Joshua

Weapon: Audhulma (+Eff)  

Assist: Positional Assist

Special: Sol / Noontime 

Passive A: Distant Counter

Passive B: Spurn / Close Call / Repel / Null Follow-Up / Null C-Disrupt

Passive C: Pulse Smoke / Joint Drive Res / Atk Smoke

Sacred Seal: Quick Riposte / Spd/Res Solo / Distant Def

• With his new Audhulma refine and versatile stat spread, Joshua makes a great choice for an Aether Raids tank. He will want either Attack or Speed as his Asset, helping him offensively. While he should be ideally merged, HP is the recommended Flaw.
• Refined Audhulma grants a good number of beneficial effects for an AR set. It is a Slaying weapon and provides a boost to all stats and a Guard effect on Enemy Phase or when the enemy is at full HP.
• Joshua will want either Sol or Noontime as his Special to help keep himself healthy. Since Audhulma is a Slaying weapon, Sol is a more desirable option for the stronger healing without sacrificing charge time. Distant Counter is also imperative so Joshua can retaliate on ranged foes.
• Spurn makes for an excellent B slot skill, helping him to reduce his damage taken and granting a mini Wrath effet. The Null B slot skills are both also great for blocking skills that manipulate follow-ups or prevent counterattacks.
  • Close Call and Repel don’t offer the mini Wrath, but still come with the same amazing damage reduction, making both still worthwhile alternative choices to Spurn.
• In the C slot, Pulse Smoke will allow Joshua to shut down teams that utilize skills such as Infantry Pulse to great effect. Joint Drive Res is another strong choice that keeps both himself and his allies more protected from magical foes. Atk Smoke makes for an effective cheap option that helps reduce the damage that Joshua takes.
• There are a good amount of Sacred Seal options to consider. Quick Riposte helps to ensure Joshua can secure follow-up attacks. Spd/Res Solo is another good choice, keeping Joshua more safe from enemy follow-ups, magical attacks, and helping him to perform his own follow-ups. Distant Def will keep Joshua more safe against ranged attacks through a strong defensive stat boost.

Weapon: Audhulma (+Eff) 

Assist: Positional Assist

Special: Galeforce 

Passive A: Flashing Blade 4 / Fury (3 or 4) / Atk/Spd Push 4 / Life and Death (3 or 4)

Passive B: Wings of Mercy / Desperation 

Passive C: Time’s Pulse / Odd Tempest / Joint Drive Atk

Sacred Seal: Quickened Pulse / Flashing Blade

•  Joshua’s Refined Audhulma seems more suited to defensive play, but since the main effect triggers if the enemy is at full HP too, he makes a great choice for utilizing Galeforce. He’ll want either Attack or Speed as his Asset, with HP as the safest choice for his Flaw.
• Naturally, Galeforce is the main aspect of this build. This Special allows Joshua to act again once per turn. With Audhulma being a Slaying weapon, Joshua can have an easier time activating this Special.
• Is it imperative for Flashing Blade to be present somewhere in the build, thus making it far easier for Joshua to consistently activate Galeforce in a single round of combat.
  • If Flashing Blade is taken as the A slot, it has to be Flashing Blade 4, otherwise one should just use the Sacred Seal. In Joshua’s case, running Flashing Blade 4 allows him to take Time’s Pulse and Quickened Pulse to start with his Galeforce cooldown at 2, making it highly desirable.
  • If Flashing Blade is taken as the Sacred Seal, this leaves Joshua’s A slot open for a number of other possibilities. Fury 4 is an amazing choice, boosting all of her stats and the chip damage helping her to reach HP thresholds for her B slot. Atk/Spd Push 4 is also amazing for similar reasons. Life and Death 4 is another stellar option, providing a huge offensive boost at the cost of defensive stats. The level 3 versions of both Fury and Life and Death are naturally good choices too.
• In an Aether Raids setting, Wings of Mercy is excellent for Galeforce setups. The general tactic with these teams is to chain multiple Galeforce uses together through the use of Wings of Mercy and can be incredibly effective if pulled off correctly. Outside of this, Desperation can also make for an effect B slot choice.
• As earlier mentioned, Time’s Pulse will be the optimal C slot when Flashing Blade 4 is used as it can combo with the Quickened Pulse Sacred Seal. When Flashing Blade is the Sacred Seal, Odd Tempest is an interesting C slot choice that gives additional movement on odd-numbered turns. Joint Drive Atk is also a strong option for Galeforce teams, as both Joshua and his Galeforce allies will enjoy the boost to Attack.