How to play Coming Soon

In Stella Orbs you drop orbs onto a hexagonal board and clear them, and the power of those clears lets your party defeat enemies. This page walks through the controls, the flow of one battle, and how stamina and stages work. The full numbers are on the Data guide and the cast is on the Characters page.

Contents: Flow of a battle ・ Controls ・ Board and pieces ・ Clears and formations ・ Chains ・ Junk and rainbow orbs ・ Party ・ Fighting enemies ・ Stamina and stages ・ Star Chart ・ Daily Challenge ・ Tutorial and Beginner Missions ・ Beginner tips

Flow of a battle

1. In the lobby you choose a party of three and pick a stage. Starting a stage costs a set amount of stamina.
2. A piece of three orbs appears at the top of the board. Move it sideways, rotate it, and drop it where you want. The following piece is shown in "NEXT".
3. When 6 or more orbs of one colour connect they clear, and the clear turns into damage against the enemy. Build a Ring, Pyramid or Line and every orb of that colour leaves the board for much bigger damage.
4. Each piece you place is one turn and lowers the enemy countdown by one. At zero the enemy acts: it attacks your party or drops junk orbs.
5. Defeating an enemy brings the next one. The last enemy of a stage is the boss, and beating it clears the stage and earns rewards. You lose if the party HP reaches 0 or the board overflows.

Controls

PC (keyboard)

Phone (touch)

During a battle the piece never falls on its own. You can take as long as you like to choose its position and rotation, then hard-drop it. There is no slow-drop control.

Board and pieces

• The board is a honeycomb of hexagonal cells, with rows of 11 orbs alternating with rows of 10. A battle uses 12 rows, and each orb touches up to six neighbours.
• The top 3 rows are the danger zone. If any orb is still in it once everything has settled, the board has overflowed and you lose. Below it there are 9 playable rows.
• A piece is three orbs in a triangle, in 5 colours: fire, water, grass, light and dark. It is either upright (one orb on top, two below) or inverted (two on top, one below), and each rotation turns it by 60°, so six presses make a full turn. If a rotation does not fit it is tried shifted sideways, and ignored if it still does not fit.
• When a piece lands it breaks apart on contact into its three orbs. Each orb rolls into whichever lower diagonal cell is open and, if both are open, drops straight down, until it rests between two orbs below.
• Depending on the leader skill, orbs of a certain colour stop appearing in the pieces and in NEXT (see "Party" below).

Clears and formations

When 6 or more orbs of one colour connect, that group clears. This is a plain clear. If you instead build one of the following shapes from 6 orbs of one colour, it counts as a formation: every orb of that colour on the board clears, with a damage multiplier.

• If one colour holds several formations they are handled in the order Ring, Pyramid, Line. Several colours that qualify at the same moment clear together.
• A formation makes the character in the matching slot (Ring, Pyramid or Line) attack and fire its skill. Plain clears never fire skills.
• A formation is worth more the more orbs of that colour are on the board, so it can pay to gather a colour before cashing it in, as long as you do not stack into the danger zone.

Chains

When orbs fall after a clear and clear again, that is a chain. The longer the chain, the larger the multiplier of that turn.

The multiplier is not applied step by step. The numbers shown during the chain are plain values, and when the chain ends the multiplier is applied once to all the attack and healing of that turn (a badge such as "×2.25" appears). It grows ×1.5 per step up to 7 chains, then +2 per step from the 8th. There is no cap.

If no orb at all is left on the board when the clears and chains are over, you get an "All clear!": the clear damage of that turn is doubled and every member's ultimate gauge goes up.

A chain always plays out to the end. The damage from all steps is delivered to the enemy together once the board has settled.

Junk and rainbow orbs

• Junk (meteor) orbs: colourless orbs dropped onto your board by enemy actions. They never count towards groups or formations, but they clear together with any orb they directly touch. Left in the danger zone they cause an overflow like any other orb, so clear them early.
• Rainbow orbs: special orbs, dropped for example by Amaterasu's ultimate. They count as every colour and join any adjacent colour group.

Party

• A party is three characters, one in each of the Ring, Pyramid and Line slots. The party shares one HP pool equal to the sum of the three characters' HP. If you own several copies of a character, you can use it in several slots up to the number you own.
• The leader is the character in the Ring slot, and the leader skill works for the whole battle. It differs by character: more party HP, stronger damage for one element, or orbs of the leader's own colour appearing more often (×1.5 as likely), and so on.
• Exactly four colours fall, every battle. The colours of your party's elements are always in, and the rest are added in a fixed order (a one-colour party gets its own colour plus three). Colours that nobody in your party has are the healing colours.
• Clearing a healing-colour orb restores HP. Each orb heals 2% of max HP ÷ the number of healing colours (0.67% for a one-colour party, 1% for two, 2% for three). The chain multiplier applies. It works the same for formations and chains; orbs the enemy tinted, or removed by an ultimate, heal nothing. Green orbs fly to the HP bar and the bar fills as they arrive.
• In a plain clear, every party member whose element matches the colour attacks, each on their own. Clearing a colour that nobody in the party shares deals no damage (and fills no gauge, apart from the chain bonus), so a party with several elements can attack with any colour.
• Characters whose element matches the cleared orbs fill their ultimate gauge, whichever slot they are in. When a gauge is full, tap that character's icon (keys 1, 2 and 3 on PC) to use the ultimate (not while orbs are clearing or falling; wait until the board is at rest). The exact numbers are on the Data guide.
• You begin with Surtr, Pegasus, Dryad (3 characters) and 1,000 Star Cores. New characters are recruited with the gacha, which is paid for with Star Cores.

Fighting enemies

• One turn = one piece: a turn lasts from the moment a piece lands until the board, chains included, has settled.
• At the end of a turn the damage you made is delivered to the enemy (plus any poison), and then the enemy countdown drops by one.
• At zero the enemy acts. Each enemy has its own pattern: an attack on the party, a drop of junk orbs, or both. The countdown then resets.
• On the turn before a big enemy attack, the enemy pulses red and the countdown number grows large and red. It is your cue to prepare HP with healing or shields.
• When an enemy falls the next one appears. A new enemy's countdown does not tick on the turn it arrives, and leftover damage does not carry over to it.
• A stage has 3 to 5 enemies, and the last one is the boss. Defeating the boss clears the stage.
• You lose if the party HP reaches 0 or if the board overflows (an orb stays in the danger zone).
• Quitting a battle on purpose ("Return to lobby", "Retry", "Give up") counts as a loss. Reloading the page or losing your connection does not: you can resume the battle.
• When you lose you can continue for 20 Star Cores (once per battle, logged-in players only). The party HP comes back to half of its maximum (it stays if it is higher), every ultimate gauge is full, all orbs on the board disappear and you go on against the enemy you lost to (its HP stays as it was, its countdown starts again from the beginning, and bad statuses such as poison are removed). The Daily Challenge has no continue.
• Clearing orbs of a colour that beats the enemy's element multiplies damage by 1.75, and a colour it beats multiplies it by 0.5. The affinity table is on the Data guide.

Stamina and stages

• Starting a stage costs stamina: 5 to 51 for the main stages, and Beginner 10, Intermediate 15, Advanced 20, Expert 25 for the Special Dungeons. Stamina is not refunded if you lose.
• Maximum stamina is 50 at player level 1 and grows with your level. Stamina recovers by 1 every 5 minutes and when you level up, you gain stamina equal to your new maximum (it can go above the maximum). The item "Stamin" restores stamina by your current maximum.
• The main story has 15 chapters and 75 stages, each unlocked by clearing the one before. Special Dungeons are for farming coins and growth materials: each of the 6 dungeons comes in 4 difficulties (Beginner, Intermediate, Advanced, Expert), and every difficulty above the first unlocks after you clear the one below it once.
• Clearing a stage for the first time gives Star Cores. Repeat clears give coins and similar rewards. See the tables on the Data guide for the rewards of each stage.
• Winning gives player experience. Levelling up raises your maximum stamina and the number of characters you can hold.

Star Chart

What the Star Chart is

The Star Chart is a web of stars that grows you, the player, rather than a single character. Its effects apply to every party. You open stars and raise their steps with Star Crystals and coins. The stars strengthen battles, and they also make daily life easier (stamina, box space, drop rates). Open it from the lobby. Changes do not apply to a battle that is already in progress.

Opening stars

• Stars sit on rings around the centre. A farther ring needs a higher player level and more Star Crystals (ring 1: Lv5, 1 Star Crystal; ring 2: Lv15, 2 Star Crystals; ring 3: Lv30, 4 Star Crystals; ring 4: Lv50, 7 Star Crystals; ring 5: Lv80, 10 Star Crystals). The outermost keystones need Lv100 / 120 / 150.
• Ring 1 stars can be opened from anywhere. A farther star opens when any star linked to it by a line is open and has been raised to 10 steps (5 steps for stars whose maximum is under 10). There is no fixed order.
• Each step costs 1 Star Crystal and coins. Element stars also use that element's materials, and lower-grade materials can stand in for higher ones. From the second element you open, Star Crystals and materials cost 30% less.

12 directions

Styles and Stances

In Three Forms you equip one style at a time (Ring, Pyramid or Line). Switching is free, outside battle. The three keystones at the outer edge of Arrow of Stars, Shield Star and Star Reading each open a Stance slot. You equip one Stance at a time, again free to change outside battle, and every Stance has a drawback. A keystone also needs a Trial: a goal you must reach in a real battle, such as beating the hardest dungeon with a single-colour party.

Maxing out every star of a direction gives that direction a permanent completion bonus.

Nova Gate and Nova Ring

Open every star and complete 2 directions of your choice (you confirm twice) to reach the Nova Gate at the centre. The chart is not reset. A Nova Ring opens at the outer edge instead, and each time you max out its stars you rise one rank, up to rank 5. Ring costs grow with each rank (×1.25, ×1.5, ×1.75, ×2). At rank 5 the chart's caps reach element multiplier +15%, formation power +15% and party HP +20%. Each rank also gives a title, a chart colour and one Stargazer's Sand.

Stargazer's Sand

One Stargazer's Sand lets you pick a direction and take back its stars and steps. Every Star Crystal, coin and material you spent is refunded in full, so you can spend them again. Sand cannot be bought. You get it from keystones, Nova ranks and the Stardust Fortune. If a star is ever weakened, its materials are refunded automatically and you also receive one Sand. Switching styles and Stances never costs Sand.

Stardust Fortune

A Stardust Ticket gives one draw. You receive a ticket on days 4 and 7 of the login calendar. The odds are shown in the game as well. If an element is already maxed it is removed from the draw and the rest share equally; the Sand and Unlock Ticket odds do not change.

A Star Unlock Ticket waives the Star Crystal payment for opening one star. The level, link and Trial requirements still apply, and it cannot be used on keystones or the Nova Ring.

Star Mine

A dungeon unlocked by clearing chapter 4. It costs 20 stamina and has 5 fights, with no difficulty ranks. On your first run of the day, each enemy drops Stardust and a Star Crystal at 25% each, and clearing it always gives 2 Star Crystals. Later runs drop each at 10%. Every enemy also has a 0.5% chance to drop 5 to 10 Star Cores. The drop rates are shown in the game. The Star Mine cannot be cleared with Quick Clear.

Quick Clear

Once you open the Lamplight star "Tailwind" (Lv80), you can clear a stage you have already beaten without playing it. You pay only the stamina and get the same reward draw as a normal win (without the skill bonus). You can do this up to 3 times a day. It does not work on the Star Mine or during a battle, and it does not count for missions or your battle record.

Quitting a battle

If you quit a battle on purpose (Return to lobby, Retry, Give up), it counts as a loss. Reloading the page, an app crash or a lost connection does not: you can resume that battle.

Daily Challenge

A puzzle-only mode with no characters or enemies. The board is 16 rows tall and pieces fall by themselves. Every 45 orbs you clear raises the level and speeds up the fall (per row, 0.5 seconds at level 1 down to 0.06 seconds at level 15). Everyone plays the same sequence of pieces each day (Japan time).

• Only the first run of the day earns rewards: 1,950 coins per level reached, plus 20 Star Cores if you reach level 10 or higher. If you quit midway you get no reward for that day.
• A run lasts at most 40 minutes. Later runs on the same day are practice and earn no reward.
• In this mode you can also soft-drop (the ↓ key on PC). On a phone, swiping up or down is a hard drop.

Tutorial and Beginner Missions

• The first time you play, a guided tutorial starts. The screen dims and only the one highlighted spot can be tapped, one step at a time: sortie (a tutorial battle), a 10-pull, party setup, then a sortie to stage 1-1. The pull and party steps are skipped if they do not apply, for example when you do not have enough Star Core.
• Tap "Skip" on the screen, or during the battle use "Skip tutorial" in the gear menu at the top right, to stop at any time (you are asked to confirm). The back gesture of your device and the Esc key open the same confirmation. You can run the tutorial again from the start with "Tutorial" in the lobby menu.
• During a battle, "How to play" in the gear menu shows two tabs: "Formations" (the three shapes and the skill of the character in each slot of your current party) and "Affinity" (a diagram of which elements are strong against which). A one-time warning appears when the stack gets close to the danger zone.
• There are six Beginner Missions: clear stage 1-1, do a 10-pull, change your party, level up a character, form a Ring, and clear stage 1-3. Each gives 50 Star Core (300 in total). Claim them under "Missions" in the lobby; the list disappears once all six are claimed.

Beginner tips

• Build formations in your party's colours first, and when HP runs low clear a healing colour (a colour nobody in your party has) to restore it. A big chain while HP is comfortable pays off with a large multiplier.
• Watch the enemy countdown and ask whether you can land a big formation before it strikes. A formation wipes a whole colour, and junk orbs touching those orbs go with them.
• Choosing colours (and characters) that beat the enemy's element changes the damage a lot.
• Put healing and delaying skills in slots you can reliably trigger so they are ready before you are in trouble.

← Back to the UAJ Studio home page