5 best tips and tricks for Umamusume: Pretty Derby free-to-play players

Umamusume: Pretty Derby free-to-play players can have a hard time at first to strengthen their account by scouting 3-star Umamusume and SRR-rarity Support cards. Since pulling (or scouting) in this game requires 150 Carats for each pull, you'll need a lot to get your desired horsegirl racer and their support cards, which makes F2P players start with a disadvantage against wealthy swipers.

To help you better manage and optimize your free-to-play account, here are some tips and tricks that Umamusume: Pretty Derby free-to-play players must remember.

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Best tips for Umamusume: Pretty Derby free-to-play players

1) Scout more Support cards early on

Scout Support cards first before other characters (Image via Cygames)

Early on, it might be tempting to get all the best horsegirls right now in the Umamusume: Pretty Derby character tier list. However, Umamusume: Pretty Derby free-to-play players must first focus on collecting powerful Support cards when they start playing.

Support cards go a long way in helping you strengthen your character during training. Since most supporters are associated with one of the five main stats, i.e., - Speed, Stamina, Power, Guts, and Wit, using them while training will give you great benefits that are better than pulling for a stronger 3-star character.

Therefore, SRR-rarity Support cards fare better in the long run for F2P players. As such, focus on upgrading your Supporters using Support Points first, then upgrading your Umamusume.

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2) Use Legacies and Support cards of other players

Use your Veterans as Legacies (Image via Cygames)

Umamusume: Pretty Derby free-to-play players will start with a limited amount of Carats, and all new characters you will train early on will mostly rely on other players' Legacy characters and Support cards. This great mechanic lets F2P players create decently strong characters when they start playing.

So, whenever you're starting a new career with a new trainee, don’t be ashamed of mostly relying on using random Legacies and Supporters of other players.

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3) Keep your Umas happy with recreational activities

Umamusume: Pretty Derby recreational acts are very important (Image via Cygames)

To make Umamusume training more engaging and beneficial for your racers, keeping them happy is paramount for success. Your trainee can be in a Great, Good, Normal, Bad, or Awful mood during training, which can positively or negatively affect their mood.

Using your interaction turns during training on conducting recreational activities with your trainee will help Umamusume: Pretty Derby free-to-play players a lot. Selecting the right dialog options during training events is key to keeping their spirits high. Moreover, using Parfaits during Casual Races is also a good option.

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4) Keep their energy up as much as possible

Always keep your racers energized (Image via Cygames)

Race training will make your horsegirl get exhausted faster. If they have less energy during stat training sessions and before official races, their performance will be poorer than what they are truly capable of.

Training in an exhausted state will lead to fewer stat gains after the session. Moreover, training this way day after day can also make them sick, which makes a trip to the infirmary mandatory.

Umamusume: Pretty Derby free-to-play players should optimize their performance by using turns before training and official races to let their Umamusume rest to help regain their energy. This helps a lot in the last lap of races when they get a speed boost to the finish line.

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5) Focus on PvE more than PvP

Umamusume Pretty Derby free-to-play players should do more PvE before PvP (Image via Cygames)

Umamusume: Pretty Derby free-to-play players should focus more on completing more of the PvE content first before heading to the PvP realm. Being a gacha game, many who have paid real money to obtain stronger racers and supporters will consistently outperform free-to-play players. This disparity becomes more evident during PvP races, where paying players have a higher chance of dominating.

So, if you don’t wish to pay in this game, focus more on completing PvE content like Career modes. After rolling for a higher-rarity Umamusume in a banner, train them well in the Career mode. Do it many times until you have a strong team of more than five characters before you finally lock horns with other players.

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For more Umamusume: Pretty Derby news and guides, check out these articles:

• How to get 30000 carats for free in Umamusume: Pretty Derby
• Umamusume Pretty Derby reroll guide
• How to redeem codes in Umamusume Pretty Derby
• Cash shop guide in Umamusume Pretty Derby: What to purchase and avoid
• Umamusume: Pretty Derby banners and pity system explained