Understanding Rubert Empire Curios
Unlike Propagation's swarm or Remembrance's sustain, Rubert Empire uses building blocks that transform into an endgame powerhouse.
The system revolves around three curios: Mechanical Piston, Mechanical Lever, and Mechanical Cogwheel. Each provides incremental benefits, but collecting all three triggers Imperial Legacy Occurrence, exchanging them for the Difference Machine—a 3-star curio that fundamentally alters combat.
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What Makes Them Unique
Mechanical Cogwheel: Generates 50 Cosmic Fragments per domain. Exceeding 750 fragments destroys it and all accumulated fragments. Monitor closely and spend before hitting the cap.
Mechanical Lever: Grants one Equation Blessing per domain while discarding one non-Equation Blessing. Self-destructs if you have no non-Equation Blessings to discard. Always keep one low-value Blessing as fodder.
Mechanical Piston: Grants two random curios while discarding one per domain. If the Piston itself gets discarded, you lose your entire curio collection. Never select it for discard.
The Transformation
Upon collecting all three, Imperial Legacy auto-triggers, discarding individual pieces for the Difference Machine. This 3-star curio delivers per domain:
- 300 Cosmic Fragments (4× Cogwheel output, no destruction risk)
- 3 random Blessings
- 3 random Curios
- Combat buffs: 60% CRIT Rate + 16% CRIT DMG to all allies at battle start
Why It Breaks Balance
The Difference Machine eliminates resource scarcity. Traditional runs force choices between Blessings, Curios, or fragments—this provides all three simultaneously.
The 60% CRIT Rate equals 12-15 perfect relic substats—impossible through normal gear. Characters can focus entirely on CRIT DMG, ATK%, and offense without sacrificing consistency.
Combined with By Any Means Necessary curio (grants 300 fragments + 20% ATK per 3-star curio), it triggers immediate power spikes.
Complete Rubert Empire Curio List
The Mechanical Trio
Mechanical Cogwheel: 50 fragments/domain. Destroys at 750 fragments. Spend before approaching limit.
Mechanical Lever: Converts Blessings to Equation type. Requires ≥1 non-Equation Blessing to avoid destruction.
Mechanical Piston: +2 curios, -1 curio/domain. Losing all curios if Piston discarded. Protect at all costs.
The Difference Machine
Evolved form of the trio. Per domain: 300 fragments, 3 Blessings, 3 Curios. Combat: 60% CRIT Rate, 16% CRIT DMG (all allies). Acquisition auto-triggers when holding all three mechanical curios. Cannot be reversed.
Supporting Curios
Vile Mechanical Satellite: -30% shop prices. Synergizes with fragment generation.
Space-Time Prism: +1 Eidolon Resonance (all characters). Universal power boost.
All Rubert curios trigger Anti-Organic Equation Regional Resonance for additional faction bonuses.
Building the Combo
Step 1: Run Initialization (Domains 1-3)
Select domains with high Occurrence rates. Prioritize Curio-type Occurrences over combat routes early.
Check every shop for mechanical pieces. Use Cogwheel fragments to fund purchases. Avoid committing to other factions—Propagation/Elation/Remembrance conflict with endgame strategy.
If approaching 750 fragments without additional pieces, spend on valuable Blessings. Equation Blessings synergize with Lever's filtering.
Step 2: Transformation Phase (Domains 4-6)
By domain 4, you should have 2+ mechanical curios. Third piece triggers Difference Machine conversion.
Post-transformation: prioritize Equation Blessings (scale with existing buffs) and CRIT DMG boosts. The 3 Blessings/domain enable rapid stacking.
Use 300 fragments/domain for premium shop purchases without destruction risk. Invest in rare Curios and Occurrence rerolls.
Step 3: Late Game (Domains 7+)
Accumulated Blessings + Curios trivialize standard encounters. 60% CRIT Rate ensures consistency; 16% CRIT DMG amplifies each hit.
For bosses: near-capped CRIT Rate eliminates RNG variance. Use fragments for adaptive counter-strategies if needed.
Final boss: your power should significantly exceed baseline. Teams struggling with World 6 achieve comfortable victories through multiplicative scaling.
Synergy Mechanics
Stacking Multiple Rubert Curios
Vile Mechanical Satellite's 30% discount multiplies Difference Machine's 300 fragments—what buys two premium Blessings now affords three.
Space-Time Prism's +1 Eidolon applies to all characters (4-character team = 4 Eidolon levels of value). Combined with CRIT buffs, characters reach performance breakpoints normally requiring gacha investment.
Anti-Organic Equation Resonance scales with Rubert curio count. Post-transformation, acquire additional Rubert curios through 3/domain generation.
Damage Calculation
HSR damage formula: Base ATK × DMG% × (CRIT Rate × CRIT DMG) × DEF shred × RES pen × vulnerability.
Example: 50% CRIT Rate + 100% CRIT DMG = 150% average damage. Difference Machine boosts to 110% CRIT Rate (capped at 100%) + 116% CRIT DMG = 216% damage consistently—44% increase from one curio.
This excludes Blessing/Curio generation providing additional 20-40% damage/stack. Compounding creates 300-500% baseline damage scenarios.
Optimal Combinations
Pair with ATK-scaling curios (ATK% per kill/skill/turn). Guaranteed crits create consistent high-damage rotations.
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Economy curios (Vile Mechanical Satellite) extend purchasing power: 30% discount + 300 fragments/domain = multiple premium purchases/domain.
Equation Buffs
Equation Blessings provide mathematical scaling: increase damage by X% per Blessing held. Difference Machine generates 3 Blessings/domain × 6 domains = 18+ Blessings. Single Equation Blessing at 8%/Blessing = 144% damage increase.
Best Characters
Top Tier DPS (S-Rank)
Seele: Kit provides CRIT Rate; Difference Machine pushes past 100%, enabling pure CRIT DMG focus. Resurgence mechanic (extra turns on kills) compounds with consistent damage for chain eliminations.
Jingliu: Guaranteed crits during Spectral Transmigration maximize burst windows. CRIT DMG bonus amplifies substantial multipliers.
Dan Heng • Imbibitor Lunae: Multi-hit basics benefit from per-hit CRIT buffs. All hits crit simultaneously. Fragment generation funds energy-restoration Curios.
Acheron: Team-wide buffs ensure consistent Slashed Dream stack generation, accelerating ultimate availability.
Support Amplifiers
Bronya: Action advancement multiplies CRIT buff value. Ultimate's CRIT DMG stacks with Difference Machine.
Sparkle: Action advancement + CRIT DMG scaling. Universal buffs ensure all members contribute damage.
Ruan Mei: Break effect + SPD buffs. Ultimate's RES pen multiplies with CRIT damage.
Tingyun: ATK% + energy regen. CRIT buffs ensure buffed attacks deal max damage.
F2P Options
Dr. Ratio: Free availability. Follow-up attacks trigger frequently; Difference Machine ensures each crits.
Herta: AoE damage scales with enemy count. Guaranteed crits on all targets = exponential scaling.
Qingque: CRIT-reliant kit stabilized by Difference Machine. Enhanced basics always crit.
March 7th (Imaginary): Hunt path variant. Buffs enhance follow-up attacks for respectable F2P damage.
Path & Blessing Strategy
Best Paths
The Hunt: CRIT-focused Blessings stack multiplicatively. Hunt Blessings grant CRIT DMG per condition (single-target/follow-up/kills).
The Destruction: ATK% and damage multipliers scale with CRIT buffs. Unconditional damage increases.
Propagation: Multiplication mechanics. Stacking buffs per action/enemy; consistent damage enables rapid accumulation.
Elation: High-variance effects stabilized by Difference Machine consistency. High average performance with extreme peaks.
Must-Have Blessings
Equation Blessings: Mathematical scaling. X% damage per Blessing held becomes exponentially powerful (100-200% damage by run end).
CRIT DMG Blessings: Direct compounding with CRIT Rate buffs. 20-40% CRIT DMG = consistent damage increases.
ATK% Blessings: Multiplicative scaling with CRIT damage. 50% ATK + guaranteed crits + high CRIT DMG = substantial amplification.
Damage Multiplier Blessings: Skill/ultimate/follow-up damage increases stack multiplicatively.
Priority by Stage
Early (Domains 1-3): Economy Blessings (fragments/shop discounts) to fund mechanical curio acquisition.
Mid (Domains 4-6): Equation Blessings + CRIT DMG post-transformation. Build damage multiplier foundation.
Late (Domains 7+): Specific damage multipliers matching team composition (follow-up/ultimate-focused).
Avoid Anti-Synergy
- CRIT Rate reduction Blessings undermine primary advantage
- Blessings requiring specific curio types (Propagation/Remembrance) conflict with Rubert focus
- Defensive Blessings sacrificing damage rarely justify cost (exceptions: specific boss mechanics)
Rubert Empire vs Other Strategies
vs Propagation: Rubert = superior single-target/boss damage. Propagation = multi-enemy scenarios. Boss-focused content favors Rubert.
vs Remembrance: Rubert = offensive focus, faster clears, demands skill. Remembrance = survivability, slower, safer. Confident players prefer Rubert.
vs Elation: Rubert = consistent, predictable scaling. Elation = high-variance, chaotic. Weekly score maximization favors Rubert reliability.
When to Pivot: If no mechanical curios by domain 4, switch strategies. Certain bosses counter CRIT (CRIT Rate reduction/nullification). Match strategy to roster.
Advanced Optimization
RNG Manipulation
Save fragments for critical shops (domains 3-4 when seeking final pieces). Difference Machine's 300 fragments/domain enables multiple shop refreshes.
Certain Occurrences reroll shop inventory without advancing domains. Prioritize when missing pieces.
Vile Mechanical Satellite's 30% discount = 43% purchasing power increase (1/0.7 = 1.43). 300 fragments becomes 429 effective purchasing power.
Domain Routing
Prioritize paths with 3+ Occurrence nodes early. Imperial Legacy specifically offers mechanical curios.
Curio-focused Occurrences (Curio Hacker/Vendor/Exchange) provide additional acquisition opportunities.
Avoid forced curio discards before completing trio. Losing mechanical curios delays transformation.
Common Mistakes
- Discarding mechanical curios thinking they're low-value
- Exceeding Cogwheel's 750-fragment limit
- Allowing Lever self-destruct (zero non-Equation Blessings)
- Accidentally discarding Piston (destroys entire collection)
- Investing in non-Rubert strategies pre-transformation
Troubleshooting Low Damage
Verify Blessing selection: Equation Blessings + damage multipliers essential.
Check character CRIT DMG optimization. Difference Machine provides CRIT Rate; you must stack CRIT DMG.
Ensure team includes strong DPS. Difference Machine amplifies existing damage, doesn't create from nothing.
Select damage-enhancing Curios over utility/defensive options.
World 6+ Strategies
Boss Counters
CRIT Rate reduction: 60% bonus typically exceeds most reductions. Supplement with CRIT Rate Blessings if needed.
Elemental requirements: Match DPS to boss weakness. Universal buffs apply regardless of element.
Phase transitions: Consistent CRIT enables reliable burst windows. Coordinate ultimates with vulnerable phases.
Summoned enemies: AoE characters (Herta/Himeko) leverage team-wide buffs for exponential scaling.
Weekly Score Maximization
Boss kills + domain completions + achievements = score. Difference Machine ensures reliable boss victories.
High damage = faster clears = more domains/run = multiplied score.
Version 3.8 (June 26, 2025 Server 1; May 23, 2025 Server 2) added curio unlock achievements: 16/32/48/60/72 curios = Stellar Jade ×40 + Synchronicity Points ×200 each. Difference Machine's 3 Curios/domain accelerates completion.
Resource Investment
Oneiric Shard Priority
Unlock Rubert curios to increase appearance rates. Difference Machine unlock ensures consistent availability.
Vile Mechanical Satellite + Space-Time Prism warrant priority for long-term synergy value.
Weekly Rewards
Difference Machine enables consistent high-difficulty clears, maximizing reward tiers.
Weekly objectives (clear X domains, defeat Y bosses, obtain Z Blessings) become trivial.
Stellar Jade Farming
Curio unlock achievements (Version 3.8): 200 total Stellar Jades (40 each at 16/32/48/60/72 unlocks). Difference Machine accelerates progress.
First-time difficulty clears reward Stellar Jades. Power enables progression through higher difficulties.
Weekly score thresholds provide recurring income. Consistent high scores maximize renewable stream.
FAQ
Fastest way to obtain all three mechanical curios? Prioritize domains with multiple Occurrences (domains 1-4). Check every shop. Use Cogwheel fragments to purchase missing pieces. Select Imperial Legacy Occurrence mechanical curios over alternatives. If unfavorable RNG by domain 4, restart.
Does Difference Machine work with all teams? Yes—universal benefits (60% CRIT Rate, 16% CRIT DMG) enhance any composition. CRIT-scaling DPS maximize value. Support-heavy teams benefit less from CRIT but still gain resource generation (300 fragments, 3 Blessings, 3 Curios/domain).
Can you get multiple Difference Machines? No—unique transformation of three mechanical curios. One per run. Its benefits suffice for dominating content.
What if you discard Difference Machine? Permanent loss for that run. Mechanical curios don't return. Avoid Occurrences/Blessings forcing random discards. Protect above all curios.
Is Rubert Empire F2P viable? Absolutely. Universal benefits regardless of character rarity. F2P characters (Dr. Ratio, Herta, Qingque) leverage CRIT effectively. Power comes from curio synergy, not premium characters.
Rubert Empire vs Propagation for weekly scores? Rubert = superior single-target damage, consistency, boss-focused scoring. Propagation = multi-enemy scenarios, variance. Reliable boss kills favor Rubert efficiency.
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