[emoji] TABLE OF CONTENTS [emoji]
Overview
Exclusive signets
Recommended signets
Recommended supports and Remembrance sigil
Gameplay
[emoji] OVERVIEW [emoji]
In version 5.5 Spina Astera joins the roster of Elysian Realm valkyries. Her play style in ER focuses on using her charged attacks as often as possible, as well as using
her ultimate. Because her performance is not quite on the same level as valkyries like Palatinus Equinox, rank S0 SpA requires a good build and some early exclusive
signets if she wants to clear ER on difficulty 130. With some extra luck and extra ranks she can even clear 150D. But I have to warn you… if you don’t have her signature gear, you will struggle to clear 130D in 5.5.
To improve her survivability, SpA gets the following special adjustments in ER:
[emoji] EXCLUSIVE SIGNETS [emoji]
Wild Flare Blessing is a high priority signet. The beta description I had was a little confusing (after all, it is beta), but here is how it works: Astral Flare: Erupt (your charged ATK finisher) casts Astral Rend based on the number of Astral Flare hits (8 max) and restores SP and Astrum. So when you enter Astral Harness, if you spam some basic attacks until your yellow meter goes down to about 40% before you use your finisher, you will get the max number of stacks. Then the finisher will restore 24 SP and your Astrum (purple meter) will be full so you can immediately use charged ATK again! So not only can you stay in Astral Harness mode all the time, but your finisher will deal a lot more damage as well.
Radiant Formation Blessing is another high priority signet that helps fill your Astrum meter. Unlike Wild Flare Blessing, it does not require you to use any basic attacks during your Astral Harness mode. Having both signets will allow you to fill your Astrum meter even faster and use charged ATK finishers more often. The Astrum that these two signets restore will stack. Radiant Formation Blessing also increases Astral Flare damage and reduces the cooldown of your ultimate. The ult CD reduction has great synergy with Eden’s second nexus signet.
The most important effects of Star Quillon Blessing are the pull and the total DMG vulnerability debuff that you can inflict with the 4th sequence of your basic attack while in Astral Harness state. This state is activated when you use charged ATK with a full purple meter. The pull will help you clear mob stages faster, while the debuff will help in any stage. Being able to gather enemies may help you hit more bonus objectives and get more bonus signets from the time trial floors. SpA has her own built-in gather (one of her charged attacks), but it’s limited and you could use some extra gather. Having this signet will allow you to use any supports you want, without having to worry about how to gather enemies.
Independent effect modifiers are very valuable, because they stack multiplicatively with all your other damage modifiers. Holy Flame Blessing will increase your DPS substantially.
There is nothing complicated about Alrescha Blessing. It makes your charged attacks deal more damage and buff you. This is SpA’s fifth best exclusive signet.
[emoji] RECOMMENDED SIGNETS [emoji]
I spent a long time looking for a build that can help SpA reliably clear difficulty 130 without relying too much on the RNG gods. The SpA I was using was rank S0 and
had no offensive affixes because I wanted the build to be easier for captains to replicate. I have good news and bad news. The bad news is that the build requires 2 exclusive signets and you will have to keep resetting floor 1 until you get an exclusive signet option there. The good news is that once you do that, you will not need any other exclusive signets for the remainder of your run. The basis of this build is using signets of Deliverance and the 2 exclusive signets will allow you to use your ultimate much more often, so you can take full advantage of Kevin’s signets. If you get lucky and manage to snag any other exclusive signets during your run, this will only make things easier for you.
Exclusive signets
Wild Flare Blessing – high priority – You need to have this signet from the start. It increases the damage of your finisher, restores SP and Astrum meter.
Radiant Formation Blessing – high priority – This is the other signet you have to get from the start. You will have to reset floor 1 until you get an exclusive signet option. This signet increases the damage of your finisher, restores Astrum meter and reduces your ultimate cooldown. Between this and Wild Flare Blessing, you will have everything you need so you can use charged attacks and ultimates as often as possible. This will allow you to make the most of the signets of Deliverance that we are going to focus on.
Star Quillon Blessing – medium priority – The pull will help you on mob floors, maybe even get you a bonus signet on time trial. The total damage vulnerability debuff will help against bosses too.
Holy Flame Blessing – medium priority – If you get the chance for a 3rd exclusive signet on one of the late floors after you have already passed most of the time trial floors, this one will be a better choice than Star Quillon Blessing, because its modifier is an independent effect, so it’s stronger.
Alrescha Blessing – low priority – Don’t pick this one unless you have all the other exclusive signets already. In many cases it will even be better to pass on it and choose a signet from one of the other flame chasers – for example if you need 1 more to complete a set of 3.
Signets of Deliverance (Kevin)
Artifact of the Inhibitor – high priority – Ultimate boosts elemental breach.
Goblet of the Giver – medium priority – Ultimate boosts total dmg.
Brand of the Undead – medium priority – Ultimate boosts elemental dmg.
Rochet of the Pilgrim – low priority – Ultimate restores 3 SP per second for 5s. – Your build already has good SP regeneration, so it doesn’t need much more. Don’t pick this one if you have Su’s signet that restores 30 SP when combo count reaches 150.
Blade of the Deliverer (nexus signet) – high priority – ultimate triggers Final Battle status during which all buffs provided by normal signets of Deliverance are increased by 50%.
Echo of the Deliverer (enhanced signet) – high priority – Duration of Final Battle and all signets of Deliverance are extended to 8s. – Try to get this one before floor 6 so you can upgrade it in the shop. At level 3 the duration will be 11 seconds. At that point, if you have the 2 exclusive signets I recommended earlier, you will be able to keep the buffs up for about 75% of the time, which is really strong.
Crusade of the Deliverer (enhanced signet) – high priority – After 3s into Final Battle, all buffs provided by normal signets of Deliverance are increased by 90% instead of 50%. – Upgrade this buff as soon as you get the chance.
Flock of the Deliverer (enhanced signet) – medium priority – Final Battle is also considered burst mode. Total dmg increases by 20% in burst mode.
Signets of Bodhi (Su)
Spina Astera has a naturally high hit count. It’s not on the same level as valkyries like Twilight Paladin and Haxxor Bunny, but it’s relatively high. That’s why the Signets of Bodhi, which can work well on any valkyrie if you get enough of them, are particularly well suited for SpA.
Motto of Di***-Cakkhu – high priority – Combo hits are reset at 150 to boost total dmg taken by all enemies for 10s.
Motto of Asavakkhaya – high priority – Attacks grant 25 bonus combo hits. 5s CD.
Motto of Ceto-Pariya-Nana – medium priority – Combo hits are reset at 150 to restore 30 SP. – If you have this signet, you will not have to worry about low SP.
Motto of Iddhi-Vidha – low priority – Combo hits are increased to 60 when below 60. 10s CD.
Motto of Pubbe-Nivasanussati – low priority – Combo hits are reset at 150 to boost total dmg for 10s.
Dictum of Bodhi (nexus signet) – medium priority – Reaching 60/100/150 hits triggers Boddhi: Eyes open, which deals damage to a random enemy. Affected enemies
contribute 1 bonus combo hit for 3s.
Dictum of Anatman (enhanced signet) – medium priority – Boddhi: Eyes Open lasts longer. For every debuff on the target enemy, it takes 5% bonus total dmg. – SpA can
inflict multiple debuffs so this signet has good synergy with her. The only reason it’s not higher on the priority list is because it requires many other signets of Su in order to work well.
Dictum of Santam (enhanced signet) – low priority – Bodhi: Eyes Open inflicts 3 random debuffs lasting 3s on hit. – Only get this if you have the previous signet. More debuffs means the target will take more bonus damage. But not that much more – only 15%.
Dictum of Anitya (enhanced signet) – low priority – For every debuff on the target, it takes 150% ATK of bonus adaptive DMG when hit by Boddhi: Eyes Open. – Only get
this if you have the previous signet.
Signets of Gold (Eden)
If you have the 2 exclusive signets Wild Flare Blessing and Radiant Formation Blessing, you will be able to use your ultimate quite often. This allows you to make good use
of Eden’s second nexus signet.
Recitaf of Eden – medium priority – every 10 SP left boosts total DMG.
Recitaf of Creeks – medium priority – every 10 SP left boosts physical and elemental DMG.
Recitaf of Fine Jade – low priority – Increases initial and max SP by 30. – The initial SP increase allows you to ult (and enter Final Battle status) earlier. The max SP improves the bonuses you get from the 2 signets above.
Echo of Gold (nexus signet) – high priority – Spending SP gives you as many charges as the number of SP you spent. The charges get consumed increasingly fast each
second. Having charges triggers Final Echo status, during which your total damage increases each second by 8% (160% max). – SpA’s ultimate costs 100 SP and casting it will trigger Final Echo for 13 seconds. If you’re fast, you can use her next ultimate before Final Echo status, but this will increase its duration by only 7 seconds.
RECOMMENDED SUPPORTS AND REMEMBRANCE SIGIL
If you don’t have the exclusive signet Star Quillon Blessing, you will need some extra gather from your supports. If you have it, you can pick damage-oriented supports. Please note that the descriptions of the support skills are much clearer in version 5.5 and we now know that VK’s support skill not only deals massive dmg, but inflicts 20% fire vulnerability for 10s. That’s why I picked her for floor 16. For Heimdall you will need a shield breaker of course.
