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Arknights: Mastery Priority Guide - Stultifera Navis Update

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Introduction

It seems like just yesterday I was putting the finishing touches on a way-too-long update for Chapter 10. And now here I am again with another way-too-long update for Stultiferis Navis. This is a fun banner though, and I think you’ll find it interesting!

This article specifically covers the new units from the Stultifera Navis 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:  An extremely soft yes.  This isn't a very strong limited banner, but it isn't bad either.  The 6★s here are good, but not essential or meta-defining.  Specter is an especially tricky one since she requires extra investment; she’s not any better than her 5★ without  costly module upgrades.  And the 5★ on the banner is one of the worst to date, which only makes the value worse.

This is in stark contrast to the next limited banner after this one (Ideal City, expected in January), which is absolutely monstrous. Ideal city features two very meta 6★s and an equally meta 5★ (check the look-ahead section below).  Ideal City is a much more secure slam-dunk, plus Mlynar, who is the single best unit ahead of us, is right after.  It's very reasonable to skip this banner if neither 6★ particularly interests you.

It sounds like I'm talking a lot of crap, so I do want to clarify that Irene and Specter (with a fully leveled module) are not bad units.  They are both well above average with Irene making high risk CC appearances and Specter being a top IS#3 Specialist pick, among other noteworthy things.  But the power of the game is also increasing drastically lately, and unless you're a whale, you will get more bang for your orundum by saving it for the Gavial banner.

As always, though, it can be quite valuable to break pity at least once on the final day.  We get 24 free pulls which makes breaking pity much cheaper than usual.  Spending only an additional 35-ish pulls for a good chance at a very useful 6★ is quite efficient!

Q:  What's the deal with Specter the Unchained?  Why was she considered so bad, and what changed?

A:  On her release, Specter the Unchained (Splatter or Spec2) was lauded as the worst 6★ to date.  Not just the worst limited, but the worst 6★ period.  There was an amusing tier list shortly after her release that had her well below even the moody blues.  That was, of course, an incredibly dramatic overreaction.  She wasn't *that* bad.  But her base kit is undeniably subpar.

As I see it, there are two core problems with her base kit.  The first is that the most valuable niche it has was only a side grade to her 5★ version (which you can grab for free from the selector in this very same event).  The second is that she makes poor use of the Dollkeeper archetype, while her base version is a brilliant use of the Centurion archetype.  There wasn't any reason to use Specter the Unchained over plain ol’ Specter.  You lost regen, 3-block, cycle-time, and AoE attacks, and didn’t get much in return but a small increase to up-time.  Her doll was comically weak and her S3 removed her niche without adding relevant damage.

In short, her kit isn't bad, but the opportunity cost of running her over the original, free, low investment base unit is too high. Which s damning even before you considering one is a limited 6★ and the other is a launch 5★ who’s been available on multiple free selectors.

So what changed?  Well, someone at HG must have realized their fuck-up, because the very next major patch introduced the Module leveling system, and Splatter got one of the best upgrades.  Specter’s first module upgrade fixed two of her biggest issues, her weak doll and her poor uptime.  And then she got a second module that was just as good.  And THEN Gladiia got a really good module that gave Splatter back her regen too!

All that said, I am still somewhat lukewarm despite all the improvement.  Even though Splatter moves well past her 5★ version, the invulnerability niche can still be accomplished by the much cheaper 5★ in most scenarios.  She is a strong laneholder with first module, but there’s plenty of those, and again, her 5★ version is also pretty good at it.  And the DPS niche requires a *lot* of investment across two units to do what can be accomplished by a dozen other units individually.  I have a hard time really recommending Specter the Unchained.  She just costs so much in pulls and resources when you can get by with the cheaper version and put those resources elsewhere (like the upcoming Gavial/Pozy banner).

Q:  Which module upgrades should I get for Specter?  Should I go out of my way to raise Gladiia as well?

A:  Before answering, it’s worth mentioning again that Specter’s first module that comes out with this patch is not what is important.  What is important is the module upgrade system that comes with the next major patch, Lingering Echoes, in about a month.  This discussion refers specifically to her level 3 modules, which are not yet available.

PUM-X is her first module.  Although its base stage is included in this patch, level 3 will be released with Lingering Echoes.  It improves her doll and grants SP when recovering from doll form.  PUM-Y is her second module.  It will be released with Ideal City, expected sometime after the New Year.  PUM-Y improves the HP and SP regen of all Abyssal Hunter operators (including herself).  Finally, Gladiia’s module, HOK-X, is also released in Ideal City and grants damage reduction and regeneration to all Abyssal Hunters.

Both of Specter's modules are very good, but you'll want to go with the first one (PUM-X) most of the time.  It helps Specter survive longer and recover faster, which gives her more flexibility in what she does best.  It also opens up a new role to her in being a viable lane holder, something her base kit just doesn’t do effectively.

The second one (PUM-Y) has most of its value in supporting the Abyssal Hunter tribal (and more specifically, Gladiia), which gets to be ridiculously powerful.  It isn't required to build Gladiia to make effective use of Specter though.  It's probably not even a good idea if you're in the early going and stretched for resources. Building both with module 3 is a very expensive proposition, lots of units have good modules, and you can only build so many.  However, with Gladiia and HOK-X, Specter can reach another level.  Gladiia's damage reduction makes Specter a much more viable DPS unit with her S3.  Since she takes less damage and isn’t getting insta-killed by S2, the doll buff is less relevant, and PUM-Y’s SP gain gives her a massive boost to skill uptime.

Q:  Where does Irene fit into the meta?

A:  Irene is the best unit on the banner and rates pretty highly in the meta, though she doesn't quite make it into the top cut due to a few shortcomings. However, the top has gotten pretty ludicrous, so that isn't a huge knock against her.  Her kit can seem complicated at first glance, and it is a pain to calculate exact damage totals, but the end effect and usage is pretty simple.  Her S3 is one of the best burst skills in the game. It dishes out a massive chunk of damage in just a few short seconds. It's also very receptive to buffing, so she’s good at both wriggling out of tough spots in short order and bursting hard in more pre-planned set-ups.

Finally, it seems Hypergryph learned a lot about the flaws in Ch'en's kit (more on Ch'en when the new modules come out) because they gave Irene enough utility to make up for a lot of the short-comings that Swordmasters tend to have.  She has some CC, good DEF ignore (a huge weakness in the archetype), and does her damage in an AoE, giving her more effective targeting and broader usability.

Her kit isn't without some flaws though.  Although her S3 has range, the enemies need to be clustered or the damage ends up far less concentrated, greatly reducing the total damage.  If she cannot take advantage of her Levitate effect she also loses some effectiveness (though she still does plenty of damage), and many bosses after her release are now Levitate-immune (though most before her release are not).  And there is the ever-present problem of being Attack Recovery on a fairly high SP skill.

For a unit of her power, those flaws tend to be closer to the 'nitpick' variety, which is just unfortunately something that must be done when there are almost 250 units and only 12 team slots.  So should you pull her (and there's nothing wrong with chasing her), she will be well worth raising and using, but she doesn't quite make the increasingly narrow 'must pull' classification either.

Q:  Is Lumen worth it?  How does he compare to the Berries?

A:  Yes, Lumen is worth it, but restraint is recommended if you're in a situation where you're asking this question.  You will get more lifetime value out of raising Honeyberry or Mulberry first, and you should almost always be prioritizing DPS over healing.  Lumen is a fantastic unit, don't get me wrong, but he is an expensive investment for what he brings.

Supposing you can afford his S3 wind-up, he has some pretty insane healing numbers.  His status removal is a unique thing that has a lot of creative uses beyond just overcoming annoying mechanics.  And oftentimes the instant removal is an easier way around things than trying to keep up with elemental healing.  But not all elemental effects are stuns either, so unless you're already running a heavily meta team, you'll still frequently get better value out of a more preventative Berry instead.  The Wandering Medic range also tends to be more useful than the Therapist Range since the former lets you 'reach out' further from your main line.

Q:  Why is Windflit so bad?

A:  Windflit demonstrates all of the weaknesses of the Artificer archetype while showing off none of its strengths.  His devices are far too gimmicky to use for a buff that is very weak even at its maximum.  His cycle time is atrocious, you lose devices in the long run, and if that weren't bad enough, his devices can only be used on two classes (Casters and Supporters) that don't traditionally make good buff targets.  He doesn't even make a good body-blocker with his S1: it has weak damage, long charge times for a skill of its type, and incredibly weak (and non-replenishable) utility.

I try not to trash too hard on many units.  I know a lot of people out there have favorites (myself included) and it's never nice to hear how much they suck.  But Windflit's kit is a travesty of design and a waste of one of the more interesting archetypes in the game.  This banner would be significantly better if there were no rate-up 5★s at all.  He effectively wastes 4% of the banner by being virtually unusable.

Q:  Does the announcement of the removal of the alter restrictions change anything?

A:  For those unaware, HG just announced in the CN livestream for the 3.5 Anniversary that the restriction against using alters along with their base forms will be lifted.  The relevance to this patch is that 5★ Specter can will be able to be used alongside her new 6★ Specter the Unchained form, instead of having to pick one or the other.  This change should come sometime in late April for global.

The main issue is now I have to go through and make a whole bunch of last minute changes to the guide that I thought was already done ;_;  Thanks Hypergryph.

Jokes aside, I don’t think it’s *that* big of a change as far as the decisions with Spec2 go.  It’s a big change to the broader game, and the Abyssal Hunter tribal looks even more ridiculous than it already was.  It definitely favors more creative types, with new possibilities like juggling or stacking invulnerability.  But I suspect that if any of the above interests you, you were already going to roll for her.  In other words, I don’t think this change makes Spec2 a must-pull.  It just makes her more appealing to those that already found her appealing.

The biggest winner otherwise is probably Guard Ch’en (with an honorable mention for Kroos), but I’ll wait for the Lingering Echoes update to write at length on Ch’en.

Q:  Any other thoughts on the new Siracuse event?

A:  Lots, but I’ll save them for the next update.  The new units won’t even be out before this article is published.  From the previews though, it looks quite strong, though I'll be surprised if it ends up as strong as the Gavial banner.

Q:  With Lingering Echoes on the horizon, will you be publishing a module guide?

A:  I will not be making a separate module guide, no.  The Mastery guide already takes up a lot of my time, and the Modules tend to be pretty nuanced with how I like to write.  It would not be a small project (for how I do things anyway).  I do plan to write a bit on the topic come the event itself, and will may make a rough priority list, but not a full guide.

You can find Azure's module guide here which I've given a fair amount of feedback to.

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Edits provided by fourmana (Discord: fourmana#0477) of Team BethelFrankel, the team behind premier Alchemy Stars Tier List.  Thanks!

Stultifera Navis - Abyss Corrosion

Specter the Unchained

Skill
Mastery
Story
Advanced
Roguelike
S2M3 S * S * S+ *
S3M3 A * A- * A+ *

* Note that these skills are graded assuming the unit has module level 3 (module levels will be released with the Lingering Echoes patch in December). If you do NOT plan to get this unit's upgraded module(s), treat the priority of these skills significantly lower. See the write up below for more details.

More than any other unit, Specter the Unchained's Mastery priority depends on if and which module you upgrade for her. With only her base kit, there just isn't any value when compared to her 5★ form. Specter’s base kit is very mediocre and would only garner B or C-tier grades; however, both modules are excellent and have differing niches that influence the grades. In particular if using PUM-X, favor S2. For PUM-Y, favor S3. Keep this in mind when deciding where to invest.

Supposing you do plan to get at least one of her upgraded modules, Specter the Unchained is a worthy M6 consideration with the better first target (and module) depending on how you want to use her. The generally better option would be to go with her S2 and PUM-X module upgrades. This setup improves upon the invulnerability niche of her base form, while also making her a very effective lane holder. With the heavy snare and damage improvements on her doll from PUM-X that help stop leaks, and much improved cycle time on her invulnerability, she can excel in the role in a way few others can. S2 Mastery is very important here, representing large improvements to her cycle time and DPS.

Her S3 is a bit of a tricky skill. It is her DPS skill, and taken on its own and in the context of similar DPS skills on other 6★s, it has quite poor numbers. If she can't trigger the HP threshold condition, it performs worse than her 5★ form and without the invulnerability or 3-block. However, her second module, PUM-Y, gives a pretty significant upgrade to her S3. It markedly improves S3 cycle time while also making her more bulky, which helps avoid her weak doll effect. This combos especially well with Gladiia's upcoming module, which futhers her bulk. With PUM-Y and S3M3, Specter can maintain close to 50% uptime on a high DPS skill while being nigh unkillable to all but the biggest threats. Mastery also represents a well above average DPS increase for her, so don't skimp out if you plan to use her for that DPS role.

It should be noted that her second module, PUM-Y (and Gladiia’s HOK-X), does not come out until the Ideal City patch in a few months. Even if you plan to get it, there is no reason to rush her S3 Mastery on release. Likewise, although her PUM-X upgrades come out sooner, it should still be over a month away from her event release.

Irene

Skill
Mastery
Story
Advanced
Roguelike
S3M1 Breakpoint
S3M3 S+ S+ S+
S1M1 Breakpoint
S1MX None ** None

Irene's best skill is her S3, and it badly needs Mastery to be effective. The M1 breakpoint is incredibly important, representing a massive 20% increase to her skill DPS on its own. The damage increase across M2 and M3 may seem anemic in comparison, but the reduced SP cost is vitally important to using her effectively since her biggest drawback is Attack Recovery on a high SP skill.

Although Irene has two other serviceable skills that both have valuable Masteries, there isn't much reason to go beyond S3M3. Her other two skills have niches, but the damage on her S3 is her main selling point. Further investment doesn't have much value with Irene, with related niches being far and few between, and certainly not worth giving up her S3 for. Even the breakpoint at S1M1 may not be worth much for the use you would get out of it.

** A word of caution related to Dorothy. There is a combo with Irene and Dorothy where Irene's levitate allows you to place a new Dorothy mine, thereby extending a stall for as long as Dorothy has mines. This can work with S1M1/M2 or S2M3 (S1 preferrable), but S1M3 actually loses effectiveness since you end up needing to use mines more frequently. If you would like to use Irene on her own, it is fine to go with S1M3 for use as an AFK skill, but if you want to use her with Dorothy, keep her at the much cheaper S1M1.

Windflit

Skill
Mastery
Story
Advanced
Roguelike
S1M3 None

With poor numbers, a completely unnecessary restriction, and a gimmicky kit (in the bad way), there really isn't any reason to raise or use Windflit. Even if you were dedicated to raising him, it isn't easy to make a suggestion since his skills are so poor. Forced to pick, I would probably go with S1. Artificer stats are decent, so he can be a serviceable blocker with some AoE damage in a pinch. Also, the Mastery gains on his S2 are just atrocious, with less than 5% gain on his buff and no improvement to either uptime or cycle time, so Mastery is unnecessary even if you want to try to use him as a buffer.

Lumen

Skill
Mastery
Story
Advanced
Roguelike
S3M3 B A A+
S2M1 Breakpoint

Lumen's best skill is easily his S3. Supposing you can afford the long wind-up time, it ends up with massive healing-per-second that usually lasts the entire duration of the map. It will stay active until his ammo is depleted, which only happens when removing a status effect. Of course, it can run out if there's heavy status effects in the map, but that just ends up playing to the main strength of the skill, which is instantly clearing status effects! His S3 Masteries are quite important, granting additional ammo (i.e. lasting power) and reducing the windup time, as well as significantly improving his healing. Lumen is not a 'must-raise' sort of unit, especially for purely story players (focus on Nightingale or a Berry first), but his S3 Mastery is important if you are using him.

Those who particularly like Lumen might also find some value in his S2, but it usually ends up being too weak in comparison to his S3. Lumen has two main values: his very strong healing and his status removal. Even at S2M3, he requires 26 SP to remove statues (due to the Charged effect) which is already halfway to S3's activation. There are certainly places that can matter, but they are far and few between and you give up a lot of healing effectiveness to get it. On top of that, status effects rarely pile up all at once, which is the main scenario his S2 would be particularly effective. It just has so few places where it is better than his S3, and fewer still that justify the Mastery. His S2 does have an M1 breakpoint, but its usage is so much lower that even that is probably not worth pursuing for most.

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, and risk 18 on CC permanent stages

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).  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 a lengthier discussion on why this is, please check out the main Roguelike mastery guide linked below.  I've excluded most of the discussion from the main guide, simply because this guide is already long enough as it is.

Additionally, please check out the main Roguelike guide for more in-depth operator specific discussions specific to that mode.  Although I have updated most write-ups in this guide to reflect all of the grades, some of the nuance on the best picks won't come across as well here, and the main Roguelike guide will provide a better analysis of who is a strong pick.

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

No Siracuse units yet since they aren't out yet, but enjoy the full writeups of the mostly terrible Chapter 11 units I guess...

Unit
Type
Comments
Contingency Contract #9 - Operation Deepness
Erato CC Welfare Erato is an "if you have to ask, don't bother" sort of unit. There is potential in her kit, but similar to Kafka, there's no improvement on her primary factor (the sleep) over Mastery. Plus since her sleep is single target, it doesn't fit in well with existing sleep stall cycles. Her S2 may be an option for waifu purposes as it is the better damage skill, but overall her DPS is underwhelming so she's unlikely to be graded at all despite the potential.
Lingering Echoes
Czerny Welfare I will confess that I don't really have a good feel for Czerny. He isn't really a unit that inspires a lot of interest and there's been very few highlights of him so far. He can make a decently functional RES tank with his S1 which is a modestly rare niche, though the lower rarity Matterhorn does that role better and already barely sees usage. That leaves his S2, which is a fun skill, but one without particularly impressive numbers. If you wanted an offensive oriented Arts Protector, you'd be better off with Shalem, so Czerny will probably not have any graded skills.
Hibiscus the Purifier Gacha I'm quite fond of Hibiscus' design (both aesthetically and as a unit) and she will definitely find usage in various NicheKnights clears. However, as a general unit, the numbers aren't quite there to make her anything too special, although she is the best hybrid dps/healer so far. Both of her skills are options. You will probably want to focus on her S2 which is her more unique skill, though its low total damage and limited targeting gives plenty of room for her S1 to be useful despite being quite a basic skill.
Ebenholz Gacha There's been a lot of discussion on if Ebenholz is any good or not. Of course I will give my opinion here, though be warned there is still a lot of on-going discussion on him and my opinion could very well change. That said, I don't have an especially favorable view of Ebenholz, although I don't quite think he is awful either. His elite/boss killing niche is strong enough to be quite useful in Story content, but his kit is designed in a way where he doesn't have an easy way to generate charges once they're spent, and he is only really effective if the elites/bosses come in one at a time. To me, this makes him a unit that makes for nice Youtube highlights, but a difficult one to reliably use as a regular part of the team. If you plan to use him, you'll probably want to do both S2 and S3, though favor S3 if you only did one. S3 is the more important skill for his niche, while his S2 is the better option for general Caster duties (something better done by Goldenglow or Eyja).
Dorothy's Vision
Astgenne Welfare As a 5★ that only does straight damage, she will always be limited in a meta context, but Astgenne is a pretty good unit among other 5★ Casters at least. She fixes a lot of the issues Leizi has with shorter cycles and stronger damage which makes her perfectly usable. However she takes a lot of investment between Masteries and Modules, plus lives in that unfortunate gulf of competing with the free, strong, and mandatory Amiya. That makes her a waifu option only, but at least a pretty good one. S2 is by far her better skill as S1 doesn't have enough damage on it to justify its use.
Greyy the Lightning Bearer Gacha Greyy grew up pretty nicely with his new alter form. Once a joke at the tail end of the 4★ rarity, he now has a fairly solid niche in his extended range control and solid area damage. Sniper players especially will find him very valuable but unfortunate RNG and 5★ stats will keep him out of the general meta still. His S2 is his best skill by quite a bit, though his S1 will have some small niche value as well with a more consistent slow for its duration.
Dorothy Gacha Dorothy is reminiscent of Ling in many ways, but without the baggage of bogging down your team slots. There is a lot of powerful potential with her kit, but like the 5★ trappers, it's a kit that requires a lot of investment, both in resources and in effort. She is certainly not an easy unit to get maximum value out of, so for many she may come across as more of a luxury then her potential would indicate. Like all trappers, her Masteries are valuable (near mandatory) since they reduce the cycle of her traps and all three of her skills have value. Her S3 is probably the best target with its superior damage, though her S1 and S2 both have very appealing niches. She'll be an M9 candidate for some players, though an M0-M3 for others.
Ideal City: Carnival in Endless Summer
Minimalist Welfare Minimalist is a very usable unit, but he is yet another entry into the 5★ Caster realm. They are plentiful these days and all have similar issues finding their way onto teams or justifying the resources. With only pure DPS and no other utility at his disposal, he is just one of many options at the role. If you are reading this look-ahead now, you're very unlikely to need Minimalist by the time he is released on global. There are many alternatives and nothing he brings is worth waiting that long for. With that in mind, his S2 is his best skill with valuable Masteries and is a very rare example of a consistent Caster skill, especially at the non-6* rarity.
Cantabile Gacha Cantabile continues the tradition of 5★ Vanguards being surprisingly meta. She is an extremely versatile unit, especially in a CC context where her initial burst of DP is incredibly valuable, while the fact she's a Vanguard can get around many risk bans that otherwise would make FRDs unviable. Do be a little wary for pure Story players though as those roles aren't as valuable there. For Advanced players, she is an easy M6 with both skills being important. For Story though the difference is quite close so the M6 is probably unnecessary. I would give a slight favor to S2 since the Mastery gains are more important to using it effectively.
Gavial the Invincible Gacha Limited Since her release, Gavial has proven to be a very flexible unit and a mainstay in IS#3. She largely fits into the cornerstone role despite having limited self sustain, and does so using her tremendous quickly activated burst and bulk, something the other cornerstones tend to lack. I will backtrack on my initial look-ahead suggestions a little since S2 has far proven itself more useful than S1 is. In fact, S2 is probably only a shade under S3 in terms of priority so you should plan to M6 Gavial. You will find both S2 and S3 to have tremendous usage in different circumstances. S1 may still have its uses, but the damage just doesn't compare so it ends up far more niche and will likely be ungraded.
Pozyomka Gacha Pozy is the real winner on the banner. Think Schwarz, if she could summon a second Schwarz that was also an April and didn't take deploy slots. Her damage is absolutely ridiculous with her summon alone doing as much damage as Schwarz S3 normally does and on a similar cycle. Pozy's S3 will be in the tier of highest graded Masteries. Her S1 and S2 will both be strong considerations as well, though like many meta units, her S3 outshines them in a majority of cases. I favor S2 over S1 for a secondary Mastery, though that could change by Global release.
An Obscure Wanderer
Provisio Gacha She is essentially the 5★ version of Podenco, which makes her pretty decent. However, Proviso lacks an important feature of Podenco in cost effectiveness. Proviso costs quite a bit more for what is ultimately a fairly minor upgrade, so she is unlikely to get a grade. Go with S2 if you want to do one anyway, which a lot of people will thanks to her base skill (but don't raise units only for base skills!)
Mlynar Gacha At the risk of starting a war in the comments, Mlynar is a direct powercreep to SilverAsh and anyone arguing otherwise is high on the copium. While SilverAsh most definitely does not become a bad unit and still holds some very important niches that will keep him long-term meta relevant, Mlynar is almost twice as good when it comes to damage. No amount of utility can make up for that. He is the single best unit ahead of us (Pozy is close though) and most people should aim to be pulling for him. His S3 will be among the highest graded Masteries in the game. His S2 might pick up a low grade, but it's a situation where his better skill is just too good to give up.
The Legend of Luo Xiaohei
Luo Xiaohei Collab Welfare There isn't a lot to say about this collab unit. He is fine, but nothing special, and you'll be better off just using Arene for your low rarity ranged Guard needs. That said he will definitely appeal to a lot of people and doesn't cost much, so go with S2 if you want to Master a skill which gets a decent increase to his damage output and is the more impactful skill. S1 is certainly a novel skill, but the low damage per hit means it just isn’t that useful for anything but cuteness.
Mizuki and the Caerula Arbor
Highmore Welfare Highmore is very similar to La Pluma to the point their S1 is literally identical. La Pluma is still the better unit in general since her ASPD talent is better for what the class does, but Highmore will still be a very viable alternative (or addition, double reaper go brrrr). This is especially true in IS#3 where she is the better pick with some big advantages thanks to her mode specific talent. There is a much bigger difference across their S2s however, with Highmore’s being far less valuable. The bulk that her S2 brings isn’t as useful and is much more niche in addition to some pretty poor gains. Stick with just her S1 for Mastery which makes her a very consistent and reliable option in IS#3. La Pluma will perform better elsewhere though.
Chapter 11 - Return to Mist
Dagda Welfare Brawlers have always been a bad archetype (the best Brawler only becomes good by turning into a Centurion instead), and Dagda doesn't change that. Her damage is subpar even with her skill active, and is comically bad when her skills are down. And she can only block 1. There is very little to like here. Even her Mastery gains are poor, which makes any suggestion difficult. Go with S2 if you insist on raising her. Who the hell thought Defensive Recovery on her S1 was a good idea?
Totter Gacha Totter is a pretty good unit for what he is. His niche is a helpful one, though not quite enough to put him into the top tiers of 4★s. Instead, he’s a solid unit that can be useful to have at times. He incidentally comes out at the same time as a new SSS stage that plays to his strengths extremely well. He's still unlikely to be graded, but both of his skills will have use if you want (favor S1 for SSS specifically).
Paprika Gacha One has to wonder why Paprika exists. She isn't bad in the absolute sense, but she serves no purpose in the broader game, competing directly with some very strong units while offering no special value herself. If you need the healing, there are plentiful other options that provide much better support or much lower costs (or both). She will be ungraded and you shouldn't be raising her, but go with S2 if you insist. It at least brings her healing up to a respectable total compared to her S1.
Stainless Gacha The only good unit from the Chapter 11 patch; however, Stainless is still pretty niche. He does have plenty of support use, so he is far from a bad unit, but the setup he requires puts him on the gimmicky side of things. He'll have pretty low Mastery grades. Without Mastery he can still be a pretty effective support unit, with neither his S1 or his S2 being exceptionally worth a Mastery; in particular, his S2 is a great skill, but it only needs SL 7). S3 will be his best Mastery option. The setup it requires can be a burden, but it has a huge attack multiplier with a lot of flexibility. If that DPS aspect doesn't interest you though, he can still be safely used at M0. Be wary of overvaluing his S1. Although the final number is good, it requires much more setup than other comparable buff skills.
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