Kliff

Weapon: Sagittae (+EFF)

Assist: Positional Assist / Flexible

Special: Moonbow / Ruptured Sky / Luna 

Passive A: Atk/Spd Solo / Atk/Res Solo / Atk/Def Solo

Passive B: Null Follow-Up / Null C-Disrupt

Passive C: Joint Drive Spd / Pulse Smoke / Smoke Skills / Menace Skills / Flexible

Sacred Seal: Mystic Boost / Atk/Spd Solo / Atk/Res Solo / Atk/Def Solo

• Refined Sagittae’s well-rounded stat and damage enhancements alongside its persistent Guard effect provide Kliff considerable defensive prowess; this build emphasizes this quality with consideration to his balanced statline and infantry skill access to have him operate as a surprisingly effective generalist. A +SPD IV is Kliff’s best bet and proves especially useful with Null Follow-Up; however, one can consider +DEF or +RES for specific damage mitigation. 
  • Although one may not find it strictly necessary, particularly if using him for general gameplay, pairing Kliff alongside a fellow Near Save armored ally can be quite handy as this helps him freely circumvent the loss of Close Counter and rounds out his melee match-ups.
• Moonbow and Ruptured Sky are among Kliff’s preferred Specials of choice due to their low cooldowns, granting relatively quick access. In exchange for more inconsistent activation timing, Luna offers Kliff much stronger burst potential against bulkier foes — something worth considering at lower investment levels where he wants as many damage boosts as he can get his hands on. 
• For his A skill, Solo skills are by far his best option; they work in both phases for added flexibility, feature some of the best stat augmentations around, and function during combat and therefore do not impede Sagittae’s activation. Atk/Spd Solo is excellent from both offensive and defensive viewpoints, though Atk/Def Solo and Atk/Res Solo are solid as well. 
  • Unity skills are tempting alternatives considering their high ceiling, but require a little more thoughtfulness to use: Kliff’s base stats aren’t high enough to be actively targeted by Chills and Shrine structures, so he’ll need to actively seek out being affected by Smoke and Panic effects to trigger its secondary effect. 
• Null Follow-Up shines as Kliff’s premier B skill candidate for the immunity it provides to ubiquitous effects that would hinder his follow-up or ensure that of his opponents; this is crucial to neutralize common threats who rely on such mechanics and would otherwise cripple his performance, altogether granting offensive and defensive benefits. Null C-Disrupt is not quite as universal, but is helpful nonetheless against Dazzling Staff.
• Kliff appreciates any source of additional stats greatly — as most units do, though this is especially true in his case due to his flat statline — and thus more than welcomes skills like Joint Drives, Smokes, and Menace that bring considerably stat upgrades for his C slot. The choice between which ultimately depends on personal preference and skill availability.
• Aside from including further stat boosts through skills like Atk/Def Solo, Kliff’s Sacred Seal slot can also be filled by Mystic Boost; its additional counterplay against Wrathful Staff and adaptive damage can be handy, especially if not using Null C-Disrupt, but its main draw is the supplemental healing it grants for more survivability.

Weapon: Sagittae (+Eff)

Assist: Positional Assist / Flexible

Special: Bonfire / Moonbow / Luna / Sol

Passive A: Close Foil / Close Counter

Passive B: Special Spiral / Lull Atk/Res / Null Follow-Up 

Passive C: Res Smoke / Joint Drive Atk / Menace Skills / Flexible

Sacred Seal: Atk/Def Solo / Close Def / Mystic Boost

• This build retains a defensive focus, but shifts attention specifically to Kliff’s ability t o tank hits and mitigate damage from melee threats. Either a +SPD IV to reliably perform and avoid follow-up attacks or +DEF IV for direct damage mitigation should be taken.
• The ability to counterattack regardless of range is crucial, as this enables Kliff to actually defeat enemies he baits rather than simply tanking without any further impact. Close Foil is preferred above other options available — it permits counterattacks against the majority of foes he’ll be fighting and comes with a bonus +5 Atk/Def, so what’s not to like? To stay on the safe side, though, one can always simply equip Close Counter instead which lets him counterattack against dragons as well.
• Special Spiral makes for an interesting B skill choice here that allows for consistent activation of otherwise more inconsistent Specials, most notably Sol and Bonfire; it does take some setup, but their initial three-turn cooldown means that Kliff can activate them upon each counterattack once the loop starts. Other B skill options include Lull Atk/Res for greater stat advantages and the ever-useful Null Follow Up.
• Smoke, Menace, and Joint Drive skills are once again a natural complement to Kliff’s defensive playstyle here, providing an ample advantage through more effective stats — just keep in mind that Atk Smoke specifically is actually a little counterintuitive, as it can make it potentially complicate Sagittae’s activation.