Random Update: 5* Passive Skills from Mermaid

Yes it is possible to get 5* passive skills from kissing the Mermaid Princess!

Not exactly a fantastic skill here, and sorry for the low quality photo haha, but at least it's confirmed that the Mermaid can give something nice once in the blue moon.

Hopefully it will be a Firebody or Lightning God next time. >_>

Hunt for Heroes – Food for Thought

Recently Sebi (《A》Ace, Alpha S.4) opened a discussion on the Facebook page. Apparently there are players complaining about the game giving out certain heroes right after they painstakingly spent decades and a fortune to sing/buy a hero.

I guess I can understand what they are trying to say. Its like you spent so much effort in trying to obtain something, only to realise soon after that your need not have gone through all that trouble at all. So its kind of… a wasted effort?

But then again, all these aren’t considered complaints. They are just sore comments.

It’s really just too bad.

I am mostly a FTP player myself, and I know first hand that every mistake/wrong decision in the game can be dead costly. There are many times I want to punch myself with Adamant Haki for doing the stupidest things in the game! (Yep let me use your words this time Sebi =P)

The launch of the Mystery Shop and the increase of recent events by Plus OP actually altered the game play considerably.  (And when the SS heroes patch finally reaches us, it will definitely change the landscape once more.) The developers are slowly adding more avenues for players to farm S heroes. This also means that as players, we need to learn, adapt, and react accordingly. This includes changing the way we hunt for new heroes.

So the next time you wonder who you should sing for next, ask yourself the following:

• Will he be useful in your deck?
• Is he/she an end-game hero?
• Are there other means of farming him besides singing to speed up your hunt?
• Can you buy, or can you afford to buy the last 3 souls from the Mystery Shop/Nation War pubs?
• If no, you need to decide if you want to continue grinding after 27 souls, or stop and switch to sing someone else, while waiting for Plus OP to release an event or sell him in the shop.

The next time Plus OP gives away a hero you already have, don't fret. At least you know you have a steady influx of souls for your next breakout, or for your warship.

With that, I wish you all the best and good luck in bagging your next shiny purple hero~!

Hee hee, yep this post is dedicated to you Sebi, and also to your alliance Alpha on S.4. Thank you for taking the time to visit this blog and giving us your feedback, I really appreciate it. Its been great knowing you~! =P

How to get Equipment

1. Sailing

Certain orange stages drop C or B grade equipment, some boss stages even have a chance to drop A grade equipment fragments. To see the rewards for each stage, open their drop down menu.



2. Chests

Wooden, Bronze, Silver and Gold chests have a chance to drop C or B grade equipment. However, I haven't heard of anyone getting anything fantastic so far, so I think it's better to save these Chests for exchange events.



3. Kiss the Mermaid Princess

It is possible to bag C, B or even A grade Jewelry from the Mermaid Princess. (Thanks Merah & Earth!) Keep trying!



4. Fog - Fragments

Every 5 levels at Fog gives you the option to choose 1 of 2 particular equipment fragments. If you manage to defeat the boss stage, you can do a free roll for a chance to get the fragment, or you can buy it directly with Gold. 

However, unless you are a cash player, or even if you are a cash player, it can take 18467237845838 gazillion years to complete collecting the fragments.



5. Mystery Shop

If they are available on sale, you can choose to buy the last few equipment fragments off the Mystery Shop to complete your merge. Some weapons like Clima-Tact or Capture Star are only available in the Mystery Shop.



6. Daily Sign

It pays to invest some effort into visiting the Daily Sign, as sometimes the game gives out S grade equipment at the end of the month. So far, players could get Admiral Cloak, Cloak, and for the month of February they giving out a spiffy Spartan Helm, which currently has the highest base increment among all armors in this game!



7. Merge Drawings

The most common method to obtain A and S grade equipment in the game is to merge equipment drawings. However, what you get is random and largely based on luck. (Although I can't say that for sure because I never seem to be able to get a Handmade Vest, never everrrr!!! Well unless it means I have horrible luck... >_<)


Currently these are some of the known methods to obtain the following drawings:

3-Star Weapon Drawings

• Nation War Island Chests 
• Mystery Shop

5-Star Weapon Drawings

• Main Missions: Clear Sailing stages (Meet the Challenges)
• Main Missions: Hero Recruitment
• Fog - Clear about 50 stages and above for a chance to get it randomly
• Mystery Shop
• Nation War treasure hunt: Buy with Mystical Glass or Gold
• Nation War Island Chests
• Raiding S escorts may have a chance to drop 5-star weapon drawings (however there is no notification for the drop and you need to check for it manually in your bag.)
• Events

6-Star Weapon Drawings

• Fog - Clear about 85 stages and above for a chance to get it randomly
• Mystery Shop
• Rebates / Exchange Events

3-Star Armor Drawings

• Nation War Island Chests 
• Mystery Shop

5-Star Armor Drawings

• Main Missions: Clear Sailing stages (Meet the Challenges)
• Main Missions: Hero Recruitment
• Fog - Clear about 50 stages and above for a chance to get it randomly
• Mystery Shop
• Nation War treasure hunt: Buy with Mystical Glass or Gold
• Nation War Island Chests
• Events

6-Star Armor Drawings

• Fog - Clear about 85 stages and above for a chance to get it randomly (Thanks Shadowkent!)
• Mystery Shop
• Rebates / Exchange Events

3-Star Jewelry Drawings

• Fog - There should be no problem finding them often >_>

5-Star Jewelry Drawings

• Main Missions: Clear Sailing stages (Meet the Challenges)
• Rebate / Events

6-Star Jewelry Drawings

• Exchange Events

8. Alliance Shop

If you have enough Candies and Shop level, you can purchase A-class Thunder Stick fragments from the Alliance Shop. It takes 35 fragments to merge the complete weapon, although I would rather save the Candies to buy refine materials.
(Thanks RedHawk! xD)



9. Events / Giveaways / Rebates

Stay tuned to the Facebook page for updates on events, giveaways and sales. E.g Dream sword pack giveaways.

Also check back at the Pearl Seashell in the main page for rebates, but be prepared to be blown away by their jaw dropping prices. ~_~



10. New: Franky's Workshop

This new feature allows you strip down unused equipment into materials. These materials can then be used to craft certain equipment in the factory. However, right now the only available S grade equipment for crafting is Demon's Towel and Fisherman's Coat.

List of S Heroes - Combinations, Innate Skill & Stats

For the full album and the screenshots of all S heroes, click here. 

Yep I know there is already an album on the Dream Pirates 3D Group, but I want to make one for heroes that are released on Plus OP, and include the new heroes that were recently released.

I will be updating this album as Plus OP releases more S heroes.

If you need to use any of the screenshots in this album, feel free and go ahead, but it would be nice to give us some credit and/or link it back here~! xD

Special thanks to Reborn, Daz, Earth and Shadowkent for providing the screenshots! <3 xD

Types of Equipment

There are 3 types of equipment in the game: Weapons, Armors & Jewelry

Weapons increase attack.
Armors increase defense.
Jewelry increase HP.

The grades of equipments are divided into C, B, A and S. S class equipments are currently the best equipments you can find for this game.

You can enhance a piece of equipment to increase its stats. A and S class equipments can also be refined to increase the increment of the stats for each level.

The stats of the equipments contribute to the combined base stats of the hero. (Refer to what is combined base stats in the Stats Calculation guide here.)



5 Star vs 6 Star Equipments

Frankly speaking, I find the classifications of 5 and 6 Star equipments pretty crappy. >_> It is not right to assume that a 6 Star equipment will have better stats than a 5 Star equipment, because a 5 Star Fisherman's Coat can have the exact same base stats and base increment when compared to a 6 Star White Beard's Cloak! Yea, kinda confusing huh?

Hence I believe that the classification of 5 and 6 Star depends on the equipment's rarity, and not based on its stats.

How to tell if a piece of equipment is worth enhancing? Look at its base stats and base increment. A larger base increment means more stats will be added to the equipment per level of enhancing.


For a consolidated list of S Class Equipments and their base stats & base increment, click here.
(If you are able to provide any of the missing information in the table, do drop a buzz with a screenshot and I will be sure to credit accordingly! Thank you!)

Demon Valley

At 12.30pm and 8.30pm (+8 GMT) daily, a boss with a mighty chunk of HP will be unlocked for 2 hours (but it usually ends within 5-20 minutes), and players on the server can join the battle to defeat him.

When the event starts, each player can enter the event to deal damage on the boss. Instead of the usual battle system where alternate heroes take turns to land hits, in Demon Valley all your heroes will strike one after another, i.e. the 1st hero hits the boss, followed by the 2nd hero, and the 3rd and so on. After the last hero hits, the boss will strike back and your turn is over.

After each turn, you need to wait for a cool down timer to reset before you can attempt another round. If you do not wish to wait, you can pay 2 Gold to instantly reset the timer and enter to hit the boss immediately. You can also pay 10 Gold for a reset + additional 20% attack boost for all your heroes in that particular turn.

The whole point of this event is for players to deal as much damage as possible, and to do that, you can take note of the following.



Choosing your Heroes

There isn't really a need to train specific heroes for Demon Valley, however if you do have the luxury of choice, you should obviously select your best attackers for your team. Attackers work best in Demon Valley due to their damage bonus when dealing AOE attacks.

Moreover, attackers with innate multi skills make the best choice for Demon Valley. Examples of heroes with innate multi skills are Luffy (Gattling Gun), Zephyr (Holy Thunder) or Doflamingo (Five Colour Strings).

However, if you do not have heroes with innate multi skills, heroes with innate passive skills will also work nicely. For example, Ace with Fire Body, or Kizaru with Lightspeed. This is because you can simply equip them with a multi skill and they are ready to roll!



What Skills to give your Heroes?

Skill casting in Demon Valley works differently from regular battles. If there is only 1 active skill among the 3 skill slots of the hero, the casting rate of that active skill will be 100%, i.e the hero will definitely cast the skill! However, if the hero has more than 1 active skill, he will randomly cast one of the skills. This is the main reason why heroes with innate multi skills are preferred, as they will cast the multi skill for sure when no other active skills are equipped. Hence:

• If your hero has an innate multi skill, equip 2 more passive skills that boosts attack.
• If your hero has an innate passive skill, equip 1 multi skill + 1 passive attack skill.
• If you have no choice but to use a hero with an innate single attack skill, you can equip 2 multi skills to increase the chance of the hero casting a multi skill.

If you are out of passive attack skills, try to farm an extra Void or Wax Cover. If your hero has a haki-def build instead, you can choose to equip a passive haki skill to sharply boost your haki, and equip a good Lv 7 multi skill to make the best out of the situation.



Formation

The damage spread for AOE attacks decreases for opponents further away from the hero. (Refer to this guide here on how multi skills work.) Therefore it is important to arrange your heros properly for Demon Valley. Strongest attackers should be in the middle of the formation to maximize their damage, while the weaker heros should be at the beginning or at the end of the lineup.

If possible, you may wish to rearrange the heroes in your Cheering slots to maximize the attack/haki stats. You may also want to equip attack/critical shadows.

Prepping for Demon Valley can be very time consuming. The game developers seriously need to consider letting players save certain formations in slots to reduce all the hassle needed to change our decks! -_-"



Landing the Last Hit

Well, all that trouble gone through in changing you deck for Demon Valley may be well worth it, when you land the last hit on the boss and finish him off!

Getting the last hit is largely based on luck. You need to have a very good estimation to grasp the 'timing', or you can spam hit to speed up/skip fight + reset with 2 Gold and hope you land the killer blow. Players that deal a higher overall damage have a better chance of landing a last hit, so be sure to put in some effort to set your decks!



Rewards

The player that lands the last hit gets a whopping Beli reward + a morale boost for 24 hours!

The last hit Beli rewards may vary for each boss/player.

Each hit on the boss rewards you with some orbs and Beli, depending on your damage dealt per round. Current maximum reward is 175k for 300k damage per round. (sorry for the previous typo~!)

Top 5 players also get a morale boost for 24 hours. You can see them in your titles page after you re-login.

Top 10 rewards are as follows:

1. 60 Orbs, 3m 
2. 45 Orbs, 2m
3. 35 Orbs, 1.5m
4. 30 Orbs, 1.25m
5. 25 Orbs, 1m
6. 20 Orbs, 850k
7. 20 Orbs, 700k
8. 15 Orbs, 600k
9. 15 Orbs, 500k
10. 15 Orbs, 400k

Special thanks to Nic, Laoda, Reborn, Robotjaeger & DWaterLaw for helping to compile the rewards list! xD <3

Event: Hawkins Sailing Drops

Event Date & Timings: 31 January 17:00 - 01 February 16:50 (+8 GMT)
Refer to the Facebook post here for full details.

Some pointers:

For players who are VIP 3 and above, try to sail on blue Boss stages only, and use Gold to reset the Boss stages for repeat attempts (costs 5 Gold each). Due to the low drop rate, you will only spend more time and energy if you sail on Normal and/or Elite stages.

Not sure if I am considered lucky/unlucky, but I have used about 660ish energy and close to 500 Gold to get my Hawkins from Boss stages. (Well I guess 500 Gold is still considered acceptable, compared to 2 blank Logue Town Elite gate draws.) I used Robbery Cards to speed up the farming process too.

Here is my shiny new S Hero~! xD

Good luck to those of you who are trying to get Hawkins!!! xD

Cheering Team

1. Combinations and Relationships

Heroes in the Cheering Team activate any combinations or relationships bonuses for heroes in the main team. For example, if you have Sanji and Zoro in your Cheering Team, Luffy will get a 33% Defense bonus in the main team.

You only have a maximum of 7 Cheering Slots, so you need to plan who you want to have in your main/Cheering team.



2. Cheering Stats

Each Cheering slot increases the stats of a certain attribute for your hero. The total amount of stats from the Cheering Team adds to the Combined Base Stats of your hero. (Refer to this guide on the calculation of Combined Base Stats here.)

Stats Effect of Cheering Slots at Lv 0
Slot 1 - HP 10%
Slot 2 - Defense 10%
Slot 3 - Attack 10%
Slot 4 - Haki 10%
Slot 5 - Defense 20%
Slot 6 - Attack 20%
Slot 7 - Haki 20%

Slots 1 to 4 increases 2% per level, while Slots 5 to 7 increases 1% per level.

It takes 2 Cheering Cards to upgrade the slot from Lv0 to Lv1. The next upgrade doubles to 4 cards, then 8 cards, then 16... The max level of Cheering Slots is.... sorry I don't really know what is the max level yet haha. If you have any more information to provide, do let us know! :)


Where does the % apply to?
For example, the first Cheering Slot gives 10% HP from your hero. Visit the training page of the hero in that Cheering slot to see how much potential stat is available in the HP attribute, and take 10% from that number.

The % only applies to the hero's potential stats in the specific attribute. Any other relationships or combinations will not increase the Cheering Stats.


Rolling your Stats for Cheering Team
For competitive PVP players, it is very important to max out the stats available for your Cheering Team. If your hero is in a HP slot, use Orbs to roll as much potential you can into the HP attribute to raise your main team's stats as much as possible.

However, you should only do so when you are VERY sure that you will no longer be making much changes to your team, because any changes that you make in future will cost you more Orbs, gold and time to re-roll your stats again.

Also, it is found that depending on the level of the hero, there is a hidden minimum and maximum stat for each attribute. Moreover, this minimum and maximum stat for the 4 attributes vary for each hero. This means that certain heroes can have a lower HP compared to other heroes, or certain heroes will be able to have a higher attack stat compared to other heroes.

(How did we come to deduce that there is a minimum/maximum stat? When rolling potential in training, it is found that sometimes the stats for a certain attribute cannot be decreased any further no matter how many times we try. Similarly, some found that it is nearly impossible to increase a stat of a certain attribute that they want. )



3. Where to get Cheering Cards

To unlock a Cheering Slot, you will need a Cheering Card each. To upgrade each slot, you need even more Cheering Cards. These cards are extremely rare to find in the game, and you will need either a lot of luck and patience, or a lot of money:

• Kiss the Mermaid Princess: So far I have only won 1 card from the Mermaid Princess, after about 6 months into playing this game. So yes, it is possible to get them from her!
• Daily Login lottery cards: I'm sure most of you have seen the Cheering Card icon before when you flip the cards on your first login daily. However I have never personally won a card from the daily login. Actually, I have never heard of ANYONE that has won a card from the daily login.  -_-
• Mystery Shop: Cheering Cards are available for sale in the Mystery Shop. 1 Card for 2000 Gold, 2 Cards for 3400 Gold (thanks Emmett!), and lastly 3 Cards for 4800 Gold.
• Reaching VIP 4 rewards you with 1 Cheering Card. 
• Events and Giveaway: End of last year in 2014, there was a massive Facebook event. Each player could redeem 3 Cheering Cards from Logue Town together with some other freebies. Stay tuned to the Facebook page for any updates on future events or giveaways. 

I need Orbs!

After Gold and Belis, Orbs are our next best friend. We can't seem to get enough of them!

Where can I find more orbs?

1.  Hunt and raid Rank S escorts (5 attempts available per day, approx 90 to a max of 200 Orbs per raid)

2.  Get lucky and escort Rank S supplies. You can spend a bit of Gold to refresh the rank of your cargo and hope for a better escort.

3. Do all available Daily Missions and collect the orbs rewards

4. Take part in Demon Valley fights to earn a bit of orbs

5. Sailing stages, Fog, Marine bases in Adventure, Nation War and balloon shaking will randomly drop orbs.

6. Cross Alliance Server battles will also randomly drop orbs during fights. Top 10 players as well as Top 10 Alliances and their participating members will receive Orbs rewards.

7. The higher your rank in the Arena, the more points you can earn. Redeem these points for Orbs.

8. Drinking caps can also be exchanged for Orbs at Zoro's Pirate Bar.

9. There are periodic Orbs sales in Logue Town. Check the Plus OP Facebook page for any updates on these events/sales.

10. Equipment packs have a tiny chance to drop a complete equipment, a small chance to get some equipment fragments, or a fairly good chance to bag a ton of orbs. >_>

11. Failing to obtain a unique puzzle piece during Puzzle events will give you a consolation prize of 5 Orbs per attempt.

12. When you run out of Orbs during training, the game will prompt you with a popup. If you want to, you can choose to purchase more Orbs from Chopper. The first 100 Orbs cost 20 Gold, which is actually quite a good deal I think, although the price will increase for subsequent purchases.

Each of these methods may only bag you with a small number of orbs, but over time, they pile up and can amount to quite a number! So go ahead and grab as many of them as you can to roll your hero stats!

FAQ

Over time I see players ask the same questions over and over again in the main chat, so hopefully this list of FAQ may answer some of your nagging queries that you may have.


1. How to get VIP 3?
You need to purchase Gold with real money to go beyond VIP 2. When you are at VIP 2, you only need to buy a minimum of 100 Gold to reach VIP 3. Your first purchase will reward you with x3 Gold, so bear that in mind!


2. How to leave my current alliance?
Go to your alliance member list. Click on your name, and then leave. 


3. How to get xxx hero?
Refer to the guide here and the heroes list here to see what are your options.


4. What is Vitality Soup for?
Clearing boss stages at Sailing will sometimes reward you with Trainers. After the training ends, use the Vitality Soup to get double exp for your heros. 


5. Where to get Rubber Rocket?
The first Sailing stage to drop Rubber Rocket is Civil War - End (boss stage). You may also get lucky at merging 3-Star Skill Drawings or kissing the Mermaid Princess. The skill is also available in the Mystery Shop for a whopping price of 20m Belis.


6. I have been singing Luffy for ages, why can't I complete my last 5 souls of Ace?
You just have to be patient and grind it out. You may get one today, tomorrow, or not get any for a loooong time. My last Ace soul took me 3 weeks to sing!!!

Alternatively, if they are available for sale in the Mystery Shop or Nation War, you may wish to purchase your last 3 souls there to save time.


7. What is Robbery Card for?
The Robbery Card function replaces the old Sailing x10 option. When you clear a Sailing stage with 3 stars, you can use these cards to instantly clear the same stage again without fighting. 


8. What is Hot Tea for?
When you have run out of free times to drink with Zoro, use the Hot Tea to get extra drink times. The number of extra times you can drink depends on your VIP level.


9. Its so hard to play this game without spending money!
True, higher VIP players will always be at an advantage, and that's how it works for any game. However this does not mean that FTP players are out of the running too. It just means you will face more challenges, and the road you walk will be longer.


10. What is the difference between VIP 2 and 3?
The main difference between VIP 2 and 3, is that VIP 3 players get access to the following features in the game: Auto battles in Fog, an extra Fog attempt with Sleepy Eye, tap to speed up battles, reset orange Sailing rounds with Gold, Quick Battle and Robbery Card function, extra drinking times with Hot Tea, extra Duet attempts with Snail Shells, extra escort attempt at Nation War trading, and buy extra 10 energy with 8 Gold during mealtimes.


11. Help!! Why are my heroes are stuck at xx level?
The maximum level of your heroes is 3 times your Captain's Level. Lets say if you are Lv 40, the maximum level your heroes can go is Lv 120.


12. What should I spend my Gold on? Is it worthwhile to use Gold to draw Heroes at Logue Town?
Unless you are a Cash player, or unless you are feeling really lucky, don't waste your Gold on Logue Town draws. You are better off saving your Gold for in-game events, or getting your last 3 souls from Mystery Shop/Nation War Pubs to complete your Hero recruitment.

Some of us at Vincere have a OCHD syndrome. Its called, Obsessive Compulsive Hoarder Disorder! xD For FTP players to survive in this game, we have to hoard everythingggggg. When I say everything, I really mean almost everything! Not just Gold, but Belis, Fishballs, Wine, Equipment, Chests, Drawings, Mystical Glass etc. You need to do your best to make sure that by the time the game releases the next event/feature, you will have enough resources to take part in them.


13. Where can I get more Snail Shells (for Singing)?
They are pretty rare but you have a chance to get them at Daily Login-flip cards, Robins Casino, Daily Sign, events/rebates. Or buy them at the Mystery Shop if you see them.


14. What is the Brush for?
It is used to refresh at the Mystery Shop without paying 20 Gold. 


15. Why is it that some players in the Arena hit me first?
This is because they have higher morale than your team. Refer to this post here for more information on Morale and Titles.


16. How do I get Lv4 and 5 materials for crafting?
Splitting equipments gives you a chance to get these materials, when you split equipments of better grades, you will have a higher chance of getting better materials.


Why do you always use Ivankov in your examples?
Oh, because the main mascot in our alliance is an Okama king, ehh... I mean queen. xD


Okay okay, other than the last question, the rest are pretty much legit. xD If you have any questions or suggestions, feel free to sound them out here! :)

Special thanks to Gigz for your contributions to this FAQ~! <3