Understanding Gold & Gears Conundrum 12
Gold & Gears launched December 27, 2023 (Version 1.6). Unlocks after clearing Difficulty 5, extending to Level 12 with escalating challenges across three mandatory planes.
Unlike standard Simulated Universe, success depends on domain navigation, dice manipulation, and Path resonance—not just combat power. Navigate eleven domain types: Blank, Combat, Elite, Boss, Occurrence, Reward, Adventure, Respite, Transaction, Intra-Cognition, Abnormal.
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What Makes Conundrum 12 Unique
Torturous Difficulty amplifies enemy HP by 300% vs Difficulty 5, restricts healing, reduces blessing spawns. Resonance Extrapolations directly affect Third Plane boss encounters.
Custom Dice system is critical. Company Time enables domain purchases yielding disproportionate rewards when combined with specific blessings and curios.
Path banning adds strategy—ban two Paths before starting. This concentrates blessing pools, increasing synergistic effect probability.
Unlock Requirements
- Clear Simulated Universe World 5
- Complete Difficulty 5 once
- Path of Erudition: Complete all Secrets + Gold & Gears Finale mission
- Custom Dice options: Use 6 different Custom Dice across runs
Reward Structure
Conundrum 12 Torturous Difficulty: Lost Crystal x3
Difficulty scaling:
- Difficulty 1: Trailblaze EXP x200, Tracks of Destiny x1, Stellar Jade x120, Relic Remains x100
- Difficulty 2: Trailblaze EXP x200, Tracks of Destiny x1, Star Rail Pass x2, Relic Remains x100
- Difficulty 3-5: Similar patterns with Self-Modeling Resin x1 at Difficulty 5
Company Time specific: Clearing Difficulty IV rewards Stellar Jade x30
Achievements:
- 20+ purchases with Company Time: Achievement unlock
- Complete Gold & Gears 3 times: 1400 Nameless EXP
- Collect 40 Dice Faces: 1400 Nameless EXP
- Unlock All Secrets: Self-Modeling Resin x1 + Stellar Jade x320
Company Time Dice Mechanics
Company Time Custom Dice alters Gold & Gears economy by enabling domain purchases that bypass traditional progression.
How Dice Events Function
Custom Dice operate on predetermined probability distributions tied to domain types. Company Time modifies Transaction and Occurrence domains, creating purchase opportunities unavailable with standard dice.
Twelve Custom Dice options: Trotter Extrapolation, Walker Symbiosis, Ultra-Remote Beacon, Occurrence Extrapolation, Combat Extrapolation, Pursuit, Countdown, Amber Barrier, Investment Sale, Company Time, Curio Extrapolation, Data Inflation.
Dice Face selection determines available outcomes. General Vandalism converts domains to Blank after extracting rewards. General Observation enables repositioning across three rows.
Company Time Specific Outcomes
Transaction domains: Purchase premium blessings at 30-40% reduced Cosmic Fragment costs (standard 150-200, reduced to 90-140).
Occurrence domains: Purchase domain type conversions (80-120 Fragments with Company Time vs 150-180 standard). Convert Elite→Reward eliminates combat risk.
Respite domains: Purchase Neural Impulse upgrades (100 Fragments, equivalent to two-star blessings).
Probability Distribution
Company Time maintains ~65% spawn rate for purchase events when targeting Transaction/Occurrence domains. Increases to ~80% with specific curios enhancing dice event frequency.
Countdown mechanic limits domains before Planar Disarray. Company Time reduces total domains traversed. Optimal play maintains Countdown at 8+ entering Third Plane.
Why It's Exploitable
Standard runs generate 800-1000 Cosmic Fragments across three planes. Company Time enables spending 600-700 on blessings/upgrades normally requiring RNG drops or combat victories.
Creates positive feedback: purchased blessings increase combat efficiency→faster clears→more fragments→more purchases. By Third Plane, accumulate 8-12 high-tier blessings vs standard 4-6.
Particularly effective for moderately invested characters lacking raw power for traditional clears. Converts Cosmic Fragments into combat multipliers, enabling 4-star teams to match 5-star clear rates.
Complete Conundrum 12 Dice Cheese Strategy
Phase 1: Run Initialization
Enter via Expansion Module. Choose Preservation, Hunt, or Remembrance as primary Path. Ban two unused Paths (typically Propagation and Elation).
Select Company Time Custom Dice. Configure Dice Faces: General Observation + General Vandalism. Add Cosmic Fragment bonuses or blessing enhancement faces if unlocked.
Team minimums:
- Primary DPS: 2500+ ATK
- Support: 160+ Speed
- Sustain: 4000+ HP, 1200+ DEF
Phase 2: Navigation
First Plane: Prioritize Cosmic Fragment accumulation. Target Occurrence and Reward domains. Avoid Elite/Boss unless blocking Transaction paths. Use General Observation to skip unfavorable clusters.
Identify Transaction domains by icon. Purchase blessings synergizing with chosen Path—Preservation gets defensive blessings, Hunt gets CRIT Rate/CRIT DMG.
Maintain 400+ Cosmic Fragments entering Second Plane. Ensures purchasing power for critical domains while buffering for Third Plane boss prep. Don't drop below 300.
Phase 3: Optimal Decision-Making
Second Plane: Evaluate blessing inventory before purchasing. Avoid redundancy—three 15% ATK blessings underperform vs one 15% ATK + one 20% CRIT DMG + one enemy debuff.
Occurrence domain conversions: Prioritize Combat→Reward when Countdown intensifies. Convert Elite→Respite when team needs HP/Energy restoration. Costs 80-120 Fragments, saves 2-3 minutes, reduces combat risk.
Adventure domains with Company Time offer curio purchases at reduced costs. Curios providing Cosmic Fragment generation create feedback loops. Balance immediate needs vs long-term sustainability.
Phase 4: Boss Preparation
Third Plane prep starts late Second Plane. Ensure 8+ blessings before entering Third Plane, with 3+ directly enhancing primary DPS. Verify Path resonance aligns with blessings.
Target final Transaction visits with 300+ Cosmic Fragments. Purchase boss-specific effects: Increase DMG against Elite/Boss enemies by X% or Reduce DMG taken from Elite/Boss enemies by X%.
Enter Boss domain with full HP/Energy. Visit Respite immediately before boss if accessible. Company Time success hinges on overwhelming blessing advantages compensating for moderate character investment.
Emergency Tactics
Unfavorable Transaction pools: Pivot to Occurrence focus, seeking dice events providing direct Cosmic Fragment rewards or blessing drops.
Critical Countdown (3 domains remaining): Prioritize direct pathing. Use General Observation to skip clusters. Accept 6-7 blessings vs failing due to Planar Disarray.
Difficult boss encounters: Focus survival over damage. Preservation resonances enable extended encounters, allowing gradual HP depletion. Adds 3-5 minutes but maintains 80%+ success probability.
Optimal Team Compositions
Premium 5-Star Configuration
DPS: Seele or Jingliu (exceptional AoE + single-target, innate scaling synergizes with percentage-based blessing bonuses)
Support: Bronya (Speed manipulation, ATK% buffs) or Silver Wolf (universal DEF reduction, elemental weakness implantation)
Sustain: Gepard (shields prevent damage, synergizes with Preservation blessings) or Luocha (automatic healing, no skill point consumption)
F2P 4-Star Teams
DPS: Herta (exceptional AoE, follow-up attacks trigger blessing effects multiple times per turn)
Support: Asta (Speed buffs, Fire DMG bonuses, Energy generation for all allies)
Sustain: March 7th (shields, minimal skill point consumption) or Natasha (emergency healing, cleanse). Both function at Level 60, 4/4/4/4 traces.
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Character Requirements
DPS: 2500+ ATK, 60%+ CRIT Rate, 120%+ CRIT DMG. Speed varies—Seele 140+, Jingliu 110-120.
Support: 160+ Speed (priority), 120%+ Energy Regeneration Rate. ATK%/elemental damage secondary.
Sustain: 4000+ HP, 1200+ DEF, 40%+ Effect RES, 120-130 Speed.
Build Recommendations
DPS relics: 4-piece Genius of Brilliant Stars (Quantum) or Hunter of Glacial Forest (Ice). Provides 10-25% unconditional damage.
Support relics: 4-piece Messenger Traversing Hackerspace (12% Speed buff after ultimate) or 2-piece Speed/ERR combinations.
Sustain relics: 4-piece Knight of Purity Palace or 2-piece HP%/DEF% combinations. DEF-scaling sustain (Gepard) uses DEF% Body pieces for 1500+ DEF.
Planar Ornaments: DPS uses Space Sealing Station (ATK%) or Inert Salsotto (CRIT). Support uses Sprightly Vonwacq (Energy) or Penacony (team ERR). Sustain uses Fleet of the Ageless (team ATK) or Belobog (DEF scaling).
Enhancement: +12 minimum all pieces, +15 on Body/Feet/Sphere/Rope. +15 correct main stats > perfect substats at +12.
Blessing Priority Guide
Top Preservation Path Blessings
Stonewall: Reduces incoming damage 20-30% unconditionally. Priority #1 for Preservation runs.
Adamantine Shield: Increases shield strength 40-60%. With Knight of Purity Palace, enables 8000+ damage absorption. Purchase after Stonewall.
Regeneration Field: 5% max HP healing per turn for all characters. Eliminates sustain pressure, enables March 7th-only sustain comps.
Hunt Path Damage Amplification
Archer's Precision: +15-25% CRIT Rate. Purchase immediately—pushes DPS above 80% CRIT Rate for consistent damage.
Lethal Strike: +30-50% CRIT DMG. With 80% CRIT Rate + 150% CRIT DMG = 2.2x average damage. Adding Lethal Strike = 3.0x average damage. Highest-priority damage blessing.
Weakness Exploitation: +25-40% damage against elemental weakness. Synergizes with Silver Wolf's weakness implantation. Purchase Second Plane after confirming weakness manipulation capability.
Elation and Remembrance Synergies
Chaotic Blessing (Elation): Random buffs at turn start (20% ATK to immediate Energy). Average value exceeds standard blessings.
Joyful Destruction (Elation): 30% chance for 200% damage on any attack = 30% average damage increase. Stacks multiplicatively with CRIT DMG for 4-5x damage when both trigger.
Echoing Assault (Remembrance): Additional attacks equal to 40% original damage when follow-ups occur. Synergizes with Herta/Clara, effectively +40% damage.
Memory Cascade (Remembrance): Extends buff durations by 1 turn. Bronya buffs last 3 turns instead of 2 = permanent uptime with proper rotation.
Avoid These Combinations
Multiple same-stat blessings: Three 15% ATK blessings = 45% total (additive), not 52% (multiplicative). Diminishing returns vs diversified stats.
Condition-specific blessings your team can't trigger: Frozen Assault (+60% damage vs Frozen enemies) = zero value without Freeze application.
Redundant defensive blessings: Stonewall + Fortified Defense (-15% damage) provides marginal improvement. 200 Fragments better spent on damage blessings that shorten encounters.
Essential Curio Selection
S-Tier Curios
Cosmic Fragment Magnet: +25-35% Cosmic Fragment acquisition = 200-300 additional fragments per run = 2-3 extra blessing purchases. Acquire First Plane for maximum generation.
Dice Manipulator: +20% favorable dice outcomes, raising Company Time purchase spawn from 65% to ~78% = 1-2 additional purchase opportunities. Acquire First/Second Plane.
Blessing Amplifier: +15% to all blessing effects. 30% CRIT DMG becomes 34.5%, 20% damage reduction becomes 23%. Value scales exponentially with blessing count. Prioritize Second Plane after accumulating 5+ blessings.
Avoid These Curios
Combat Accelerator: Reduces Combat difficulty, increases Elite difficulty. Company Time prioritizes Transaction/Occurrence over Combat. Elite difficulty increase undermines stability.
Energy Drainer: Increased damage, reduced Energy generation. Forces extended rotations, slowing clears. Counterproductive for maximizing Transaction visits within Countdown limits.
High Risk, High Reward: Doubles blessing effects but causes wipeout if any character reaches 0 HP. Introduces catastrophic failure risk, undermining Company Time's reliability advantages.
Curio Stacking
Cosmic Fragment Magnet + Dice Manipulator: ~40% more Transaction opportunities + 30% more fragments per opportunity = ~80% total economic advantage.
Blessing Amplifier scaling: With 10 blessings averaging 25% effect, provides ~37.5% total power increase (10 × 25% × 15%). Increasingly valuable as blessing counts rise.
Defensive stacking: Damage Reduction Field + Regeneration Aura = indefinite sustain vs all non-boss enemies. Trades 2-3 minutes for 95%+ success rates.
Common Mistakes
Mistake #1: Poor Path Resonance
Issue: Selecting Paths without considering team comp creates blessing pool mismatches. Hunt resonance provides minimal value for Gepard-focused teams.
Solution: Match Path to team strengths—defensive teams choose Preservation, offensive choose Hunt, balanced choose Remembrance. Verify banned Paths don't contain critical blessings.
Multi-Path dilution: Attempting Hunt + Preservation simultaneously yields 3-4 blessings each, underperforming vs 8-10 from single focused Path.
Mistake #2: Ignoring Spawn Patterns
Transaction clustering: Domains cluster in specific map regions. Study First Plane layouts, identify clusters for Second/Third Plane targeting. Use General Observation for direct paths.
Occurrence alternatives: Provide blessing acquisition when Transaction spawns unfavorably. Maintain navigation flexibility.
Countdown monitoring: Maintain 8+ domains entering Third Plane for adequate boss prep time.
Mistake #3: Inadequate Investment
Underleveled characters (below Level 70): Dramatically increases RNG dependency. Level 70→80 provides 15-20% ATK increase, 20-25% HP/DEF increase. Level 80 = practical minimum.
Trace investment below 6/6/6/6: Level 4 ultimate dealing 200% damage becomes 240% at Level 6 = 20% increase applying to all blessing multipliers. DPS traces minimum 8/8/8/8, support/sustain acceptable at 6/6/6/6.
Relic enhancement: +12 minimum all pieces, +15 on Body/Feet/Sphere/Rope. +12 ATK% Body = 38.8% ATK, +15 = 43.2% = 4.4% difference compounding across calculations.
Mistake #4: Misunderstanding Priorities
Blessing purchases: Prioritize synergistic effects over raw stats. 15% CRIT DMG with 80% CRIT Rate > 25% ATK.
Domain conversions: Converting Elite blocking direct path to Third Plane saves 3-4 minutes, eliminates wipeout risk. 150 fragments justified when Countdown intensifies.
Neural Impulse overspending: Limit to 200 fragments maximum across run. Reserve 300+ for Third Plane Transaction domains with boss-specific blessings.
Advanced Techniques
Speed Running (Under 30 Minutes)
Aggressive navigation prioritizes direct pathing. Use General Observation immediately, skipping 2-3 domains per usage. Reduces First Plane from 12-15 minutes to 8-10 minutes.
Replace sustain with secondary DPS/support. Glass cannon approach increases wipeout risk but reduces Combat/Elite clear times 40-50%.
Blessing selection: Unconditional damage increases (Archer's Precision,Lethal Strike) over conditional effects. Maintains consistent pace across all domains.
Multi-Event Stacking
Manipulate navigation to encounter 8-10 Transaction domains vs standard 5-6. Requires comprehensive map knowledge, aggressive General Observation.
Acquire Dice Manipulator + Cosmic Fragment Magnet First Plane. Enables 12-15 total blessing purchases, overwhelming Third Plane boss.
Countdown management: Each additional Transaction visit consumes 1-2 Countdown domains. Monitor continuously, abandon if remaining domains drop below 6 before Third Plane.
Cosmic Fragment Farming
Optimized teams clear Combat in 2-3 turns, Elite in 4-6 turns. Maximizes fragments-per-minute. Enables 1000-1200 total generation, supporting 8-10 purchases while maintaining 200+ reserves.
Occurrence direct fragment rewards: 80-150 fragments per event = 2-3 Combat clears without time investment. Dice Manipulator increases spawn rates.
Reward domain targeting First Plane: 100-150 fragments per clear without combat = superior fragments-per-minute vs Combat domains.
Weekly Reset Strategy
Gold & Gears resets weekly. Optimal: Complete 3 full runs, claiming 1400 Nameless EXP + Lost Crystal x9 total. Requires ~90-120 minutes.
Prioritize clears early in reset cycle (Monday-Tuesday) for retry time before reset. Prevents reward loss from incomplete runs.
Track Dice Face unlock progress, targeting 40 Dice Face achievement for 1400 Nameless EXP. Systematically pursue Secrets Trigger Criteria.
Patch Compatibility
Current Viability
Company Time mechanics unchanged since December 27, 2023 launch. No balance patches modified spawn rates, blessing costs, or fragment generation. Suggests developer acceptance as intended gameplay.
Conundrum 12 difficulty unchanged since launch. New characters (Acheron, Aventurine) increase average player power, improving accessibility.
~60-70% of Conundrum 12 clears utilize Company Time optimization. Mainstream acceptance suggests intended difficulty curve, reducing nerf probability.
Historical Changes
Minimal mechanical adjustments since launch. Version 1.6.1 corrected General Vandalism bug, enhancing reliability.
Version 2.0 introduced new Paths (Elation, Propagation) without modifying existing blessing pools or Company Time mechanics.
Cosmic Fragment generation stable across patches, maintaining economic balance for 8-10 purchases per run.
Preparing for Nerfs
Hypothetical nerfs would likely increase Transaction blessing prices 20-30%. Prepare by developing quality-over-quantity strategies, prioritizing S-tier blessings.
Alternative dice: Curio Extrapolation (curio-focused builds), Combat Extrapolation (accelerates Combat clears). Familiarize for continued viability.
Character diversification: Maintain 2-3 viable DPS at Level 80 with optimized builds. Diverse support/sustain rosters provide flexibility for emerging strategies.
Alternative Strategies
Traditional Combat Clear
Prioritizes team power over economic optimization. Requires higher thresholds: 3000+ ATK DPS, 180+ Speed support, 5000+ HP sustain.
Path: Hunt or Destruction. Blessings: Lethal Strike,Archer's Precision,Weakness Exploitation = 100%+ total damage increase. Enables 4-6 turn boss kills.
Teams: Seele/Jingliu/Acheron DPS, Bronya/Ruan Mei support, Gepard/Luocha/Aventurine sustain.
Hybrid Approach
Utilizes Company Time for economic advantages while maintaining combat-focused teams. Purchases 4-6 high-priority blessings, relies on character power for baseline capability. 90%+ success rates with moderate RNG.
Purchase S-tier damage blessings when available, avoid marginal upgrades. Maintain 200+ Fragments for Third Plane emergencies.
Blend Transaction targeting with efficient Combat pathing. Use General Observation when convenient, maintain forward progression. 25-30 minutes, 85%+ success.
Time vs Reward Efficiency
Company Time cheese: 35-40 min/clear, 80-85% success = 1.4 clears/hour = Lost Crystal x4.2/hour.
Traditional combat: 25-30 min/clear, 90%+ success = 1.8-2.0 clears/hour = Lost Crystal x5.4-6.0/hour. Requires 200+ hours character farming.
Hybrid: 30-35 min/clear, 85-90% success = 1.5-1.7 clears/hour = Lost Crystal x4.5-5.1/hour. 90% of combat efficiency, 60% of investment. Recommended for most players.
FAQ
What is Company Time and why is it exploitable?
Custom Dice enabling Transaction/Occurrence purchases at reduced Cosmic Fragment costs. Converts abundant fragments into scarce high-tier blessings, creating economic advantages bypassing RNG. Enables 8-12 blessings/run vs standard 4-6.
Which characters are essential?
None absolutely essential—functions with F2P 4-star teams. Optimal: strong DPS (Seele/Jingliu/Herta/Acheron), Speed support (Bronya/Asta/Ruan Mei), reliable sustain (Gepard/Luocha/March 7th/Natasha). Teams meeting minimums (2500+ ATK DPS, 160+ Speed support, 4000+ HP sustain) achieve 80%+ success.
How many Cosmic Fragments for Third Plane?
Maintain 300+ entering Third Plane for boss-specific blessings. Optimal execution generates 1000-1200 total, allocating 600-700 for First/Second Plane, reserving 300-400 for Third. Enables 2-3 critical purchases like Increase DMG against Boss enemies by 40%.
Does it work with unfavorable Transaction spawns?
Yes, but success drops from 85% to ~65%. Pivot to Occurrence focus for direct blessing drops/fragment rewards. Accept reduced blessing counts (6-7 vs 8-10), compensate through superior mechanical execution.
Minimum Trailblaze Level?
Level 60+ ensures Level 80 character ascension access, adequate Trailblaze Power for weekly attempts. Lower levels restrict progression, preventing minimum stat thresholds. Level 50-59 expect 60-70% success due to stat limitations.
How does it compare to Swarm Disaster?
Conundrum 12 provides superior per-run rewards (Lost Crystal x3 vs Swarm's varied rewards) but requires precise execution. Time investment favors Conundrum 12 (35-40 min vs 60-90 min for equivalent Swarm rewards), making it preferred for endgame players seeking efficient material acquisition.
