Stages

This is an Early Game guide for Stage PVE, this is a slow/stun style of play to stop bosses reaching you. It can also work in other content like Molten Ruins and Chrono Tower though it might need some adjustments

General information is more detailed or only visible on the first page

How it works:
This build is super simple, use a series of items to stun/slow your targets preventing them from hitting you!
This build will be more effective the more skills you unlock so to start we may also need to consider other survival methods

NOTE: This build is mainly for bosses, I recommend a seperate build for monsters once you start struggling, good options include Michelle or just spamming slow/defensive skills

The more advanced version of this build is here

Pals & Skills

For Archer you want to make sure the opponents hit you as little as possible, this gets much easier as you unlock more (or get a michelle) but I will go through what I used

Your skills will be split up into Survival and DPS, if you unlock higher rarity options or Event Pals, make the swaps based on this (Feel free to ask for more help)

Alternatives
These are items which can be obtained at any time

Worldly Snare - This is a great DPS skill, if you get this earlier then definitely use it over another DPS skill

Disarm - You can get this in a pack so it is likely you may have it, it’s good for stun and the skill damage helps early on

Angel Deer - You can get this in a pack so it is likely you may have it, it’s good for reducing the damage you are receiving, so if you are being hit often you could use it

Event Pals - There are also many different event pals. below is a unordered list of the main damage ones, for adivce on what to use from these and what to swap I recommend asking on Discord

Rates - There are also 3 paid pals that offer you rates, if you are lacking a lot these can also help greatly

Layouts

I will run through each change to make at each rarity

Blue

Skills
I would add a delay of 2s→3s to Entangling Vines so to not pause the boss out of range

——

Pals
The 5th slot the whole time can be swapped to any DPS or Rate pals from the lists above

Purple

Skills
You don’t want both slows going at the same time so add a 2s→5s delay on Pearl Release

——

Pals
Just an upgrade to Hydrosprite

Yellow

Skills
If the extra slow isn’t helping you can change to Shroom Shield, I found this useful occasionally so it’s an optional change!

This 5th skill just wants to go up for the skill damage again

——

Pals
Again just rarity upgrades

Orange

Skills
Now we finally have an extra useful skill, this will help nicely to keep the damage of the boss lower

——

Pals
If you lack lots of Combo/have better pals, ignore the 5th change

Red

Skills

Stun - For this have a delay on Dazzled for when you take damage
and then set Disarm for 1s after Dazzled starts

Slow - For this one set a delay of a few seconds on Entangling so the boss stays in range
Then set a delay on Dazzled for 1s after Entangling

Pals

If you are using a sustain build you may struggle with survivability, in which case you could consider pals like these over your 5th (or maybe even over bird)

Pink

Skills

Stun - Pink
For here we are going to switch into using clone and blitz, blitz here helps to keep us alive at the start and then we use Dazzled and Disarm to protect clone

Use this for the delays:
Blitz - Just before taking damage
Dazzled - Shift to 0.5s before Blitz ends
Clone - 0.5s after Dazzled starts
Disarm - Adjut to the new Dazzled time

Slow - Pink
This one works similar to the Stun one however we aren’t invisioning being hit so much ourselves and are going for more damage
I would recommend having a Michelle or slow item

Use this for the delays:
Dazzled - Just before taking damage
Clone - 0.5s after Dazzled starts
Disarm - 1s after Dazzled starts

Pals
Just more upgrades again

Relic

The relics you use may change depending where you’re at
These are the standard ones

Alternatives - Beasthide Book
If you don’t need extra survivability this works great

Alternatives - Stellar Statue
If using Worldly Snare this may perform better

Alternatives - Chrono Spore
If you survive the whole duration and time out, then this becomes much better!

Awakening

ATK >> Crit DMG >>> Combo DMG

Star Hero

This is not including UR or Limited/Collab cards!!
For the ‘best’ I recommend looking here

As close as you can get to this the better!

Main: Genie of Wishes, Biosphere

Support → Faithful Guardian, Nature’s Keeper

Talent Tree

During early game I will assume you don’t have an end node - Once you do check here

Stats (Not inc base):
Combo DMG + Crit DMG + ATK SPD + Energy Regen SPD

Demonstrations

Below are step by step up to 8k Feathers (at which point an end node is a good choice)

For these examples I have just selected the stats we are interested in to make it clear, you still need the ones inbetween at a minimum. You can click on the images to enlarge

Step 1

0 → 1k Feathers

Start with ATK and then go up to Crit DMG and Combo DMG

Fury

Archery