Hartmann is a sales representative from Erikssohn Trading House who appears during a multi-part exploration mission chain in Arknights: Endfield. His storyline spans several quests in The Hub area of Valley IV, starting with "The Road is Rough" and continuing through "Business is Tough" and ultimately "Kindness is Rare." These missions introduce zipline mechanics, power transmission systems, and a morally complex contract negotiation that has no perfect answer.
Quick answer: To complete the Hartmann questline, you must deploy and power zipline pylons using Relay Towers, investigate his disappearance by scanning for clues, then choose between three flawed business partners in the "Kindness is Rare" mission — or refuse them all.
The Road is Rough mission walkthrough
This exploration mission unlocks automatically after completing the "Paving the Way" main mission. Head to The Hub and speak with Salman to discuss a vendor contract with Erikssohn Trading House. She needs help evaluating a potential partnership.
Step 1: Travel to the north side of the Old Factory area and meet the client. Hartmann introduces himself and begins a product demonstration involving zipline technology.
Step 2: Deploy a Zipline Pylon near Hartmann and supply it with power. The game requires you to transmit electricity from The Hub's power grid to the pylon's location. Find your nearest existing Relay Tower or construct a new one facing the Old Factory, then start a transmission.
Step 3: While transmitting, extend the connection as far as possible before placing another Relay Tower. Repeat this chain until you reach the Zipline Pylon beside Hartmann. Each tower acts as a relay point, so spacing them efficiently reduces the total number needed.
Step 4: After powering the first pylon, Hartmann crosses to the opposite side of a cliff. Teleport to the nearest fast travel point and place additional Zipline Pylons near him. Ensure these also have power connections.
Step 5: Use the newly operational zipline to return across the cliff to your starting position. Hartmann leaves to retrieve something from his vehicle.
Step 6: Fiona alerts you that Hartmann has gone missing. Search The Hub to find him with Wulfgard. Use your scan function to investigate the area and locate three key items: Hartmann's Work ID, Used Bolts, and Hartmann's Dashcam Record.
After examining the evidence and speaking with Fiona, the mission concludes. Rewards include 5,150 T-Creds, 9 Protoprism, 75 Oroberyl, 16 Intermediate Combat Records, 12 Arms INSP Kits, and 300 Operational EXP.
Business is Tough mission walkthrough
This quest unlocks after completing "The Road is Rough" and waiting for the next server reset. A new agent named Aleksandr appears in the Core AIC Area, claiming to represent a competing company interested in the zipline contract.
Step 1: Speak with Aleksandr, who attempts to pitch his company's services. During the conversation, you gain the opportunity to challenge his credentials.
Step 2: Present evidence that Aleksandr is not actually employed by Erikssohn Trading House. The required item is the Erikssohn Employee Roster HT, which you obtain through exploration and gathering activities in the game world.
Step 3: Interview the three agents present in the area. Each has a different background and set of circumstances that affect their suitability as a business partner.
Step 4: Perlica arrives to help mediate. After the dialogue concludes, the mission ends and sets up the final choice in "Kindness is Rare."
Completing this mission awards 5,150 T-Creds, 9 Protoprism, 75 Oroberyl, 1 Intermediate Combat Record, 1 Arms INSP Kit, and 300 Operational EXP.
Kindness is Rare contract decision
The culminating mission presents three potential business partners, each with significant drawbacks. Salman asks for your recommendation on which contract to sign.
Hartmann represents Erikssohn Trading House, the company you originally intended to work with. His company faces financial difficulties and has a reputation for defaulting on payments. Hartmann himself is honest about these struggles and even suggests you might be better off choosing someone else. He only concealed his company's instability, which could have been discovered through standard vetting.
Aleksandr was fired from his previous employer approximately a year before the events of the quest. He carries an outdated document holder and lacks a current company ID because his credentials were revoked when he was terminated. His contract offer is essentially fraudulent since he cannot actually negotiate on behalf of any company. However, he desperately needs money to pay for his father's medical treatment, which creates a sympathetic angle. He also orchestrated the assault on Hartmann and hired Hans as the mercenary who carried it out.
Hans is the hired muscle who attacked Hartmann. His employer represents pure corporate opportunism with no redeeming qualities in the narrative.
Which contract choice is best
No option produces an ideal outcome. The decision functions as a trolley problem weighing moral principles against practical business concerns.
Choosing Hartmann rewards honesty and punishes criminal behavior, but his company may default on payments. The worst-case scenario is Endfield losing money on a single contract, which is survivable. The best case involves stabilizing a struggling company and gaining a reliable long-term partner.
Choosing Aleksandr helps someone in genuine medical crisis but rewards assault, identity theft, and fraud. Since he was fired, his former company has no obligation to compensate him even if the deal goes through. They could accept the contract, thank him, and refuse to pay for his work.
Choosing Hans is not presented as a viable option by the end of the questline. His employer faces legal consequences.
Refusing all three is also possible. Some players report this choice persists rather than forcing you back to an earlier decision point. From a strict business perspective, none of the candidates meet basic requirements for trustworthiness and reliable payment.
Hartmann's Dashcam Record lore item
The dashcam footage recovered during "The Road is Rough" serves as evidence in the investigation. This finding, along with Hartmann's Work ID and the Used Bolts, helps piece together what happened when Hartmann disappeared. The game's lore database categorizes this as a discoverable document within the broader narrative of Valley IV's corporate conflicts.
The Hartmann questline demonstrates Arknights: Endfield's approach to side content, blending base-building mechanics like power transmission with narrative choices that lack clear right answers. Whether you prioritize ethics, pragmatism, or compassion, the game acknowledges that business decisions on Talos-II rarely come with clean resolutions.
