In Judgment's main game, Yagami occasionally breaks out his Drone to perform reconnaissance, find crafting items, or 2D codes to gain new moves. But that’s not all he can do with it. Later on, he’ll meet a man who’ll introduce him to Drone Racing. Just head to the booth in the Millennium Tower, and Yagami can race his Drone either in Single Races, against online players, or take part in the Grand Prix.
Players will need to complete its different leagues to unlock new parts, earn SP, complete KamuroGo objectives, and get that last Free Pass Voucher for Dice N’Cube. But certain drone builds work better for some Grand Prix Leagues than others. Here are some suggestions to get ahead in Judgment's drone races.
Beginner League
The player doesn’t have many options to pimp out their drone at the start. Not that the Beginner League is particularly difficult. It’s just that the drone's default equipment is quite sluggish compared to the competition. If players want to put some pep into their step, they should hold on until Chapter 6, where they’ll unlock Quickstarter.
Here, they can fund the Super S Motor and the Low-Cost Turbo parts. The former will give them 24 points in Speed, and the latter will boost their turbo to 45 points, which is higher than anything short of the Regular League. Equipping both of these items will still leave players enough room to put the SMZ S Propellor on for that extra speed boost.
Amateur League
Once players beat the Beginner League, a man called Sebastian Hutton will offer them a challenge: if they find his 2D codes hidden across town, he'll give them a new drone part. There are 10 codes for each part, and 50 overall. Players should get all the codes to befriend him, but they should prioritize the Motor Codes to get the Modded Thunder God Motor (MTG Motor).
However, they'll also need blueprints from Onodera in the sewers (which costs SP instead of cash) and a spare ¥100,000 to develop it. While it’s a hefty cost, it’s worth it for that 50-point speed stat. It’ll be too much for the old frame, so get the Mako Mod Frame (any color will do) for double the cost limit. Then there’ll be room for the SMZ: S3 Propellor too. Keep the Low-Cost Turbo too. Its perks will see players through right up to the Champion League.
Regular League
Likewise, players won’t need to change the MTG Motor for anything else. Both it and the Low-Cost Turbo will keep them in good nick. But it’s at this point they’ll need an Electronic Speed Controller (ESC). As luck would have it, Quickstarter will have the Low-Cost ESCavailable for funding. Get it for an even 11 points across Speed, Handling, and Turbo.
Switch out the Mako Mod Frame for the S-ONE Frame (any color), and there’ll be room to replace the SMZ: S3 Propellor with the Mako Mods S2 Propellor, which adds 14 points to Speed, and 15 points to Handling. The former is more imperative than the latter, but it might make the difference between reaching the finish line and ricocheting into a broken mess in the Pipeline course.
Expert League
If players want Yagami to come out on top, they should keep the MTG Motor, Low-Cost Turbo and Low-Cost ESC. They should keep the player ahead of the competition in this race. But the Hyper Propellor S will give them more juice to stay in first place, with 20 points in Speed and 19 in Handling.
That’ll go over the cost of the S-ONE Frame. So, replace it with the Mako Mods Alloy Frame (any color). Aside from offering a 200-point cost limit, it’s also more durable with 160 points. That should be enough to keep players in the game if they have trouble with the indoor sections of the courses. Still, practice makes perfect, and can help impress the ladies if they choose the Drone Races as a Date activity.
Champion League
The Champion League is the last Grand Prix race, and it's the hardest. It runs through every course, both forwards and reverse. While the competition is much more challenging, either keeping on the player’s toes or going straight past them. If they don't bring their A-game, Yagami will be stuck with the bronze at best, which won't get them the best prizes.
The most recommended build involves keeping the MTG Motor and the Low-Cost Turbo. Then using the S-ONE Adamant Frame (any color) for the 250-cost limit, and the S-ONE: S3 Propellor, since it has the best speed stat at 25 points. Likewise, the Lightspeed ESC will add another 25 points to speed, but only 5 to Handling and none to Turbo.
Alternative Parts
Most of these parts should see players through to the end of most of the Grand Prix races. However, if they’re still having trouble, they could find room for some other parts that might make things easier. The Modded Akashic ESC, which requires a 2D code and blueprints from Onodera, gives the player an even 20-points across all stats, but costs 100 points to equip. There are also plenty of other Turbo items, like the Modded God Speed Turbo from the 2D Code+Onodera Combo.
But their cost doesn’t allow enough room for other items like the Propellors and Motors, which are better at keeping the drone’s general speed up. The SMZ: Chariot Frames seemingly fixes that issue with their 300-point cost limit. But they’re also the least durable frames in the game with just 50 points. Unless the player has mastered the layout of every course, its 2D Code hunt requirement, blueprints from Onodera, and ¥100,000 cost might not be worth the effort.
Judgment is available to play on PS4, PS5, Xbox Series X/S, Amazon Luna, and PC.