GamePress

Mercurial Gauntlet Guide

Submit Feedback or Error

About

The Mercurial Gauntlet is a pure DPS check and the player’s best opportunity to showcase weapon mastery and Skill usage. Even without the threat of imminent death, Roy poses a significant challenge, requiring one’s best equipment and optimized weapon combos. Some notes about the Treasury’s playful dragon:

Roy’s claps can be iframed

  • Do not bring healers (until Lv. 51+).

  • Look for when his arms are raised.

  • Claps between 15 second intervals. For Lv. 1 - 40, there are three claps total at ~0:16, ~0:31, and ~0:46.

  • If immobilized by status prior to a clap, Roy will attack immediately after regaining his senses.

Roy is susceptible to all status and does not inflict status. 

Later on, he does gain resistances that scale off his level.

The Mercurial Gauntlet is largely auto-battle-able until around Level 15.

Team Building Guidelines

Pick Offensive Co-abilities

Ideally, the team should have maxed-out Blade and Wand Co-abilities on board to provide everyone with a baseline boost. Bow and Dagger are also beneficial, although not everyone may have access to great Adventurers in these categories.

AI Weapon Handling

The AI does not handle rotations well for a number of weapon types. In most cases, manually piloting the Blade is always a safe bet, but the player is free to try other approaches. For example. players could pilot Lance users until Overdrive to maintain S1 uptime, then switch to their Blade to avoid DPS loss.

  • Blade: The AI does not treat Blades well at all during Overdrive, where repeated Force Strike attempts will be made. This drastically lowers overall DPS and if you have Gala Cleo on the team, your DPS MVP is very likely to find himself on the other side of the stage and away from your buff field. Non-Overdrive control is average, but manual control allows you to best control Skill rotations on your most important DPS member.
  • Sword: The AI does the infamous hop after the fourth combo hit that results in suboptimal rotations. Manual control will allow a player to perform optimal 2-hit or 3-hit + Force Strike rotations that will improve DPS.
  • Dagger: Much like Sword AI, Dagger AI also sees the infamous hop near the end of their combo chains, and manual control allows for skipping the hop by weaving in a Force Strike. It should be noted that Delphi, widely considered a universal MG pick, functions properly under AI control.

Additional information pertaining to weapon rotations can be found at the Weapon Rotations Guide.

Balance DPS and Support picks

Having too many of either on the team is ill-advised. Newcomers typically make the mistake of not using supportive options like Elisanne, but the reverse is also not good -- filling your team out with mostly buffers will not yield the DPS increase you’re seeking. A 2/2 or 3/1 DPS/support split is usually ideal. 

Universal Picks

Blade Adventurers

The Bleed Blade crew forms the basis of most high-level MG DPS contributions in such parties. Players only need to pick one for the party. Victor is currently the best neutral Bleed Adventurers, followed by Addis and Ieyasu. In practice, Victor blows through every element easily, including Flame MG. Addis requires more finesse as his Bleed procs while his S2 is active, so he is hardest to pilot among the Bleed Blades. Ieyasu himself is still a great Bleed Adventurer, especially in Light MG, and is a suitable choice if Victor is not available. Best if controlled manually, and absolutely requires it during Overdrive.

​​​​​​​Unlike the Bleed Blades, Natalie is able to achieve greater DPS potential, but benefits the most when the rest of the party is built around her conditions. Botan is a great complement to Natalie as a Bleed source. If using Elisanne with Natalie, the 5.3.0 Core water lance should not be used as the area heal will negatively impact Natalie. And for the love of Ilia, control Natalie manually.

Bow Adventurers

Valentine's Ezelith's MG viability shot through the roof after players got a hold of two copies of Elegant Escort from the Valentine’s Confections event rerun. By keeping Roy constantly burned, she enables a flat 30% damage increase. Acting solely as a burn enabler, she can afford to be off-element and still function properly, as it’s the DPS Adventurers that are benefiting from the damage boost. Two copies of EE is ideal to maximize V!Ezelith's impact, although one copy is doable if the rest of the party is sufficiently geared. The Skill Haste Co-ability is also nice, especially for the 2-minute MG levels. Leave her on AI control.

For players that that don't have V!Ezelith or EE copies, Sarisse is their next best bet. She offers a balance of burst DPS that benefits from buff stacking, while also providing buffs of her own. The extra Skill Haste is appreciated. Leave her on AI control.

Gala Cleo

The epitome of role compression in Dragalia Lost, as Gala Cleo offers excellent DPS, a useful Skill Damage Co-ability, and great buff support all rolled together. While individual options may exist per element that can replace her, investing into Gala Cleo means that the player can get away with investing in multiple other Adventurers for the sole purpose of pushing MG levels. Can be left to AI control.

Other Support Options

Elisanne is the premier buffer that is available to all players. If needed, The Chocolatiers can be used in the second slot so S1 can proc right away. Leviathan also provides Bog proc right before break if the player opts for it. Can be manually controlled or left to AI.

Delphi is the new king of Shadow support, boasting Poison ticks that rival Bleed and bringing a useful Co-ability for the entire party. The best part about his Poison is that it does not interfere with existing Bleed stacks, and he functions very well in an environment where Poison Punisher Wyrmprints do not even exist (yet). A great pick for players that missed out on getting two Elegant Escorts (and thus could not fully utilize the V!Ezelith burn strat). Can be left to AI control.

Example Dream Team

Victor / Vayu or Pazuzu / 5.3.4 Blade / RR + Elegant Escort

V!Ezelith / Sakuya / 5.3.0 Bow / Forest Bonds + Seaside Princess

Gala Cleo / Shinobi / 5.3.0 Wand / RR + Elegant Escort

Delphi / Marishiten / 5.3.0 Dagger / Twinfold Bonds + Sister’s Day Out

By following the universal picks rules above, you can substitute appropriately. Elegant Escort is only used if combined with V!Ezelith’s burn, so prints such as Seaside Princess can take those slots. When using Elisanne over Delphi, Victor must use Vayu as Pazuzu grants his boost with Delphi’s Poison.

Do note that the variant with no status afflictions is the least consistent variant.

Helper Skills

Brave Bastion Saves Lives

Elisanne is highly recommended for her massive Strength buff and short cast time. With three casts from a friend, Helper Brave Bastion will be active for up to 45 seconds of a level’s given minute. Helper Skills will be the primary method of iframing Roy’s claps, which occur at the 0:46, 0:31, and 0:16 marks. Melody is also a suitable stand-in if Helper Elisannes are exhausted. Element-specific buffers like Noelle and Emma are also suitable. 

Caution: Using any Helper Skill will reset combo counts to zero, regardless of cast time. For this reason, relying on Wyrmprints like Flash of Genius may not be ideal. 

Lv. 21 - 40

Wind

Sword bois
Element-Specific Picks

As Roy’s HP bar grows, so does the amount of min-maxing required. These levels will test a player’s equipment and ability to microadjust. Do not be discouraged, as a team of fully unbound 5★ Adventurers is far from necessary. In actuality, a full Flame team isn’t mandatory, and Level 40 can be cleared solely with Ifrit and a handful of 5★ Tier 3 weapons.


If lacking a MUB 5★ STR dragon or multiple MUB Ifrits, using a fully promoted Elisanne as a fourth teammate is highly recommended. Core 5★T3 weapons are encouraged on as many allies as possible, though they don't have to be fully unbound. At the very least, teammates should be given MUB 4★T3 weapons.

Sword Lead Strat (Euden)

For the following strategy, Sword users should run Skill Damage Wyrmprints such as The Shining Overlord paired with either Stellar Show or Sister's Day Out for increased Force Strike damage.

Manually controlling a Sword character is the optimal way to maximize DPS. Immediately pop Helper Brave Bastion to start the fight. Damage involves a repetition of 2 combo + Force Strike sequence. Use Skills off cooldown and iframe claps with Helper Brave Bastion, then Shapeshift after Break at roughly the ~0:30 - 0:35 mark. Use a Skill to iframe the final clap, continuing to use 2c + FS until Roy relents.

Marth Lead Strat (Last Boost)

Proceed as normal, but withhold using Helper Brave Bastion until Roy’s first and second claps. Unload all available Skills before 0:16, then intentionally tank the third clap. Lowering Marth below 30% HP is crucial for activating Last Boost, which provides a massive burst as twelve Skills ready at once. For this reason, Transforming during Break is not necessary, as Marth must be vulnerable by the 0:16 mark. Note, Roy must be in Overdrive for the clap to drop Marth into Last Boost range. At this point, the player may either Transform or continue using the 2 combo + FS sequence to eke out the last bit of Roy’s HP.

Flame

The Boggiest Boi
Element-Specific Picks

Regarding Bog:

Despite the massive 50% damage boost offered by Bog, it becomes significantly harder to use as Roy grows stronger. Because of how afflictions work in Dragalia, every application increases a unit’s Res to that affliction by 20%.

Lv. 11+ Lv. 21+ Lv. 31+
Bog Res 40% 60% 80%
After Lv. 30, Roy can be Bogged exactly once before obtaining complete immunity. With this in mind, it’s actually ideal to run without Renee, Jakob, or Waike in order to ensure that Bog is inflicted using Leviathan for optimal DPS.
Xander Lead Strat

Xander follows the same strategy as the Wind levels, employing 2c + FS as the general purpose damage sequence. Because of his Force Strike passive, Xander can replace Stellar Show with Jewels of the Sun or United by One Vision. Skill Haste or Skill Prep take priority because over half of his DPS comes from his two damage Skills (three with Eoantide).

After breaking around the 0:30 mark, pop a Helper Brave Bastion if not already on cooldown. Transform into Leviathan and 2 combo + Skill 1 right off the bat. Now that Roy is Bogged, use the 2c + dodge cancel sequence for optimal DPS. High Mercury may also be used to apply Bog. While Transformed, iframe the last clap using a Helper Brave Bastion to optimize Dragon DPS. Return to damage as usual using 2c + FS to finish Roy off.  

Water

Element-Specific Picks

Roy’s Water levels have the highest baseline HP when compared to Flame and Wind. That being said, these are the first levels that incorporate a Bleed user with elemental advantage which makes a noticeable impact. As with the Wind levels, Blade and Wand users are highly recommended for their offensive Co-Abilities. 

General Strategy

Optimized Blade combos can be tricky to learn. When using the typical 5-Combo chain, one method of minimizing ending lag is the Failed Force Strike. Following the 5th hit, start then release a Force Strike before it’s fully charged (just after the directional marker appears). When properly “failed”, the 5th hit’s Blade sheathing animation will be cancelled and Victor will get a 2-hit head start on his next sequence when compared to standard AI control.

Note: If running with Louise, her Skill Haste Co-Ability will tighten combo chains to where Failed Force Strikes aren't as crucial. 

For Addis, Bamboo Cutter is best used twice before Dignified Soul is ready, but the second Bamboo Cutter may be held until Dignified Soul is ready for a guaranteed Bleed application. 

Shapeshifting is generally not recommended except as extra burst to close out fights. 

Note on Light / Shadow Levels

If you've hit a wall, you're not alone. Because they pose no elemental disadvantages, Light and Shadow Roy have substantially more HP than their three counterparts. In general, universal picks like Gala Cleo and Burning Punisher setups take higher priority than on-element adventurers.

Light

Shadow

Shadow MG can feasibly be cleared without any Light Adventurers. Still, above are options seen in some of the MG50 clears that featured Light Adventurers...

Lv. 41 - 50 (General)

With 2 minutes on the clock and seven total claps to play around, Helper Brave Bastions must be carefully budgeted. There is some silver lining in that a second Shapeshift is possible towards the tail end of the fight, allowing powerhouses like Cerberus and Leviathan to finish off strong. 

Due to the wide variance between lead adventurers their SP costs, players will have to conduct trial runs to determine ideal Skill usage. As a general tip, it’s best to use Skills off cooldown unless another Skill won’t be ready within ~5 - 8 seconds of an imminent clap. In most cases, holding onto a Skill is worth the lost DPS in order to avoid clap damage. Since there’s usually no way to heal, tanking a clap would permanently remove the effects of %HP Wyrmprints and Adventurer passives. 

Recommended Brave Bastion usage generally centers around Shapeshifts that take place during or just before Break. Since Dragon Skills are often used immediately upon Shapeshifting, the only way to save teammates from claps is by using a Helper Skill. As such, optimal budgeting involves saving two Brave Bastions, casting one sometime prior to Shapeshift followed by another cast just before Dragon form ends. 

Wind Lv. 41 - 50

The usual Sword strats fall off significantly due to the extended timer. Many successful Lv. 50 clear teams involve similar structures:

  • Elisanne - Premier offensive support. By manually controlling Eli's weapon combos, Brave Bastion reaches optimal uptime. During or just prior to Break, switch to a DPS adventurer and Transform. 
  • Sarisse - Brings top tier DPS, team support and a Skill Haste Co-Ability, which is crucial to tightening Eli's basic attack chains. 
  • Wand user (50 mana circles) - Student Maribelle is preferred for her raw damage, but Sinoa's erratic support is an adequate stand-in. The focus remains on the flat 15% Skill Damage granted by their Wand Co-Ability. 
  • DPS - Two picks in particular stand out: Ramona and Mikoto. Both sport considerable Crit Damage and are among the strongest of the entire Flame roster. Ramona gains substantial support if running with an allied Rena since both of their Primed Abilities combo to give Ramona +23%STR/15%DEF at once. Note: if running the two sisters together, Rena should be manually controlled so as to properly double-cast her Skill 1. 

Lv. 51 - 55 (General)

Roy's claps are now Purple Marker attacks; HP-related effects such as Seaside Princess and adventurer Abilities are thrown out the window, and a healer is absolutely necessary just to survive. To compensate for losing a fourth DPS/support adventurer, High Dragon Trial weapons (from Expert/Master difficulty) are hard requirements for their enormous Strength. 

Rewards

Clearing levels will award a slew of upgrade materials, most notably an abundance of Twinkling Sands for crafting more Core 5★ weapons. (1) Sunlight Stone is awarded for clearing Lv. 39 of each element, as well as another Sunlight Stone upon clearing Lv. 36 of all elements. This is the equivalent of rolling a dupe of any 5★ Dragon and should be the ultimate goal for any players looking to conquer the Mercurial Gauntlet. 

Enjoyed the article?
Consider supporting GamePress and the author of this article by joining GamePress Boost!
Join!

About the Author(s)

Bay Area native and Gamepress Contributor. Simultaneously an adventurer and a shut-in at heart. 

Content editor and graphic designer for GamePress. Native to Austin, loves cacti and drawing.