Introduction
I haven't been looking forward to writing about this banner. For one, it's just kinda tough because of how Mumu is as a unit. However, the main reason is that the two banner units here have impossible to spell names, and I will mess up multiple times despite several editing passes. Muesl? Muuuesley? Elfy Welfy? Mumu.
This article specifically covers the new units from the Lone Trail event, You can find the full version of the guide here, or on the banner below which covers all of the other noteworthy Masteries in the game
FAQ and Banner Discussion
Q: Should I pull?
A: Maybe. Muelsyse is popular, limited, and reasonably powerful. For a lot of people, that's more than good enough. However, from a completely meta perspective, this banner would otherwise be a skip. Despite being good Muelsyse tends to fall into the "yet another option" category of unit, and a fairly advanced one at that. Unlike many recent meta-caliber units, you won't really miss her presence on your team, and her co-star, Ho'olheyak, is quite poor overall. Ultimately this banner comes down to personal desire. If you like Muelsyse or Ho'olheyak, then it's totally reasonable to pull. Otherwise, the meta suggestion is to save for Eyja2 and Typhon (or even Executor).
If you want a comparison to the recently released limited banner on CN, check the final question in this section.
Q: Should my roster strength influence my pull choice with Muelsyse, given her reliance on other units to clone?
A: I wouldn't. I don't want to get into clone targets in this article as it can be a rather deep topic, and some units make better clones than others to be sure. However, if you want Mumu this is pretty much the only opportunity to get her at reasonable cost. Even if you lack the perfect clone target now, your roster and options will grow with time. However, your opportunities to get Mumu will not.
If you’re interested in more mechanical details of Mumu’s clone targets, this post over on reddit is a good one.
Q: Is Silence the Paradigmatic any good?
A: Not really. The effect of her S3 is nice, but there's a couple problems with it. For one, two unit combos tend to need to be really special to justify the space it occupies (both in the team and on the field) and outside of the invulnerability, Silence just doesn't offer that much. For two, it's usually better to just... play smarter. Making Mlynar invulnerable can be appealing, but you could also just change his position, apply some healing, or send a blocker out first, for example. Silence just doesn't bring enough ancillary value to justify what she takes up either in team cost, planning cost, or in resource cost.
In more practical look ahead terms, she has not found any meta place in high level content (POO or DOS) nor in high Ascension IS. That certainly has the potential to change some day, but for now, Silence is just rather gimmicky.
Q: Is Ho'olheyak any good?
A: Nope. Simply put, her cycle is atrocious and her damage is subpar. In terms of general power she doesn't even compare well to a few of the 5★ Casters. However, despite that, she somehow creeps into endgame content a fair amount. Speaking strictly in terms of endgame meta, she probably has more value than Mumu even! The thing with her kit is that despite all of the flaws, both Levitate and Weightlessness are good and rare, so even if she's "bad" that ancillary value remains.
If you're the level of player who would appreciate that, you probably already know that though, so if you're reading my article for practical advice, snek mommy is unfortunately, quite bad still.
Q: You've mentioned that end-game value before. Can you go into more depth on Ho'olheyak in the end-game? What's up with that?
A: I tend to be vague about these sorts of things in lookaheads because the answer can change with content, which can unfortunately sometimes imply more use than she has. She has found some alright value in IS but not really in typically Advanced situations. That could easily change with new content, however.
The reasoning is ultimately that Levitate is good and no one else applies it as well as she does. Much like Freeze, enemies have to be specifically coded to be immune to Levitate, and it often gets "left out" against enemies that are otherwise Stun immune. That does give her at least the potential to be useful, and she has found use in IS#4 where Levitate disrupts one of the more annoying enemies.
Her Weightless Talent has some value too. Angelina is probably still better overall, but if doing Shift gimmicks in IS#3 where the HP pools are ridiculously bloated, Ho'olheyak can work better.
Q: Alright but Muelsyse is good at least, right? So, why isn't she meta?
A: It can be tempting to blame the Vanguard meta on this. It's long been a problem, and we just got the hyper-meta Ines, so it would make some sense to blame that. Purely as a Vanguard, she doesn't compare all that well. Since her DP generation is front loaded to the skill, the overall numbers on first activation don't look too bad, but her initial activation time is extremely long. Overall generation after the first skill is relatively poor as well, so just on Vanguard merits alone she isn't much better than many of the much maligned Pioneers.
However, while all that is a factor, Muelsyse's value goes far beyond that of a typical Vanguard. Instead, I think Muelsyse's problem has more to do with the bloat of the overall roster. She doesn't fill the typical Vanguard role. In fact it's easy to forget she's a Vanguard that produces DP at all. Instead she is much more of a laneholder type unit. The problem with that is there's about a dozen units that do that job really well (she is not even the best upcoming unit at that role), and the role of that job has been lessening too as the amount of raw DPS units increases. Why bother holding lanes when you can just blast everything away by cycling busted DPS?
In other words, Muelsyse is good, but she is "just another option" and one in a role that is steadily becoming less and less important too.
Q: Any Module thoughts this patch?
A: Global - Lone Trail - Another strong Module patch. Wish we got more blocks...
- Gnosis - Gnosis' Module is rather juicy. The base Hexer effect is great already and stacks with the Cold ASPD debuff for a double whammy. Then his upgrades give a rather sizable improvement to his damage amp. Gnosis has long been an easy unit to underrate but one who is extremely valuable to have available, so his upgrade is a worthy one. The only cautions are that the effects can be somewhat subtle and thus hard to appreciate, and that Suzuran generally remains the meta debuffer still due to her duration. As far as the Mastery guide goes, he won't get a grade improvement, since the upgrade, while great, doesn't really change his fundamental evaluation.
- Pramanix - The upgrade effects on Pramanix are really fantastic and actually rather surprising. It's rare that 5★s get a unique effect like this, and while certainly not meta, Pramanix was not in the dire situation that someone like Leizi was in. If you use her, it's definitely worth upgrading, although ultimately it doesn't change her overall evaluation. The Cold duration is too short to Freeze enemies on her own and the combos either don't need her (Gnosis) or are similarly just off-meta (Kjera, Aurora).
- Shamare - Shamare is one of the better 5★s in the game, which by default gives her Module some decent value. However, the value of the upgrades is fairly low given that her doll means she can usually be deployed away from danger in the first place. The base effect is worth grabbing on her, but more than that is an expensive luxury.
- Rosmontis - Although Rosmontis is heavily derided in the meta (and for good reason), her Module is actually a great improvement to her kit. The extra shockwave adds a surprising amount of total damage and the extra DEF ignore can be a big help against hard targets that she struggles with. It's well worth upgrading if you like and use Rosmontis. However, the general awkwardness of her kit remains so nothing really changes with Rosmontis in the big picture.
- Greyy the Lightningbearer - Like Rosmontis, it’s a pretty nice Module improvement. It’s especially valuable for Nicheknights players. But also like Rosmontis, it doesn’t change anything in the big picture. If you haven’t already promoted him (or thought about it), his Module doesn’t change that.
- Kal'tsit second - If you waited patiently with Kal'tsit, then now is the time to reward your patience. Kal's second Module is a great improvement to her damage output. The extra 20 ASPD from Mod3 improves Mon3tr's S3 damage output by around 15% True Damage, which is well worth pursuing on a unit as strong as Kal.
CN (lookahead) - Episode 13
- Fortress - All three Modules here are great. Fortresses are already very strong and they only get better across the board with Modules. The base effect is great, and even the 5★s get some nice boosts from the upgrades. However, as far as the Mastery guide goes, there won't be any changes since they're already well graded and the Modules don't really change anything.
- Ebenholz third - The first third Module (Delta actually, rather than Z), there's a lot of interesting implications now that the third Module is possible. Specifically, Ebenholz' third Module is rather amazing. Fully upgraded with a full blast, he can apply the Elemental Damage in a single volley (or shortly after), and at least for now, the Necrosis damage is essentially True Damage since no enemy unit has Elemental Resistance yet. That could change at any time, but in its current state, Ebenholz seems like a fairly appealing target and may see a grade bump in the future, although that will depend on what unfolds with gameplay in the future patches.
- Implications of Third Modules - Interestingly, the 4.5 Anniversary is not introducing any more third Modules so we really have no idea at this point what HG is planning going forward. Will we be seeing more? What operators will be favored? Was Ebenholz' third only added to be thematic with the 4.5 Anniversary theme? At this point, no one knows.
Q: Any thoughts on the 4.5 Anniversary event on CN?
A: NEW BUNNY AND RIM BILLY EVENT ANNOUNCEMENT AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA
(The event isn't out as I write this draft and will only be out for a couple days when the article goes up. Related lookaheads will be in the next update sometime in December).
Q: I was planning to spark a previous limited operator. Can you at least say which banner is better for that, Lone Trail or Zwillingstürme im Herbst?
A: Full caveat here, the Zwillingstürme im Herbst banner (Virtuosa and Viviana) is brand spanking new as I write this. Things could easily change as we have more time to evaluate the operators. Nevertheless I know this is a question on many people's minds so I'll give my snap reaction anyway.
The new banner is the better one for pulling to spark on. The difference really comes down to Ho'olheyak. Were she better it would probably be a pretty interesting debate on the value of Muelsyse versus theory crafting on the new units. However, even in the early going, Ho'olheyak looks to be by far the worst of the four and we know that Muelsyse, despite her potential, hasn't had any effect on the meta. While we'll need some time to figure out exactly how good the new banner is, it certainly looks better than Lone Trail in the early going. Both Virtuosa and Viviana look extremely solid (at minimum) and even Bassline, the 5★, looks decent.
However, that said, the new banner is not as strong as Texas' banner was. If Mumu appeals to you or you just can't wait, it probably won't be a big mistake to pull now instead.
Also note that Texas the Omertosa is not available on the Lone Trail banner but will be on the new banner.
Q: "The shilling myself question"
A: If you missed it in the previous updates, I published my first fictional work. You can find the clean version of it over on AO3 here.
Lone Trail - Here I Stand
Muelsyse
 |
S3M3 | S+ | S | A+ |
 |
S2M3 | A | A- | A- |
Muelsyse operates more as a laneholder than a typical Vanguard does, which makes her considerations a bit different than most other Vanguards. Fortunately though, her DP generation is identical between skills which simplifies her evaluation despite her unusual role.
While heavy Muelsyse users will definitely want to do the full M6, S3 makes a better starting point. Both her S2 and S3 are very similar. They have identical SP costs, uptime, DP generation, and ATK gain. They also both have different effects depending on if the clone is a Melee or a Ranged clone, so the difference in the skill comes purely down to which effects (and which clones) are better.
For melee clones, S3 comes out pretty far ahead. Tanking is already not Muelsyse's best use, but even in such situations, S3 is the better effective tanking skill so long as the enemy is stunnable. The healing on S2 isn't especially valuable either considering the clone can be refreshed as normal with Tacticians.
For ranged clones, the gap is much closer with only a slight favor towards S3. S2 has higher peak DPS, which may not be apparent at first glance, although S3 will usually have more effective DPS due to S2's wind-up, as well as the additional Bind. The difference instead comes down to tile-availability. The less available tiles for clones to spawn on, the more appealing S2 looks in comparison.
So given S3 is far better for melee, and slightly better for ranged, it makes sense as the starting point. More casual Mumu users won't find S2 use cases to be worth the cost compared to just using a different option. However, the flexibility from her S2 will be something that regular Muelsyse users shouldn't ignore.
For purely IS gameplay, be a little cautious. While certainly not a bad pick, the nature of the tickets to build your team restricts clone options which lowers her value some. Although the potential of a self-sustaining strong-DPS laneholder is still worth considering.
Ho'olheyak
 |
S3M3 | C | C+ | B- |
Despite her popularity, Ho'olheyak is a very off-meta unit with some pretty bad Mastery gains on her primary skill. Her damage just isn't up to snuff, and while her utility does have some meaningful value, it tends to be very content dependent rather than generally applicable.
S3 is her main skill and really the only one worth pursuing. It has a higher damage potential, good range, and a relatively predictable amount of control. The flaws on the skill are what keep her low on the meta-scale, however. Although the skill "looks" like it’s area-of-effect, each tornado is actually single-target. The cycle time is also brutally long, and positioning is vital to maximize her damage. Her secondary skills don't make up the difference either with some major drawbacks of their own.
To make matters worse, her Mastery gains on S3 are anemic. The only good part of her S3 Masteries is the initial activation which drops by a meaningful (but still low) 7 SP. The rest is quite bad. Her uptime barely moves, the gain to Levitate duration is practically unnoticeable, and even in ideal circumstances, the DPS gain is a substandard 10%. Ho'olheyak is a fairly rare 6★ where you can largely get away with using her at SL 7, especially given how rare ideal usage scenarios are for her.
If you want to fully invest in her regardless, start with S3. Despite the poor gains, it is still her primary skill by a good margin, and the consistent Levitate application will find the most usage on her kit. If you wanted a secondary skill you could go with either, but slightly favor S2. The random nature of it is a big drawback, but if you're willing to deal with that, the total damage, uptime, and control output can be quite nice. S1 meanwhile is very hard to optimize so it isn't really worth the trouble.
Melanite
 |
S2M3 | C | C+ | C+ |
Melanite has some unique value. She is the only non-6★ with dodge-ignore and the only unit with an AoE dodge-ignore. That makes her something to at least note, however those niches are very content dependent and she is otherwise fairly difficult to use effectively, especially compared to other hard hitting 5★ Snipers such as Provence or Andreana. Her damage drops off harshly with range and her dodge-ignore only works on frontal tiles. In many situations and for many players, she will seem quite weak. Nevertheless, her niche value gives her S2 some low end Mastery consideration.
Silence the Paradigmatic
 |
S3M3 | C- | C+ | C- |
Silence the Paradigmatic is a rather tough unit. She isn't necessarily bad, however she has the ever present problem that most buffers do. The solutions she brings are roundabout without bringing good ancillary benefit that justifies either the cost or team space over just bringing another DPS instead. Silence's invulnerability is potentially very powerful, but she suffers additionally in comparison since the better solution is often to just... play better and not have the DPS unit die in the first place. With how Arknights is designed, there is effectively never a situation such a buff is required.
Should you want to invest in her anyway, S3 is a decently strong Mastery despite her overall weakness. While her healing output does not change, it's also the least important part of her skill. Meanwhile her initial activation and downtime both drastically improve, as does the invulnerability duration.
If you want to use Silence more regularly, her S2 might be worth a look as an alternative since S3's activation limit can be a problem. It’s less valuable in a meta-context since Abjurers are a pretty weak support option, but the total Shelter effect with the range of her drone can be quite useful, it has a short cycle, and it can be used multiple times per map (unlike S3). It is a good alternative to Shining for Aak buffing as well since her cycle is much better. However that is an extremely fringe option on an already fringe unit, so a vast majority of people won't want to extend beyond S3.
The Grading System
Story vs Advanced vs Roguelike
There are very few absolute answers when it comes to prioritizing upgrades. A major determining factor is what exactly your goals are. Now, there are actually many more types of players than these three, but the most obvious delineation as far as which Masteries to think about comes down to the type of content you're most interested in clearing. If you only find value in first time story clears and risk 18 CC, then your goals will be different for someone looking to reach high-risk (25+) in CC.
Story - A story player is a player who is only interest in rewarded content. This means all normal stages and challenge modes (without added personal challenges), risk 8 on CC daily stages, risk 18 on CC permanent stages, and the SSS game mode.
Advanced - An advanced player here is any player interested in non-reward topics such as higher risk CC and more min-maxed gameplay or specialty clears.
A note on the topic of the Advanced grades is that these grades should not be taken as specific advice for a specific CC. There may be an occasional specific note to provide some context or example, but the intention here is to be more general than a particular event and prioritize skills that will be broadly useful in multiple scenarios. A skill appearing once in a high-risk CC is not enough for inclusion here as CCs tend to lend themselves to niche scenarios that can't really be planned for. Further still, Advanced grades encompass all min/maxed gameplay and do not, strictly speaking, have to be about CCs.
Roguelike - These grades are specific to the Integrated Strategies game mode (aka, the Roguelike mode or IS#2 or IS#3). These grades are slightly different compared to the Story vs Advanced delineation since the same sort of pressures apply in the mode regardless of the type of player you are. These grades tend to be more "meta" focused than the others. For IS#3, only up to Ascension 7 (trimmed medal) is considered for grades, however write-ups may include suggestions for higher Ascensions.
The Grades
S - These Masteries are the cream of the crop. They are Masteries that everyone with the unit should do and give a high priority to. Units with S tier Masteries get an outsized value from them, either because the skill is incredibly powerful or because it changes how the unit is used. For the Roguelike mode, S-tier grades are reserved for the best skills on the most meta of units (whereas meta value is not necessarily a requirement in other mode grades).
A - These Masteries are powerful Skills that most players who have the unit should do. These are among the most powerful Masteries in the game, but less overtly overpowered than the S-tier Masteries.
B - These Masteries are reasonably powerful and worthy of consideration, but have a factor which hold them back. The impact may be relatively small for the cost, the unit may not be especially powerful already, the unit may not fit well into the meta, or there may be a better version available, among other examples.
C - These Masteries are strong enough to be noted, but should only be done by the most end game of players with nothing else to do. There's value in them, but most players will have something better to be doing.
Breakpoint - Not a true grade, but a designator given to an M1 that gives an unusually large benefit. In most cases, these should be prioritized immediately after the E2, thanks to their low cost and high value. Note that there are many M2 and M3 breakpoints but they are not considered breakpoints for this purpose as the cost is much more expensive. Also note that some breakpoints on valueless skills are excluded as well.
NG or None - Not a true grade, but these are sometimes used for Skills which are noteworthy but not worth Mastery. Either the skill or unit is not worth using, or the Mastery has very poor Mastery gains. NG stands for "No Grade".
Please remember all rankings here are considered independent of E2 priority, but do consider overall unit strength. And most importantly, these grades should be treated as guidelines rather than absolute requirements.
Mastery Look Ahead
Added the Chapter 13 units this time. The new 4.5 anniversary units will be next patch since they're too new this time.
| Hortus De Escapismo | ||
| Insider | Welfare | Insider has gone well under the radar. Aside from looking like he's from a different game, the lion's share of the talk has, of course, gone to Executor and Spuria. However, Insider is a shockingly good 5★ Marksmen, sporting the highest ATK during skill among them, plus a quick downtime, the powerful ammo mechanic, and a modest niche that allows for more aggressive placement. Kroos is still the better welfare Marksmen option thanks to her extreme total damage and stun utility, but Insider will be a very viable option if you missed Kroos or just like him better. S2 will be his go to skill and should be graded similar to GreyThroat. S1's damage scale is nice, but he isn't a great buff target, and the Attack Recovery is inferior here despite the low cost since S2's SP cost is so cheap. |
| Spuria | Gacha | Spuria is the most "WTF" operator we've had in a long time. These days, it isn't easy to be so bad that you're in the running for worst 5★, yet here we are. She honestly makes me mad with how bad she is. HG either didn't playtest her, or purposefully decided it just didn't matter that a 5★ was this bad. Imagine Windflit, but even more restrictive, with a worse buff, and doesn't even work as a basic body-blocker. Do not raise her for any reason but memes, and if you're doing that, you don't need my advice for Masteries. |
| Executor the Ex Foedere | Gacha | The least surprising alter in quite a while, Executor2 appears to be pretty well balanced, which of course means the discussion around him ranges from "absolute shit" to "absolute god". He personally reminds me of Penance - capable of some truly insane things in low-op clears, but inferior to other options in a full team comp. There's just so many laneholders that it’s tough to call him a must pull, but he will be extremely good for those who do pull. S3 is the standout skill and its Masteries are extremely important. An RNG Talent and ramp-up are large flaws, but his biggest drawback is the fairly high Attack Recovery cost. The 24 SP at S3M3 is a significant issue, but it's a massive improvement over the 30 SP at SL7. S1 and S2 are likely to have decent amounts of niche usage, but the damage output is so much lower compared to S3 that they will likely only be luxury considerations. It's worth noting he later gets a very good Module that improves (but doesn't remove) the RNG situation and adds a ton of damage. Plan for his mod3 as well. |
| Skógrinn Svartr Vill Einn Draumr | ||
| Santalla | Gacha | Santalla is a unit who isn't quite there. The effects, in principle, are nice. Freeze is a powerful effect, and a rare one at that. However, poor uptime and a strong RNG component really hinder her usability. The icicles actually aren't completely RNG, falling in a pattern of left column, right column, center column. This *can* mitigate some of the RNG (but not all), however this just adds a layer of complexity to maximize an already subpar unit. For most, Santalla will just not be worth the effort and frustration she requires, especially considering how many quality 4 and 5★ Casters there are. Still, she has good utility, and will likely pull out a low grade on her S2. |
| Typhon | Gacha | At first glance, Typhon may look like a side-grade or a debatable and incremental upgrade to Rosa, however the early going has shown Typhon to be a more "complete" unit. She is designed better from the ground up, rather than having a Module tacked on to an undertuned base. Modules can only fix so much. Typhon's primary boss killing skill (S3) is much more potent, while her secondary (S2) skill covers the general use scenarios much better. The result is a high damage unit with a big range that can be both a boss killer and a general DPS in one. This dual-value has made her a top IS#4 pick in the early going. Typhon will be a more highly graded M6 compared to Rosa. In Rosa's case, her S2 tends to "make up" for some of the flaws in her S3, while Typhon has two clear and powerful roles between her skills. Plan for the M6 (S2 and S3) with Typhon, but her S3 should be first, however, due to being her more unique role. Also be aware that Typhon still needs her Module too, although she is a little less reliant on the upgrades than Rosa is. |
| IS#4 | ||
| Valarqvin | Welfare | The first operator to inflict Elemental Damage for the good side, Valarqvin is, if nothing else, an interesting look into the potential future. On her own, she's a modest unit. The Apoptosis/Necrosis is quite nice itself, but outside of IS#4 she doesn't apply it particularly reliably and she has nowhere near the value that Highmore does in her IS chapter. For now, she is mostly a novelty. Stick with S2 if you do raise her, which outputs enough to trigger the effect against bosses. S1 just doesn't do enough of the Elemental damage to ever reliably apply the effect outside of IS#4. She needs 3 activations to trigger the effect on normal mobs, but can only store 2. |
| So Long, Adele | ||
| Bryophyta | Welfare | In an era where 6★ powercreep is out of control, the 5★s seem to be going in the reverse direction. It's as perplexing as it is frustrating. Bryophyta is functionally worse than Whislash, an already ungraded 2.5 year old unit that's permanently available via Record Restore. It's baffling that kits like Bryophyta's continue to come out at this stage of the game. If that mini-rant wasn't clear, do not raise Bryophyta unless you have a fetish for bad units. |
| Poncirus | Gacha | A lot of people were excited by the idea of an infinite duration Vanguard skill, but unfortunately the numbers just aren't there so we're left with yet another disappointing 5★. The passive DP generation of her ramped up S2 is lower than Scavenger/Courier's much cheaper S1. Outside of the novelty that just leaves her as a stat stick, and while her ramped up stats are decent for the rarity, given her role and ramp up she just isn't worth the team space or resource costs. She's a nice idea at least but will be ungraded and only Vanguardknights or similar niches will find any value from her. |
| Swire the Elegant Wit | Gacha | A dream unit for creative players but one who lacks any meaningful place in the meta, Swire's alter will likely be a graded M9, but a low-graded one across the board that probably won’t be worth raising at all for many players. Swire does so much that it would be impossible to give each skill a fair assessment in a single lookahead paragraph. That will have to wait for the full update, but for now S2 looks like it will be the highest graded skill. Unlike Trapmasters, the bombs can be replaced on tiles occupied by enemies. Mixed with the slow, she can kill some real tough targets with ease by rapidly replacing the bombs as they detonate. Her S3 will be a well graded alternative, especially with the push force increase, although will ultimately be more situational than S2 on an already situational unit. Finally her S1 makes a great every day skill. While not as unique as the other options, it's essentially a better version of Jaye’s S2 that isn’t reliant on attacking or neutered by enemy DEF. |
| Eyjafjalla the Hvít Aska | Gacha Limited | Being a pure-healing gacha limited Medic, Eyja is notably overtuned even at SL 7. It has given her a surprising place near the top of the meta, especially in IS#4. This, plus some pretty poor Mastery gains, will make her an interesting unit to grade when the time comes. Regardless of which skill ends up on top though, she will be a strongly graded M6 since a lot of her value is that she is the only Medic who has both a crazy good burst skill (S3) and a crazy good consistent skill (S1). For now, her S1 is the preferred default skill, although it has shockingly poor Mastery gains. Her S3 brings a lot to the table in terms of utility with significantly better Mastery gains, but a long downtime and S1 being so overtuned makes it a bit more situational. Her S2 will be graded as well, although Mastery on it is definitely overkill. Few enemies are capable of piercing the barrier at SL 7 already. |
| Come Catastrophes or Wakes of Vulture | ||
| Coldshot | Welfare | While I always applaud HG for trying new things, Coldshot seems like a half baked idea. There's potential in the archetype and I look forward to what the eventual 6★ can do, but in Coldshot's case, the kit just isn't there. The ammo mechanic is a hindrance with no upside that regular skills couldn't do which leaves her as a low DPS, poor range, single target unit with no utility. She at least hits fairly hard which is nice, but even then doesn't compare well to similar options at the rarity. She will be ungraded, but stick with S2 if you do raise her. S1 just has no upside in comparison. |
| Almond | Gacha | Being a Hooker (puller) already put Almond in a tough spot even before we knew her kit. The competition is tough between Gladiia and Cliffheart who are both commonly available welfares and both extremely good. Surprisingly then, Almond’s kit is "ok" for what it is. Not good exactly, but she at least has value in various Nicheknights. However, for the general player with no access restrictions, both of her skills are inferior to her competition. Gladiia's S1 is better than her S1 since she has no force increase at M3, and Cliffheart's S2 is generally better than her S2 since her cycle is much worse. |
| Jessica the Liberated | Gacha | Our loveable sad cat finally gets a promotion! Hybrid Defenders have a bit of a tough time in a meta context. Similar to Blemishine, Jessica is a solid unit taken on her own, but lacks a bit in the bigger picture. She is not as good of bulk Defender as Nian or Hoshiguma and she is not as good of DPS as Horn. Competition with your already existing roster is another aspect to consider too as she’s unlikely to feel like an upgrade to your already promoted Defenders. However, like Blemishine, Jessica is still a perfectly usable mid-tier unit, mixing decent damage, bulk, and a smattering of utility. S3 is her main skill. Compared to S2, both have pros and cons, but ultimately S2's Attack multiplier is too low and it falters against even moderate armor, while S3 hits harder and also has better utility, better cycle, and controllable ammo. Her S1 might actually make the better secondary skill given the uptime on a major DEF boost and S3 crowding out S2’s use situations. |
| Episode 13 - The Whirlpool That Is Passion | ||
| Delphine | Welfare | Delphine is surprisingly decent given how bad the recent 5★s and story welfares have been. She is another well designed Mystic Caster like Harmonie, and can output some pretty decent total damage, especially with the Arts DoT attached to her S2. Of course, 5★ Casters have a tough time justifying investment costs and that remains true here. Delphine is certainly a marked improvement relative to the recent lower rarities, but she will still be a fringe option. There’s a chance she picks up a grade, but if she does it will be lower than either Harmonie or Indigo due to a lack of utility. |
| Verdant | Gacha | Verdant is a somewhat similar situation to Humus, but much worse. He has the same fundamental problem of being worse than a freely available welfare unit (Bena, available from Record Restore), however unlike Humus and despite being a good archetype, Verdant isn't a particularly good take on the Dollkeepers. The Achilles heel of the Dollkeepers (and why Specter2 was so bad on release) is their effective cycle time since they can't generate SP in doll form. That flaw is on full display with Verdant, which is especially egregious since his S2 is already a bad DPS skill. Then to grind some salt into the wounds, his doll does essentially nothing in the meantime. Go with S2 if you do want to Master a skill. A bad DPS skill is better than no DPS skill and he doesn’t have the stats to tank with S1. |
| Vendela | Gacha | Generally, Vendela is worse than the already ungraded Hibiscus the Purifier, so she is unlikely to pick up a grade. However, she is at least usable which is a step up from many recent 5★s. The unique value of her kit is in her S2, and abusing the taunt and reflect is the key to any niche she has above Hibiscus, however that is ultimately very situational and in most cases Vendela will just seem underwhelming. Her fairly mundane S1 may actually be the better daily driver given it has higher uptime and damage potential (before accounting for the reflect), although again Vendela's S1 is inferior to Hibiscus' S1 and Hibiscus doesn't have the reliance on it to begin with. |
| Hoederer | Gacha | Hoederer is a tricky unit to evaluate. The damage is certainly there but in general people are getting carried away by highlight reels, which tend to play to his strengths and avoid his weaknesses. For example, he can solo 7-18 which is impressive.... but Executor2 could do it pre-Module on CM and he isn't top-tier meta either. Those Crusher weaknesses are potentially harsh too. The archetype frailty is here, S3 can be draining without a steady flow of enemies, and the cycle time is.... weird to say the least, among other issues. To be clear, he is good, especially relative to expectations of the archetype, but he is also probably not the new Surtr (which yes, I have seen someone say). We'll need some time to really assess just how good he is, but regardless his S3 should be well graded as his main skill. His S2 will pick up a grade also due to the stunlock potential on longer-windup enemies, however Mastery doesn't influence that use-case. S1 may be graded as well due to how much it heals on a short SP cost, but its uses will probably be crowded out by S3 and S2. |
