PA-15

Overview

PA-15 took some rather odd cues from her ‘parents’, combining a Skill Shot that stuns with a good set of Tile Buffs to end up creating a Doll whose use case is supremely niche. 

The glaring problem with PA-15 is her Skill, High Octane Paradise, which targets the highest HP enemy for an AoE Stun and 4x Damage to the primary target, and an additional 2x Damage in the AoE. Good news, this shot cannot miss. Bad news, the game somewhat lies about how the AoE is applied, it is not in fact a radius, but a rectangle behind the target 2 units deep, and then spreading out 2.5 both directions vertically. This makes this AoE stun unreliable at the best of times, both due to her targeting the highest HP enemy, and the AoE element as well. See the video here for a demonstration of these quirks against 3 Red Bean enemies. 

For those interested in 5HG shenanigans, PA-15 can be used for sub-100k HP boss killing, thanks to her ability to Crit, if you are willing to manually control her Skill. All story bosses up to 9-6 Judge, and all event bosses up to, but not including Agent in Singularity can be killed using this method. 

Outside of those two specific niches, PA-15 will not see much use due to her somewhat odd Tile layout, and Bamboo Skill. For those who enjoy playing with Bamboo Skills, 5HG formations, or wish to unite Thunder and Calico with PA-15, she is an excellent pickup, but outside of these niches, PA-15 is largely a collectors Doll. 

Strengths

Powerful Skill:

PA-15’s Skill, High Octane Paradise, is theoretically powerful, dealing Damage alongside its Stun, and in theory, more controllable than a Stun Grenade. She also can fit into 5HG as a Bamboo HG for boss killing for an extra niche, although current event bosses will have enough HP that PA-15 cannot one-shot them reliably. She will however kill early Story bosses with ease, making cheap farming for rescue events a snap. 

Strong Tile Buffs:

PA-15’s Tile Buff matches Calico in strength, albeit with a substantially weirder formation. She can be fitted into Positions 7 and 8 as needed, allowing for somewhat more adaptability in Echelon building. 

Weaknesses

Quirky Skill:

While potent, PA-15’s Skill is rather clunky, and cannot be considered a reliable method of applying a stun. As a result, she cannot replace a Stun Grenade in the few situations they are useful, such as destroying multiple Red Goliaths from the same stack. 

Mostly Average Stats:

Outside of her Damage and RoF, PA-15’s stats fall squarely on the mediocre end of the HG spectrum, with average HP, Evasion, and Accuracy, giving her below average survivability in the long term. Accuracy is, fortunately, a bit of a non-factor in her Skillshots.

Team Options

SAA

Stechkin

SVD

WA2000

Grizzly

M950A

Px4 Storm

K31

Python

PA-15 appreciates teammates who are self-sufficient or do not rely upon the extra kick of a RoF/Damage Boosting Skill from the 3rd HG in the Echelon.

Amongst RFs, WA200, SVD, and K31 are all good teammates for PA-15. Damage Boosting RFs typically want desire the greater RoF boost, and thus make PA-15 less desirable.

5HG formations make use of PA-15's Skill by buffing her as much as possible. Python, Grizzly, SAA (Mod if possible), Stechkin, or Px4 are all good options for such teams. 

Recommended Formations