Dreamscape of Wind and Snow has turned out to be a lighter version than most Endfield players expected. Typhoeus is the only new 6-star in Version 1.5, her Winter Hunt banner closes on September 30.
That quiet stretch has only fed the speculation. The 1.5 livestream gave Si and the Hongshan Imperial Guard fresh screen time in its Future Version Preview, and both had been waiting in the wings since earlier teasers. For a lot of players, it read like a sign that the wait was nearly over.
Leaks have since filled in most of the gaps. Si is expected to open Version 1.6 as a Heat Caster, and the Imperial Guard, widely leaked as Ye Minghui, looks set to follow as an Electric Vanguard. That would make 1.6 the first two-debut version since 1.4 brought in Arcane and Liino.
This guide covers the likely Arknights: Endfield 1.6 banners, what each Operator could bring to Heat and Electric teams, and how pity works across both phases. If your Oroberyl still falls short of a guarantee before 1.6 opens, an Arknights: Endfield top up on GamsGo can cover the rest.
Early-preview note: The Version 1.6 banner slots, elements, and classes for Si and the Hongshan Imperial Guard, along with the name Ye Minghui, all come from leaks. We'll update the dates, kits, banner names, and weapons as soon as GRYPHLINE makes them official.
Arknights: Endfield 1.6 Release Date Estimate
Version 1.6 is expected to arrive on October 15, 2026. The date lines up with the end of the current Protocol Pass period and keeps the six-to-seven-week gap Endfield has held between recent versions.
Phase 2 should follow around November 5. In 1.5, the second phase opened about three weeks after launch, and the same spacing from October 15 lands in early November. Neither date has appeared in an official notice yet, so both could still shift by a few days.
The date that counts will be the one in the Version Preview Program and the maintenance notice on the official Arknights: Endfield news page.
Expected Arknights: Endfield 1.6 Banner Schedule
The current theory puts Si in Phase 1 and the Imperial Guard in Phase 2, and that order makes sense to me. Si already carries story momentum and can sell the update on day one. A new male 6-star then gives the second half its own audience.
Camille showed in 1.3 that a male 6-star can headline a phase, so a second one arriving this soon isn't a surprise. Back-to-back debuts do mean both banners will compete for the same Oroberyl, which the pull strategy section breaks down below.
Phase 1
Si
6★ Heat Caster
October 15
Ink Spirits, White Flame imagery, and Feranmut Proxy lore
Phase 2
Ye Minghui
6★ Electric Vanguard
Around November 5
Polearm cavalry styling and Electric team tempo
Terminology note: Some leak pages call Si a “Fire Caster,” but the English client uses Heat as the element name. You'll also see her called the 13th Sui Proxy. Her official English title is the Feranmut Proxy.
Si: The 13th Sui Proxy Steps Into the Roster
Si matters for more than a Phase 1 slot. She is one of Endfield's strongest links to the original Arknights mythology: the 13th Proxy of Sui. Sui is the Feranmut whose twelve original fragments became the siblings players know from the first game, including Nian and Dusk.
She came into being long after those twelve, and she is the only Proxy of Sui known to be on Talos-II. That alone puts her in a different category from most of the roster.
Si's Role in the Wuling Story
On Talos-II, Si works alongside the Hongshan Academy of Sciences and wields Ink-and-Scroll powers. During the Marker Stone crisis, she entered the North Wuling Exclusion Zone, helped stabilize the Xiranite Nexus, and stayed behind as the final line of defense.
Her butterfly-shaped Ink Spirits carried messages to Arcane, and one of her scrolls unfolded into a vast space the Endministrator could move through. Later, Si recognized that the body Nefarith destroyed was only Ardashir's vessel, a distinction few other characters could have made.
How Si's Design Connects to the Sui Siblings
Her design makes the same connection visible. Light jade-green hair, black horns, a long tail, floating ink constructs, and butterfly motifs tie her to the Sui lineage without copying any single sibling.
Players have picked out three recurring ideas in her look: ink and painted creatures that recall Dusk, blade-like constructs and metal rings that recall Nian, and a living, cultivated quality linked to Shu. That doesn't prove who made her, but it explains why the “artificial Feranmut Heart” theory feels built into her silhouette.
Put together, Si connects Wuling's crisis, Hongshan's Feranmut research, and the older Sui mythology. Her 1.6 debut reads as the payoff to story threads Endfield has been laying since the Marker Stone arc.
Si's Element, Class, and Weapon
Current 1.6 leaks list Si as a 6-star Heat Caster, and the White Flame she carried through Yinglung Pass explains the element. What the leaks don't explain is how her Ink Spirits will work in combat.
The butterflies will work as persistent summons, marks, or delayed triggers rather than pure visual flair. They could apply Heat Infliction, spread an effect between targets, or linger on the field until Si consumes them for a bigger burst.
Her scrolls could also reshape the battlefield. She has already used one to distort space in the story, so a Battle Skill that paints a zone on the ground would suit her far better than a generic fireball kit.
Inside that zone, enemies might take repeated Arts DMG, build Heat Infliction faster, or trigger extra hits from her Ink Spirits. None of this has published numbers yet. Each idea, though, comes from something the story has already shown her doing.
Would Si Replace Laevatain or Support Her?
This is the question Heat players actually care about. If Si is an on-field Caster built around her own Heat damage, she'll compete directly with Laevatain for field time.
If her Ink Spirits apply Heat Infliction from off-field, add Heat Susceptibility, or speed up the rotation, the picture flips. She becomes a premium partner for Laevatain and Camille instead of a rival.
I'm hoping for the second version. Laevatain is already a proven Heat carry, and Camille already covers tempo as a Heat Vanguard. Another field-hungry carry would overlap with both, while an off-field enabler would make the whole Heat roster more interesting.
My early pull read: Si is the easy favorite if you care about Wuling lore, the Sui family, or Heat teams. For a meta-only account, “Heat Caster” isn't enough to go on. Her Combat Overview needs to show whether she lifts Laevatain's team, replaces it, or starts a new archetype.
Ye Minghui: The Hongshan Imperial Guard
The second 1.6 banner is expected to feature the Hongshan Imperial Guard, the Operator most players already call Ye Minghui.
The official teaser describes him as calm and resolute, a guardsman who once fell into a desperate situation with no way out. His story is framed around his past, the beliefs he still holds, and an answer he's still searching for. That points to a duty-and-conviction arc tied to Hongshan.
Ye Minghui's Design and the Longma Theory
Visually, he's easy to pick out: long blond hair, beast ears, a white-and-gold military outfit, a Polearm, and the bearing of a heavy-cavalry officer. That look has already earned him the nickname “horse guy” in community videos, along with instant Młynar comparisons.
Młynar belongs to the Nearl family, but the details point elsewhere. He's Yanese, and the 3D model shown on stream has a scaly, dragon-like tail. Add the horse-like cavalry look, and the leading theory places him in a new Elder race inspired by the Longma, the dragon-horse of Chinese mythology.
Could His Mount Matter in Combat?
I'd be surprised if that look stayed cosmetic. He doesn't need to stay mounted the whole fight, but a charge, a ride-by Combo Skill, or an Ultimate that calls a dragon-horse mount onto the field would keep the fantasy his teaser sets up.
A plain grounded Polearm moveset would leave too much of his visual identity unused. Until the Combat Overview arrives, treat the mount as a strong community read rather than a confirmed mechanic.
Ye Minghui's Element, Class, and Weapon
As an Electric Vanguard, Ye Minghui invites an immediate comparison with Arclight. Arclight is a 5-star Electric Sword Vanguard whose value comes from feeding the shared Skill Point pool, mostly through the SP she gains when Electrification lands in Zhuang Fangyi teams.
A 6-star take on that role needs more than higher personal damage. Ye Minghui should generate SP more reliably, add Electric Infliction of his own, or bring a team-wide effect that changes how the rotation plays.
Would Ye Minghui Replace Arclight or Liino?
To replace Arclight, he needs to be a flexible Electric engine rather than a unit built to feed a single carry. One convincing design would let his Combo Skill trigger off an Electric condition, restore a solid chunk of SP, and leave an Electric Infliction stack behind.
That stack would help two teammates at once. Zhuang Fangyi reaches her next Battle Skill sooner, and Arcane can hit the same stack with Nature to set up Corrosion. The mounted Ultimate floated above could then supply the burst window or crowd control that Arclight lacks.
Liino already covers healing, ATK buffs, Electric Amp, and SP refunds, so Ye Minghui can't simply repeat her job. His best niche would be front-loaded tempo: stepping in, producing SP right away, applying the first Electric stack, and letting the team's damage engine start without a slow setup.
My early pull read: Electric players should watch him closely, especially if Arclight is still holding your rotation together. Husbando collectors already know whether they're saving. Everyone else should wait for his SP values, Infliction access, combo trigger, and field-time requirements before calling him an upgrade.
Where Arknights Endfield Version 1.6 Could Take the Story
Pairing Si with the Hongshan Imperial Guard would make 1.6 a coherent follow-up to Wuling. Both are tied to Hongshan and the forces around Feranmut Hearts. Si represents the mythological and research side of that conflict, and the Imperial Guard its institutional and human cost.
Homecoming was presented as the final battle chapter of Wuling, so I don't expect 1.6 to restart that fight. The 1.5 livestream already hinted at an aftermath arc: its Future Version Preview shows Si treating the injuries the Endministrator took in the battle with Alleikhreos.
That leaves plenty to explore: what the Marker Stone crisis changed, what Hongshan knew, and why Si seems to have been waiting for the Endministrator. The Imperial Guard's unresolved past could make that shift personal without undoing Homecoming's ending.
Expected Version 1.6 Weapons
No reliable source has named the 1.6 rate-up weapons or their effects yet. Class doesn't decide weapon type in Endfield, and character art can mislead you. Typhoeus fights with a giant bow in her animations, yet she equips an Arts Unit.
That means Si's scrolls and the Imperial Guard's cavalry styling say very little about what their signature weapons will be or what they'll do.
That matters because weapons run on a separate economy. Operator pulls award Arsenal Tickets, and each debut Arsenal Issue stays open across three Chartered Headhunting banners. Typhoeus's Deep Cold Issue, for example, will still be available through 1.6.
Until the official weapon pages reveal base stats, effects, and realistic alternatives, there's no good reason to set aside a fixed number of issues for either signature.
Ranch and Innkeeping: New Management Gameplay
Version 1.6 may not be all about combat. The 1.5 livestream's Future Version Preview revealed a new ranch system and an Innkeeping mode, and the two are designed to work as one loop rather than as separate side activities.
The ranch covers automated planting and livestock rearing, producing goods such as meat and dairy. Like the AIC Factory, it leans on automation, so production keeps running without constant hands-on management.
Those ingredients then supply the Innkeeping mode, where you cook meals and serve guests. It takes place at Yuanyuan Manor, the ink-scroll inn at the edge of the North Wuling Exclusion Zone where Si invites the Endministrator to recover after the events of 1.5.
Version 1.6 Pull Strategy and Oroberyl Planning
Chartered Headhunting has one planning trap worth spelling out. A 6-star is guaranteed within 80 attempts, and that pity carries between Chartered banners. The featured Operator is guaranteed within the first 120 attempts, but that progress resets when the banner ends.
In practice, walking in with 70 pulls builds pity for later without securing the character in front of you. Each pull costs 500 Oroberyl, so a full 120-pull guarantee works out to 60,000 Oroberyl per Operator.
If you decide to spend, GamsGo also offers Origeometry, which converts into Oroberyl for your pulls. Work backward from the number of pulls you're missing for the guarantee, instead of buying a big pack first and deciding where it goes later.
What to Prepare Before Version 1.6
Character-specific materials and signature effects are still unknown, so aggressive pre-farming is more likely to waste Sanity than save it. Most of the useful preparation is universal:
- Oroberyl and Chartered HH Permits: Keep them unspent until the Version Preview Program confirms the phase order.
- T-Creds: Two new 6-star builds can drain upgrade currency fast, even before weapons and gear enter the picture.
- Operator EXP materials: Stock universal progression materials rather than guessing at unrevealed ascension drops.
- Skill upgrade materials: Hold general materials and avoid converting scarce ones toward an unconfirmed class.
- Arsenal Tickets: Save them until you can see the signature weapons and realistic alternatives side by side.
- Gear: Keep promising Heat, Electric, INT, WILL, and AGI pieces, but don't lock in a final set before official scaling and skill tags appear.
The most valuable prep is a quick roster review. Write down what your Heat and Electric teams already do well, then name the function that's actually missing: damage, Infliction, Skill Points, sustain, or rotation speed.
Final Thoughts
Arknights Endfield version 1.6 is shaping up as the point where Endfield begins paying off the Wuling arc. Si ties the Marker Stone crisis back to the older Sui mythology, while the Hongshan Imperial Guard gives Hongshan a human face now that Homecoming has closed the main conflict.
The two Operators also point the roster in different directions. Si could turn ink, scrolls, and butterflies into one of the more unusual Caster kits in the game, and Ye Minghui could change how quickly Electric rotations get started rather than simply adding another damage dealer.
Much of that picture still rests on leaks and livestream clues. The Version Preview Program should settle the open questions: how Si's Ink Spirits behave, how much SP Ye Minghui provides, and whether his cavalry styling carries into his kit. This guide will be updated as those details are confirmed.
Still a few pulls short of your guarantee? You can top up Arknights Endfield Oroberyl safely and at a lower price on GamsGo before 1.6 goes live.
Arknights: Endfield 1.6 Banner FAQ
Does Version 1.5 Pity Carry Into Si's Banner?
Yes, as long as Si runs as a standard Chartered banner. Your 6-star count from Typhoeus's Winter Hunt moves over with you, so 50 pulls there without a 6-star means one is guaranteed within 30 more on Si. Yvonne's RE-Factor banner keeps its own counter, so pulls there won't help.
Will Si and Ye Minghui Remain Available After Version 1.6?
Yes, for a while. A newly featured 6-star stays in the off-rate pool for the next two Chartered banners, which is why Liino and Typhoeus should appear on Si's banner. Off-rate chances at Si or Ye Minghui carry no targeted guarantee, though, so don't treat them as your plan.
Do Free Urgent Recruitment Pulls Advance Pity?
No. The free 10-pull you earn at 30 attempts is a bonus and doesn't count toward the 80-pull 6-star pity, the 120-pull featured guarantee, or milestone rewards. When you check whether Si or Ye Minghui is guaranteed, count only attempts paid with Oroberyl or eligible permits.
Can Si and Ye Minghui Work in the Same Team?
Potentially. Heat applied to an enemy with a different Infliction triggers Combustion, while Electric applied the same way triggers Electrification, so the pair could alternate reactions. It gets strong if Si's Ink Spirits or Heat field stay active while Ye Minghui feeds SP; otherwise, each may do more in a mono-element team.
Should I Pull a Character or Their Signature Weapon First?
Secure the Operator first, since a signature weapon can't fix a kit you don't own. Once you have Si or Ye Minghui, compare the signature against accessible 5-star and standard 6-star options, and chase it early only if its passive changes the rotation, such as fixing SP timing or extending a summon.
How Does the Headhunting Dossier Help With Phase 2?
Hitting 60 paid attempts on a Chartered banner earns a Dossier, a 10-pull for the next Chartered banner, so 60 pulls on Winter Hunt can fund Si and 60 on Si can fund Ye Minghui. Dossier pulls advance the 80-pull pity, but guides disagree on the 120 guarantee, so treat it as a bonus and use it before it expires.
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