So, you’ve been called upon to embrace the swift and elusive path of the Phantom. Excellent choice! This guide will illuminate your journey through skill progression, ensuring your Phantom becomes a master of evasion that enemies will never see coming. Forget brute force; we’re building a Phantom Dancer, a whirlwind of agility and calculated strikes.
When Promotion unlocks, your first instinct should be to Rest. This resets your skill points and allows for focused development. Ignoring Race Skills for a moment, here’s the core skill path we’ll be focusing on:
- [Rapier Mastery (1) > Sylphid (5) > Counter Boost (1) > Optic Thrust (3) > Deft Thrust (1) > Phantom Swords (3) > Dodge Boon (5)]
The cornerstone of this build is Dodge Boon. Prioritizing this skill early is key to maximizing Union Skill potential and establishing the evasive foundation of our Phantom Dancer.
As for Race Skills, I personally lean towards Earthlain Phantom Duelist. However, your racial choice might differ, especially if you prefer Therian. Regardless of race, select around six skills from your Race Tree. My typical choices include: [Forage Skill / Gathering Skill / Black Mist / Bodybuilding / Cardio / Gaia’s Gift].
Resting around level 27 to revert to level 25 grants ample Skill Points to invest in the initial skill path and Race Skills, with a couple of points to spare. Here, we introduce Ray of Light. Our strategy is to hyper-focus on maxing out Ray of Light to Level 5 before shifting our attention to Lightweight, also aiming for Level 5.
The Phantom Duelist’s agility-focused strategy doesn’t truly take flight until you acquire the Urumi. This weapon, when fully forged, provides a significant +10 boost to your AGI stat. Coupled with Lightweight at Level 5, the returns on evasion and speed become substantial. Don’t worry about shedding armor too early; the real payoff comes later, around the 3rd Stratum Boss.
Upon reaching Level 35, aim to have Phantom Swords (5) and Lure (1) in your arsenal. From this point, skill progression becomes more adaptable, depending on your immediate needs. My preferred path from here is:
- [Deft Thrust (5) > Lightweight (10) > Counter Boost (5) > Ray of Light (10)]
Initially, Revenge Thrust seemed promising, but after venturing into the 5th Stratum, its value diminishes when prioritizing the Urumi and Lightweight. Skill Points earmarked for Revenge Thrust are better invested in Lure.
Lure is a deceptively powerful skill. It delivers consistent damage, irrespective of party composition – whether you’re built for Chain attacks or Hell Slash. Its true strength lies in its uncapped counter potential. Imagine a Dryad attempting Rage Vent, missing all eight attacks against your Phantom Dancer. Teammates in the same row unleash 16 free strikes! These Lure Counters benefit from Charge Skills and can be elementally enhanced via Dance Oracle, as they are classified as Basic Attacks. Furthermore, Lure Counters contribute to Resonance stacks for Chain Duelists – making it an invaluable asset. For any aspiring Phantom Duelist, Lure is a highly recommended skill.
As you approach the endgame, focus on maxing out Sylphid, Counter Boost, Phantom Swords, and Lure. While Deft Thrust can be maxed out eventually, it’s a lower priority. The aggro/evasion bonus of Deft Thrust only scales significantly at Level 10, which also brings a TP cost increase. Given our Urumi-centric, AGI-boosting strategy, the damage increase from Deft Thrust levels 5 to 9 offers minimal advantage.
Embrace this skill progression, and your Phantom Dancer will become a force to be reckoned with – a blur of motion, striking with precision and disappearing before damage lands. Master the art of evasion, and dominate the battlefield!
