UID: 11903619 Presents
Welcome again~
Previously, we looked at Durandal's newest battlesuit. This time we will be looking at her companion, Rita Rossweisse's latest battlesuit, Spina Astera, who we'll be referring to as simply Spina for the rest of this guide.
For starters, Spina is a Mecha type Fire Damage dealing scythe user who excels at doing small burst damage in short intervals. She will be given for free in 5.5 so be sure to log in some time to claim her!
Without further ado, let's see what she has to offer~
The items will be presented in the following order
1. Leader skill
2. Basic attack
a. Charged Attacks and Astral Harness
3. QTE
4. Evasion
5. Ultimate
6. SS/SSS skill summary
7. Team Composition
a. Main Support
b. Supplementary Support
8. Equipment
a. Weapon + alternatives
b. Stigmata + alternatives
9. Special - Acquisition
10. Final Remarks
Leader skill
When Spina leads the team, she will boost everyone's combo and charged attack's total damage by a set amount, if there is a single non-mech Valkyrie on the team, the entire team will deal more fire damage. These are the values as her rank changes.
Basic attack
Spina's basic attack consists of 4 hits each dealing pure fire damage and restoring a set amount of ASTRUM for her ASTRAL HARNESS form.
Astral Harness
When the gauge above Spina's HP bar is full, holding down the basic attack button will enable her to enter Astral Harness Mode.
During this mode, her attacks are enhanced and she can perform multiple charged attacks to deal substantial damage.
Charged Attack - Astral Flare: Erupt
This charged attack suspends Astral Harness mode and empties the gauge regardless of how full it is.
QTE
Spina's QTE is activated when an enemy is ignited or knocked airborne while her switch CD is off.
Refreshing an existing ignition will NOT trigger it.
Upon activation, she will first trigger a 3-second global time fracture. deal 5*200% ATK of fire damage and then restore 5 SP.
Evasion
When evading an attack, Spina will impose a 3-second global time fracture/ Tapping the basic attack button immediately afterwards will enable her to chain into the 3rd sequence of her basic attack.
Ultimate
SP Cost: 100
Cooldown: 20 seconds
Upon activating her ultimate, Spina will release a whirlwind that sweeps across the field and takes any unfortunate enemies with it.
Spina's ultimate will stop all stage timers while the animation is playing out.
Afterwards, she can immediately perform her finishing charged attack.
SS/SSS skill summary
SS - Astral Flare: Erupt restores 10 SP
SS2 - Ultimate evasion skill boosts Spina's total damage by a set amount for 3 seconds and restores SP.
SSS - Astral Flare: Erupt deals more damage.
Team Composition
Main Support
Azure Empyrea
From her skill set alone, she already provides:
Elemental damage amplification
Elemental breach
Crowd Control
SP regeneration over time
Ignites with her basic attack sequence that helps activate Spina's QTE.
Evading attacks will enable her to immediately chain into the ignite inflicting sequence.
Fu Hua Margrave becoming farmable is another bonus!
Phoenix (Budget Option)
She offers:
Elemental damage bonuses
15 SP every 20 seconds
At SS rank, Phoenix can debuff enemies into receiving more elemental damage.
Scorch brand that deals chip damage while off the field.
Ignition from her ultimate after SS rank.
Supplementary Support
Raven
Provides extensive buffs that enable Spina to focus on dealing damage without interruption.
Can reapply various stigmata effects while off the field
Dispatches nihilus seeds once their HP falls to 20%.
Farmable!
Sakura’s Salvation
Can ignite enemies and shred fire and hit count shields such as Rimestar and Herrscher of Sentience’s.
Inflicts fire damage vulnerability for 12 seconds.
Is forgeable at a cheap price in universal mirage!
Blood Dance
Best unconditional users
Considerations
Pick a typing that fulfills the leader skill if necessary.
Use a Blood Dance user with time fracture in the memorial arena (Rosalia or Battle Storm).
Blood Rose also works for igniting.
Otherwise, Spina usually gets along with any Blood Dance user.
Main downside of Blood dance is that it does not work well in longer fights due to its 20 SP cost per activation.
Ruinous Sakura
Only Flame Sakitama can inflict fire damage vulnerability.
The second cast can ignite affected enemies.
Helps fill ignite trauma gauges.
For non-pri users, either perform her hold-down combo attack or use Florid Sakura’s active skill when there’s sufficient SP.
Equipment
Weapon
Signature Weapon
Gamma-Ray Burst - Active Skil
SP Cost: 0 CD: 16 seconds
Casting the active skill causes a mystical fire to erupt from underneath and deals 1200%+200% ATK of fire damage and inflicting [Flared State] for 10 seconds to unfortunate enemies caught in the explosion.
Flared enemies take 20% more fire damage.
Spins Astera bonus: every attack against flared enemies causes another instance of damage, with each tick dealing 15% ATK of fire damage.
Neutron Degeneracy
Every form of basic attack (Combo and charged) deals a 25% bonus total damage to Flared enemies.
Spina Astera bonus: restores 20 Astrum per second (even when off the field).
Relativistic Jets
Charged Attacks deal 20% bonus damage.
Spina Astera bonus: Charged or Ultimate attacks boost her fire damage by 25% for 10 seconds, during this, every form of basic attack inflicts [Flared State] for 10 seconds.
Alternatives
As the first fire scythe Valkyrie and most other scythes providing exclusive bonuses towards their respective Valkyrie or damage type, Spina has no real alternative. The best option would therefore, be whichever weapon with the highest attack that’s available in one’s inventory, be it Sanguine, Skadi or Onyx Iron.
Stigmata
Signature Set
Top
Increase total damage by 25%
Combo and charge attacks boost the user’s fire damage by 40% for 10 seconds.
Subsequent activations will refresh the duration
Middle
Landing charged attacks ten times makes every enemy on the field take 20% more fire damage
and reduces the damage they deal by 30%, both effects last 10 seconds.
Subsequent procs refresh the duration
Bottom
Total damage increases by 20%
Landing charged attacks will boost the user’s fire damage by 30% and replenish 30 HP.
2 Set effect
Charged attacks boost the user's movement speed by 40% and fire damage by 20% for 10 seconds each.
Reactivating this will refresh the duration for both effects.
If this set is equipped on Rita, she will gain an additional 20% total damage.
3 Set effect
Charged attacks deal 30% bonus total damage.
If equipped on Rita, she gains an additional 50% fire damage for her charged attack.
Alternatives
Leeuwenhoek Top and Bottom + Thales Middle
The bonuses don't benefit Spina as much because she neither sacrifices HP nor spams her ultimate. However, it is quite a versatile set that many players should already have. Otherwise don't go out of your way to craft this set.
Thales Top and Middle + Fuxi Bottom
Mostly for short term use as the set above is preferred by other fire Valkyries.
Special - Acquisition
Unlike her congenial partner Durandal, Spina Astera is given for free during the 5.5 update! With the anticipated spending event handing out up to 70 of her fragments and Elysian Realm offering more to boot!
Her equipment banner also has a refund of 5 supply cards for every 10 rolls up to 80. We also got a free Ragna stigmata selector recently, which reduces the amount we need by 1. Along with a guaranteed new equipment piece every 30 rolls, we are looking at a maximum of 90 if the weapon drops within that, which is very likely.
Effectively reducing the total cost to a mere 14000 crystals.
Rita sure is generous with her services these days!
Final Remarks
In terms of priority, I wouldn't rank Spina too high as she mostly covers weathers that someone like Herrscher of Flamescion cannot. Her animations, however, might convince you otherwise and that's already a good reason to gear her up, not to mention the slightly cheaper cost and extra boost she gives for that spending event hehe.
No matter the decision, good luck as always. Happy 5.5![emoji]
