User:Boblers/Sandbox2

High Zodiark Guide: Standard & Expert

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I must hold myself together...

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High Zodiark's Trial is a challenge quest centered on a boss battle with High Zodiark, unlocked upon the completion of Zodiark's Trial (Master).

• Rewards from Standard difficulty include , which can be traded for the 5 dragon or the , and can be used to upgrade the Fafnir Statue facility.
• Rewards from Expert additionally include , which alongside s can be used to craft Shadow-attuned High Dragon weapons with High Jupiter's Bane.

Stat and Equipment Requirements

HP

• Melee units should have at least 2484 HP if running with the double strategy, or 1 Prince + a unit with an HP/Defense co-ability.

Weapons

All units should ideally be equipped with a Tier 1 Light-attuned High Dragon (HD) weapon with High Zodiark's Bane, obtained from High Jupiter's Trial: Expert.

If a HD weapon is unavailable, players can use a max-unbound 5 Void weapon with High Zodiark's Bane, obtained from Void Nidhogg. Entering public rooms with a void weapon is not overly difficult, however an entire team with Void weapons may result in not enough dps.

Weapon Category	Sword	Blade	Dagger	Axe	Lance	Bow	Wand	Staff
High Dragon Tier 1
Void Bane

Dragons

Everyone should be equipped with a max-unbound 5 dragon for all difficulties.

Adventurer	Dragon	Notes
		Cupid is the only acceptable option for Gala Prince. His ability Draconic Charge will charge up Cupid immediately after the opening blast, allowing Prince to heal the team in place of a dedicated healer. Cupid can then be charged up a couple more times during the fight for more healing or marker-tanking opportunities. Prince is more of a support than a dps. Running other dragons could potentially grant more dps, but would diminish his role.
		Mitsuhide and Fleur largely play the same role, being the primary dps Dagger unit with access to Paralyze. It's important that their dps be as high as possible, and the best dragon for the job is Daikokuten with his flurry strength - perfect for Daggers, who can rack up combos easily. Alternatively, Corsaint Phoenix's Paralyze Punisher can capitalize on these units' Paralyze procs for improved damage output. For more security in runs, Cupid can be run for some extra healing utility, while still granting a good amount of strength.
		Maintaining high combos for Flurry is generally quite difficult on Blades, but Gluca's Flurry Devastation ability pushes him toward a high-combo playstyle anyway. If one plans to make the most of Flurry, using Daikokuten to stack the Flurry Strength on top would be the best option. Alternatively, while Gluca himself cannot deal Paralyze, he can run Corsaint Phoenix to capitalize on Paralyze from the primary dps. For more security in runs, Cupid can be run for some extra healing utility, while still granting a good amount of strength.
		Yachiyo prefers Corsaint Phoenix to double-down on Paralyze Punisher from both her own Paralyze procs and those of the primary dps. Unlike Gluca, Yachiyo has no innate Flurry ability, and Blades have trouble with maintaining combo, so she wouldn't want to use Daikokuten. For more security in runs, Cupid can be run for some extra healing utility, while still granting a good amount of strength.
		Malora can't deal Paralyze on her own, but she still prefers to run Corsaint Phoenix to piggyback off the Paralyze dealt by the primary dps. Axe combos are quite slow, so Daikokuten isn't a good option. For more security in runs, Cupid can be run for some extra healing utility, while still granting a good amount of strength.
		Vanessa wants to run Corsaint Phoenix to capitalize on Paralyze from both herself and the rest of the team. Lances are generally not bad at maintaining combos, however Vanessa's unique Force Strike is likely to make her drop combo a little too often, making Daikokuten a questionable choice. For more security in runs, Cupid can be run for some extra healing utility, while still granting a good amount of strength.

Wyrmprints

All dps units except for Gala Prince will generally equip their typical dps prints, potentially swapping in Paralyze Punisher from if it is available.

Adventurer	Wyrmprint 1	Wyrmprint 2	Notes
			This is the only acceptable wyrmprint setup for Gala Prince. Choco allows him to use S2 before the opening blast, granting everyone enough defense to avoid using in favor of a second dps print. Sisters' Day Out then boosts Prince's Force Strikes and grants him another use of s2 during the important first-stack break phase.
			Fleur and Mitsuhide play the same role and wield the same weapon type, so they end up running the same prints. The first slot goes to the all-important Twinfold Bonds for its 40% Dagger skill damage. The second print should ideally be Spirit of the Season to play off these units' Paralyze affliction, but since that print is limited, Levin's Champion may be used instead. If the team has issues with breaking Zodiark on time, the secondary print can be swapped out for a Force Strike booster such as The Lurker in the Woods or Stellar Show.
			Gluca prefers The Wyrmclan Duo for its crit damage, which synergizes well with his high crit rate. If that is unavailable, then Resounding Rendition is an acceptable alternative, boosting Gluca's crit further. If one plans to maintain combos on Gluca for his natural Flurry Devastation ability, a flurry print such as Primal Crisis would give a larger boost than most other print options. If Primal Crisis is not available, then a straightforward 13% strength print such as Crystalian Envoy may be considered. Like everyone else except Gala Prince, Gluca can choose to run Spirit of the Season to score some bonus damage off of the team's Paralyze affliction.
			Yachiyo runs the classic Resounding Rendition as her primary print, usually with a Force Strike booster as her secondary. While blades typically don't Force Strike for damage, Yachiyo's S2 boosts her Force Strike's damage high enough to rival a typical skill. Alternatively, Yachiyo can run Spirit of the Season to take advantage of Paralyze from herself and the team. If she goes this route, then it is recommended to pair SotS with Mega Friends so that Yachiyo still gets her Force Strike damage boosted.
			Malora runs typical axe prints: Kung Fu Masters + Flower in the Fray/The Wyrmclan Duo for lots of Skill Damage, Crit Rate, and Crit Damage. With the meta team using Paralyzers, Malora can replace her secondary print with Spirit of the Season for more damage output.
			Vanessa plays similar to a normal lance, but adding a Force Strike into her combos to maintain defense down on the boss. But once Zodiark enters Overdrive, she can absolutely shred the bar down with Force Strike, so a print such as Sisters' Day Out to boost her Force Strikes would be a good call. The Force Charge of SDO also sets up s2 quickly, so Vanessa can guard Umbral Chaser early in the fight for a big strength boost. Note that since the HZD strategy revolves quite a bit around dps, and that Gala Prince's defense buff gets everyone past the opening blast anyway, the extra shadow res from is not necessary. Therefore, Vanessa would prefer the usual Resounding Rendition for her primary slot. Spirit of the Season is an option to replace SDO, taking advantage of Paralyze from both Vanessa herself and the rest of the team

Party Roles

Primary dps

These units will be doing the majority of the dps, and will need to carefully bait Zodiark around to ensure the speed strategy flows smoothly. In public rooms, it is expected that they are well-built and have a good handle on controlling the fight.

Adventurer	Notes
	Fleur's dps largely relies on Paralyzing and punishing, which is easy due to is HZD's 0% starting Paralyze resistance.
	Mitsuhide also does Paralyze and punishing, but does good damage even when Paralyze doesn't land. She's less reliant on Paralyze than Fleur is, leading to a better "floor" amount of damage. She has a slightly-higher damage potential "ceiling" as well.

Secondary dps

These units won't be doing as much dps as the Primary dps, but are still very important for overall dps, and dragon tanking some attacks when the Primary dps doesn't have a dragon available.

Adventurer	Notes
	Gluca does great damage due to his high crit rate, and Gala Prince's variety of buff icons from S2 will boost Gluca's crit even more. Note that Gluca doesn't deal Paralyze, but his damage is great regardless.
	Yachiyo is able to Paralyze and punish, similar to Fleur. She also grants herself a strength buff whenever she lands her own Paralyze.

Gala Prince

This role currently can only be filled by Gala Prince. His S2 buff, combined with the HP/Def Support's co-ability (or another Gala Prince's buff) ensures the team survives the opening blast, letting everyone skip equipping in favor of dps prints.

Adventurer	Notes
	Provides: defense buffs (from skill 2) shields to cover HZD mini-dashes. (from skill 2) attack buffs (from both skills) high Overdrive damage (due to being a sword) healing (from Cupid) instant dragon gauge after opening blast

HP/Def Support (or Gala Prince 2)

These units can offer an HP or Defense co-ability, or defense buffs in the case of Gala Prince. It's important to have one of these units alongside a Gala Prince to make sure everyone survives the opening blast.

Adventurer	Notes
	Provides: defense debuffs defense co-ability
	Provides: high Overdrive damage (from unique force strike) Paralysis defense debuffs HP co-ability
	Provides: defense buffs (from skill 2) shields to cover HZD mini-dashes. (from skill 2) attack buffs (from both skills) high Overdrive damage (due to being a sword) healing (from Cupid) instant dragon gauge after opening blast

General Party Setup

The general setup includes 1 primary melee dps, 1 secondary melee dps, at least 1 Gala Prince, and 1 HP/Def support (or a second Gala Prince)

Primary DPS	Secondary DPS	Gala Prince	HP/Def support