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Survivalist



Survivalists are pretty great all around, being hefty damage dealers, back row supporters, or general labyrinth explorers. They work well on either the front row, back row, or out on the field collecting shit. They're too useful to leave at home and are pretty damn important against certain enemies, especially with their priority moves and debuffs.



While their stats aren't as impressive as the Protectors, it's still very good, with stats spread across the board between excellent to mediocre to terrible. They have the highest AGI and LUC out of all the classes (not that really means anything as we'll see later) and can hit pretty hard as well as take hits with their good STR and VIT. TP is where they falter slightly, since they have a lot of useful skills they like to spam, but it's still leagues better than the next worst TP class, the Landy. They have just what they need to be effective, so they can sit at the front quite happily and take hits.

HP Up
Passive.


It's HP Up alright. Although this one maxes out at 150% instead of 130%. Not that it really matters since it doesn't lead to anything and there are other places to put your skills points. Sure, it would be quite nice to have 700HP, but if you put your points in the right place, you won't need to worry about it. Probably.

TP Up
Passive.


Survivalists also get 150% TP, which is pretty great on a class that needs it. But again, it doesn't lead to anything, so it's just a nice bonus at the end of the game if you can spare the points. It's definitely more tempting than HP Up, for sure.

AGI Up
Unlocks: Trickey (LV1), Quicken (LV1), Ambush (LV3), 1st Hit (LV5)
Passive.


AGI Up isn't useful for any damage dealing skills, but it does eventually lead to 1st Turn through Trickery and Quicken, so it's at least useful for that. Everything else it leads up to isn't really all that and maxing out AGI will make you pretty damn fast compared to your team... but you'll still get outpaced by quick enemies, or slow enemies with good speed modifiers, so it's not something to hugely focus on. One point should be good. Besides if you get to the level cap, being level 3 will let you outspeed basically everything, so there's no point going higher, technically. The main problem with boosting AGI is how it's calculated, Turn Speed = [AGI ÷ 5] × Speed Modifier, which means any kind of AGI boost is really hard to notice and means there are some enemies you won't ever outspeed in your current state no matter how many buffs you have. As we'll go over in due time, most stats don't mean much, so they're not something to focus on.

Bows
Unlocks: Trueshot (LV1), Disable (LV3), Multihit (LV5), Apollon (LV10)
Passive.


You'll definitely want this skill maxed out for two reasons. It has the highest boost out of all the weapon skills and it's definitely worth it even if you're not going for Apollon... but you should go for Apollon, cause Apollon is great and you should get it. Multihit is also very good so you can leave this at level 5 while you boost that skill up, then come back to this for Apollon.

Ambush
Prerequisites: AGI Up LV3
Unlocks: Aware (LV2), Owl-Eye (LV3), Stalker (LV3)
Increases the chance of getting a preemptive attack. Passive.


Hmm, preemptive attacks are very nice, but going all in on this skill just for a relatively low chance of getting an extra turn to attack is not. In encounters with a lot of turns, the bonus attack is nice, but not particularly crucial and fights that don't last long probably didn't need Ambush to begin with. So I'd say pass, though this skill stacks with itself, meaning a full party with level 10 Ambush will always get a preemptive attack. This is better than you'd think, since the game only checks for blindsides if a preemptive doesn't trigger, meaning this skill pulls double duty. So that's something for your gathering party, at least.

Aware
Prerequisites: Ambush LV2
Decreases the chance of being blindsided by enemies. Passive.


If the previous skill was a hard sell then this one is even more so. Blindsides aren't hugely common and while they can be pretty detrimental depending on the circumstances, it's something you'll notice isn't working compared to when it does. Again, putting a load of points into this skill as well as Ambush for the prerequisite isn't really worth it, so if you do get caught by a nasty blindside, it's better to just hope to escape, then getting this skill and then get annoyed when it doesn't work, so you have to hope to escape. And since Ambush can always get a preemptive and avoid all blindsides under the right conditions, it makes this skill even less appealing, so it's definitely one to ignore.

Trickery
Prerequisites: AGI Up LV1
Unlocks: 1st Turn (LV3)
Lowers the enemy's accuracy for 5 turns. Debuff skill, uses the Legs.


Debuff skills are pretty great, since if you can stack them with party buffs, they become doubly effective. While accuracy isn't something you touch very much, it can be very nice to dodge potentially fatal attacks. You'll need to put points into this anyway to reach 1st Turn, so if you feel like using it in battle, it's definitely won't hurt. Opposing accuracy modifiers might not make it very effective unless you invest in this skill heavily, but it's definitely a nice debuff to use if you can get lucky.

Quicken
Prerequisites: AGI Up LV1
Unlocks: 1st Turn (LV3)
Increases the party's AGI for 5 turns. Buff skill, uses the Legs.


Because of how AGI requires big boosts to really matter, this isn't a skill that you'll notice working unless you Boost it, basically, since an AGI boost won't matter for your slow members, like the Protector, or Medic. Since you'll need this skill for 1st Turn anyway, you have to get it, but say you have 30 AGI and use this skill, now you're at 45 AGI. This means you're at 9 speed compared to the 7 you were before, before speed modifiers are applied. That's pretty awful, especially since buff slots are at such a premium. This is a skill that could've worked out, but because of the numbers, it just isn't worth it.

1st Turn
Prerequisites: Trickery LV3, Quicken LV3
Unlocks: 1st Hit (LV3)
Allows the target to use their move first in the turn, regardless of other factors. Buff skill, uses the Legs.
Bug: Chance of succeeding is 100% regardless of level.


You can probably assume that this skill is amazing. It is. 1st Turn lets you pick whoever you want to move first, ahead of anything else and it can be a real game changer. Need an emergency heal? Need to nuke something RIGHT NOW? Need to use a shield skill on an enemy that has ridiculous speed modifiers? It is so so sooooooo useful and the utility is unmatched by any other skill in the game. Get some bow skills, then get this immediately, you'll need it. You can just put one point into it due to the very helpful bug and just make your life so much easier. This skill is fantastic.

1st Hit
Prerequisites: AGI Up LV5, 1st Turn LV3
Gives the user a chance to act first in battle, regardless of other factors. Passive.


9 times out of 10 your Survivalist is going first out of your party and probably the enemy as well, so what's the point of this? 1st Turn has so much more utility so just stick with that, instead of the small chance your Survivalist will just do what it was going to do anyway and go first. Whether you or another speedy member of the party goes first won't be a deal-breaker and the Survivalist isn't so necessary that going first before an enemy will have a huge effect, it's better to just 1st Turn something that will.

Cloak
Prerequisites: Trickery LV3
Decreases the chance of being targeted by the enemy. Buff skill, uses the Legs.
BUG: Has a very small chance, perhaps 0%, of working.


I never knew this skill was bugged, since I never bothered to ever use it. So this skill SHOULD make your Survivalist less likely to be targeted, but then you start looking at how the AI targets your party and you realise it's not that good. Quite a few commands the AI uses are Front Row Preference, Target Physical Class (LSPDR) and, uncommonly, Target Highest HP, so your Survivalist has a chance of being targetted, but a fair few times it won't end up mattering since they weren't in the line of fire anyway. Regardless, the skill more often than not does sweet fuck all. Well, it still costs TP to use and it might have a very small chance of working as intended, but it might as well never work at all. Man, what a great game.

Again, while it's a bit of a loss since the provoke chance would be decreased a lot, the skill might not be bugged and the numbers are low to begin with. What's 15% of 4, if targetting works that way, so this skill might make your Survivalist a slightly smaller target than it already was. Even if it did work, Survivalists are still a physical class so a lot of attacks target them. And if your Protector gets beat up a bit, then your Survivalist might be next to target with their pretty good HP. It might've been amazing if it worked properly, but your Survivalist has much better things to be doing, they can take the hit, just deal damage!

Escape
Prerequisites: Quicken LV3
Increases the party's escape rate for 5 turns and increases DEF past level 4. Buff skill, uses the Legs.


This is kind of an interesting skill only because of the defense buff and even then DEF buffs are fine, just not as good as damage reduction, so oh well. Sure, it can be an alright buff, but buff slots are at a premium and if you're going to try and run away anyway, then you don't really need a skill to do that, just run away. Sure, the defense boost might keep you alive while you're trying to run, but it's not that hard to do so in this game. And if you're up against something you need to run away against, maybe you should come back later and get stronger first, instead of relying on this skill to save your bacon. You'll thank me later.

Trueshot
Prerequisites: Bows LV1
A single target Bow strike. Bow skill with Stab damage, uses the Arms.


A pretty basic bow skill that hits hard and true. There's, uh, nothing else to say about it. Though while it hits hard, it's outclassed damage wise by Multihit and a one hit attack isn't really that impressive. Sure, it's strong right out of the gate, but it'll get surpassed pretty quickly when you invest in better skills. So it's a pass for me.

Disable
Prerequisites: Bows LV3
A single target Bow strike that attempts to bind the target's legs. Bow skill with Stab damage, uses the Arms.


As far as binds go, Leg binds are usually the least effective in blocking enemy attacks and the stat they reduce (AGI) is, again, not a good stat, especially compared to accuracy and STR. Due to the pretty rubbish scaling on this skill, you'll just be relying on the bind proc, which is something other classes can do much better, so don't bother investing in this skill much, if at all. The one you should invest in is right around the corner.

Multihit
Prerequisites: Bows LV5
A random target Bow strike that hits 2 times, or 3 times at level 10. Bow skill with Stab damage, uses the Arms.


This is an excellent skill that easily outdamages all but the best bow skill... in single target circumstances. Against FOEs and Bosses, this skill is pretty damn amazing and deals a lot of damage, but in random encounters it's still very good, if unreliable. Two hits aren't particularly amazing, but getting three hits really makes this skill dish out the damage. You'll be wanting this skill for your Survivalist as soon as possible, it's where a lot of their consistent damage will come from.

Apollon
Prerequisites: Bows LV10
A single target Bow strike that takes 3 turns to land. Lands at the start of the turn and attempts to inflict Stun. Bow skill with Stab damage, uses the Arms.


The ultimate bow skill is a pretty good one, if a little tricky to work around. You fire it into the air on one turn, wait one turn, then it comes down at the start of the third turn to deal damage to the enemy. However, buffs and debuffs on the Survivalist only apply on the turn you fire it, not on the turn it lands, while buffs and debuffs on the enemy only apply on the turn it lands. If the target is killed, or removed from battle in any way, then Apollon fizzles out and doesn't do anything, so try to avoid that. Overall, it's a pretty amazing skill that you should fire whenever you have the chance to, as it deals a lot of damage and the Stun chance is nice, if not consistent. Sure, while we don't know Stun resistances, no enemy is immune to it, so it'll probably be useful. It does a lot of damage anyway, so it has that going for it regardless.

Owl-Eye
Prerequisites: Ambush LV3
Reveals FOEs within a certain distance for a number of steps. Field skill.


Like most field skills, it's pretty garbage. It reveals FOE locations, sure, but only for a limited time and with proper mapping you won't need to use this skill anyway. If you're really desperate to know where FOEs are, you have the radar and you also have online maps. Don't gimp your Survivalist's skill set just because you don't want to be spoiled on the floor's layout, it's not worth it.

Stalker
Prerequisites: Ambush LV3
Reduces the encounter rate for a set amount of steps. Field skill.


Useful for your dedicated gathering party, but otherwise pretty trash. Fight your enemies and get stronger, don't shirk work!

Chop/Take/Mine
Allows the user to use Gather points at level 1, with additional gathers as the level increases. Field skill.


Since the Survivalist has all 3 of these skills, let's talk about them now. Getting items from gather points is super useful throughout the game, but not for your main party. Sure, you can maybe put a point in one so you can pick up some cool stuff while you're exploring, but it's best to just ignore them and come back later with a proper gathering party of 5 Survivalists. You can invest in these skills immediately with your 3 initial skills points and then gather 5 items a day using shortcuts to get to the different points. This will let you get some cool new unlocks and let you rake in the cash if you grind enough, so it's definitely worth it. But again, not on the main party. There's also no need to max these skills since you won't need that many materials to unlock stuff anyway and you've only got 60 bag space at most.