Ishtar

Weapon: Mjölnir (+Eff) 

Assist: Positional Assist / Rally Assist / Assistless 

Special: Moonbow / Luna 

Passive A: Atk/Spd Boosting A Slot 

Passive B: Windsweep / Watersweep 

Passive C: Atk/Spd Menace / Time’s Pulse / Spd Smoke 

Sacred Seal: Atk/Spd Solo / Blade Session 

• Because Mjölnir neutralizes effects that prevent Ishtar’s follow-up attacks, she can take advantage of Windsweep or Watersweep, B slots that prevent physical or magical attacks respectively as long as Ishtar outspeeds the enemy. As her bulk is low, Ishtar greatly appreciates counterattack prevention, as it allows her to invest entirely into her offenses.
• For Aether Raids Defense specifically, Ishtar’s Assist depends on what order players want the AI to move units:
  • If Ishtar has a Rally Assist, she can extend her threat range beyond what it was at the beginning of the turn by rallying an ally that can attack an enemy and receiving a refresh to attack enemies herself.
  • If Ishtar has a Positional Assist, she will likely be one of the last units to move, as the AI prioritizes moving ranged units with Positional Assists last. She may not receive a refresh since she moves so late, though this allows allies to receive refreshes instead. Additionally, Positional Assists can help Ishtar bring allies to the backline, protecting them from enemies during their Player Phase.
  • If Ishtar has no Assist, she will likely be one of the first units to move, as the AI prioritizes moving units without Assists. As such, she is likely to receive a refresh.
• Thanks to Mjölnir’s -1 Special cooldown, Ishtar can activate 2 cooldown Specials on her follow-up attack assuming no Guard effect is present; the same logic applies for 3 cooldown Specials with Time’s Pulse, a C slot that grants -1 cooldown if her Special is at its maximum cooldown at the start of the turn.
• Atk/Spd Boosting A and S Slots are crucial for securing damage and follow-ups, making them Ishtar’s best options. Which one is chosen is largely up to player preference and skill availability, as Ishtar has no HP conditions that make recoil damage from A slots such as Atk/Spd Push 4 and A/S slots such as Fury desirable or undesirable.
• If not using Time’s Pulse in Ishtar’s C slot, alternatives include Atk/Spd Menace for maximizing offense potency via granting +6 Atk/Spd to herself and -6 Atk/Spd to the nearest enemies within four spaces and the more budget-friendly Spd Smoke, inflicting -7 Spd on enemies within two spaces of the target after combat for securing follow-ups and fulfilling the Sweep B slot condition.

Weapon: Mjölnir (+Eff) 

Assist: Positional Assist 

Special: Blazing AoE Special 

Passive A: Life and Death (3 or 4) / Fury (3 or 4) 

Passive B: Special Spiral 

Passive C: Res Smoke / Atk/Res Menace / Time’s Pulse 

Sacred Seal: Life and Death / Fury 

• This set takes advantage of Mjölnir’s Slaying effect and Special Spiral in Ishtar’s B slot to spam powerful AoE Specials.
  • Mjölnir reduces Ishtar’s AoE Special cooldown from 4 to 3. When the Special is ready, Ishtar will deal AoE damage and reset the Special’s cooldown to 3; after attacking the enemy during combat, its cooldown will be reduced to 2 assuming no Guard effect is active. After combat, Special Spiral will trigger, reducing the AoE Special’s cooldown by 2 and immediately readying it for use once again.
• Because AoE Special damage is calculated based on the gap between Ishtar’s visible Atk and the enemy’s visible Res, this set naturally wants to maximize the former and minimize the latter. As such, Life and Death is Ishtar’s strongest A and S slots, though Fury is a good alternative and can reduce Ishtar’s HP to ≤ 50% so that allies with Wings of Mercy can warp to spaces adjacent to her. Atk/Res Menace grants Ishtar +6 Atk and inflicts -6 Res on enemies, increasing the gap between Ishtar’s Atk and the enemy’s Res by 12; however, this is only for enemies that are closest to Ishtar and within four spaces at the start of the turn. Res Smoke is not only cheaper, but also arguably more consistent, as it simply inflicts -7 Res on enemies within two spaces of the target after combat; additionally, Ishtar can receive Atk buffs from outside sources.
  • Alternatively, if additional Special cooldown reduction is necessary to ready Ishtar’s Special on turn 1, Time’s Pulse is a strong C slot, granting -1 Special cooldown if it is at its maximum cooldown (in other words, exclusively on turn 1 since Special Spiral prevents this from activating on subsequent turns).