Legendary Deirdre

Weapon: Spirit Forest Writ 

Assist: Assistless / Rally Assist

Special: Circlet of Balance 

Passive A: Still Water 4 

Passive B: Null Follow-Up / Atk/Res Tempo

Passive C: Time’s Pulse / Joint Drive Atk / Flexible

Sacred Seal: Atk/Res Ideal / Blade Session 

• Circlet of Balance, Deirdre’s personal, 2-cooldown Special, makes her a uniquely powerful Defense Keep unit thanks to its conditional, once-per-map Miracle effect that keeps her at 1 HP after receiving a lethal hit if her HP prior to the hit was > 1. In addition to bonus damage equal to 40% of Deirdre’s Res on activation, the Miracle effect is granted if both of the following conditions are met:
  • Deirdre’s or the enemy’s Special is ready or has been activated during the current combat.
  • Deirdre initiates combat or the enemy is ranged.
• Spirit Forest Writ also aids significantly in Deirdre’s Defense Keep prowess, granting:
  •  -1 Special cooldown,
  • Dragon effectiveness + disabling of adaptive damage (rarities in potent Defense units and important boons against Far Save Armored Dragons),
  • A guaranteed follow-up, 
  • -6 Atk/Res on the enemy during combat, and 
  • Additional Atk/Res enemy debuffs during combat equal to 80% of the gap between Deirdre’s and the enemy’s visible Res (up to an additional -12).
• AI typically moves Assistless units before units with Assists, making Assistless Deirdre the strongest option if seeking to refresh her after her initial combat. Alternatively, Deirdre can extend her threat range beyond what it was at the start of Enemy Phase by rallying an ally closer to the frontlines, then receiving a refresh.
• Deirdre’s native Still Water is vital for maximizing her damage and visible Res.
• Given the ubiquity of follow-up prevention, Null Follow-Up is key for ensuring Deirdre’s guaranteed follow-up is not neutralized. However, lacking Atk/Res Tempo forces Deirdre to use Time’s Pulse or receive an external Special charge, as Guard effects are far too common for Deirdre to rely on an enemy’s lack thereof. If using Atk/Res Tempo, Deirdre’s C slot is flexible; Joint Drive Atk is a go-to choice, granting +4 Atk to Deirdre and allies within two spaces during combat. Note that Time’s Pulse and external Special charges can be shut down by Elimine, an incredibly powerful and common Astra Mythic, so Deirdre’s team will need multiple columns that grant her that Special charge since Elimine can only inflict False Start on one column.
• Atk/Res Ideal is a strong Sacred Seal that has an easily attainable +5 Atk/Res during combat, with the condition simply being 100% HP or having a Bonus (this includes stat bonuses and Bonus effects such as the Orders and Triangle Attack effects granted by Bridal Catria’s Wedding-Bell Axe). Blade Session offers +9 Atk/Spd if two or more allies have already moved, +6 if only one, and +3 if none at all (which is unlikely with seven-unit Defense Keeps, as the seventh unit immediately ends their turn if no unit has been KO’d and Anima Defense Keeps typically have rallies). While the Spd may seem like a waste (and it usually is), it can help punch through follow-up prevention if Deirdre lacks Null Follow-Up.

Weapon: Spirit Forest Writ 

Assist: Positional Assist 

Special: Circlet of Balance 

Passive A: Still Water 4 

Passive B: Atk/Res Tempo / Null Follow-Up / Desperation

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

Sacred Seal: Atk/Res Solo

• A relatively straightforward set focused on maximizing Deirdre’s damage output; Atk and Res are the focus stats since Spirit Forest Writ grants a guaranteed follow-up and Deirdre’s Def is terrible. 
  • Investment into visible Res allows Deirdre to inflict more Atk/Res debuffs on the enemy during combat (Spirit Forest Writ inflicts Atk/Res -6 in addition to more Atk/Res = 80% of the gap between Deirdre’s and the enemy’s Res, with the maxmimum being an additional -12). 
  • Investment into both visible and in-combat Res provides additional damage from Circlet of Balance.
• Circlet of Balance, Deirdre’s personal Special, provides both simple offensive and rare/powerful defensive utility. It only has 2 cooldown (1 with Spirit Forest Writ’s -1 Special cooldown), grants additional damage equal to 40% of Deirdre’s Res, and allows her to survive a lethal attack if her HP is > 1 and both of the following conditions are achieved:
  • Deirdre’s or the enemy’s Special is ready or has been activated during the current combat.
  • Deirdre initiates combat or the enemy is ranged.
• Luckily, the “investment” into Deirdre’s visible Res comes in the form of her native Still Water, which grants +7 base Atk/Res at the cost of -5 base Def. This is her uncontested best A slot, as it elevates Deirdre’s raw damage, Circlet of Balance damage, and consistency with Spirit Forest Writ’s Atk/Res debuffs.
• Atk/Res Tempo guarantees that Circlet of Balance will be ready after her first attack of initiation, giving her the Miracle safety net and ensuring additional damage on her follow-up. Alternatives include:
  • Null Follow-Up, which neutralizes enemy follow-up prevention and guaranteed follow-ups to improve Deirdre’s damage and survival consistency.
  • Desperation, which allows Deirdre to perform her follow-up attack before the enemy can counterattack if her HP when initiating is ≤ 75%. This synergizes well with Circlet of Balance, which leaves her at 1 HP.
• Atk/Res Menace maximizes Deirdre’s Atk/Res while also maximizing the gap between Deirdre’s and the enemy’s Res (via +6 visible Atk/Res buff for Deirdre and -6 visible Atk/Res debuff for closest enemies within four spaces), making it a fantastic and native option. Time’s Pulse is a good alternative, readying Circlet of Balance at the start of every turn; this ensures Deirdre’s safety against enemies with Vantage and without a Brave effect and against enemies with Guard effects if Deirdre does not have Atk/Res Tempo.
• Atk/Res Solo is Deirdre’s strongest Sacred Seal, granting +6 Atk/Res during combat if Deirdre is not adjacent to an ally.