Gameplay

See Interface and Features for more general information about Arcaea's overall features.

This article describes various gameplay elements in Arcaea.

Play Screen

Play screen (v4.7, pre-v3.0 here)

• Information Pane: The pane at the top-right of the screen, which displays:
  • Current score
  • Song progress
  • Song information
• Track: The scrolling plane comprising 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: The number of consecutive notes hit successfully, i.e. PURE or FAR judgements. A LOST judgement will break the combo and reset it to 0.
• 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.

Control Types

Mobile:

Switch:

Arcaea for Nintendo Switch supports both Touch and Joy-Con controls. The active control type can be changed from the Control Type selection menu button in the top left.

Individual chart high scores and Potential are recorded separately for each type. Certain song charts also differ between the two control types.

Touch

Most charts in Arcaea contain at most two simultaneous inputs, and are playable with two fingers/thumbs, with some exceptions. Common playstyles are as follows:

• Thumb play: Involves play with the thumbs only. Works best on smaller devices such as phones that can be held during gameplay. Index or other fingers may be necessary for multifinger charts.
• Index finger play: Involves play with the index fingers only. Works on any device. Thumbs and/or middle and other fingers may be necessary for multifinger charts.
• Full hand play: Involves use of other fingers for chart sections beyond those that demand three or more inputs.

Joy-Con

Mobile: Not available in the mobile version of Arcaea.

Switch:

The note inputs for Joy-Con mode are as follows:

• Left/up/B/Y/L: blue notes
  • Blue floor notes (lanes 1/2)
  • Blue sky notes (left sky region)
  • Split-colour sky notes (middle sky region)
• Right/down/A/X/R: red notes
  • Red floor notes (lanes 3/4)
  • Red sky notes (right sky region)
  • Split-colour sky notes (middle sky region)
• Left stick: blue arcs
• Right stick: red arcs

Note Types

Charts feature the following note types (Joy-Con is only applicable to the Switch version).

Touch

Name	Description	Image
Floor Note	These notes appear on the bottom lanes. They require a single tap when they reach the floor input.
Long Note	These notes appear on the bottom lanes. They require holding a finger on the correct lane input area until they end. There is no FAR & PURE EARLY/LATE timing for these notes. These notes can be picked up mid-way if the beginning is missed. If a finger is released before the note ends, there is a short grace period to place it back without incurring a LOST. This may be exploited to switch fingers mid-note.
Arc Note	These notes are thick, curving lines that appear above the track. These require a finger to be held 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, for any imminent vertical arc motion, a forewarning will appear via an icon in the corner of the screen. There are blue and pink (or blue and yellow if Colorblind Mode is active), which are (typically) intended to be played with the left and right hands respectively. Attempting to switch fingers in the middle of an arc note, or moving a finger from one arc note to another arc note of a different color without lifting it from the screen will cause the arc to turn red, which will incur LOST notes. The Red and Blue and Green and 0xe0e1ccull April Fools' charts also feature a third Green arc. Arc notes have no initial hit timing, and can be hit by holding a finger at the correct position in advance. If a player's finger drifts away from the note, the arc note will appear translucent, and the game will allow a brief grace period where the finger can be returned before LOST notes are incurred. Releasing an arc note before it ends will incur LOST notes. Like long notes, arc notes can be picked up mid-way. This will typically incur a few LOST notes before the game registers the arc as being held. 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.
Sky Note	These notes appear above the track, typically on a trace. They only appear on Present, Future, and Beyond difficulties, save for keysounded exceptions. Sky notes and floor note that appear at the same time will be connected by a thin line. This was first introduced in 1.0.10, but it could be disabled. Since 1.1, it could no longer be disabled.
SFX Sky Note	These notes function the same as sky notes, but produce a bespoke sound effect when tapped. They only appear in the songs Infinite Strife,, and Arcana Eden, and 0xe0e1ccull. They use a unique hit animation from other tap notes. The hitsound for these notes will always play, regardless of hitsound volume set. If hitsound volume is set above 0%, the sound effect will play when the note is tapped, same as other note types, but at the song volume rather than the note volume. If hitsound volume is set to 0%, the sound effect will play at 100% volume at the exact timing of the note. They are the only type of notes not shown in either tutorial. These notes have a second Light side version, used when Hikari & Tairitsu (Reunion)'s skill is active (currently only usable in Infinite Strife,).
Trace	These are thin lines which can move in any direction within the input region. They are 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.

Joy-Con

Name	Description
Floor Note	These notes appear on the bottom lanes. Blue notes only appear in the left two lanes, and red notes in the right two lanes. They require a single button tap when they reach the floor input. Blue notes are hit with Left/up/B/Y/L. Red notes are hit with Right/down/A/X/R.
Long Note	These notes appear on the bottom lanes. They require a button to be held down until they end. Blue long notes are hit with Left/up/B/Y/L. Red long notes are hit with Right/down/A/X/R. There is no FAR & PURE EARLY/LATE timing for these notes. These notes can be picked up mid-way if the beginning is missed. If a button is released before the note ends, there is a short time window to press it again without incurring a LOST.
Arc Note	These notes are thick, curving lines that appear above the track. Tilt the corresponding stick to follow their direction of movement. Blue and red arcs (or blue and yellow if Colorblind Mode is active) are played with the left and right sticks respectively. Straight arc notes require no input. 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, for any imminent vertical arc motion, a forewarning will appear via an icon in the corner of the screen. Arc notes have no initial hit timing, and can be hit by tilting the relevant stick in advance. Like long notes, arc notes can be picked up mid-way. This will typically incur a few LOST notes before the game registers the arc as being held, but it is still recommended to prevent further LOST notes. Playing 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.
Sky Note	These notes appear above the track, typically on a trace. They only appear on Present, Future, and Beyond difficulties, save for keysounded exceptions. Sky notes and floor note that appear at the same time will be connected by a thin line. They require a single button tap when they reach the input area. Blue notes are hit with Left/up/B/Y/L. Red notes are hit with Right/down/A/X/R. Split colour notes can be hit with any face/shoulder button.
SFX Sky Note	These notes function the same as sky notes, but produce a bespoke sound effect when tapped. They only appear in the songs Infinite Strife, and Arcana Eden. They use a unique hit animation from other tap notes. The hitsound for these notes will always play, regardless of hitsound volume set. If hitsound volume is set above 0%, the sound effect will play when the note is tapped, same as other note types, but at the song volume rather than the note volume. If hitsound volume is set to 0%, the sound effect will play at 100% volume at the exact timing of the note. They are the only type of notes not shown in either tutorial. These notes have a second Light side version, used when Hikari & Tairitsu (Reunion)'s skill is active (currently only usable in Infinite Strife,).
Trace	These are thin lines which can move in any direction within the input region. They are 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

Recollection Rate

Main article: Gameplay/Recollection Rate.

Recollection Rate is a metric representing the player's current performance during gameplay. It is displayed on the left side of the screen on a meter known as the Recollection Gauge. The Gauge typically fills slightly with every PURE/FAR note hit, depending on the chart's Recollection Factor, and depletes slightly with every LOST note, typically by a fixed amount. Note that the Rate gain/loss per note does not depend on combo or on previous note judgements (except with certain Partners' skills).

There are several different types of Gauge that depend on the chosen Partner's skill, each with its own characteristics. Most partners use one of the default Gauge, EASY Gauge, or HARD Gauge, or a variation on one of them. Certain Partners have their own unique Gauge mechanics. Refer to the full article for details about variant Gauge types.

Mobile: The selected Partner's Gauge type applies whenever playing songs in Music Play or in most World Mode chapters. World Mode's Beyond chapters introduce additional challenges by penalising FAR notes. Course Mode uses its own variant of the HARD Gauge with slightly harsher Rate loss for LOST notes.

Switch: The selected Partner's Gauge type applies whenever playing songs in Music Play or World Mode. Course Mode uses its own variant of the HARD Gauge with slightly harsher Rate loss for LOST notes.

Normal

• The Gauge enabled by default for Partners without an EASY/HARD Gauge skill, and for sealed Partners.
• Default properties:
  • Initial Rate: 0
  • Maximum Rate: 100
  • Rate change per note:
    • PURE note recovery: +RF
    • FAR note recovery: +0.5·RF
    • 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).

Easy

• Enabled when selecting a Partner with the EASY skill effect.
• Reduced Rate loss for LOST notes compared to normal Gauge.
• Default properties:
  • Initial Rate: 0
  • Maximum Rate: 100
  • Rate change per note:
    • PURE note recovery: +RF
    • FAR note recovery: +0.5·RF
    • LOST note penalty: -1.2
  • 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).

Hard

• Enabled when selecting a Partner with the HARD skill effect.
• Much higher Rate loss for LOST notes compared to normal Gauge, with immediate Track Lost upon reaching 0 Rate.
• Default properties:
  • Initial Rate: 100
  • Maximum Rate: 100
  • Rate change per note:
    • PURE note recovery: +RF
    • FAR note recovery: +0.5·RF
    • LOST note penalty: -9 (if Rate ≥ 40), -9 to -5 (if 30 < Rate < 40), -5 (if Rate ≤ 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.
• While Recollection Rate < 30, the bottom of the screen flashes red.
• Course Mode variant:
  • Increased LOST note penalty: -10 (if Rate ≥ 40), -10 to -5 (if 30 < Rate < 40), -5 (if Rate ≤ 30).

Gauge display

Recollection Gauge display (basic types)

Easy		Normal		Hard	Course Mode
< 70	≥ 70	< 70	≥ 70

Recollection Factor

Main article: Gameplay/Recollection Rate § Recollection Factor.

The Recollection Factor (RF) is the amount by which the Recollection Rate (RR) increases after a PURE note judgement. It depends on the total number of notes in the chart, with an additional adjustment for Level 11 and 12 charts:

Total notes in chart (TN)		Recollection Factor (RF)
TN < 400		$\text{RF} = 0.2 + \frac{80}{\text{TN}}$
400 ≤ TN < 600		$\text{RF} = 0.2 + \frac{32}{\text{TN}}$
TN ≥ 600	Lv ≤ 10+	$\text{RF} = 0.08 + \frac{96}{\text{TN}}$
	Lv ≥ 11	$\text{RF} = \left( 0.08 + \frac{96}{\text{TN}} \right) \times 0.8$

For the default Gauge types, the RR recovery for FAR notes is half this amount. The RR penalty for LOST notes is typically a fixed amount (with reduced loss when RR < 40), and does not depend on the chart. For all Gauge types excluding Tairitsu (Tempest), the RR after a note judgement is simply:

$\text{Recollection Rate}_\text{After} = \text{Recollection Rate}_\text{Before} + \text{RR Change of [Note Judgement]}$

The following table shows the RR change per note judgement for each Gauge type with respect to the Recollection Factor. Some RR changes are constant. Refer to the full article for details about variant Gauge types.

Gauge Type / Variant	RR Change per Note Judgement
	Note Judgement		RR Change
Default	PURE		+RF
	FAR		+0.5 RF
	LOST		−2
EASY	PURE		+RF
	FAR		+0.5 RF
	LOST		−1.2
HARD	PURE		+RF
	FAR		+0.5 RF
	LOST	RR ≥ 40	−9
		40 > RR ≥ 30	−(0.4 × Current RR − 7)
		RR < 30	−5
Course	PURE		+RF
	FAR		+0.5 RF
	LOST	RR ≥ 40	−10
		40 > RR ≥ 30	−(0.5 × Current RR − 10)
		RR < 30	−5

Scoring

Main article: Scoring

Scoring in Arcaea is solely based on timing accuracy, and not on Combo or Partner skills. On song completion, players receive a grade based on their Score. Note that Score is calculated separately from Recollection Rate.

Potential

Main article: Potential

Potential is a rating assigned to Players based on their best high scores overall and high scores from their most recent plays.