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Class Showcase: Arbalist

Arbalists, or Ballistas as they were known in Japan, are a ranged attacking class. In that sense, they're comparable to Survivalists. Though in all honesty, they play very differently.

Unlike Survivalists, who could play all sorts of roles and fit into any party very well in the first game (In the second game, they are pretty much terrible supports and are equivalent to the Farmer in terms of usefulness) Arbalists are pretty much limited to dealing damage as that's pretty much all they're good for. They have very little in the way of supporting parties and not much in the way of utility. But despite dealing damage being the only thing they can really do, they are very good at that job.

Arbalitsts are my favorite class in the game since they are one of the best damage dealers out there. They are good at their jobs, and stay relevant all game. They can't fit into every party since they are kind of glass cannons and can only deal damage. In fact, if you aim to use one of their most rewarding, but also most risky skills, they will need some good defensive support. Though that's not the only way to use an Arbalist, as it can also function as a bit of a support unit, dishing out some crowd control with some of their skills.

Equipment:
Weapons: Crossbows, Daggers, and Books.
Armor: Light Armor and Clothes.

Stats

Arbalists pretty much have the most skewed stat spread in the game. They have the 2nd worst HP pool out of all the classes (being outdone by the Ninja on that front), 2nd worst TP pool (the worst if you discount the Yggdroid), 2nd worst VIT stat out of all the classes (Once again, being outdone by the Ninja there.), and the 3rd worst TEC stat in the game, so they're not durable at all. They flat out have the worst AGI stat, so they're the slowest class in the game as well as one of the most inaccurate classes out there. Their LUC is fairly decent for what it is. However, their STR stat is the 2nd highest out of all the classes (The Yggdroid is the one that has the highest.) So stat wise, Arbalists are glass cannons. They are one of the hardest hitting classes in the game, at the cost of being one of the most fragile ones. Generally they should be kept on the back row so they don't get taken out so easily. However, one of their skills heavily reward putting them on the front row, so that may be a risk you may want to take...

Giant Kill
Skill Type: Class Skill
Maximum Level: 10
Stats Used: N/A
Prerequisites: N/A

This Class Skill passively increases the Arbalist's damage out against any enemies whose HP pools are greater than twice the Arbalist's current HP pool. Increasing the skill level increases the damage boost.

Notes:

Affects all damage types, including Almighty.
Checks the user's and the target's current HP totals every time the Arbalist takes an action.
This means that a skill that hits all enemies can deal less damage to certain ones because their HP total is lower than the threshold, or skills that cause multiple actions to take place, such as Double Action can suddenly deal less damage because the previous hits lowered the target's HP below the threshold. Multi-hit skills are not affected by this.

Giant Kill is one of the best class skills in the game. The damage boost it provides is fantastic, and honestly the “penalty” it has is pretty much completely insignificant. The Arbalist's HP pool is so low that the damage boost wearing off is never going to be a factor. And even if it is, it'll pretty much signal that the end of the fight is in sight, at which you probably won't need the damage boost anymore.

In fact, Giant Kill is so good that it should be the very first skill that gets maxed out. The Arbalist's TP pool at the beginning is so tiny that they won't be able to cast a level 1 Heavy Shot that often, and a regular attack boosted by a level 10 Giant Kill deals only slightly less damage (and can crit) than a level 10 Heavy Shot. After which, the Arbalist can take other skills once they have a big enough TP pool.

Bolt Mastery
Skill Type: Passive
Maximum Level: 10
Stats Used: N/A
Prerequisites: N/A

This weapon mastery skill increases the damage output of regular attacks when using a Crossbow. Higher levels increase the damage output.

If the user cannot equip Crossbows normally, this skill enables them to do so.

Notes:

Does not affect skills.

Same deal as always, don't invest any more skill points in this than you have to. Front Mortar users don't even need to max out this skill.

Proper Form
Skill Type: Passive
Maximum Level: 5
Stats Used: N/A
Prerequisites: N/A

Passively increases the Arbalist's hit rate. Higher skill levels increase the boost to the Arbalist's hit rate.

Notes:

Stacks additively with any other accuracy boosts.
Assuming that the user and target have no accuracy and evasion modifiers in effect, and they're using a weapon with a base accuracy of 98, any skill that has a hit rate modifier of at least +27/+22/+17/+12/-3 will always hit the enemy, no matter what their AGI, LUC, and TEC stats are.
If the user is Blind, this skill effectively increases the user's hit rate by 1/3/5/6/11.

An accuracy boost may not seem like the best use of skill points, but this skill is absolutely vital for an Arbalist. Their stat spread pretty much means they're the most inaccurate class in the game, but this skill can completely offset that. And when you've seen a lot of Double Action Front Mortars whiff, this skill will seem very attractive. It probably shouldn't be maxed out right away, but it definitely should not be one of the last things you spend your skill points on either.

Night Vision
Skill Type: Passive
Maximum Level: 10
Stats Used: LUC
Prerequisites: Pop Flares – Level 3, Smoke Grenade – Level 3

Increases the Arbalist's critical hit rate, but only at night. Increasing the skill level increases the critical hit rate boost.

Notes:

6 PM to 6 AM is considered to be nighttime.
Stacks additively with Lady Luck or Data Mining.
Without taking other critical hit rate skills into account or the user's LUC stat, this increases the average damage output with regular attacks by 7.5%/8.5%/9.5%/11%/12.5%/14%/15.5%/17%/18.5%/20%.

Given that critical hits aren't that great and there a bunch of other skills the Arbalist wants first, skip this.

Extend
Skill Type: Passive
Maximum Level: 10
Stats Used: N/A
Prerequisites: Proper Form – Level 3

Whenever the Arbalist lands the killing blow on an enemy, they will recover some HP. Higher skill levels increase the amount of HP restored.

Notes:

Killing multiple enemies at once will cause the user to recover HP for each enemy they've killed.
This skill is bugged in that if an enemy is killed with a critical hit, the amount healed is multiplied by the critical damage multiplier, which is 1.5 in most cases.
As a result, Data Mining can decrease or increase the amount healed, depending on what level that skill is at.

It's a nice passive that could add some survivability to the Arbalist. They'll be killing things fairly often, though depending on your party composition and how much healing they have, this skill may be unnecessary.

Double Action
Skill Type: Passive
Maximum Level: 10
Stats Used: N/A
Prerequisites: Front Mortar – Level 5, Armor Piercer – Level 4

When the Arbalist casts a single target attack skill, there is a chance for them to cast it again. Increasing the skill level increases the activation rate.

Notes:

Does not work with regular attacks.
Is hardcoded to only work with single target attacks. Random target skills or AOE skills that only end up hitting one target will not activate again.
Only works with attack skills. Double Action cannot work for skills such as a single target debuff.
In the case of single target multi-hit skills, Double Action only adds one more hit.
If the user knows Wide Effect, Double Action activates before Wide Effect does.
Works for single target Limit skills.
If Charge or Etheric Charge was used on the previous turn, the damage boost is applied for both attacks.

Double Action is a really good passive, especially if you're making heavy use of Front Mortar. It's effectively a 30% boost to the Arbalist's overall damage output, so you really should put skill points into this. Though I wouldn't say it's something you should max out right away.

Heavy Shot (Animation)
Skill Type: Active
Maximum Level: 10
Equipment Needed: Crossbow
Body Part: Arm
Stats Used: STR
Target Type: Single
Action Speed: +6
Prerequisites: Bolt Mastery – Level 1

The Arbalist fires off a shot from their crossbow, dealing Pierce damage to one enemy. Higher levels increase the damage output and hit rate.

A very basic damage skill. I wouldn't sink any points into this just yet until after maxing out Giant Kill. The Arbalist's tiny TP pool makes this hard to spam, and maxing out Giant Kill is better in the long term, as well as having much better short term effects. You'll have to invest in this to unlock Front Mortar, which in turn unlocks Double Action. So if you're using it or not, it's something all Arbalists should invest in eventually. Though ones that aren't using Front Mortar can probably hold off on this for a while.

Front Mortar (Animation)
Skill Type: Active
Maximum Level: 10
Equipment Needed: Crossbow
Body Part: Arm
Stats Used: STR
Target Type: Single
Action Speed: -3
Prerequisites: Heavy Shot – Level 5

A short ranged explosive shot that deals a very small amount of Pierce damage to one enemy if used in the back row. If used in the front row, the damage dealt is heavily increased. Higher levels increase the damage output and hit rate.

Notes:

When used in the front row, a bonus multiplier is applied to the base damage output of the skill to increase its damage.
As a result, Keburi no Sue has absolutely no effect on this skill (unless a Second Sword user is using this with a melee ranged weapon in their primary slot) since the damage output is not actually being reduced when used in the back row. It's actually being increased when used in the front row.

It actually deals less damage than a regular attack from the back, so there is really no reason to ever use this skill there. However, when used in the front, it is by far the Arbalist's best damage skill, and the reason why placing an Arbalist in the front row is a thing, as absurd as such a thing may sound. Yes, the Arbalist has some of the worst defenses in the entire game, and won't survive for long on the front lines. But the damage output is really high and can be worth it, making this a high risk, high reward skill. Unless you have a Hoplite with Bodyguard, at which point, all the risk that comes with using this skill gets thrown out the window.

With that said, it is not a skill you want to max out right away (or at all.) Look at that TP cost. Not only does Front Mortar force you to place your Arbalist in a risky position, it's also one of the most expensive attacking skills in the entire game. The damage to TP ratio becomes incredibly inefficient as you max out the skill. Level up the skill once you start getting some TP support through methods such as Dark Ether or Amrita farming. If you're using a back row or a supportive Arbalist, there is no reason to invest in this aside from unlocking Double Action.

Snipe/Sharpshooter
Skill Type: Active
Maximum Level: 10
Equipment Needed: Crossbow
Body Part: Arm
Stats Used: STR
Target Type: Chaser
Action Speed: +200, End of the turn
Prerequisites: Bolt Mastery – Level 2

When activated, the Arbalist prepares to perform an attack on any enemies that are suffering under any ailments/binds at the end of the turn. Increasing the skill level increases the damage output and accuracy.

Notes:

Chases do not count as separate actions.
The Chases take place at the very end of the turn. The game checks to see if any enemies have the respective disables on them before the attacks take place, meaning that inflicting Sleep on one enemy and waking them up before the attack can take place will cause them to not take damage from Snipe.
Charge and Etheric Charge only affect the initial setup, which deals no damage. This means that they have absolutely no effect on the damage output.
The properties of the weapon in the primary weapon slot, such as the weapon type in the case of Second Sword users, Elemental forges, and imbues are taken into account when using Chasers. As such, the damage type can change if this skill is used with a Shogun. Forges such as ailment forges and passives that only affect regular attacks do not affect this skill.
Because the initial setup isn't considered a damage skill, these skills cannot activate Trickster.

A situational skill, but a very cost efficient one. Ailments and binds aren't really too good in this game, but if it's working out for you, these are actually some of the strongest and most cost efficient skills for an Arbalist. Unfortunately, the fact that the damage can't be boosted by Charge due to engine limitations kind of puts a damper on them. I suppose these could be alright on a back row Arbalist, but if you aren't making use of disables, there is absolutely no reason to take them.

Now if you're making use of a Front Mortar Arbalist, why aren't you using that instead?

Strafe (Animation)
Skill Type: Active
Maximum Level: 10
Equipment Needed: Crossbow
Body Part: Arm
Stats Used: STR
Target Type: Multi
Action Speed: -9
Prerequisites: Bolt Mastery – Level 3

The Arbalist randomly attacks multiple enemies at once, dealing Pierce damage to their targets. Each enemy can only be attacked once. Increasing the skill level increases the damage output and number of hits.

This skill is terrible and completely outclassed by the next few skills. If it wasn't for the hit rate being so utterly terrible, the only real thing it would have going for it in comparison to them is that it does more damage per hit at level 1 and is cheaper by 1 TP at that point. The hit rate being so terrible is the real death knell for this skill, just ignore it entirely.

Fire Barrage/Ice Barrage/Volt Barrage (Fire Barrage Animation, Ice Barrage Animation, Volt Barrage Animation)
Skill Type: Active
Maximum Level: 10
Equipment Needed: Crossbow
Body Part: Arms
Stats Used: STR
Target Type: AOE
Action Speed: -3
Prerequisites: Bolt Mastery – Level 5

Deals Fire/Ice/Volt + Pierce damage to all enemies. Increasing the skill level increases the damage output.

Notes:

Works with both Charge and Etheric Charge.

These skills are nice to give your Arbalist some extra coverage in battles. At the very least, no matter what build your Arbalist is using, they should invest at least one point into all of them. Though they'll definitely want at least one of these skills in time for the first boss fight to deal with its gimmick.

Front Mortar Arbalists can feel free to leave these skills at level 1. Back row Arbalists, especially ones that are playing more of a support role, will want at least one of these skills maxed out since they're really good at clearing out random encounters so your Arbalist can do some crowd control. Especially when combined with some other skills from another class, such as Etheric Charge and Singularity.

Armor Piercer (Animation)
Skill Type: Active
Maximum Level: 10
Equipment Needed: Crossbow
Body Part: Arm
Stats Used: STR
Target Type: Single
Action Speed: -3
Prerequisites: Bolt Mastery – Level 7

An armor-piercing shot that deals Pierce damage to one enemy and ignores any buffs they have. Higher levels increase the damage output and hit rate.

Notes:

Ignores all positive buffs on the target. This includes damage reduction buffs, evasion buffs, and resistance buffs.
The target's debuffs, as well as their base resistances and stats are not ignored.
Does not ignore the Arbalist's own buffs and debuffs.

Aside from Front Mortar, this is the strongest single target skill they have. It does have some interesting properties on top of that, like being able to outright ignore enemy buffs, which is nice. Since all buffs on the target are ignored, that means you can make use of Stab Mists without any penalty. Depending on your opinions on the next skill, this is probably a must have. Arbalists that are looking to take a Zodiac subclass can probably forgo this skill.

A Front Mortar Arbalist will have to invest in this in order to unlock Double Action, but otherwise, this skill isn't really useful for those builds.

Cloudbuster (Animation)
Skill Type: Active
Maximum Level: 10
Equipment Needed: Crossbow
Body Part: Arm
Stats Used: STR
Target Type: AOE
Action Speed: -100, End of the turn
Prerequisites: Bolt Mastery – Level 10

The Arbalist fires off a shot into the air. At the end of the next turn, bolts rain down upon all enemies, dealing Pierce damage to everyone. Increasing the skill level increases the damage output and hit rate.

Notes:

Even if the user gets incapacitated or killed, the attack will still go off as long as they managed to get off the initial cast.
Anyone who joins in on the battle on the turn the bolts come down will be hit by this, even though they weren't targeted on the initial cast.
Buffs and the like are only checked for when the skill actually deals damage, not when the user initially casts it.
Charge works with this skill, but only if it's used on the turn the bolts come down, as the charge occurs before the bolts fall. This means that the charge will be used up on Cloudbuster, and will not affect the next attack they make.
This skill can be cast repeatedly with no penalty, as it does not have a cooldown like the equivalent skill, Apollon, in the first two games.

Cloudbuster is the strongest damage skill the Arbalist has (that isn't Front Mortar.) If you played the first two games and used a Survivalist, this is pretty much Apollon. Though unlike Apollon, which came down 2 turns later, Cloudbuster just does so on the next turn. Now despite being one of the strongest damaging skills the Arbalist has, it does have some drawbacks. Since it only deals damage on the 2nd turn, it's not that efficient for clearing out random encounters. And since it's an AOE attack, it can't get any Double Action procs, so that's something to keep in mind. Still, it's a decently strong skill, though whether you should take it depends on the skill build you're using. Front Mortar Arbalists have no need for this skill, and Arbalists with Zodiac Subclasses will want to make use of the Barrages instead.

Pop Flares
Skill Type: Active
Maximum Level: 5
Equipment Needed: N/A
Body Part: Arms
Stats Used: N/A
Target Type: AOE
Action Speed: +6
Prerequisites: N/A

Increases the party's hit rate for 4 turns. Higher levels increases the accuracy boost.

Notes:

Stacks additively with any other accuracy boosts.
Assuming that the user and target have no accuracy and evasion modifiers in effect, and they're using a weapon with a base accuracy of 98, any skill that has a hit rate modifier of at least +27/+22/+17/+2/-18 will always hit the enemy, no matter what their AGI, LUC, and TEC stats are.
If the user is Blind, this skill effectively increases the user's hit rate by 1/3/5/10/16.

Okay, even if you're using your Arbalist as a support, I have a very hard time justifying the use of this skill. Unless you are trying to have someone else make use of Nine Smashes, accuracy buffs really aren't worth it. There is one fight in the entire game where this skill is good, but you can just get away with having only one point in it in that case. And if you want this skill to increase your Arbalist's accuracy, why aren't you maxing out Proper Form instead?

Now despite all that griping about the skill, that really applies for using it in battle, and for the main game. If you're doing the post-game and intend to grind all the way up to level 99, this skill is a must have and should be maxed out if you plan on grinding on Pasarans to do such a thing. But until you get to that point, don't spend your skill points on it just yet.

Smoke Grenade (Animation)
Skill Type: Active
Maximum Level: 5
Equipment Needed: N/A
Body Part: Arms
Stats Used: TEC, LUC
Target Type: AOE
Action Speed: +3
Prerequisites: N/A

The Arbalist detonates a smoke bomb, attempting to Blind all enemies. Higher levels increases the infliction rate.

It's one of the few ailment inflicting skills that doesn't deal damage. I suppose that's notable in a sense. It might seem like a good setup for Snipe, but the Arbalist's low TEC stat really makes inflicting this unlikely, and Blind (as well as other ailments) really isn't that good in this game. Not really that useful.

Ambush
Skill Type: Active, Field Skill
Maximum Level: 5
Equipment Needed: N/A
Body Part: N/A
Stats Used: N/A
Target Type: N/A
Action Speed: N/A
Prerequisites: N/A

The Arbalist makes it easier to get preemptive attacks for a certain number of steps. Increasing the skill level increases the preemptive strike chance, and the number of steps the skill lasts for.

Notes:

Increases the maximum chance of getting a preemptive attack to 64%/69%/74%/79%/89%.

I guess this is okay? The problem is this uses up quite a bit of TP from the Arbalist's small TP pool, and while preemptive attacks are nice, they aren't so great that I find this skill to be a must have. Personally, I would skip it.

Subclasses:

Prince/ss:

The Arbalist's terrible TP pool makes them terrible at making use of this class' skills. There really isn't much that this class can do for one.

Gladiator:

On the other hand, the Gladiator is one the best subclasses for an Arbalist, and is a fairly popular choice for one. Berserker Vow and Charge brings their damage output to ridiculous levels, especially with Front Mortar users. Even if you're making use of Cloudbuster and Armor Piercer instead, the damage they deal with those boosts are still fairly respectable.

Hoplite:

The Parry skills can add some survivability to them. That's about it.

Buccaneer:

Limit Boost is a nice passive for them to have, and Eagle Eye is nice for extra support. Arbalists can also hit very hard with the Chasers if you're willing to put up with their shortcomings and try to build a team around them. If you're a fan of massive grinding, you can farm up a ridiculous amount of AGI books, as Pincushion can be very powerful coming off of Giant Kill and their huge amount of STR.But honestly your time can be better spent elsewhere in that case.

Ninja:

Aside from Bunshin, which is inferior to Berserker Vow and Charge, Ninjas don't have much to offer this class. The Arbalist's AGI stat is so low that they aren't that good at evading attacks, so they can't really benefit from Karuwaza.

Monk:

There really isn't much a Monk has to offer an Arbalist. I suppose Ascetic Deeds may be nice for survivability?

Zodiac:

Now this is the other popular choice for a subclass, and is mainly used for a supporting Arbalist. Instead of making use of Front Mortar, Cloudbuster, or Armor Piercer, an Arbalist with a Zodiac subclass wants to make use of the Barrages to deal damage. This subclass is far better for dealing with random encounters, as Singularity is free damage if they strike a weakness. Etheric Return is also a nice passive for them to have, because unlike Zodiacs, Arbalists will be frequently picking up kills as they travel through the Labyrinth.

Now if you're up for doing some silly stuff, something to keep in mind is that Giant Kill affects all forms of damage. So you could farm up a ton of TEC books and turn your Arbalist into a wizard if you want to clown around. It'll require a lot of grinding though, and isn't something I seriously recommend.

Wildling:

There's Primal Drums if you want to give your Arbalist some utility. Alertness could also pair nicely with Ambush if you wanted to take that skill.

Farmer:

Brave Heart can be nice to handle their TP woes, especially since their low HP makes them unlikely to be targeted. However, this passive doesn't work as well with a Front Mortar user, since being on the front row makes them more likely to be targeted. Though Extend can combo nicely with it to keep the Arbalist's HP and TP pools up.

Shogun:

Now this class can be taken if you want to make your Shogun into a Warrior Might user, as the Arbalist can be used as one. Warrior Might doesn't care about the weapon the user wields, so your Arbalist can safely fire off chases from the back row. Not only that, Cloudbuster can be used on the previous turn to add an extra chase. Aside from that, Endure is a great passive for them to take, as they are a pretty fragile class. And they can join in on attacking with Fusillade if you have a lot of ranged attackers on the team.

Arbalists are glass cannons in every sense of the word. Despite the fact that they're only really good at dealing damage, they're good at that job, and can be played in different roles to make use of that capability.