Arknights: Endfield's Automated Industry Complex (AIC)

The Automated Industry Complex, commonly referred to as AIC, is one of the main features of Arknights: Endfield. It is a system that combines resource gathering and numerous production systems, to allow the player to craft a variety of items, from Consumables that you can use in combat encounters, to powerful gear worn by your Operators. This will require you to set up both resource gathering outposts in the Open World, as well as build and grow your factory.

This page currently serves as a quick overview over the system. Once the game releases, we will update this guide with lots of information related to the AIC, and how to fully utilize this core system of Arknights: Endfield.

If this kind of gameplay is not something you enjoy fret not, as most of it can be solved with Blueprints. Blueprints allow you to build entire chains of buildings at once, and they help ease players into the AIC system who are not all that interested in engaging with it on a very deep level, or spending a lot of time on optimizing their factory layouts.

One of the major benefits of this system is that it allows you to generate materials and even equipment, even while you're not actively playing the game. All aspects of this system are, as the name says, fully automated, so even while you're asleep your own AIC will continue gathering resourced and building whatever project you have set up, so you can enjoy the fruits of your labors when you log back into the game.

The entire process starts with resource gathering. While you can run around the open world by yourself and gather resources yourself as well, it is a lot more efficient to build Resource Gatherers on specific spots, that will then funnel those resources into your factories.

Why do the work yourself when you can just AFK and let the machines do it for you?

Once you've set up a few Gatherers across the world, it's time to return to your own Factory. Here you will want to refine the materials by setting up specific machines, to get them ready for the next step in the crafting process.

Raw resources will need to be processed before they can be crafted into items.

Different stations will be connected to each other, and you can manually draw the conveyor belt pathing to make raw materials or mid-level products go from Point A to Point B.

Connect multiple stations with a quick drag and drop, and your items will immediately get processed.

Creating just one item isn't enough of course, and as you try to craft higher tier consumables or equipment, more intermediary steps are required before the final product leaves the factory and lands in your inventory. In order to scale your production, many different machines will have to be connected to each other, and you might eventually run out of space, or lose track of your factory's pathing.

Thankfully you will be able to build, change, and plan out things from a birds-eye view!

For players who do not enjoy engaging with gameplay of this type very much, the game offers a special solution as well: Blueprints. Blueprints allow you to place entire production chains with a single click, saving you the headache of figuring out how to deal with this part of the game, if you'd rather just fight enemies or explore the world.

Don't want to play Factorio? Blueprints are here to save the day!

The game will offer Blueprints for a variety of produced items and consumables as rewards for quests or missions. However, you will also be able to share your own creations with other players, or import dozens of hours worth of factory-building from other players with just a few clicks!

Once the game releases and the community starts putting their heads together for the most efficient setup for different items or equipment, we will make sure to compile a list of all the best Blueprints for you to import and use at a moment's notice!