Following the arrival of 'Laplace: Ultimate Hero' (hereinafter 'Wind Laplace') in Goddess of Victory: NIKKE, another member of the Matis squad, 'Maxwell: Ordinary Mechanic' (hereinafter 'Wind Maxwell'), has joined the fray. Commanders have been itching to see how well this unit supports Wind Laplace since the skill details dropped. Naturally, KookminTree has dived straight into the performance analysis.

Q. What kind of Nikke is Maxwell: Ordinary Mechanic?
A. A supporter designed to boost Nikkes whose attack increases in proportion to their maximum HP.

As revealed, Wind Maxwell is a Burst 2 unit that buffs HP-scaling attackers. The Skill 1, 'Sequential Limit Release', boosts the entire squad's HP based on Wind Maxwell's maximum HP during full charge attacks. At level 10, it stacks up to 30 times at 1% per stack, effectively increasing the team's total HP by 30% of Wind Maxwell's own. Furthermore, entering Burst stage 3 grants a 10% attack damage buff for 5 seconds, even if Wind Maxwell doesn't trigger the burst skill.

Skill 2, 'Output Conversion Sequence', triggers when Wind Maxwell uses a burst skill, raising the attack of all allies by 1% of Wind Maxwell’s 'Final Max HP' for 15 seconds (at level 10). In Goddess of Victory: NIKKE, 'Final' stats account for base stats, equipment bonuses, modification effects, and mid-battle buffs, meaning the HP boost from Skill 1 is included. Additionally, using the burst skill grants Wind Maxwell an 'Overcurrent' buff, affecting the burst skill itself, while full charge attacks help regenerate the burst gauge.

The burst skill, 'Matis Burst Buster', switches the weapon to a single-shot variant, with charge time scaling based on the Overcurrent stacks from Skill 2. These stacks can reach up to 5, reducing charge time from 3 seconds down to a snappy 0.4 seconds. Note that this charge speed only applies to the switched weapon. As a cherry on top, it also provides an attack damage boost to all allies for 10 seconds.

Q. How should I use Maxwell: Ordinary Mechanic?
A. It is best to pair this unit with Nikkes that benefit from HP-scaling attack buffs.

Now for the moment of truth: the field test. We tested this in the Union Shooting Range—fixed specs, 3-minute boss fight, Wind-weak attribute—using a core squad of 'Wind Laplace - Rouge - Cinderella' and alternating between Wind Maxwell and Trony. This is the head-to-head showdown Commanders have been debating since Wind Maxwell's announcement.

Against expectations, the results showed that Wind Laplace actually dealt more damage when paired with Trony’s burst rather than Wind Maxwell’s. However, Wind Maxwell’s burst did boost Cinderella’s damage significantly. While Trony’s skills are tailored for 'Electric Code' rifle users, the burst skill composition is incredibly potent for Wind Laplace, stacking 'Caster's Max HP + Attack Damage' and significantly amplifying burst skill damage when targeting a single enemy. Wind Laplace hit over 1 billion damage with Trony, but only managed 710 million with Wind Maxwell.

Cinderella’s results, however, were the inverse. Cinderella only received a fraction of Trony's burst benefits, but gained about 115 million in damage (rising from 720 million to 835 million) when utilizing Wind Maxwell's passive and burst effects combined. It was quite surprising to see Wind Maxwell lag behind Trony in overall output.

Q. Should I pull for Maxwell: Ordinary Mechanic?
A. At the current moment, there is no pressing need to invest your resources.

So, should you pull for Wind Maxwell right now? My answer is a hard no. There is no Wind-weak Solo Raid currently active, so there is no need to rush. The only potential use case might be the Union Raid boss starting July 31st. Keep a close eye on Wind Laplace’s recruitment window, which ends on Wednesday, August 12th, at 23:59:59. Looking at the history of Goddess of Victory: NIKKE, these windows often precede massive updates. Community sentiment suggests a major collaboration is on the horizon.

The rumored collaboration is the 'Persona' series. Based on the preview, players are expecting characters from titles 3, 4, and 5. Limited collaboration characters are notorious for being difficult to re-obtain. Fortunately, Wind Maxwell and Wind Laplace will enter the standard recruit wishlist later, lowering the risk. Wind Laplace’s banner ends August 12th, and Wind Maxwell’s on August 20th. If an announcement confirms an August Solo Raid with a Wind weakness, that would be the time to spend your Jewels and Advanced Recruit Vouchers. If you aren't feeling it, save your resources for the collaboration.