Umamusume Pretty Derby: Strategic Mistakes You Should Avoid

Umamusume Pretty Derby is a complex racing sim, and it is quite easy to falter in it. Here are some strategic mistakes that you should avoid.

Umamusume Pretty Derby: Strategic Mistakes You Should Avoid
Umamusume Pretty Derby: Strategic Mistakes You Should Avoid (Image via Cygames)

Umamusume Pretty Derby has a complex nature that players often miss due to the game’s visuals and theatrics. It is a racing simulation title; therefore, to win races, players must focus on a lot of different factors, strategy being one of the most important ones. It is quite easy to jump headfirst into a track with excitement and make a lot of wrong decisions that will inevitably lead to your Uma’s downfall. To prevent that from happening, here are some of the strategic mistakes that you should avoid in Umamusume Pretty Derby.

Strategic Mistakes You Should Avoid in Umamusume Pretty Derby

Umamusume ss
Planning before a race is crucial in Umamusume Pretty Derby (Image via Cygames)

Strategy is a big part of winning any competition, and racing is not an exception to this rule. Without proper planning and correct implementation, it is quite easy to lose winnable races in Umamusume Pretty Derby, and sometimes even raw speed cannot save your run. There are several strategic mistakes that beginners make quite often in Umamusume Pretty Derby. Read the instructions below to avoid such errors and tackle adversity during your races.

Choosing the Incorrect Running Style

Carefully pick the suitable running style
Carefully pick the suitable running style (Image via Cygames)

Every horse girl in Umamusume Pretty Derby has her own running style similar to her real-life counterpart. That, mixed with the game’s various tracks and their different distances, creates a unique dynamic that you must tackle correctly to win. In such a battlefield of strategy, choosing the wrong running style that is not suitable for the distance of your race can prove to be a fatal mistake. Thus, we suggest reviewing every detail about the track beforehand and planning accordingly instead of rushing to the race.

Bad Positioning

Chapter 2 in Umamusume Pretty Derby (Image via Cygames | Deltia's Gaming)
Good positioning is key to winning races (Image via Cygames)

Similar to running styles, positioning is another key factor in Umamusume Pretty Derby or any other race in general. Without a good understanding of where your character should place herself on the track, all of your efforts and tactics can go to waste. Your Uma can easily get trapped by opponents with no way to escape, or waste time and stamina by choosing an unnecessarily wide lane. To rectify such a mistake, you must focus heavily on your horse girl’s positioning skills and create your strategy around them.

Picking the Wrong Pace

Speed Skills in Umamusume Pretty Derby (Image via Cygames | Deltia's Gaming)
Getting the right pace is of the utmost importance (Image via Cygames)

Of course, pace is one of the most important elements in a race, but you cannot always go full throttle all the time. Every horse girl in the game has a set amount of stamina, and if you are not careful with your pace management, it can get drained really quickly or remain underutilized despite how high that stat is.

This matters the most in the early stages of the game, and beginners often either go too slow or too fast during this stage. The former can make you miss out on crucial spaces and positions, while the latter increases the risk of exhausting your stamina too quickly.

Making Moves Too Early

Learn velocity and acceleration skills in the final corner (Image via Cygames | Deltia's Gaming)
Wait for your chance to shine (Image via Cygames)

Similar to the caveats of going too fast too early, if you are not smart about making your moves in a race and are hasty, you also run the risk of losing stamina much more quickly. In that scenario, your Uma will run out of steam during the early or middle phase of a race and effectively squander any chances of winning or getting pole position. This way, by the time you reach the Final Turn or the Last Straight, the possibilities of making a comeback will become almost obsolete.


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