# Factory Foundations: Power & Resource Loops

> Master Arknights: Endfield factory power management, build infinite resource loops, and optimize your gacha pulls.

Source: https://endfieldhub.org/blog/factory-foundations-stable-power-resource-loops-smart-pulls
Published: 2026-05-01
Updated: 2026-09-24

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## TL;DR - Key Points

* **Power death spiral is real** — factories that lose power stop producing batteries, which starves Thermal Banks, causing total base shutdown
* **Amethyst is your bottleneck** — early game revolves around amethyst components (\~6/min production); mine every bed you find
* **4 Thermal Banks per PAC output** — this ratio keeps power stable when running full production lines
* **Switch to battery power ASAP** — SC Wuling Batteries deliver 30x the energy density of raw Originium Ore
* **Hydro Mining Rigs save 110+ power** — switch Wuling mining to hydro-rigs to free grid capacity for advanced turrets and forges
* **Never pull without 60K Oroberyl** — 120-pull budget guarantees your featured 6★; soft pity starts at pull 65
* **Use the 60+10 pull loop** — pull 60 per banner to get a Headhunting Dossier for 10 free pulls next rotation
* **Supply orders auto-fulfill** — every minute, outposts consume stock and reward Convention Certificates for free pulls and materials
* **24/7 offline production** — let storage fill before logging out to maximize idle gains

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## The Power Problem: Why Bases Collapse

Every new commander hits the same wall. You build a beautiful production chain: miners feeding refineries feeding packaging units. It runs for ten minutes, then everything stops. Power hits zero. Thermal Banks shut down. Your factory becomes expensive decoration.

### The Death Spiral Explained

Power loss in Endfield cascades faster than you expect:

1. **Power drops below demand** — facilities begin brownout
2. **Shredding/Packaging Units stop** — no new batteries produced
3. **Thermal Banks run dry** — they need batteries (or Originium Ore) to generate power
4. **Total shutdown** — zero power means zero production means zero power recovery

Recovering from a death spiral requires manual intervention: you must queue raw Originium Ore deliveries to Thermal Banks while production is offline, then restart everything manually. Prevention beats resurrection every time.

| Fuel Type         | Power Output | Burn Duration | Energy Density |
| ----------------- | ------------ | ------------- | -------------- |
| Raw Originium Ore | +50          | 8s            | 1.0            |
| LC Valley Battery | +220         | 40s           | 4.4            |
| HC Valley Battery | +1100        | 40s           | 22.0           |
| SC Wuling Battery | +1500        | 40s           | 30.0           |

### Power Layout Rules

**Rule 1: Maintain the 4:1 ratio.** Run **4 Thermal Banks** for every production output line you operate. (For deeper power-grid math, see our [AIC throughput breakdown](https://endfieldhub.org/blog/aic-factory-optimization-endfield-production).) This covers the power draw from refining, packaging, and material processing, even during peak load with multiple Forges of the Sky active simultaneously.

**Rule 2: Keep one bank on backup.** Dedicate at least one Thermal Bank to a **direct Originium miner** connection. When battery production stops, this line keeps minimum power running for basic shredders and packaging units for manual recovery.

**Rule 3: Use Relay Towers, not direct connections.** Relay Towers extend your power grid up to **80m** from any powered source. Place them on high ground for line-of-sight coverage. Electric Pylons then wirelessly beam power to nearby facilities.

**Rule 4: Reverse building works.** Place an unpowered Relay Tower past your current grid, then build backward toward your base. When the chain connects, everything powers on simultaneously.

**Rule 5: Avoid corrosion zones.** Areas marked with corrosion deal **2% durability loss per hour** to unprotected structures. Factor this into long-term placement decisions.

**Rule 7: Convert to Hydro Mining in Wuling.** A single Fluid Pump (10 power) supplies 3 Hydro Mining Rigs, saving \~110 power map-wide compared to electric rigs. Critical for freeing grid capacity for combat turrets and zipline networks.

### Upgrade Priority (AIC VR Simulator)

Power unlocks always come first. This sequence minimizes early-game pain:

| Priority | Upgrade         | Why                                        |
| -------- | --------------- | ------------------------------------------ |
| 1        | Power I         | Every facility needs it                    |
| 2        | Logistics (All) | Unlocks item control ports, conveyor belts |
| 3        | Field Stash     | Faster item pickup, less travel time       |
| 4        | Pylon Relaying  | Extended power range from Relays           |
| 5        | Depot Bus       | More storage connections per depot         |

Combat and Exploration upgrades matter later. Power and logistics form your automation backbone.

---

## Resource Loops: From Scarcity to Surplus

### Early Game (Authority <18): Amethyst Economy

Your first priority is **amethyst components** at roughly **6 units per minute**. This material gates gear crafting, AIC upgrades, and early progression.

**What to produce:**

* **Amethyst Components** — primary output target
* **Buck Capsule C** — trade at Stock Bills for Convention Certificates
* **Amethyst Parts** — store excess; this becomes a mid-game bottleneck

**What NOT to do:** burn through all your amethyst on the first gear craft. Amethyst Parts are the scarce resource that will slow you down at Authority Level 18.

**Plant preference:** Use Yazhen (Wuling) over Buckflowers for 2x carbon output multiplier when producing Dense Carbon Powder for late-game Xiranite synthesis.

### Mid-Game (Authority 18+): Ferrium and Battery Saturation

Authority Level 18 unlocks **Ferrium**, which shifts your production priorities. Ferrium is mandatory for **LC Valley Batteries** and high-tier Molding Units. The transition to Ferrium requires reorganizing your AIC layout to accommodate parallel refining lines, as Ferrium’s processing time is significantly higher than Amethyst.

**Why batteries matter:** The energy density leap is dramatic:

* Raw Originium Ore: 1.0 energy density (+50 power, 8s burn)
* LC Valley Battery: 4.4 energy density (+220 power, 40s burn)
* HC Valley Battery: 22.0 energy density (+1100 power, 40s burn)
* SC Wuling Battery: 30.0 energy density (+1500 power, 40s burn)

One Packaging Unit output feeds **4-6 Thermal Banks** depending on your total power draw. This ratio is why battery production becomes your most critical operation mid-game.

**Battery production chain:**

1. Mine Ferrium ore
2. Refine to Ferrium Ingots at refining units
3. Package at Packaging Units (produces LC Valley Batteries)
4. Feed Thermal Banks (replaces raw Ore consumption)

### Late Game: Cuprium, Xiranite and Xircon Synthesis

The current endgame centers on **Xiranite Components**, synthetically produced in the Forge of the Sky using Stabilized Carbon and Clean Water.

**The Stabilized Carbon chain (most complex v1.2 logistics challenge):**

1. **Yazhen Cultivation** — Wuling Yazhen provides 2x carbon output vs basic Buckflowers
2. **Shredding and Grinding** — Plants into Carbon Powder, then combine with Sandleaf Powder for Dense Carbon Powder
3. **Stabilization** — Refine Dense Carbon Powder into Stabilized Carbon for the Forge

### Cuprium and the Xircon Dependency

In the Wuling endgame, **Cuprium** serves as the biological and industrial catalyst for high-density power.

**The Cuprium→Xircon chain:**

1. **Refining:** 120 Cuprium Ore/min produces 60 Cuprium Parts and a mandatory Sewage byproduct
2. **Xircon Reactor:** Sewage feeds into Expanded Crucibles (2.5x efficiency of standard) to synthesize Xircon from Sewage, Xiranite, and Clean Water
3. **SC Wuling Batteries:** Xircon is the primary ingredient for SC Wuling Batteries (+1500 power)

**The “Depot Clog” Risk:** If the AIC depot fills with Cuprium Parts, refining halts, stopping Sewage production. This kills the Xircon chain and collapses the SC Wuling Battery grid.

**Prevention:** Use **Yazhen Syringes** as a resource sink. Producing 6 syringes/min consumes 120 Cuprium Ore, ensuring continuous Sewage flow for the battery grid even when industrial demand for gear components is low.

### Belt and Storage Best Practices

**Use Protocol Stashes.** These dump items directly to shared storage, eliminating long return belts between production zones.

**Build with splitters and bridges.** Splitters parallelize processing across multiple machines. Belt Bridges let conveyor lines cross without interference — never let belts merge and split at the same junction, or everything jams.

**Watch belt saturation.** Overloaded belts slow the entire chain. If you see items piling up at a merge point, your input rate exceeds processing capacity. Add parallel lines or reduce input.

**Depots buffer, they don’t route.** A common mistake is treating depots as routing hubs. They’re storage, not logistics processors. Route materials directly between machines; use depots for overflow and Stock Bill fulfillment.

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## Stock Bill Economy: Maximizing Yield

Outpost supply orders auto-fulfill every minute, consuming AIC depot stock and rewarding Convention Certificates and [Stock Bills](https://endfieldhub.org/guides/wuling-stock-bill).

**Daily cap:** \~2.8 million Stock Bills through optimized production.

**Valley IV exports:**

* **Canned Citrone C** — most efficient Valley IV export. Consumes Amethyst ore without depot overcap; sellable at all three outposts.

**Wuling exports:**

* **Yazhen Syringes** — preferred Wuling export. Max profit when sold alongside SC Wuling Batteries.
* **Xiranite Components** — essential for gear but less efficient for bills due to 10:1 Xiranite consumption ratio.

**Offline production:** Empty Protocol Stashes and saturate battery lines before logging out. Factory runs at 100% utilization during offline period, filling depot bus with sellable goods.

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## Smart Pulls: Gacha Without the Regret

### Character Banner Mechanics

| Metric                     | Value          | Carry-Over |
| -------------------------- | -------------- | ---------- |
| 6★ base rate               | 0.8%           | N/A        |
| Soft pity start            | Pull 65        | Yes        |
| Soft pity rate             | +5% per pull   | Yes        |
| Hard pity (any 6★)         | Pull 80        | Yes        |
| Featured guarantee (Spark) | Pull 120       | No         |
| 5★ guarantee               | Every 10 pulls | Yes        |

**Version 1.1 Pull Bonuses:**

* **30-Pull Milestone:** 10 “Urgent Recruitment” pulls (do not advance pity or spark)
* **60-Pull Milestone:** “Headhunting Dossier” = 10 free pulls for next banner

**The 60+10 Loop:** Pull 60 times per rotation to secure the Dossier, getting 70 pulls for the price of 60 on the next banner. Maximizes Arsenal Ticket accumulation for weapon gacha.

**What carries over between banners:**

* 5★ per 10-pull counter
* 80-pull hard pity progress
* Soft pity progress (pulls 65+)

**What resets between banners:**

* 120-pull featured guarantee (spark)
* Banner-specific permits
* Any unspent Oroberyl (obviously)

### Weapon Banner (Arsenal Issue) Mechanics

Weapon banners operate under completely different rules using **Arsenal Tickets** earned exclusively through character pulls:

* 6★ Operator: 2,000 Tickets
* 5★ Operator: 200 Tickets
* 4★ Operator: 20 Tickets

| Metric                    | Value    | Carry-Over |
| ------------------------- | -------- | ---------- |
| 6★ weapon guarantee       | 40 pulls | No         |
| Featured weapon guarantee | 80 pulls | No         |
| Pity between issues       | N/A      | No         |

Nothing carries over between Issues. Save tickets for a full 80-pull commit.

### Pull Budget: The 60K Rule

**Never commit to a banner without 60,000 Oroberyl.** This covers 120 pulls (12 × 10-pulls), guaranteeing your featured character regardless of [pity position](https://endfieldhub.org/guides/pity-system), and you can model the spend with the [pity calculator](https://endfieldhub.org/tools/pity-calculator).

Pulling with less means accepting the risk of walking away empty-handed at 100+ pulls with nothing to show for it. The community has burned resources on this mistake enough times to make it a golden rule.

### Pull Priority (v1.2 Meta)

| Operator      | Element  | Role       | Key Strength                           |
| ------------- | -------- | ---------- | -------------------------------------- |
| Zhuang Fangyi | Electric | Hypercarry | Sustained DPS, high Ultimate uptime    |
| Tangtang      | Cryo     | Enabler    | Immobilizes all enemies (incl. bosses) |
| Laevatain     | Heat     | AoE DPS    | Massive wave-clear, Heat RES ignore    |
| Yvonne        | Cryo     | ST DPS     | Single-target burst, boss phase skip   |
| Gilberta      | Nature   | Buffer     | Arts Susceptibility, gravity-based CC  |

Zhuang Fangyi is the strongest operator by a wide margin. Her Sunderblade setup provides consistent burst windows supportable by 4★/5★ enablers, making her F2P-friendly.

**Optimal team compositions (1+1+1+1 model: DPS + Enabler + Buffer + Flex):**

* **Electric Hyper:** Zhuang Fangyi (DPS), Arclight (Enabler), Perlica (Buffer), Gilberta (Flex)
* **Heat AoE:** Laevatain (DPS), Wulfgard (Enabler), Akekuri (Buffer), Ardelia (Healer)
* **Cryo ST:** Yvonne (DPS), Tangtang (Enabler), Gilberta (Buffer), Xaihi (Support)

Physical teams (Endministrator + Chen Qianyu) remain viable for Sustainless clears.

**General rules:**

* Complete the **New Horizons** beginner banner first (20% discount, free 6★, free weapon)
* Commit to **one DPS per type** (AoE + single-target) — don’t split resources
* **Skip weapon banners** until your operator roster is solid
* **Spark discipline:** Strictly adhere to the 120-pull budget rule

### F2P Resource Budget

At launch, free-to-play players can access approximately **135+ free pulls** from these sources:

* Pre-registration rewards: 20 pulls
* Awakening Sign-in event: 12 pulls
* New Horizons banner (discounted): 40 pulls
* Authority level-ups: 40 pulls
* Quests, exploration chests, Etchspace Salvage: ongoing

Orobe yield from exploration chests ranges from **15-60 per chest**. Etchspace Salvage alone generates **1,800 Oroberyl + 10 permits** per run.

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## The Complete Beginner Path

Here’s the progression path from your first mining rig to your first Stock Bill trade:

**Phase 1: Power Foundation (Hours 1-5)**

* Place 4 Thermal Banks + 1 backup Originium miner
* Unlock Power I and Logistics upgrades in VR Simulator
* Build first Relay Tower chain from PAC outward

**Phase 2: Amethyst Loop (Hours 5-15)**

* Mine amethyst deposits exclusively
* Run amethyst component production at \~6/min
* Stockpile Amethyst Parts for mid-game transition

**Phase 3: Battery Production (Hours 15-30)**

* Transition from raw Originium to LC Valley Battery-fed Thermal Banks
* Build dedicated Ferrium refining and battery production line
* One Packaging Unit feeds 4-6 Thermal Banks

**Phase 4: Stock Bill Economy (Hours 30+)**

* Stock Canned Citrone C (Valley IV) and Yazhen Syringes (Wuling) at outposts
* Supply orders auto-fulfill → Convention Certificates
* Target 2.8M Stock Bills daily cap

**Phase 5: Hydro Conversion (Authority 25+)**

* Convert [Wuling](https://endfieldhub.org/guides/wuling) mining to Hydro Mining Rigs (1 Fluid Pump → 3 Rigs)
* Save \~110 power map-wide for advanced turrets and forges
* If pumps stall mid-line, see our [water pump ratio fix](https://endfieldhub.org/blog/water-pump-ratio-fix-endfield-factory)

**Phase 6: Smart Pulls (Ongoing)**

* Save Oroberyl until 60K minimum (120-pull spark guarantee)
* Use 60+10 pull loop for maximum Dossier generation
* One AoE DPS + one single-target DPS = complete roster

Simple layouts beat complex ones that don’t work. A functioning factory with basic belt routing outperforms a masterpiece that collapses on the first power spike. Build, test, iterate.

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## Common Mistakes That Cost You Hours

* **No power backup** — always keep one Thermal Bank on a dedicated Originium line
* **Burning amethyst early** — it’s the primary early-game bottleneck; spend carefully
* **Crossing belts without bridges** — merge conflicts jam entire chains
* **Skipping AIC upgrades** — max Power Index before investing in combat
* **Using Originium for power when batteries exist** — batteries are exponentially more efficient
* **Building in corrosion zones** — 2% durability loss per hour adds up fast
* **Pulling without a budget** — 60K Oroberyl minimum or don’t pull at all
* **Treating depots as routing hubs** — depots store; belts route
* **Hydro-rig backpressure** — route sewage through Treatment Units; untreated sewage halts all dependent production
* **Ignoring Protocol Capacity** — each mining rig tier costs capacity; plan your build budget
* **Offline clog bugs** — Xircon fluid ratios may fail on login; verify production chains after each session start
* **Not using the 60+10 loop** — missing Dossier milestones wastes free pulls

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## Final Thoughts: Build for Stability, Not Speed

Version 1.2 has bridged the gap between basic resource extraction and advanced synthetic manufacturing. The Power Death Spiral — once the primary cause of base abandonment — is mitigated by SC Wuling Batteries and Hydro-Industrial rigs.

**Priority order for current Endministrators:**

1. **Hydro-Conversion** — migrate all Wuling/Qingbo mining to hydro-rigs
2. **Spark Discipline** — 120-pull hoarding for meta-defining operators
3. **Closed-Loop Logistics** — automated sewage-to-clean-water feedback loops

Stable power first. Resource loops second. Gacha pulls only when you can afford the guarantee.

That’s the order of operations. Deviate at your own risk.

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_Have questions or want to share your factory layout? Join the discussion on the [Endfield Hub community channels](https://endfieldhub.org/#community). Check back for more Endfield guides, meta analysis, and factory optimization strategies._