Condensation Work Bonus Rules
Which work does each condensation star boost? The game only shows the result, not the rule. This guide lays out the full logic: 1★ goes to the game-assigned best work, 2★/3★ pick the Nth-highest base level (with fallback chain or 2-work shortcut when ranks can't be resolved), 4★ boosts all non-zero works. Books don't participate in the pick — feel free to use them as needed.
The Table the Game Doesn't Show
When you condense Anubis to 4★, exactly which work suitability rises at each star-up? The game shows only the results, never the rules, and the common community claim "one work goes up each time" is not precise enough. This article lays out the complete rules and answers two frequent questions: which one wins when the two best works tie, and whether using books changes the rules.
Here is the core conclusion up front:
| Star-up | Bonus | Selection rule |
|---|---|---|
| 0★ → 1★ | +1 to the best work | The game fixes a designation for each Pal, which never changes |
| 1★ → 2★ | +1 to the second best work | The current 2nd highest suitability, ties broken by the fixed work-type order |
| 2★ → 3★ | +1 to the third best work | The current 3rd highest suitability, ties broken by the fixed work-type order |
| 3★ → 4★ | +1 to every nonzero work | Unconditional, +1 to each |
The table above is the main rule. A few edge cases exist (fewer than 3 nonzero works, all levels tied, etc.), covered later.
Once a Pal is fixed, the final value of every work is fixed too. For example, Anubis at 4★ has 
Handcraft8, 
Mining8, 
Transport6.
1. The Main Rule: What Each Star-Up Adds
At each star-up, the game picks one work and gives it +1, based on that work's base level. Late-game modifiers such as books and passives never enter the decision, and the selection order is fixed:
- 1★ goes to the best work the game "chose" for this Pal. This designation is hard-coded, exactly one per Pal. For example, Anubis is always designated Handcraft.
- 2★: the best work already has +1, so the game looks at the remaining works and gives +1 to whichever has the 2nd highest level.
- 3★ takes the 3rd highest work.
- 4★ every nonzero work gets +1; no selection is made.
2. How Ties Are Broken
If several works have the same suitability level (for example, Anubis Handcraft6, Mining6), how is the "best" decided? The rule splits into two cases:
1★ Star-Up: the Hard-Coded Designation
The game does not compute "who has the highest level" on the fly. Instead it uses the best work hard-coded for each Pal. For example:
| Pal | 0★ work suitability | Designated best work | 1★ actual bonus |
|---|---|---|---|
| Turtacle |  Watering2 / Mining1 / Transport1 | Watering (single highest) | Watering +1 |
| Anubis | Handcraft6 / Mining6 / Transport4 | Handcraft (tied highest, earlier in the fixed order) | Handcraft +1 |
| Dumud | Watering2 / Mining2 / Transport1 /  Ranch1 | Ranch (has Ranch, forced) | Ranch +1 |
| Caprity |  Planting2 / Ranch1 | Ranch (has Ranch, forced even though not the highest) | Ranch +1 |
| Beegarde |  Gathering3 / Ranch3 / Planting2 / Handcraft2 /  Logging2 /  Medicine2 / Transport2 | Ranch (has Ranch, forced) | Ranch +1 |
Although each Pal's designation is hard-coded individually (the code only reads this value; it never computes it on the fly), the developers followed a fixed pattern when filling in the tables:
- Has Ranch suitability → always designated Ranch (all 29 ranch Pals in the game, such as Lamball, Mozzarina, Chikipi, Mau, Vixy, Beegarde, Sibelyx, and so on, even when Ranch is not their highest-level work; as a result, every ranch Pal's 1★ bonus always goes to Ranch, and only at 2★/3★ does the normal ordering resume)
- No Ranch suitability → designated as the work with the highest actual level (on a tie, the one earliest in the fixed order, i.e. "Kindling, Watering, Planting, Generating, Handcraft, Gathering, Logging, Mining, Medicine, Cooling, Transport, Ranch")
The full enumeration order (also used for 2★/3★ ties, from most to least preferred):
| Order | Work type | Order | Work type |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  Kindling | 7 | Logging |
| 2 | Watering | 8 | Mining |
| 3 | Planting | 9 | Medicine |
| 4 |  Generating | 10 |  Cooling |
| 5 | Handcraft | 11 | Transport |
| 6 | Gathering | 12 | Ranch |
This pattern holds 100% across the obtainable Pals of the current version. But it is a table-filling convention, not something the code enforces, and a future update could break it.
2★ / 3★ Star-Up: the Nth Highest by Base Level
These two star-ups ignore the designation and instead sort by base level and take the Nth highest (2★ takes the 2nd highest, 3★ takes the 3rd; this assumes a ranking can be produced, since too few nonzero works or fully tied levels fall back to the designation, see below). If several works share a level, the enumeration order above breaks the tie.
For example, Anubis after 1★ is Handcraft7, Mining6, Transport4. At 2★ the 2nd highest level is 6, which is Mining (only Mining is 6). Now take Lamball: after 1★ it is Handcraft1, Transport1, Ranch2. When 2★ looks for the 2nd highest (=1), Handcraft and Transport tie, and by the table above Handcraft (5th) comes before Transport (11th), so Handcraft is chosen.
When No Rank Can Be Determined: Fallback and the Shortcut
The above is the case where sorting resolves cleanly. But if there are fewer than 3 nonzero works, or all levels are flattened, sorting cannot find an "Nth highest". Two mechanisms take over then:
The 3★ step-down fallback: 3★ first looks for the 3rd highest, falls to the 2nd highest if none is found, and only lands on the 1★ designated work if that fails too. For example, Dumud at 3★ has all four works equal to 2, so no rank can be determined, and it finally falls back to the designated Ranch (see Example 3 in §4). 2★ has no step-down fallback; if no 2nd highest exists it goes straight to the designation.
The 2-work shortcut: 3★ has a separate check. If the Pal has exactly 2 nonzero works, it directly picks the designated work again and skips sorting entirely. For example, Caprity (Planting2 / Ranch1) at 3★ goes straight to Ranch. This path is not a performance optimization; it is a real behavioral fork. Without it, Caprity at 3★ (now Planting2 / Ranch3) would walk the fallback chain, find no 3rd highest, land on the 2nd highest = Planting, and instead boost Planting. It is only thanks to the shortcut that Ranch is chosen directly, and the run of Ranch → Ranch → Ranch holds because of it.
3. Books Do Not Affect Which Work Condensation Picks
There are 12 kinds of "Applied XX I" items in the game, called "books" by the community, each giving +1 to a specific work type. For example Applied Handiwork Handbook I, Applied Mining Handbook I, and so on. The +1 from a book is permanent, but using books does not change which work condensation picks at each star-up.
| Star-up | Affected by books? | Reason |
|---|---|---|
| 1★ | No | Uses the hard-coded designation, ignores all levels |
| 2★ | No | The algorithm only reads base suitability; the book layer is invisible |
| 3★ | No | Same as above |
| 4★ | No | Always +1 to everything |
The reason is isolation in the data structure: the condensation star-up algorithm only reads the "base suitability table", while a book's +1 lives in a separate array that is completely invisible during star-up checks. Books only show up on the display panel and only apply when the Pal actually works.
Verified in practice: Sootseer at 0★ shows Kindling3 / Handcraft3 / Gathering2 / Mining3 / Ranch2. Level it to 1★ (ranch Pals force Ranch), then use an Applied Handiwork Handbook I (the panel now shows Handcraft as 4), then level to 2★.
- If the book participated in the check: base + book = Kindling3 / Handcraft4 / Gathering2 / Mining3 / Ranch3, the 2nd highest = 3, and by the enumeration order it should pick Kindling
- Actual result: Gathering +1
Because what the algorithm sees for Handcraft is still the base value Handcraft3, the 2nd highest of the unique values {3, 2} is 2, which is Gathering. The book played no part at all.
Conclusion: books are a display layer pasted on after the fact, while condensation reads the bare base values. The two are completely independent, so you can safely use books as needed without worrying about disturbing star-up choices.
4. Star-by-Star Walkthroughs for 5 Typical Pals
Example 1: Sekhmet (standard type, 3 strictly decreasing works)
0★ starting state: Handcraft6 / Mining3 / Transport2. The designated best = Handcraft (no Ranch, so the single highest).
| Star | Selection logic | Bonus | State after |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1★ | Designation (best work) | Handcraft +1 | Handcraft7 / Mining3 / Transport2 |
| 2★ | 2nd highest (direct hit) | Mining +1 | Handcraft7 / Mining4 / Transport2 |
| 3★ | 3rd highest (direct hit) | Transport +1 | Handcraft7 / Mining4 / Transport3 |
| 4★ | Unconditional | +1 to all | Handcraft8 / Mining5 / Transport4 |
This is the most standard progression: the three work levels strictly decrease (6>3>2), so each star-up finds its rank directly, with no fallback or shortcut. 1★ = best, 2★ = second best, 3★ = third best, matching the main rule table perfectly.
Example 2: Anubis (top two tied, 3★ falls back)
0★ starting state: Handcraft6 / Mining6 / Transport4. The designated best = Handcraft.
| Star | Selection logic | Bonus | State after |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1★ | Designation (best work, tied highest by the enumeration order) | Handcraft +1 | Handcraft7 / Mining6 / Transport4 |
| 2★ | 2nd highest (=6, unique) | Mining +1 | Handcraft7 / Mining7 / Transport4 |
| 3★ | No 3rd highest → step down to the 2nd highest (=4) | Transport +1 | Handcraft7 / Mining7 / Transport5 |
| 4★ | Unconditional | +1 to all | Handcraft8 / Mining8 / Transport6 |
Note 3★: after 1★/2★ the top two works are flattened to 7/7, leaving unique values of only {7,4}, so no 3rd highest exists at all. The game walks the fallback chain: first the 3rd highest (fail), then the 2nd highest (=4, which is Transport), so it boosts Transport. This is a concrete example of §2, "When No Rank Can Be Determined: Fallback and the Shortcut".
Example 3: Dumud (ranch Pal, 4 jobs)
0★ starting state: Watering2 / Mining2 / Transport1 / Ranch1. The designated best = Ranch (forced for ranch Pals).
| Star | Selection logic | Bonus | State after |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1★ | Forced for ranch Pals | Ranch +1 | Watering2 / Mining2 / Transport1 / Ranch2 |
| 2★ | The unique option at level 1 | Transport +1 | Watering2 / Mining2 / Transport2 / Ranch2 |
| 3★ | All 4 works = 2, no 3rd or 2nd highest → fall back to the designation | Ranch +1 | Watering2 / Mining2 / Transport2 / Ranch3 |
| 4★ | Unconditional | +1 to all | Watering3 / Mining3 / Transport3 / Ranch4 |
Note the 3★ fallback: when every nonzero work has the same level and only one unique value remains, the game cannot even find the 2nd highest (let alone the 3rd), so it falls all the way back to the Pal's hard-coded best-work designation. That is why Dumud gets Ranch again at 3★.
Example 4: Caprity (ranch Pal, 2 jobs, takes the shortcut)
0★ starting state: Planting2 / Ranch1. The designated best = Ranch (forced for ranch Pals).
| Star | Selection logic | Bonus | State after |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1★ | Forced for ranch Pals | Ranch +1 | Planting2 / Ranch2 |
| 2★ | Both flattened, unique values {2} left with 1 entry, no "2nd highest" → fall back to the designation | Ranch +1 | Planting2 / Ranch3 |
| 3★ | Shortcut: exactly 2 nonzero works → pick the designation directly, skipping the fallback chain | Ranch +1 | Planting2 / Ranch4 |
| 4★ | Unconditional | +1 to all | Planting3 / Ranch5 |
Note 3★: following the fallback chain (the 3rd highest fails, the 2nd highest succeeds, which should boost Planting), the actual result is Ranch. This is exactly the "shortcut and fallback chain diverge" point from §2, "When No Rank Can Be Determined: Fallback and the Shortcut", and it is a real behavioral fork, not a performance optimization.
Example 5: Univolt (non-ranch, 2 jobs, the shortcut is not just for ranch Pals)
0★ starting state: Generating3 / Logging1. The designated best = Generating (no Ranch, so the single highest).
| Star | Selection logic | Bonus | State after |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1★ | No Ranch → the actual highest | Generating +1 | Generating4 / Logging1 |
| 2★ | 2nd highest (unique values {4,1}, the 2nd highest = 1) | Logging +1 | Generating4 / Logging2 |
| 3★ | Shortcut: pick the designation = Generating | Generating +1 | Generating5 / Logging2 |
| 4★ | Unconditional | +1 to all | Generating6 / Logging3 |
Key point: the shortcut is not exclusive to ranch Pals. Across the game, 67 non-ranch Pals have exactly 2 nonzero works (such as Univolt, Pyrin, Blazamut, Shaolong, Faleris, Faleris Aqua, and so on), and all of them take this shortcut at 3★. For non-ranch Pals, the designation is simply the highest actual work, so the two outcomes are easier to compare: the shortcut keeps strengthening the best work ( Univolt Generating5 / Logging2), while the fallback chain would let the 2nd best catch up (Generating4 / Logging3). Caprity is the same: the shortcut gives Ranch, the fallback chain would give Planting.
Single-work Pals (such as Jetragon, which only has
5. Quick Reference Card
The 4 star-up rules in one table:
| Star-up | Where the bonus goes |
|---|---|
| 1★ | Designation (the hard-coded best work), three rules: (1) Has Ranch suitability → always Ranch(2) No Ranch → the highest actual level(3) Highest is tied → the one earlier in the enumeration order below (mnemonic: Kindling, Watering, Planting, Generating, Handcraft, Gathering, Logging, Mining, Medicine, Cooling, Transport, Ranch) |
| 2★ | The 2nd highest base level, two rules: (1) A 2nd highest exists → take it (ties go to the earlier in the enumeration order) (2) No 2nd highest (only one unique value left) → fall back to the 1★ designation |
| 3★ | The 3rd highest base level, rules: (1) A 3rd highest exists → take it (ties go to the earlier in the enumeration order) (2) No 3rd highest → step down to the 2nd highest (3) No 2nd highest either → fall back to the 1★ designation (4) Special case: exactly 2 nonzero works → take the shortcut straight to the 1★ designation |
| 4★ | Every nonzero work gets +1 (unconditional) |
Full enumeration order (from most to least preferred, used to break 2★/3★ ties):
| Order | Work type | Order | Work type |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Kindling | 7 | Logging |
| 2 | Watering | 8 | Mining |
| 3 | Planting | 9 | Medicine |
| 4 | Generating | 10 | Cooling |
| 5 | Handcraft | 11 | Transport |
| 6 | Gathering | 12 | Ranch |