Game:Career Mode

Career Mode is the primary mode of play in Umamusume: Pretty Derby.

Overview

In Career Mode, the player will train an Umamusume of choice over a set period of time, choosing training regimes and planning schedules to best raise their stats and complete their objectives. After the trainee completes a run of Career Mode, successfully or otherwise, she will be added to the player's roster as a Veteran Umamusume. Veteran Umamusume can participate in races and events, as well as being able to provide future trainees with Sparks of Inspiration.

A Veteran Umamusume's base stats, skills, and aptitudes are final; they cannot be modified beyond temporary external factors. However, an Umamusume that has been scouted can go through a Career Mode run any number of times, allowing as many Veteran Umamusume from the same trainee to be produced as the player wants.

A run of Career Mode begins by selecting a scenario to play, an Umamusume trainee, two Veteran Umamusume to receive Sparks of Inspiration from, and a deck of six support cards.

Scenarios

Each scenario has an independent story and offers unique gameplay mechanics that impact training.

Scenarios broadly follow the same format: players have roughly three years to work with the selected trainee and accomplish the trainee's goals. Most scenarios take place over the course of a three-year schedule where each month is divided into two turns; the player is given a total of 72 turns, excluding the 6-turn finale period that takes place after the third year.

Scenarios also include scenario link characters. If scenario link characters are selected as the trainee or brought as a card in the deck, additional effects will occur.

Certain scenarios have their own set of goals, forgoing the trainee's career story and goals partially or completely.

List of Scenarios

Scenario	Summary	Scenario Linked
URA Finale	Fight to the top of the URA Finale! Plus, work with Aoi Kiryuin to improve the trainee's skills by sparring with Happy Meek.
Unity Cup	Tracen Academy's no-nonsense substitute director is sending the school into chaos. Work with a team of trainees to restore hope.
Trackblazer	A departure from the usual trainee-specific goal races, this Scenario utilizes a unique set of new systems. Train the greatest Umamusume you can imagine!	N/A
Grand Live*	Train and Practice! Prepare for the biggest live event in Tracen Academy: The Grand Live!
Grand Masters*	Guided by the three goddesses, train your Umamusume to the fullest. Aim to become the Grand Masters Champion!
Project L'Arc*	Work with your trainee to achieve the dream of every Japanese Umamusume: to become victorious on the L'Arc!
U.A.F. Ready GO!*	Welcome to the Umamusume Athletic Festival! Become master of all practices and bring your team to the top!
Gourmet Festival*	Director Akikawa is organizing a Gourmet Festival for everyone in Tracen Academy. Help her garden grow and cook various recipes for everyone to enjoy!
Engage! Mecha Umamusume*	Professor Sugar Lights has developed an innovative technology that will allow her to run once again! Tune the Mecha Umamusume ST-2 and create the ultimate training partner.
The Twinkle Legends*	Collaborate with three legendary Umamusume to restore the dying Twinkle Series to its former glory. Build your own legend in the upcoming Dream Fest!
Design Your Island*	Tucker Bryne needs your help! Help her build her new project: Tracen Island!
Paradise ♪ Yukoma Hot Springs*	Kiyoko Hoshina needs your help to revitalize their own hot springs. Help her and Yunohana Bloom bring their spot as the best hot springs in town!
Beyond Dreams*	Help Casino Drive organizing the "Beyond Dreams" project, and build a team that will wipe the floor down at the Breeder's Cup!
Tracen Ramen*	Time to give back to the fans! Organize your Ramen stand, and deliver delicious Ramen that all the fans would love!

(*) Scenario not available on English Vesion

Inspiration

See also: Inspiration

Umamusume trainees receive Sparks of Inspiration from two other Umamusume.

At the very start of Career Mode, the player will select two Veteran Umamusume from previously complete runs who will provide Sparks of Inspiration. The Veteran Umamusume give bonus stats and unique skill hints at the very start, as well as the ability to increase the trainee's aptitudes by up to 4 ranks at a time. In addition, Inspiration events will trigger two more times later in the run; once during the first half of April in Year 2, and then at same time of the year again in Year 3, where not only will the trainee obtain more stats, additional skill hints, and the potential to increase their stat caps, but they can also get a chance to further increase their aptitudes.

Scenario Mechanics

Daiwa Scarlet selected as trainee in URA Finale

Interface

• Current Turn: Small line of text at the top left, adjacent to the Turn Count box. Indicates the current turn in the format of "[Descriptor] Year Early/Late [Month]".
• Goal: Text box located at the top of the screen. Displays the current goal of the trainee. Pressing the 'Details' button on the right shows a list containing all of the trainee's goals, their dates, and requirements.
• Turn Count: Calendar-shaped box containing a number on the left of the Goal text box. Displays the number of turns left for the current goal.
• Mood: Indicator at the top of screen to the right of the energy meter. There are 5 possible stages: Awful, Bad, Normal, Good, and Great. Bad and Awful moods decrease training results and attributes during a race, Good and Great moods increase training results and attributes, and Normal has no effect.
• Energy: Rainbow-colored bar located at the top of the screen during training. Energy determines the success rate of training; if it is too low, there is a possibility of failing the training and losing stats instead, or worse, obtaining a negative condition which needs to be treated in the infirmary.
• Stats: Table located at the lower center of the screen displaying the trainee's five base stats and currently owned skill points. Pressing the "Full Stats" button on the upper right opens a page comprehensively showing the trainee's status, including her aptitudes, skills, and conditions.

Player Actions

• Stat Training: Increase stats with the help of the characters chosen as part of the support deck at the cost of energy. See also: Stat Training
• Rest: Resting will randomly restore the trainee's energy by 30, 50, or 70 points.
• Skills: Use skill points to purchase abilities that take effect during races. This does not consume turns and can be done freely. See also: Skills, List of Skills
• Infirmary: Visiting the infirmary restores a small amount of energy and has a chance to remove one negative condition.
• Recreation: Recreation gives the option to go on an outing with the trainee. Recreation lets the trainee partake in a variety of random activities, all of which improve the trainee's mood by at least one stage. If a Friend card is equipped, a random event may occur, after which the player can choose to hang out with the friend in a chain of events. Depending on what Friend support card is equipped and what stage the recreation event is at, a variety of bonuses can be acquired. Friend recreations can provide bonuses such as mood boosts, energy restoration, and stat gains, with the last stage usually giving out a skill hint for a rare skill.
• Races: The player can check the races taking place during the current turn, and choose to run in optional non-goal races.

Events

During training, a variety of events will happen, which may originate from the scenario, trainee, or support cards. Essential events that progress the story of the scenario or trainee will occur at fixed points in the schedule, while others can take place at random dates.

At the end of each turn, there is a chance to encounter a random event based on the trainee, support cards, and scenario chosen for the Career Mode run. These events are short story encounters and sometimes have multiple options that can be picked from that will affect the outcome and rewards. The events can provide various rewards, including energy recovery, stats, skill hints, mood boosts, or, in rare cases, permanent buffs that will affect the rest of the run. However, it is also possible for some events to cause negative effects such as loss of mood or energy, or even a negative condition that can be removed by visiting the infirmary.

Some support card events are multi-stage, indicated by an arrow at the top of the screen. Each arrow indicates how many stages there are for the event. Some event chains require certain dialogue options to be selected to proceed to the next stage, otherwise the event chain will end.

There is a small chance to trigger an event for a support card that is not equipped in the currently used deck. For these events, friendship will not be increased with the corresponding event character, regardless of the option selected.

Goals

Every trainee will have a set of different goals that they must complete over the course of Career Mode. These goals must be completed in order to progress; failure to do so will result in the run ending prematurely. The goals usually consist of getting a minimum placing in a specific race or acquiring a set amount of fans before a set date.

Certain trainees like Haru Urara have goals where the only objective is to participate in a certain race regardless of the trainee's placement; although difficult, it is possible to win these races by planning ahead of time and acquiring Sparks of Inspiration to increase the needed aptitudes.

Most Career Mode scenarios follow the trainee's goals while having additional scenario-specific objectives that do not affect the progression of the trainee's story. However, there are a number of scenarios where the trainee's story and goals are dismissed in favor of the scenario's own set of goals.

Races

Once the trainee has competed in their debut race, other races will become unlocked. Tapping the "Race" button will bring up a screen showing races that are available to run during the current turn. The list shows a variety of information about the races, such as the track surface (Turf or Dirt), length (Short, Mile, Medium, and Long), rating (Pre-OP, OP, G3, G2, and G1), and whether or not it's recommended that the trainee runs in the race based on current Track and Distance aptitudes.

To participate in a race, the trainee needs to have accumulated the required number of fans; races with higher ratings generally require a larger number of fans. As running in races is the primary method of earning fans, the rating division encourages the player to participate in a few low-rating races before taking on higher ones. The higher the rating of the race, the stronger the opponents will be.

It is possible to look at the calendar to see what races will be happening on future turns and schedule races so that the player is given a reminder once the turn arrives.

Once the player confirms their race selection and enters the the pre-race preparation phase, skills will no longer be able to be purchased, so it is recommended to do so beforehand. In the pre-race preparation screen, the stats, skills, aptitudes, and styles of the trainee and competitors can be viewed. The only input the player can make at this point is changing what style the trainee will be using. Once the race begins, there is no input the player can make to influcence its outcome.

If the player is unlucky and the trainee doesn't place high enough in a race where it is mandatory to do so as a Goal, it is possible to attempt the race again by using an Alarm Clock; however, a player may only use up to three Alarm Clock per run and only as long as there are enough in the inventory available to use.

After participating in a race, the trainee will gain stats and skill points, and in the case of non-goal, non-mandatory races, lose some amount of energy in addition. The amounts of rewards and energy cost depend on the race's rating and outcome. The trainee can also earn decorative titles by winning certain races within a single run; for example, the Triple Crown is achieved by winning the Satsuki Sho, Japanese Derby, and Kikuka Sho.

Conditions

See also: Conditions

During training, it is possible to acquire both Positive and Negative Conditions that affect the rest of the run. Negative Conditions can be removed by some events through luck, by satisfying certain conditions, or by visiting the infirmary.

Support Cards

Support Cards come in three rarities: R, SR, and SSR. They are further divided into different categories based on what primary stat they are associated with: Speed, Stamina, Power, Guts, and Wit. An additional category, Pal, focuses on energy recovery via an additional option during Recreation. Some Pal Cards are linked to specific Career Mode scenarios and give extra bonuses if used during these scenarios.

The primary role of Support Cards is to improve the effectiveness of training as well as provide various benefits via events. During Career Mode, each Support Card may randomly be assigned to one of the five stat training courses each turn and provide its bonuses for that course. The player can get a preview of what Support Cards are assigned where by choosing the course and checking the icons on the right side of the screen.

Deck

Before starting a run in Career Mode, 5 Support Cards must be chosen from the player's possession, as well as 1 Support Card from a friend (chosen from someone on the player's friend's list or from a random player in the game). The Support Card Deck determines which characters can show up to assist during training and random events.

Aptitudes

Aptitudes in each stat range from G- to S-rank. These rankings will affect certain stats during a race. Innate aptitudes can only be as high as A rank, and can be raised only up to A rank from lower ranks during initial inspiration. S-rank aptitudes can only be achieved through the two mid-career inspiration events.

There are three different types of aptitudes.

Track

Track is the kind of surface that the race is run on, these being Dirt and Turf. Track aptitude affects acceleration.

Distance

Distance is the length of the race. The four distance categories are Short, Mile, Medium, and Long. Distance aptitude affects speed.

Short	1000m	1200m	1400m
Mile	1500m	1600m	1800m
Medium	2000m	2200m	2300m	2400m
Long	2500m	2600m	3000m	3200m	3400m	3600m

Style

Style is the strategy the trainee will employ during a race. The four different Styles are Front Runner, Pace Chaser, Late Surger and End Closer. There is also Runaway, which is a Front Runner-based Style that activates only if the trainee has learned the corresponding passive skill Runaway. Style aptitude affects wit; however, this does not affect the activation chance of Passive Skills, which are guaranteed to activate at the start of a race.