Arknights Vector Break #3 Mimicry Guide: Dates and Rewards
Arknights Vector Break #3 timeline: three windows, three deadlines
The most common mistake with Vector Break #3 is treating it as a single window. The official announcement gives three different dates. Stages run from September 29 at 16:00 to October 20 at 03:59. The Breakthrough Milestone claim window stays open three extra days, to October 23 at 03:59. The Targeted Selection banner runs September 29 at 16:00 to October 13 at 03:59, a full week before the stages close.
Why the milestone window is longer than the stage window
Those extra three days exist for doctors who finished farming but never tapped claim. Practically, it means you cannot earn Slippery Floor after October 20 at 03:59, but you can still collect milestone tiers you already unlocked. Plan your farming to finish before the stage close, not after it.
The unlock requirement is lower than last time
Entry requires clearing Main Story 2-10. The first Vector Break in 2024 asked for 3-8, so this iteration is friendlier to newer accounts. If you are a few days into the story, you can still reach the outfit reward.
Arknights Breakthrough Milestone: how the Slippery Floor item works
During the event you earn the "Slippery Floor" item from event stage clears and spend it to raise your Breakthrough Milestone level, unlocking rewards tier by tier. (Source: Hypergryph official event preview) Vector Break sits in Hypergryph's experimental-playlist family, so it does not use a conventional event shop. Rewards are gated behind one progress bar instead.
How to pick stages with limited investment
Vector Break stages are traditionally numerous and individually short. You can spread across many stages to accumulate milestone progress or push a few hard ones. For mid-investment accounts the better trade is to clear stages you can three-star in one attempt until the milestone fills, then circle back to the tough entries. The milestone counts cumulative progress, not which stage you cleared.
What we do not know yet
The official preview lists reward categories but does not publish the milestone level cap or per-tier breakdown. If you need exact numbers, check the in-game announcement and the event screen. This guide does not invent them.
Arknights Vector Break #3 rewards: the outfit and module materials
Milestone rewards include the outfit "Times Series - Lazy Humming - Construct," event furniture, module development materials, high-tier upgrade materials, battle records, and LMD.
The outfit is the headline item
"Lazy Humming" is Construct's outfit, bundled into the milestone track at no extra cost. For Construct owners this is a zero-cost pickup. For everyone else it still counts toward your outfit collection.
Module materials beat LMD here
The genuinely scarce reward is module development material. Modules mostly come from operator records and Contingency Contract, so daily income is limited, and a single limited event often covers what weeks of dailies would give. That makes the trade-off simple: play the whole event if you are building modules; farm selectively if you only need LMD.
| Reward | Content | Priority | Why |
|---|---|---|---|
| Outfit | Times Series - Lazy Humming - Construct | High | Limited-time, not in permanent shop |
| Module materials | Module data blocks etc. | High | Scarce daily income, event is the main supply |
| High-tier upgrade mats | Promotion and skill materials | Medium | Farmable from regular stages |
| Battle records, LMD | General progression | Medium | Resource stages are open all day meanwhile |
| Event furniture | Themed furniture | Low | Mainly for base builders |
Arknights Targeted Selection: how the three-6-star pick works
Targeted Selection opens September 29 at 16:00 and closes October 13 at 03:59. You lock in three 6-star and three 5-star operators from the selectable pool as rate-up targets, and any 6-star that appears in this banner comes only from your three locked picks.
Why the locked pool matters
That last detail is the whole point. On a standard dual-rate-up banner you can lose the 50/50 to an off-banner unit. Targeted Selection locks the 6-star pool to your three picks at the standard 2% 6-star rate. You still have to win the roll, but you cannot be spooked by something outside your list.
Who to lock in
Once you understand that locking narrows the entire 6-star pool, the decision gets easy. Lock three 6-stars you do not own and whose roles your roster actually lacks, not the three with the highest general reputation. If you already own two of your planned picks, the marginal value of locking them drops sharply, and those slots are better spent on a system core you are missing.
Arknights Resource Search: all-day stage access
From September 29 at 16:00 to October 20 at 03:59, all "Resource Search" stages are open around the clock. This looks like a footnote but it dictates how you spend sanity during the event.
What all-day access changes
Resource Search normally rotates by weekday, with only partial all-day access on weekends. During the event that constraint disappears entirely. If you are short on Polymerization Prep or LMD, this is the highest-value hidden perk of the patch.
How to split sanity
Do it in this order: clear your weekly Resource Search needs during the event window, then spend leftover sanity pushing event stages for milestone progress. Event stages expire in three weeks. Resource stages do not. Moving the non-urgent farming later is pure upside.
Arknights late September to October calendar: do not miss the IS expansion
Two other threads matter alongside Vector Break #3. Producer Communication #69 announced that Integrated Strategies theme "Sunken Black Tide Forest" receives Content Expansion One in mid-October, adding new endings, stages, squads, secrecy levels, and Life Game nodes. Producer Communication #68 confirmed the new event stages and outfit rewards for Vector Break #3.
Why the IS expansion matters
Content Expansions are how Integrated Strategies seasons refresh. Each one adds endings and new starting squads. If you are grinding Sunken Black Tide Forest, mid-October means your clear records and squad setups need refitting, so clear unfinished exploration runs before the update lands.
Scheduling October
Lay it out flat: Vector Break #3 opens September 29, Targeted Selection closes October 13, event stages close October 20, milestones close October 23, and the IS expansion arrives mid-October. The week of September 29 carries both the new event and your Resource Search needs, making it the heaviest sanity window of the month.
Arknights FAQ
Q: When does Vector Break #3 run?
A: Stages run September 29 16:00 to October 20 03:59, with the milestone claim window extended to October 23 03:59.
Q: What do I need to clear to enter?
A: Main Story 2-10, a lower bar than the 3-8 required by the 2024 Vector Break.
Q: Are there operators or exclusive weapons in the milestone rewards?
A: No. Rewards are the Construct outfit, event furniture, module materials, high-tier upgrade materials, battle records, and LMD.
Q: Can Targeted Selection give me an off-list 6-star?
A: No. Any 6-star in this banner comes only from your three locked picks, at a 2% 6-star rate.
Q: What is the milestone level cap?
A: The official preview does not publish the cap or tier breakdown. Check the in-game announcement and event screen.
Come discuss in the Gghubs comments.
Action checklist
- Push Main Story to 2-10 before September 29 so you can enter on day one.
- Clear your Resource Search needs early in the event and spend leftover sanity on event stages.
- Decide on Targeted Selection picks before October 13, since the banner closes a week before the stages.
- Track two separate dates: October 20 for stage close and October 23 for milestone claims.
- Finish unfinished Sunken Black Tide Forest exploration before the mid-October Content Expansion.