Cai

Cai from Armored Ornius Rider to The Cavalier

Original video: Cai’s best classes and equipment | English video creator Jay Dunna

Cai follows a mounted hybrid path: begin with Armored Ornius Rider and Red Meganius, prioritize Dragoon mastery for accuracy at advanced tier or choose Caladrius, then enter master-class Orichaldia with The Cavalier as the destination. Attack mainly with lances, use Levin Sword and magic against high Defense, and use Blaze Arts for area damage and Underworld-flame terrain.

Dark magic works without becoming the main attack#

Cai has balanced personal growths: 45% Strength and 40% Magic, supporting physical and magical damage. But his dark spells are Fire, Thunder, Bolganone, and Thoron, without a standout high-tier centerpiece. Investing everything in pure dark magic underuses him. White magic offers Heal, Nosferatu, Seraphim, Recover, and Warp for broader utility.

Magic still matters. Underworld-flame abilities scale with it, and Levin Sword turns it into two-tile attacks. This mounted path uses physical weapons primarily and magical options for coverage, rather than treating Magic as useless.

Red Meganius develops Strength early#

I prefer early Armored Ornius Rider with Red Meganius. The mount adds 15 percentage points to Strength growth and 5 each to Dexterity and Defense, accumulating through levels. Compared with starting ordinary Light Cavalry and assigning Io’s horse later, this exploits Cai’s capture resources sooner.

Armored Ornius Rider also offers worthwhile mastery, Sense Threat: Avoid +20 in combat against attacks effective or super-effective against you. Ornius crosses walls for more flexible paths than ground cavalry. Growths, mastery, and obstacle crossing together justify staying in this mounted-bird line.

Another development option is to find extra Mini Bow and use Charioteer for doubled mount growths. That needs its own weapon and mount preparation and is not mandatory for this Armored Ornius path.

Learn Besieger from Dragoon first#

At advanced tier, prioritize Dragoon, at least until learning Besieger. Its Hit +20 against enemies on favorable terrain handles targets hiding in thickets. Once mastered, you can equip it in another class. The goal is lasting accuracy utility, not merely the current class’s stats.

Caladrius is another sound choice. It uses dark magic, adds 10 percentage points of Magic growth, and carries Levin Sword. Becoming Caladrius does not mean casting every attack. Keep using weapons while developing Magic for Blaze Arts and magic swords. You can also retain Red Meganius for Strength growth.

Cataphract looks suitable too. Armored Movement +2, personal Movement, and mount Movement together prevent it being simply immobile. But unlocking it requires Theodora’s story first, and it sacrifices Speed, Magic, and Resistance growths. It is less attractive for retaining Blaze Arts and hybrid offense.

Orichaldia leads to a cavalry divine class#

Several master classes fight well; the question is whether to retain lances. High Savant and Battlemaster lack lance access, so this plan uses Orichaldia before The Cavalier. Its mastery art, Fierce Spear, prevents enemy follow-ups during that art’s combat. This is a selected Combat Art effect, not a permanent passive.

Great Knight also has value: armored movement and Fierce Shield mastery, with a 50% chance to halve damage during combat you initiate. This build instead favors Orichaldia’s overall growths. The video compares total growth modifiers of 55 and 35; these totals are not bonuses to every stat individually.

For Dragoon-style flying mobility, continue into Bau Lord. This plan chooses cavalry for The Cavalier: Golden Ride removes cavalry effectiveness and super-effectiveness, Divine Dexterity mastery adds Dexterity +10, and high Movement suits Cai’s travel between fronts.

Cai's personal Movement bonus is normally +1 and becomes +2 during Overblaze. A Movement-boosting mount extends his reach further. The Cavalier's base Movement is 8; do not mistake a range already boosted by personal and mount effects for the class's base value.

Change horses to address weaknesses#

Once in horse cavalry, Ferghanan Horse improves Defense growth and Monoceros improves Resistance growth, each by 10 percentage points. Io’s Rocinan is another option, using Paired Run for mobility. I prefer extra Movement here rather than locking in one horse for Canto.

Separate this from early Red Meganius training: first build Strength with that mount, then change horses for your class and weaknesses. Orichaldia need not abandon Resistance entirely for higher physical Protection. If you want to survive another mage hit, prioritize a Resistance-growth mount.

Keep a Levin Sword alongside lances#

Weapon	Reason to carry it
Levin Sword	Upgrade it to use existing Magic for two-tile magic attacks
Da Mina Spear	Improves accuracy when using Combat Arts
Short Spear	Provides ranged physical attacks
Star Spear	Blinding Starlight handles key targets; watch durability with repeated use
Ridersbane	Hunts enemy cavalry, valuable effective coverage for this build
Ji or Halberd	Adds weapon coverage as needed; check effectiveness and accuracy against armor

Star Spear’s Combat Art is expensive: about three consecutive uses require repairs. Theodora’s Battalions help obtain forging materials, but repair before deployment instead of finding an empty weapon at a crucial target.

Enough Magic for Levin Sword and Underworld flames does not guarantee one-hit kills on every armored enemy. Effective weapons give another answer when magical damage falls short. Switching for each enemy works better than carrying only the highest-might lance.

Keep Flamekeeper equipped#

Learned at level 35, Flamekeeper is one of Cai’s best abilities to retain. While he is deployed, all allies ignore Underworld flames, and allies attacked while standing in them take half damage. His flames therefore create durable frontline positions as well as damaging areas.

Later, retain Cavalry Move to reduce cavalry terrain costs and Besieger for accuracy against favorable-terrain targets. If Resistance is lacking, Aegis offers a 20% chance to halve magical damage. Do not plan engagements as though it always activates. Keep lance-related skills too.

Cai’s mount resources and personal mobility are exceptional; a dedicated pure-mage build disperses those advantages. Let mounting provide travel and main-weapon offense, Magic provide Levin Sword and Blaze Arts, and Flamekeeper help the whole team engage. Those are the roles this hybrid path preserves.

Site guides

Build Magic first for Blaze Arts

Train Cai's Black Magic and Magic before switching to Caladrius. His mobile, area-of-effect Blaze Arts can soften up enemies for the rest of your team.

For a Blaze Arts build, follow Ornius Rider → Armored Ornius Rider → Caladrius, and train Black Magic and Magic ahead of time. Caladrius already lets you split physical and magical duties without waiting for a final class. Once you learn and equip Flamekeeper, you can also create damage-reduction zones for the whole team. A frontline spear cavalry build is another option. Develop spear cavalry, Charioteer, and Caladrius separately, and only count the benefits of the path you are currently using.

Class progression by stage#

The levels below are recommended points to take each certification exam. Your actual timing depends on how quickly you level. You must also meet the proficiency, Renown, certification item, and class unlock requirements.

Start training Black Magic in Part 1#

Start mounted, and train the Black Magic you will need for Caladrius ahead of time. Armored Ornius Rider cannot cast spells, so leveling with spears alone will not train Black Magic. If your Blaze Arts barely deal damage, spend some time in Diviner or Shaman to build Magic, then return to a mounted class. You do not need to master all of these classes.

Target	Recommended exam timing and preparation	Reason for this path
Ornius Rider	Level 5, Renown 1; Riding E+, Spear or Axe D	Get mounted mobility early; master the class to learn Offense Basics and boost both physical and magical attack
Armored Ornius Rider	Level 20, Renown 4; Riding D, Spear or Axe C	Continue your spear investment; Sense Threat, learned through class mastery, only adds Avoid against super-effective attacks, rather than making you immune to them
Caladrius	Level 35, Renown 8; Riding D, Black Magic B, and the corresponding instruction unlock in Cai's story	Retains weapons such as swords and spears while adding black magic; Magic benefits Blaze Arts, spells, and the Levin Sword

Keep using the spear you have already trained as your main weapon, and carry a Pilum. Once you get a Levin Sword, use it against heavily armored enemies with low Resistance, while keeping a physical spear for other targets. To strengthen Blaze Arts, choose a mount that boosts Magic and offers repositioning abilities such as Canto. Check each black ornius mount's abilities individually as well.

Start caring for the specific mount you plan to use long term in Part 1. Bonds belong to a rider and an individual animal, which you can feed once per day. Switching to another individual or another animal species does not carry over your previous maximum bond. Resources are limited in Part 2, so building that bond early is easier than changing mounts at the last minute.

Open with Blaze Arts in Part 2#

Keep training Black Magic and your main weapon. If Caladrius is not unlocked yet, fight in your current mounted class. Open with an area-of-effect Blaze Art to soften enemies up, then have your allies finish them individually. If you have a Charioteer, leave a clear straight path so they can follow up and finish multiple enemies.

Learn and equip Flamekeeper before using underworld flame tiles to help allies absorb attacks. Blaze Arts cost HP, so check Cai's own health before opening with one. After mastering Caladrius to learn Overtake, kills can stack Movement up to +3 until the end of the next turn. Before mastery, position using your normal Movement.

Decide whether to change mounts in Part 3#

Changing classes in Part 3

Stay in Caladrius

You can stay in Caladrius throughout the main story. If you already have a good mount and enough black magic, changing classes costs more than an exam: it also means riding a different kind of animal and rebuilding Cai's bond with it.

Switch to High Savant

Another option is High Savant. The class table recommends level 45, Sword B, Black Magic D, Riding D, and completion of the corresponding temple side quest. It primarily uses swords and black magic, making it suitable for further investment in both offenses. After switching, you will need a new role to replace his spear-based offense.

In Part 3, his exclusive spear also gives him access to a Combat Art for fighting undead enemies. If you plan to make it your main offense, keep a class that can use spears, and choose targets around the uses remaining on that map. Do not switch to a class that cannot wield spears and then plan around that damage setup.

Frontline spear cavalry and Charioteer builds#

Spear cavalry places more weight on Strength, HP, and the ability to engage enemies. After Ornius Rider, master Bolster Health in Light Cavalry, then move into Bardinger. The class table lists level 20, Renown 4, Riding D, and Spear or Sword C for the former; Bardinger calls for level 35, Renown 8, Riding C, and Spear or Sword B. If you choose Orichaldia in Part 3, the recommendation is level 45, Riding B, Spear or Sword A, and the class unlock. Carry a ranged Pilum, use the combat forecast to choose between Hit and follow-up-focused Combat Arts, and concentrate training on physical offense.

Charioteer is a separate stat-building path: the recommendation is level 20, Renown 4, Bow C, and Riding D. It benefits from mount growth bonuses, uses only bows, cannot evade, and cannot use black magic like Caladrius. The exact level-dependent growth calculation remains disputed, so do not simply double the stats in your calculations.

Set up your current class's main weapon and mount before investing in Battalions and Blessings.

Set up underworld flames for your allies#

Have Cai soften groups, break shields, or spread underworld flames, then let your allies finish the enemies. After attacking, retreat outside enemy threat range or stop on a defensive line you know he can survive. The Levin Sword uses Magic to attack low-Resistance targets; it does not deal super-effective damage against armor. Before equipping a shield, compare his Attack Speed with the full equipment load. A small Defense gain may not be worthwhile if it causes enemies to follow up.

Recruitment details#

Cai is the Part 1 protagonist of his own story and joins through story progression. You cannot recruit him into another protagonist's Part 1. Whether his training progress carries over into Part 3 depends on the clear conditions for Cai's story. See Cai's recruitment and carryover conditions.

Prepare Black Magic and mount bonds early#

• Train Black Magic to B before level 35 instead of training only Spear and Riding. Armored Ornius Rider and Caladrius have different training conditions.
• If Magic is lacking, temporarily switch to a magic class to build it. You can also stay in Caladrius if it works well for you; switching to High Savant in Part 3 is optional.
• After changing animals, you need to build a new bond between Cai and his new mount.
• Check whether a Blaze Art can secure a kill. Until you learn Flamekeeper, the fire terrain does not reduce damage for your side.