Adler Build Guide

Adler is a cost-effective A-rarity Shield Buffer who contributes on two axes simultaneously: absorbing damage through shields and applying Incantation DoT that feeds reactions in Scorch and Discord compositions. While he sits at T2 (below the dedicated S-rarity buffers like Sakiri), his A-rarity means lower pull cost and easier duplication for awakenings, making him accessible to virtually every player.

How to Play

Adler’s primary function is maintaining shield coverage for the active character while passively applying Incantation debuffs through his skill kit. The combination means he earns his team slot as both a survival tool and a reaction enabler — two things most A-rarity characters cannot do simultaneously.

Shield mechanics:

• A6 extends shield duration from 8 seconds to 12 seconds — a 50% improvement in uptime
• A4 absorbs 50% of damage that would overflow the shield into Adler’s HP, preventing sudden breaks on burst damage
• A1 smooths the rotation for deploying shields without losing DPS character field time

Without awakenings, Adler’s shields provide decent coverage but require frequent refreshing. With A1 and A6, shield uptime reaches a level where your DPS can stay on-field through most boss attack patterns without manually dodging.

Awakening priority:

Node	Effect	Priority
A1	Rotation polish — speeds shield reactivation	Mandatory first
A6	Shield duration 8s → 12s	Mandatory second
A3	Incantation DoT enhancement	Third
A5	Additional defensive improvement	Fourth
A4	Absorbs 50% overflow damage	Fifth (valuable but lower priority)
A2	Incremental skill improvement	Last

A1 + A6 is the complete package for shield uptime. Prioritize these two nodes before investing elsewhere. A4’s overflow absorption is a significant quality-of-life improvement for Baicang teams specifically, as it prevents Baicang from being instantly killed during the self-damage phase if an enemy attacks simultaneously.

Arc: Use any Incantation/Synthesis Arc that has a Shield-buff or HP% sub-stat. Adler does not have a signature Arc, so standard banner pulls provide his best-in-slot. Prioritize HP% and Incantation DMG% as secondary stats.

Stat priority explained:

• HP% first — shield strength scales with Adler’s max HP
• Incantation DMG% second — improves his DoT ticks that trigger reactions
• ATK% third — minor contribution to skill damage

Endgame HP target: 30,000+. Below this, Adler’s shields feel thin in high-difficulty content.

Best Teams

Adler is uniquely versatile — he appears in four different team archetypes, which is exceptional for an A-rarity character:

F2P Starter: Adler / Esper Zero / Haniel / Mint. Adler provides the shield coverage that lets low-investment characters (Mint, Esper Zero) stay on-field longer without spending resources on healers. See Mint’s build and Haniel’s build for the other slots.

Bossing: Adler / Nanally / Sakiri / Daffodill (replacing Fadia when you want more offensive support over raw Tank HP). Adler’s shields cover incidental damage that interrupts Daffodill’s aerial plunge combo. Compare this slot against Fadia’s build to decide between Tank and Shield Buffer based on the specific boss fight.

Discord Control: Adler / Nanally / Daffodill / Sakiri. Adler’s Incantation DoT is specifically valuable here — it extends the Discord reaction duration when combined with Daffodill’s Chaos damage. The Discord reaction requires Chaos + Incantation element interaction, and Adler provides the Incantation source when Baicang is not in the team.

Scorch DoT: Adler / Baicang / Sakiri / Jiuyuan. This is Adler’s most specialized role. His shield prevents Baicang from dying during the execute phase (below 5% HP). The A4 overflow absorption is particularly valuable here — see Baicang’s build for the execute mechanic details.

Full rotation guides for all four comps are available at /teams/.

Worth Pulling?

Adler is an A-rarity standard banner character, meaning you will likely pull him naturally while drawing for S-rarity characters. Each duplicate goes toward his Awakening nodes, so even “failed” pulls contribute.

The cost-effectiveness argument for Adler is strong: he achieves most of his value at A1 + A6, which are attainable through standard banner pulls without targeted spending. Compare this to S-rarity supports who require featured banner pulls at 160 Annulith each for similar shield/support value.

The main limitation is that Adler is outclassed by S-rarity alternatives at high awakening levels. Once you have access to Fadia (Tank) and Sakiri (buffer), Adler slides into a “good fourth slot” role rather than a primary support. His value is highest in F2P and low-spend accounts.

Check the tier list for how he compares to other supports and see the teams guide for exactly which comp benefits most from his shield-plus-DoT double contribution.