How Spirit scoring works in general

Spirit gain is mostly based on how much Stella you currently have.
The following values / objects will change depending on your Stella.

• Enemy's base Spirit value
• Milking performance
• Grazing performance
• Unchain bonus
• Number of destructible bullets spewed from enemies
• Running Spirits

Even having Stella 9 and Stella A makes a huge difference. Always try to keep A.

Surviving as long as possible, and killing each enemy with their respective way (or most Spirit efficient way) is crucial. Figure out the most efficient way to milk spirits for every enemy you see.

Routes are mostly thought out by "Survival" and "Milking" balance.
If you choose to survive, you will lose the opportunity to milk.
If you choose to milk, you will risk yourself more to get hit. Everyone has their own comfortable routes, so figure out your best routes based on this.

How to gain Spirits

Immortality Bonus

• Getting extends after Immortal state (Reaching max life)
• Starts with 80, and adding up 40 each time you extend after immortal
  • 80, 120, 160, ...

Milking enemies

• Getting close to the enemy and attacking them with your mainshot will raise the enemy's Inner Spirit (Depicted by Blue or Green number)
  • DEADLIAR is most notable for effectively raising Inner Spirits by the aura around him. Minogame is the same too
  • For Fossilmaiden she can use her Orange Lance to milk more Spirits
• You must kill said enemy to gain the milked Spirits.
• Hitting multiple enemies at once will increase the Inner Spirit counter to go faster.

Grazing the needle bullets (FINELINE)

• The most important scoring technique in this game
• Around 10,000 points can be racked up just by grazing with Stella A in the whole game.
• Grazing with lower stella will decrease the gain value of grazing
  • around 75% of grazing efficiency if grazed with Stella 9 instead of A (so you will lose 25% of what you would've gained)
• Using Minogame's Charged main weapon (FORBIDDEN SHELL) will increase her grazing radious. Using this attack when grazing will result for more than 25% more than normal grazing. Abuse this.

Unchain bonus (UNCHAIN)

• very trivial and easy to achieve but some enemies worth much more than unchaining
  • Segment 3 Lead: SEAGULL is the exception

Destroying destructable bullets (NUTCRACK)

• Not much to say. Try to destroy as much as possible

Breakthrough

• Spirit Breakthrough worth 200 + 40 * (current Immortality count)
• Kill Breakthrough worth 160 + 40 * (current Immortality count)
• Getting a breakthrough will reset your NECESSARY value for extends, which equals to faster extends, which means more Immortality bonus

Running Spirits

• You will earn a certain amount of Spirits during the mid-stage. (Except for Segment 5 mid-stage for whatever reason)
• Calculated by [Current Stella value] and [Current stage Spirit value]. The exact formula is unknown.

Stage Clear bonus

• Gives you around 50 ~ 150 for most stages
  • The formula is given on segment end screen
• Clearing the Shrine gives you around 450 [Exact value unknown. Need confirmation]
• Clearing the TLB (THE UNNAMED 771) will give you 1000 Spirits [Exact value unknown. Need confirmation]

Getting Ingots (Gold crystal item)

• worth around 0.2 Spirits
• reduces a little to NECESSARY (i think it's around 0.05 ~ 0.1 NECESSARY)

Attacking indestructible objects

• worth very little, but it actually gives out some spirits
  • Segment 5's wall bumping strategy is based on this

Transferred by REX-CAVALIER

• Only on segment 7
• The final form of his attack will transfer his memory (along with Spirits) to you.
• Killing him on MEMORY TRANSFER REMAIN = 0 will grant you 345.6 Spirits.
  • Killing him after or before the REMAIN 0 will drastically reduce the bonus.
• Use the BGM to accurately time it. The female voice with note of C is the perfect timing for it.
  • TIMER 246.5

Destroying THE UNNAMED 771 constantly

• Destroying the 771 will give you 7 Spirits each time, and destroying it 8 times will increase it's value by 7.
• The total Spirits gained from the 771 is formula for this enemy is represented by the following formula
  • {Σ[n=1,y] 7 * floor((n/8) + 1)} where y denotes the times you destroyed 771.
• For example destroying the 771 for 79 times (Kill value shown as 70) will be around 3073 Spirits.
  • Try fiddling around with the values https://www.wolframalpha.com/input/?i=Σ[n%3D1%2C80](7+*+Floor[(n%2F8)+%2B+1])

General advices for scoring Spirits

Aim Stella A from the beginning of the stage and keep that Stella at A

• Get Green stella item if necessary
• Getting certain amount of spirits will replenish some Stella
  • getting 1 or 2 Spirit isn't noticable, but getting 10 or more at once will bump your Stella a bit
• Getting a bunch of LUNA chaff relics
  • milking MONOWING in Segment 1 is noticeable
• Going near certain enemies will replenish Stella rapidly
  • most bosses and some strong enemies will replenish your Stella
• Do not die. Do not die consecutively either.
  • Dying decreases your Stella drastically.
• Do not get Purple stella item

Don't die and rack up the Immortality Bonus

• Dying even once will reduce your total gain for Spirit for around 2000 ~ 3000. Try not to die.
• Use Autobomb settings (SOLIDSTATE) unless you are really good or comfortable at the game.
  • ASPIRANT only autobombs when you have lower than 3 lives and when SOL is level 5.
    SOLIDSTATE will autobomb regardless of your life and has a lower threshold of SOL level 3 which is much more consistent.
• Getting Immortality in the first half doesn't look much, but later on it will hit like a strong body blow. Never throw away Life Chips or Ingots or Tokens.

Try not to die or discharge in Shrine of Farewell

• You don't need to score in this stage, unless you are really really comfortable with it
• Speed kill every single enemy you see
  • Remember the pattern and when you can damage the enemy efficiently.
• The calculation for the Crystal is still unknown, but the following is known
  • Having anything below Stella A will reduce your Crystal gain
  • Kaname Stone & Boss's 1st and 2nd attack will worth 18 Crystals maximum
  • Boss's 3rd attack will worth 36 Crystals
    • Taking a hit or bombing in the 3rd attack will heavily affect your Crystal due to high value potential.
• Using your discharge will most likely reduce your Stella to below A, so try not to use your discharge.
• Don't use your discharge in Kaname Stone fight. This will reduce the Crystal gain to 0, meaning you will straight up lose 18 Crystals by bombing.

Advanced advices for scoring Spirits

Use the Max life 5 setting

• This enables 1 more Immortaility bonus than the default setting.

Use ADEPT if you have the skills to be never get hit by

• ADEPT will increase your grazing radious so you will be able to gather more spirits by grazing
• ADEPT will give you maximum grazing value regardless of your current Stella value [Need confirmation]

Remember unique scoring for every single enemies

I will give you some unique examples below

• Segment 3 Lead: Destroying the tip of the arm for the mid-boss like enemy (UNNNAMED 428) will increase the rest of the arm joints.
• Segment 6 Mid-boss: Destroying each options will make her Spirit value increase from 0 to 20, 41, 62, 187 respectively. Destroy every single option she has to gain maximum Spirits.

Score as much as you can. Running Spirits can make a difference.

• Try delaying the extend to the next stage's beginning to gain more Running Spirits during mid-stage
  • Going to the next stage will reduce 4 NECESSARY