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Hellsinker/Strategy

2021-05-21T14:56:49Z

Twilightex: /* Shrine of Farewell */ Update hierarchy for Terra management for more visibility.

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''See [[Hellsinker]] for the main page.''
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== General Strategy ==
TBA

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== Segment Specific Strategy ==

=== Segment 1 Behind ===
* TBA
* '''Boss: Quiet Minstrel'''

=== Segment 2 Behind ===
* TBA
* '''Boss: Glorious Symbol'''

=== Segment 3 Behind ===
* TBA
* '''Boss: Sunken Bishop'''

=== Segment 1 Lead ===
* TBA
* '''Boss: Rex Cavalier (Aerial Form)'''

=== Segment 2 Lead ===
* TBA
* '''Boss: Scarlet Queen'''
** Scarlet Queen has a multitude of parts to dismantle, and which parts she has can dramatically change her attack pattern. They can be split up into talons, the two singular parts down below that fire blue energy blasts; wings, the multi-segmented side pieces that can be SEALed; and the Queen's Throne, the small knobby piece at the top that attempts to shoot you down when you get too close.
** The fight starts with Scarlet Queen swooping in from the top left down to the center bottom. She will be releasing bullets from the get-go so try to not let her push you into them. As long as all pieces are alive she will stay in this basic pattern, shooting a small number of bullets from her wings and attempting to wall you with her talons.
** '''Both talons destroyed, wings symmetrical (a piece is either alive or dead on both sides, no mismatches):''' Scarlet Queen will shoot many grazeable needle bullets from her wings. This pattern is static and worth a lot of FINELINE bonus so it's worth doing for score. Moving too high up the screen during this pattern will SEAL some of her wing pieces and reduce the number of needles shot. Stay near the bottom.
** '''Both talons destroyed, wings non-symmetrical:'''Her wings will perform two different attacks, depending on whether they are up or down. While up, they will shoot a stream of arrowhead bullets aimed at you. While down, it is instead small circular bullets aimed straight down. If you can remain above the boss and close enough to one wing to SEAL it entirely, this pattern is a simple dodge. Note that even if the wings are symmetrical, the above pattern will eventually end and lead to this one.
** '''One or both wings left with no SEALable feather pieces (talon status to get this pattern needs to be confirmed):''' The remains of Scarlet Queen's wing will start shooting homing missiles at you. Pretty mediocre attack.
** '''Queen's Throne:''' Anytime you approach the Queen's Throne it will attempt to shoot you with small circular bullets. This piece is quite hard to hit, but destroying it drops several Life Chips so it is worthwhile. Note that the Throne being alive or dead has no impact on any other attacks the boss has.
** '''All subparts destroyed (excluding Throne):''' Scarlet Queen will attempt to wall you with arrowheads while shooting small circulars inside the bullet corral. Reaching this pattern always causes a New Stella Relic to drop, in case you need to increase your rank. Destroying the main piece causes a bullet cancel so try to make it profitable.
** '''Boss destroyed, rank high (7 or 8, exact value needs testing):''' Spirit Kernel form. The boss's soul will attempt to destroy you with fast and dense patterns. This phase lasts 16 seconds of consists of 4 attacks performed in rapid succession. Destroying the boss will cause another bullet cancel and a Revive token to drop (useful if you are not already life capped). As the boss's final pattern is the densest, it is worthwhile to delay killing it til the last second.

=== Segment 3 Lead ===
* TBA

=== Segment 4 ===
* TBA
* '''Boss: Rusted Dragon'''
** Rusted Dragon is considered a step up in difficulty for first time players, as it is a lot more aggressive than the bosses from the Behind Segments. However, a lot of its difficulty can be mitigated through knowledge and practice.
** Before the fight even starts, if you have 2 lives of less Rusted Dragon will not appear at all, ending the stage early. This may save new players from a difficult fight if they are struggling with the start of the game.
** In the event you do fight Rusted Dragon, it starts the fight by quickly swooping in and firing mostly static walls of bullets.
** One note about this static phase is that fairly early in it, Rusted Dragon will fire large elliptical bullets from the left and right ends of the screen. Destroying these offers the largest NUTCRACK bonus in the game.
** Rusted Dragon's two wings can be attacked and destroyed, and have 2 health bars each. Emptying the first bar offsets the wing a bit, erases the boss's shots for several seconds (similar to a discharge), and makes its initial attack pattern more complicated.
** Destroying a wing a second time will fully remove it. If this is the first wing destroyed, it will fire an absurdly dense burst of red elliptical bullets that you can milk for a NUTCRACK bonus. If it's the second wing it will release some Clambons and move to the final phase of the fight.
** The final phase is timed. The faster you destroyed the two wings, the earlier you will reach the lucrative final attack in this phase.
** Rusted Dragon will release Clambons, and replace them with another random set when they are destroyed. Clambons have varying attacks, dependent on their size and how many are in this particular wave. Each attack is fairly simple.
** Rusted Dragon itself will mostly attempt to track you vertically and release bullets straight down.
** Eventually, Rusted Dragon will start to release UNCHAINable Clambon trains from the top, and small Clambons from the bottom. The UNCHAIN target is the most valuable but make sure to kill as many Clambons as you can.
** It's also important to keep Rusted Dragon's HP high if you are milking this boss, as it will take lots of incidental damage from stray shots.
** Rusted Dragon will begin its final attack after several sets of trains. it will stop moving and release dense random bursts of bullets. Very large Clambon trains will swoop in from the left and right.
** These large trains have an UNCHAIN bonus of 19 which is a very high value. Milking this boss involves maximizing these train kills and their UNCHAIN bonus, only killing the boss at the last second.
** Kill trains on the side they spawn on. Once they cross the middle of the screen (marked by Rusted Dragon itself), the lead Clambons on the train will start to move offscreen and reduce your UNCHAIN bonus.
** Rusted Dragon's attacks are mostly random and will need to be sight read to find safespots and paths to the other side of the screen.
** Make sure to kill Rusted Dragon at the last possible second. The bullets it fires become more dense as the time reaches 0 and killing Rusted Dragon will cause a bullet cancel. Missing this cancel will undo some of the work spent milking Clambons.
** If you happen to destroy Rusted Dragon without destroying either wing, it will drop a Revive Token. However, this is not very useful.

=== Segment 5 ===
* TBA
* '''Boss: Perpetual Calendar'''
** Fate Control: In Perpetual Calendar's final attack, if you destroy all its turrets twice without killing the main core, you will unlock a secret attack. In this form Perpetual Calendar will instantly respawn when destroyed, and give you 2 Terra every time you destroy it. This will last until the fight times out and is a vital part of controlling your Terra level.

=== Segment 6 ===
* TBA
* '''Boss: Apostles of the Seed (Dawn & Dusk)'''
** First of all, Dawn is the red one and Dusk is "bluish". Keep this in mind because they are very different from each other.
** The percentage in the middle of the screen is their combined health percentage. Their phases are dependent on this number so refer to it often.
** Sometimes they will have a glowing runic circle around them. This circle strongly reduces damage they take from all sources. You can avoid using resources on them during this time or you can use their increased resistance to control their HP totals more effectively.
** '''Phase 1:''' This phase starts off with a wave cannon attack as they both swoop in from the sides. This phase is static; they will merely shift up and down and fire some simple waves of bullets.
** There are two ways to end this first phase: destroy all 8 of their limb launchers (the SEALable bumps) or push their combined HP total under 70% (which then destroys the limb launchers automatically). Score players may want to use this easier phase to damage them close to the breakpoint to raise their Spirit values and then move on to destroy the launchers.
** '''Phase 2:''' The Apostles will take turns trying to overwhelm you with fast attacks. Each Apostle uses 1 of 4 unique attacks here, chosen randomly(?).
** '''Dawn:'''
*** Dawn will fire large electric shots randomly. These will travel a medium distance then stop and expand. Culminates in an even larger bullet that expands into a giant starburst. This ones about reaction times.
*** Dawn will attempt to chase you down and hit you with a melee attack. This attack will happen 3 times in quick succession, and every melee attack also releases some bullet walls to try and corner you. Try to keep movements small so you can pass through these.
*** Dawn will appear at the left or right edge of the screen, then fire a twister of bullets and move to the other side. Some small circular bullets will also be aimed at you. If you hug the far wall from Dawn's starting position and keep your Suppression Radius up to erase the small bullets, this attack can't hit you.
*** Dawn will appear in the middle of the screen, fire a burst of extremely homing bullets, then immediately fly away. This attack can be SEALed by being close to Dawn when it lifts its arms, however Dusk has many attacks that start by punishing players in the middle, so dodging it is best.
** '''Dusk:'''
*** Dusk will harmlessly float at the top of the screen, while walls of plasma rain down from above. Walls can have an opening to the left, right, or in the middle. If you are above Dusk here this attack is harmless.
*** Dusk will float high on the screen, and fire arrowheads and teardrops at you, while simultaneously trying to wall you with arcs of electricity. This attack is difficult and relies on making quick decisions to move past bullets safely. If your Suppression Radius activates during this you will likely die as the arrowheads will slow down.
*** Dusk will teleport to the middle of the screen horizontally, directly above you, and fire a large beam. Being under this is naturally fatal. Some bullet walls will be released at the same time, meaning after you dodge the beam you will need to move through these lanes. This attack happens 4 times in a row.
*** Dusk will fire a small random burst of fireballs at you. This burst will speed up over a few seconds and end in a 3 pronged stream aimed right at you. Dodge the random bit and then stream the attack once it reaches its climax.
** This phase makes up the majority of the fight, as both ways to exit it will take a long time to achieve. Learning how to deal with these attacks will give players the best chance of surviving (and/or scoring) this fight.
** '''Team Attack Phase:''' This phase has two requirements. Both Apostles must be alive, and their combined HP total must be under 20%. If an Apostle dies before their total is under 20%, this and the next phase will be skipped. Be aware of this.
** The Apostles will fly in on opposite ends of the screen from each other, then tether together with electricity.
** While tethered, they will spin in one direction slowly, or spin in the opposite direction quickly. The order these happen in is random.
** Aside from the tether itself being deadly, the Apostles will also fire destructible elliptical bullets at you, as well as summon many harmless adds to destroy. This phase has high scoring potential between the Nutcrack bonuses available and the extra kills.
** If you thought you could avoid the tether by following one of the Apostles, you can't. They constantly fire streams of bullets from their sides to prevent this.
** This phase lasts 14 seconds, or will end early if an Apostle dies. If it does not end early, it goes to the next phase.
** '''Self Destruct Phase:''' The Apostle with lower HP will destroy its own limbs and attempt to kill you with a final desperation attack.
** This attack is different for each Apostle. Dawn will fly toward the top and attempt to rain down large, eye-searing electricity attacks. Dusk will fly to the middle and fire random bursts of exotic bullets that look like clubs.
** This phase only lasts 10 seconds, and timing it out will cause the Apostle to fully self destruct, preventing you from getting score from it.
** During this phase, the Apostle will have a supercharged version of their shield on. This blocks the vast majority of damage from all attacks. Entering this phase with more than ~5-6% HP will make it very difficult to get value from this Apostle.
** '''Final Phase:''' The surviving Apostle will use a final, simple attack.
** These are once again dependent on the Apostle. Dawn will perform a spiraling attack using the same club bullets Dusk just used. Dusk will simply try to wall you with fireballs.
** Killing this final Apostle will finally net you a bullet cancel. As Dusk fires many more bullets during this final attack than Dawn, you should set up the fight to end with Dawn as the weaker Apostle. This mostly matters for scoring but as ingots also decrease the Necessary counter survival players may also appreciate this.
** If left alive long enough, the Apostles will use a second attack for a bit before moving back to the first one. Dusk will attempt to kill players beneath with. Dawn's attack here is currently unknown.
** Survive this phase, and you will finally have banished the Apostles of the Seed, one of the longest and most arduous bosses in the game...
** '''Post-Boss Waves:''' Except you're not done yet. Several waves of enemies will spawn once the bosses are dead, and this lasts until the real end of the stage.
** The good news is the wave spawns and the bullets they fire are static. This phase can be routed to the players content.
** If the bulky Unnamed 335 enemies are left alive long enough, they will fire a very dense of spread of elliptical bullets in front of them. This can be used to earn a small amount of extra Spirit.
** The large fighter jet looking Unnamed 336 will behave similarly, except it launches landmine like Unnamed 337. These are worth extra Spirit as well, however Unnamed 337 will fly away after releasing these. This means you need to have very high damage available to make use of this.
** This phase ends with a large streaming pattern. The end of this phase has a small bullet cancel, so try not to bomb during it. Additionally, the enemies fly in from the top right, which tilts their bullets to the left a bit. As such, you should stream from left to right rather than the other way around. Doing it the other way will eventually wall you. Once the cancel happens, this Segment is finally over.

=== Segment 7 ===
* TBA
* '''Boss: Rex Cavalier (Land Form)'''

=== Segment 8 ===
* TBA
* '''Boss: Unnamed 290/HellSinker'''
** The goal of this boss is to raise it's Satisfaction meter to level 3. Doing non-bomb damage to it raises it (fairly slowly) while not hitting it for awhile will cause it to fall (also slowly). Bombing will cause it to fall very rapidly and should be avoided.
** Each pattern during this phase is static. They can be practiced in Segment Location. Use this to your advantage.
** Whenever an attack during this phase ends (based solely on time), the boss will drop 6 Life Chips. This can be used to gain a couple extra lives/Immortality bonuses.
** Based on your Satisfaction level at the end of this boss, an extra boss will be spawned.
* '''Boss: GARLAND'''
** Requires Satisfaction level 3. This boss can potentially lead to the TLB and the true end.
** Your goal is to fill its health bar to max by dealing damage. This will unlock the TLB.
** Beyond this mechanic, GARLAND is invincible (but can still be shot for score).
** This phase will last 102 seconds.
** The giant green lasers can be used to damage GARLAND if the white hexagonal shielding pieces are destroyed.
** In this part of the game only, enemy Misteltoe bullets can be cancelled. These bullets will cancel into Life Chips rather than Ingots. GARLAND will do this three times, at LIMIT 80, LIMIT 07, and LIMIT 00. Keep as many of these bullets on the screen as possible to earn your last extends of the run.
* '''Boss: Lost Property 771'''
** The True Last Boss.
** Like GARLAND, completely invincible but worth shooting.
** This phase is pure survival, and lasts 74 seconds.
** Good luck.

----

== Spirit Scoring Strategy ==
=== General Overview ===
'''The biggest factor in earning more spirit is your Stella level. ''' <br>

* The following [values / objects / behaviors] will change depending on your Stella.
** Enemy's base Spirit value
** Milking performance (i.e. increasing enemies’ value with your aura)
** Unchain bonus (killing MASTER enemies)
** Amount of needle bullets from enemies (less FINELINE)
** Amount of destructible bullets spewed from enemies
** Running Spirits
** REX-CAVALIER's (S7 Boss) 5th Attack Pattern
* Even the difference between Stella 9 and Stella A is huge. Always try to keep your Stella at A.
* Surviving as long as possible and killing each enemy with the most Spirit efficient way is crucial. Figure out the most efficient way to milk Spirits for every enemy you see.
Routes are mostly thought out by balancing "Survival Consistency" and "Milking".<br>

If you choose to survive, you will lose the opportunity to milk.<br>

If you choose to milk, you will put yourself more at risk to get hit. Everyone has their own comfortable routes, so figure out your best routes based on this.<br>

=== Ways to gain Spirits ===
''' Immortality Bonuses '''
* Getting extends after Immortal state (Reaching max lives) gives Spirit bonuses.
* Starting value is 80, increasing by 40 each time you extend after the first Immortality bonus
** 80, 120, 160, ...

''' Milking enemies '''
* Getting close to the enemy and attacking them with your main shot and its aura will raise the enemy's Inner Spirit (Depicted by Blue or Green number).
* This applies to some destructible parts on large enemies and bosses as well.
** DEADLIAR is most known for effectively raising Inner Spirits by the aura around him. Minogame is the same too but less efficient.
** Fossil Maiden can use her Orange Lance to milk more Spirits.
* You must kill said enemy to gain the milked Spirits.
* Hitting multiple enemies/boss parts at once will allow the Inner Spirit counter to increase faster.
''' Grazing the needle bullets (FINELINE) '''
* The most important and lucrative scoring technique in this game.
* To get big spirits you need to graze with the suppression radius (or Minogame’s FORBIDDEN SHELL) active; you will lose 80% of your graze spirits without a suppression radius.
* This makes grazing with ADEPT easier as you can more easily control when the suppression radius is active.
* Around 10,000 total points can be racked up just by grazing with Stella A.
* Grazing with lower Stella will decrease the Spirit gain rate from grazing (low Stella also often makes needle bullets shorter).
** Around 25% of your grazing efficiency is lost if grazing with Stella 9 instead of A – big loss!
* Using Minogame's charged main weapon (FORBIDDEN SHELL) will increase their grazing radius. Using this attack when grazing will give over 25% more spirits than normal grazing (with suppression radius). Abuse this if you are playing Minogame.
''' Unchain bonus (UNCHAIN) '''
* Killing MASTER enemies will give spirits based on the number of “slaves” attached to it when killed.
* The amount of Spirits given is exponential based on how many slaves there are. Even killing one slave can decrease unchain spirits by more than half in some cases, though overall you don’t gain many spirits from unchaining except on RUSTED-DRAGON (S4 boss).
* Very trivial and easy to achieve in most cases but some enemies are worth much more by killing them without unchaining them.
** Segment 3 Lead: SEAGULL flocks are an example.
''' Destroying destructible bullets (NUTCRACK) '''
* Not much to say. Try to destroy as many as possible with clever use of your weapons.
* Try not to discharge as it will cancel the bullets without giving you Spirits.
''' Breakthroughs '''
* Breakthroughs come when you reach a certain threshold of Spirits or Kills. The first Breakthrough happens when you reach 5200 Spirits or 2500 Kills (whichever comes first), and the second comes at 6200 Spirits or 5000 Kills (whichever wasn’t the first breakthrough). If you are playing for Spirit the Spirit breakthrough will almost certainly come first.
* Spirit Breakthrough is worth 200 + 40 * (current Immortality count)
* Kill Breakthrough is worth 160 + 40 * (current Immortality count)
* Getting a breakthrough will reset your NECESSARY value for extends, which equates to faster extends, which means more Immortality bonuses down the line.
''' "Running Spirits" '''
* You will earn a certain amount of passive Spirit gain during the stage.
* Scales with [Current Stella value] and [Current stage Spirit value]. The exact formula is unknown.
* Does '''not''' apply to bosses or Segment 5 mid-stage.
''' Stage Clear bonuses '''
* Gives you around 50 ~ 150 Spirits for most stages.
** The formula is given on the segment end screen.
** Based on Stella and the number of times you died during the stage.
* Clearing the Shrine gives you around 450 [Exact value unknown. Need confirmation]
* Clearing the TLB (THE UNNAMED 771) will give you around 1000 [Exact value unknown. Need confirmation]
* Overall, does not give a ton of Spirits but is a nice bonus.
''' Getting Ingots (Gold crystal items) '''
* Killing bosses/boss phases and certain cues within stages will cancel all bullets on screen into Ingots.
** Each worth around 0.2 Spirits
** Reduces NECESSARY for next life (I think it's around 0.05 ~ 0.1 NECESSARY or about 10-20 Ingots per life chip [Needs confirmation])
* Sometimes you will want to optimize bullet cancels like in other STGs (cancel when screen is most dense)
* With Dead Liar and Fossil Maiden, you can use your Mistletoe to collect Ingots and other items.
''' Attacking indestructible objects '''
* Single objects worth little, but applying it to many objects will give out quite a value.
* If any opportunity is present, keep shooting those objects.
** Segment 2's Ammo milking and Segment 5's wall bumping strategy is based on this.
''' Spirit Transfer from REX-CAVALIER '''
* Only on segment 7
* The final form of his attack will transfer his memory (along with Spirits) to you.
* Killing him on MEMORY TRANSFER REMAIN = 0 will grant you 345.6 Spirits.
** Killing him after or before the REMAIN 0 will drastically reduce the bonus.
* Use the BGM to accurately time it. The female voice with note of C is the perfect timing for it.
** TIMER 246.5
''' Destroying THE UNNAMED 771 constantly in the final phase '''
* Destroying the 771 will give you 7 Spirits each time, and destroying it 7 times will increase it's value by 7.
* The total Spirits gained from the 771 is represented by the following formula.
** {Σ[n=1,y] 7 * floor((n/7) + 1)} where y denotes the times you destroyed 771.
*** For example destroying the 771 for 79 times (Kill value shown as 70) will be around 3073 Spirits.

=== Shrine of Farewell ===

==== Overview ====
The Shrine of Farewell is often looked at as a "bonus stage" in regular survival play, which serves to give some lives back in the form of crystals and get the player back on their feet. <br>
However, it is extremely important in scoring, as playing the Shrine perfectly will reward 424 crystals to the player, with each crystal having a value of 1/200 of the player's Spirits before the Shrine, enabling the player to amplify their score by up to 2.12x.<br>
This requires good Terra management to optimally reach the Shrine after Segment 7.

==== TERRA Tips ====
Overall, be conscious of having good survival play.<br>
If you are really having trouble keeping your Terra up, choose to play Segment 1 Behind and 2 Behind, as '''you will not lose TERRA in it.'''

===== Increasing TERRA =====
* Extending will increase TERRA by around 7.
* Collecting several TERRA tokens will increase TERRA by 1.
* Triggering the Segment 5 boss's final form (KAREIDOSCOPE) and destroying the core will increase TERRA by 3 each time (FATE CONTROL).

===== Decreasing TERRA =====
* Dying during the stable state (Blue star rotating around your character OR no star rotating) will drop your TERRA for around 5-10.
* Dying consecutively, especially during the unstable state (Red star rotating around your character) will drop your TERRA by a much larger amount (about 20-30).
* Auto-bombing will reduce your Terra by about 5-7.
* Dropping life chips off the screen will reduce your TERRA by 1 each.
* Your Terra will drop by a certain amount after clearing each stage, but it is dependent on your Bootleg Ghost (auto-bomb setting).
** ADEPT has the smallest drop and SOLIDSTATE has the largest.

==== Advice for the Shrine ====
* Try not to die or discharge too often in the Shrine of Farewell.
* Speed kill every single enemy you see.
** Remember the patterns and when you can damage the enemy efficiently.
* The calculation for the Crystals is still unknown, but the following is known.
** Having anything below Stella A will reduce your Crystal gain.
** Kaname Stones & Boss's 1st and 2nd attacks are worth 18 Crystals maximum.
** Each boss's 3rd attack is worth 36 Crystals max.
*** Taking a hit or bombing in the 3rd attack will heavily affect your Crystal gains due to high value potential.
* Using your discharge will most likely reduce your Stella to below A, so try not to use your discharge.
* If you are playing Dead Liar or Fossil Maiden, you can deploy your Mistletoe at the bottom of the screen and all the crystals will be magnetized to it, enabling the full 2.12x Spirit multiplier. This makes those two characters more viable for high scores than Minogame or Kagura.
* You don't need to score/milk in this stage unless you are really really comfortable with it.
** The two milkable patterns are VIRGINAL ORDER on TEMPERAMENT-NIL (by grazing the needles), and DESPERATE ANNULUS on AL4TH (by bombing and using aura on the red blobs she shoots out to gain spirits and increase her inner spirit value). These combined give out around 2000 to 2500 spirits at most but costs a lot of precious time.

=== General advice ===

==== Stella Management ====
Aim to get Stella A as soon as possible when starting each stage and keep that Stella at A.
* Get green Stella items (they increase your Stella).
* Getting certain amounts of spirits will replenish some Stella.
** Getting 1 or 2 Spirits isn't noticeable, but getting 10 or more at once will bump your Stella up a bit.
* Getting a bunch of LUNA chaff relics will increase Stella.
** Milking MONOWINGs in Segment 1 gives a lot of these.
* Going near certain enemies will replenish Stella rapidly.
** Most bosses and some strong enemies will replenish your Stella.
* Do not get Purple Stella items, they will reduce your Stella.

==== Surviving ====
* '''Do not die, especially not consecutively.'''
** Dying decreases your Stella drastically, though you can regain some of it by collecting the orb items that you drop after dying (One item = 0.75 Stella).
** After dying or autobombing you will be in an “unstable state” shown by red stars orbiting around your character. It lasts for about 30 seconds. Dying while “unstable” will reduce Stella by even more and reduce your Terra by a large amount, so try not to do that.
* Dying even once between Segments 1-7 will reduce your total gain for Spirit by about 2000 to 3000 from loss of Immortality bonuses and Stella decrease.
* Use Autobomb settings (SOLIDSTATE) unless you are really good or comfortable at the game.
** ASPIRANT only autobombs when you have less than 4 lives and when SOL is level 5.
** SOLIDSTATE will autobomb regardless of your life and has a lower threshold of SOL level 3 which is much more consistent.

=== Advanced/specific advice ===

* Use the Max life 5 setting (DRASTIC way of life)
** This enables getting 1 more Immortality bonus than using the default setting.
* Use ADEPT if you have the skills to never get hit
** ADEPT will increase your grazing radius so you will be able to gather more spirits by grazing
** ADEPT will give you maximum grazing value regardless of your current Stella value [Need confirmation]
* Remember unique scoring techniques for every single enemy
** I will give you some unique examples below
*** Segment 3 Lead: Destroying the two tips of the arms for the mid-boss like enemy that appears between the two big ships near the end (UNNAMED 428) will increase the value of the rest of the arm joints.
*** Segment 6 Mid-boss (SLUG LADY): Destroying each option will make her Spirit value increase from 0 to 20, 41, 62, 187 respectively. Destroy every single option she has to gain maximum Spirits (make use of the pink laser!)
* Score as much as you can. Running Spirits can make a difference.
** Try delaying the extend to the next stage's beginning to gain more Running Spirits during mid-stage (most noticeable in segments 6 and 8)
** Going to the next stage will reduce 4 NECESSARY each time.

More content possibly TBA.

Hellsinker/Strategy

2021-05-11T02:25:51Z

Twilightex: /* Ways to gain Spirits */ destruction count is 7, not 8

<div style='text-align: center;'>
''See [[Hellsinker]] for the main page.''
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== General Strategy ==
TBA

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== Segment Specific Strategy ==

=== Segment 1 Behind ===
* TBA
* '''Boss: Quiet Minstrel'''

=== Segment 2 Behind ===
* TBA
* '''Boss: Glorious Symbol'''

=== Segment 3 Behind ===
* TBA
* '''Boss: Sunken Bishop'''

=== Segment 1 Lead ===
* TBA
* '''Boss: Rex Cavalier (Aerial Form)'''

=== Segment 2 Lead ===
* TBA
* '''Boss: Scarlet Queen'''
** Scarlet Queen has a multitude of parts to dismantle, and which parts she has can dramatically change her attack pattern. They can be split up into talons, the two singular parts down below that fire blue energy blasts; wings, the multi-segmented side pieces that can be SEALed; and the Queen's Throne, the small knobby piece at the top that attempts to shoot you down when you get too close.
** The fight starts with Scarlet Queen swooping in from the top left down to the center bottom. She will be releasing bullets from the get-go so try to not let her push you into them. As long as all pieces are alive she will stay in this basic pattern, shooting a small number of bullets from her wings and attempting to wall you with her talons.
** '''Both talons destroyed, wings symmetrical (a piece is either alive or dead on both sides, no mismatches):''' Scarlet Queen will shoot many grazeable needle bullets from her wings. This pattern is static and worth a lot of FINELINE bonus so it's worth doing for score. Moving too high up the screen during this pattern will SEAL some of her wing pieces and reduce the number of needles shot. Stay near the bottom.
** '''Both talons destroyed, wings non-symmetrical:'''Her wings will perform two different attacks, depending on whether they are up or down. While up, they will shoot a stream of arrowhead bullets aimed at you. While down, it is instead small circular bullets aimed straight down. If you can remain above the boss and close enough to one wing to SEAL it entirely, this pattern is a simple dodge. Note that even if the wings are symmetrical, the above pattern will eventually end and lead to this one.
** '''One or both wings left with no SEALable feather pieces (talon status to get this pattern needs to be confirmed):''' The remains of Scarlet Queen's wing will start shooting homing missiles at you. Pretty mediocre attack.
** '''Queen's Throne:''' Anytime you approach the Queen's Throne it will attempt to shoot you with small circular bullets. This piece is quite hard to hit, but destroying it drops several Life Chips so it is worthwhile. Note that the Throne being alive or dead has no impact on any other attacks the boss has.
** '''All subparts destroyed (excluding Throne):''' Scarlet Queen will attempt to wall you with arrowheads while shooting small circulars inside the bullet corral. Reaching this pattern always causes a New Stella Relic to drop, in case you need to increase your rank. Destroying the main piece causes a bullet cancel so try to make it profitable.
** '''Boss destroyed, rank high (7 or 8, exact value needs testing):''' Spirit Kernel form. The boss's soul will attempt to destroy you with fast and dense patterns. This phase lasts 16 seconds of consists of 4 attacks performed in rapid succession. Destroying the boss will cause another bullet cancel and a Revive token to drop (useful if you are not already life capped). As the boss's final pattern is the densest, it is worthwhile to delay killing it til the last second.

=== Segment 3 Lead ===
* TBA

=== Segment 4 ===
* TBA
* '''Boss: Rusted Dragon'''
** Rusted Dragon is considered a step up in difficulty for first time players, as it is a lot more aggressive than the bosses from the Behind Segments. However, a lot of its difficulty can be mitigated through knowledge and practice.
** Before the fight even starts, if you have 2 lives of less Rusted Dragon will not appear at all, ending the stage early. This may save new players from a difficult fight if they are struggling with the start of the game.
** In the event you do fight Rusted Dragon, it starts the fight by quickly swooping in and firing mostly static walls of bullets.
** One note about this static phase is that fairly early in it, Rusted Dragon will fire large elliptical bullets from the left and right ends of the screen. Destroying these offers the largest NUTCRACK bonus in the game.
** Rusted Dragon's two wings can be attacked and destroyed, and have 2 health bars each. Emptying the first bar offsets the wing a bit, erases the boss's shots for several seconds (similar to a discharge), and makes its initial attack pattern more complicated.
** Destroying a wing a second time will fully remove it. If this is the first wing destroyed, it will fire an absurdly dense burst of red elliptical bullets that you can milk for a NUTCRACK bonus. If it's the second wing it will release some Clambons and move to the final phase of the fight.
** The final phase is timed. The faster you destroyed the two wings, the earlier you will reach the lucrative final attack in this phase.
** Rusted Dragon will release Clambons, and replace them with another random set when they are destroyed. Clambons have varying attacks, dependent on their size and how many are in this particular wave. Each attack is fairly simple.
** Rusted Dragon itself will mostly attempt to track you vertically and release bullets straight down.
** Eventually, Rusted Dragon will start to release UNCHAINable Clambon trains from the top, and small Clambons from the bottom. The UNCHAIN target is the most valuable but make sure to kill as many Clambons as you can.
** It's also important to keep Rusted Dragon's HP high if you are milking this boss, as it will take lots of incidental damage from stray shots.
** Rusted Dragon will begin its final attack after several sets of trains. it will stop moving and release dense random bursts of bullets. Very large Clambon trains will swoop in from the left and right.
** These large trains have an UNCHAIN bonus of 19 which is a very high value. Milking this boss involves maximizing these train kills and their UNCHAIN bonus, only killing the boss at the last second.
** Kill trains on the side they spawn on. Once they cross the middle of the screen (marked by Rusted Dragon itself), the lead Clambons on the train will start to move offscreen and reduce your UNCHAIN bonus.
** Rusted Dragon's attacks are mostly random and will need to be sight read to find safespots and paths to the other side of the screen.
** Make sure to kill Rusted Dragon at the last possible second. The bullets it fires become more dense as the time reaches 0 and killing Rusted Dragon will cause a bullet cancel. Missing this cancel will undo some of the work spent milking Clambons.
** If you happen to destroy Rusted Dragon without destroying either wing, it will drop a Revive Token. However, this is not very useful.

=== Segment 5 ===
* TBA
* '''Boss: Perpetual Calendar'''
** Fate Control: In Perpetual Calendar's final attack, if you destroy all its turrets twice without killing the main core, you will unlock a secret attack. In this form Perpetual Calendar will instantly respawn when destroyed, and give you 2 Terra every time you destroy it. This will last until the fight times out and is a vital part of controlling your Terra level.

=== Segment 6 ===
* TBA
* '''Boss: Apostles of the Seed (Dawn & Dusk)'''
** First of all, Dawn is the red one and Dusk is "bluish". Keep this in mind because they are very different from each other.
** The percentage in the middle of the screen is their combined health percentage. Their phases are dependent on this number so refer to it often.
** Sometimes they will have a glowing runic circle around them. This circle strongly reduces damage they take from all sources. You can avoid using resources on them during this time or you can use their increased resistance to control their HP totals more effectively.
** '''Phase 1:''' This phase starts off with a wave cannon attack as they both swoop in from the sides. This phase is static; they will merely shift up and down and fire some simple waves of bullets.
** There are two ways to end this first phase: destroy all 8 of their limb launchers (the SEALable bumps) or push their combined HP total under 70% (which then destroys the limb launchers automatically). Score players may want to use this easier phase to damage them close to the breakpoint to raise their Spirit values and then move on to destroy the launchers.
** '''Phase 2:''' The Apostles will take turns trying to overwhelm you with fast attacks. Each Apostle uses 1 of 4 unique attacks here, chosen randomly(?).
** '''Dawn:'''
*** Dawn will fire large electric shots randomly. These will travel a medium distance then stop and expand. Culminates in an even larger bullet that expands into a giant starburst. This ones about reaction times.
*** Dawn will attempt to chase you down and hit you with a melee attack. This attack will happen 3 times in quick succession, and every melee attack also releases some bullet walls to try and corner you. Try to keep movements small so you can pass through these.
*** Dawn will appear at the left or right edge of the screen, then fire a twister of bullets and move to the other side. Some small circular bullets will also be aimed at you. If you hug the far wall from Dawn's starting position and keep your Suppression Radius up to erase the small bullets, this attack can't hit you.
*** Dawn will appear in the middle of the screen, fire a burst of extremely homing bullets, then immediately fly away. This attack can be SEALed by being close to Dawn when it lifts its arms, however Dusk has many attacks that start by punishing players in the middle, so dodging it is best.
** '''Dusk:'''
*** Dusk will harmlessly float at the top of the screen, while walls of plasma rain down from above. Walls can have an opening to the left, right, or in the middle. If you are above Dusk here this attack is harmless.
*** Dusk will float high on the screen, and fire arrowheads and teardrops at you, while simultaneously trying to wall you with arcs of electricity. This attack is difficult and relies on making quick decisions to move past bullets safely. If your Suppression Radius activates during this you will likely die as the arrowheads will slow down.
*** Dusk will teleport to the middle of the screen horizontally, directly above you, and fire a large beam. Being under this is naturally fatal. Some bullet walls will be released at the same time, meaning after you dodge the beam you will need to move through these lanes. This attack happens 4 times in a row.
*** Dusk will fire a small random burst of fireballs at you. This burst will speed up over a few seconds and end in a 3 pronged stream aimed right at you. Dodge the random bit and then stream the attack once it reaches its climax.
** This phase makes up the majority of the fight, as both ways to exit it will take a long time to achieve. Learning how to deal with these attacks will give players the best chance of surviving (and/or scoring) this fight.
** '''Team Attack Phase:''' This phase has two requirements. Both Apostles must be alive, and their combined HP total must be under 20%. If an Apostle dies before their total is under 20%, this and the next phase will be skipped. Be aware of this.
** The Apostles will fly in on opposite ends of the screen from each other, then tether together with electricity.
** While tethered, they will spin in one direction slowly, or spin in the opposite direction quickly. The order these happen in is random.
** Aside from the tether itself being deadly, the Apostles will also fire destructible elliptical bullets at you, as well as summon many harmless adds to destroy. This phase has high scoring potential between the Nutcrack bonuses available and the extra kills.
** If you thought you could avoid the tether by following one of the Apostles, you can't. They constantly fire streams of bullets from their sides to prevent this.
** This phase lasts 14 seconds, or will end early if an Apostle dies. If it does not end early, it goes to the next phase.
** '''Self Destruct Phase:''' The Apostle with lower HP will destroy its own limbs and attempt to kill you with a final desperation attack.
** This attack is different for each Apostle. Dawn will fly toward the top and attempt to rain down large, eye-searing electricity attacks. Dusk will fly to the middle and fire random bursts of exotic bullets that look like clubs.
** This phase only lasts 10 seconds, and timing it out will cause the Apostle to fully self destruct, preventing you from getting score from it.
** During this phase, the Apostle will have a supercharged version of their shield on. This blocks the vast majority of damage from all attacks. Entering this phase with more than ~5-6% HP will make it very difficult to get value from this Apostle.
** '''Final Phase:''' The surviving Apostle will use a final, simple attack.
** These are once again dependent on the Apostle. Dawn will perform a spiraling attack using the same club bullets Dusk just used. Dusk will simply try to wall you with fireballs.
** Killing this final Apostle will finally net you a bullet cancel. As Dusk fires many more bullets during this final attack than Dawn, you should set up the fight to end with Dawn as the weaker Apostle. This mostly matters for scoring but as ingots also decrease the Necessary counter survival players may also appreciate this.
** If left alive long enough, the Apostles will use a second attack for a bit before moving back to the first one. Dusk will attempt to kill players beneath with. Dawn's attack here is currently unknown.
** Survive this phase, and you will finally have banished the Apostles of the Seed, one of the longest and most arduous bosses in the game...
** '''Post-Boss Waves:''' Except you're not done yet. Several waves of enemies will spawn once the bosses are dead, and this lasts until the real end of the stage.
** The good news is the wave spawns and the bullets they fire are static. This phase can be routed to the players content.
** If the bulky Unnamed 335 enemies are left alive long enough, they will fire a very dense of spread of elliptical bullets in front of them. This can be used to earn a small amount of extra Spirit.
** The large fighter jet looking Unnamed 336 will behave similarly, except it launches landmine like Unnamed 337. These are worth extra Spirit as well, however Unnamed 337 will fly away after releasing these. This means you need to have very high damage available to make use of this.
** This phase ends with a large streaming pattern. The end of this phase has a small bullet cancel, so try not to bomb during it. Additionally, the enemies fly in from the top right, which tilts their bullets to the left a bit. As such, you should stream from left to right rather than the other way around. Doing it the other way will eventually wall you. Once the cancel happens, this Segment is finally over.

=== Segment 7 ===
* TBA
* '''Boss: Rex Cavalier (Land Form)'''

=== Segment 8 ===
* TBA
* '''Boss: Unnamed 290/HellSinker'''
** The goal of this boss is to raise it's Satisfaction meter to level 3. Doing non-bomb damage to it raises it (fairly slowly) while not hitting it for awhile will cause it to fall (also slowly). Bombing will cause it to fall very rapidly and should be avoided.
** Each pattern during this phase is static. They can be practiced in Segment Location. Use this to your advantage.
** Whenever an attack during this phase ends (based solely on time), the boss will drop 6 Life Chips. This can be used to gain a couple extra lives/Immortality bonuses.
** Based on your Satisfaction level at the end of this boss, an extra boss will be spawned.
* '''Boss: GARLAND'''
** Requires Satisfaction level 3. This boss can potentially lead to the TLB and the true end.
** Your goal is to fill its health bar to max by dealing damage. This will unlock the TLB.
** Beyond this mechanic, GARLAND is invincible (but can still be shot for score).
** This phase will last 102 seconds.
** The giant green lasers can be used to damage GARLAND if the white hexagonal shielding pieces are destroyed.
** In this part of the game only, enemy Misteltoe bullets can be cancelled. These bullets will cancel into Life Chips rather than Ingots. GARLAND will do this three times, at LIMIT 80, LIMIT 07, and LIMIT 00. Keep as many of these bullets on the screen as possible to earn your last extends of the run.
* '''Boss: Lost Property 771'''
** The True Last Boss.
** Like GARLAND, completely invincible but worth shooting.
** This phase is pure survival, and lasts 74 seconds.
** Good luck.

----

== Spirit Scoring Strategy ==
=== General Overview ===
'''The biggest factor in earning more spirit is your Stella level. ''' <br>

* The following [values / objects / behaviors] will change depending on your Stella.
** Enemy's base Spirit value
** Milking performance (i.e. increasing enemies’ value with your aura)
** Unchain bonus (killing MASTER enemies)
** Amount of needle bullets from enemies (less FINELINE)
** Amount of destructible bullets spewed from enemies
** Running Spirits
** REX-CAVALIER's (S7 Boss) 5th Attack Pattern
* Even the difference between Stella 9 and Stella A is huge. Always try to keep your Stella at A.
* Surviving as long as possible and killing each enemy with the most Spirit efficient way is crucial. Figure out the most efficient way to milk Spirits for every enemy you see.
Routes are mostly thought out by balancing "Survival Consistency" and "Milking".<br>

If you choose to survive, you will lose the opportunity to milk.<br>

If you choose to milk, you will put yourself more at risk to get hit. Everyone has their own comfortable routes, so figure out your best routes based on this.<br>

=== Ways to gain Spirits ===
''' Immortality Bonuses '''
* Getting extends after Immortal state (Reaching max lives) gives Spirit bonuses.
* Starting value is 80, increasing by 40 each time you extend after the first Immortality bonus
** 80, 120, 160, ...

''' Milking enemies '''
* Getting close to the enemy and attacking them with your main shot and its aura will raise the enemy's Inner Spirit (Depicted by Blue or Green number).
* This applies to some destructible parts on large enemies and bosses as well.
** DEADLIAR is most known for effectively raising Inner Spirits by the aura around him. Minogame is the same too but less efficient.
** Fossil Maiden can use her Orange Lance to milk more Spirits.
* You must kill said enemy to gain the milked Spirits.
* Hitting multiple enemies/boss parts at once will allow the Inner Spirit counter to increase faster.
''' Grazing the needle bullets (FINELINE) '''
* The most important and lucrative scoring technique in this game.
* To get big spirits you need to graze with the suppression radius (or Minogame’s FORBIDDEN SHELL) active; you will lose 80% of your graze spirits without a suppression radius.
* This makes grazing with ADEPT easier as you can more easily control when the suppression radius is active.
* Around 10,000 total points can be racked up just by grazing with Stella A.
* Grazing with lower Stella will decrease the Spirit gain rate from grazing (low Stella also often makes needle bullets shorter).
** Around 25% of your grazing efficiency is lost if grazing with Stella 9 instead of A – big loss!
* Using Minogame's charged main weapon (FORBIDDEN SHELL) will increase their grazing radius. Using this attack when grazing will give over 25% more spirits than normal grazing (with suppression radius). Abuse this if you are playing Minogame.
''' Unchain bonus (UNCHAIN) '''
* Killing MASTER enemies will give spirits based on the number of “slaves” attached to it when killed.
* The amount of Spirits given is exponential based on how many slaves there are. Even killing one slave can decrease unchain spirits by more than half in some cases, though overall you don’t gain many spirits from unchaining except on RUSTED-DRAGON (S4 boss).
* Very trivial and easy to achieve in most cases but some enemies are worth much more by killing them without unchaining them.
** Segment 3 Lead: SEAGULL flocks are an example.
''' Destroying destructible bullets (NUTCRACK) '''
* Not much to say. Try to destroy as many as possible with clever use of your weapons.
* Try not to discharge as it will cancel the bullets without giving you Spirits.
''' Breakthroughs '''
* Breakthroughs come when you reach a certain threshold of Spirits or Kills. The first Breakthrough happens when you reach 5200 Spirits or 2500 Kills (whichever comes first), and the second comes at 6200 Spirits or 5000 Kills (whichever wasn’t the first breakthrough). If you are playing for Spirit the Spirit breakthrough will almost certainly come first.
* Spirit Breakthrough is worth 200 + 40 * (current Immortality count)
* Kill Breakthrough is worth 160 + 40 * (current Immortality count)
* Getting a breakthrough will reset your NECESSARY value for extends, which equates to faster extends, which means more Immortality bonuses down the line.
''' "Running Spirits" '''
* You will earn a certain amount of passive Spirit gain during the stage.
* Scales with [Current Stella value] and [Current stage Spirit value]. The exact formula is unknown.
* Does '''not''' apply to bosses or Segment 5 mid-stage.
''' Stage Clear bonuses '''
* Gives you around 50 ~ 150 Spirits for most stages.
** The formula is given on the segment end screen.
** Based on Stella and the number of times you died during the stage.
* Clearing the Shrine gives you around 450 [Exact value unknown. Need confirmation]
* Clearing the TLB (THE UNNAMED 771) will give you around 1000 [Exact value unknown. Need confirmation]
* Overall, does not give a ton of Spirits but is a nice bonus.
''' Getting Ingots (Gold crystal items) '''
* Killing bosses/boss phases and certain cues within stages will cancel all bullets on screen into Ingots.
** Each worth around 0.2 Spirits
** Reduces NECESSARY for next life (I think it's around 0.05 ~ 0.1 NECESSARY or about 10-20 Ingots per life chip [Needs confirmation])
* Sometimes you will want to optimize bullet cancels like in other STGs (cancel when screen is most dense)
* With Dead Liar and Fossil Maiden, you can use your Mistletoe to collect Ingots and other items.
''' Attacking indestructible objects '''
* Single objects worth little, but applying it to many objects will give out quite a value.
* If any opportunity is present, keep shooting those objects.
** Segment 2's Ammo milking and Segment 5's wall bumping strategy is based on this.
''' Spirit Transfer from REX-CAVALIER '''
* Only on segment 7
* The final form of his attack will transfer his memory (along with Spirits) to you.
* Killing him on MEMORY TRANSFER REMAIN = 0 will grant you 345.6 Spirits.
** Killing him after or before the REMAIN 0 will drastically reduce the bonus.
* Use the BGM to accurately time it. The female voice with note of C is the perfect timing for it.
** TIMER 246.5
''' Destroying THE UNNAMED 771 constantly in the final phase '''
* Destroying the 771 will give you 7 Spirits each time, and destroying it 7 times will increase it's value by 7.
* The total Spirits gained from the 771 is represented by the following formula.
** {Σ[n=1,y] 7 * floor((n/7) + 1)} where y denotes the times you destroyed 771.
*** For example destroying the 771 for 79 times (Kill value shown as 70) will be around 3073 Spirits.

=== Shrine of Farewell ===

==== Overview ====
The Shrine of Farewell is often looked at as a "bonus stage" in regular survival play, which serves to give some lives back in the form of crystals and get the player back on their feet. <br>
However, it is extremely important in scoring, as playing the Shrine perfectly will reward 424 crystals to the player, with each crystal having a value of 1/200 of the player's Spirits before the Shrine, enabling the player to amplify their score by up to 2.12x.<br>
This requires good Terra management to optimally reach the Shrine after Segment 7.

==== Terra Tips ====
* Dying once is acceptable and will drop your Terra slightly, but dying consecutively will drop your Terra by a much larger amount (about 30).
* Dropping life chips off the screen will reduce your Terra by 1 each, but extending will increase it by about 7.
* Autobombing will reduce your Terra by about 5-7.
* Your Terra will drop by a certain amount after clearing each stage, but it is dependent on your Bootleg Ghost (autobomb setting).
** ADEPT has the smallest drop and SOLIDSTATE has the largest.
* You should try to use FATE CONTROL on the Segment 5 boss's final form to replenish your Terra as best you can.
* Overall, be conscious of having good survival play.
* If you are really having trouble keeping your Terra up, choose to play Segment 1 Behind as it is easier and '''you will not lose Terra in it.'''

==== Advice for the Shrine ====
* Try not to die or discharge too often in the Shrine of Farewell.
* You don't need to score/milk in this stage unless you are really really comfortable with it.
** The two milkable patterns are VIRGINAL ORDER on TEMPERAMENT-NIL (by grazing the needles), and DESPERATE ANNULUS on AL4TH (by bombing and using aura on the red blobs she shoots out to gain spirits and increase her inner spirit value). These combined give out around 2000 to 2500 spirits at most but costs a lot of precious time.
* Speed kill every single enemy you see.
** Remember the patterns and when you can damage the enemy efficiently.
* The calculation for the Crystals is still unknown, but the following is known.
** Having anything below Stella A will reduce your Crystal gain.
** Kaname Stones & Boss's 1st and 2nd attacks are worth 18 Crystals maximum.
** Each boss's 3rd attack is worth 36 Crystals max.
*** Taking a hit or bombing in the 3rd attack will heavily affect your Crystal gains due to high value potential.
* Using your discharge will most likely reduce your Stella to below A, so try not to use your discharge.
* If you are playing Dead Liar or Fossil Maiden, you can deploy your Mistletoe at the bottom of the screen and all the crystals will be magnetized to it, enabling the full 2.12x Spirit multiplier. This makes those two characters more viable for high scores than Minogame or Kagura.

=== General advice ===

==== Stella Management ====
Aim to get Stella A as soon as possible when starting each stage and keep that Stella at A.
* Get green Stella items (they increase your Stella).
* Getting certain amounts of spirits will replenish some Stella.
** Getting 1 or 2 Spirits isn't noticeable, but getting 10 or more at once will bump your Stella up a bit.
* Getting a bunch of LUNA chaff relics will increase Stella.
** Milking MONOWINGs in Segment 1 gives a lot of these.
* Going near certain enemies will replenish Stella rapidly.
** Most bosses and some strong enemies will replenish your Stella.
* Do not get Purple Stella items, they will reduce your Stella.

==== Surviving ====
* '''Do not die, especially not consecutively.'''
** Dying decreases your Stella drastically, though you can regain some of it by collecting the orb items that you drop after dying (One item = 0.75 Stella).
** After dying or autobombing you will be in an “unstable state” shown by red stars orbiting around your character. It lasts for about 30 seconds. Dying while “unstable” will reduce Stella by even more and reduce your Terra by a large amount, so try not to do that.
* Dying even once between Segments 1-7 will reduce your total gain for Spirit by about 2000 to 3000 from loss of Immortality bonuses and Stella decrease.
* Use Autobomb settings (SOLIDSTATE) unless you are really good or comfortable at the game.
** ASPIRANT only autobombs when you have less than 4 lives and when SOL is level 5.
** SOLIDSTATE will autobomb regardless of your life and has a lower threshold of SOL level 3 which is much more consistent.

=== Advanced/specific advice ===

* Use the Max life 5 setting (DRASTIC way of life)
** This enables getting 1 more Immortality bonus than using the default setting.
* Use ADEPT if you have the skills to never get hit
** ADEPT will increase your grazing radius so you will be able to gather more spirits by grazing
** ADEPT will give you maximum grazing value regardless of your current Stella value [Need confirmation]
* Remember unique scoring techniques for every single enemy
** I will give you some unique examples below
*** Segment 3 Lead: Destroying the two tips of the arms for the mid-boss like enemy that appears between the two big ships near the end (UNNAMED 428) will increase the value of the rest of the arm joints.
*** Segment 6 Mid-boss (SLUG LADY): Destroying each option will make her Spirit value increase from 0 to 20, 41, 62, 187 respectively. Destroy every single option she has to gain maximum Spirits (make use of the pink laser!)
* Score as much as you can. Running Spirits can make a difference.
** Try delaying the extend to the next stage's beginning to gain more Running Spirits during mid-stage (most noticeable in segments 6 and 8)
** Going to the next stage will reduce 4 NECESSARY each time.

More content possibly TBA.

Hellsinker/Strategy

2021-02-02T08:12:58Z

Twilightex: /* Ways to gain Spirits */ Changed floor function value from ((n/8)+1) to ((n/7)+1)

<div style='text-align: center;'>
''See [[Hellsinker]] for the main page.''
</div>

== General Strategy ==
TBA

----

== Segment Specific Strategy ==

=== Segment 1 Behind ===
* TBA
* '''Boss: Quiet Minstrel'''

=== Segment 2 Behind ===
* TBA
* '''Boss: Glorious Symbol'''

=== Segment 3 Behind ===
* TBA
* '''Boss: Sunken Bishop'''

=== Segment 1 Lead ===
* TBA
* '''Boss: Rex Cavalier (Aerial Form)'''

=== Segment 2 Lead ===
* TBA
* '''Boss: Scarlet Queen'''
** Scarlet Queen has a multitude of parts to dismantle, and which parts she has can dramatically change her attack pattern. They can be split up into talons, the two singular parts down below that fire blue energy blasts; wings, the multi-segmented side pieces that can be SEALed; and the Queen's Throne, the small knobby piece at the top that attempts to shoot you down when you get too close.
** The fight starts with Scarlet Queen swooping in from the top left down to the center bottom. She will be releasing bullets from the get-go so try to not let her push you into them. As long as all pieces are alive she will stay in this basic pattern, shooting a small number of bullets from her wings and attempting to wall you with her talons.
** '''Both talons destroyed, wings symmetrical (a piece is either alive or dead on both sides, no mismatches):''' Scarlet Queen will shoot many grazeable needle bullets from her wings. This pattern is static and worth a lot of FINELINE bonus so it's worth doing for score. Moving too high up the screen during this pattern will SEAL some of her wing pieces and reduce the number of needles shot. Stay near the bottom.
** '''Both talons destroyed, wings non-symmetrical:'''Her wings will perform two different attacks, depending on whether they are up or down. While up, they will shoot a stream of arrowhead bullets aimed at you. While down, it is instead small circular bullets aimed straight down. If you can remain above the boss and close enough to one wing to SEAL it entirely, this pattern is a simple dodge. Note that even if the wings are symmetrical, the above pattern will eventually end and lead to this one.
** '''One or both wings left with no SEALable feather pieces (talon status to get this pattern needs to be confirmed):''' The remains of Scarlet Queen's wing will start shooting homing missiles at you. Pretty mediocre attack.
** '''Queen's Throne:''' Anytime you approach the Queen's Throne it will attempt to shoot you with small circular bullets. This piece is quite hard to hit, but destroying it drops several Life Chips so it is worthwhile. Note that the Throne being alive or dead has no impact on any other attacks the boss has.
** '''All subparts destroyed (excluding Throne):''' Scarlet Queen will attempt to wall you with arrowheads while shooting small circulars inside the bullet corral. Reaching this pattern always causes a New Stella Relic to drop, in case you need to increase your rank. Destroying the main piece causes a bullet cancel so try to make it profitable.
** '''Boss destroyed, rank high (7 or 8, exact value needs testing):''' Spirit Kernel form. The boss's soul will attempt to destroy you with fast and dense patterns. This phase lasts 16 seconds of consists of 4 attacks performed in rapid succession. Destroying the boss will cause another bullet cancel and a Revive token to drop (useful if you are not already life capped). As the boss's final pattern is the densest, it is worthwhile to delay killing it til the last second.

=== Segment 3 Lead ===
* TBA

=== Segment 4 ===
* TBA
* '''Boss: Rusted Dragon'''
** Rusted Dragon is considered a step up in difficulty for first time players, as it is a lot more aggressive than the bosses from the Behind Segments. However, a lot of its difficulty can be mitigated through knowledge and practice.
** Before the fight even starts, if you have 2 lives of less Rusted Dragon will not appear at all, ending the stage early. This may save new players from a difficult fight if they are struggling with the start of the game.
** In the event you do fight Rusted Dragon, it starts the fight by quickly swooping in and firing mostly static walls of bullets.
** One note about this static phase is that fairly early in it, Rusted Dragon will fire large elliptical bullets from the left and right ends of the screen. Destroying these offers the largest NUTCRACK bonus in the game.
** Rusted Dragon's two wings can be attacked and destroyed, and have 2 health bars each. Emptying the first bar offsets the wing a bit, erases the boss's shots for several seconds (similar to a discharge), and makes its initial attack pattern more complicated.
** Destroying a wing a second time will fully remove it. If this is the first wing destroyed, it will fire an absurdly dense burst of red elliptical bullets that you can milk for a NUTCRACK bonus. If it's the second wing it will release some Clambons and move to the final phase of the fight.
** The final phase is timed. The faster you destroyed the two wings, the earlier you will reach the lucrative final attack in this phase.
** Rusted Dragon will release Clambons, and replace them with another random set when they are destroyed. Clambons have varying attacks, dependent on their size and how many are in this particular wave. Each attack is fairly simple.
** Rusted Dragon itself will mostly attempt to track you vertically and release bullets straight down.
** Eventually, Rusted Dragon will start to release UNCHAINable Clambon trains from the top, and small Clambons from the bottom. The UNCHAIN target is the most valuable but make sure to kill as many Clambons as you can.
** It's also important to keep Rusted Dragon's HP high if you are milking this boss, as it will take lots of incidental damage from stray shots.
** Rusted Dragon will begin its final attack after several sets of trains. it will stop moving and release dense random bursts of bullets. Very large Clambon trains will swoop in from the left and right.
** These large trains have an UNCHAIN bonus of 19 which is a very high value. Milking this boss involves maximizing these train kills and their UNCHAIN bonus, only killing the boss at the last second.
** Kill trains on the side they spawn on. Once they cross the middle of the screen (marked by Rusted Dragon itself), the lead Clambons on the train will start to move offscreen and reduce your UNCHAIN bonus.
** Rusted Dragon's attacks are mostly random and will need to be sight read to find safespots and paths to the other side of the screen.
** Make sure to kill Rusted Dragon at the last possible second. The bullets it fires become more dense as the time reaches 0 and killing Rusted Dragon will cause a bullet cancel. Missing this cancel will undo some of the work spent milking Clambons.
** If you happen to destroy Rusted Dragon without destroying either wing, it will drop a Revive Token. However, this is not very useful.

=== Segment 5 ===
* TBA
* '''Boss: Perpetual Calendar'''
** Fate Control: In Perpetual Calendar's final attack, if you destroy all its turrets twice without killing the main core, you will unlock a secret attack. In this form Perpetual Calendar will instantly respawn when destroyed, and give you 2 Terra every time you destroy it. This will last until the fight times out and is a vital part of controlling your Terra level.

=== Segment 6 ===
* TBA
* '''Boss: Apostles of the Seed (Dawn & Dusk)'''
** First of all, Dawn is the red one and Dusk is "bluish". Keep this in mind because they are very different from each other.
** The percentage in the middle of the screen is their combined health percentage. Their phases are dependent on this number so refer to it often.
** Sometimes they will have a glowing runic circle around them. This circle strongly reduces damage they take from all sources. You can avoid using resources on them during this time or you can use their increased resistance to control their HP totals more effectively.
** '''Phase 1:''' This phase starts off with a wave cannon attack as they both swoop in from the sides. This phase is static; they will merely shift up and down and fire some simple waves of bullets.
** There are two ways to end this first phase: destroy all 8 of their limb launchers (the SEALable bumps) or push their combined HP total under 70% (which then destroys the limb launchers automatically). Score players may want to use this easier phase to damage them close to the breakpoint to raise their Spirit values and then move on to destroy the launchers.
** '''Phase 2:''' The Apostles will take turns trying to overwhelm you with fast attacks. Each Apostle uses 1 of 4 unique attacks here, chosen randomly(?).
** '''Dawn:'''
*** Dawn will fire large electric shots randomly. These will travel a medium distance then stop and expand. Culminates in an even larger bullet that expands into a giant starburst. This ones about reaction times.
*** Dawn will attempt to chase you down and hit you with a melee attack. This attack will happen 3 times in quick succession, and every melee attack also releases some bullet walls to try and corner you. Try to keep movements small so you can pass through these.
*** Dawn will appear at the left or right edge of the screen, then fire a twister of bullets and move to the other side. Some small circular bullets will also be aimed at you. If you hug the far wall from Dawn's starting position and keep your Suppression Radius up to erase the small bullets, this attack can't hit you.
*** Dawn will appear in the middle of the screen, fire a burst of extremely homing bullets, then immediately fly away. This attack can be SEALed by being close to Dawn when it lifts its arms, however Dusk has many attacks that start by punishing players in the middle, so dodging it is best.
** '''Dusk:'''
*** Dusk will harmlessly float at the top of the screen, while walls of plasma rain down from above. Walls can have an opening to the left, right, or in the middle. If you are above Dusk here this attack is harmless.
*** Dusk will float high on the screen, and fire arrowheads and teardrops at you, while simultaneously trying to wall you with arcs of electricity. This attack is difficult and relies on making quick decisions to move past bullets safely. If your Suppression Radius activates during this you will likely die as the arrowheads will slow down.
*** Dusk will teleport to the middle of the screen horizontally, directly above you, and fire a large beam. Being under this is naturally fatal. Some bullet walls will be released at the same time, meaning after you dodge the beam you will need to move through these lanes. This attack happens 4 times in a row.
*** Dusk will fire a small random burst of fireballs at you. This burst will speed up over a few seconds and end in a 3 pronged stream aimed right at you. Dodge the random bit and then stream the attack once it reaches its climax.
** This phase makes up the majority of the fight, as both ways to exit it will take a long time to achieve. Learning how to deal with these attacks will give players the best chance of surviving (and/or scoring) this fight.
** '''Team Attack Phase:''' This phase has two requirements. Both Apostles must be alive, and their combined HP total must be under 20%. If an Apostle dies before their total is under 20%, this and the next phase will be skipped. Be aware of this.
** The Apostles will fly in on opposite ends of the screen from each other, then tether together with electricity.
** While tethered, they will spin in one direction slowly, or spin in the opposite direction quickly. The order these happen in is random.
** Aside from the tether itself being deadly, the Apostles will also fire destructible elliptical bullets at you, as well as summon many harmless adds to destroy. This phase has high scoring potential between the Nutcrack bonuses available and the extra kills.
** If you thought you could avoid the tether by following one of the Apostles, you can't. They constantly fire streams of bullets from their sides to prevent this.
** This phase lasts 14 seconds, or will end early if an Apostle dies. If it does not end early, it goes to the next phase.
** '''Self Destruct Phase:''' The Apostle with lower HP will destroy its own limbs and attempt to kill you with a final desperation attack.
** This attack is different for each Apostle. Dawn will fly toward the top and attempt to rain down large, eye-searing electricity attacks. Dusk will fly to the middle and fire random bursts of exotic bullets that look like clubs.
** This phase only lasts 10 seconds, and timing it out will cause the Apostle to fully self destruct, preventing you from getting score from it.
** During this phase, the Apostle will have a supercharged version of their shield on. This blocks the vast majority of damage from all attacks. Entering this phase with more than ~5-6% HP will make it very difficult to get value from this Apostle.
** '''Final Phase:''' The surviving Apostle will use a final, simple attack.
** These are once again dependent on the Apostle. Dawn will perform a spiraling attack using the same club bullets Dusk just used. Dusk will simply try to wall you with fireballs.
** Killing this final Apostle will finally net you a bullet cancel. As Dusk fires many more bullets during this final attack than Dawn, you should set up the fight to end with Dawn as the weaker Apostle. This mostly matters for scoring but as ingots also decrease the Necessary counter survival players may also appreciate this.
** If left alive long enough, the Apostles will use a second attack for a bit before moving back to the first one. Dusk will attempt to kill players beneath with. Dawn's attack here is currently unknown.
** Survive this phase, and you will finally have banished the Apostles of the Seed, one of the longest and most arduous bosses in the game...
** '''Post-Boss Waves:''' Except you're not done yet. Several waves of enemies will spawn once the bosses are dead, and this lasts until the real end of the stage.
** The good news is the wave spawns and the bullets they fire are static. This phase can be routed to the players content.
** If the bulky Unnamed 335 enemies are left alive long enough, they will fire a very dense of spread of elliptical bullets in front of them. This can be used to earn a small amount of extra Spirit.
** The large fighter jet looking Unnamed 336 will behave similarly, except it launches landmine like Unnamed 337. These are worth extra Spirit as well, however Unnamed 337 will fly away after releasing these. This means you need to have very high damage available to make use of this.
** This phase ends with a large streaming pattern. The end of this phase has a small bullet cancel, so try not to bomb during it. Additionally, the enemies fly in from the top right, which tilts their bullets to the left a bit. As such, you should stream from left to right rather than the other way around. Doing it the other way will eventually wall you. Once the cancel happens, this Segment is finally over.

=== Segment 7 ===
* TBA
* '''Boss: Rex Cavalier (Land Form)'''

=== Segment 8 ===
* TBA
* '''Boss: Unnamed 290/HellSinker'''
** The goal of this boss is to raise it's Satisfaction meter to level 3. Doing non-bomb damage to it raises it (fairly slowly) while not hitting it for awhile will cause it to fall (also slowly). Bombing will cause it to fall very rapidly and should be avoided.
** Each pattern during this phase is static. They can be practiced in Segment Location. Use this to your advantage.
** Whenever an attack during this phase ends (based solely on time), the boss will drop 6 Life Chips. This can be used to gain a couple extra lives/Immortality bonuses.
** Based on your Satisfaction level at the end of this boss, an extra boss will be spawned.
* '''Boss: GARLAND'''
** Requires Satisfaction level 3. This boss can potentially lead to the TLB and the true end.
** Your goal is to fill its health bar to max by dealing damage. This will unlock the TLB.
** Beyond this mechanic, GARLAND is invincible (but can still be shot for score).
** This phase will last 102 seconds.
** The giant green lasers can be used to damage GARLAND if the white hexagonal shielding pieces are destroyed.
** In this part of the game only, enemy Misteltoe bullets can be cancelled. These bullets will cancel into Life Chips rather than Ingots. GARLAND will do this three times, at LIMIT 80, LIMIT 07, and LIMIT 00. Keep as many of these bullets on the screen as possible to earn your last extends of the run.
* '''Boss: Lost Property 771'''
** The True Last Boss.
** Like GARLAND, completely invincible but worth shooting.
** This phase is pure survival, and lasts 74 seconds.
** Good luck.

----

== Spirit Scoring Strategy ==
=== General Overview ===
'''The biggest factor in earning more spirit is your Stella level. ''' <br>

* The following [values / objects / behaviors] will change depending on your Stella.
** Enemy's base Spirit value
** Milking performance (i.e. increasing enemies’ value with your aura)
** Unchain bonus (killing MASTER enemies)
** Amount of needle bullets from enemies (less FINELINE)
** Amount of destructible bullets spewed from enemies
** Running Spirits
** REX-CAVALIER's (S7 Boss) 5th Attack Pattern
* Even the difference between Stella 9 and Stella A is huge. Always try to keep your Stella at A.
* Surviving as long as possible and killing each enemy with the most Spirit efficient way is crucial. Figure out the most efficient way to milk Spirits for every enemy you see.
Routes are mostly thought out by balancing "Survival Consistency" and "Milking".<br>

If you choose to survive, you will lose the opportunity to milk.<br>

If you choose to milk, you will put yourself more at risk to get hit. Everyone has their own comfortable routes, so figure out your best routes based on this.<br>

=== Ways to gain Spirits ===
''' Immortality Bonuses '''
* Getting extends after Immortal state (Reaching max lives) gives Spirit bonuses.
* Starting value is 80, increasing by 40 each time you extend after the first Immortality bonus
** 80, 120, 160, ...

''' Milking enemies '''
* Getting close to the enemy and attacking them with your main shot and its aura will raise the enemy's Inner Spirit (Depicted by Blue or Green number).
* This applies to some destructible parts on large enemies and bosses as well.
** DEADLIAR is most known for effectively raising Inner Spirits by the aura around him. Minogame is the same too but less efficient.
** Fossil Maiden can use her Orange Lance to milk more Spirits.
* You must kill said enemy to gain the milked Spirits.
* Hitting multiple enemies/boss parts at once will allow the Inner Spirit counter to increase faster.
''' Grazing the needle bullets (FINELINE) '''
* The most important and lucrative scoring technique in this game.
* To get big spirits you need to graze with the suppression radius (or Minogame’s FORBIDDEN SHELL) active; you will lose 80% of your graze spirits without a suppression radius.
* This makes grazing with ADEPT easier as you can more easily control when the suppression radius is active.
* Around 10,000 total points can be racked up just by grazing with Stella A.
* Grazing with lower Stella will decrease the Spirit gain rate from grazing (low Stella also often makes needle bullets shorter).
** Around 25% of your grazing efficiency is lost if grazing with Stella 9 instead of A – big loss!
* Using Minogame's charged main weapon (FORBIDDEN SHELL) will increase their grazing radius. Using this attack when grazing will give over 25% more spirits than normal grazing (with suppression radius). Abuse this if you are playing Minogame.
''' Unchain bonus (UNCHAIN) '''
* Killing MASTER enemies will give spirits based on the number of “slaves” attached to it when killed.
* The amount of Spirits given is exponential based on how many slaves there are. Even killing one slave can decrease unchain spirits by more than half in some cases, though overall you don’t gain many spirits from unchaining except on RUSTED-DRAGON (S4 boss).
* Very trivial and easy to achieve in most cases but some enemies are worth much more by killing them without unchaining them.
** Segment 3 Lead: SEAGULL flocks are an example.
''' Destroying destructible bullets (NUTCRACK) '''
* Not much to say. Try to destroy as many as possible with clever use of your weapons.
* Try not to discharge as it will cancel the bullets without giving you Spirits.
''' Breakthroughs '''
* Breakthroughs come when you reach a certain threshold of Spirits or Kills. The first Breakthrough happens when you reach 5200 Spirits or 2500 Kills (whichever comes first), and the second comes at 6200 Spirits or 5000 Kills (whichever wasn’t the first breakthrough). If you are playing for Spirit the Spirit breakthrough will almost certainly come first.
* Spirit Breakthrough is worth 200 + 40 * (current Immortality count)
* Kill Breakthrough is worth 160 + 40 * (current Immortality count)
* Getting a breakthrough will reset your NECESSARY value for extends, which equates to faster extends, which means more Immortality bonuses down the line.
''' "Running Spirits" '''
* You will earn a certain amount of passive Spirit gain during the stage.
* Scales with [Current Stella value] and [Current stage Spirit value]. The exact formula is unknown.
* Does '''not''' apply to bosses or Segment 5 mid-stage.
''' Stage Clear bonuses '''
* Gives you around 50 ~ 150 Spirits for most stages.
** The formula is given on the segment end screen.
** Based on Stella and the number of times you died during the stage.
* Clearing the Shrine gives you around 450 [Exact value unknown. Need confirmation]
* Clearing the TLB (THE UNNAMED 771) will give you around 1000 [Exact value unknown. Need confirmation]
* Overall, does not give a ton of Spirits but is a nice bonus.
''' Getting Ingots (Gold crystal items) '''
* Killing bosses/boss phases and certain cues within stages will cancel all bullets on screen into Ingots.
** Each worth around 0.2 Spirits
** Reduces NECESSARY for next life (I think it's around 0.05 ~ 0.1 NECESSARY or about 10-20 Ingots per life chip [Needs confirmation])
* Sometimes you will want to optimize bullet cancels like in other STGs (cancel when screen is most dense)
* With Dead Liar and Fossil Maiden, you can use your Mistletoe to collect Ingots and other items.
''' Attacking indestructible objects '''
* Single objects worth little, but applying it to many objects will give out quite a value.
* If any opportunity is present, keep shooting those objects.
** Segment 2's Ammo milking and Segment 5's wall bumping strategy is based on this.
''' Spirit Transfer from REX-CAVALIER '''
* Only on segment 7
* The final form of his attack will transfer his memory (along with Spirits) to you.
* Killing him on MEMORY TRANSFER REMAIN = 0 will grant you 345.6 Spirits.
** Killing him after or before the REMAIN 0 will drastically reduce the bonus.
* Use the BGM to accurately time it. The female voice with note of C is the perfect timing for it.
** TIMER 246.5
''' Destroying THE UNNAMED 771 constantly in the final phase '''
* Destroying the 771 will give you 7 Spirits each time, and destroying it 8 times will increase it's value by 7.
* The total Spirits gained from the 771 is represented by the following formula.
** {Σ[n=1,y] 7 * floor((n/7) + 1)} where y denotes the times you destroyed 771.
*** For example destroying the 771 for 79 times (Kill value shown as 70) will be around 3073 Spirits.

=== Shrine of Farewell ===

==== Overview ====
The Shrine of Farewell is often looked at as a "bonus stage" in regular survival play, which serves to give some lives back in the form of crystals and get the player back on their feet. <br>
However, it is extremely important in scoring, as playing the Shrine perfectly will reward 424 crystals to the player, with each crystal having a value of 1/200 of the player's Spirits before the Shrine, enabling the player to amplify their score by up to 2.12x.<br>
This requires good Terra management to optimally reach the Shrine after Segment 7.

==== Terra Tips ====
* Dying once is acceptable and will drop your Terra slightly, but dying consecutively will drop your Terra by a much larger amount (about 30).
* Dropping life chips off the screen will reduce your Terra by 1 each, but extending will increase it by about 7.
* Autobombing will reduce your Terra by about 5-7.
* Your Terra will drop by a certain amount after clearing each stage, but it is dependent on your Bootleg Ghost (autobomb setting).
** ADEPT has the smallest drop and SOLIDSTATE has the largest.
* You should try to use FATE CONTROL on the Segment 5 boss's final form to replenish your Terra as best you can.
* Overall, be conscious of having good survival play.
* If you are really having trouble keeping your Terra up, choose to play Segment 1 Behind as it is easier and '''you will not lose Terra in it.'''

==== Advice for the Shrine ====
* Try not to die or discharge too often in the Shrine of Farewell.
* You don't need to score/milk in this stage unless you are really really comfortable with it.
** The two milkable patterns are VIRGINAL ORDER on TEMPERAMENT-NIL (by grazing the needles), and DESPERATE ANNULUS on AL4TH (by bombing and using aura on the red blobs she shoots out to gain spirits and increase her inner spirit value). These combined give out around 2000 to 2500 spirits at most but costs a lot of precious time.
* Speed kill every single enemy you see.
** Remember the patterns and when you can damage the enemy efficiently.
* The calculation for the Crystals is still unknown, but the following is known.
** Having anything below Stella A will reduce your Crystal gain.
** Kaname Stones & Boss's 1st and 2nd attacks are worth 18 Crystals maximum.
** Each boss's 3rd attack is worth 36 Crystals max.
*** Taking a hit or bombing in the 3rd attack will heavily affect your Crystal gains due to high value potential.
* Using your discharge will most likely reduce your Stella to below A, so try not to use your discharge.
* If you are playing Dead Liar or Fossil Maiden, you can deploy your Mistletoe at the bottom of the screen and all the crystals will be magnetized to it, enabling the full 2.12x Spirit multiplier. This makes those two characters more viable for high scores than Minogame or Kagura.

=== General advice ===

==== Stella Management ====
Aim to get Stella A as soon as possible when starting each stage and keep that Stella at A.
* Get green Stella items (they increase your Stella).
* Getting certain amounts of spirits will replenish some Stella.
** Getting 1 or 2 Spirits isn't noticeable, but getting 10 or more at once will bump your Stella up a bit.
* Getting a bunch of LUNA chaff relics will increase Stella.
** Milking MONOWINGs in Segment 1 gives a lot of these.
* Going near certain enemies will replenish Stella rapidly.
** Most bosses and some strong enemies will replenish your Stella.
* Do not get Purple Stella items, they will reduce your Stella.

==== Surviving ====
* '''Do not die, especially not consecutively.'''
** Dying decreases your Stella drastically, though you can regain some of it by collecting the orb items that you drop after dying (One item = 0.75 Stella).
** After dying or autobombing you will be in an “unstable state” shown by red stars orbiting around your character. It lasts for about 30 seconds. Dying while “unstable” will reduce Stella by even more and reduce your Terra by a large amount, so try not to do that.
* Dying even once between Segments 1-7 will reduce your total gain for Spirit by about 2000 to 3000 from loss of Immortality bonuses and Stella decrease.
* Use Autobomb settings (SOLIDSTATE) unless you are really good or comfortable at the game.
** ASPIRANT only autobombs when you have less than 4 lives and when SOL is level 5.
** SOLIDSTATE will autobomb regardless of your life and has a lower threshold of SOL level 3 which is much more consistent.

=== Advanced/specific advice ===

* Use the Max life 5 setting (DRASTIC way of life)
** This enables getting 1 more Immortality bonus than using the default setting.
* Use ADEPT if you have the skills to never get hit
** ADEPT will increase your grazing radius so you will be able to gather more spirits by grazing
** ADEPT will give you maximum grazing value regardless of your current Stella value [Need confirmation]
* Remember unique scoring techniques for every single enemy
** I will give you some unique examples below
*** Segment 3 Lead: Destroying the two tips of the arms for the mid-boss like enemy that appears between the two big ships near the end (UNNAMED 428) will increase the value of the rest of the arm joints.
*** Segment 6 Mid-boss (SLUG LADY): Destroying each option will make her Spirit value increase from 0 to 20, 41, 62, 187 respectively. Destroy every single option she has to gain maximum Spirits (make use of the pink laser!)
* Score as much as you can. Running Spirits can make a difference.
** Try delaying the extend to the next stage's beginning to gain more Running Spirits during mid-stage (most noticeable in segments 6 and 8)
** Going to the next stage will reduce 4 NECESSARY each time.

More content possibly TBA.

Hellsinker

2020-11-13T16:08:02Z

Twilightex: Added reference and contributors

== Hellsinker. ==
[[File:HellsinkerLogo.png|center|637px]]
[[File:HellsinkerTitle1.png|thumb|200px|left|Title screen 1 of 4. Title screens are unlocked as you progress through the game.]]

'''Hellsinker.''' is a [[doujin]] [[Bullet hell|bullet-hell]] [[shooting game|shoot-em-up]] developed by Ruminant's Whimper for PC in 2006 and re-released on Steam in 2019. It's defining gameplay features are its '''multiple gauges that affect your attack strength''', its '''enemies with multiple parts to strategically dismember''', and its '''three different tracked scores''' (Spirit, Kills, and Tokens). The game is also often noted for its unique, sometimes inscrutable, lore and aesthetic. The story follows 4 members of the mysterious organization GRAVEYARD as they attempt to reach and infiltrate the Cardinal Shaft, a giant tower responsible for the end of the world.

<div style='text-align: center;'>'''AN AWESOME PRAYER'''<br>'''IS''' <br>'''CONFLICT WITH US'''<br><br>'''KEEP YOUR DIGNITY'''</div>

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== Gameplay Overview ==
''Hellsinker.'' is a four-button with '''4''' playable characters (one of which has 4 different load-outs, for an overall total of '''7''') and 9 levels (referred to in-game as "Segments") in the main game. There are also unlockable, harder versions of the first 3 Segments (unlocked by [1CC]]-ing Segment 4) and 2 Extra Segments, unlocked by [[1CC]]-ing the game and defeating the [[True Last Boss|TLB]], [[Lost Property 771]]. The scoring system involves destroying enemies (including destructible parts) to gain '''Spirit''', keeping your '''Stella''' (Rank) high to spawn extra enemy waves, and collecting extra lives past the life cap for '''Immortality''' bonuses.

=== Controls ===
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* '''C (Press):''' Fire your main shot. Tapping rhythmically enables rapid fire. Some characters have an extra attack used by mashing the C button faster than rhythmically tapping.
* '''C (Hold):''' Charge up a strong attack based on your main shot. Release to fire this attack. Holding this button in conjunction with pressing the subweapon button can also perform different special attacks.
* '''X:''' Fire your subweapon. The mechanics of this attack vary with the character chosen and whether your subweapon gauge is filled.
* '''Z:''' Fire your discharge attack (bomb). Discharge attacks do high damage, clear the screen of bullets, and makes the player character invincible for some time.
* '''V:''' Activate slowdown. The exact behavior of this button is dependent on a setting chosen at the start of each run.

=== HUD ===
----
[[File:HellsinkerHUD left.png|frameless|637px|center]]

The lefthand side of the HUD focuses on gameplay features and contains vital information for any player. Additional information is below:
# Rank and Speed settings. These are determined before a run starts and cannot be changed during the run. Rank settings do not work outside Practice mode.
# Lives. Lives are indicated by the heart containers. Max denotes the maximum number you can stock at once, set before the run. The Necessary counter counts down as you collect Life Chips and Ingots; When it hits 0 you earn an Extend.
# Sol gauge. Sol determines the strength of your main shot and bombs. Default levels are from 1 to 5. The number will flash red when a bomb is available.
# Luna gauge. Luna determines your main shot's rate of fire. Default has 3 levels, LO/MI/HI. Text will flash blue when HI, indicating maximum fire rate.
# Subweapon gauge. Indicates the status of your subweapon. The bar indicates subweapon charge, while the rectangles indicate the level of attack available. For option type subweapons, MOUNT indicates the weapon is mounted to your character while INDEPEND indicates that it has been launched.
# Rank gauge. Also called Stella. Levels go from 1 to 9 to A. The number will flash red when the gauge is filling and blue when it is emptying.
# Target name. Indicates the name of the last target hit. Can be ignored.
# Terra gauge. Terra is a special gauge that indicates when you will visit a bonus segment called Shrine of Farewell. The full details of this gauge are described below.

[[File:HellsinkerHUD right.png|637px|frameless|center]]

The righthand side of the HUD is mostly reserved for scoring info. Players playing for survival may ignore most of this.
<ol start="9">
<li>Autbomb status. If an autobomb is available, it will say so here and state how many you have remaining for the current segment. Otherwise it will tell you why an autobomb is not available.</li>
<li> Spirit counter and gauges. The counter tracks your Spirit gains over the course of the run. The top counter represents Spirit earned from all previous segments and the bottom shows the amount earned on the current segment. These numbers are added at the end of the segment. The gauges represent decimal values of Spirit gains. A full gauge from top to bottom represents 1, 10, and 100 Spirit. This allows players to easily track Spirit changes of any size, no matter how large their score becomes. If a Spirit BREAKTHROUGH is achieved, the word BREAK will appear next to the word Spirit.</li>
<li>Kill Counter. This tracks the total number of kills made in a run. Like the Spirit counter, the top number tracks previous segments and the bottom number tracks the current segment. BREAK will also appear next to Kills for a Kill BREAKTHROUGH.</li>
<li>Luna Crystal multiplier. This tracks the value of Luna crystals. The value inside the crystal tracks the current size of crystals (and ergo their worth) while the number outside tracks how many more crystals need to be collected to increase gem size. Letting a gem fall off screen will instead increase the number of gems needed to increase size and also eventually lower size.</li>
<li>Token counter. This tracks the number of Tokens collected over the run. It works similarly to the other two scores aside from lacking a BREAKTHROUGH.</li>
<li>Timer. Counts the time (in seconds) since the start of the current segment.</li>
<li>FPS counter. Tracks your FPS, to 2 decimal places (ie 6000 is 60.00). At one time it was possible to configure this to also show VRAM usage and Object Count. It is unknown if this is still possible.</li>
</ol>
==== Bootleg Ghost ====
----
The '''Bootleg Ghost''' setting, chosen at the start of each run, determines ''autobomb behavior''. All characters can autobomb up to 3 times per segment. The settings work as follows:
* '''Aspirant:''' Autobombs will only activate if the Sol gauge is 5 and the player has less than 4 lives.
* '''Solidstate:''' Autobombs will activate anytime discharge is available.
* '''Adept:''' Disables autobombs entirely. Additionally, changes the activation requirements of the suppression radius, which now only activates when the main shot button is held.

==== Suppression Radius ====
----
All characters have a '''suppression radius''' which can be activated by not firing the main shot for several seconds. <small>''(Fossil Maiden works differently, and her suppression radius is only active while her subweapon button is held down.)''</small> The suppression radius takes the form of a light blue circle around the character. It slows down many types of bullets and, for a smaller number of them, will destroy them entirely. Destroying bullets with your suppression radius creates small '''Luna Tokens'''. You can create slightly bigger ones by [[point-blank]]ing enemies whose bullets you have also suppressed.

==== Collision ====
----
In a departure from the genre, colliding into walls or enemies in ''Hellsinker.'' does not kill you. Instead, you will be knocked back a certain distance away from the object collided with. If you are in a position to get knocked back several times (for example, wedged between two objects) your movement can become quite erratic. This encourages aggressive gameplay, as making a mistake and getting too close won't kill you (unless you get knocked back into a bullet). Additionally, any time the player character is invulnerable, they are also immune to knockbacks.

==== Sealing Enemies ====
----
When you approach certain enemies pointblank, a blue box and the word SEAL will appear on them. Enemies sealed in this manner cannot fire as long as you remain close to them as well as for a few moments after you move away. This also encourages aggressive play rather than waiting for enemies to fly down to you. The size or type of enemy gives '''no indication''' as to whether they can be sealed or not. Only by attempting to seal an enemy will you know.

----

=== Characters ===
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''Hellsinker.'' features four playable characters, each with vastly different load-outs and playstyles. Three of the characters are available by default, while the last is unlocked by beating Segment 4 with a 1CC. The characters and their loadouts are as follows:

* '''Dead Liar:''' The oldest member of GRAVEYARD. He focuses on strong but narrow main shot attacks while his subweapon, the Misteltoe Tobari-Maru, can be freely placed to attack enemies with a small AOE. His load-out option allows him to change the behavior of this subweapon.
* '''Fossil Maiden:''' A particularly sickly member of GRAVEYARD who uses her Misteltoe, Saraba-Maru, to see as well as fight. Her combat focus is on covering extremely large areas of the screen with Saraba-Maru, who fires on all enemies who enter her radius.
* '''Minogame:''' An androgynous non-binary robot deity, powerful enough to fight without a Misteltoe. They focus on strong AOE attacks and discharges, allowing them to survive especially dangerous situations.
* '''Kagura/Kagura-Maru:''' An Elder Misteltoe used as a living weapons platform. This gives Kagura 4 distinct load-outs to use in combat. ''Kagura is unlocked by achieving a '''1CC in Segment 4'''.''
** '''Moon Cradle (Multi-Trajectory Shell):''' Features an aimable burst shot subweapon, and discharges that only cost 2 Sol rather than emptying the gauge.
** '''Ecliptic Chariot (External Gunner):''' An external, three-pronged turret that can be launched and retrieved freely.
** '''Infernal Sabbath (Variable Gun):''' Load-out with no distinct subweapon; Instead, the subweapon button controls the spread of the main shot.
** '''Xanthez (Anti-Bacillus Saber):''' Uses two highly destructive but short range swords to swipe at nearby enemies.

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=== Resources ===
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''Hellsinker.'' uses lives to measure player health, and starts the player at '''four lives'''. At the start of each run, players use the '''Way of Life''' setting to set their life cap at 5-7. Setting a '''lower life cap''' offers '''less safety but greater score''', as it allows the player to rack up Immortality bonuses faster. [[Extends]] are earned from '''Life Chips''' (the amount of which that are needed for an extra life going up as you earn more lives) and '''Revive Tokens''' that are dropped in rare circumstances.

Discharges are governed by the '''Sol gauge'''. Using your discharge attack depletes the Sol gauge, which also affects your main shot's strength. The Sol gauge refills over time, or by gathering Sol pieces which refill it quickly. Discharges cost a minimum of 3 Sol (unless you are Moon Cradle Kagura, which costs 2) and always empty the Sol gauge (again, unless Moon Cradle). Having 5 Sol gauge unlocks a more powerful bomb that lasts a longer time.

The '''Luna gauge''' affects the rate of fire of your main shot. It goes down as you fire your main shot, and goes up while not firing it. Collecting Luna Crystal tokens also fills it slightly, while also increasing your Token count. The fact that this gauge empties as you fire your main shot encourages the player to use their subweapons and discharges to keep this gauge up.

Your '''subweapon gauge''' determines the power (and in some cases, the type of attack) of your subweapon. It empties whenever you fire your subweapon, and fills when you are not firing your subweapon. Firing your main shot locks your subweapon gauge at level 1 if below it, or somewhat quickly empties it down to level 1 if above it.

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=== Items ===
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''Hellsinker.'' features 11 items (called relics) that govern score and gameplay.

'''Sol pieces''' are dropped by many enemies and slightly refill the Sol Gauge, by about one pip.

[[File:Sol piece.png]]

'''Luna crystals''' mostly function to increase the Token score while also slightly refilling the Luna gauge. They are dropped by specific enemies, and increase in size (and value) as you collect more.

[[File:Luna_Crystals.png]]

'''Luna droplets''' increase the Token count and Luna Crystal multiplier at smaller rates than crystals, but have the upside of not penalizing your multiplier if they fall off the screen. They are created by erasing bullets very close to you by destroying the enemy that shot them.

[[File:Luna_droplet.png]]

'''Luna chaff''' increases the Luna gauge by a very small amount and does not increase the Token counter at all. It is created when bullets are destroyed by your Suppression Radius.

[[File:Luna_chaff.png]]

'''Stella relics''' allow you to control your rank, changing the Stella gauge by 1 whole number when picked up, and filling or emptying it for several seconds after, depending on the relic. Young Stella relics are green and increase your rank, while old Stella relics are pink and reduce your rank. Stella relics are dropped from scripted events, either certain moments in the stage or certain actions taken against bosses.

[[File:Young_stella.png]][[File:Old_stella.png]]

'''Life chips''' are somewhat more rare and reduce the counter for your next extend by 1. Other relics will have a fractional impact on this extend count. These are created only when specific enemies are destroyed.

[[File:Life_chip.png]]

'''Ingots''' are made when a boss's bullets are canceled when the boss is destroyed and give you some Spirit, as well as around 1/50th of an extend count. This amount is larger than other relics.

[[File:Ingot.png]]

'''Terra tokens''' are rarely made by exploding subparts of some enemies. They increase your Token count, rank, and Terra gauge slightly.

[[File:Terra_relic.png]]

Finally, the rarest relics are '''Comet relics''' and '''Revive tokens'''. Comet relics are dropped when the player character dies, and allow them to recover some of their lost rank. You will drop 1 Comet relic for each full rank you lost on death, and they each give .75 rank back.

[[File:Comet.png]]

Revive tokens are dropped in very specific circumstances and immediately offer an extra life. However, they have no effect on the extend counter and do not offer Immortality bonuses.

[[File:Revive.png]]

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=== Continues ===
''Hellsinker.'' has only '''one continue''' and this cannot be changed. Furthermore, entering a '''special segment''' will disable your continue for the rest of the run. If you do manage to use your continue, '''several segments''' are also skipped in your playthrough (Segments 3L and 6 are known) and you are locked out of fighting the Segment 8 boss, precluding a good end. Additionally, segments played after a continue do '''NOT''' unlock in Segment Location (practice mode). Thus, you are highly encouraged to 1CC the game, or at least as far as you can manage.
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=== Terra ===
Of all the gauges in ''Hellsinker.'', '''Terra''' is perhaps the most mysterious. The Terra gauge starts any run at the full 240 points. Terra is reduced when you '''make mistakes''', let life chips fall off the screen, or finish segments. However, increasing Terra is much harder. This means Terra is constantly falling during normal gameplay. When Terra does finally hit 0, a '''special segment''' called Shrine of Farewell is set as the next segment. Once you visit Shrine of Farewell, the Terra gauge is disabled as it no longer has any effect on gameplay. Shrine of Farewell is '''mandatory''' in a Full Sequence Order playthrough but its position in the playthrough can be changed with Terra management. With optimal Terra management in Full Sequence Order, Shrine of Farewell will take place after '''Segment 7'''.

The following events '''decrease''' Terra:
* Dying or autobombing
* Finishing stages with the amount varying based on the stage. Notably, Segment 7 essentially has -240 Terra if played in Full Sequence Order.
* Letting Life Chips fall off the screen costs 1 Terra per chip.
And the following actions '''increase''' Terra:
* Terra tokens which are rarely dropped from very specific enemies
* Extending gives you a small amount of Terra
* Fate control: Putting the '''Segment 5 boss''' in a special state at the end of the fight will allow you to constantly raise your Terra every time the boss dies and revives itself.
Avoiding hits and using fate control are the main ways to manipulate Terra to enter Shrine of Farewell at a chosen moment.
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=== Shrine of Farewell Mechanics ===
When you eventually visit Shrine of Farewell, you will notice several mechanics '''behave differently''' from the rest of the game. Shrine starts as a room with no enemies but several doors showing the same 4 symbols in different orders. Shrine is a '''boss rush''' with a strict time limit and these doors set the order you fight those bosses in. Touching a door will set that door as your order, and pressing Main Shot will open the door and start the rush. it may be worth it to '''time out''' this first room for score. Your Spirit very slowly rises while inside this room, so waiting 30 seconds can net you a handful. This is a very tiny amount in the grand scheme of things but all it costs is some patience.
[[File:HellsinkerShrineDoor.png|thumb|right|One of the doors in the waiting room of Shrine of Farewell. The boss order shown here is Temperament Nil, Million Lives, Al4th, and finally Nine Lives.]]

Once you have selected your boss order and entered Shrine proper, the full force of the gameplay changes come into effect:
* Your Spirit drops to 0, however '''doing well in Shrine''' will reward your lost Spirit back, with even better gameplay actually increasing your Spirit greatly.
* You have infinite lives. The place where your lives sit in the HUD will instead say UNCHAINED for the duration of Shrine.
* Bootleg Ghost does not function inside Shrine.
* You cannot earn credit to your next extend until the score screen of Shrine. This means ingots are worth only Spirit and Life Chips do not drop inside Shrine.
* Your Stella constantly rises while inside Shrine.
* Your continue is disabled upon entering Shrine. Notably, Shrine is still mandatory even if you have already used your continue.

Each of the 4 bosses in Shrine of Farewell has '''3 different attacks''', and these attacks form the basis of scoring inside Shrine. Defeat an attack without dying, and you will earn Crystals (a Shrine only item) that are each worth 1/200th of your pre-Shrine Spirit total meaning '''200 Crystals will get you your score back'''. The max amount of Crystals awarded in shrine is '''424''', meaning perfect gameplay will more than double your score. Additionally, once you reach the end of Shrine, Crystals will rain from the top of the screen. These crystals act as '''Life Chips''' meaning a player can earn several extends to get back in the run, or several Immortality bonuses to drive the score even higher. The following actions affect Crystal gain in Shrine:
* Dying to a boss attack will reduce Crystal earned for that attack. The amount is dependent on the attack in question, and several deaths will set this score to 0.
* Bombing the Kaname Stones that hold the bosses inside them instantly sets their Crystal score from 18 to 0.
* Timing out a boss will cause them to instantly leave, voiding any Crystals from attacks you had not yet defeated.
* Seeing a '''secret 5th boss''' in Shrine will add a large amount of Crystal. This secret boss is unlocked by defeating all 4 previous bosses under a par time (indicated by the Kaname Stones wailing) and you are not penalized for dying or bombing once it appears on screen. This secret unnamed boss cannot be damaged, has a health bar that constantly drains until Shrine ends, and summons many Scary Stupa enemies to shoot down for a ton of Kills.
Shrine represents a unique opportunity for players of all skill levels. Players playing for survival mostly do not care where it ends up in the rotation but it will naturally happen after '''several deaths''', potentially saving players from a Game Over. Experienced players will appreciate the potential to double your score inside Shrine and therefore choose to '''delay it''' as long as possible. Doing this maximizes the score gained and is an integral part of scoring.
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=== Rank ===
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Rank in ''Hellsinker.'' is governed by the '''Stella gauge.''' High Stella will spawn extra waves of enemies and adjusts the Spirit value of all enemies upward, making it vital for score. Conversely, Stella has '''little to no effect on bosses''', with a few notable exceptions. The beginning of a run always sets the Stella gauge to 1 (adjustable for practice mode only in the options) and a proportion of your ending Stella is carried forward to the next stage.

Outside of this system, the following actions ***increase*** the Stella gauge:
* Destroying enemies and subparts.
* Picking up green Stella items, Terra tokens, and Comet relics.
* Fine play, which includes staying alive for a long time and grazing many bullets and lasers.
* Surviving for at least 30 seconds after a death.
* Playing aggressively by staying at the top of the screen and point-blanking enemies.
* Shooting indestructible parts of enemies.

And the following actions ***decrease*** the Stella gauge:
* Dying, compounded greatly by dying twice within 30 seconds.
* Autobombing
* Using discharge attacks, by an amount based on the number of enemies hit.
* Picking up pink Stella items
* Grazing a certain numbers of bullets over time will always drop 2 pink Stella items from the top of the screen. The number needed is indicated under the character and labelled "Appeasement". This is only visible while currently grazing.
* Spending long periods of time at the bottom of the screen.

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=== Scoring ===
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''Hellsinker.'' features 3 different scores: Spirit, Kills, and Tokens and as a result 3 different ways to score. '''Spirit''' is the closest to a general score. Aside from destroying enemies, spirit can be raised by destroying subparts, destroying many destructible bullets at once, grazing many needle bullets at once, and unchaining special Master enemies which are tethered to slave enemies. '''Kills''' are simply a track of enemies killed. However, undestroyed subparts that die along with the main enemy, and slave enemies that self destruct during an Unchain do not count. '''Tokens''' measures how many Luna Crystals you have picked up during play.

==== Breakthrough ====
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At certain Spirit and Kill amounts, the character will earn a Breakthrough. Breakthrough not only adds a life but resets the number of life chips needed for an extend, which makes future immortal bonuses easier to obtain. Breakthrough can only be triggered once each for Spirit and Kills, and the number needed is dependent on which one is triggered first. Spirit Breakthrough happens at 5200 Spirit if the Kill Breakthrough is untriggered, or 6200 otherwise. Likewise, Kill Breakthrough occurs at 2500 or 5000 kills.

==== Immortality ====
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If a player earns a life while already at the life cap, they instead earn an '''Immortality bonus''', increasing their Spirit. Immortality bonus starts at 80 Spirit and increases by 40 for each subsequent bonus. Immortality bonuses earned through a Breakthrough are instead worth 200 spirit.

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== Strategy ==
''Please see [[Hellsinker/Strategy]] for more info.''

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== Unlocks ==
''Hellsinker.'' contains many hidden features that must be unlocked by making progress in the game such as extra game modes, new title screens, and goodies like a cutscene viewer and music room.

Unlocked by clearing Segment 4 1CC:
* Title Screen 2. [[File:HellsinkerTitleScreen2.png|150px|thumb|right|Title Screen 2.]]
* Kagura, a fourth playable character.
* Segment Location, a practice mode. In order for a segment to be unlocked in practice mode, you must reach (but not necessarily defeat) a segment's boss 1CC.
* Segments 1 through 3 Lead. These Lead segments are harder than the default versions (now called Behind) but offer greater scoring opportunities as a result. They can be freely picked in Full Sequence Order.

Unlocked by clearing Segment 7 (1CC not necessary):
* Title Screen 3. [[File:HellsinkerTitle3.png|150px|thumb|right|Title Screen 3.]]
* Short Mission, an abbreviated run of the game. Short Mission is truncated to 5 segments instead of 8 and allows players to pick them from a series of groupings. Progress made in Short Mission counts for the purposes of unlocks such as Segment Location or beating the game.

Unlocked by defeating the True Last Boss, Lost Property 771:
* Extra Segment 1, The Great Majority. Extra segments are selected from the title screen and take place after the events of Full Sequence Order in order to expand on the story. The Great Majority is a score attack based segment.

Unlocked by clearing The Great Majority:
* Extra Segment 2, The Way of All Flesh. The Way of All Flesh is a survival based segment and features the return of Lost Property 771 in a new form.

Unlocked by clearing The Way of All Flesh:
* Title Screen 4. Additionally, title screens can now be freely changed in options. [[File:HellsinkerTitleScreen4.png|150px|thumb|right|Title screen 4.]]
* Strategy Recorder, a cutscene viewer. Strategy Recorder features extra cutscenes not seen during gameplay.

Unlocked by viewing all cutscenes in Strategy Recorder, then closing the game:
* Sound Memoir, a music room. A final cutscene will play when you close the game, thanking you for your efforts. Congratulations!

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== References & Contributors ==
<small>
# Primary info contributed by [[User:Yukkuritime‎|Yukkuritime‎]]
# Additional page formatting by [[User:CHA-STG|CHA-STG]]
# "English strategy guide for HellSinker.", by Zaarock | https://shmups.system11.org/viewtopic.php?f=5&t=53078
# Spirit Scoring Strategies added by [[User:Twilightex|Twilightex]] and [[User:Legless|Legless]]
</small>

[[Category:True Last Boss]]

Hellsinker/Strategy

2020-11-10T17:51:08Z

Twilightex: added scoring strategy header