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==Song Selection==
 
==Song Selection==
 
[[File:Selecting a Song and Level.jpg|thumb|220x220px]]
 
[[File:Selecting a Song and Level.jpg|thumb|220x220px]]
*There are three difficulty modes in this game:
+
*There are four difficulties in this game. In ascending order:
**Past (PST): for beginners.
+
**Past (PST)
**Present (PRS): for all kinds of players.
+
**Present (PRS)
**Future (FTR): for experienced or good players
+
**Future (FTR)
  +
**Beyond (BYD)
 
  +
;Main Functions:
* The difficulty can be selected from the icons on the upper-left.
 
* The song list at the right can be scrolled by sliding it up or down.
+
*The difficulty can be selected from the icons on the upper-left.
  +
*The song list on the right can be scrolled by sliding it up or down.
 
*The songs can be sorted by Title, Grade, Clear (highest to lowest submitted score), Date (when the song was added to the game), and Difficulty.
+
*The song pack list can be accessed by selecting the current pack near the top of the screen.
  +
;Other Functions:
*The song pack list can be accessed by selecting the current pack at the top-middle of the screen.
 
  +
*The songs can be sorted by any of these criteria (ties are sorted alphanumerically):
  +
**Title
  +
**Grade (more accurately, score)
  +
**Clear (type)
  +
**Date (of song release)
  +
**Difficulty (level)
  +
*The songs can also be grouped into any of these categories:
  +
**Version (of song release)
  +
**Level
 
*A list of songs from all packs can be accessed by entering the pack list and selecting the "All Songs" button on the bottom.
 
*A list of songs from all packs can be accessed by entering the pack list and selecting the "All Songs" button on the bottom.
 
*The "RANDOM" button at the end of the song list directs to a random song without selecting it to play.
 
*The "RANDOM" button at the end of the song list directs to a random song without selecting it to play.
*By tapping the artwork for the song, you can set a different filter for the rankings on the lower-left, such as a filter for Friends (Only works when online).
+
*By tapping the artwork for the song, you can toggle between various filter types for the leaderboards on the lower-left.
   
 
== Play Screen ==
 
== Play Screen ==
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*'''Floor Input''': The solid purple horizontal line, spanning the track near the bottom, is the lower bound for notes.
 
*'''Floor Input''': The solid purple horizontal line, spanning the track near the bottom, is the lower bound for notes.
 
*'''Sky Input''': The striped horizontal line, cutting across the middle of the screen, is the upper bound for notes.
 
*'''Sky Input''': The striped horizontal line, cutting across the middle of the screen, is the upper bound for notes.
*'''Combo: '''Found under the sky input, it shows how many notes you have hit successfully, be it Pure or Far. A miss will break the combo.
+
*'''Combo: '''Found under the sky input, it shows how many notes you have hit successfully, be it PURE or FAR. A LOST will break the combo.
 
*'''Recollection Gauge''': The vertical bar at the top-left of the screen, of which there are various types.
 
*'''Recollection Gauge''': The vertical bar at the top-left of the screen, of which there are various types.
   
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** Top: Indicators are displayed on the Information Pane, under the song's cover art.
 
** Top: Indicators are displayed on the Information Pane, under the song's cover art.
 
** Combo: Indicators are displayed under the combo value.
 
** Combo: Indicators are displayed under the combo value.
** Disabled:''' '''Indicators are not displayed.
+
** Disabled: Indicators are not displayed.
   
 
=== Note Types ===
 
=== Note Types ===
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* Drag your finger along them as they move.
 
* Drag your finger along them as they move.
 
* In Past difficulty, they will only appear along the sky input and can only go left or right.
 
* In Past difficulty, they will only appear along the sky input and can only go left or right.
* In Present and Future difficulties, they can appear anywhere within the input region and can go in any direction.
+
* In Present, Future, and Beyond difficulties, they can appear anywhere within the input region and can go in any direction.
 
* In Present difficulty, if there is an upcoming arc note that goes downwards, you will be forewarned via an icon on the corner of the screen.
 
* In Present difficulty, if there is an upcoming arc note that goes downwards, you will be forewarned via an icon on the corner of the screen.
** There are blue and purple arc notes, which should be assigned to one hand each. If you attempt to switch fingers in the middle of an arc note, it will turn red and the combo ends.
+
* There are blue and purple arc notes, which should be assigned to one hand each. If you attempt to switch fingers in the middle of an arc note or hold the same finger for an arc note of a different color, it will turn red and the combo ends.
*** In [[Red and Blue and Green]], there is also a Green arc.
+
** In [[Red and Blue and Green]], there is also a Green arc.
** There's also no timing for when you hit the note, so you can actually hold your finger there beforehand and still get PURE timing.
+
* There's also no timing for when you hit the note, so you can actually hold your finger there beforehand and still get PURE timing.
*** This feature allows multiple short Arcs joining toghether to act like "Catch" notes.
+
** This feature allows multiple short Arcs joining toghether to act like "Catch" notes.
** Like long notes, you can "pick up" arc notes in the middle.
+
* Like long notes, you can "pick up" arc notes in the middle.
** If your finger drifts away from the note, you can still pull it back in some cases before losing your combo.
+
* If your finger drifts away from the note, you can still pull it back in some cases before losing your combo.
** If your finger is released before the note ends, you'll lose the note. Placing your finger back will turn the arc back, losing a few notes, before re-getting the points, but it is still recommended to prevent further LOST notes.
+
* If your finger is released before the note ends, you'll lose the note. Placing your finger back will turn the arc back, losing a few notes, before re-getting the points, but it is still recommended to prevent further LOST notes.
** Holding an arc note on the left of the screen causes the track to tilt slightly anticlockwise, and on the right causes the track to tilt slightly clockwise.
+
* Holding an arc note on the left of the screen causes the track to tilt slightly anticlockwise, and on the right causes the track to tilt slightly clockwise.
 
|[[File:Arc Note.jpg|thumb|50px]]
 
|[[File:Arc Note.jpg|thumb|50px]]
 
|-
 
|-
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|
 
|
 
* These notes appear above the track.
 
* These notes appear above the track.
* They only appear on Present and Future difficulties.
+
* They only appear on Present, Future, and Beyond difficulties.
 
* When a sky note and a floor note appear at the same time, there is a line connecting the two notes:
 
* When a sky note and a floor note appear at the same time, there is a line connecting the two notes:
 
** This was first introduced in 1.0.10, but it could be disabled.
 
** This was first introduced in 1.0.10, but it could be disabled.
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* Holding them does not award any bonus.
 
* Holding them does not award any bonus.
 
* Sky notes typically appear on or at the end of traces.
 
* Sky notes typically appear on or at the end of traces.
* They only appear on Present and Future difficulties.
+
* They only appear on Present, Future, and Beyond difficulties.
 
* In the game's tutorial, they are described to only appear after arc notes. However, this is not always true.
 
* In the game's tutorial, they are described to only appear after arc notes. However, this is not always true.
 
|[[File:Trace.jpg|thumb|50px]]
 
|[[File:Trace.jpg|thumb|50px]]
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== Recollection Rate ==
 
== Recollection Rate ==
Recollection Rate is a percentage which represents the player performance at the current time during gameplay. It is displayed on the left side of the screen on a meter known as the Recollection Gauge (or simply Gauge). The gauge fills slightly with every note hit, and depletes slightly with every note lost.
+
Recollection Rate is a value or symbol representing the player's performance at the current time during gameplay. It is displayed on the left side of the screen on a meter known as the Recollection Gauge. The gauge fills slightly with every note hit, and depletes slightly with every note lost.
   
There are several different types of gauge that depend on which partner you choose that behave differently:
+
There are several different types of gauge that depend on which partner you choose, each with its own characteristics:
   
'''Normal'''
+
=== Normal ===
 
*The gauge enabled by default.
 
*The gauge enabled by default.
 
*Default properties:
 
*Default properties:
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**The Recollection Rate fades in and out during gameplay.
 
**The Recollection Rate fades in and out during gameplay.
 
* Sealing a partner with a gauge-altering skill [[Partners#Effects|effect]], including Hikari (Zero), reverts the gauge to a Normal one.
 
* Sealing a partner with a gauge-altering skill [[Partners#Effects|effect]], including Hikari (Zero), reverts the gauge to a Normal one.
  +
'''Easy'''
 
  +
=== Easy ===
 
* Enabled when selecting a partner with the EASY skill effect.
 
* Enabled when selecting a partner with the EASY skill effect.
 
* Default properties:
 
* Default properties:
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** Gauge Colour: Cyan (< 70). Cyan & green (≥ 70).
 
** Gauge Colour: Cyan (< 70). Cyan & green (≥ 70).
 
* The penalty for losing consecutive notes is reduced.
 
* The penalty for losing consecutive notes is reduced.
  +
'''Hard'''
 
  +
=== Hard ===
 
[[File:low rr hard.png|thumb|200px]]
 
[[File:low rr hard.png|thumb|200px]]
 
* Enabled when selecting a partner with the HARD skill effect.
 
* Enabled when selecting a partner with the HARD skill effect.
 
* Default properties:
 
* Default properties:
 
** Initial Rate: 100
 
** Initial Rate: 100
**Maximum Rate: 100
+
** Maximum Rate: 100
 
** LOST Note Penalty: 8.5 (> 30). 4.5 (≤ 30).
 
** LOST Note Penalty: 8.5 (> 30). 4.5 (≤ 30).
 
** Track Complete properties:
 
** Track Complete properties:
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*** Adds to cleared song count in profile card.
 
*** Adds to cleared song count in profile card.
 
*** Fulfills song unlock requirements.
 
*** Fulfills song unlock requirements.
** Gauge Colour: Red.
+
** Gauge Colour: Red (+ Blue for [[Tairitsu (Tempest)]]).
** While rate < 30, red shock wave appears at the bottom of the screen.
+
* While Recollection Rate < 30, the bottom of the screen flashes red.
  +
* Losing consecutive notes incurs a greater penalty.
 
* With [[Pandora Nemesis (MTA-XXX)]]:
 
* With [[Pandora Nemesis (MTA-XXX)]]:
 
** Initial Rate: 20
 
** Initial Rate: 20
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** LOST Note Penalty: 1
 
** LOST Note Penalty: 1
 
** PURE/FAR Note Recovery: 0
 
** PURE/FAR Note Recovery: 0
  +
** No greater penalty for losing consecutive notes.
'''Overflow'''
 
  +
* With [[Tairitsu (Tempest)]]:
  +
** PURE/FAR Note Recoveries and LOST Note Penalties affect the speed of increase/decrease of the Recollection Rate instead of the rate itself.
  +
*** PURE and FAR notes push the speed weakly towards positive, and LOST notes push the speed strongly towards negative.
  +
*** Incurring multiple LOST notes in a short time causes the penalties to stack quadratically.
  +
*** The recovery rate always decays slowly towards a negative value.
  +
** The rate begins decreasing before the first note.
  +
*** The rate also decreases when the note density of a particular section of a chart is low, which makes it possible to obtain Track Lost if many LOST Notes are incurred right before a low note density section.
  +
*** The degree of leniency for the lowest note density allowed for the gauge to increase seems to be related with the song's BPM; if the BPM is low, the leniency is higher, and vice versa.
  +
** The gauge appearance depends on whether the recovery rate is positive or negative:
  +
*** When positive, the gauge appears blue like the NORMAL gauge above 70 Rate.
  +
*** When negative, the gauge appears red like the HARD gauge.
  +
*** The duration between the end of the song and the TRACK COMPLETE message lasts until the recovery decays to 0, and it is possible for a TRACK LOST to occur during this time.
  +
 
=== Overflow ===
 
*Enabled when selecting a partner with the OVERFLOW skill effect.
 
*Enabled when selecting a partner with the OVERFLOW skill effect.
 
*Hybrid of Easy and Hard gauges:
 
*Hybrid of Easy and Hard gauges:
 
**Initially functions as an Easy gauge.
 
**Initially functions as an Easy gauge.
**Transitions into a Hard gauge upon reaching 100 rate.
+
**Transitions into a Hard gauge upon reaching 100 recollection rate.
 
*Default properties:
 
*Default properties:
 
** Initial Rate: 0
 
** Initial Rate: 0
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*** As Hard gauge: Red.
 
*** As Hard gauge: Red.
 
*Songs can be cleared without the transition into Hard occurring, if the rate is kept between 70 and 100.
 
*Songs can be cleared without the transition into Hard occurring, if the rate is kept between 70 and 100.
  +
'''CHUNITHM'''
+
=== CHUNITHM ===
 
*Enabled when selecting a partner with the CHUNITHM skill effect.
 
*Enabled when selecting a partner with the CHUNITHM skill effect.
 
*Effectively a reskin of the Normal gauge.
 
*Effectively a reskin of the Normal gauge.
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***Fulfills song unlock requirements.
 
***Fulfills song unlock requirements.
 
**Gauge Colour: Blue (< [7]). Yellow (≥ [7]).
 
**Gauge Colour: Blue (< [7]). Yellow (≥ [7]).
  +
  +
=== DORO*C ===
  +
*Enabled when selecting [[DORO*C]] as partner.
  +
*Recollection Rate is the highest possible score at the current time.
  +
*The highest possible [[Scoring#Grades|grade]] is displayed on the Gauge.
  +
*Scale is not linear. All grades have the same interval length but the score range of each is different.
  +
*Default properties:
  +
**Initial Rate: EX+
  +
**Maximum Rate: EX+
  +
**LOST Note Penalty: Depends on number of notes.
  +
**FAR Note Penalty: Depends on number of notes.
  +
**Track Complete properties:
  +
***Requirement: ≥ AA
  +
***Icon Colour: Green.
  +
*** Does not add to cleared song count in profile card.
  +
*** Fulfills song unlock requirements.
  +
**Gauge Colour: Blue and red.
 
{| class="article-table"
 
{| class="article-table"
! colspan="7" style="text-align:center;" |Recollection Gauge Display
+
! colspan="9" style="text-align:center;" |Recollection Gauge Display
 
|-
 
|-
 
! colspan="2" |Easy
 
! colspan="2" |Easy
 
! colspan="2" |Normal
 
! colspan="2" |Normal
 
! colspan="2" |Overflow
 
! colspan="2" |Overflow
! rowspan="2" |Hard 
+
! colspan="3" |Hard 
  +
|-
  +
! rowspan="2" |< 70
  +
! rowspan="2" |≥ 70
  +
! rowspan="2" |< 70
  +
! rowspan="2" |≥ 70
  +
! rowspan="2" |< 70  
  +
! rowspan="2" |≥ 70
  +
! rowspan="2" |Default
  +
! colspan="2" |Tempest
 
|-
 
|-
  +
! -ve
!Below 70
 
  +
! +ve
!Above 70
 
!Below 70
 
!Above 70
 
!Below 70  
 
!Above 70
 
 
|-
 
|-
 
|[[File:Recollection gague - Easy below 70.png|thumb|37x220px]]
 
|[[File:Recollection gague - Easy below 70.png|thumb|37x220px]]
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|[[File:Recollection_gague_-_Overflow_above_70.png|thumb|37x220px]]
 
|[[File:Recollection_gague_-_Overflow_above_70.png|thumb|37x220px]]
 
|[[File:Recollection gague - Hard above 30.png|thumb|37x220px]]
 
|[[File:Recollection gague - Hard above 30.png|thumb|37x220px]]
  +
|[[File:Tempest gauge negative recovery.png|thumb|212x212px]]
  +
|[[File:Tempest gauge positive recovery.png|thumb|208x208px]]
 
|}
 
|}
   
===Scoring===
+
== Scoring ==
 
''Main article: [[Scoring]]''
 
''Main article: [[Scoring]]''
   
 
==Unlocks==
 
==Unlocks==
All players are able to play every song in the [[Arcaea]] pack for free. Songs in [[Memory Archive]] and song packs can be bought with [[Currency#Memories|Memories]], which are purchasable with real money. To see the cost for each song pack, access the song pack's page from [[Songs by Pack]].
+
All players are able to play every song in the [[Arcaea]] pack for free. Songs in [[Memory Archive]] and song packs can be bought with [[Currency#Memories|Memories]], which are purchasable with real money. Each song in [[World Extend]] can be permanently and individually unlocked for free for a limited time, or can be purchased as a whole pack with real money. To see the cost for each song pack, access the song pack's page from [[Songs by Pack]].
   
Certain songs, free or paid, have locked higher difficulties. There are four ways to unlock songs:
+
Certain songs, free or paid, have locked higher difficulties. The unlock criteria for most songs fall into one of the following categories:
#Reaching milestones in [[World Mode]] maps. Songs unlocked this way are listed in the [[Songs by Pack]] page (in bold), These songs have a different background on the song list compared to other songs.
+
# Reaching milestones in [[World Mode]] maps. Songs unlocked this way are listed in the [[Songs by Pack]] page (in bold), These songs have a different background on the song list compared to other songs.
#Paying [[Currency#Fragments|Fragments]]. The cost varies based on the song.
+
# Paying [[Currency#Fragments|Fragments]]. The cost varies based on the song.
#* The cost for Present charts are around 20-80 Fragments, while for the Future ones are 150-280. Solitary Dream's Future chart requires the most Fragments (500).
+
#* The cost for most Present charts are around 20-80 Fragments, while those for Future charts are around 150-280.
 
# Clearing certain other songs on the same difficulty. These songs may come with rating requirements, Fragment requirements, or both as well.
#* [[γuarδina]] is the only song to have a Past chart that requires Fragments to unlock.
 
#Clearing certain other songs on the same difficulty. These songs may come with rating requirements, Fragment requirements, or both as well.
 
 
#* e.g. To unlock [[GOODTEK (Arcaea Edit)]]'s Present difficulty, you first need to clear [[Harutopia ~Utopia of Spring~]] on Present.
 
#* e.g. To unlock [[GOODTEK (Arcaea Edit)]]'s Present difficulty, you first need to clear [[Harutopia ~Utopia of Spring~]] on Present.
  +
# Clearing the corresponding [[Anomaly]].
#* e.g. To unlock [[Sheriruth]]'s Future difficulty, you have to clear [[Essence of Twilight]]'s Future difficulty with a grade of A or higher.
 
  +
#* e.g. To unlock [[Grievous Lady|Grievous Lady]], the anomaly in [[Axium Crisis]] must be cleared.
# Completing the corresponding Anomaly. This currently only applies to [[Grievous Lady]] ([[Axium Crisis#Anomaly|Axium Crisis Anomaly]]) and [[Fracture Ray]] ([[Ether Strike#Anomaly|Ether Strike Anomaly]]).
 
These requirements are generally displayed on the song selection screen. The various requirements flash by every second or so, excluding the ones already cleared.
+
These requirements are generally displayed on the song selection screen. For songs with multiple requirements, these requirements flash by every second or so, excluding the ones already cleared. The requirement text can be selected to view the full checklist.
   
 
==Play Styles==
 
==Play Styles==
There are several methods usable when playing Arcaea. An important rule to improve, however, is to remain consistent: if you wish to play with thumbs, stick with thumbs, and if you wish to use all your fingers, do it all the time. Note that, save for a few charts on Future difficulty, you only need two fingers/ thumbs to clear songs.
+
There are several methods usable when playing Arcaea. An important rule to improve, however, is to remain consistent: if you wish to play with thumbs, stick with thumbs, and if you wish to use all your fingers, do it all the time. Note that, save for a few charts on Future difficulty and the Present and Beyond anomalies, you only need two fingers/ thumbs to clear songs.
   
 
===Thumb Play===
 
===Thumb Play===
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===Cloud Sync===
 
===Cloud Sync===
Added in 1.1.2, this function lets you upload your best scores to or download them from the Cloud, allowing you to use a common save file across multiple devices. Since 1.6.1, the button is also available on the top-left corner of the result summary screen.
+
Added in 1.1.2, this function lets you upload your best scores to or download them from the Cloud, allowing you to use a common save file across multiple devices. This is device-specific and not account-specific.
   
  +
Since 1.6.1, a "Sync" button is also available on the top-left corner of the result summary screen. This unconditionally uploads the current state and overwrites the previous save state.
It is important to note that:
 
  +
  +
Important features:
 
* Only the best scores displayed on the top-left corner of the song select screen are synced.
 
* Only the best scores displayed on the top-left corner of the song select screen are synced.
 
* [[Fragments]] are not synced.
 
* [[Fragments]] are not synced.
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* The total number of Cleared, Full Recalled and Pure Memoried songs in each difficulty.
 
* The total number of Cleared, Full Recalled and Pure Memoried songs in each difficulty.
 
* If you have unlocked the Partners [[Tairitsu (Grievous Lady)]] and [[Hikari (Fracture)]].
 
* If you have unlocked the Partners [[Tairitsu (Grievous Lady)]] and [[Hikari (Fracture)]].
The background of the profile is dependant on what Chapter in [[World Mode]] is currently selected.
+
The background of the profile is dependant on which scenery is currently selected.
   
 
By default, the total number of cleared songs for Past difficulty is shown. Selecting "PST" on the bottom-left allows you to toggle between difficulties.
 
By default, the total number of cleared songs for Past difficulty is shown. Selecting "PST" on the bottom-left allows you to toggle between difficulties.
   
When all charts of a difficulty mode (Past, Present, Future) have reached a certain grade, the following changes occur on the profile:
+
When all charts of a difficulty mode (Past, Present, Future, Beyond) have reached a certain grade, the following changes occur on the profile:
 
* All charts Full Recall grade or above - Full Recall text becomes purple on the respective difficulty
 
* All charts Full Recall grade or above - Full Recall text becomes purple on the respective difficulty
 
* All charts Pure Memory grade - Pure Memory text becomes blue on the respective difficulty
 
* All charts Pure Memory grade - Pure Memory text becomes blue on the respective difficulty
  +
  +
== Name Change ==
  +
Your username can be changed as follows:
  +
# Access the [https://arcaea.lowiro.com/ Arcaea Official Website].
  +
# Select the "Login" button at the top and log into your account.
  +
# Select the "Change" button above your username.
  +
This costs 100 Memories per change.
 
[[Category:Game Mechanics]]
 
[[Category:Game Mechanics]]

Revision as of 08:39, 16 July 2020

This article describes various gameplay elements in Arcaea.

Song Selection

Selecting a Song and Level
  • There are four difficulties in this game. In ascending order:
    • Past (PST)
    • Present (PRS)
    • Future (FTR)
    • Beyond (BYD)
Main Functions
  • The difficulty can be selected from the icons on the upper-left.
  • The song list on the right can be scrolled by sliding it up or down.
  • The song pack list can be accessed by selecting the current pack near the top of the screen.
Other Functions
  • The songs can be sorted by any of these criteria (ties are sorted alphanumerically):
    • Title
    • Grade (more accurately, score)
    • Clear (type)
    • Date (of song release)
    • Difficulty (level)
  • The songs can also be grouped into any of these categories:
    • Version (of song release)
    • Level
  • A list of songs from all packs can be accessed by entering the pack list and selecting the "All Songs" button on the bottom.
  • The "RANDOM" button at the end of the song list directs to a random song without selecting it to play.
  • By tapping the artwork for the song, you can toggle between various filter types for the leaderboards on the lower-left.

Play Screen

The Play Screen
  • Information Pane: The pane at the top-right of the screen, which displays:
    • Current score
    • Song progress
    • Song information
  • Track: The vertical plane comprising of the 4 lanes.
  • Floor Input: The solid purple horizontal line, spanning the track near the bottom, is the lower bound for notes.
  • Sky Input: The striped horizontal line, cutting across the middle of the screen, is the upper bound for notes.
  • Combo: Found under the sky input, it shows how many notes you have hit successfully, be it PURE or FAR. A LOST will break the combo.
  • Recollection Gauge: The vertical bar at the top-left of the screen, of which there are various types.
  • FR/PM Indicators: Two adjacent dots; a purple one indicating Full Recall status and a blue one indicating Pure Memory status. These can be relocated or disabled under "Settings > Visual > FR/PM Indicator".
    • Top: Indicators are displayed on the Information Pane, under the song's cover art.
    • Combo: Indicators are displayed under the combo value.
    • Disabled: Indicators are not displayed.

Note Types

Name Description Image
Floor Note
  • These notes appear on the bottom.
  • They only appear on lanes.
  • They require a single button tap when they reach the floor input.
Floor Note
Long Note
  • These notes appear on the bottom.
  • They require you to keep your finger held on the same spot until it ends.
  • There is no FAR & PURE EARLY/LATE timing for these notes.
  • You can hit these notes in the middle if you miss the beginning.
  • If your finger is released before the note ends, there is a short time window to place it back without incurring a LOST.
Long Note
Arc Note
  • These notes are thick, curving lines that appear above the track.
  • Drag your finger along them as they move.
  • In Past difficulty, they will only appear along the sky input and can only go left or right.
  • In Present, Future, and Beyond difficulties, they can appear anywhere within the input region and can go in any direction.
  • In Present difficulty, if there is an upcoming arc note that goes downwards, you will be forewarned via an icon on the corner of the screen.
  • There are blue and purple arc notes, which should be assigned to one hand each. If you attempt to switch fingers in the middle of an arc note or hold the same finger for an arc note of a different color, it will turn red and the combo ends.
  • There's also no timing for when you hit the note, so you can actually hold your finger there beforehand and still get PURE timing.
    • This feature allows multiple short Arcs joining toghether to act like "Catch" notes.
  • Like long notes, you can "pick up" arc notes in the middle.
  • If your finger drifts away from the note, you can still pull it back in some cases before losing your combo.
  • If your finger is released before the note ends, you'll lose the note. Placing your finger back will turn the arc back, losing a few notes, before re-getting the points, but it is still recommended to prevent further LOST notes.
  • Holding an arc note on the left of the screen causes the track to tilt slightly anticlockwise, and on the right causes the track to tilt slightly clockwise.
Arc Note
Sky Note
  • These notes appear above the track.
  • They only appear on Present, Future, and Beyond difficulties.
  • When a sky note and a floor note appear at the same time, there is a line connecting the two notes:
    • This was first introduced in 1.0.10, but it could be disabled.
    • Since 1.1, it could no longer be disabled.
Sky Note
Trace
  • These are thin lines which can move in any direction within the input region.
  • They are technically not notes, and thus do not need to be held.
  • Holding them does not award any bonus.
  • Sky notes typically appear on or at the end of traces.
  • They only appear on Present, Future, and Beyond difficulties.
  • In the game's tutorial, they are described to only appear after arc notes. However, this is not always true.
Trace

Recollection Rate

Recollection Rate is a value or symbol representing the player's performance at the current time during gameplay. It is displayed on the left side of the screen on a meter known as the Recollection Gauge. The gauge fills slightly with every note hit, and depletes slightly with every note lost.

There are several different types of gauge that depend on which partner you choose, each with its own characteristics:

Normal

  • The gauge enabled by default.
  • Default properties:
    • Initial Rate: 0
    • Maximum Rate: 100
    • LOST Note Penalty: 2
    • Track Complete properties:
      • Requirement: ≥ 70
      • Icon Colour: Purple.
      • Adds to cleared song count in profile card.
      • Fulfills song unlock requirements.
    • Gauge Colour: Purple (< 70). Purple & sky blue (≥ 70).
  • Losing consecutive notes incurs a greater penalty.
  • Each note hit increases the rate by a different amount, depending on the number of notes in the song chart.
  • With Hikari (Zero):
    • Losing a note depletes the whole gauge to 0.
    • The Recollection Rate fades in and out during gameplay.
  • Sealing a partner with a gauge-altering skill effect, including Hikari (Zero), reverts the gauge to a Normal one.

Easy

  • Enabled when selecting a partner with the EASY skill effect.
  • Default properties:
    • Initial Rate: 0
    • Maximum Rate: 100
    • LOST Note Penalty: 1.5
    • Track Complete properties:
      • Requirement: ≥ 70
      • Icon Colour: Green.
      • Does not add to cleared song count in profile card.
      • Fulfills song unlock requirements.
    • Gauge Colour: Cyan (< 70). Cyan & green (≥ 70).
  • The penalty for losing consecutive notes is reduced.

Hard

Low rr hard
  • Enabled when selecting a partner with the HARD skill effect.
  • Default properties:
    • Initial Rate: 100
    • Maximum Rate: 100
    • LOST Note Penalty: 8.5 (> 30). 4.5 (≤ 30).
    • Track Complete properties:
      • Requirement: > 0 (immediate Track Lost at 0)
      • Icon Colour: Red.
      • Adds to cleared song count in profile card.
      • Fulfills song unlock requirements.
    • Gauge Colour: Red (+ Blue for Tairitsu (Tempest)).
  • While Recollection Rate < 30, the bottom of the screen flashes red.
  • Losing consecutive notes incurs a greater penalty.
  • With Pandora Nemesis (MTA-XXX):
    • Initial Rate: 20
    • Maximum Rate: 20
    • LOST Note Penalty: 1
    • PURE/FAR Note Recovery: 0
    • No greater penalty for losing consecutive notes.
  • With Tairitsu (Tempest):
    • PURE/FAR Note Recoveries and LOST Note Penalties affect the speed of increase/decrease of the Recollection Rate instead of the rate itself.
      • PURE and FAR notes push the speed weakly towards positive, and LOST notes push the speed strongly towards negative.
      • Incurring multiple LOST notes in a short time causes the penalties to stack quadratically.
      • The recovery rate always decays slowly towards a negative value.
    • The rate begins decreasing before the first note.
      • The rate also decreases when the note density of a particular section of a chart is low, which makes it possible to obtain Track Lost if many LOST Notes are incurred right before a low note density section.
      • The degree of leniency for the lowest note density allowed for the gauge to increase seems to be related with the song's BPM; if the BPM is low, the leniency is higher, and vice versa.
    • The gauge appearance depends on whether the recovery rate is positive or negative:
      • When positive, the gauge appears blue like the NORMAL gauge above 70 Rate.
      • When negative, the gauge appears red like the HARD gauge.
      • The duration between the end of the song and the TRACK COMPLETE message lasts until the recovery decays to 0, and it is possible for a TRACK LOST to occur during this time.

Overflow

  • Enabled when selecting a partner with the OVERFLOW skill effect.
  • Hybrid of Easy and Hard gauges:
    • Initially functions as an Easy gauge.
    • Transitions into a Hard gauge upon reaching 100 recollection rate.
  • Default properties:
    • Initial Rate: 0
    • Maximum Rate: 100
    • LOST Note Penalty: Same as Easy/Hard rate.
    • Track Complete properties:
      • Requirement: Same as Easy/Hard rate.
      • Icon Colour: Green.
      • Does not add to cleared song count in profile card.
      • Fulfills song unlock requirements.
    • Gauge Colour:
      • As Easy gauge: Cyan (< 70). Cyan & red (≥ 70).
      • As Hard gauge: Red.
  • Songs can be cleared without the transition into Hard occurring, if the rate is kept between 70 and 100.

CHUNITHM

  • Enabled when selecting a partner with the CHUNITHM skill effect.
  • Effectively a reskin of the Normal gauge.
  • Not a single Recollection Gauge, but a set of 10 consecutive gauges.
  • The number displayed is in square brackets. It is not the Recollection Rate, but a gauge counter.
    • When a gauge is filled, the rate is reset to 0 and the gauge counter is incremented by 1.
  • Default properties:
    • Initial Gauge: [0]
    • Maximum Gauge: [10]
    • Initial Rate (per gauge): 0
    • Maximum Rate (per gauge): 10
    • LOST Note Penalty: 2
    • Track Complete properties:
      • Requirement: ≥ [7]
      • Icon Colour: Purple.
      • Adds to cleared song count in profile card.
      • Fulfills song unlock requirements.
    • Gauge Colour: Blue (< [7]). Yellow (≥ [7]).

DORO*C

  • Enabled when selecting DORO*C as partner.
  • Recollection Rate is the highest possible score at the current time.
  • The highest possible grade is displayed on the Gauge.
  • Scale is not linear. All grades have the same interval length but the score range of each is different.
  • Default properties:
    • Initial Rate: EX+
    • Maximum Rate: EX+
    • LOST Note Penalty: Depends on number of notes.
    • FAR Note Penalty: Depends on number of notes.
    • Track Complete properties:
      • Requirement: ≥ AA
      • Icon Colour: Green.
      • Does not add to cleared song count in profile card.
      • Fulfills song unlock requirements.
    • Gauge Colour: Blue and red.
Recollection Gauge Display
Easy Normal Overflow Hard 
< 70 ≥ 70 < 70 ≥ 70 < 70   ≥ 70 Default Tempest
-ve +ve
Recollection gague - Easy below 70
Recollection gague - Easy above 70
Recollection gague - Normal below 70
Recollection gague - Normal above 70
Recollection gague - Overflow below 70
Recollection gague - Overflow above 70
Recollection gague - Hard above 30
Tempest gauge negative recovery
Tempest gauge positive recovery

Scoring

Main article: Scoring

Unlocks

All players are able to play every song in the Arcaea pack for free. Songs in Memory Archive and song packs can be bought with Memories, which are purchasable with real money. Each song in World Extend can be permanently and individually unlocked for free for a limited time, or can be purchased as a whole pack with real money. To see the cost for each song pack, access the song pack's page from Songs by Pack.

Certain songs, free or paid, have locked higher difficulties. The unlock criteria for most songs fall into one of the following categories:

  1. Reaching milestones in World Mode maps. Songs unlocked this way are listed in the Songs by Pack page (in bold), These songs have a different background on the song list compared to other songs.
  2. Paying Fragments. The cost varies based on the song.
    • The cost for most Present charts are around 20-80 Fragments, while those for Future charts are around 150-280.
  3. Clearing certain other songs on the same difficulty. These songs may come with rating requirements, Fragment requirements, or both as well.
  4. Clearing the corresponding Anomaly.

These requirements are generally displayed on the song selection screen. For songs with multiple requirements, these requirements flash by every second or so, excluding the ones already cleared. The requirement text can be selected to view the full checklist.

Play Styles

There are several methods usable when playing Arcaea. An important rule to improve, however, is to remain consistent: if you wish to play with thumbs, stick with thumbs, and if you wish to use all your fingers, do it all the time. Note that, save for a few charts on Future difficulty and the Present and Beyond anomalies, you only need two fingers/ thumbs to clear songs.

Thumb Play

Play with your thumbs only. Works best on smaller devices such as phones. Regarded as somewhat more difficult than using fingers. Benefits include being able to hold the device any way desired without having to place it on a proper surface.

Index Finger Play

Play with your index fingers only. Works on any device, although phones tend to slip, depending on the surface they are on. The device might need to be held steady with other fingers, but having them creep onto the screen usually causes arc notes to be LOST. Works better on heavier, less mobile devices such as tablets.

Full Hand Play

Play with anything you can, be it thumbs or fingers. Harder to learn, but makes certain difficult patterns easier. Typically less accurate than only using index fingers. Mainly adds middle fingers for a total of 4 fingers.

You can mix and match for certain situations if it makes songs easier. For example, certain floor note + sky note combos might be easier when using the thumb and index finger of one hand; close double floor notes might benefit from using your middle fingers with your index fingers. However, discretion is advised; stick mainly to your usual method of play. Note that this does not include "freestyle" methods.

Network

There are several features accessible by selecting "Network" on the Main Menu.

Registration

In order to play online, it is first necessary to register with an email address, username and password. To log in, the latest version of the game is required. The Arcaea pack contains free songs playable without registering, but other song packs would be unavailable. Once registered, you can purchase Memories and have access to all Network features.

Cloud Sync

Added in 1.1.2, this function lets you upload your best scores to or download them from the Cloud, allowing you to use a common save file across multiple devices. This is device-specific and not account-specific.

Since 1.6.1, a "Sync" button is also available on the top-left corner of the result summary screen. This unconditionally uploads the current state and overwrites the previous save state.

Important features:

  • Only the best scores displayed on the top-left corner of the song select screen are synced.
  • Fragments are not synced.

The following do not require Cloud Sync, and are saved to your account automatically:

Friends

To add a friend, select "Add Friends", input your friend's user ID and select "Add".

Friends Mutual

Adding a friend does not send a request for the other party to accept. However, adding them to your friends list does not automatically add you to their friends list. They would have to add you manually, and an icon with the text "Mutual" would appear if they do so.

The Friends feature allows you to:

  • View friend-exclusive rankings on the song selection screen.
  • View each friend's the most recently played song (with difficulty and grade).
  • View each friend's Potential.

Your friends list has a capacity of ten, but you may spend Fragments to increase the limit by selecting "Extend". Also, adding a friend would fail if you:

  • Enter an existing friend's user ID.
  • Enter a nonexistent user ID.
  • Enter your own user ID.

Profile

Added in 1.6.0, this feature provides a beautified summary which shows:

The background of the profile is dependant on which scenery is currently selected.

By default, the total number of cleared songs for Past difficulty is shown. Selecting "PST" on the bottom-left allows you to toggle between difficulties.

When all charts of a difficulty mode (Past, Present, Future, Beyond) have reached a certain grade, the following changes occur on the profile:

  • All charts Full Recall grade or above - Full Recall text becomes purple on the respective difficulty
  • All charts Pure Memory grade - Pure Memory text becomes blue on the respective difficulty

Name Change

Your username can be changed as follows:

  1. Access the Arcaea Official Website.
  2. Select the "Login" button at the top and log into your account.
  3. Select the "Change" button above your username.

This costs 100 Memories per change.