Arknights: Endfield [At the Wake of Spring] — Version Guide & Zhuang Fangyi Banner

[At the Wake of Spring] is the second core chapter version of Arknights: Endfield after global release, live from April 17, 2026 (Asia server). It continues the Wuling storyline into Chapter II Process VI, introduces the 6★ operator Zhuang Fangyi, ships two new 6★ weapons, and runs a full banner cycle — the [Thunder of Renewal] Chartered Headhunting, the [Drifting Raft Issue] LTO, and the version-exclusive [Fest of Brilliance] Special Headhunting — alongside a large quality-of-life and progression pass. Everything below comes from the official version notes, the DEV Comm, and the banner announcements.

Release date, maintenance & compensation

Maintenance for the mandatory client update ran on the following schedule:

• Asia server: Apr. 17, 2026, 06:00–12:00 (UTC+8)
• Americas / Europe server: Apr. 16, 2026, 17:00–23:00 (UTC-5)

The update required a full client re-download. Official storage estimates: iOS 7GB (+7GB to extract), Android 7GB (+7GB), PlayStation 5 40GB (+55GB), PC 11GB (+15GB, SSD recommended).

Compensation was sent in two separate in-game mails: Oroberyl ×900 for update & maintenance and Oroberyl ×900 for bug fixes — 1,800 Oroberyls total. Both mails were distributed after maintenance and expired at the start of the next version maintenance, so anyone who created a character before the update needed to claim them in time.

New operator: Zhuang Fangyi (6★ Striker, Electric)

Zhuang Fangyi is the headline operator of this version. Per the EndfieldDex character database, she is a 6★ Striker with the Electric element, a main attribute of Ultimate Gain Efficiency and a sub-attribute of Combo Skill Cooldown Reduction, and she hails from the Hongshan Academy of Sciences (HAS) faction — her race is Kylin, and her English voice is Molly Zhang.

Her in-game records identify her as the Viceroy of the Wuling Scientific Developmental District and the Tianshi in charge of the Novel Xiranite-based Materials Project, who entered cooperation with Endfield Industries for rift-related research on recommendation from the Hongshan Academy of Sciences. That Wuling connection puts her at the center of the version's story content. See her full stats and growth values on her character page.

[Thunder of Renewal] Chartered Headhunting — banner details

The rate-up banner for Zhuang Fangyi ran from the version release until May 22, 2026 at 11:59 (server time). Participation requires completing the main mission [Chapter I Process I: Break the Siege]. Pulls can be made with [Blitz of Verdance HH Permit], [Chartered HH Permit], or Oroberyls.

6★ operators that may appear in this banner, per the official announcement: Zhuang Fangyi / Rossi / Tangtang / Ember / Lifeng / Ardelia / Last Rite / Pogranichnik.

Official milestone rewards confirmed in the banner notice:

• 30 attempts → 10 bonus Urgent Recruitment attempts (a free 10× pull that guarantees 5★ or better; it does not count toward pity or the banner's total-attempt rewards).
• 60 attempts → Headhunting Dossier ×1, which auto-converts to Special HH Permit ×10 of the next Chartered banner (the permits expire when that banner ends).
• Every 240 attempts → Token of the Rate-UP 6★ ×1.

Every operator pull also grants Arsenal Tickets — 2,000 for a 6★, 200 for a 5★, 20 for a 4★ — spendable in the Acquisition Center's Arsenal Exchange.

Two details worth planning around:

• The [Blitz of Verdance] limited-time sign-in ran alongside the banner — 7 days of sign-ins for rewards including Blitz of Verdance HH Permit ×5, with a discounted permit exchange in the AIC Quota Exchange.
• Rotation rule: a Chartered banner's rate-up 6★ is removed from the Chartered 6★ pool after 3 Chartered banners and is not added to Basic Headhunting — so if you want Zhuang Fangyi, his own banner was the guaranteed window.

Track your own pulls with the pity tracker, see live banners on the banner schedule, and review the full rules in the headhunting guide.

[Drifting Raft Issue] LTO & [Fest of Brilliance] Special Headhunting

The weapon side of the version was the [Drifting Raft Issue] LTO, featuring rate-up 6★ weapon [Lone Barge (Arts Unit)]. The 6★ weapons that may appear: Lone Barge (Arts Unit) / Oblivion (Arts Unit) / Chivalric Virtues (Arts Unit) / Eminent Repute (Sword) / JET (Polearm) / Wedge (Handcannon) / Exemplar (Greatsword). Officially, the LTO ends after 3 Chartered Headhunting banners, counting from [Thunder of Renewal] — i.e., across the Zhuang Fangyi, Arcane, and Liino Chartered banners (see the banner schedule for where that lands). Each Arsenal Issue costs Arsenal Tickets and gives 10 weapons with at least one 5★ or better; every banner, a set number of issues grants the banner's Arms Offering Crate or the Rate-UP 6★ weapon in alternating order, and the count resets when the banner ends. General LTO mechanics are explained in our LTO weapon banners guide.

The version also introduced a new banner type — the [Fest of Brilliance] Special Headhunting, available from May 14, 2026 at 12:00 (server time) until the next version update and maintenance. Its 6★ pool: Laevatain / Gilberta / Ardelia / Pogranichnik. Officially, it is separate from existing headhunting types: its guarantee count is calculated independently and does not carry over — a 5★ or better is guaranteed within 10 attempts and a 6★ within 80. Every attempt gives a bonus Bond Quota ×1, and 30 attempts grant the usual 10 bonus Urgent Recruitment attempts. The simultaneous [Shimmering Moment] sign-in gave up to Shimmering Moment HH Permit ×5.

New stories, areas & enemies

• Main missions: available up to [Chapter II Process VI: Kindred Souls Who Share a Vision].
• Exploration missions: [OD Project: Remediation Station I & II], [Purification Node], [Fan Meet], [To Posterity], [Divvy Up the Trouble].
• Side missions: the [Comrades] series (The Nameless, Commemoration, Remembrance, For Tomorrow), [Old Acquaintance I & II], [The Old Man and the Tide I & II], [Store by the Corner I–III], [Spring's Return I–III].
• New areas: [Wuling – Marker Stone] and [Wuling – Test Area].
• New enemies: [Skydrummer], [Æthillu], [Nefarith, "Bonekrusher"], [Nefarith, "Conqueror"].
• New weapons: 6★ [Lone Barge (Arts Unit)] and [Flickers in the Mist (Arts Unit)].

Quality-of-life & progression changes

The DEV Comm (Apr. 13) detailed a wide pass of improvements shipped with this version:

• AIC Factory: the new Control Nexus Task feature at [Dijiang – Control Nexus] allows one-click collection of products, arrangement of production, and one-click claiming/auto-filling of clues. Level 4 Recycling Stations can now be remotely collected from the map, and Depot Node delivery jobs gained a region filter. Conduit markers now show on Core AIC area maps, and moving conduit outlets no longer breaks existing connections.
• Combat: a boss timer was added to the top-left corner in RE-Crisis, and ultimates with a duration now show their remaining time at the bottom of the screen.
• Gear & materials: a new Gear Assembly button (plus batch assembly) on the Operator–Gear screen; direct jumps from material details to Advanced Progression Selection Crates; improved material navigation that can take you straight into RE-Crisis Deep Dive mode; Training rewards claimable without fully replaying tutorials.
• Misc.: controller button customization, a Max Potential SFX toggle, and simplified animation skipping for Headhunting and Arsenal Issue.

Sanity changes: more Sanity Usage Permits became available — additional stock in Regional Development's Stock Redistribution, extra permits in Protocol Pass cycle rewards for both the Originium Supply and Protocol Customized tiers, and the [Sanity Discount] event was reworked into the [Sanity Supply] event (up to Emergency Sanity Boosters ×4 and Sanity Usage Permit ×8 via daily logins and sanity objectives). A new Operator Progression Booster event refunded progression materials (Protoprism, Advanced Combat Record, Arms INSP Set, T-Creds) for operator/weapon/skill/talent goals — claimable immediately if already met.

Monthly Pass revamp: daily rewards now include an extra Sanity Usage Permit ×4, and players who purchased a Monthly Pass before this maintenance received a one-time grant of Sanity Usage Permit ×120 by mail. The version also ran the [Pristine Monthly Pass Tribute] event (until May 18, 2026 at 04:00 server time): logging in daily up to 30 times gave Oroberyl ×200 + Emergency Sanity Booster ×1 + Sanity Usage Permit ×4 per day — up to Oroberyl ×6,000 total — on top of the regular Monthly Pass rewards.

Frequently asked questions

Details sourced from the official [At the Wake of Spring] Version Update Notes (Apr. 17, 2026), the Version Update & Maintenance Preview (Apr. 13), the Core Chapter Version DEV Comm (Apr. 13), the [Thunder of Renewal] Chartered Headhunting notice (Apr. 16), [Drifting Raft Issue] LTO Details (Apr. 16), and the [Fest of Brilliance] Special Headhunting Details (May 13) — all available in the news archive (direct: official update notes). Operator data from the EndfieldDex character database.