A big question on everyone’s mind is whether this new game is F2P or if you need to start spending some real money on it. So, is Arknights Endfield free to play? I’ll give you my thoughts as someone who only enjoys free-to-play games!
Arknights Endfield is available to play now on the App Store. If you like this genre of gaming, I have a piece explaining why gacha games feel the same and what the future holds for this type of gaming.
Is Arknights Endfield Free To Play?
In short, yes. You don’t need to spend any money when playing this game, which is great! However, many players are reporting that the gacha system in this game is making it more pay-to-win.
The Banner Issue
In Arknights, you are guaranteed to obtain a six-star-rarity character from the banner after 120 pulls. The first thing to keep in mind is that you may get that character before you pull 120 times, depending on your luck. However, if not, the pity builds up, and you will get someone.
The issue with this is how long it takes to get 120 pulls. For those who are going down the P2W route, you can use in-app purchases to speed up the process. But for those who don’t want to spend real money, it may take a while.
Many players have had issues, as while they are obtaining 120 pulls, the banner for that character runs out, and the pity disappears. So, for example, if you’re after Laevatain and you perform 80 pulls (so you have a pity of 80 out of 120), the banner often runs out.
Then, let’s say, the next banner is for Gilberta. You return to 0 again, losing the 80 pity, and need to perform another 120 summons. Some people are suggesting you simply wait until you have enough for 120, and then perform them all at once. But again, there is a chance you get the character before the 120.
The Verdict
At the moment, the best way to fix the issue is to save up enough summons until you have multiple pulls, as you could get lucky and get the character before the 120. This is great if you want to remain free-to-play.
Another option is, simply put, grind the game as much as you can. Play missions and earn rewards to give you more summons, which you can use for pulls.
In short, yes, it is free-to-play. You don’t have to purchase anything. The issue is whether you want to quickly progress and keep up with the ever-changing meta. You will still progress, even if you don’t do any in-app purchases, but progression will be a bit slower.
However, this is the same for pretty much every gacha game… ever. There will always be players who spend money to speed up progress or increase their luck. It’s not wrong, and if anything, I enjoy being a F2P player as I know I worked hard to get myself to progress!