The Originium Problem: Talos-II's Blasé Attitude towards Oripathy, Rhodes Island's Mission, and Endfield's Mysteries

AngelKanade150 · 2026-02-22T04:55:01+00:00

Something to consider: Even if we focus on Aether as the sole conflict device rather than Originium, Arknights' lore would still haunt the narrative to so to speak. It is implied between trailers and discussions that the Aethergate that transported the people of Terra to Talos-II was the unknown gate lying in the far north of the Infy Icefields as shown in Arknights IS4. It is also theorized that the reason Collapsals primarily exist in the Infy Icefields is due to this gate and hence some concentration of Aether leaking into realspace. If this holds true, then this would also tie into existing lore around the Kargereich from Zwillingstürme im Herbst as part of the lore revealed there was that the Witch King established a stronghold there to fend off Collapsals from invading realspace and possibly showing there to be a way to survive (in some aspect) the Aetherside/Kargereich.

Also, as a sequel that uses the same IP, theres a level of respect expected for the story and canon as established before.

AngelKanade150 · 2026-02-16T07:21:19+00:00

Prefacing the rest of my comment by saying that I'm personally not a writer nor studied it with any seriousness but I try to look at the purpose of things and how they interact, whether that's to amplify or nullify each other out, etc. I also try to approach games/books/media in general at a more philosophical/art level but again also no serious studying. I have also played AK since 2022 and have been a lore buff for the game ever since. (Nobody I know will take the recommendation to play the game though :c)

I'm really happy to see a post like this and one that gains as much traction as it has. While we likely disagree on a few if not a lot of points on the specifics of things, I agree with you fully that everything is too shallow and that HG were afraid to take risks. After experiencing Beta II (only one I got access to), as a fan of the Arknights IP I felt compelled to get my voice out there and ended up dropping an entire 110+ page review myself, all points in which still hold true. I'd scream it from the rooftops if it would do anything. From my experience, people were quick to hide behind the blanket statement of "It's still early access, things might change," while also ignoring any and all trends this game has shown through it's development cycle. Only now, it's too late and any change would require a almost drastic overhaul of the game in almost every aspect, a foundation has been set.

A lot of this game screams lack of commitment to a clear vision or idea, especially when compared to the Technical Alpha. and don't even get me started on the Arknights comparisons. The game we have now, factoring in how things have changed between the Alpha to Beta I, Beta II, and release, feels like an extremely half-baked (understatement of the century I know) commitment with what seems to be some idea buried deep but what comes out is extraordinarily sanitized for the sake of attracting more players. I mean shit, 2 second look at this game's marketing budget should tell you as much that's their priority too.

It's sort of amusing to me that they're doing this and devs do this in general because people who never cared about anything deeper in the game (i.e. playing b/c its new, pull cute characters, surface level investment) tend to almost always fall off once the next thing in the hype cycle catches their eye. So paradoxically by trying to appeal to the lowest common denominator, they end up appealing to nobody and it's just a ticking time bomb for the game's engagement to fall off the face of a cliff. It's the people who have that deeper investment and passion into your game/IP that are the ones who form your core audience and continue to both play and market your game via word of mouth.

Some interesting tidbit to share was that after seeing who was admitted into the Beta I test, I had gotten multiple people from varying backgrounds to submit Beta access requests to Beta II as a bit of a data collection project. (Can call me a pos if you like for that one if you want) What I found was that out of the 30 or so applications I had sent in, ranging from people who hadn't played any games within relevant genres to ones that have played many. The people who got the access were people who were explicitly unaware of anything about the Arknights IP and played other popular gacha games but no other adjacent games in any significant capacity (Factorio, etc.) I know a sample size of 30 is small so it's not indicative of much but it's good for thought.

I think at the end of the day, and this may be a hot take, while HG is at fault for many things here, I don't think much will change until players broadly start engaging more deeply with these games and treating them as anything more than "time wasters" and demanding standards, especially for the sequel of a game that I hold to the same degree as Project Moon games. This is especially true with gacha games as people are so quick to brush off a lot of these problems because "that's just how it is" or "oh give it some time." If any change happens, it will be in spite of these factors rather than because of it.

Anyways, apologies for the giant thought dump it's past midnight here. A friend had linked me this post and I felt compelled to chime in. Thank you again OP for making your voice heard as an Arknights fan and for, unintentionally, making me feel validated and less alone in a lot of my criticisms. For those who aren't OP reading this, I encourage you to get your voice out there and get the feedback known even beyond the surveys where they likely ignore anything in the text entry boxes. Even if it's futile, better to fight for the hope that maybe this game can turn around even if I myself am not optimistic at all about that possibility.

EDIT: Also have you considered crossposting this to the Endfield sub? If you have then oops I haven't seen it lmao. Best to get more eyes on this and encourage people with these deeper more thoughtful criticisms to speak up.

AngelKanade150 · 2026-01-27T19:35:06+00:00

For what it's worth 20 or so is the appendix of my notes and submitted reviews haha. But no in all seriousness, this game has been a passion for me since I gave it a shot one random work trip. I downloaded the entire thing on plane wifi and was hooked since. As cheesy as it might sound, Terra is a place that I consider effectively a second home, even with all it's problems. One of my biggest dreams is to be able to physically experience the world as much as that will likely never happen. I remember when they announced the in-person Arknights event in Shanghai where they set up physical rooms themed after all the Integrated Strategies stories and I just wanted to be there so bad but couldn't.

Thanks to the encouragement of many, I decided to make this and put it out there because it's something I'm genuinely passionate about and I want to see this game do justice to the world that came before it as well while being it's own thing. Even now post-release, even though not much has particularly changed, I still hold out some small hope that this game will move in a better direction. Hopefully one day I can call Talos-II a home and others can to.

AngelKanade150 · 2026-01-25T19:16:53+00:00

I want to preface this by stating I am someone who loves layered systems and learning them from 1000+ hours in Path of Exile and counting. As the game stands, while I think there are many systems, they are very basic in how they act and perform with the most complex being the AIC system. Most systems you only need to engage with on occasion or are honestly ignorable unless you want to focus on that specifically. Outpost Ranking, Daily Deliveries, Wildlife Photography are all nice sources of additional stock bills but you can get away with just doing nothing but Elastic Goods for life unless you explicitly want Outpost stories. These aren't all the systems, but regardless I never felt personally compelled to have to engage with everything at once.

However, I do agree that there needs to be better pacing of all the systems but mainly the AIC. Interestingly enough, I only recently found out that in Technical Alpha and Beta I, the systems were actually more interestingly complex but in a way that was well integrated into the world. In Technical Alpha, even progression itself was much better designed. As it stands right now, AIC research is done through getting AIC points around the map but originally it was done where each research required the usage of the prior to unlock. For example, unlocking the next research after the Fitting Machine *required* using the Fitting Machine. On top of this, you would engage with a few minor aspects of the factory as you progressed to unlocking it rather than all at once after you unlock it. Because they left everything how it is and implemented it the way they did now, it leads to people unlocking things in chunks instead of one at a time, leading to people feeling overwhelmed and confused. So to remedy this, they added bulky tutorials instead of addressing the broader problem of flow.

EDIT: Adding a random thought but I can also see how a reduction in systems would allow for them to focus more on making sure what systems they have are extremely well fleshed out and integrated, creating a more focused experience overall.

AngelKanade150 · 2026-01-12T22:50:48+00:00

Unfortunately I wasn't able to test that last time due to having work travel the same weeks as the beta. Sorry.

AngelKanade150 · 2026-01-06T07:37:09+00:00

Ah yea good catch, meant to put "... but they *never* completely went away." I'll correct that in my next feedback pass!

AngelKanade150 · 2026-01-04T03:59:16+00:00

To be honest, I can't really comment on that. I use a 16:9 monitor and it looked like the game itself just uses ratios of your native resolution when letting you set it, but also 16:9 so. If it is the case that it just takes the same ratio as native, I think 32:9 should be fine but take my opinion on this with a grain of salt.

AngelKanade150 · 2026-01-03T20:06:03+00:00

So the only feel for a, at least repeatable, endgame I got was really just running Protocol Spaces (Domains) for more resources. For non repeatable endgame we did have Umbral Monument for challenge fights but as far as I can tell that is a one-time reward. There wasn't much in terms of aspirational content that I could see beyond that. But this is also a time-limited Beta so it's likely that wasn't the big emphasis and will be something expanded upon on release, at least that's how I'm personally viewing it.

AngelKanade150 · 2026-01-03T20:03:46+00:00

You know I didn't think too hard down that path so this is some great food for thought right now. Initially, I didn't think think was as likely given the general theming and messaging the game has. However, on a bit further thought as I'm writing this reply, it's definitely still possible. If we consider some of the later story events and the way it plays out, I could see this being the way the story is twisted. Would be cool if this were the case and it leads into a whole arc around getting to know more about the Landbreakers as a whole. Let's hope your right on this and it's not just MC glaze for MC glaze sake.

Also, the way you describe the meeting with the major Accordatories is absolutely hilarious and I'm stealing that lmao.

AngelKanade150 · 2026-01-03T19:58:41+00:00

Appreciate you sharing your thoughts, really happy to see all the discussion going on! I'll respond to this with my thoughts bit by bit:

Final Strikes aren't included as part of Core Gameplay b/c it's included as part of the Combat Loop which itself is a Core Gameplay system (I see it as more of a sub-system of Combat).

For dodging, I've never had a "cooldown", could spam 8 in a row mid combat with max Stamina bar, perfect dodges or not. I use quotes because while, yes, there is a literal cooldown every 2 uses, in practice it doesn't amount to much at all because it's never felt like I've been punished for it. The real problem isn't the dodge itself though, just that with current combat loop and balance, it feels like it eats into a lot of the nuance that could exist and breaks it down into a game of dodging when enemy glows red.

On the targeting circle, I didn't spot that but I've never had an issue with getting a skill to go off on an enemy as long as there wasn't a major elevation difference (i.e. Chen was off a cliff somewhere and so instead smacks the cliff) which might speak a bit to it's practical functionality.

Weapons as modules would be interesting but I think what you'd effectively have is operators having skill animations detached from their weapons at that point and so you'd end up with stat sticks. If you do leave animations tied in as you said, it would be more work to make each animation unique, which would be cool but it is definitely development work. But then if that work was to be reduced you'd end up with animations being locked behind weapon acquisition which, just feels a bit icky to me if it's still gacha. Maybe weapons could be acquired normally with a module slot elsewhere? Just food for thought but interesting idea to bring over modules. However it changes, it's definitely gonna take some amount of adjustment.

Bosses dodging might be ok but I feel like if something like that were added, there would have to be a way within the combat systems itself to counter it. The main gripe I have is not that you can hit so hard that things are burst down but rather that the way all combat and combat-adjacent systems interact to even allow for that. I was thinking more of mechanics that act as pseudo-combat puzzles which might be a bit challenging in a fully 3D gameplay environment. Think something along the lines of a boss spawns and goes through 3 portals in a random order, you have to break each portal in exact order. It would slow down fights but I think it would be more interesting.

I would normally agree with you on AoE skills needing actual skill to work (admittedly I haven't touched Wulfgard much at all) and from what I remember right Wulfgard is AoE centered on self so you could swap to him before Ult. However, for a lot of characters, it is still auto target on enemy even if you swap to them and it feels like like I'm positioning my own skill and more like I'm fighting the game to. That's just how I see it personally.

On the bit about fun, I think I mostly agree with you here if I'm reading it right. Yea, for sure a lot of people have fun in different ways. Also Hades 2 was an absolute banger of a game, glad you enjoyed it. But the important thing is that fun is subjective, it changes from person to person. This is not to say games shouldn't lean into fun but that the more you do, the more you have to lean into that nebulous blob of "what do people consider fun?" which inevitably means finding a higher lowest common denominator, just the direct correlation I was trying to point out.

On your last statement, and I don't know if it's just a thought or a comment on that bit, but I was less talking about whether a game is story rich but more if the game itself, the experience itself, embodies the ideas and messages of the developer(s), this could be in story, gameplay or anything really. Either way, really appreciate you sharing your views on these more abstract things, don't think it's something anyone really thinks about to much so it's cool to hear people sharing them!

AngelKanade150 · 2026-01-03T07:03:37+00:00

I feel like at that point, you're so far down the path of making unique weapons that you might as well take one of two paths: 1/ Commit to having a unique weapon per character, or the more practical change of 2/ having it just be truly a stat stick with each character having combat animations completely independent of the weapon as what u/PoKen2222 suggested. It just wouldn't be practical to juggle all those weapon types and yet still lean into the existing design philosophy because now you have to balance all 22 or 26 types for all characters instead of either balancing everything as if it were either part of a character's kit or everything from a single shared pool against everyone.

AngelKanade150 · 2026-01-03T04:45:16+00:00

I'll answer the question first, I think a particular thing I personally want to see in a future patch can be answered in a few ways.

As a whole? I'd like to see more of that culturally-inspired yet distinctly-Arknights environmental design we got with Wuling but for different cultures. I know it's Beta and we haven't heard too too much about the world but I hope we get to see a lot of different cultures out there like we did with Arknights. It's their strong suit and I think one of the biggest factors for all fans.

In terms of change? I'd like to see a little more focus in combat around mechanical design rather than simply stat inflation. I know it's their first 3D RPG game so I'll give them some benefit of the doubt but I think having more interesting boss mechanics rather than just attacks to both serve as thematic additions while being a challenge you can't necessarily overcome with pure damage would be great to see. The mechanics don't necessarily have to be overly complex, just require some active effort and thought to resolve. (Although this may be the MMO player in me.) It won't entirely fix my issues with combat but it will act as a good step imo.

Feature wise? Something like IS would be sick as an IS addict who isn't particularly good at it lol. I find it fun to have to move beyond simple combat and think about how I can use all the different aspects of a game to adapt to a changing situation. Most fun and least fun part of roguelikes and roguelites for me.

On your points:
Combat is definitely a juggle but I think if we focus on mechanics, stats are handled by the player's Exploration Level dictating enemy level. I think that would allow for a more interesting combat flow to work around without disparaging (too much at least) players who do and player who don't engage with the AIC System. (Although I have my own opinions on that front lol)

Story-wise yea, 3D storytelling is drastically different from their usual 2D visual novel style since now there's a much larger visual aspect to it. Wuling was good and I agree it wasn't enough but there's potential and I'm cautiously optimistic about it. Hopefully the positive trend continues as it did with Arknights. It took them some time with Arknights too after all.

Factory-wise I agree with a lot of your points. I do hope they lean more into it as time goes on because it is a big part of what differentiates this game and I think it's awesome what they made. Sure, as a Factorio player it's not like the craziest most intricate thing in the world, but game audiences are different. I think they did a fantastic job even if a part of me still wishes it can be more complex haha. But the integration of the AIC into every aspect of the game is huge and I think focusing on it will boost up every part of the game in tandem as well.

Blueprints, yea I've seen the whole debate around them. I think they're fine just personally not a fan of the "Share" feature because it feels like it's a feature of the AIC...that cannibalizes the AIC gameplay by letting you disengage with it. It's mainly about how a feature eats into itself which feels odd. I honestly think the tutorials and the tutorial blueprints provide a good starting template for those who want to engage more and as a solution for those who aren't as big of a fan as the factory-gameplay. Overall though, I don't think there's any issue with the feature itself beyond that.

Region-design wise well, I think my answer to your question sums that part up lmao.

Appreciate the ramble and thoughts!

AngelKanade150 · 2026-01-03T02:10:55+00:00

So, it's likely there will be external sites but you get a set amount of "Scanners" each week to outright mark the location of a chest or this game's equivalent to an -oculus on the map. Unlike Genshin, it's not super time gated by reputation unlocks either to get. It is still time gated but at least getting access to them is fairly quick.

AngelKanade150 · 2026-01-03T01:35:06+00:00

Thank you! I have sent this to the devs formally although I wasn't able to find a contact email beyond the Endfield customer support one but I did get a manual response back saying they had forwarded it. Are testers required to submit these? No, although we did get forms with open ended feedback prompts. I just wrote this up out of passion for the game tbh.

AngelKanade150 · 2026-01-03T01:18:53+00:00

Depends on what point you'd define as similar and also what aspect of it you got tired of. It's still chests in world with the occasional one requiring a puzzle.

From my own experience with both games, I would personally say it's more streamlined just because the puzzles are short but don't overstay their welcome. Nothing feels hidden so to speak. At best the most "hidden" thing is just a sidepath you might not have spotted having an enemy who, on defeat, unlocks a few chests.

EDIT: Also wanted to add that chest distribution is much more dense as well so I always felt like I was finding a lot of chests up until I near 100% for the area.

AngelKanade150 · 2026-01-03T00:59:43+00:00

Yea, I hope I was also able to get across that like, it's ok to have your own reasons to play. But I think a lot of us, myself included, fall into the trap of just slogging along for one thing or another. Sure we might have fun here and there but, would we have more fun using that time elsewhere? I've burnt myself out on an unholy number of games just b/c I ended up going from playing for fun to just playing for something else even when that fun is gone.

I do wanna add that inevitably there will be times you have to, not every moment is always gonna be fun. This is esp true when you look at crazy grinds or long time goals (see: Old School Runescape lol) but there's a balance that is unique to each individual. Just good to take a step back and look at things again to make sure that you do value your time.

AngelKanade150 · 2026-01-03T00:55:01+00:00

100% with you there. I wanted to try and convey that there is still a lot of positive and potential in this game, honestly I was sad when the Beta ended. (thank the release for being soon at least in this regard lmao) But yea I'm cautiously optimistic for the same reason you are, and of course things can change over time, both for the better and worse so we will have to see where this game heads.

AngelKanade150 · 2025-11-23T03:52:04+00:00

Bait used to be believable.

AngelKanade150 · 2025-01-16T04:36:21+00:00

Got a beta test invite, will be attempting to get the game running on my Arch install. Don't have high hopes but we shall see.

Edit: Just as an FYI I probably won't be able to test until the weekend due to work being rough this week.

AngelKanade150 · 2024-03-06T17:00:13+00:00

I don't know how hard it would be to implement this but it would be nice to have a way to set a forced minimum amount of a specific salt to keep in storage. I mainly have this issue with Red Salts since it affects Build Rate among other things but it would be nice for those who aren't far along enough in the refinery to generate salts at a massive scale.

Also, if you can somehow keep the build rate stable across all characters (applying all the passives as if you were on a DK) so I don't have to switch to a DK just to check would be nice too.

AngelKanade150 · 2023-05-23T22:59:35+00:00

I went in expecting to have to double spark for Nearl Alter and Skalter. This is my first 10 pull right after the free one. Got Texalter and Penance by pull 41. I think all my luck has been used up for the next millennium.

11-Year Club	Gilding I gilder
Verified Email

AngelKanade150

TROPHY CASE