[emoji] TABLE OF CONTENTS [emoji]
Overview
Analysis and usage
How to obtain
Differences compared to its non-PRI version
Weapon comparison
Should you pull
[emoji] OVERVIEW [emoji]
Midnight Ataegina is the new PRI lance introduced with the 5.5 version. It’s the signature weapon for Durandal’s new battlesuit Palatinus Equinox. This is a physical weapon like no other. Midnight Ataegina revolutionizes the way weapon skills work, because its active skill can be used in no less than 5 different ways!
[emoji] ANALYSIS AND USAGE [emoji]
The weapon’s passive bonuses provide nice boosts to your crit rate, physical dmg, weapon skill dmg, total dmg as well as reducing the damage you take from behind. The latter bonus is triggered after using your ultimate evasion skill.
The more interesting part is the 5 different ways you can use Midnight Ataegina’s active. I am going to explain each of them, going in the order they are mentioned in the item’s description.
First way
This attack can be used by any battlesuit that can use a lance, as well as by Paladinus Equinox, as long as you are in Knight mode. Using the active while riding the horse triggers a throw attack that veteran players will be familiar with. It deals decent damage, induces a 25 second cooldown and interrupts the enemy’s current action, as long as they are not in Invincibility or Iron body state. This interruption can be very useful against certain bosses, for example Jizo Mitama. If you use it just before he summons his 3 relics, they will not appear and you can continue fighting him without having to worry about the relics.
Second way
For this attack it doesn’t matter what battlesuit you are using. PE can do it both in Guardian and Knight mode. However, there is a condition that the enemy needs to be executing certain moves. When an enemy does that, your weapon active will start flashing. Press it to do a medium damage attack that will restore some SP and interrupt the enemy’s move.
Third way
This attack can only be used by Palatinus Equinox and you have to be in Guardian form. The attack has 3 sequences where Durandal shoots at the enemy and after that she has to reload. This move has no SP cost, deals medium damage, but restores your ICHOR meter on each hit. You can use it after doing charged ATK in Guardian form to quickly restore your meter so you can use another charged ATK before you switch out.
Fourth way
This attack can be performed by PE in her Guardian form. After the final sequence of her basic attack, her weapon skill will briefly flash. Press it to activate Joint Cannon Blast. It deals only 400% ATK of Physical damage, but that’s not so bad considering that it costs no SP and is sort of an extra sequence to her basic attack. So if you find yourself using basic attacks in Guardian form, you might as well use this attack too.
Fifth way
This attack can only be performed as a quick follow-up after Equinox Severance. To perform Equinox Severance, PE needs to be in Guardian mode and tap ATK after
Retaliation (with ultimate evasion skill off cooldown). When the animation is almost over, your weapon skill will start flashing. Tap it once to perform Equinox Severance Joint Cannon Blast. The move has high damage (especially in Elysian Realm) and no SP cost. That’s why I recommend you use it whenever you trigger Equinox Severance.
[emoji] HOW TO OBTAIN [emoji]
To craft the PRI weapon Midnight Ataegina, first you have to pull its non-PRI version Midnight Eclipse, which is gacha only. During 5.5 it will be available both in Expansion Equipment Supply, as well as Focused Supply. Both supplies will offer the same off-drop items. Pro tip: if you have an old level 50 Hler’s Serenity which your Bright Knight is no longer using, you can sacrifice that when you forge Midnight Ataegina. That way you won’t have to spend any honkai cubes on Midnight Eclipse to get it to level 50. But you do have to pull it first. New captains please be aware that you have to reach level 81 before you can forge PRI weapons.
DIFFERENCES COMPARED TO ITS NON-PRI VERSION
Midnight Eclipse lacks the Daybreak Equinox passive (20% total damage, 35% damage reduction for 12 seconds after ultimate evasion skill). Other than that, it can do anything that Midnight Ataegina can, just a little bit worse. The main difference is the stats.
[emoji] WEAPON COMPARISON [emoji]
For this weapon comparison I am going to use the following team:
Support gear: both support valkyries used their signature gear with no offensive affixes.
PE gear: she used her signature stigmata “Bianka: Theatre” with no offensive affixes.
HoS and PE are both at rank S0 here.
I have not taken SP regeneration into account.
Enemy: Training dummy (2200 Physical DEF and 40% elemental resistance).
The rotation I used:
HoS spear combo > SnS QTE > weapon active > charged ATK III > ult > HoS QTE > evasion +ult > PE QTE > evasion+Charged ATK > weapon active > switch to Guardian > Charged ATK + weapon active follow-up (follow-up can only be used when equipped with Midnight Ataegina or Midnight Eclipse)> ult
For every weapon I tested, I repeated the rotation 10 times and took the average values.
As expected, Midnight Ataegina is the best weapon for Palatinus Equinox. It’s made specifically for her and allows her to perform some attack moves that other weapons don’t. Please note that tests like this one don't allow you to take into account Midnight Ataegina and Midnight Eclipse's unique ability to refill the ICHOR meter. This is something that can give them more advantage in fights. For the record, when I was testing the top weapon, my team scored an average of 6 387 588 damage. The best alternative is Hler’s Ataraxia at 93,8%. However, because that weapon is not the top choice for any battlesuit right now, few captains will have it, let alone upgraded to max. Plus, Abyss Flower: Liminal Spiral offers almost the same DPS as Hler's while also improving SP recovery and ultimate cooldown. The best free-to-play option is Abyss. It’s costly but it’s also a divine key so it may be worth crafting if you don’t have one of the better options. Midnight Eclipse comes fifth at 87,7% compared to its PRI version. If you’re poor and can only afford to forge a weapon that costs 150 AE imaginons, your better option is going to be Endothermic Lance VF. All in all, the f2p weapons perform relatively well.
[emoji] SHOULD YOU PULL [emoji]
While PE seems to have some good alternatives when it comes to her weapon, having Midnight Ataegina is going to give you a considerable advantage compared to captains that don’t have it. This includes the ability to quickly refill your ICHOR meter in Guardian form. If you are planning to pull Palatinus Equinox and you’re in exalted Red Lotus or Nirvana, I recommend that you pull Midnight Eclipse and forge its PRI version. As a bonus, the weapon is very strong in Elysian Realm. If you are lacking gear for your supports, you should prioritize gearing them, instead of pulling for PE’s signature gear. Meanwhile you can outfit her with some of BKE and Elysia’s gear that you have lying around. All in all, it seems that PE is not going to be very gear-dependent.
