COA IX runs two stages: Sacred Sanctum (Leviathan Shore) December 31, 2026-January 8, 2026, and Divine Procession (Ancient Passage) January 8-22, 2026. Teams farm points through Quick, Ranked, and Abyss matches with daily limits—60 total matches per role for Leviathan Shore, 20 for Ancient Passage. Team points use weighted calculation: highest Hunter score × 2 + four highest Survivor scores. Top teams earn 500-2000 Fragments based on placement. Ranked Matches during 19:00-21:00 server time offer peak efficiency at 4800-6000 points/hour for Hunters.
Understanding COA IX Stage System
Call of the Abyss IX operates through two sequential competitive stages with distinct structures.
Sacred Sanctum (Leviathan Shore)
Duration: December 31, 2026-January 8, 2026
Match limit: 60 total per role per member
Daily limit: 6 matches per role
Time window: 12:00-22:00 server time
Divine Procession (Ancient Passage)
Duration: January 8-22, 2026
Match limit: 20 total per role per member
Daily limit: 5 matches per role
Time window: 19:00-21:00 server time (restricted)
Registration opens December 31, 2025, closes January 14, 2026 at 09:00 UTC+8. Effective deadline is January 13, 2026 at 21:00 UTC+8 for verification processing. Teams need 1-7 players (minimum 5 for Online Qualifiers). Maintenance on January 8, 2026 at 08:00 UTC+8 lasts 240 minutes.
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Key Differences vs Regular Ranked
COA IX uses weighted team calculations prioritizing Hunter performance. Formula: highest Hunter score × 2 + four highest Survivor scores. This creates strategic implications for role distribution.
Match availability operates on daily pools resetting at 00:00 UTC+8, preventing unlimited grinding. Leaderboards update every 15-30 minutes, creating dynamic ranking shifts during peak hours.
Club membership requirement: join registered club 12+ hours before matches for point eligibility. Prevents last-minute roster changes.
Timeline and Duration
Sacred Sanctum's 9-day duration with 60 matches per role allows ~6.7 matches daily if evenly distributed. Strategic players concentrate efforts during high-efficiency windows.
Divine Procession's 14-day duration with 20 matches per role = ~1.4 matches daily, but 19:00-21:00 restriction requires coordinated availability. Missing one day significantly impacts total potential.
Regional advancement varies:
Japan Division: top 5-6 teams
NA-EU Division: top 8 teams
Southeast Asia Division: top 8 teams
Team Point Calculation
Formula: highest Hunter score × 2 + sum of four highest Survivor scores.
Example: Hunter 1800 + Survivors (1200, 1100, 1000, 950) = (1800 × 2) + 4250 = 7850 team points. Hunter contribution = 46% of total despite being one of five scoring players.
This incentivizes designating strongest mechanical player as primary Hunter. Teams with one exceptional Hunter outperform balanced teams with higher average skill.
Performance Rating Impact
Quick Matches:
Hunters: 1200-1500 average points
Survivors: 800-1000 average points
Ranked Matches:
Hunters: 1560-1950 average points (~30% higher)
Survivors: 1040-1300 average points
Queue times:
Standard hours: Hunters 3-5 min, Survivors 1-2 min
Peak 19:00-21:00: Hunters 2-3 min, Survivors <1 min
Match Duration and Efficiency
Standard matches: 8-10 minutes. Total time per match: 12-17 minutes (including queue and lobby).
Hunter efficiency during 19:00-21:00 Ranked:
4800-6000 points/hour
Calculation: (1750 points × 60 min) / (2.5 queue + 9 match + 0.5 lobby) = 5250 points/hour
Survivor efficiency:
4000-5000 points/hour
Calculation: (1150 × 60) / (1 + 9 + 0.5) = 4571 points/hour
15% efficiency gap compounds over dozens of matches.
Stage Point Requirements
Sacred Sanctum targets:
Top-tier advancement: 250,000-350,000 total team points
Maximum theoretical: 450,000+ points with perfect completion
Divine Procession potential:
120,000-180,000 points under optimal conditions
Higher impact per match due to reduced volume
Sacred Sanctum Strategy
19:00-21:00 window offers highest points/hour due to compressed queues and higher player skill. Ranked Matches provide 30% premium over Quick Matches.
Daily distribution:
4-5 matches during 19:00-21:00 evening window
Remaining allocation during 12:00-14:00 midday window
Maximizes high-efficiency matches while maintaining daily progress
Divine Procession Competition
19:00-21:00 restriction eliminates scheduling flexibility. Teams must coordinate all five members during these windows across 14 days.
5-daily-match limit means 20 matches completable in 4 days, but strategic teams distribute across more days for meta adaptation and performance analysis.
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Leaderboard volatility: single high-performance session elevates teams multiple positions; one poor session eliminates weeks of progress.
Fastest Point Farming Strategy
Maximize points/hour by balancing: match type, time window, role distribution.
Efficiency optimization point: Queue time savings from Survivor matches offset lower yields when Hunter queues exceed 3 minutes outside peak hours.
Survivor: (1000 points / 11 min) = 90.9 points/min
Hunter: (1400 points / 15.5 min) = 90.3 points/min
Abyss Battles
Qualification: 1500 Quick/Ranked points or 3000 Duo Hunters points, unlocking 10 additional battles.
Threshold = ~2 successful Ranked Matches as Hunter or 3 as Survivor. Qualify all members early in Sacred Sanctum to maximize availability.
Time Investment Per Stage
Leviathan Shore:
Minimum: 12-15 hours active playtime per player (60 matches × 12 min)
Realistic: 18-22 hours accounting for breaks and variance
Daily: 2-2.5 hours across 9 days
Divine Procession:
Minimum: 4-5 hours per player
Requires 2-3 dedicated evening sessions during 19:00-21:00 windows
Advanced Team Coordination
Dedicated five-player teams outperform solo queue by 25-40% in efficiency through eliminated communication barriers and optimized role assignments.
Club registration: complete immediately upon December 31, 2025 opening to avoid 12-hour eligibility requirement issues.
Queue Optimization
Peak efficiency windows:
Primary: 19:00-21:00 (compressed queues, peak skill levels)
Secondary: 12:00-14:00 (reduced competition, easier matchmaking)
Filler: 14:00-19:00, 21:00-22:00 Quick Matches for daily allocation completion
Role Specialization
Identify each member's strongest role. Best mechanical player prioritizes Hunter matches despite role imbalance.
Survivor distribution prioritizes consistency: four players at 1000-point consistency (4000 total) beats three at 1200 + one at 600 (4200 total) due to reduced variance risk.
Backup role training: each member maintains competency in 2+ roles for flexible scheduling.
Common Mistakes
Mistake 1: Off-peak grinding
6 matches off-peak at 1200 avg = 7200 points
6 matches 19:00-21:00 at 1750 avg = 10,500 points
Daily differential: 3300 points
9-day total: 29,700 points lost
Mistake 2: Ignoring 12-hour club requirement Players joining clubs before sessions forfeit point eligibility, wasting match allocations.
Mistake 3: Volume over win rate 5 wins at 1800 Hunter points = 9000 points in 60 min vs 10 matches (50% win rate) = 9000 points in 120 min. Stop sessions when win rate drops below 60%.
Meta Adaptation
2026 meta emphasizes:
Hunters: mobility, chase efficiency, teleportation/speed boosts
Survivors: rescue consistency, cipher rush potential
Allocate resources for meta-relevant unlocks. BitTopup enables rapid roster adjustments mid-championship.
Progress Tracking
Monitor after each session: average points per match by role, win rate %, points/hour efficiency, daily progress toward completion.
Performance thresholds:
Below 1500 avg Hunter points: analyze and adjust
Below 1000 avg Survivor points: strategy revision needed
Daily goals for top-8 NA-EU advancement:
15,000-20,000 points daily during Sacred Sanctum
Requires 10-12 high-efficiency matches daily across team
Final Week Tactics
Teams trailing targets must maximize remaining matches during 19:00-21:00 windows with all five players coordinated.
Emergency tactics:
Prioritize Hunter matches for highest yields
Focus high-win-rate character selections
Use Abyss Battles as supplementary sources
Maximum one non-permanent resident per team prevents last-minute roster upgrades.
Rewards and Ranking Targets
Fragment rewards:
Rank 1: 2000 Fragments/member
Rank 2: 1500 Fragments/member
Rank 3: 1200 Fragments/member
Ranks 4-8: 800 Fragments/member
Ranks 9-16: 600 Fragments/member
Ranks 17-50: 500 Fragments/member
Largest percentage drop: 400 Fragments between Rank 3 and Rank 4 makes third place critical threshold.
Cost-Benefit Analysis
Time investment: 15-25 hours per player for top-16 finishes.
Fragments/hour:
Ranks 9-16: 20-40 Fragments/hour
Podium finishers: 80-100 Fragments/hour
Resource investment: 5000-10,000 Echoes for new competitive players; minimal for established accounts.
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Target Rankings by Availability
Limited availability: Complete 40/60 Leviathan Shore + 15/20 Ancient Passage = Rank 17-50 placement, 500 Fragments.
Full-time competitive: Target top-8 advancement requires near-perfect completion, 65%+ win rates, 20-25 hours coordinated play.
Casual competitive: Three quality 19:00-21:00 sessions weekly beats daily off-peak grinding with inconsistent performance.
FAQ
How many points needed to advance each stage? No fixed thresholds—teams compete for rankings. Japan advances top 5-6, NA-EU and Southeast Asia advance top 8. Competitive totals: 250,000-350,000 points across both stages.
Fastest way to farm points? Ranked Matches during 19:00-21:00. Hunters generate 4800-6000 points/hour vs 4000-5000 for Survivors. Focus strongest player on Hunter for weighted scoring (Hunter points × 2).
How does point calculation work? Highest Hunter score × 2 + four highest Survivor scores. Example: (1800 Hunter × 2) + (1200+1100+1000+950 Survivors) = 7850 points. Hunter = ~46% of total from one player.
Can you lose team points? No deductions for losses, but poor matches waste limited allocations (60 Leviathan Shore, 20 Ancient Passage per role).
What if you don't finish on time? Lower rankings, reduced/no Fragment rewards if below top-50. No penalty beyond missed rewards. Registration deadline January 13, 2026 21:00 UTC+8 is absolute.
Do win streaks give bonuses? No confirmed streak bonuses. Points derive from performance ratings. Ranked Matches provide ~30% higher base than Quick Matches.
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