Psyche holds a unique place in Duet Night Abyss—she was originally designed as the first premium gacha character during the closed beta test. But when the developers wisely removed the gacha system before launch, Psyche’s unlock method changed completely. Now she’s arguably the hardest character to obtain in the game, locked behind endgame content that’ll test your skills and roster depth.
If you’re eyeing Psyche as your next unlock, buckle up. This isn’t going to be a quick grind like the standard characters. Let’s break down exactly what you’re getting into.
Why Psyche Is Different From Other Characters
Unlike most characters in DNA who have Secret Letters available in the shop, Psyche’s Secret Letters are exclusively obtained through Immersive Theatre—the game’s endgame challenge mode. This immediately puts her in a different tier of difficulty.
You have two paths to unlock Psyche:
The Free-to-Play Route
Farm Secret Letter: Psyche from Immersive Theatre’s Featured Repertoire, then grind Covert Commissions to collect 30 Thought: Psyche. This takes significant time and requires a well-built roster.
The Pay-to-Skip Route
Spend 4,500 Phoxene Plumule (premium currency) to instantly unlock her by converting it directly into 30 Thought: Psyche. The cost decreases proportionally if you’ve already farmed some Thoughts.
Honestly? Unless you’re desperate or extremely impatient, I’d recommend the free route. Yes, it’s grindy, but you’ll improve your account significantly in the process by tackling challenging content and building multiple teams.
Step-by-Step: Unlocking Psyche the F2P Way
Step 1: Unlock Immersive Theatre
Before you can even think about farming Psyche, you need to unlock the Immersive Theatre feature. This requires completing two specific quests:
Prerequisites:
- Complete Chapter Twilight: The Judgment Day (main story quest)
- Complete Chapter Noctoyager: A New Theatrical Experience (side quest that appears after)
The side quest basically serves as your tutorial for Immersive Theatre. Don’t skip it—it explains the mechanics you’ll need to understand to succeed in this mode.
Pro tip: Focus on progressing the main story first before worrying about Psyche. Rushing endgame content with undergeared characters will just frustrate you.
Step 2: Conquer Classic Repertoire (All 7 Acts)
Here’s where things get serious. To unlock Featured Repertoire (where Psyche’s Secret Letters drop), you must complete all seven Acts in Classic Repertoire first. This is essentially a gear check that proves you’re ready for the harder content.
Step 3: Farm Featured Repertoire for Secret Letters
Featured Repertoire is where the magic happens. This challenge rewards Secret Letter: Psyche based on stars earned:
- 20 stars: 10 Secret Letter: Psyche
- 30 stars (final 10 stars): Another 10 Secret Letter: Psyche
- Total available: 20 Secret Letters from Featured Repertoire (out of 65 total in Immersive Theatre)
Yes, you read that right—Featured Repertoire only provides 20 of the 65 total Secret Letters available. The remaining 45 come from other Immersive Theatre content, meaning you’ll be spending considerable time in this mode.
Step 4: Run Covert Commissions
Once you’ve stockpiled some Secret Letter: Psyche, it’s time to convert them into Character Thoughts:
- Head to Covert Commissions via the Combat menu
- Select Choose Character
- Press Select a Secret Letter
- Choose Secret Letter: Psyche from your inventory
- Hit Confirm and complete the mission
- Hope for Gold tier rewards (10 Thoughts) at the end
You’ll need to repeat this process until you accumulate 30 Thought: Psyche total. Given the RNG nature of reward tiers, expect this to take anywhere from 3-10+ runs depending on your luck.
For more context on the general character unlock system, check out our complete character unlocking guide.
Understanding Immersive Theatre Challenges
Think of Immersive Theatre as DNA’s equivalent to Genshin Impact’s Spiral Abyss or Honkai: Star Rail’s Memory of Chaos. It’s a dual-team challenge that separates casual players from dedicated ones.
Challenge Structure:
Each Act consists of 5 rounds total:
- Rounds 1-4: Standard enemy waves
- Round 5: Boss fight
Each round you complete awards 1 star, meaning each team can earn a maximum of 5 stars per Act. Since you need two teams, that’s potentially 10 stars per Act if you can full-clear with both squads.
What You Need to Succeed:
- Two fully-built teams (minimum)
- At least two main DPS characters properly geared
- Understanding of elemental matchups and team synergies
- Solid support characters with appropriate weapons and artifacts
- Strategic resource management across both teams
This is why I mentioned earlier that Psyche is genuinely a late-game unlock. If you’re struggling with basic story content, Immersive Theatre will demolish you.
Building Your Teams for Immersive Theatre
Since you need two complete teams, here’s what I’d prioritize:
Team Composition Essentials:
- One main DPS per team (your damage dealers)
- At least one healer or shielder per team (sustainability)
- Sub-DPS or support characters to enable your main DPS
- Consider elemental coverage for different enemy shields/weaknesses
Investment Priority:
- Main DPS characters first (weapons, levels, skills)
- Critical support characters second (healers, buffers)
- Sub-DPS third (still important but not make-or-break)
- Flex slots last (situational picks)
Don’t spread resources too thin. It’s better to have two complete, functional teams than four half-built ones. Quality over quantity matters significantly in challenge modes.
Is Psyche Worth the Grind?
Let’s be honest: unlocking Psyche is a serious time investment. You’re looking at potentially weeks or months of progression depending on your current account strength and how much you play daily.
Psyche is worth pursuing if:
- You’ve already unlocked most standard characters
- Your main teams are well-built and you’re ready for endgame
- You enjoy challenging content and team-building optimization
- You’re a completionist who wants the full roster
Consider skipping Psyche for now if:
- You’re still progressing through early/mid story content
- Your roster lacks depth (fewer than 10 well-built characters)
- You prefer casual play and find challenge modes frustrating
- Other characters better suit your playstyle preferences
Psyche being locked behind endgame content isn’t necessarily bad design—it gives veteran players something meaningful to work toward. Just don’t feel pressured to rush for her if you’re not ready.
Alternative: The Premium Currency Route
If you’re absolutely set on getting Psyche immediately and don’t mind spending, the 4,500 Phoxene Plumule option exists. That’s a significant amount of premium currency, but it bypasses all the grinding entirely.
The cost decreases dynamically based on how many Thought: Psyche you’ve already farmed. For example, if you’ve collected 15 Thoughts (halfway there), you’d only need to spend enough Plumule to cover the remaining 15 Thoughts.
This creates an interesting middle-ground option: farm as much as you reasonably can through gameplay, then top off the remainder with premium currency if you get impatient. It’s less wasteful than buying the full 4,500 upfront.
Learn more about Duet Night Abyss on Wikipedia or download the game on Steam.
Final Thoughts on the Psyche Grind
The removal of gacha from DNA was player-friendly overall, but it created this interesting situation where formerly “premium” characters became achievement-based unlocks instead. Psyche represents that shift perfectly—she’s technically free, but functionally reserved for players who’ve invested serious time into building their accounts.
My advice? Don’t rush it. Work through the story, build your teams naturally, unlock other characters first, and let Psyche come organically as you engage with endgame content. Treating her as the ultimate goal rather than an immediate necessity will make the journey far more enjoyable.
And honestly, by the time you’re ready to tackle Featured Repertoire consistently, you’ll probably have several other characters you love playing already. Psyche becomes the cherry on top rather than the whole sundae.
Good luck with your farming, and may your Covert Commission rewards always roll Gold tier!
