Advanced Grids

Overview

This page includes a general overview of player progression that addresses raids and weapons unlocked at specific ranks, as well as links to grid setups for each element.

This page and the linked grid setups assume the player is at least Rank 151 and above. For early game grids, see Basic Grids.

Omega Grids

Colossus

Leviathan

Yggdrasil

Tiamat

Luminiera

Celeste

Optimus Grids

Agni

Varuna

Titan

Zephyrus

Zeus

Hades

Transitioning to an Optimus "Primal" Grid

	All content in the game is clearable with Omega grids.

Investing in an Optimus grid only makes certain content "easier" by opening up more grid options. All grids continuously update as the game's meta changes and therefore require continuous investment. Optimus grids are no exception, and it is strongly recommended to only focus on one or maybe two elements to make the level of investment manageable. Investing in multiple Optimus grids is incredibly uncommon among players as it requires a combination of luck and monetary investment.

It is recommended to have most or all of the grid pieces and summons ready before uncapping any with Damascus Ingots Gold Bricks and Sunlight Stones. Otherwise a new grid piece may release in between that makes an older piece redundant.

Here is a list of weak reasons to transition to an Optimus grid:

You want to skip farming an Omega grid.
- New content releases all of the time, and grids update and change. Building an Optimus grid is not a one-and-done task and will still require farming of some sort, whether that be the release of new farmable weapons or farming Gold Bricks to uncap new premium grid pieces.
You have most or all of the pieces for an Optimus grid.
- Simply having pieces for a grid does not mean you have to invest into it.
- Simply having Grand weapons does not mean your grid will be better than an Omega grid.

Remember that these are just tips to help you progress through the game in the best way possible. At the end of the day, players are free to play however they want, and it's important to remember that not every player will have the same priorities for gameplay or want the same level of grid optimization.

Capping Critical in Optimus Builds

Critical hit rate in Optimus builds can be capped with exactly two level 15 Big II critical weapons12% crit each if running main and support 5★ uncapped Optimus summons Agni
Varuna
Titan
Zephyrus
Zeus
Hades
150% boost with the appropriate 3★ uncapped Six-Dragon summon sub-aura Wilnas (Summon)
Wamdus (Summon)
Galleon (Summon)
Ewiyar (Summon)
Lu Woh (Summon)
Fediel (Summon)
20% boost.

12% crit × (1 + 150% + 150% + 20%) × 2 weapons = 12 × 4.2 × 2 = 50.4 × 2 = 100.8

Due to how the math works out, capping critical hit rate with exactly two weapons requires all of the conditions to be met:

Skill level 15 (i.e. 4★ uncapped)
Big II crit (Upgraded from Big crit)
Both Optimus summons must be 5★ uncapped
Six-Dragon summon must be equipped and uncapped to 3★.

Single-sided Optimus setupsSetups that only use one Optimus Summon
i.e. Beelzebub x Zephyrus will use different combinations to reach 100% critical hit rate or will completely forgo gridpieces with critical hit rate if other options are stronger. Check each individual Optimus page for examples.

Weapon AX and Weapon Awakening

Some weapons can come with random AX Skills or have the ability to be awakened in different styles similar to Character Awakening. These can either add a small bonus to the weapon or completely change its role in the grid.

Weapon AX Skills

Weapon AX skills do not provide very significant bonuses and are largely a min-max feature. However, there is a priority in terms of which AX skill to aim for.

In nearly all scenarios, max roll Stamina +3 will perform the best for damage when compared to all other AX skills. A max roll ATK +3.5% will perform better than a Stamina +1 but will lose to a Stamina +2.

Be sure to farm all 4 copies of a weapon before uncapping it, in case a copy with a better AX skill drops. Please read the full article's section on the inheritance system for information on how to transfer AX skills between weapons.

Weapon Awakening

Weapon awakening is a unique mechanic that adds additional boosts to the weapon depending on the type of awakening. Weapon series have different stat boosts for each awakening style. For information on what exact stats each awakening gives, please see the full article. Below is a rough suggestion of which awakening to pick for each series:

Ennead Weapons
- A majority of the Ennead weapons do not come with an ATK modifier, so Attack is strongly suggested.
- A few weapons like Bigeh and Edfu and Esna can use Defense due to their Enmity playstyle, but their weapon usage is inherently niche and not required.

Proven Weapons
- Weapons with Elemental Arts weapon skills Ushumgal
  Clarion
  Daggerpeak
  Daur da Blao
  Phantom Fangs
  Bismarck (Boost to Skill DMG Cap) will usually want both Special and Attack. 2 Special awakened copies can cap the grid's Skill DMG Cap Up when used alongside a Dark Opus Weapon's β Pendulum. Attack awakening will raise the weapon's EX modifier to similar values of a fully leveled Astral Weapon.
- Other Proven weapons have unique uses and will have different Awakening priorities. For details, see each individual element's page for information on their usage, or lack thereof.

Revans Weapons
- Awakening Revans weapons is unique in that both Attack and Defense are both incredibly strong for their roles. For weapons used in the grid and not as mainhand, typically Attack is a good choice, but be sure to check out each individual weapon below or on their respective elements' pages for more information.

Player Rank Progression

As you rank up, you will gradually gain access to raids and useful weapons.

Rank 120+

Ennead

Upon reaching rank 121, you will gain access to the Ennead Raids and the Ennead Weapons they drop, which have access to Weapon Awakening. Below is an overview of which Ennead Weapons see common use:

Weapon	Copies	Notes
Al-Abad	2	2 ATK awakened copies are core for any charge attack focused grids. Provides unconditional 800,000 C.A. supplemental damage (400,000 per copy) along with 30% C.A. DMG Cap (15% per copy). Recommended Weapon Awakening: Attack
Benbenet	1 - 2	One fully awakened copy is very strong for any burst setups because of its combination of Preemptive Blade and up to 30,000 supplemental damage. Two copies sees use for filling more supplemental damage. At three copies it is likely you will start to see a damage loss despite getting up to 90,000 supplemental damage. Recommended Weapon Awakening: Attack
Esna	0 - 1	This weapon can be used in some niche enmity-based setups, but most times it loses to Wamdus's Cnidocyte when general supplemental DMG is desired.
Uraeus	0	This weapon is just strictly not used in any content.
Ished	1 - 3	One fully awakened copy is very strong for any burst setups because of its supplemental damage up to 30,000. For Titan players, up to 3 can be used in Landslide Scepter grids. Recommended Weapon Awakening: Attack
Tatjenen	1	Can be used in niche enmity setups or as a Dagger mainhand. Recommended Weapon Awakening: Attack
Abu Simbel	1	A decent Melee mainhand or grid weapon for short fights. For Zephyrus players, this can serve as 1x Creepy Claw grid replacement. Recommended Weapon Awakening: Attack
Mandjet	1 - 2	One fully awakened copy is very strong for any burst setups because of its supplemental damage up to 30,000. One of the few useful Axe mainhands or auxiliary weapon in Wind. An easily accessible source of DelayReduce a foe's filled charge diamonds by 1 on charge attack. Recommended Weapon Awakening: Attack
Harakhte	2	2 ATK awakened copies are core for any charge attack focused grids. Provides unconditional 800,000 C.A. supplemental damage (400,000 per copy) along with 30% C.A. DMG Cap (15% per copy). Recommended Weapon Awakening: Attack
Harsiesis	1	Provides stamina-based supplemental DMG up to 30,000. Functions as a Harmonia supplemental DMG filler. Running multiple is likely to result in a net damage loss due to its lack of actual damage modifiers. Recommended Weapon Awakening: Attack
Abydos	1	Provides stamina-based supplemental DMG up to 30,000. Functions as a Pain and Suffering supplemental DMG filler or as a sustain Dagger mainhand. Running multiple is likely to result in a net damage loss due to its lack of actual damage modifiers. Recommended Weapon Awakening: Attack
Bigeh and Edfu	1	A worse Fediel's Spine that requires your party to be at low HP levels for it to matter. Can be used in setups where you regularly sit at lower HP where double Fediel's Spine has less effectiveness. Recommended Weapon Awakening: Defense or Attack

Rank 150 / 151

Six-Dragons

Upon reaching rank 151, you will gain access to the Six-Dragon Raids, the Ancestral Weapons they drop, and the 5★ uncap for Omega Summons. Below is an overview of which Ancestral Weapons see common use:

Weapon	Copies	Notes
Wilnas's Finger	0 - 1	This weapon rarely saw use even when it came out as enmity-based setups were a bit too awkward to run especially in Omega grids. Keep 1 copy for potential mainhand use should you need a Melee weapon.
Wamdus's Cnidocyte	2	Provides 50,000 supplemental damage for critical hits up to a max of 100,000, so only 2 are required. This weapon does not come with any ATK modifiers, so rolling a good AX stat is strongly recommended.
Galleon's Jaw	1 - 3	One of the few charge attack boosting weapons for Earth that also comes with 400,000 unconditional C.A. DMG Supplemental. Due to the presence of Caim in most Earth teams, only 1 copy is realistically used. Up to 3 copies can be run in niche burst setups that utilize Landslide Scepter.
Ewiyar's Beak	2	A strong Normal modifier that also provides 100,000 Skill DMG Supplemental per copy up to a max of 200,000. Core grid slots for any skill damage focused teams.
Lu Woh's Horn	0 - 1	A relatively decent Axe mainhand that can provide normal attack based supplemental damage, but due to its lack of ATK modifier, actually slotting it in a grid is a bit questionable. This weapon is not used if Harmonia is owned as Harmonia's effects provide significantly more than anything this weapon could.
Fediel's Spine	2	Core grid slot for any C.A. focused team due to its strong Stamina modifier and up to 600,000 Supplemental C.A. DMG per copy (Max: 1,000,000).

Astral Weapons

Astral weapons provide an Unworldly EX attack modifier, making them some of the strongest single-slot EX weapons in the game. Once uncapped to 5★, their second weapon skill loses its mainhand requirement and takes effect even when the weapon is placed in the grid.

Here's a recommendation for their relative priorities based on their current usage in grids:

	Remember! The materials needed to trade for an Astral Weapon overlaps with those required to unlock Arcarum Summons and their respective Evokers. Double check the required materials before trading them in.

Weapon	Priority	Skill Type	Notes
Sol Remnant	High	Bonus DMGAlso called "Echo" or "Chaser"	The only Astral weapon with a cap up skill that does not overlap with a Dark Opus or Ultima Weapon's 2nd weapon skill. This skill does NOT stack with Chain of Falsehood's 20% Bonus DMG passive or other A-Sided Bonus DMG passives. Only the highest effect takes precedence. For more information, see Bonus Damage#Effect_Stacking. 10% Bonus Fire DMG effect to Fire allies' triple attacks is extremely valuable in any Fire burst composition, which revolves around triple attacks. Synergizes naturally with Crimson Scale Axe Voltage as well as Lord of Flames 4 Weapon Type requirement.
Fateless	High	AutoAlso called "One-Foe Attack" or "Normal Attack" Cap	One of Water's best Sword mainhands due to its 15% Bonus Water DMGDeals bonus water DMG for one-foe one-ally attacks Strength: 15% on its Charge Attack. Its Auto Attack-based cap up is seen as an added bonus as this weapon is mostly used for its large EX attack modifier or mainhand use.
Yggdrasil's Bough	Medium	Skill Cap	A decent Staff mainhand with a decent Cap Up skill. Earth's current meta revolving around charge attacks makes the Skill DMG Cap up not entirely a dead weapon skill.
Innocent Love	Low	AutoAlso called "One-Foe Attack" or "Normal Attack" Cap	With Harps seldom used as mainhands, this weapon is mostly just used as a large EX modifier. Shines the most for any auto attack-based burst setups especially when using Narmaya (Grand).
Rhongomyniad	Low*	Skill Cap	This weapon is almost completely kicked out of endgame grids due to the existence of several strong EX modifier options like Harmonia and Sword of Pallas Militis, however for players that do not have these other options, this weapon is still a very strong grid slot. It can be used as a niche mainhand option when Mirror ImageNext one-to-one attack received will be ineffective (Effect removed on next all-foe all-ally attack) is needed. Its skill damage cap up does not stack with β Pendulum, which is the most commonly run second skill on Dark Opus Weapons.
Claws of Terror	*Low - Medium**	AutoAlso called "One-Foe Attack" or "Normal Attack" Cap	This weapon is almost completely kicked out of endgame grids due to the existence of several strong EX modifier options like Pain and Suffering and Weapon Awakened Bismarck, however for players that do not have these other options, this weapon is still a very strong grid slot. The multi-attack based Auto Cap Up can be useful for players who do not have access to 5★ Ultima Weapons looking to build burst setups.

Other Raids and Weapons

At rank 150, players gain access to two additional raids that have a chance to drop a Gold Brick. Bricks only drop from Blue Chests, which themselves have a chance to drop based on the amount of honors earned during the raid, so certain grids and teams are made specifically for reaching the minimum honor requirement to guarantee a Blue Chest drop.

Hollowsky Weapons

Hollowsky weapons are similar to Ultima Weapons in that they only provide a boost to allies with the specified weapon specialty. Hollowsky Weapons also come with a conditional supplemental skill, which stacks with general supplemental damage weapon skills up to a maximum of 100,000. This makes their grid viability questionable in current grid setups. Picking up any of the Hollowsky weapons should not be a priority unless a specific setup requires it.

4★ Cosmos Weapons

Cosmos weapons boost the ATK and HP of other weapons in the grid that share its weapon type. They become more useful at 4★, which upgrades its stat boost and unlocks a damage cap up skill.
Generally, Cosmos weapons should not be used unless there are at least 5 of the specified weapon type in the grid, including the Cosmos weapon itself.
- Cosmic Sword sees the most use in Fire Ancient Ecke Sachs grids and Light Luminiera Sword Omega grids.
- Other Cosmos weapons can be used in niche setups that stack similar weapon types. Any duplicate Cosmos weapons can be reduced for Azure Feather ×2.

Rank 170

5★ Dark Opus Weapons

At rank 170, players will gain access to the Lucilius (Hard) and Belial (Raid) fights.

Clearing Lucilius is required to uncap Dark Opus Weapons to 5★, and for purchasing Pendulums with Tears of the Apocalypse to equip in the Dark Opus's third weapon skill slot.

Belial drops Cunning Devil's Horn, which can be traded for specialty Chains, which can be used in a Dark Opus weapon's third skill slot instead of Pendulums.

A 5★ uncapped Dark Opus is a very substantial power increase for any grid due to the variety and strength of the pendulums and chains available.

5★ Uncap Materials

Elemental Tidings
x1 (Obtained by clearing Lucilius (Hard) once with a party consisting only of characters of the element respective to the tidings.)
Tears of the Apocalypse ×5
Gold Brick ×1
Primeval Horn ×50
Hollow Key ×50
Ultima Unit ×50
Astaroth Anima ×30

Below are the most commonly used 3rd skill keys. For the full list of available keys, see #Guiding Gospel.

Key	Nickname	Notes
Pendulum of Strength	Stamina	Adds the Stamina weapon skill to the weapon. The most widely used Dark Opus key due to how universal it is.
Pendulum of Prosperity	Progression	Not as commonly used as the other keys in this table, but can be used when the grid already has a multitude of modifiers and the raid lasts several turns. Also provides Bonus DMGDeals bonus DMG for one-foe one-ally attacks Duration: 3.5 turnsApplied during the attack phase. On the next turn, it'll have 3 turns remaining. on its charge attack.
Chain of Falsehood	Echo Key	Provides a 20% Passive Bonus Damage effect to all allies regardless of element and Double StrikeAttacks twice each turn on its charge attack in exchange for a 100% hit to charge bar gain. The core piece to many burst setups by using the Dark Opus weapon as mainhand and using skills like Splitting SpiritConvert caster's HP to charge bar3% charge bar for every 250 HP consumed, up to 100% charge bar. (Consumes up to 50% of current HP.) and charge bar gain boosting skills to continuously give Double StrikeAttacks twice each turn to allies.
Chain of Temptation	Freyr Key	Provides various buffs 50% ATK UpATK is boosted Strength: 50%Multiplier: NormalDuration: 4 turns 50% DEF UpDEF is boosted Strength: 50%Duration: 4 turns 10% DMG Cap UpMaximum amount of DMG that can be dealt per hit is boosted Strength: 10%Duration: 4 turns 35% DA UpDouble attack rate is boosted Strength: 35%Duration: 4 turns 25% TA UpTriple attack rate is boosted Strength: 25%Duration: 4 turns 20% Dodge Rate UpChance to dodge DMG and debuffs Strength: 20%Duration: 4 turns 20% Debuff Success BoostedDebuff success rate is boosted Strength: 20%Duration: 4 turns 80% Skill DMG UpSkill DMG is boosted Strength: 80%Duration: 4 turns 20% C.A. DMG UpCharge attack DMG is boosted Strength: 20%Duration: 4 turns 30% C.B. DMG UpChain burst DMG is boosted Strength: 30%Duration: 4 turns 20% C.B. DMG Cap UpChain Burst DMG Cap Boosted Strength: 20%Duration: 4 turns VeilDebuffs will be nullified (1 time) Duration: Indefinite"Veil" is an unofficial name used by the wiki for this status effect. Its actual in-game name is "Immune." Dispel Cancel (1 time)Effects that remove buffs will be nullified (1 time) Duration: Indefinite at the start of battle for 4 turns. Ideal for short burst setups. This effect applies to all allies regardless of element, so some players may use an off-element Dark Opus to save on trade materials. This chain is sometimes called "Freyr chain" or "Freyr key" due to its similarity to the buffs gained from Freyr (Summon).
Chain of Glorification	Glory	Adds the Glory weapon skill to the weapon. Ideal for any charge attack focused setups.
Chain of Forbiddance	Apple Key	Provides very strong charge attack related boosts while also dealing 10,000 plain damage to the ally that charge attacked. Most commonly used in charge attack focused OTKsOne-turn-kills in event battles like Unite and Fight Extreme+. This effect applies to all allies regardless of element, so some players may use an off-element Dark Opus to save on trade materials. This chain is sometimes called "Apple chain" or "Apple key" due to its similarity to the Forbidden FruitC.A. specs are boosted / Takes plain DMG upon using charge attack (Can't be removed / Ends upon using charge attack) status found in Dark Rapture.
Chain of Restoration	Majesty	Adds the Majesty weapon skill to the weapon. Used in any situation that needs more HP, in exchange for a slight damage loss from not running Stamina instead.

Rank 200

Revans Weapons

At rank 200, players will gain access to Revans Raids and the Revans Weapons they drop, which have access to strong Weapon Awakening. Below is an overview of which Revans Weapons see common use:

Weapon	Copies	Notes
Extinction Blade	1 - 2	Its Craft weapon skill that provides 20,000 supplemental damage synergizes naturally with AES crit grids. For Agni grids, this weapon serves as a strong defensive option where its Garrison weapon skill can be boosted by Agni's aura. Recommended Weapon Awakening: Defense then Attack A fully ATK awakened copy can provide more Normal ATK than a Bahamut Weapon. A fully DEF awakened copy can serve as a strong Defensive option when more defense and HP is desired.
Schrodinger	2 - 3+	Water's better source of C.A. DMG Supplemental due to it being able to cap with just 2 copies, though running more with Weapon Awakenings isn't bad either. Recommended Weapon Awakening: Defense and Attack Defense awakening can be run in off-element grids that desire more HP and Defense.
Fang of the Dragonslayer	1 - 2	A generally strong weapon that can be boosted in Yggdrasil grids, or serve as a generally strong Omega ATK modifier in Titan grids. 2 copies can be used in high end Titan burst setups. Recommended Weapon Awakening: Attack
Forbidden Agastia	2 - 4	A very strong weapon in Omega grids. Stacking 4 copies will reach 98.8% critical hit rate. Does not see use in Hades grids. Recommended Weapon Awakening: Attack

5★ Ultima Weapons

5★ Ultima weapons are a big upgrade to the previously seldomly used 4★ Ultima weapons due to the additional keys available at 5★.

Ultima weapons are used to replace Seraphic Weapons when equipped with the Tria key for their third skill, which provides 25% Seraphic DMG Amplification. This, combined with the Ultima weapon's selectable second skill providing a DMG Cap Up of choice, makes Ultima weapons more space-efficient in a grid than Seraphic weapons.