Groom Roy

Weapon: Blazing Polearms 

Assist: Positional Assist 

Special: Galeforce 

Passive A: Atk/Spd Boosting A Slot / Fury 4

Passive B: Flow Force / Wings of Mercy 

Passive C: Faith in Humanity 

Sacred Seal: Heavy Blade / Fury

• The combination of Roy’s personal weapon and personal C slot make him an exceptionally strong and consistent Galeforcer.
  • Blazing Polearms’ -1 Special cooldown and Faith in Humanity’s Tempo effect make Galeforce activations incredibly consistent for Roy, as he is guaranteed to activate it in 1-2 combats with Heavy Blade’s additional Special charge. Additionally, Roy has fantastic damage output and reliable bulk; Blazing Polearms effectively grants +5 to all to Roy and -6 to all on the enemy during combat for free, as the relevant condition for the former is initiating and the condition for the latter is having ≥ 12 total visible bonuses, which Faith in Humanity grants via +6 visible Atk/Spd. The【Canto (２)】effect also helps with mobility, as Roy can move two spaces after his first combat initiation (or second if Galeforce is activated after his first). Finally, Dragon- and Beast-effectiveness secure matchups against prevalent Aether Raids Defense units such as Spring Idunn, Ascendant Idunn, Seiros, Medeus, and Duma.
• Atk/Spd Boosting A slots are ideal to ensure Roy performs a follow-up attack. Strong options include Atk/Spd Push 4, which grants +7 Atk/Spd during combat in exchange for 5 recoil damage after combat if Roy’s HP at the start of combat is ≥ 25%, and Atk/Spd Catch 4, which grants +7 Atk/Spd if the enemy has a visible debuff or they have full HP or +9 Atk/Spd if both conditions are met.
  • Alternatively, Roy can use Fury 4 in his A slot and Fury 3 in his Sacred Seal to guarantee that he drops to ≤ 50% HP after two combats as long as his maximum HP is ≤ 56. This allows allies with Wings of Mercy to warp to spaces adjacent to Roy, typically either to refresh or activate Galeforce (or variants such as Requiem Dance and Njörun's Zeal) themselves and create a Galeforce chain to sweep enemy teams in one turn. Note, however, that because Roy uses Fury in his Sacred Seal instead of Heavy Blade, he will likely need Special cooldown reduction and/or at least two combats to activate Galeforce. Fury recoil damage is also usually not necessary, as Roy will commonly receive counterattacks.
• Flow Force neutralizes effects that prevent Roy’s follow-up in addition to neutralizing his visible Atk/Spd debuffs, making it vital for activating Galeforce and maintaining high damage output. If an ally is the one to drop to ≤ 50% HP to act as a Wings of Mercy beacon, Roy can use Wings of Mercy instead.

Weapon: Blazing Polearms 

Assist: Positional Assist / Assistless 

Special: Luna / Ruptured Sky / Moonbow

Passive A: Sturdy Surge / AR-D Atk/Def / Atk/Spd Boosting A Slot 

Passive B: Flow Force 

Passive C: Faith in Humanity 

Sacred Seal: Blade Session / Atk/Spd Solo / Atk/Def Form / Atk/Spd Form / Quickened Pulse

• Roy is an excellent unit for both general Player Phase purposes and Aether Raids Defense purposes thanks to Blazing Polearms, Flow Force, and Faith in Humanity.
  • Blazing Polearms’ myriad of effects all significantly improve Roy’s viability. Its three unconditional effects—【Canto (２)】, -1 Special cooldown, and Dragon- and Beast-effectiveness—allow for higher mobility, more consistent Special activations, and better matchups against common Near Saves such as Fallen Rhea and Ascendant Idunn respectively. Additionally, it grants +5 to all to Roy and -6 to all on the enemy during combat effectively for free, with the latter’s condition of having ≥ 12 total visible bonuses being fulfilled via Faith in Humanity’s +6 Atk/Spd.
  • Faith in Humanity’s Tempo effect makes Special activations even more consistent for Roy, guaranteeing that he activates 3-cooldown Specials such as Luna on his follow-up if the enemy can counterattack and 2-cooldown Specials such as Ruptured Sky if the enemy cannot counterattack or Roy attacks twice via Bridal Catria’s【Triangle Attack】effect.
  • Flow Force is the final part of this trifecta, neutralizing Roy’s visible Atk/Spd debuffs and effects that prevent Roy’s follow-ups.
• Roy’s native Sturdy Surge is a fantastic choice (particularly for general Player Phase purposes), granting +7 Atk and +10 Def on initiation in addition to healing on Special activation equal to (X * 20 + 10)% damage dealt, with X = maximum Special cooldown. Alternatively, AR-D Atk/Def can be used on Aether Raids Defense, as it can grant more Atk and Sturdy Surge’s healing isn’t particularly important. Atk/Spd Boosting A slots can also be chosen to maximum follow-up consistency.
• Blade Session and Atk/Spd Solo are strong choices as always. The former grants Atk/Spd depending on how many allies have moved: +3 if no allies, +6 if one, and +9 if ≥ 2. The latter simply grants +6 Atk/Spd if Roy is not adjacent to an ally, synergizing well with his high movement and【Canto (２)】. More niche choices specific for synergizing with Bridal Catria on Aether Raids Defense include Atk/Def Form and Atk/Spd Form, which grant +1 if not within two spaces of any allies, +3 if one, +5 if two, and +7 if three.
  • The combination of a 2-cooldown Special and Quickened Pulse allows Roy to immediately activate his Special. If the enemy counterattacks, his Special will be ready again for his follow-up, resulting in significantly higher total damage.