Arknights Endfield Protocol Pass: Who It’s For & What You Get

The Protocol Pass in Arknights: Endfield is a paid battle pass aimed at players who want extra progression rewards, premium currency, and exclusive cosmetics while they play through the game’s story and endgame content. You get it by purchasing the pass in the in-game shop, and it grants you a second track of rewards that unlock as you earn Protocol Points through daily and weekly missions. This article explains exactly what the pass contains, how it works, who should buy it, and what you don’t get.

What Is the Protocol Pass?

The Protocol Pass is a seasonal battle pass system in Arknights: Endfield, the 3D real-time strategy RPG developed by Hypergryph. It runs alongside the game’s seasons, which typically last about six weeks. You earn Protocol Points by completing daily missions, weekly missions, and certain in-game events. As you accumulate points, you level up your pass tier and unlock rewards from both a free track and a premium track. The premium track is only available if you purchase the Protocol Pass with real money (or with the in-game currency that you buy with real money).

Unlike a subscription, the Protocol Pass is a one-time purchase per season. Once you buy it, you keep it for the entire season, and you can level it up at your own pace. If you don’t finish all tiers before the season ends, the pass expires and you lose any unclaimed rewards from the premium track.

Who Is the Protocol Pass For?

The Protocol Pass is designed for players who plan to play Arknights: Endfield regularly during a season. If you log in most days to do your dailies and participate in weekly events, the pass will pay for itself in terms of value. It’s especially useful for:

Free-to-play players who are considering a small spend: The pass gives a high return on investment compared to buying premium currency directly.
Players who enjoy collecting cosmetics: Each season’s pass includes a unique outfit or weapon skin that is usually exclusive to that pass and may never return.
Players who want to speed up character progression: The pass provides upgrade materials, skill books, and currency that reduce grinding.
Players who are behind on resources: If you’re stuck on a boss or need to level multiple operators, the pass’s extra materials can help close the gap.

It is not for players who only log in occasionally or who don’t care about cosmetics. If you play less than a few hours a week, you may not reach the higher tiers, and the pass might not be worth the cost.

What Do You Actually Get?

The Protocol Pass has two tracks: the free track and the premium track. The free track is available to everyone and includes basic rewards like currency, upgrade materials, and a few pulls on the gacha banner. The premium track adds a second set of rewards that you can claim as you level up. Here’s what the premium track typically includes:

Premium currency (Orundum): The pass gives you a total of 680 Orundum across the season, which is roughly four pulls on the gacha banner.
Exclusive outfit or skin: Each season has a unique cosmetic for a specific operator. This is usually the main draw for collectors.
Upgrade materials: You get various chips, skill books, and experience items that are needed to level up operators and their skills.
Furniture or base items: Some seasons include furniture for your base, which is purely cosmetic but can be used to increase base morale.
Data bricks and other currency: These are used for upgrading equipment and facilities.
Limited-time name card or avatar frame: A cosmetic profile item that shows you completed the pass.

It’s important to note that the Protocol Pass does not give you any exclusive operators or weapons that are otherwise unobtainable. The only exclusive item is the cosmetic skin. All gameplay-related rewards (materials, currency) can be earned in-game through regular play, just slower.

How Does Leveling Work?

You earn Protocol Points by completing tasks. Daily missions give a small amount, weekly missions give a larger amount, and some events give bonus points. The pass has 50 tiers, and each tier requires a certain number of points. The required points per tier increase as you go higher, so the last few tiers take longer than the first few.

If you miss a day, you can’t earn those points later, but you can catch up by doing weekly missions. The pass is designed so that a player who does most of their dailies and all weeklies will reach tier 50 by the end of the season. If you play more casually, you might reach tier 30-40, which still gives you most of the premium currency and materials.

Common Problems and Misconceptions

One common misconception is that the Protocol Pass is a subscription. It is not – it’s a one-time purchase per season. Another misconception is that you need to buy the pass to get the free track rewards. You don’t – the free track is available to everyone, and you can claim those rewards just by leveling up.

A frequent problem is that players buy the pass late in the season and then can’t finish it. If you buy the pass with less than two weeks left, you likely won’t reach tier 50 unless you play heavily. Also, some players assume that unclaimed rewards are automatically granted at the end of the season. They are not – you must claim each reward manually before the season ends. If you forget to claim, you lose them.

Another issue is that the pass’s premium currency is not enough to do a full 10-pull on the gacha banner. A 10-pull costs 680 Orundum, and the pass gives exactly 680, so you get exactly one 10-pull. If you were hoping for more, you’ll need to supplement with other sources.

Comparing the Protocol Pass to Other Options

If you’re considering spending money on Arknights: Endfield, the Protocol Pass is generally the best value for your money compared to buying Orundum directly. A direct purchase of 680 Orundum costs more than the pass, and you don’t get the cosmetics or materials. However, if you only want the gacha pulls and don’t care about cosmetics, buying Orundum directly might be simpler.

There is also a monthly card (if it exists in Endfield) that gives a small daily amount of Orundum for 30 days. That can be a better deal if you plan to log in daily for a month, but it doesn’t give any cosmetics or materials. The Protocol Pass is better if you want a mix of everything.

Cost and Value Analysis

The Protocol Pass costs a fixed amount of real money (typically around $10 USD, but prices vary by region). To evaluate whether it’s worth it, consider what you get:

680 Orundum (worth about $10 if bought directly)
An exclusive skin (often valued at $15-20 if sold separately)
Upgrade materials worth hours of grinding
Furniture and cosmetic profile items

If you value the skin and materials, the pass is a good deal. If you only care about the Orundum, you’re breaking even. If you don’t play enough to reach tier 50, you might not get all the Orundum, so the value drops.

Frequently Asked Questions

Does the Protocol Pass expire?

Yes, the pass is tied to a season that lasts about six weeks. When the season ends, the pass expires, and you cannot claim any unclaimed rewards. You can still see your final tier, but you cannot access the rewards.

Can I buy the Protocol Pass with in-game currency?

No, the Protocol Pass must be purchased with real money. You cannot use Orundum or any other in-game currency to buy it.

What happens if I buy the pass after I’ve already leveled up?

You immediately unlock all the premium rewards for the tiers you’ve already reached. So if you’re at tier 30 and buy the pass, you can claim all premium rewards from tiers 1 to 30 right away.

Is the exclusive skin available later?

No, the skin is exclusive to that season’s pass. Hypergryph has not brought back past pass skins in other games, so it’s safe to assume they won’t return.

How long does it take to reach max tier?

If you complete all daily and weekly missions, you can reach tier 50 in about 4-5 weeks. If you play casually, it may take the full season, or you may not finish.

Can I get the free track rewards without buying the pass?

Yes, the free track is available to everyone. You just need to level up the pass by earning Protocol Points. The free track includes some Orundum and materials, but less than the premium track.

Method: the standard formula for this calculation, rounded as each result states. See how the calculators work or report an error.

More cards in this drawer

The whole Numbers and Powers drawer →