Nero Claudius

Nero is among a number of 4*s who find themselves stuck at decent performance. They’re not particularly bad, yet they don’t exactly perform amazingly either. These SRs are usually torn by their SR costs and rarity. With a lack of both access to NP5 and stats high enough to deal relevant damage, it makes investing in them less favorable, leaving them in the dust. Still, even with that said, Nero is still among of the better ones in this group, as she finds herself a role that is reliable enough for her to find some time to shine.

• Great potential for survival due to her skillset
• Although chance-based, she has potential to buff her DEF and ATK by 44%
• Has 2 skills that can heal her for a total of 5400HP
• Has a 3-time Guts skill

• Very weak NP damage, even with her ATK buff
• 3rd skill’s cooldown time is extremely long
• Overall offense and survival relies on a 60% chance
• NP’s DEF down debuff lasts only for 1 turn

As stated earlier, Nero is among a number of SRs ingame that find themselves caught in a conflict of design. A large number of these SRs are outdated too, which makes them even more unsatisfactory for most players. That said, Nero finds herself a niche that she fulfills decently well--- a survivalist.

Nero’s entire kit is geared towards being able to last for long amounts of time, and since people end up meeting a last-man-standing scenario more often than they’d wish, it gives her a sizable niche that she’s able to answer well enough. Her kit allows her to stall last-man-standing scenarios for a good amount of time because of her ability to revive multiple times, which works in a similar idea to tactics that depend on Heracles and his bond CE. If your Servant is the only one left in the field, a revive will stop an enemy’s attack--- this is the reason why Heracles Bond CE solos are so popular, as he is able to survive for a number of turns equal to his revives. Paired with his affinity as a Berserker, he’s able to dish out a large amount of damage within the window his revives provide. The same applies to Nero, with her 3rd skill giving her the ability to survive for three full turns. As an Arts Servant she’s also able to charge her NP fast enough to spike her damage slightly, and with her other 2 skills she’s able to heal herself for an amount close to 6000HP overall, which can let her take at least a few more hits, providing one last window for her to take down the enemy.

Now that seems to be fine and all, but there lies a few problems. One of which is the fact that there is less of a need for 1-man solos, as most of the time the game is more easily cleared through reliable 3-man cells. While there are content that have been finished quicker through such scenarios, the main problem lies within the fact that unlike Heracles, Nero survives for a less amount of time and deals less damage overall as well. Heracles’ affinity as a Berserker and larger amount of revives makes him more reliable in taking down the enemy before his lives run out. On the other hand, Nero deals extremely little damage on an AoE NP, and relies on a 60% chance to boost her ATK damage.

That said, Nero isn’t exactly terrible, and her Arts affinity does allow her to function well even outside of last-man-standing scenarios. In normal scenarios she’s able to act as a somewhat decent wave-clearer, and one with good survivability to boast. However, she’s still not amazing in any way, as her problem with damage still persists. There’s also the issue of having competition with lower rarities like Fergus, who can both hit and survive as Nero can in normal 3-man team scenarios, and for less dependence on chance.

All in all, Nero is a decent option, but not the best.

Laus Saint Claudius does a sad amount of damage on her NP at NP1, hitting all targets for a meager amount of 14419. In case her Imperial Privilege hits, her damage jumps to 20764, which is rather decent enough, although by chance. The secondary effect grants a 20% DEF down to all enemies for a turn. The short duration honestly leaves a lot to be desired, as it can’t really be used outside of NP brave chains.

An increase in Arts performance allows Nero to charge her NP faster on her Arts cards, which can boost her overall damage through NP spam. It also provides a buff that multiplies with her ATK up and DEF down, further boosting her damage.

NP damage up CEs scale higher than Card ups, which would let Nero’s NP deal more damage without relying on her chance-based buff. In the case her ATK up does procc, it multiplies with her large ATk up to boost her NP damage to something more satisfactory.

Deals damage that ignores defense to all enemies.
[Overcharge]Reduces the defense of all enemies for 1 turn.

Deals damage that ignores defense to all enemies.
[Overcharge]Reduces the defense of all enemies for 1 turn.

Migraine B / Cooldown: 7-5
Increase Mental Debuff Resistance (3 turns)
Restore HP

A rather nice skill to have, it heals for 2000HP at max level. The short CD on it makes it rather reliable as a small burst heal. Mental Debuff Resistance is rather niche as a buff, but it does max out at 100% resistance at level 10, making it reliable enough in case one needs it. It also helps shield Nero from getting disabled during last-man-standing scenarios, where getting stunned or charmed would lead to possible loss.

Imperial Privilege EX / Cooldown: 7-5
60% chance to increase ATK (3 turns)
60% chance to increase DEF (3 turns)
Restore HP

This skill provides most of Nero’s potential to extend her life and increase her offensive output, giving her a decent chance to boost her ATK and DEF by a whopping 40%. The buffs benefit her rather well--- Her ATK buff can be of great help to her Buster hits and NP braves, and the DEF up can enable her to take a good amount of hits before going down. The skill also comes with a large heal, which when paired with her 1st skill, can further extend her life.

Invictus Spiritus A / Cooldown: 12-10
Apply Guts (3 times, 5 turns)

This skill is the pinnacle of Nero’s potential for survival--- a 3 time revive for 5 turns allows her a small window to finish off an enemy during last-man-standing scenarios, and in normal team setups it can give her a time to recharge her heal skills, which can potentially bring her from imminent death to half health. Sadly, with it’s long cooldown it isn’t exactly something most would be able to use more than once in a fight.

Skill Priority: 2/3/1

Available from the start
Increases own mental debuff resistance for 3 turns.
Recovers own HP.

Unlocks after 1st Ascension
Recovers own HP.
60% Chance of increasing own attack for 3 turns.
60% Chance of increasing own defense for 3 turns.

Unlocks after 3rd Interlude
Grants self guts status for 5 turns, 3 times.

Nero’s QAABB deck is a great fit for her Having 2 Arts allows her to charge her NP gauge decently well, and having 2 Busters lets her do a good amount of damage overall. It’s not much, but it does help mitigate the lack of damage her NP does by allowing her to charge it fast and by hitting well on her normal cards.

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