NIKKE Patch Notes: TRACING THE STARS Overhaul & Key Fixes

Shift Up has deployed a new patch for Goddess of Victory: NIKKE that addresses several combat inconsistencies, polishes UI and audio elements, and delivers a significant overhaul to the TRACING THE STARS rhythm game. The update is live across Mobile and PC platforms, bringing a mix of bug fixes and requested improvements that affect everyone from competitive commanders to casual collectors.

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At a Glance

• Combat Fix: Distributed damage for certain Nikkes now works as intended.
• Graphics: Low-quality texture settings now render icons and images with better clarity.
• Rhythm Game Rework: TRACING THE STARS rankings now separate scores by difficulty; overall ranking sums all difficulties.
• PC Enhancements: Restart shortcut (F5) works in pause/results screens; new hotkeys (F3/F4) adjust BGA brightness.
• QoL: Improved skill cutscene loading, cleaner UI in View Mode, and synced Jukebox song durations.

Combat & System Fixes

Distributed Damage Correction

The update fixes an issue where the distributed damage functionality of some Nikkes was not working properly. This affects skills that spread incoming damage across the team—a critical mechanic for surviving high-damage encounters. Player damage mitigation should now behave more consistently.

Visual & Audio Polish

A number of visual improvements have been made:

• Low-quality texture users will see sharper icons and images after selecting Basic Quality in graphics settings.
• Skill cutscenes no longer appear cropped, and the character entrance effect now uses a fade-in for smoother transitions.
• Naga – Ring Ensemble’s SD model looks more natural in her Talk II motion, and her angry expression in Nikkepedia has been corrected.
• Sugar – Wild Backyard’s transition between cover and shooting animations has been smoothed out.
• The battle result screen now correctly shows accessories for certain Nikkes.

Audio fixes include resolving unintentional voice line triggers and missing sound effects in specific scenarios. The Jukebox song durations now match actual playback length.

TRACING THE STARS Rhythm Game Overhaul

The most substantial changes in this patch target the rhythm game mode. Shift Up has reworked the ranking system, added new PC shortcuts, and fixed several sync and display issues.

Difficulty-Based Rankings

Previously, the leaderboard showed only the highest score for each song. Now, rankings are separated by Normal, Hard, and Expert difficulties. Existing records have been retroactively assigned to the appropriate difficulty. The overall ranking calculation now adds up all scores across every song and difficulty level, rather than just the top score per song. This encourages players to master all charts for a higher spot.

New PC Shortcuts & UI

• F5 can restart from the pause menu and results screen, not just during gameplay.
• F3 / F4 adjust BGA brightness in increments of 10 while playing.
• TAB now switches between Friends and Union ranking categories (changed from previous shortcut).
• S key opens the Shop directly from the ready screen on PC.
• Default selected button in pre-game speed options and pause menu is now the Play button.

Quality-of-Life Additions

• Guide pop-ups appear when first attempting Expert difficulty.
• The hit detection adjustment screen includes guide audio and a more natural note movement area.
• Overall Volume slider added to audio settings, affecting both rhythm game and general sound.
• Ranking display appears on the ready screen.
• Results screen includes a View Rankings button (tab to switch views).

Bug Fixes

Over 20 issues in TRACING THE STARS have been resolved, including:

• Song sorting order now consistent across devices regardless of language.
• Animation and music stay in sync after pausing during play screen entry.
• Game no longer unpauses when returning from background on iOS.
• Music no longer occasionally fails to play after backgrounding.
• Share button on results screen now works for songs cleared with a B rank.
• Hit record updates correctly reflect first-time clears.
• Age selection pop-up can be closed with Cancel button.

The patch marks a significant step forward for the rhythm game mode, making it more competitive and user-friendly.

Other Notable Fixes

• Bond level gain from certain options in Advising E.H.: 03 has been corrected.
• OLD TALES archive event portals now function reliably under all circumstances.
• Rapture skills—“Rage Virus” for Penetrator, Mantis, and their elite variants—have been updated to match actual combat patterns (skill description removed).
• “Suppression Laser” visual effects appear more natural.
• Story dialogue with videos no longer displays incorrect lines.
• Several localization errors fixed.
• UI elements in View Mode – Standing now appear as intended.
• Screen transition from Arcade’s BFG CLEAN UP! results is smoother.

Looking Ahead

This patch focuses on stability and polish rather than new content, but the overhaul of TRACING THE STARS rankings and PC controls adds meaningful depth for rhythm game enthusiasts. Competitive players should revisit the mode to climb the new difficulty-based leaderboards.

For more context on recent updates and events, check our coverage of the Nikke April 28 Update and the NIKKE Patch 2024-06-26.

Keep an eye on official channels for further adjustments—Shift Up continues to refine NIKKE’s core experience.