The Automated Industry Complex, or AIC, is the factory system in Arknights: Endfield, and it is one of the most important parts of the game. This is where you mine resources, refine materials, craft gear, and produce important items automatically.
To put it simply, your factory is how your account gets stronger.
Once set up, the AIC runs on its own, even when you are exploring or logged out. Gear, construction materials, consumables, and outpost supplies are all produced here. If you ignore it, progression eventually slows down hard, especially once gear upgrades become mandatory.
The good news is that you do not need to min-max it early. A simple setup does the job until you reach the endgame and need something more efficient.
How the AIC System Works
At the center of everything is your PAC (Protocol Anchor Core). Think of it as the heart of your factory. From the PAC, you place:
- Mining facilities to gather materials
- Processing facilities to refine and assemble items
- Conveyor Belts and ports to move items between buildings
- Depots where you store finished products
Once a production line is connected correctly, it can run automatically. Once items are finished, they are sent back to the storage and can be used for crafting, upgrades, or outpost orders automatically as well.
As you explore new regions, you also unlock Sub-PACs and Outposts, and those extend your factory network and add region-specific mechanics.
As mentioned already, the AIC is not a side activity. It directly affects every major system in the game, from gear and material to consumables and more. Once your base gets started, you can:
- Expand your base
- Unlock new facilities
- Power exploration tools
- Upgrade outposts
In short, if your factory falls behind, your team falls behind.
Your First Priorities
First, you want to progress your story until you unlock the AIC system. The game should automatically give you a first blueprint, and that is when you can get started. You can then either use the blueprint or do your own thing.
This is where a lot of new players get lost. Early on, your focus should be on power and basic automation, not fancy layouts. Your Factory does not have to be massive and super pretty at the start, it needs to function.
The easiest way for those who do not want to bother is to use the first blueprint you get. This will place everything you need to get started.
The Blueprint system lets you place entire production lines instantly, copy and move layouts, and you can even share setups with other players. Using functional blueprints early is completely fine. Optimization can come later.
For those who want to build their own thing, your initial priorities should be:
- Setting up a stable power grid
- Moving away from Portable Mining Rigs as soon as possible
- Building one or two simple production loops
- Ignoring combat and optimization tech for now
Portable rigs fill up quickly and require constant attention. They are fine at the very start, but switching to Electric Mining Rigs early saves a massive amount of time.
Power System Basics
Everything in the AIC needs power. Power comes from:
- Your PAC in the main base
- Or your Sub-PACs at outposts
From there, power is distributed using Relay Towers. Those will extend electricity across the map. These towers require line of sight and have limited range, so terrain matters. Once power reaches an area, Electric Pylons distribute it wirelessly to nearby facilities.
- Facilities like mining rigs need pylons nearby
- Ancient overworld devices can be powered directly by relay towers (no pylons needed)
- Inside the main base, pylons often auto-connect
- Keep belt paths short
- Place relay towers on higher ground for a better line of sight
- Let factories run until storage is full before logging out to maximize offline gains
- Do NOT build in Corrosion Zones
This is a huge trap. Placing Geothermal Generators or important buildings in corrosion zones causes them to lose durability over time, roughly 2% per hour. Eventually, they break and are painful to repair. Always place generators in safe zones and run power lines into dangerous areas instead.
How Production Lines Work
Every facility has input and output ports. Your PAC is the center of it all, and from there, you use Conveyor Belts to connect outputs of your PAC to the next input, forming a production chain. A very basic chain looks like this:
- Your PAC distributes power using Relay Towers and Electric Pylons
- Once electricity reaches facilities, production starts
- For example, a mining rig produces ore
- Ore moves along a conveyor belt into a refining unit
- Refined materials move into storage or another processor
- Finished items return to the PAC depot
Once the chain is complete, it runs automatically. As you unlock more Logistics upgrades, you also gain access to:
- Splitters to divide item flow
- Bridges and convergers to manage space
- Control ports to filter items and prevent jams
Mining Ores
- Originium is your starter ore, used for early construction.
- Amethyst is needed for early gear and expansion.
- Ferrium becomes important later, especially for high-level outposts.
- Cuprium (late-game, water-based mining) is used for top-tier gear and rewards.
Mining rigs automatically send ore to storage as long as they are powered.
Planting
Planting units allow you to grow crops automatically, especially once irrigation systems unlock in later regions like Jinlong. Some rare plants cannot be automated. These require manual placement and care, but the rewards are often worth the extra.
Outposts, Exploration, and Combat Support
Outposts expand your factory network and automatically fulfill supply orders every minute. Completing these orders rewards Convention Certificates. Those can be exchanged for:
- Progression materials
- Trust items
- Limited gacha pulls
Higher outpost levels mean better rewards, but they are not strictly mandatory. There are alternative ways to get most items.
The AIC also supports exploration and combat:
- Ziplines and bounce devices unlock new paths
- Relay towers reactivate ancient machinery
- Combat towers can damage enemies or heal your team in difficult fights
It feels less like unlocking a map and more like rebuilding the world as you go.
Unlocking More Features
New factory tech is unlocked through the AIC Plan. This will act as a tech tree. You earn Factory Index points by completing VR Simulator challenges found across Talos-II. These tutorials teach mechanics and reward points that you can spend freely. You want to focus first on investing in Tier I and Tier II upgrades for resourcing, logistics, processing, and power.
Combat and exploration upgrades are useful later, but not urgent. You can safely delay them until you feel like you really need them.
The AIC is definitely linked to combat, exploration, and long-term progression in Arknights: Endfield. It can look intimidating at first, but the system is designed to grow with you.
Start with a Blueprint, focus on the basics, automate early, and do not stress about perfection.
Once your factory is running, it quietly does the job, and your operators will feel the difference.
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Source: lungmendragons