Fate/Grand Order - Are you my Master?

[Nerd-o-rama]

Yeah I think I'm just going to take the 200 gold medals I have now and call it an event. I don't have any dudes higher than level 42 and my "overpowered support artillery" strat doesn't work on an enemy team of six with no time to build up NP gauge. gg, Emperor No re.

[Yael]

I actually used one of my friend's Lv90 Jeanne d'Arc plus a team composed of Altera, Emiya, Medea, Elizabeth, and Mash, not in that order. The reason I included Medea was to get rid of Cu's multievasion, I ended winning by using all three command spells to increase Jeanne's NP against Gilgamesh, and two Cu Caster's Wicker Man (I killed him literally last, after Nero.)

Pretty difficult, but rewarding, with 16 gold medals and a ton of exp/mystic code exp.

[SuperPanda]

I got more done than I expected while also working on story and daily xp stuff - so I'm likely to call file this under "good enough for a beginner".

I cleared everything but the hardest qualifier round (did wind up eating 2 quartz against the big fight and have no intention of poking it again).

I got ~ 100 golds which means I can clear out the homunculi material. I bought a silver medal copy of rose and have ~ 40 left over for mats/xp - and about 20 copper left to trade. Plan to grab mats over xp since dailies give class specific xp which I think give more than "any class" Xp to the right class but less to the wrong one - so apart from Mash who is maxed at 30 and Jeanne who I don't have - I don't really need them.

I'll be able to scrounge up enough quartz for one final 10 pull soon - how long till the next kind of event? I don't really need and of the increased chance pulls from this one (though an umu would be nice - I already have two gold sabers). Whenever Ishkandar comes out I want at least 2-3 chances to disappoint myself trying to grab him.

[Anarion]

I got ~ 100 golds which means I can clear out the homunculi material. I bought a silver medal copy of rose and have ~ 40 left over for mats/xp - and about 20 copper left to trade. Plan to grab mats over xp since dailies give class specific xp which I think give more than "any class" Xp to the right class but less to the wrong one - so apart from Mash who is maxed at 30 and Jeanne who I don't have - I don't really need them.

I'll be able to scrounge up enough quartz for one final 10 pull soon - how long till the next kind of event? I don't really need and of the increased chance pulls from this one (though an umu would be nice - I already have two gold sabers). Whenever Ishkandar comes out I want at least 2-3 chances to disappoint myself trying to grab him.

If you have time, run the 5 cost for bronze medals to get all the ascension materials that you can exchange bronzes to buy. They're all a pain in the neck to get normally and you'll want them all.

As far as the next event, we don't know yet. They tend to come fairly frequently in games like this because they're a big part of attracting people to spend money and keep playing the game. So, I'd imagine a couple weeks to a month before the next one.

[Blackhawk748]

Why does it feel like my NPs are doing less damage all of a sudden? I mean, Saber Alter 9from a friend) was doing over 45k rather reliably, but now she struggles to get over 35k

[Gastronomie]

Why does it feel like my NPs are doing less damage all of a sudden? I mean, Saber Alter 9from a friend) was doing over 45k rather reliably, but now she struggles to get over 35k

• You've changed your party composition and are missing an attack buff you relied on till now
• Different friend, with a lower NP level or skill level (first skill of Saber Alter) or Fow buff
• Your friend changed his Saber Alter's craft to something that has an lower ATK bonus

I dunno.

[Blackhawk748]

• You've changed your party composition and are missing an attack buff you relied on till now
• Different friend, with a lower NP level or skill level (first skill of Saber Alter) or Fow buff
• Your friend changed his Saber Alter's craft to something that has an lower ATK bonus

I dunno.

The weird thing is, none of those happened, thus my confusion. I mean, i screwed with the team once i stopped one shotting Gorgon island, but i always kept Ushi, who was handing out the Atk buff for Saber

[SuperPanda]

Thanks to advice up threat I was able to grab 3 more of each copper medal material and one more silver medal material before Nero closed. I did scrape up enough Quartz for one last pull but got nothing of interest from it. I'll be slowly (very slowly it seems) squirling away quartz for future stuff - I've got to a point where I don't feel I need to pull beyond friend-point pulls and even then that is largely just giving me dupes of Arash, the Saber's Bane and Korjirou, the savior of France.

Something nice that I found - if Arash has Nightless Rose equiped and uses his NP he survives it (albeit with 500 HP which means he's pretty much dead that turn anyway) but paired with a healer (like Hans who is waiting on statues to ascend) and Mash he could recover (Hans NP healing + Chaldea mystic code healing + Mash and mystic code defenses gives him time to recover). Robin is still doing better at archer things over all but Arash is pretty potent at level 30 (and I'm thinking of ascending him a second time once I cobble together the statues).

I've updated my support set-up again to the point where I feel I'm offering something useful - if still not ground breaking:

Spoiler

Show

Any: Mash 30/30 (don't know how some got her to 40). 2/2/-. Kalidescope (NP starts at 80%)
Saber: Seigfried 40/50. skills: 1/2/1/ Nightless Rose (Guts for 500).
Archer: Robin Hood 36/40/ Skills 2/1/- Self-Designated Enforcer (Cstar gather rate +600%)
Lancer: Cu Chulainn Proto 34/40/ Skills: 1/1/- Primeval Curse (debuff resist +25%)
Rider: Ushi 34/40. skills 1/2/- Verdant Black Keys (+10% Quick card)
Caster: Cu Chulainn 32/40/ skills 1/1/- Azure Black Keys (+10% Arts)
Assassin: Jin Ke 30/40 Skills 1/1/- Fate/Extella (+15% crit strength and +3stars/round)
Zerker: Darius III 32/40 skills: 1/1/- Verdant Sound of Destruction (+15% Buster).

I'm pretty happy with my Any spot for the time being though Elizabeth Balthroy (Lancer) who has a level 3 NP seems to be bucking for a spot and Cu Chulainn prototyle has a level 5 Gael Bog and I just like using more. Elizabeth still hasn't reached first ascension as I'm not yet able to reliably get gold servants into my teams along side my higher level crafts - I've been favoring silver servants with the occasional copper (Shakespeare - I've been using him far more often than he actually deserves).

I'm also considering replacing Ushi with either Alexander III (level 30) or Marie Antoinette (not yet 40).

I've got a number of people at bond 5 - and they're gaining experience but I see no visible progress at all - is there a number of ascensions needed their or did the bond xp curve just go exponential after 5?

Lastly - am I crazy for wanting to loosely theme my teams in the story quests - I didn't do it in france but now that I'm in Rome I sort of want to level and then use Romulus, Ceaser + my greek, middle eastern, and Britannia servants. I know there really isn't a point to doing it, but I keep thinking they might get realm synergy for it...

[Red Fel]

Lastly - am I crazy for wanting to loosely theme my teams in the story quests - I didn't do it in france but now that I'm in Rome I sort of want to level and then use Romulus, Ceaser + my greek, middle eastern, and Britannia servants. I know there really isn't a point to doing it, but I keep thinking they might get realm synergy for it...

Realm synergy? What do you think this is, FFRK?

Interestingly, there are classifications of servants along the lines you describe. For example, Caesar has the Roman trait, shared by Nero, Nero (Bride), Spartacus, and Caligula. There's also a Greek Mythology trait for Orion, Hector, Alexander, Iskandar, Heracles, and Asterios. These particular traits rarely come up, but sometimes they become a thing - when I first started, one of the weekly missions included killing a certain number of Roman Servants.

It should be no surprise that there is an entire Arturia trait dedicated to the many, many incarnations of Arturia, including Arturia, Saber Alter, Saber Lily, Arturia Prototype, Arturia Archer, Arturia Lancer, Lancer Alter, Santa Alter, Mysterious Heroine X, and Mysterious Heroine X Alter. Can you say mascot?

I managed to finagle one last full pull before the Nero event ended, and snatched a second Lancelot. So, NP 2 for him. Good times.

[Tsuzurao]

Realm synergy? What do you think this is, FFRK?

Interestingly, there are classifications of servants along the lines you describe. For example, Caesar has the Roman trait, shared by Nero, Nero (Bride), Spartacus, and Caligula. There's also a Greek Mythology trait for Orion, Hector, Alexander, Iskandar, Heracles, and Asterios. These particular traits rarely come up, but sometimes they become a thing - when I first started, one of the weekly missions included killing a certain number of Roman Servants.

It should be no surprise that there is an entire Arturia trait dedicated to the many, many incarnations of Arturia, including Arturia, Saber Alter, Saber Lily, Arturia Prototype, Arturia Archer, Arturia Lancer, Lancer Alter, Santa Alter, Mysterious Heroine X, and Mysterious Heroine X Alter. Can you say mascot?

I managed to finagle one last full pull before the Nero event ended, and snatched a second Lancelot. So, NP 2 for him. Good times.

Usually, such classification traits are there for the sake of those who have skills or Noble Phantasms that get an advantage against the ones carrying that trait (Boudica has a skill that gives her advantage vs Romans, Mordred's NP has advantage vs any version of King Arthur, etc.), but there are rare other cases (IIRC, Jeanne D'Arc Alter has a skill that empowers those with the Dragon trait, for example).

Also, on top of the 'King Arthur' trait, there's also the 'Saberface' trait, for all versions of Artoria, and anyone who is meant to look like Artoria (Mordred, Okita Souji, Emperor Nero [and her variants], and Jeanne D'Arc [plus her variants]).
... Okay, they admit that Jeanne's resemblance to Artoria is not all that strong, but to Mysterious Heroine X, even a minor resemblance is unforgivable, so she'll have to kill Jeanne too.

Also, the most recent event JP-side added yet another Artoria variant.

[Blackhawk748]

Also, the most recent event JP-side added yet another Artoria variant.

Oh for fu-



This has long since past ridiculous, waved as it sped past funny joke and just entered beyond idiotic

[Red Fel]

This has long since past ridiculous, waved as it sped past funny joke and just entered beyond idiotic

Punchline? Arturia's NP, spectacular though it may be, isn't always the list-topper. Particularly against big bosses, what you want is a single-target with heavy damage, not an AoE. Believe it or not, a lot of people are giving credit to Caesar as a better Saber. (Some also favor Okita Souji, not yet available and admittedly a Saberface.) Caesar, being a 3-star, has an easier time with Ascensions, skill-ups, and upgrading his NP; the combination of Military Tactics B and Charisma C makes him a great team force multiplier; and a strong single-target NP - particularly one you can level up - really shows its skill against solid bosses.

Don't get me started on Siegfried. He only really shines if you're facing an actual Dragon. Or if you use Georgios (whose NP turns enemies into Dragon-type).

But yeah. Saberfaces are way overdone. Way overdone.

[Blackhawk748]

But yeah. Saberfaces are way overdone. Way overdone.

Completely agree. I use Saber Lily on occasion (though being spoiled with Saber Alter in the Friends list makes her much less useful) but otherwise i don't even use Sabers. Ushiwakamaru, Carmilla, Caster Cu, Prot Cu, and more recently Shakespeare make up my team beyond Saber Alter

[SuperPanda]

I currently have 4 Sabers and I'm begining to think I've focused on the wrong one:

Siegfried 50/50
Artoria Lily 47/50
Ceaser 40/40
Giles De Raine (sp) 30/30

I'd been debating second ascension for Siegfried/lily/Ceaser once I get enough pieces - Siegfried has been, okay most of the time but I'm thinking I should be using Ceaser more instead. I'd like Lilly to be great but I just haven't felt it when I've used her.

I'm also debating a few other ascensions:
Archers - second Ascension Robin (once I get enough pieces) or third ascension Arash - Arash uses materials which Darius also wants for his second Ascension -

Berserkers - Second ascension Darius or Sparticus - Sparty is weaker blow for blow but has interesting abilities. both are NP 5 - and despite the lower HP Sparty tends to last longer - though neither tend to last long enough to use their NP.

Lancer wise - I finally got a Cu Chulainn (Fate/Stay Night) who is at 30/40 with a level 1 NP versus my Cu Chulainn (Prototype) who is at 40/40 with NP 5. I really like the skills on Stay Night's build but am considering a second ascension on Prototype for now (Elizabeth Balthroy is also at 40/50 so I could wait.

Where I can I've been using xp to level all my other servants with the intent of ascending everyone once and unlocking interludes (slowly but surely) - at the same time I'm also working towards having a powerful list of go-to servants and support servants.

[Morcleon]

Well, there is a reason that Takeuchi's NP is Unlimited King of Knights.

In other news, anyone know how to efficiently farm Dragon Teeth? I've gotten 4 so far, while needing a total of 40 (for now) for ascensions.

[Red Fel]

I currently have 4 Sabers and I'm begining to think I've focused on the wrong one:

Siegfried 50/50
Artoria Lily 47/50
Ceaser 40/40
Giles De Raine (sp) 30/30

I'd been debating second ascension for Siegfried/lily/Ceaser once I get enough pieces - Siegfried has been, okay most of the time but I'm thinking I should be using Ceaser more instead. I'd like Lilly to be great but I just haven't felt it when I've used her.

Lily is considered among the weaker Sabers, just generally. Great as a placekeeper, particularly because she's free and there are no Sabers under 3-star - so if you didn't get Caesar, you'd be pretty much Saber-less. So, again, good that she's free. But you can pretty much replace her.

Gilles is one of the few instances where a character really doesn't have many good selling points. Most Servants have some merit, but Saber!Gilles is just... Bland.

You're probably better off with Siegfried and/or Caesar. Siegfried, being higher rarity, has solid stats at least; Caesar, though, gives you a solid and well-rounded (pun intended) Saber Servant.

I'm also debating a few other ascensions:
Archers - second Ascension Robin (once I get enough pieces) or third ascension Arash - Arash uses materials which Darius also wants for his second Ascension -

Berserkers - Second ascension Darius or Sparticus - Sparty is weaker blow for blow but has interesting abilities. both are NP 5 - and despite the lower HP Sparty tends to last longer - though neither tend to last long enough to use their NP.

Lancer wise - I finally got a Cu Chulainn (Fate/Stay Night) who is at 30/40 with a level 1 NP versus my Cu Chulainn (Prototype) who is at 40/40 with NP 5. I really like the skills on Stay Night's build but am considering a second ascension on Prototype for now (Elizabeth Balthroy is also at 40/50 so I could wait.

Where I can I've been using xp to level all my other servants with the intent of ascending everyone once and unlocking interludes (slowly but surely) - at the same time I'm also working towards having a powerful list of go-to servants and support servants.

Robin is a pretty solid Archer, particularly because his Poison active skill pairs well with his NP. Arash boasts an absurdly destructive and easily NP, which is awesome, but that's offset somewhat by the fact that it kills him. If you can get him Guts, however, he becomes insane, because he survives. So keep that in mind.

Spartacus has the advantage of survivability. All of his abilities (and his NP) work with that. That said, Darius' Golden Rule ability means you get more mileage out of his NP, and being higher rarity, his stats are a bit better. That one is a case of mileage varying.

With respect to Lancers, Cu!Classic is considered Cockroach Cu for his survivability. Proto is nice, but mostly shines against Chimeras. But since you have Idol!Bathory, I wouldn't worry.

In other news, anyone know how to efficiently farm Dragon Teeth? I've gotten 4 so far, while needing a total of 40 (for now) for ascensions.

Here is a list of places where they drop. The number in brackets tells you how many enemies there are of a type that drops them. I've personally farmed Town of Knives, the Thiers free quest, because I was farming Berserker silver statues. The drop rate is abysmal, though; it's really, really tedious to farm in this game.

[SuperPanda]

I'd been piece hunting in the daily dungeons along with xp grinding - I'll need to check out that wiki and use it a bit more - if I can at least try to grind for some of the materials I need then I don't have to wring my hands over who to ascend and I can actually start using skill ups.

Thanks for the advice Red -
On Zerkers - Darius seems to hit the hardest out of those I have tried (haven't tried my 2* ones out yet - might have to once I collect enough Zeker statues to boost them all. That might be about levels though - I'm generally unimpressed with my zerkers (though friend and enemy Zerks are very impressive).

On my Cu question - it was mostly down to how valuable a higher level NP was. Cu proto has been a solid heavy hitter for me for a while when gold servants weren't always easy to fit into my teams along with good equips. Cu roach didn't come along until recently after I already had proto at 40 with NP 5. I've found Cu to be a bit more reliable for damage and survivabiltiy compared to Idol Balthroy, plus I've got plenty of units with Charisma - but it really comes down to what I'm fighting and how hard it is. because of FFRK I tend to turtle behind defenses and Cu, Shakespear, Spartacus, and Marie Antoinette seem built for that kind of strategy - Cu is the only of those who also dishes out pretty good damage.

Will need to use that tool for farming materials though - simply because that's all there is to do. Eventually there should be more story (hopefully it doesn't take too long).

[Anarion]

If you want dragon fangs, the monster hunting on Thursday and Friday that costs 10 stamina drops them pretty reasonably. Maybe one for every thirty stamina that you spend.

[Hunter Noventa]

People keep telling me this is the best way to get into Fate stuff at all beyond the basics, so I'm downloading it again. Shame I've missed over a month of stuff but eh, I'm willing to give it another try. Hopefully they've made it run a little smoother on my older phone.

Oh, and the little progress I'd made wasn't saved at all, how tragic.

But my free opening summon got me a 4* Carmilla, 3* Boudica, and 4* Heracles. This is...good?

[Red Fel]

But my free opening summon got me a 4* Carmilla, 3* Boudica, and 4* Heracles. This is...good?

Heracles is excellent. He's a powerhouse who remains solid throughout the game, and his Bond Craft (the Craft you get at Bond 10) basically renders him immortal. His Mind's Eye (False) B and Battle Continuation A abilities give him even more survivability, which is vital in a Berserker. He pairs well with Mash, whose abilities can keep him alive, and anyone with a party attack boost, which makes him a walking blender.

Carmilla is solid. High-rarity Assassins are still pretty, well, rare, and her single-target NP is incredibly powerful. However, as with most Assassins, she does best against large single targets as opposed to groups of smaller ones. And because of her Quick card focus, you'll want to team her with Servants who can help boost party NP. Or, alternatively, just let her contribute in a crit star party.

Boudica is decent too. Most Servants are, frankly, and she's no slouch. She's a surprisingly capable support Servant, in that her NP boosts party defense (and later, attack), and her third skill also boosts party Arts. She also has a Guts ability, making her very survivable.

So, yeah, good starting hand. Now, let's talk about the upcoming Moon Festival event. Like the Nero event, this one involves drops (here, Dumplings) which you can trade for more goodies. Among them are Craft Essences, most of which serve to increase your Dumpling drop rate. (They do other things too, but that's the big one.) So, yeah, Moony Jewel (increase Charm resist) and Mooncell Automaton (increase all cards' effectiveness) aren't necessarily the strongest Crafts, but that's not what they're there to do. It's the rest of the buyable goods that should have your attention - exp and status cards, and silver and gold ascension materials for Archers, Riders, and Assassins.

Naturally, there is also a pick-up summon. This one features:

• Orion: New 5-star Archer! A strong single-target Servant, Orion's ability list is fairly selfish. Actives boost her attack, defense, and debuff resistance, and give her Guts. Her NP is single-target, dealing damage and reducing attack and NP gauge. Powerful, but not overwhelmingly so. She's no Gilgamesh, but she can be effective in the right setup.
• Stheno: 4-star Assassin. Stheno is specifically an anti-Male unit; her Siren Song ability can Charm Male units, and her NP has a chance to instantly kill them. That said, her third active skill, Whim of Goddess, is a great force multiplier, boosting party attack, and providing an extra boost to Divine units (looking at you, Heracles). Her passives also give her strong damage; Presence Concealment A+ gives her extra crit star generation, and Goddess' Essence EX gives her a massive damage boost.
• Marie Antoinette: 4-star Rider. Marie is a healer, basically. Her actives include two self-heals, and her NP removes party debuffs and (with overcharge) heals the party. That said, her attack is low.
• Ushiwakamaru: 3-star Rider. Ushi is an awesome force multiplier. First active, boost party NP generation. Second, boost party attack. And as a 3-star, Ushi is easily upgraded.
• Jing Ke: 3-star Assassin. Like most Assassins, Jing Ke is a single-target critmonkey. Jing Ke is particularly effective in this role - actives which boost crit star generation and crit damage, and an NP that generates massive crit stars (at the cost of self-damage). Perfect in a crit star party.

So, you know. Stuff to look forward to.

Stuff that isn't Okeanos.

[Hunter Noventa]

Heracles is excellent. He's a powerhouse who remains solid throughout the game, and his Bond Craft (the Craft you get at Bond 10) basically renders him immortal. His Mind's Eye (False) B and Battle Continuation A abilities give him even more survivability, which is vital in a Berserker. He pairs well with Mash, whose abilities can keep him alive, and anyone with a party attack boost, which makes him a walking blender.

Carmilla is solid. High-rarity Assassins are still pretty, well, rare, and her single-target NP is incredibly powerful. However, as with most Assassins, she does best against large single targets as opposed to groups of smaller ones. And because of her Quick card focus, you'll want to team her with Servants who can help boost party NP. Or, alternatively, just let her contribute in a crit star party.

Boudica is decent too. Most Servants are, frankly, and she's no slouch. She's a surprisingly capable support Servant, in that her NP boosts party defense (and later, attack), and her third skill also boosts party Arts. She also has a Guts ability, making her very survivable.

So, yeah, good starting hand. Now, let's talk about the upcoming Moon Festival event. Like the Nero event, this one involves drops (here, Dumplings) which you can trade for more goodies. Among them are Craft Essences, most of which serve to increase your Dumpling drop rate. (They do other things too, but that's the big one.) So, yeah, Moony Jewel (increase Charm resist) and Mooncell Automaton (increase all cards' effectiveness) aren't necessarily the strongest Crafts, but that's not what they're there to do. It's the rest of the buyable goods that should have your attention - exp and status cards, and silver and gold ascension materials for Archers, Riders, and Assassins.

Naturally, there is also a pick-up summon. This one features:

• Orion: New 5-star Archer! A strong single-target Servant, Orion's ability list is fairly selfish. Actives boost her attack, defense, and debuff resistance, and give her Guts. Her NP is single-target, dealing damage and reducing attack and NP gauge. Powerful, but not overwhelmingly so. She's no Gilgamesh, but she can be effective in the right setup.
• Stheno: 4-star Assassin. Stheno is specifically an anti-Male unit; her Siren Song ability can Charm Male units, and her NP has a chance to instantly kill them. That said, her third active skill, Whim of Goddess, is a great force multiplier, boosting party attack, and providing an extra boost to Divine units (looking at you, Heracles). Her passives also give her strong damage; Presence Concealment A+ gives her extra crit star generation, and Goddess' Essence EX gives her a massive damage boost.
• Marie Antoinette: 4-star Rider. Marie is a healer, basically. Her actives include two self-heals, and her NP removes party debuffs and (with overcharge) heals the party. That said, her attack is low.
• Ushiwakamaru: 3-star Rider. Ushi is an awesome force multiplier. First active, boost party NP generation. Second, boost party attack. And as a 3-star, Ushi is easily upgraded.
• Jing Ke: 3-star Assassin. Like most Assassins, Jing Ke is a single-target critmonkey. Jing Ke is particularly effective in this role - actives which boost crit star generation and crit damage, and an NP that generates massive crit stars (at the cost of self-damage). Perfect in a crit star party.

So, you know. Stuff to look forward to.

Stuff that isn't Okeanos.

Good information, I'll save the other newbie quartz i'll get for the newbie campaign then. My free FP draws got me a couple more assassins, Mata Hari and Phantom of the Opera, but obviously I'm using my 4*s for the prologue.

Is there any reason to put Mash into the sub group since she doesn't seem to gain bond exp? EDIT: Oh I found out. The backup guys come in if a servant dies, good to know.

[Nerd-o-rama]

Mash gains Bond, NP, and Ascensions through plot events, for the record. All you need to worry about upgrading is her EXP and skill levels. She's good to leave in your party anyway when you're new, though, because she also has 0 Cost and can save your butt when an enemy's damage output is too high.

[Red Fel]

Is there any reason to put Mash into the sub group since she doesn't seem to gain bond exp? EDIT: Oh I found out. The backup guys come in if a servant dies, good to know.

Yeah. As you level, you'll eventually have enough of a point cap to fill the party with actual Servants and Crafts, and Mash being a 0-cost Servant loses its luster. That said, keeping her in your opening party for survivability is frequently a good call - her NP and abilities will let your first three survive longer.

Party composition is very much a strategic thing - you could bring some light hitters and keep your heaviest in reserve, or open with your strongest and hope they don't die. Mash is one option that keeps the latter viable.

Also, if memory serves, Mash's Bond exp is like her Ascensions - story related. I've found that she won't go up a Bond level until after I've cleared a story chapter. So that might be a factor.

EDIT: And Fuuma Kotarou'd.

[ImperatorV]

...On a scale from 1-10, how much would joining right now boost a new player? Asking because I'm interested in joining, but the Kancolle event is going on right now and I'm expecting to dump all my free time into it for the next few weeks. I understand there's something good for new players going on right now though? I'd like to know how much I'd miss out on by waiting a while.

[Red Fel]

...On a scale from 1-10, how much would joining right now boost a new player? Asking because I'm interested in joining, but the Kancolle event is going on right now and I'm expecting to dump all my free time into it for the next few weeks. I understand there's something good for new players going on right now though? I'd like to know how much I'd miss out on by waiting a while.

Ehh... Hard to say. Fact is, you come in now and you're ahead of a lot of things - plenty of time to plow through a prologue and two chapters and fill up on that sweet Saint Quartz, plenty of time to prepare for (insert upcoming event of your choice), plenty of time to build and level a solid team of Servants before most other people do. Game is still pretty young in Global.

There is the "Start Dash Campaign," which lasts for your first week, but that's ongoing. I don't know if they plan to end it at some date in the future, but as of now, whether you start today or next month, it'll still be a thing.

The only upcoming event, presently, is the Moon Dumpling event I mentioned previously. Assuming we follow JP, our next event will be a Halloween one, then Okeanos, so you might or might not feel like bothering until then.

Short version? All you're really missing out on right now is prep time. And the Moon Dumpling event.

[Hunter Noventa]

Yeah. As you level, you'll eventually have enough of a point cap to fill the party with actual Servants and Crafts, and Mash being a 0-cost Servant loses its luster. That said, keeping her in your opening party for survivability is frequently a good call - her NP and abilities will let your first three survive longer.

Party composition is very much a strategic thing - you could bring some light hitters and keep your heaviest in reserve, or open with your strongest and hope they don't die. Mash is one option that keeps the latter viable.

Also, if memory serves, Mash's Bond exp is like her Ascensions - story related. I've found that she won't go up a Bond level until after I've cleared a story chapter. So that might be a factor.

EDIT: And Fuuma Kotarou'd.

Yeah that makes sense after unlocking her NP. I need to do some grinding just to clear the prologue it looks like though. I swear I get nothing but assassins from my friend draw...and then I get Lancer Cu Chalain after running out of AP the other day, so I got that going for me at least.

[Anarion]

Regarding the moon event, I'm mostly meh on it. Getting some gold Cavalier stuff will help, but those monuments are pretty farmable, and XP is the best choice for daily farming anyway. The craft essences are nice for team variety, but otherwise I just see it as a bit of a boost with nothing terribly significant. Show me some chimera claws and I'll get excited.

...On a scale from 1-10, how much would joining right now boost a new player? Asking because I'm interested in joining, but the Kancolle event is going on right now and I'm expecting to dump all my free time into it for the next few weeks. I understand there's something good for new players going on right now though? I'd like to know how much I'd miss out on by waiting a while.

You can join whenever as long as the start dash campaign that was already mentioned is going. If they ever stop that (and they might not), it will be a lot more annoying starting out, since you won't have access to an initial set of good quality pulls.

[Red Fel]

Yeah that makes sense after unlocking her NP. I need to do some grinding just to clear the prologue it looks like though. I swear I get nothing but assassins from my friend draw...and then I get Lancer Cu Chalain after running out of AP the other day, so I got that going for me at least.

Cockroach!Cu or Proto!Cu?

Don't forget, save every Servant you get - they're all useful at some point. If you have duplicates, use them to upgrade Noble Phantasm.

And yeah, you'll see a lot of the same stuff from your Friend Point draws - but don't despair. Sasaki Kojirou is Savior of France! You'll be glad to have him.

[Blackhawk748]

The Friend Draw has Mata Hari and Sasaki featured prominently in it, i got like 7 Mata Haris out of there, and i dont even use her. Sasaki, however, i rather enjoy.

[Hunter Noventa]

Cockroach!Cu or Proto!Cu?

Don't forget, save every Servant you get - they're all useful at some point. If you have duplicates, use them to upgrade Noble Phantasm.

And yeah, you'll see a lot of the same stuff from your Friend Point draws - but don't despair. Sasaki Kojirou is Savior of France! You'll be glad to have him.

I dunno, he has blue armor and his red spear. Thankfully I had some lancer crystals to boost him up with. I also got my first Caster in the form of Mozart.

And yeah, I'm not getting rid of anyone.