At some point in Arknights: Endfield, progress stops feeling smooth and starts feeling gated. You're clearing fights, your squad's doing fine, and then—bam—promotion materials. Pink and Red Boletes are the ones that catch most players off guard, because they're tied straight to those level breaks. If you're still figuring out your routine (or even sorting out Arknights endfield accounts for an alt), it's worth learning these mushrooms early so you don't end up stuck staring at a cap you can't push through.

Why These Mushrooms Matter

Pink Boletes are what you'll burn through when you're trying to get operators past the first real wall, moving from level 20 toward 40. Red Boletes kick in later and usually feel worse, because by then you've invested in your core team and you're hungry to reach 60. People often stockpile random mats and forget these two, then suddenly they're benching an operator they actually like. If you've ever had to swap out your main DPS just because you couldn't promote them, you already know how annoying that feels.

Pink Bolete Routes That Don't Waste Your Time

For Pink Boletes, you're mostly living in the early and mid zones, and it pays to run a simple loop instead of wandering. The Hub is a solid anchor point, especially around the Old Power Plant and the edges near Rockhill Passage. Valley Pass is another easy sweep if you're already questing there, and Originium Science Park has a couple of spots that people miss because they're focused on objectives. The key thing: these nodes sit on a 24-hour real-time respawn, so treat it like a daily chore you do fast, not a grind you "finish" in one night.

Red Boletes And The Hidden Nodes Problem

Red Boletes show up once you're pushing into areas like Origin Lodespring and the Power Plateau, and they're not always sitting right beside the path. Some are blocked by rubble or tucked behind little environmental tricks, so you might need explosives or to poke at a puzzle before you can even reach the growth point. Watch your map for that rare growth icon and don't be shy about dropping a marker the moment you find one. Tomorrow-you will be grateful when the reset hits and you can repeat the route without re-learning the terrain.

Make It Sustainable

Pure foraging will wear you down, so get the Growth Chamber in the OMV Dijiang facility unlocked as soon as it's realistic. Once you've got the right mycelia, growing Pink and Red Boletes in the background changes everything—you log in, collect, and move on. Mix that with a quick daily sweep in the open world, and you'll stay ahead of promotions instead of chasing them. Also, little helpers like Floral Bunnies can tip you off to nearby spawns, which makes the whole loop feel less like guesswork, especially if you're trying to keep pace with friends or browsing Arknights endfield accounts for sale and planning a fresh roster path.