Understand Prototype Rancour
Useful when…
- A sword user whose damage comes substantially from Normal or Charged Attacks.
- A sustained on-field attacker who can keep hitting often enough to build and maintain stacks.
How its effect builds
On a Normal or Charged Attack hit, Rancour grants ATK and DEF for 6 seconds. At Refinement 1, each trigger grants 4%, up to 4 stacks; the effect can trigger once every 0.3 seconds. Continuous attacks can therefore build the bonus to 16% ATK and DEF at R1. Higher refinements raise each stack to 8% at R5, for up to 32% of each stat. The weapon also has a Physical DMG Bonus secondary stat, so its profile fits a wielder whose relevant damage is Physical.
When to consider it
Consider Rancour for a sword wielder who spends time attacking on field and whose damage benefits from Physical DMG Bonus. The stack trigger is specifically tied to Normal and Charged Attack hits; Skill or Burst use alone does not build the effect. The DEF stacks are a secondary benefit, while the offensive case depends on the character making use of the weapon’s Physical-oriented profile.
Investment and alternatives
Weapon ascension raises the weapon through stages 0–6; refinement raises the effect from R1 to R5. Refining requires another Rancour copy and Mora, so weigh the per-stack increase against keeping a spare copy. Amenoma Kageuchi has ATK as its secondary stat and instead creates Succession Seeds after Skill use, then restores Energy after a Burst; it suits a different trigger pattern. Aquila Favonia has a higher listed Base ATK and Physical DMG Bonus, plus an ATK increase and an effect triggered by taking damage, but it is a 5-star comparison rather than an automatic replacement.
Practical limitation
Do not expect Rancour’s stacks to build from a Skill or Burst animation by itself: the listed trigger requires a Normal or Charged Attack to hit. A wielder who leaves the field or stops landing those hits will not maintain the weapon’s full stacked bonus.
Limitations and tradeoffs
- Its Physical DMG Bonus and stacking effect favor a particular damage pattern rather than every sword user.
- Refinement consumes duplicate copies, while the trigger requires repeated Normal or Charged Attack hits.
Common mistakes to avoid
- Assuming Skill or Burst use builds stacks without a Normal or Charged Attack hit.
- Treating the Physical DMG Bonus as equally useful to a wielder focused on other damage types.