Arknights: Endfield 1.3 ‘Sketches of Lost Heirlooms’ Expands with Sword Vault Dale and New 6‑Star Operators

What’s new in Endfield 1.3

The June 5 rollout of Arknights: Endfield (Version 1.3, codename Sketches of Lost Heirlooms) brings the biggest content push since the game’s launch. Gryphline’s official update bulletin reveals four headline features:

1. Sword Vault Dale – a brand‑new sub‑region that unlocks after the Wuling Watch clears the Erosion Tide. The area is steeped in the lore of the original Arknights, with subtle nods to the enigmatic Chi Xiao.
2. Two new six‑star Operators – Mi Fu, a Physical Guard, and Camille, the first male Heat Vanguard in the Endfield roster.
3. Contingency Contract – a high‑difficulty, end‑game challenge mode borrowed from the main Arknights title.
4. Factory system improvements – bulk forging, bulk dismantling, and lock‑management to safeguard pinned gear during mass operations.

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Sword Vault Dale – an ancient battlefield resurfaced

Sword Vault Dale opens as a distinct sub‑region on the Endfield map. The terrain mixes cracked stone arches with overgrown flora, creating choke points that reward careful positioning. The area’s narrative ties back to the Chi Xiao incident from the base game, offering veteran players a sense of continuity while presenting fresh tactical puzzles.

From a gameplay perspective, the zone introduces three new environmental hazards:

• Erosion Fog – reduces visibility and applies a mild Vulnerability debuff to any unit that stays inside for more than three seconds.
• Shattered Pillars – can be destroyed with a single heavy attack, creating temporary cover.
• Resonant Crystals – amplify the damage of any Operator’s Burst skill when they stand on them.

These mechanics encourage the use of high‑mobility operators and make the new six‑star characters especially relevant.

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New six‑star Operators

Mi Fu – Physical Guard, patrol captain of the Wuling Watch

Mi Fu is a Physical Guard built around Vulnerability chain management. Her kit consists of three core abilities:

Ability	Description
Qingbo Triplex (Battle Skill)	Three‑stage combo: Cloudtrapper pulls enemies, Trail and Mangle applies Crush, and World Splitter delivers a massive frontal strike.
Automatic Vulnerability Trigger	When an enemy reaches three Vulnerability stacks, Mi Fu’s combo auto‑activates, resetting the stack count and allowing a rapid follow‑up.
Pile of No Mercy (Ultimate)	Lifts a target, slams it for high physical damage, and feeds the result back into the Trail and Mangle stage, extending the chain.

In practice, Mi Fu excels at clearing clustered foes on Sword Vault Dale’s narrow corridors. Her high mobility lets her reposition after each combo, keeping pressure on enemy waves without over‑committing.

Camille – Heat Vanguard, first male 6‑star operator

Camille arrives as the first male Heat Vanguard and the inaugural limited‑time Heat Vanguard in Endfield. Hailing from the newly introduced Seš'qa region, his backstory unfolds in the Danse Macabre event, a murder‑mystery that ties his bloodline to an ancient vampire clan.

Ability	Description
Firefang Vesperwings (Summon)	Deploys a heat‑damage aura that applies Heat Infliction, Weakness, and Heat Susceptibility to enemies in a radius. The summon automatically jumps to the nearest target on kill.
Heat‑Infliction Combo	Consumes Heat Infliction to trigger a dash, extra heat damage, and SP recovery.
Limited Heat Vanguard	Grants a temporary boost to heat damage and reduces cooldowns for all heat‑based skills.

Camille’s playstyle revolves around maintaining continuous Heat Infliction across the battlefield. The auto‑jump mechanic on kill means the Vesperwings stay active without manual recasting, making him a reliable damage engine for prolonged fights.

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Contingency Contract – a new end‑game gauntlet

The Contingary Contract mode re‑introduces the high‑risk, high‑reward challenge format that long‑time Arknights fans remember. Players face a rotating roster of wave‑based scenarios, each with a distinct modifier (e.g., limited SP, forced Vulnerability stacks, or reduced healing). Successful completion awards exclusive operator skins and a unique Endfield Relic that can be equipped for a modest stat boost.

The mode’s difficulty curve is steep: the first tier requires a balanced team with strong crowd‑control, while later tiers demand precise timing and heavy reliance on the new six‑star operators’ burst potential.

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Factory system upgrades – quality‑of‑life improvements

Endfield’s production hub receives three practical enhancements:

1. Bulk equipment forging – select multiple items and forge them in a single batch, cutting down on menu navigation.
2. Bulk weapon dismantling – mass‑dismantle unwanted gear for quick material recovery.
3. Lock management – pin critical gear to prevent accidental removal during bulk actions, a small but welcome safeguard for players with extensive inventories.

These tweaks streamline the grind, especially for players who farm heavily for the new operators.

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Who should care?

• Veteran Arknights players will appreciate the lore callbacks in Sword Vault Dale and the return of Contingency Contract, which adds a fresh layer of end‑game depth.
• Operator collectors should prioritize Mi Fu and Camille; both bring unique mechanics that synergize well with existing team compositions, particularly in the new sub‑region’s tight corridors.
• Casual players may find the factory upgrades the most immediately useful, as they reduce the time spent on repetitive forging and dismantling.

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Performance snapshot on a high‑end laptop

Testing on a Lenovo Legion Pro 7i Gen 10 equipped with an Intel Core Ultra 9 275HX and an RTX 5080 (175 W TGP) shows the game locked at 120 fps on Very High settings with DLSS Quality enabled. GPU utilization hovered between 56 % and 88 %, while the CPU stayed under 20 %, indicating the title is well‑optimized for modern laptop GPUs.

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Bottom line

Arknights: Endfield 1.3 delivers a substantial content bump that feels both fresh and familiar. Sword Vault Dale expands the map’s tactical variety, Mi Fu and Camille add distinct burst‑oriented playstyles, and the re‑introduction of Contingency Contract gives end‑game hunters a new challenge to chase. Coupled with sensible UI upgrades in the factory, the update makes a compelling case for both returning veterans and newer players to dive back into Endfield.

For the full update notes, visit the official Gryphline announcement page.