Understand Alley Hunter
Useful when…
- Consider it for a bow wielder who contributes damage while off-field and spends relatively little time on-field.
- Use its passive as a reason to check the wielder’s field time: long on-field stretches progressively reduce the built-up bonus.
How does the off-field bonus work?
While the wielder is in the party but not on the field, their DMG bonus builds each second. At refinement 1 it rises by 2% per second to a 20% maximum; at refinement 5 it rises by 4% per second to a 40% maximum. Once the wielder has been on-field for more than four seconds, the bonus begins to fall each second, at 4% per second at refinement 1 or 8% at refinement 5, until it reaches zero.
Who makes practical use of it?
The passive benefits a damage contributor whose useful attacks can occur after switching away, since it applies while that character is off-field. The listed effect does not name an attack type, so it is not restricted to a particular mode of damage. Amos’ Bow instead names Normal and Charged Attack DMG and further scales damage with arrow flight time, so that alternative’s condition is tied to those attacks rather than off-field time. Aqua Simulacra provides a DMG increase when opponents are nearby and explicitly works on- or off-field; it has a different nearby-opponent condition and a CRIT DMG secondary stat.
How much should you invest?
Ascension improves the weapon’s level and base stats. Refinement raises the passive’s build rate and maximum, but also makes it drain faster during extended on-field time. Each refinement consumes another Alley Hunter copy, so the improvement is most relevant if the wielder’s off-field damage makes this a continuing weapon choice.
What to watch during play
The maximum bonus requires time off-field to build, and it is not retained indefinitely through long on-field stretches. Do not treat the four-second mark as the start of the effect: the listed decrease begins when the wielder has been on-field for more than four seconds. The passive describes a DMG bonus, not an ATK increase.
Limitations and tradeoffs
- The passive needs off-field time to build and loses value during extended on-field time.
- The weapon has ATK as its secondary stat, while Aqua Simulacra instead has CRIT DMG and a nearby-opponent condition.
- Refinement raises both the maximum bonus and the rate at which it decays on-field.
Common mistakes to avoid
- Do not expect the maximum passive bonus immediately after swapping to the wielder; it builds while they are off-field.
- Do not overlook the decay after more than four seconds on-field.
- Do not confuse the general DMG increase with an ATK increase.