BASIC CMODE KNOWLEDGE
How do I know which Challenge to start on?
If I do c4 again, and my time is worse, will it keep the worse time?
What is Srank time?
What are the Srank times on each challenge?
How many areas total are their in cmode?
Where can I go to find Challenge partners?
I went to Alcyone 6 and there were no numbers in the game names! How do I know what challenge their on?
What is the best challenge mode team?
I'm new to challenge, and want to know which class is best to start with?
What is the point of Challenge Mode?
What weapons can I choose from if I earn my Srank?
I went to play cmode, but the game names were so confusing! How do I make sense of it?
TA?
Class abbreviations?
Got any basic tips?
Class Specific Tips?


How do I know which Challenge to start on?
Well, this is simple. If you've never done challenge mode, you start on C1. You have to do them in order, starting with C1, and ending on C9. However, once you have done any given challenge, you are free to do it again whenever you like. In this manner you may get better times.

If I do c4 again, and my time is worse, will it keep the worse time?
No. When doing challenge, it only keeps the best time. You can redo a challenge stage as many times as you like, and only the best time will be kept. This applies to all challenge stages.

What is Srank time?
Total Srank time is under 7 hours. This means that your combined times on all 9 challenges, must be under 7 hours. If you're even one minute over, you must redo a challenge to improve your time. Fortunately, if this happens, redoing C1 is quick and easy, and will usually get your time down. It does not matter which challenge stage you redo. You may have to redo more than one stage to get your target time. In these cases, just pick the stages with the worst times over.
For example, target time on C1 is 12 minutes. So if your time is 17 minutes, redoing that and shaving off the extra 5 minutes will help a lot.

What are the Srank times for each challenge?
Challenge 1: 12 minutes
Challenge 2: 47 minutes
Challenge 3: 40 minutes
Challenge 4: 45 minutes
Challenge 5: 40 minutes
Challenge 6: 50 minutes
Challenge 7: 60 minutes
Challenge 8: 55 minutes
Challenge 9: 1 hour, 10 minutes


How many areas are there total in challenge mode?
There are 46 Areas total.

Challenge 1(AREA: Forest): 1-3 (3 being the dragon)
Challenge 2 (AREA: Caves): 4-8
Challenge 3(AREA: Caves): 9-13
Challenge 4 (AREA: Caves): 14-19 (19 being the Del Rol Le)
Challenge 5 (AREA: Mines): 20-24
Challenge 6 (AREA: Mines): 25-29 (29 being Vol Opt)
Challenge 7 (AREA: Ruins): 31-35
Challenge 8 (AREA: Ruins): 36-40
Challenge 9 (AREA: Ruins): 41-46 (46 being Dark Falz)


Where can I go to find Challenge Partners?
Right now, there are two places to go for Challenge. If you'd rather play with US/English speaking players, then several sites have joined up for the 'Official US Challenge Block' which is located at Deneb 4. However, in my personal experience, most people who attend cmode at that ship are rather inexperienced, so if you're looking for pros to get TA games and great target times, you'd probably rather head to Alcyone 6-the 'Official' Japanese challenge block. That is not to say that the US automatically suck at Challenge Mode-but most US players who play on the US ship are not what you'd call 'pro-cmoders'. They are more of the 'casual' cmode player. It also tends to be rather abandoned there, as the concept of a US Challenge Block hasn't really quite taken off fully, and so only on specified nights are you likely to find players there-and the odds of you getting the stage you are on is somewhat iffy. Again, this is not a given, but what you will likely find. Just as you are more likely to find stricter teams and less English speaking cmoders on the JP block. Not always, but likely. In the end, this is always your call.


I went to Alcyone 6 and there were no numbers in the game names! How do I know what challenge their on?
Well for starters, English isn't the only language with numbers. ;) On Alcyone 6, you may see a lot of Teams with a symbol after the 'C' instead of a number. Those are actually Chinese numbers.

Chinese Numbers

1.	2.	3.
4.	5.	6.
7.	8.	9.

Most Japanese players use Chinese numbers instead of English ones, so this guide should be handy in identifying which challenge you are looking for.

What is the best challenge mode team?
Well now that's a bit open to interpretation. However, it is generally considered that a good cmode team has at least two hunters, a force, and a ranger on it. However, a very popular variation of this is 3 hunters and a force. Rangers aren't as widely accepted in Challenge mode at higher levels.

I'm new to challenge, and want to know which class is best to start with?
A HUcast or HUcaseal. They have the most HP and are the strongest overall of all the classes. As you gain experience, you can experiment with other classes to see which you prefer the most.
In addition, androids now have traps in challenge mode, and that's always a fun bonus.


What is the point of doing Challenge Mode?
Simple: Prizes. You get a total of three if you complete cmode.
The first time you beat cmode, if you are under srank time you will be awarded your Srank. After beating the final challenge, the window pops up that shows all the characters in their victory poses and underneath that will be Team Name, Number of Deaths, and your total time. If your total time is under 7 hours, you will get srank. Talk to the Hunters' Guild Girl, and you'll be told you've earned a prize. You can name your Srank, with a total of up to 8 characters.

Now, to earn A or B rank (which you may get the first time you beat cmode, don't worry, you can always redo any of your questionable times to get a better time), go back and do any challenge again. Most people do C1 twice, since it's the shortest challenge. The first time you do this, you'll earn a GOD'S SHIELD SUZAKKO. The second, GOD'S SHIELD BYAKKO.

NOTE: According to the official Versus Guide Book, this has changed. You can now supposedly assign a function to your Sranks. As of now, no one is currently able to assign a special to their Sranks, and we are hoping that this is changed in the future. If it is, I'll update this FAQ to note that.


What weapons can I choose from if I earn my Srank?
Here is a list of what you can choose from:
Cane
Rod
Wand
Sword
Dagger
Partisan
Gun
Rifle
Shot
Twin (like a doublesaber, only gold)
Claw (nope, it's still green)

All of the above are golden in color (except the Claw) to make them distinctive from normal weapons of their type. Several Sranks have been removed since the Dreamcast version. According to the Versus Guide, there will be new sranks-Cards, Swords (Yamato?), Launcher, Knuckles, and an Axe. Since these are not available yet, we can only speculate when they will be.


I went to play cmode, but the game names were so confusing! How do I make sense of it?
For starters, most challenge games have a C? followed by a number in their title. If you see a game that has C6 in it, then that game is for Challenge 6. If you are not up to Challenge 6, don't enter that game. I've seen this happen before, where someone who's NEVER set foot in a cmode game assumes they can pick whichever number they wish to start on. Nope. Gotta start on the first one and work up in order. Popular game names are things like: 'C9 3HU/1FO'. This means they want 3 Hunters on the team, and one Force. If you check the game, (which you should always do anyway) and see that they have three Hunters, and an empty spot, do not join unless you are that Force they're looking for.

TA?
If you see the letters "TA", it stands for "Time Attack". Time Attack means that the team wants to get through challenge as fast as they can, with the best time (which is ideally what everyone is trying to do, but there's a whole little Time Attack subculture going on). If you are inexperienced, do not enter a Time Attack game. If you are desperate, you may ask, but please let your teammates know you don't know what you're doing, or aren't as experienced. If they don't mind, you're in luck, you've found a good team. If they ask you to leave, do so and don't make a fuss.
Time Attack teams ignore most boxes and 'optional' paths in challenge. The goal is to get better than the target Srank time. Why? Just because they can.

(And let's not assume that anyone is racist just because they ask you to leave a challenge game, for cryin' out loud)

Class abbreviations?
If you see Hu/Fo/Ra in a game thread, then the team is asking for this class. If you are not of that class, don't enter the game. You can check the people in the game by hitting the "X" button. This will tell you the player's names, levels, class and language setting. You should always do this before entering a challenge game. If you are a ranger, and there is already a ranger in the game, don't enter, etc. The only time that this doesn't apply is if you are a Hunter. (unless the game has a few and they are requesting another class)
Again-if you have chosen to disregard paying attention by checking the game or reading anything past the stage number, and you get asked to leave, to not assume it's because they hate you or the occupants of the game are racists. It's your own damn fault for not paying attention in the first place.

Got any basic tips?
DO NOT worry about your time. Do not ask repeatedly "Is this under S Rank time?" You will piss your teammates off at worst, and annoy them at best. Focus on finishing in one piece, not your time. You'll figure it out when you're done-and no one can predict what your final time will be, so don't keep bugging people about it.

Unless you are not a Force, do not use Force-related items on yourself. Example: Tech disks, monofluids, Mind/TP/HP mats, etc. Also offer Sols/Antidotes/Antiparalysis to your force so he/she can feed their mag in certain later stages. (C7+)

If you are a Force, do not use Hunter/Ranger related items on yourself. Example: Grinders, Power/Evade mats. They do you no good-you aren't going to be on the front lines taking much damage, so these things aren't important for your survival in cmode.

If you are making a character solely for challenge mode, pick a Force or a HUcast/HUcaseal. These are the two best classes to do challenge mode with. Rangers are not really nessecary, and it can be VERY hard to find a team that doesn't mind a Ranger in later games, when a Force is more useful because of their ability to heal the group. (Yes, I am aware that in C5 and C6, rangers are nice because they can shoot Canadines...but Forces have zonde at this point, and they do NOT have Resta that they need to be casting on the group, so they can afford to zap the stupid Canadines. Therefore, Rangers are not required. They are optional.)

In my own experience, a FOmarl is the best force for challenge mode. They don't have as much TP as the other Forces, but they have more HP, and this makes it easier on the team when their Force isn't dying because of Dark Belras shooting a claw across the room. Also, in c9, it takes a lot fewer HP mats and less leveling to get over the almighty 141 HP to survive Falz's attacks.
Note: This is somewhat updated, since HP mats raise HPs by 10 points instead of 2 as before. However, do not ever count on finding anything in cmode-it's luck of the draw. If you cannot find any HP mats, the FOmarl is still overall the best force-keep that in mind when chosing one. Again, this doesn't apply to the experienced Cmoder.

If you DO play with Japanese players, use the word select, and don't keep asking them things in English, odds are they might not understand a word you're saying. When you enter a new room, use the word select and say "Hello." "Shall I join you?" and go from there. Granted, a lot of Japanese players know some english, but not all, and not good english in all cases. Don't be so arrogant to assume your language is the only one that's important. As a note, the "w" you see from Japanese players is basically their version of "lol". My understanding is that it is short for "warai" which means roughly "smile". (Forgive me if my info is incorrect on that, I'm obviously not fluent in Japanese, I'm only a bit aquainted with it)

BE KIND TO YOUR FORCE! As a preferred Force player, I cannot emphasis this one enough. Too many hunters demand shifta and deband. Please don't demand anything. It's just rude. Or, my favorite, the hunter that takes a hit that brings him to 5 HP and he/she decides to just dive right back into that Chaos Bringer. Which brings me to:

IF YOU ARE HURT, RUN AWAY OR USE A MATE!!! Do not continue fighting. Go to the doorway and call out for the Force to help, or use a monomate. Please don't make the force risk his/her life trying to save yours. Those mono/dimates are not there to take up space and look pretty. Use the damned things. If you notice another teammate is hurt, and you are hurt, try to get within 'resta range' of that teammate, so the FO doesn't have to chase your ass down to heal you when he or she can heal you both at once. Now, trying to does not mean 'Do this no matter what-even if it means diving in front of that Belra about to shoot it's claw. Use common sense.

If you die, do not blame your teammates. I cannot count how many times someone took damage as in the above scenario, and got killed before I could get to them. Then, I get to spend 10 minutes hearing about how I suck because THEY kept attacking instead of using a damn monomate.

If someone other than the force is leading, and takes off in one direction while the force goes in another, do NOT follow the force. They (usually) know what they are doing, and usually it's getting a switch or collecting items-and these things do not require the entire team. Do not do the Forces' job of collecting items unless it has been discussed beforehand. Also, do not accuse the Force of stealing things-they do this for the entire team's benefit.

If you find an item you cannot use, leave it in the doorway to the next room.
If you aren't sure where that is exactly, (some rooms it's not obvious, because they have more than one exit) then hang onto the items until you get into a room with only one way out. Then drop any items you can't use (or things others can) in that doorway. This makes things go faster and saves time.

Do NOT take warps or push buttons/switches unless you are leading, or the leader tells you to. Taking incorrect warps can devastate the party, and ruin the game. (Getting you stuck in an area with no way out, for example) Pushing incorrect switches/buttons can actually kill teammates in certain challenges. At the very best, it can slow the stage down. So again-if the leader(s) say "DO NOT TAKE THAT WARP!" then for the love of god, don't take the damn warp.

Do not yell at the force for taking items. I had that joy in a recent game. Someone accused me of being an item hog and cussed me out. After we explained that, "What you think that stuff in the doors just magically appears there?" he got the hint and backed off.

Forces are on Loot Duty-they get the items and drop what they can't use in doors. Don't assume he or she is hogging those items. Nothing is more annoying that having inexperienced players accusing the person on Loot Duty of being an item hog. You guys think the stuff in the doorways just appears magically there? Do not follow the Force-they ususally know what they're doing, and unless you are the Force, then your job is to go kill stuff. Not open boxes. The weakest teammate should do that.

If you are a Hunewearl or HUcaseal do not do three hit combos. Do one normal attack to stun your opponent, then one hard one to push them away. If you do a 3-hit combo, you're more vunerable to attack than in a 2-hit. When timed right, you can keep an enemy totally at bay using the 2-hit method as long as you don't let up. (This is in my personal experience. The third hit in a combo leaves you open longer than the second hit does, and you are more vunerable to getting hit then. If you only do 2-hit combos, you can keep enemies on the ropes and they'll never lay a finger (claw?) on you. This is, of course, assuming you don't miss or anything.)

Always ALWAYS use the X button before entering a cmode game to see who else is in the game. I am getting extremely tired of starting games named "C5 need hunters" only to have to shoo out 3 forces because they didn't check and see that there was ALREADY a force in the damn game. Unless you are a hunter, if your class is already in the game, do NOT join it. Use that damn X button!

For the love of God, don't cheat in Challenge Mode. It's just lame. If you cannot do Challenge Mode without Infinite Items or 1-Kill-Level 200 codes on, then you don't need to be doing challenge anyway. Don't ruin it for others. Also, don't be surprised if you get told to leave cmode if you're cheating. If teammates discover you are cheating, don't be surprised if they either disconnect or kill themselves.

If a teammate has run out of scape dolls, try to get them one as soon as possible. Sometimes, it's more important that the force have dolls, but more often than not, the force can usually spare a doll or two, since s/he will be out of the fray a lot of the time. Typically, a good force will only need 1 doll on them at any given time, but that is not always a given. Especially in boss stages of challenge. In that case, always try to make sure the Force and/or Ranger always has a least one or two dolls on them. You'll have to judge your situation for yourself to determine if the force/ranger needs dolls or can cough them up. (this does not include TA teams where Forces use dolls to restore their TP...and don't yell at them for that either)


If you are an android, know when and where to use your traps. Since cmode allows androids of any class to use traps, you should use these to the best advantage of everyone. Damage traps work excellently on the Slimes in the caves stages-2 traps will take the out quickly instead of waiting for it to rear up. The traps damage them even if they're puddles on the floor. Try to freeze things like large groups of enemies and Nano Dragons so that everyone can safely attack them. Do NOT freeze things like Pan Arms, as this will slow the process of splitting them way down. Also-in general, don't freeze slimes either, since "ice attacks" tend to make them split even more.