During each time skip, all your characters are replaced. While the classes remain the same, the base characters change, affecting two main aspects: the spark type and the base ability scores. Each character is tied to their name, meaning that the martial artist Karl, for example, will always have a specific spark type and a unique array of ability scores.

One exception exists regarding the transfer of skill levels to the next generation. For instance, if your emperor is a Court Mage and you invest time raising his Spear or Great Sword skill level, that will reset to 0 in the next generation for the Court Mage. Only skill levels earned by a class that is not the emperor will transfer to the next generation. Therefore, if you spend time teaching your Court Mage Spear skills while he is not the emperor, those skill levels will carry over.

(As a kind commenter pointed out, there is nothing preventing you from going out and killing off a specific character, in the hopes of spawning a different named one in its place. That is a strategy I was aware of, but not one I've used myself.)

Based on my experimentation and information from the original game, the spark types do not appear to be a one-to-one conversion. I've noticed discrepancies between the original game and the remake, so I won't pretend to know exactly which spark types exist or which named characters possess specific ones. Generally, the spark type determines what abilities a character can glimmer. Spark Type acts as a hidden statistic, requiring contextual clues to derive a character's spark type.

For example, if you have the Amazon named Agrippina, she may have a spark type that allows her to glimmer all spear techniques. In the next generation, if you instead have an Amazon named Artemisia, she might possess a different spark type that enables her to glimmer all bow techniques.

If you’ve already learned the abilities for a specific weapon you want—meaning you've glimmered them and then experienced a generation change, saving the ability at the training hall for equipping by all characters—there's no need to worry about Spark Type. Simply focus on either base ability scores or base skill levels.
When I comment Spark Types in the class chapters, I write out the most common weapons that a certain class can glimmer. I put unique exceptions in parenthesis. For example, if a class entry says "Swords and Great Swords (Spears)", it means all of the Spark Types are either Swords or Great Swords, but that there is a single unique exception that has Spears as a Spark Type instead.

The array of attribute scores also changes between generations, meaning certain characters may excel or struggle in different roles from one generation to the next. A great example is the Ninja class, whose Strength, Dexterity, and Magic scores can vary wildly between generations. This variability can create issues if you've trained the Ninja for a specific role; for instance, her Magic score might drop from a solid 18 to a disappointing 10 in the next generation. Consider this factor after each generational skip before reusing the same class, as the tailored weapon or role may perform worse, or other classes might surpass it during that generation.
In the class entries, I grade their attributes between F and S based on mean. If I write out S+ it means it's the highest possible in the game. There is a sixth attribute, Reason, that I do not comment on. It's a hidden stat that determines the damage done by Umbrology spells - it's not tied to Magic. This attribute is incredible random, and showing you a mean of it means nothing.

Class abilities are somewhat hidden gems that you may not notice early on, as they remain inactive until learned. Each character class can learn a specific class ability, which takes a certain number of battles to activate. Later in the game, you’ll unlock mastering of abilities, which is tied to empire progression. Mastering a learned ability also requires a set number of battles.

Once mastered, an ability can be equipped by another character. Initially, you can only equip a single additional ability, but you can eventually unlock a second and a third, with your emperor able to unlock a fourth one. However, each ability can only be active on one character at a time. This means that if you have a character with a specific class ability in your party, you cannot have another character use that ability, as it will be considered already in use.

Some abilities synergize well together, while others may be lackluster on their own. This should be a key consideration when deciding which classes to include in your party. Some classes might have mediocre abilities but boast great spark types or solid attributes, while other classes with excellent abilities may have weaker attributes. Ultimately, it’s up to you to decide if the tradeoff is worth it based on your current party composition.

Several considerations are crucial regarding what to equip your characters with. Two types of items stand out as particularly important: attribute-boosting items and status/elemental resistance items. These are the best items to equip, but they generally come at the expense of raw defense, and the items themselves are scarce. Many are rare drops from monsters and bosses, while others are found in chests, which can typically only be discovered once in the game.

Your choices will depend on your formation and class combinations. For instance, if you're using formations like Slip Stream or abilities like Light as a Feather, you can largely ignore the downsides of equipping heavy gear, which usually provides the highest possible damage reduction. The choice can become challenging depending on the difficulty level, as a poor matchup could lead to a complete party wipe in just one or two turns.

I also need to address shields and two-handed weapons. Generally, a unit is considered using its shield only after attacking with a single-handed weapon (such as a Sword, Axe, Mace, or Short Sword). If the last attack was made with a two-handed weapon, the shield will not be used at all. There are two types of shields in the game: big and small. Each shield has a block rate, which is a percentage chance to block an attack. Small shields typically have a lower block chance but fully nullify damage when they do block. Big shields offer a higher block chance but only provide additional damage reduction. This might also mean you might not want to equip a shield at all, since it'll increase your characters' encumberance and make it act slower. Since using a two-handed weapon prevents you from gaining a benefit from the shield, you might not want to equip it at all. If you are wielding a two-handed weapon and a shield but use the Defend command, you will actually use the shield for that turn.

Whenever you begin playing as a new emperor, the first priority should be unlocking that emperor's specific formation. The choice of formation is one of the most important decisions you’ll make. Each class has a unique formation for you to learn, though the female and male versions of a class share the same formation. The class of your emperor could be primarily determined by which formation you want to unlock. I recommend performing an abdication when the option arises to access a specific formation that you may need.

The second formation you acquire, the Imperial Cross, is quite good and offers safety. There's nothing wrong with sticking with it until you can set up more interesting combinations.

Notably, several formations can influence turn order, such as Rapid Stream, which guarantees you will always act first and in a specific order. Your approach will depend on your desired defensive strategies, available magic, the importance of turn order for your combinations, and the types of weapons in use.

The Heavy Infantry is a tank likely to stay in your party for several generations. While he can only glimmer some Sword techniques, that’s not his primary value. Equip him with your highest defense gear, make sure he’s using a sword, and give him your best shield. His Auto-Parry ability makes him the quintessential tank, able to trivialize many fights by blocking attacks. Pay attention to your shield’s block chance; in some cases, a small shield with lower block percentage may be more effective than a large one due to how Auto-Parry works.

Though other classes can utilize this ability better due to stronger base stats, the Heavy Infantry is a great choice until you’re able to transfer Auto-Parry. His base stats and Spark Types aren’t exceptional, so compare his Strength and Stamina with other classes when you’ve mastered his ability.

As for his formation, it’s highly defensive but somewhat underwhelming. While useful, there are better defensive formations available if you want optimal protection for your party.

Light Infantry is unique in that its weapon skills automatically scale with your global skill levels between generations. This means their skill levels will always be relevant if you need to replace a unit quickly. However, their base stats are generally weaker than those of other classes. Their Spark Types barely matters, since everyone else does a better job, so if you are forced to use one, check the Glimmer Chart to see if you can get any use out them.

The male Light Infantry’s ability is outstanding. Early in the game, this ability allows him to become one of your most defensive units by removing any downsides of being over-encumbered, so you can load him with your heaviest equipment without penalties. In contrast, the female’s ability is relatively weak and doesn’t offer as much strategic value.

The formation is a decent alternative to Imperial Cross at the start, offering a solid option for early-game defense until you unlock stronger formations.

Let’s start with the essentials: you’ll want to master both of the Ranger’s abilities. Corruptor and Ruiner form the strongest ability combo in the game, bar none. Corruptor increases the chance of inflicting status conditions by 50%, which is invaluable on higher difficulties where status effects are crucial. Ruiner extends the duration of any status condition (except Stun), making it incredibly effective for controlling tougher fights.

The Ranger is also a viable end-game class, especially since it comes pre-equipped with either Corruptor or Ruiner. Its Dexterity is excellent, and the male Ranger’s Spark Type allows him to glimmer every Bow technique. The female Ranger’s Spark Type can vary between Short Sword or Bow. Don’t be misled by the male’s initial skill levels in Spear—he can barely glimmer any Spear techniques, and his low Strength isn’t suited for Spears. However, some Spear techniques, like Sweep and Petrify Rush, can be useful with Corruptor for inflicting status effects. Still, Short Sword offers better options and deals higher damage overall, so other classes make better Spear users.

Their formation isn’t ideal. It’s designed around using at least two Bow users, which is highly niche. If you’re building a party specifically around multiple Bow users, this formation can work, but otherwise, it’s not particularly useful.

Court Mages are solid units because of their attributes. If you distribute magic skill levels wisely among your casters, choose whichever mage has the highest relevant stats each generation—often the Strategist but sometimes a Court Mage. Their base spell levels are decent, and the male version shines early game due to the starting magic skill levels in water with strong healing and status removal. Both can have respectable Dexterity, making them decent Short Sword or Bow users if needed, though Maces are generally a better choice.

Their Spark Types are usually horrible, allowing them to glimmer only the most basic techniques. However, certain exceptions exist: Sagittarius can glimmer all Bow techniques, while Sapphire can glimmer all Short Sword techniques. Typically, though, it’s best to ignore their Spark Type and teach them mace techniques from the training hall. Some maces offer unique and powerful glimmer techniques, such as Halt! and Blessing which doesn't require a high attack attribute.

Their abilities are both effective. The male’s BP per Battle ability is relatively weak alone but synergizes well with other BP recovery and cost reduction abilities. The female’s 20% BP Cost Reduction for Spells is solid for any mage and useful in creating BP batteries. Their formation is decent for multi-caster parties relying on magic damage.

I’ll be honest: I love this class. Its concept is cool, and it looks great, but unfortunately, it’s not very effective. Their Spark Types are all over the place, so you might consider using one temporarily for a specific Glimmer in the early game. The male Mercenary is marginally better, as it can glimmer Great Sword, Axe, and Spear, and has better base stats than the Light Infantry, which can do the same. However, just because it’s the first to have those options doesn’t mean it excels at them.

Their abilities are among the weakest in the game as well. An extra 10% HP and BP is rather insignificant compared to other options. If that extra 10-40 HP/BP makes or breaks your strategy, there might be an issue with the strategy itself. You might find some early utility for them, but they will likely be among the first units you replace once you unlock new classes.

Their formation is decent and comparable to the Imperial Attack. However, it is slightly less defensive and a bit more offensive. Essentially, it includes one less tank and increases physical damage instead of just melee damage.

When you unlock the Martial Artist, you should definitely make use of him. His stats are only decent overall, and his Speed isn't particularly impressive, and since Martial Art damage is measured by a combination of Strength and Speed, he really isn't the best Martial Arts user. However, he brings a valuable Spark Type that allows him to glimmer any Martial Arts technique. Additionally, Martial Arts interact with defense in an unusual manner, enabling him to deal more damage than expected for his skill level—this is due to the calculations considering that Martial Arts don’t have an attack value like weapons. Therefore, the earlier you utilize Martial Arts, the better. Also, his Stamina is tied first place in the game so he can be very tanky. This means a Counter Tank build is technically possible.

His ability is one of the best in the game, directly increasing the damage of any technique by 10%. This, when combined with the Imperial Guard (M) ability, the Imperial Blacksmith’s ability, or another damage-increasing ability, allows a character to deal insane amounts of damage.

As for the formation, it’s also worth acquiring early on. This is the first formation you get with a fixed turn order. Every character acts with the same speed as the one in front, allowing them to execute their turns back-to-back without interruption from enemies. While it does add some extra attack and damage bonuses, that’s not the primary reason to choose this formation—it’s simply a nice bonus.

Heads up: You’ll unlock other classes later in the game that are superior Martial Arts users.

The Saigo Clansman is probably your first proper Mace wielder, and that’s likely the main reason to include them in your party. They boast decent Strength and very good Stamina, making them tanky and suitable for a tank role. However, what you really want from them is their Spark Type for Maces.

Don’t be misled by their starting skill levels in Martial Arts; they are not effective in that area. While a few rare names might spawn with a Martial Arts Spark Type, the Martial Artist is simply better suited for that role, so it’s not worth your time.

His ability is really good, but only if you actually need it. It lets a character survive from a single hit that would otherwise bring it to 0 HP IF they had more than 30% HP before the attack. This ability can be a godsend if your team is feeling too squishy, you really need to protect a specific party member or if you can’t prepare with buffs or wall spells.

As for their formation, it’s quite interesting and can be useful. This formation ensures you always act last in the turn order, while also fixing your turn order. This allows you to control the order of actions effectively, letting you handle necessary healing, buffing, or focusing on attacking as needed. Additionally, you receive a substantial defensive bonus to damage reduction, making this formation quite interesting. This means that this formation promotes certain abilities while making some other ones redundant. Any skill pertaining to having an effect happen at the end of turn can essentially be used without negative consequences - such as Aim. While at the same time, wall effects or Stun that is only active during the turn in which it was used won't do anything for you.

Vagabonds are unfortunately one of the weakest classes. They’re a true jack-of-all-trades, but in the worst way—their attributes are scattered, and their Spark Types often don’t align with these attributes. While their Spark Types are decent if you want to glimmer specific weapon techniques, the mismatch with stats makes them very weak. Be sure to check their Glimmer Chart each generation if you plan on using them, as they may have the potential to glimmer just what you are after.

In some ways, they’re the opposite of Light Infantry: instead of balanced skill levels, Vagabonds have stats that are wholly spread out, which hinders their effectiveness. They can work if you’re undecided on your party composition, but they’re essentially used as placeholders.

One redeeming quality is their abilities. Both abilities—Cutpurse and Scavenger—are fantastic and worth mastering early. These abilities should be equipped by at least one party member, as they ensure you always have enough materials to forge or reforge equipment and keep a solid stock of BP and HP items throughout the game.

Their formation, however, is lackluster and offers little benefit, so there’s no need to prioritize them as an emperor.

Definitely one of the better classes in the game, especially for when you get them. The male and female have completely different uses, but both excel at what they do.

The male Crusader consistently possesses monstrous Strength, great Stamina, decent Magic, and excellent Spark Types. He is among the game’s best physical attackers, capable of easily acquiring off-role spells to buff or heal. If you plan to use him for glimmering, be sure to check the Glimmer Chart, as he can glimmer a wide variety of abilities: Sword, Great Sword, Axe, Spear, and even Short Sword.

In contrast, the female Crusader has poor physical attributes but boasts the highest Magic stat in the game across generations. She might even be the best mage for several generations. Her Spark Types can be hit-or-miss; she can either glimmer all Mace abilities, like the Saigo, or may not glimmer anything at all, similar to other mages. She comes pre-trained in Cosmology and Hydro, so hurry up and teach her Diamond Dust—she’ll serve as both your greatest healer and spellcaster for quite a while.

As for their abilities, the male's is underwhelming unless combined with other Gauge affecting abilities, at which point it becomes monstrous. This ability also allows him to be an excellent chassis for an end-game tank, especially when stacked with Auto-Parry, Tough Hide, or Auto-HP Recovery. On the other hand, the female’s ability seems lackluster; while 20% increased healing sounds good, it often leads to over-healing if you use a healer with at least 10+ in the relevant spell level.

Their formation, Divine Wall, is quite impressive. It protects two members in the back while providing significant defensive buffs to the front row. The chance of the back row members being attacked is reduced to just 1%, making it one of the most basic yet effective defensive formations in the game.

Corsairs should be a priority for playing as an emperor because of their valuable formation. The class itself has only decent attributes that are spread too evenly. Their Spark Types vary between Axe and Spear techniques, while a unique name can glimmer all Bow techniques (Gama), and another can glimmer some Sword, Great Sword, and Short Sword techniques (Drake). This versatility makes the class decent but not great; it’s not really a mainstay.

The Corsair's ability is part of an important combination. It increases the Gauge when striking an enemy's weakness by an additional 50%. By itself, this is only so-so. However, when combined with one or two other Gauge-boosting abilities, you can spam very powerful free Gauge attacks frequently.

As for the Corsair's formation, as mentioned earlier, this is the primary reason to play a Corsair emperor as early as possible. The Rapid Stream formation first controls the turn order, allowing you to decide in which order your units act—regardless of their speed. Essentially, this removes the importance of Speed from the game. Additionally, it guarantees that you act before any enemy.

However, it does come with significant drawbacks. Your general damage reduction is lowered, and your shield block rate suffers as well. But that is a worthy trade-off if you can eliminate the enemy before they ever get a turn. If you are facing a tough enemy, this formation also allows you to pre-buff properly before any enemies can act. There are many ways to exploit this advantage, but be cautious: do not use this formation lightly against bosses!

Freelance Mages are similar to Court Mages. Their attributes and Spark Types are comparable, with mostly weak Spark Types and a few unique exceptions—though the relevant attribute for those weapons are often underwhelming. They bring Terrology to the table with their initial spell levels, but just as with the other mages, you should probably just spread your elements around.

Their abilities are a bit mixed. The male’s ability restores the most BP of any ability but requires spending a turn on a basic attack. While that makes you waste a turn, it can be useful during long dungeon runs, but it’s not something you'll need to rely on constantly. The female’s ability restores 2% BP each turn, making it one of the strongest BP restoration abilities and especially effective when combined with other BP recovery or cost reduction abilities.

Their formation is suitable for heavy spellcasting parties, and is especially useful when facing enemies with spells of their own. The front row gets increased magic resistance, while the back row deal more magic damage. It does decrease the Speed of your backrow by a lot, so make note of this if you need to rely of buffs and status effects. This will act as an alternative to the Imperial Magic formation.

The Dancer is one of the new classes introduced in the game, alongside the Imperial Blacksmith. She boasts monstrous Dexterity, incredible Speed, and excellent Magic, making her one of the best Bow and Short Sword users available. Her Spark Types, as far as I’ve gathered, primarily glimmers Short Sword and Bow techniques. If there are any unique variations, I haven’t discovered them yet.

With her impressive Magic, she also serves as a decent spellcaster, allowing her to function effectively as a hybrid Dexterity/Magic user. If you choose to focus on Short Swords, equip her with buffs and AoE spells. If you lean toward Bows, opt for buffs and single-target nukes. You can hardly go wrong with either approach.

As for her ability, it’s one of the best Gauge abilities in the game. While it performs decently on its own, it truly shines when combined with other Gauge-boosting abilities. The fantastic aspect of this ability is that it doesn’t only benefit the user; if the Dancer is part of a Gauge combo attack, the cost of using the combo is reduced to 75%, allowing for quicker reuse of the combo. This makes her an excellent chassis for a damage dealer, and I highly recommend including the Dancer in your team.

Her formation is essentially a variation of the Hunter formation, boosting ranged damage for the back row while significantly enhancing damage reduction for all other units. Additionally, it makes back-row units essentially untargetable by enemies. This variation can definitely find its uses in various strategies.

The Diver won’t see much use in any party. She’s a jack-of-all-trades, but even compared to other classes with a similar niche, she falls short. While she has no attribute lower than 15, nothing exceeds 18 except for Speed. Additionally, she shares a largely ineffective Spark Type with the other mages, which unlocks very few techniques. There is a unique name that can glimmer Mace techniques, but essentially, she offers little in this aspect.

The Diver does have anotable use, and it lies in her ability, which is quite powerful. It heals the user for 20% of their HP every turn, making it a valuable skill for someone who will frequently take damage.

As for her formation, it is arguably the most offensive caster formation in the game. It sacrifices all defensive bonuses provided by other caster formations and instead boosts the magic power of the back row. The furthest back row receives an even larger boost to magic power, allowing for formidable spellcasting potential.

Nomads are a bit tricky to define, so let's start with the male. The male Nomad has strong attributes, with Dexterity being his standout, capable of reaching 20 with certain names. Most of his stats, aside from Stamina, range from 16-19, though his low Stamina makes him weak against direct hits. His Spark Types are diverse, so you’ll want to check the Glimmer Chart to be sure. He can glimmer skills for Axe, Sword, Spear, Great Sword, and Short Sword, though don’t be misled by his initial Bow skill level—he can act as an archer, but he won’t glimmer Bow abilities. Overall, he’s a generalist, similar to the Light Infantry or Vagabond classes.

The female Nomad has a similar skill set but generally lower Strength and higher Magic. She primarily glimmers Bow abilities, though two unique names allow her to glimmer some Sword and Mace abilities instead. Her Magic can reach 20, but as a spellcaster, she’s only mid-tier compared to dedicated casters.

Their abilities are intriguing but not essential for most playthroughs. The male Nomad’s ability gives a 70% chance not to consume a healing item when used, which could essentially provide free healing. However, if you already rely on Cutpurse and Scavenger, running out of Balms shouldn’t be an issue. The female Nomad’s ability doubles the potency of healing items, which has niche value if you don’t have a dedicated healer but often feels redundant. You could try creating a pseudo-healer by combining both Nomads’ abilities, but I don’t recommend it; healing spells offer far better value, with higher healing amounts and added status removal.

Their formation is also unremarkable. It’s a slightly more defensive version of the Ranger’s formation, only beneficial if you have multiple ranged characters in your party.

The Hunter is a slight upgrade from the Ranger. It does everything the Ranger does, just a bit better. Its Dexterity is generally a few points higher, with a specific name reaching up to 25 (!!!). It has one Spark Type, the same as the male Ranger, which allows it to glimmer all Bow abilities. Straightforward and effective, Hunters don’t need much further explanation.

Its ability, however, is hit-or-miss: it guarantees the Hunter acts first on the opening turn of combat. While this could be essential for certain strategies, it’s usually unnecessary. It doesn’t synergize with formations, and you’d need a very specific reason to make this specific ability worthwhile. This is why I tend to rate Rangers higher—losing this ability doesn’t hinder you much.

The Hunter’s formation is also similar to the Ranger and Nomad formations, but the main difference is the heavy protection in the rear. In this formation, the rear character only has a 1% chance of being targeted, making it a great choice if you have a fragile character you want to keep safe.

The Amazon, unfortunately, is not a great class. She has solid Dexterity, Speed, and Stamina, but none of her stats exceed 20, and her Strength is weak. Her primary weapon and Spark Type, the Spear, scales with Strength, making her ill-suited to deal high damage with it. While she’s quite tanky, she can’t use a shield with the Spear, so other tank classes generally outperform her. Due to the mismatch between her Spark Type and her Dexterity, the Amazon can make a decent Short Sword or Bow user, but dedicated Short Sword and Bow classes will typically perform better. She’s really only a viable choice if you want to trade damage for defense.

Her ability, however, is excellent. it grants a 10% damage boost when she’s at full HP, which is easy to maintain with a turn-order controlling formation. This ability is among the best for maximizing damage and can pair with other damage-boosting abilities to achieve exceptional numbers.

The Amazon’s formation is also quite unique. It’s easily the most offense-oriented formation in the game, boosting Speed for everyone but the rear characters and increasing melee damage for the front characters. This is a more aggressive version of formations like Imperial Attack. If your focus is melee damage, and you’re less concerned with turn order control, this formation is one of the best choices.

Desert Guards are similar to Imperial Guards and male Crusaders and make strong contenders for a tank role. Although their Strength and Stamina are generally lower, they make up for it with high Magic. Their Spark Types allow them to glimmer only Sword and Great Sword techniques. With their high Magic, they can easily take on an off-role as a spellcaster, healer, or buffer if needed.

Their ability, sounds great in theory but feels underwhelming in practice. Provoker increases the Desert Guard’s chance of being targeted by enemies when using a counterattack technique. However, there are only six counterattack techniques in the game, and they all only block physical melee attacks. Of these, only four techniques counterattack with damage, and just two of those have a chance of inflicting damage.

This leaves Windmill and Matador. Matador is a Short Sword technique, meaning it’s Dexterity-based, while Windmill is a Spear technique, which is two-handed—so no shield can be used. This creates a mismatch in the Desert Guard’s tanking role, as neither technique aligns well with the use of a tank that relies on durability. While there may be a niche use for this build, I struggle to see its value in a standard tank role.

The Ninja is one of the classes introduced in the earlier PC remaster of the original game. She boasts a great array of attributes, particularly in Strength, Dexterity, and Speed, all hovering around 20. However, her Magic attribute can vary significantly between generations, often correlating with a hidden attribute I'll discuss further down.

Don't be fooled by her high Dexterity; that’s not the primary reason we use her. While it allows for the option of equipping a Dexterity off-weapon for other strategies, the main focus is on her being the best Martial Arts user in the game. Although her Strength isn't monstrous compared to the Salamanders, it surpasses both the Saiga and Martial Artist. What truly sets her apart is her insane Speed, allowing you to focus on increasing her Strength through equipment and ultimately outpace even the Salamander in damage.

Fortunately, while she comes equipped with a Great Sword and some Great Sword techniques, her Spark Type is exclusively tied to Martial Arts. Embrace this and make her a Martial Arts user—you won’t regret it. She’s also a decent user of Heat Hands if you need a quick and effective AoE option.

As for her ability, it’s one of the best in the game. It increases damage by 15% when targeting a weakness. This ability is fantastic on its own, but when combined with others like Tech Damage, Critical Hitter, Vigorous Attacker, or any other damage-boosting ability, you’ll have a real powerhouse on your team. Personally, I've dealt over 49k damage by combining these abilities—whether that’s extreme or not, it certainly looks impressive to me.

Regarding the Ninja’s formation, I have to admit I’m at a loss. I didn’t make her an emperor, so I don’t have firsthand experience with it. My only source of information is in Japanese, which states that it increases “collaboration/cooperation” between units. Until I can find out for myself or receive clarification from someone more knowledgeable, I’ll assume it may increase the Gauge in some way.

Let’s be direct: the Levante Guard isn’t the best. With poor Stamina, Magic, and Dexterity, they’re left with only decent Strength and excellent Speed. They can glimmer only Sword and Great Sword techniques, but they don’t fulfill any role that other classes can’t do better. While they’re effective physical attackers, even the potential tank classes have higher Strength. You might use them to glimmer late-game Sword and Great Sword techniques since their Spark Types are reliable, but many other classes excel with swords.

The hidden potential of the Levante Guard lies in its ability. They can reduce the BP cost of any physical technique by 20%. While useful on its own, this ability can be game-changing when combined with BP-recovering abilities. Since all classes with BP recovery are mages, pairing these abilities with the Levante Guard creates a unique BP-battery for a physical character. If you equip the BP recovery per turn and the BP recovery per battle abilities on the Levante Guard, they’ll be able to sustain high-cost techniques much longer than anyone else in your party—though it means sacrificing the battery potential for your mage.

Finally, their formation is unique but niche. It fixes the turn order and boosts both physical and magical attack power of the character in the backline while making them harder to target. While this can lead to some interesting setups, especially with a strong backline character like a buffed-up Emperor, there are generally better formations available. Still, it’s a fun option with specific applications.

The Strategist might seem like the ultimate spellcaster, but let’s break down why you shouldn’t always default to him. He does come with excellent spell levels, but because spells don’t rely on Spark Types, spell levels alone aren’t reason enough to choose him. However, his Base Ability Scores—specifically his high Speed and exceptionally high Magic—often make him the strongest caster option.

Other classes, such as Court Mages and Freelance Mages, can have comparable stats, so it’s important to compare casters each generation and pick the best one based on stats. The Strategist’s Spark Types are generally pathetic, but there are two exceptions: two specific names can glimmer all Bow abilities or most Sword/Great Sword abilities.

His ability increases spell damage by 10% and is powerful on any caster, including himself. Pair it with two BP recovery or cost reduction abilities for maximum impact. Like other mages, Strategists are often best with Maces, unless a Strength-based character is already using Maces. Maces allow access to top-tier abilities like Nutcracker and unique weapon glimmer abilities such as Blessing and Halt!.

The Strategist’s formation is highly defensive, relying on increased shield block rate instead of general damage reduction. It’s effective if you rely on equipping shields, especially when paired with a tank in the lead position to absorb most attacks, but it offers little offensive advantage.

Both units are excellent—some of the best in the game. Every generation, they boast monstrously high Strength and decent scores in most attributes. Their Spark Types include all Spear, Axe, Great Sword, and Sword, making them ideal base units for physical attackers.

Both classes possess top-tier abilities as well. The male Imperial Guard has a 20% chance to deliver a special critical hit, which automatically counts as hitting a weakness and deals increased damage on top of that. If you’re not using the male yourself, be sure to equip his ability on someone on your team for maximum damage! The female Imperial Guard’s ability is slightly less powerful but still impressive; it acts as a secondary shield block check and can simply negate all damage. I personally use that ability along with the Heavy Infantry’s ability on my tanks.

When comparing the two, the male is more tanky, while the female has decent Magic. Ultimately, it depends on how you want to utilize them within your team. Their versatility makes it easy to fit them into any composition you create.

The formation is a direct upgrade from the Imperial Cross, enhancing its effectiveness. It allows your units to act before the enemy while significantly boosting your defense.

The Imperial Blacksmith is a very powerful physical attacker. Her Strength can reach a minimum of 19 in any generation and can skyrocket up to 23. Both her Dexterity and Stamina are consistently strong as well. You will likely acquire her later in the game due to the quest required to unlock her, so her Spark Type shouldn’t be a significant concern. This unit breaks the mold in terms of Spark Types compared to the documentation from previous games. She can glimmer mostly Mace techniques but also Axe techniques, which is a combination that did not exist in earlier installments.

Her ability is fantastic: it grants a 10% increase to both attack and defense power, making it almost broken and one of the best abilities available for a physical character, whether they are an attacker or tank.

As for her formation, I haven’t had the chance to experiment with it extensively. However, based on information gathered from the university tests related to formations, it appears to be a defensive formation that focuses on reducing damage and but eliminates any characters block chance. Further testing is needed to fully understand how this is measured and its practical implications.

The Salamanders are one of the game’s absolute choices you have to make. You either get these or gain access to Umbrology magic. Are they worth it? That depends on if you’re planning to use them. Should you? Probably. They are pretty awesome. They share a top spot for the highest Strength among all classes, and their Magic is also excellent.

Their Spark Types are very varied, so be sure to check the Glimmer Chart. Essentially, all of them can glimmer Maces, Martial Arts, and Axes. There’s also a unique name (Soputan) that can learn most Great Sword and Sword techniques. In my conclusion, these guys are among the best users of Martial Arts in the game.

While their Speed is terrible, this can be remedied with items, as Speed-increasing items are the easiest attribute-boosting equipment available. They naturally come with a decent spell rank in Pyrology, so teach them Pulverize quickly and get Terrology to 10 to equip Heat Hands. Now you have a decently early cheap AoE with huge damage potential.

The Salamander's ability is very niche, as with all elemental abilities. It nullifies fire damage and heals the user when standing on fire terrain. If you’re playing a mage-heavy strategy with a single powerful tank, you can easily exploit the elemental field for free healing, allowing you to focus on damage output. However, this is a bit niche.

Their formation is similarly niche and serves as a thematic variation of the Imperial Cross. Functionally, it grants increases fire damage for fire resistance to different units. While this is quite specific, if you’re already playing a mage-heavy team, you can create a thematic setup around it.

Moles, like the other elemental classes, are incredibly niche. They possess great Dexterity, Magic, and Stamina, but have poor Strength and Speed. All Moles share the same Spark Type, allowing them to glimmer all Short Sword techniques. This makes them excellent if you’re interested in using them as dedicated Short Sword wielders while also glimmering every Short Sword technique.

I want to note that their starting equipment contains the Ironwill helmet, which is one of the best gear pieces in the game due to it making you immune to several status effects. Additionally, they have very good Magic and come with exceptionally high Terrology spell ranks. While I won’t recommend what else to teach them, simply giving them access to Stone Shower will be a game changer once you unlock it. If you haven’t unlocked it yet, it’s only a matter of time if you keep using the Mole.

The Mole’s ability is the same as every other Elemental ability but focused on Earth. It’s not particularly useful unless you’re trying to utilize some strategies with a heavy mage group to control the battlefield. Otherwise, having a single unit immune to Terrology damage isn’t that impressive.

Similar to the other elemental formations, this serves as a thematic variation on the Imperial Cross. However, it is less defensive and instead increases Terrology damage while providing resistance to Terrology attacks.

Time for the mermaids without fish tails. Nereids possess monstrously high Dexterity, very good Magic, and excellent Speed. However, they have the worst Spark Types out of all the elemental classes, sharing them with Mages, which means they won’t glimmer anything but basic techniques. Two unique names can spark all Mace techniques (Pherusa and Sao), but using maces on them wastes the potential with their monstrous Dexterity.

While their Magic isn’t the best, and a dedicated caster will outperform them, depending on when you unlock this class, their Hydrology might be worth using for a bit—if only to spark some additional Hydrology spells. Technically, this is the worst elemental class; while it does act as a better Bow and Short Sword user than a Mole, they start with 0 skill ranks in either and using them for glimmering techniques would waste your time.

As for the ability, it’s a copy-paste from the other elemental classes. In this case, the Nereid is immune to Hydrology and heals if the battlefield element is set to Water. Again, this might be interesting for a niche heavy mage group composition, but it’s not spectacular in any way.

Regarding the formation, it has the same basic functionality as the other elemental formations. It increases Hydrology defense and offense for different units. If you’re already playing with multiple mages, especially if you’re using Hydrology on several, there is space for a niche strategy here.

Then we have the harpies. These gals have decent Dexterity, monstrous Magic, and really excellent Speed. They all share a single Spark Type, which glimmers all Bow techniques. Unfortunately, since her Dexterity is only decent, she won’t outperform dedicated archers like the Hunter or Ranger. However, her Magic is top-tier and can compete with the best of the dedicated pure mages.

If you are after a hybrid archer/mage, the Iris might be a decent option for you, but remember that her strength lies in her spells, not her archery. She can also be brought along if you desperately need a mage while wanting to glimmer Bow techniques without using a dedicated archer. The Iris comes with decent Aerology spell ranks, and it’s up to you which direction you want to take it. Adding Hydro, Pyro, or Cosmo are all viable options; personally, I’d recommend Cosmo to get another character with Restoration on the board, but it all comes down to what you need.

As for her ability, it’s as niche and underwhelming as the other elemental classes. She’s immune to Aero spells and heals while on an Aero battlefield. If you’re already playing mage-heavy and need a passive way to heal your tank, this might be the way to go. However, it’s very niche, and I wouldn’t consider it worth it. Being immune to Aerology is nice, but since this only affects a single unit, there are better abilities out there.

Regarding the formation, it functions similarly to the other elemental formations, increasing Aerology damage and resistance for some units.

This is barely a class; it’s a specific character. It boasts 20 in all attributes except Magic, has a staggering 99 LP, and starts with decent skill levels in every weapon. However, there’s a catch: you can’t control it. The Automaton randomly selects techniques and spells from what you’ve equipped, and it has the None Spark Type. In short, this is more of a meme character as a party member. (Thank you to Ghøst for clarification on the spells.)

However, there is one significant reason to keep it in mind. After unlocking the Automaton, you should make it your next emperor. This allows you to control it, and eventually, you’ll gain access to its terrific ability, which renders it immune to any status effects. Its formation is also surprisingly powerful, especially on harder difficulties, as it provides your party with resistance to status effects. According to the university test, it claims to make you immune, but based on my testing, this interpretation isn’t entirely accurate.

In summary, definitely consider making the Automaton your emperor, but don’t waste time trying to use it in battle—you should have better options available.

Now I really have to sleep. I'll add this part some day during next week. I sincerely hope I get some nice feedback and maybe some suggestions as what to add or change so far. I hope this guide helps someone meanwhile. :)

To be continued ...

After killing the final boss(es), you will unlock a kind of post-game. A big dungeon with some extra interesting fights, which exceptional rewards. Some of these rewards are hidden behind being able to kill a specific boss on a time limit. If enough interest is shown, I might add strategies for succeeding with those.

After finishing the Post Game there is a New Game + mode with some slight changes. There is currently a lot of misinformation about this mode circling around the net. Before adding my experiences and conjecture about this mode, I'll have to experiment a bit more with it. Suffice it to say, there is a genuine New Game + mode whatever certain other guides tell you.

Goals for party compositions, suggestions of which classes/roles to combine and how to approach combining classes.

My best combinations whether they are how to make the most out of a mage, how to combine weapon techniques and spells into a decent hybrid character, what abilities to combine or what equipment to stack.

How both party composition, combinations with equipment/abilities/spells, and specific formations can be used together for different parts of the game. I'm considering leaning towards only adding information pertaining to higher difficulties here, but I know there are many out there looking for cheap cheese builds for the lower difficulties as well, so I might add that as well.