From: chloe !#0489

From: Blue Ribbs#7494

From: ALT_OhDude#7542

From: Terminetor566#4332

From: Mitz#4671

From: crossmirage#6197

From: madine#6795

From: bleach#0233

From: tron7_#7019

From: stereo#7487

Download these files to get started, you wont need all of them after the initial setup, so stick to the end to know which can be deleted if you don't like clutter.

The Palmod program,[zachd.com] (You will want to download the latest beta, .zip or .exe to user preference.)
The Xrd decrypter & the batch file.[drive.google.com]

To navigate to your game files, go to the games page in your library, select the cog icon, click "Manage", then "Browse local files". This will take you to the games directory.



From the games root directory, go to
"Guilty Gear XX Accent Core Plus R\Resource\pr\ver_100\obj".
There are 2 "obj" folders, make sure you use the one under Resource\pr\ver_100
This is the main path you'll be using to edit palettes.
Cut/Paste both the Xrd Decryptor and the .bat script into this path, and then double click on the .bat file to run it. The script will decrypt the files, make copies, and then delete the old files.
For an easy way to confirm if the script worked, check the size of "ab.bin". If its 5,582 KBs, you can continue without issue.

Run the Palmod Installer "PalMod-1.##x.exe" and follow the onscreen instructions to install the program.
If you are a Windows 10/11 user, pay attention to where you install the program, if the default directory is set to "Programs" or "Programs(x86)", change it. Issues regarding Windows Security will prevent the program from doing certain actions like creating/saving files.
If you get an error telling you "Windows Protected Your PC", click on "More info" and select "Run Anyways". Palmod isn't registered with Windows and by default is treated like a virus (because it's installing software onto your PC)

Once you have Palmod installed, run the program.
Select "File::Load Directory -> Guilty Gear -> GGXX:AC+R (Steam)"


You'll be prompted with another window, this time asking for a path:


Navigate to your steam directory, and load the "Guilty Gear XX Accent Core Plus R" folder.



Once you load the directory, ABA's palettes should display.
From this point on you can use File::Load Last File/Dir to load the game and skip the folder selection process.

Now that you have ABA's palettes loaded, you can change character/group.
EX Characters (the unlockable alternates) do not share palettes with the normal characters, and are displayed in their own groups to reflect that.

After selecting the character, you can select to edit their core palettes, or effect palettes.
Effect palettes are shared with every other palette for that character, so you cannot have different colour Gunflames for each Sol palette you make.
Gold and Shadow palettes are the only palettes that have special effects tied to those slots, everything else can be edited without worry about effecting anything regarding gameplay.

On the Preview window is the sprite previews, some effect palettes do not have sprite previews yet.
From the preview window you can save images, change the BG colour, set a BG image, zoom in or out (scroll wheel also changes zoom), or load a custom preview image from a .raw file.

Because these images are being exported from Palmod, they are defaulted to include the palette data in them (AKA an Indexed image), these images can be used to share palettes with other people, and its as simple as dragging them into the program to replace the current palette. Palettes from other users can be applied to any slot, not just the one they were made on. This property also applies to .act files, which can be saved by going to "Tools::Save Palette" on the main window

To get started making your own palettes, select a tile by clicking or multiple tiles by clicking and dragging. If you want to add to your selection, hold Ctrl while doing the same thing. Ctrl+Clicking on a tile again will deselect it.

You can then change these colours, using either RGB sliders, HSL sliders, or selecting "Pick Color" and replacing the selection with a shade of your choice. Mess around and find what works best for you, I personally prefer using HSL sliders.

If you are unsure about what you have selected, push the "Blink" button (or Ctrl+B). This will flash the preview window with the selection, letting you know what you're changing before you change it

If you make a mistake, you can use Ctrl+Z to undo, or Ctrl+Y to redo.

These are the basics of how Palmod works, but I encourage new users to explore the programs features to see what else can be done (Palmod supports a surprising amount of features) or check out the Readme.txt for details directly from the developer on how things work.

Here is the hard part of the guide, actually teaching people to make nice palettes.
This is difficult because of how differently people use the program and its features, and how peoples tastes are different.
I won't be trying to explain colour theory, how to make things visually pleasing, or even consistent in this post.
If you want pointers and live feedback from people, check out the Arcsys Modding Discord[discord.gg]. You can find me and other experienced users there who can give you insight thats impossible to share on a steam guide.
Otherwise, make what you like!

Once you are done making changes to the palettes, select "File::Patch Changes", this will write to the game files and update their data. Now you can load the game with your custom edits.

If you need help, either leave a comment on this guide, DM me on steam, or reach out to me on Discord at "chloe !#0489", or the Arcsys Modding Discord[discord.gg]


Thanks to Preppy for sticking with the Palmod program over the years, the amount of effort put into keeping this program alive over the past few years has only made the program better and better, mountainmanjed for figuring out +Rs file formatting, handling colour logic and sparking my interest in modding the game I was already enjoying, Github User AltimorTASDK[github.com] for the decryption program, the many people who've contributed to the program over the years, and the Mod team of the Arcsys Modding server for keeping the place running.