Assignments Guide: Who to Send Where for Max Passive Materials and Credits
30-second summary: Assignments (unlocked at Trailblaze Level 12) let you run up to 4 background missions at once, each dispatching at least 2 characters for free materials — no Trailblaze Power spent, and they stay fully usable in combat. Always send characters matching the Recommended Path OR Element (up arrow) for a bonus reward; stats don't matter, so use your bench. Prioritize EXP materials, Light Cone materials, and Credits since those run short fastest, and skip synthesis materials. Set 20 hours for the best hourly rate (about 30% better than the 4-hour slot) and collect once a day.
What Are Assignments and When Do They Unlock?
Assignments (依頼派遣 in Japanese) let you send characters on background missions to farm free materials. There's zero gameplay: pick a mission, pick characters, set a timer, close the game. Come back and claim. The best part is it costs NO Trailblaze Power (the stamina used to farm materials), so this is a completely separate, free daily income stream.
Assignments unlock at Trailblaze Level 12, so you get them early just by playing the story. You can run UP TO 4 missions simultaneously (4 slots), and each mission needs at least 2 characters. That means once all 4 slots are open you'll want about 8 characters ready to fill them. Don't worry about "losing" them — dispatched characters are still fully usable in combat, so you can send your best team and still clear bosses.
The slots don't all open at once: you start with fewer and unlock more as you progress, up to the cap of 4. New players should build the habit immediately: fill every slot you have, never leave one empty, because an empty slot is free materials lost overnight.
Who to Send: Match the Recommended Path or Element
Every assignment gives its own hint — the game recommends a Path OR an Element that fits it. Some missions say "use Ice characters" (that's an Element), others say "use the Hunt Path" (that's a Path). Matching characters are marked with a small up arrow next to their portrait — just look for the arrow, no memorizing needed.
The golden rule: each character you dispatch that matches the hint — the right Path or the right Element the mission asks for — grants one extra bonus reward. Match both slots and you get even more. So when choosing, always prioritize the ones with the up arrow.
The best part: a character's stats or investment do NOT affect the rewards. An un-leveled 4-star gives the exact same payout as a fully invested 5-star. So use your bench, your spare units, anyone you don't need in combat — as long as they match the hint. No extra leveling required. This is exactly why Assignments are true "passive income": you spend nothing raising extra units, just a few seconds picking the right ones.
Where to Send: Which Missions Are Worth It
There are five reward types: character EXP materials, Light Cone materials, Credits, Trace materials (for skill upgrades), and synthesis materials (for consumables).
A simple priority order for most players: 1) EXP materials — used by EVERY character and Light Cone, never wasted, and this is what runs dry fastest. 2) Light Cone materials — also perpetually short, since every cone needs them. 3) Credits — leveling eats them alive, especially at higher levels, so every bit banked helps. 4) Trace materials — only dispatch these when you specifically need that type for a character you're building.
Synthesis materials are essentially a trap: consumables almost nobody uses, so they waste a slot. Trace materials are situational — only dispatch for them when you actually need that specific type for a character; if nobody needs one right now, give the slot to the three that always run short above.
Not sure what you're short on? Use GameVika's Materials Planner to see exactly how many EXP mats, Traces, and Credits your current build targets need — then set Assignments to fill the gaps. To check what an unfamiliar material is for, look it up quickly in GameVika's Items database.
- 1Character EXP materialsUsed by everyone, runs out most
- 2Light Cone materialsEvery Cone needs it, always short
- 3CreditsUpgrades devour it
- 4Trace materialsOnly when you need that type
- 5Trap: synthesis materialsRarely-used consumables
How Many Hours? Always Pick 20
Each assignment offers four durations: 4, 8, 12, or 20 hours. The answer is almost always: pick 20 hours.
Here's the mechanic: on top of a base amount that scales with hours, each run adds a completion bonus, and that bonus grows with longer durations. The net effect is that materials PER HOUR rise as the dispatch gets longer. Using one assignment as an example (exact counts vary by mission, but the trend always holds):
• 4 hours → about 1.0 items/hour • 8 hours → about 1.0 items/hour • 12 hours → about 1.17 items/hour • 20 hours → about 1.3 items/hour
In other words, 20 hours gives the highest hourly rate — roughly 30% better than the 4-hour slot. Many short runs add up to less than fewer long ones, so short dispatches just waste efficiency.
The optimal, lowest-effort routine: open the game once a day, claim yesterday's rewards, then re-set every slot to 20 hours. Twenty hours fits a once-a-day rhythm perfectly — you sleep, work, and study in between. Remember: canceling an assignment early recalls your characters but forfeits the reward entirely, so set it right the first time and don't keep swapping.
| Duration | Yield per hour (example) |
|---|---|
| 4 hours | ~1.0 unit/hr |
| 8 hours | ~1.0 unit/hr |
| 12 hours | ~1.17 unit/hr |
| 20 hours | ~1.3 unit/hr — pick this |
Common Mistakes and a Lazy-Optimal Setup
Mistakes that cost you free materials daily:
- Empty slots: every empty slot is free materials lost overnight. Always fill all 4 slots. - Forgetting the hint: skipping the up-arrow character (right Path or Element) means skipping the bonus reward. Double-check before confirming. - Dispatching for synthesis materials: almost always wasted unless you genuinely craft consumables. - Canceling midway: forfeits the reward entirely. Set it right the first time. - Not opening all slots: simultaneous slots increase with progress up to the cap of 4 — just playing unlocks more, so don't miss out.
Lazy-optimal tip: lock in 3 slots for EXP + Light Cone + Credits (the three that are always short), and use the 4th slot for whichever Trace type you currently need — or add another of those three if nobody needs Traces. Open once a day, claim, and re-set to 20 hours with the up-arrow characters. Simple, consistent, and over a month it adds up to a pile of materials that cost zero Trailblaze Power. To fine-tune which type you're short on, reopen GameVika's Materials Planner and adjust the formula to the characters you're currently building.
codes.faq_h
When do Assignments unlock and how many run at once?
At Trailblaze Level 12. Just play the story to reach it. You can run up to 4 missions simultaneously, and the slots unlock progressively as you advance, up to the cap of 4.
Which assignments should I dispatch to?
Prioritize EXP materials, Light Cone materials, and Credits — the three that always run short. Only dispatch Trace materials when you need a specific type; synthesis materials are basically a trap.
How many hours should I set?
20 hours. Rewards don't scale evenly with time — longer dispatches give more materials per hour, and 20 hours is the highest hourly rate, about 30% better than the 4-hour slot. It also fits a once-a-day collection rhythm.
Can I still use characters I've dispatched?
Yes. Dispatched characters remain fully usable in teams and combat — they aren't locked out. Feel free to send your strongest units.