What to know
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You unlock plant automation by progressing your AIC planning/tech so you can build the Seed-Picking Unit and Planting Unit.
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The core trick is a loop: Seed-Picking Unit makes seeds, Planting Unit grows plants, and one output feeds back to keep it running forever.
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For meds, you’ll typically turn Buckflower into Buckflower Powder and combine it with bottles in a Filling Unit to craft Buck Capsules.
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For explosives, you’ll shred Aketine into Aketine Powder and combine it with Amethyst Components in a Packaging Unit.
In Arknights: Endfield, you can set up a self-feeding “infinity loop” with the Seed-Picking Unit and Planting Unit, then split your surplus into powder and final-product lines for meds (Buck Capsules) and explosives (Industrial Explosives). After you build it once, your farm becomes the backbone of your base economy: it keeps plants coming in nonstop and lets you automate both healing items and explosives without repeatedly harvesting in the open world.
| Goal | Core machines | Key idea | Output path |
|---|---|---|---|
| Infinite crops/plants | Seed-Picking Unit, Planting Unit, belts, Electric Pylon | Loop 1 output back to Seed-Picking to self-sustain | Surplus goes to storage and processing |
| Automated meds | Filling Unit (+ your powder + bottles supply chain) | Feed steady Buckflower Powder + bottles into Filling | Buck Capsule C/B/A depending on inputs |
| Automated explosives | Shredding Unit, Packaging Unit (plus amethyst parts/components chain) | Convert Aketine → Aketine Powder, then combine with amethyst inputs | Industrial Explosive |
How the auto farm loop actually works
The Seed-Picking Unit converts a harvested plant into seeds, and the Planting Unit converts seeds back into the plant, so you can create a loop that never needs new gathering once it’s started.
One common pattern is “seed-pick → plant → feed back,” then route the extra output away using belts/splitters so your loop stays alive while still generating surplus for crafting.
How to set up the infinite crop loop
Step 1: Unlock the right AIC tech
In your AIC planning tech progression, you’re aiming to unlock the nodes that let you place the Seed-Picking Unit and the Planting Unit (these are tied to your planting-related unlocks).
Step 2: Place the Seed-Picking Unit
Drop the Seed-Picking Unit and pay attention to its arrow markers so you know which side is input vs output.
Step 3: Place the Planting Unit in front (leave room for power)
Place the Planting Unit so its arrows face the same direction as the Seed-Picking Unit, and leave a small gap if you want space for an Electric Pylon to power both cleanly.
Step 4: Belt the Seed-Picking output into the Planting input
Connect belts from the Seed-Picking Unit output into the Planting Unit input; if your seed output is fast, running two belt lanes can help avoid backups.
Step 5: Create the “feed back” loop
Route the Planting Unit output back into the Seed-Picking Unit input so the system feeds itself continuously (this is what prevents the loop from dying when your initial stock runs out).
Step 6: Prime the loop with one plant (or a small stack)
Insert the first plant you gathered (example: a Buckflower) into the Seed-Picking Unit to kickstart seed output and get the loop moving.
Step 7: Wait until buffers stabilize, then split surplus
Once both machines are consistently running and you’re approaching comfortable internal buffer levels, add a Splitter so part of the output continues looping while the rest goes to storage or processing lines.
How to automate meds with Buck Capsules
To turn your farm into healing items, you’ll feed Buckflower-derived powder plus bottles into a Filling Unit, which crafts Buck Capsules on a timed cycle.
For example, Buck Capsule C uses Amethyst Bottle x5 and Buckflower Powder x5 and produces 1 capsule every 10 seconds (listed as 6/min).
Step 1: Build a Buckflower farm loop
Run the infinite loop using Buckflower as the plant you seed-pick and replant, so you have stable surplus.
Step 2: Convert surplus Buckflower into Buckflower Powder
Route your surplus Buckflower into a Shredder to produce Buckflower Powder (keep this line separate from your loop feed so you don’t starve the cycle).
Step 3: Produce bottles for the Filling Unit
Set up your Moulding Unit so it continuously supplies the Filling Unit with the right bottle tier (Amethyst/Ferrium/Steel), depending on which capsule grade you’re making.
Step 4: Feed both inputs into the Filling Unit
Belt Buckflower Powder and bottles into the Filling Unit, then select the Buck Capsule recipe you want (C/B/A) based on the inputs you’re providing.
Step 5: Send finished meds to storage/core
Route the Filling Unit output into storage so it doesn’t clog and stall production.
Meds rewards table
| Item | Made in | Inputs | Time |
|---|---|---|---|
| Buck Capsule C | Filling Unit | Amethyst Bottle x5 + Buckflower Powder x5 | 10s |
| Buck Capsule B | Filling Unit | Ferrium Bottle x10 + Buckflower Powder x10 | 10s |
| Buck Capsule A | Filling Unit | Steel Bottle x10 + Ground Buckflower Powder x10 | 10s |
How to automate Industrial Explosives
Industrial Explosives are crafted in the Packaging Unit using a fixed recipe: 5 Amethyst Components plus 1 Aketine Powder makes 1 Industrial Explosive.
You’ll generally automate Aketine Powder by growing Aketine through the same Seed-Picking + Planting loop, then shredding the plant output into powder.
Step 1: Build an Aketine farm loop
Use the same infinite-loop layout, but prime it with Aketine so the loop becomes self-sustaining over time.
Step 2: Shred Aketine into Aketine Powder
Route some surplus Aketine to a Shredding Unit using Splitters to convert it into Aketine Powder for the explosive recipe.
Step 3: Feed Aketine Powder and Amethyst Components into Packaging
Connect your Aketine Powder line and your Amethyst Components line into the Packaging Unit.
Select Industrial Explosive production.
Step 4: Export explosives to storage/core
Send the Packaging output to storage so the line doesn’t jam when your inventory is full or when downstream is blocked.
Locations for Aketine
If you’re building the explosives line, Aketine can be found in the Valley Pass area (use it to prime your Aketine loop before the factory sustains itself).
Explosives rewards
| Item | Made in | Inputs |
|---|---|---|
| Industrial Explosive | Packaging Unit | 5 Amethyst Components + 1 Aketine Powder |
How to keep the system running smoothly
Power placement matters—use Electric Pylons to ensure every machine is actually supplied and not silently idle.
If belts back up, split lanes or add splitters so your loop always gets “its share” first, then everything extra goes to powder/production/storage.
Once your Seed-Picking + Planting loop is stable, every other plant-based product becomes a routing problem: keep the loop fed, then split surplus into meds and explosives.
From there, your Filling Unit handles Buck Capsules with the correct bottle-and-powder recipe, and your Packaging Unit handles Industrial Explosives using Aketine Powder plus amethyst components.
