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tigerkirby215 · 4 years

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5e Yuumi the Magical Cat build (and a test of Tumblr formatting)

So I have no idea how this website works but I mostly made this account to post DnD 5e character builds based on characters I like. Ever since the latest UA came out I’ve been ecstatic over the fact that we finally got another Support-based Warlock that isn’t Celestial. The fact that it’s a genie Warlock is awesome and there’s tons of roleplay that can be done with a pocket wish-granting elemental walking around with you... good thing we’re ignoring all that for the sake of B O O K!

Yuumi! To be honest I haven’t played League of Legends in ages but Yuumi was a character who drew my attention immediately because she’s an UwU Kitty-Cat... who had like a 36% win rate on release. She’s better now though! ...Probably. Regardless Yuumi was my immediate thought when I saw the tether mechanic from the latest Warlock UA. Constructing a build for The Magical 7th Item Slot Cat was something on my mind for the longest time, probably because the only other character I could replicate is... what? Io from DOTA?

I got the OK from Tulok the Barbrarian-senpai to make some DnD builds which is why I’m using his format. All these builds will keep away from Homebrew and can all be made on D&D Beyond... as long as your DM allows Unearthed Arcana which this build heavily relies on.

GOALS

Shield, heal, cuddle! - Yuumi is a support, through-and-through. Probably one of the most support-focused supports in the game. While this build will still have good damage output the main focus is on keeping your teammates alive and well.

Book, do something! - Yuumi is a dynamic duo between the cat and the book. Hopefully your DM is okay with you not really having a “patron” and instead having a sentient book fly around instead. I mean, it’s basically just a Hexblade right?

Lost Chapter - Yuumi honestly has a pretty basic kit. Replicating 4 spells is easy as cake in 5e so a lot of this build will be focused on replicating Yuumi’s typical item build as well.

RACE

Well as you can tell Yuumi is clearly a Bugbe-Ah who am I kidding she’s a Tabaxi. You’re welcome to pick whatever race you want but Tabaxi is honestly a good pick for this build. You get an increase to both DEX and CHA, some useful skills (be sure to ward bush!), and probably the most important skill: Feline Agility. Much like Yuumi you don’t want to be caught off-guard so a quick self-use of Zoomies can help you get away from the enemy and back to your team. For your language of choice... is Yordle an option? Halfling is probably the closest you’ll get to Yordles in 5e so just opt for that instead.

ABILITY SCORES

Much like Tulok I’ll be using Standard Array for ease-of-use. Roll for stats if you want but this is a general guideline for where to put your highs and lows.

15; CHARISMA - You’re cute, cuddly, and oh-so snuggly. Yuumi in-lore is an innate spellcaster and that translates into Charisma; helps that this also impacts Persuasion for head scritches.

14; DEXTERITY - Yuumi isn’t the fastest champion in-game (it’s on Book to do the “walking”) but she’s still a cat, and cats are fast. Dexterity affects AC as well as several other useful things.

13; INTELLIGENCE - Your best friend is literally a floating book it’s bound to know something.

12; WISDOM - You’re a smart kitty and you know a thing or two about Yordles... doesn’t stop you from dissing everyone else though.

10; CONSTITUTION - It’s technically in-character to dump Constitution but I don’t recommend it. Intelligence and Wisdom are higher on this list but you don’t really need them - feel free to get some Ruby Crystals.

8; STRENGTH - Here’s something that’s in-character to dump and I do recommend dumping. Strength is almost completely redundant in this build so don’t be afraid to ditch it.

This would be the point array I’d use if I was RPing Yuumi but if I wanted a more functional character I’d go CHA / DEX / CON / (INT / WIS) / STR for my stat spread. But much like in League you’re more than welcome to buy some health boosting items (notably an Amulet of Health) to compensate for bad stats.

BACKGROUND

Yuumi spent most of her time in Nora her master’s hut which would technically make her a Cloistered Scholar? But Sage works better if you’re teaming up with Book. You gain Arcana and History proficiencies which are honestly the two I’d pick for a magic cat that has a sentient Book as a best friend. You also get the Researcher feature which lets you know where to find any information: Book knows everything and can bring you anywhere - ask them to tell you where to go! You also get two languages and... uhhh who synergizes well with Yuumi? ...Yasuo? Is there a monkey language in 5e? Jokes aside just pick whatever language you think will be useful.

(Art by EmeraldParrot on DeviantArt)

THE BUILD

This may come as a surprise but despite the fact that this build was made almost entirely for the sake of using the new UA Warlock patron we’re actually not starting with Warlock! While half of Yuumi’s power comes from Book (who I’d consider the “patron” in this relationship) the other half of her power is innate. Now I could make her a Sorcerer to reflect the magic within her or I could perhaps make her a Wizard to get more value out of Book but I had to ask myself a question: which class in D&D would be the best for a character who regularly insults and sasses other characters and thinks too highly of themselves?

LEVEL 1 - BARD 1

Yes this build is a Bardlock build, and the only reason we’re going Bard first is for the extra music instruments as well as the choice of any skill we want.

Your choice of instrument doesn’t matter much (it’s mildly important for Instruments of the Bard or if you have an Artificer, but other than that don’t worry) but I’m contractually obligated to take a Lyre every time I make a Bard. Other than that you synergize with Yasuo so steal his Flute, and I’ve always been a fan of Pentakill so I’ll take the closest to a guitar. (Lute)

For skills take Acrobatics, Persuasion, and Survival. You’re a cat which means you need to be quick on your feet and are adorable as hecc, and you need some survival instinct when you’re constantly hopping between dimensions. (Truthfully though as a Bard you should be picking skills that your party lacks, though I’d argue that Acrobatics and Persuasion should always be taken to remain “in character.”)

For cantrips take Message to coordinate with your party in team chat and Vicious Mockery; Yuumi is a cat of sass so feel free to diss your local god by calling him a dog. Or alternatively this could be you flaming the enemy team in /all - I won’t judge.

Cure Wounds and Healing Word are absolute musts for any support - in particular Cure Wounds is good for you since you can cast it from wherever your You and Me (tether) target is located. This means that whoever you’re tethered to can get the full value of Cure Wounds instead of you being forced to pop Healing Word instead. Other than that Longstrider lets you replicate Zoomies’ movement speed boost, and you can never go wrong with Featherfall. (The only spells that are really “mandatory” here is Cure Wounds. Maybe Longstrider too. Healing Word is always useful but both it and Featherfall are just suggestions.)

LEVEL 2 - WARLOCK 1

And from Bard we immediately jump to the meat of this build: The Noble Genie Warlock! You get your Collector’s Vessel which hopefully your DM will let be a book with cat-sized portals inside of it?

You also get some cantrips and guess what? Eldrich Blast! Yeah it’s a Warlock build you’re going to take Eldrich Blast. Other than that take Minor Illusion to pull something scary out of Book at the right time.

For main spells Hex is great to deal extra damage and also lets you debuff some of the target’s ability checks. Sleep is more of a Zoe thing but it’s still an insane pact-specific spell so there’s no reason not to take it.

LEVEL 3 - WARLOCK 2

We’re going to keep going in Warlock firstly for Eldrich Invocations. The main one you want here is Lance of Lethargy so you can replicate Prowling Projectile’s movement speed slow and help set up some kills for your team. The other invocation slot will be left open for now as we wait for level 4, as will our spell choice.

LEVEL 4 - WARLOCK 3

Hello Book! Of course we’re taking Pact of the Tome for the Book of Thresholds Shadows, or just Book for short. Again be sure to ask your DM if the book can be sentient for RP purposes. Or alternatively have it not act be sentient and make your party think your crazy when you talk to it! As for cantrips take Guidance to buff your ADC with some Adaptive Force (note: Guidance will not increase damage), Mending to fix any tears Book may receive (don’t want any more lost chapters!), and even though you’re not really a melee fighter being able to magically scratch nearby champions enemies with Shocking Grasp will give you a fighting chance if you get stuck in the middle of combat.

Note: While it would be more in flavor to use Primal Savagery the reason I opted for Shocking Grasp is because you can cast it through your ally to cause an enemy to be unable to take Reactions. It’s more in flavor to scratch at your enemies but Shocking Grasp is far more useful for this build. Truthfully you can take any cantrip you want though these are just recommendations; I know having 3 damaging cantrips is a little excessive but I like having an attack roll cantrip, saving throw cantrip, and backup melee cantrip.

Now for the Invocation we skipped. I think most 5e veterans have identified what we’re looking for: Book of Ancient Secrets. Book is a resourceful... book and the value of Ritual spells can’t go unmentioned. Take Comprehend Languages and Identify: flip through Book’s pages until you can find the info that you want! And don’t be afraid about picking bad rituals because you can just inscribe more rituals later on!

Now for Spells! Once we get to 2nd level spells we get a lot more stuff to choose from but let’s just choose the main spells we need:

Misty Step - You’re a noob if you’re not packing Flash. Also since this is a multiclass build the problem of Misty Step taking Pact Magic slots can be negated, as you can use your Bard slots to cast Misty Step.

Hold Person - Hit a snare with Final Chapter so your friends can clean up!

Truthfully though all your 2nd level spells open up a huge array of possibilities and I’d recommend picking up any one of them. The Noble Genie gets Enlarge / Reduce which is one of my favorite spells thematically: feel free to pop an Elixir of Iron on your tank!

LEVEL 5 - BARD 2

Feel free to take Warlock 4 for the ASI but I’d like to get the Bard features up-and-running. At level 2 you get Jack of All Trades which means that Book can always help you out of a jam. You also get Song of Rest which further solidifies your role as a support.

For your spell of choice Charm Person lets you use that cute kitty face of yours to get a bunch of fan art on DeviantArt.

LEVEL 6 - BARD 3

Let’s start by picking out our Expertise because that’s the easy bit: Arcana and History - straight from your background. You’re a magic cat with a sentient book you should know these skills well.

Now for your Bard College. There are several good choices: Lore gives you more Magical Secrets to let you “itemize” better, College of Valor lets you buff your allies’ attacks with some Adaptive Force, but at the end of the day the question is this: what subclass lets you shield while also increasing your allies’ movement?

College of Glamour yes really! The main reason for this is Mantle of Inspiration which was the most Yuumi-esque ability of the bunch. You can expect a Bardic Inspiration die to give all your allies temporary HP as well as allow them to move as a reaction without provoking opportunity attacks. You also get Enthralling Performance which is certainly a nice bonus: distract a crowd with your feline charm while the rest of your team does their work.

You also get another spell and... I’ll be honest throwing all the spells on this guide is making this post far longer than it needs to be. I can give some general advice but I’m only here for the class features - not the spells. Pick spells that will help your team, the same way you’d itemize to help your team in League.

LEVEL 7 - BARD 4

Mostly taking Level 4 Bard now for the ASI. Bump Charisma for better spellcasting.

You also get another cantrip: get Dancing Lights to summon some moon moths to chase!

Note: One more level in Bard will get you Font of Inspiration, which allows your Bardic Inspiration to come back on a Short rest. It will also buff Mantle of Inspiration. If you think you’ll need to use Mantle of Inspiration more feel free to take another level in Bard earlier than suggested in this build.

LEVEL 8 - WARLOCK 4

And another ASI! Bump Charisma again for a maxed out spellcasting modifier!

LEVEL 9 - WARLOCK 5

At this level you get another Invocation as well as 3rd level spells. There are quite a few good invocations to pick from but as a squishy support you’re going to want Zhonya's - or in this case Tomb of Levistus. While not quite Zhonya's this invocation will give you a phat health buff in exchange for making you completely stationary until the end of your next turn. Pop it if the enemy Assassin ults you and pray that your team saves you.

Now that you got 3rd level spells there are some obvious choices. Counterspell? Fly? Maybe Dispell Magic or Gaseous Form? Honestly if your DM is allowing UA spells Psionic Blast from the psychic UA works great with the Genie patron. Those are my picks for some good level 3 spells - unfortunately the spells from the Genie Patron aren’t that good besides maybe Create Food and Water, which is only really useful for specific adventures.

Oh and you get another cantrip! I’d recommend Prestidigitation to pull more things out of Book.

LEVEL 10 - WARLOCK 6

This is the point that this build really starts to shine through. Is it bad that this build needs to get to level 10 before it really starts working? ...Eh...?

Anyways you get Elemental Resistance at this level which lets you give your You and Me (tether) target resistance to one of four elements. You can only choose one resistance per long rest so try to pick the damage type you think you’ll run into a lot. Pro tip: Fire damage is really common. Ignite is a powerful Summoner Spell.

LEVEL 11 - WARLOCK 7

At this level you get access to Level 7 invocations which are all... ehhhh? There are some cool ones here but none of them are really great for Yuumi so instead we’re going to go back a bit and pick up Exhaustion. ...The Summoner Spell, not the D&D debuff. Mire the Mind lets you cast Slow once per long rest: slow is a really powerful spell that you can pop on the ADC so your team can wail on them. Just make sure you don’t lose concentration.

You also get access to 4th level spells and while this is technically a spell Lulu has: Polymorph! Turn your allies into T-Rexes, turn your enemies into Fish (don’t try to eat the fish or they’ll turn back), and most importantly you can now become an actual cat! Truthfully though there are several great 4th level spells too and I recommend you look at all of them.

LEVEL 12 - WARLOCK 8

Ability Score Improvement but you should have max spellcasting by now which is the only thing that matters so... how about some Feats? I’m not going to choose any one particular Feat and instead focus on some of the better ones for you to take.

Alert - Along with Jack of All Trades this will almost always guarantee that you’re the first to go in initiative, meaning that you can tether to someone and start applying buffs.

Inspiring Leader - Lets you use Bop and Block early and give all your allies a nice health buffer to start the day.

Observant - With your Charisma and your proficiency buffing your Perception score this should guarantee that you don’t miss anything with those feline eyes of yours. Be sure to ping incoming ganks!

Resilient (CON) - You don’t really need the other effects of War Caster in this build and Resilient is just more useful overall.

Spell Sniper - Read this spell over and ask “does this sound useful?” If yes then take it, because you’re in a game with a DM who actually likes using cover mechanics.

Tough - Yuumi isn’t tough; that doesn’t mean you can’t be.

Lucky - When in doubt break out the OP bullshit perk.

You also get another spell: Dimension Door lets you recall back to base or somewhere similar.

LEVEL 13 - WARLOCK 9

At Warlock 9 you get access to another invocation, including your 9th level invocations and... oh oh there it is boys! Ascendant Step! Now you can be a proper hovering kitty cat! (Note if you took Fly at earlier levels it might be a good idea to drop it. Or not: you can still buff your allies!)

You also gain access to 5th level spells and here’s where it gets fun: Bigby’s Hand! Honestly this is just a fun spell but you can also justify most of the effects as being part of Yuumi (and Book)’s magic.

Clenched Fist - A full damage Prowling Projectile against a target.

Forceful Hand - More of a Janna thing but still very useful.

Grasping Hand - Hit your snare with Final Chapter. "I am TOTALLY doing this!"

Interposing Hand - Again more of a Taliyah thing (or perhaps Jarvan) but still very useful!

This would be my immediate pick but other than that for 5th level?

Creation is your other patron-specific spell and it is awesome. A little situational maybe but that’s the nature of Book! Pull out something useful: unfortunately it can’t be fish but still!

Hold Monster is like Hold Person but better. It’s a big spell slot though so be wary.

Synaptic Static is like a combination of Leona and Alistar, which is to say it’s a big nuke from the sky that makes all your enemies do less damage.

Contact Other Plane is not my first pick for a number of reasons but if you don’t know what to pick being able to ask Book for directions can be helpful. And it comes back on a short rest too! :) Just make sure Book doesn’t break your mind. (Maybe invest in the Resilient feat for Intelligence if you plan to use this spell.)

(Artwork by sakkiye on DeviantArt)

LEVEL 14 - WARLOCK 10

And now we’ve reached the capstone of our Warlock levels and we get two very powerful abilities. Firstly there’s Protective Wish which lets you use your reaction to swap places between you and your tethered target if either of you get hit. Tank hits for your allies... or alternatively don’t do that and have them shield you from baddies trying to spray you! Just make sure that you aren’t teleporting into a more dangerous location and as a word of advice: don’t throw your allies into danger without their consent.

The other ability you get is Genie’s Entertainment which is far more useful. As an action you can make Book pull a target within 90 feet to a harmless dimension where they’ll be stuck for up to a minute. They can make a Charisma saving throw every turn until they either succeed or a minute passes before they’re ejected where they just were or in the closest available space. This is effectively a one-time use of the Banishment spell (which you can take as a Warlock) but it doesn’t require Concentration which means you can put your focus on other useful buffs for your team.

You also get another cantrip so invest in Mage Hand so Book can pick up things you can’t reach with those paws of yours.

LEVEL 15 - BARD 5

And now we’re bouncing back to Bard and finally getting Font of Inspiration. Honestly if you need more use out of Mantle of Inspiration then feel free to get this level earlier, but you already have plenty of short rest value with your Warlock spell slots.

And speaking of spells: 3rd level Bard spells, anyone? I’d argue that Sending would be quite in-flavor, and Hypnotic Pattern would make for a strong utility, even if you don’t have an AoE stun. Honestly I’m going to skip the spell talk and only cover the last few levels of Bard for completion’s sake.

LEVEL 16 - BARD 6

You now get Countercharm which is poo poo garbage and will make you want to die. But to be fair popping cleanse would help your ADC. (But why are you bringing Cleanse and not Exhaust?)

You also get Mantle of Majesty which will let you play the backseat gamer role you’ve always dreamed of being. As a bonus action you can start to command (the spell) anyone you please to do as you say. Approach, Drop, Flee, Halt... awn there’s not Pet command!

LEVEL 17 - BARD 7

At 7th level you get... nothing! :D Okay you get 4th level spells to be fair but I’m far too lazy to talk about spells anymore.

LEVEL 18 - BARD 8

ASI. Check my suggestions for Feats to take from Warlock 8.

LEVEL 19 - BARD 9

Your Song of Rest increases to a d8 now which honestly probably doesn’t help you much at this point. You do get 5th level spells now though, which you can cast through your Warlock slots.

LEVEL 20 - BARD 10

And for our capstone we finally get Magical Secrets! There’s one specific spell we want: Haste. It’s super zoomies! Other than that you can buy Redemption with Aura of Vitality (which kinda works more like Fiora’s ult but w/e) or maybe an Ardent Censor of sorts with Spirit Guardians? You can grab Mikael's Crucible with Warding Bond, or perhaps contract some help from Zillian and grab Death Ward! There are literally dozens of spells to choose from and I recommend searching online if you don’t know what to take.

Your Bardic Inspiration also increases which means more Mantle of Inspiration health, and you get 2 more skills to give Expertise! Honestly at level 20 it’s a little too late to really choose between Expertise but know that any skill you have Expertise in will have a +12 modifier! You’re essentially guaranteed to succeed at any check with a skill you have Expertise on at this level unless your DM is Twisted Fate and is using Loaded Dice on you.

FINAL BUILD

PROS

Cover to Cover - You’ve got a comedic amount of utility between ten cantrips and the ability to cast any ritual spell you can get your paws on. Along with Jack of All Trades and Expertise covering any skills you may need you’ll never be without a cat trick.

You and me, we got this! - Between Bardic Inspiration, Song of Rest, Elemental Resistance, Protective Wish, and a decent array of buff spells (tbh I kinda wish I took more :P) you can be an incredibly useful asset to your teammates.

You look like unscratched furniture! - One place this build particularly excels is in the crowd control department. Between Enthralling Performance, Mantle of Majesty, Genie’s Entertainment, and a huge array of debuffs you’ll never be lacking in a way to keep your allies safe and the enemies away from you.

CONS

Oh! Sunbeam ahead! - While I tried my best to avoid taking too many Concentration spells I have to admit that a lot of the nicer stuff will demand your attention: Hold Person, Haste, Polymorph, Bigby’s Hand, and Mire the Mind (Slow) all require concentration, so you can only have one up at a time. While you still have options the concentration requirement is heavy.

We’ve got 6 left... or was it 5? - If you’re roleplaying the build properly you’ll have absolutely horrendous health. No additional Constitution modifier combined with a d8 hit die means that you’ll have about a hundred health at level 20, and a Power Word Kill is all it’ll take to end you. Additionally your ability modifiers (with the exception of Charisma) are rather low which means low saving throws and a low AC with only Light armor. Know that you can sometimes sacrifice roleplay for the sake of a more viable build - having good skill checks is great and all but it doesn’t matter if you’re dead.

Full AP? - This build is pure support and I skipped on a lot of the strong damage options that you could’ve taken. In particular this is a max Charisma Eldritch Blast Warlock which doesn’t take Agonizing Blast, a concept most would consider an act of treason. A lot of the invocations I picked more for flavor than actual utility and you’re more than welcome to change Mire the Mind or Tomb of Levistus for something more useful.

But you’re not here to steal all the fame: tag along, help your team, and they’ll help you find your master! Just don’t ask the Triton what they taste like or else they’ll give you the spray bottle.

(Artwork by Chelserella on DeviantArt.)

ALTERNATE BUILD OPTIONS

More Warlock Levels?

The only thing we really get out of level 10 Bard is Magical Secrets, but if you’re not interested in getting Haste all you really need for this build is 3 levels in Bard for Mantle of Inspiration (though 5 levels is ideal for Font of Inspiration.)

You can take more levels in Warlock to get Mystic Arcanum, more Warlock slots, and more Eldritch Invocations. You also get Collector’s Call which is a very strong ability that’s sadly held back by its casting requirement. If you’re planning on going heavier on Warlock instead of splitting this build 50 / 50 than get expertise in Persuasion! You’re absolutely going to need it to cast Collector’s Call reliably.

The other important thing to note is that Warlock honestly doesn’t have that many supportive spells in its kit, especially when you’re not playing Divine Soul. Dropping Bard levels means you’ll lose spells like Mass Cure Wounds. You’ll also have far fewer spell slots to cast your lower level Warlock spells, which does mean more 5th level spells but it also means less fun with spells like Misty Step, Dimension Door, and Polymorph.

#dnd 5e #dnd build #dnd guide #dnd multiclass #unearthed arcana #league of legends #lol yuumi

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grandfates · 7 years

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A BEGINNER’S GUIDE TO...

Hi all! With the upcoming NA release of Fate/Grand Order on June 25th, I thought I’d write up a beginner’s guide on how to get started! There’s a lot of things I wish I knew when starting the game, so I’ll compile some advice into this post!

This guide will assume that you have finished the tutorial and will have three parts:

1. Terminology - What Does X Mean? How Does It Affect Battles? 2. Powering Up - Craft Essences, Skills, Interludes, and Grailing 3. Team-Building - Picking a Team You Like, and Some Suggestions

If you want to peruse the information yourself, some helpful resources are below. I’ll do my best to keep this updated, so keep checking back on the original post.

-Fate/Grand Order Wikia (X) - Provides tons of guides and explanations for beginners. Acts as a database for Craft Essences, Servants, and more!

WARNING, THE BELOW SITES CONTAIN SPOILERS FOR THE GAME’S STORY AND FUTURE EVENTS.

-Cirnopedia (X) - A database for Craft Essences, Servants, and more! Provides guides for events. -Reddit (X) - The F/GO Subreddit thread. Usually provides helpful guides on events and Servants and whatnot. May be spoilers heavy.

Now, without further ado, let’s begin!

1. TERMINOLOGY In Fate/Grand Order, Servants have skills. Some of these skills buff or debuff things like “Star Absorption Rate” and “Debuff Resistance.” These are all referring to traits, some of which are hidden. Let’s use two examples: Hans Christian Andersen and Child Gilgamesh!

All Servants have Passive/Class Skills, which are visible on their profiles! (Don’t worry about the Japanese, if you’re playing the NA Version it’ll be in English.)

Passive/Class Skills typically give you boosts to damage, resistance against certain status effects, or increase the likelihood of casting a debuff on an enemy. The descriptions will generally be self-explanatory!

Hidden Stats are a little trickier. You have to go digging for these because they aren’t located on a Servant’s profile! But having a general understanding of them can help you make a good team.

Let’s compare Andersen and Child Gil. Using Cirnopedia or the F/GO Wikia, we bring up their hidden stats:

Whoa! There are some huge differences in those stats! But what do these numbers mean?

NP Gain (Attack/Defense): How quickly you fill up your NP bar when attacking or being attacked. The higher this is, the faster you can smack your enemy with your special move!

Star Weight: The rate at which you absorb critical stars. This is also affected by star absorption abilities. Each turn, your Servants can produce critical stars which are then distributed next turn, allowing you a chance of a critical hit! The higher this is, the more stars your Servant will absorb.

Star Rate: The rate at which you produce critical stars. The higher this is, the more stars you’ll create!

Death Rate: The lower this is, the lower your chances are of being insta-killed. This doesn’t come into play too often, so I wouldn’t worry about it too much.

Traits/Attributes: Only comes into play with certain attacks or skills. Again, I wouldn’t worry about it too much unless you have a Servant targeting a specific one.

“Wait!!” You cry out! “I don’t want to pull up a wiki each time I make a team! That’s an absurd amount of work!”

Not to worry! You don’t have to memorize the actual numbers unless you want to play a little more hardcore. All classes possess a certain propensity for certain stats. In general...

Casters have the fastest NP Gain. Riders have the heaviest Star Weight, followed by Archers. Assassins have the highest Star Rate.

But I cannot emphasize enough that everything depends on the unit you use. For example, the Caster Irisivel has abhorrent NP Gain -- only 0.42% when attacking! Ouch!

Furthermore, skills and team set-up may mitigate some weaknesses. Putting a Rider and an Assassin together allows your Rider to make tons of critical hits while your Assassin makes it rain with stars! If you don’t want to look up the numbers, the best way to figure out which unit works for you is through trial-and-error. Think of it like Pokemon ;)

2. POWERING UP Now that you’ve received a crash course on Servant stats, let’s talk about how to make your Servants the best they can be. In the game, you may roll something called Craft Essences from the free or paid gacha!

Think of these as equipment for your Servants. All CEs confer an extra “skill” to your Servants while giving them a lil stat boost. They may boost your attack, boost your defense, allow you to heal more, and so much more! It’s all in the description, so this section will be fairly short ᕕ( ᐛ )ᕗ

I cannot emphasize this enough: participate in events! Events typically have limited CEs that they give out for free or in the paid gacha. And a lot of these are super useful!

You’re also capable of doing something called Limit Breaking. This means you combine 4 copies of the CE in order to boost its effects. This also raises its level!

In regards to max leveling CEs - I don’t suggest it. It uses a lot of time and resources that you could be better spending on your Servants.

The rarest of all CEs are Max Bond CEs. These are only unlocked after you’ve achieved a full 10/10 Bond with your Servants. Depending on your Servant, they may possess powerful effects beyond normal CEs! The only downside is that they must be equipped to the Servant they’re attributed to. You can find them all on this page.

Skills are abilities Servants can use in battle! You’re able to level up skills much the same way you can level up a Servant, through materials and QP. Since these are self-explanatory--and somewhat expensive to raise--my suggestion is to raise the skills you use the most. The difference between a Lv. 1 (10%) and a Lv. 6 skill (15%) may give you that edge you need to win!

Interludes and Strengthening Quests are a series of battles you can undergo in order to strengthen your Servant’s skill or NP! I highly suggest these since a) Interludes include a mini-scenario where you learn more about your Servant’s personality, b) you typically gain a Saint Quartz from completion, and c) it makes your Servant stronger in battle.

Finally, Grailing basically raises your level cap for your Servants. You receive a Grail each time you complete a chapter or participate in certain events. This is especially helpful for 3* and below Servants, whose survivability are often limited by their HP!

There is no right or wrong way to Grail. Some people use their Grails on only their most powerful 5* while some use their Grails on 2*. It’s wholly up to you and it depends on which Servant you love the most. The best thing about F/GO is that smart team building can often overcome the absence of a certain unit. There is no “one super powerful” Servant, so choose who you want to raise!

3. Team-Building As you play F/GO, you’ll find yourself changing your teams frequently. Some bosses require a different approach than others, so plan accordingly! And don’t be frustrated if something doesn’t work out. Some battles are a matter of trial-and-error.

Since everyone’s Servants will be different, here are some general tips:

1. How Am I Dealing Damage? Are you using a Berserker? Will you rely on NPs? How you build your team will depend on how you choose to beat up the enemy! If you want a Berserker/Buster-oriented team, choose Servants that can buff your main attacker or whose card set-up can create Buster chains. If you’re aiming for a critical-oriented team, don’t put multiple Riders on your frontline! All those stars will go willy-nilly and that’s asking for trouble.

2. Does the Enemy Have a Gimmick? Are they an Assassin whose NP gauge fills up rapidly? Is it a Demon Pillar, which makes it strong against Sabers, Archers, and Lancers? Do they have a dodge skill? You won’t always know what enemies have in store for you, but once you’ve had enough experience with certain maps you’ll have an idea of how to prepare.

3. Does My Team Synergize? “Well,” you say, “if it’s a matter of damage why don’t I just put ALL my 4 and 5 stars into the same--”

Stop right there!! Attack isn’t the only thing that matters in F/GO. If your team synergy is terrible, the fight won’t go smoothly for you. Furthermore, Servant costs add up very quickly if you’re relying solely on 5 stars.

The above team, while full of SSRs, doesn’t give much in the way of CE choice. Even if it does work, you’re relying primarily on brute force. Which, granted, isn’t a bad way to play but it can only get you so far. For one, almost none of these 5* skills aid each other. If your team needs a boost, they won’t get that increase needed for maximum damage.

Keeping Tamamo in our roster, we use her ability to boost Arts and combine her with some fellow Arts boosters! Since Robin and Kuro have powerful single-target Arts NP, the idea is to spam as much of their NP as possible. Caster Gilgamesh and Andersen are capable of providing stars, so this essentially creates a nifty Arts-Critical team meant to kill Saber bosses quickly.

And the cost is just right!

4. Get Yer Mystic Codes Get all of them as soon as you can! Different Mystic Codes allow you to cast different buffs on your Servants, which in turn allows you to diversify your team set-up.

And finally, the one question everyone wants to know: Which Servants should I roll for?

Keep in mind that a 5* rarity =/= a good Servant. I have several 5*s on my Japanese account which I don’t use because they’re extremely niche and don’t perform as well as my 4*s or even 3*s! I’ve listed some free gacha Servants my friends and I have found helpful, but this is by no means a solid guide.

1. Mashu (Shielder) - 3* Raise. Mashu. As much as you can. With 0 cost, invulnerability, defense up, AND a taunt that raises your NP bar, she’s one of the best Servants you’ll ever have. And you get her for free! Don’t neglect your kouhai. Love her.

2. Cu Chulainn (Lancer) - 3* There’s a reason why so many people use Cu even when they’ve gained higher star Servants. With Guts, Dodge, and Debuff removal, Cu is legendary for surviving almost any situation you throw him into. With the right support, this dog can outlast anything.

3. Hans Christian Andersen (Caster) - 2* A cheap and versatile healer. His NP provides ATK, DEF, and Star Gen up while also healing 1000 HP per turn. His skills also provides critical stars and increases critical damage.

4. Robin Hood (Archer) - 3* Easily one of the best Archers in game, and with his possible damage output, it’s easy to see why. Provide him with a good Arts support team and he’ll kill any Saber you point him at with ease.

5. David (Archer) - 3* With his group-wide Dodge Buff AND removal of debuffs--not to mention his ability to increase the party’s attack--David is an excellent support Archer who can fit on most any team.

6. Euryale (Archer) - 3* Euryale fits a specific niche: killing male enemies and doing it well. With her charm and powerful NP, she’s able to stall off the enemy’s NP and attacks while killing them with a smile.

7. Sasaki Kojirou (Assassin) - 1* If you need a cheap Assassin who can deal a huge amount of critical damage, Koujirou’s your man. There’s a reason why he’s called the Savior of France when the game first launched.

8. Any Event Servant - 4* In events, you sometimes gain a free Servant that’s fairly easy to level up and final ascend. Collect as many of these as you can. The developers themselves have said they intended these Servants to act as 4.5*s and they’re sometimes powerful enough to overshadow some 5*s in certain situations.

I can’t really speak for which paid gacha Servants (4*/5*) you should roll for. From my experience, the ones most people want:

Sabers: Lancelot, Nero Claudius, Altera Archers: Tristan, Artoria Pendragon, Ishtar Lancers: Elizabeth Bathory, Scathach Riders: Martha, Francis Drake, Anne Bonny & Mary Read, Ozymandias Casters: Zhuge Liang, Tamamo no Mae, Merlin Assassins: Carmilla, Jack the Ripper, Shuten Douji Berserkers: Hercules, Nightingale, Cu Chulainn [Alter], Ibaraki Douji Extra Class: Jeanne D’Arc, Jeanne D’Arc [Alter], Martha [Ruler]

Some Servants are story-locked, which means you’ll have to clear a certain chapter before you can roll for them. You can check this by looking up their page on a wiki.

Again! Keep in mind that rarity =/= usefulness. It all depends on what you need as a player.

And that should about wrap up my guide! Don’t forget, the most important thing is that you have fun. Fate/Grand Order is a unique experience in that it combines a visual novel with a gacha game. There’s so much to read for almost every character and I hope you find a character you love while playing this game. And, of course, that you enjoy the wonderful story that lies ahead of you :D

And if you’ve got any game-related questions, send me an ask at my main blog, @tackypies! I’d be more than happy to help!

#fgo #fate grand order #fsn #fate #my writing

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