Team Composition Help

[ble.d_out.colo.r]

So I recently picked this game back up intent on finishing it before EO5 releases. I am playing on Expert mode Classic and am using one of each class except for Highlander which I doubled up on due to the awesome character designs and needing to round out my third party. Problem is im having trouble balancing three parties with these limitations. Here is what I was thinking

Party 1:
* Whip Dark Hunter focused on Binds and Ecstasy
* Protector focused on Provoke, Front Guard, and elemental walls (any better builds or skills I should look at?)
* Ronin focused on Overhead Stance and Swallow Strike damage

* Medic(?) Focused on Salve, Overheal, and Chase Heal (not sure about this one)
* Troubadour for coating weapons with elements, fantasias, and additional heal capabilities with Life Ensemble (may drop the medic and use in party two if i go with heals for troubadour)

Party 2:
* War Magus focused on War Edge Skills and Vampire. Especially focused on Vampire, binds, and Ailing Slash
* Hit Taker Beast
* Highlander focused on using Blood Fortune to boost ailment rates, replenish TP with Allied Bonds, and deal much needed AOE damage with Legion Skills while healing a bit with Turning Tides. Considering Black Sabbath as well since im going for a defensive build for highlander that can still deal good AOE damage

* Survivalist focused on using status inflicting attacks and...no idea what else to do with a survivalist tbh so ive just been pumping speed so I can get the skill that lets a unit act first
* Hexer focused on Evil Eye and Word of Conflict, Shielding, and Suicide with points invested in ailments as well. Maybe throw in buffs after Curb Attack Boost is maxed.

Party 3:
* Highlander- Offensive build this time focused on Spear Assist. Also going to pick up Limitless and the Delayed/Charge attacks and alternate between them and spear assist.
* Landsneckt focused on elemental chase skills

* Elementalist focused on keeping a balance between the three elements with area of attack skills unlocked for each as well. Beyond that not sure what is good
* Gunner focused on Double Action and Elemental Bullets, especially charged elemental bullets. Cover Fire and Medic Bullet for extra heals
* Sovereign to buff and heal focusing on Guard Order, Attack Order, Prevent Order, Heal Crown, and Link Order II

I need a way to add more healing into party three as well as more defense without sacrificing too much chase power, a bit more DPS to party one (the medic also feels redundant with troub so im going to replace him more than likely but idk with what), and party two is working pretty well over all I just need a way to stabilize the beast more but I havent gotten Vampire yet on my War Magus so I dont know if the medic will be needed there or not. I dont want to completely trash my party members or build new ones, and Id like to focus on an ailment party built around hexer and war magus, a chaser party, and a third party based mostly on dps from DH and his binds and my Ronin's Swallow Strike. I'm in the second strata just now hitting level 21 and I am considering resting to reallocate points to make my parties more efficient. Any assistance is appreciated !

[Wolkenritter]

I wouldn't worry too much about party comps until the 3rd strata, since that's when your options start to open up a little more. When making parties though, you do ideally want your group to have very powerful synergy together. Teamwork is key!

Some advice from me though;

Party 1
Using a whip based DH without a Hexer is a really, really bad idea. I'd go for either Swords with Soul Liberator instead, or try and fit a Hexer in there. If you want to break the game (Since you do have Highlanders) give your Hexer a Stigmata grimoire and watch as your DH destroys everything in their path.

Medic isn't really needed for this group... since you should be locking down enemies (If you give your DH palm skills though, I guess you could use Medical Rod though). Just give someone a Vampire grimoire to keep healing covered. If you decide your DH should use Swords, you also have Drain Bite as a source of healing too.

The Ronin will also probably feel a little out of place though, since the DH is taking the spotlight. You could fit any other class here though or just leave the Ronin as is. For Ronins though, I prefer Compression + Frigid Slash instead. Mainly because it has extra damage modifiers to work with (Ice Fantasia, Ice Circle, Point Blank and Medical Rod), which generally makes it stronger than Swallow Strike with the right party.

Party 3
A Palm Alchemist with a Double Action grimoire and a Gunner (Ideally with Burst Shot) is really all you need to have covered on chasers. For the Alchemist I'd go and try and max everything on the palm tree (Haha) first. Don't bother with AoE formulae in this group. Just give them a Penetrator grimoire, and with Splash Palm your Palm skills with become very efficient and powerful AoE attacks.

I'd personally recommend swapping out the Highlander, since they're actually not adding much for a chase group. Depending on preference I'd go for either a Beast, Protector or Hexer. Beast and Protector have healing access with Lick Wounds and Heal Guard. Plus they will also provide a good defensive boost to your group.

Hexer doesn't have healing access (Though you could give your Alch a Vampire grimoire for stupid amazing healing) but does provide ways to lock down enemies and bosses, preventing the group from taking damage.

I'd also swap out the Sovereign for a Troubadour. Prelude on the Lands is far too powerful to pass up for chasers and with the Fantasias and Crusade taken into account as well, the Trouba will vastly boost your party's damage output far more than the Sovereign could ever hope for.

[ble.d_out.colo.r]

Thanks for the advice! After tweaking my parties around a bit I think I finally found an arrangement that seems to work pretty well for me.

Party 1-Ailments and Binds
Dark Hunter
Protector
War Magus
Survivalist
Hexer

I wanted to keep my whip hunter for ecstasy, so I swapped the hunter over to the hexer party like you suggested. Since the party locks down the enemies so well and Vampire heals the front row the party doesnt need quite as much tanking as Beast offered, so I switched in Protector and it runs like butter now. Even have heals on hand from war magus for spot healing between battles so I love this party. As per your suggestion I'm working on getting a stigmata grimoire from one of my Highlanders from another party as well, as it sounds pretty OP. My biggest concern is how I should spend my Hexer points, specifically whether to go for Curb Attack Up and Chained Benefit, or strengthening Weakness Curse. Also is it worth getting Perseverance on DH? Seems like a big point investment but im not sure whether to go for it or power up the Whip moves themselves since that would be extra TP cost. Im also at a loss for what to focus on for my Protector. So far I maxed Provoke and Pre-provoke and have Front guard at level 3. Do I focus on Elemental Walls next, or is Parry a good idea or what?

Party 2: Balanced AoE/Elemental Exploit
Highlander
Beast
Ronin
Medic
Gunner

This party has tons of defense with Beast's hit taker and Medic's chase heal. The Highlander dishes out great AOE damage and also has strong elemental attack with Spear Assist, and Gunner is focused on Double Action and Elemental Bullets though I may also invest some points in binds for a bit more lockdown. Medic has been focusing on Medical Staff to weaken elemental defense, and Ronin is going for Peerless Stance and the Elemental Katana slashes.

Party 3: All Out Chase
Highlander
Landsneckt
Alchemist
Sovereign
Troubadour

I was surprised how well this works since the Sov and Troubadour seemed redundant. I didn't have enough tanks to spread around though so I figured I would try buffing really well. With Barbaric Song, Protect Order, and either Shelter Song or Guard Order I haven't really had problems since the Highlander and Landsneckt have such high defense, so if I spend the first turn guarding with the front row Im usually okay to set up my defenses. Damage output is great once it gets going as well. I'm running a Compression Alchemist atm, but I was wondering whether Compression or Palm is better as a build, as well as how exactly a Palm build works and whether it needs to be front line to do so. I'm running Delayed Charge and Limitless here on the Highlander to boost Spear Assist damage as well, and I will probably forego Bloody Offense since itd take a buff slot I need for defense. I don't have a way to spot heal between battles as is which is my only complaint, but I'm thinking of giving someone a Salve or Cure Grimoire to fix that right up. I was also wondering what exactly happens if you use a Prelude on a Landsneckt and then use Chase for that element, and also how Link Order would work with Burst Shot from gunner and whether Gunner would fit better here if I swapped Alchemist and Gunner between team 2 and 3.

TL;DR: I have composition set for the most part now, but I want to know what I should focus on for Alchemist (especially what is most TP cost to DPS efficient), each Highlander (one AoE and elements and the other highest DPS element exploit possible), Protector, and Hexer and whip DH (to optimize Bind/Ailment rates). In addition, given the above team setups, what Grimoires would you recommend for each team to help fill in any holes or gaps in strategy? I was thinking Stigmata for Hexer, possibly adding Front Guard to Landsneckt, and Cure or Salve on Troubadour, Alchemist, or Sovereign for direct healing between battles. The others I'm not sure of, so I'd like to know maybe what skills are worthwhile to bump up to Lv. 20 with grimoires. Thanks for all the great advice btw! ^.^

[Wolkenritter]

For Hexer, its probably better to ignore Weakening Curse and Chained Benefit, since you'll probably end up stretching your points thin. Worry about maxing your desired ailments, binds as well as Curse Mastery and Curb ATK Up first.

For DH, I wouldn't worry about Perseverance until you have your attack skills and Snake Eyes maxed. Its only worth taking if your DH is a standalone unit or if you have any spare points leftover.

For Protector I usually go for my skills in this order:
1. Get 1 point in Front Guard
2. Unlock Auto-Provoke and max it
3. Max Provoke or use a rank 5 (Higher if possible) Provoke Grimoire
4. Get Front Guard up to 4
5. Put 5 points in all 3 elemental walls. Fire Wall takes priority due to Flame Demon and the 2nd strata FOEs. Volt Wall is lowest since its not going to see use until the 5th strata... and maybe against those horrible rabbits in the optional 1st strata revisit. Hate those things.

After that its free for all. Usually I max Front Guard when the increased TP cost is no longer an issue, since I pretty much spam it in random encounters. Otherwise I'd go for Heal Guard, Shield Rush (Only 1 point though), Sentinel Guard or Parry. If you go for Sentinel Guard, you'll probably want a Protection Vow grimoire to maximize the ridiculous defense it gives.

With the Highlanders I'd probably focus on Spear Assist, Legion Burst and Bloody Offense. Bloody Offense is the most powerful damage buff (Don't bother with Attack Order or Warrior Song) until Draconic Fury grimoires show up, so its pretty much a given. Spear Assist deals respectable damage and is just good all-around.

Party 2 could probably work with the Delayed + Cross combo. Can't say I'm a fan of it anymore though. Its so iffy if you're trying to get it to work with Crusade =/

As for the Alchemist, to elaborate on what I posted earlier; you should always run Palms if you're going to use a Lands with chasers, due to Addtional Palm making all palm skills hit twice. With Double Action it can potentially (Albeit at a low chance) generate 4 chases in one move! However you'll want a Protector or Beast if you're playing on Expert, since the Alchemist won't live for very long in the front row without one (Hexer can work too but it can be a gamble).

Compression + AoEs is more for if the Alchemist is more for non-chaser parties. Personally though I'd rather stick to palms and worry about Compression nonsense during post-game. The AoE spells are super expensive compared to palms, plus Compression really works best with attack items or the elemental torrent grimoires.

I won't go over grims. There's just far too many ways you can approach them. For most part though, you'll be safe just using ones that maximize your main skills and passives.

[ble.d_out.colo.r]

So I have tried out the Palm Alchemist and I definitely want to use him with this build if I don't change up the party. The only problem I have encountered is that my defenses are indeed a little thin on party three. I'd like to keep my Protector and Dark Hunter on the same team for headcanon reasons, and would like to make the setup work but I admit I'm having quite a bit of difficulty at Lv 25 against the flame demon. I put a Front Guard, Shield Master, and Flame Wall Grimoire on my Highlander who seems to do good damage with Spear Assist. Especially when Limitless is used as well. My main issue is the back row being hit and OHKO'd or my front row alchemist getting OHKO'd, although with Barbaric March and Shelter Song along with a Max HP up food he doesn't fare too poorly. What is the best way to compensate for a tankless party on Expert mode, as foolhardy as it probably is to run this team without one. I'm also trying to decide whether palm alchemist or a force mastery gunner would be better here, in which case I would swap alchemist into party two and possibly use Compression. Are Chase grimoires on other party members like say a Highlander any good or would Spear Assist be a better idea? The last question I have is whether I have my Palm Alchemist set up correctly for chase. He has 27 skill points since i rested him once and I maxed out Palm Mastery and additional palm and poured the rest into Splash which almost mastered it. I have a backup save in case I need to redistribute. Thanks so much for all the feedback I know I'm full of questions. I really appreciate the great advice !

[Wolkenritter]

The Alchemist will be more consistent with generating chases, whereas the Gunner will have superior damage output. If anything though, I'd actually swap out either the Highlander or Sovereign for a Gunner. Having both a Gunner and Alchemist in the same team is the ideal way to go about making a chase group.

I would've maxed Fire/Ice/Volt Palm first, for the damage increase. Additional Palm always works regardless of how many points sunk into it, so its pretty safe to leave only 1 point into it until everything else is maxed.

Splash Palm of course should take next priority after the main 3 palm skills. If possible try and grimoire it too. The higher the level of Splash Palm, the easier random encounters become.

As for Flame Demon, the best answer to bulk issues is to fit in a Beast or Protector ultimately. Otherwise if you go tankless, you'll want to use ailments and binds to compensate for the lack of mitigation tools. This means using a Hexer, Dark Hunter or Survivalist. Hexer being the best and reliable choice of course. Flame Demon is most vulnerable to blind and arm binds.

That said, if Flame Demon is one-shotting your back row even at full HP, you're probably lacking in gear and/or levels. That said, 26 is the level I usually the level I take him on. His attack pattern is completely fixed though. So its pretty easy to tell which move he's using, allowing you to use the appropriate protective measures.

1st Turn: Madness Roar (Inflicts Panic on the entire party)
Above 80% HP: Normal Attack > Terror's Embrace (170% STR-based Bash damage to one character, splashes to adjacent targets) > Repeat
Once he falls under 80%: Summon 1 Cube in the front row > Normal Attack/Terror's Embrace > Normal Attack/Terror's Embrace > Kingly Fire (300% TEC-based Fire damage to entire party) + Explosion (Used by the cubes. 800% TEC-based fire damage to entire party and also kills the user)
80% - 50%: Inferno Strike (350% TEC-based fire damage to one character) > Normal Attack > Terror's Embrace > Repeat
Once he falls under 50%: Summon 2 Cubes in the front row > Dispersed Cruelty (Lowers party's damage by 50% for 4 turns) > Inferno Strike/Normal Attack/Terror's Embrace > Kingly Fire (Does 400% damage now) + Explosion > Madness Roar
50% - 20%: Inferno Strike > Normal Attack > Terror's Embrace > Repeat
Once he falls under 20%: Summon 2 Cubes in the back row > Dispersed Cruelty > Inferno Strike/Normal Attack/Terror's Embrace > Kingly Fire + Explosion > Madness Roar
Rest of the fight: Inferno Strike > Normal Attack > Terror's Embrace > Repeat