Your First Month in Uma Musume: Pretty Derby Global – A Beginner’s Guide

Welcome to Uma Musume: Pretty Derby! This mobile game combines horse racing simulation with idol training elements, featuring anthropomorphic horse girls (Umamusume) competing in races while building their skills and stories. If you’re a brand-new player diving into the global version, this guide will walk you through your first month step by step. It’s based on launch experiences from JP, TW, and KR servers, but note that details may change with updates. Focus on building a strong foundation, saving resources (like karats), and enjoying the core gameplay loop of training, racing, and collecting.

This guide is tailored for players who haven’t touched Uma Musume before. Let’s break it down by timeline.

Day 1: Getting Started

Your first day is all about orientation. Don’t rush—take time to understand the basics.

1. Complete the Tutorial: Run through it at least once to grasp core mechanics like training Umamusume, racing, and managing stats.
2. Claim New-Player Rewards: Collect your registration bonuses and gifts. These include free items to kickstart your progress.
3. Roll on the Support Banner: Pull (or re-roll accounts if needed) on the Support Banner to get strong support cards. These are crucial for training efficiency.
4. Explore the UI: Familiarize yourself with menus, navigation, and features. Learn what each section does and how they connect.
5. Jump into Week 1 (If Ready): Once comfortable, start tackling early tasks from the next section.

Pro Tip: Re-rolling can help secure better starting support cards, but it’s optional if you’re eager to play.

Week 1: Building Basics and Clearing Missions

Focus on missions and roster building. This week sets up your foundation for PvP and story progression.

1. Check the Mission Menu: Dive into the “Launch Celebration Missions” and clear as many as possible. These are beginner-friendly and reward valuable items.
2. Use Free Roll Tickets: You’ll earn tickets for 3★ characters and SSR support cards. Use them right away—the pools don’t update with new additions.
3. No Pool Updates Needed: Characters and cards from these tickets stay relevant, so don’t hold back.
4. Consider Uma Banner Rolls: Do 1-2x 10-rolls on the Uma Musume banner to expand your roster with 1-2★ Umamusume. This helps fill gaps for different race types.
5. Build PvP Teams: Train the Umamusume from your tutorial or selector ticket. Create teams for each distance type (Short, Mile, Mid, Long, Dirt). Don’t ignore your starters—they’re solid for early races!
   • Short: Focus on speed bursts.
   • Mile: Balanced stamina and speed.
   • Mid: Endurance for longer sprints.
   • Long: High stamina builds.
   • Dirt: Adaptable for rough tracks.
6. Start Saving Karats: Conserve your premium currency (karats) for upcoming banners. A key card is on the horizon…

Weeks 1-2: Story Events and Grinding

Events kick in here. Prioritize limited-time content while continuing to build.

1. First Story Event – “Chase Your Dreams!”: This should arrive around launch or shortly after. Jump in immediately.
2. Prioritize the Welfare Card: Complete the event to acquire and max limit break (MLB) the Special Week SSR Welfare Card. It’s a free powerhouse.
3. Prepare for Grinding: Depending on quality-of-life (QoL) updates in global, farming copies might require heavy play. Stock up on stamina items if needed.
4. Train All Umamusume: Work on every character you’ve acquired but haven’t trained yet. Expand your PvP teams for variety and competitiveness.
5. Keep Saving Karats: She’s almost here—hold off on spending.

Weeks 3-4: The Big Pull

This is the climax of your first month. A meta-defining card arrives—go all-in!

1. Kitasan Black SSR Speed Card: When she drops, dump all your saved karats into pulling and attempting to MLB this support card.
2. Why This Card?: It’s unchallenged as the top speed support for about 1.5 years. No exaggeration—this is the starter investment.
3. Long-Term Value: It gets outpaced around the 1.5-2 year anniversary (assuming global follows the same schedule), but rebounds as one of the best with the 4th training scenario (Grand Live).
4. TL;DR for the Whole Guide: Save karats for Kitasan Black’s release. Pull hard, then save again.

(Potential) Future Karat Targets

Once you’re past the first month, eye these as potential saves (subject to global release schedule changes):

• Future Banners: Look out for high-impact supports or characters like those in anniversary events or new scenarios.
• Examples from JP/TW/KR: Cards tied to major updates, such as stamina-focused supports or event exclusives. Always check in-game news for banners.

Final Tips for New Players

• Resource Management: Karats are precious—avoid impulse rolls outside recommended banners.
• PvP Focus: Early teams help with dailies and rewards. Experiment with distances to find your playstyle.
• Community Resources: Join forums or Discord for updates, as global might diverge from other servers.
• Have Fun!: Uma Musume blends racing strategy with charming stories. Enjoy the animations, music, and character arcs.

This guide is designed for absolute beginners. For more on Uma Musume strategies, check back on life.gg for updates. Happy racing! 🏇