In the Special Arena of Goddess of Victory: NIKKE, one name has been playing a cheeky game of hide-and-seek with the top-tier meta: Scarlet. Long considered the undisputed 0-tier staple for every serious ranker, we have recently spotted a few top players daringly dropping this powerhouse from their defensive line-ups. This tactical shift explains the slight dip in pick rates we noted in our last survey. Meanwhile, Little Mermaid has seen a surge in popularity, hitting record-breaking figures in the Special Arena since the character's arrival. Let’s dive into the details.

Special Arena Defensive Squad Pick Rate Ranking

※ Based on data from top 10~40 rankers in the Special Arena (Servers 230~250) between July 31 and August 13.
※ Figures are based on the defensive squad settings at the time of data collection.
※ Please note that current defensive squads may differ slightly from this data.

After a brief slump in last week's charts, Scarlet has made a resounding comeback, reclaiming a 100% pick rate thanks to rankers slotting the character back into their defensive line-ups. Noah, however, missed the perfect score by just two players. It seems unlikely that Noah will return to the 100% club anytime soon, so we shall hold our breath until the next group reshuffle.

Beyond Scarlet, Little Mermaid is another name gaining traction. Unlike the Champion Arena, the pick rate for Little Mermaid hovered in the 40~49% range before finally hitting the 50% mark this time. It is about time this character found the spotlight in the Special Arena, as the previous numbers simply did not reflect the actual performance.

Let's take a peek at the defensive squad of Shikikan, who currently sits in 9th place. When we featured this player on June 19, their synchro level was lower, and the squad combat power has since climbed by 20,000 to 100,000. While the player has dropped one spot from their previous 8th-place ranking, there is still a full week left to climb back up.

While the composition remains unchanged, there has been a tactical shift in the formation for the Scarlet: Black Shadow (hereinafter B.Scarlet) and Emilia duo. Previously, the order was 'Noah - Biscuit - B.Scarlet - Emilia - Rumani', but it has been swapped to 'B.Scarlet - Rumani - Emilia - Noah - Biscuit'. Interestingly, the burst sequence remains firmly set as 'Rumani - Noah - B.Scarlet'.

B.Scarlet operates as a standard attack-focused dealer, much like the shotgun-wielding units. With the ability to hit the entire field, this character serves as a solid sub or main dealer. While Emilia-based teams usually bank on a single devastating burst, the arrival of Rumani and the keepsake-enhanced Bay has made that strategy trickier to pull off. It is likely that B.Scarlet was recruited to provide that much-needed extra punch to support Emilia. Given that 70% of Special Arena rankers are now using B.Scarlet, the performance speaks for itself.

Arena Meta Analysis

Absolute 2.0 set to appear for 3 consecutive weeks

Whenever a new unit drops, the biggest question is always performance and which mode they will dominate. Veteran players tend to divide the world into Raid and Arena viability. The performance of the new Absolute squad, arriving after the August 7 update, is currently the hottest topic in Goddess of Victory: NIKKE.

Let's break it down by weapon type. Emma uses a machine gun, which is a bit of a liability in the Arena. Since the current 0-tier Scarlet deals heavy damage and generates burst gauge through reflected hits, high-fire-rate machine gun units are rarely the meta choice. Vesti, being a launcher, appears to share the special attack type seen with Cinderella. Launchers are usually great for burst generation, but if Cinderella’s unconventional attack pattern is anything to go by, Vesti might suffer from lower-than-expected gauge gains.

Eunhwa is a Burst 2 dealer, a category that lacks flexibility since that slot is typically reserved for healers or buffers. Furthermore, the Absolute squad requires all three members to be present to trigger their full effects, which locks the team into a rigid structure. We can only speculate based on the text for now, so let's wait until August 21 to see the real results.

NIKKE News

Two Pilgrims + two mysterious new units revealed

While the new Absolute squad is making waves, four new units were teased in the latest story. Two of them are Pilgrims from the Pioneer squad. Nayuta was mentioned during the 1.5th Anniversary 'LAST KINGDOM', while Pinocchio makes a debut in the current main scenario. The other two, whose names remain obscured, look like the 'overwhelmingly powerful' units that Enikk requested.

Rumours are already swirling that Nayuta and Pinocchio might be the 3rd-anniversary Pilgrims. Anniversary updates have a history of introducing high-spec, meta-defining Pilgrims, and being part of the Pioneer squad makes them prime candidates. We will have more concrete details after the August 7 update.

User Poll - What are you most looking forward to in this update?

Last week, we polled the community on their mini-game scores. Out of 55 participants, most landed in the 40,000 to 50,000 range. Given the popularity of similar watermelon-merging games, it seems many found it easy to rack up points. Second place went to the 70,000 to 80,000 range, followed by 50,000 to 60,000, and finally, those who broke 100,000. It seems we had at least one true master in our midst.

With the summer event wrapping up, we have a full month of story events and main scenario updates ahead. Beyond the Absolute squad, we’ll see new units and the continuation of the main plot. The main scenario PV is already live, and the community is deep in debate over the breadcrumbs dropped so far. What are you most excited for in this update? Cast your vote, and we’ll reveal the results in next week’s Meca Ranking.