved with future updates. Upgrades will include making improvements to enemy attack telegraphing, how teammates behave when interacting with enemies, loot picking up logic and exiting the combat will be better. On the quality-of-life front, mission clarity, red dot notifications, controller remapping, and remote quick-claim features across multiple systems are all being addressed.