Three boundaries that change the plan
| Run time | Checked rule | Practical consequence |
|---|---|---|
| 28:00 | New rifts stop opening | Do not wait for another portal as your remaining Bond plan. |
| 30:00 | Judgment transition; waits for an active arena/card choice to finish | Finishing the current choice is different from avoiding the phase. |
| 35:00 | Arceus breaks held items, including Focus Sash | A held-item-dependent plan is not permanent protection. |
These boundaries come from the fixed source. We have not completed a run through them. A native port can explicitly change the Arceus outcome or rewards, so identify the edition first.[1]
Pick the score you are trying to improve
The source tracks damage dealt to Arceus separately from survival. It allows attacks to register damage for scoring while Arceus remains invincible in this encounter. “You can hit it” must not become “you can kill it for a reward.”[1]
| Goal | Read before changing the build | Limit |
|---|---|---|
| Survive longer | Movement soft cap, contact damage, item break and incoming warnings | More speed on the ordinary map does not scale identically in Judgment. |
| Deal more damage | Current Plate/type, actual physical/special fit and target selection | Base attack alone does not establish a best damage build. |
| Beat new legendaries | Their increasing HP/damage and the time they enter | Judgment legendaries do not carry the normal rift reward assumptions. |
This is a plan-reading method, not a tested strongest route. Keep the goal and the same-version conditions with any run comparison.
Why older clips and guides can disagree
The checked implementation adds a legendary every five seconds and uses successive HP ×1.25 and damage ×1.15, rather than the older doubling description. It applies a movement-speed soft cap and later increases contact danger. The source also reduces the damage registered on Arceus; a raw move number is not your final score.[1]
Read each rule at its own scope. A main-map poison or burn strategy cannot be assumed to keep the same boss-health scaling in Judgment, and a port that says Arceus can be defeated is describing different code.
What the player question actually asks
Daraen41 asked why a run that had previously lasted much longer suddenly entered the “hold out” Arceus phase at half an hour. Visible replies discuss very different survival times and setups. Those reports establish confusion about the phase, not a validated best build or an average survival target.[2]
DylanZM separately reported FPS dropping when Arceus appears in original-project issue #347 on October 26. If the problem is frame rate or frozen input, use the symptom checklist rather than assuming a change of Pokémon solves it.[3]
Before claiming a route works
- Record the exact game address/version and whether the run is solo or co-op.
- Keep permanent upgrades, nature/ability and held item with the move list.
- Separate time survived from damage scored; keep the selected Plate/type if comparing damage.
- Do not label a theorycraft, source reading or another player’s clip as this site’s completed run.
Rules below refer to JPTER78’s source snapshot 680c3e12c670, reviewed October 26, 2026. Other hosted editions and native ports can differ. We have not completed a comparative run or verified a universal fix. No infinite-survival, kill or high-score guarantee is made.
Sources & verification
- JPTER78 GitHub — Judgment of Arceus ↗ (external website, opens in a new tab) — 28/30/35-minute boundaries, damage scoring and scaling at 680c3e12c670. Source-based explanation, not a successful endgame run.
- Reddit — Daraen41’s Judgment question ↗ (external website, opens in a new tab) — Question about the 30-minute phase and visible player replies. Read October 26; absolute post date unavailable in the returned page.
- JPTER78 GitHub issue #347 — DylanZM ↗ (external website, opens in a new tab) — October 26, 2026 (UTC issue date). Reported FPS falling when Arceus appears; no universal fix verified.