AIC Factory & Base Building Guide

The Automated Industry Complex (AIC) is Arknights: Endfield's base-building system. It's not optional—half of your progression depends on mastering automated production, power distribution, and resource management.

What is the AIC System?

The AIC is your personal factory that runs automated production lines 24/7, even when you're offline. It processes raw materials into gear, consumables, construction materials, and supplies for outposts.

Think of it like Factorio or Satisfactory, but integrated into a gacha game. Resources flow through conveyor belts from one facility to another until you get finished products stored in your depot.

Why AIC Matters

1. Gear Production

Your operators equip gear for stat boosts and set bonuses. All gear crafting materials come from your AIC. Late-game gear can transform an average operator into a powerhouse—and you can't access it without a functioning base.

2. Consumables and Buffs

You can craft healing items and temporary buff consumables. While these weren't game-changing during beta testing, they're useful for difficult content.

3. Construction Materials

Required for building and upgrading facilities. These feed back into your base, creating production chains necessary for progression.

4. Outposts (Critical for Late Game)

As you explore different zones, you unlock outposts that extend your base capacity and request supply orders. Outposts automatically fill every minute and reward you with Convention Certificates.

Convention Certificates can be traded for:

• Progression materials
• Trust items (hard to get otherwise)
• Gacha pulls

The more you level outposts by fulfilling orders, the better rewards you unlock.

How Production Lines Work

Production lines operate on a simple input/output loop:

1. Set your PAC (central building) to output a resource
2. Run a conveyor belt from PAC output to Facility input
3. Run another belt from Facility output to the next Facility input
4. Final product goes back to PAC input or directly to your Depot

This creates an automated loop where resources constantly flow until you get finished products.

PAC (Originium Ore) → Smelter → Refined Originium → Fabricator → Gear Components → Depot

Power System Explained

Power is essential for running buildings and progressing in the overworld. Some gates and devices won't activate until you power them up.

Power Sources

• PAC: Your main power source in the Core AIC Area
• Sub-PAC: Central building at outposts (functions like PAC)

Power Distribution

• Relay Towers: Connect power sources over distance (up to 80 meters per connection)
• Electric Pylons: Wirelessly power all facilities within range

How to Build a Power Grid

1. Start at your PAC or an existing Relay Tower
2. Initiate a connection
3. Walk up to 80 meters away (direct line distance, not walking distance)
4. Complete the connection to another Relay Tower
5. That tower powers Electric Pylons, which wirelessly power nearby facilities

Important power rules:

• 80-meter limit is direct line distance (terrain makes actual walking distance shorter)
• You can connect from unpowered towers (build your grid in reverse if needed)
• Towers plug directly into map devices for progression (no pylon needed)
• Towers can't plug directly into facilities like mining rigs—you need a pylon
• Inside your AIC base, pylons connect automatically (no manual setup)

Each map has a Protocol Capacity that limits buildings outside your base. You'll rarely hit this limit in normal play.

Mining Resources

Mining rigs automatically send ore to your depot once powered. No manual gathering needed.

Four Ore Types

Pro tip: Unlock and upgrade to electric mining rigs as soon as possible. Replace all portable rigs immediately—electric rigs generate passive resources 24/7.

Mechanized Planting

Planting Units automate growing common plants in large quantities. Deploy sprinklers to automatically water crops, then harvest later.

Note: Automated irrigation likely won't be available at launch. It unlocks after you get resource and mining permits for the Jinlong region.

Manual Planting for Rare Plants

Some plants require manual care:

1. Create a seed plot manually
2. Place it in an appropriate location
3. Germinate and water seeds by hand

Manual planting is more work but necessary for special plants.

Unlocking New Features with VR Simulators

VR Simulator stations are scattered across maps. Interact with them to activate tutorial missions that unlock new techniques and facilities.

Completing tutorials rewards Factory Index points, which you spend in the AIC Plan (press T to open) to unlock new base features.

Priority unlocks:

• Focus on Tiers I and II first
• Prioritize Resourcing, Logistics, Processing, and Power
• Skip Combat group early (optional tower defense mode only)
• Exploration only has ziplines (nice but not essential)

AIC for Exploration and Defense

Exploration Tools

• Ziplines: Create shortcuts to distant locations
• Bounce Devices: Make huge jumps to reach hard-to-access spots

Relay Points for World Progression

The world is full of broken-down ancient machinery blocking your path. To reactivate it, expand your AIC network by placing Relay Points.

Relay towers act as power conduits. Drop one down, and nearby dormant structures come back online, opening new paths and revealing hidden areas.

Combat Support

When fighting in areas where your AIC is active, combat facilities can:

• Damage enemies
• Heal your team

This provides a huge advantage during difficult battles.

Do You Need to Optimize the AIC?

Short answer: You'll mostly be fine without hardcore optimization. But completely ignoring it causes problems.

The main thing you'll miss is gear. Early on it's not critical, but late game requires top-tier gear. For players who hate base building, just copy basic setups from other players.

Outposts are mostly optional, especially high-end production. Promotion materials aren't that rare, and you can gain trust through the ship.

AIC Optimization Tips

• Start small—focus on Tiers I and II basics
• Don't stress about optimizing everything immediately
• The system is designed to work automatically once set up
• Expand naturally as you unlock more areas
• Production chains can be copied from community guides if needed

Common AIC Mistakes

FAQ