As Arknights: Endfield continues to expand its content for players, the next update looks particularly promising. Publisher GRYPHLINE has shared some details about the upcoming Delver of the Cryptic puzzles, giving fans a glimpse of what’s to come.
With games like Genshin Impact, Wuthering Waves, and the relatively recent Where Winds Meet already having a head start in the gacha genre, Arknights: Endfield needs to step up and offer a solid layer of permanent content to stay competitive.
Fortunately, our guide breaks down exactly how the developers plan to achieve that
What is Delver of the Cryptic
The Delver of the Cryptic is a permanent, puzzle-based challenge mode coming to Arknights: Endfield. It is designed to reward players for exploring and solving a variety of spatial puzzles, offering a steady flow of repeatable rewards to keep progression meaningful over time.
The mode centers on navigating different spatial sets, similar in structure to the Etchspace Salvage. Within these areas, players will encounter Protocol Spaces, which are repeatable challenges scattered across the Talos-2 moon. While they share the same name, Protocol Spaces vary significantly in how they play out. Some focus on puzzle-solving and environmental exploration, while others lean more heavily into combat scenarios with distinct mechanics and objectives.
The main goal is to clear all Protocol Spaces within a specific spatial set. Successfully doing so grants valuable rewards, most notably Oroberyls, which can be used in the game’s gacha system to recruit new operators for your team.
When is Delver of the Cryptic Release Date
According to GRYPHLINE itself, Delver of the Cryptic is scheduled to be released on February 24, 2026. This date aligns with the game’s official “Zeroth Directive” version calendar, which is tied to the game’s lore and the actual backstory of the main character, the Endministrator, but we wouldn’t spoil that to you even if we could: as these details are still ongoing, we can expect the Delver of the Cryptic to shed a little bit of light over this topic as well.
How to Unlock Delver of the Cryptic
There is no specific prerequisite to unlock the Delver of the Cryptic mode in Arknights: Endfield. What you will need, however, is access to Protocol Space challenges, which become available fairly early in the main story.
To make things easier to track, the game introduces a notification system tied to your progress. Whenever new regional development terminals or nodes become available, including those that contain Protocol Spaces, a notification will appear under Map – Mission Reminder – Key Mission.
Once unlocked, the exact locations of these Protocol Spaces can be found directly on your map, making it straightforward to jump in and start clearing them.
Tips and Tricks for Delver of the Cryptic
- Full Clears for Max Rewards: To obtain the “substantial” rewards, ensure you clear every Protocol Space within a spatial set rather than just finishing individual stages.
- Prepare for Variety: Because the mode mixes combat with puzzles, ensure your team is versatile enough to handle both traditional combat encounters and exploration-based mechanics.
- Monitor Map Reminders: Regularly check the Key Mission tab in your map menu to see if new Protocol Spaces or spatial sets have been unlocked as you progress through the main story and regional development.
- Permanent Content: Since this is a permanent mode, you can complete it at your own pace to reliably farm for Oroberyls.
