THUMBNAIL
CONTENT
1. Introduction
2. Skill Analysis
3. Comparison
4. Conclusion
This guide aims to compare Seven Thunders of Retribution: Narukami, with its counterpart, Domain of Sanction (DoS). For the sake of comparison, the base weapon will not be analysed.
Introduction
Seven Thunders of Retribution: Narukami (because the name is way too long, we will just call it 7T) is a brand new Divine Key released in version 5.8. It is a Sword type weapon made primarily for the Herrscher of Thunder (HoT).
Figure 1. HoT with different swords.
Skill Analysis
ATK: 452 CRT: 11
Figure 2. 7T rotating.
Narukami Divinity
Figure 3. Active skill description.
7T's active comes in the form of a X-shaped slash that deals a total of 1200% ATK of Lightning DMG. The first hit of this skill inflicts 10 Paralyze Trauma to any enemy hit. If the user is not in burst mode, casting this weapon active restores 10 SP. When an enemy is hit by this active, Narukami's Mark is inflicted upon them which allows HoT to deal more damage and recover Herrscher Charge (the bar above her HP bar).
Figure 4. Active skill in motion.
If HoT is equipped with 7T, she is able to cast another weapon active during burst mode. This lateral slash deals a total of 800% ATK of Lightning DMG, triggers her Evasion Skill, and allows HoT to immediately cast Finisher. Like before, this weapon active also applies Narukami's Mark. As previously mentioned, weapon actives cast in burst mode does not restore any SP.
Figure 5. A slightly different active skill in motion.
Forfeiture
Figure 6. Passive skill 1.
This passive skill increases the wielder's TDM by 45% against weaker enemy types. That means HoT gains this bonus when fighting MECH type enemies, and Darkbolt Jonin (DJ) will similarly enjoy this benefit against PSY type enemies. Upon casting ultimate, the weapon active skill will be refreshed. All skill and stage timers will also pause when HoT performs either the initial ultimate cast or Finisher.
Figure 7. Passive skill 1 in motion.
After HoT performs her Finisher, Kurikara (the wyvern she rides on) will stay on field to support her. This effect is negated once HoT exits the battlefield. Kurikara will bombard enemies until charge runs out, akin to how her master does it during burst mode but only at 70% output. Whenever Kurikara is on the field, HoT will be in Herrscher form.
Figure 8. Passive skill 1 in motion again. Kurikara will only bombard when there are enemies in sight, consuming 200% Herrscher charge based on HoT's current charge.
Inverse
Figure 9. Passive skill 2.
7T has a second passive skill, which increases the wielder's Lightning DMG by 35% whenever she is not in burst mode. This slightly restrictive buff opens up another option for other Blade wielding characters like DJ.
As an added bonus to the previous passive skill, Kurikara will deal additional damage when it dives down, should HoT perform Shizan Strikes (a.k.a. her combo attacks). The dive deals 100% ATK of Lightning DMG, and can be buffed to deal an additional 600%!
Note: 7T has another passive skill for co-op raid, but that is not useful in this overview.
Comparison
To ensure some degree of fairness, I have split the damage comparison into different parts to showcase what the two weapons truly are capable of. HoT will be facing two test subjects, a PSY type Imperator and a MECH type Titan, on her own.
Figure 10. HoT's gear.
Firstly, a test to compare Basic + Combo attacks. The moveset is as follows:
Weapon Active > Basic ATK x 5 > Combo ATK
Figure 11. Comparison 1.
Against a neutral enemy, DoS performed better than 7T by around 20%. Though 7T is allegedly a "MECH killer", DoS once proves otherwise by beating the former by a slight margin.
Secondly, a test to compare Ultimate output. As 7T has added mechanics during burst mode, we will be omitting those. Finisher is also excluded for this test. The rotation is as follows:
Weapon Active > Ultimate > Evasion + Bombard (till bar is depleted) + Slam
Figure 12. Comparison 2.
Once again, DoS prevails. However, this test was done without 7T's special slash during burst.
Finally, a test to compare a typical rotation involving a full team.
Figure 13. HoT's gear with team.
All 3 combatants are equipped with their signature sets, and have full 46 x 3 ATK affixes. Klein is used to facilitate for an easier QTE trigger. The rotation for 7T is as follows:
Weapon Active > Ultimate > Weapon Active + Bombard + Slam + Tail Swipe > Finisher
... and the rotation for DoS is as follows:
Weapon Active > Ultimate > Evasion + Bombard + Slam + Tail Swipe > Finisher
Figure 14. Comparison 3.
This time 7T won against DoS. From my judgement, this was due to the time stops from 7T opening up more opportunities for HoT to catch Zhenyi's uptime.
Additionally, a test to showcase the damage output of 7T in just a single rotation. The moveset is as follows:
Weapon Active > Ultimate > Weapon Active > Finisher > Combo ATK
Figure 15. Comparison 4.
As expected, the damage difference is notable.
Check out Seven Thunders of Retribution: Narukami in actio**
Conclusion
In terms of overall damage, DoS should win by default due it not having restrictions like 7T does. Even against enemies of a weaker type, DoS came out prevailing, though just slightly. However, DoS does not have built-in time stop abilities which may bottleneck HoT's damage, especially from time-sensitive support elements like Zhenyi which 7T can safely pause during the myriad of ultimate animations. Most of the newer valkyries have time-stop built into their kit, missing out this useful upgrade will thus hinder HoT's competitiveness down the road.
If you do not wish to pull 7T, and depending on whether you care about the meta, I have two suggestions. First, ignore the new weapon and focus on pulling Griseo and her gears which should have a bigger impact on Physical teams. Second, just save your crystals for future-proofing lol. In the end, it all boils down to your preference... but I must reiterate this - HoT is not obsolete when equipped with DoS.
Thanks for reading!
UID: 11621778 (SEA)
Player: mimitsu
