Lukas

Weapon: Daybreak Lance+ (+Eff)

Assist: Positional Assist

Special: Bonfire

A Passive: Sturdy Stance 3 / Atk/Def Unity / Atk/Def Form

B Passive: Quick Riposte

C Passive: Joint Drive Atk / Joint Drive Def / Def Smoke / Atk Smoke

Sacred Seal: Steady Breath

• Despite there being a lot of competitive inheritable Lance options nowadays, Daybreak Lance+ still is able to provide what it needs to for Lukas as it comes with innate Slaying and, on refine, Sturdy Stance 2. This allows Lukas to excel in what he already excels in, mainly tanking Def-targeting foes, and can allow him to always retaliate with Bonfire triggers, provided that there are no Guard effects present and if he is properly supported. This set is here to highlight that niche.
   
• As Daybreak Lance+ has innate Slaying, his best Special would have to be Bonfire, especially when paired with skills or support that accelerate his cooldown as he’ll be able to trigger it up to two times per Enemy Phase combat. Lukas shouldn’t have that many problems taking down foes with two Bonfires as his Def stat is relatively high.
   
• Any A Passive that increases Lukas’ overall Atk and Def will be the way to go. Sturdy Stance 3 is a fantastic option that provides a consistent amount of Atk and Def in the Enemy Phase as well as inflicts Guard on the foe during combat. For Aether Raids purposes, he can opt for Atk/Def Unity since there is always a possibility that he may get hit with a debuff or two. For budget purposes, he can opt for Atk/Def Form, which is still a fantastic option as it can provide up to +7 Atk/Def to Lukas.
   
• Lukas will want the ability to double so that he can securely take out Melee foes more often. As such, the only worthwhile B Passive, for this set, will be Quick Riposte. It’s better to have it as his B Passive instead of his Sacred Seal as he can inflate his performance with more competitive options.
   
• Since Lukas will want to be supported by a Far Save ally, he’ll naturally want to be within two spaces of them. As such, Joint Drives are stellar options for Lukas, albeit a bit expensive. For budget purposes, he can always opt for Def Smoke or Atk Smoke as they can leverage his damage output and tanking prowess. However, for consistency, Joint Drives are the way to go.
   
• For consistent Bonfire triggers, Lukas will want to run Steady Breath to accelerate his cooldown as quickly as possible. If he is able to attack twice in one combat, and if there aren’t any Guard effects present, he should be able to trigger Bonfire twice. You could always switch out Steady Breath for another Sacred Seal that increases his Atk and Def, especially if you run him on Astra, as there are units that can provide external accelerated cooldown to Lukas.

Weapon: Courtly Candle+ (+Def) / Stout Lance+ (+Def)

Assist: Positional Assist

Special: Ignis / Bonfire

A Passive: Sturdy Stance 3 / Atk/Def Unity / Atk/Def Form

B Passive: Special Spiral / Quick Riposte

C Passive: Joint Drive Atk / Joint Drive Def / Def Smoke / Atk Smoke

Sacred Seal: Steady Breath / Atk/Def Form

• As previously mentioned, there are a lot of competitive Lance inheritables that can make weapons like Daybreak Lance+ antiquated. Courtly Candle+ and Stout Lance+ are able to provide Lukas much more sustainability as it provides a flat 50% Damage Reduction on the first hit as long as the foe can double, and given that his Spd stat is really low, it should be extremely easy to meet that condition. Of course, since we’ll be giving up Daybreak Lance+, he won’t have access to instant Bonfire retaliations. So, there’ll be a few adjustments to his kit so that he can still act as a fairly competent Melee Specialist.
   
• Ignis, when paired with Special Spiral, will be a fantastic option for instant Ignis retaliations. Albeit, it needs a bit of setup as it starts out as a four-cooldown Special, but when it gets going, it works fairly well. Of course, you can still keep Bonfire so that he can consistently trigger it without any setup on every second hit.
   
• As previously mentioned, any A Passive that increases Lukas’ overall Atk and Def will be a fantastic option for him since those are the stats he should prioritize. Sturdy Stance 3 provides a flat +6 Atk/Def during the Enemy Phase and inflicts Guard on the foe during combat while Atk/Def Unity has a higher ceiling, but relies on debuffs. For budget purposes, Atk/Def Form is a great option since it can provide up to +7 Atk/Def during combat if he meets the maximum condition.
   
• As this build is mainly focusing on Ignis triggers, he’ll want to have the ability to retaliate with Ignis as consistently as possible. He’ll still need to set it up initially as it begins as a four-cooldown Special, but once it triggers, it should always return to two-cooldown with Special Spiral. That being said, since this means he’ll be giving up Quick Riposte, he’ll be relying on OHKOs. So, if you would rather rely on him defeating foes with two attacks, simply take Quick Riposte and replace his Special with Bonfire.
   
• Similar to his A Passive options, anything that increases his overall Atk or Def will be a good option for his C Passive. That being said, the best options, Joint Drive Atk and Joint Drive Def, are expensive options. So, he can always take Def Smoke or Atk Smoke since that can artificially inflate his overall bulk and damage output.
   
• Depending on the Special being run, he can either run Steady Breath or Atk/Def Form. Steady Breath is important for being able to trigger Ignis on retaliation after it’s set up. However, it’s easily replaceable if there is a support that can provide accelerated cooldown to him during combat. Whether or not that’s the case, he can also run Atk/Def Form as that provides even more Atk and Def to Lukas and can allow him to output more damage and tank more.