Guide for new runners

A typical stage progresses from the beginning to the end normally and the goal would be to kill the last enemy as fast as possible. Now, a lot of stages also have something we call killgates which are enemies which causes a “break” in the stage and you need to either kill everything when they spawn or, if there is a boss, you can trigger boss phases to act as if you killed that enemy and cause the stage to progress. How it exactly works and how the boss interacts with the killgate depends on the stage. If you wanna check if there is a killgate you can use [https://map.ark-nights.com/](https://map.ark-nights.com/ "https://map.ark-nights.com/"). 

After that there are 2 approaches depending on if you are trying to do an PTRS(auto) run or a manual run. 

Manual speedruns like full events, SSS, IS and individual levels are faster by trying to avoid placing a lot of operators and pressing a lot of skills as the time spent can start to add up when you do that. You have to judge if trying to place stuff for dps or if avoiding steps is better in each case and optimize placement for that. New account speedruns would fall into that category but as you run with what operators you can get, you are usually more concerned with having enough to get to your goal and optimizing your resources. New accounts, IS and SSS also include going through menus quickly. 

PRTS speedruns are for individual stages but annihilation is played the same way as it is using the "in-game time" provided instead of real time. For that type of speedrun, the time slow during placement and when you click on operators don't matter. Because of that, the optimization doesn't come from playing fast at all but instead, from triggering the stage to continue by acting on the killgate and finishing the last enemies both at the frame they spawn if possible. Here are some useful operators and skills to achieve that: Ash S3, Blaze S3, Fiametta S2, Firewatch S2, Horn S2 or and to a lesser extend Mlynar S3, Ebenholz S3, Ch’en the Holungday S3, Executor Alter S3. You can obviously buff your operators and debuff enemies as you see fit. 

To time your run, which is optional to submit a time but can help you see how fast you are, follow the general and category rules on speedrun.com and use either :

- [https://somewes.com/frame-count/](https://somewes.com/frame-count/ "https://somewes.com/frame-count/")

enter your files or your YouTube link, enter the correct FPS and find the starting and ending point of your run.

- [https://slashinfty.github.io/yt-frame-timer/](https://slashinfty.github.io/yt-frame-timer/ "https://slashinfty.github.io/yt-frame-timer/")

upload your run on YouTube and follow the steps on the site to find the the starting and ending point of your run. 

Don't hesitate to look at some already submitted runs if you wanna see how it works and to ask question here or on the discord at [https://discord.gg/Z7wnTNeTKz](https://discord.gg/Z7wnTNeTKz) if you need help for anything !

How to Speedrun Annihilation

In a nutshell, annihilation has "checkpoints" to adjust the rewards.
These checkpoints are at the 100th, 200th, 300th, 350th, and 400th enemy.

Knowing this, you only need to clear the board by the time these enemies spawn. Most high-end runs will attempt to kill these enemies on the first frame that they spawn in the world and are damageable.

Some go-to choices for this first-frame kill include Firewatch S2, Blaze S3, and Ash S3. These skills specifically can be used and "primed" before the enemy spawns. The skill is then "released" when the enemy spawns. This requires a higher level understanding of the operator. For example, when Firewatch's bombs spawn into the world, she can be retreated to allow the bombs to instantly drop and do damage even when paused.

There are other skills and operators available and your best resource is the [Arknights Speedrunning Discord](https://discord.gg/gMKprFepFe).

*will probably update this with pictures in the future*

Integrated Strategies Last Enemy Spawns

https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1E2eqFtnnmXm99KBF6ZRQ4mStjV7oPdG9DYtogvOLMps/edit#gid=1240949354

I spoke with Spiefie about the spreadsheet and will be taking over maintenance of it. 
IS3 has been updated with the times from Map-Ark.
Ideally, we collect fastest recorded times for each map and on a new tab of the spreadsheet, fill those out. This may help players determine which maps have the best real-time experience.

Submit the runs here: https://forms.gle/skfCUL4G1JUTEEgq5

New Account Speedruns

The new additions and adjustments to the early game of Arknights has opened a new wave of accessibility to both new players and speedrunners. As a result we found it necessary to reintroduce the rules and outline some of the changes. This will hopefully make the rules on new account runs less vague and provide some help for speedruners willing to give new account runs a try!

**Timer Start:** First frame when the screen fades to black upon clicking Confirm on the player name insert

![](/static/blob/yzrm434e.jpg)

**Timer Ends:** First frame when the DP bar STOPS filling for the end goal of the category

![](https://i.imgur.com/Cy7tXCn.png)

In the event that DP is capped, then time ends on the first frame when the opaque Mission Success screen appears.

Upon starting the game certain items and events would pop up so here are whats allowed and whats not

## Things that can be used: 

- [Senior Operator Training Invitation Letter] from 7 day Consecutive Sign-in
- 3800 Orundom from mail 'Orundom resupply for newbie Doctors!'
- 200 parametric model from mail '[Headhunting Parametric Model] resupply'
- [Operator Voucher] from mail 'Commemoration Event Reward'
![](/static/blob/5nggr9jn.jpg)
- [Senior Operator Transfer Permit] from mail 'Permanent Event for Newbie Doctors'
![](/static/blob/xz0dkl0e.jpg)

# Distinction Certificate Shop Operators

Due to a recent update operators formerly locked behind Contingency Contract can now be purchasable. Therefore Operators **Bibeak, Scene, Tuye and Erato** can be used and bought from the distinction certificate store.

![](https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachments/1058968040517161041/1350058155278729266/Screenshot_2025.03.14_04.46.43.342.png?ex=67d94fa3&is=67d7fe23&hm=994d8122501194e9b61139b6949f59dfc168641758c530a6e0101f23cc0bf3c5&=)

## Things that cannot be done:

- Skipping the 2nd tutorial operation ???
- Spending money in the game
- Originium Prime or Orundom from maintenance compensation
- Using the Distinction Certificate store to purchase an operator (unless stated otherwise)
- Pulling on a limited operator banner
- Using the currently running event store
- Using the currently running event bonus items (sanity potions or material boxes)
- Using items and material received via limited time login events

Note:
Due to the nature of speedruning its bound to occur that one of the item that is prohibited from using is collected especially during a claim all so as long as its ensured in the entire run that the materials are not utilized then a run will still be considered valid.

## Changes/advice players can utilize:

- On a support unit run you are allowed to receive friend requests to receive a specific support unit
- Integrated Strategies have the ability to purchase levels with originium prime which can help expedite the time needed to gain certain materials
- Integrated Strategies have a monthly squad/operators that can be freely selectable to gain its rewards
- Support units are allowed to be utilized for Integrated Strategies
- Leaking an enemy on Integrated Strategies is allowed
- You are allowed to leak enemies on 100% runs provided it is not part of the main route of the event (for example you can leak an enemy in LS-4 but not on 3-3)

zopney

LeSot

GL1TCH3D

sydaske

Arknights

HS-9

HS-8

Android

PronKill

DylanUchiha

olver_promnade

USA / NTSC

Chernobog

Lungmen Outskirts

Lungmen Downtown

The Grand Knight Territory Outskirts

Frozen Abandoned City

Abandoned Mine

Flooded Seashore

Watery Tidehollow

Long Spring Wastes

Dossoles Water Gate

DP Printing

Grani and the Knights' Treasure

Heart of Surging Flame

South Prison

Lucian

Big Sad Lock

Mouthpiece

Castle Sightseeing

Formal Investigation

Calamity Faceoff

County Hillock Countryside

Code of Brawl

Ch 1 Summoners

Ch 0 & 1 Summoners

1-12 Any%

Night Champion Show

Toron Mine

Iron Carrot Mine

Playwright

Lingering Shangshu Trails

Darknights Memoir

Chocolate Street

Glebe Mining Platform

To Be Continued

Penumbra Shipyards

No Restrictions

Słoma Processing Platform

7-14

Paranoia Illusion

The Last Knight

Ishar'mla

IS2 Monthly

IS2 Deep Investigations

IS3 -1

Supports

No Supports

LS-3

Annihilation 1

NL-10

SN-10

M8-8

Player Level 5

Episode 1

Episode 5

All IS2 Bosses

Under-Construction Dossoles Plate

Acahuallan Jungle

Standard

Emergency

Research Base Hangar

Where Vernal Winds Will Never Blow

Basepoint Survey Team

Low Rank

High Rank

Master Rank

Lungmen Commercial Street

Rest Avenue

Lone Trail

Mama John's New Plate

Raythean Industries Test Platform

All IS3 Bosses

Ashy Marsh

Izumik

Twilight of Wolumonde

The Great Chief Returns

Maria Nearl

Mansfield Break

Who is Real

Dossoles Holiday

A Walk in the Dust

Annihilation Mission

Operator Category

Event

Ending

Difficulty

Extended Category

Archived Category

Stage

Supports Used?

Any% Objective

100% Objective

SSS Supply Mode

Contest

Rank

difficulty

Bingo board

Lucent Arrowhead Speedrun Contest

Mode

Operator Rank

Edit: Due to administrative error the deadline date for the event was way longer than intended, the event submission will close on 3 June 2025, 10:00 (UTC-7) and the same goes for the review period ending on 4 June 2025, 03:59 (UTC-7) or earlier

Edit 2: Previous edit has been cancelled both due to 

Nome	Autore
Guide for new runners	sydaske 1 year ago
How to Speedrun Annihilation	zopney 2 years ago
Integrated Strategies Last Enemy Spawns	GL1TCH3D 2 years ago
New Account Speedruns	LeSot 6 months ago