Skill guide

This page intends to explain most skills in terms of core builds, branching builds, and recommended practices.

  • Core builds are skills that should be included unless certain circumstances demand otherwise.
  • Branching builds represent certain popular builds that can be catered to most units.
  • Recommended practices include recommended equipment, current/future meta, and other specifics.

Have questions? Ask in #gl-help on Discord or in the Questions megathread on Reddit.
Have complaints? Ping @potato on Discord.


Additional resources


Mage skill guide

Mages are units that focus exclusively on attack magic to the exclusion of everything else that requires MP. Pure mages are units like Popoi, Lily, Eliza and Dyne.

There are THREE things to keep in mind when building a mage.

  1. Your main elements are powerful because of stacked damage and INT buffs. Stack them as much as you can. Invest in equipment.
  2. MP management is critical. No MP = no damage.
  3. Element resistance is a flat damage reduction on the final damage. For example, 100 light resist = 1 light damage dealt, regardless of how many damage modifiers you have equipped. Therefore, always plan your party around the content you're facing.

Table of contents

  1. The 30SC Build
  2. Core passives
  3. Branch: Farming
  4. Branch: Crit mages
  5. Branch: Rainbow mages
  6. Optional: Real-time buffs

The 30 SC Build

This is for players who want to maximise their units without building SC. This assumes you've already learned your attack spells (every mage does).

Learn ALL of the following skills:

Skill Description Ark required SC

Fast Aura		 Automatically activates Aura on battle start Sorcerer's Eden 2 Your cheap INT buff. Lasts 40 seconds per wave.

Magic Aura		 Boosts magic attacks at the cost of increased MP consumption Skyship Lonvalion 9 Boosts your damage from mediocre to acceptable.
Be aware of the increased MP cost.

High Level Magic Chant		 Greatly increase the casting speed of all magic Radmoon Ruins, Hidden Treasure, Makyuodyne 9 Enables instant-cast T2 spells. You need instant-cast accessories for T3 spells to be instant-cast.

Pose of Honor		 Defeat an enemy with a physical or magic attack and recover 5% MP Flower of Falnia 2 The easiest way to handle MP management. Pair with timestop spells for higher efficiency.

And ONE of the following skills:

Skill Description Ark required SC

Light High Boost		 Light magic damage +30% Great Temple Maja 8

Ice High Boost		 Ice magic damage +30% Vell=de=Org 8

Flame High Boost		 Fire magic damage +30% Phoenix Blow 8

Earth High Boost		 Earth magic damage +30% The Final Oath 8

Thunder High Boost		 Thunder magic damage +30% Skyship Lonvalion 8

If you still have SC to spare after learning all these skills, read on.


Core passives

These are the passives that every mage should consider having regardless of their build. Some stack, while others don't.

Core basic passives:

Skill Description Ark required SC

Magic Up		 INT +2% Sorcerer's Eden 1

Magic Up II		 INT +5% Manmade Ether, Shrine of Heresy 2

Magic Up III		 INT +8% God of the Dead, Divine Beast, Loug Mekia 3

Magic Up MAX		 INT +15% Sorcerer's Eden 6

MP Up		 MP +5% Flower of Falnia 1 If you are low on SC, remove this.

MP Up II		 MP +8% Maiden's Prayer 2 If you are low on SC, remove this.

MP Up III		 MP +12% March of the Saints, Wishes on a Holy Night 2 If you are low on SC, keep this and remove the other MP Ups.

MP Up MAX		 MP +20% Flower of Falnia 4 If you are low on SC, remove this.

Fast Aura		 Automatically activates Aura on battle start Sorcerer's Eden 2 Fast Aura timer lasts 40 seconds. Does not stack with Fast Vacation or Auto Aura.

Fast Vacation		 Automatically activate Brave, Aura, Protection, and Magic Barrier at the start of battle White Knight's Vacation 5 Saves 1 SC if you are already running Fast Aura, Fast Protection and Fast Barrier (for challenging content). Saves 3SC for Phase Change builds. Does not stack with Fast/Auto Aura.

Auto Aura		 Continuous Aura effect. Magic increases. Great Temple Maja 7 The only reason you'd have Auto Aura over Fast Aura/Vacation is if you're facing long stages, the enemy likes wiping your buffs, or if it comes free with the unit (i.e. Eliza, Lily). Does not stack with Fast Aura/Vacation.

Civilization from Scratch		 Battle start: STR, DEF, INT and MND +2%, Science attack magic +5%. (Up to 10 times.) Stone World 10 An interesting stat buff that is only worthwhile on extremely long stages, such as Blaze Garden 1st stage (9 waves). Consider it for certain content. Otherwise skip it.

Pose of Honor		 Defeat an enemy with a physical or magic attack and recover 5% MP Flower of Falnia 2 After the early May client update, all Poses now work with magic. Pose of Honor is especially notable for any mage whose primarily focus is sweeping mobs, since it recovers a non-negiglible amount of MP per kill.

Archangel's Blessing		 Battle end: recovers MP +30% Archangel Smile 9 The superior MP recovery passive. This can be stacked with Ale of Honor and Cavern Ale's ether reward (see Ark ether guide)

Ale of Honor		 Battle end: recovers MP +10% Holy Flag of Norlean 4 The cheap MP recovery passive. This can be stacked with Archangel Blessing and Cavern Ale's ether reward (see Ark ether guide). Recommended for new players.

Magic Aura		 Boosts magic attacks at the cost of increased MP consumption Skyship Lonvalion 9 Boosts all elements' magic. Recommended for almost any scenario.

High Level Magic Chant		 Greatly increase the casting speed of all magic Radmoon Ruins, Hidden Treasure, Makyuodyne 9 Boosts casting speed. Makes any T2 spell instant-cast, but needs instant-cast accessories for T3 to be instant-cast.

Immovable Object		 Spellcaster will not be interrupted by most attacks March of the Saints 11 Required for harder content where mages are often flinched.
Certain units (i.e. Zekus) have Immovable Object baked into their talents, so check before you learn it.

Core defense passives:

Skill Description Ark required SC

Fast Vacation		 Automatically activate Brave, Aura, Protection, and Magic Barrier at the start of battle White Knight's Vacation 5 Recommended for saving 1-3SC.

Fast Barrier		 Automatically activates Magic Barrier on battle start Fairies Forest 2 40 second buff to reduce magic damage taken by 20%.

Fast Protection		 Automatically activates Protection on battle start Gate Beyganda 2 40 second buff to reduce physical damage taken by 20%.

Gas Mask		 Battle start: activate a barrier that nullifies basic status ailments once. (Permanent) The Spring of Sulfuric Acid 6 Highly recommended against certain content, such as ailment stages on Tower. Ailment guide.

Silence Resist		 Reduces chance of being Silenced. Removes Silence weakness Dragon Treasure Raynicle 4 Required for certain content, i.e. Tower. Prevents your mage from not being able to cast spells. Ailment guide.

Silence Nil		 Nullifies Silence. Changes Silence weakness to resistance Abandoned City of the Sea 8 The more expensive version of Silence Resist. Required for certain content. Ailment guide.

Stun Resist		 Reduces chance of being Stunned. Removes Stun weakness God of Storms 5 Prevents your mage from being stunned – incapable of casting spells or moving. Required for certain content, i.e. Green crystal dungeon. Ailment guide.

Stun Nil		 Nullifies Stun. Changes Stun weakness to Stun resistance God of the Dead 10 The more expensive version of Stun Resist. Required for some stun-heavy stages in Tower. Ailment guide.

Robe High Boost		 When a Robe is equipped, +20% MND and +10% magical attack damage Bell Tower of Guidance 9 Expensive for the SC, but is an option for robe wearers who need the additional MND. Not recommended for most builds.

Core element passives:

Skill Description Ark required SC

Light Boost		 Light magic damage +10% Manmade Ether, Archangel Smile 3

Light High Boost		 Light magic damage +30% Great Temple Maja 8

Shining through the Dark		 Light attribute attack damage +10%. Damage from Dark attribute attacks -10% The Light of Science 8 It's not worth 8 SC. Don't equip this unless you want to go for broke with Light damage buffs.

Light Attack Raise		 Light attack damage +20% Divine Beast, Loug Mekia 11 Attack Raise passives affect normal attacks, physical attacks and magic.

Dark Boost		 Dark magic damage +10% God of the Dead 3

Dark Attack Raise		 Dark attack damage +20% Ghost of Zeluen 11 Attack Raise passives affect normal attacks, physical attacks and magic.

Flame Boost		 Fire magic damage +10% Altar of the Forbidden Book 3

Flame High Boost		 Fire magic damage +30% Phoenix Blow 8

Fire Attack Raise		 Strengthens Fire attacks Flaming Hero 11 Attack Raise passives affect normal attacks, physical attacks and magic.

Ice Boost		 Ice magic damage +10% Treasured Sword Eliud 3

Ice High Boost		 Ice magic damage +30% Vell=de=Org 8

Ice Attack Raise		 Strengthens Ice attacks Treasured Sword Eliud 11 Attack Raise passives affect normal attacks, physical attacks and magic.

Earth Boost		 Earth magic damage +10% Sandwyrm 3

Earth High Boost		 Earth magic damage +30% The Final Oath 8

Earth Attack Raise		 Strengthens Earth attacks Sandwyrm 11 Attack Raise passives affect normal attacks, physical attacks and magic.

Thunder Boost		 Thunder magic damage +10% God of Storms 3

Thunder High Boost		 Thunder magic damage +30% Skyship Lonvalion 8

Thunder Attack Raise		 Strengthens Thunder attacks God of Storms 11 Attack Raise passives affect normal attacks, physical attacks and magic.

Branch: Farming build for mages

Mages are ideal for farming story stages on auto-repeat. To build a great farming mage, stack as many damage modifiers as you possibly can while ignoring defense. Instant-cast accessories will help.

Core passives for farming build:

Skill Description Ark required SC

Moonlight		 Increase INT by 20% at max HP Flower of Falnia 4 Max HP buffs are usually unusable without Proud Force/Crit build for HP recovery, with only ONE exception. If all you need is 1-2 instant cast nukes to wipe a wave, then equip all the max HP buffs you can because there's no chance for those buffs to be wiped.

Dual Wield		 Another weapon can be equipped in the place of armor Sandwyrm 14 Dual Wield is ill-advised for most mages other than Popoi because mages need defensive stats from armor.
However, when there is no fear of death – and yes, equipment stats are multiplied by skill passives like Magic Ups – then go for it. You've got nothing to lose except your SC.

Holy Aura		 Boosts equipped weapon attack Grave of the Blademaster 9 A supportive passive for Dual Wield. Normally reserved for physical DPS, but if you've equipped all the damage modifiers you can get, this isn't a bad choice.

Branch: Mages with element critical

Mages often opt-in to building element criticals. However, element crit requires significant SC investment. For a light build, skip the Critical Ups and only equip Fast Critical + Aim Vitals. Fast Critical buffs for 40 seconds, and most stages are cleared in less than 40 seconds.

The Ark Ether reward from Forbidden Book SR Ark can save 6SC for any fire mage. See the Ark ether guide for more details.

Core passives for crit build:

Skill Description Ark required SC

Critical Up		 Critical hit rate +2% Broken Sword at the Shore 2

Critical Up II		 Critical hit rate +5% Moonlit Murder, Flaming Hero 3

Critical Up III		 Critical hit rate +8% Beast Hunter 7

Aim: Vitals		 Critical hit power +30% Divine Beast Hunter, Foreign Land Megrona 4 Mandatory for boosting Critical damage. Stack this with Heaven's Cry staff (+30% critical damage) and Advanced: Aim Vitals (+50% Critical damage).

Advanced Aim: Vitals		 Critical hit power +50% The Sword of Corpses 6 Mandatory for boosting Critical damage. Stack this with Heaven's Cry staff (+30% critical damage).

Fast Critical		 Automatically activate Critical at the start of the battle Foreign Land Megrona 2 +15% Critical rate for 40 seconds. Can be stacked with Critical Ups, but watch your SC.

Auto Critical		 Continuous Critical effect Icy Guardian 9 +15% Critical rate. Does not stack with Fast Critical. Not recommended unless you have SC to spare.

Ardor		 Critical rate +10% at max HP Icy Guardian 4 Worth equipping if running a damage build with Proud Force sustain.

Proud Force		 Critical hits recovers HP Broken Sword at the Shore 4 Proud Force scales off MND, and provides free healing for any Crit mage. It's recommended, but not necessary.

Element criticals:

Skill Description Ark required SC

Light Critical		 Light magic attacks have a chance of dealing critical damage Sylmiria Torch 6 For two months, players with Saintly Theria scrambled to upgrade Sylmiria Torch for Light Critical. Then she got unnerfed.
I was one of them.

Dark Critical		 Dark magic attacks have a chance of dealing critical damage Shrine of Heresy 6

Flame Critical		 Fire magic attacks have a chance of dealing critical damage Egg of Remy the Firebird 6

Ice Critical		 Ice magic attacks have a chance of dealing critical damage Aurora Glacier 6 Sea Princess Lilah learns this for free in her talent.

Earth Critical		 Earth magic attacks have a chance of dealing critical damage Sand Tower Mirage 6

Thunder Critical		 Thunder magic attacks have a chance of dealing critical damage Thunderstone Luster 6

Branch: Rainbow mages – mages that use 3+ elements

Early on, players will find themselves wanting to be a jack-of-all-trades to combat any element resistance they encounter in Story stages.

To build a rainbow mage, save as much SC as you can for spells, and rely on T2 spells when you can. Magic Aura is required for damage since you won't have enough SC to run every element boost/crit.

Tier 2 (T2) spells:

Skill Description Ark required SC

Meteor Rain		 Fire attack against all enemies Egg of Remy the Firebird, Altar of the Forbidden Book, Phoenix Blow 4 Meteor Rain randomises enemy targets and is a poor spell in general. Use the T3 fire spell, Crimson Flare, if you can.

Blizzard		 Ice attack against all enemies Aurora Glacier, Treasured Sword Eliud, Vell=de=Org 4

Lightning Gauge		 Thunder attack in a medium area Thundercloud Zellania, God of Storms, Skyship Lonvalion 4

Tornado Storm		 Earth attack in a medium area Sand Tower Mirage, Thundercloud Zellania, Sandwyrm 4 Tornado Storm is a poor spell for farming. However if you are looking for spells that juggle enemies, Tornado Storm is a good spell. A common practice is to use Lightning Gauge to gather enemies, then use Tornado Storm to juggle.

Galaxy		 Light attack against all enemies Grave of the Blademaster, Archangel Smile 5 Galaxy focuses its hits on enemies in the middle of the map, and pushes those enemies to the map's corners, so it can be problematic in some situations.

Dark Matter		 Dark attack in a medium area Shrine of Heresy, God of the Dead 5 Dark Matter has a small range, is time-stop, and does poor damage. Poison Cloud is usually preferred because it is non-timestop and has a much wider range.

Poison Cloud		 Dark attack in a medium area. Chance to inflict poison Secret Room of the Hermit 5

Tier 3 (T3) spells:

Skill Description Ark required SC

Crimson Flare		 Powerful Fire attack against all enemies. Effective against Plant enemies Altar of the Forbidden Book 7

Diamond Dust		 Powerful Ice attack against all enemies Treasured Sword Eliud 7 Diamond Dust has the lowest damage multiplier (and lowest damage in practice) of all the T3 spells. Use Acid Storm instead if you can.

Valza Riser		 Powerful Thunder attack against all enemies God of Storms 7 Valza Riser is a weak T3 spell and lacks the crowd-control that Lightning Gauge has. (It looks cool though)

Grand Cross		 Powerful Earth attack against all enemies Sandwyrm 7

Shining Zok		 Powerful Light attack against all enemies Archangel Smile, Wishes on a Holy Night 10 Shining Zok has the highest damage multiplier of any T3 spell, but some people complain about the long animation after seeing it for the 20,000th time. These are the same people who would also complain that the sky is blue, and pray for rain after watering their garden, so I don't see why you should listen to them.

Abyss Gate		 Powerful Dark attack against all enemies God of the Dead 10

Acid Storm		 Ice attack against all enemies. Chance to reduce enemy DEF Secret of Mana 8

After 3700 Years		 Powerful Earth attack against all enemies Stone World 7 Tier 3 timestop magic. Decent damage multiplier with a high number of hits. Recommended over Grand Cross.

Black Gunpowder		 Powerful Fire attack in a medium area The Light of Science 7 Tier 3 non-timestop magic. Has all the downsides that come with non-timestop magic. Has a medium-sized hitbox and damage is back-ended (spell starts off weak, ends with high damage), so this is arguably worse than Popoi's Exploder for farming with even if it might have higher overall damage.

Generator		 Powerful Thunder attack in a medium area The Light of Science 7 Tier 3 non-timestop magic. Has all the downsides that come with non-timestop magic. Basically stops mobs from moving within its range, but Lightning Gauge is preferred due to being able to draw enemies together.

Hydrogen Sulfide		 Powerful Ice attack in a wide area. Chance to inflict Illness The Spring of Sulfuric Acid 8 Tier 3 non-timestop magic. From feedback by players, this spell covers nearly 70% of the map and activates quickly, so it's one of the better Ice spells - that is, if you have the Ark. Highly recommended for Senku because of it being the strongest non-timestop Science magic.

Venomous Rainfall is exclusive to Blood Rose, and functions similar to Acid Storm but with the chance to Poison instead. But if you're using Blood Rose in any capacity, you don't need this build guide anyway.


Optional: Damage-over-time (DOT) spells

Damage over time spells will deal damage to enemies over a set duration. However, they are subject to element resists.

These spells are best used against HP-bloated enemies or for crowd control.

Skill Description Ark required SC

Ice Circle		 Regularly deals Ice damage to one enemy and reduces Thunder resistance Icy Guardian 6 Reduces Thunder resist by 20.

Shadow Circle		 Regularly deals Dark damage to one enemy and reduces Light resistance Dimensional Rift 6 Reduces Light resist by 20.

Optional: Real-time buffs

Certain buffs are limited to set durations, i.e. between 6AM to 5.59PM. These buffs are dependent on your phone's internal time/date.

Because these buffs use SC even while not active, they are not recommended for general use.

Skill Description Ark required SC

Holy Night Radiance		 Light attack damage +10% during night (6:00PM to 5:59AM) Wishes on a Holy Night 3 Use Light Boost over this if you can – same cost, but infinite duration. Stacks with Light Boost.

Wisp's Time		 Light magic damage +10% during daytime hours in the real world (6:00 AM to 5.59 PM) Trials of Mana 3 Use Light Boost over this if you can – same cost, but infinite duration. Stacks with Light Boost.

Shade's Time		 Dark magic damage +10% during nighttime hours in the real world (6:00 PM to 5:59 AM) Trials of Mana 3 Use Dark Boost over this if you can – same cost, but infinite duration. Stacks with Dark Boost.

Holiday of Mana		 STR, DEF, INT and MND +5% when it is Sunday in the real world Trials of Mana 5 It's a great passive, if it's Sunday. A persuasive reason to make every day Sunday, don't you think?

Physical DPS skill guide

Physical DPS units focus primarily on regular attacks and/or physical skills. As there are many sub-variants, this guide will focus on popular builds only.

Trishula builds

As of a recent update, Trishula now works on 100 resist enemies (such as Gold Pokkles), so Weak is not necessary anymore.

Trishula is a Machine weapon and ark ether reward from Kaldina the Great (SSR) ark.

Trishula is mandatory for any physical DPS that isn't Neutral element because Trishula allows elemental damage to bypass enemies' element resistances. Dual Wield is recommended for Trishula units.

Trishula only affects physical skills. When you have Trishula equipped, your skills will ignore resistances. Trishula doesn't debuff the enemy or reduce the enemy's resistance to 0. Only one unit in the party can benefit from Trishula at any time, so be aware of your party composition.

Trishula is recommended for higher levels in Tower. You do not need Trishula for Story or Arena.

Table of contents

  1. The 30SC Build
  2. Core passives
  3. Branch: Skill Charge Time (SCT) reduction
  4. Branch: Break & faint
  5. Branch: Regular attacks
  6. Branch: Impacts
  7. Branch: Killers and slayers
  8. Branch: Magleon (Snipers)
  9. Optional: Real-time buffs
  10. Optional: Movement speed

The 30 SC Build

This is for players who want to maximise their units without building SC.

Dual Wield has been omitted because newer players will not be able to maximise the additional weapon stats nor reach the damage cap. For an older player, the optimal 30SC build will be: Fast Brave, Dual Wield, Sharp Eyes and Pose of Honor/Glory for a total of 29SC.

Learn ALL of the following skills:

Skill Description Ark required SC

Fast Brave		 Automatically activates Brave on battle start Geist Training Mountain, Phoenix Blow 2 +20% STR for 40 seconds.

Fast Critical		 Automatically activate Critical at the start of the battle Foreign Land Megrona 2 +15% Critical rate for 40 seconds.

Aim: Vitals		 Critical hit power +30% Divine Beast Hunter, Foreign Land Megrona 4 Boosts critical damage.

Advanced Aim: Vitals		 Critical hit power +50% The Sword of Corpses 6 Boosts critical damage.

Sharp Eyes		 For each physical skill attack, consume 3% MP for +50% damage Foreign Land Megrona 9 Only affects physical skills.

And TWO of the following skills:

Skill Description Ark required SC

Pose of Glory		 Defeat an enemy with a physical or magic attack and recover some SCT The Final Oath 2 Recommended for a SCT build.

Pose of Honor		 Defeat an enemy with a physical or magic attack and recover 5% MP Flower of Falnia 2 Recommended for synergy with Sharp Eyes.

Proud Force		 Critical hits recovers HP Broken Sword at the Shore 4 Recommended for synergy with crits and HP regeneration.

If you still have SC to spare after learning all these skills, read on.


Core passives

These are the passives that every PDPS should consider having regardless of their build. Some stack, while others don't.

Core basic passives:

Skill Description Ark required SC

Attack Up		 STR +2% Geist Training Mountain 1

Attack Up II		 STR +5% Birth of the Rivazard, Foreign Land Megrona 2

Attack Up III		 STR +8% Skyship Lonvalion, The Sword of Corpses 3

Attack Up MAX		 STR +15% Geist Training Mountain 6

Magic Up		 INT +2% Sorcerer's Eden 1 For Phase Change builds and units that use INT in their physical skills (Phal, Zekus, Lily, etc.)

Magic Up II		 INT +5% Manmade Ether, Shrine of Heresy 2 For Phase Change builds and units that use INT in their physical skills (Phal, Zekus, Lily, etc.)

Magic Up III		 INT +8% God of the Dead, Divine Beast, Loug Mekia 3 For Phase Change builds and units that use INT in their physical skills (Phal, Zekus, Lily, etc.)

Magic Up MAX		 INT +15% Sorcerer's Eden 6 For Phase Change builds and units that use INT in their physical skills (Phal, Zekus, Lily, etc.)

Pride		 Increase STR at max HP Beast Hunter, Gorde War 4 Recommended for units that can sustain themselves (i.e. Proud Force) or can singlehandedly sweep a stage quickly

Fury		 Increase STR when near death Aldanian Warriors, Pokkle Eater 2 Recommended for certain difficult situations where the player regularly stays below 30% HP.

Fast Brave		 Automatically activates Brave on battle start Geist Training Mountain, Phoenix Blow 2 +20% STR for 40 seconds. Does not stack with Fast Vacation or Auto Brave

Fast Aura		 Automatically activates Aura on battle start Sorcerer's Eden 2 +20% INT for 40 seconds. Does not stack with Fast Vacation or Auto Aura.

Fast Vacation		 Automatically activate Brave, Aura, Protection, and Magic Barrier at the start of battle White Knight's Vacation 5 Saves 1 SC if you are already running Fast Brave, Fast Protection and Fast Barrier (for challenging content). Saves 3SC for Phase Change builds. Does not stack with Fast/Auto Brave.

Auto Brave		 Continuous Brave effect. Attack increases. Dragon Treasure Raynicle 7 The only reason you'd have Auto Brave over Fast Brave/Vacation is if you're facing long stages, the enemy likes wiping your buffs, or if it comes free with the unit (i.e. Shin). Does not stack with Fast Brave/Vacation.

Auto Aura		 Continuous Aura effect. Magic increases. Great Temple Maja 7 Like Auto Brave, but for INT-based physical DPS. The same precautions apply.

Civilization from Scratch		 Battle start: STR, DEF, INT and MND +2%, Science attack magic +5%. (Up to 10 times.) Stone World 10 An interesting stat buff that is only worthwhile on extremely long stages, such as Blaze Garden 1st stage (9 waves). Consider it for certain content. Otherwise skip it.

Critical Up		 Critical hit rate +2% Broken Sword at the Shore 2

Critical Up II		 Critical hit rate +5% Moonlit Murder, Flaming Hero 3

Critical Up III		 Critical hit rate +8% Beast Hunter 7

Aim: Vitals		 Critical hit power +30% Divine Beast Hunter, Foreign Land Megrona 4 Mandatory for boosting Critical damage.

Advanced Aim: Vitals		 Critical hit power +50% The Sword of Corpses 6 Mandatory for boosting Critical damage.

Fast Critical		 Automatically activate Critical at the start of the battle Foreign Land Megrona 2 +15% Critical rate for 40 seconds. Can be stacked with Critical Ups.

Auto Critical		 Continuous Critical effect Icy Guardian 9 +15% Critical rate. Does not stack with Fast Critical. Not recommended unless you have SC to spare.

Ardor		 Critical rate +10% at max HP Icy Guardian 4 Worth equipping if running a damage build with Proud Force sustain.

Proud Force		 Critical hits recovers HP Broken Sword at the Shore 4 Proud Force scales off MND, and provides free healing. Your main source of sustain.

Sky High		 Increase physical damage dealt to flying enemies by 20% Divine Beast Hunter 4 As long as the enemy is not touching ground, Sky High will activate. Highly recommended for certain units like Sevia and Phantom Thief Robin.

Surprise Attack		 Increase physical damage dealt to enemies from behind by 50% Beast Hunter, Terror of the Grana Seas 4 As long as the unit is facing behind an enemy, this buff will activate. Works with both regular attacks and physical attacks. Stacks with Backstab. Recommended for most content.

Backstab		 While attacking from behind +30% damage Moonlit Murder 2 Stacks with Surprise Attack

Terror Melt		 Increase physical damage dealt to enemies with status effects by 20% Great Temple Maja, Terror of the Grana Seas 4 Recommended if you have an Ailment-inflicting unit in party (i.e. a Stun PDPS Phal). Otherwise skip.

Sharp Eyes		 For each physical skill attack, consume 3% MP for +50% damage Foreign Land Megrona 9 Only affects physical skills. The PDPS equivalent of Magic Aura.

Archangel's Blessing		 Battle end: recovers MP +30% Archangel Smile 9 For Sharp Eyes. The superior MP recovery passive. This can be stacked with Ale of Honor and Cavern Ale's ether reward (see Ark ether guide)

Ale of Honor		 Battle end: recovers MP +10% Holy Flag of Norlean 4 For Sharp Eyes. The cheap MP recovery passive. This can be stacked with Archangel Blessing and Cavern Ale's ether reward (see Ark ether guide).

Pose of Glory		 Defeat an enemy with a physical or magic attack and recover some SCT The Final Oath 2 Recommended for a SCT build.

Pose of Honor		 Defeat an enemy with a physical or magic attack and recover 5% MP Flower of Falnia 2 Recommended for synergy with Sharp Eyes.

Pose of Victory		 Defeat an enemy with a physical or magic attack and recovery 10% HP Flaming Hero 2 The cheaper version of Proud Force, for PDPS units that can't afford to use Crit. Stacks with Proud Force.

Core defense passives:

Skill Description Ark required SC

Conversation		 Occasionally regenerates a small amount of HP FINAL FANTASY Adventure 3 Regenerates a decent amount of HP every so often. A cheap passive for players without Regeneration accessories.

Ale of Victory		 Battle end: recovers HP +20% Cavern Ale 4 Recovers HP at the end of a wave. Usually Proud Force and/or Pose of Victory is enough for sustain. The second option is to equip an accessory that gives Regeneration, as well as Conversation. When you reach the point of needing Ale of Victory, you should already have a healer/support unit in party, so use it at your discretion.

Fast Vacation		 Automatically activate Brave, Aura, Protection, and Magic Barrier at the start of battle White Knight's Vacation 5 Recommended for saving 1-3SC.

Fast Barrier		 Automatically activates Magic Barrier on battle start Fairies Forest 2 40 second buff to reduce magic damage taken by 20%. Highly recommended. Forms the basis of any PDPS build in Tower.

Fast Protection		 Automatically activates Protection on battle start Gate Beyganda 2 40 second buff to reduce physical damage taken by 20%. Highly recommended. Forms the basis of any PDPS build in Tower.

Gas Mask		 Battle start: activate a barrier that nullifies basic status ailments once. (Permanent) The Spring of Sulfuric Acid 6 Highly recommended against certain content, such as ailment stages on Tower. Ailment guide.

Blind Resist		 Reduces chance of being Blinded. Removes Blind weakness Crystal Castle, Cavern Ale 4 Prevents your unit from being blinded and missing attacks. Useful in certain Tower stages. Ailment guide.

Blind Nil		 Nullifies Blind. Changes Blind weakness to resistance Phoenix Blow 8 The more expensive version of Blind Resist. Ailment guide.

Curse Resist		 Reduce chance of being Cursed. Removes Curse weakness Temple of Grana Daria 4 Prevents your unit from being cursed – unable to use physical skills or Ultimate. Curse is one of the worst ailments to affect a PDPS. Ailment guide.

Curse Nil		 Nullifies Curse. Changes Curse weakness to Curse resistance Archangel Smile 8 The more expensive version of Curse Resist. Ailment guide.

Stun Resist		 Reduces chance of being Stunned. Removes Stun weakness God of Storms 5 Prevents your unit from being stunned – incapable of casting spells or moving. Required for certain content, i.e. Green crystal dungeon. Ailment guide.

Stun Nil		 Nullifies Stun. Changes Stun weakness to Stun resistance God of the Dead 10 The more expensive version of Stun Resist. Required for some stun-heavy stages in Tower. Ailment guide.

Awaken		 Recovers HP and increase STR, DEF, MND and movement speed when close to death. (1 time) Phoenix Blow 9 The MVP skill for Tower – saves a Unit when they reach 30% HP, and gives them some much-needed buffs. Highly recommended if you have the SC to spare.

Blessing of Mana		 Automatic Speed, Protection, Magic Barrier and Regenerate when close to death Secret of Mana 3 The worse alternative to Awaken, but nothing stops you from stacking the two passives. Very useful for some units.

Decoy		 First time HP reaches 0, automatically revive and recovers some HP Magic Mirror Pomram 7 Recovers 10% HP. The skill also requires you to die first, which means losing all your pre-existing buffs. Use Determination over this if you can. Stacks with Awaken due to different triggers.

Determination		 Survive once and recover some HP first time lethal damage is taken Pirate Ship Legnis, Gorde War 7 Recovers 10% HP. Stacks with Awaken, so consider this the last resort passive for staying alive.

Netherworld Nature		 When revived, +30% STR and INT and +15% critical rate Militia of the Departed 11 Only procs when the unit is "revived", so can theoretically stack with Decoy. Expensive and not generally recommended, but can be a curious addition to Arena builds.

Stone World		 Adds Stone type to user. DEF +20% and nullify piercing effects from enemies Stone World 11 Ignore the DEF buff, this is all about nullifying Piercing which certain units (i.e. Kohaku) specialises in. Consider this for preventing certain Arena setups.

Core weapon boosts:

Skill Description Ark required SC

Spear Boost		 When a spear is equipped, physical attacks +5%, physical damage taken -5% Birth of the Rivazard 4 Not a very good passive, but if you have SC to spare...

Sword High Boost		 When Sword is equipped: Physical attack +30% The Sword of Corpses 9 Mandatory for any sword-wielding PDPS, like Sevia and Randi

Axe High Boost		 When Axe is equipped: Physical attack +25% and increase Break value Terror of the Grana Seas 9 Arguably better than Sword High Boost, and pairs with the highest STR weapon in the game – Terror in the Grana Seas (SSR) ark ether reward

Dual Wield		 Another weapon can be equipped in the place of armor Sandwyrm 14 Affects both regular attacks and physical attacks, and effectively raises the damage cap for players who are at the damage cap. Highly recommended for endgame.

Holy Aura		 Boosts equipped weapon attack Grave of the Blademaster 9 An expensive auxiliary skill for Dual Wield.

Core element passives:

Skill Description Ark required SC

Shining through the Dark		 Light attribute attack damage +10%. Damage from Dark attribute attacks -10% The Light of Science 8 It's not worth 8 SC. Don't equip this unless you want to go for broke with Light damage buffs.

Light Attack Raise		 Light attack damage +20% Divine Beast, Loug Mekia 11 Attack Raise passives affect normal attacks, physical attacks and magic.

Dark Attack Raise		 Dark attack damage +20% Ghost of Zeluen 11 Attack Raise passives affect normal attacks, physical attacks and magic.

Fire Attack Raise		 Strengthens Fire attacks Flaming Hero 11 Attack Raise passives affect normal attacks, physical attacks and magic.

Ice Attack Raise		 Strengthens Ice attacks Treasured Sword Eliud 11 Attack Raise passives affect normal attacks, physical attacks and magic.

Earth Attack Raise		 Strengthens Earth attacks Sandwyrm 11 Attack Raise passives affect normal attacks, physical attacks and magic.

Thunder Attack Raise		 Strengthens Thunder attacks God of Storms 11 Attack Raise passives affect normal attacks, physical attacks and magic.

Branch: Skill charge time (SCT) reduction

SCT refers to the value that determines the charging time for every physical skill (the top left, top right, and bottom left skills). As these skills are any PDPS's main source of damage, increasing SCT gain means less charging time and more skill activations.

A SCT build is highly recommended for any unit using Sharp Eyes.

Most of the skills below should be selectively stacked. For example, you don't need to stack Pirate's Feast with anything else.

SCT build options:

Skill Description Ark required SC

Pose of Glory		 Defeat an enemy with a physical or magic attack and recover some SCT The Final Oath 2 Recommended for any SCT build. Only exception is if you're facing a 1-boss 1-wave stage.

Ale of Glory		 Battle end: recovers some SCT Miracle of Gorde 4 The cheap version of Pirate's Feast. Recommended for units that don't want to commit to Pirate's Feast, or don't have Pirate Ship Legnis ark.

Pirate's Feast		 Recovers all SCT at end of battle Pirate Ship Legnis 9 Does what it says, which is that all physical skills will be at maximum stock (uses) after each wave. Game-breaking for story farming and harder multi-wave stages in Tower. Useless in Arena and other 1-wave fights.

Auto Haste		 Continuous Haste effect. Boosts SCT Eternal Clock De=Rowe 14 A very, very expensive option to boost SCT regeneration rate. Under most circumstances, it's better to use Skill Charges and Pose of Glory. But if you want to see SCT regeneration go at sonic-speed, then equip this with the Aldana Colosseum (SR) ark ether reward and Archangel Smile (SSR) ark ether reward.

Skill Charge 1		 Restore some SCT in the top left Skill at the start of the battle Terror of the Grana Seas 3 Highly recommended for any PDPS with a strong Skill 1. Worth stacking with Pirate's Feast if you just need a boost for the first wave.

Skill Charge 2		 Restore some SCT in the top right Skill at the start of a battle Kaldina the Great 3 Highly recommended for any PDPS with a strong Skill 2. Worth stacking with Pirate's Feast if you just need a boost for the first wave.

Skill Charge 3		 Restore some SCT of the third Skill (bottom left Skill) at the start of battle Bell Tower of Guidance 3 Highly recommended for any PDPS with a strong Skill 3. Worth stacking with Pirate's Feast if you just need a boost for the first wave.

Quick Trigger		 At the start of battle, recover a skill SCT stock by 1 Wishes on a Holy Night 6 Used in conjunction with Skill Charges. The RNG of Quick Trigger can be mitigated by force-closing the game, reopening it, and continuing the previous fight. Reset until you get the skill you want.

Stock Skill 1		 Increase the maximum stock of the first Skill (upper left Skill) Abandoned City of the Sea 3 Used in conjunction with other SCT increasing passives.
For example, if you're a filthy Davan paid-axe player, this will enable your "MY DRILL WILL PIERCE THE HEAVENS" moment.

Spirit Breath		 Recover SCT when HP regenerates Archangel Smile 4 This passive only triggers with a direct heal, such as a healing spell or Gorm's Ultimate. Proud Force does not trigger it, nor does Regenerate/other regen variants.
The general use case is either with Gorm in party, or a healer with AOE heals equipped. You will want every PDPS in your party equipped with this skill if you plan on using it.

Honey Elixir		 Completely exhaust Unit MP to greatly recover HP and completely restore SCT FINAL FANTASY Adventure 12 It's a 200 MP spell and it exhausts your entire MP bar even if you have more than 200 MP. For units that have ≥200 base MP, this is a viable alternative to Pirate's Feast for a 1-wave stage. Not usable in Arena because you start at 0 MP.

Branch: Break & faint

Break refers to a boss's break bar, and faint refers to an invisible bar that determines a mob's break bar. In harder content, breaking and fainting is essential to deal damage and/or protect the party from being wiped. Certain units (i.e. Vaughn) are specifically designed for exploiting this mechanic.

For a better idea on which units should pursue a Break/Faint build, see the tier list.

Most buffs for a Break/Faint build are on equipment and ark passives (Terror in the Grana Seas or Phoenix Blow) rather than skills.

Further information

If you are familiar with the game, an incomplete breakdown of unit physical skills sorted by SCT and Break value is available here. A user on Discord compiled it from the JP datamine and I sorted it. As is the case with datamines, the information presented may not be accurate, so don't take it at face value. For example, the duration of skill animations (not available in the datamine) also affects how fast units can break enemies. Nor are talent buffs (i.e. for Vaughn) included.

Break/Faint build options:

Skill Description Ark required SC

Breaker		 Boost break level Pirate Ship Legnis, Terror of the Grana Seas 5 Mandatory for a Break build. Only affects bosses.

Head Bash		 Makes enemies faint easier Aldanian Warriors 3 Mandatory for a Faint build. Only affects mobs.

Axe High Boost		 When Axe is equipped: Physical attack +25% and increase Break value Terror of the Grana Seas 9 Worthwhile for a dedicated Break/Faint unit. Need to be paired with Axe Equip if the unit does not innately know how to equip Axes.

Chance Drive		 Boost physical damage dealt to enemies that have fainted or are in break Crystal Castle 6 A decent damage buff. However, core PDPS passives take priority.

Dual Wield		 Another weapon can be equipped in the place of armor Sandwyrm 14 Effectively doubles break/faint because of double hits on skills.

Branch: Regular attacks

Regular attacks are the auto attacks that your unit does when you tap the Attack button.

Some units have much better auto-attacking than others because of faster animation and more hits. For example, DXR-MK02 with its 5 hits per auto-attack is generally considered the best auto-attack in the game, even though DXR does no damage.

Regular attack builds can be incredibly strong, but they require significant SC investment. A number of important passives (i.e. Sharp Eyes) don't affect regular attacks either.

Ailment-causing research passives are generally paired with regular attack builds. For example, Phal's innate Stun Research led players to build her for regular attacks.

Skill Description Ark required SC

Phase Change		 Increase power of regular attacks proportional to magic power Vell=de=Org 9 Very good on a unit that can utilise regular attacks and has high INT, such as Phal with her innate Stun Research.

Corrosion Fang		 A probability to debuff enemies during normal attacks so physical attacks do +20% damage Pokkle Eater 7 Since you're not doing damage, at least let your allies do damage. The debuff lasts 40 seconds and increases damage for both regular attacks and physical skills. Recommended.

Death God		 Physical attacks have a chance to deal instant death (Does not apply to Bosses or Arena) God of the Dead 7 This has a 0.1% chance of activation for physical skills, but 2% for regular attacks. Recommended only if you have SC to spare... or if you're not using Death Bringer, which has the same effect.

Pulley System		 Low chance of regular attack doing x4 or x8 more damage The Light of Science 6 You know that point where you really start thinking, "I fucked up a while back but since I'm here I may as well keep going?"
This is that in skill form for regular attack builds. Whether you equip this or not lets us pass judgment of your character – and I mean you, not your units.
Has a 5% chance to proc an additional hit that has a 25% chance of doing 790-810% damage.

Blind Research		 Regular attacks have a chance to inflict Blind Hidden Treasure, Makyuodyne, The Sword of Corpses 6 Ailment guide.

Curse Research		 Regular attacks have a chance to inflict Curse House of the Witch, Ghost of Zeluen, Militia of the Departed 6 Ailment guide.

Illness Research		 Regular attacks have a chance to inflict Illness White Laboratory 10 Ailment guide.

Poison Research		 Regular attacks have a chance to inflict Poison Pokkle Eater, Secret Room of the Hermit 6 Poison is currently capped at 999 damage per tick, making this a poor substitute for actual damage. Ailment guide.

Silence Research		 Regular attacks have a chance to inflict Silence Bloody Moon, Heaven's Bow Star-Lord 6 Used for handling enemy mages. Ailment guide.

Monkey Baby		 Regular attacks have a chance of inflicting Silence. Damage +30% against Silenced enemies FINAL FANTASY Adventure 8 The better option to Silence Research – but still a very niche build. Ailment guide.

Branch: Impacts

Impacts are passives that allow a PDPS unit to do additional hits/damage on their auto-attacks (regular attacks).

Impacts are generally discouraged from new players because they provide low damage to their SC costs. However, they look really cool (a cascade of numbers!) and as such, some players are very dedicated to equipping the full set of Impacts.

It goes without saying that any build involving Impacts is not a damage-oriented build. Impacts also won't trigger a number of auxiliary effects that regular hits will, such as Proud Force and ailment-causing Researches.

If you're still unsure on Impacts, use this flowchart.

Dual Wield now affects Impact procs.
Skill Description Ark required SC

Impact		 Regular attacks have a chance (20%) to deal additional damage (20% damage) Geist Training Mountain, Grave of the Blademaster 2 The cheapest Impact, and also really useless. Use Double Impact over this if you don't plan on stacking Impacts.

Double Impact		 Regular attacks deal additional damage Flaming Hero, Sandwyrm 5 The most cost-effective Impact. 100% chance to do 20% additional damage.

Triple Impact		 Regular attacks deal additional damage x2. Cavern Ale 11 The most expensive Impact. 2 additional hits, each at 20% damage.

Branch: Killers and slayers

Killers and slayers are damage boosts based on enemy type. The difference between killers and slayers is that while killers only affect regular attacks, slayers affect both regular attacks and physical attacks. For example, if you have God Slayer equipped, you don't need God Killer.

In Arena (and sometimes Tower), Human-type killers/slayers (Knight, Sorcerer, Soldier, Sniper) are very useful.

Killer and slayer passives:

Skill Description Ark required SC

Special Boost		 Damage affected by Killer and Slayer passives enhanced by +50% Moonlit Murder 6 Mandatory for any build involving killers or slayers, i.e. Randi.

Beast Killer		 Regular attacks are effective against Beast enemies Aldanian Warriors, Beast Hunter 4

Beast Slayer		 Physical attacks are super effective against Beast enemies Beast Hunter 8

Bird Killer		 Regular attacks are effective against Bird enemies Heaven's Bow Star-Lord 4

Bird Slayer		 Physical attacks are super effective against Bird enemies Heaven's Bow Star-Lord 8

Creature Killer		 Regular attacks are effective against Creature enemies White Laboratory 4

Creature Slayer		 Physical attacks are super effective against Creature enemies Terror of the Grana Seas 8

Dragon Killer		 Regular attacks are effective against Dragon enemies Dragon Treasure Raynicle 5

Dragon Slayer		 Physical attacks are super effective against Dragon enemies Dragon Treasure Raynicle 9

Fish Killer		 Regular attacks are effective against Fish enemies Broken Sword at the Shore 4

Fish Slayer		 Physical attacks are super effective against Fish enemies Pirate Ship Legnis 8

God Killer		 Regular attacks are effective against God enemies Divine Beast Hunter 5

God Slayer		 Physical attacks are super effective against God enemies Divine Beast Hunter 9

Insect Killer		 Regular attacks are effective against Insect enemies Secret Room of the Hermit 4

Insect Slayer		 Physical attacks are super effective against Insect enemies Secret Room of the Hermit 8

Machine Killer		 Regular attacks are effective against Machine enemies Thunderstone Luster 4

Plant Killer		 Regular attacks are effective against Plant enemies Pokkle Eater, Flaming Hero 4

Plant Slayer		 Physical attacks are super effective against Plant enemies Flaming Hero 8

Spirit Killer		 Regular attacks are effective against Spirit enemies Bloody Moon 4

Spirit Slayer		 Physical attacks are super effective against Spirit enemies Bloody Moon 8

Stone Killer		 Regular attacks are effective against Stone enemies Miracle of Gorde 4

Stone Slayer		 Physical attacks are super effective against Stone enemies Foreign Land Megrona 8

Undead Killer		 Regular attacks are effective against Undead enemies Grave of the Blademaster 4

Undead Slayer		 Physical attacks are super effective against Undead enemies Grave of the Blademaster 8

Knight Killer		 Regular attacks are effective against Knights Aldana Colosseum 5

Knight Slayer		 Physical attacks are effective against Knights Icy Guardian 9

Sniper Killer		 Regular attacks are effective against Snipers Aldana Colosseum 5

Sorcerer Killer		 Regular attacks are effective against Sorcerers Aldana Colosseum 5

Soldier Killer		 Regular attacks are effective against Soldiers Aldana Colosseum 5

Soldier Slayer		 Physical attacks are effective against Soldiers Gorde War 9

Branch: Magleon (Snipers)

Magleon is a unique passive that increases its damage buff the farther away a unit is from their targeted enemy. The maximum damage bonus is 50%, which activates at roughly the normal attack range for snipers (i.e. Lilebette and Phal). Magleon affects both regular attacks and physical attacks.

Any Magleon build usually involves stacking core PDPS damage buffs and SCT buffs. The beauty isn't Magleon itself – it's in Magleon offering just that little bit more for Snipers.

Skill Description Ark required SC

Magleon		 Damage dealt is proportional to the distance of long-range attacks Heaven's Bow Star-Lord 11

Optional: Real-time buffs

Certain buffs are limited to set durations, i.e. between 6AM to 5.59PM. These buffs are dependent on your phone's internal time/date.

Because these buffs use SC even while not active, they are not recommended for general use.

Skill Description Ark required SC

Holy Night Radiance		 Light attack damage +10% during night (6:00PM to 5:59AM) Wishes on a Holy Night 3 Stacks with Light Attack Raise.

Holiday of Mana		 STR, DEF, INT and MND +5% when it is Sunday in the real world Trials of Mana 5 It's a great passive, if it's Sunday. A persuasive reason to make every day Sunday, don't you think?

Optional: Movement speed

Movement speed buffs are primarily used for manual control of physical DPS in challenging content.

Movement speed buffs are uncapped, meaning that you can stack as many as you want. It's not quite the same as Gorm swinging across a map, but Gorm has no damage, while your PDPS is like a Terminator on crack.

Synergise these skills with equipment such as Speed Shoes (Eternal Clock SR ark ether reward) and Ninja Apparel (Moonlit Murder R ark ether reward)

Skill Description Ark required SC

Flying Shadow		 Increases movement speed at max HP Moonlit Murder, Divine Beast Hunter 4 Recommended for stages where you can guarantee you won't immediately lose HP.

Accelerate		 Increases movement speed when near death Eternal Clock De=Rowe 2 Not recommended for most situations unless 30% HP is a regular occurrence.

Blessed Speed		 Boosts movement speed Divine Beast Hunter 8 The most expensive movement speed buff, but with no drawbacks.

Dash		 Boosts movement speed. Slow down Special gauge refill speed Secret of Mana 5 The preferred alternative to Blessed Speed, with 3 SC saved. However, for some units, the penalty to their Ultimates can mean the difference between winning and losing.

Tank skill guide

Tanks are increasingly auxiliary when faced with damage powercreep. However, tanks are still relevant for survival in Tower and other difficult content. Their presence alone allows a player to potentially soft-reset a fight by sustaining until Yggdrasil summon is ready to be used.

Hybrid builds

Certain units are designed to be hybrid tank/damage dealers, such as Zouglas. Since unit usage is dependant on the content you are facing, you will want to build them as both tank and DPS so that you can swap their skillsets as needed. Refer to the physical DPS or mage guides.

Equipment and arks

Unlike other roles, tanks rely heavily on the assistance of equipment – such as Auto Regeneration from an accessory, or additional Allure stacks from armor and accessories.

A good rule of thumb is to stack as many Allure (aggro) buffs as you can, since there is no cap. Cactus Hammer is also an excellent weapon for pure tanks with its 25% chance to stun on normal attack.

Table of contents

  1. Core passives
  2. Branch: Guard
  3. Branch: Counter

Core passives

These are the passives that every tank should consider having. Some stack, while others don't.

Core basic passives:

Skill Description Ark required SC

HP Up		 HP +5% Aldanian Warriors 2

HP Up II		 HP +8% Grand Bargain 3

HP Up III		 HP +12% Kaldina the Great 4

HP Up MAX		 HP +20% Aldanian Warriors 5 Remove the other HP Ups if you are low on SC.

Defense Up		 DEF +2% Gate Beyganda 1

Defense Up II		 DEF +5% Mirror Armor of Mizel 2

Defense Up III		 DEF +8% Golem Core 3

Defense Up IV		 DEF +12% Gorde War 5

Defense Up MAX		 DEF +15% Gate Beyganda 6

Magic Defense Up		 MND +2% Fairies Forest 1

Magic Defense Up II		 MND +5% Holy Flag of Norlean 2

Magic Defense Up III		 MND +8% White Knight's Vacation, Vell=de=Org 3

Magic Defense Up MAX		 MND +15% Fairies Forest 6

Fast Protection		 Automatically activates Protection on battle start Gate Beyganda 2 20% physical damage reduction for 40 seconds. Does not stack with Auto Protection or Fast Vacation.

Auto Protection		 Continuous Protection effect. Physical damage reduction Holy Flag of Norlean 7 20% physical damage reduction. Does not stack with Fast Protection or Fast Vacation. Unlike DPS units, the Auto variant is usually recommended for tanks.

Fast Barrier		 Automatically activates Barrier on battle start Fairies Forest 2 20% magic damage reduction for 40 seconds. Does not stack with Auto Barrier or Fast Vacation.

Auto Barrier		 Continuous Barrier effect. Magic damage reduction Golem Core 7 20% magic damage reduction. Does not stack with Fast Barrier or Fast Vacation. Unlike DPS units, the Auto variant is usually recommended for tanks.

Fast Vacation		 Automatically activate Brave, Aura, Protection, and Magic Barrier at the start of battle White Knight's Vacation 5 Only recommended for hybrid tanks. Discouraged for pure tanks (wastes 1SC).

Fast Metis		 Automatically activate Metis at the beginning of the battle Great Temple Maja 2 +20% MND for 40 seconds. Not as good as Fast Barrier. Recommended for Gorm because his Ultimate heal is based on MND.

Auto Regeneration		 Continuous regeneration effect, Gradual HP recovery Maiden's Prayer 11 This is a very expensive skill that can be replaced by a single ark ether equipment, such as a HP regeneration accessory. Use it only if you cannot obtain HP regeneration through other means.

Conversation		 Occasionally regenerates a small amount of HP FINAL FANTASY Adventure 3 Has a 30% chance to recover some HP every few ticks. Highly recommended.

Gemma Knight		 Have a probability of negating magic damage FINAL FANTASY Adventure 6 Recommended against certain content. 30% chance to evade.

Illusion		 Chance of evading physical attacks Sand Tower Mirage, Foreign Land Megrona 5 10% chance to evade. Usually recommended.

Royal Armor		 Reduces chance of receiving Critical hits Mirror Armor of Mizel, Icy Guardian 8 50% reduction. Recommended against certain content where enemies can crit.

Dusk		 At MAX MP, DEF and MND +20% White Knight's Vacation 4 Highly recommended for pure tanks. For hybrids, do not equip Sharp Eyes with this unless you also have MP regeneration.

Curse Resist		 Reduce chance of being Cursed. Removes Curse weakness Temple of Grana Daria 4 Prevents your unit from being cursed – unable to use physical skills or Ultimate. Ailment guide.

Curse Nil		 Nullifies Curse. Changes Curse weakness to Curse resistance Archangel Smile 8 The more expensive version of Curse Resist. Ailment guide.

Stun Resist		 Reduces chance of being Stunned. Removes Stun weakness God of Storms 5 Prevents your unit from being stunned – incapable of casting spells or moving. Required for certain content, i.e. Green crystal dungeon. Ailment guide.

Stun Nil		 Nullifies Stun. Changes Stun weakness to Stun resistance God of the Dead 10 The more expensive version of Stun Resist. Required for some stun-heavy stages in Tower. Ailment guide.

Illness Resist		 Reduces chance of being Ill. Removes Illness weakness White Laboratory 5 Prevents a tank's worst case scenario: not being able to be healed. Ailment guide.

Awaken		 Recovers HP and increase STR, DEF, MND and movement speed when close to death. (1 time) Phoenix Blow 9 The MVP skill for Tower – saves a Unit when they reach 30% HP, and gives them some much-needed buffs. Mandatory for a tank.

Blessing of Mana		 Automatic Speed, Protection, Magic Barrier and Regenerate when close to death Secret of Mana 3 The worse alternative to Awaken, but nothing stops you from stacking the two passives.

Decoy		 First time HP reaches 0, automatically revive and recovers some HP Magic Mirror Pomram 7 Recovers 10% HP. The skill also requires you to die first, which means losing all your pre-existing buffs. Use Determination over this if you can. Stacks with Awaken due to different triggers.

Determination		 Survive once and recover some HP first time lethal damage is taken Pirate Ship Legnis, Gorde War 7 Recovers 10% HP. Stacks with Awaken, so consider this the last resort passive for staying alive.

Celestial Mass		 When taking physical damage, use 3 MP to halve the damage taken Ancient Weapon Lougahn 9 Highly recommended for any tank or defensive unit despite its high SC because of its low MP cost (unless your unit has <100MP). The equivalent of Sharp Eyes/Magic Aura but for tanks.

Branch: Guard

Guard is a mechanic where when a unit stops moving/attacking, Guard has a chance of proccing when the unit receives damage.

Guard is usually reserved for tanks as tanks are there to soak damage. However, as Guard requires a number of sub-passives to function well, investing in a Guard build will take a considerable amount of SC.

Equipment

Automatic Guard accessories are plentiful in the game, but they are generally bait since equipping one only saves 1SC from not having to equip Guard.

Aigis Shield, the ark ether reward from Golem Core (SSR), is the single best accessory for any Guard tank. Pair it with a HP regeneration accessory or the ether reward from Wishes on a Holy Night (SSR).

Skill Description Ark required SC

Guard		 Chance for unit to guard automatically Knights of Blue Lights, Gate Beyganda, Mirror Armor of Mizel 1 The starting point of any Guard build. Skip this passive if you have an Automatic Guard accessory equipped. Base 10% chance to proc.

Grand Guard		 Guard break is less likely to occur Golem Core 4 Lets Guard take 50% more damage before Guard Break. Mandatory.

Vigilance		 When Guard is equipped, Guard chance slightly increased Knights of Blue Lights, Miracle of Gorde 2 Adds 10% to Guard proc chance. Mandatory.

Steel Guard		 When Guard is equipped, damage while guarding reduced Knights of Blue Lights, The Final Oath 2 Adds +25% damage reduction to Guard. Mandatory.

Heal Guard		 When Guard is equipped, HP recovers slightly when guarding Golem Core, Ancient Weapon Lougahn 4 Lets tanks heal off Guarding. One of the best side effect passives.

Magic Guard		 When Guard is equipped, MP recovers slightly when guarding Mirror Armor of Mizel, Bell Tower of Guidance 4 MP regeneration for tanks. Not recommended because of its high SC and low return.

Spell Guard		 When Guard is equipped, chance to guard against magic attacks Golem Core 4 Normally Guard does not function against magic attacks. With this passive equipped, you can Guard against magic attacks. Mandatory.

Guard Charge		 When Guard is equipped, SCT recovers slightly when guarding The Final Oath 4 Highly recommended for hybrid tanks. +1 SCT per proc.

Branch: Counter

Counter is a mechanic that allows units to retaliate to damage received.

In a normal game, a Counter build would be potentially broken, but in Last Cloudia, Counter has been neglected since launch. Use a hybrid tank or a tanky PDPS – you need the base damage modifiers to make this work. Counter attacks are not considered regular attacks.

Equipment

To begin using a Counter build, you need to own Terror in the Grana Seas (SSR) ark, and you need the Lapis Axe Jilven ether reward from it. Get it however you can – either with ether farming or Etherions.

The Lapis axe buffs counterattack damage by 100%. Since there is no limit to how many Counter buffs you can have, owning this weapon is mandatory. It doesn't hurt that the axe has very high base STR.

Skill Description Ark required SC

Counter		 Chance of counterattacking physical attacks Mirror Armor of Mizel, The Sword of Corpses 2 10% chance to counter with 50% Counter-attack damage.

High Counter		 Counter power increased Pirate Ship Legnis 4 Multiplies base Counter-attack damage by +50%. Combined with Counter, it becomes 75%. And with Lapis Axe... 175%.

Support skill guide

Support units are primarily used in difficult PvE content such as the latest story stages, challenge event stages and Tower. Due to the number of spells available, most support units will change their equipped spells regularly to match the content, i.e. preferring an INT debuff against a boss that can cast spells.

Hybrid builds

An increasing number of units are designed to be hybrid support/damage dealers, such as Lukiel and Saintly Theria. Do not mix support spells with attack magic spells. The AI will use both and devastate your MP bar.

Table of contents

  1. Core skills

Core skills

These are the passives that every support unit should consider having. Some stack, while others don't.

Healing and HP regeneration is calculated on MND. Not every support unit should heal.

Support units should also consider equipping basic tank passives for increased survivability. These skills are found in the Tank skill guide.

Core basic passives:

Skill Description Ark required SC

Magic Defense Up		 MND +2% Fairies Forest 1

Magic Defense Up II		 MND +5% Holy Flag of Norlean 2

Magic Defense Up III		 MND +8% White Knight's Vacation, Vell=de=Org 3

Magic Defense Up MAX		 MND +15% Fairies Forest 6

MP Up		 MP +5% Flower of Falnia 1 If you are low on SC, remove this.

MP Up II		 MP +8% Maiden's Prayer 2 If you are low on SC, remove this.

MP Up III		 MP +12% March of the Saints, Wishes on a Holy Night 2 If you are low on SC, keep this and remove the other MP Ups.

MP Up MAX		 MP +20% Flower of Falnia 4 If you are low on SC, remove this.

Archangel's Blessing		 Battle end: recovers MP +30% Archangel Smile 9 The superior MP recovery passive. This can be stacked with Ale of Honor and Cavern Ale's ether reward (see Ark ether guide)

Ale of Honor		 Battle end: recovers MP +10% Holy Flag of Norlean 4 The cheap MP recovery passive. This can be stacked with Archangel Blessing and Cavern Ale's ether reward (see Ark ether guide). Recommended for new players.

Fast Metis		 Automatically activate Metis at the beginning of the battle Great Temple Maja 2 +20% MND for 40 seconds.

Fast Protection		 Automatically activates Protection on battle start Gate Beyganda 2 20% physical damage reduction for 40 seconds. Does not stack with Auto Protection or Fast Vacation.

Fast Barrier		 Automatically activates Barrier on battle start Fairies Forest 2 20% magic damage reduction for 40 seconds. Does not stack with Auto Barrier or Fast Vacation.

High Level Magic Chant		 Greatly increase the casting speed of all magic Radmoon Ruins, Hidden Treasure, Makyuodyne 9 Boosts casting speed. Necessary for instant-cast buffs, debuffs and heals.

Immovable Object		 Spellcaster will not be interrupted by most attacks March of the Saints 11 Required for harder content. You do not want your healer flinched.

Conversation		 Occasionally regenerates a small amount of HP FINAL FANTASY Adventure 3 Has a 30% chance to recover some HP every few ticks.

Gas Mask		 Battle start: activate a barrier that nullifies basic status ailments once. (Permanent) The Spring of Sulfuric Acid 6 Highly recommended against certain content, such as ailment stages on Tower. Ailment guide.

Silence Resist		 Reduces chance of being Silenced. Removes Silence weakness Dragon Treasure Raynicle 4 Required for certain content, i.e. Tower. Prevents your healer from not being able to cast spells. Ailment guide.

Silence Nil		 Nullifies Silence. Changes Silence weakness to resistance Abandoned City of the Sea 8 The more expensive version of Silence Resist. Required for certain content. Ailment guide.

Stun Resist		 Reduces chance of being Stunned. Removes Stun weakness God of Storms 5 Prevents your healer from being stunned – incapable of casting spells or moving. Required for certain content, i.e. Green crystal dungeon. Ailment guide.

Stun Nil		 Nullifies Stun. Changes Stun weakness to Stun resistance God of the Dead 10 The more expensive version of Stun Resist. Required for some stun-heavy stages in Tower. Ailment guide.

Robe High Boost		 When a Robe is equipped, +20% MND and +10% magical attack damage Bell Tower of Guidance 9 Fantastic for support units, especially healers. That said, if you're running Leena, you probably don't need the extra MND.

Healing spells:

Skill Description Ark required SC

Healing Wind		 Recovers HP to all allies Giant Tree, Maiden's Prayer, Aldana Colosseum 3 The basic healing spell for new players. Put Healing Wind on at least 2 units in your party so that when you need healing, both units will cast it at the same time – making up for its low HP recovery.

Star Heal		 Recovers HP to a single ally Maiden's Prayer, Temple of Grana Daria, Kaldina the Great 4 Tier 2 single target heal.

Stardust Heal		 Recovers moderate HP to all allies Maiden's Prayer, Wishes on a Holy Night 6 Tier 2 party heal. Better than Healing Wind, but not viable for early content because of its MP cost.

Glass Record		 Restores medium HP to all allies and restores SCT The Light of Science 11 This spell is the real reason you'd ever pull for the Dr. Stone SSR collab ark this came on. Glass Record restores 10 SCT to all allies (a non-negligible amount) at the cost of 60 MP. Plan ahead before equipping this spell.

God Heal		 Greatly recovers an ally's HP Kaldina the Great 8 Tier 3 single target heal. Time-stop spell. Best healing spell in the game, and required for any unit other than Leena (who heals an equivalent amount with Star Heal because of Healing High Boost).

High Regeneration		 Grants HP regeneration effect to a single ally Hidden Pokkle Plains, March of the Saints 4 Single target HP regeneration. Worth it only if you have no access or SC for Grand Regeneration.

Grand Regeneration		 Grants medium HP regeneration effect to all allies Beast Falls, Temple of Grana Daria 6 The best regeneration spell. Recommended for dragged out fights and/or boss fights.

Cures and resurrection:

Skill Description Ark required SC

Cure All		 Cures Poison, blindness, silence, curse, illness, and stun for an ally March of the Saints 6 The only Cure spell you will ever need.

Cure-All of Science		 Cures Poison, Blindness, Silence, Curse, Illness and Stun for an ally The Spring of Sulfuric Acid 6 The same as Cure All, but on a Dr. Stone collab Ark. You only need one of these spells, so don't double up.

Fullmetal Hugger		 Confers a barrier which neutralizes a basic status effect one time only Trials of Mana 6 Questionable cost, but potentially useful in high-difficulty fights.

Resurrection		 Cures Incapacitation for an ally Giant Tree, Temple of Grana Daria 5 Revives unit with some HP. Requires High Level Magic Chant and possibly more casting speed reduction for instant-cast.

Miracle Fluid		 Cures Incapacitation for an ally Stone World 5 Resurrects units at 30% HP, which makes this the single best Resurrection spell in the game. For now.

Buff spells:

Skill Description Ark required SC

Brave		 Single ally's STR +20% Egg of Remy the Firebird, Abandoned City of the Sea 2

Brave Phaser		 All allies' STR +20% Dragon Treasure Raynicle, Abandoned City of the Sea 8 Not recommended due to high SC. Better than Aura Phaser – a full PDPS party is more likely than a full mage party for most players.

Grand Brave		 Boost an ally's STR +35% Abandoned City of the Sea 7 Expensive and unsightly. Only recommended for limited scenarios.

Aura		 Single ally's INT +20% Crystal Castle 2

Aura Phaser		 All allies' INT +20% Vell=de=Org, Divine Beast, Loug Mekia 8 Not recommended due to high SC.

Fort Phaser		 All allies' DEF +20% Gorde War 8 Useful against high STR boss attacks.

Metis		 Single ally's MND +20% Hidden Pokkle Plains 2 Healer self-buff.

Metis Phaser		 All allies' MND +20% Divine Beast, Loug Mekia 8 Don't bother with this spell.

Protection		 Physical damage inflicted on a single ally -20% Gate Beyganda, Holy Flag of Norlean 1 You will enter menu hell switching targets to buff every party member. And when push comes to shove, you won't have the time to, so don't get baited by the 1 SC.

Grand Protection		 Physical damage inflicted on all allies -20% Holy Flag of Norlean, The Final Oath, Ancient Weapon Lougahn 8 Recommended despite its high SC because you don't want to lose the Protection buff on your party.

High Protection		 Physical damage inflicted on a single ally -35% Ancient Weapon Lougahn 6 A much better version of Protection. Recommended for certain high difficulty content over Grand protection.

Magic Barrier		 Magic damage inflicted on a single ally -20% Sand Tower Mirage, Fairies Forest 1

Magic Castle		 Magic damage inflicted on all allies -20% Altar of the Forbidden Book, Bell Tower of Guidance 8 Same as Grand Protection, but for magic damage.

High Magic Barrier		 Magic damage taken by a single ally -35% Bell Tower of Guidance 6 Highly recommended against mage enemies because of the increased flat damage reduction.

Speed		 Boosts an ally's movement speed Crystal Castle, Eternal Clock De=Rowe 1

Speed Phaser		 Boosts all allies' movement speed Eternal Clock De=Rowe 8

Haste		 Single ally's skill recovery speed +25% Radmoon Ruins, Eternal Clock De=Rowe 5 Haste is one of the best buffs you can cast on a PDPS unit.

Critical		 Single ally's Critical rate +15% Thunderstone Luster 2 For those of us too poor to own Megrona and learn Fast Critical. (Like me.)

Critical Phaser		 All allies' Critical rates +15% Hidden Treasure, Makyuodyne 10 Do not learn this spell.
Hidden Treasure should be left at level 6 for other units to learn High Level Magic Chant.

Hydro Shell		 All magic damage halved. Excludes Thunder attribute magic Temple of Grana Daria 7 A very good buff for squishy units, but single-target only. Equip it only when necessary.

High Vitality		 Increase an ally's MAX HP by 1000 and recover HP White Knight's Vacation 3 The "recovery" is the 1000HP that's been added to the HP bar. The buff lasts 40 seconds.

Lunar Magic		 Causes strange things to happen randomly Secret of Mana 8 Has a chance to:
  • Heal HP
  • Heal enemy HP
  • Recover 40 MP to self
  • 20% chance to Stun ally
  • 20% chance to Stun enemy
  • -10% STR for 40 seconds
  • -10% DEF for 40 seconds
  • -10% INT for 40 seconds
  • -10% MND for 40 seconds
Recommended for slaves to RNG.

Debuff spells:

Skill Description Ark required SC

Weak		 Decreases all attribute resistances for a single enemy Shrine of Heresy, Ghost of Zeluen 3 The single best debuff for the mage in your party. -20 to all element resists for 40 seconds.

Blazer		 Single enemy's STR -20% Hidden Treasure, Makyuodyne 2 Recommended for boss fights. Don't bother with the map-wide (Giga) version.

Drain		 Single enemy's DEF -20% Aurora Glacier 2 Recommended for boss fights. Don't bother with the map-wide (Giga) version.

Lostoma		 Single enemy's INT -20% House of the Witch, Dimensional Rift 2 Recommended for boss fights. Don't bother with the map-wide (Giga) version.

Nemesis		 Single enemy's MND -20% Magic Mirror Pomram, Ghost of Zeluen 2 Recommended for boss fights. Don't bother with the map-wide (Giga) version.

Super Bad Chemical (Drain)		 STR and INT of an enemy -25% The Spring of Sulfuric Acid 6 The powercreep version of existing debuffs from the Dr. Stone collab banner. Recommended.

Super Bad Chemical (Fatigue)		 DEF and MND of an enemy -25% The Spring of Sulfuric Acid 6 The powercreep version of existing debuffs from the Dr. Stone collab banner. Good for increasing damage dealt.

High Nemesis		 -35% MND to a single enemy Militia of the Departed 7 The better version of Nemesis. Bring this if you can for your mages.

Optional: Mimicry types

Mimicry passives allow units to add on unit types. The main draw is in activating desirable Ark and equipment passives which are normally locked to a certain unit type (i.e. Dragon).

As the game continues to be updated, expect more Mimicry passives to be added.

Skill Description Ark required SC

Mimicry [Dragon]		 Add Dragon type to user Birth of the Rivazard 2

Mimicry [God]		 Add God type to user Divine Beast, Loug Mekia 2

Mimicry [Plant]		 Add Plant type to user Pokkle Eater 2

Mimicry [Undead]		 Add Undead type to user Militia of the Departed 2

Stone World		 Adds Stone type to user. DEF +20% and nullify piercing effects from enemies Stone World 11 Ignore the DEF buff, this is all about nullifying Piercing which certain units (i.e. Kohaku) specialises in. Consider this for preventing certain Arena setups.

Optional: "Take me to timeline ß please"

These are skills that may find themselves on some niche build in the future. If only we had a time machine...

Skill Description Ark required SC

Shiny Monkey		 STR, DEF, INT and MND +10% when no armor and weapons are equipped Stone World 1 There are very few skills that cost 1 SC. There are even fewer that are worthwhile. This is not one of them, unless your unit literally cannot equip anything else. (Mainly for monster units.)