Test:12

"How to play" Compendium:

This page contains the work in progress "How to play" guides for each character, to be added to the respective character pages

How to play - Lina Edition

Crimson Abyss - Fundamentals (Pre-Leap)

• Blue Orb 3-Ping + Any 3-Ping = Core Passive, Blade Will mode (sword wave)
  • Use both 3-Pings back-to-back in quick succession
  • At SS-Rank, trigger Core Passive using Blue Orb 3-Ping + Red Orb 3-Ping

• Plan around her Matrix
  • Matrix-Ping can help you enter Core Passive state easily

• The Core Passive backstep animation counts as a dodge
  • Use it to evade attacks
  • It can trigger the effect of Frederick

• Only use Signal Orbs when:
  • You are activating her Core Passive (sword waves)
  • You need to rearrange your orbs in order to activate her Core Passive

• Signature Move should only be used for defense
  • Using it gives you temporary invincibility
  • The damage is low and using it results in lower damage-per-second

Crimson Abyss - Additional Information

• Core Passive details:
  • Every signal orb she has or obtains during her Core Passive gets converted into a sword wave ping
  • During Core Passive the damage boost from a Blue Orb Ping is massively boosted and turned into additional sword waves

• How to use the Frederick memory set:
  • Activate the 4 piece bonus by dodging an enemy's attack to greatly increase the damage they take
  • Activate the full 2-piece bonus by dodging twice and activating her core passive (the activation counts as a dodge)
  • Dodge towards the enemy to make the most out of the 4 second damage window

• Advanced techniques:
  • Dodging shortly after a Red Orb Ping skips the animation but still does full damage
  • Dodging immediately after a Blue Orb Ping skips the animation and counts for the Core Passive, but doesn't activate the extra attacks.
  • The fastest way to activate her Core Passive and get the most damage is, in extremely rapid succession:
    Blue Orb 3-Ping -> Dodge enemy attack (Matrix) -> Matrix ping (Core Passive) -> Dodge -> Activate QTEs -> Sword Waves

How to play

Plume - Fundamentals

• Plume has two forms and starts in Normal Form:
  • Pressing the Signature Move button once switches to Arctic Form
  • Activating Signature Move again in Arctic Form performs a powerful attack and turns Plume back to Normal Form

• When in Normal Form:
  • All of Plume's damage is Physical DMG
  • Using 3-Pings gives 50% energy and a Signature Point (Max 2)

• When in Arctic Form:
  • All of Plume's damage is converted to Ice DMG
  • Energy drains quickly, but in exchange it gives a 50% extra Ice DMG buff
  • Using 3-Pings gives a Signature Point (Max 4)

• Signature Points:
  • Are displayed next to the Signature button in Arctic Form
  • Can only be stacked to 4 in Arctic Form (max 2 in Normal Form)
  • Using her Signature Move with 4 points is essential to deal the most damage

Plume - Additional Information

• Core Passive details:
  • The Blue Orb 3-Ping switch-in attack gives her a signature point and 50% energy in Normal Form
  • Plume's Arctic Form Ice DMG buff also applies to her Signature Move if it's activated before her Energy runs out
  • Activating Arctic Form with full energy rearranges all the orbs in groups of 3-Pings

• How to use the Hanna memory set:
  • Using a Matrix Ping activates a second Matrix, with a fresh use of Matrix Ping
  • Use the two consecutive Matrix Pings to quickly build Plume's Signature Points
  • Activating the set outside of Matrix doesn't put Plume's Matrix in cooldown

• Advanced techniques:
  • Dodging immediately after Arctic Form's Red Orb Pings skips the animation but still does full damage
  • Dodging shortly after Arctic Form's Yellow Orb Pings skips the animation but still does full damage
  • The best way to deal damage and build full stacks for Plume's Signature Move is:
    Switch-in free Blue Orb 3-Ping -> Signature Move (Arctic Form) -> Dodge enemy attack (Matrix) -> Matrix Ping -> Matrix Ping (Hanna) -> any 3-Ping -> Signature Move
    • The 3-Pings must be executed quickly before Plume's Energy runs out
    • Doing one basic attack before each 3-Ping allows Plume to generate orbs while attacking

How to play

Laurel - Fundamentals

• Double 3-Pings:
  • After any 3-Ping the next orb pinged will be considered a 3-Ping
  • This bonus does not stack (3-Ping -> Matrix Ping will only give 1 free 3-Ping after)

• All 3-Pings fill her Core Passive gauge:
  • Each 3-Ping fills 1/4 of the gauge (15 Annihilation Points)
  • After four 3-Pings no more Annihilation Points can be generated

• Hold Basic Attack to enter Annihilation State:
  • You will get one Annihilation Orb for each 3-Ping (15 points)
  • Your basic attacks deal Dark DMG and generate no energy
  • Each basic attack drains 5 Annihilation Points
  • Depleting all Annihilation Points, swapping out or using Signature Move will exit Annihilation State

Laurel - Additional Information

• Core Passive details:
  • Annihilation Orbs can be used while doing other actions or while on the ground
  • Ending Annihilation State early will remove all unused Annihilation Orbs
  • Activating Matrix in Annihilation State will generate one Annihilation Orb
  • Exiting Annihilation State by running out of points also sorts your orbs

• Advanced techniques:
  • Dodging shortly after a Yellow Orb Ping skips the animation but still does full damage
  • Dodging shortly after a Red Orb Ping skips the animation but does less damage
  • Blue Orb Ping's animation is almost instantaneous
  • Doing one basic attack before each 3-Ping allows Laurel to generate orbs while attacking
  • To maximize damage it's recommended to save Matrix until Annihilation State is activated with full gauge: four 3-Pings + 5 Annihilation Orbs with the Flamel set will fully charge Laurel's Signature Move
  • Basic attacks during Core Passive still generate orbs, the orbs however get deleted if they appear while in Annihilation State
    • Since an orb is generated every 1.5 seconds while attacking, activating Annihilation State with only 1/4 of the gauge and doing 3 basic attacks is a fast way to sort orbs while also generating them

How to play

Empyrea - Fundamentals

• Build Prayer gauge by using Normal Attacks and Pings:
  • 24 points total for a full bar
  • Normal Attacks build 1 point each
  • Orbs pinged build 2 points each

• Double tap dodge with full Prayer to enter Core Passive (Divine Prayer):
  • Ping one or two sets of identical color Orbs to trigger Purity Oath
  • Ping two sets of different color Orbs to trigger Chaos Oath
  • Pinging nothing returns to normal without spending Prayer
  • Each Orb pinged adds 1 Amplification stack, and 3-Pings add 4 stacks
  • Oath damage is multiplied by each stack

• Press Signature Move and activate Core Passive to enter Empyreal Prayer:
  • Ping up to three sets of Orbs to generate Amplification stacks, same rules as Core Passive
  • After all three Pings or after time runs out Time Lag Calculation is triggered and Empyrea performs Empyreal Oath
  • Empyreal Oath damage is multiplied by each stack

Empyrea - Additional Information

• Core Passive details:
  • Basic Attacks and Pings still generate Prayer even if no enemy is hit
  • Chaos Oath's explosion can be dodged to trigger Matrix
  • At Core Passive level 22 an extra Orb is generated when entering Divine Prayer
  • The color of the orb generated this way is chosen at random from the orbs currently available

• Signature Move details:
  • Activating Signature Move creates 6 orbs, 3 of which will form a 3-Ping
  • There is enough time to use 2-3 orbs before activating the Core Passive
    • Useful to create 3-Pings to maximize Empyreal Oath's damage
  • There is enough time to do 3 Basic Attacks before activating the Core Passive, to generate one extra Orb

• Advanced techniques:
  • To maximise damage it's recommended to use her Oaths while the 10 second Amplifier class skill buff is active.
  • For this reason if enough energy is reached after 10 seconds it might be worth saving Signature Move for when Empyrea gets switched in next.
  • Dodging shortly after a Red Orb Ping or a Blue Orb Ping skips the animation but still does full damage
  • Saving 3-Pings for Core Passive / Signature Move is highly recommended, as there is no benefit to using 3-Pings instead of singles to build Prayer
  • It's recommended to use Empyrea's Signature Move shortly after she takes the field to be able to trigger Empyreal Oath while the Amplifier class skill is still active

How to play

Garnet - Fundamentals

• Build Electric Charge stacks by using follow-up attacks:
  • After a 3-Ping the next Basic Attack will trigger a follow-up attack
  • Electric Charge can only be stacked up to 3 times

• Hold the Basic Attack button with any number of Electric Charge stacks to trigger Lightning Fall
  • Performing Lightning Fall consumes all Electric Charge stacks to deal massive Lightning DMG
  • The damage of Lightning Fall increases exponentially for each stack consumed (x2/x4/x8)

Garnet - Additional Information

• If the Signature Weapon Phoenix is equipped:
  • Using Signature Move and QTE will generate a stack of Electric Charge
  • If the flag created by her QTE is still active when switching to Garnet she automatically performs Lightning Fall and then obtains another Electric Charge stack

• If Garnet has reached SS rank:
  • Performs her QTE automatically when switching out, without entering cooldown
  • Lightning Fall can be used immediately after Signature Move, greatly speeding up the animation

• Advanced techniques:
  • Dodging shortly after a Red Orb Ping or a Yellow Orb Ping can be useful to skip the long animation
  • After a 3-Ping, the next Basic Attack will always be a follow-up attack regardless of what happens in between (dodge cancels/getting hit/using Signature Move/waiting)
  • Holding Basic Attack with a stored follow-up attack will perform the start of the attack, granting 1 Electric Charge stack and immediately perform Lightning Fall after
  • Always performing Lightning Fall with 3 stacks is optimal for DPS and is generally recommended, but in certain cases using less stacks can be more efficient (to finish a low health enemy, for example)
  • Lightning Fall moves Garnet forward by quite a distance, making it possible to miss enemies completely if it's performed too close to them
  • The follow-up attacks can generate orbs like Basic Attacks, so skipping the Red and Yellow 3-Ping animations to perform the follow-up sooner can results in more orbs generated overall
  • At SS and with Signature Weapon Phoenix equipped, a quick combo to execute a max stack Lightning Fall is:
    3-Ping -> Dodge -> Follow-Up -> 3-Ping -> Dodge -> Follow-Up -> Signature Move -> Lightning Fall

How to play

Capriccio - Fundamentals

• Pressing or holding a direction while using 3-Pings or Signature Move (Shooting Star) orbs will summon an Echo
  • The Echo will perform the same action that was used to create it
  • Capriccio will move in the direction selected when summoning an Echo

• Casting Signature Move will open Realm of Capriccio and create 5 Shooting Star orbs
  • Each Shooting Star orb can be used to summon an Echo, up to five
  • When all Shooting Star orbs are used Time Lag Calculation will trigger and each of the Echoes will perform a coordinated attack for massive damage
  • A phantom is created afterwards that heals the entire team for a duration

• Capriccio's Amplifier Class Skill gives every member of the team 10% ATK bonus and 10% Dark DMG bonus for 10 seconds upon entering the field
  • Switching characters often is recommended to make full use of the Class Skill
  • Both ARK and Dark DMG bonus double at SSS rank

Capriccio - Additional Information

• Signature Move details:
  • Capriccio gains 50% damage reduction for the entire duration
  • After Realm of Capriccio ends all orbs will be returned, sorted in the order of Red-Blue-Yellow
  • Capriccio can still generate orbs with Basic Attacks, even if they are temporarily hidden

• To make full use of her Amplifier Class Skill:
  • Activate Signature Move and use all Shooting Star orbs within 10 seconds of Capriccio taking the field, Time Lag Calculation will help extend the buff duration to the rest of the animation
  • This means activating her Signature Move within 5 seconds from her switch in, as using all the Shooting Star orbs takes around 5 more seconds

• Advanced techniques:
  • It's possible to dodge after summoning an Echo to skip the animation, while the Echo will still carry out the attack
  • Doing this for a Red Orb 3-Ping will however result in reduced damage
  • During her Signature Move, it's recommended to dash through the enemy and back for each Shooting Star orb to deal maximum damage
  • This can be accomplished easily by holding back on the joystick while looking at the enemy and using all five Shooting Star orbs
  • Performing a Basic Attack after a dodge or a Blue Orb Ping will skip to the 3rd attack of her Basic Attack combo if close to the enemy, if instead Capriccio is out of range she will perform a quick dash first