Reverse: 1999 guide - Get yourself time travel ready with these beginner tips

With all the time travel japery going on, there is a lot to get your head around with the launch of Reverse: 1999, so you might be looking for a few pointers. To give you a head start, we have compiled a few tips for getting to grips with the combat mechanics and a few ways to get yourself a powerful team to keep you safe from the Storm.

Say hello to your capable combat companions

Let’s look at combat first, the main crux of the game, of course. Before battle you will put together a team of four characters, however, you want to focus only on levelling up your main trio first. This fourth character is an assist unit, so if one of your starting three perishes, they will jump right in. It is good to have a strong backup in store, but even better to never need it.

As you start battles, it has to be said the first thing you will notice is the gorgeous graphics. It’s a beautiful almost gothic art style that just looks amazing. As for the gameplay itself, each turn you will draw up to seven cards, and these are how you fight. Each of these wonderful illustrated things represents your character's moves, attacks, buffs and so on.

Believe in the heart of the cards

Most cards will have a star value at the top, and this represents how much moxie the characters who do the attack will receive. Fill up the gauge just below their health, and on the next turn, you will draw their ultimate attack to cause havoc. You have three actions to take each turn, and there are two keys to success. One, make sure to prioritise your order correctly. A good rule is buffs, followed by AoEs, followed by single target damage. The second key is to master “card movement”.

For one action, you can combine cards together to increase their power. This can only be done on the same type of cards with the same star level; combine two one-stars and get one two-star obviously, but you can’t combine a one-star and a two. This has two advantages. The character whose attack it is gains a moxie from the combination, but more importantly, the attack will also gain a bonus effect. So, for example, instead of just dealing damage, it will now deal damage whilst debuffing your foe.

Take advantage of the free merges

A good tip to keep in mind is that you can sometimes get a free merge if you play your cards right. Say you have two of Sotheby’s one-star Concentrated Essence on the board separated by Centurion’s Outdoor Superstar move. Simply play your Centurion attack first, and then your two Sothebys will come together and fuse automatically. You get a stronger move and an extra Moxie for Sotheby without expending an action. Keep an eye out for these.

Now that you've got a few combat tips under your belt, it’s time to look at how to get some powerful characters right off the bat. If you log in for eight days, you will get yourself the five-star Dikke, a character who can heal all your allies, with a bigger boost to those under 50% health, a vital unit that will keep you going through a large chunk of the game.

Build yourself an early top-tier team

Thanks to Reverse: 1999 smashing one million pre-registrations, when you clear main story 1-4, you will also get a second five-star in Matilda. With skills dealing with massive single and AoE damage, as well as inflicting confusion, she will be a great damage option. Put these two together with another five-star who you will get free when starting, Sonetto, and you will have yourself an incredibly solid team straight away.

As you are putting together this beastly team, you will also notice yourself getting a bounty of Unilog and Clear Drops from the pre-registration bonus and daily login. 180 Clear Drops or one Unilog will get you a pull on one of the gacha banners for a chance to get more characters.

The First Drop of Rain in particular is a rookie banner, guaranteeing one six-star character within 30 summons.

For those looking to test their luck, One Gram of Curiosity will give you a shot of the six-star healer Sotheby, or Clang of Sword & Armor could yield the six-star damager A Knight. Both of these are incredible upgrades to the five-stars you will already have, so roll away.

The final tip is to make sure you download Reverse: 1999 as soon as you can and start enjoying it. To show off just how prompt you are, complete the onboarding sessions in the first month of release to net the Witness of the Storm portrait, and complete the Beginning of the Tale Star Task to get a special outfit for Sonetto. Reap your special rewards, and enjoy your trip through time.