Understanding Arlan's Trace System and Upgrade Mechanics
Let's talk numbers. Arlan's Talent Pain and Anger delivers up to 72% damage boost per 1% HP lost below maximum at max level. That's not a typo – we're talking about massive scaling here. His Ultimate? 320% ATK single-target damage with 160% ATK adjacent splash. Essential stuff for Apocalyptic Shadow's multi-enemy chaos.
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Base Traces and Combat Function
Complete trace maxing hits your wallet hard – 2.4 million credits, 105 Worldbreaker Blades, 12 Destroyer's Final Road, and 5 Tracks of Destiny. Farm Calyx Crimson for Blade materials and Echo of War battles for Destroyer's Final Road. No shortcuts here.
Arlan's Skill consumes 15% maximum HP while dealing 240% ATK damage. This HP loss feeds directly into his Talent's damage scaling formula: each 1% HP below maximum grants 0.72% damage increase, capping at 72% total bonus. It's beautiful, really – hurting yourself to hurt enemies more.
Trace-Relic Substat Synergy
Here's where experienced players separate themselves from beginners. Trace upgrades amplify relic effectiveness exponentially. HP% substats become significantly more valuable as Talent levels increase.
Optimal substat priority with maxed traces: HP% > CRIT Rate > CRIT Damage > Speed > ATK%. And please – avoid DEF% substats. Arlan's base DEF sits at a measly 330 at level 80. You're not tanking anything with that.
DEF Shred Mechanics: Defense Reduction Impact
Defense shred operates through this formula: DEF Multiplier = 100% - [DEF / (DEF + 200 + 10 × Attacker Level)]. At level 80, base DEF multiplier ranges 50-60%. A 40% DEF shred bumps this to 70-80%, representing a solid 20-30% team damage increase.
Not bad. But is it worth the investment?
Stage 2 Enemy Defense Values
Stage 2 throws Sky-Shrouding Stardevourer Swarm and Opportunistic Provocateur at you, both packing Steadfast Safeguard mechanics. They reduce damage by 50% before Weakness Break and increase damage taken by 100% after Break. DEF shred effectiveness peaks around 40-50% reduction before diminishing returns kick in hard.
HP Scaling Substats: Maximizing Self-Damage Synergy
HP% substats serve dual purposes – and this is where Arlan gets interesting. You're getting increased maximum HP pool for larger Skill costs AND enhanced survivability during low-HP phases. Testing shows 10% HP substat provides approximately 7.2% damage increase through Talent scaling while improving survivability.
Win-win.
Optimal HP Management
Maximum damage occurs at 1 HP (72% bonus), but practical gameplay requires 20-30% HP for survival, providing 50-58% damage bonus. Arlan's Ascension ability Revival provides 20% maximum HP healing when defeating enemies below 30% HP, creating natural sustain cycles.
In practice, you're dancing on a knife's edge – but that's what makes Arlan compelling.
Performance Comparison: DEF Shred vs HP Scaling
F2P testing with Level 70 Arlan and 6/6/6 traces shows some clear winners:
HP Scaling Focus delivers 45,000-55,000 damage per Ultimate at 30% HP. DEF Shred Team produces 38,000-48,000 damage with 40% reduction. Hybrid Approach achieves 52,000-62,000 damage combining both strategies.
The numbers don't lie – HP scaling wins for solo investment.
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Clear Time Analysis
Stage 2 clear times tell the real story:
- Ultimate/Talent Priority averages 8-10 cycles
- Skill Priority requires 10-12 cycles
- Balanced Investment achieves 7-9 cycles
Achieving 60,000+ points requires 8-cycle clears, consistently achievable with proper trace investment and team support. What works best is focusing your limited resources rather than spreading them thin.
Optimal F2P Trace Upgrade Path
Phase 1 (Levels 1-6): Ultimate to 6, Talent to 6, Skill to 6, Basic Attack to 4. Stop here if you're resource-constrained.
Phase 2 (Levels 7-10): Talent to 10 (maximum HP scaling), Ultimate to 10 (highest multiplier), Skill to 8 (diminishing returns beyond).
Resource-Efficient Stopping Points
Level 6 traces provide 70-80% effectiveness at 30% total cost. That's the sweet spot for F2P players.
Budget stopping points: Talent Level 8 (60% damage bonus), Ultimate Level 7 (280% ATK), Skill Level 6 (sufficient HP management).
Investment priority: Talent > Ultimate > Skill > Basic Attack. Period.
Stage 2 Specific Strategies
Current turbulence Instigation of the Locusts provides Heroic Vanguard: +50% Break Effect and CRIT Damage after Ultimate for position 1. Arlan benefits when positioned first, gaining substantial CRIT Damage bonuses.
Position matters here.
Optimal Rotation
Enter with Technique (80% ATK AoE), use Skill to reduce HP to 30-40%, Ultimate during Break windows, maintain HP through shield/heal timing. This maximizes Talent scaling while ensuring Ultimate availability during damage windows.
Timing is everything with Arlan.
F2P Team Compositions
Pela: Ultimate provides 40% DEF shred for 2 turns, requires minimal investment. She's your budget DEF shred solution.
Fire Trailblazer: Skill taunts, Ultimate shields team, enables aggressive HP management. Free and effective.
Lynx: Provides controlled HP adjustment and emergency healing. All supports are freely obtainable through story progression.
No premium units required – though they certainly help.
Common Upgrade Mistakes
Avoid over-investing in Basic Attack traces (minimal value) and attempting 1 HP maintenance (you'll die constantly). Optimal gameplay maintains 25-35% HP for practical damage bonuses.
Consider team synergy when planning trace investment rather than individual optimization. Experienced players know that context matters more than raw numbers.
Resource Optimization
Establish farming patterns: Monday/Thursday Calyx Crimson, Wednesday/Saturday Fragmentum exploration, weekly Echo of War. Daily assignments provide 24,000 credits – prioritize events offering Tracks of Destiny and Worldbreaker Blades.
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FAQ
What are Arlan's best trace upgrades for F2P players? Ultimate and Talent to Level 6 first, then Skill to Level 6. This provides 70-80% effectiveness at minimal cost.
Does DEF Shred or HP scaling work better for Apocalyptic Shadow? HP scaling provides higher individual damage without team coordination – superior for F2P builds.
How does HP scaling damage work? Talent grants up to 72% damage bonus based on missing HP. Each 1% HP below maximum provides 0.72% damage increase at max level.
What trace priority should F2P follow? Talent > Ultimate > Skill > Basic Attack. Talent provides multiplicative scaling, Ultimate offers burst damage.
Is Arlan viable for Stage 2 without premium light cones? Absolutely. With F2P cones like On the Fall of an Aeon, Level 70+ with 6/6/6 traces enables 60,000+ point clears.
How much DEF reduction does Arlan need? None required due to HP scaling mechanics. 20-40% team DEF shred improves overall output when combined with HP scaling, but it's not essential.
