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Tough call. If you're confident and experienced with both the enemies you are fighting and the operators that you're using, or if you don't mind reloading a lot, there's a lot you can get done with an underpowered roster, and the basics could probably be done with enough operators. Thing is, if you've played enough Arknights, you'll know that a LOT of operators get power spikes at E2 lvl 1. I'd also recommend getting a roster to that level because of logistics operator buffs; you'll need promotions to get the full effect eventually. Ultimately the only way to go is up here, so unless you're limiting your account to be pure E1's or something, work towards those goals and you'll have a new playground to test your power.

Sorry to disappoint, gamer. This one ain't it for you and that's OK. HR Training diss aside, your feedback's still valid. I will say this in my defense though: I don't exactly do this for a living and this was made as fast as possible around launch. I did think to include timestamps so that people can reference individual parts, but other than that, I'm just Some Guy™ with a computer and a microphone who likes to yap. Other people have found the thoroughness useful regardless and have probably learned things that you maybe take for granted. My guides are also just intentionally more open-ended, since I don't want to compete with other channels that just show you a clear with exactly what you need. Regardless, I do genuinely hope with the other resources out there now you're still able to enjoy RA. If you're able to get good enough to make your own improved and concise guide video for it, I look forward to seeing it.

Glad to hear it! I'm always happy when someone leaves a comment saying things helped.

I've seen enough comments like this to want to try and figure out just how much firepower you actually need to play the early game of Reclamation Algorithm without soft locking by over consuming on resources. Lower level players can only really do the no-deploy point farming strategies, which is boring and tedious, but in return it should get them enough sanity free resources to build at least a couple operators to finally get the ball rolling. I'm gonna have to verify the more HP than your average mini boss thing though. The actual challenge of hunting is moreso the unconventional behaviors of each prey animal. Fowlbeasts require more ranged burst damage or effective range due to their invulnerable state and roaming. Leporibeasts require at least two operators or map control to effectively hunt thanks to their evasive behavior. Mossbacks are the actual tanky ones where they do function like blockable mini bosses and regenerate health. Crabs have varying levels of effective HP, but are aggressive and usually spawn in greater numbers to compensate for their poor value. These are all challenges that you don't really get in quite the same way in the main game of Arknights, and it's only natural that this throws people off until they get a better grasp on things. At the end of the day though, I still think RA is a mid to late game mode made available way too early for most players, and even for the veteran players introduces so many new things it's very difficult to teach. Understanding your food supply, the strength and size of your roster, and the use of act points on non-combat nodes in the early game where you don't have much to work with is just something the tutorials don't convey, and guide videos can only do so much. That is, if you even watch them in the first place.

@@DoctorSockrates I just thing it's a badly designed game mode. I tried just doing it to make some sense of it... and I got nothing. The whole gathering mechanic feels horribly out of place, energy drinks are a painful gimmick that didn't need to exists (It'd be fine if they only give you extra slots or actions), and it generally feels like a mode that had zero though put into it. I don't know if making an effort to actually play it, instead of just farming the first few stages would be worth it. I don't even see where the "fun" is supposed to come from.

As you escape the early game and build your headquarters, you'll be able to go around, collect resources, build your own bases and field outposts, and tackle some of the most unique challenges in Arknights with powerful consumables and Operator buffs. If anything, RA almost turns Arknights into its mother genre: Tower Defense into Real Time Strategy proper. The strategy overworld layer is more reminiscent of games like XCOM or Total War, where managing resources and manpower properly results in payoffs on the tactical level. And then of course in the most recent expansion, they added slug racing. Since, y'know, why not, I guess. Silly minigame as a treat. End of the day, I'm not paid by Hypergryph to shill this, I just find it really fun even though I see the faults in it, and I know that this was balanced towards more experienced players like myself. Standard mode is available to tune down the difficulty in the title screen but it's super easy to miss (it's the small circular button with the triangles inside of it). I also acknowledge that not allowing any Support Units from friends is a huge nerf from RA1 to RA2 that I'm not sure why they made it happen. There comes a point where you will generate so many resources through normal gameplay that energy drinks are no longer a problem - how you get there is the challenge of it all, and it requires a lot more than what players have access to if they've just completed 3-8.

@@DoctorSockrates Thanks, it's good to know that there ARE better stuff down the line, bc the early game is not even remotely engaging. The being balanced to more experienced players part is complete BS though. The early game is simply badly designed, probably bc HG figured that players are used to this by now, and will power though it no matter how bad they make it. I just have to train up some new archers, bc anything less then an infinite range is hot garbage for gathering. At least now I have some excuse to lvl up Ambriel. And Wai Fuu

Welcome to the Oasis, fellow Doctor. Hope the iron mining goes well.

Delayed gratification is still gratification. Congrats!

@DoctorSockrates thanks man, the game mode becomes very fun after that too. Really enjoy the gameplay loop

They're just like wood from trees - tankier, sure, but work the same. Bring any harvester hub to help collect them - harvester hubs made from stone have a damage bonus when their drones attack a stone tile. If you're limited to just operators, either bring high ATK or use Arts damage.

Check the season. Dry season severely diminishes planter box output, but encourages you to hunt for meat more thanks to HP debuffs on wildlife.

@DoctorSockrates ohh, big thanks!! :D I'm Day the 45 and at the priestess quest. Also, good thing there are no slugs, or any kind of defense would be useless against them XD

Ah, that one's easy actually. Get a Hypergryph job as a play tester and access a developer test account and debug menu. You're gonna want invincibility, global attack range or fast redeploy, and enough attack speed to get the job done without crashing the game. Some might say using your credit card is the strat here, but this affords you less options and might not be suitable for every skill or income level. (Terra have mercy this one's a stretch, I hope you laughed)

See my other reply for wood/hunting. For stone and iron, physical defense starts to ramp up considerably, so consider substituting more arts damage sources like Casters and Supporters - otherwise the strategy more or less stays the same. And for the tier 4 resource, lighting ore, that relies on a different mechanic entirely - you'll know it when you see it, and it won't be something you haven't dealt with before; just bring plenty of multi-hit or attack speed boosted operators with your harvesting hubs for that one.

See my first video on RA for my initial recommendations! But since we're here, I've got you covered: Woodcutters come in many forms, but they all either deal good DPS, provide block count, or cover a large area. Fortress Defenders, SilverAsh, Mlynar, Eyjafjalla, Artilleryman Snipers, and even Reaper or Centurion guards are all great picks thanks to their damage output, effective attack range, or block count. Kestrel's good for harvesting the sparse trees outside of your harvesting hub's range, if you want to save your Fast-Redeploy operators for something else. As for hunting, map control is key. It depends on the prey and the map of course, but you'll want operators like Ambusher Specialists and Heavyshooter, Deadeye, or Marksman Snipers to establish map control and vision. Once that's taken care of, take Dreadnought Guards like Skadi, Melantha, or other similar subclasses to deal with heavy threats, and if you don't have enough Fast-Redeploy, compensate with fielding more operators and enough Vanguards to sustain the DP cost. Regardless of objective, don't be afraid to reload a save for practice if you want to fine-tune your squads on a particular map instance. At the end of the day, I'm not you, and if your roster has suitable substitutes for the suggestions I've described, it's up to you to try them out and discover them.

Glad to hear it helped! Sometimes there's just no substitute to puttin' in the time to learn, y'know?

Sorry to disappoint and thanks for the silver lining...I guess? Gamer I'm gonna be honest with you I'm not quite sure how to take this backhanded comment. There's plenty of other channels doing more straightforward clear videos with little to no commentary, and so I just felt like filling in a gap and making what I wanted to see. No skin off my back if it's not to your taste, and I hope others like Jfun or Sunny Senpai have you covered for what you need. Better yet, if you wanna make your own, the more the merrier I say. And for what it's worth, I also thought the stuff I discussed was basic and obvious...until I learned about the RA 1 stats from the anniversary livestream. This, alongside me finding out that my friends with fairly capable accounts didn't get into it like I did because they couldn't understand it, made me rethink just how "obvious" the information I took for granted was. I dunno man. Seeing this after a whole bunch of other comments on this and my other videos saying I legitimately helped them understand RA and have fun just makes it really hard for me to get where you're coming from without elaborating what you consider to be 'corny mechanics' or 'real strategies'. Thanks for the feedback regardless, gotta stay grounded.

That refers to the 3-day save cycle, when you get your score and points. A save point is created at the start of that, and you have the opportunity to edit your logistics operator loadout before beginning the day. Scroll down past your resources to find the menu. Be sure to also have enough food for the upkeep.

@@DoctorSockrates oh, so it's there. TYSM. I've been looking everywhere for answer but to no avail. Great guide as always.

This one is the same unfortunately

If it's not for you, it's not for you! No amount of convincing or guidance from me is gonna change that if that's the case, and that's just how it is sometimes. No need to apologize for that, but the sentiment is appreciated.

There's a medal that you get for it that serves as a hint to at least try!

@@DoctorSockrates Oh, I didn't know that either hehe, thanks. Does it give more crab legs each cycle compared to a regular crab in the coral in your base?

Ooh, sorry I missed this. If it does, I haven't noticed it appreciably on account of not capturing any normal crabs to test it with. I don't think anyone's recorded it on the wiki yet either. All we DO know is that it drops 5 meat compared to 1 from a normal crab when you capture or kill it, but that's outside of the corral.

@@DoctorSockrates Yeah, I haven't noticed anything with it yet.

Yup!

I plan on covering this more when I go over the September Tides of War challenge next video, as it's especially relevant there since you can't create a traditional maze without a good supply of Lighting Ore. It's definitely a good thing for balance that they throw in raids that will force you to change up your interception/defense tactics, but most of the first ones will be defensible with a base if someone's caught out and can't reload back far enough to a map that's easier/cheaper to fortify. I agree though - making use of natural high ground and terrain advantages in other maps is sometimes a better investment of Constructs than in your HQ or Outposts, and they can net you the passive bonuses for placing Tier 2 constructs for future engagements there too. In fact, a certain returning boss raid from RA1 comes to mind if you don't have camo blocks ready to go yet by day 100...the best map to take that one out on is actually the one it spawns on, from what I've noticed. For what it's worth, mazing behind your operators to create a chokepoint when possible can still be useful. For example, the layout I showed for my Wide-Open Outpost in the video is ideal for having a Phalanx Caster or a Defender out in front to be the first to tank ranged units as they converge into one lane. As for Direswines, there's not much I can add onto that there other than to keep your DPS operators out of the way of their 'shortcuts'. I remember clearing one such raid during my stream playthrough, and thankfully not getting screwed by pathfinding too hard and keeping my Ambusher Specialists off to the side. Stuns, Snares, and Slows all help to mitigate the damage they would be dealing as well.

@DoctorSockrates It should be noted that lightning ores on main map are limited (As in they don't refresh every season. Most resource maps do refresh every season either fully or partially but lightnings never refresh on the main map). You'll get a majority of your lightning ore via Strange Territories. Also I haven't seen this mentioned by you but the initial 5 Strange Territories will always be the same for everyone. After the 5th one two npcs (A mailbox and a postbox) will appear at the Gathering Grounds. You can revisit the initial 5 Strange Territories but you won't reap the first time rewards from those anymore. New Strange Territories are randomized and are known as Dynamic Strange Territories and those allow you to adjust the Evironmental Pressure (Think Ascension in IS mode) to make it harder for better rewards. The Dynamic Strange territory is refreshed every 3 cycle or 9 days. Also Strange Territories have unique maps occasionally that are NOT ever found on the main map (most of them have lightnings). Just giving you some info you might not know from someone who has 250+ days in RA2 and maxed out everything.

Thanks for the advanced intel! I'd be right there with you if I wasn't being slammed by other things in my life right now and playing off-stream 🥹

Now that's an interaction I definitely overlooked but makes sense when you lay it out like that! Nice find.

Someone else actually asked about this! Danger mode is something that only unlocks after you've cleared everything else and it's gated behind a content expansion. I have yet to confirm if it's this month's expansion or not, but when it does, basically it's a last stand mode under apocalyptic conditions. Your main base will be saved to go back to later, but basically, all seasonal hazards get activated, harvesting resources is harder, and enemies start to infinitely scale. Good luck!

I see, sounds hardcore. Thanks for letting me know!

​@@DoctorSockrateswhat do you mean by infinitely scale, like SSS levels of scaling? :'v

@@ScepteraThat's covered in another video, I had to get this out at launch and I don't play on CN. Get to HQ level 3 to unlock.

Timestamped link to when I cleared this on Twitch: www.twitch.tv/videos/2227312317?t=03h08m59s To clear this one, I focused more on cheaper, easy to deploy single target damage that doesn't rely on lengthy setups or the big AoE's that you mentioned - pretty much just marksman snipers with some ground support and a lot of fast DP. Get in, lock them down, and get out. Choose a map where the protection objective is farther away from (preferrably one) enemy spawn point. Then, for your team, bring fast DP vanguards, cheaper/cost efficient sources of damage and/or crowd control, and if you need it, global range and fast redeploy to pick off stragglers. Be sure to buff at least your vanguards (if not all of your other operators) with cost reduction foods to make the startup even faster. I chose a team of Ines, Myrtle, Saileach, Wanqing and Bagpipe for vanguards, then used May, Meteor, and April to get very quick amplified damage and a very reliable Slow on the board. Texas Alter and Ines were enough for me to land good stuns and snares, but you can improve this further with operators like Dorothy, Robin, Ethan, and other crowd control operators. Overlap their effective ranges with your damage operators so that the amount of time your damage operators have enemies in range is maximized. You can also bring devices and high ground to further aid you: the fog machine slow is quite significant and is pretty cheap, and artificial high ground can make your snipers deploy almost anywhere you need them to. A support Mr. Boom can provide a lengthy stun, and even the sleep bombs can buy you a little more time. The map I chose to engage and ultimately complete the objective on was Taxed With a Choice, the very first map that they spawn on. Oh, and if you're starved for vision from the Variable debuff: Operators with deployable devices are effective, as are watch towers and glowsticks. Devices are NOT affected by the vision debuff - if it has an attack range, it can spot enemies. Try this with Silence's drone, Skadi Alter's seaborn, or even Stainless's turrets. As long as an enemy unit is revealed through any source of vision, operators' normal attack ranges will be able to reach them.

Dang. Certified Blemi Enjoyer. Mad respect.

My other videos should have you covered. If nothing else, check your quest logs. You'll naturally end up completing objectives as you reveal more of the map, and if there's a node you need to visit, it will be marked.

Thank you! To be fair, it's not a totally invalid suggestion, considering by then most players would have more main game resources and a stronger roster and be overall better prepared. I played without Ines back in RA1 and that 'advice' would've been so tempting to me back then. I certainly won't say that you can pull this off with anything; that's just empty words. But if you do take what you have and apply it towards the problems this mode has you solve, I think a lot of people will be pleasantly surprised at what a little extra planning and foresight can get them. And, the stronger your account is, the more room for mistakes and flexibility you have.

@@DoctorSockrates I just think it's good for a guide to have a positive attitude towards the mode and to have helpful advice for actually playing the mode. Those who look up a guide are often already frustrated, so a negative video might just make them give up. I personally want people to enjoy the mode because it's pretty dope. I started watching your Twitch vods and they've been fun. I was surprised to find out that we had the same experience regarding the other guide and that was actually what made you create this one.

There's no teacher like real experience! Hope it helps.

@@DoctorSockrates yeah I've been procrastinating to play it in the first 2 weeks to build Carnelian, Zuo Le and Dorothy, but now I procrastinate because of inexperience (and deadlines :v) Probably gonna dive in after the monthly update.

Ooh, Carnelian. I hope you find some good spots to let her dish out tons of pain, phalanx casters need the love.

@@DoctorSockrates I have been using Lin a lot quite recently and I did use Carnelian (though not built) before and they could be pretty good, especially in the IS.

Right here. arknights.wiki.gg/wiki/Tales_Within_the_Sand/Miscellaneous_items

Good questions, and bear with me here, because I think it depends on a few things: Enemy stats don't actually scale up to infinity in this mode as far as I can tell - according to CN's server, that's reserved for an upcoming challenge mode that saves your main campaign, and puts you in a simulated 'apocalypse' where you have to make a last stand with what you have. The only thing that really changes over time right now is which raiding parties that are thrown at you, and even then, those are fixed, known quantities. I think it stabilizes around HQ Level 3. This unlocks your first Logistics Operator slots, a lot of the initial mid-game Construct/Tool recipes, and a handful of impactful Tech Tree Nodes. Tech tree progression being HQ level limited means farming up tech tree points is still beneficial, but not crazy overpowered. Besides, the nodes that are gated behind HQ levels are usually not relevant until you get to the point where you can afford the HQ upgrade anyways. Level 4 is also a great milestone, because by then you will have built a Resource Planning Station to increase your Deployment Limit. Fortress suppression helps a lot. There are certain fixed boss raid spawns at selected days (I think the first one is roughly around Day 30?), but for the most part, raid spawns are randomized and also influenced by whether or not a Fortress node or a Mountain Pass node is uncleared. These come back roughly every season, so if you can keep them suppressed, you'll have not only the gold from those loot tables, but also more acts to collect resources at your leisure. Building the Lootmark is huge too - again, HQ levels & constructs are the most important upgrades to save up for, and only make you more powerful without scaling anything directly. For me personally, I think I got comfortable about HQ level 3-4 with the Stone maps unlocked. This meant I had enough maps explored for good supply line alternative options, as well as access to the first major mid-game upgrades that make everything a lot easier. Iron might be just out of reach or shop-locked, but you'll find that a lot of the most frequently used basic stuff just takes stone, wood, and water. And, by now, the building cap means I can mass up enough food to throw my operators at almost any problem, including hunting for meat to survive drought season. Ultimately, if you have the grand strategy layer down, but just don't have the operator roster or experience needed to execute your plans on the missions themselves, it is always fine to take a break, farm up some resources outside of RA, and return when you have stronger operators to allow for an easier time. Don't feel pressured to like something that's meant for you to come back to later.

@@DoctorSockrates I'm day 25. Just got HQ level 3, 8 rice plants, and some stone so I can build some walls before day 30. Sounds like I'm almost out of the woods. I only play for like 45 minutes a day, so this might not be a good mode for me.

😱 I don't think my stuff is gonna help you stop, if anything! The content expansion drops in 4 days too...

We can't do that currently - only the Crabs, Goats, and Birds are capturable in the current expansion. Can't wait though!

Sargon doesn't mess around. If you think this is bad, there's a sort of 'last stand mode' in future content expansions that actually does make the enemies scale infinitely - it saves your main game so you can see just how long you can last in a simulated apocalypse. You ain't seen nothin' yet.

@@DoctorSockrates I love Arknights. When HG saw we were cruising through story content, they made optional adjacent modes that demand gameplay mastery. CC, IS, TFN, and now RA pushes the envelope of what is possible to its most extreme conclusion. At least, until something else comes along to push the boundary further.

As mentioned in the video, Strange Territories are accessed by heading to a map with the pink-red circle indicator on it. Interact with the bounty box inside to accept a campaign. Then, wait until the next Calculation Day. When its ready, you'll see the next day button change to the Strange Territory symbol, and you can enter the mini-campaign from there. Normal days will not pass when you're inside. If you're just talking about overworld regions though, just keep expanding outwards. Your quest logs should guide you towards each region naturally anyway. You may need to accept boss raids via Eunectes at Base Camp for certain quests.

@@jayreed9370 arknights.wiki.gg/wiki/Tales_Within_the_Sand/Provisions Make sure you're accessing the list from the RA 2 theme. There's also Jfun's spreadsheet and the CN wiki, as mentioned in the video for redundancy. Google-fu can sometimes be not enough, as you can see.

@@DoctorSockrates thank you. Sometimes the wikis are counter-intuitive.

So that's why I kept thinking I missed something. Thanks for that, I'll pin a corrections list up.