Arcana Heart 3 LOVE MAX!!!!!: Arcana Heart 3 LOVE MAX!!!!! – Trial Mode Walkthrough (w/ Angelia Avallone)

Welcome to my Trial Mode walkthrough, featuring Angelia Avallone as our special guest! This mode is the hardest part of the game’s achievement list, and Angelia is an excellent character to pick for it – she has a straightforward solution for every trial and makes the hardest trials a lot easier, especially Gold Trial 10 which becomes way less skill-dependent thanks to her Critical Heart. As such, I have written this guide to provide a complete walkthrough to make Trial Mode as easy as possible with Angelia.

You will obtain the below achievements in this order while following this guide:

• Spear of Destiny: Successfully used “Claiomh” three times in a single battle.
• Bronze Arcana: Obtained all bronze medals in Trial Mode with one character.
• Silver Arcana: Obtained all silver medals in Trial Mode with one character.
• I am Become Death…: Defeated Parace L’Sia in Trial Mode.
• Gold Arcana: Obtained all gold medals in Trial Mode with one character.

Note: The numeric annotation system (which is the standard annotation system in fighting games) will be used throughout this guide. Please refer to the below image if you need a refresher on it (SOURCE: Mizuumi Wiki[wiki.gbl.gg]):

This walkthrough is divided into 7 runs. Each run focuses on reaching and completing a certain trial with a specific Arcana and will be detailed in its own section. Before getting into the walkthrough, I will provide some various general information on Trial Mode in the next section.

“Stay with me, will you?”

Much like most fighting games out there, Arcana Heart 3 LOVE MAX!!!!! features its own Trial Mode. The way it works is as follows:

• There are 30 trials in total, divided into 3 tiers (from easiest to hardest: Bronze -> Silver -> Gold) of 10 trials each (Trial 1, 2, …, 10 – I will refer to them generally as “numbered trial”)
• Each run takes you through numbered trials in order (1, 2, …, 10) until you either quit the game or clear all 10 numbered trials
• You start on the lowest tier (Bronze) and unlock the next tier of a numbered trial when you clear the same numbered trial of your current tier (e.g. clearing Bronze Trial 1 unlocks Silver Trial 1)
• Clearing a numbered trial of a certain tier takes you to the next tier of that numbered trial when reaching it again (e.g. Bronze Trial 1 -> Silver Trial 1 -> Gold Trial 1).
• That essentially means that you won’t go through the numbered trial of the previous tier anymore, so keep that in mind when going for the Spear of Destiny achievement (e.g. Bronze Trial 1 is no longer available once it’s cleared)

Here are some general tips to keep in mind while going through this mode:

• Each trial’s requirement will be displayed in the background during gameplay. You can tell if you’ve succeeded one when the requirement turns orange and if you’ve failed one when the requirement turn blue.
• If you feel like you’re not going to clear a trial during a match, make sure you lose the match then continue when the game prompts you so that you can try again.
• You must win the match when clearing a trial to advance to the next numbered trial, merely completing the requirement isn’t enough
• You don’t need to clear a trial again after it’s cleared, you can just quickly defeat the opponent to proceed to the next match
• Make sure that autosave is enabled (Option -> System Options), as you can quit to the main menu after each run and your progress is saved when you enter the main menu
• You can stack Bronze/Silver/Gold Trial 3 and clear them all in one match when you reach that numbered trial. Same goes for Bronze/Silver/Gold Trial 6.

The requirements for all 30 trials are listed below (SOURCE: Arcana Heart wiki[arcana-heart.fandom.com]):

Trials 1-8 and 10 are the same for all characters, whereas Bronze Trial 9 and Gold Trial 9 are different based on the character you’re playing as. Here are Angelia’s requirements for Bronze Trial 9 (left) and Gold Trial 9 (right):

Here’s the roadmap for Trial Mode that my guide is based on:

• Run 1 (w/ Time Arcana): Bronze Trial 1 -> Bronze Trial 2 -> Bronze/Silver/Gold Trial 3 -> Bronze Trial 4
• Run 2 (w/ Lightning Arcana): Silver Trial 1 -> Silver Trial 2 -> Silver/Gold Trial 3 -> Silver Trial 4
• Run 3 (w/ Time Arcana): Gold Trial 1 -> Gold Trial 2 -> Gold Trial 3 (if still needed)
• Run 4 (w/ Mirror Arcana): Gold Trials 1-3 -> Gold Trial 4 -> Bronze Trial 5 -> Bronze/Silver/Gold Trial 6 -> Bronze Trial 7 -> Bronze Trial 8 -> Bronze Trial 9 -> Bronze Trial 10
• Run 5 (w/ Mirror Arcana): Gold Trials 1-4 -> Silver Trial 5 -> Silver/Gold Trial 6 -> Silver Trial 7 -> Silver Trial 8 -> Silver Trial 9 -> Silver Trial 10
• Run 6 (w/ Mirror Arcana): Gold Trials 1-4 -> Gold Trial 5 -> Gold Trial 6 -> Gold Trial 7 -> Gold Trial 8 -> Gold Trial 9 -> Gold Trial 10
• Run 7 (w/ Mirror Arcana): Gold Trials 1-9 -> Gold Trial 10

The walkthrough details each run and provides tips for every trial, so please refer to it for more information.

Arcana Heart 3 LOVE MAX!!!!! has full controller support and can be played with a PlayStation controller. The DualShock 4 works well with the game; however, keep in mind that the game displays Xbox buttons and not PlayStation ones.

Before delving into Trial Mode, I recommend specifically adjusting some controls for this mode in order to make inputting certain moves and combos easier. You can do so by going to Controller Setting (either from “Option” in the Main Menu or from the Pause Menu during gameplay). Once you’re there, configure the below controls that you will use regularly throughout this mode:

• A+B+C (Extend Force): L1 (LB for Xbox controllers)
• A+B (Super): R1 (RB for Xbox controllers)
• E (Arcana): X (A for Xbox controllers)
• D (Homing): R2 (RT for Xbox controllers)

That concludes this overview of Trial Mode. It’s time to fight our way to the ultimate opponent!

“Let’s do this! Departure progress ♪”

• Clear Gold Trial 3 that needs Time Arcana
• Unlock Silver Trial 4 (for the Spear of Destiny achievement) by clearing Bronze Trial 4

Bronze Trial 1: Hit with a jump attack!

-> Perform a jump attack (e.g. jA) on your opponent.
-> You must do that 15 times to clear this trial.

Bronze Trial 2: Perform a combo!

Note: A 2-hit combo counts, so you don’t need to do a longer combo.

-> Hit your opponent with 5A 5B in quick succession.
-> You must do that 20 times to clear this trial.

Bronze/Silver/Gold Trial 3: Use a combo with many moves as you can!

Note: These 3 trials are stackable, so you can complete them all by doing a single 13-hit combo.

This is where Time Arcana is needed, as it allows you to slow down time which gives you enough time to input a 13-hit combo. It can be a little tricky to do because your opponent can sometimes jump or attack you while you stop time, thus stopping the move and triggering the Time Arcana’s cooldown period. After some testing, I found the following combo the best one to do as it’s easy to memorize and involves the simplest of moves:

-> Put a bit of distance between you and your opponent and input A+B+C 236A+B+C to stop time then input: jB jA 5A 5B 5C 6C 5E 2A 2B 2C 2E 214A+B 41236A+B. You may find below a visual guide to better demonstrate that combo:

As you may have noticed, I got slightly derpy a couple of times but still managed to successfully perform the combo just in time, so you have a little bit of leeway when going for it.

Bronze Trial 4: Perform homing attacks!

A homing attack involves attacking your opponent immediately after homing in on them.

-> Get close to your opponent and input 5D 5A in quick succession.
-> You must do that 5 times to clear this trial.

Clearing Bronze Trial 4 marks the end of Run 1. When Bronze Trial 5 starts, quit the game to the Main Menu to save your progress before starting Run 2 below.

• Obtain the Spear of Destiny achievement in Silver Trial 4

Silver Trial 1: Perform jump cancel!

A jump cancel occurs when you jump immediately after attacking your opponent to “cancel” your attack.

-> Hit your opponent with 5A then immediately jump.
-> You must do that 10 times to clear this trial.

Silver Trial 2: Use a combo containing an Extend Force cancel!

An Extend Force cancel occurs when you use an Extend Force (A+B+C) after attacking your opponent to “cancel” your attack.

-> Hit your opponent with 5B A+B+C 5B in quick succession.
-> You must do that 3 times to clear this trial.

Silver/Gold Trial 3: Use a combo with many moves as you can!

Please refer to Run 1 if you haven’t cleared Gold Trial 3. Otherwise, defeat your opponent normally to move on to the next numbered trial as there’s no need to redo the trial.

Silver Trial 4: Intersect your opponent’s attacks!

You need to perform 20 clashes, which happen when you and your opponent attack each other at the same time.

-> Get close to your opponent and input 5B or 5C when your opponent attacks you.
-> You must do that 20 times to clear this trial.

Spear of Destiny achievement:

This is where Lightning Arcana is needed. The Spear of Destiny achievement requires you to successfully use “Claiomh” (623E) 3 times in a single battle, which you can only do so with Lightning Arcana when a clash happens. Silver Trial 4 makes this achievement a lot easier since your opponent is regularly attacking you.

-> Quickly input 623E when a clash occurs.
-> You must do that 3 times to obtain this achievement.

Notes:

• You can perform 5E attacks to initiate the clashes. This makes the achievement easier to obtain since your finger is already on the respective button when the clash occurs.
• If you have done the 20 clashes required for Silver Trial 4 but don’t think you can obtain this achievement before the match is over, make sure to lose the match so you can try again. Winning the match in this case would take you to the next numbered trial, so you couldn’t go for this achievement again unless you pick another character and reach Silver Trial 4 with them.

Clearing Silver Trial 4 marks the end of Run 2. When Bronze Trial 5 starts, quit the game to the Main Menu to save your progress before starting Run 3 below.

• Clear Gold Trial 2 that needs Time Arcana
• In case you still haven’t cleared Gold Trial 3, clear that one as well

Gold Trial 1: Defeat your opponent only with normal attacks!

-> Repeatedly hit your opponent with 5C attacks, as 5C is Angelia’s strongest normal attack.
-> You must do that throughout an entire round to clear this trial.

Gold Trial 2: Perform a specific combo!

This is where Time Arcana is needed, since it allows you to slow down time which makes clearing this trial a lot easier. You need to perform 3 combos by alternating from midair to ground level normal attacks.

-> Input A+B+C 236A+B+C to stop time, then get close to your opponent and quickly input: jA 5A.
-> You must do that 3 times to clear this trial.

Gold Trial 3: Use a combo with many moves as you can!

Please refer to Run 1 if you still haven’t cleared Gold Trial 3. Otherwise, quit the game to the Main Menu when this trial starts to save your progress before starting Run 4 below.

• Clear all remaining Bronze Trials and defeat Scharlachrot (for the Bronze Arcana achievement)

Gold Trials 1-3:

Since you have already cleared these trials, there is no need to redo them. Defeat each of these opponents normally to move on to Gold Trial 4.

Note: Since you’re using Metal Arcana, you can charge your Arcana Gauge to the maximum (by holding 4E) and then perform Angelia’s Critical Gauge (mash A+B+C) to defeat these opponents faster.

Gold Trial 4: Defeat your opponent using only a specific attack!

You need to attack your opponent only while Extend Force is activated. Attacking the opponent at any other time voids your current attempt, and you would need to retry the trial by losing the match and continuing.

-> Input A+B+C then repeatedly attack your opponent with 5C during Extend Force.
-> You must do that throughout an entire round (not the whole match) to clear this trial.

Bronze Trial 5: Perform a combo with a homing cancel!

A homing cancel occurs when you immediately use the homing move (D) after attacking your opponent to “cancel” your attack.

-> Input 2C 5D 2C in quick succession next to your opponent.
-> You must do that 5 times to clear this trial.

Bronze/Silver/Gold Trial 6: Defeat your opponent as fast as you can!

Note: These 3 trials are stackable, so you can complete them all by defeating your opponent within 10 seconds.

-> Hold 4E to fill your entire Arcana Gauge during the first round (lose this round so you can have 2 tries). When the second round starts, quickly perform Angelia’s Extended Critical Heart (mash A+B+C) to finish off the opponent within 10 seconds.
-> You must do that in a single round (not throughout the entire match) to clear this trial.

Bronze Trial 7: Hit with an Extend Blast!

An Extend Blast occurs when you activate Extend Force (A+B+C) near your opponent and knock them back. It doesn’t count if they block it.

-> Input A+B+C near your opponent and knock them back.
-> You must do that 3 times to clear this trial.

Bronze Trial 8: Perform an Arcana Eclipse!

-> Input A+B+C then 214A+B+C to perform an Arcana Eclipse on your opponent.
-> You must do that 3 times to clear this trial.

Bronze Trial 9: Defeat your opponent with [Catch a Shooting Star]!

-> Fill 2 Arcana Gauge bars by holding 4E, then lower your opponent’s health bar to red and input: 214A+B then 41236A+B. You must defeat the opponent with this attack for it to count.
-> You must do that in a single round (not throughout the entire match) to clear this trial.

Bronze Trial 10: Defeat the enemy!

You will face Scharlachrot in this trial. She can deal a decent amount of damage to you if you get caught in her attacks (especially her Critical Heart), but she’s not a very powerful boss overall.

-> This is where Metal Arcana is really needed. Angelia’s Critical Heart is a big help against Scharlachrot, but you will need to be able to use it first. Use the first round to fill as much of your Arcana Gauge as possible while blocking Scharlachrot’s attacks if you can. You won’t be able to fill it all in this round due to Scharlachrot’s regular attacks, but you should aim to be at more than 2 bars by the end of this round (any less and you will likely not make it). When the second round starts, fill the rest of your Arcana Gauge and then immediately use Critical Heart (mash A+B+C) whenever it’s available. The rest of the fight from that point on involves evading Scharlachrot’s attacks and using Critical Heart as soon as it’s available again. This fight will likely take several tries but shouldn’t be too bad.
-> You must win the entire match (2 out of 3 rounds) to clear this trial.

Nicely done, you’ve defeated Scharlachrot and cleared all the Bronze Trials, thus obtaining the Bronze Arcana achievement!

Clearing Bronze Trial 10 marks the end of Run 4. Time to tackle the remaining Silver Trials in Run 5!

• Clear all remaining Silver Trials and defeat Angelia (for the Silver Arcana achievement)

Gold Trials 1-4:

Since you have already cleared these trials, there is no need to redo them. Defeat each of these opponents normally to move on to Silver Trial 5.

Note: Since you’re using Metal Arcana, you can charge your Arcana Gauge to the maximum (by holding 4E) and then perform Angelia’s Critical Gauge (mash A+B+C) to defeat these opponents faster.

Silver Trial 5: Inflict massive damage with a combo!

-> Inflicting 10,000 points of damage without using a Critical Heart or Arcana Blaze may seem daunting, but fear not as Angelia has an excellent solution for that: her Ending Sadness attack! To perform it, hold 5A or 5B or 5C for 50+ seconds on the in-game timer and run around from your opponent while it’s charging (getting hit is okay and doesn’t ruin your attempt, but try to avoid getting hit as much as possible to maintain a good amount of HP). Once 50+ seconds on the timer have elapsed, get close to your opponent and release the attack. Provided the opponent doesn’t evade it, the Ending Sadness attack will deal more than 10,000 damage. Note that you don’t need to defeat the opponent, just successful hit her with it.
-> You must successfully do that once to clear this trial.

Silver Trial 6: Defeat your opponent as fast as you can!

Please refer to Run 4 if you haven’t cleared Gold Trial 6. Otherwise, defeat your opponent normally to move on to the next numbered trial as there’s no need to redo the trial.

Silver Trial 7: Win by running out of time!

-> Hold 4E to fill your entire Arcana Gauge during the first round (lose this round so you can have 2 tries). When the second round starts, quickly perform Angelia’s Extended Critical Heart (mash A+B+C) to deal a huge amount of damage to your opponent, then run around to avoid the opponent’s attacks until the timer runs out.
-> You must do that in a single round (not throughout the entire match) to clear this trial.

Silver Trial 8: Defeat your opponent with an Arcana Blaze!

-> Lower your opponent’s health bar to red, and input A+B+C then 236A+B+C to perform an Arcana Blaze on the opponent. You must defeat her with this attack for it to count.
-> You must do that in a single round (not throughout the entire match) to clear this trial.

Silver Trial 9: Defeat your opponent with a Critical Heart!

-> Hold 4E to fill your entire Arcana Gauge during the first round (lose this round so you can have 2 tries). When the second round starts, hit your opponent with some normal attacks then perform Angelia’s Extended Critical Heart (mash A+B+C) to defeat the opponent with a Critical Heart – the Extended version of Angelia’s Critical Heart does count for this trial.
-> You must do that in a single round (not throughout the entire match) to clear this trial.

Silver Trial 10: Defeat the powerful enemy!

You will face Angelia in this trial. She can deal a decent amount of damage to you if you get caught in her attacks (especially her Critical Heart), but she’s not a very powerful boss overall.

-> This is where Metal Arcana is really needed. Angelia’s Critical Heart is a big help against the other Angelia, but you will need to be able to use it first. Use the first round to fill as much of your Arcana Gauge as possible while blocking the other Angelia’s attacks if you can. You won’t be able to fill it all in this round due to the other Angelia’s regular attacks, but you should aim to be at more than 2 bars by the end of this round (any less and you will likely not make it). When the second round starts, fill the rest of your Arcana Gauge and then immediately use Critical Heart (mash A+B+C) whenever it’s available. The rest of the fight from that point on involves evading the other Angelia’s attacks and using Critical Heart as soon as it’s available again. The biggest thing to watch out for here is the other Angelia’s Critical Heart, which if not blocked will deal a big chunk of damage to you.
-> You must win the entire match (2 out of 3 rounds) to clear this trial.

Nicely done, you’ve defeated yourself and cleared all the Silver Trials, thus obtaining the Silver Arcana achievement!

Clearing Silver Trial 10 marks the end of Run 5. Time to tackle the remaining Gold Trials in Run 6!

• Clear all remaining Gold Trials and defeat Parace L’Sia (for the I am Become Death… and Gold Arcana achievements)

Gold Trials 1-4:

Since you have already cleared these trials, there is no need to redo them. Defeat each of these opponents normally to move on to Gold Trial 5.

Note: Since you’re using Metal Arcana, you can charge your Arcana Gauge to the maximum (by holding 4E) and then perform Angelia’s Critical Gauge (mash A+B+C) to defeat these opponents faster.

Gold Trial 5: Inflict massive damage with a combo!

This trial is very similar to Silver Trial 5 in that you need to inflict more than 10,000 damage with a combo, but the difference is that you can’t use your Arcana Gauge or Force Gauge. The methoid you need to use to clear this trial remains the exact same, though, so please refer to Run 5 for the corresponding method.

Gold Trial 6: Defeat your opponent as fast as you can!

Please refer to Run 5 if you still haven’t cleared Gold Trial 6. Otherwise, defeat your opponent normally to move on to the next numbered trial as there’s no need to redo the trial.

Gold Trial 7: Achieve a perfect victory!

-> Hold 4E to fill your entire Arcana Gauge during the first round (lose this round so you can have 2 tries). When the second round starts, quickly perform Angelia’s Extended Critical Heart (mash A+B+C) to deal a huge amount of damage to your opponent, then run around to avoid the opponent’s attacks until your Arcana Gauge is completely refilled. Once that happens, immediately activate Critical Gauge again to defeat the opponent. You could try landing some normal attacks on the opponent after the first Critical Heart to defeat them quicker, but it’s a little risky because even though the A.I. is fairly easy here, you may still get hit (which would ruin your attempt).
-> You must do that in a single round (not throughout the entire match) to clear this trial.

Gold Trial 8: Defeat your opponent using only a specific attack!

You need to attack your opponent only with Arcana moves is activated. Attacking the opponent in any other way voids your current attempt, and you would need to retry the trial by losing the match and continuing.

-> Get close to your opponent and A+B+C then 214A+B+C, then repeat for the entire round.
-> You must do that throughout an entire round (not the whole match) to clear this trial.

Gold Trial 9: Hit with [Ending Sadness] at its longest charge!

The method you need to use to clear this trial is the exact same as Silver Trial 5 (and Gold Trial 5), so please refer to Run 5 for the corresponding method.

Gold Trial 10: Defeat the overwhelmingly powerful enemy!

You will face Parace L’Sia in this trial. She truly is an overwhelmingly powerful boss that deals a huge amount of damage to you when you get caught in her attacks, which happens very often. However, much like Scharlachrot and Angelia, the method to defeat Parace L’Sia remains the same.

-> This is where Metal Arcana is really needed. Angelia’s Critical Heart is a big help against Parace L’Sia, but you will need to be able to use it first. Use the first round to fill as much of your Arcana Gauge as possible. Don’t focus on blocking Parace’s attacks because she will just teleport to the other side and attack you, so just focus on filling your Arcana Gauge. You won’t be able to fill it all in this round due to Parace’s constant attacks, but you should aim to be at more than 2 bars by the end of this round (any less and you will likely not make it). The good thing about Parace is that she has a move where she curls up in an ice cube to refill her health. She can do that move even if she’s at full health, so you should pay attention to it and take advantage of those precious few seconds where she stops hitting you to fill up as much of your Arcana Gauge as possible. When the second round starts, fill the rest of your Arcana Gauge and then immediately use Critical Heart (mash A+B+C) whenever it’s available. The rest of the fight from that point on involves evading Parace and using Critical Heart as soon as it’s available again. As a nice bonus, you can occasionally KO Parace when she’s at full health with just a single Critical Heart, but that happens very rarely so don’t count on that.
-> You must win the entire match (2 out of 3 rounds) to clear this trial.

You may find below a visual guide to better demonstrate the Parace L’Sia fight with the above method:

“Don’t get sick! Stupid stupid stupid stupid stupid! Die!”

As you can see, you’ll need a ton of patience and luck due to Parace relentlessly attacking you. It can take up to a few hours if you’re very unlucky, but keep at it and you’ll get it done!

Congratulations, you’ve defeated the spammiest boss in the Arcana Heart series and cleared all the Gold Trials, thus obtaining the I am Become Death… and Gold Arcana achievements!

Clearing Gold Trial 10 marks the end of Run 6. There’s just one last run to do, and it seems to involve Parace L’Sia again? This one may not be so bad, though…

• Use Mirror Arcana against Parace L’Sia (for progress towards the …Sincerest Form of Flattery achievement.

Gold Trials 1-9:

Since you’re done with all the Gold Trials, just defeat each opponent normally to move on to Gold Trial 10 where Parace L’Sia is.

Gold Trials 1-10:

Oh no, not Parace L’Sia again! Don’t worry, the good news is that you don’t have to fight her again.

The …Sincerest Form of Flattery achievement requires you to see every version of “Phasma” and “Phantasia” – in other words, you need perform 4 Mirror Arcana moves on every character in the game. Parace L’Sia is one of the required characters and is only available to fight in Trial Mode, hence the need for this run.

-> Use Phasma (236E), air Phasma (j236E), Phantasia (236236E) and air Phantasia (j236236E) against Parace L’Sia. They don’t need to hit her and can be done across multiple rounds. Once you’ve activated them against her, lose the fight and exit to Main Menu.

That’s it, you’re done with the entirety of Trial Mode and its related achievements! That’s just one of the many modes in the game, so get back in there and kick some more butt with the power of yoop! Just make sure to stay faaaaar away from Parace L’Sia from now on. She’s certainly not gonna like being defeated like that…

Thank you for reading/using my guide! I felt like writing one for Trial Mode to provide Love Max players and achievement hunters with a complete walkthrough for Trial Mode given how it works in this game. I hope it helps you if you’re going for the achievement list!

“Yaaaaay! We did it!”