Introduction
Hello, and welcome to this "Getting Started" guide to Langrisser Mobile. In this article we will be discussing various aspects about the game, starting from the very first steps of booting up Langrisser Mobile to all the way to its end-game content.
If you want the TLDR version with a side of helpful tips, please see the Quickstart Guide instead. Have a question? It may be answered in our Frequently Asked Questions page.
Note: Some information is is lifted from Taurusm's Faction Guides on Reddit. Taurusm (Reddit) and SirMarcusCalibur (Wiki) are the same person. It is planned these sections will be rewritten to flow more smoothly in the Wiki format. There will probably be fancy pictures too!
Note 2: Insert "WORK IN PROGRESS" here. Thank you!
First Steps
After downloading the game, be it mobile device or the PC Client,
Units, Heroes, and Soldiers
Units
Units (sometimes referred to as Troops) consist of both the Hero (Character) and the various Soldiers (Army Dudes).
Heroes
Heroes are the stars of the show.
Soldiers
I am Text. See Me Exist!
Buffs, Debuffs, and Cooldowns/Duration
Buffs
Now let us speak of buffs. No, not buff men and woman. No, not a buffer to polish floors. I speak of Langrisser Mobile buffs, the little effects that make your guys stronger. Yes, this is relevant to factions, so stick with me.
Buffs do not stack.
This is important. You may be thinking, “Oh, I can use a Faction Buff with Mass Attack and Mass Protect and I’ll have so many buffs I’ll steamroll the enemy!” Langrisser does not work that way.
Only the highest value of the buff applies.
So, if you get an ATK Buff that is 15% but then you gain a 20% ATK Buff, only the 20% ATK Buff applies.
“But wait, what about Grenier’s Tenacity talent? Does that stack with the ATK&DEF Buffs?” Yes, yes it does. “But wait, you sa-“
Do not confuse buffs with similar effects.
All right, so this can get complicated. When we think of a buff, we think in simple terms such as ATK UP and DEF UP. More numbers is better, right? Well, Langrisser Mobile is a little weird. When we cast a buff like Protect, we expect a simple “Protect” buff that has all the effects in it. For reference, this is what Protect does.
- Increases Troop DEF by 20%
- Immune To: DEF Down, MDEF Down, Cannot Be Healed
Protect actually gives out two buffs, one that increased Troop DEF and the other that gives the immunity. You can see what exactly is on the unit by tapping a unit, tapping their portrait in the top left, and tapping on all the little buff icons. It will open up a window describing all the buffs and how long they last.
By the way, yes, you can heal units that have the Protect buff on them. Same thing goes when under a Strengthen buff, you can still use your active skills. The English description is a bit awkward.
Those little icons there, they are each individually a “buff.” So, what I said previously still applies. If you have a 15% ATK buff but gain a 20% ATK buff, they will not be combined and only the higher value is used.
However, Grenier’s Tenacity is not an ATK Buff or a DEF Buff. It is his Tenacity buff. Yes, it does give extra ATK & DEF, the same as a Strengthen or Protect skill. In Langrisser, Tenacity is counted as its own separate buff despite having the same effect, so it will stack with the generic +ATK & +DEF.
Another example is Matthew’s Attack Command. Yes, it also affects ATK and increases it by 10%, but Attack Command is counted as a separate buff so it stacks. (Attack Command also increase INT by 10%.)
If in doubt your buff stacks with other buffs, check the unit. For pinpoint research, play with animations off to see increases to ATK and DEF while in combat while keeping tabs on the stats outside of it.
How does this all relate to Faction Buffs?
Back to factions, we are. When a Faction Buff is cast, it will have the following effects…
+20% ATK, +20% INT
+20% DEF
+30% MDEF
Unique Effect (Depends on the “Leader” unit)
These are four buffs from simply casting one skill!
Remember, as Strengthen (Mass Attack) and Protect (Mass Protect) share the same ATK and DEF “buff slot,” they will not stack. So, these “generic buffs” become somewhat useless once Faction Buffs come into play. Here’s a quick comparison between a Faction Buff and Mass Protect.
Faction Buff:
Cost: 2 Skill Points
Range: Entire Map (if ally is affiliated with the faction)
Duration: 4 Turns
Cooldown: 3 Turns
Buffs: +20% ATK, +20% INT || +20% DEF || +30% MDEF || Unique Effect
Mass Protect:
Cost: 2 Skill Points
Range: 3 Tiles from Caster, 3 Tile AoE
Duration: 2 Turns
Cooldown: 2 Turns
Buffs: +20% DEF || Immune To: DEF Down, MDEF Down, Cannot Be Healed
… Seeing why Faction Buffs are so valued? For the price of 2 Skill Slots, the unit can buff the entire map of allies if they are affiliated with their faction. Meanwhile, generic buffs need multiple casters to try to compete with Faction Buffs.
Also, here’s a very important note.
Unique Faction Buffs do not stack.
Say you wanted to run a Strategist Empire team with Bernhardt and Altemuller at the helm, with the main focus on making Leon a tactical powerhouse. We covered Bernhardt’s unique previously, but Altemuller’s unique effect is making all passable terrain count as plains, and the unit receives defense from the terrain, they gain +15% damage dealt in combat.
You cast Bernhardt’s faction buff (+20% damage to disadvantaged troops), and then Altemuller’s. Altemuller’s unique buff will override Bernhardts while the generic faction buffs refresh their duration. What happen?
Turns out despite having unique effects, the Faction buff is considered the same. (The game even says Faction Buffs do not stack, but the game descriptions are wonky and we need to verify things.) Because of this, be careful of overlapping factions if you are using more than one Leader. If you want to try and run a Hybrid faction anyway, then we got you covered. Soon, my boy. Soon.
Whew. Now maybe we can start thinking about Faction selection, yeah? But wait, one last thing before we go.
Debuffs
I didn't exist in the original... :(
Cooldowns/Duration
Turns is a misnomer. Cooldowns & Duration tick per action, not per turn.
This becomes most noticeable if one has Liana with the Again skill. Normally, we think of turns as the entire round (On my turn I move all my guys, on your turn you move all of yours.) In Langrisser Mobile, it is actually per action of the individual character.
Let us take Matthew’s Air Slash as an example.
Alone: Air Slash // CD 2 // CD 1 // Air Slash
Again: Air Slash, Again, CD 2 // CD 1 // Air Slash
When alone, Matthew Air Slashes on the first turn. He is on cooldown for the second and third turns before it is ready again on the fourth.
However, when Matthew is paired with Liana (or gets to act again), he Air Slashes on the first turn. Liana casts “Again” on him, granting him another action, so Matthew attacks. The CD is now 2 on the first turn. It drops down to 1 on the second turn and becomes ready on the third turn.
Buffs follow the same mindset. This is why sometimes you think Grenier is ready to taunt guard his allies (he has the icons), but as soon as you move him the icons disappear.
Also, keep in mind these cooldowns and durations also apply to any skill that grants a full action, not just Again. Examples include “Strike,” “Aim,” “Chivalry,” and Cherie’s ”Wild Princess” as they allow you to move and attack after casting the skill (“taking an action”). Skills such as ”Roundabout” and ”Move Again” do not count as they are simple movement after taking an action (you can’t use another skill or attack).
This is why it may be wise to take note of “buff orders,” specifically buffing a unit before it takes an action or after. If you need the buff right now, on the player phase, use it before the unit takes an action. If you only need it for the enemy phase (or next turn), cast the buff after the unit takes its action.
All right, off ye go. Or not, this is just text. Just keep reading, just keep reading…
Team Composition
First off, before we even think about factions, there is the matter of Team Composition. Surprised? If you read the title, you shouldn’t be. Grab a cup of coffee or water or something. This’ll be another section to cover. Hopefully it won’t be as long as buffs.
Langrisser follows the classic model of “Tank, DPS, Healer.” However, later in the game we will also require a “Leader” or a “Faction Buffer,” as late-game content expects the team to be outfitted, buffed, and prepared for combat.
So, taking the usual deployment limit of 5, we have the following roles for a general purpose party.
Leader (Faction Buff)
Tank
DPS
Healer
Any (Put anything here)
The Leader is the person who has the Faction Buff. Typically, you do not want your leader to also be your main tank (Ledin, Grenier) or your main DPS (Leon). Since Leaders have two of their skill slots reserved for the Faction Buff, they are generally regulated to niche or off roles.
Taking Bernhardt as our guinea pig again, he may be an off tank equipped with Iron Fist and Hegemony. Alternatively, he may be a source of physical AoE keeping Sword Dance with Sun Shade for survival. Maybe he’ll have crowd control and Shield Bash troublesome opponents with Sever to deal fixed damage. Build Bernhardt, or whatever leader you choose, as needed for your team composition!
("An emperor must wield two blades; hope in the left hand, surety in the right." - Izaro Phrecius)
The Tank is the selfless hero(ine) that takes damage for allies and shields them from harm. In general, your tank is most likely going to be a Lancer class so they serve as the perfect anti-cavalry unit (unless you are Ledin, King of Tanks). Their highlight skill usually has a passive and an active component. The passive is usually a physical guard for adjacent allies while the active extends the range and grants an additional effect, such as Thorns Barb.
Do not neglect raising a tank. While some missions can be cleared with pure firepower, you don’t want to be caught out of position (especially against cavalry) and lose your previous glass cannons. Also, be nice and bring a tank to Joint Battles and Co-Op mission when appropriate. You never know when a group of enemies will spawn on the enemy turn and assassinate your precious NPC escort… (Angelica, I’m looking at you.)
DPS DPS DPS. MOAR DEEPS. The DPS slot serves as your main damage dealer. Leon and Cherie are the top contenders for this spot, so if you have one of them, you are basically set for physical damage. Lana can be considered the Leon for magic damage, but I find physical damage to be more reliable when attacking without skills. If I had Lana, I could judge her worth properly… (I now have Lana. She is everything they said and more. Lana is amazing! Just make sure her soldiers get to attack too if not using AoE.)
When leveling up a DPS character, invest heavily into their weapons as well. I won’t be covering equipment here, but upgrading gear becomes extremely important later in the game. Leveling up your units and advancing them through classes will only get you so far.
Also, invest in your soldiers. The meta seems to revolve around usage of Angels, which is a flying unit unlocked in the Training Grounds. Leon, Cherie, and Matthew have access to them. So, if you want to plan ahead, start investing into Fliers (Aquatic units are just a bonus. Maybe raise one after your main team is thoroughly prepared and equipped).
The Healer is probably the second most important person in the party aside from the Leader. On some maps you can get away with not having a tank, but running maps without a healer is insane! Even with overwhelming force, your DPS units will get injured and require patching up for 100% effectiveness. Always bring a healer with you. Always. Even in Multiplayer. Do it. Please.
Now, Healers do not necessarily have to be fully dedicated to their role. Depending on your team composition, a Healer Hybrid can work just as well. Imelda can provide off heals while slinging spells while Jessica can provide Teleports and Mass Healing. You may even bring a dedicated healer like Liana to cast Blizzard and Windblade instead of providing extra support. Whywouldyoudothis,againop
Another thing I want to bring up are Faction Buffs. Faction Buffs are important, but they are mainly there for your DPS and Tanks. Do not be afraid to use an off-faction healer if you need one. The skills and abilities of the healer outweigh having Faction Buffs. The same applies to other support units (Jessica & Hein for Teleport, Lester for Chain Hook, etc.)
Lastly, the Any class is anything you want it to be. Need more damage? Bring another DPS. Need to have two separate teams? Maybe bring another tank for protection. Playing it safe? Bring a healer. Teleport Strats? Bring Jessica and/or Hein. Want to be a Hybrid Team? That’s covered in Part II, but finish Part I first! So on and so forth…
Of course, this is just a general team setup. However, there is one important thing you should know when making teams.
Teams are not set in stone. Be flexible with your team composition!
While the team deploy limit is usually 5, chances are you will actually have a roster of around 8 main characters. Yeah, you’ll likely keep your core team on board at all times (Leader, Healer, DPS), but sometimes having a resident expert on hand for certain content is useful.
For example, Chris. You likely will not be using Chris for general content as your main DPS and Healer (usually Holy), can get the job done. On some maps though, the enemy is swarming with Demons and you will be praying for the salvation of Chris. She will annihilate demons and heal your party too!
Another example are using some of the lesser used classes, such as Archers, Assassins, and those Aquatic guys. Archers typically try to clear out enemy fliers, Aquatics conquer water maps, and Assassins are at the ready to execute your master plan. While they may not be the strongest choices as your resources are likely spent elsewhere, they can still be situationally useful.
Then there is Teleport. Always have a Jessica or Hein at the ready. Did you know you can cheese the Tomb Chest map with Teleport? Use the bottom two deployment slots, the bottom for your Teleporter (Jessica) and the top with a unit with high movement. Move your teleporter to the right tile of your desired unit, and you will be able to teleport past the wall and grab the chest, skipping the fight entirely. Easy money.
Back to flexible team composition, remember to respond to the battle at hand. Different battles may require different compositions, and some strategies may be more efficient than others. Sometimes you may not even need a tank, and on rare occasions you may not even need a healer! (This is probably because your tank or DPS has ways of healing themselves.)
Also remember, you have your Leader unit. Some Leaders can off-tank if required (Bernhardt, Ledin, Grenier, Altemuller). Sure, they may not be as effective as a pure dedicated tank, but they can get the job done.
However, try to finalize a core team. Transitioning to a new team requires a ton of resources!
All right, I said to be flexible with your team composition and try to raise 5-8 characters. This still stands. I am here to simply warn you of the Level 35 wall. Specifically, the investment wall.
Before level 35 you can mess around and level who you want without much consequence. As your progress further, the resources required to level up and advance your characters will increase. Gathering enough materials from the Time Rift will become difficult (the daily limit, stamina costs, and gated progression does not help any). You may start running out of EXP potions, especially if trying to keep most of your characters leveled. Then there is the matter of upgrading your soldiers as well as upgrading your equipment (by leveling them and enchanting them properly. Getting the unique effect first is fine, but after a while you will want to optimize the “enchant stats” as well.). Gold may begin to become scarce as it is used for so many things, and things begin to cost a lot later in the game. You may be swimming in gold like Scrooge McDuck now, but that’s just because you haven’t hit the main gold sinks yet.
While Guild Battles may help with your class material collection endeavors, most of your resources will likely be spent on getting the monthly Runestone. Doing Guild Battles also requires you to be in a guild, specifically a larger one, to even do Guild Battles. This is not even taking into account Guild activity on how fast they can clear content. If you happen to be in a great guild, then there is not much to worry about. If going solo or in a poor guild, remember, the Time Rift is always there for you...
Now, you can transfer equipment over from one character to another and you may even share soldier types which can ease the transition. Nonetheless, leveling and advancing characters is still a serious hurdle. This isn’t even taking in account the level 40 wall as that is a wall of its own class (T3 Soldiers is a big difficulty spike, and you will want your own as soon as possible).
If you are really unsatisfied with your current core, you can transition if you want. Just know that your overall progression will be slowed down during this transition process.
As a last tip, invest in SR and SSR characters while avoiding Rs. This is a no brainer as higher rarity units tend to perform better, and they definitely do in Langrisser Mobile. However, the stat differences and hero boost differences are enough to make one pause when desiring to invest into a R unit. You still can of course (especially if they have utility like Jessica’s Teleport, Lester’s Hook, or Leticia’s Movement Buff), but their stats will begin to fall off later in the game.
I was a sad man when I had to bench my Laird (I now use Sonya, the Discount Leon). Sonya was just better stat-wise, and she will continue to outperform Laird, even if Laird had a star rank and a class mastery over her… (Laird is actually still useful, but he is far more reliant on his soldiers and Knight's Faith do the work instead of himself. Think of Laird more as a commander who buffs his soldiers in battle instead of a one-man army like Leon.)
As always, just choose what works for you! Now take a break, this section is over. (Once upon a time, this section was a little shorter than buffs. By half a page.)
Factions
Can I have help with my faction now? Yes, indeed. It is called Lothric It is time for Faction Selection, the reason why you are probably here. After going over how Buffs work and how your Team is organized, we can finally choose a Faction! Hurray!
There are currently 7 different factions in Langrisser Mobile (Protagonists, Legion of Glory, Empire’s Honor, Dark Cycle, Origin, Strategist, & Princess). The most beginner friendly faction is in fact not the Protagonists, but the Legion of Glory. We shall start with that first.
Legion of Glory
The Legion of Glory are your favorite good guys from Langrisser I, II, and Mobile. They are the best starter faction as your main trio (Matthew, Grenier, Almeda) are a part of it, and Grenier can be the faction leader for a day. They have access to the best tank in the game (Ledin), one of the best DPS (Cherie), and one of the best healers (Liana). It even has Hein and Jessica for Teleport shenanigans. What more could you want?
All right, so the Legion of Glory lacks a good Cavalry unit. Scott has an identity crisis, he wants to be a tank but is on a horse. Horse Matthew can work in a pinch, but you need to have Horse Matthew in the first place. If you went through the starting quiz and got something else, it really won’t work. (Flying Matthew Best Matthew, followed by Cavalry. Ranger and Assassin have niche uses but are generally not worth it.)
While anyone can go Glory due to the starter trio, you will want to be looking for the following core members.
Leader: Elwin (Ledin > Grenier)
Tank: Ledin (Aaron > Grenier)
DPS: Cherie (Matthew)
Healer: Liana, Almeda
Spellcasters: Jessica, Hein
Paladin: Chris (She heals when she is on the offensive. Also smites Demons.)
Supplemental: Narm (Fly Swatter), Lester (Aquatic Guy)
Benchwarmers: Keith (Defensive Flier?), Scott (Defensive Cavalry?)
Recommended Minimum: Cherie + Elwin or Ledin
If you truly want to go Glory, then you will need Cherie. Not only she is one of the best DPS in the game, she is one of the few DPS Glory teams have. I also recommend having either Elwin or Ledin for their faction buff as Grenier’s is completely lackluster.
Once you have those two, the rest of the slots are basically open. Glory has the advantage when facing Demonic enemies due to the power that is Chris, and Glory teams are generally powerful enough to clear most content in the game. Nearing end-game though, Glory may begin to have problems in the damage department as Cherie can only do so much by herself. An off-faction Leon (or substitute) may help with this.
As for Narm, she is actually a great unit once properly invested into. The problem is the investment costs as Archers & Assassins tend to sit at the lowest point of priority when it comes to upgrading soldiers. Once everyone else is maxed out, work on Narm. She and her Sky Archers will not disappoint.
Protagonists
The Protagonist faction is built upon whale bones or remains that contain EX Rank Luck. It is also built on the power of friendship with Matthew at the helm. Surely, with the power of the Protagonists, the team will prevail!
…
…
Seriously, Protagonists are just a trimmed down Legion of Glory with Diehardt and Tiaris thrown in. As for what your team will probably look like…
Leader: Matthew
Tank: Ledin
DPS: Elwin, Diehardt
Healer: Liana, Almeda, Tiaris
Chris: Chris
That’s it. Nothing more, nothing less. I suppose you get to see the novelty of an Elwin DPS, but mobility (Fliers, Cavalry) is king for a reason. Diehardt may be on a horse, but he is no Leon. Diehardt is an assassin on a horse and relies on criticals and sneaky sneaky to be effective. At least Diehardt has SSR stats when compared to his competition.
Use this team for the memes and the satisfaction of messing around with the Protagonists. Otherwise, any other team is better. Maybe over time Protagonists may get stronger as others are added in, but for now they are just a novelty.
And if your Matthew sucks, RIP.
Origin
The Heroes of Langrisser III, or so I heard. Led by Bruce Willis Diehardt, the Origin Team excels with overflowing buffs and relying on critical hits. They have access to Freya, an amazing tank with Thorns Barb that essentially has enemies running to their own demise. Tiaris gets the distinction of being a healer on a horse. There is Luna who can utilize her MDEF for ATK. Lewin is an Immortal Elwin that doesn’t really do damage. We got Samurai with Kirikaze. Oh, and Jessica is here too.
Leader: Diehardt (Freya)
Tank: Freya
DPS: Kirikaze, Silver Wolf
Healer: Tiaris, Sophia
Spellcasters: Jessica, Liffany
Anti-Magic Girl: Luna
Not Elwin: Lewin Supplemental: Dios (Fly Swatter), Pierre (Aquatic Guy)
Honestly, there’s not much of a selection here. Diehardt is preferred as faction lead as Freya’s buff is generic like Lance’s and Grenier’s. Other than that, there’s no real requirements here. If you are using Luna, she may be best as a Bow Master, unless you wish to use her as a flier for Origin. Origin Teams have some cool ideas and designs (SAMURAI), but otherwise fall short when compared to other teams.
Run Origin like you would a Protagonist team, just for pure enjoyment. The best characters here (Freya, Tiaris, and Sophia) can be run on the waifu Princess team instead, or off-faction for the healers.
Princess
Ah, now we go the breast best team, the Princess Alliance. These heroines have access two amazing DPS units, Cherie (Physical DMG) and Lana (Magical DMG). Freya is also an amazing tank, provided she can stay alive long enough for her endless Barbs to work. Of course, Princess also has access to the best healers in the game as they are all princesses! (Liana, Tiaris, Sophia)
Okay, they may not actually be princesses, but they are princesses in our hearts. At least that is what the game description told me.
Now, this is the Princess Alliance, which means no boys allowed. This means no Leon allowed (unless you bring him anyway off-faction). Luckily, Sonya is a suitable replacement for Leon and can kick almost as much butt as he can. Cross dimensional beings do not count. Joshua from Trails from the Sky is not a princess. I don't care what the game says or what he- oh. oh...
As for the characters and roles…
Leader: Luna
Tank: Freya
DPS: Cherie (Sonya)
Healer: Liana, Tiaris, Sophia
Dark Princess: Lana
Holy Templar: Chris
Supplemental: Narm (Fly Swatter), Liffany (Spellcaster)
Benchwarmer: Anna (RNG Buff Generator)
Minimum Recommended: Luna + Freya + Cherie, Lana, or Sonya || (Endgame Recommendation: ???)
Needless to say, to use a faction you will require its leader, and that is Luna for the Princess Alliance. Freya is the only on-faction tank option for the girls, and Sonya is easier to obtain being an SR. Of course, having Cherie and/or Lana along will definitely help matters with regards to DPS.
It can be argued that the Princess team is the strongest in the game as their only downfall is their tank. Freya is amazing and will annihilate common fodder, but once boss characters start jumping in she’ll wish she had more defensive options.
It is here, near the end-game, where the Princess Alliance must be rescued. Dragons and most bosses are immune to fixed damage which completely negates Freya’s gimmick. As such, there is one man that they can rely on. A hero who will hold out ‘til the end of the night. This street-wise Hercules is none other than Ledin, the King of Tanks.
Ledin replaces Freya as the Princess Alliance end-game tank. He will still be using his Faction Buff to buff himself, and then protect the Princesses from any damage with his Defender skill. He shall be the white knight to defend the princesses while the girls themselves slaughter the enemy. What a powerful combination.
Seriously, the Princess Alliance are insanely strong. A team of Luna, Cherie, Sonya, Lana, and Liana can probably annihilate enemies effortlessly. While Luna is weaker since she needs to cast the faction buff, she can still be formidable if properly equipped to use Wind Spiral. Otherwise, she’ll likely play support with Defense Command.
Oh, and if there are any Demons around, Chris is your girl. She’ll die for her man Ledin. I’ve read the propaganda. (Huh, so that’s why Ledin shows up. He’s there because of Chris.)
Here’s a tip for ya, free of charge. I’ve heard Princess Teams are the best for the Time Trial missions, so if you can assemble one, go for it!
Dark Reincarnation
Leader: Bozel
Tank: Bernhardt
DPS: Altemuller, Sonya
Healer: None!
Spellcaster: Lana, Egbert
Archer: Varna
So, you want to play as the bad guys. Bozel is needed for this endeavor, as well as Bernhardt to tank effectively. Yes, we are seeing the mighty emperor become a tank. Such is his power of versatility. Then, we need a DPS with either Altemuller or discount Leon Sonya. Having Lana and/or Egbert along would be useful.
Now, here’s the thing. Bozel is the King of Debuffs. He has a chance to passively debuff enemies when dealing damage, and he has plenty of debuff spells. He has the potential to inflict up to 4 debuffs from a single cast (when using Black Hole or Earthquake while having the Seal passive, combined with his innate Talent.)
Bozel is great for PvP (enclosed spaces, everyone’s grouped up, long CDs don’t really matter). He can forgo the faction buff for more debuff potential. For PvE though, enemies tend to be spread out and faction buffs are generally recommended, making it a little more difficult for Bozel to curse his enemies.
When he does do his thing though in PvE, it is appreciated. Just don’t expect to get reliable usage of his unique faction bonus unless Bozel has a higher star rank or you have another debuffer.
Oh, and there’s also no healer whatsoever in the Dark Cycle, so have fun!~
Strategic Masters
Do you believe yourself to be a tactical mastermind? Do all your plans for world domination, stopping the Protagonist, the survival of your men fail completely? Then Strategic Masters is the place for you!
In all seriousness, Strategic Masters shares heavily with the Empire. The cornerstone of the Empire is basically Leon (DPS) and Vargas (Tank). From there, it is simply “Do you want Bernhardt or Altemuller to be leader?” However, as Empire has the better exclusives (the Strategists exclusives sit on the Bench of Shame, sans Luna), it is typically better to go with Bernhardt as your faction leader.
However, Altemuller’s unique buff is nothing to scoff at. The ability to treat all passable terrain as plains (and get a 15% DMG bonus if using defensive terrain) is an amazing gimmick. Leon can pretend to fly and nothing can hide from him. Then there is also Luna, but she needs significant investment to become amazing.
If you want crazy mobility over raw firepower, then Altemuller and the Strategic Masters may be for you!
Leader: Altemuller
Tank: Vargas
DPS: Leon (Lance, Luna)
Healer: “Imelda”
Spellcaster: Egbert, Imelda
Cavalry Cheerleader: Leticia
That One Guy: Emerick
Bench of Shame: Dios, Scott
Recommended Minimum: Altemuller, Leon, Vargas
If you want to run Strategic Masters, chances are you really wanted to run an Empire Team for the shiny new Leon you obtained, but you don’t have Bernhardt. You also do not want to use Leon’s faction buff as that takes up a turn that Leon could have used owning the enemy. (Alternatively, you have a need for speed or wanted to fly.)
For tanks, Vargas is here for all your tanking needs, and he is one of the best tanks in the game. If you need to tank physical damage, Vargas is your man. Ledin is only King of Tanks because he can tank almost everything (and retaliate with good damage), but Vargas outperforms him when it comes to physical tanking. Vargas gets to revive once if he happens to be defeated. Ledin doesn’t have that. Score one for the family man.
For healers, you can specialize Imelda to become a hybrid healer that has Mass Healing (AoE Heals) and Force Heal (Passively heals allies after attacking), but she may be better off as a spellcaster. Remember, you can always bring an off-faction healer/support. Faction Buffs are more for DPS/Tanks, they are not necessary (but appreciated) on support units.
From here, the gates are open. Leon is the main DPS star and everything else is there to support him. You could bring Lance to dive into enemy lines (whether he comes back is a different matter entirely), or try using Leticia as a support cavalry unit. Luna can become amazing but she requires significant investment with her equipment due to her MDEF conversion gimmick, so I would stick to the basics.
Empire's Honor
Finally, the Empire. The home of Leon, the greatest knight to have ever graced Langrisser. Then there is Demon Girl Leon, who is a little more squishy but can cross terrain better (Sonya). Then there is Green Helmet Leon, who is fired at his foes like a cannonball to cause great destruction (Laird). We have Vargas, who can rise from the ashes of defeat like a phoenix. There’s Imelda, who is a variety spellcaster who can heal if she is in the mood. Altemuller is here to become king of the skies, while Bernhardt leads his beloved Empire to glory. Oh, and Elwin and Hein are here too. Wait, what timeline is this? I thought they were the good guys?
If you want a whole lotta damage, the Empire is the place to be. They have the other best DPS in the game (Leon), while also having one of the best tanks (Vargas). If there is any weakness in the Empire, it is in their magic department. There are no real healers, and Egbert is more of a gimmick caster than a proper one. Imelda is a jack-of-all-spells, but master of none. Hein is here though and is appreciated for his Teleport skill, as well as the almighty Meteor.
Leader: Bernhardt (Leon > Lance)
Tank: Vargas
DPS: Leon (Laird, Sonya, Elwin, Altemuller > Lance)
Healer: “Imelda”
Spellcaster: Egbert, Imelda, Hein
Cavalry Cheerleader: Leticia
That One Guy: Emerick
Sonya’s Bro: Rohga (Assassin Crit Guy)
Archer: Varna
Benchwarmer: Anna (RNG Buff Healer Girl)
Recommended Minimum: Bernhardt, Leon, Vargas
Ah, yes. The Three Pillars of the Empire: Bernhardt, Leon, and Vargas, are required if one desires to play the Empire faction. Bernhardt is an amazing leader, Leon has amazing DPS, and Vargas is an amazing family man. From here, getting a healer would be recommended for Vargas if heavy tanking is required. Remember that Imelda can become a “healer” if you need her to, but dedicated healers are probably better.
Now, you could use Leon or Lance for the faction buff instead of Bernhardt. Lance has a faction buff on par with Grenier’s (read: not great), so he is but a temporary solution. Leon prefers to be DPS instead of leading an army, so this is why Bernhardt as the preferred Empire leader.
If you wanted to go pure Empire, just bring Laird along. Leon and Laird are best buddies. Laird will clear a path so Leon can have his honorable duel with formidable foes. Heck, bring Elwin too. When Elwin is fighting for the Empire, it allows him to be free of that leadership responsibility and instead lets him bash some heads for stress relief. Who says the Empire always have to be the bad guys?
If you don’t have Elwin, maybe bring Sonya. You’ll have a Cavalry Trio, just make sure not to run into any lancers unless you are properly prepared.
“But I don’t have Leon! I wanna play Empire! What do I do?”
Psst. Hey. There’s a guide for a Leon Substitute below. Don’t tell them I sent you. Or do, I don’t care.
https://www.reddit.com/r/langrisser/comments/ams8bb/lacking_leon_cavalry_substitute_guide/
Going Off-Faction
Before we jump into Hybrid Factions proper, let us talk about Off-Faction play. Specifically, I mean running your core faction team with an off-faction support unit.
Remember the general Team Composition guidelines? (Leader, Tank, DPS, Healer, Any) For an off-faction support unit, this is usually a healer (Almeda, Liana, Tiaris, etc.) or a teleporter (Jessica, Hein). Usually this will occur if running an Empire, Strategist, or Dark Cycle core as they lack good healers. While Imelda can heal for Empire/Strategist teams and Anna exists for the Empire, you may desire a dedicated healer instead.
“But I thought Factions was all about that Faction Buff? Why bring anyone not part of your faction?”
Like I said, for utility purposes. Recall what the faction buff does? No? Then here it is again. (Remember, some Leaders do not have Unique Effects, such as Grenier and Lance.)
Faction Buffs: +20% ATK, +20% INT || +20% DEF || +30% MDEF || Unique Effect
These buffs are lovely to have, but they are geared more towards your DPS and Tanks. Sure, healers would appreciate the extra INT for heal scaling and the extra DEF & MDEF to protect themselves, but they should always be under the protection of your tanks and out of harm’s way.
In short, utility of supports override the usefulness of Faction Buffs. Do not be afraid to bring someone off-faction if you need them for something.
Now, I mainly talked about utility supports. There is no real DPS or Tank supports, save for two particular men. One of them can truly serve off-faction while the other breaks the rules and simply buffs himself. These two unique characters are Leon and Ledin.
I had a whole section on buffs on the last guide. Try to recall the main points (Buffs do not stack, only the highest value applies, etc.) Now apply this logic to Leon.
Obviously, Leon will function better when part of the Empire or Strategist factions. However, due to his Chivalry skill, he can be fielded in any team composition as DPS. While his current version of Chivalry is okay (20% ATK increase, on par with Faction Buffs // Immunity & Blast), Chivalry will get buffed later on that will increases the ATK to 30% and grant him Healing as an additional effect! Yes, Leon will lose out on some other buffs (20% DEF, 30% MDEF, Unique Faction Buff), but Chivalry does a lot already. When the EN Chivalry finally matches the CN Chivalry, Leon is the definite choice for an off-faction support. Until then, Leon is still good, but nowhere near as busted.
… So, if you want to play it safe (or wait until Chivalry gets buffed), you can swap out Chivalry for Imperial Charge (Leon’s Faction Buff). This is also the “budget” option if you are not swimming in Runestones to go and pick up Chivalry from his other class line. The main issue is that Leon has so many good skills (Chivalry, Thousand Hooves, Legion) that it can become difficult to justify using the buff if serving as a pure DPS role. Only do this is you plan for Leon to take some damage or do not think he could survive without the defensive buffs. He’ll also no longer be off-faction. He’ll just be in his own faction, all by himself. (If you bring someone else along, then you ruined the point of bringing up as an off-faction support in the first place. That’s Hybrid Factions, we’ll not there yet. And Leon is not supposed to be your leader!)
As for Ledin, he can get away by using a faction buff while tanking due to glorious synergy with his tanking skill. (No, not Lance Phalanx, the other one.) It combines his DEF & MDEF and replaces his ATK value with the combination of both. Guess what the Faction Buff does, alongside Ledin’s unique effect? Yeah, Ledin is King of Tanks for a reason.
Support Ledin is technically not an off-faction support (since he uses his own faction buff), but since he can function on his own I decided to make an exception and highlight him up here. He got a shoutout for protecting Princess teams back in Part One, but I’m sure some may appreciate Ledin protecting other faction cores if you happen to have him.
All right, that’s enough about off-faction supports. Now we delve into Hybrid Factions, the reason why you’re here and the title of this guide!
Hybrid Factions
First thing to know and remember about Hybrid Factions, which you may recall from Part One…
Unique Faction Buffs Do Not Stack.
So, running Bernhardt and Altemuller, both as Leaders, in an Empire/Strategist team is a bad idea. When the teams overlap and the leaders cast their buffs, the latest unique buff will override the previous one. Granted, you can still pull it off, but it may not be as effectiveness and one has to be mindful of the overwritten buffs. (So, if you want “Flying Leon,” you’ll have to go with a Strategy team. Sorry Bernhardt!)
With this in mind, it is ideal to reduce the number of leaders (one if enough), or try not to have any overlap whatsoever. Just remember that Leader units can be in other roles too, they just need to drop their Faction Buff and pick up another skill. You can always run a unit off-faction without the buffs if you need to.
But this is the Hybrid Faction section, which means multiple leaders. We want those Faction Buffs. No unit will be left behind or be off-faction!
Why Hybrid? For one, you may not have all the needed units for your core faction. Maybe you want to use a favorite unit, but they are off-faction. Perhaps you just want Matthew and Almeda to tag along with whatever faction core (sans Glory, they are already there) you choose. Hybrid Factions are all about making up the deficiencies in your main party.
You can say that Hybrid Factions may be weaker due to the lack of 2 precious skill slots on a character, but the options it provides may be worth the cost. This becomes far more apparent at end-game where you have more characters built and ready for action instead of the original “core team.” Versatility is key.
The exception to going Hybrid may be in PvP, especially if under the control of AI (be it your defensive teams or auto-battling on the offensive). Each action in PvP is highly valuable, so “wasting an action” for the Faction Buff may not be worth it.
Going back to Part One, recall the general 5-man party of Leader, Tank, DPS, Healer, Any. You can choose to slot another Leader in the Any slot so you can bring someone else of a different faction to your party. Remember, Leaders are another unit that can serve as an off-DPS or off-tank if needed. It is just they also have to buff the team now and then.
I hope you’ve been paying attention thus far, especially to Team Composition and the individual factions. For the most part, this section will assume you are already running a “Core” faction team of 3 members (Leader, Hero A, Hero B). We’ll be covering the “Support” faction team that is 2 members (Leader, Support). Got it memorized? No? Then review your team comps, maybe re-read Part One, and then come back here. The text won’t go anywhere.
Protagonist Support
Leader: Matthew (Unique Effect: +15% DMG for 3 Turns if entering battle with an ally within 2 spaces.)
Recommended Supports: Any (Even Almeda and Diehardt)
We know the Protagonists are one of the weaker factions, but maybe, just maybe, they can pull off a supporting role. The amount of support provided is highly dependent on how powerful your Matthew his (because even with the faction buff and maybe Attack Command, you’ll still want him to actually do something productive). But even if your Matthew is weak, it is possible that the Faction Buff he provides is enough for the support to do their job.
While you could use the Protagonist Support to bring one of the lovely healers along (Almeda, Liana, Tiaris), they really do not need the faction buff to be effective. Healers work perfectly fine off-faction, but if you really wanted to I suppose you could. They’re masterworks all, you can’t go wrong.
What you may want to do, though, is bring a tank along. What better tank to bring to the team than Ledin, King of Tanks?
You’ll likely want to bring Ledin for Dark Cycle teams if you don’t have Bernhardt, or replacing Freya in Princess and Origin teams for endgame content. If for some reason you don’t have Vargas (or haven’t invested in him), Ledin can tank for Empire and Strategist teams as well. Matthew’s unique buff works well for Ledin tanking as Ledin will want to be near the team at all times, making it almost always active.
Alternatively, you may desire to get your best friend Elwin and go Independent. Go on a rampage and leave nothing in your wake. That’s right, we are bring psychopath DPS Elwin to the fray!
Elwin may not have the mobility of Cherie and Leon, but he has some great self-sustain due to his talent (which becomes even better at higher star ranks). He has Sun Slash that heals himself and deal 1.5 damage. He also has Sword Soul that deals a whopping 1.8 damage and dispels up to 5 buffs the enemy has before battle!
Where exactly you would use DPS Elwin? Honestly, I have no idea because Leon and Cherie exist. Maybe try going for the Dark Cycle so you can pretend Elwin turned to the dark side.
But still, DPS Elwin! (Real talk, Elwin’s self-sustain is pretty good. He may not have the mobility or super DPS like Leon or Cherie, but he is far more likely to stay alive in caught in a bad situation.)
There is also Diehardt. While I am not personally familiar with him as I missed the launch train, he can serve as an Assassin character or a support Cavalry unit. His claim to fame is having access to Thousand Hooves while his gimmick (like most Origin characters) is a focus on critical hits. Diehardt is basically an assassin on a horse, unless you actually run him as an Assassin for some master plan you have devised.
One thing to note here is Diehardt is no Leon. Leon can charge enemies and make it back to safety (“Discount Leon” Sonya can snowball once she goes on a killing spree). Diehardt relies on his criticals for crazy damage and his smoke screen (which is on a cooldown) for survivability. Still, if you have him, he can serve perfectly fine as support for Glory teams. The other factions have Sonya and Leon for cavalry.
Lastly, if you absolutely, positively, want a Demon Army slain, call upon Chris. (I am totally not overselling Chris.) Her Holy class and troop types are well suited at culling demonic hordes, and she can heal allies when she actively attacks when the Faith passive is equipped. Using Redemption deals damage to an enemy and heals the whole party, while Discipline deals damage and heals herself. Chris can be your savior when facing against Demonic enemies, all it takes is a little investment.
Glorious Support (Legion of Glory)
Leader: Elwin (Unique Effect: If HP > 80%, +15 DMG)
Leader: Ledin (Unique Effect: +20% DMG when attacked.)
Leader: Grenier (Unique Effect: None)
Recommended Supports: Cherie, Liana, Chris, ???
Ah yes, the Legion of Glory. Chances are you are running Glory, unless you are going Empire or Strategist. The main reason for Glory support? Cherie and Liana (and Chris).
As for what leader, Elwin is still the best one for general usage. Ledin relies on counterattacks which is fine for tanks, but Langrisser seems to prefer the more “active” approach in attacking enemies instead of letting them attack you and be defeated. Don’t even think about using Grenier as a support lead, unless he is all you have and you happen to really like the guy.
Cherie would likely be top pick here as she is everyone’s beloved Galeforce Falcon Knight Dragon Master Flier. Her ability to act twice every so often after killing an enemy is crazy! Cherie’s damage output is phenomenal and as stated before, she is one of the best DPS in the game.
So where would to place DPS Cherie? Chances are you may have wanted to run an Empire/Strategist team even though you have the people for Glory. Maybe you wanted to help the Origin or a Dark Cycle team with flier support. The Protagonist Team doesn’t exi-
Basically, this is Cherie’s version of “place Cherie wherever you need DPS,” much like how Leon can fit into almost anything.
As mentioned before, you can run Liana as your main support, but healers don’t really need the faction buff. This may be one of the times where you want to bring Ledin along and have him off-tank while Liana helps out with the heals and support. “Again” is a powerful drug. Too bad it has a cooldown and can’t be used every turn like Fire Emblem Dancers…
If you want Demons slain and allies healed, there be Chris. I think I said enough about her by now.
Lastly, if you ever need a hero, there is one man that you can call. He breaks boundaries because of who he is (okay, technically some other leaders can do this too, but shush). He appeared before to save the beloved Princess Alliance. This superman is Ledin. He doesn’t need someone to support him, he supports himself with his own faction buff!
Okay, okay, I know I said you probably don’t want your main tank to be a faction leader. Thing is, Ledin is just that good, and he is self-sufficient. He takes over for Freya in the Princess Alliance team (and likely Origin too) due to endgame bosses negating Freya’s Barb gimmick. He can tank if you don’t have Vargas for Empire & Strategists, and he can tank for Dark Cycle if you don’t want to use Bernhardt.
Ledin is a one-man tank. Use him to suit your needs. (You can also be traditional and use Elwin to buff Ledin, allowing Ledin to pick another skill for better tanking.)
And yes, this was yet another Ledin write-up. This was the original, the one you read up there during the “Off-Faction” section was new.
Origin Support
Leader: Diehardt (Unique Effect: If unit has more than 5 buffs, DMG +15%)
Leader: Freya (None!)
Recommended Supports: …
Don’t do this to yourself. Just say no. Please.
I know Sophia and Tiaris are excellent healers, but remember, healers don’t need faction buffs. Just use another faction, they are better than Origin. Surely you got the free Cherie? Grenier can support Cherie in a pinch, and that is better than this! Go on, and explore the other factions!
…
…
Still here? Have all the haters gone away? All right, let’s get down to business.
Origin may be lackluster as an actual faction, but if you are picking their best units to use as supports, that is a different story. Their units are niche and gimmicky, but if you can pull it off they can be fun to use and field in battle. The biggest problem will likely be investment as these units rely a lot on equipment, star ranking, and troop types not normally leveled (Assassins). I know a fair amount of players got Diehardt (I was late on the Langrisser Mobile train, so I don’t have him), so this support method may be somewhat accessible to players. Freya can be used as well, but would advise against using Freya since it is just a generic faction buff.
My recommended supports for Origin are Kirikaze, Silver Wolf, and Luna. Luna fares far better on a Strategy team, but she can make it work here as well.
Kirikaze relies on criticals to get the best out of him. Due to his innate talent “Duel Wielding,” every time he crits, he heals himself for a percentage of his own HP. He also has a chance to reduce the cooldowns of his skills by 1 (which becomes 100% at 6-star status. This is 60% at 3-star and 80% at 5-star.)
He is essentially an Assassin (Bandit?) unit but in the Infantry class. While he has access to Samurai (Assassins who can retaliate in melee without penalty), Kirikaze will likely prefer the Infantry Berserkers for efficiency. Give him Air Slash and if he crits, Kirikaze will be Air Slashing almost all the time.
Silver Wolf is all about buffs (and a little bit of criticals). Luckily, Faction Buffs basically have his buff game covered so he’ll have extra ATK & DEF almost all the time due to his talent “Wolf’s Nature.” Remember, this stacks with the faction buffs because it is a separate buff (go back to the Buffs section if you forgot). Then, when he has to assassinate a target that is buffed, he’ll simply steal their buffs if he crits.
The problem? Assassins are niche and tend to be more focused on PvP than PvE (unless they are AI enemies). They can be great units when utilized and invested in, but most players will likely be focusing on their core units first, which include characters and troop types. (Unless you like keeping all of your soldiers at the same level in the Training Grounds. I respect that decision.)
Luna is all about that MDEF conversion. This is due to one of her skills, “Wind Spiral” (yes, skill. Her passive does improve her MDEF though while reducing magical damage taken for nearby allies). It replaces her ATK stat by 1.5 MDEF. I don’t know the exact numbers, but I hear she becomes insane endgame when properly geared.
As she is not leading an army, she can pick up Snipe for a damage skill. Her passives will vary on your playstyle. Do you pick up Gale for that 20% chance for another action? Do you want to chip away at the enemy with AoE and possibly debuff them with Wind Pressure? Perhaps you just want to Move Again after attacking. Go with your playstyle!
The problem with Luna is that Leon and Cherie are simple to pick up and play. You have the unit, charge at the enemy, use a skill, and the enemy usually dies. Luna requires some thought and investment to be made useful, but once built Luna becomes a killing machine herself.
Princess Support
Leader: Luna (Unique Effect: Deals 15% of the enemy’s Current HP as damage after combat. Can not kill units.)
Recommended Supports: Cherie, Lana, Sonya // Chris // Liana, Sophia, Tiaris
The Princess Team is powerful and it reflects in their Support lineup. If you have Luna, the Princess Faction Buff is definitely unique and useful! Just keep in mind that dragons and bosses can be immune to fixed damage, but the girls are powerful enough to not need the gimmick when facing them.
As I have discussed most of these girls elsewhere, here’s a quick recap. They want me to keep things short and sweet as they have a club meeting or something. So, here goes…
Cherie – If you want flying DPS and access to one of the best DPS in the game, use Cherie.
Lana – If you want magical DPS and desire to nuke everything in sight, use Lana.
Sonya – Imagine Leon, but as a half-naked half-demon girl. Problem solved.
Chris – Chris
Liana – Healer. Has Again (Act Again) and a powerful AoE heal that provides regeneration. Passively removes debuffs and heals nearby allies.
Sophia – Healer. Has Mass Heal, Rewind (Reduces Cooldowns of allies by 3, Heals), Regeneration. Talent grants a buff to allies that increases Healing Effectiveness and increases their DEF.
Tiaris - Horse Healer. Has Mass Heal, Attack Blessing, and Miracle. Passively gives a chance to heal nearby allies after battle.
Timeworn Healer Note: Healers work perfectly fine off faction…~
For where you will use these princess, remember, going Hybrid is all about compensating for your core faction weaknesses (or lack of characters). Cherie and Lana will likely see the most usage as DPS, while Sonya may have a niche in Glory teams due to their lack of good cavalry. (Then some would argue “Bring Leon instead!” I don’t have a Leon, if I had one, I would’ve brought him!)
Empire Support
Leader: Bernhardt (Unique Effect: 20% Damage to Disadvantaged Units)
Leader: Leon (Unique Effect: Before attacking, for each square moved, gain +5 DEF & MDEF to a max of 15%.)
Leader: Lance (Unique Effect: None)
Recommended Supports: Leon (Sonya) || Elwin || Egbert || Vargas
You require the support of the Empire? Chances are you are requesting for Leon of the Blue Dragon Knights to come save you, but he is not always around. Luckily, there are plenty of other Imperial subjects willing to lend you their assistance… Wait, where are you going? Wait! Come back!...
I covered Bernhardt’s effect elsewhere as he tends to be used as our supreme example, but his unique effect is 20% DMG to Disadvantaged Units. So, if you like using the Combat Triangles and are a fan of Class Effectiveness, Bernhardt will be very useful to you. (I’m not sure how this applies to Fliers as they are neutral to all except Archers who they are weak to. Then there is also Lance’s Talent and I am not sure if he has synergy with Bernhardt’s unique effect. These are just things to keep in mind)
Leon and Lance are not preferred leaders for the Empire. Leon prefers to be full DPS while Lance is on par with Grenier for his faction buff (no unique effect, just stats). Still, since Lance is free, he can be a temporary leader until you get Bernhardt or Leon.
If you have Leon and Bernhardt, you know what to do. Leon has a busted Talent, so many amazing skills (Chivalry, Thousand Hooves), and has SSR stats. While Cherie can kill two enemies every couple of turns, Leon deletes a single enemy off the map. While Leon is amazing, he be overwhelmed like any other. Luckily his talent allows him to retreat (or reposition) 3 spaces after he attacks. Hopefully he’ll make it back to friendly lines to repeat this process.
If you need an excellent DPS, Leon is your man. He can fit anywhere, even off-faction!
If you do not have Leon, there is Sonya. Sonya focuses on the slaughter of her foes. Every time she kills something, she gets a buff and can move again like Leon to reposition herself. Her greatest asset is Ninjutsu which allows her to cross any passable terrain as if it was a plain. Leon needs Altemuller to do that.
The biggest problem with Sonya is feeding her kills. The ideal is for Sonya to one-shot 100% HP targets and snowball from there, but that is not always possible. If Sonya can’t kill, then she may not be able to contribute much.
Whew. Now do you remember the time Elwin joined the Empire? Me neither. Either way, he can function as a self-sustaining DPS unit with Bernhardt’s support. I covered him in the Protagonist section, so scroll back up on to read more about his skills and such.
Egbert is a special spellcaster as he does not do much damage on his own. Instead, he relies heavily on Fixed Damage to his foes through his Talent. However, he makes up for this due to his debuffs. He can stop the enemy from healing themselves (Acid Burns), decrease their MDEF by 20% (Mind Bore), grant a 50% chance to nullify enemy attacks next turn (Silence), and can disable enemy passive skills (Forget).
The best part about Egbert? He is an AoE Machine. Debuffs and Fixed Damage for everybody! However, as the fixed damage is reliant upon INT and his talent, his star rarity and equipment cost should be taken into account if using him.
Now, where does Egbert go? Considering no one really has debuffs outside of Bozel in the Dark Cycle (and himself in Strategist), he can fit in almost every other faction should you desire a debuffer that does damage.
He couldn’t go home to become a family man, as Vargas refused to abandon his men to see his newborn child. Vargas is another ultimate tank that focuses solely on physical mitigation (unlike Ledin who tanks everything and retaliates in kind). Even if defeated, Vargas will rise up like a phoenix to continue defending. Sadly, he can only do this once per battle.
Vargas will use Unbreakable Guardian for his guarding purposes, which has the unique effect of replacing the ATK stat with 1.6 of the DEF stat. He will also utilize Heavy Shield for that 25% chance to reduce incoming damage by 50%, while Last Stand grants him a +10% DEF&MDEF boost when below 50% health.
As for where Vargas can go and be a supporting man, he can try to substitute for Freya in Origin and Princess Teams. He can also try to tank for Dark Cycle, but Bernhardt can tank there. He can try to tank for the Protagonists and Glory, but they have Ledin (and Grenier).
Honestly, the best place for Vargas is right at home with the Empire (or Strategists). However, if you really need an end-game tank and Ledin is not around, Vargas may be able to step up and answer the call.
Strategist Support
Leader: Altemuller (Unique Effect: Passable terrain is counted as plains. If in defensive terrain, +15% DMG)
Recommended Supports: Leon, Luna || Leticia || Vargas, Egbert
Altemuller gives you wings. At the very least, your master Strategists can pretend to fly as all passable terrain are counted as plains. This works extremely well with Cavalry units (“Flying” Leon!), as well as Archers on Horses (Luna and Dios). If you happen to prove your tactical superiority by utilizing defensive terrain, you’ll do even more damage!
“Loyalty until death. Strength in Unity!” – Terran Republic Motto
We all know how powerful Leon is by now. So, imagine Leon with wings. There is nowhere the enemy can hide as Leon can simply move mountains and waltz through woods. Best part is that Leon gets to move 3 spaces after he attacks, so he can retreat to safety even easier too.
For Leon, choose Strategist if you wanted the tactical mobility. For overwhelming firepower, head back to the Empire. Leon can fit anywhere you need a DPS, so have fun destroying your foes!
We all need a fly swatter, and Luna is an excellent fly swatter if she goes down the Bow Master route. This allows her to become an Archer on a Horse. That is 5 movement, and when paired with Altemuller, nothing can hide from Luna’s rain of arrows. Then, by giving the horses boots (Okay, they were meant for humans, but Archer Horses don’t know that), they gain +1 Move! That’s a lot of moving action!
Otherwise, what I said previously about Luna back in the Origin section applies here. Luna is dependent on her MDEF stat for damage conversion. So, she will take some investment. Once she is properly built though, Luna can annihilate enemies. Bring Luna as support if you want ranged physical damage that can quickly respond to threats.
Hey, I heard you like to move it, so put Leticia as your Strategist support so you can move more when you move it! Did I do it right? Do I get a cookie?
Anyways, I usually refer to Leticia as the “Cavalry Cheerleader” as her main role will likely be supporting your team with her mobility buffs. Her talent “Love Support” helps with this, as after Leticia attacks nearby allies (2 blocks) are motivated to move an extra space. Whether that is actual awe at Leticia’s display or a desire to get away from her, the world may never know.
Another support skill is “Sprint,” which also increases mobility but also ATK&INT by 20% (as well as immunity to Mobility Reduction and Passive Skill Seal). This is a straight buff effect and is much easier to utilize than her talent, as her talent requires an ally to be within range when she attacks.
If Leon is supreme, Laird a weaker cannonball, and Sonya a hit & run, Leticia would be your support Cavalry unit. Thing is, Leticia highly relies on being near allies to get the most usage out of her and as an “R” hero, she naturally has low stats. While most other Cavalry serve best as your spearhead, use Leticia to clean up any enemies left after your main assault. She’ll perform better and combat and buff nearby allies which allows them to get to the next engagement faster.
I covered Vargas and Egbert back in the Empire faction, and they would probably serve better there. However, if for some reason you need Vargas to tank for something or want Egbert’s AoE Debuffs + Fixed Damage, they can work as Strategist supports if needed.
Dark Reincarnation Support
Leader: Bozel (Unique Effect: +15% DMG if foe had 3 or more debuffs.)
Recommended Supports: Lana || Egbert || Bernhardt || Sonya
So, you gave into your deepest desires and ended up working with the power of Darkness. That’s okay, because due to the recent event it is entirely possible to get yourself a Bozel instead of rolling for him! Debuffs for everyone!
As Bozel is the main leader, he can contribute to any party with his debuffs. The only other character with this type of debuff capacity is Egbert (Lana can contribute with Black Hole). However, as for Bozel’s unique effect, you may have trouble utilizing it as enemies may cure their own debuffs and Bozel relies on some RNG to fully debuff his enemies. (His talent is RNG based while the Seal passive is also RNG. He does have two skills that grant two debuffs though.)
So, keep in mind you may not always be able to use the unique effect without heavy investment into Bozel’s star rank or having another debuffer along. Despite this, the debuffs and supports available can make up for this issue.
The main reason to go Dark Cycle is likely Lana. Maybe you wanted to reunite Liana and Lana. Perhaps you wanted to use Lana’s magical prowess to annihilate rebel scum who threaten the glorious Empire. In any case, if you need magical superiority, Lana is your girl. She’s call the “Leon of Mages” for a reason.
First off, Lana gets +1 range to her spells which makes it easy to rain down destruction from above. She also has plenty of access to AoE spells, such as Blizzard (Lancers), Black Hole (Debuffs), and Heaven’s Sanctum (Demons) She has Dark Scythe to heal herself and do damage. Lana can summon Necromancers as cannon fodder. The only thing Lana does not have is Meteor…
While other spellcasters exist (Jessica, Hein, Imelda), Lana beats them all in terms of pure firepower. She is also waifu material. She and Bozel will make an excellent addition to any team lacking in magical prowess.
Did you ever just want to see the world come to a crawl, just to laugh at its powerlessness due to its many, many afflictions? Use Egbert alongside Bozel for a debuff party! Debuff Mayhem! Debuffs for everyone! The enemy will be so weakened by debuffs while your team is still standing strong with its faction buff that defeating them should be a walk in the park.
Honestly though, I’m not sure if Debuff Mayhem is actually effective as I never tried it. Still, it might be a fun idea, right?
So, you wanted to use Bernhardt as an actual unit than a leader. Unless you are one of those crazy people that use Leon or Lance as their Empire leader, you’ll likely end up using Bernhardt here in the Dark Cycle.
Even though he is no longer a leader, Bernhardt still retains his tactical versatility. He can become a pure tank with Iron Fist and Hegemony, with a slot open for whatever passive you need. Perhaps you need a DPS Emperor with Sword Dance, Shield Slam, and Sever? The Emperor cares not what role he plays. The only thing that matters are his people, and those who will become his people.
Due to Bernhardt’s flexible role, he can be in almost any setup provided he has been invested in. And if you haven’t invested in Bernhardt, you should. While Leon and Cheire may be DPS masters, Bernhardt covers a wide spectrum and is a respected emperor. Now go and reflect on this, warrior.
Sonya is part of the Dark Cycle faction, so “Discount Lady Leon” is here if you need her. I mainly covered her in the Empire segment, but she serves as a hit & run cavalry unit that can ignore terrain. Go Dark Cycle if you want Bozel’s debuff support (or if Bozel is your only option).