Heian Tactics Emblem
HEIAN TACTICS
平安戦術•Hub
Log In
Back to Strategy Scrolls
Wiki/Guides/STARTER
書
STARTER7 min read•September 12, 2026

The Heian Starter Codex: The Daruma Economy, Dupe Rules & Must-Build Roster

Comprehensive beginner progression blueprint and sacred resource rules for Onmyoji RPG

Executive Summary: The definitive beginner progression blueprint for Onmyoji RPG. Master the sacred Black Daruma economy, avoid the duplicate copy trap, discover the essential R/SR foundation, and learn the Blue Daruma Lv. 13 recipe.
師
Written by 观棋翁

The Heian Starter Codex

Welcome to the Heian Starter Codex (新手指南). Onmyoji RPG is celebrated for its deep turn-based strategic combat and breathtaking folklore, but it also possesses one of the steepest learning curves and most unforgiving resource economies in the gacha genre.

This dossier condenses years of high-tier player wisdom into actionable principles so you never waste weeks of farming on avoidable mistakes.

1. The Daruma Economy & The Dupe Axiom

The single most valuable commodity in all of Heian-kyo is the Black Daruma (御行达摩). Unlike coins, experience, or basic summons, Black Darumas cannot be bought in infinite quantities—they are strictly time-gated.

Crucial Axiom
The Golden Dupe Axiom: "You can just use the dupes to skill them up. It saves Black Daruma most of the time. Building 2 copies of the same shiki isn't really worth it unless you're gonna PvP. Even then, you're basically spending another 8–12 Black Daruma, which is like 2 weeks to a whole month of farming kekw."

Why Building a Second Copy is a Beginner Trap

When new players pull two copies of an elite SSR or SP, their first instinct is often: *"I should keep both and build two copies!"* Unless you are competing in top-bracket PvP (where dual-unit drafts or specialized counter builds exist), building a duplicate copy requires:

  • ◆
    8 to 12 Black Darumas to max out essential skills.
  • ◆
    Five Grade 5 White Darumas to reach Grade 6.
  • ◆
    A full duplicate set of high-end Grade 6 Mitama souls.

For a new or mid-game account, spending that resource on a duplicate means starving your next 2 to 3 distinct shikigami of essential skillups. Feed the duplicate to level up skills and save your Black Darumas.

The 4 Cardinal Rules of Black Daruma:

  • ◆
    NEVER feed Black Daruma to R or SR Shikigami: You will acquire dozens of R and SR duplicates naturally through broken amulets, mystery summons, and Demon Seals.
  • ◆
    Only feed Black Daruma to SSR or SP Shikigami: And only after verifying their skill priority (e.g. some units only need Skill 2 or Skill 3 maxed).
  • ◆
    Save for Transformative Thresholds: Many shikigami receive cooldown reductions, orb cost decreases (-1 Orb), or team-wide effects at Level 4 or Level 5 of their skills.
  • ◆
    Collect Every Free Shard Weekly: Consistency is king.

The Blue Daruma Lv. 13 Recipe

Feeding Level 1 Blue Darumas (大吉达摩) directly to your shikigami wastes massive amounts of bonus experience. The optimal formula practiced by veteran Onmyoji masters is:

Master Tactician Tip
The Lv. 13 Blue Daruma Formula: Feed 5 Red Darumas (招福达摩) into 1 Blue Daruma. This elevates the Blue Daruma exactly to Level 13, multiplying its granted experience output to the maximum mathematical efficiency!

You can calculate your exact fodder and promotion requirements using our interactive Fodder Factory & Daruma Workshop.

2. The Essential Starter Roster (Must-Build Shikigami)

You do not need a team full of SSR/SP to conquer Onmyoji's core PvE content. In fact, attempting to start with an all-SSR roster will stall your account due to lack of Black Daruma.

The smartest path is mastering the Foundational R/SR Core who can be maxed using cheap duplicate copies:

『The Indispensable R & SR Foundation』

1. The Supreme Budget Farmer: Kuro MujouSR (SR)

  • ◆
    Role: PvE AoE Sweeper & Exploration Farmer
  • ◆
    How to Obtain: 100% Free! Farmable anytime via Demon Seals (妖气封印) in the team menu.
  • ◆
    Why He is King: Kuro Mujou gains an innate +50% Crit Rate against enemies with more than 40% HP! This means you only need 50% Crit on your soul substats to achieve a guaranteed 100% Critical Strike. Furthermore, killing an enemy immediately resets his turn.
  • ◆
    Starter Souls:
    4-set (破势) + Crit 2-set. Focus on ATK% / ATK% / CRIT.

2. The Universal Speed Engine: Yama UsagiR (R)

  • ◆
    Role: Action Bar (Move Bar) Puller
  • ◆
    How to Obtain: Extremely common R summon from broken amulets and chapters.
  • ◆
    Why She is Essential: Her skill *Bunny Dance* advances your entire team's Action Bar by 30%, ensuring your damage dealers strike before enemy bosses can unleash lethal crowd control.
  • ◆
    Starter Souls:
    4-set (招财猫) or whatever broken set has the highest Speed (SPD) substat.

3. The Immortal Flame Battery: Zashiki WarashiR (R)

  • ◆
    Role: Dedicated Orb Provider
  • ◆
    How to Obtain: Free story reward and common R summon.
  • ◆
    Why She is Essential: Sacrifices a percentage of her current HP to generate up to 3 orbs instantly on demand. Unlike advanced orb buffers, she never relies on RNG to fuel your team.
  • ◆
    Starter Souls:
    4-set (火灵) so your team starts round 1 with a full 7 orbs.

4. The Boss Executioner: Ushi no TokiR (R)

  • ◆
    Role: Damage Transference & Defense Piercing
  • ◆
    How to Obtain: Common R summon.
  • ◆
    Why She is Essential: Summons a Straw Doll linked to the target boss. The doll has lower defense than the boss, and every point of damage dealt to the doll transfers directly to the boss while triggering soul damage twice.
  • ◆
    Starter Souls:
    4-set (破势) or
    (心眼) + Effect Hit / SPD.

5. The Defense Shredder: KiyohimeSR (SR)

  • ◆
    Role: AoE Crowd Control & Permanent Defense Shred
  • ◆
    Why She is Essential: Her poison reduces enemy defense in long fights. When equipped with *Snow Spirit*, her multi-hit blizzard freezes entire enemy.
  • ◆
    Starter Souls:
    (雪幽魂) with Effect Hit on slot 4 and SPD on slot 2.

『Top Targets for Beginner SSR Selectors & Mentorship』

When you receive a Beginner SSR Selector or reach your first summon milestones, prioritize these transformative game-changers:

  • ◆
    AmaterasuSSR (SSR): One of Strongest AoE damage dealer of modern Onmyojis.
  • ◆
    Yuki GozenSSR (SSR): The fastest 1-turn wave clearer for Soul 11 (Moan) and exploration farming.
  • ◆
    Fallen God OrochiSP (SP): The ultimate Secret Zone solo god. Converts all allies into Swords and cheeses hard content.
  • ◆
    SusanooSSR (SSR): The gold standard single-target thunder executioner for bosses and Fallen Sun.
  • ◆
    Bondweaver EnmusubiSP (SP): Buffs Dmg, giving an ally extra turn, heals, orber.

Check their tier rankings in our Meta Tier List.

3. Mitama (Soul) Economy & Early Game Traps

In Onmyoji, souls (御魂) account for 70% of a shikigami's actual combat power. A Grade 6 Shikigami with poor souls will perform worse than a Grade 5 with optimized sets.

Resource Trap Warning
The Grade 4 & 5 Coin Sink Trap: Do NOT spend millions of coins upgrading Grade 4 or Grade 5 souls to +15. The stat return is negligible compared to Grade 6. Save your coins and borrow high-level carry shikigami from your Mentor (师徒) or guildmates to reach Soul 10 (S10) and Soul 11 (Moan).

Foundational 4-Set Souls to Hoard:

  • ◆
    (破势): +40% extra damage against targets with >70% HP. Essential for first-strike burst farmers like Kuro MujouSR and AsuraSSR.
  • ◆
    (针女): Critical strikes have a 40% chance to deal 10% target max HP true damage. Ideal for multi-hit attackers like SusanooSSR.
  • ◆
    (招财猫): 50% chance to generate +2 Orbs on turn start. The universal support engine.
  • ◆
    (火灵): Guaranteed +3 Orbs at the start of battle round. Mandatory for 1-turn speedrun lineups.

Quick Primary Stat Rule for Slots 2, 4, 6:

  • ◆
    Slot 2: Speed (SPD) for buffers and pullers; ATK% for damage dealers.
  • ◆
    Slot 4: ATK% for damage dealers; Effect Hit (HIT) for controllers; HP% for batteries.
  • ◆
    Slot 6: Critical Strike (CRIT) or Critical Damage (CRIT DMG) for damage dealers; HP% or Critical Strike (CRIT) for healers.

4. The Weekly Resource Routine (Free Black Darumas)

Never miss these recurring time-gated opportunities to accumulate free Black Daruma shards and summon amulets:

  • ◆
    Demon Encounter (逢魔之时) - Daily:
  • ◆
    Defeat the daily world boss (Namazu, Odokuro, Oboroguruma, Songstress, Shinkiro, Tsuchigumo, Nightly Aramitama) between 17:00 and 22:00 server time.
  • ◆
    Rewards: Boss soul, medals, and Black Daruma shards.
  • ◆
    Netherworld Gate (阴界之门) - Friday, Saturday, Sunday:
  • ◆
    Clear 50 floors with your guildmates. Rewards include 3 Black Daruma shards, Grade 6 souls every weekend.
  • ◆
    Shrine Exchange (神龛) - Bi-Weekly:
  • ◆
    Release duplicate R/SR shikigami for Talismans. Every 2 weeks, purchase the full Black Daruma for 1,500 Talismans.
  • ◆
    Guild Feast - Weekly:
  • ◆
    Guild shop offers 2-3 Black Daruma shards randomly every week.
  • ◆
    Area Boss (地域鬼王) - Daily:
  • ◆
    Defeat low-level Area Bosses for an easy daily yield of 20 to 60 free Jades.

5. Connected Heian Tactics Companion Tools

Utilize the companion features on this portal to plan your account's journey: