Seven Knights Re:Birth, or 'Seven Knights Re:Birth' as it's known in some circles, has rolled out its 'Awakening' system, bringing with it the new hero, Skuld. Boasting effects tied to magic vulnerability and capable of unleashing a formidable ultimate thanks to her awakening, Skuld is poised to become a cornerstone of magic-based teams. KookminTree has delved into her capabilities.

Q. What kind of hero is Skuld?
A. She's a hero who applies various debuffs to targets suffering from magic vulnerability.

As a magic-type hero, Skuld's skills are naturally geared towards magic-focused squads. Her true power, however, shines after awakening, so these skill descriptions will focus on her awakened state. Skuld's basic attack hits two enemies, inflicting 'Magic Vulnerability' for 2 turns. While skill enhancements primarily boost her coefficients, the magic vulnerability chance is a guaranteed 100%.

Her skill, 'Twinkle! Starry Journey,' strikes all enemies twice with a 60% chance to inflict 'Silence' for 3 turns. If the target is already suffering from magic vulnerability, an additional 'Healing Received Reduction' for 3 turns is applied. Simultaneously, it removes two debuffs from allied magic-type heroes. 'The Secret of the Constellation' deals piercing damage three times to all enemies and applies a 'Turn-based Buff Reduction' for 2 turns. Similar to 'Twinkle! Starry Journey,' enemies afflicted with magic vulnerability have a 60% chance of receiving an additional 'Skill Cooldown Increase' by 23 seconds. Skill enhancements can push this cooldown increase chance to 70%.

The passive skill, 'New Moon Oracle,' is all about Skuld's survival. It grants '[4 Hits] All Damage Nullification' and, when her HP drops below 50%, she heals herself for 165% of her magic attack power, up to two times during combat. Furthermore, if there are three or more magic-type heroes on the field, Skuld gains the 'Thread of Fate' buff for 3 turns whenever she's hit by an enemy attack. She also reduces the 'Effect Resistance' of all enemy forces and applies a 'Shield Received Reduction' debuff whenever her skills are activated. Skill enhancements boost the effect resistance reduction from 28% to a more potent 34%.

The awakened skill, 'Radiance of Destiny,' can only be used once per battle. Remember to charge your awakened gauge after combat begins. Upon activation, it attacks three enemies. If they are suffering from magic vulnerability, a 'Vitality Conversion' of 39% is applied first. This is followed by 'Unrecoverable' for 3 turns, a 'Skill Cooldown Increase' of 26 seconds, and a single instance of piercing damage. Successfully enhancing the skill provides a modest boost to its coefficient, from 145% to 155%.

Q. What are Skuld's key buffs and debuffs?
A. Thread of Fate, All Damage Nullification, Skill Cooldown Increase, and Shield Received Reduction.

As previously mentioned, Skuld excels at applying various debuffs to enemies afflicted with magic vulnerability. In other words, without magic vulnerability, Skuld's effectiveness is halved. Pairing her with Reginleif, who specialises in magic vulnerability, should make it easier to unleash Skuld's full potential.

Skill cooldown increases stand at 26 seconds for her awakened skill and 23 seconds for 'The Secret of the Constellation.' The former affects three enemies, while the latter targets all, making them excellent for disrupting enemy skill usage. Additionally, the 'Shield Received Reduction' is a unique ability currently exclusive to Skuld, proving particularly effective against defensive formations. The 'Thread of Fate' buff, unlike some other mechanics, doesn't have a per-combat limit; if she survives being hit three times, her survivability is immediately enhanced.

Q. How should Skuld be equipped?
A. We recommend an 'Effect Accuracy' build based on the Shaman set.

Since Skuld's core function revolves around debuffs, the Shaman set, which offers effects for increased application chance, is the best fit. From here, your build can branch out: if you wish to maximise Skuld's damage output even slightly, prioritise 'Critical Hit Chance' and 'Weakness Attack Chance.' If her role is purely that of a debuffer, set your weapon's main option to 'Effect Accuracy.' Skuld's fourth transcendence bonus grants a 24% increase to Effect Accuracy, making related setups slightly more forgiving compared to other heroes. For armour, 'Attack Power (%)' and 'Effect Resistance' are good main options. Note that 'Block Chance' is likely to decrease in effectiveness going forward due to her exclusive equipment's 'Crush' option.