SOS, also known as mortal peril, is a player condition.
DS: This condition occurs when either Neku or his partner has 0 HP in his or her portion of the HP bar. Any damage taken while in SOS will deplete the HP of the other character.
Solo/Final Remix: This condition occurs with 25% or less of total HP. This condition affects both characters.
Analysis[]
In most cases, SOS is an undesirable condition. However, there is a strategy that deliberately induces SOS to increase one of the character's stats, usually Neku, beyond normal means. There are two ways to achieve this for Neku:
- Tin Pin Thrift is in the pin deck, thus activating Sacrifice (recommended)
- Wearing Goth Bondage Coat, Ribbon Shoes, or Nose Glasses
In DS, Tin Pin Thrift only cuts Neku's HP. To induce SOS on a partner, that partner must wear one of the above three threads. It is possible to induce SOS for both characters, which sets HP to 0. (Game over will only occur if HP is below 0.)
Abilities[]
In exchange for SOS, the afflicted character is gifted with some of the most powerful abilities in the game:
- Sacrifice: +30% ATK, +20% EXP (affects Neku only)
- SOS ATK Boost 1/2: +20%/+50% ATK
- SOS DEF Boost 1/2: +20%/+50% DEF
- SOS Power Up 1/2: +10%/+15% ATK and DEF
- SOS Null Damage: 30% chance of nullifying any attack
ATK boosts are applied after final ATK (base ATK + pin ATK) is calculated, making these boosts much more potent than Resonance or trend boosts. Stacking SOS boosts result in the final boost to be the sum of all individual boosts. Check Damage for more details.
The two threads with SOS ATK Boost 2, Vampire Dress and Black Book Bag, are considered to be among the most powerful items in the game. The ability allows ATK be boosted far beyond what Samurai Sword grants.
Setups[]
SOS threads, along with Tin Pin Thrift, are first available on week 2, day 5. LOB and LASS are the two maingame configurations, while the others are only available during the postgame.
Lo-BRV [LOB][]
This setup is available on week 2, day 5. Neku requires only 45 BRV (54 if Goth Bondage Coat is equipped) , so there is no need to spend money on multiple BRAVE+. This also makes LOB an option for Beat on week 3, day 2. Goth Bondage Coat induces SOS.
- Patchy Biker Jacket (High ATK) or Goth Bondage Coat (High ATK, W3D2)
- Camouflage (SOS ATK Boost 1)
- Sun Emperor (SOS Power Up 2)
- Purple Sneaks (Faster Puck 2)
- Tin Pin Thrift is in the pin deck
- ATK +29, SOS ATK +65%, DEF +11, SOS DEF +15%, HP +170, BRV 45
Lapin Angelique Suicide Special [LASS][]
The more powerful feminine setup using only clothes from the Lapin Angelique brand requires Neku to have 152 BRV. It is available on week 3, day 2. See LASS for alternative setups and additional details.
- Goth Bondage Coat (High ATK) or Spiderweb Jersey (SOS DEF Boost 2)
- Ribbon Mini-hat (SOS ATK Boost 1) or Cape (SOS DEF Boost 2, W3D5)
- Vampire Dress (SOS ATK Boost 2)
- Red Two-tier Skirt (SOS Power Up 1)
- Tin Pin Thrift is in the pin deck
- Attack: ATK +39, SOS ATK +110%, DEF +10, SOS DEF +10%, HP +36, BRV 152
- Balanced: ATK +24, SOS ATK +90%, DEF +26, SOS DEF +110%, HP -8, BRV 152
Standard SOS (postgame)[]
This is the standard postgame setup that is suitable for most pin decks. Vampire Dress and Black Book Bag are the two threads with SOS ATK Boost 2. Your Cap and Pi-Face's Jeans have the highest ATK, excluding the slots that have already been filled.
- Your Cap (High ATK) or Samurai Wig (prevents ATK/DEF break)
- Pi-Face's Jeans (High ATK) or Pi-Face's Coat (Puck Power 3)
- Vampire Dress (SOS ATK Boost 2)
- Black Book Bag (SOS ATK Boost 2)
- Tin Pin Thrift is in the pin deck
- ATK +104, SOS ATK +130%, DEF +14, SOS DEF +0%, HP +200, BRV 300
SOS 2.7 (postgame)[]
This specialized setup is better than Standard SOS for a few pins. All SOS ATK boost threads are equipped on Neku, causing the SOS multiplier to reach 2.7, the maximum possible. If Neku has 100 base ATK, SOS 2.7 deals more damage than Standard SOS if pin ATK is >194. This can happen with trends and/or Resonance, or by using the three pins with ATK >194: Dope Line, Big Bang/Crunch, and Anguis.
- Ribbon Mini-hat (SOS ATK Boost 1)
- Black Raglan Tee (SOS ATK Boost 1)
- Vampire Dress (SOS ATK Boost 2)
- Black Book Bag (SOS ATK Boost 2)
- Tin Pin Thrift is in the pin deck
- ATK +45, SOS ATK +170%, DEF -1, SOS DEF +0%, HP +7, BRV 300
Cosmic SOS (postgame)[]
The Darklit Planets require all six pin slots, so Tin Pin Thrift can't be used. Instead, Goth Bondage Coat induces SOS. With a triple efficiency multiplier, this is the most powerful all-around setup for Neku in the postgame.
- Your Cap (High ATK)
- Goth Bondage Coat (Jinxed high ATK)
- Vampire Dress (SOS ATK Boost 2)
- Black Book Bag (SOS ATK Boost 2)
- Deck: Darklit Planets
- ATK +101, SOS ATK +100%, DEF -9, SOS DEF +0%, HP +168, BRV 300