4th Gate: When God is Silent
Didn’t we just fight this guy yesterday?
Gilles looks different. New haircut? Or maybe he's become a homunculus with the Ultimate Eye?
He’s a Saber with the riding trait! Time for the power of my guns to shine!
But there’s that ruler girl who looks like me. Look at that chest armor! We can't hope to beat her with Buster damage, or any effective damage at all.
Leave it to Dantes. For this fight, Archers are invaluable against the many Saber class enemies. The first wave of Lancers are negligible. Although there are more enemies, they have lower health overall, bringing up the value of AoE servants. Dantes is especially useful against Jeanne d’Arc due to his class advantage and invincibility pierce. I would recommend an AoE Archer such as Oda Nobunaga or Gilgamesh. Although you should be wary of Gilles’ ability to quickly charge his NP, with proper protection neither he nor Jeanne should pose too much of a threat. Do be careful of the soldier who can forcibly taunt your servants, though.
The most accessible team I can recommend includes Nobunaga--
You hear that Okita? I’m leaving the bench! Smell ya later!
As I was saying, Nobunaga, Georgios, and Hans, with a backline of Dantes and two out of Euryale, Lu Bu, or Mash.
Recommended CEs for Nobunaga would be either Buster performance or NP damage, with starting NP being a viable option as well (Halloween Princess works great). The rest of the servants are flexible. All benefit from starting NP, and Hans would also benefit from Prisma Cosmos if available.
The recommended Mystic Code is either Atlas Academy or default Chaldea Mystic Code. Atlas Academy allows for a safer playstyle and higher uptime on Georgios/Hans’ skills, while Chaldea allows for greater burst on Nobunaga’s NP.
Nobunaga is the cornerstone of this strategy because she deals effective damage to the shadow servant and Gilles, while keeping class advantage against the Saber soldiers. Georgios and Hans provide protection (use Georgios’ taunt in the first wave), as well as the possibility for more Arts chains to build up Nobunaga’s NP gauge as often as possible. After getting rid of the Saber enemies on the third wave, Dantes can enter the fight and defeat Jeanne. The backline depends on your playstyle. Mash deals neutral damage against Jeanne and can provide another layer of protection for Nobunaga, while Lu Bu can finish off the fight with generalist damage. Euryale can also serve as backup if Nobunaga somehow falls in battle.
Nobunaga can be replaced with Gilgamesh, while Hans is replaceable with me, El Melloi II. Lu Bu is replaceable with any stronger Berserker, and Euryale can be replaced with Robin Hood or Orion.
5th Gate: Heartless Moonlight
Next up we’re fighting Caligula. Since he’s a Berserker, we can just use some gun. And if that don’t work, you use more gun. Wait, what’s this Sin of Gluttony bullcrit? 80% for 3 turns? That’s broken!
How does Gluttony translate to critting, while Wrath grants NP gauge? Shouldn’t it be the other way around?
Heck if I know! I’m an archer but I use guns. It doesn’t make any sense!
We should just crit him before he can crit us! The ultimate strategy!
BOOM
That sounds like a oneshot crit from the enemy! Zhuge-emon! Help us out here!
You’re so helpless when you’re not fighting Sabers with Riding, Nobu-kun. That’s ok, I have a solution!
A knife? I can use swords, too! Or a Dokodemo Door so we can skip right to the rewards?
I have a plan. The first two waves aren’t a terrible problem with type advantage, so Casters and Sabers would be strong. On the third wave, focus Caligula rather than the homunculi in order to reduce the number of actions he can take (and thus the likelihood he will crit you). There are many ways to make killing him easier, including removing his buffs, or charm-locking him. In particular, bursting down Caligula is your strongest bet at survival. Keep a strong saber in the backline to clean up the homunculi, preferably an AoE Saber. Do beware that the third wave homunculi have a skill that heals the party by 6,000 HP, making burst even more valuable.
The team I recommend consists of Medea, Hans, and Halloween Elizabeth on the frontline. In the backline, keep Caesar, and one out of Mash, Cu, or Euryale.
Recommended CE’s would be Noble Phantasm damage for Medea, Prisma Cosmos or starting NP for Hans, and starting NP or NP damage for Liz. The backline is flexible, with starting NP preferred for faster NP access.
The recommended Mystic Code would be Atlas Academy in order to provide greater uptime on Medea and Hans’ NP charging skill, as well as provide invincibility against stray crits. The Chaldea Combat Uniform is also a good choice due to the ability to stun Caligula, and also swap in a servant to nuke him down quickly.
The frontline consists of 3 casters due to strong arts synergy and the two assassin enemies on the second wave. Try to focus the homunculus on the second wave before killing the assassins. Medea is invaluable because of her spammable NP and ability to remove Caligula’s buffs. With Hans’ defense up the team should be able to survive without the fear of Caligula’s crits. Lastly, bring Caesar in the backline to finish off the Homunculus enemies. For the flex servants, Mash can bring general protection to the team, Cu can dodge crits in case your team heads south, and Euryale can easily dispatch Caligula.
Medea can be replaced with Amakusa at the cost of effective damage versus Assassins. Caster Liz and Caesar can be replaced with an AoE Saber on the frontline; Chevalier d’Eon is a prime candidate due to arts synergy and taunt to control damage taken, while Altera can deal heavy damage. Hans can possibly be replaced with either me, El-Melloi II for instant NP gauge and defense, or Tamamo-No-Mae for better arts synergy. The flexible servant option could include Okita for better single-turn burst and class advantage against the homunculi.
6th Gate: Taking Revenge
There’s two rulers in this stage. That means it’s an easy win with Dantes, right?
Yeah! Time to take the spotlight back from El-Melloi II! It’s our clear victory!
You mean I finally get a break? I'm so happy--
Now just wait a minute! We still need you to charge our NP gauges.
(I can’t wait for the Setsubun Hot Springs.)
Obviously, we’ll need Dantes to defeat the third wave. Bringing a strong single target assassin is recommended to defeat the Wyvern Origin, and some kind of taunt or defense to ensure the assassin is safe. On the third wave, neither Jeanne nor Amakusa have any special event only skills. Focus on Amakusa first because his NP will clear all buffs before dealing damage, potentially wiping your team.
For the easiest time, I’d bring Assassin Shiki, Dantes, and Georgios on the frontline, followed by Lu Bu and two out of Mash, Hans, or Medea. Alternatively, bring another Berserker.
Tag team time! Recommended CE for Shiki would be starting NP to get rid of the Wyvern Origin as soon as possible. Dantes is still too cool for CE’s, and Georgios would do well with anything. SMASH Jeanne and Amakusa with Buster performance on Lu Bu, while starting NP works well for any of the flex backline.
Since Dodges and Invincibility are useless against Amakusa’s buff removal, use the Chaldea Combat uniform to buy an extra turn with the stun. Additionally, you can swap out Shiki with Lu Bu in order to increase the effective damage you have.
Time for my strategy to shine! The frontline has decent arts focus between Shiki and Georgios to help Dantes build NP gauge. Basically, you use Georgios’ taunt on the first stage, using his and Dantes’ attacks to take care of the caster Wyverns. On the second stage, try to deploy Shiki’s NP as soon as possible, ignoring the Wyvern’s invincibility with the Mystic Eyes of Death Perception. Finish off the Wyvern while building up Dantes’ NP gauge. On the third turn, swap out Shiki with Lu Bu, and try to use Georgios’ taunt to protect Dantes and Lu Bu. Focus on taking out Amakusa first, as his NP will be guaranteed to wipe the team. Use Dantes’ NP as often as possible, saving his invincibility pierce in case Jeanne uses her NP. Mash is good for providing extra NP gauge and taunt, while Medea can remove Jeanne’s invincibility, and Hans can provide sustain to easily take down Jeanne in a battle of attrition if it comes down to it. As you can see, I am a master tactician.
As for substitutions, Lu Bu can be replaced with any stronger Berserker, with Kintoki being an attractive option due to his instant NP. Georgios can be replaced with someone like Nero Bride for more diverse utility at the cost of taunt control. Meanwhile, the backline is completely flexible. Amakusa would be a decent alternative to Medea, with the added benefit of neutral damage against rulers.
7th Gate: The Count of Monte Cristo (Part 1)
Last day, Okita! We’re finally home free!
We can finally take a break!
Can I get a break?
Not yet. Just one more quest!
(Sigh). All right. Time for some last strategies. The first node will be all assassins. Thus it’s highly recommended to bring a damage dealing Caster, as well as supportive casters. Other arts-focused single-target servants like Shiki would synergize well with the casters’ art decks.
Mash’s arts focus and defensive buffs stacked with Hans will greatly reduce damage from the Giant Ghost, including its NP. Other tips for Mash include using her taunt for its NP gain effect, and saving invincibility for her due to lack of class advantage. Next, Medea is your Caster DPS, while Hans is an accessible support. Halloween Elizabeth serves as a secondary offensive caster, while the backline could consist of someone like Shiki for unhindered burst, or David for more safety. If available, Berserkers like Vlad III or Kintoki can be taken for greater burst.
The strategy for the fight will be to form and use as many arts chains as possible. Try to chain Medea’s NP before Hans in order to increase the overcharge utility from Han’s NP. Protect Mash with the Atlas Academy Mystic Code, and use it to lower her skill cooldowns.
7th Gate: The Count of Monte Cristo (Part 2)
Whoo! We’re free! Time to watch that new episode of Last Encore!
Wait, there's still one more quest yet! Sorry, Waver, we've been bamboozled!
What? I mentioned it earlier, weren’t you paying attention? Anyways, I’ve got the fight information.
There are two strategies I will be going over. If you don’t have very many high-rarity burst servants, the most reliable way to fight Dantes would be to stall out his Noble Phantasm. The ability to take friend supports greatly increases our comp flexibility.
Euryale and Waver have the ability to stun Dantes and drain his NP gauge, which provides more safety for Euryale to build up NP gauge. Mash takes Melty Sweetheart to safely taunt for Euryale, and her defensive buffs helps reduce Dantes’ overall damage. On the backline we have Hans as a secondary support, albeit missing the stall. Since Dantes will not cast Steel Determination if he begins the turn with a full NP bar, it’s safe to bring David in the backline with a taunt CE. Other backline options include Shiki or Robin Hood for higher burst to finish the fight.
The general strategy is to use the defensive buffs and focus on building as many arts chains as possible. Stagger Waver and Euryale’s NP, using Waver’s NP first if possible, while using Euryale’s NP drain whenever Dantes has more than one bar of NP charge. Use the stun to buy another turn to get either Euryale or Waver’s NP up, especially if Dantes has full NP gauge.
That sounds hard. So what’s the second?
“Bursty Buster Boys.” The second strategy is available if you have access to strong single target burst like Kintoki or Vlad. An example team could consist of Gilgamesh, Kintoki, Waver, and Shakespeare, with the Chaldea Combat Suit. Buff up Kintoki to kingdom come, swap out Gilgamesh with Shakespeare, continue buffing Kintoki, and watch Dantes blow up (or nearly blow up). With fully levelled Animal Dialogue, Kintoki can take Black Grail, and rely on Waver for the other 50% NP gauge. This strategy is more difficult to carry out due to the reliance on having specific, rare servants.
Wow. It looks like we’re done for real now. Thank you so much, Waver! I guess for the time being, you do get a break! Unless we get a ½ AP event or something, amirite?
