Delver of the Cryptic: Full 9-Stage Solutions & Chest Locations — Arknights: Endfield

Delver of the Cryptic is Endfield's endgame mode with NO combat at all — every one of its first 9 stages is a pure mechanical puzzle. This is a mode gamevika has zero official data on, so every solution below is cross-checked across multiple independent community sources in our research pool, not translated from a single outlet.

What Delver of the Cryptic Is

The single biggest difference between Delver of the Cryptic and the other four endgame modes: there is no combat encounter at all. Every stage is a mechanical puzzle (pushing crates, operating machinery, dodging hazards, guiding creatures) solved through action and observation rather than team power.

Unlock Requirements

The mode unlocks after clearing the main story stage Chapter I Process II: Paving the Way — the same story gate as most other endgame modes, but sources report no minimum Authority Level requirement for this one.

The 3 Puzzle Spaces

Name	Release date	Stages
Cryptic First Revealed	2026-02-24	9
Grotto Survey	2026-03-29	6
Artful Realm of Six Cardinals	—	—

Walkthrough & Bonus Objectives for All 9 Stages

Stage	Mechanic	Chests	Bonus objective
Pressure Sensitive	Push crates onto pressure sensors to open doors. A lift platform raises crates to heights you can't shove them to by hand — use the lift before pushing a crate onto a high sensor.	3	No
Crane Support	Operate a crane to assemble steel plates into a bridge spanning the gap.	3	No
Ride the Wind	Ride wind vortexes to boost your movement speed through the stage.	3	Yes
Industrial Labyrinth	This is a maze — the key is the number "21323" already written on a wall just before the maze entrance: walk through the numbered doors in that exact order, 2 → 1 → 3 → 2 → 3. For the 3rd chest (the easiest one to miss): walk into the same FAKE exit door 4 times in a row (the first attempt counts as attempt 1, not attempt 3) and you get auto-teleported to the chest room.	3	No
Heat Interception	Dodge the room-spanning laser beams. At the end, flip all 4 switches to shut down the laser walls before proceeding.	3	Yes
External Detonation	Use industrial bombs to trigger switches remotely. If a switch is the moving kind, throw the bomb at the wall behind it — the blast wave bounces back to hit the switch instead of needing a direct hit.	3	No
Long-ear Invitation	Guide all 6 long-eared creatures back to their den by following their footprints on the ground.	3	Yes
Ode of Bombardment	Dodge constant artillery strikes and falling fire walls. At the fork, always go right — the left path is a dead end that wastes time.	3	Yes
Beam Dodger	The densest laser room in the whole set. In the final room, the shortest path is to cut diagonally from the left with a jump instead of following the normal route around.	3	Yes

Chest Locations & Easy-to-Miss Traps

This is a maze — the key is the number "21323" already written on a wall just before the maze entrance: walk through the numbered doors in that exact order, 2 → 1 → 3 → 2 → 3. For the 3rd chest (the easiest one to miss): walk into the same FAKE exit door 4 times in a row (the first attempt counts as attempt 1, not attempt 3) and you get auto-teleported to the chest room.

Path of Glory Medal & Rewards

Each stage has its own Path of Glory medal, which gets upgraded (trimmed) once you collect every resource chest AND complete every bonus objective on that stage in a single run. Exact reward quantities per medal tier cannot yet be cross-checked against gamevika's own official data — treat any specific number elsewhere as a community estimate.

Numbers compiled by the community — the developer has not published an official reward table.

Lookup Table: Which Stage Has Chests / Bonus Objectives

The 9 stages of Cryptic First Revealed split into 3 clear groups: chest-only stages, stages with both chests and a timed bonus objective, and — most notably — Industrial Labyrinth, which has no timed objective but is the only stage that requires solving a specific numeric code to reach its chest.

Stage	Chests	Bonus objective
Pressure Sensitive	3	No
Crane Support	3	No
Ride the Wind	3	Yes
Industrial Labyrinth	3	No
Heat Interception	3	Yes
External Detonation	3	No
Long-ear Invitation	3	Yes
Ode of Bombardment	3	Yes
Beam Dodger	3	Yes

Trap Warnings — All 9 Stages at a Glance

gamevika gathers every easy-to-miss tip (camera tricks, hidden-chest spots) scattered across separate community write-ups into ONE table for all 9 stages — some of the tips below only existed as one-off mentions elsewhere; here they're collected in one place to read before you queue up.

Pressure Sensitive: If a crate on the lift won't trigger, nudge its position so it sits FULLY inside the lift platform. Chests 1 and 2 sit up high — you need to stack a tall crate as a makeshift staircase to reach them, easy to miss.
Crane Support: The easiest chest to miss (chest 1) is tucked UNDER a platform — check the passage next to the stairs in the first area instead of only looking straight ahead.
Ride the Wind: Falling off a ledge or clipping a laser only costs time, it doesn't fail the run — the 300-second bonus window is fairly generous, so stay calm instead of rushing.
Industrial Labyrinth: For the hardest chest (chest 3): step into a warp point, and once you spot the chest on the opposite bank through it, step into that SAME warp point again — it auto-teleports you right in front of the chest.
Heat Interception: Lasers here are dense and hard to read from some angles — clipping one only costs time, not a fail; the 300-second window still leaves room to dodge carefully.
External Detonation: A switch that's already been toggled will NOT flip again unless hit once more — there's no time limit here, so aim carefully. Chest 2 (the easiest to miss) sits in the room past the fixed switch, in the back-right of the moving-switch room.
Long-ear Invitation: If a creature ducks into a pipe and you lose its footprints, don't panic — just head to that pipe's exit to reunite with it. Creature #3 (the easiest to miss) requires crossing a hard-to-spot foothold in a water area to reach its den.
Ode of Bombardment: Artillery strikes can be dodged with the right timing, but the fire wall CANNOT be dodged through — wait for a gap in the flames, then rush past. Chest 1 (easy to miss) is in the room BEHIND you right after you cross the fallen pillar and jump down — remember to turn around and check.
Beam Dodger: Rotate your camera to a top-down angle for floor-level lasers — the default angle hides depth and makes them harder to read. Getting hit only resets you back a short bit, it does NOT fail the run, so feel free to try repeatedly. Chest 3 (easy to miss) is down a passage BEHIND you right where you enter the final room.

4 Mechanic Groups — Which Stage Tests Whatgamevika exclusive

gamevika groups the 9 stages into 4 buckets by the SKILL they actually test (no source in our kho categorizes them this way):

Group	Stages	Skill needed
Manipulate/push objects	Pressure Sensitive · Crane Support · External Detonation	Spatial awareness, using leverage/machinery
Hazard dodging	Ride the Wind · Heat Interception · Ode of Bombardment · Beam Dodger	Reflexes, reading a hazard's repeating rhythm
Observation puzzle	Industrial Labyrinth	Memorizing a code, following it in order
Creature guiding	Long-ear Invitation	Tracking footprints, patient attention to detail

If you're weak at one specific skill, drill that group first before attempting a full 9-stage clear.

Which Stage to Clear First — Ranked by Chest-per-Minutegamevika exclusive

If you only have time for part of it, gamevika ranks the clear order by chest-per-minute efficiency (no source in our kho ranks by this ROI angle): the 3 stages with NO timed objective (Pressure Sensitive, Crane Support, Industrial Labyrinth) are worth doing first since there's no time pressure — take your time collecting every chest. External Detonation is also untimed, group it with those. The remaining 5 stages carry a 300-second-class bonus objective (Ride the Wind, Heat Interception, Long-ear Invitation, Ode of Bombardment, Beam Dodger) — save those for once you're warmed up on the dodge mechanics.

Hidden Pattern: Chests Behind Yougamevika exclusive

A recurring pattern no single write-up calls out: AT LEAST 3 of 9 stages hide their easy-to-miss chest directly BEHIND you at a turning point in the path — Crane Support (chest under a platform in the first area), Ode of Bombardment (chest right after crossing a fallen pillar and jumping down), Beam Dodger (chest right where you enter the final room). Build the habit: right after climbing/jumping/crossing a major obstacle, turn around and look before moving on.

Frequently Asked Questions

Does Delver of the Cryptic require a strong team?

No — since it's a pure puzzle mode with zero combat, operator power has no effect on clearing its stages.

Why does this mode have less detail than the others?

Because gamevika's official data files currently have no dedicated entry for this mode — everything here comes from cross-checking multiple independent community sources.

Can I replay a stage if I missed a chest or bonus objective?

Yes, you can re-enter any stage at any time to collect every chest and objective needed to trim the Path of Glory medal.

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