PNC Exploration

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The Explore menu is where most of the gameplay of Project Neural Cloud is found. It contains the story and the stages that yield Doll upgrade materials.

For information about battles, see PNC Combat.

Keys

All activities in the Explore menu (except #Vulnerability Check) require Keys to access and obtain rewards. Keys are recovered at a rate of 12 per hour. Max number of keys starts at 120 and increases by 10 every three Cognition Level (Player rank).

Doll Team

The player must compose their team before starting the stage and cannot change it while playing. There can be a maximum of five Dolls in the main team and three backup Dolls (each backup slot is unlocked throughout the story). Backup Dolls can be swapped with the main team before each combat. Up to 8 team compositions can be saved and the team comps of other players who completed the stage can be displayed and copied (provided the players have access to the same Dolls). The total starting Team Power and Backup Power is calculated and compared to the recommended power for this stage (Team Power increases during the stage with accumulated Functions).

There are shortcuts on the Team screen to distribute experience and make Breakthroughs. Tactical Skills can be configured from this screen, but also during the stage. A list of available Functions in the stage can be displayed, and a specific class will be recommended for the stage.

Main Story

Progressing main story chapters unlocks new functions in the game and yields various rewards on first completion, including Neural Fragments for main story Dolls.

Each chapter is divided into Standard, Dark Realm and Endless Exploration modes.

There are six chapters available at launch:

• Chapter 0: Oasis Defense
• Chapter 1: Artificial Intelligence Sector - Rossum
• Chapter 2: Military Sector - Cyclopes
• Chapter 3: Environment and Energy Sector - Helios
• Chapter 4: Computer Sector - Enigma
• Chapter 5: Art Sector - Pierides

Standard and Dark Realm

Standard mode stages include story stages and combat stages. Dark Realm stages is unlocked after an certain combat stage is cleared in Standard and tells a side story from the sector, with more difficult combat stages. Besting combat stages is necessary to unlock the next stages, but story stages can be easily skipped or reread later.

There are seven types of combat stages:

• Tactical Tutorial: Typical easy-clear tutorial stuff.
• Regular Battle: Standard exploration mechanics.
• Battle of Endurance: No exploration mechanics aside from Functions and Protocols, only a series of battles.
• Boss Fight: Like Regular Battle stages but with the story boss at the Output Terminal of each layer.
• Limited Deployment: Like Regular Battle stages but you can't bring your own Dolls.
• Function Library: Like Regular Battle but with much more Function Nodes.
• Portal: Like Regular Battle but with the ""Beware of Summons" Protocol active from the start and a Modesty enemy in each battle.

Exploration Mechanics

The first rogue-like element of the game, the player is faced with multiple paths through several node types to the boss:

• Conflict Zone (Elementary, Intermediate or Advanced): Combat nodes. Compare power to the Team Power to gauge the difficulty. The Drop type indicates which Doll class will benefit from the looted Functions after the fight.
• Output Terminal: Final Conflict Zone of the layer. When cleared, the option to challenge a second and more difficult Output Terminal will be offered for better loot, at no cost if it is failed.
• Function Library: Will give a choice among three Functions at random.
• Recovery Area: A chance to heal 30% of the health of all Dolls or 80% health of the most damaged Doll, or to upgrade a Function Card for free, or to change it into a Trading Area (cannot be reverted).
• Trading Area: Buy and Sell Functions and buy Protocols with Cache Coins. Higher level Function Cards are worth more, and Protocols are quite expensive. Available Functions and Protocols can be refreshed once for free, then costing Cache Coins and becoming more expensive for subsequent Refresh.
• Anomaly Area: Very random, can give a Function for nothing, get a chance to get some Functions or heal, or even be a secret Conflict Zone. Usually needs to spend Cache Coins or a portion of the Doll's HP or Max HP.
• Deep Diagnosis Areas are special nodes appearing during boss stages to remove buffs from the boss.

Usually it is only possible to navigate to the nodes on the right of the current node following the links displayed, but some nodes enable to freely move between nodes in the same columns.

The number of maps that must be cleared to complete the stage is indicated by the number of layers. All layers finish in an Output Terminal boss fight node. Dolls are always healed at the end of a layer.

Elements of the Exploration screen:

• Function Row: Displays all active Functions and current Function Card Deck Size (can be enhanced at Trading Areas or some Anomaly Areas). Click the Function icon to see all available Functions in this stage.
• Cache Coins: Needed to buy Functions and Protocols, buy more Function space or start events in Anomaly Areas. Gained during battle or by selling Functions.
• Protocols: Hover over the icons to display the active effects.
• Function Chains: Collapsible list of all active Function Chains.
• Team Power: Compounded power rating of the team, including the base power of the Dolls and the added power of the Functions.
• Planned Mode: Unlocked after Stage 2-13. When turned on, the computer will come up with an "Action Plan" and automatically choose which nodes to go to and conduct battle. A specific node can be selected to influence the path.
• Current team members, with life bar in green.
• Overclock button: See #Overclock
• Loot button: See currently available loot.
• Enemy Level: Increase one pip for every node traveled and increases every four pip. Buffs the HP, ATK and Hashrate of enemies.

Challenge Mode

Challenge Missions will become available after clearing certain stages for the first time. Support Dolls are disabled in Challenge Mode and Doll stats are capped. Clearing a Challenge will award Keys.

The default Challenge Mission caps the rarity, level, Breakthrough and Skill level of ally Dolls and may disable Algorithms, Intimacy and Specialty Training bonuses, as well as boost enemy attributes. Two supplementary Challenge Missions can be enabled, such as more buffs to enemies, debuffs on Dolls or restrictions Dolls types or numbers in the team.

Overclock

Starting with Stage 2-10, Cache Coins can be exchanged for Overclocks on the Exploration screen and before battle:

• Increase HP of all Dolls deployed by 5% for 10 CC
• Restore HP of ally unit with lowest HP by 80% for 30 CC
• Double the amount of Cache Coins obtained from clearing the next 3 Conflict Zones for 20 CC
• Obtain a random Function Card for 40 CC (Unlocked by clearing Stage 2-15)

Endless Exploration

This mode is unlocked after clearing all stages in a chapter. There are 40 stages with three layers to clear of increasing difficulty. Clearing the harder stages will automatically clear the easier ones, so not all 40 stages need to be played. First clear for any stage will yield Strategic Blueprints, which are used to unlock Procedural Efficiency Nodes, which are global bonuses in all stages.

Fragment Search

Allows to drop Neural Fragments for all owned Dolls, but can only attempted 10 times per day and between 3 and 6 times per Doll (when Intimacy is over 3). Also drops random gift items to boost Intimacy.

Each Doll has six stages which become unlocked at higher Intimacy levels with the Doll.

Resource Collection

These stages have a x2 Drop rotation: on certain days of the week, the first two clears of the stage will double the amount of materials dropped:

• Monday: DGC Collection and Potential Training - Guard
• Tuesday: Skill Array Domain and Potential Training - Sniper
• Wednesday: EXP Collection and Potential Training - Warrior
• Thursday: DGC Collection and Potential Training - Specialist
• Friday: Skill Array Domain and Potential Training - Medic
• Saturday: EXP Collection
• Sunday: DGC Collection, EXP Collection and Skill Array Domain

Failing a stage in Resource Collection will reimburse the Keys spent to enter the stage.

• DGC Collection: Cause damage to the DGC Receptacle for Diggcoins. Eight difficulties unlocked progressivey through the story.
• EXP Collection: Bully Baalia for Combat EXP. Eight difficulties unlocked progressivey through the story.
• Skill Array Domain: Unlocked with Stage 4-4
• Potential Training: Five different stages for each Doll class, where you battle standard enemies to drop Breakthrough Widgets. Eight difficulties unlocked progressively through the story, higher difficulties drop higher tiered Widgets.

Algorithm Collection

Unlocked with Stage 3-4. Drops Algorithms and Algorithm Boosters to be used in the Algorithm Slots of Dolls. At first only the Standard Collection stage in Collection Area 1 is available, Intermediate is unlocked with Stage 3-12 and Advanced with Stage 4-11.

Vulnerability Check

Can only be attempted once per day, stages have a completion time limit and four sets of Functions that can be used a total of four times each. Drops Glitter Chips, to be redeemed at the Special Supplies section of the Store. Doesn't spend Keys to attempt.

Comes in four tiers unlocked by progressing through the story:

• Tier 1 - Fissure Peripheries: Includes 5 stages with a final combat against boss Love. Drops 100 to 130 Glitter Chips.
• Tier 2 - Void Turbulence: Drops 130 to 170 Glitter Chips.
• Tier 3 - Error Abyss: Drops 170 to 220 Glitter Chips.
• Tier 4 - Distorted Ruins: Drops 220 to 270 Glitter Chips.

Strategic Overview

This screen is for unlocking and upgrading Procedural Efficiency and Specialty Training nodes. These nodes give general bonuses in battle and more are unlocked by completing story chapters.

Procedural Efficiency

Unlocked at Stage ?-?. These nodes are unlocked and upgraded with Diggcoins and the Strategic Blueprints earned in Endless Exploration.

• Rossum nodes
  • Function Compatibilization
  • Tactical Point Compatibilization
  • Recharge Rate Boost
• Cyclopes nodes
  • Function Value Offer
  • Tactical Point Recovery
  • Free Overclock
• Helios nodes
  • Extra Support Reinforcements
  • Additional Cache Coins
  • Overclock Compatibilization
• Enigma nodes
  • Overclock Function
  • Tactical Damage Boost
  • Precise Maintenance
• Pierides nodes
  • Entropization Blocker
  • Cooldown Speed Boost
  • Recovery Rate Boost

Specialty Training

Unlocked at Stage 2-12. Use Sampling Parameters of each class to upgrade the nodes and confer general buffs to Dolls of specific classes. Formula Expansion Feedback nodes are reward nodes containing Quartz Sand and DGC.