FAQ
General
What is Tears of Themis?
Tears of Themis is a mobile otome game for Android and iOS published by Chinese game developer HoYoverse, notably also the creators of mobile RPG Genshin Impact. The game was first released in China (29th July, 2020) and Taiwan (20th August, 2020), with the global server release date on 29th July, 2021.
What is joseimuke and why do I frequently see this game and similar games in this genre labeled as otome?
Joseimuke is an all-encompassing term for media targeted towards female audiences in general. It is an umbrella term for genres such as otome, yaoi, shojo manga, etc. Otomemuke ("otome": maiden) games are a genre that features romance between the female lead character and her male love interests. The actual gameplay itself varies from title to title. A simple rule of thumb is that all otome is joseimuke, but not all joseimuke is otome.
Traditional otome mechanics at play in Tears of Themis include increasing the male leads' affection to unlock personal storylines. These personal stories, as well as events and card stories, focus on the developing romances between the main character and the four male leads.
Traditional otome mechanics that are missing include route-based gameplay (while there are "soft routes" at play in the form of mutually exclusive timelines, the player is never asked to choose between them) and collection of good/bad/neutral story endings. Additionally, note the main story is on a "neutral" or common timeline, with the relationships kept in the background as the main character and four male leads solve the mystery of the X-NOTE.
For a more in-depth overview of the topic, this article by Otome Obsessed offers an excellent break down of the distinctions in terminology.
What is the point / objective / appeal of this game? Why should I play it?
Appeal in Tears of Themis lies in its plot, design, and romantic elements. The game plays like a visual novel as the main plot of the story is less focused on romantic development and more on the detective mystery aesthetic. There are also a collection element through obtaining cards and art through evolving collected cards.
How is this game different from Genshin Impact?
Unlike Genshin Impact, Tears of Themis does not have an open world, and there are no avatars to control. It is a visual novel with card collection by means of the gacha.
How is this game different from Mr. Love: Queen’s Choice or similar games?
MLQC and Tears of Themis are similar in how they are structured. Cards are obtained through the gacha (and occasional events) and used to beat mission quests and other objectives to progress through the main plot and side stories.
Can I change the gender of the MC?
No, the MC is a fixed character with a female gender that cannot be changed.
How long is the story?
The game was initially released in global (late July 2021) with four episodes, Episode Five in three parts was unlocked in August 2021. Each male love interest also has their own personal side story, where at release, two chapters were available.
Cards of SR and SSR rarity also come with side stories specific to the artwork of that card.
Progress in completing the available content will be dependent on a player's card collection and regulated by the limited nature of resources like stamina, but eventually most long-term players will complete all available main story and personal story content and be left to focus on card collection-related tasks, mini-games, and events while waiting for new content updates.
Do the choices I pick affect the story permanently?
At the time of publishing, there’s no indication that anything you choose will have a long-term effect on the story or is irreversible, nor does the game force you to choose one love interest over the others.
The romance development in Tears of Themis is highly dependent on the collection of cards for the love interests, from the permanently available set of cards as well as from time-limited events that occur regularly. Otherwise, though, the romances are fixed, meaning that you can pursue any (or all) of the characters without being locked into a ‘route’ and affecting your progress with the other characters or causing the development of the overall story to change somehow.
In some events, however, the player may have to choose between completing content for different love interests. This does not affect the main story though, and players will usually have the ability to complete the previously unchosen content after advancing far enough into their selected item.
Where can I buy miHoYo/Tears of Themis merchandise?
Please visit miHoYo Tmall for merchandise.
Gameplay
General
What time does the server reset? What time do events/new Shadows of Themis start?
Daily tasks, affection limit, friendship badge claims, and daily tries for stages all reset at 4:00 AM UTC+9. You can also view your Daily tasks in-game for a rough timer.
New events and Shadows of Themis starts at 12:00 PM UTC+9.
How fast does AP recharge?
1 AP every 6 minutes or 10 AP per hour.
What are all the currencies in Tears of Themis? What do they do?
Please visit Currency for more information.
What are 
S-Chip used for?
They can be used to convert to AP or 
Tears of Themis. They can also be used in special events, so don't convert them ahead of time unless you are ready to pull on the current banner.
What are the Gift and Star currency for? How to get more?
Star currency is used to upgrade cards without using duplicates of them.
You can exchange for Star currency using Gifts, which you obtain after pulling 5+ of the same card.
An R card will give 
Gift I x100, an SR card will give Gift I x1000, and an SSR will give 
Gift II x 100.
I'm out of 
Stellin / Oracle of Justice! How to get more?
- Complete your Business and Operations dailies in Legal Studies.
- Do Anomaly Stages / Temple of Trials / Trials of Themis.
- Always claim your NXX Headquarters Resource Requisition (unlocked after completing Main Story 04-02).
What should I spend 
Friendship Badge on?
You can spend it on whichever resource you are lacking.
Do Rookie Tasks disappear?
No, they will stay around indefinitely/forever until you have completed all tasks and claimed all rewards.
What should my game progression be like?
It is recommended to complete Main Story episode 4 to unlock NXX Headquarters and its features, which helps with resource gains and deck strength. When you cannot progress further, you should focus on grinding Stellins, Oracles, and evolve Chips to power up your deck. Once your cards are strong enough again, you resume Main Story and repeat the cycle.
After you have finished the Main Story, you can look into continuing the grind to level up your cards in preparation for future chapters.
It is also worth doing Anomaly stages daily for card fragments as there is a limit of 3 tries/stage/day.
You should also try to progress Trials of Themis which will raise the S-Chip cap that you can earn weekly from Temple of Trials.
Gacha / Shadows of Themis
What is Shadows of Themis? What should I pull on?
Shadows of Themis are card banners. Currently, there's Permanent Shadows of Themis, Rotation Shadows of Themis, and Event-Exclusive Shadows of Themis.
It is recommended to begin with pulling for the guaranteed SSR in 30 pulls on the permanent banner. Thereafter, it is recommended to save currency and pull for your favourite. Events occur time to time, so if unsure, it is good to save for the future.
How does pity work? Is there a soft pity in the game?
On most banners, you will get a guaranteed new SSR at 100 pulls. If you pull an SSR you already own on rate-up, your pity will not reset. You can click on Probability on each banner to read detailed explanation of the banner pity and view the card pool.
There is no soft pity in the game.
How many S-Chip will I need to hit pity? Does banner pity carry over?
180 S-Chip = 1 Pull, so 18,000 S-Chips = 100 Pulls. If you want both SSRs on a banner, you will need 36,000 S-Chips.
Banner pity will carry over to other banners of the same type. For example, Rotation banners to Rotation banners.
Please visit the banner archive for banner history.
Does it matter if I do single/ten-pulls?
No, there is no difference doing single/ten-pulls. The pity counter to getting an SR/SSR in 10/100 will be the same regardless of single or ten-pulls.
Mall
Can I top-up outside the App Store / Play Store?
Yes, you can visit Tears of Themis official website and click the Top Up option on the banner.
What is P-Points? How to get SR Thin Veil and SSR Matching Tattoos?
Every time you make a purchase, you will receive P-Points corresponding to the amount you spent (1 USD = 6 P-Points).
SR Thin Veil and SSR Matching Tattoos are cards only obtainable through P-Points and are not available anywhere else in the game. The first costs 100 USD and the second costs approximately 833 USD.
Please see Mall for a list of total purchase rewards and their estimated USD rate.
What should I buy in the mall?
If you're looking to spend, the best purchases typically are the Monthly Pass and the Investment Fund.
The Investment Fund is more of a long-term purchase though, as it requires you to get to Level 80 in order to obtain the full rewards, which may take several months.
There is also the Welcome Gift, where you can buy any amount of Gems ($0.99) for materials and a free SR.
If you're looking to maximize Gem -> S-Chip Conversions, look for packs that offer a better ratio than the standard 1 Gem -> 10 S-Chip or 18 Gems -> 180 S-Chips -> 1 Tears of Themis ratio, such as the limited-time event pack conversions (e.g. During release, there was a pack that offered 1 Gem -> 40 S-Chips).
I purchased 
Gem and claimed the Welcome Gift but didn't claim the SR!
You can go to Home Screen > Profile > Inventory to exchange for your SR.
Deck-building
How do debate stages work? What do cards do?
Please visit debate mechanics and card mechanics to learn more about the game mechanics.
What is Influence? What are arguments?
Influence is the Attack stat in the game. Arguments are essentially the enemy's arguments that you deal damage to when selecting a card.
How should I level my cards? Can I focus only on cards of one character?
Leveling your cards equally is more effective than hard focusing on a single card. Early on, it is recommended to level your SSR and SR to Lv. 70/100, and R cards to Lv. 40/70 instead of raising them all the way to Lv. 100/100 or Lv. 70/70. This is because it takes more materials to level higher-level cards than lower-lever ones, and your deck will be stronger overall if you have multiple leveled cards vs. a single strong card.
Depending on the level you get stuck on, you may want to focus on cards with attributes strong against the boss.
Some stages force you to use characters from a single character only (e.g. Character Stories, Birthday events), so unless you plan on skipping out on these character stories/events, it is still recommended to eventually level every character's cards.
What do support decks do?
A portion of the support deck card's stats will be applied, strengthening your overall deck (as how much damage you do is also affected by your overall deck strength).
The only two skills that activate when placed in the Support Deck are the Formidable skill and Progressive skill, these are unlocked by evolving R cards.
Other skills (even passive boosts) must be in the Primary Deck to activate.
What skills should I focus on? Do card buffs stack?
It is typically recommended to focus on offensive skills. Some offensive skills include:
- Layer by Layer - Boosts Influence (Attack) % of all cards for X turns.
- Preemptive Strike - Selfish offensive skill that makes a card do more % damage.
- Attribute Buffing Cards - Boosts Influence % of <Attribute> cards for X turns.
Yes, card buffs do stack.
Story / Card Story
I need help with a story investigation stage!
The Wiki has pages for each stage, some of which include guides to things like Clue Analysis, Inspection, etc.
Do choices affect the story / text messages / calls?
No, choices do not affect the story outside of minor dialogue differences and maybe unlocking different illustrations.
If you wish to see different dialogues, you can replay stories / text messages / calls to choose the other choices.
Are all card stories voiced? How do I unlock video calls / text messages?
All SSR card stories are fully voiced. Most SR card stories are partially voiced at the CG portion of the story if you are using CN voice; for other voice packs, there may be no voice available at the moment.
Some chapters of card stories will unlock video calls/text messages. This is denoted by a call/message bubble symbol on the card story chapter.
What are Private Messages? How do I listen to Private Messages?
Main Story SR cards have Private Messages. These feature short ASMR-like audio that the player can listen to. In the beginner Vision tutorial with Davis, one SR containing private messages will be randomly drawn. Cards with Private Messages include:
- Artem "Staying Humble"
- Artem "Darkest Before Dawn"
- Vyn "Spilling Light"
- Vyn "Entrapped"
- Marius "Butterflies"
- Marius "Falling into You"
- Luke "Once Upon a Time"
- Luke "Together With You"
Players can level the card to Lv. 40 to unlock Private Message 01 and Lv. 70 to unlock Private Message 02.
Anomaly
What are Card Fragments? Can I get a new card with Card Fragments?
Card fragments can be used to craft a new card or to upgrade an existing card when you have 100 of the same fragments.
Certain stages in Anomaly drops SR card fragments. These SR cards are the Main Story cards that come with Private Messages.
It is recommended to farm for a new card you like or a new card of the attribute you lack.
Legal Study
How do I obtain more Work Permits?
You can receive one a day from completing daily tasks, and an extra one a day if you have Monthly Pass.
Where can I find the Legal Study schedule?
The Wiki front page has one along with reset timers.
Trials of Themis / Temple of Trials
I don't know the answer to a Trials of Athena (owl) question!
Please visit Trials of Themis for a list of questions and answers.
NXX Headquarters
How can I get more S/A-rank case analyses?
The chance is random. As you rank up your File Room, your chances of higher-tier cases will also increase.
What is Deep Analysis? What does it do?
Deep Analysis triples the amount of materials you receive upon completion a case analysis. The higher level your cards, the higher chance you can trigger Deep Analysis.
What talents should I level in the Study Room?
It is generally recommended to prioritize offensive skills first. This is because due to the limited turn mechanics during debates, it is recommended to hit the enemy as hard as possible rather than try to defensively turtle a fight. Defense skills may still be warranted though if a player finds themselves getting killed by the enemy.
After offensive skills, the talent skill choices are more flexible and may vary player to player depending on preference.
Please see the NXX Headquarters for detailed recommendations.
What is Logical Thinking in the Study Room? What does it do?
Logical Thinking refers to the thought bubble that appears over the MC's head during debates. This bubble starts filled up at 50%. Without talents, this bubble fills back up to 50% each time a player uses a card.
If a player has a talent that reduces the time of the next logical thinking, then the bubble will fill up by the talent's given %. Once the bubble is filled to 100%, a player will be able to take two turns in a row without the enemy counterattacking in between.
For the talent skills, the following are the trigger effects:
- Reorganizing cards refers to refreshing your deck.
- Refuting an argument refers to destroying an argument.
- Trumping an argument refers to attacking an argument with the attribute with increased effectiveness against it (e.g. using a logic argument on an empathy argument).
User / Profile-Related
Is there a birthday feature?
Introduced in Global Version 1.4 (13th October 2021), birthdays of the player are also celebrated. Four birthday presents may be obtained. Each present will contain Tears of Themis ×1, 
Energy Drink Family Pack ×1, and skill level-up material for the respective male lead.
The birthday blessings you obtain by logging into the game on your birthday can be replayed in the "Birthday Surprise" interface. If you do not log in on your birthday or if you do not watch their birthday blessings to you, you can log in any time within the next seven days to obtain their birthday presents to you via the in-game Mailbox. The mail will be valid for 30 days. The birthday surprise will end at 00:00(UTC+9) on the next day. Birthday presents can be opened by tapping "Inventory," then "Consumables." The present box will disappear after opening.
Birthday-exclusive presents can only be claimed once per year. For players born on 2/29, you will be able to access your birthday surprises on 2/28.[1]
Go to your Profile and there should be a share icon in the bottom left. You do not have to actually share your post. Simply clicking on the social media you want to share with and backing out is enough to trigger the rewards. Please make sure you have the social media installed on your device before sharing.
How do I get the blue Judgement Badge? How to get more?
It was only available to Closed Beta users who completed all their Closed Beta tasks in May. It is no longer obtainable.
Other badges are obtainable during various events. Please check Badges for a list of all badges and how to obtain them.
What are Illustrations? How to get more?
Illustrations are art snippets that appear during Main Story, Character Stories, Dates, etc. Viewing the art when you're playing through the story automatically unlocks it in your archive.
What are Invitations? How to get more?
Invitations are home screen backgrounds. You can earn free invitations of the main love interests from completing Main Story episodes. Events have invitations that can be obtained through in-app purchases, and sometimes for free.
Technical
Can I play this game on emulator?
The game can be run on emulators such as Bluestacks, LDPlayer, etc. If the game doesn't run properly, you can consider changing the emulator version (Bluestacks 4 vs Bluestacks 5) or use a different emulator.
I can't connect to the game! My Wi-Fi works fine for other apps!
Please try connecting using a different Wi-Fi, mobile data, or through VPN. Make sure you verify the VPN you're connecting to is safe before using it!
In the case you can't connect through mobile data and VPN doesn't work, please contact Customer Service for further support.
My game lags / freezes / crashes a lot!
You can turn down the graphics options and close other running applications while playing the game. If the game crashes often or doesn't work properly, you can try Manual Repair through Title Screen > Support > Manual Repair.
