Borrowing skills through temporary class mastery
Distinguish character levels, class mastery, and weapon/movement proficiency. Temporarily change classes, earn mastery, then return and equip it. Retreat loops require both your units and the enemy group to survive.
Switch classes, fill class experience, then return to the original class and equip the new ability. In retreat loops, keep both your team and some enemies alive.
Reaching Gauntlet S+ does not complete class mastery. Character level, class experience, and proficiency use separate progress bars.
| Progress track | Purpose | Completion check |
|---|---|---|
| Character level EXP | Levels up and gains stats according to the current class | Did the character’s level change? |
| Class mastery EXP | Learns that class’s mastery ability/Combat Art | Class shows mastery and a learning notification appears |
| Weapon, magic, Infantry/Heavy Armor, and other proficiency | Meets certification requirements and learns rank-based arts | E→D→C and other progress in the relevant discipline |
If slots are full, remove an old entry to make room for the newly learned ability or Combat Art.
Change classes, leave enemies alive, and test before farming
- 1Certify in the class whose ability you want, then actually switch to it.Archer, for example, needs Bow C, Renown 4, and a Specialty License, with recommended level 20. The goal is Crescendo. If you hold a bow in another class, you train that other class’s mastery.
- 2Find Clash enemies that will neither defeat your team nor all die within 15 rounds.Lower damage with wooden weapons and add healing or defensive support. Test one round manually, checking net allied HP loss and enemy HP loss before pressing + to skip. Fabio with four Soldier-family allies at Bond Level 5 for Protection +12 is an actual setup, not a requirement with no investment.
- 3Retreat while enemies remain and you are still in combat.A Clash counts at most 15 rounds of gains, shared across waves. After 15 rounds, check class experience and the target proficiency bar, then retreat while enemies remain alive and you are still fighting. End early if the target rank rises or enemies are close to being wiped out. If you already clear them, settle rewards, leave the map, and save, the chapter’s loop may be lost. Wait for the next chapter refresh; do not assume skipping always leaves retreat available.
- 4Switch back and equip the mastery reward.Stop when the target class says “Mastered” or its mastery ability says “Learned,” not at a character level. Return to the original class, equip the new ability or art, and recheck weapon access. Mastery rewards can carry over; innate class effects do not all carry over.
An older method used 31 physical Attack and 24 Defense against one specific Soldier group, dealing about 1 damage per hit and retreating with at least 3 enemy HP left to guard against criticals. Those two stats apply only to that group. Retest manually after changing location, weapon, or enemy level.
Check progress during farming and after mastery
A proficiency rank increase within one battle is a separate issue. The observation that each proficiency rises only one rank per battle differs from the Clash’s 15-round gain cap.
Estimate time from your own progress. Fabio needs 600 weapon proficiency experience for Gauntlet S → S+. With weapon experience +3, aptitude, and class bonuses, ten cycles took about three and a half minutes, and one discipline from E → S+ about 15 minutes. If Boons of Salvation, aptitude, or class changes, record one cycle’s actual gain and estimate cycles from the remaining experience.
Mastery training and returning eligibility across the three parts
Prioritize one key reward in Part 1. Archer mastery Crescendo gives Hit +3 per kill, up to +30 on the map. Myrmidon’s Ravaging Arts adds 6 critical damage; Shido’s Ever Vigilant restores HP after a critical kill. Train the reward you lack instead of mastering every class.
Keep using earned abilities in Part 2. If the current inn offers a “Training” assignment, spend free time for class experience, then return to the original class after mastery.
Train late arrivals in Part 3. Test whether they can survive the current enemy group first; even a level 2 Fabio needs the appropriate setup. Replenish depleted spells at dungeon recovery points, in town, or through meals.
Train Riding and Flying on healing terrain
The cave retreat method cannot train Riding or Flying because of terrain restrictions. Another method repeatedly fights while both sides occupy healing terrain in a main battle, allowing Riding/Flying training. Examples include Theodora Chapter 10 and Cai Chapter 6. This method earns character experience and levels the current class; it is not an alternative with no level-ups.
For optimization, choose the leveling class first. If you only need one rank for certification, try training or manuals first. Without healing terrain for both sides, do not force a prolonged fight against ordinary enemies.