The instant-death composition in 'Seven Knights Re:BIRTH' (hereinafter SKRB) has long been a reliable secondary party. It reigns supreme as a problem-solver in PvP, adventure modes, and those notoriously tricky floors of the Infinite Tower. At the heart of this strategy, leading the charge, is today's protagonist: Nox.

However, Nox's position has been shaky lately. The arrival of Mist, who combines fear with instant-death for an 'irremovable' status effect, alongside buffs for Aquila and Juri, left Nox pushed to the sidelines. But now, Nox has unlocked the power of Awakening. Let's break down the skills, effects, and recommended gear.

Q. What are the effects of Nox's Awakening skill?
A. It deals instant-death to enemies, removes buffs, and reduces the skill cooldown of allies by 16 seconds.

Nox is a hero built for the instant-death gimmick. Despite being a defensive character, Nox features a robust skill design. In PvE, the skill to watch is 'Hell Shield'. At Awakening level 2, this skill grants Nox immunity to all damage for 2 turns while simultaneously taunting enemies. It is a perfect mechanism to soak up all incoming fire while staying comfortably protected.

The second skill, 'Hell Strike', is a simple offensive move that hits three enemies with up to a 40% chance of instant-death. Furthermore, it applies a 'Status Resistance Reduction' debuff for 3 turns, making it an essential opening move for early combat buildup. Since this increases the instant-death proc rate for other heroes, it is highly recommended to set this as a pre-emptive skill regardless of the content.

The Awakening skill, 'Abyssal Wind', is equally direct. It deals damage to all enemies and carries a 30% chance of instant-death. Its utility in clearing out enemies with immortality buffs via 'Buff Removal' is quite handy. While the skill enhancement grants a 16-second cooldown reduction to all allies, do note that its impact in the later stages of a battle is somewhat negligible.

Q. What is the most unique effect that only Nox possesses?
A. The one-of-a-kind passive: 'Increased Instant-Death Application Rate'.

The passive skill 'Knight of Hell' was well-regarded even before Awakening. The issue was that Nox's base stats failed to keep up with the power creep. With Awakening, these shortcomings have been largely addressed by the addition of new utility.

The core strength is undoubtedly the 'Increased Instant-Death Application Rate'. Providing a 25% boost is a unique buff that no other hero can replicate. While Rosie exists as a hero with a broader 'Status Effect Application' boost, that buff does not apply to all allies. This puts Nox in a league comparable to the old Seven Knights heroes.

Adding to this, the reduction of enemy status resistance is a major perk. You will feel the difference significantly when facing enemies with high resistance in any content. Moreover, if you use 'Hell Shield' as a reserved skill after Awakening, Nox can attempt to inflict instant-death on backline enemies with a 35% chance. It allows for both protection and offensive buildup in a single turn.

Q. What gear set is recommended for Awakened Nox?
A. Shaman for the main set, Mediator for the sub set.

Gear requirements have shifted significantly compared to Nox's glory days. Previously, survivability was all you needed to carry a fight, but the current Arena meta is heavily dictated by status resistance and accuracy. This trend holds true for the increasingly difficult PvE content, so I suggest sticking to the general-purpose setup shown above.

While the gear meta has changed, the playstyle remains the same. Rather than rushing with raw power, it is more efficient to stall and attempt as many instant-death procs as possible. I recommend the 'Shaman' 4-piece set to maximize the proc rate. For PvP, 'Mediator' can be a solid choice depending on your team composition and the current matchmaking environment. If possible, aim for 100% in both status accuracy and resistance, using the Shaman set to push your accuracy to the limit.

If you are playing a 'solid' build in PvP without focusing on speed, the Mediator set is a perfectly viable choice. This setup assumes you will concede the first move, making it ideal for utilizing Nox's reserved skill. From there, you simply cycle through damage immunity, taunts, and enemy resistance debuffs to bring your instant-death strategy to fruition.