How to get Black and gold characters ?

[Deathraven13]

I've beaten all mission and when I try Dust in EX/Slash/Reload color I still get regular stuff, wasn't mission supposed to unlock all that ? I then went into survival and beat Anji to try if I can get the black version and nothing. Any help ?

[gigaturok]

In this game to unlock Shadow and Gold characters you need to beat Story Mode with everyone.

[Deathraven13]

Originally posted by gigaturok:

In this game to unlock Shadow and Gold characters you need to beat Story Mode with everyone.

NANIIIIIIIIIII ?! T_T

Alright thank you very much.

Wait a second, what do you unlock for doing survival then ? Back in the days on PS2 with XX reload I remember that you can unlock those in survival mode wich I have completed (2 gold Order Sol at the end if I remember right, + no power ups).

[gigaturok]

Survival Mode will unlock stages from XX Slash.

[Deathraven13]

Originally posted by gigaturok:

Survival Mode will unlock stages from XX Slash.

Oh, thank you for these informations.

[Kawayol]

...I've just completed Story entirely, all paths (got the achievement, so I know with 100% assurance that it was finished right. I also got all of the stages and their alternative versions, so I definitely tried every option in Story and saw everything/fought everyone), Mission was also completed with GGXX rating (Maniac) on all 30, and Survival was finished with all achievements. Yet when I press Dust on Reload/Slash colors I still don't get black or gold.

What the hell is going on? What I don't know/don't understand? Did they remove blacks and golds completely from normal play, in some update, or something? I can set up gold and black AI in Arcade/MOM/VS, but I can't use them by myself in any modes. And there are no FAQs/guides out there on Steam version of AC+R specifically addressing this matter. Halp?

[Kawayol]

Alright, people, so...I FINALLY figured it out.

It seems that, after the rollback update, devs changed the default input of "Dust at Reload and Slash for blacks & golds" to "assign any button to Rec Enemy function and press it" method. You can map it anywhere, though in my personal case I prefer the most for it to be on the analog stick/R3 (since I currently use a DualShock joypad). So, yeah...the "press Dust" way does NOT work anymore. ALL of the FAQs/guides should be updated/adjusted according to this change, since it creates a lot of confusion for anyone who's trying to search for this info.

[Deathraven13]

Originally posted by ЖЫРная Струя Reload+:

Alright, people, so...I FINALLY figured it out.

It seems that, after the rollback update, devs changed the default input of "Dust at Reload and Slash for blacks & golds" to "assign any button to Rec Enemy function and press it" method. You can map it anywhere, though in my personal case I prefer the most for it to be on the analog stick/R3 (since I currently use a DualShock joypad). So, yeah...the "press Dust" way does NOT work anymore. ALL of the FAQs/guides should be updated/adjusted according to this change, since it creates a lot of confusion for anyone who's trying to search for this info.

I did not complete all stories but I did beat survival and all challenges and this worked.

[Kawayol]

That's the classic way. It worked like that on consoles back in the days. The Story mode was added only in AC+R, so it's only natural they also added that unlocking functionality to that.

[your_mysterious_host]

Quick question, how is it inputted in order to select the Gold or Shadow character? I've tried tapping and holding the Record Enemy button multiple times and it will not select a color. I've tried every possible button combination with Record Enemy and on every version (Ex, Slash, #Reload). What am I missing?

[Kawayol]

You assign any button to "Rec Enemy" (in my case it's R3 on DualShock 4 joypad) function, then go to character select screen and first select either Reload or Slash color set, then press whatever button the "Rec Enemy" was assigned to. Reload set will be Black, Slash set will be Gold. It's not going to work if you haven't opened corresponding Black and Gold versions for the character you're selecting, first. Which is done by completing both paths/routes (only one for Kliff and Justice) for that character in the Story mode. It was kind of easier and faster to do this via Survival in the past, but it seems that they've changed it once rollback update became a thing. Beating Blacks and Golds in any Survival (new/with skills or classic) won't net you that corresponding char's Black or Gold versions anymore. You HAVE to do it through Story mode.

[your_mysterious_host]

Thank you very much. Precisely what I was looking for.

[Kawayol]

Just in case, I recommend using this guide/chart for the Story mode, to make things easier/faster/less obtuse - https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/ps2/944396-guilty-gear-xx-accent-core-plus/faqs/59956. However, please note that this wasn't updated for a while and there's one mistake on one of the charts there (I-No's route selection, which depends on the precise order of how you defeat first three enemies, either Destroying them or not. What you must do, is either Destroy Sol, then defeat Axl without retries and NOT Destroy OR Overdrive him, then Destroy Millia, or you defeat all three without using Destroy and you must lose to Axl at least once. You'll have to figure it out yourself since I don't remember the order exactly, but...just check if you're going to land on May or Eddie afterwards, where May is route #1 while Eddie is route #2. And if my memory is right, when it says that you have to "beat with normals" it means you MUST use ONLY normals, as in - no specials or overdrives whatsoever. Just mere gatlings would do. Also, to be able to get I-No's "bad" ending, you HAVE to unlock Baiken's endings first, otherwise you'll be matched with Testament at the crossroad. It's much more straightforward and easier to unlock both of Baiken's endings, however). There's also this one - https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/switch/237576-guilty-gear-xx-accent-core-plus-r/faqs/57634, as an alternative, though it's clearly way less detailed/more obtuse to read into.

[your_mysterious_host]

Thank you for your thoroughness! It is appreciated!

[HelgenX]

Is there a way to unlock everything without beating anything, like a trainer or a file to modify?

[Kawayol]

Originally posted by HelgenX:

Is there a way to unlock everything without beating anything, like a trainer or a file to modify?

Try GameFAQs' cheat section (there could be save files available). You won't get an answer here, because, if I recall correctly, it's a ToS violation to ask for direct cheats/hacks here.