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Alpha, also known as Lucia: Crimson Abyss, the most busted character in Punishing Gray Raven will be available in the Frozen Darkness event.
This guide will teach you how to best use Alpha, tips and tricks, recommended builds and teammates.
Alpha Overview
As mentioned in out tier list, Alpha is the undisputed DPS queen of Punishing Gray Raven, even in the Chinese version of the game where she is still at the top. She is an S-Rank Attacker who deals 100% physical damage. Whatever kind of content the game throws at you, Alpha should be able to cut it into pieces easily.
She is the best DPS for physical damage teams in War Zones. If you do not have other elemental mains, then she will also be the Construct of your choice. The same goes for Phantom Pain Cage. She is an absolute monster when it comes to bossing. Bosses especially weak to her are Roland, Rosetta, and Qu later in the future.
Here are her active skills:
- Core Passive (3-ping Blue + 3-ping of any colour)
Retreat into Sword Wave mode (The retreat counts as a dodge). All existing signal orbs will be converted to Sword Wave orbs. Gain 2 extra Sword Wave orbs as well. During Sword Wave mode, orbs generated from Basic attacks will also be converted to Sword Wave orbs. Unleash a Sword Wave when expending the orb, dealing 340% physical damage and gain Super Armor during the move.
- Red Orb
Attack in a flash to all targets ahead, each strike dealing 25%/50%/75% physical damage. During a 3-orb combo, gain an additional strike on the final hit, dealing 75% physical damage and launching targets. Gain Super Armor during the move.
- Yellow Orb
Assault and pass through targets ahead, dealing 250%/500%/750% physical damage along the way.
- Blue Orb
For 5 seconds, movement speed is increased by 20%/30%/50%. Attacks gain 2 additional strikes, dealing 4%/8%/12% Physical damage each. During Sword Wave, the additional strikes are converted to additional Sword Waves, each dealing 8%/16%/24% physical damage.
- Ultimate
Expend 85 energy. Cut all targets in front in a flash, dealing 2600% Physical damage.
Gameplay Tips
Activating Sword Wave counts as a dodge
As such, triggering Alpha’s Core Passive when during enemy attacks can activate Matrix, the slow-motion effect in Punishing Gray Raven. You can use this to punish and counter enemies with the absurd damage of Sword Wave orbs.
Attack immediately after using Blue Orbs
Whether you trigger Sword Wave or are just using basic attacks, you should make use of Alpha’s 5 second buff from Blue Orb-pings to maximise DPS. Note that the increased movement speed from Blue Orbs can also let you outrun some enemy attacks that could only be escaped from dodging, which is helpful in a pinch.
Conserve Orbs for more Sword Waves
Sword Wave is the reason why Alpha is the god of burst damage in Punishing Gray Raven. Under ideal circumstances, Sword Wave should be triggered upon Matrix and when you have 16 orbs. Using Matrix’s effect of turning any orb into a 3-ping, activate a single blue orb followed by a 3-ping of any orb. When done right, you should have 14 Sword Wave orbs at your disposal.
For SS and beyond, only use Red Orbs to trigger Sword Wave
When evolved to SS-Rank, Alpha gains a passive where she gets a damage buff from Red 3-pings. As a result, you should only use 3 pings of Blue Orbs followed by Red Orbs to maximise DPS from Sword Wave.
Recommended Builds
There are two main builds for Alpha, but for both of them, you want to ensure that Darwin is in slots 1, 2 or 3. This is because Darwin in slots 4, 5 or 6 give less ATK than other Memories, which is a big no-no.
4 Patton 2 Darwin
Patton will be farmable via the event shop. The Patton build emphasizes Alpha’s crit and physical damage, leading to an overall consistent DPS. Generally, Patton is better for War Zone, but in the ultra late game, the second build featuring Frederick should be able to outperform it. If you are free-to-play, it is recommended to stick with this build for pretty much the whole game.
4 Frederick 2 Darwin
The Frederick build is for more advanced players who really know what they are doing. It requires foresight and good reflexes because in order to maximise damage with Sword Wave, you have to dodge 3 times. In a game that has dodges as a limited, cooldown-based resource, you have to be extra careful. Frederick build is the preferred build when it comes to Phantom Pain Cage and in the hands of a skilled player, has greater damage potential than Patton build.
Recommended Teammates
Liv: Eclipse
When evolved to SSS-Rank Liv: Eclipse is Alpha’s best friend. She comes with the useful passive of increasing physical damage by 10% to the active Construct which makes Alpha hit a lot harder. For those looking to main physical damage teams, evolving Liv: Eclipse to SSS-Rank is a must.
Karenina: Blast
Karenina: Blast’s QTE is a godsend for War Zone. It gathers enemies into one spot, making them easy pickings for Sword Wave. Save her QTE for when there are a bunch of weak, annoying enemies that have a tendency to run away. Note that for Phantom Pain Cage, she is not useful.
Nanami: Storm
While Kamui: Bastion is also another option for physical Tanks, Nanami: Storm equipped with her 5-star weapon becomes the superior option purely for QTE use. When Rosetta arrives, she will be the number one choice for a physical Tank. Tanks are useful for reducing enemy defense, which is extremely useful for Alpha.
We hoped that you found this guide for Alpha useful. We also wish that the gacha gods are on your side as you pull for her!
You can also check out our Punishing Gray Raven progression guide for more tips. Follow the game on Twitter to stay updated.
