Patch 1.1 — officially titled Old Deep Water Dies, by Rising Tide It is Denied — dropped on March 12, 2026, and it changed more than just the map. Two new 6-star Operators, a brand-new ore production chain, an expanded AIC system, and a wave of free Oroberyls all landed at once. For active players, that’s a genuine acceleration window. For anyone coming back after a break, it’s the best re-entry point the game has had so far.
The changes in 1.1 aren’t cosmetic. Operators now enter Protocol Spaces at full HP and max Ultimate Energy, which cuts friction in daily farming significantly. The AIC Quota system was expanded so you earn Quotas for pulling 4★, 5★, and 6★ Operators for the first time — including retroactively. And the Protocol Pass now rewards Basic Headhunting Permits as you level it. These are systems-level improvements that compound over time, and the players who understand them early pull ahead fast.
This guide covers everything you need to know: what to do first when you log in, where to spend your Sanity, how to manage the new Cuprium production chain, and how to level your Operators without wasting materials.
What Changed in Patch 1.1 That Directly Affects Your Progression
Before diving into tips, it helps to know exactly what 1.1 adjusted:
- AIC Quota expansion — you now receive Quotas for recruiting 4★, 5★, and 6★ Operators for the first time, including any you already own (retroactive rewards land in your mailbox)
- Protocol Spaces now start at full HP and Ultimate Energy — no more wasted time recovering before a run
- Protocol Pass: Dark Currents includes Basic HH Permits on the reward track — level the Pass, earn pulls
- Beginner mission rewards — completing Chapter 1 milestones now awards 10 Chartered Headhunting Permits total
- New Aberrant Zone 4 with milestone rewards: Oroberyls, Basic HH Permits, Progression Materials
- Rare deposit icons now show available item counts on the map without opening each node
Most of these changes save you time per session. Used consistently, that time adds up into real progression gains over a patch cycle.
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Arknights Endfield 1.1 Optimal Start: What to Do First When You Log In
Claim Every Expiring Reward Before They Disappear
This is not optional. Time-limited mail rewards expire at the start of Version 1.2 maintenance, currently expected around mid-April 2026.
- 900 Oroberyls sent to all players who created a character before the 1.1 update
- 1,000 Oroberyls + assorted materials from the dev log commemoration reward
- Retroactive AIC Quota rewards if you already recruited 4★/5★/6★ Operators before 1.1
Open your mailbox the moment you log in and claim everything. These Oroberyls represent roughly 1-2 additional pulls depending on your spending — don’t let them expire.
Log In Daily to Stack Both Sign-In Events
There are two separate 7-day login events in 1.1, one for each banner phase:
- “Gently Flows Qingbo” (Phase 1, Tangtang’s banner) — rewards the Gently Flows Qingbo HH Permit ×5
- “Pearl of the Pack” (Phase 2, from March 29) — rewards the Pearl of the Pack HH Permit ×5
That’s 10 free Headhunting Permits total across the patch just for logging in. Missing a single day on either event costs you a permit. Set a daily reminder if you have to.
Start Chapter 2 Process 3 Immediately
Your first gameplay priority after collecting mail is pushing the main story. Chapter 2 Process 3 — ‘Twas One River That Gave Us Drink — opens Qingbo Stockade and is the fastest way to raise your Authorization Level in 1.1. The area contains 36 treasure chests, 14 Aurylenes, and 5 Protocol Dataloggers. All of this translates directly into account EXP and operator material income.
Story completion also unlocks the Wuling AIC II upgrade path, which you need for passive Cuprium farming. Don’t skip it.
Best Resource Farming Spots in Arknights Endfield 1.1
Sanity Is Your Real Currency — Spend It Every Day
Sanity regenerates over time with a hard cap. If you let it cap, you are permanently losing resources. There is no scenario where holding onto Sanity pays off. Spend it daily, full stop.
The only real decision is where to spend it, and the answer changes based on what your team needs most:
| Sanity Priority | What You're After |
|---|---|
| Protocol Space: Operator EXP rifts | Combat Records (best EXP per Sanity) |
| Protocol Space: Promotions (Hub) | Protosets — 8 per Level 3 Option B run |
| Skill material nodes | Protoprism and Protohedron |
| Aberrant Zone 4 stages | Oroberyls, Progression Materials, HH Permits |
Run EXP rifts when you’re actively leveling an Operator. Switch to Promotion runs when you’re approaching a promotion breakpoint. Aberrant Zone 4 is new in 1.1 and should stay on your weekly rotation for the milestone rewards alone.
The New Cuprium Ore Chain — What It Is and Why It Matters
Cuprium Ore is a new resource introduced in Qingbo Stockade. Mining it requires a Hydro Mining Rig, which in turn requires you to pipe water to the rig. The crafting chain looks like this:
- Unlock Wuling AIC II via story progression
- Build Water Treatment units + Conduits in your AIC base
- Connect water supply to a Hydro Mining Rig placed near Cuprium deposits
- Let it run passively and collect ore
Cuprium feeds into new gear-crafting formulas that unlock 10 new gear pieces. These aren’t a higher rarity tier than existing items, but several of them have set bonuses that significantly strengthen specific team compositions. If you run a physical-focused team, this gear chain should be your first AIC construction project in 1.1.
New AIC plans added in 1.1:
| Plan | Function |
|---|---|
| Forge Expansion II | Raises Forges of the Sky cap to 4 units |
| Hydro Mining | Enables Cuprium Ore extraction |
| Conduits | Long-distance liquid transport |
| Water Treatment | Processes sewage from hydro systems |
| Liquid Refining | Refines water into industrial resources |
Use the Map Deposit Counter to Build Efficient Farming Routes
One of the best QoL changes in 1.1 is that rare deposit icons on the map now display available item counts without clicking into the node. Before leaving base, scan your map, sort nodes by count, and plan a route that hits the highest-yield deposits first. As you clear them and they regenerate, your route naturally shifts to the next-best cluster.
This takes about 30 seconds to plan and saves 5-10 minutes of running between empty nodes per session.
Keep Your AIC Factory Running at All Times
Passive income is real income. If you are offline, your factory should be manufacturing Battle Records. Set up trade routes to convert surplus raw materials into Endstone rather than letting them pile up in storage. The moment you upgrade to Wuling AIC II, you also gain access to the new Cuprium recipes — prioritize building those lines early so ore accumulates while you play other content.
Arknights Endfield Operator Leveling Guide: Fast Character Progression After 1.1
Understand the Level Cap System Before You Spend Materials
Operators have a hard level cap of 90, but you can’t reach it in a straight line. The game gates your progress behind promotion breakpoints:
- Level 20 — first promotion available
- Level 40 — second promotion
- Level 60 — third promotion
- Level 80 — fourth promotion
- Level 90 — final cap, unlocked after max promotion
Each promotion requires completing an associated Outfitting upgrade — you cannot skip them. Once you hit a cap, Combat Records don’t register any more EXP until you promote. The most common mistake is dumping Combat Records into an Operator who is already capped, watching the bar do nothing, and not understanding why.
The Correct Upgrade Priority Order
Resources in this game are scarce enough that the order you upgrade in genuinely matters. The most efficient sequence:
- Character Level — push to the next promotion breakpoint first
- Skills — prioritize your main DPS Operator’s skills above everything else
- Weapon — leveling an Operator without upgrading their weapon leaves significant damage output untouched
- Gear — equip and level gear sets after weapon is solid
- Operator Potential — last, and only if you naturally pull duplicates
Focus on Four Operators, Not Eight
Pick your core team of four and invest in them fully before touching anyone else. This is the single most impactful decision you can make for your mid-game pacing. Spreading Combat Records and Protosets across a wide roster feels like progress but slows everything down. Four capped, skilled, geared Operators will outperform eight half-finished ones in every content type.
For most players in 1.1, the practical split is: 1 main DPS, 1 sub-DPS or crowd control, 1 support, 1 healer or defensive Operator. Build in that priority order.
Role-Specific Investment Logic
Not all Operators benefit equally from the same upgrade path. DPS characters gain the most from skill upgrades and weapon levels. Support Operators often get more mileage from passive ability levels and utility skills than from raw weapon stats. Don’t funnel weapon materials into a support before your primary DPS has a solid skill level — the damage delta is too large to justify it.
Should You Pull Tangtang or Rossi in Patch 1.1?
Both are 6-star Operators and strong additions to their respective team archetypes. Here’s the practical breakdown:
| Operator | Class | Damage Type | Key Ability | Best Synergy |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tangtang | Caster | AoE Cryo | Ultimate immobilizes all enemies (including bosses) for a damage window | Yvonne (requires targets to be still during Ultimate) |
| Rossi | Guard | Physical | Only Operator who converts Arts Infliction into Vulnerability (defense break) | Any physical-focused DPS team |
Tangtang’s crowd-control Ultimate makes her an exceptional partner for Yvonne — if you already run Yvonne, Tangtang is the stronger pull. Her banner runs March 12 to March 29.
Rossi is a utility pick in the truest sense. She’s the only Operator in the game that can convert Arts Infliction into physical Vulnerability, which enables entire hybrid team compositions that didn’t function before. Her value compounds as you build more physical-oriented Operators. Rossi’s banner opens March 29. Her Operator Side Mission, The Red Knight, unlocks the same day and adds story context to her character.
If you only have resources for one: pull based on your current roster. Do the Combat Trial available on each banner to test their playstyle before spending.
Endgame Progression Targets: Aberrant Zone 4 and Umbral Monument
For players who’ve cleared the story and want to maximize their weekly output, two endgame modes are the priority in 1.1.
Aberrant Zone 4 was added this patch with new operation metrics milestones. Clearing those milestones rewards Oroberyls, Basic Headhunting Permits, and Progression Materials. These are one-time milestone rewards — clear them once and collect the income.
Umbral Monument gets a new challenge series called Searing Scars, featuring enemies from Qingbo Stockade. Rewards include Mark of Perseverance, Advanced Cognitive Carrier, Arms INSP Set, and Protohedron — all high-value materials that directly support Operator promotion and skill leveling.
Survival Training is a limited-time challenge event that rewards Advanced Progression Selection Crates, letting you pick specific materials. Run this while it’s available — targeted material selection is rare and significantly speeds up building a specific Operator.
Weekly endgame priority: Aberrant Zone 4 milestones → Umbral Monument: Searing Scars → Survival Training event (limited window, do it first if it’s currently active).
Sanity Cost Reductions: The Best Farming Window in 1.1
At multiple points during Version 1.1, Sanity costs for claiming stage completion rewards are temporarily reduced, with a daily limit on discounted runs. When this window is active, it’s the most resource-efficient farming period in the entire patch cycle. Check the Event Center for active discount windows and plan your highest-priority material runs — promotion materials and skill materials — for those days. Running your usual Sanity spend during a discount period effectively multiplies your daily output.
Biggest Mistakes That Slow Progression in Arknights Endfield 1.1
These are the habits that consistently hold players back:
- Skipping the Wuling AIC II upgrade — no upgrade means zero passive Cuprium income and no access to the new gear crafting chain
- Not claiming mail before the deadline — free Oroberyls expire at Version 1.2 maintenance
- Capping Sanity — every point of capped Sanity is a permanent resource loss with no recovery option
- Spreading Combat Records too thin — level your four core Operators, then expand the roster
- Upgrading weapon last — weapons contribute heavily to damage output and should come before gear in your investment order
- Missing the sign-in events — both 7-day events require consecutive logins; a single miss in either window costs you a Headhunting Permit
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Patch 1.1 Progression Checklist at a Glance
| Priority | Action | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Immediate | Claim 900 + 1,000 Oroberyls from mailbox | Expires at Version 1.2 maintenance |
| Immediate | Collect retroactive AIC Quota rewards | Mail, one-time |
| Daily | Spend all Sanity, complete dailies | No exception |
| This week | Log in all 7 days for Tangtang event | Ends March 29 |
| From March 29 | Log in all 7 days for Rossi event | 7-day window |
| Story | Clear Chapter 2 Process 3 | Unlocks Qingbo Stockade + AIC expansion |
| Base | Upgrade to Wuling AIC II, build Hydro Mining chain | ASAP for passive income |
| Weekly | Aberrant Zone 4 milestones | Oroberyls + HH Permits |
| Weekly | Umbral Monument: Searing Scars | Protohedron + Arms INSP Set |
| Limited | Survival Training challenges | Advanced Progression Selection Crates |
Patch 1.1 is the most generous the game has been with free resources since launch — but most of those resources are time-gated, event-locked, or mail-expiry based. Logging in daily, upgrading your AIC factory on day one, and keeping your material investment focused on a core team of four are the three habits that separate players who sprint through the patch from those who feel stuck at the same wall all cycle. Everything else is optimization on top of that foundation.
