Operation
Operations, also known as stages, are the gameplay maps of Arknights, essentially where much of the game takes place.
- Main Theme
- Event operations
- Tutorial operations
- Supply operations
- Annihilation
- Contingency Contract
- Training Ground
Overview
When selecting an operation, its description will be shown, which provides some background information regarding the operation as well as listing any special additions and features in the operation (such as terrain and devices), if there are any. The player can also check the operation's Map, Enemy Intelligence, Rewards, and Story (if available).
- Map displays the operation's map, which can be useful to plan the player's deployment.
- Enemy Intelligence displays the enemies that appear in the operation. Each enemy is unknown at first; after the enemy have spawned in the operation, they will be revealed in its Enemy Intelligence after the operation ends.
- Note that the menu does not show the total amount of enemies, so the player have to manually count them.
- Rewards display the items awarded for clearing the operation, divided into the following:
- First clear: Will always be awarded when the operation is cleared for the first time, but some also requires the operation to be cleared with a 3-star rating (see below) as well.
- Regular: The main reward, which actually may not be given when the operation is cleared depending on its drop rate (which can be inconsistent depending on the item) listed below, if not explicitly stating the amount.
- Guaranteed (>=100%; if higher, more than one copy of the item may be dropped)
- Common (70% ~ <100%)
- Uncommon (40% ~ <70%)
- Rare (10% ~ <40%)
- Special: The special reward, which has a Very Rare (<10%) drop rate. While certain events are live however, some items will become the special drop of most operations, which has a Guaranteed drop rate.
- Extra: The additional reward, which will always be given at random from the listed selection.
- Story allows the player to view the operation's story, which may not be available in all operations.
5-10 being selected in the operation selection menu
The map of 6-16
The Enemy Intelligence of 7-18, with the Guerrilla Hound selected
The drops of 4-10. Note that the first clear drop of Originite Prime has already been claimed.
Controls and interface

An operation's interface is divided into the following displays, on clockwise order from the top left in the image to the right:
- Quit: Shows a prompt to quit the operation.
- Enemy count: The amount of enemies that have been defeated and entered Protection Objectives, and the total amount of enemies. In Annihilation, the amount of defeated enemies will also be shown to the left.
- Life Point count: The amount of Life Points in the operation.
- Change speed: Changes the gameplay speed between normal (1×) and double (2×).
- Pause: Pauses the game.
- Deployment Point counter: The current amount of DP.
- Unit Limit: The amount of friendly units (Operators and most summons) that can be deployed onto the map at a time. Known in most in-game texts as Deployment Limit.
- Deployment lineup: Shows the friendly units (Operators, summons, and deployable devices) that can be deployed in the operation. Selecting any of the units here who are not waiting for deployment will prompt the player to choose where to deploy the unit and set their facing before deployment (except for some summons and deployables). The player can cancel the unit deployment by dragging outside the facing indicator.
- When a unit is waiting for deployment, their icon turns red and a countdown showing their remaining redeployment time will be present.
- If the player does not have enough DP to deploy the unit, their icon will be partially transparent.
When an Operator, summon, or device is selected, the game will be slowed to half speed (except in multiplayer and LTTB, and on Auto Deploy) as the corresponding unit's attack range and stats are shown including their skill, trait, and talent which are displayed in tabs.
- Retreat: Retreats the unit.
- Skill: Activates the unit's skill. If the skill is being charged, its current and total SP are also shown, and how long it takes before the skill is ready are represented by a green meter that fills the icon. If the skill has a specific area-of-effect or range, a button to toggle between showing the unit's attack range and the skill's AoE/range will also be present.
- Passive skills are not present since they do not require the player's manual input to activate.
- Automatic skills are present but cannot be interacted with.
Texas with her Sword Rain charged selected
Gavial with Vitality Restoration selected. Note that the "Ready" and range buttons are absent.
Projekt Red selected shortly after deployment. Note that her skill, Wolfpack, is absent despite being present in her information tab.
Ratings
An operation will be rated depending on the result:
Clearing the operation's Challenge Mode will result in a 4-star rating.
Clearing the operation without losing Life Points will result in a 3-star rating.
Clearing the operation after losing Life Point(s) will result in a 2-star rating.
Failing the operation will result in no rating.
Clearing an operation with a 4-star and 3-star rating for the first time will award one Originite Prime. In addition, clearing the operation with a 3-star rating and not using the Support Unit will unlock the Auto Deploy feature for that operation.
Unique mechanics
Mechanic | Information |
---|---|
Poison Haze | All deployed friendly units on the operation where the Poison Haze is present will lose HP (actually taking True damage) over time. |
Hui and Ming | Introduced in Who is Real, Ink Spirit enemies start with either the "Hui" (black) or "Ming" (white) attribute, while friendly units receive them while on Marks of Hui and Ming. Units deal/take more damage against/from those whose attribute opposes each other, but deals/takes less damage against/from those whose attribute matches each other. |
Sandstorm | Introduced in Operation Originium Dust, friendly units caught in the Sandstorm will lose HP (actually taking True damage) and have their redeployment time increased if they are knocked out while inside it, while enemies will have their MSPD reduced. Dirt Mounds protect the tiles behind them from Sandstorms. |
High Tide | Introduced in Dossoles Holiday, enemies submerged in a High Tide will have their ASPD and MSPD reduced, and lose HP (actually taking True damage) over time, while friendly units have their ASPD reduced and receives Corrosion Damage periodically and when attacked. |
Visibility | Introduced in Near Light, friendly units cannot be deployed on tiles without visibility and enemies inside them will become invisible. Visibility can be provided by deploying Operators close to tiles without visibility and through City Neons and Knight Crests. |
Snowfall | Introduced in Break the Ice, friendly and enemy units will intermittently be inflicted with Cold while a Snowfall is active. Penetrating Cold Snowfalls also intermittently shift enemies. |
Londinium Secondary Defense Artillery | Introduced in Episode 10, fires a powerful shell at the friendly unit with the highest block count when fully charged to deal massive True damage to the target and anyone in a large radius centered on the target, even if they are invisible/camouflaged. |
Waste Energy Interference | Introduced in Lingering Echoes, halves the SP recovery rate of all friendly units. |
Realigned Flux | Introduced in Lingering Echoes, increases the SP recovery rate of the friendly unit "linked" with it by 50%, counteracting the Waste Energy Interference penalty. Realigned Fluxes are emitted by Tubas and activated Resonators, and will be forwarded to the direction the linked unit(s) are facing. |
Blood Ledger | Introduced in Il Siracusano, will be filled up by Blood Debt over time which can be accelerated when most Famiglia enemies and Siracusan Civilians are defeated. Should the Blood Ledger is full, it will trigger Asset Liquidation which buffs enemies until it runs out and spawns a Famiglia (Silent) Cleaner. |
Gravity | Introduced in Lone Trail, can be manipulated by having an enemy with a weight of 3 or higher or a friendly unit with a block count of 1 or higher on top of one of two Gravity Switches. Friendlies facing towards/against the gravity and enemies moving toward/against the gravity have their ASPD or MSPD, respectively, increased/decreased. |
Planetary Debris | Introduced in Lone Trail, can be pushed away by either shifting them, attacking them certain times (but can only be damaged by adjacent friendlies), or manipulating the Gravity, at which the Debris drifts along the opposite direction, damaging enemies it collides with. Also blocks friendly unit deployment and reroutes enemies. |
Steam | Introduced in So Long, Adele, comes in two types:
|
Variation | Introduced in Zwillingstürme im Herbst, variation changes as the operation progresses and comes in two types:
Certain enemies have traits which functions at a specific variation. Tuning Nodes can be used to switch the variation and temporarily buffing friendly units based on the variation. |
Field Device LUD-99X | Featured in Expeditioner's Joklumarkar (exclusive to Deep Investigation) while having ![]()
|
Frigid | Introduced in The Rides to Lake Silberneherze, permanently inflicts Cold to all friendly units and intermittently Freezes them, which can only be counteracted with Emergency Heaters. |
Active Originium Storm | Introduced in Episode 14, periodically deals True damage to all units caught within, with friendly units also having their SP recovery rate greatly reduced. Consumes Originium Pollution upon passing by them, increasing the damage and radius of the storm. Can be drawn towards a specific position by Beacons. |
Beacon | Introduced in Episode 14, draws an Active Originium Storm towards its position. |
Originium Pollution | Introduced in Episode 14, periodically deals True damage to all units on it, with friendly units also having their SP recovery rate greatly reduced. |
Crystal | Introduced in Adventure That Cannot Wait for the Sun, reduces the ASPD of friendly units on them and augments enemies especially AS ones while they are on them; some AS enemies can also spawn Crystals. Can be cleaned up by attacking them, which eventually turns them into a purified state which cleans up other Crystals nearby when attacked, eventually causing all of them to vanish once all Crystals in the cluster are purified. |
Trivia
- During the second closed beta test of Arknights, if an Operator is knocked out in the operation, its rating would be downgraded by one star; as such, it is possible to obtain a 1-star rating. This condition is omitted on the final release of Arknights, but the UI is not changed to reflect this, making a 1-star rating impossible to be achieved.
- According to Arknights Global's first anniversary livestream, as of the end of Contingency Contract Pyrite, the total number of operations cleared by players stand at 1,465,255,132.