Character Guide - Reign Solaris
Everything you need to know about Durandal's newest battlesuit, a Physical Imaginary type Javelin user.
Introduction
Hello, captains! [Reign Solaris] (RS) Durandal is the new battlesuit debuting in Version 8.0. She is an S-Rank IMG Type Physical DPS, and uses the Javelin. In this guide, I will be going through her kit, suitable team compositions, rotations, equipment, and more.
Character Mechanics
Astral Ring: Law of Ascension
Durandal is the first unit protected by the new Astral Ring Specialisation, Law of Ascension. This Astral Ring specialises in enhanced QTEs, allowing the full party to contribute to overall damage, unlike Wheel of Destiny with its selfish DPS units, or World Star where the supports simply proc Resonance Attacks.
When Durandal enters Stellar Outburst, the game will slow down and you can pick between selecting her and eligible team members. Picking Durandal lets her cast her Stellar Shift attack Sky-Splitting Flash, dealing a huge amount of Physical DMG.
The eligibility of team members depends on whether they have the tag relating to Law of Ascension. Right now, the Valkyries that have it are [Jovial Deception: Shadowdimmer], [Lone Planetfarer], [Thousand-Faced Maestro: Cameo!], and [Reign Solaris].
These units also have their own Stellar Shift Attacks, which are cast once they first enter the field after Stellar Outburst has been triggered.
You’ll know if your team members have yet to cast this attack by the blue halo surrounding their switch button.
Rampager and Skyrider Form
Durandal has two forms she can be in - Rampager form for ground combat, and Skyrider form for aerial combat. Both her Basic and Charged ATKs differ between the two forms.
She’s usually in Rampager Form by default, and switches to Skyrider Form temporarily by casting her Weapon Skill or entering Stellar Outburst.
Sunlight
In both forms, she can gain Sunlight through Basic Attacks and her QTE, which is shown in the bar above her HP.
Durandal’s Charged ATK has 3 charge stages depending on how long the ATK button is being held for. When Durandal has maxed out the Sunlight meter, it can be consumed to significantly speed up the time taken for her Charged ATK.
Skylight Brilliance
In Skyrider Form, Durandal gains 3 stacks of Skylight Brilliance. Every 3rd stage Charged ATK decreases her Skylight Brilliance count by one, and she exits Skyrider Form prematurely if all stacks are consumed.
Additionally, after casting her 3rd stage Charged ATK, she can perform a follow-up ATK called Charged ATK EX dealing Physical DMG. After exiting Skyrider form, her Weapon Active will go on cooldown for 60 seconds, and can only be reduced by using Charged ATKs.
Nihilus Seed Penetration
Certain attacks performed by Durandal will have their damage transferred from the Nihilus Shell to the Nihilus Seed of IMG Type enemies at a certain rate. Her Ultimate transfers 200% of the damage dealt, and after performing QTE and Stellar Shift, her next 3 L3 Charged ATKs or Charged ATK EX will transfer 35% of the damage dealt.
Astral Ring: Wheel of Destiny
Drandal has the Harmonized Shadow Star tag, and is able to support Valkyries protected by Astral Ring Specialization: Wheel of Destiny. Valkyries protected by Wheel of Destiny can trigger Durandal’s Phantom support attack, performing Shadow Star Attack and granting them 11 seconds of Rondo in the Shadows.
Astral Ring: ???
Similar to Deepspace Anchor: First Light (Senadina) in v7.3 before the introduction of Astral Ring: Wheel of Destiny, Durandal has a locked skill meant for an Astral Ring Specialization that will be introduced in the future.
At the moment, nothing is known about this Astral Ring Specialisation. It is expected that there will be more Valkyries being introduced with this special tag before it is fully revealed. Please be patient, Captains!
Equipment
Weapon
This is Durandal’s signature weapon, Valorous Effulgence: New Voyage. It has strong personal buffs and some teamwide buffs, as well as an enhancement to her Stellar Shift attack. It also provides her with more flexibility in rotations due to the huge 30s reduction in her Weapon Active cooldown upon using a Level 3 Charged ATK. While it’s not as significant as something like Time Stop, it’s still very useful to have. As such, it is strongly recommended to pull for her weapon. In summary, her weapon gives the following:
Personal Buffs:
An additional 600% ATK Multiplier for Sky-Splitting Flash
30s Weapon Active CD Reduction on L3 Charged ATK
50% Physical DMG Bonus
11% Physical DMG Taken by enemies
Teamwide Buffs:
20% Crit DMG
20% Elemental DMG Bonus
12% Physical DMG Bonus when Astral Ring is activated
36% Physical DMG Bonus when Astral Ring is inactive
Weapon and Synergy Level Comparison
Shown above are results derived from a single rotation with the loadout shown in the graphic. First, I will go through the Synergy skills (if any) of the weapons shown in the test results.
Valorous Effulgence: New Voyage Synergy Skill - [Enemies take +2%/4%/6% Total DMG from the character on the field (independent, exclusive). Reign Solaris Equip Bonus: When Star Strafe hits IMG type enemies, 40%/45%/50% of the DMG taken by the Nihilus Shell will be transferred to the Nihilus Seed.] This Synergy skill provides a small buff to the team from its independent multiplier, making it much more significant than a normal Total DMG Taken buff. It also allows Durandal to transfer more damage from the Nihilus Shell to the Nihilus Seed by using Star Strafe.
While the Javelin weapon type isn’t exactly new, Durandal’s options are still very limited due to there being only one other Javelin user in the game so far. The alternatives also don’t perform nearly as well for her, and the lack of flexibility through her signature weapon’s WA CD reduction isn’t reflected in this graphic. Moreover, since this damage test was done against a typeless enemy, the damage transfer from this Synergy skill was not taken into account. Thus, the gap between its Synergy ranks as well as from other weapons will be larger in practice.
Is it worth pulling for Synergy Level 3? Not really. Synergy Level 1 will be able to take you all the way to Nirvana, and it is very possible to even achieve Myriad with it. The only thing upgrading the Synergy Level will do is increase your damage; there’s no increased utility like bonus initial SP or SP reduction on it. It’s much more worthwhile to save your crystals for future releases. However, I still strongly recommend pulling for Synergy 1.
Stigmata
Signature Set - Illuminating the Universe
This is the signature stigmata set of Durandal. It is far and away her best option, and with it being craftable, there is no reason for you not to get it. As you can see, while the individual and 2pc effects of the stigmata set are quite respectable, most of the buffs come from the 3pc effect, so I strongly recommend acquiring the whole set as soon as possible.
Required Materials for Crafting
These are the materials needed to craft the full Illuminating the Universe stigmata set. Note that there is an extremely low chance you will ever need to craft all 3 stigs, since pulling for the weapon will likely get you one or more.
Recommended Teams
As a Law of Ascension Valkyrie, Durandal relies on Heavenly Shift teammates to support her. Against most of her bosses, running [Thousand-Faced Maestro: Cameo!] and [Jovial Deception: Shadowdimmer] is the most optimal, though using [Lone Planetfarer] is a fine alternative that does perform better on a minority of bosses.
In addition, since Durandal has the capability to support Part 1 Physical Valkyries, pairing her with [Herrscher of Rebirth] will benefit any P1 Physical team.
Rotations
RS TFM JDS
Durandal’s rotations often make use of the effects of the LoA specialisation to continuously trigger QTEs to cast her Charged ATK faster. Her gameplay is rather open ended, and can vary depending on when Stellar Outburst is triggered.
Below is a video example of the rotation.
RS TFM LP
Opening Rotation
If it is optimal to enter Stellar Outburst as early as possible for whatever reason, this sequence of attacks is recommended when first entering the field. It triggers Stellar Drain to gain Astral Ring Intensity as fast as possible to meet Durandal’s high Intensity cost. If you aren’t able to meet the Intensity requirement, casting Durandal’s Weapon Active to enter Skyrider mode and casting her Charged ATK again should help.
Below is a video example of the rotation.
Astral Ring Charging Rotation
Similar to the RS TFM JDS rotation, this relies on the continuous triggering of QTES to do damage while waiting for Astral Ring Intensity to recharge.
Below is a video example of the rotation.
Part 1 Support
Durandal’s role here is similar to her predecessor [Terminal Aide: 0017]. She applies buffs with her Charged ATK and ULT, then leaves the field. The standard Part 1 rotation with HoRb should remain unchanged.
Below is a video example of the rotation.
Should I pull?
While Durandal definitely performs well against IMG content, I don’t think she will see use as a DPS outside of it. Her support performance is relatively unknown other than for Wheel of Destiny, which is less than stellar.
Moreover, the Chinese New Year event is the patch right after, and the community is expecting a lot of content, including a lot to pull for. Pulling for Durandal could cost tens of thousands of crystals and leave you broke going into the next patch. You should also be looking at the state of your account and whether you have the ability to actually use her. If you don’t have at least two of the three Valkyries capable of supporting her right now, it might not be worth pulling her since you wouldn’t be able to use her very well for at least an entire patch, if not longer depending on when the next Valkyrie with the Heavenly Shift tag is released.
Conclusion
In conclusion, Durandal may be niche, but within that niche she is very powerful. Her value may also increase once the locked Astral Ring Specialisation has been revealed.
Thank you for reading my guide! I hope it helped you learn more about Durandal. If I made any mistakes, please let me know and I will rectify them as soon as possible. I will also try my best to answer any questions in the comments!