Blue Archive - The south Korean Gacha game that almost died, is now being released on Steam this summer.

[Kivotos strongest Sensei]

Few key tips for anyone who's completely new to the game:

If you've never played a mobile game with an energy system, the AP may be a bit confusing. I remember I had 999/100 AP and holding on to it a bit too long. If you go under the 100 or whatever is your current softcap, you will passively restore one energy every 5 minutes. Only way to get account XP is to spend AP. AFAIK the AP-to-EXP ratio is always 1:1 but accounts below level 50 get catch up XP. I think sometimes there are double-EXP weekends.

Tickets that are listed 6/6 are fully restocked when daily reset hits. Bounty costs no additional resources and should always be spent. Scrimmage has an additional AP cost and gives weapon parts you can't use for a while*. Lessons start out as 3/3 and the cap increases as you level up the different locations. I made a relatively big oopsie by clicking "Tickets Owned" instead of "Ticket Info" and thinking that lesson tickets are a cash shop item you get limited samples of. You get 50 AP daily from a task that simply requires you to give out two lessons.

(*aside from Hasumi (Track) who is rewarded from an event rerun that replicates some kind of unintended thing from the original event that allowed people to max her out. When you start encountering enemies with Blue/Special armor type, I recommend you get her from the Event Recap. If you want to read the story linearly, you should do the event that gives Hibiki (Cheer Squad) first as the two stories take place just a few hours apart.)

Adding to this, you can reset the Tactical Challenge store 3 times a day for only 10 coins each reset, which means you can buy 4×90 energy drinks (360 AP) for 210 Tactical Challege coins (4×45 energy drinks + 3×10 Resets)

 

[TheICE-Skater]

back on topic of Blue Archive. I don't think there's anyone worth pulling after the shupogakis until 4.5th anniversary fes.

It really depends of your tastes and/or focus in the game. The students after the Shupos are mostly for waifubait, but they can have usages (nt listing reruns):

- gPina: If you want an easier Geburat clear
- Nagusa/sRenge/Eri: If you want an additional DPS for whatever next raid we will get at higher difficulties
- Niya: AoE defense debuffer that also has cost recovery Subskill
- bNatsu: if you're a Natsufag or if you want to go higher in Red Seth
- sYukari: If you want to tackle Yellow Tipharetha
- sKikyou: One of the few summons, plus she has a kit akin to dAko
- Kanoe: Perrodzilla Lunatic, or if you want to take advantage of her Subskill (similar to Cherino, but it triggers per each Heavy Armor striker student)

At the end, you do you, but it is either for those reasons, you're whale or a fag for those students (Pretty sure most will lose against Kikyou)

 

[TheICE-Skater]

(*aside from Hasumi (Track) who is rewarded from an event rerun that replicates some kind of unintended thing from the original event that allowed people to max her out. When you start encountering enemies with Blue/Special armor type, I recommend you get her from the Event Recap. If you want to read the story linearly, you should do the event that gives Hibiki (Cheer Squad) first as the two stories take place just a few hours apart.)

Not gonna lie, first time I see someone actually recommending chHibiki to go. Just to add, the elephs for the students in the event recaps are at the later end of the stages, so it cost a bit more of AP to get them fully (Except tHasumi, it is just enough to 2* the welfare student)

-
Anyway, I wanna add some people in here, my friendlist feels empty and it is kinda making me struggle to do Purple Cheese. At least I need someone with a good Purple DPS

 

[Freelance Police]

I need someone with a good Purple DPS

If you can handle the crowds, Mika can still get the job done on purple.

 

[Lerias]

It really depends of your tastes and/or focus in the game. The students after the Shupos are mostly for waifubait, but they can have usages (nt listing reruns):

- gPina: If you want an easier Geburat clear
- Nagusa/sRenge/Eri: If you want an additional DPS for whatever next raid we will get at higher difficulties
- Niya: AoE defense debuffer that also has cost recovery Subskill
- bNatsu: if you're a Natsufag or if you want to go higher in Red Seth
- sYukari: If you want to tackle Yellow Tipharetha
- sKikyou: One of the few summons, plus she has a kit akin to dAko
- Kanoe: Perrodzilla Lunatic, or if you want to take advantage of her Subskill (similar to Cherino, but it triggers per each Heavy Armor striker student)

At the end, you do you, but it is either for those reasons, you're whale or a fag for those students (Pretty sure most will lose against Kikyou)

I'm a filthy metaslave. I like Tsurugi though, I have her at bond rank 46 or something, all the other ones are less than 30ish.

 

[Overpriced Gaming Chair]

I'm a filthy metaslave. I like Tsurugi though, I have her at bond rank 46 or something, all the other ones are less than 30ish.

I didn't bother rerolling because my first pull had Tsurugi on it.

Tsurugi being absolutely precious was one of the several things I already knew of Blue Archive from exposure to the fan content. Also I later found the screenshot of the exact pull and it included Maki, who is still one of the best picks for Binah despite the powercreep, and good in single-target focused raids in general.

 

[TheICE-Skater]

If you can handle the crowds, Mika can still get the job done on purple.
View attachment 7940615

un?fortunately I dont go with faggotry (Misska on that Torment is expanding the accuracy crazyness by 3x)

btw if you use Misska for Purple Torment Cheese, you're undeniably a fag

But so far the only thing I have as replacement are a mid-built borrow Maid Midori, but it wasn't enough (and my AoE weren't enough for more teams aside of the first and second)

So, I either need a good Chiaki, Maidori or sMoe, anything that can avoid me the trouble of stab and accuracy from Mika

 

[TheICE-Skater]

I'm a filthy metaslave. I like Tsurugi though, I have her at bond rank 46 or something, all the other ones are less than 30ish.

it really comes by to how metaslave you are, or the situation you are into

Also, nice taste, approved

 

[Freelance Police]

Torment

anything that can avoid me the trouble of stab and accuracy from Mika

That's why it's called torment brother.

 

[Overpriced Gaming Chair]

Not gonna lie, first time I see someone actually recommending chHibiki to go

I was just using her as an identifier for which specific event I was referring to, the main reason to do that event is for the story (I read the second part first and while it wasn't that confusing, there's a plot element that kind of appears from nowhere and isn't explained that much/taken for granted by most of the characters because the first part already revolved around it.)

Cheer Squad Hibiki is unfortunately niche at best. Her EX skill has a DoT element that lasts a two whole minutes to deliver its full damage value. If it was a ground effect, it would probably be BiS for Explosive (Red) Chesed but no, it's a debuff. It has direct damage as well and when I tried her in the raid it was enough to clear waves with (radius covers most of the wave with enough damage to one-shot) but it has a hefty 7 cost. I could try to build fully around that with New Year's Fuuka and Rio, but I have Minori and Saya competing for the Special slots.

I was assuming that if you can clear Cheset with a single team, you should aim for that. Wakamo raid had two phases with different mechanics so two teams were kind of mandatory there. but looking it up and doing bit of testing myself, you do get benefit out of going full AoE comp first and having the second team be more single-target focused.

 

[Lerias]

I was just using her as an identifier for which specific event I was referring to, the main reason to do that event is for the story (I read the second part first and while it wasn't that confusing, there's a plot element that kind of appears from nowhere and isn't explained that much/taken for granted by most of the characters because the first part already revolved around it.)

Cheer Squad Hibiki is unfortunately niche at best. Her EX skill has a DoT element that lasts a two whole minutes to deliver its full damage value. If it was a ground effect, it would probably be BiS for Explosive (Red) Chesed but no, it's a debuff. It has direct damage as well and when I tried her in the raid it was enough to clear waves with (radius covers most of the wave with enough damage to one-shot) but it has a hefty 7 cost. I could try to build fully around that with New Year's Fuuka and Rio, but I have Minori and Saya competing for the Special slots.

I was assuming that if you can clear Cheset with a single team, you should aim for that. Wakamo raid had two phases with different mechanics so two teams were kind of mandatory there. but looking it up and doing bit of testing myself, you do get benefit out of going full AoE comp first and having the second team be more single-target focused.

Cheer Hibiki had her use in a JFD a while back, but that's like, the whole point of JFD, which is to engage students that are otherwise not used very well in content. I remember regular Juri and Airi being used in that same specific JFD as well, which had a DoT gimmick.

 

[Manwithdaplan]

Cheer Hibiki had her use in a JFD a while back, but that's like, the whole point of JFD, which is to engage students that are otherwise not used very well in content. I remember regular Juri and Airi being used in that same specific JFD as well, which had a DoT gimmick.

the funny dog is also chokmah core trust

 

[Faceless Anime Woman]

JP server did a livestream today. Highlight includes a new event for Wildhunt Academy with 3 new students to pull.

Miyo (Has appeared in previous Wildhunt event, which is probably why she already got some fanart/lewds)


Fuyu (Tomboy? in this economy? I take one!)


Ritsu (I genuinely thought its Reisa alter)


I honestly didn't really check their stats yet (was outside so phone screenshot at 360p quality), but they are part of its own event involving them and the notorious thief Akira (from Game club maids/bunny Toki event). Not only that, the Wildhunt Academy as a whole will be added into the Lesson's "school visit" thingie. It will be added at the end of September or someshit.

And aside of that, they promise to release Volume 6's next chapter on October (after the wildhunt stuff), promising people that no, just because Arius is getting it easy on the first chapter doesn't mean there's gonna be grimderp. Oh, there will be crying, and not in cute and funny way.

 

[TheICE-Skater]

That's why it's called torment brother.
View attachment 7940989

i guess my only solution is to find someone with a good purple dps through groomcord

 

[Big Brown Schlub]

I haven't seen it mentioned anywhere but will we finally be able to pick up Special students in the formation screen in the Highlander update or will we have to wait for Fest?

 

[GratsTheat783]

Some people didn't like V1C3 and believe that it was deliberately written badly to sabotage the game since the writer wanted the company to move onto another project. These are not my thoughts, but what others have said about it.

Spoiler: V1C3 Complaints/Spoilers

-Hoshino does the same thing she does in CH2
-The other students being defeated by Hoshino off-camera made them seem incompetent and weak (similar complaint people have made about Hina's prefect team)
-Hina gets forced into the plot (another complaint people say about Hina is that she's clearly favoured by the writers and is inserted into the plot a lot)
-The girl who Hoshino keeps fighting doesn't have any sort of motive
-The Underground Dweller is boring compared to the others villains
-The chroma appearing to Shiroko makes it seem like a power that just appears to her if she's having a hard time
-Very nitpicky, apparently in one of the flashback images in CH4, Hoshino's normal halo is shown breaking. Hoshino's halo changes when she goes near-terror mode. Terror Shiroko states that she killed Terror Hoshino in her world, but there is no reason why her halo would return to normal just before she died
-It was a bit dragged out

What did you all think of it?

 

[Manwithdaplan]

Some people didn't like V1C3 and believe that it was deliberately written badly to sabotage the game since the writer wanted the company to move onto another project. These are not my thoughts, but what others have said about it.

Spoiler: V1C3 Complaints/Spoilers

-Hoshino does the same thing she does in CH2
-The other students being defeated by Hoshino off-camera made them seem incompetent and weak (similar complaint people have made about Hina's prefect team)
-Hina gets forced into the plot (another complaint people say about Hina is that she's clearly favoured by the writers and is inserted into the plot a lot)
-The girl who Hoshino keeps fighting doesn't have any sort of motive
-The Underground Dweller is boring compared to the others villains
-The chroma appearing to Shiroko makes it seem like a power that just appears to her if she's having a hard time
-Very nitpicky, apparently in one of the flashback images in CH4, Hoshino's normal halo is shown breaking. Hoshino's halo changes when she goes near-terror mode. Terror Shiroko states that she killed Terror Hoshino in her world, but there is no reason why her halo would return to normal just before she died
-It was a bit dragged out

What did you all think of it?

Yeah that about covers it
Random hinawank intermission when there was clearly an easier, more natural and more sensible way to write her into this story than sensei begging hina

Suou having no character, no motivation no nothing just a giant amorphous blob of nothingness

Large stretches of nothing happening

Blatant character assassination of Takanashi Jobshino, the pinktard of Abydos

Constantly kicking the reader in the teeth stupid bullshit like "yume died on her way to the bank" or "btw Yume was right about the treasure but it was destroyed in the final epic fight" god I fucking hate anything and everything surrounding yume

Randomly screwing over hyakkiyako with the "I'll give up on kuzunoha" bullshit

Weird nonomi subplot that just gets dropped halfway through

5000 flashback episodes yet serikot and ayame are tacked on with a single line at the end

I could keep going, v1c3 is irredeemable and unsalvageable beyond the train brats

 

[piombo]

Some people didn't like V1C3 and believe that it was deliberately written badly to sabotage the game since the writer wanted the company to move onto another project. These are not my thoughts, but what others have said about it.

Spoiler: V1C3 Complaints/Spoilers

-Hoshino does the same thing she does in CH2
-The other students being defeated by Hoshino off-camera made them seem incompetent and weak (similar complaint people have made about Hina's prefect team)
-Hina gets forced into the plot (another complaint people say about Hina is that she's clearly favoured by the writers and is inserted into the plot a lot)
-The girl who Hoshino keeps fighting doesn't have any sort of motive
-The Underground Dweller is boring compared to the others villains
-The chroma appearing to Shiroko makes it seem like a power that just appears to her if she's having a hard time
-Very nitpicky, apparently in one of the flashback images in CH4, Hoshino's normal halo is shown breaking. Hoshino's halo changes when she goes near-terror mode. Terror Shiroko states that she killed Terror Hoshino in her world, but there is no reason why her halo would return to normal just before she died
-It was a bit dragged out

What did you all think of it?

that the only thing i've found myself caring for is armed hoshino doing armed hoshino things and even by then the reasoning was mostly retarded, the only thing worth remembering is the fancy cutscene fights and that's it

 

[wtfNeedSignUp]

Some people didn't like V1C3 and believe that it was deliberately written badly to sabotage the game since the writer wanted the company to move onto another project. These are not my thoughts, but what others have said about it.

Spoiler: V1C3 Complaints/Spoilers

-Hoshino does the same thing she does in CH2
-The other students being defeated by Hoshino off-camera made them seem incompetent and weak (similar complaint people have made about Hina's prefect team)
-Hina gets forced into the plot (another complaint people say about Hina is that she's clearly favoured by the writers and is inserted into the plot a lot)
-The girl who Hoshino keeps fighting doesn't have any sort of motive
-The Underground Dweller is boring compared to the others villains
-The chroma appearing to Shiroko makes it seem like a power that just appears to her if she's having a hard time
-Very nitpicky, apparently in one of the flashback images in CH4, Hoshino's normal halo is shown breaking. Hoshino's halo changes when she goes near-terror mode. Terror Shiroko states that she killed Terror Hoshino in her world, but there is no reason why her halo would return to normal just before she died
-It was a bit dragged out

What did you all think of it?

Except Suou non reveal and being overly long, I liked it. It's a plot on people chasing the past that comes in multiple ways. Hoshino not changing from V1C2 is just how people are, it's pretty much a recurring plot point in the game that people can improve but change is gradual at best. Plus, the idea of desperately looking for a meaning in a dead person last days as having some special meaning really appeals to me.

It could have been done better, but the idea it was done to kill the game is kind of ridiculous when the script had to go through a lot of people and has a lot of good moments that are good even if you didn't like the main plotline.

 

[Overpriced Gaming Chair]

My opinion of V1C3 kind of leans toward it being yin-yang combination of Peak Archive and Star Wars Sequel Trilogy levels of writing. The whole thing is basically a rehash of earlier Volume One chapters, but it also wraps up the whole thing with an overarching theme of "learn to trust (the right) people." Another example is how Yume's notebook first serves as a minor and then a major MacGuffin. In the end they handle it reasonably well, at least compared to a hypothetical asspull where someone other than Hoshino figures out where Yume stashed, after Hoshino (Yume's best friend and confidant) spent multiple years actively looking for it. Actually, an alternative version of the story could have the exact thing happen and that would be the trigger for Hoshino Terror transformation, I could imagine snapping if I was desperately searching for something like Hoshino only for someone else later figuring it out almost instantly.
I don't know the exact details of the sabotage theory, but if it extended to Volume Four, it's worth noting that Nonomi and Yukari end up having rather similar character arc that (by Blue Archive standards) heavily features their family. V1C3 more specifically introduces the concept of the Tyrant Emperor, a former Gehenna dictator who bears vague but non-zero similarity to Hitler (both had to be ousted with great force, and their legacy/monuments are blown up with dynamite.) In of itself this isn't a catastrophic reveal/addition like "hyperspace ramming" was to Star Wars lore. Hina/Gehenna getting involved kind of makes sense and ties up loose ends, the original Volume One chapters established she has done intelligence work on Abydos and Hoshino specifically. But arguably it's an odd choice that highlights the lack of Gehenna-centric main story. (Also IIRC someone mentioned that even the event, where Makoto and Pandemonium Society meet Sensei for the first time, isn't accessible to players currently.)

Spoiler: Possibly even more autistic V1C3 rambling

Aside from the sabotage theory, let's start with the "meta" aspects.
-The chapter is quite long which isn't bad on itself. In fact IIRC it was at least decently paced and even had few stuff that could've used even more time to elaborate on. (That Highlander Captain who was she called, and how exactly the Train cannon was disposed safely.)
-If they could've figured out a revamped Story UI to better communicate the chronological order and have some indicator of how long a Chapter is going to be, people would've had way less sour taste about the story even if they had other complaints about it. I remember unexpectedly having to spend almost an entire day to read it.
"Hoshino does the same thing she does in CH2"
-Cop-out, but I think both this and people complaining about it are valid. It does repeat/rehash what already happened but also makes "trust" a nice overarching theme for the Volume One as a whole.
-Underground Dweller was a decent villain but compared to rest of the Gematria... also wasn't everyone from Gematria wiped out by ShirokoTerror/Kuroko? I think Black Suit might still be alive unless all the Decagrammaton introductions featuring him take place before he got Thanos snapped out of existence.
I made the mistake of clicking "show new posts" - not because the post by "Manwithdaplan" was bad or that I necessarily even disagree with it, but because writing my own post without such an outside influence probably would've been a more useful perspective.