S4 League Skills Guide

S4 League Skills Guide by Minoma

Allow me to introduce myself. My name is Reiki Kito. I’m one of the administrators of the S4 League fansite, S5, or better known as S4source.com, the official subsection for S4 League from A-T (animetoshokan.org) and I will be hosting this thread.

When the game came out in Korea, I played it. I have been playing religiously for over a year.

So, what am I going to host here? Tips of course! Everything about weapons, skills, and clothes you might not know will be revealed here. I won’t spoil too much of the surprise, but you will get little tidbits weekly from me and some players from S4source.com

Here is an article I wrote a while back and I hope you enjoy it. Please follow these simple rules:

1. This is a resource thread. Do not stray off topic.

2. Please do not spam or double post, these are already commonplace rules.

3. Be respectful. If falacious (incorrect) information is placed here, just be courteous enough to tell the person who posted it.

For now, I’ll be posting retro-guides, some that may not have been seen in S4 Skills v.2, and gradually I’ll post more tips on different weapons, maps, skills, etc. I also do requests so please don’t hesitate to PM me.
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Hello everyone, Reiki here.

Per Guide Month at S4source, I am writing one guide per week this month and hopefully for a while. It was supposed to be due wednesday, but I hadn’t had the energy to do it. I’m very sorry.

Railgun

Explanation: The Railgun is a sniper type weapon that utilizes a gravity beam. It concentrates all of this energy into one small point and releases it in a blue ray. Its length is phenomenal and running into its range can result in near instant doom. It’s a vicious weapon in the right hands, but its learning curve is very high. There are a few tricks to learning how to master this beautiful, elegant, and destructive weapon. So sit down and enjoy as I guide you through the powers of the Railgun.

Abilities and Features

Zoom: As a sniper weapon, the Railgun has a zoom feature that allows you to sync in on targets from very far away. You can view a target from all the way on the other side of the map without worry. It’s a very useful feature that can be used and should be used wisely, but we will get into that as well.

Charged Shot: Like its cousin, the Cannonade, the Railgun can charge its beam for a maximum of 5 seconds and be held there. As you charge the shot, the beam becomes more powerful. When it reaches its maximum potential, it can deal its maximum amount of damage.

Damage output: Respectfully, the Railgun has a serious amount of damage. A noncharged shot to any given part of the body can do anywhere from up to 12-34 damage per shot. A headshot, noncharged, can do over 80 damage. A charged shot to anywhere in the given body does over 110+ damage, but a critical will do much over 200.

How to use the Railgun

Lesson 1: Aim

This is a key part of the weapon. You need to know how to aim. Aim is essential in sniping because targeting your enemy becomes very hard with the Railgun. Its small beam makes it very easy for someone to snipe and miss by a fraction of an inch. It’s very difficult and requires a lot of patience, but also a lot of practice. There are two things to understand when you’re aiming:

1. While aiming with zoom, objects will appear to move faster because your eye is closer. Adjust through that measure.
2. The Railgun has a split second delay between firing. You’ll notice there’s a slight second delay which means you’ll have to predict where your opponent will move.
3. The lag between firing and shooting again is very high. It takes nearly 4 seconds to come out of firing animation and charge again, which is another 5 seconds.
4. You only have 4 shots.

So we’re dealing scarcity and difficulty. How can we train this?

1. The first way to train your aim is to go into a training room. You can practice against Sentry Guns and work on trailing your target. Jump up and down while firing to get used to the weapon as well as gain a little bit of PEN while doing it.

2. Train with friends. It’s very easy to get a friend, get a friendly match room, and just go at it. Work on trailing your friends with the gun as well as firing a few warning shots. A few hours and you’ll feel your hand getting better.

3. Practice loosening your arm. A lot of people have issues with the railgun because their arm might feel stiff. A good way to keep your aim very lucid is to lightly hold the mouse. It’s a lot harder to apply a little pressure to the mouse than you think so practice that often.

4. Use objects in the game to target while in a match. You find yourself sniping a little, trail the pumbi as it bounces up and down. See if you can keep on it while its moving.

5. Don’t give up! Giving up surrenders your chances at learning a very useful trait.

The biggest part is zoom. You should always use zoom in a long distance fight. It may seem easier if a target is standing still, but always use it to get a baring on who you’re firing at. Before each long distance shot, check with zoom or use zoom to carefully trail your opponent and then fire.

Lesson 2: Position

Now that you know ways to train your aim, what do you need to know while sniping?

The Element of Surprise: Lets learn about the art of Cloak and Dagger. Those that are not seen have an advantage and those that are seen are open game. Gain the element of surprise. Hide in the shadows, along corners, waiting for a chance. When an opponent crosses your path, you want to let them have it. You also want to be wary of a few things.

1. You show a blaring blue beam at the end of your nozzle. You want to hide that as much as possible as it’s a clear indication where you are. You can do that by turning to one side while peeking along the edge so you know whose coming.

2. Do not move while charging a beam. You move exponentially slower and makes you an easy target to hit. If you must, you must, but it’s not smart to enter the fray with such a huge risk involved. The best way to get around this is firing and reloading.

A). A special note is that using the anchoring skill or the shield skill will buffer (anchoring) or cancel (shield) it.

Wall sniping:

I’m not going to spend much on this as it’s a common and accepted glitch of the game. As your crosshair moves, whatever it touches, can be fired at no matter what’s in front of you. This physics glitch is primarily called wall sniping because you can fire at someone from a safe position. This is crucial towards positioning as using corners effectively allows you to snipe without counter sniping. Here’s how you can do this.

1. Find a corner that you can snipe from

2. Charge the weapon while adjusting your footing so that all parts of your body are covered by the the object in front of you.

3. Pay close attention to what’s on your crosshair. If you want to change your perspective, or shift your view, you can type Z and it’ll switch the screen’s view to the opposite side. This is very useful while sniping from an opposing angle you generally could not wall snipe from.

4. Trace your rifle over the target while trying very hard not to come out of cover. If your target passes your crosshair and shines red, you’re good for firing.

Learn the safe spots:

Safe spots are places where you can fire without easily being fired at. Take the map “Tunnel” for example. You have the front panel on your side of the field right under the tunnel, but that’s not the only place you can snipe. You can move forward and change your perspective (using the z button) and be able to fire along any of the front corners while being safe.

You do not need to stay in one spot to snipe. You should move around these safe spots after each successful bout (kill) in order to keep people on their toes. It’s good to know how to aim and if a spot works, but a sniper never wants to be predictable. You want to keep people worrying about you rather than figuring out your weak points and attacking you from there.

A safe spot is generally a place where you can set up shop. You can stay there without easily being fired at through counter sniping and not being seen. It’s also places that are hardly visible without some thought. For example, lets use Tunnel again.

Tunnel has four L shaped platforms surrounding the Pumbi ball zone. Another set of 4 L’s surrounds those. Inside the inner L set, you can hide and fire at approaching players coming down the middle using wall sniping. You can keep moving and get a little closer, applying ridiculous pressure on spawning enemies.

Lesson 3: What to use with the Railgun

I try not to give you too much information as to key spots to snipe because any place can be used to snipe well. You just need to find what works well for you. However, there are good skills and weapons that work well with the Railgun.

Shield: Shield is not evasive and kind of gaudy, but with it, you can keep other snipers from getting you, cancel your railgun shot so you do not waste a bullet, and protect yourself from close range rapid fire weapons like the SMGs so you can train a shot on them. Very useful in narrow spaces as well as protecting yourself.

Flying: One of the best skills for the Railgun. This quick surprise allows you to soar in the air and pick off anyone that comes into sight. You’re not likely to miss or get bad shots because you’re so high in the air. Also, you can drop to avoid shots or soar over high objects to “Hit and run” on targets with a constant surprise factor. They won’t know what hit them each time you rise above a wall like the one in Neden v.2 and fire on them without warning.

Block: This is where Railgun shines. It allows you to set up a wall sniping position as well as protects you from all oncoming attacks from the front. You can protect yourself by just dancing around the block and making it hard for your opponent to follow you. If they make mistake, they eat gravity beams, but if they don’t make a mistake or are approaching very easy, you can switch weapons as the wall on your side is see-through. It gives an element of surprise as your enemy comes closer.

Not only is it a key choice for snipers, you can set up shop anywhere. On a roof, in a base, in an obscure position on the far ends of a map. You can safely snipe and annoy people who can’t deal with you.

Sentry Gun or Sentinel: The Sentry Gun is very, very useful as it plays as a second pair of eyes more than an offensive weapon. It can watch for you while you’re watching a target. It also can alert you to where an opponent is if it’s destroyed or fires on something. This weapon has a lot of uses for a sniper and should always be considered as a choice for softening up foes or telling where the foes are.

Semi-Rifle/Sub-Machineguns/Heavy Machine gun: Some may want a semi-rifle and some may not and like the SMGs better, but both serve a purpose, rapid fire. As a sniper, you want an option to kill people if you’re not getting any good shots. So having a quick and easy way to deal with closer opponents is to switch to your automatic weapon and lay waste to them. The Semi-Rifle has accuracy, but the SMGs deal much more damage with more bullets. Here, either is fine as long as you have another option to use in case an enemy gets TOO close.

Evasion tactics

Evasion is a key part of S4. If you can’t evade someone properly, you’ll end up dying a lot (like me lately, dunno what’s goin’ on ) The more you evade and make it harder to hit you, the easier it will be to stay alive and rack up points. Here we’ll have a list of different jumps, their application, and their best uses in evasion.

Jumping

Basic jump
This is a basic form of evading shots. By jumping, you give yourself time to get away from shots or get out of melee range. Don’t be fooled. Only jumping isn’t going to save you, but against other beginners and especially in certain maps, you’ll want to jump around a lot more. Practice aiming while jumping with friends or in the training simulator so you can get good at jumping and shooting at the same time.

*Addition: Directional Influence
By using the directional keys while jumping, you can move yourself farther away. This applies to all of the techniques below as well.

Wall jumping
This is where it gets a little advanced. Now, in a stage, there are a lot of obstacles you’ll see. Might be boxes, crates, poles, or fences. When you’re in a close quarters combat situation, utilize the walls. It’s not entirely necessary, but it can improve your game to practice as it puts, in some stages, a fair amount of distance between you and your opponent. Simply approach a wall or hard surface and jump.

Application: While holding the forward button, you can simply jump backwards. You’ll go backwards and land some distance away from the wall facing it. Just think of it as a really long backflip.

Uses: In evasion, even the most simple of walljumps are evasive. For example, you can quickly wall jump and fly right over somebody who is chasing you. You’ll cover a lot of distance as well as be able to counter in the air with a melee or short range weapon. Keep that in mind, get some air the next time you’re in the moment!

Angle Jump
The Angle Jump is something much more advanced than the wall jump. Basically, this jump sets you off at an angle symmetrical to your start off point. If you watched the whole event happen from up above, it’d look something like a V getting wider the more you angle your jump. This is very useful technique for S4 Leaguers, don’t forget to apply this.

Application: While approaching a wall, you tilt your mouse at a given angle. It could be 15 degrees, 45 degrees, maybe even 90 degrees. At first, it’s going to be difficult, but take some time to practice certain angles to get a different effect. Sometimes you’ll want a small angled jump and sometimes you’ll really want to go as far away as possible so test it out as often as you can, S4 Leaguers.

Uses: You can use angle jumps to get different places on a map or skip over long distances walking that walking normally could not get you to. Also, wall jumping at an angle allows you the option to angle jump again. You can pinball yourself through the air and get as far away from your opponents as possible. By stringing together this advanced jump with another one.

Running

Dashing
The most basic of evasive running techniques. You run faster, approaching speeds that are much faster than basic running. By going at these speeds, you’ve got a higher escape velocity so don’t underestimate the basics of speed. While dashing does use SP the longer you’re using it so don’t abuse it!

Application: This is simple. Just tap forward twice and hold forward to keep running.

Uses: You can escape people pretty easily just by outpacing them, but dashing stops you from attacking. The best way to escape while dashing is to not make yourself a linear target. In this case, going in a straight line. Zig zag and switch it up so you’re not so predictable and even something as simple as this becomes a nightmare for true aim practicioners.

Air Dashing
This is a bit more advanced and requires a lot more timing. This move is simple, but the timing can be really annoying to get the hang of. First, you jump up. As you’re jumping, immediately hit forward twice (ww) to dash. This will create a dashing animation. When you land, you’ll end up in a standing position. Unlike the basic jump, you land in a roll. With an air dash, you can land standing and keep doing it over and over again. It requires some meter, but the pauses in between will get your meter up enough to prolong it.

Application:I’ve seen some crazy evasion with people getting upstairs or obstacles just like this. Another fun fact. You can cancel an air dash into a side dash (space+[a or d]) which can psyche out your opponent and give you the distance to reload, charge in, or fire.

Uses: A little better than the dash, but it’s not going to give you more distance from your enemy. A trade of space over evasion. Try to apply a dash the second you go into the jump animation to keep yourself moving at fast pace. Once you get the timing for the strings right.

Dodge/Rolling

Dodge/Roll

Every S4 Leaguer needs to know how to do this or you’re not worth your weight. An S4 Leaguer can expend their Skill Points (SP) to roll along the grounds at the same speeds you would if you were running. The sudden burst is quick, sometimes hard to follow, and always useful. It has a lot of properties that give it a lot of priority over some other moves and weapon attacks in S4 League. An integral part of S4 League’s evasion system.

Application: By holding a the A or D directional buttons (or if you get better at it, tapping them at just about the same time), you initiate a dodge. If you press A, you go left and D goes right.

Uses: This is good for avoiding direct fire. Throw this out when you’re dealing with people who are getting close or don’t have a good shot. Throwing a chain of these in different directions will toy with an opponent’s ability to shoot you. Try not to always go in one direction, practice going left, right, left or right, right, left. Keep the player guessing. You can cancel out of a roll with a weapon attack so use it to roll under some fire and counter attack! Remember, it costs a chunk of SP to do so use it sparingly!

Air Dodge
After you’ve mastered rolling on the ground, it’s time to do some rolling in the air! It’s a quick manuever in the air by using SP to spring yourself in another direction. You’ll go into a rolling animation, but there are some limitations. It’s easy to do and allows you more manueverability even when you’re suspended above the ground. Don’t wait, don’t hesitate! Get outta the way and begin the counter attack!

Application: While jumping, do a normal dodge (A or D + [Space])

Uses: This move can be done after a wall jump to reach places you normally couldn’t go, and you could also use this to avoid shots in the air instead of lightly falling down. It’s very important part of dodging. However, you can only do it once while in the air so make it count! This can also extend your wall jump or DI motion quite a bit.

Railgun

Explanation: The Railgun is a sniper type weapon that utilizes a gravity beam. It concentrates all of this energy into one small point and releases it in a blue ray. Its length is phenomenal and running into its range can result in near instant doom. It’s a vicious weapon in the right hands, but its learning curve is very high. There are a few tricks to learning how to master this beautiful, elegant, and destructive weapon. So sit down and enjoy as I guide you through the powers of the Railgun.

Abilities and Features

Zoom: As a sniper weapon, the Railgun has a zoom feature that allows you to sync in on targets from very far away. You can view a target from all the way on the other side of the map without worry. It’s a very useful feature that can be used and should be used wisely, but we will get into that as well.

Charged Shot: Like its cousin, the Cannonade, the Railgun can charge its beam for a maximum of 5 seconds and be held there. As you charge the shot, the beam becomes more powerful. When it reaches its maximum potential, it can deal its maximum amount of damage.

Damage output: Respectfully, the Railgun has a serious amount of damage. A noncharged shot to any given part of the body can do anywhere from up to 12-34 damage per shot. A headshot, noncharged, can do over 80 damage. A charged shot to anywhere in the given body does over 110+ damage, but a critical will do much over 200.

How to use the Railgun

Lesson 1: Aim

This is a key part of the weapon. You need to know how to aim. Aim is essential in sniping because targeting your enemy becomes very hard with the Railgun. Its small beam makes it very easy for someone to snipe and miss by a fraction of an inch. It’s very difficult and requires a lot of patience, but also a lot of practice. There are two things to understand when you’re aiming:

1. While aiming with zoom, objects will appear to move faster because your eye is closer. Adjust through that measure. 2. The Railgun has a split second delay between firing. You’ll notice there’s a slight second delay which means you’ll have to predict where your opponent will move. 3. The lag between firing and shooting again is very high. It takes nearly 4 seconds to come out of firing animation and charge again, which is another 5 seconds. 4. You only have 4 shots.

So we’re dealing scarcity and difficulty. How can we train this?

1. The first way to train your aim is to go into a training room. You can practice against Sentry Guns and work on trailing your target. Jump up and down while firing to get used to the weapon as well as gain a little bit of PEN while doing it.

2. Train with friends. It’s very easy to get a friend, get a friendly match room, and just go at it. Work on trailing your friends with the gun as well as firing a few warning shots. A few hours and you’ll feel your hand getting better.

3. Practice loosening your arm. A lot of people have issues with the railgun because their arm might feel stiff. A good way to keep your aim very lucid is to lightly hold the mouse. It’s a lot harder to apply a little pressure to the mouse than you think so practice that often.

4. Use objects in the game to target while in a match. You find yourself sniping a little, trail the pumbi as it bounces up and down. See if you can keep on it while its moving.

5. Don’t give up! Giving up surrenders your chances at learning a very useful trait.

The biggest part is zoom. You should always use zoom in a long distance fight. It may seem easier if a target is standing still, but always use it to get a baring on who you’re firing at. Before each long distance shot, check with zoom or use zoom to carefully trail your opponent and then fire.

Lesson 2: Position

Now that you know ways to train your aim, what do you need to know while sniping?

The Element of Surprise: Lets learn about the art of Cloak and Dagger. Those that are not seen have an advantage and those that are seen are open game. Gain the element of surprise. Hide in the shadows, along corners, waiting for a chance. When an opponent crosses your path, you want to let them have it. You also want to be wary of a few things.

1. You show a blaring blue beam at the end of your nozzle. You want to hide that as much as possible as it’s a clear indication where you are. You can do that by turning to one side while peeking along the edge so you know whose coming.

2. Do not move while charging a beam. You move exponentially slower and makes you an easy target to hit. If you must, you must, but it’s not smart to enter the fray with such a huge risk involved. The best way to get around this is firing and reloading.

A). A special note is that using the anchoring skill or the shield skill will buffer (anchoring) or cancel (shield)(block) it.

Wall sniping:

I’m not going to spend much on this as it’s a common and accepted glitch of the game. As your crosshair moves, whatever it touches, can be fired at no matter what’s in front of you. This physics glitch is primarily called wall sniping because you can fire at someone from a safe position. This is crucial towards positioning as using corners effectively allows you to snipe without counter sniping. Here’s how you can do this.

1. Find a corner that you can snipe from

2. Charge the weapon while adjusting your footing so that all parts of your body are covered by the the object in front of you.

3. Pay close attention to what’s on your crosshair. If you want to change your perspective, or shift your view, you can type Z and it’ll switch the screen’s view to the opposite side. This is very useful while sniping from an opposing angle you generally could not wall snipe from.

4. Trace your rifle over the target while trying very hard not to come out of cover. If your target passes your crosshair and shines red, you’re good for firing.

Learn the safe spots:

Safe spots are places where you can fire without easily being fired at. Take the map “Tunnel” for example. You have the front panel on your side of the field right under the tunnel, but that’s not the only place you can snipe. You can move forward and change your perspective (using the z button) and be able to fire along any of the front corners while being safe.

You do not need to stay in one spot to snipe. You should move around these safe spots after each successful bout (kill) in order to keep people on their toes. It’s good to know how to aim and if a spot works, but a sniper never wants to be predictable. You want to keep people worrying about you rather than figuring out your weak points and attacking you from there.

A safe spot is generally a place where you can set up shop. You can stay there without easily being fired at through counter sniping and not being seen. It’s also places that are hardly visible without some thought. For example, lets use Tunnel again.

Tunnel has four L shaped platforms surrounding the Pumbi ball zone. Another set of 4 L’s surrounds those. Inside the inner L set, you can hide and fire at approaching players coming down the middle using wall sniping. You can keep moving and get a little closer, applying ridiculous pressure on spawning enemies.

Lesson 3: What to use with the Railgun

I try not to give you too much information as to key spots to snipe because any place can be used to snipe well. You just need to find what works well for you. However, there are good skills and weapons that work well with the Railgun.

Shield: Shield is not evasive and kind of gaudy, but with it, you can keep other snipers from getting you, cancel your railgun shot so you do not waste a bullet, and protect yourself from close range rapid fire weapons like the SMGs so you can train a shot on them. Very useful in narrow spaces as well as protecting yourself.

Flying: One of the best skills for the Railgun. This quick surprise allows you to soar in the air and pick off anyone that comes into sight. You’re not likely to miss or get bad shots because you’re so high in the air. Also, you can drop to avoid shots or soar over high objects to “Hit and run” on targets with a constant surprise factor. They won’t know what hit them each time you rise above a wall like the one in Neden v.2 and fire on them without warning.

Block: This is where Railgun shines. It allows you to set up a wall sniping position as well as protects you from all oncoming attacks from the front. It can also cancel your shot, but because it’s a stationary part of the game now, it won’t move as you move like the shield. You can protect yourself by just dancing around the block and making it hard for your opponent to follow you. If they make mistake, they eat gravity beams, but if they don’t make a mistake or are approaching very easy, you can switch weapons as the wall on your side is see-through. It gives an element of surprise as your enemy comes closer.

Not only is it a key choice for snipers, you can set up shop anywhere. On a roof, in a base, in an obscure position on the far ends of a map. You can safely snipe and annoy people who can’t deal with you.

Sentry Gun or Sentinel: The Sentry Gun is very, very useful as it plays as a second pair of eyes more than an offensive weapon. It can watch for you while you’re watching a target. It also can alert you to where an opponent is if it’s destroyed or fires on something. This weapon has a lot of uses for a sniper and should always be considered as a choice for softening up foes or telling where the foes are.

Semi-Rifle/Sub-Machineguns/Heavy Machine gun: Some may want a semi-rifle and some may not and like the SMGs better, but both serve a purpose, rapid fire. As a sniper, you want an option to kill people if you’re not getting any good shots. So having a quick and easy way to deal with closer opponents is to switch to your automatic weapon and lay waste to them. The Semi-Rifle has accuracy, but the SMGs deal much more damage with more bullets. Here, either is fine as long as you have another option to use in case an enemy gets TOO close.

Starting your S4

Playing the game is not an easy task sometimes and requires some really specific knowledge for you to be able to enjoy the game as much as you can without worry of the dreaded “Lock your Account” situation. As more features come in that require more PEN, you’ll need to know what to do and what not to do. So please use these tips as best as you can.

Score 1: Your money sources

You can’t be a good S4 Leaguer without money; that’s a fact. So when you’re just starting out, you should be aware of how much money you have and what you can play around with so lets get some facts straight. So lets get started with figuring out how much money you can get without doing anything at all.

Initial amount gained: 30,000 PEN – You get this automatically, no matter what you do in game, and it will be yours to spend. However, how you use it should be taken into consideration. You can only buy so much with 30,000 PEN.

Now, here’s what you’ll gain before you leave the Rookie Channel and hopefully after you’ve completed the tutorial.

Rank up from 0-5, Tutorial bonus: 30,000 PEN – You get 5,000 per level from ranking up from 1-6. You also get 5,000 additionally for completing the tutorial. If you haven’t spent anything, you’re now at about 60,000 PEN.

Now, we’re moving along all the way through the super rookie levels. This is going to be from level 6 to 18. We’ll add the 5,000 from ranking up from level 6.

Rank up from 6-18: 35,000 PEN – You gain 2,000 per level with an additional 10,000 per 10 levels. We’re at around 95,000 PEN just from going through the near 20 levels of the game. We’ll stop here as by the time you’ve reached this point, you’re not a newbie anymore!

**Important note: Leveling up system works differently than how the Level up Guide may seem. The level the award shows is the level you must clear in order to get the prize. For example, from leveling from 11-12, you get the 10,000 PEN award. The same goes from 21-22.

Score 2: Smart Investments and skillful tips

Number of things an S4 Leaguer needs to prioritize is their weapons and skills. These are the bread and butter of your “style” in S4 League. Without it, you’re just a good-looking player with nothing to do. This is why the next portion is very important.

Tip 1: Try not to buy clothes in your early levels (1-6) of the game

Why?: The answer is simple. Costumes less EN than Weapons for little in return. They have a high repair cost or what we call a C.C.R (Cumulative Cost of Repair). It’s nice to have and nice to wear, but it’s not something you can easily keep up with because the game requires all players must have one weapon and one skill while the game does not require you to buy clothes. These should always be your priority, buy permanent weapons and skills you want first.

Another reason you should not buy clothes so early is their expensive upkeep. Clothes EN or Energy, depletes much faster than weapons. They can only be repaired at 50% EN. They also require that you pay 37% of the original price you paid for it. Say your pants cost you 10,000 PEN originally and it slips to 0 EN. You stop wearing it and you have to pay 3,700 PEN to repair it again. It’s not worth it right now when you’re a new player just starting out.

*Important note: You can sustain clothes and still gain a profit if you get more PEN. You can do that by keeping up with your clothes by not buying weapons or skills (which is very sad to say the least) or you can buy PEN+ items. A PEN+ 100% item alone doubles your output so just one insures you get the same amount you would have gotten in one game while some extra to pay for the repair costs when it comes. You can have up to 5 at once.
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Tip 2: Another big tip is to use your free trials. As you’re using your free trials, you are not paying for repairs. You gain free trials by doing license tests for weapons and skills. You can only get one free trial for one weapon so use it wisely. Do not sell them. Try to experience playing different weapons, even those you’re not comfortable with, to get PEN as well as learn a little something new.

Tip 3: Always buy a permanent weapon or skill before your free trials run out. Make this a priority. Remember, S4 Leaguers, the highest level is 100 and it’s a long ways away. You have all the time in the world to buy clothing, but in the beginning is not one of them. Do your best to buy permanent things. Do not settle for buying 5 hour trials to sustain yourself because that will not help. It’ll waste time and money of which you have little of.

Use the time you’re using free trials to save up extra money, level up, and gain weapons and skills so you don’t have to worry about locking your account. Remember, you can live without clothes and other stuff, but a permanent weapon/skill will never go away unless you sell it. You can always play as long as you have 1 of each.

Tip 4: Do your preliminary missions and weekly missions for an extra boost in PEN. These missions encourage you to play outside the box and maybe play different modes, different weapons, or play a different way then you are used to. However, the rewards are sweet. Missions provide free PEN for you. The preliminary missions give around 15,000 PEN while the weekly missions give out 10,000, but every week. Be smart and do your best to complete them.

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Score 3: What if? FAQ

Q: What if my account is locked and I can’t play S4 League anymore?

A: The only way to fix this problem is getting money through AP or making a new account. If you’re sentimental with the character, buy AP and purchase one of the Direct PEN items that gives you a PEN boost as well as a cool accessory for a week.

Q: I want to try out the new weapons, but I don’t have enough money. How can I get more money?

A:Save save save. If you want to get something, you have to work hard for it. S4 League is a grinding game in that you have to keep playing to grab more PEN. You can speed up the process by buying PEN+ items. You can have up to five. However, this only makes the process faster. You don’t need to buy AP items to play S4 League, but it does make it easier.

Q: The Pumbi Shop has a lot of cool items, even more cool items than the ones in the shop? Why can’t I spend all my PEN on that?

A: That’s a simple answer. The chance of getting a weapon permanently, which is what we really want, is very slim. Most times you’ll only get an item for an hour, maybe two, and that’s that. If you’re lucky, you’ll get a permanent item. That should never substitute for an actual weapon or skill so you should never spend all your money on luxuries like clothes or the Pumbi shop in the beginning. Later on, when you have more money to burn or buy AP to give you some extra reserves, treat yourself and go nuts!

Q: You mention AP items a lot as a solution? Are you sure they’re not necessary to play the game?

A: On the contrary, I mention them because they’re a quick fix to a lot of problems. If you need to revive your account after getting locked, it’s the only way. It also allows you to speed up the process of gaining PEN when you want to. 10 hours of 100% more PEN is a lot more PEN than you could have once imagined. It’s very useful to speed up the process, especially when you have little time to play. Also, if you’re interested in wearing clothes, but don’t like the repair costs, you can always wear clothes without any penalties for wearing them.

The downside is that they cost money and the effects are temporary, but if they weren’t, it’d be unfair to the people who can’t pay. Some say the costumes at the shop are two short for 30 hours, but to clarify, you have to play 30 hours worth of games to count. That’s a lot of time. I’ve had my one set of clothes for a month and they’re still not done. So you can bet that they’re worth it and last a long time even if you play a lot.