Umamusume: Velocity vs. Acceleration explained

Umamusume can learn Skills from several different categories in Umamusume: Pretty Derby. Of these, two prominent groups increase the characters’ Velocity and Acceleration, but the game is not exactly straightforward in explaining these mechanics in detail.

So, what exactly is the difference between Velocity and Acceleration in Umamusume?

Velocity in Umamusume explained

Races in Umamusume are divided into several phases, which are often mentioned in the Skills — Early Race, Mid Race, Late Race, and Final Spurt. 

Depending on your race strategy – Front Runner, Pace Chaser, Late Surger, End Closer – and other factors, such as the distance and Speed stat, your Umamusume will have a certain Target Speed in each phase of the race. This Target Speed is the maximum tempo they can run in that phase.

Skills that increase Velocity in Umamusume raise this Target Speed. In effect, they enable your Umamusume to temporarily reach higher maximum speeds in the affected phase of the race.

Debuffs, i.e. Skills that decrease the Velocity of other runners, do not affect Target Speed — they decrease their Current Speed, slowing opponents down immediately.

Acceleration in Umamusume explained

However, entering a new race phase or triggering a Skill with a new Target Speed doesn’t cause the Umamusume to reach this Target Speed immediately.

If an Umamusume’s Target Speed and Current Speed are different, she will raise her Current Speed until she hits the Target Speed — and Acceleration is what determines how quickly an Umamusume can increase her Current Speed to match that new Target Speed.

Like Target Speed, Acceleration is affected by several factors, such as the race strategy, the race distance and terrain (and the Umamusume’s aptitude for them), the race phase, and the Power stat.

Velocity vs. Acceleration in Umamusume

So, what’s more important: Velocity or Acceleration? Throughout most of the race, you’ll find Skills that raise Velocity (i.e. Target Speed) to be more important, while Acceleration plays a smaller role. This is due to the fact that Target Speed changes in the Early and Mid Race are relatively minor, so extra Acceleration doesn’t provide a ton of gain. It’s more effective to get additional Target Speed in these phases.

However, this changes in the Late Race. Watching races, you’ll notice that the Umamusume always speed up mightily when reaching the final part of the track — this is because the Late Race has a much higher Target Speed than the Early and Mid Race. And since the distance towards the goal is a lot shorter at this point of the race, you naturally want to hit that higher Target Speed as quickly as possible (especially with Velocity Skills increasing it even further), hence making Acceleration crucial at this point to gain an advantage and overtake opponents.

An exception to this are Front Runners: Since they want to get into the lead immediately at the start of the race, having good Acceleration early on is crucial to their success.

As you can see, blanket statements about what’s better between Velocity and Acceleration are a slippery slope — too much depends on what strategy you are running. Generally, you will want Acceleration Skills to primarily affect the final phases of a race (with exceptions, as described above), while Velocity Skills are always solid.

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