Sirocco as an armored dodge tank: build Speed before donning armorMajor spoilers

Original video: The undiscovered strongest tank: Cataphract Sirocco's evasion, Kaji K's Independent Research.

This training route for Sirocco builds Speed in lightly armored classes before switching to Cataphract. He dodges most attacks, uses heavy armor to absorb the hits that get through, and recovers afterward with Goddess’s Favor. The aim is to send him into the range of long-range spells first, exhaust enemy ammunition, and open a path for the team behind him. This guide follows Kaji K's armored dodge-tank build.

Unlock the classes before starting Leda's route#

This build needs classes unlocked on other protagonists' routes. Unlock Ranger on Dietrich's route first, then Cataphract on Theodora's route. Return to Leda's route afterward to train Sirocco, with the Advanced class paths available in the first half. Heavy armor combined with cavalry provides durability, while Ranger builds his Speed foundation beforehand.

You can invest further later by training him with a Ferghanan Horse on Cai's route. The run shown here follows Cai, Dietrich, Theodora, then Leda, though, so Sirocco has not received Ferghanan Horse growth bonuses. Treat the horse as a possible later investment, rather than assuming you must fully train one before this build works in battle.

Buy swords and exam licenses in Chapter 4#

Prepare an early route through Ornius Rider, Armored Ornius Rider, and Rogue. Master Armored Ornius Rider before switching to Rogue, then fight with a Mini Bow to keep building Speed. Take the mastery reward first, then improve Speed in a lightly armored class. He masters Armored Ornius Rider at level 18 in Chapter 5 and is a level 24 Rogue by Chapter 6.

Use Chapter 4's free time to prepare weapons and exam licenses. Take a carriage to the station near the royal capital, then travel to Royal Capital Breston. The fare shown is 300 gold. The local shop has Luxury Weapon Crate for 1400 gold with 1 in stock, and Specialty License for 350 gold with 3 in stock. The crate opened here yields Whirlwind Blade, but that is a random result. You can buy a Whirlwind Blade directly in Whill for 2800 gold. A 1400-gold Luxury Weapon Crate is not a guaranteed Whirlwind Blade at that price.

An unupgraded Whirlwind Blade has 8 Might, 90 Hit, 2 Weight, and 10 Avoid, making it useful for taking on enemies with this build. Check the Sword C requirement first, though. When Sirocco obtains it, his unmet requirement is still shown in red. Having the sword in his inventory does not make him a fully functional tank yet. Next, buy Ji at the Port of Pandora and Zanbato in Fina. Both purchases shown cost 2100 gold. The Ji requires Spear B and Axe D and is preparation for armored and cavalry enemies later. The Zanbato only needs Sword D, making it the more useful early pickup.

Watch for high-level enemies along the way. If enemies with levels in the 20s block the route to a shop, enter and leave Dagsion to refresh their positions, then check the entire round trip. Clearing the outpost directly ahead is not enough. The remaining free-action turns shown fall from 58 to 57, then 56, so refreshing enemy placement does cost time. Giving performances for Renown, buying Dates at the oasis, and mining at the mountaintop along the way is more practical than restarting the whole route over a difference of a few turns.

Add Avoid with a mask and class mastery#

Visit Blackwing Valley in Chapter 5 and exchange 5 Dates and 5 Shem Yams for Beauty Mask. The mask weighs 5. When your Charm is at least 1 point higher than the enemy's, it lowers their Hit by 10. Buy Dates at the oasis ahead of time; the price shown is 21 gold each. For Shem Yams, check your exploration results. The same location is shown yielding Shem Yams on one visit and only other materials on another. Keep gathering until you have enough.

Mastering Armored Ornius Rider gives Sense Threat, which adds 20 Avoid when the enemy's attack is effective against you. Cataphract has both armored and cavalry attributes, so after switching, weapons effective against either type provide another source of Avoid. This adds Avoid; it does not cancel effective damage. Having two weaknesses does not turn the bonus into 40 Avoid.

Early on, you can also change skills to match enemy weapons. Read the Winds adds 10 Avoid against bows, and Knightly Senses adds 10 Avoid against spears. Wind’s Caprice randomly increases Avoid during combat. The mask, class mastery, and weapon-specific skills work together to push enemy Hit down. The Chapter 5 boss preview still shows 47% Hit, though. Earlier footage of regular enemies at 0% does not mean every enemy will miss.

Stay healthy as a Rogue with post-combat healing#

The level 24 Rogue shown in Chapter 6 can already tackle a dungeon with a recommended level of 28. Use a Mini Bow while building Speed, a Whirlwind Blade for Avoid, and weapons such as the Zanbato for specific targets. This builds a Speed foundation more smoothly than wearing heavy armor from the start. Buccar also joins Linked Attacks in the dungeon. You do not have to remove every teammate just because you are building a solo tank.

His personal skill, Goddess’s Favor, is what keeps him fighting: it restores 5 HP to him after every combat. Small amounts of damage can be healed through later engagements. It does not restore a free 5 HP every turn just for standing on a tile. In the sandworm fight, an enemy still lands a hit for 14 damage after its Hit falls from 40% to 35%. Avoid reduces how often he gets hit, while post-combat healing repairs the damage that gets through. You need both.

Switch to Ranger at level 36, then aim for Cataphract#

Around Chapter 9, buy Advanced Licenses regularly and train Heavy Armor whenever you can. In this run, he first switches to Ranger at level 36. Armored Leap, learned at Heavy Armor C, gives 10 Avoid while in an armored class. Keep raising Speed as a Ranger, then switch to Cataphract. With Speed still above 30 after the switch, he can already be a strong frontline unit in Part 1. Training his weak Heavy Armor proficiency takes time. You cannot train only Sword and wait for the exam to become available on its own.

The next clear status check is at level 37. His Ranger screen shows 41 Speed and an 83% chance to pass the Cataphract exam, which he passes on the first try. The class preview changes Speed from 41 to 33, Defense from 18 to 23, and Strength from 25 to 27. This is why you build Speed first. He retains a solid Speed foundation after the armored class modifier, rather than relying on lucky growths while staying in a slow armored class throughout. The 83% pass rate belongs to that save at that point. Training around Heavy Armor C only changed the chance from 82% to 83%; it did not guarantee a pass.

After entering the War story, Heavy Armor B upgrades Armored Leap to Armored Leap+, raising its armored-class Avoid bonus from 10 to 20. The upgraded version replaces the original; they do not add up to 30. Read the Winds, Knightly Senses, Combat Basics, Dodge, and Wind's Caprice+ on the earlier Ranger setup are not five extra skills all carried into the final Cataphract build either. As his class and enemies change, use those slots for skills that actually take effect.

Switch swords and spears to match enemies in the War story#

Keep using swords for most of the War story. Use the Whirlwind Blade's Avoid when taking on enemies. Switch to Levin Sword against armored units or when you want to attack from one tile farther away. Sirocco's retained Magic still contributes damage here. Becoming an armored unit is no reason to put away all your magic swords.

Bring out spears once his Strength improves later in the War story. Guandao also has 10 Avoid and can replace the Whirlwind Blade as his main weapon. If the Guandao lacks damage against armored or cavalry enemies, use the Ji you bought earlier. Use a Javelin+3 when you need 1–2 range. Change weapons gradually as his stats develop; do not copy the endgame spear setup straight into Chapter 4.

At the end of the War story, the level 68 Sirocco shown has 66 HP, 47 Strength, 34 Magic, 52 Speed, 52 Dexterity, 43 Defense, 25 Resistance, 39 Luck, 46 Charm, and 5 Movement. This finished build combines physical damage, Speed, and Defense, letting him both dodge most attacks and survive a hit that gets through. Keep checking your own stats as you train.

Exhaust enemy spells to open a path for teammates#

In the Promised One's story, send Sirocco into range of long-range spells such as Thoron and Bolting first, while everyone else holds the outpost. Once the enemies run out of spells, move up the units you want to level and let them finish the enemies. The whole team avoids charging through long-range fire, and Sirocco does not take every kill and all the EXP. Ludia using a Cleansing Blade to finish an enemy whose spells are spent shows this division of work.

Loretta can also use an armored evasion build. Her Steadfast gives +10 Avoid whenever she has at least half her HP. If she drops below that threshold, someone needs to heal her. Support from Ultand or Ninae, while holding the line with the team, makes it easier to maintain that condition. Sirocco can recover on his own after taking damage, saving healing actions when he moves away from the party and repeatedly tests enemy firepower.

Sirocco uses no stat-boosting items on this run. The Movement+1 investment shown is for Ludia. These battles use Hard difficulty and Classic mode. The opening follows a no-Blessings approach, but Kalla's Blessing is used once on the turn that clears the enemies around the boss in the Promised One's story. Keep both conditions in mind; this battle does not go entirely without Blessings.

Survive the boss's Avoid reduction too#

The boss has a Combat Art that lowers the opponent's Avoid by 30, so this build cannot count on facing 0% enemy Hit in every fight. Ordinary engagements show 29% enemy Hit with 0 damage, and another preview shows 49% with 1 damage. After the boss uses its special Combat Art, enemy Hit rises to 78% with 8 damage, while Sirocco's own Hit drops from 100% to 71%. When you see a preview like that, factor in HP, Defense, and post-combat recovery together.

The mount Monoceros also restores HP after combat through Paired Healing. It is already in use at Bond 3, working with his own Goddess's Favor to sustain him. The mount is not fully trained here, leaving room for further improvement. You can also advance steadily with the whole team and buff him before the boss fight. He does not need to leave the party and fight alone on every map.

The Combat Art slots show Flowing Spear, Lend Dexterity+, Windweave, and Mystic Blow from the Mace. These tanking demonstrations mostly use normal attacks, with the focus remaining on the combination of equipment and passive skills.

Reserve five slots for Avoid and damage reduction#

The five late-game skills are Spearfaire, Intercept, Sense Threat, Armored Leap+, and Wind's Caprice+. Intercept comes from mastering Castle Knight and reduces incoming damage by 5. Wind's Caprice+ randomly grants 1, 5, 20, or 30 Avoid. Do not plan incoming attacks around getting 30 every time. The early anti-bow and anti-spear skills do not keep occupying slots in the final five-skill setup.

The Mars trial makes this tradeoff clearer. An enemy Myrmidon's preview shows 81% Hit and 12 damage, while another armored enemy's combat display even shows 66% Hit and 35 damage. Avoid alone will not keep him alive here; he needs enough HP and damage reduction to survive the hits. Intercept activates during an enemy attack, then Goddess's Favor restores another 5 HP after combat to heal some of the damage from that exchange.

The final level 74 Cataphract has 68 HP, 52 Strength, 37 Magic, 53 Speed, 59 Dexterity, 48 Defense, 29 Resistance, 43 Luck, 49 Charm, 5 Movement, and 10 Build. With a Javelin+3, the status screen shows 80 Avoid and 50 Attack Speed. Javelin+3 adds another 10 Avoid when fighting an enemy at least two tiles away. Switching to Guandao+3 gives a preview of 89 Avoid and 49 Attack Speed. Weight differences affect the result; you cannot simply add the two weapons' Avoid values together.

This inventory contains Javelin+3, Guandao+3, Ji+3, Mace+1, and a Beauty Mask. Before engaging, check the preview against the enemy's weapon, distance, and effective damage. Use the Javelin for range, retain the Guandao's Avoid at close quarters, and use the Ji for damage against armored or cavalry enemies. Every engagement needs enough HP and recovery capacity to survive failed dodges.