Identity V COA IX Guide: Essence Rewards & Prefarm (2026)

COA IX Festival Overview: January 2026 Event Structure

Call of the Abyss IX runs January 8-28, 2026, with a dual-phase competitive structure:

Sacred Sanctum (December 31, 2026 - January 8, 2026): 6 daily matches per role, 60 total matches per role Divine Procession (January 8-22, 2026): 5 daily matches per role, 20 total matches per role

Quick Matches: 12:00-22:00 server time Ranked Matches: 12:00-14:00 and 19:00-21:00 server time

Maintenance begins January 8, 2026 at 08:00 UTC+8 (240 minutes). Secure your Identity V Echoes top up through BitTopup before this window.

Three Reward Categories:

• Tournament fragments: 500-2000 per member based on ranking
• Essence-exclusive cosmetics: Photographer's Eternal Light S-Tier
• Abyss Treasure IX: Available until May 5, 2026 at 23:59

Prefarming Checklist: Resources to Stockpile

Echoes (Premium Currency) Active codes:

• queenbee1127: 75-150 Echoes
• 27026: 75-150 Echoes
• 2A543: 75-100 Echoes

Redeem via Lobby > Gift > Settings > ID input.

Inspiration Target: 960 units Secures all 10 Abyss Treasure IX items (96 Inspirations each). 5000 Echoes recharge yields 1660 Inspirations.

Fragment Reserves A-Tier costumes: 1388 Echoes (1178 first week) S-Tier costumes: 2888 Echoes (no discount)

Abyss Battle Entry Requirements 1500 Quick/Ranked points OR 3000 Duo Hunters points. Achievable through Sacred Sanctum's 60-match window.

COA IX Essence: Content and Value

S-Tier: Photographer's Eternal Light (essence-exclusive)

A-Tier:

• Faro Lady Pale Crown
• Painter Deep Blue
• Knight Untamed
• Fire Investigator Caged Fire

B-Tier:

• Lanternist Paradise Drifter
• Explorer Conspiracy Theorist
• The Shadow Tales from the Dread
• Coordinator Dark Cleric

Cost Structure:

• 318 Echoes per pull
• 1-3% S-Tier drop rate
• 250-pull pity: 79,500 Echoes maximum

This represents 26.5% higher per-pull cost versus standard Memory Spheres.

Queue Time Data:

• Hunter: 3-5 min queue, 1200-1500 points/match
• Survivor: 1-2 min queue, 800-1000 points/match

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Tournament Structure and Fragment Rewards

Team Registration: Event launch until January 14, 2026 at 09:00 UTC+8 (effective deadline: January 13 at 21:00)

Requirements:

• 1-7 players per team (minimum 5 for Online Qualifiers)
• Maximum 1 non-permanent resident
• Club membership 12+ hours before matches count
• Scoring: Highest Hunter score ×2 + top 4 Survivor scores

Fragment Payouts:

• Rank 1: 2000 Fragments
• Rank 2: 1500 Fragments
• Rank 3: 1200 Fragments
• Ranks 4-8: 800 Fragments
• Ranks 9-16: 600 Fragments
• Ranks 17-50: 500 Fragments

Top-tier 2000 fragments covers 69% of S-Tier cost or full A-Tier with 612 remaining.

Sacred Sanctum vs Divine Procession Strategy

Sacred Sanctum Advantages:

• 8-day head start (December 31 launch)
• 48 Hunter + 48 Survivor matches per player
• Establishes qualification before Divine Procession

Divine Procession:

• Compressed 5 matches/day, 20 total per role
• 19:00-21:00 window creates queue congestion
• Higher competitive intensity

Optimal Approach:

1. Maximize Sacred Sanctum participation for early qualification
2. Front-load Hunter matches during off-peak hours
3. Reserve Survivor matches for Divine Procession (faster queues)
4. Track progress against 60-match Sacred Sanctum cap

Daily limits reset at 00:00 UTC+8.

Abyss Treasure IX: Deterministic Path

Available January 8 - May 5, 2026 at 23:59. Identical skins via Inspiration currency.

Cost: 96 Inspirations per item, 960 total for complete collection

5000 Echoes recharge provides 1660 Inspirations (700 surplus).

Abyss Treasure Advantages:

• Zero RNG, no duplicates
• Extended availability through May
• Fixed 960 Inspiration cost
• Guaranteed specific skins

Essence Advantages:

• Exclusive S-Tier access
• Lower cost if A-Tier drops early
• B-Tier cosmetics unavailable in Abyss Treasure

Players wanting Photographer S-Tier must use essences. Those satisfied with A/B-Tier achieve better value through Abyss Treasure.

4-Week Preparation Timeline

Week 4 (December 11-17):

• Redeem all codes immediately
• Complete daily missions for fragments
• Calculate Inspiration recharge needs (960 target)
• Practice both roles

Week 2 (December 25-31):

• Sacred Sanctum begins December 31
• Prioritize Hunter matches (higher points)
• Complete 6 daily matches per role
• Finalize team rosters, verify 12+ hour club membership

Week 1 (January 1-7):

• Continue Sacred Sanctum through January 8
• Verify Abyss Battle qualification (1500/3000 points)
• Secure Echoes before maintenance (January 8, 08:00 UTC+8)
• Review team scoring (Hunter ×2 + top 4 Survivors)

Launch Day (January 8):

• Maintenance ends ~12:00 UTC+8
• Access Abyss Treasure IX immediately
• Begin Divine Procession (19:00-21:00 window)
• Evaluate essence pulls after Abyss Treasure

Common Mistakes to Avoid

1. Ignoring Sacred Sanctum's December 31 start Sacrifices 40 matches per role. Sacred Sanctum's 60-match cap provides 3× more opportunities than Divine Procession's 20-match limit.

2. Essence pulls before Abyss Treasure evaluation Identical skin availability creates redundancy. Secure Abyss Treasure items first, then allocate remaining budget to essence-exclusive S-Tier and B-Tier.

3. Ignoring queue optimization Hunter generates 50% more points but 2-3× longer queues. Survivor often yields better points-per-hour despite lower per-match value.

4. Missing effective registration deadline Official deadline: January 14 at 09:00 UTC+8. Effective deadline: January 13 at 21:00 to ensure processing.

5. Neglecting club membership timing 12+ hour requirement before matches count. Account for this waiting period when switching clubs.

Echoes Spending Optimization

First-Week A-Tier Discount: 1388 → 1178 Echoes (15.1% savings, 210 Echoes per skin). Valid January 8-15.

S-Tier: Fixed 2888 Echoes, no discounts. Photographer Eternal Light requires 79,500 Echoes maximum (pity).

Budget Tiers:

Minimal (1000-3000 Echoes):

• Redeem codes (225-400 Echoes)
• Single Abyss Treasure item (~290 Echoes via conversion)
• Skip essence gambling

Moderate (5000-10000 Echoes):

• Complete Abyss Treasure (960 Inspirations from 5000 recharge)
• 15-16 essence pulls with remaining 5000
• Target B-Tier unavailable in Abyss Treasure

Dedicated (25000+ Echoes):

• Complete Abyss Treasure
• 79,500 Echoes for guaranteed S-Tier pity
• Reserve budget for first-week A-Tier discounts

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Post-Event: Chinese New Year 2026

Wu Chang's Frost S-Tier and Frozen Core A-Tier re-release during CNY 2026. Reserve fragment/Echoes budgets accordingly.

Abyss Treasure IX availability through May 5 allows delayed purchases. Prioritize CNY limited items first, then Abyss Treasure during February-May.

Tournament fragments (500-2000 based on ranking) provide substantial post-event purchasing power. Top teams with 2000 fragments access discounted A-Tier or significant S-Tier offsets.

FAQ

When does COA IX start and how long does it run? Launches January 8, 2026 after maintenance (08:00 UTC+8, 240 minutes). Runs through January 28. Abyss Treasure IX available until May 5, 2026 at 23:59. Sacred Sanctum begins December 31, 2025.

Guaranteed cost for Photographer S-Tier? 79,500 Echoes maximum via 250-pull pity (318 Echoes/pull). Drop rate: 1-3%. Essence-exclusive, no Abyss Treasure alternative.

Can F2P complete all rewards? F2P secures tournament fragments (500-2000) and code Echoes (225-400). Complete Abyss Treasure requires 960 Inspirations (Echoes recharge only). Essence cosmetics inaccessible beyond 1-2 code-funded pulls.

How does 250-pull pity work across essence types? Pity tracks separately per essence type. COA IX pity independent from Memory Spheres and other limited essences. Resets only after S-Tier acquisition.

What happens to unused currency after January 28? Inspirations valid until May 5, 2026 at 23:59. Tournament points expire with phase conclusions (Sacred Sanctum: January 8, Divine Procession: January 22). Fragments permanent, no expiration.

Hunter or Survivor for fastest farming? Hunter: 1200-1500 points, 3-5 min queue. Survivor: 800-1000 points, 1-2 min queue. Hunter superior per-match. Survivor often better points-per-hour accounting for queues. Alternate based on congestion and daily limits.