Lumi Master throws a lot of systems at you in its first days and explains few of them well. These are the habits that make the biggest difference once the tutorial ends. For how each system works in detail, see the Basics page. If you only read one section, make it the first: spending Energy at a high multiplier is the habit that separates a fast start from a slow one, and the mistake most new players make is tapping away at ×1.
1. Bank Energy, then spend it at a high multiplier
The single most important thing to understand is the compass multiplier. Spending Energy at ×50 or ×100 costs proportionally more per step, but it pays back the same multiple of items, coins and experience — and it turns single encounters into groups of 5 or 10 Lumi you catch in one go. Bosses also appear after a set number of encounters, so a high multiplier reaches them far sooner.
So rather than tapping away one step at a time, let Energy build up and spend it in big chunks. The top tier, ×1000, needs over 5,000 Energy banked and a special buff — when it lights up, that is the best-value Energy you will ever spend.
Rainbows follow their own rule. Rainbow Lumi and their traces only show up at ×10 or higher, never at ×1 or ×5. Past ×10 the odds per Lumi don't improve, because the rainbow roll is made for each Lumi you find. A higher multiplier finds more Lumi per step, so it helps only while you can afford to keep stepping.
The one exception: natural regeneration stops while you sit above your Energy cap. If you are banking from rewards, that is fine; if you are only waiting on regen, spend back below the cap so it keeps ticking.
2. Collect Energy from everywhere
The game is generous with Energy early, but much of it has to be claimed by hand. Anything with an exclamation mark on the home screen is usually worth a tap.
| Source | Tip |
|---|---|
| Tasks | Both chapter tasks and dailies — claim them every day |
| Order board | Fills up if you ignore it; claim daily so rewards don't pile up unclaimed |
| Launch and event rewards arrive here, often in big lumps | |
| Redemption codes | Settings → Redemption Code; new ones are posted on the official Discord and expire fast |
| Gallery milestones | Completing rarity bands in the Gallery pays out Energy |
| Starlit Tree | Trades Lumi you don't need for Energy (see tip 6 before trading) |
| Season pass | The free track includes some Energy |
| Luck stalls on the path | Wager Energy: you get ×1 to ×2 back and can't lose |
| Battles and new catches | Small amounts, but they add up |
3. Catch smarter
Always time your throw — a perfect press multiplies the Catch Rate by up to ×1.5, which is often the difference between a catch and a broken card.
Match the card to the target. Ordinary cards are fine for Green and Blue Lumi; on a Gold Lumi or a boss they can show a single-digit chance, while a higher-grade card can be near-certain. Candy boosts the rate further — keep it for Gold and Rainbow targets, not everyday catches.
Cards are cheap: craft them at the home workshop and top up with gold from the market rather than rationing them. If a good Lumi escapes, it is usually worth rebuying a copy of the species from the market (with the Gallery caveat in tip 6).
Lumi CardCatch CardsFine for Green and Blue catches.
Epic Lumi CardCatch CardsSave it for Gold Lumi and bosses.
Magic CandyCatch-Rate Candy+150% Catch Rate. Keep it for Gold and Rainbow targets.
4. Save Starcolor Cards for Rainbow Lumi only
Starcolor Lumi Cards are the only way to catch a Rainbow with Starcolor, its cosmetic recolour, and they are scarce: you start with a handful and further ones are hard to come by. Never spend one on anything below Rainbow.
When a group encounter includes a Rainbow, the game catches the rest first and then gives the Rainbow its own catch screen. That is the moment for your best card and your candy.
Don't love the recolour you rolled? The Prism Mirror re-rolls it as often as you like, so there is no reason to hold off on catching.
Starcolor Lumi CardCatch CardsRainbow targets only.
Prism MirrorCrafting & Ascension MaterialsRe-rolls a Starcolor you don't like.
5. Set up your home base in the first days
A new account's Starter Blessing doubles production speed and building storage for its opening days. Anything you produce during that window is worth twice as much as it will be later, so fill every building with a worker straight away.
Put Lumi with high Work on production, and where you can, a Lumi whose job matches the building for the extra bonus. You don't need a battle-worthy Lumi for this — cheap market Lumi with the right job are usually the best value.
Place decorations and facilities as you unlock them: they raise Prosperity, which gates the statue upgrades that grow the whole base. Keep your workers fed, and save speed-ups for long upgrades rather than using them as they arrive.
Kiddie PeachNormal Worker135 Work, the most in the game, and +30% Crystals from expeditions.
SuccupurrGrass WorkerSpeeds all farming by 45%.
6. Level caps, duplicates and the Gallery trap
Pushing a Lumi past its level cap needs a breakthrough item for its line, and you get those by releasing spare copies. Buying cheap duplicates of a species at the market and releasing them is the quickest way to push a Lumi you care about.
The trap: Lumi bought from the market do not register in your Gallery. Gallery progress (and its Energy rewards) only counts Lumi you catch or hatch yourself — so buy from the market for workers and breakthrough fodder, but catch new species yourself.
Before trading Lumi away at the Starlit Tree, check each one: is it already registered in the Gallery, can it still evolve into a new Gallery entry, and would it make a good worker? Trade away the ones that are none of those.
Evolving re-rolls rarity, sometimes upward, so evolution is worth doing even on a Lumi you only plan to register.
If you raise the wrong Lumi, a reset gives back the duplicates and levelling items you spent, but not the gold. New players get a free reset window, and since the 19 October update everyone gets 10 free resets a week after it, from a Reset button that is now easier to reach. Put your gold into one team at a time anyway, since that is the part a reset can't return.
Two more safety nets came in the same update. Lumi featured in the Rare Gallery can no longer be released, stellarized or sold, so you can't throw one away by mistake. And the Reunion Egg takes a set number of Lumi you hand in and gives you a Rainbow Lumi of your choice from those you have discovered in the Main Story or the current Season, so spare catches finally have a use.
7. Which mode to play for what
Every battle mode pays something, win or lose, so play them all as they unlock — but they are not equally important.
Once you are in a guild, add the Lumi Championship. Its rounds run Wednesday to Saturday every week, and it is the main source of Lumi Crowns, which you need to level a Lumi past 130. The Lumi Championship guide covers how it works.
On the Ladder, Bronze to Gold is mostly bot opponents; real players start around Diamond, so an easy Gold run says little about a team. At Master, opponents ban Lumi, so have a second team ready before you get there. Each mode now saves its own team, so a Ladder edit won't touch your tournament or Championship squads.
| Mode | Why play it |
|---|---|
| Main story and Gym battles | Steady rewards and player experience; use Quick Battle once you clearly outclass a fight |
| Gauntlet | Deep win-streak ladder that unlocks around player level 30 — the best test of how far your squad has come; fight close rounds manually |
| Trial Hall | Easy, Hard and Hell difficulties; step up only when the lower one is comfortable |
| Tower | Push as far as you can, come back after upgrades |
| Ladder and weekly tournament | Ranked play against real squads; rewards scale with rank |
| Season zones | Time-limited Lumi you can't find on the main route — don't let them lapse |
8. Battle habits that win close fights
Raise your shield as soon as it fills when the enemy is close to a big skill — it cancels one skill hit entirely. If the enemy shields first, break it with your cheapest skill before spending an expensive one.
Swap out a Lumi that is losing a type matchup, but remember swaps have a cooldown of around 15 seconds, and a sleeping Lumi can't be swapped at all.
Many squads are built around a Trait rather than raw damage: a support whose Trait heals the team or weakens the enemy on entry can carry a fight from the bench. Swapping such a Lumi back in re-triggers entry effects. Don't bring a squad of one type, either: one bad type matchup then beats all three. For which Lumi are strongest, see the tier list and Best Teams.
9. The two level numbers to aim for
Player level 50 is the first real goal. It unlocks the Season 1 exploration map, where the time-limited Lumi live, so push toward it before anything else. Finish the main quest line on the way: burning Energy on time-limited maps before the main route is done spends it on content you are not ready for.
For the Ladder and the weekly tournament, a Lumi only needs Lv. 40 to be used. You don't have to max a Lumi before trying it in ranked play, so take a new team to 40 first, test it, and only then spend ascension materials on the three you keep. Putting materials into your main three rather than levelling everything is the habit that pays off longest.
Once you are there, the ladder scales every Lumi to Lv. 50, so extra levels buy you nothing in ranked play. It keeps each Lumi's aptitude and personality, though. Check the personality arrows before you raise a Lumi for battle: one that trades combat stats for Work belongs on your home base. Further out, taking a Lumi past Lv. 130 needs a Lumi Crown. It is not only a paid item: it also drops in the Lumi Championship and from Apex Treasure, so check those before you pay for one.
Tournament TicketCurrency & TicketsEnters the Weekly Tournament. A Lv. 40 Lumi is enough.
Lumi CrownCrafting & Ascension MaterialsNeeded to raise a Lumi past Lv. 130.