this Arknights team building guide for late October covers three ledgers — what an E2 promotion actually costs, which operators deserve your module data blocks first, and how to split 1,680 sanity a week between annihilation and resource stages. Fixed numbers come from in-game screens; official notices are only used as date anchors. A manual substitute for the Arknights beginner guide 2026 calculator sits at the end.
Applicable version: content as of the 2026-10-17 update (Arknights has no version numbering; official dates are the anchor. Source: official site, 2026-10-17)
Arknights October notices: Newsletter #70 and Hengyuan Jinliang
October gave three timelines: Newsletter #70 on 17 October, a 16:00 hotfix on 16 October, and the Arknights × National Library collaboration "Hengyuan Jinliang" that opened on 11 October. The three have different natures and should not be handled in the same order.
What Newsletter #70 is actually for
The newsletter exists to tell you what the next cycle will cost. Read it for three things only: a new operator banner, new materials, and whether the event is a farm-type or an idle-tap type. It never contains numbers, so treat everything as "material unknown" and do not dump sanity into chip stages on a guess.
The collaboration has no published end date
Hengyuan Jinliang opened on 11 October and the homepage notice does not list an end date . Check the in-game event page countdown and work backwards to the days you must log in. Event shop currency usually expires when the event closes, which matters more than operator levels.
Arknights Elite 2 costs: the six-star ledger
Split the cost in two. The fixed half is LMD; the variable half is class chips, Skill Summary Volume 3, and operator-specific materials, which differ per operator and are listed on the in-game promotion screen .
The fixed 180,000 LMD
Every six-star E2 costs 180,000 LMD. The LMD stage pays roughly 3,600–7,500 per run depending on stage tier, so that single line item is 24–50 runs, or 360–750 sanity. This is why veterans tell you to check your LMD stock before choosing who to promote.
Chips and skill summaries rotate
Class dual chips come from chip stages and Skill Summary Volume 3 comes from resource stages, both on a rotation: chip stages only open some classes on a given day, and a missed day means waiting a full cycle . Build the promotion plan backwards from chip-stage days, not from operator preference.
| Cost item | Amount / note | Source tier |
|---|---|---|
| LMD | 180,000 flat for six-star E2 | Tier 1, in-game screen |
| Class dual chips | By class, one set minimum | Tier 1, in-game screen |
| Skill Summary Vol. 3 | By skill level target | Tier 1, in-game screen |
| Operator materials | Varies, listed in-game | Tier 1, in-game screen |
| Sanity equivalent | About 900–1,100 including LMD runs | Tier 3, third-party math |
Arknights module unlock order: who goes first
Modules are not a reward for high investment. The test is appearance frequency: an operator who shows up in your squad more than three times a week earns a module; below that, the marginal gain is worth less than the sanity you would spend on an E2 .
Where module data blocks come from
Data blocks come from weekly annihilation, event shops and mission rewards Supply is hard-capped, so set the order on day one: main DPS first, sub-DPS second, utility last.
Which operators actually benefit
Prioritise operators whose skill cycle decides whether a stage is cleared: burst units that clear a wave, defenders that survive the first push. Pure utility units gain the least, because their bottleneck is deployment slots and DP, not stats .
Arknights sanity schedule: splitting 1,680 a week
Sanity regenerates at one point per six minutes, 240 a day and 1,680 a week; a monthly card adds 60 a day for about 2,100 a week . That number decides everything. The question is not who you want to build, but who 2,100 sanity can actually finish.
Weekdays versus weekends
Weekdays: clear dailies, run the chip stage open that day, take event first-clear rewards. Weekends: LMD stages and skill summary stages in bulk. Splitting it this way keeps a chip stage from costing you a full week of waiting .
Never skip the annihilation cap
Annihilation pays up to 1,800 Orundum a week , which at 600 Orundum per pull is three pulls. That outranks every progression goal, because unclaimed Orundum simply vanishes while materials can always be farmed later.
Common misread: saving sanity potions for an event. Potions usually expire quickly and disappear outright, so use them near expiry on whatever material you lack most.
Arknights planning: what not to do before November
Late October is when sanity gets wasted, because Newsletter #70 signals upcoming content and players pre-farm in response. Operator-specific materials are not published before release, so pre-farming is a bet .
Skip the E2, stock the two capped items
If an operator has not been in your main squad for two weeks, do not promote them: E2 buys consistency in clears, not prettier stats, and 180,000 LMD is better saved for someone you will actually field . Stock two things instead: class dual chips, which rotate by class, and module data blocks, which are weekly-capped and never waste.Version-by-version ledgers are collected on GameHub.
Arknights FAQ
How much LMD does a six-star E2 cost?
A: A flat 180,000 LMD, plus class dual chips, Skill Summary Volume 3 and operator materials. The LMD figure is identical for every six-star .
How many module data blocks per week?
A: The stable source is weekly annihilation rewards, with event shops on top. Check the in-game mission list for the exact count.
How much sanity regenerates per day?
A: 240 points, one per six minutes. A monthly card adds 60 a day, so a week is 1,680 naturally or about 2,100 with the card.
When does Hengyuan Jinliang end?
A: The homepage notice published 2026-10-11 lists no end date. Use the in-game event countdown; shop currency usually expires with the event.
Should I pre-farm materials for Newsletter #70 operators?
A: No. Operator materials are unpublished before release. Only class dual chips and module data blocks are safe to stock.
Action checklist
- Open the in-game event page and note the Hengyuan Jinliang countdown, then work backwards to your must-login days.
- Check LMD stock: under 200,000 means LMD stages come before any promotion.
- Order your E2 queue by chip-stage days, main classes first.
- Cap annihilation at 1,800 Orundum this week; unclaimed Orundum is lost.
- Check sanity potion expiry and spend them before they vanish.