Arknights: Endfield AIC Factory Guide

The Automated Industry Complex sits at the heart of everything you'll accomplish in Arknights: Endfield. While exploration and combat grab your attention first, the aic factory system quietly determines how far your operators can push into endgame content. This modular production network transforms raw ore into combat-ready gear, keeps your outposts supplied, and powers the ancient machinery blocking your path across Talos-II.

Here's the thing: your factory runs continuously, even while you're logged out. Set up smart production chains now, and you'll wake up to stockpiles of refined materials. Ignore the system, and progression grinds to a halt when gear upgrades become mandatory. For new players starting with the Arknights: Endfield Ultimate Beginner's Guide, understanding these automation fundamentals separates smooth sailing from constant resource bottlenecks.

The AIC Factory 101 

Your Protocol Anchor Core (PAC) serves as the central hub for every production operation. From this command center, you'll deploy mining facilities, processing units, and conveyor networks that transform Talos-II's raw resources into usable equipment. The system integrates directly with combat effectiveness, exploration capabilities, and operator progression.

Four core functions drive your factory's value:

• Gear Crafting: Late-game equipment provides massive stat boosts and set bonuses that turn adequate operators into dominant forces
• Consumable Production: Healing items and combat buffs craft automatically for challenging boss encounters
• Construction Materials: Advanced facilities require refined resources that only production chains can generate efficiently
• Outpost Management: Supply orders fill automatically every minute, rewarding Convention Certificates for gacha pulls and rare materials

Protocol Anchor Core hub

Power Grid Fundamentals: Connect Everything

Before a single conveyor belt moves, you need electricity flowing to your facilities. The power system operates differently than most games. You don't get global energy distribution. Instead, you physically bridge gaps between your PAC and remote installations using relay infrastructure.

Building Your First Power Network

Power originates from your PAC or any Sub-PAC you establish at outposts. Relay Towers extend this energy across the map, with each tower reaching up to 80 meters from a powered source. These towers don't power machines directly. They feed signal to Electric Pylons, which then distribute wireless power to all facilities within their radius.

The connection chain works like this:

1. Start at your PAC or existing powered tower
2. Place a relay tower within 80 meters (requires line of sight)
3. Deploy an electric pylon near your production facilities
4. Pylon automatically powers everything in range

Pro tip: You can build relay towers "backward" from unpowered locations. If you discover a remote mining site, place unpowered towers back toward your base, then connect them once you reach the grid. This technique unlocks ancient machinery scattered across the overworld.

Power grid relay network

Production Chains: Automate Resource Flow

Every facility features input and output ports. Your PAC distributes raw materials through output ports, which connect via conveyor belts to facility input ports. Processed items exit through output ports, continuing down the chain until finished products return to storage.

A basic automation loop looks like this:

• Mining Rig extracts ore → sends to Refining Unit
• Refining Unit processes ore into bars → sends to Gearing Unit
• Gearing Unit assembles components → returns to PAC Depot

Once connected properly, the entire chain operates autonomously. As you unlock Logistics upgrades, you gain access to splitters (divide item flow), bridges (manage crossing paths), and convergers (merge multiple inputs). Control Ports filter specific items, preventing belt congestion when multiple products share transport lines.

Mining Operations: Automate Ore Collection

Manual gathering works initially, but you'll need thousands of ore for advanced recipes. Mining rigs eliminate the grind. Once powered, these facilities automatically extract resources and send them to storage.

Four ore types unlock progressively:

• Originium Ore: Base material for early construction
• Amethyst Ore: Required for electronics and mid-tier gear (needs Electric Mining Rig)
• Ferrium Ore: Top-tier Valley IV resource for high-level outposts (needs Electric Mining Rig Mk II)
• Cuprium Ore: Wuling region exclusive, requires Hydraulic Mining Rigs with water-loop integration

Mining rig facility placement

Mechanized Planting: Grow Resources Automatically

Planting Units automate crop cultivation for food and medicine materials. Deploy these facilities, connect irrigation systems (unlocks in Jinlong region), and harvest grows without manual intervention. This keeps your consumable supply steady for challenging content.

What most players miss: certain rare plants can't be automated. These special crops require manual plot creation, seed germination, and hand watering. The extra effort pays off, rare plants often provide materials unavailable through standard production.

Unlock Advanced Tech with VR Simulators

VR Simulator stations scatter across Talos-II's maps. Interact with these terminals to activate tutorial challenges that teach core mechanics while rewarding Factory Index points. Spend these points in the AIC Plan (press T) to unlock new facilities and production capabilities.

Priority upgrade paths:

Focus on Tier I and Tier II upgrades for Resourcing, Logistics, Processing, and Power first. These form your automation backbone. Combat and Exploration upgrades help later but aren't urgent initially.

VR simulator upgrade tree

Outposts: Generate Passive Resources

Outposts extend your factory network into new regions. Each outpost features a Sub-PAC that powers local production and automatically fulfills supply orders every minute. Completed orders reward Convention Certificates, which you exchange for progression materials, trust items, and limited gacha pulls.

Higher outpost levels unlock better rewards. The key here is connecting your production lines directly to outpost storage. Once automated, these passive income streams run continuously without manual management. Cuprium mining rigs at high-level outposts provide some of the best certificate generation rates available.

Exploration and Combat Support

Your aic factory does more than craft items. It actively supports field operations:

• Ziplines: Create shortcuts across difficult terrain
• Bounce Devices: Launch to unreachable platforms
• Power Restoration: Relay towers reactivate ancient machinery blocking progression
• Combat Towers: Automated defenses engage enemies or heal operators during battles

This integration makes the factory feel less like a separate minigame and more like rebuilding the world itself. Powering dormant infrastructure reveals hidden paths and unlocks new exploration zones.

Optimize Your Layout for Maximum Efficiency

Early Game Strategy: Start compact. Connect your PAC to one or two Mining I rigs feeding a basic refining unit. Keep belt paths short and loops tight. This handles initial needs without overwhelming your power capacity.

Mid Game Expansion: As production chains grow complex, splitters divide materials while planting facilities support Amethyst recipes. Power management becomes critical here. Use the AKEF AIC Calculator (community tool) to determine optimal facility counts and power requirements before building.

Endgame Optimization: Late game focuses on scale. Fluid reactors process water-based resources, maxed outposts generate steady certificates, and combat towers support extended expeditions. Layouts prioritize sustained output over short-term gains.

Balance Production Loads

Recipes with equal input/output rates work best on single belts. When production slows, add more mining rigs rather than stacking extra conveyor lines. This prevents bottlenecks while maintaining clean layouts.

Pro tip: Before logging out, let factories run until storage fills completely. This maximizes offline production gains when you return.

Common Mistakes to Avoid

Don't build in corrosion zones. Geothermal generators and critical facilities lose 2% durability per hour in these areas. Place generators in safe zones and run power lines into dangerous regions instead.

Don't ignore terrain elevation. Relay towers perform better on high ground. The improved line of sight reduces placement frustration across uneven landscapes.

Don't skip blueprint systems. The game provides functional production templates you can deploy instantly. Copy proven layouts early, then optimize later once you understand the mechanics better.

Don't neglect Protocol Capacity limits. Each region restricts building counts outside your base. While rarely hit during normal play, planning expansions prevents hitting walls unexpectedly.

Start Simple, Scale Smart

The AIC factory system integrates deeply with every aspect of Arknights: Endfield. Combat power, exploration range, and operator progression all tie back to production efficiency. What seems overwhelming initially becomes routine once basic chains run smoothly.

Focus on Tier I and Tier II tech first. Get power flowing reliably, establish basic mining automation, and connect simple production loops. As you unlock new regions, the system naturally expands with your progression.

The factory works for you once properly configured. Take it step by step, and you'll build a self-sustaining operation that fuels your adventures across Talos-II without constant micromanagement.