Is Arknights F2P Friendly in 2026?
The honest answer, with numbers: a free-to-play player in Arknights earns roughly 36 pulls per month against an average of ~38 pulls per 5★ — that's about 0.95 5★ per month completely free. Here's the full breakdown and what it means for your wallet.
What F2P actually gets
The free monthly income in Arknights comes from:
- **Dailies**: the core 60/day
- **Events**: 1-2 per patch, each 1,500-3,000 Orundum
- **Endgame modes**: weekly/rotating clears
- **Free battle pass**: the no-purchase track
- **Maintenance & stream codes**: small but consistent
Added up: roughly 21600 Orundum/month ≈ 36 pulls. The Arknights Income Calculator shows each source separately and lets you toggle what applies to you.
What that buys you
| Goal | Pulls needed | F2P time |
|---|---|---|
| Average 5★ | ~38 | ~1.1 months |
| Hard pity | 300 | ~8.3 months |
| Guaranteed featured (worst case) | {hard * 2} | ~16.7 months |
Compare that against the full 6-game ranking on the F2P-Friendly Comparison page — Arknights scores 0.95 (5★ per month, higher is better).
The catch: soft pity is your friend
"Average ~38 pulls" only holds because of soft pity — the rate ramps from pull 50. In practice most 5★ land between 50 and 300. Check the Arknights Pity Odds Table for the exact curve.
How to play F2P without rage
1. Pick 1-2 characters per patch max — 300 pulls is a real budget
2. Never touch the weapon banner unless you can reach the guarantee (see the Arknights Weapon Banner guide)
3. Spend Orundum on the character banner only
4. Bank anniversary freebies — the biggest F2P windows of the year
5. Use the Pull Planner before every banner: if the projection says no, skip
Summary
- Arknights gives F2P players ~36 pulls/month ≈ 0.95 5★ per month
- One hard pity every ~8.3 months of saving
- Generous enough to stay competitive if you plan around pity — the calculators on this site exist for exactly that