These skill checklists are roughly in order of priority. The items at the bottom are nice to have, while the item at the top are important.
Physical Attacker Checklist
A physical attacker should stack as many of these skills together as possible. Dimension Slash ignores 75% of the enemy’s defense regardless of Dimension Slash’s value. Helmet Split can ignore upto 75% of the enemy’s defense, stacking with Dimension Slash. Added Attacks double, or triple, your damage output. Range Attack protects your attacker from counterattacks, especially important at high difficulty levels. All Attack and Cross Attack attack many enemies at once, while Wide Attack and Pierce attack are inferior (but easier to get).
Critical Boost ignores Parry and causes 150% damage, while Lethal Critical multiplies your damage from Critical hits. Critical hit %chance has a floor at 5% (all units have at least a 5% chance of critical), a typical ceiling of 50%, but the presence of Critical Boost increases the ceiling to 75%.
Flank Attack is useful against backline evade users in your first playthrough, before counter-attacks become powerful on higher difficulties.
- Dimension Slash
- Helmet Split:75
- High Attack Stats
- Added Attack
- Range Attack (Dimension slash counts as a Range Attack)
- All Attack
- Cross Attack
- Wide Attack
- Pierce Attack
- Critical Boost
- Lethal Critical (Only if Critical Boost is high)
- Flank Attack
- Rainbow Venom + Multi-Ailment
Defender Checklist
There are two “tanking” strategies: Forward Guard and Defense Tactics. Defense Tactics works on most enemies, but Flank Attack, Range Attack and Dimension slash ignore Defense Tactic’s interception ability. The +Def stats from Defense Tactics applies as long as the tank is alive however.
Forward Guard on the other hand, continues to work even in the presence of Flank Attack, Range Attack, and Dimension Slash on the opponent. However, Forward guard only protects the singular unit that is -1 placement from the tank. If the Tank is on slot-1, the tank will intercept attacks aimed at slot-6. If the Tank is on slot-2, it will intercept attacks aimed at slot-1. Etc. etc.
Forward Guard still fails in the presence of All Attack, Cross Attack, and Pierce Attack.
Defense Only halves damage, while Hardy Physique reduces damage and healing by its value. Feel free to mix-and-match different Hardy Physique sources, all skills stack with themselves additively, up to the Hardy Physique:90 maximum. Defense Only + Hardy Physique:90 negates 95% of damage (or causes enemies to only deal 1/20th their initial damage), grossly increasing the lifespan of your damage sponges.
Each “Slayer” source adds +100% damage to your units. As such, Slayer Defense can make your tanks far more reliable against a wider variety of foes.
Dragon Scales + Counter Amp is useful in low or normal difficulties, before enemy attacks become very powerful. Few enemies can even damage Dullahan in the first chapter, your first Dragon Scales + Counter Amp user.
- Forward Guard
- Defense Only
- Hardy Physique:90
- High Defense
- Defense Tactics
- Slayer Defense
- Resist Ailments OR Supreme typing OR Absolute Cure on team
- Spell Absorb
- Spell Reflect
- Parry
- Evade
- Spell Wall
- Counter Amp
- Dragon Scales
Spell Attacker Checklist
- High HP
- Field spells
- Blast spells
- Equitable Heal / Demon Medic / Group Heal
- Defense Only, and other defense skills
Unit Utility Checklist
- Nocturnal
- Sun Worship
- Spell Reflect / Spell Absorb / Spell Wall
- Recovery
These skills are useful on any unit
Team Utility Checklist
Someone on the team should have these skills
- Treasure Hunt: As much and as stacked as possible
- Cross Null. Or Pierce Null + Wide Null
- All Null
- Equitable Heal / Group Heal / Demon Medic
- Spell Barrier
- Absolute Cure
- Boost Squad
- Attack Tactics
- Boost (Type of Team)
- Strat Wall
- Ambush Alert
Because Treasure Hunt stacks teamwide, some players stack a singular “Treasure Hunt” team. Alchefairy, Jorm, Winter Diety Rigret, and Dreaming Onikage can serve as a high-value Treasure Hunt and “Boost Mechanical” team.
On the other hand, Lupold Lancer, Nekomata, Hobbit Scout, and Hobbit Hunter can serve as a cheap early-game Treasure hunt + Nature day team, while Leprechaun, Imp, and Gargoyle serve as an early game night-time Treasure Hunt + Boost Demon team.