Marina's Sanctuary

The personal site of the embodiment of water currently taking the form of a female Au Ra from FFXIV. Most of what you find here will probably be related to rhythm games in some way.I can be contacted on Discord @ Marina#7061.For the curious, しずくの神殿 is the name of my house.^{DISCLAIMER: I do not claim to be affiliated with or represent any artists or developers with whom I have come into contact. Statements made on this site are reflective of my personal views and are not endorsed by any of the aforementioned artists or developers.}

About

^{Icon by @comfycat__ on Twitter.}
My name is Marina. I am primarily known for stuff related to rhythm games, especially their lore, although I have other interests as well.I am a moderator in Lanota Official Server (since 2018) as well as Arcaea's official server (since 2020).I also do art! I drew the covers for rN's and camoREX's "Cri de lumière" and Attoclef's "Des facettes brillantes", and have created fanart for various games. Most of the content I produce is digital art, writing, or plushies. You can see some of my art here.Games I enjoy:
• Rhythm games (Arcaea, Kalpa, Lanota, Phigros, Groove Coaster, Tone Sphere, Stellights, etc...)
• Nintendo games (Legend of Zelda, Animal Crossing, StreetPass, Pokémon older gens, etc...)
• FFXIV (I'm not hardcore though. Find me on Primal/Ultros!)
• Games by Skipmore (especially Fairune)
• Anything by BeautiFun Games
• ArknightsOther things I enjoy:
• Reading
• History (especially 20^th century history)
• Analysis, literary and otherwise
• Macross (mainly Plus and Delta)
• Some other manga/anime (Nichijou, Symphogear, Sailor Moon, Precure, Arpeggio of Blue Steel, etc... I have not really gotten into anything new since about 2018 though.)
• Star Wars (pre-buyout)
• Hello! Project (mainly Morning Musume, and I'm a casual fan)
• Collecting blind box figures (mainly Tokidoki Unicornos)
• Stargazing
• Western astrological lore
• The classical elements
• More to be added eventually...?

Arcaea

Arcaea-related content intended to help or otherwise inform others.I believe that knowledge and proper understanding of something will help people enjoy that thing. It is my hope to provide what knowledge I can with the following content.

Story Pack Buying Order Guide

The following order is recommended as a balance between story and gameplay. It will let new players get accustomed to Arcaea's difficulty curve, be able to experience all content in Black Fate and Final Verdict upon buying the packs, and have time to acquire and level up more partners.1. Eternal Core: An excellent starting pack with many lower-difficulty charts, as well as the beginning of the story. Prior to 3.0 this was a less necessary starting point as Vicious Labyrinth and Luminous Sky both recap what happens in Eternal Core, but now you may as well get it first since it's required for later content.
2. Vicious Labyrinth and Luminous Sky: Both packs offer some higher-difficulty charts as well as high-STEP partners that will enable you to clear any World Mode content comfortably. They are also pivotal to the lore. VL and LS can be bought in either order; pick one based on the songs, charts, or partner you prefer.
3. Absolute Reason, Crimson Solace, Ambivalent Vision, and Ephemeral Page*: While not directly related to the main story, these packs offer essential lore information and may change your perspective of Black Fate. From a gameplay perspective, what each pack offers varies wildly; do some research before buying if you're not sure which pack to get first. These packs may be bought in any order. This would also be a convenient time to get Scarlet Cage, GIMME DA BLOOD, init(), and To the Milky Way if you're interested in those.**
4. Divided Heart: This pack gets special mention solely because you should buy it after Crimson Solace. There is no benefit to having it early unless you love the songs or Shirahime.
5. Adverse Prelude: Bridges the gap between VL/LS and Black Fate and is required for later content. While you could buy this before the side stories, I recommend getting it after the side stories and before Black Fate if only because of the way V-5 ends.
6. Black Fate: Currently the second-hardest pack in the game and features important content that requires other packs to unlock. When the game tells you to have bought the previous story packs, it's not kidding. Despite how tempting it may be, this pack should be bought before everything but Final Verdict (and potentially EO and BE) for maximum lore and gameplay enjoyment.
7. Final Verdict: As per the name, this should be bought last (save for LE***). You're required to have Black Fate to unlock all the content here anyway, so...*ABOUT BINARY ENFOLD AND ESOTERIC ORDER: When these two packs should be bought depends entirely on whether story or gameplay is your priority. You cannot have both. Both of these stories explicitly spoil Black Fate's. However, in terms of gameplay, Luna is much easier to get before you reach 10 potential and Lagrange's skill means you should aim to get her ASAP. Esoteric Order should be bought after Black Fate if prioritizing story and in step 3 if not. You have a few options here for Binary Enfold:
Option 1: Make Binary Enfold your first side story pack (so get it after Vicious Labyrinth and Luminous Sky) and hopefully get Luna before reaching 10 potential. You can also just leave the story for after Black Fate.
Option 2: Buy Binary Enfold after Black Fate and, in most cases, suck it up that you have to do Singularity FTR. You will also miss out on up to 6 early STEP for Tempest Tairitsu and have to make it up after having her.
Option 3: Deliberately keep your potential below 10 until after Black Fate, then buy Binary Enfold after Black Fate and do Singularity PRS for Luna. Not recommended if you are interested in playing higher-level charts because you will need to avoid most of them if you do this.**Unseeing Eyes (Vita's story) and Dark Ambition (Ilith's story) should both be read after Esoteric Order. Either buy NEO WINGS and Crimson Throne after Black Fate or buy them earlier and don't read the story. Similarly, the continuation of Lethe's story (NULL APOPHENIA) should be saved for after Final Verdict.***ABOUT LASTING EDEN: If you are prioritizing story, you should get this pack and its append after Final Verdict. If gameplay is your priority, Lasting Eden can be bought as early as in step 3; use your personal judgment to determine when you would get the most enjoyment out of the charts. Lasting Eden Chapter 2 should be saved for after Final Verdict.

Accuracy and Stamina

Have you ever felt bad about not having PMs when you feel you should, or being unable to EX 10s and up even though you can PM 9s and 9+s? This is completely normal and due to your particular skillset. Arcaea players' skillsets vary, but generally tend to fall into one of two categories: accuracy or stamina.Accuracy players are people who can perform lower-difficulty content incredibly well, but have massive skill gaps and struggle with content outside of their comfort zone. For example, consider a player who has PMs on most 8s and several 9s but can barely clear 10s and up.Stamina players are people who perform most content at the same level. They do not tend to have skill gaps but often struggle with accuracy and have very few charts at or close to PM. For example, consider a player who has AAs and EXes on 10s, 10+s, and 11s but has never PMed an 8 or 9.Because of the way potential works, accuracy and stamina players can be and often are at the same potentials. This is part of why the range from mid-9 to mid-11 is especially vague. Mathematically speaking, you do not "need" to play 10s or higher until you are at 12 potential and you do not "need" to have any PMs until you are above 12.5.While many people are biased toward accuracy play for one reason or another, any player aiming to master every chart will need to improve both accuracy and stamina.Accuracy can be improved by playing lower-level charts, including PST/PRS charts, and trying to PM them or improve shiny pure accuracy. Stamina can be improved by playing charts at the upper limits of your comfort zone, but that you can still read. If you are struggling with either category, I would recommend focusing on the other in order to minimize frustration.

Misc. Tips

Please note: I am a tablet player using index and some multifinger strats. While people with other playstyles may still get some use out of these tips, I cannot help with thumb or handheld playstyles specifically."How do I improve at..."
• Anything in general: Play all the charts you can, as long as you can read them. And play frequently if you can! The only way to get better at rhythm games is by playing them.
• General accuracy: Play charts well within your comfort zone (including PST or PRS charts) and try to PM them or improve shiny pure accuracy.
• Shiny pure accuracy: Listen to the songs outside of the game. Try to get a feel for the rhythms and take note of what patterns are used in a chart. If you are trying to get max PMs or come close to doing so, I would strongly advise starting with songs you already know well. (If you play Kalpa, then trying out Lunatic Mode in that game may also help since the timing is apparently the same.)
• Stamina: Play charts at the upper limits of your comfort zone to push yourself gradually. Try not to make exaggerated taps or arm movements; keep your fingers close to the screen. Consider adopting a multifinger playstyle if endurance is a real issue for you, since this will spread the exertion out across more fingers.
• Tech: Tech charts tend to want you to understand them in order to play them well. Research them by watching PM (not chart view) videos online before you play, and for songs with complicated rhythms, listen to them repeatedly to ensure you know what to expect from them.
• Streams: Most streams want you to follow the rhythm without overthinking it, and they tend to alternate. If you have trouble with streams no matter what you do in Arcaea, you may benefit from playing Kalpa. It has slightly more of a focus on streamy patterns (while generally being more forgiving than Arcaea) and can help you develop a multifinger playstyle if you haven't already.
• Crosshands: Position your hands and arms so you are covering as little of the screen as possible. Unfortunately there are some charts where this is incredibly difficult to do; in those cases you may have to memorize note positions instead.
• Slow and speed change charts: You can practice for slow charts by setting your note speed to about 2 or so and playing PRS 7s, which should have roughly the same note density. During slow charts or sections, try to focus on the notes immediately in front of you and not on what is coming up in the distance. Speed change charts require you to be able to adapt to what they throw at you beyond just being able to read the slow parts. Arcaea does not have soflan indicators, so unfortunately you're stuck with watching for subtle tells in the chart (notes getting closer together or farther apart) and memorizing when it speeds up or slows down.
• That one arc/note you can't hit: If you're consistently getting losts in the same place at a point where you would otherwise be FRing or PMing the chart, pay attention to which specific note is causing you trouble. Focus on the note (or pattern) that is actually causing you problems and leave the other hand to work off of muscle memory.
• Hitting low sky notes: Sky notes have odd hitboxes when they get lower. If you keep losing them when you're clearly hitting where they are, try to aim just a little bit above where you think the note should be.
• The timing of the trains in DX: There is a short three-note train near the beginning of the chart. This pattern has the same timing as all the subsequent long trains. Pay attention to its rhythm and you should gain a better understanding of what to do for the other trains.Have a tip for this section or think one should be added? Just let me know and I'll put it in if I can!

Kalpa

Kalpa-related content intended to help or otherwise inform others.For more useful and up-to-date Kalpa information as well as in-depth discussion of the game, please join the fan server Aste's Collection!

Packs to Prioritize

Kalpa has a large number of paid packs, with more being added rather frequently. Depending on what you want to get out of your purchases, you may want to buy certain packs before others.First, I firmly believe you should start with the pack(s) for your own sign. If you are a Gemini and can only afford one pack, pick the twin you like more.Original packs technically have better value than paid collab packs (500 fragments for six songs vs. 650 fragments for five songs). Dark Extension should be bought ASAP to minimize cost.Other than that...Rankings:
For Abyss, you will need to buy four of the following five packs: Iris (Connection), Luka (OMG), Miell (Another Me), Zerr (Corrupted Archetype), Lanota (Wolves Standing Towards Enemies); as well as Dark Extension (EMOTIONALL BRINGBACKK and ARESI Original Mix).
For Cosmos, you will need Lana (Fortalice), Miya (opia and L2), Arcyone (Revenant and Lemuria), and Lanota (Wolves Standing Towards Enemies); as well as Dark Extension (EMOTIONALL BRINGBACKK, ARESI Original Mix, and Neontetra Original Mix). You can also use Ggonsae for Cosmos.Special Charts:
Iris has six (three Abyss, two Chaos, one Cosmos).
Libera has seven (two Abyss, three Chaos, two Cosmos).
Sylvia has eight (three Abyss, three Chaos, two Cosmos).
Elaine has seven (two Abyss, three Chaos, two Cosmos).
Lynn has nine (three Abyss, two Chaos, four Cosmos).
Lana has nine (three Abyss, three Chaos, three Cosmos).
Miya has seven (three Abyss, two Chaos, two Cosmos).
Luka has seven (three Abyss, two Chaos, two Cosmos).
Arcyone has eight (two Abyss, three Chaos, three Cosmos).
Miell has four (two Abyss, one Chaos, one Cosmos).
Zerr has four (two Abyss, one Chaos, one Cosmos).
CODE:I has four (one Abyss, two Chaos, one Cosmos).
Ares has eleven (five Abyss, four Chaos, two Cosmos).
Neko Punch has six (two Abyss, three Chaos, one Cosmos).
Both paid O2JAM packs have three each (one Abyss, one Chaos, one Cosmos per pack).
The Lanota pack has five (one Abyss, three Chaos, one Cosmos).
The Vtuber pack has five (three Abyss, one Chaos, one Cosmos).
The To the Moon pack has two (one Abyss and one Chaos).
Both Rotaeno packs have ten each (three Abyss, four Chaos, three Cosmos per pack).Keep in mind that you can buy characters on their own for story (with none of them costing real money except for Fisica and the Vtubers) and most songs end up being playable for free sooner or later. Therefore, I recommend buying packs if you are interested in playing their songs repeatedly or want to play their special charts.

Characters to Reverse

With so many available characters, it can be difficult even for experienced players to know who to reverse first. And with Dark Matter being rather tedious to obtain, reversing too many characters can quickly get costly.First off, you should complete the 2nd Reverse for all characters with story entries, and after that, the 4th Reverse for all guardians whose packs you own (as this will unlock their Reverse songs). But what if you only have characters but no packs?This guide will focus on the gameplay merits of reversing characters, and will not take into consideration players' personal preferences. If you want to max someone out even if their skill isn't helpful, go for it! It just won't be covered in the guide.The 1st and 2nd Reverses will be skipped because, for characters without story, they only unlock relationship dialogue.3rd Reverse:
This is the phase that unlocks the character's skill, as well as additional expressions on the result screen. Some skills are much more useful than others, but the skill descriptions don't always make this clear.As of version 2.1.7 certain characters' skills have been adjusted. Some of these skills were ostensibly nerfed, but their in-game descriptions imply they were buffed. More testing is needed to figure out which is true. The affected characters are Noah, Luka, Arcyone, Iris, and Lana.Kalpa: Doesn't have a skill. You are reversing her solely for her expressions and sticker.
Noah: One of three characters to reward Dark Matter, but has a low chance of doing so. You're better off farming Dark Matter with either Luka or Lana (or, better yet, just playing in the Dark Area).
Aste: Has a variety of applications that may not seem obvious at first glance, mainly for thumb/index players and players who are lesser-skilled. She can be used to play through optimal charts without dying, and thumb players can spam multifinger charts with her if they want to place in the cumulative rankings. Reverse her if you are a thumb player and want to rank using multifinger charts, though note that you can also use Ares on thumb charts. If you're a multifinger player who can reliably clear meta charts, though, it's better to use CODE:I.
Mero: Useful when unlocking lab packs, but after you're finished she might as well not have a skill. At least you're no longer forced to get the packs you'd want to use her for before unlocking her.
Luka: Previously the most reliable Dark Matter farmer, Luka's skill has been nerfed so that it no longer triggers consistently. Further testing is needed, but most players will likely get more use out of Lana's skill.
Arcyone: Has a bug that gives her one of the most broken skills in the game. Instead of refunding your Astral Melody in the Dark Area, she randomly gives you 40 30 Astral Melody in Free Play. Incredibly useful for ranking season preparation and Dark Matter farming, and should be reversed ASAP.
Miell and Zerr: They have the same skill and you need to have them both to be able to use their skills anyway. If you own their packs, they are the best Energy farmers in the game. (Though in that case you would be maxing them out for their Reverse songs anyway.) Without their packs (or other preferred songs), however, they become almost completely useless. Miell is reduced to spamming Touch Me without any paid songs, and Zerr might as well not have a skill at all.
CODE:I: Useful for cumulative rankings, assuming the player is skilled and already has Dark Extension. She primarily benefits multifinger players; thumb players will want to use Ares or Aste depending on what category they're playing. If you want to place in the top 100, you should be using either her skill or Aste's. Note that CODE:I does not affect thumb or multifinger rankings.
Ares: The best Dark Area partner for thumb players; assuming you have Dark Extension, you should always use him for thumb runs. Much like with CODE:I, Ares does not affect thumb rankings.
Iris: Supposed to be the only Astral Melody farmer, but suffers from the existence of Arcyone's bug. Only use her to farm Astral Melody if that bug is fixed.
Libera: The only character to incentivize Risk play, and one of the better Energy farmers for general play. Most players will want to stick to Risk instead of turning on All Combo or All Perfect because no Energy is rewarded if you fail the chart. Libera's skill does not work in the Dark Area.
Sylvia: The only character to incentivize playing with Lunatic Mode on; there is no reason not to use her if you are already playing in Lunatic Mode. Since her skill buff in 2.1.7, she has become the best general Energy farmer due to her skill being consistent, working on all charts, and not requiring optimal play.
Elaine: Has a weird skill that would have interesting applications for clears...except clears are no longer all that important following the Constellation revamp. Only use her skill if you like theorycrafting and want to find an actual niche for it.
Lynn: Invaluable for people who don't own Dark Extension, but not useful for people who do. If you don't have Dark Extension, you will absolutely want to use her in the Dark Area over Aste or CODE:I.
Lana: One of two reliable Dark Matter farmers. Her skill applies to many more charts than Luka's and the charts it applies to are ones most people will be playing on a regular basis. The downside is that Lana's skill isn't guaranteed to trigger. Consider reversing either her or Luka even though the Dark Area is the fastest method of farming Dark Matter.
Miya: Randomly forces the use of her note skin and SE and rewards Energy after every play her skill triggers. This is the same skill Geopelia and Fisica have, but unlike theirs, Miya's note skin is easily obtainable from the shop and generally disliked by players. Don't bother using her to farm Energy; Libera and Sylvia are better despite their lower bonuses because their skills always trigger.
Ggonsae, Sakura Birds, Early Bird, and Birdeer: All birds have novelty skills that serve no real gameplay purpose. Early Bird gains EXP faster than anyone else, but if you don't want his sticker, what's the point?
Geopelia and Fisica: Have the same skill as Miya, but apply the Phigros and Lanota note skins respectively. These two are marginally more useful because their skins are much harder to get, with the Lanota skin being paid. Like Miya, Geopelia and Fisica should not be used for Energy farming.
Vtubers: Well, you spent money to buy them, so you might as well max them out.To put all of this another way...
Dark Area: Use Lynn if you don't have Dark Extension, Ares if you're playing thumb charts, and either Aste or CODE:I (depending on your skill level) if you're doing multifinger.
Astral Melody: Use Arcyone and spam charts in Free Play until the bug with her skill is fixed. If it is, you have no choice but to use Iris instead.
Dark Matter: Playing in the Dark Area is generally more rewarding than using any specific character to farm this.
Energy: Use Miell or Zerr if you have either of their packs, Sylvia if you are playing in Lunatic Mode, and Libera in all other cases.4th Reverse:
If the character is not a guardian whose pack you own, you will only be rewarded with their sticker. This phase is recommended only if you particularly like the character in question and want to use their sticker.