Devil May Cry 4, Complete Mission Requirements

[Keaton]

Not by me, just found by me ^_^

Thought it may be useful to anyone trying to get those elusive S-Ranks (like me )

There's a sticky topic that purports to reveal the S-rank requirements. The topic poster admits that it's all secondhand and credits the original poster, but obviously the information was bad, because it not only fails to explain the significance of bonuses, penalties, and the Orbs Found ranking, it doesn't even tell you what Devil Hunter points do--and these, it transpires, are three *vital* aspects of the ranking system.

So, I will transcribe from a more trustworthy source--the official Prima guide, that is--all information related to ranking and how to achieve your desired grade. I will further begin this topic by translating mathematical greek into layman's English to explain just how this game determines ranking in its twenty story missions. As for the Bloody Palace, I can't help you--the Prima guide neglects to even touch on any aspect of beating BP, let alone S-Ranking it.

I now introduce our enthusiastic host, DMC3 Dante. He has kindly consented to narrate this portion of the guide. So now, without further ado... let's rock, baby!

The (Complete) Mission Ranking Guide, Part One: What the Heck Do Those Damn Numbers Mean, Anyway?!

So, you've completed your first mission. Don't get ****y, you're still a rookie. Savor the sound of gunshots as your television screen is blasted to pieces and your points revealed for all the room to see!

If you've played this game, you know the routine--your mission Clear Time is shown and ranked, D to S, your Stylish points are likewise shown and ranked, and your Orbs Found percentage... yeah, yeah, you get it. Note the bonuses as well--what, you didn't get any?! (And you monkeys call yourselves devil hunters...) Never fear, the heading's here--BONUS & PENALTY in big, obvious letters. And don't jump out of your pants when that big letter pops up, that's just your Devil Hunter Rank--the fruit of your labors. If you got a C, consider yourself the norm. If you got B or A, you're pretty good. If you got S on your first mission, you're either an old pro or a #$%^ing prodigy. But--

This is the part where old DMC vets spit out a cartoon word balloon sporting the words WTF?! I mean, there's never been a total score above the ranking before--what's it mean? Just something for the Xbox Live Leaderboards... yeah, that's gotta be it...

Like hell, rookie. That number is not just above your rank--it is your rank. The letter you achieve is based solely on that number--a number which comes from a complex bit of behind-the-scenes multiplication involving all those shiny scores on the left side of the screen.

That math is:
(Clear Bonus + Stylish Points) x Clear Time Multiplier x Orbs Found Multiplier x Bonus/Penalty Multipliers = Devil Hunter Points

Lost yet? Or maybe you didn't flunk pre-cal (like I did). Those in the numerical know won't need the explaining, but for the sake of those with better things to do than crunch numbers--crunching devils, for example--here's how it all works... Devil Hunter Points For Dummies.

To break down the equation into its key parts...

Clear Bonus - Regardless of difficulty, all missions come pre-packaged with a set number of points for the simple task of clearing the mission. This varies between missions, but not modes. These points translate directly into Devil Hunter Points--after the multiplication process, that is.
Stylish Points - So you mashed the attack button the entire time. For shame, rookie--the game is all about combos, and how twisted you can make 'em. These points add up in the background, gaining strength and momentum the higher you can drive your combo Style Meter, and in the end this total translates directly to Devil Hunter Points--again, of course, once the multiplication is done with.
Clear Time - The time it took you to finish the mission, silly! But how, exactly, does that translate into your ranking score? Simple--the letter you achieved determines a "multiplier," such as x1.5, by which the above two scores, added together, are multiplied.
Orbs Found - In the immortal words of Daxter, "Breakin' stuff's fun, right?" Well, breakin' stuff isn't all you have to do--you also have to find all the hidden stashes of Red Orbs throughout the level, like that batch you get by standing on top of the fountain in the graveyward. Don't worry--you have enough time to get them without hurting your Time ranking. But how does this work its way into the equation? Same as the above--the letter determines a "multiplier."
Bonus/Penalty - Managed to beat it with no items, champ? Not bad. What?! NO DAMAGE?! ...er... not... bad... (even I can't do that! grrr...) So how does this work? Another multiplier, of course--(you're getting how this ranking system works by now, aren't you?)--although if you were clumsy enough or just outright outclassed to need one of those Gold Orbs or, god forbid, to activate the enemy handicap, you'll take a negative multiplier, such as x0.8 or x0.7.

How It All Stacks Up - As you read in the above equation, the ranking math is quite simple... your total score, comprising both Clear Bonus and Stylish Points, is multiplied by all earned multipliers, good and bad. The result is your total score. So if you scored 2,000 for a Clear Bonus and 8,000 Stylish Points, you take that 10,000 and multiply it by 3.0 (Clear Time S-rank), then by another 2.0 (Orbs S-rank), and finally by 1.2 (No Items bonus) and 1.5 (No Damage) to get 108,000! YAY! S-RANK! ...except... you take a x0.2 multiplier hit for using a Super Character, you cheap bastard.

Simple, isn't it? And you know what the upshot is?

That's right.

COMBOS. ARE. EVERYTHING.

Those multipliers, after all, are useless without a number to multiply. The foundation of your score is your stylish score, so if those Chimera demons are giving you trouble... sucks to be you. =P

One last thing. The number of Proud Souls you gain at mission's end is equal to 3% of your total Devil Hunter points, rounded down. So it pays to get a high score in more ways that achievements and bragging rights, now, doesn't it? (Those braggin' rights are still hot as hell, though.)

Now, for your devil-thumping convenience, the multipliers and the numbers that apply to ALL missions. The following is always the same no matter what stage you've just pwned.

CLEAR TIME MULTIPLIERS
S = x3.0
A = x2.5
B = x2.0
C = x1.5
D = x1.0

ORBS FOUND RANKS & MULTIPLIERS
95-100% --> S = x2.00
75-94% --> A = x1.75
60-74% --> B = x1.50
45-59% --> C = x1.25
0-44% --> D = x1.00

BONUS & PENALTY MULTIPLIERS
No Damage = x1.5
No Item = x1.2
Continues = x0.8
Enemy Handicap = x0.8
Gold Orbs = x0.7
Super Character = x0.2

[Solaris_Paradox's Caveat: the Prima guide lists a set of Style Rank multipliers but neglects to explain how they figure into the equation, if they do at all. The guide says they do, just above that table... nevertheless, the multipliers are: S = x4.0, A = x3.0, B = x2.5, C = x2.0, D = x1.5, E (none) = x1.0. If anyone knows how these figure into the rank, please, let me know!]

Alright, my turn--go eat some pizza or something, Dante, and could you pick me up a strawberry sundae while you're at it? ...What? Money I owe? Aw, don't sweat the small stuff. I'll pay you back for everything I owe ya at the end of the month. =P

Well, now that we have the basic math out of the way, what about the bits and pieces of the specific missions? Well, from here on out I'll be posting them mission by mission, with all modes Human to DMD included. Naturally, all of this info is straight out of the Prima guide, though in a different format and, of course, free. Hope you like staring at walls of pure table. Cheers...!

The (Complete) Mission Ranking Guide, Part Two: So How Do I Ace It, Already?!

Legend:
H = Human Mode
DH = Devil Hunter Mode
SoS = Son of Sparda Mode
DMD = Dante Must Die Mode
Normal = Human/Devil Hunter
Hard = Son of Sparda/Dante Must Die

Important Note - Requirements for stylish ranks are identical between Human and Devil Hunter, and a generally higher requirement is shared between Son of Sparda and Dante Must Die, though Clear Time and total rank requirements vary between all modes. In some missions, the style score is uniform in all difficulties. In the case of Stylish Points, "Normal" and "Hard" will be used for the two categories.

(NOTE: too long to post, can also be found HERE)

Hope that helps anyone ^^

 

[JakemJo]

Looks like good job, but isn't it useless after all? I mean, in Devil May Cry you just have to go and slash everything, you don't need these informations, just do your best, isn't it?

 

[Keaton]

Looks like good job, but isn't it useless after all? I mean, in Devil May Cry you just have to go and slash everything, you don't need these informations, just do your best, isn't it?

Doing your best is CERTAINLY the way to go, however its very useful to know that on the first level you need to beat it in under two minutes...not to mention, knowing that if you DON'T use items, but you DO continue you only get your score penalized by .96%, which isn't as bad as JUST continuing or using an item ^^

Plus it gives you targets to aim for

 

[ChefNero]

Oh, nice list.