Score and Kudos

A Score is the total points a player has accrued during a stage, being a feature present in virtually all games in the series. Prior to stage completion, the current score is displayed in the top left corner above the player health bar.
The most visible mechanism that can determine score is Kudos. The next most visible mechanic is Stars, time limit bonuses or a penalty. There are additional, less obvious factors without official names that also have great influence on score.
Starting in Luminous Avenger iX, score result screens also display kudos mode, stage name, skill art (usually of the boss of the stage), the game's logo, and certain colors or special effects depending on the rank.
==Ranks==
A Rank is the grade assigned based on score total at the end of a stage. From lowest to highest: C, B, A, S, S+ (except iX2)/ X (iX2), and S++ (GV3). In the Japanese version of GV1, S+ is SS. In both languages of Luminous Avenger iX 2, the highest rank is X. In Azure Striker Gunvolt and Azure Striker Gunvolt 2, higher ranks reward the player with more Materials. In Luminous Avenger iX 2, the Ability Extra Prizes rewards the player with money based on rank when equipped.
C is a rank that is gained by dying and triggering a heroine's Anthem, negating the player's score for the mission. C Ranks can also be achieved through extremely poor play. B is a default rank for completing the mission without dying. A and S are intermediate ranks. S+ or equivalent normally has much higher requirements than the next highest, S. In Azure Striker Gunvolt 3, triggering Anthem before the boss results in no rank at all.
Azure Striker Gunvolt 3 additionally awards an SS Rank if a stage is completed with the "The Primal Dragon" Gunvolt Passive Image Pulse active and without reverting back to Kirin at any point in the stage. SS Rank is independent of Kudos and overrides the standard Rank with its own unique insignia. SS Rank is displayed as a special icon next to the player's standard high score in the stage select, and should the score earned during an SS run be the player's best result, it will be displayed as the main rank until another record is set.
==Kudos==
=== Kudos Mechanics (Azure Striker Gunvolt - Luminous Avenger iX 2) ===
Unsaved points gained during a stage by damaging enemies, finishing them in a certain way, or performing special actions (Secret Kudos, or in the LAiX series collecting Bonus Emblems). Converting Kudos into actual score is done by touching checkpoints, using certain Special Skills, or clearing a stage. When Kudos are converted into actual Score, they are multiplied depending on how many there are. The Kudos limit in GV1 is 9999, while in every game after it is 99999. Lost Kudos are not converted into Score. The conditions for Kudos loss vary, and are detailed in the section below.
Reaching 1000 Kudos normally results in a song playing, and Overdrive activating in Copen's case. These end with the loss of Kudos.
===Kudos Modes===
Originally in GV1, the player taking a single hit resulted in the loss of all Kudos. GV2 introduced two more lenient modes, Cautious and Gutless, while naming the original style Fearless; these modes are selected before starting a stage and affect the final score. LAiX2 also has its own parameters. How each Kudos modifier works depends on the game.
*Fearless grants highest Kudos multiplier cap for GV1 and GV2, and the greatest score bonus in iX1. It is the only mode in Score Attack.
*In Cautious, the player only loses Kudos if three hits are taken. Moderate Kudos multiplier cap for GV1 and 2, lesser score bonus for iX1.
*In Gutless, Kudos are not lost when hit. Low Kudos multiplier cap for GV1 and 2, no score bonus for iX1.
In LAiX2's "normal mode", no Kudos are lost by taking hits (barring a specific program), but they are lost upon death. In Hard Mode, all Kudos are lost by taking a single hit. Regardless of mode, using healing, an offensive skill, or touching a checkpoint cashes in Kudos.
=== Kudos Mechanics (Azure Striker Gunvolt 3) ===
In Azure Striker Gunvolt 3, Kudos can no longer be lost upon being hit, using Skills, touching Checkpoints, or activating Anthem. Kudos can only be lost upon death. Touching a Checkpoint adds points to your score equal to your current Kudos multiplied by your current multiplier. During Anthem, the ability to earn Kudos is frozen until control returns to Kirin after triggering a cutscene/area transition.
Being struck by an attack will inflict the Kudos Lock status, indicated by a red padlock and chains effect covering the Kudos counter. Kudos Lock is displayed as a "negative" Kudos value, the severity of which scales to the current Kudos count. While Kudos Lock is active, Kudos cannot be earned. Kudos Lock can be deactivated by earning the specified number of Kudos without being struck.
Lumen's Songs activate at each 1000 Kudos threshold. At specific Kudos thresholds, such as 4000 Kudos and 10,000 Kudos, a Special Song will activate, indicated by the Kudos counter turning gold and a golden soundwave effect appearing around the edges of the screen. If Kudos are not earned fast enough to maintain Lumen's song, the song will deactivate.
Every time a checkpoint is passed, score is updated based on current Kudos and multiplier. This means overall performance in a stage, rather than purely the end result, determines the final score. Thus, ending a stage with similar Kudos counts may give vastly different scores depending on which part of the stage had greater Kudos accumulation. 
==== Song of Djinn ====
With certain exceptions and when not playing as Special GV, there is a chance that Luxia will revive a boss with reduced health and defense. The likelihood of this occurring depends on total Kudos accumulated, with 7000 or more Kudos guaranteeing a revive. In exchange for the added challenge, the revive provides an opportunity to accumulate an even greater amount of Kudos, with the Skill Finish bonus applying to the revived version as well.
Since it usually occurs at the end of a stage, these revives aren't strictly necessary to obtain the S++ rank and are even disabled in Trial Mode. However, there is a single exception where this is crucial to scoring: Sunrise Palace 3. Due to Gunvolt 3's checkpoint system, the Kudos accumulated from the Grazie re-fight and Djinn revival are cashed in multiple times, significantly inflating the final score. Since the score requirement accounts for the inflated score and Trial Mode uses the Demanding/Merciless requirements, this mission is the only impossible S++ in Trial Mode.
==="Overkill Kudos"===
In GV1, GV2, and iX1, if a foe is defeated by an attack that yields Kudos from raw damage and that deals more damage than the foe has remaining HP, the Kudos gained will be based on the attack's damage, effectively yielding Kudos for depleting HP that the foe did not have. In GV1, SP Skills yield raw damage Kudos, so the optimal way to defeat the last boss of a stage is to whittle it down to very low HP and then hit it with a powerful single-hit SP Skill like Voltaic Chains or Septimal Surge Luxcalibur. Using Voltaic Chains on a group of regular enemies can also yield a great deal of overkill Kudos, even moreso if Adrenaline Lens is equipped and you're lucky enough to use Septimal Surge beforehand without consuming a Skill Point. This is likely why SP Skills do not yield raw damage Kudos and Adrenaline Lens caps Kudos at 1200 in GV2.
In Luminous Avenger iX 2, overkill Kudos are absent for normal enemies, but bosses can yield overkill Kudos for each segment of their health bar independently. Copen's EX Weapons and Colossal Maelstrom do not yield raw damage Kudos, but a small amount of overkill Kudos can still be squeezed out with basic attacks. Copen's strongest basic attacks are his dashing Razor Wheel attack and the third hit of his melee combo.
=="Kill Points"==
Raw score points gained simply for killing enemies, with bosses and minibosses grant more than normal enemies. Like Kudos, the amount rewarded depends on the kill method.
==Bonuses==
The main way to earn Kudos in each game aside from inflicting damage is via Kudos Bonuses, which are awarded via special "stylish" actions accomplished when defeating enemies. Each character has access to Kudos Bonuses unique to their playstyles.
Bonus 	Description 	Kudos Awarded 	Characters
Double 	Defeat two enemies at the same time. 	+100 (GV1/GV2)+20 (GV3) 	Gunvolt
Triple 	Defeat three enemies at the same time. 	+250 (GV1/GV2)+50 (GV3) 	Gunvolt
Electric X 	Defeat more than three enemies in rapid succession. 	? x Enemies Defeated 	Gunvolt
Full Strike 	Defeat an enemy with three Tags. 	+10 	Gunvolt (GV1/GV2)
Air Strike 	Defeat an enemy with three Tags while airborne. 	+30 	Gunvolt (GV1/GV2)
Aerial 	Defeat an enemy while airborne. Multiplied by current aerial chain (caps at 5x for Copen, caps at 4.0x for Kirin and Zed). In Luminous Avenger iX 2, Copen needs to Tag an enemy and then defeat it before touching the ground or losing the Tag in order to earn this bonus.	+10 (Copen)+15 (Kirin, Zed) 	CopenKirinZed
Aerial EX 	Defeat a Tagged foe with an EX Weapon while airborne. Earned in place of the standard Aerial bonus. Multiplied by current aerial chain (caps at 5x). 	+20 	Copen
Quick Aerial 	Defeat more than one foe with a single aerial attack/Arc Chain. Multiplied by current aerial chain (caps at 4.0x for Kirin and Zed). 	+20 	KirinZed
Guard Counter 	Quickly defeat a foe after deflecting its attack with Flashshield. 	+50 	Copen (GV2)
Guard EX 	Quickly defeat additional foes with an EX Weaponafter deflecting an attack with Flashshield. 	+200 	Copen (GV2)
Quick Razor 	Defeat a foe with a Razor Wheel melee attack less than five seconds after defeating a previous foe. 	+30 	Copen (iX2)
Skill Finish/Shredded!	Defeat a foe with a Skill, including GV2 Gunvolt's 0 SP Skills. 	+30 (Enemy)+200 (GV1 Miniboss)+500 (Post-GV1 Miniboss, GV1/iX1/iX2 Boss)+1000 (GV2/GV3 Boss)+400 (Miniboss, GV3 Gunvolt)+800 (Boss, GV3 Gunvolt)	All
Secret 	Find a Secret. 	Varies 	All (GV1/GV2)
Secret icon 	Find an icon. 	Set Kudos to 1000, regardless of the original Kudos. 	Gunvolt (GV1)
Bonus Get 	Pick up a Bonus Emblem. 	+500 	Copen (iX1/iX2)
Completed! 	Pick up all four Bonus Emblems in a stage. 	+1000 	Copen (iX1)
== Combo/Chain ==
Copen can earn additional Kudos for each Kudos Bonus accomplished with a Combo. For each enemy defeated without landing, Combo is increased by one stage, increasing the total multiplier for each Kudos Bonus by +1.0x. Combo caps after the 5th enemy for a maximum possible 5.0x multiplier for all Kudos Bonuses. Combo resets upon landing on the ground.
Kirin and Zed have access to a similar mechanic called Chain. For each enemy defeated without landing, Chain increases by +1.0x, for a maximum possible multiplier of 4.0x. Chain resets upon landing on the ground or wall jumping.
==Stars==
Stars are multiplicative bonuses or a penalty to the final score for completing the stage within a certain timeframe or taking too long. There are five star grades in the mainline Gunvolt series, while the LAiX series only has three star grades. In both cases, the highest amount of stars multiplies the score by 1.5x. In GV2 score attack, five stars multiplies score by 2.0x, while anything lower results in a 0.1x multiplier.
==="Time Points"===
Additional score points awarded for completing a stage under the lowest time limit. Present in GV2's Score Attack and the LAiX series. Sometimes worth it over actual Kudos, such as when breaking Crimm's shield. The Time Points gained from that outmatch the Kudos lost with his self-damaging attacks, for example.
==References==
*Lancer's Inti Creates Game Resources
*Lancer's Gunvolt Series Score Utility v4.0
==Navigation==
Category:Game Mechanic
Category:Azure Striker Gunvolt
Category:Azure Striker Gunvolt 2
Category:Azure Striker Gunvolt 3
Category:Luminous Avenger iX
Category:Luminous Avenger iX 2