Zelgius

• Preferred IV: +ATK or +SPD / -RES

• Weapon: Alondite

• Assist: Swap / Pivot

• Special: Black Luna

• Passive A: Fierce Breath / Steady Breath / Fierce Stance

• Passive B: Bold Fighter

• Passive C: Armor March / Panic Ploy / Flexible

• Sacred Seal: Quickened Pulse / Quick Riposte

This set aims to take advantage of Zelgius’ status as an armored unit as well as Alondite’s built-in Distant Counter in order to have Zelgius cover many different bases at once. For his nature, a boon in Attack easily makes for the best choice as it significantly increases his damage output during both Player and Enemy Phase. A boon in Speed is also serviceable, as it can decrease the amount of damage Zelgius takes by allowing him to avoid follow-up attacks more easily.

Fierce Breath is a phenomenal Enemy Phase skill and a core aspect of this set. Not only does it allow Zelgius to activate Black Luna more frequently, but it also gives him a boost to his raw damage when initiated on. Steady Breath is also suitable, as it is very similar to Fierce Breath but provides a boost in Defense rather than Attack. If neither are available, Zelgius’ native Fierce Stance makes for a good budget alternative by simply providing a strong boost to his Attack when initiated on.

Bold Fighter is essential in giving Zelgius a powerful Player Phase presence. Not only does it guarantee his follow-up attack on initiation, the Special cooldown acceleration it provides allows Zelgius to potentially activate Black Luna every single round of combat. Zelgius’ excellent Attack coupled with the sheer power of Black Luna allow him to cut through just about any opponent regardless of who initiates.

Since armored units are naturally restricted to one-movement, it can sometimes be tricky to get Zelgius in a position where he can initiate on his opponent. It is highly recommended that he or a teammate run the skill Armor March so that he has the movement to effectively utilize Bold Fighter. Thanks to his high HP, Panic Ploy also makes for a great choice of C skill by providing a massive advantage over teams that like to use Hone/Fortify buffs. Otherwise, the C slot can be replaced as needed to suit the team.

Finally, both the Quickened Pulse and Quick Riposte Sacred Seals are key in maximizing Zelgius’ Enemy Phase potential. Quickened Pulse brings the initial cooldown of Black Luna down to 2. When combined with Steady/Warding Breath, he will activate Black Luna on his very first counterattack. This allows Zelgius to take out opponents in a single hit before they have the chance to double him. In particular, this can be the deciding factor in his matchup against Ayra and Valentine Hector. With Bold Fighter, this combination also allows him to activate Black Luna during his first round of combat against ranged units that are unable to retaliate. Quick Riposte is a more consistent choice that allows Zelgius to activate Black Luna every round of combat when initiated on at the cost of being more susceptible to follow-up attacks.

• Preferred IV: +ATK / -SPD or -RES

• Weapon: Brave Sword+

• Assist: Swap / Pivot

• Special: Black Luna

• Passive A: Death Blow / Sturdy Blow

• Passive B: Bold Fighter

• Passive C: Armor March / Flexible

• Sacred Seal: Quickened Pulse / Armored Boots / Attack +3

This build trades the ability to retaliate against ranged units for the sheer power of a Brave Sword. With this purely offensive set, Attack is once again the best boon that Zelgius can receive in order to maximize his damage output. For his main skills, Death Blow further fits this playstyle perfectly by providing Zelgius with a staggering +8 Attack on initiation. At the cost of a slightly weaker Attack boost, Sturdy Blow makes for another great option by also giving Zelgius a solid boost to his Defense.

The crux of this build is running Bold Fighter together with the Quickened Pulse Sacred Seal. In addition to attacking four times, this combination allows Zelgius to potentially activate Black Luna twice in a single round of combat. While this may be overkill a vast majority of the time, it swings highly disadvantageous matchups in Zelgius’ favor such as Nowi, Female Corrin, and Fallen Hardin.

Since this set puts heavy emphasis on Player Phase combat, Armor March is crucial in order to give Zelgius the movement boost he needs to consistently initiate on his opponents. If unavailable, Armored Boots make for an acceptable choice of Sacred Seal in patching up his low movement. Outside of that, Attack +3 is a good choice in maximizing Zelgius’ raw damage output.

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

• Weapon: Alondite

• Assist: Swap / Pivot

• Special: Black Luna / Aether

• Passive A: Atk/Spd Bond / Atk/Def Bond / Fierce Stance

• Passive B: Vengeful Fighter

• Passive C: Panic Ploy / Atk Smoke / Def Smoke / Ward Armor / Flexible

• Sacred Seal: Close Def / Distant Def

This build focuses solely on Zelgius’ combat in the Enemy Phase. In addition to Attack and Speed, Defense also makes for a suitable choice of boon in order to strengthen Zelgius’ physical bulk. For his Special, one can choose to run Aether rather than Black Luna. Although this comes at the cost of both a longer cooldown and a significant takeaway from his overall damage output, Aether can increase Zelgius’ overall survivability through its healing aspect.

Not only does Vengeful Fighter guarantee Zelgius’ follow-up attack in the Enemy Phase, it also has the additional benefit of Special cooldown acceleration, allowing him to potentially activate Black Luna every single round of combat. This lets Zelgius forego Breath skills in favor of more stat boost-oriented A skills. Since this playstyle is centered around Enemy Phase combat, Zelgius will often be close-knit with his teammates. As such, both Atk/Spd Bond and Atk/Def Bond make for effective choices that provide Zelgius with significant boosts to both his offensive and defensive stats. If unavailable, Zelgius’ native Fierce Stance remains a solid budget alternative by providing a strong boost to his Attack when initiated on.

Once again, Panic Ploy makes for a fantastic choice of C skills due to the massive advantage it provides against opponents that use Hone/Fortify buffs. Smoke kills such as Atk Smoke and Def Smoke are also great choices. Atk Smoke makes Zelgius a better overall tank by reducing the damage of opponents around him after combat while Def Smoke boosts own damage against the affected targets. A good team-synergistic option is Ward Armor, as it allows Zelgius to be a benefactor on an armor-centric team. Last but not least, both the Close Def and Distant Def Sacred Seals compliment this Enemy Phase-oriented playstyle perfectly by reducing damage taken from physical and ranged opponents respectively when initiated on.

• Preferred IV: +SPD / -RES

• Weapon: Alondite

• Assist: Swap / Pivot

• Special: Black Luna

• Passive A: Fierce Stance / Swift Sparrow

• Passive B: Special Fighter

• Passive C: Armor March / Panic Ploy / Flexible

• Sacred Seal: Quickened Pulse / Quick Riposte

With the release of the powerful new armor-exclusive skill, Special Fighter, Zelgius is one of the few that can make effective use of it in both Player and Enemy Phase. In addition to accelerating his Special cooldown regardless of who initiates combat, Special Fighter also has the benefit of preventing the activation of his opponent’s Special. However, Special Fighter does nothing to ensure follow-up attacks. As such, Zelgius will prefer a boon in Speed above all else in order to boost his ability to both perform and avoid doubles with his natural Speed alone.

Moving on, the choice of A skill is dependant on if one wants to focus more on combat in the Player or Enemy Phase. Zelgius' native fierce Breath bolsters the power of his counterattack by granting an additional +6 Attack when initiated on. Meanwhile, Swift Sparrow makes for a great Player Phase-centric choice by granting Zelgius +4 Atk/Spd upon initiation. When taking this route, having Armor March in his C slot or an ally carrying Armor March is far more prevalent, as Zelgius natural 1 movement can make it difficult to consistently initiate on his opponent.

Last but not least, Quickened Pulse and Quick Riposte are once again top skills in strengthening Zelgius’ Enemy Phase prowess. Quickened Pulse brings the initial cooldown of Black Luna down to 2. When combined with Special Fighter, he will activate Black Luna on his very first counterattack, allowing Zelgius to take out extremely fast opponents before they have the chance to double him. Alternatively, Quick Riposte works in ensuring Zelgius’ follow-up attack when initiated on, making it the best choice for a consistent performance in the Enemy Phase.