Umamusume: Pretty Derby, the gacha about anime horse girls, has taken the world by storm with its global release, surpassing over 30 million downloads in Asia alone. Given its popularity, it is no surprise that it has a large number of players, all of whom are striving to become the best trainers.
However, for any of them to have a shot at becoming the best, they must understand how to raise their Umamusume through the game's Career mode. While some have a grasp of what needs to be done to train only the finest horse girls, many still make the same errors that prevent them from doing so. With that said, here are some Umamusume Career mode mistakes you'll want to make sure to avoid.
1. Resting Too Often
Raising an Umamusume's stats is what Career mode is all about, and players must make the most out of the limited time they have to increase what they can. However, they won't be able to do that if they let their horse girls rest even when they don't need to.
As long as the failure rate of training a particular stat isn't above 10%, do not be afraid and continue. Train as much as possible and only use the rest option when absolutely necessary, as it's the best way to ensure your Umamusume is at its peak at the end of the Career mode session.
2. Not Choosing Options That Increase Energy
If an opportunity to increase energy presents itself, it's best to take it. This is one of the most essential tips for new Umamusume players, but unfortunately, it is also the one that many seem to forget.
The game will occasionally present dialogue choices, and you must always choose the ones that guarantee an energy increase. While it doesn't directly say which one does so, figuring it out isn't necessarily hard, so just remember to read carefully and pick accordingly.
3. Failing to Raise the Friendship Gauge With the Support Cards
To ensure the best start in Umamusume's Career mode, one of the things that must be focused on in the early game is to raise the friendship gauge with as many of the Support Cards as possible. Some players likely aren't aware of this and end up with much lower stats than what they should have gotten at the end of the session.
Just remember to check each of the training options, and if you see one that increases the friendship gauge of two or more cards, be sure to pick it. Do that consistently, and you'll see much larger stat gains and ensure your horse girl wins every race.
4. Picking Random Support Cards
Speaking of Support Cards, one cannot just pick a random set and hope for the best. Those that do will often end up with huge problems, such as giving their incredible 3-star Umamusume skills that don't fit them or realizing that their friendship training is limited to only one or two stats.
So at the start of Career mode, be sure to go over what kind of Support Cards you have. Learn what stat they provide the most benefit to and what kind of skills they can give. That way, you can choose only the ones that will grant the appropriate boosts for the horse girl you've chosen to train.
5. Only Participating in Main Goal Races
When playing Umamusume's Career mode, many goals must be achieved, the majority of which involve taking part in mandatory races. Players often train until the time comes to participate in them, but because of this, they end up ignoring the optional ones.
Participating in non-main goal races is what allows you to acquire skill points, which are essential for obtaining abilities that help any horse girl become a force to be reckoned with. So, if you happen to have those days where stat training doesn't provide great benefits, consider the racing option instead.
6. Picking Veteran Umamusume Only for Stat Gains
This is one of the biggest mistakes most make when playing Umamusume: Pretty Derby. While stat gains are important, that's not the only thing that should be focused on. Veteran Umamusume also contains Sparks, which are essentially bonuses that can grant additional skills or make a character more proficient in certain racing conditions.
So what you'll want to do is to pick those that provide not only good stat gains, but also those who have the best Sparks. The effort to do so is more than worth it, given the benefits it can bring to whoever you intend to train.
Umamusume: Pretty Derby may be one of the best games of 2025, but those who play it won't get the most out of it if they can't train their horse girls optimally. So, be sure to avoid all the Career mode mistakes, and you'll find that not only will you become a great trainer, but also that the game will be much easier and more fun than ever.
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