Nychthemeron
Nychthemeron
Nychthemeron, also known as the Day and Night Cycle, is the game's global time system that alternates between daytime and nighttime across every sea and server. Time changes roughly every 10 to 12 minutes, creating a continuous cycle that affects gameplay rather than just the environment. Some items, events, and other content are only available during either the day or the night, making the current time an important factor when hunting for specific spawns or meeting certain requirements.
The Moon also follows its own progression through multiple moon phases, advancing only as day and night cycles pass. Reaching a different phase, such as going from a New Moon to a Full Moon, requires many complete day and night transitions, so players may need to wait several hours before the desired phase naturally appears. Planning around both the time of day and the current moon phase is often necessary for activities that depend on these conditions.
Sun:
The Sun is present during the daytime and appears either when a new server starts or after the Moon sets. It marks the beginning of the day portion of the cycle and remains active until the game transitions back to night.
Moon:
The Moon appears after the Sun sets and follows a repeating cycle of eight phases, using the southern hemisphere moon phases. Each night advances the Moon to the next phase before eventually returning to the beginning of the cycle. Some content only requires it to be nighttime, regardless of the current phase. For example, the Blue Flower used to obtain Race V2 can spawn during any night in the Second Sea, making the moon phase itself irrelevant for that item.
All of the Moon phases. (Left to Right)
New Moon (0/4):
The New Moon marks the beginning of the moon cycle. It appears after the Waning Crescent and is followed by the Waxing Crescent on the next night. Once this phase is reached, the Moon starts a new cycle and progresses through all of its phases again.
Waxing & Waning Crescent (1/4):
The Waxing Crescent appears after the New Moon and progresses to the First Quarter on the following night, marking the Moon's growth toward a Full Moon. In contrast, the Waning Crescent follows the Last Quarter and is the final phase before the cycle resets, transitioning back to the New Moon on the next night to begin the sequence again.
First & Last Quarter (1/2):
The First Quarter follows the Waxing Crescent and progresses to the Waxing Gibbous on the next night. It is also the default moon phase when a new public or private server is created. The Last Quarter appears after the Waning Gibbous and transitions to the Waning Crescent on the following night, continuing the Moon's progression back toward the New Moon.
Waxing & Waning Gibbous (3/4):
The Waxing Gibbous follows the First Quarter and is the final phase before the Full Moon, making it the last step before Full Moon-exclusive content becomes available. The Waning Gibbous begins immediately after the Full Moon and progresses to the Last Quarter on the following night, marking the start of the Moon's transition back toward the New Moon.
Full Moon (4/4):
The Full Moon is the most important phase of the Moon cycle because it unlocks several progression features. When it begins, the game displays "The light of a full moon peaks through the clouds.", and when it ends, "The full moon ends." It appears after the Waxing Gibbous and is followed by the Waning Gibbous, after which the Moon continues through the remaining phases until the cycle returns to the New Moon. A Full Moon is required to begin the Skull Guitar Puzzle, start the Race Awakening trials, and make Kitsune Island eligible to spawn.