Arknights Endfield Runners’ Steeplechase Balloons are spread across all four Wuling race tracks, with 41 available in total and 35 needed to clear the final Runner’s Milestone. You do not need all 41 for every reward, and you do not even need 35 for all of the event’s Oroberyl. The milestone thresholds are 5, 10, 15, 20 and 35 balloons, so knowing what each level actually pays prevents a lot of unnecessary re-running.
The most useful rule for Arknights Endfield Runners’ Steeplechase Balloons is that collected balloons still count even if you do not finish the race. That means a slow collection run is completely valid. You can deliberately leave the timer behind, grab awkward balloons, let the attempt fail, and then start a clean speed run for your three-star time without losing the balloon progress you already banked.
Arknights Endfield Runners’ Steeplechase Balloons: How Many Are There?
Image credit: Gryphline
There are 41 Arknights Endfield Runners’ Steeplechase Balloons across the event. Pavilion Hop contains 9, Wind Step contains 7, Bastion Trek contains 14 and Cloud Stroll contains 11. The final milestone asks for 35, so full milestone completion allows you to miss six balloons across the entire event.
| Track | Balloon count | Running total |
|---|---|---|
| Pavilion Hop | 9 | 9 |
| Wind Step | 7 | 16 |
| Bastion Trek | 14 | 30 |
| Cloud Stroll | 11 | 41 |
Bastion Trek contributes the biggest share of Arknights Endfield Runners’ Steeplechase Balloons with 14. If you are trying to reach the final 35-balloon threshold efficiently, that course is the least forgiving one to ignore because skipping a large number there forces you to clean up more balloons across the other three tracks.
Arknights Endfield Runners’ Steeplechase Balloons Milestone Rewards
Runner’s Milestones pay rewards at five Arknights Endfield Runners’ Steeplechase Balloons totals. The first three Oroberyl payouts arrive at 5, 10 and 20 balloons. The 15-balloon milestone gives the Champion Runner portrait frame instead, while the final 35-balloon milestone gives progression crates and T-Creds rather than more Oroberyl.
| Balloons | Rewards |
|---|---|
| 5 | 160 Oroberyl, 1 Mark of Perseverance, 1 Rolling Chubby Lung Energy Drink |
| 10 | 160 Oroberyl, 1 Mark of Perseverance, 1 Rolling Chubby Lung Energy Drink |
| 15 | Portrait Frame: Champion Runner, 2 Mark of Perseverance, 1 Rolling Chubby Lung Energy Drink |
| 20 | 160 Oroberyl, 2 Mark of Perseverance, 1 Rolling Chubby Lung Energy Drink |
| 35 | 5 Advanced Progression Selection Crate I, 50,000 T-Creds, 1 Rolling Chubby Lung Energy Drink |
The Arknights Endfield Runners’ Steeplechase Balloons milestone track therefore gives 480 Oroberyl in total. The remaining 720 Oroberyl in the event comes from the 12 race stars, for the officially advertised 1,200 overall. If you only want currency, 20 balloons plus three stars on all four tracks is enough. If you want every milestone item, you need 35 balloons.
Do You Need All 41 Arknights Endfield Runners’ Steeplechase Balloons?
No. You can leave six Arknights Endfield Runners’ Steeplechase Balloons uncollected and still claim the 35-balloon final milestone. There is no extra milestone at 41 in the event data used for the reward track, so collecting the last six is optional unless you simply want to clear the courses completely for your own checklist.
That makes route planning much easier. If one balloon is positioned on an awkward detour or repeatedly ruins a three-star attempt, skip it and take an easier balloon elsewhere. The event has enough spare balloons to let you choose which six you do not want to chase.
Why Failed Runs Still Help With Arknights Endfield Runners’ Steeplechase Balloons
The event rules specifically preserve Arknights Endfield Runners’ Steeplechase Balloons collected during a failed run. This is one of the most player-friendly parts of the event because it separates exploration from speed. You can take a first attempt slowly, learn where the course bends and pick up balloons without treating every mistake as a wasted run.
Once the milestone counter has registered the balloons, restart the track and concentrate on speed. The parent Runners’ Steeplechase 3-star guide lists the exact targets: 200 seconds for Pavilion Hop, 150 for Wind Step, 240 for Bastion Trek and 150 for Cloud Stroll.
Fastest Way to Reach 35 Arknights Endfield Runners’ Steeplechase Balloons
You can reach 35 Arknights Endfield Runners’ Steeplechase Balloons before collecting every course cleanly. Pavilion Hop and Wind Step together contain 16. Adding all 14 from Bastion Trek brings the total to 30, leaving only five needed from Cloud Stroll. That is a useful target if you want the final milestone quickly and do not care about a perfect 41 out of 41 collection.
Alternatively, if Cloud Stroll’s low-gravity route suits you better than Bastion Trek, the six-balloon allowance means you can leave difficult balloons wherever they cost the most time. There is no requirement to take exactly the same route as another player as long as the cumulative Arknights Endfield Runners’ Steeplechase Balloons counter reaches the threshold you want.
Do Arknights Endfield Runners’ Steeplechase Balloons Affect the 3-Star Timer?
Collecting Arknights Endfield Runners’ Steeplechase Balloons does not create a separate time bonus in the published event rules. They are a milestone collectible, while stars are based on the time you take to reach the finish. Because those systems are tracked independently, trying to sweep every balloon during a three-star run can make the speed objective harder for no extra star benefit.
Use the systems separately: balloon run first, speed run second. If you are also clearing the October 1 web event, our OrbiPom Merge Event guide explains the separate 300 Oroberyl reward and why it does not share progress with the races.
For the first-party event schedule and version details, see the official Arknights: Endfield Dreamscape of Wind and Snow version notes.
