Arknights: Endfield Sanctuary of Ink Update Details

Arknights: Endfield is set to receive its Core Chapter Version, Sanctuary of Ink, on 2026-10-15, alongside a simultaneous Steam launch. The update brings a substantial list of quality-of-life improvements, combat tweaks, and progression systems that touch nearly every part of the game. For players invested in the long-term health of Talos-II, this DEV Comm outlines changes that reduce friction and respect time.

The headline is the Steam release, which supports cross-platform account synchronization. That means your existing progress carries over to PC without starting fresh. For a full breakdown of the version, see our Sanctuary of Ink guide and rewards.

At a Glance

• Update: Sanctuary of Ink (Core Chapter Version)
• Release Date: 2026-10-15 (time zone not stated in official materials)
• Steam Launch: Same day, with cross-platform account data sync
• New Version Guide Page: Live now; claim Oroberyl ×1000, T-Creds ×10000, Elementary Cognitive Carrier ×8, Arms INSP Set ×4
• Key Systems: AIC Factory, combat targeting, LTO Sanity Meds auto-use, Gear Plans, shift rotation
• Graphics: Environmental leaves now react to movement, skills, and wind

Steam Launch and Cross-Progression

Arknights: Endfield officially arrives on Steam on 2026-10-15. The Steam version supports cross-platform account data synchronization, so you can log in with your current account and continue your Talos-II adventures on PC. This is a significant expansion for the 3D real-time strategy RPG, bringing it to a wider audience without splitting the player base.

For more on the Steam launch and its implications, see our Steam launch and Sanctuary of Ink update coverage.

AIC Factory and Regional Development Improvements

The factory and farming systems receive meaningful optimizations that should reduce busywork.

• Facility Placement: You can now place a facility directly if you have it in your Backpack or any depot, or if you have enough materials in any depot to construct it. This removes the need to physically retrieve items first.
• Farming Experience: Top View mode is now available in farming areas, and planting plots can be placed tightly together without spacing restrictions. A new [Fertilization] option allows you to enable Fertilization Assist and configure its settings. Once a fertilizer is selected, operators on your team will use it to fertilize plots automatically.
• New Facility [Auto-Farmer]: Unlocked through side mission [A Painting Open for Business], the Auto-Farmer can perform Auto-Germinate and Auto-Harvest in the Farm in [Si's Painting]. As the story progresses, it also becomes available in the farming area of [Wuling City].
• Delivery Job Optimized: Transferred delivery jobs that aren't accepted within a certain time will be picked up and completed by other helpers instead of expiring. Every region will have plenty of jobs available, so no need to refresh or wait.

Combat Experience Improvements

Combat gets two notable adjustments that affect moment-to-moment decision-making.

• Enemy Targeting: During battle, you can now long-press the lock-on button to bring up a reticle. Rotate the camera to aim at an enemy and release to lock onto the nearest enemy. Existing targeting and lock-on functions remain available.
• Combo Skill Priority Settings: For combo skills that activate at the same time, you can now adjust their trigger order in the [Team] screen. This adds a layer of control for optimized rotations.

Progression Experience Improvements

Several changes aim to reduce resource waste and streamline gear management.

• LTO Sanity Meds Auto-Use: A new Auto-Use feature for LTO Sanity Meds has been added. When they expire, they will be auto-converted into Sanity. If the Sanity limit is reached, excess will be converted into [Sanity Essences] using [Sanity Extractors]. Sanity Essences do not expire. If the Sanity limit is reached and you can't hold more Sanity Essences or have no Sanity Extractors, remaining LTO Sanity Meds will be destroyed.
• New [Gear Plan] Feature: Save and name multiple gear plans to better suit operators in different lineups.
• Quick Gear Assembly for Artificing: The gear assembly process during artificing has been optimized. On the [Select items to consume] page, a new [Assembly] tab automatically filters for gear that can be used as artificing material. You can manually adjust the amount or use Auto-Fill to quickly assemble the required gear without switching pages.

Interactions and Quality-of-Life Improvements

A broad set of changes improves social and daily interactions.

• Clue Collecting and Gifting: In [Control Nexus Task], you can now collect and fill clues gifted by friends with one click, in addition to the existing one-click option for local clues. Duplicate clues can also be gifted to friends with one click.
• New Shift Rotation Feature: Each cabin can have up to two operator shifts (A and B). Use [Activate Shift] to change shifts manually, or [Auto-Rotate] to switch automatically according to the work schedule. Note that cabin production may be halted if the estimated work time of a shift cannot cover the work schedule.
• Friend Visit Experience: You can now use the [Visit Next] button or its shortcut to directly go to the next friend's ship.
• Operator Display: New visual effects have been added to the [Friends List] and [Profile] screens for max-potential 6-star operators. Max-potential 6-star operators will also display their special effects when walking around Dijiang.
• Camera Sticker: New support for rotating and scaling stickers, placing multiple stickers at once, and clearing all placed stickers with one click.
• Controller Support: Optimized for progressions, delivery jobs, stage results, and other features. This covers interfaces such as [Operator – Overview], [Operator – Ability Matrix], [Operator – FILE], [Weapon – Potential], [Regional Development – Depot Node], making interactions more convenient.

Graphics Improvements

Environmental detail has been enhanced. Some fallen leaves in the environment are no longer static decorations. They now move and drift in response to operator movement, skill use, and wind. The developers hope players on all platforms, including mobile, enjoy richer interactions between the environment, operators, and skills.

Pre-Patch To-Dos

Before the update lands on 2026-10-15, consider the following:

• Claim your New Version Guide rewards if you haven't already. The page is live now, and rewards include Oroberyl ×1000, T-Creds ×10000, Elementary Cognitive Carrier ×8, and Arms INSP Set ×4.
• Check your LTO Sanity Meds. With auto-use coming, expiring meds will convert to Sanity or Sanity Essences, but only if you have capacity and extractors. If you're near the Sanity cap, plan accordingly.
• Review your gear setups. The new Gear Plan feature will make it easier to manage multiple loadouts, but you may want to clean up your inventory beforehand.
• Finish any pending delivery jobs or farming tasks that might be affected by the new systems.

Conclusion

The Sanctuary of Ink update is shaping up to be one of the most player-friendly patches for Arknights: Endfield yet. The Steam launch on 2026-10-15 brings cross-progression, while the QoL changes address long-standing friction points in farming, combat, and progression. For more Arknights: Endfield news and guides, visit our game hub.