Build Scaling & Mechanics Reference

Quick reference for what each build actually scales from, what it's weak to, and how card + set + skill tree interact. Use this to understand why certain gear, gems, and affixes matter for each build.

How to Read This Page

Each build entry covers:

Scales From — the primary stats that drive this build's damage or healing output
Core Synergy Loop — how the card, set, and skill tree multiply each other
Weakness — what kills this build or limits its performance
Affix Priority — the 3 most important rerollable stats, in order, with reasoning

Archer Builds

Poison Archer (Shadow Lurker)

Scales From: Poison ATK (10x base, 35x at T3), not regular ATK

Poison damage ignores enemy DEF entirely. Your DoT ticks scale from poison-specific stats, not your ATK number. This makes poison the most gear-independent DPS build.

Core Synergy Loop:

Forest Queen (+500 Poison DMG, +170% Poison Amp)
    → Dude of suit 2pc (+10% all element ATK%) amplifies poison ATK
    → Dude of suit 4pc (10% ATK → all element DMG) gives poison scaling from ATK
    → Cave Spider passive (-45% enemy poison resist) = team debuff
    → Rose burst (1500% poison, resolves 50% remaining ticks) = burst window

Weakness: Must stay alive to maintain DoT stacks. Ranged positioning helps, but Abyss content demands HP/DEF. Dead archer = 0 poison ticks.

Affix Priority:

Poison ATK — highest-value affix by far. 25x scaling multiplied by Forest Queen's +170% Poison Amp means each point of Poison ATK is worth ~67.5x effective damage
Equipment ATK% — feeds Dude of suit 4pc's ATK→element conversion, giving your DoTs ATK scaling they normally don't have
Crit Rate — poison ticks crit independently; even moderate crit adds massive sustained DPS across all active DoTs

Volley Archer (Arrow God)

Scales From: ATK (physical burst), Crit Rate/DMG (5 independent crit chances per volley)

Five rapid shots per cast = five independent crit rolls. This makes Crit Rate exponentially valuable — at 50% crit, you statistically get 2-3 crits per volley.

Core Synergy Loop:

Fear of Fear (+25% ATK Speed, +10% Auto DMG, shadow arrow on auto)
    → Ranger of suit 3pc (+700 Pure ATK) = massive flat base for all 5 shots
    → Ranger of suit 4pc (+30% Five Shot DMG) = direct multiplier on volley
    → Fear of Fear shadow arrow fires between volleys = bonus DPS
    → Rex Savage stacking: +3% ATK Speed, +2% Crit, +1.5% Crit DMG per auto (x50)

Weakness: Burst DPS with downtime between volleys. Anti-Crit defense matters for PvP. Fear of Fear's +15% Dodge at 3-star provides some defense.

Affix Priority:

Equipment ATK% — multiplied across all 5 shots + shadow arrow. Ranger of suit's +700 Pure ATK makes each % point worth more
Crit Rate — 5 shots per volley = 5 independent crit chances. Exponential burst scaling with multi-hit
Crit DMG — Ranger of suit's +30% Five Shot DMG amplifies every crit. Scales exponentially with multi-hit volleys

Multi-Shot Archer (Assaulter)

Scales From: ATK (feeds Skill DMG), Skill DMG% (multiplied across 6+ projectiles per fan)

AoE crit burst — 6+ projectiles per fan, each with 30% base crit from Tier 2A. Tier 3A stacking (+3% ATK AND Skill DMG per target hit, x50 stacks = +150%) means damage grows exponentially in dense waves.

Core Synergy Loop:

TR-300 (+55-70% Skill DMG)
    → Belisha of suit 4pc (+15% Multi-Shot DMG/Crit) stacks with TR-300
    → Tier 3A stacking (+150% ATK + Skill DMG at 50 stacks)
    → 6+ projectiles per fan = 6+ independent crit chances
    → Each projectile crits independently → AoE crit burst

Weakness: AoE farming draws aggro from entire packs. Need DEF + HP to survive dense waves. Anti-Crit gems necessary in Abyss.

Affix Priority:

Skill DMG% — directly multiplies every projectile in fan. Compounds with TR-300 (+70%) and Belisha of suit bonuses
Equipment ATK% — multiplied across 6+ projectiles per volley. Feeds Tier 3A stacking
Crit Rate — 6+ projectiles = 6+ independent crit chances. Higher crit produces exponential AoE damage in dense waves

Rapid Fire Archer (Storm Walker)

T4A (Ice) Scales From: Ice ATK (10x ice scaling), Ice Amp%

T4A converts all auto-attacks to ice arrows. During Rapid Fire's doubled ATK speed + Tier 1B's +50% crit rate, you fire ice arrows at extreme rates.

T4B (Physical) Scales From: ATK, Crit Rate/DMG, ATK Speed

T4B builds through Rex Savage per-auto stacking: +3% ATK Speed, +2% Crit, +1.5% Crit DMG per auto (x50 stacks). At 50 stacks: +150% ATK Speed, +100% Crit, +75% Crit DMG.

Core Synergy Loop (T4A):

Moogle card (+300 Ice ATK, +30% Ice ATK%, +35% Ice Amp)
    → Maruka of suit 2pc (+30% Ice ATK%) = +60% total Ice ATK%
    → Maruka of suit 4pc (+40% Ice Arrow DMG) on every auto
    → Rapid Fire doubles ATK speed → double ice arrow rate
    → Maruka of suit 3pc (15% freeze per auto) = constant CC at haste speed

Core Synergy Loop (T4B):

Rex Savage (+50% Auto DMG, per-auto stacking x50)
    → Shadow of suit 4pc Frenzy (kill: +10% DMG/ATK Spd/Crit x10)
    → At 10 Frenzy stacks: +100% DMG, ATK Speed, Crit
    → Combined with Rapid Fire double speed = fastest attack rate in game
    → Red 4pc adds +100% ATK/DEF on kill stacking

Weakness: T4B sacrifices 25% HP for +50% Crit DMG — requires careful HP management. T4A is safer with no HP sacrifice.

Affix Priority:

Equipment ATK% — multiplied by Tier 3A permanent stacking (+200% ATK at 20 stacks)
ATK Speed — more autos per second = faster Rex Savage stack building + more hits during haste windows
Crit Rate — each auto crits independently. At doubled ATK speed, small crit increases compound massively

Pet Summon Archer (Beast Spirit)

Scales From: ATK (100% pet inheritance), Summon DMG%, Equipment ATK%

Your gear directly powers your summons. Pets inherit 100% of your ATK/DEF/DMG bonus. Mars further multiplies: +90% Summon ATK, +50% Summon HP at max stars.

Core Synergy Loop:

Mars (+90% Summon ATK, +50% Summon HP, +50% Summon ATK Speed)
    → Guttorm of suit 4pc (+35% Summon ATK Speed) stacks with Mars = +85% total
    → Pets attack nearly 2x faster
    → Guttorm of suit 2pc (+20% Summon Crit) + Tier 2B base (40%) = 60% pet crit
    → Guttorm of suit 3pc (+30% Summon DR) keeps pets alive
    → Tier 3B: +35% auto-DMG per living summon = personal DPS scales with pet count

Weakness: Dead archer = dead pets. Your HP/DEF matters as much as your damage stats. Pets draw aggro and tank hits, providing some defensive utility.

Affix Priority:

Equipment ATK% — double-dips: multiplies YOUR base ATK AND is inherited by all summons. Mars further multiplies inherited value (+90%)
Crit Rate — benefits archer auto-attacks and Tier 3B triple-shot procs
ATK Speed — more archer autos = more Tier 3B triple-shot procs. Stacks with Mars and Guttorm of suit for overall DPS

Mage Builds

Healer Mage (Bishop)

Scales From: ATK (heals scale from ATK), CDR (more heals per minute)

Every point of ATK makes your heals bigger. Every point of CDR lets you cast them more often. The multiplicative interaction between ATK and CDR is the core of healing throughput.

Core Synergy Loop:

Octopus King (+25-50% CDR, +30% Recovery Effect, +20-40% DMG team aura)
    → Vilanova Oath of suit 4pc (+20% CDR) stacks with Octopus King = 45-70% total CDR
    → Vilanova Oath of suit 3pc (+10% ATK) = bigger heals
    → Octopus King Recovery Effect (+30%) amplifies each bigger heal
    → Near-permanent healing uptime from combined CDR
    → Team-wide aura: +40% DMG, +50% CDR for ALL allies

Weakness: Dead healer = team wipe. Must build enough HP/DEF to survive. Octopus King's aura requires an ally dropping below 50% HP to activate double mode (+50% CDR, +40% DMG).

Affix Priority:

Equipment ATK% — heals scale from ATK. Bigger heals cast more often with CDR. Highest-throughput affix
Skill DMG% — boosts holy shockwave damage. Compounds with set bonuses
CDR — stacks with Octopus King + set CDR for near-permanent healing uptime. Every point is direct throughput

Ice Cone Mage (Ice Crystal Archmage)

Scales From: Ice ATK (500% ice scaling via Silver Knight), Ice Amp%

Silver Knight card creates a unique playstyle: 150% ice melee attacks with 500% ice scaling. Per-hit stacking gives +4% ATK Speed, +4% Ice Amp per stack (x20 stacks = +80% each). At max stacks, you're a melee blender.

Core Synergy Loop:

Silver Knight (500% ice scaling, +80% Ice Amp at 20 stacks, +80% ATK Speed)
    → Maruka of suit 2pc (+30% Ice ATK%) directly feeds 500% scaling
    → Maruka of suit 4pc (+40% Ice Arrow DMG) multiplies ice melee hits
    → At 20 stacks: +80% ATK Speed = fast melee attacks
    → Maruka of suit 3pc (15% freeze per auto) procs constantly at 80% ATK Speed
    → Cobalt gems at 30x scaling efficiency in endgame

Weakness: Silver Knight forces melee range — mages are squishy. DEF-heavy gem setup necessary. Must survive long enough to build 20 stacks.

Affix Priority:

Ice ATK — multiplied by Silver Knight's 500% ice scaling and Maruka of suit's +30% Ice ATK%. Highest-value affix by far
Ice Amp% — stacks with Silver Knight's +80% Ice Amp at 20 stacks. Multiplicative with all ice damage
Equipment ATK% — base ATK multiplied by 150% ice melee conversion. Secondary to ice-specific stats

Firebolt Mage (Magbullet Magister)

Scales From: Fire ATK (15x fire scaling), Skill DMG% (multiplied across 9 missiles)

6 missiles per cast (9 with Tier 1A). Each missile procs on-hit effects independently. Gem Spider's Spell Weaving stacks to +600% Skill DMG at max.

Core Synergy Loop:

Gem Spider (+20% Skill DMG per stack, x30 = +600% Skill DMG; -0.05s CD per stack)
    → Lava of suit 2pc (+15% Skill DMG) = +615% total at max stacks
    → Lava of suit 3pc (+25% Firebolt Crit) seeds T4A crit loop
    → T4A crit loop: each crit → +10% Crit DMG, +5% Fire Amp (x30 stacks)
    → At 30 stacks: +300% Crit DMG, +150% Fire Amp
    → 9 missiles per cast × crit loop = exponential scaling

Weakness: Channeling mage needs to stay alive for sustained casting. Anti-Crit defense necessary during vulnerability periods.

Affix Priority:

Skill DMG% — stacks with Gem Spider's +600% and Lava of suit bonuses. Applies to every missile in volley
Equipment ATK% — base ATK scales 15x fire component of every missile. Compounds with Spell Weaving stacking
CDR — faster casts = more missiles = faster Spell Weaving stack building. Creates positive feedback loop with Gem Spider's -0.05s CD per stack

Blast Mage (Blaze Magister)

Scales From: Fire ATK (45x fire scaling — highest of any mage skill), Skill DMG%

Great Fireball has the highest fire scaling in the game. Supernova (every 20s) is a guaranteed crit with 2x DMG and 2x range. Boar King's 35% double-cast can duplicate it — triple-cast Supernova is the single highest damage event in the game.

Core Synergy Loop:

Boar King (+40-80% Skill DMG, 35% double-cast, 5% triple-cast)
    → Burning of suit 3pc (+15% Fire ATK%) feeds into 45x fire scaling
    → Burning of suit 4pc (-15% enemy Fire Resist every 8s, stacking)
    → At 45x scaling, each point of Fire Resist shred = enormous DPS gain
    → Supernova guaranteed crit (20s CD) with 2x DMG, 2x range
    → Triple-cast Supernova = 3 guaranteed crits × 45x fire × 2x DMG
    → Tier 4A: +30% Skill DMG stacking (x10 = +300%)

Weakness: Burst mage with downtime between cooldowns. Supernova timing matters — 20s window. Must survive between bursts.

Affix Priority:

Fire ATK — multiplied by 45x fire scaling. Highest-value affix because of the extreme scaling multiplier
Fire Amp% — stacks with Burning of suit amplification. Multiplicative with 45x fire scaling chain
Skill DMG% — compounds with Boar King's +80% and Tier 4A's +300% stacking

Fire Snake Mage (Snake Contractor)

Scales From: Fire ATK (25x fire scaling, 50x advanced snake), Summon DMG%, Equipment ATK% (snake inherits 60% of your ATK)

Semi-AFK build. Snake attacks every 0.75s and inherits 60% of your ATK + 2% of your HP. Fire Amp from Flame Lord (+100%) effectively doubles all snake fire damage.

Core Synergy Loop (Fire Path):

Flame Lord (+500 Fire DMG, +100% Fire Amp)
    → Snake inherits 60% of your ATK + your fire stats
    → Guttorm of suit 4pc (+35% Summon ATK Speed) → snake attacks every ~0.56s
    → 25x fire scaling on every snake hit (50x on advanced snake)
    → Guttorm of suit 2pc (+20% Summon Crit) = snake crits with 25x fire scaling
    → Red 4pc (+25% Summon Inherit) = snake gets even more of your stats

Core Synergy Loop (Ice Path):

Mars (+90% Summon ATK, +50% Summon HP, +50% Summon ATK Speed)
    → 50% chance to summon advanced snake (2x ATK, 2x duration)
    → Voit of suit 4pc (+35% Summon Duration) extends advanced snake window
    → Red 4pc (+25% Ice Amp, +25% Summon Crit) for ice snake crits
    → Voit of suit 3pc (+20% Summon DMG) multiplies all snake output

Weakness: Dead summoner = dead snake. Summoner HP/DEF is critical. Semi-AFK friendly but must resummon on cooldown.

Affix Priority:

Fire/Ice ATK — multiplied by 25x fire scaling (50x advanced) and snake stat inheritance. Highest value due to elemental scaling
Equipment ATK% — snake inherits 60% of your ATK. Mars further multiplies (+90% Summon ATK)
Summon DMG% — direct multiplier on all snake output. Compounds with Guttorm of suit/Voit of suit set bonuses

Warrior Builds

Taunt Warrior (Commander)

Scales From: DEF (Rock Dragon's +30% base DEF, +32% stacking DEF), Block Rate, HP Recovery Effect

Pure tank. Rock Dragon's Dragon Protection: every 5s, drain 5% HP → gain +16% DEF and +10% ATK (x2 stacks). The HP drain is a feature, not a bug — it triggers healing mechanics.

Core Synergy Loop:

Rock Dragon (+30% base DEF, Dragon Protection: +16% DEF/+10% ATK per stack x2)
    → Moguli of suit 3pc (+200 Pure DEF) adds on top of percentage multipliers
    → Moguli of suit 2pc (+15% Block) = hits randomly fully negated
    → Rock Dragon drains 5% HP → healer heals it back
    → Moguli of suit 4pc (+100% HP Recovery) doubles all incoming heals
    → Red 2pc (+25% Base HP) = bigger HP pool for drain sustain
    → Tier 3B2: each taunt stacks +7% DR (x15 stacks = 105% DR cap)
    → Tier 4B2: Taunt gives whole team +25% Crit Rate and Crit DMG

Weakness: Forced aggro means teammate survivability depends on your tanking. Rock Dragon's 5% HP drain requires healer support (or Moguli of suit red 4pc's lost HP heal every 12s for self-sustain).

Affix Priority:

Equipment DEF% — core stat. Multiplied by Rock Dragon's +30% base and +32% stacking DEF. Feeds entire Moguli of suit synergy chain
DMG Reduction% — stacks additively with Tier 3B2 per-taunt DR for near-immunity
Block Rate — Moguli of suit 2pc gives +15% Block. Pushing higher means more hits fully negated

Whirlwind Warrior (Sword Saint)

Scales From: Lightning ATK (20x lightning scaling from Tier 4B2), Lightning Amp%

Tier 4B2 converts ALL damage to Lightning with 20x lightning scaling. Lilith of suit 4pc converts 50% of Lightning ATK to Crit Value — meaning Lightning ATK gives both damage AND crit. This is why you drop crit gems entirely at 4pc and go full Lightning.

Core Synergy Loop:

Summer Ziggs (+300 Lightning ATK, +30% Lightning ATK%, +40% Lightning Amp)
    → Lilith of suit 2pc (+350 Lightning ATK) + 3pc (+30% Lightning ATK%)
    → Lilith of suit 4pc (50% Lightning ATK → Crit Value) = damage AND crit from one stat
    → Summer Ziggs Conductive state (-30% enemy Lightning Resist per skill use)
    → Whirlwind 4★B2: 3x 100% Lightning DMG/sec with 20x scaling
    → Citrine gems strictly better than Topaz once Lilith of suit 4pc active
    → Red 4pc: Lightning AoE damage/sec with 25% stun chance = free CC

Weakness: Melee AoE warrior takes constant hits. Needs adequate DEF + HP. No HP sacrifice mechanic like some other warrior paths, so baseline survivability is decent.

Affix Priority:

Equipment ATK% — multiplies everything: base ATK scales all Whirlwind damage, feeds Lilith of suit's Lightning→Crit conversion
Lightning ATK — direct lightning damage AND feeds Lilith of suit 4pc's conversion. Double value from one stat
Crit DMG — Lilith of suit provides free crit rate via conversion, so Crit DMG scales hard. Amplifies every crit tick across multi-target Whirlwind

Shield Wall Warrior (Templar)

Scales From: DEF (Chrysalis shield size + heal-on-break both scale from DEF), Block Rate

Ultimate tank. Chrysalis converts 50% of HP damage to a DEF-scaling shield. When shield breaks: heal 150% of DEF + gain +35% DEF buff. Moguli of suit 4pc doubles the heal to effective 300% DEF.

Core Synergy Loop:

Chrysalis (50% HP damage → DEF shield; shield break → 150% DEF heal + 35% DEF buff)
    → Moguli of suit 4pc (+100% HP Recovery) doubles break-heal to 300% DEF effective
    → Moguli of suit 3pc (+200 Pure DEF) increases shield size AND heal value
    → Shield Wall 40% DR + Moguli of suit 2pc (+15% Block) = layered mitigation
    → Tier 2A: 25% ATK/sec heal during shield (self-sustain without healer)
    → Tier 2B: ATK increased by 25% of DEF (DEF→ATK conversion for offense)
    → Chrysalis cycle: absorb → shield → break → massive heal → DEF buff → repeat

Weakness: Most survivable build in the game. Main weakness is burst damage that kills before Chrysalis shield can activate (50% HP threshold). Red 2pc's +25% Base HP extends the buffer.

Affix Priority:

Equipment DEF% — feeds entire Chrysalis + Moguli of suit chain: shield size, heal on break (doubled), and DEF buff value
Block Rate — Moguli of suit 2pc gives +15% Block. More hits fully negated before reaching shield
Equipment HP% — determines Chrysalis trigger threshold (50% HP). Raw pool for burst window survival

Ground Slash Warrior (Earthbreaker)

T4A (Auto-Attack) Scales From: ATK, Auto DMG%, ATK Speed

Blaze Lord gives +90% Auto DMG but drains -10% HP per auto-attack. At T4A's +90% ATK Speed, you auto-attack so fast that Imprison of suit 4pc's 20% heal-on-hit sustains through the drain.

T4B (Burst) Scales From: ATK, Skill DMG%, Crit Rate/DMG

Ground Slash base: 850% physical DMG in a 4x2 line. T4B's double-cast fires two back-to-back. Gudrun of suit red 4pc gives +45% Crit Rate on Ground Slash — near-guaranteed crits on an 850% hit.

Core Synergy Loop (T4A):

Blaze Lord (+90% Auto DMG, -10% HP per auto, +100% HP Regen at ★2)
    → Imprison of suit 2pc (+15% Auto DMG) = +105% total Auto DMG
    → Imprison of suit 4pc (20% auto-heal on hit) offsets HP drain
    → At +90% ATK Speed, you auto fast enough to heal > drain
    → Red 4pc: each auto reduces enemy Crit Rate by -5% (x20 stacks) = safer over time

Core Synergy Loop (T4B):

Giant Beast (+50% Auto DMG, 550% AoE stomp post-skill)
    → Gudrun of suit 3pc (+25% Ground Slash DMG) = effective 1,062% per cast
    → T4B double-cast = two 1,062% hits back-to-back
    → Each hit procs Giant Beast's 500% AoE stomp
    → Red 4pc (+45% Ground Slash Crit Rate) = near-guaranteed crits
    → Gudrun of suit 4pc (kill → 20% HP heal) sustains in wave content

Weakness: T4A requires healer or self-sustain for Blaze Lord's -10% HP drain. T4B is safer with no drain but bursty — vulnerable between cooldowns.

Affix Priority:

Equipment ATK% — base ATK scales Ground Slash (850% + Gudrun of suit's +25%) AND Giant Beast's post-skill AoE
Crit Rate — double-cast means two massive hits. Ensuring both crit maximizes burst windows
Crit DMG — amplifies every crit during double-cast burst. Compounds with Giant Beast's guaranteed-crit stomp

Leap Slash Warrior (Shieldbreaker)

Scales From: ATK, Crit Rate/DMG (burst into stunned, defense-shredded targets), Auto DMG%

Leap in, stun 2-3s, defense-shred the target, then unload crits during the stun window. Tier 3B applies -40% DEF and -20% all element resist on stunned targets — your team benefits too.

Core Synergy Loop:

Blaze Lord (+90% Auto DMG) OR Rock Dragon (+30% DEF, safer)
    → Leap Slash: 300% physical + 2-3s stun
    → Tier 3B: stunned targets get -40% DEF, -20% all element resist
    → Angel of suit 3pc (+25% Crit Rate) + 4pc (+45% Crit DMG)
    → Crit into defense-shredded target = highest single-target burst in warrior kit
    → Tier 4B: triple-leap chains to 3 different targets
    → Tier 5B1: +55% normal ATK + heal for 4s post-leap = sustain window
    → Angel of suit 2pc (+20% Elite DMG) = bonus against bosses
    → Red 2pc (+30% ATK Speed) = faster autos during stun window

Weakness: Aggressive diver who leaps INTO enemy packs. Post-leap vulnerability requires HP pool to survive. Blaze Lord HP drain is risky for divers — Rock Dragon is safer alternative at the cost of burst.

Affix Priority:

Equipment ATK% — multiplied by Blaze Lord's +90% Auto DMG. Core of burst, amplified by Angel of suit's crit bonuses
Equipment HP% — diving into packs + Blaze Lord's -10% HP drain demands large HP pool. Non-negotiable for offensive diver build
Crit Rate — Angel of suit provides Crit DMG from set. Additional Crit Rate ensures every hit during burst window on stunned targets crits