ArkKnights: Endfield is The Worst Gacha System in Gaming?

Gacha gaming—for better or worse—has taken the mobile gaming world by storm. From Genshin Impact to Honkai Star Rail, developers have created intricate systems that keep players coming back for more (and more often, their wallets empty). But not all gacha systems are created equal, and sometimes, developers go too far.

Enter Arknights: Endfield, a new title that has players scratching their heads and reaching for their credit cards with caution. If you thought gacha systems couldn’t get worse, think again. Let’s explore why Arknights: Endfield’s gacha mechanics may just be the worst we’ve seen in mobile gaming.

• Note the game is still on BETA so take this information with a grain of salt

The Character Banner and Pity System: What Could Go Wrong?

At first glance, the character banner in Arknights: Endfield doesn’t seem too different from other gacha games. You roll for five-star or six-star characters, and the pity system guarantees a six-star at a certain number of pulls. Here’s where things take a turn for the worse:

Basic Structure of the Banner

• Six-star pull rate: 0.8%
• Five-star pull rate: 8%
• 50/50 guarantee: Every 10-pull guarantees a five-star or better, but there’s a 50/50 chance of getting a rate-up character, and a 50/50 chance of not getting the character you’re after.

On paper, this might seem like your typical gacha system with a 10-pull pity that ensures you get a five-star every time. But here’s the kicker: the character banner’s pity system is deeply flawed.

It is because Unlike other gacha systems where pity can carry over between banners or offer multiple guaranteed five-stars in the same banner, Arknights: Endfield introduces an additional level of complexity. You can reach 80 pulls for a guaranteed six-star—but that six-star might not even be the character you’re after.

How the 120 Pulls Work

Once you reach 80 pulls on a banner, you are guaranteed a six-star character. However, this six-star is not guaranteed to be the featured rate-up character. To secure a guaranteed rate-up character, you need to complete 120 pulls. And this 120-pull pity doesn’t carry over to the next banner!

So, let’s say you’re unlucky and don’t pull the rate-up character after 120 pulls. You might be stuck in an endless cycle of hope, disappointment, and deep wallet-shock, all while your pity progress is reset every time a new banner drops.

The Gacha System’s Insane Duplication Issue

Arknights: Endfield takes it a step further by making you gamble for duplicates. Let’s say you’ve already pulled a six-star character, but not the one you want. The game doesn’t guarantee a second (or third, or fifth) copy of your desired unit, even if you keep getting six-star pulls. As a result, the gacha system becomes a soul-crushing grind for whales and free-to-play players alike.

Imagine pulling five or six six-star characters only to realize they aren’t the featured ones. That’s a nightmare. This could be worse than Tectone’s infamous “staff of homelessness” incident, where he lost 11 50/50s in a row!

Currency Hell: The Weapon Banner’s Deeper Despair

If you think the character banner is painful, wait until you see the weapon banner. The weapons in Arknights: Endfield are tied to an incredibly complicated currency system that will have you questioning your life choices. Arsenal Tickets is the key to pulling for weapons. You gain Arsenal tickets by rolling for characters, but the conversion rates are staggeringly high:

• Six-star pull grants you 1,500 tickets.
• Five-star pull grants you 500 tickets.
• Four-star pull grants you 50 tickets.

If you’re trying to roll for weapons, you need to convert this currency into tickets for the weapon banner. To make things even worse, you can only use these Arsenal tickets to purchase weapons, and the conversion rates are outrageous.

With 6-star weapons costing an astronomical number of tickets, you’re essentially forced into a never-ending cycle of pulls to farm the currency to spend on future pulls. This is pure currency hell, and the average player has no chance of keeping up with the amount of time or money required to make progress.

Weapon Banner: A True Gacha Horror Show

Now, let’s talk about the weapon banner, which might be the most infuriating part of the Arknights: Endfield experience.

• The weapon banner has higher rates for weapons, but don’t get too excited. The six-star weapon pull rate is 4% (better than character pulls, right?). However, if you want a rate-up weapon, you’re facing a 75/25 chance where there’s a 75% chance to miss the rate-up weapon.

But wait, there’s more. If you don’t land the weapon you want on the first 80 pulls, you are stuck with a 12.1% chance to pull the rate-up weapon every 40 subsequent pulls. Yes, you read that correctly: your chances of getting the right weapon remain depressingly low, even after several attempts.

Why This Gacha System Needs Immediate Reworking

If you’re a whale (a player willing to spend significant amounts of money), Arknights: Endfield will make you rethink your financial priorities. The cost to max out a character’s weapon could easily surpass $10,000. Yes, you read that right: $10,000 just to get a character’s weapon to its highest level. It’s enough to make even the most dedicated spender put their wallet back in their pocket and reconsider.

After seeing all of this, it’s clear that Arknights: Endfield’s gacha system is one of the most player-unfriendly and exploitative systems we’ve ever seen. From the absurd pity system to the nightmarish weapon banner and convoluted currency conversions, this gacha system is designed to empty your pockets faster than you can say “pity timer.”

If the game doesn’t overhaul its mechanics before launch, it risks being a dead-on-arrival title. Players won’t want to engage in a system that feels designed to frustrate and exploit them.

Is Arknights: Endfield Worth It?

In its current state, no. Arknights: Endfield’s gacha system is more than just annoying—it’s a nightmare for players and a cash grab for the developers. If you’re looking for a fair, fun gacha experience, look elsewhere. However, if the devs listen to feedback and change the system, this could still have potential—but for now, consider this one of the worst gacha systems in recent memory.

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