Hard Mode rewards preparation, not rushing.

What changes in Hard Mode

• Hard enemies are separate fixed-stat entries, not Normal enemies with one simple universal multiplier.
• A regular victory still costs 1 AP and a boss victory still gives +3 AP. A defeat or Run Away costs 6 AP.
• Hard Mode applies 5× EXP and 5× gold, while its typical shared field-drop budget is 2%.
• Hard boss items begin around 0.75% before bonuses. Exclusive H equipment provides the intended long-term ladder.
• A new Hard run starts temporary growth over, but your persistent equipment, slots, collections, achievements, characters, and bonuses remain.

Readiness checklist

1. Clear all 20 open Normal bosses, ending with Aqua Liege, so the unlock is recorded.
2. Bring upgraded Normal endgame equipment in every useful slot. Hard Grassland is not balanced around an empty starter build.
3. Unlock Normal slots 7 and 8, and save focused damage, survival, and farming loadouts before entering.
4. Keep an AP setback reserve of at least 6. Run Away has the same AP cost as a defeat, so retreat only when it prevents a worse decision.
5. Farm the last safe band when the next enemy survives too long. A clean previous-region streak can provide levels, gold, and a useful H drop.

The current Hard route

A practical Hard progression plan

• Measure safety first: if a normal enemy can end the fight before you recover from a bad turn, return to the previous band and strengthen HP/DEF or equipment.
• Then improve speed: if incoming damage is controlled but fights consume too much time, add ATK and check whether AGI-based crit/combo remains effective after resistance.
• Read the enemy's counter-stats: armor pierce reduces effective DEF, weaken suppresses a share of ATK, and fixed crit/combo/dodge/critical-damage resistances can invalidate a familiar Normal build.
• Protect the run: one Hard setback costs the same AP as six ordinary victories. Use the AP planner before long optional farming routes.
• Use elites selectively: elites appear at about 1%, have 1.5× HP and ATK, and reward 5× base EXP and gold before Hard's mode economy.

Hard gear, drops, and slots

• The open Hard shop offers a curated rank-1 base ladder: 5 pieces per main region, 25 pieces in total. It becomes visible once Hard Mode is unlocked.
• Hard equipment beyond that starter ladder is primarily earned through drops. A lucky new drop can advance a build faster than buying incremental upgrades.
• The regular Hard drop budget is usually 2% shared among eligible items. Duplicate decay and ownership caps still apply.
• While an active run is in Hard Mode, slot 9 costs 100,000,000 gold and slot 10 costs 1,000,000,000 gold.
• Saved Sets 1–5 are equipment loadouts. The current combat code does not grant a bonus merely for wearing similarly named pieces.

How current stat scaling affects Hard Mode

Full HP, ATK, and DEF gain a level-power bonus of 8 × ln(1 + level / 100)%. At approximately level 250 this is +10.02%, at level 900 it is +18.42%, and at level 4,000 it is +29.71%. Equipment and permanent flat bonuses are included before this percentage is applied.

• Item HP%, ATK%, and DEF% bonuses now scale the full stat total, not only base stats.
• AGI and LUC do not receive level power. Their crit, combo, dodge, gold, and drop contributions still depend on their actual total and the enemy's resistance.
• Defense reduces damage after armor pierce, but at least 15% of enemy ATK still lands and every damaging hit deals at least 1.
• Crit and combo overflow can create guaranteed higher tiers; dodge alone is capped at 95% after resistance.

World Gate status

The World Gate is sealed in the current build. Japan, Greek, Military, and Heaven content appears in the wiki as an implemented preview, not as a currently playable promise.

When that release switch is enabled, the planned Normal World Gate condition is all 20 main-route bosses cleared in Hard Mode. The later Hard World Gate condition uses all 25 Normal bosses through Heaven. Slots 11 and 12 are also reserved for a World-Gate-unlocked active Hard run.