Lukas

Preferred IV: +DEF or +ATK / -SPD or -RES

Although more Attack is rarely – if ever – a bad thing, more Defense will generally help Lukas survive more engagements and therefore perform at tanking better. A Speed or Resistance flaw are rather interchangeable, though Lukas’ Speed being so terrible means it should be the first choice of flaw.

Weapon: Daybreak Lance (+Eff) / Daybreak Lance (+Def)

• Lukas’ exclusive Daybreak Lance offers him the same cooldown reduction as a Slaying Lance, as well as +4 Attack and Defense when he is initiated on by a foe when refined for effect. Even if it is decided that a consistent and permanent stat boost is preferable to this effect, the Daybreak Lance can do that too. 

• For this reason, there is no compelling argument to use a Slaying Lance instead of the Daybreak Lance. It really is a straightforward upgrade, even if its effect isn’t particularly exciting.

• If a consistent Defense boost that will be active on both Player Phase and Enemy Phase is preferred, however, a Defense refine may be used instead.

Assist: Shove / Smite / Dual Rally 

• In AR, Shove and Smite allow units to activate traps without losing their turn. If Lukas is facing down an unfavorable matchup, he can instead use one of these Assists to help get one of his allies where they need to go.

• Alternatively, a Dual Rally is also an option that grants buffs to a nearby ally, providing valuable support in the process.

Special: Bonfire / Ignis

• Bonfire is the Special of choice for this build since it scales off of Lukas’ high Defense. When used in conjunction with his Daybreak Lance and Steady Breath, he will activate Bonfire whenever he counterattacks if he is initiated on.

• Ignis is an alternative that may be used with the Quickened Pulse Seal to deal devastating damage on a first engagement. It can also be used with Steady Stance 4 for more powerful Special activations while halting the opponent’s own Special.

Passive A: Steady Breath / Steady Stance (4 or 3) / Fortress Def

• A key element of what makes this build effective. Steady Breath allows Lukas to accelerate his cooldown, dealing heavy damage with quickly-charged Bonfires.

• A different but also very effective option. Steady Stance 4 allows Lukas to halt his opponent’s Specials and further boost his Defense, which results in many melee foes having trouble breaking through his high HP. Steady Stance 3 also boosts his Defense, but must be used with Guard and the Quick Riposte Seal to be even roughly as effective. 

• If low investment Skills are a priority, Lukas’ native Fortress Def may be used instead. This Skill does, however, lower his Attack to the degree that it becomes merely average instead of quite good. An Attack Asset is therefore recommended with this Skill to remedy this issue.

Passive B: Quick Riposte / Guard

• Because Lukas’ Speed is so low, Quick Riposte is a must-have Skill to grant him follow-ups on Enemy Phase. 

• Guard is an alternative that allows Lukas to disrupt his foes’ cooldown gain when his HP is ≥ 80% at the start of combat, but should be paired with the Quick Riposte Seal for the reason stated above. Do note that Guard should not be used with Steady Stance 4 as it already has a Guard effect built-in.

Passive C: Infantry Pulse / Panic Ploy / Rouse Atk/Def / Drive Skill

• Lukas’ high HP – which is boosted even further by his refined Daybreak Lance – is a great fit for Skills like Infantry Pulse and Panic Ploy. While Infantry Pulse allows him to accelerate his allies’ cooldown, Panic Ploy instead gives him the ability to turn his opponent’s buffs into debuffs (assuming they are in a cardinal direction of him). Both are excellent support options, though Infantry Pulse is really best suited for infantry-heavy teams.

• Rouse Atk/Def gives Lukas a +6 Atk/Def buff if he is not adjacent to an ally at the start of a turn, which is a reasonably easy condition to fulfill. 

• Drive Skills are almost always a good choice of support, and their relatively low investment cost makes them an attractive option.

Sacred Seal: Atk/Def Bond / Quick Riposte / Close Def / Steady Stance / Quickened Pulse

• Atk/Def Bond is a great choice of Seal for Lukas, giving him a further +5 Atk/Def when he is adjacent to an ally. When stacked with the Daybreak Lance and Steady Breath/Stance 4 on Enemy Phase, Lukas becomes a considerable threat. Do note that this Skill might require some precise maneuvering if used in conjunction with Rouse Atk/Def.

• Quick Riposte is a necessity for Lukas, and should be used as his Seal if it is not used in his B-Slot.

• Close Def and Steady Stance are somewhat similar – Close Def offers a boost to both Defense and Resistance in exchange for more stringent conditions, while Steady Stance offers a simple boost to Lukas’ Defense on Enemy Phase. Either are good options for him, though how good they are depends on the specific situation at hand.

• Quickened Pulse may be used in conjunction with Ignis to deal devastating damage on Lukas’ first engagement. Do note, however, that it will not have any effect beyond that initial one-time cooldown reduction.

Preferred IV: +ATK or +DEF / -SPD or -RES

Because the entire concept of this build centers around dealing as much damage as possible, +ATK is the ideal choice of Asset. However, if heftier Bonfire activations and/or greater ability to tank on Enemy Phase due to potential misplay is preferred, then a Defense Asset may be used instead. For a flaw, Lukas can choose to dump his Speed (as he will not be using it anyways) or reduce his Resistance (as he should not be baiting mages or dragons regardless).

Weapon: Brave Lance

• Given his low Speed, Lukas is not going to be following up without some sort of assistance. A Brave Lance allows him to attack twice when he initiates combat, which deals good damage when when combined with his relatively high Attack.

• Do note, however, that 14 Speed (19 with Flaw, 14 with the penalty inflicted by the Brave Lance) is low enough to be followed-up on by practically every unit encountered in the Arena or AR. For this reason, this build should not be tanking – and if it must, then extreme caution should be used.

Assist: Shove / Smite / Dual Rally / Reciprocal Aid

• Once again, choice of Assist is extremely variable. Movement Skills like Shove or Smite are exceptionally useful for extending the range of movement for an ally, while Dual Rallies provide excellent support.

• Alternatively, Reciprocal Aid can be used as an HP infusion to a damaged ally in a pinch. This is especially effective given Lukas’ high base HP, as it should allow him to fully heal another unit (or very nearly do so) and easily activate Brazens.

Special: Bonfire / Moonbow

• Bonfire is the main choice of Special due to the consistently high damage it deals when it activates due to Lukas’ solid Defense.

• Moonbow is an alternative that may be used in conjunction with the Quickened Pulse Seal for an instant Special activation. This will, however, only happen on Lukas’ first initiation, making it not quite as potent as it may seem.

Passive A: Death Blow (3 or 4) / Sturdy Impact / Attack +3 / Brazen Atk/Def 

• As per usual with a Brave weapon user, Death Blow is the A-slot Skill of choice. Because their Speed is usually low, their best defense is a good offense – so KOing an enemy with their first two attacks prevents more damage than boosting their defense.

• Sturdy Impact is another Skill that can be used, giving Lukas +10 Defense when he initiates and granting the same +6 Attack boost as Death Blow 3. It also prevents the foe from following up, which is useful when Lukas fails to KO a foe.

• Attack +3 is a pretty lackluster alternative, especially when considering how accessible Death Blow 3 is. Still, though, it can be used if one is experiencing a troubling lack of Kleins. 

• Although more of a novel option, Brazen Atk/Def can be used with Reciprocal Aid to heal a damaged ally and safely reduce Lukas’ HP to below the ≤80% Brazen activation threshold.

Passive B: Drag Back / Hit and Run / Lancebreaker

• Since ideally Lukas should not be in range of foes on Enemy Phase, Skills that help him retreat behind allied lines are preferable. For a more offensively oriented option, though, Lancebreaker allows him to attack lance foes four times instead of two and deny their follow-ups (provided he has above 50% HP).

Passive C: Infantry Pulse / Panic Ploy / Drive Skill / Rouse Atk/Def / Even/Odd Atk Wave 

• Lukas’ choice of C-Slot Skill will largely depend on preference. While the first three options listed provide excellent team support, Atk/Def Rouse gives him a further boost to his Attack and Defense when he approaches a foe solo. 

• Even/Odd Attack wave gives Lukas and his allies the best of both worlds, allowing him to give them the same Attack boosts he receives if they are adjacent to him at the start of an even/odd numbered turn.

Sacred Seal: Attack +3 / Panic Ploy / Brazen Atk/Def / Quickened Pulse / Heavy Blade

• Although really one of the more boring options, Attack +3’s attack boost is the traditional choice for Brave users for good reason. Since they seek to consistently maximize Attack, the nature of other seals means their higher stat boosts are often viewed as not worth their activation requirements.

• Panic Ploy is a great support option if not used in Lukas’ C-Slot. The ability to reverse an opponent’s buffs can be invaluable, and Lukas should be able to activate this Skill consistently given his high base HP.

• Brazen Atk/Def may be used in conjunction with the same Skill in Lukas’ B-Slot and timely use of Reciprocal Aid to grant him a whopping +14 Attack and Defense.

• Quickened Pulse may be used as a one-time cooldown reduction that allows Lukas to activate Moonbow on the second hit of his first initiation.

• Heavy Blade can alternatively be used to accelerate Moonbow activations, but will not be consistent if Lukas does not have higher Attack than his opponents. This is particularly problematic against enemies carrying Bonus Doubler or foes receiving a lot of support.