Hans

Weapon: Aurgelmir

Assist: Positional Assist

Special: Galeforce

A Passive: Heavy Blade (3 or 4) / Fury (3 or 4) / Atk/Spd Clash 4 / Atk/Spd Boosting A Slot

B Passive: Spd/Def Tempo / Velocity / Close Call / Hit and Run

C Passive: Odd Tempest / Even Tempest / Assault Troop / Time’s Pulse

Sacred Seal: Null Follow-Up / Fury / Heavy Blade

• Aurgelmir is quite the weapon for F2P standards, having a load of Atk and Spd alongside his Hans’ already sky-high Atk stat and fantastic Spd stat. That, alongside the guaranteed follow-up and innate Damage Reduction it comes with means that he can make for a solid Player Phase Galeforcer. The only caveat may be potential one-shots as he is currently tied for the highest Atk stat in the game, but it may not necessarily come to fruition in an Aether Raids setting due to HP inflation. Regardless, Aurgelmir, alongside all the skills he has access to due to his Infantry status, means that it’s more than achievable.
   
• Given that Hans is currently tied for having the highest Atk stat in the game, there’s very little reason not to recommend Heavy Blade 4. If he can’t make a Heavy Blade check, then I sincerely doubt any other unit in the game can. The additional true damage granted from Heavy Blade 4 can make securing kills much easier, albeit at the cost of potentially one-shotting the opponent. Regardless, due to his lack of innate Slaying, he’ll need Heavy Blade present in his kit, whether that’s in his A Passive or Sacred Seal. If you would rather use the A Slot for a different Passive, he can instead opt for Atk/Spd Clash or Fury, the former neutralizing any Atk and Spd penalty during combat, thus making Heavy Blade checks much more achievable, and the latter allowing him to set up as a Wings of Mercy beacon, especially when paired with the Fury Sacred Seal. Otherwise, any A Passive that boosts his overall Atk and Spd will do well.
   
• With the lack of Slaying present in Aurgelmir, he’ll want to opt for Spd/Def Tempo in most scenarios as it’ll prevent him from getting stopped by Guard effects, and given that his PRF has innate Damage Reduction and Null Follow-Up can be run in his Sacred Seal slot or provided visibly, he doesn’t necessarily have to worry about giving up his B Slot for Spd/Def Tempo. Velocity is also a decent option since it increases his survivability and still provides the Null Guard effect of Tempo. That being said, if you would rather use him for Hit and Run purposes, Close Call & Hit and Run work well since it provides after-combat movement.
   
• Hans being a two-movement Infantry means that he’ll appreciate any chance to increase his overall movement. As such, Odd Tempest or Even Tempest works well since they can provide him with the movement necessary to perform his Galeforce or Hit and Run role. Assault Troop is also a notable option since it simply provides him the ability to warp three tiles in his cardinal direction. Just keep in mind that it can get shut down by effects that prevent warping such as Detailed Report and Darkling Guardian. Other than that, Time’s Pulse, alongside Groom Rafiel or Velouria support, can allow him to secure Galeforce checks on the chance that he potentially one-shots the foe.
   
• The Sacred Seal of choice will heavily depend on the rest of the kit. If Heavy Blade isn’t already present, he’ll want it in his Sacred Seal slot. If he’s running Fury in his A Slot, he’ll want to also use it as his Sacred Seal to help set up Wings of Mercy chaining. Otherwise, Null Follow-Up works well enough for not only confirming his own doubles but also shutting down any doubles from the foe. That being said, this can be provided visibly from Inf. Null Follow or Inf. Spd Tactic, so if everything is covered, he can simply run a stat booster.

Weapon: Aurgelmir

Assist: Positional Assist

Special: Vital Astra / Ignis / Moonbow

A Passive: Distant Ferocity / Distant Dart / Atk/Spd Finish 4 / Distant Counter / Atk/Spd Boosting A Slot

B Passive: Special Spiral 4 / Spurn / Null C-Disrupt / Null Follow-Up

C Passive: Spd Smoke 4 / Atk/Spd Oath 4 / Rouse Atk/Spd 4 / Joint Drive Atk / Joint Drive Spd

Sacred Seal: Atk/Spd Solo / Darting Breath / Null Follow-Up

• Since Aurgelmir also functions in the Enemy Phase, albeit with a Solo condition, naturally, we’ll recommend an Enemy Phase set as he can function quite well in both phases with the right set of skills. It’s worth highlighting that if the foe were to initiate with an Impact effect present, as long as he’s able to make the Spd check, he’ll double through it, and there’s a solid chance that he’ll be able to do that in most scenarios. And given that during the Enemy Phase you’ll be more grouped together with allies, he’ll be able to receive more support than if he were in the Player Phase. As such, if you do plan to use him as an Enemy Phase menace, consider the following skills.
   
• His Special options are quite flexible as most of his stats are relatively high. Vital Astra, especially when paired with Special Spiral 4, will allow him to hit obscenely hard and, if running the aforementioned skill, can grant additional amounts of Damage Reduction, thus increasing his overall survivability. That being said, it’s quite expensive, so Ignis with a Breath Sacred Seal or external support as well as Moonbow can work well enough on budget, the former relying on him doubling.
   
• For general Enemy Phase purposes, he can run a fair amount of Distant Countering A Slots including Distant Ferocity and Distant Dart. Keep in mind that if he will be more prone to units that can pierce through Damage Reduction properties, especially if they can easily charge it (i.e. Young Innes), so if you would rather focus on one-ranged foes, he can instead run Atk/Spd Finish, which not only provides additional damage during combat but also heals Hans when the proper conditions are met. That being said, any Atk/Spd Boosting A Slot will work well for him.
   
• Due to Aurgelmir’s innate Damage Reduction, Hans has a bit more flexibility with their B Passive. For starters, they can run Special Spiral 4 to bypass Damage Reduction effects and consistently output an obscene amount of damage. This can be convenient against foes that either have flat Damage Reduction or Dragon Wall as he won’t be able to break through either of them without a follow-up attack. Other notable options include Spurn, which provides more Damage Reduction and True Damage, Null C-Disrupt, which can allow him to target Dazzling Staves and units with other types of Firesweep effects, or Null Follow-Up, which is always a solid skill but given that it’s a Sacred Seal, it may not be the best call.
   
• C Passive options are also quite flexible for Hans given that he’s a speedy Infantry Axe. Skills that capitalize off his Atk and/or Spd will work wonders for him including Spd Smoke 4, which can provide Spd-based Damage Reduction after an initial setup, Atk/Spd Oath 4, which is a decent combination of Joint Drive Atk and Joint Drive Spd, Rouse Atk/Spd, which pairs well with his Solo condition, and Joint Drive Atk & Joint Drive Spd for general stat boosts.
   
• The Sacred Seal of choice will ultimately vary on what you want out of Hans. A general stat-boosting Sacred Seal such as Atk/Spd Solo always works well if you don’t think he needs Null Follow-Up or Darting Breath, whether that’s due to external support or it not necessarily fitting the kit. However, if that isn’t the case and he happens to be running a fairly high-cooldown Special, Darting Breath will be appreciated. Otherwise, Null Follow-Up works well not only for securing his own doubles but shutting down the foe’s ability to double him.