Gakumas H.I.F Scenario: Its Own Rules, Rating Formula and Rank Thresholds
H.I.F is a separate produce scenario in Gakumas, sitting alongside the first Legend scenario and N.I.A. It isn't just "harder": H.I.F has its own rules (generic Legend cards cannot be used), two main rounds (Round 1 and Round 2) instead of a single final exam, and its own rating formula. The consequence is that the power balance between plans, and the P-idol rankings inside H.I.F, are not the same as in normal produce — the H.I.F tier list has to be read on its own terms.
What H.I.F Is, and How It Differs from Normal Produce
Gakumas currently has three produce scenarios: the first Legend scenario, N.I.A, and H.I.F. Each is a distinct rule set, not three difficulty levels of the same rule set.
- No generic Legend cards — inside H.I.F you cannot use the general-purpose Legend cards that form the backbone of normal produce. This is the single biggest change.
- The plan balance shifts — with that shared card pool gone, the pecking order between plans and between core effects moves away from what you know from normal produce.
- Its own tier list — Japanese meta sites keep the H.I.F ranking separate from the first-Legend ranking. Don't carry one scenario's tier list into the other.
- A different exam structure — not one final exam, but two main rounds (see below).
The Shape of an H.I.F Run: Two Main Rounds
After the selection exam, an H.I.F run finishes with two main rounds:
- Round 1 — the game caps the recorded score at 1,680,000. If you place 1st in this round your score is multiplied by 1.2, and the number shown on the placement screen already includes that bonus.
- Round 2 — capped at 2,400,000. This round does two jobs at once: it converts into rating, and it grants Star Quality. The Star Quality earned in Round 2 is further multiplied by 1.5 before it counts.
Because Round 2 pays out in both score and star, it carries the most weight in your final rating. The Star Quality you accumulate before Round 2 is counted separately and caps at 1,110.
The H.I.F Rating Formula
Your final H.I.F rating is the sum of four sources, minus a flat offset:
- Stats — Vocal + Dance + Visual total, times 2. Each stat caps at 3,200 in H.I.F, higher than even normal Legend.
- Star Quality — (your star before Round 2, capped at 1,110, plus the star earned in Round 2 after its 1.5x boost), times 7.5.
- Round 1 score rating — the displayed score is divided by 1.2 first, then converted. The conversion has diminishing returns: below 300,000 (after the division) it yields nothing, and it caps at 5,500, reached around the 1.4M mark.
- Round 2 score rating — also diminishing: below 600,000 it yields nothing, and it caps at 7,400 at the 2.4M score ceiling.
- Minus 2,000 — a fixed offset.
Two things worth internalising. First, exam score saturates fast: both rounds together contribute at most 12,900 rating, while stats and star are not throttled the same way — so once your scores are near their ceilings, extra stats and star pay better. Second, Round 2 star caps at 225 (150 before the 1.5x boost), so pushing Round 2 score far past that point only helps through the score rating itself.
The Rating You Need for Each Produce Rank
H.I.F uses the same rank thresholds as normal produce — only the way you accumulate rating differs. The bar for each rank:
- S5 — 35,000 · S4+ — 30,000 · S4 — 26,000
- SSS+ — 23,000 · SSS — 20,000
- SS+ — 18,000 · SS — 16,000
- S+ — 14,500 · S — 13,000
- A+ — 11,500 · A — 10,000
Put that next to the formula above and it becomes obvious why stats are the main axis: three stats maxed at 3,200 give 3 × 3,200 × 2 = 19,200 rating, while both exam rounds together are worth at most 12,900. Reaching S4+ or S5 means you need high stats, high star and near-saturated scores in both rounds at the same time — one explosive round alone will not get you there.
Picking a P-idol and an Effect for H.I.F
Because the rules differ, P-idols are judged differently inside H.I.F. Japanese meta sites score them on four criteria: (1) how hard it is to hit ~1.4M in Round 1, (2) how hard it is to hit ~2.4M in Round 2, (3) how consistently the idol can put up score in a short number of turns, and (4) how dependent on P-Drinks the build is. That is a solid frame for grading the cards you already own.
On core effects, one Japanese meta table (community source, 2026-06-15 revision — subject to change by patch) rates Motivation as the most stable, with a game plan that has barely shifted since release; Strength as strong once you are comfortable playing many cards in a single turn; Good Impression as easy to pilot but heavily reliant on one specific drink; and Sense spotlight-loop builds as having a score ceiling that depends on whether you own an extra-action memory.
The full H.I.F tier list is still being filled in by the community (many P-idols are marked "under evaluation"). We will publish one when the sourcing is solid enough — we will not guess.
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Frequently asked questions
What is the single biggest difference between H.I.F and normal produce?
You cannot use the generic Legend cards in H.I.F. Without that shared pool, the balance between plans shifts, which is why the H.I.F tier list has to be read separately. H.I.F also has two main rounds instead of a single final exam, and its own rating formula.
How does the 1.2x first-place bonus in Round 1 work?
Placing 1st in Round 1 multiplies your score by 1.2, and the number on the placement screen already includes it. When converting to rating, the game divides that score back by 1.2 before looking it up — so the bonus helps your placement and rewards, but it is not a free 20% of rating.
What rating do I need for S4+ or S5?
S5 needs 35,000, S4+ needs 30,000, S4 needs 26,000, SSS+ 23,000 and SSS 20,000. These thresholds are shared with normal produce. In H.I.F, hitting them means pushing your stats toward the 3,200 cap on each while also keeping both round scores near saturation — the exam scores alone are worth at most 12,900 rating.
Is more Round 2 score always better?
Yes, but with sharply diminishing returns. Round 2 score rating is capped at 7,400, and the Star Quality it grants is capped at 225 (150 before the 1.5x boost). Below 600,000, Round 2 score yields no rating at all. Once you are in the saturated zone, your effort pays better if it goes into stats and into the Star Quality you bank before Round 2.