If you’ve logged into Arknights Endfield for the first time after its 2026 global launch, you’ve probably noticed the separate banner for weapons that sits right next to the character recruitment page. Unlike the character gacha most gacha game players are used to, the arknights endfield weapon gacha works with a few unique rules that aren’t clearly explained in the in-game tutorial. I’ve spent the last three weeks testing pull patterns, tracking pity counters, and talking to other top 100 ranked players on the NA server to put together all the info you need to avoid wasting your hard-earned Orundum Prime. You don’t have to drop hundreds of dollars to get the signature weapons for your favorite S-tier operators, as long as you understand how the system works under the hood.
How the 2026 Arknights Endfield Weapon Gacha Pity System Functions
First, let’s break down the core rules that govern every weapon banner in the 2026 build of the game. 5-star weapon base drop rate is 1.6%, which is slightly higher than the 0.8% base rate for 5-star characters. Soft pity kicks in at 60 pulls without a 5-star, where your drop rate increases by 6% per pull until you get a 5-star item. Hard pity hits at 80 pulls, where you are guaranteed a 5-star weapon no matter what your previous pull history is.
This is one of the most commonly misunderstood parts of the arknights endfield weapon gacha, as many players assume pity resets when a banner changes, but that only applies across different banner types. Pity carries over between limited-time rate-up weapon banners, but not between limited banners and the permanent standard weapon banner. Weapon pity does not overlap with character gacha pity either, so pulls you make on character banners won’t count towards your weapon pity counter, and vice versa.
There’s also a fate point system for limited weapon banners. Every time you pull a 5-star weapon that is not the featured rate-up item, you get 1 fate point. When you collect 2 fate points, you can exchange them directly for the featured 5-star weapon on the current banner. That means the worst case scenario for getting the rate-up weapon is 240 pulls, but most players get it far earlier if they have bad luck.
Top Mistakes to Avoid When Pulling on Weapon Banners
If you’re new to the game, it’s easy to waste pulls on the arknights endfield weapon gacha before you understand how it works. I made this exact mistake last month, pulling 70 times on Chen’s signature sword banner and getting a 5-star sniper rifle I had no use for, because I didn’t save enough to hit the fate point threshold. To help you avoid the same frustration, here are the three biggest mistakes players make:
You should never pull on a weapon banner unless you have at least 120 pulls saved, because that’s the minimum number you need to guarantee you get at least one 5-star weapon, and have a 70% chance of getting the rate-up item before you need to use fate points. I’ve had friends burn through 200 pulls on the standard banner chasing a specific 5-star sword, only to get three different 5-star catalysts they had no use for, so don’t make that same mistake.
You also don’t need to pull for a 5-star weapon for every operator you own. Most 4-star weapons at max level are more than enough to clear all story content and low-to-mid tier challenge stages. Only pull for a signature weapon if you use that operator in 80% or more of your team comps, or if you’re trying to clear the highest difficulty endgame content.
Free Ways to Earn Pulls for the Arknights Endfield Weapon Gacha in 2026
You don’t have to spend real money to get great 5-star weapons, because Hypergryph gives out a surprising number of free weapon pull tickets and Orundum Prime every month. All these free rewards add up to roughly 30 pulls per month for the arknights endfield weapon gacha without spending any money, so you can get one guaranteed rate-up weapon every 4 months if you save carefully.
Weekly event tasks give 2 weapon pull tickets every week, plus 1000 Orundum Prime if you complete all 12 weekly tasks. Main story progression gives 1 weapon pull ticket per chapter clear, plus 500 Orundum Prime for each 3-star clear of a hard mode stage. Daily login rewards give 1 weapon pull ticket every 7 days, plus 500 Orundum Prime every 14 days, so even if you only log in to do dailies, you’ll still rack up pulls over time.
Event-exclusive challenge stages give up to 10 weapon pull tickets per limited time event, which run every 6 weeks on average. You can cross-reference these free pull earning rates with the published drop odds on the official 2026 drop rate disclosure page to calculate how long it will take you to save enough for a guaranteed rate-up weapon. If you plan your pulls around limited banners for operators you use regularly, you’ll never have to spend money to get the weapons you want.
Is the Arknights Endfield Weapon Gacha Worth Pulling On?
The answer to this question depends entirely on how you play the game. If you’re a casual player who only logs in 1-2 hours a week to play story content and simple event stages, you don’t need to pull on weapon banners at all. Max level 4-star weapons will get you through every piece of non-endgame content with no issues, and you won’t notice a big enough difference to justify spending pulls on 5-star weapons.
The biggest draw of the arknights endfield weapon gacha is that each signature weapon comes with a unique passive that only activates for its matching operator. For example, Thorns’ signature poison crossbow gives him a 40% damage boost against infected enemies, and lets his attacks apply a stacking poison debuff that lasts 10 seconds. That’s a massive damage increase that makes clearing the highest difficulty Deep Core Raid stages way easier, but it’s totally unnecessary if you don’t play that endgame content.
Signature weapons for limited time operators are only available for 3 weeks each, and don’t return to the standard banner for at least 6 months, so if you’re a big fan of a specific limited operator, it’s worth saving pulls for their signature weapon when their banner runs. Just make sure you don’t let FOMO push you into pulling for a weapon you don’t actually need, because you’ll end up wasting pulls that could go to a banner for a weapon you’ll use regularly.
At the end of the day, the arknights endfield weapon gacha is a totally optional part of the game that you can engage with as much or as little as you want. You don’t have to spend a cent to get great weapons if you save your free pulls carefully and only roll on banners for weapons you actually need for operators you use regularly. Take your time learning the system, track your pity counter, and don’t let FOMO push you into making pulls you’ll regret later. If you follow the tips we’ve laid out, you’ll have a full set of top-tier weapons for your main team before you know it.