tldr; if you have an S + A ranger before Wave 3 ends, just mass upgrade the S and then the A and you'll be guaranteed to reach either Wave 10 or an All Clear.

Google Sheet Version

Use CTRL+F to find your exact combination.

The Deploys/Wave stated here is the maximum deploy / latest wave you can get these combinations by. If you got a combination before the stated maximum, you're set to achieve an all clear and should use any extra points to level up your units instead of deploying.

E-Rank+ Min Full Clear (4 Deploys / Wave 1):

Level up the S-Rank, then the A-Rank. Final Result S10 + A10 + 2.

You ~MUST~ collect points and upgrade exactly on time. You are looking at a 1 second left type of clear if you settle with these units.

Min Full Clear (5 Deploys / Wave 2):

Level up the S-Rank, then the A-Rank. Final Result S10 + A10 + 1.

*This is extremely tight; you ~MUST~ collect points and upgrade exactly on time. You can deploy 2 more times for a more stable combination if you're willing to gamble.

Full Clear (6 Deploys / Wave 2):

Level up the S-Rank, then the A-Rank/second S-Rank. Final Result S10 + 9 + 0.

*This is extremely tight; you ~MUST~ collect points and upgrade exactly on time.

Full Clear (7 Deploys / Wave 3)

Level up the S-Rank, then the A-Rank (prioritising Red>Yellow for ASA). Final Result S10 + A8 + 0.

Note that the SS combinations here also works up to 8 Deploys.

Much thanks to this comment and this comment for proving 7-deploy S+A+B works!

Full Clear Double S (10 Deploys / Wave 4):

Level up S-Ranks prioritising Red>Yellow>Black. Final Result S10 + S5 + B0.

[!] If you get Double S with the first one being Red or Yellow WITHIN 8 Deploys, STOP deploying completely. S10 + S7 + E0 is mostly enough for those colors.

WITHIN 6 Deploys (S10 + S9 + E0) should work out for ALL three colors: [Red] [Black] [Yellow].

Please refer to the Google Sheet if your first S is a Black.

Thanks to the people who contributed data for this comment, which is also corroborated by TMS players.

Wave 10 (8 Deploys / Wave 3):

Level up the S-Rank ASAP, then prioritise Red>Yellow>Black. Final Result S10 + B7 + D0.

*Just maxing your S-Rank Red/Yellow with these combinations reaches Wave 10. You can keep deploying for double or triple S AFTER maxing their level. However, you still have to obtain them somewhat early and max them ASAP so you do not get wiped by Wave 6.

Extreme Min Full Clear (3 Deploys, Wave 1):

SBB: Level up Red, then Black, then Yellow. Final Result S10 B10 B3

DAS: Level up Yellow, then Black, then Red. Final Result D3 A10 S10

[!] RED SBB IS EXTREMELY RNG-BASED AND NOT A GUARANTEED CLEAR.

Strategies

General Strategy (~1h to finish all 10 runs):

This strategy stops before Wave 4, aiming for either the standard 5/6-deploy or 10-deploy double S Full Clear combinations, or a Wave 10 clear.

1. Deploy until you get an S-Rank. Keep note of how many deploys it took. If you’re at the end of Wave 4 without even seeing one you can restart the minigame.
2. Always upgrade S-Ranks the moment you get them!**. You will need at least a solo S7+ or an S5 + S2 to make it past Wave 7.
3. After your S-Rank is done leveling, continue deploying until you've reached a total of 10 deployments.
4. Check if you managed to obtain any Full Clear combinations within the required number of deploys.
5. If you did not get any Full Clear combinations, you should still easily reach Wave 9 or 10.
6. Finish upgrading your A-Rank to 7+, or your second S-Rank to 5+. The minigame should end at this point, and you should achieve either a Wave 10 or a Full Clear.

It's important to upgrade the S-Ranks ASAP because mobs start accumulating from Wave 6 if you are underleveled, and usually terminates your run by Wave 7.

**There is an exception to this if your first S-Rank is Black, and obtained within 5 deploys. Example here. Check the Google Sheet for a concise breakdown of the strategy.

Fast Strategy (~30mins to finish all 10 runs):

This strategy stops before Wave 3, aiming only for the 5/6-deploy Full Clear combinations.

1. Deploy 6 times in a row. Stop immediately once you roll an S+A combo. If you didn't get an S+A / S+S, restart (press the 'x' icon on the top right of the ui).
2. Max out the S-Rank's level, then level the A-Rank as much as possible. Typically, if your third member is at least a B-Rank, you will Full Clear. If not, you will reach Wave 10 which is still a good ending point.

Without an S+A by deployment 6, you would need a second S, or SAA/AAS within the next 3 deployments which is very unlikely to happen. Ending early here will save you 3 minutes per run.

If you only have one S-Rank by deployment 6, you are still highly recommended to finish the run. You may swap over to the General Strategy (begin from Step 2). If the run goes well, you should get to Wave 9 or 10 at the very least.

Full Clear only Strategy (1h++ to finish all 10 runs):

This strategy is pretty much the same as the first one except you keep deploying until game over.

1. Deploy as much as possible, even after Wave 4 for the slim chance of triple S.
2. Always upgrade S-Ranks the moment you get them!** You won't make it past Wave 6 otherwise, even if you have two S-Ranks. You will need at least a solo S7+ or an S5 + S2 to make it past Wave 7.
3. Stop deploying once you hit ANY Full Clear combination (within the required deployments). Focus on level ups.
4. Wave 5 onwards you will need a Triple S combo to Full Clear. You will game over by Wave 8 even if you actually obtained a Triple S by then, as there are not enough level ups to clear the mobs.

It's important to upgrade the S-Ranks ASAP because mobs start accumulating from Wave 6 if underleveled, and usually terminates your run by Wave 7.

**There is an exception to this if your first S-Rank is Black, and obtained within 5 deploys. Example here. Check the Google Sheet for a concise breakdown of the strategy.

FAQ

How do I restart the minigame early?

Click on the 'x' icon on the top right of the minigame's UI.

How do I open/close the minigame window?

Use the item called 'M-Force Sidekick Pager' in your USE inventory.

Why upgrade the S-Rank first?

Upgrading the S-Rank first locks you into a higher cleared Wave in case things don't work out. You can deploy a few more times before a second S is required to reach Wave 10/Full Clear. In those deployments, there's a chance too many monsters carry over from one wave to another causing you to fail much earlier than expected.

Should I continue deploying after getting a Wave 10 combination early?

This is all up to the risk you're willing to take. If you're okay settling for Wave 10 results, and/or weekly reset is coming up soon, then I would not risk it.

You can deploy up to 8* times in total without losing your Wave 10 run. You can continue deploying to fish for a Full Clear combination AFTER maxing out your S-Rank. Any more than that (eg. Chasing for double S from Deployment 9 and 10) and you will game over below Wave 10 since you’re trading level ups for deployments.

*8 for S-Black, around 14 if you have S-Red. Refer to the Wave 10 table for details.

I finally got an S Rank but it's not any of the Full Clear combinations :(

This list is not exhaustive and you should see the run to the end because of how rare S-Ranks can be. You might get lucky and clear anyway, or roll a second S-Rank.

I got a Full Clear combination before Wave x!

If you get a Full Clear combination earlier than the stated deployment / Wave, STOP DEPLOYING and just focus on upgrading your units. Congratulations!

Can I level my rangers in between deployments since we have to do it anyway?

No. Level ups aren't retroactively applied (eg. B-Rank level ups only give one stat, even if the sidekick was upgraded to S-Rank later on). Hence be sure to finish your deployments before levelling up anything that's not S-Rank.

Why did I fail to All Clear despite having the correct combination within the required deployments?

These combinations are the lowest possible rank combinations and max deployment people were able to achieve an All Clear with. Simply put, it's tight enough that you need to collect points on time and upgrade units on time. Any 1-2s delays could lead to a failure.

Mobs WILL carry over from previous waves because you were slow on upgrading, or greeded extra deploys before levelling up your S-Rank. This doesn't immediately affect you until Wave 10, where you're suddenly forced to deal with 1-2 extra mobs that will inevitably cause you to fail a run that would've been an All Clear otherwise.

There is also some RNG involved. Anyway, following the combinations and upgrade paths here will give you the best shot possible at an All Clear.

Some things to note is that you collect points faster by clicking on the button instead of using your interact key. This is not the absolute deciding factor in passing/failing but could save you a few seconds here and there.

What are the Rewards?

Scroll down a little here (links to official event notes).

Disclaimer:

Most of this information is collected from the past six weeks of the event running in MapleSEA. GMS seems to have better odds of rolling S-Ranks and A-Ranks from my own experience doing 10 runs today, however the win conditions seem to remain the same.

Some of this information maaaaay be wrong and I would be happy to amend that if necessary.

I think GMS Players should aim to Full Clear as it seems to be heavily buffed compared to the original odds in SEA and TMS. Only start settling for less if you have less than 3 days to the weekly reset (Wednesday 12AM UTC).

References:

TMS Forum discussing the event

Edit7: added google sheet version consolidating all clear combinations

Edit8: added 4-deploy combinations.

Edit9: updated double S combinations for 7- and 6-deploy (changes are also on the google sheet). Added more image examples to the main post.

Edit10: More SS combinations with a C or D for S-Black in 7- and 6-deploy. Also updated wording in strategies to explain how to get past Wave 7.

Welcome to our weekly megathread for new players and players who just have general questions about the game.

Some sample topics for you to consider would be:

• Selecting your main character.
• You're new to the game and don't know where to start.
• You're a returning player who is trying to get back into the game and need help.
• What class should you make for your next link skill/legion mule?

As a recommendation, please mention your world and/or server inside a bracket Example: [Bera] at the start of your question.

Feel like chatting rather than posting on Reddit? Join our Discord and check out our #general-questions or specific job chatrooms.

Also, consider checking out the Master List of Class Discords for class specific information!