Gradient Attacks in "Expedition 33" Quiz

Answer: Verso

Likely one of the most versatile Gradient Attacks and the most usable on a regular basis due to its low cost, Sabotage is the first in Verso's list, providing a solid amount of Physical damage with his regular weapon for a single Gradient Charge. This one hit applies to all enemies in the battle, applying Mark to them as well-- a boon if you're used to using Marking Shot on a regular basis, but want to spread the effect or use Verso for the follow-up.

Answer: Verso

Unlocked when you build Verso's Relationship Level with Esquie up to Level 4, Striker is a mid-range Gradient Attack in that it can provide a high amount of Physical damage, but only to a single foe and at a cost of two Gradient Charges. This isn't particularly abnormal for Verso, whose swordfighting capabilities generally leave him fighting one target at a time, but unlike a number of his other skills, Striker has the ability to cause Break, a particular help against more resilient enemies.

Answer: Verso

Usable once you max out Verso's Relationship Level with Esquie, Angel Eyes is one of the easier Tier 3 Gradient Attacks to collect, only requiring that you face off against François to collect Esquie's final rock (Urrie, who allows him to dive into the Continent's waters).

This Gradient Attack is able to do extreme amounts of Physical damage to a single enemy, but spread across eight consecutive hits, but where it really excels is in its subsequent effects. Not only will it allow Verso to up his Perfection Level by one tier, but it will apply the Aureole status effect to him, allowing him to revive instantly if he's defeated in battle.

Answer: Lune

Many of Lune's skills pertain to elemental damage and effects, and her first Gradient Attack, Tremor, is no exception, dealing a high amount of Earth damage to all foes in battle in a single blast of energy, providing one Earth Stain in the process. Although this attack may not be as conducive to strong damage or strategic battle setup, it does also have the ability to wipe away all of the enemies' Shields when used, aiding in breaking through defenses.

Answer: Lune

One of the few Gradient Attacks to not necessarily be an offensive skill, Lune's Tree of Life comes into her list once she hits a Level 4 Relationship with Verso at camp. Costing two Gradient Charges, its effect is simple-- it cleanses all Statues Effects retained by the party and heals everyone as a group.

Naturally, if used, it still entitles Lune to another Skill or Item use, making it quite resourceful for its higher cost.

Answer: Lune

Sky Break, like Tremor, will hit all enemies with a single blast, but this one does extreme amounts of damage compared to Lune's typical Skills, and while Tremor is solely Earth damage, Sky Break bases its effect on whatever Elemental Stains Lune possesses the most of at the time of use. Additionally, this attack also has the ability to inflict Break on a foe provided they're close enough to that threshold.

Sky Break can only be learned once Verso brings their Relationship Level to 7, and that will require finding the final resting place of her parents' Expedition at Sirène's Dress.

Answer: Maelle

Similar to Maelle's Sword Ballet Skill, Virtuose Strike makes use of the character's proficiency with her foil weapon, dealing high Physical damage to a single enemy. And just like with Sword Ballet, Virtuose Strike accomplishes this in five consecutive hits, making a pairing of these two techniques particularly devastating to one foe.

The combination of these two abilities is reinforced when Maelle encounters Alicia in The Reacher, part of her relationship sidequest. The boss will use both techniques, back-to-back, to great effect.

Answer: Maelle

When you reach a Level 4 Relationship with Maelle, this unique Gradient Attack will unlock, creating a unique hail Mary that can flip a losing battle into a sustained one. With this attack, costing two Gradient Charges, Maelle can stack four Burn on all enemies remaining in the battle, which may be conducive with your fight strategy as-is.

More interestingly is that the ability will also revive all of your fallen allies without the need for an item, bringing them back with more than half of their health.

Answer: Maelle

Learned at the end of Maelle's Relationship quest chain, Gommage comes about when she's able to tap into her innate abilities as a Paintress, and she makes use of it for the first time, at least outside of the main storyline, when she releases Alicia from the Canvas.

At a cost of three Gradient Charges, Gommage deals extreme Void damage or, otherwise, outright destroys a weaker enemy. To get this added to Maelle's ability list, you'll need to finish The Reacher and Maelle's one-on-one battle there.

Answer: Sciel

Sciel's earliest Gradient Attack, Shadow Bringer attacks with high Dark damage, striking ten times, but to random foes still in the battle, making a scattershot technique to go with, but quite the effective one to employ for late-battle use since it applies 1 Foretell per hit (leading to her 10 point maximum) and helps her move in between phases to inflict more damage on subsequent attacks.

It makes sense, as a result, to pair Shadow Bringer with other high-damage or multi-strike attacks in the same turn.

Answer: Sciel

If you've ever wanted to just lay status effects on thick, Doom is probably one of the strongest options in the game, even if it costs two Gradient Charges to implement in battle. When used, Sciel will strike with a trio of very high Dark attacks on one foe. To boot, these attacks come with a trio of debilitating status effects, specifically Powerless, Defenceless, and Slow. If used on a stronger enemy, like a boss, this could be a massive hinderance that allows you to get the ball rolling with your team.

Answer: Sciel

Sciel's third and final Gradient Attack, learned when you reach Relationship Level 7, is End Slice, an ability she learns by overcoming her fears and expressing her darkest secrets to Verso. With this one, Sciel does a single strike against a foe, dealing extreme Physical damage, but the amount of damage is reliant on the amount of Foretell you've taken in and used over the course of the battle, so the longer this stretches out, the more powerful her attack will be.

It, naturally, requires a lot of control over a tougher party member to manage.

Answer: Monoco

Monoco's first Gradient Attack is pretty basic, hitting a foe twice with a high-damage strike using his regular weapon's capabilities, but where it really shines is in setting Monoco up for subsequent attacks. There are only three Skills that Monoco can obtain in the game that allow him to use the Almighty Mask, and these are obtained by collecting the feet of Sakapatates, Lampmasters, and Duallists. Using Mighty Strike automatically switches Monoco to the Almighty Mask to leverage the extra damage bonus, but naturally, these attacks require a lot of AP to use. Plan it right, and you're dealing extreme damage regularly.

Answer: Monoco

Reaching Relationship Level 4 with Monoco fives you this surprising support ability which, counter to most of Monoco's acquirable Skills, doesn't really do much in the way of harming enemies. Instead, the ability, which costs two Gradient Charges to use, will give two Shields to everyone in your party as well as the Regen status effect, healing them for 10% of their maximum health for the next three turns.

Answer: Monoco

Reaching Relationship Level 7 with Monoco and resurrecting Noco at the Sacred River will bring Monoco to his final Gradient Attack, costing three Gradient Charges, Break Point, and it's unique in that it offers an assured Break effect on the target foe, executing that with a single strike of extreme damage from Monoco's weapon of choice. And this is useful on everything from Mimes and Pètanks, whose defences may be built around this mechanic, to bosses whose strategies shift if their are afflicted with this detrimental effect.