Archer is a FREE-TO-OBTAIN five-star Quantum DPS following the Path of The Hunt. As a hypercarry single-target damage dealer, Archer excels at bursting down priority enemies with swift, high-impact attacks. In general endgame content – Forgotten Hall, Simulated Universe, and Memory of Chaos – his performance hinges on heavy Skill usage and strong team support. Archer’s playstyle is fast and aggressive, trading high damage output for extreme Skill Point (SP) consumption. This means he thrives with teammates who either generate extra SP or have low SP demand. Notably, Archer pairs great with Sparkle (a support who can generate SP for the squad) to sustain his Skill-spam rotations.
Being a Quantum Hunt character similar to Seele, Archer is expected to shine in single-target scenarios – quickly eliminating elites and bosses – while Quantum’s break effect (delayed turn) provides crowd-control utility. Unlike Seele who gains extra turns on kills, Archer relies on raw damage and self-buffs from his kit (e.g. an enhanced skill mode via his Ultimate) instead of reset mechanics. This guide will cover the best builds for maximizing Archer’s DPS, including recommended Light Cones, Relics, stats, traces, skill leveling order, and team comps, as well as comparisons with other five-star Hunt characters in terms of synergy and utility.
Best Light Cones for Archer:
Choosing an optimal Light Cone is vital to boost Archer’s crit stats and damage. His best options are the same top Light Cones used by other Hunt DPS, with a focus on Crit Rate, Crit DMG, and ATK buffs:
The Hell Where Ideals Burn (5★) – Signature / Best-in-slot
Increases the wearer's CRIT Rate by 16% / 20% / 24% / 28% / 32% . When entering battle, when the max limit of allies' Skill Points is greater than or equal to 6, increases wearer's ATK by 40% / 50% / 60% / 70% / 80% . After the wearer uses a Skill, increases their ATK by 10% / 12.5% / 15% / 17.5% / 20% , stacking up to 4 time(s).
See You at the End (4★) - NEW Battle Pass Light Cone
Increases the wearer's CRIT DMG by 24% / 28% / 32% / 36% / 40% and increases DMG dealt by the wearer's Skill and Follow-up ATK by 24% / 28% / 32% / 36% / 40%.
In the Night (5★) – 5★ Alternative
Enormously boosts Crit Rate and grants stacking buffs to Basic ATK/Skill DMG and Ultimate Crit DMG based on Speed. Archer benefits greatly if he can reach the SPD thresholds (which he can via relics or team buffs), making this LC his top alternative choice.
Cruising in the Stellar Sea (5★) – Great F2P Option
Provides high Crit Rate and increases ATK on defeating an enemy. This suits Archer well in multi-wave content (kill an add to trigger the ATK boost) and even in boss fights (grants a buff when the boss’s HP falls below 50%).
Sleep Like the Dead (5★) – Great Option if you have it
Grants a large Crit DMG boost and a conditional Crit Rate increase if Archer’s attack doesn’t crit. Although the passive is situational, the high base stats and Crit DMG make it a strong pick, especially if Archer’s Crit Rate is already high.
Swordplay (4★) – Good vs Bosses
Each hit on the same target increases Archer’s damage (stacking up to 5 times). Ideal for prolonged single-target fights; Archer’s continuous Skill spam will rapidly stack this effect. Swordplay rivals some 5★ options if Archer stays on one enemy (e.g. Memory of Chaos bosses).
Only Silence Remains (4★) – Good General DPS
Increases ATK and Crit Rate when there are ≤2 enemies on the field. This condition is usually met in boss battles or final waves, providing a consistent damage boost. A simple and effective 4★ choice for general content.
River Flows in Spring (4★) – Niche Option
Increases Speed and Damage when the wearer is not hit in combat. If Archer is protected by a tank or shield (to avoid losing the buff) this cone grants extra SPD (helpful for turn advantage) and some damage%. It’s a decent alternative if you need more Speed, though the above options typically yield higher damage.
Best Relics and Planar Ornaments:
Building Archer’s relic sets is about amplifying his Quantum damage and burst potential. The recommended sets are:
Main Relic Set (4-piece): Genius of Brilliant Stars – BiS for Quantum DPS. This 4★ relic set increases Quantum DMG by 10% (2pc) and lets the wearer ignore 10% DEF of enemies weak to Quantum (4pc). For Archer, who deals pure Quantum damage, this set provides a significant damage boost, especially against Quantum-weak targets (common in endgame content). The DEF ignore effectively amplifies his single-target damage output. Genius of Brilliant Stars is the same set used by Seele for maximum Quantum DPS.
Alternative Relic Set (4-piece): Hunter of Genius / Scholar of Erudition – Some relic sets provide Crit Rate and increased Skill/Ultimate damage. For example, Scholar Lost in Erudition is noted as a strong second-best, granting Crit Rate and boosting Skill/Ult DMG. Archer’s kit revolves around heavy Skill usage, such a set could be nearly as good as Brilliant Stars. However, until you have a full set, you can temporarily mix 2-piece sets:
2p Genius of Brilliant Stars + 2p Musketeer of Wild Wheat – This combo gives +10% Quantum DMG and +12% ATK, a decent early setup before you farm the 4pc Genius set.
Musketeer of Wild Wheat 4p – As a stopgap, Musketeer’s 4p (ATK% + Speed + Basic ATK DMG) is a generalist set that can boost Archer’s damage while you grind for better relics.
Planar Ornament (2-piece): Rutilant Arena – Best damage ornament. This set gives +8% Crit Rate and increases Basic ATK and Skill damage by 20% when the wearer’s Crit Rate ≥70%. Rutilant Arena is ideal for Archer’s playstyle since a large portion of his damage comes from spamming Skill attacks. If you can get Archer’s Crit Rate to ~70% or higher, this ornament provides a massive boost to his sustained DPS. (High Crit Rate is achievable through substats, Light Cone, and possibly team buffs.)
Alternative Ornaments: If you cannot meet Rutilant’s 70% Crit Rate threshold yet, consider:
Space Sealing Station – Increases ATK% by 12%, and a further +12% ATK when Speed ≥120. This is a reliable boost with a relatively easy condition (120 SPD is attainable with boots and minor buffs). It’s a solid fallback that "increases damage without hard requirements".
Inert Salsotto – +8% Crit Rate, and if Crit Rate ≥50%, increases Ultimate and follow-up attack DMG by 15%. This helps Archer’s Ultimate hits harder. (Archer’s Ultimate creates a powered-up state and does follow-up attacks, Salsotto is useful, but generally Rutilant’s buff to Skill is more impactful.)
Celestial Differentiator – +8% Crit Rate, and if Crit Rate ≥80%, the wearer’s first attack in battle deals +20-40% Crit DMG (scaling by level). This ornament is very situational – it provides a big nuke on the first hit (useful for one-turn kills or short fights). In lengthy fights, its benefit is largely limited to the opener. Use it only if you have exceptionally high Crit Rate and want to maximize an opening alpha strike.
Relic Main Stats: Focus on offensive stats to maximize damage:
Body (Chest): Crit Rate or Crit DMG. Aim for Crit Rate unless you’ve already exceeded ~70% via other means. A high Crit Rate chest helps achieve Rutilant’s requirement and ensures Archer’s big hits land critically. If Crit Rate is already very high (with substats and buffs), a Crit DMG main can be considered for higher damage ceiling.
Feet (Boots): Speed. Speed boots are recommended to help Archer take more turns and reach key SPD breakpoints. As a Hunt character, acting faster means more skill uses and higher overall DPS. A baseline to hit is 120+ SPD (to benefit from Speed-based buffs like Space Station and to outspeed many enemies). Advanced players often push DPS to ~134 SPD or higher to potentially double-turn slower bosses and synergize with support turn orders. Only consider ATK% boots if you comfortably meet all necessary SPD thresholds via other buffs and want to squeeze out more damage (even then, SPD is usually superior in practice).
Planar Sphere: Quantum DMG%. This boosts all of Archer’s damage. A sphere with Quantum Damage is essentially required for a quantum DPS like Archer, as it scales better than ATK% in this slot.
Link Rope: ATK%. Maximizing Attack increases the base for all his damage calculations. In rare cases, a Energy Regeneration% rope might be used if Archer’s Ultimate is exceptionally impactful and you need it up more often – but generally ATK% rope is standard for Hunt DPS. (Archer’s kit revolves more around spammable Skill damage, so ATK% rope will give consistent benefit.)
Substat Priorities: Prioritize stats in roughly this order:
Crit Rate / Crit DMG – Build towards an optimal 1:2 ratio (e.g. 70% Crit Rate and ~140%+ Crit DMG) for balanced, high crit output. Crit stats are crucial to scale all of Archer’s damage.
ATK% – Boosts his attack, especially valuable after crit stats. Stacking ATK% on substats (plus mainstats) will significantly increase his skill and ult damage.
Speed – Any extra Speed beyond boots helps Archer act sooner and more often. Hitting certain SPD breakpoints can let him take additional turns within enemy cycles, which is invaluable in turn-based combat. After reaching ~120-134 SPD (including boots), additional SPD has somewhat diminished returns, so focus more on offensive stats once you’re comfortably fast.
Recommended Endgame Stat Thresholds
For a fully built Archer at endgame, try to hit the following stat targets for optimal performance:
Crit Rate: 70% (or higher) – This ensures a consistent crit output and activates the full effect of Rutilant Arena’s buff. With ~70% base crit, external buffs (e.g. Bronya’s Crit DMG or crit bonuses from traces) can push him near 100% effective crit rate in combat.
Crit DMG: 150%+ – Aim for at least double your Crit Rate in Crit DMG (the classic 1:2 ratio). Top builds can reach ~170-200% Crit DMG. This stat directly scales the damage of Archer’s huge skill and ultimate multipliers. Crit DMG is abundant on substats and Light Cones like Sleep Like the Dead, so take advantage of those.
ATK: 2500+ total (with gear) – Archer’s base ATK will be in the 600-700 range at level 80, and his Light Cone adds 500-600. With a good ATK% rope and substats, reaching 2500 total ATK is a realistic endgame benchmark. This high attack, combined with his crits, will amplify every hit he deals. In percentage terms, try to get +100% ATK or more from relics (for example, an ATK% rope (~50%), minor traces, and substats contribute to this).
Speed: 120 (minimum); 134+ (optimal) – At least 120 SPD is recommended so that Archer benefits from common Speed-based buffs and isn’t lapped by enemies. Around 134 SPD is a notable breakpoint where, in certain scenarios, Archer can act twice before some slower enemies act once (especially if coupled with allies like Bronya or with Quantum slow on enemies). The exact ideal Speed can vary by team comp, but generally faster = better for a Hunt DPS. Don’t sacrifice too much Crit/ATK for excessive Speed, but do try to reach these key thresholds with your boots and substats.
Energy Regen: Situational – Not a primary stat for Archer, but if you plan to use an Energy rope, note that his Ultimate should ideally be up for every tough wave or boss phase. Generally, team supports or passive regen (from certain Blessings in SU, etc.) can cover this. Most players won’t build ER% on a Hunt DPS unless his ultimate uptime proves crucial.
These thresholds are guidelines for a well-rounded build. In practice, prioritize Crit Rate to ~70%, then pump Crit DMG and ATK. Speed to 120+ via boots is usually enough; extra Speed is a luxury for those chasing record clears or perfect 0 cycles in MoC. Remember that buffs (e.g. Tingyun’s ATK buff, Bronya’s turn advances, Pela’s DEF down on enemies) effectively raise your damage output as well, so consider team support when evaluating your stats.
Major Traces Priority:
- Projection Magecraft:
When Archer is on the field, increases the maximum Skill Point limit by 1.
- Hero of Justice:
When Archer enters battle, gains 1 Charge.
- Guardian:
After allies gain a Skill Point, if there are 4 Skill Points or more, increases Archer's CRIT DMG by 60% for 1 turns.
Skill Priority:
Archer’s kit consists of four abilities: Basic Attack, Skill, Ultimate, and Talent (plus Technique, which doesn’t level up). To maximize his damage output efficiently, prioritize leveling his abilities in this order:
Skill (Caladbolg: Fake Spiral Sword) – Highest Priority: Archer’s Skill will be his main damage-dealing ability used every turn (given his SP-heavy style). Leveling the Skill increases its damage multiplier significantly, directly boosting his DPS each turn. Archer is designed for high aggression and is a Skill Point burning machine, meaning his Skill has a high multiplier or special effect justifying the heavy SP use – max it first to capitalize on that.
Ultimate (Unlimited Blade Works) – Highest Priority (tie): Archer’s Ultimate is a powerful burst. Leveling the Ultimate will increase the damage of that big hit. This will be his highest single-hit damage. Maximize Ultimate alongside Skill – both should reach level 10 eventually. Early on, you might alternate skill and ult leveling to keep them roughly equal, since both contribute heavily to DPS.
Talent (Mind's Eye (True)) – Secondary Priority: Archer’s Talent is a passive that grants extra effects during combat (a follow-up attack and skill point regeneration). The damage increase from leveling the talent is usually indirect or conditional. You should definitely invest in Archer’s Talent after skill/ult, because it is core to his play style since it provides follow-up attacks. Archer’s Talent gives a follow-up attack, so raising it will improve his overall DPS notably. Level it to 8–10 once Skill and Ult are maxed or at least high level.
Basic Attack (Kanshou and Bakuya)– Lowest Priority: In an ideal rotation, Archer will rarely use his Basic ATK (only when you are completely out of SP). Since his kit and team are built to funnel SP into his Skill, the Basic should be a last resort. Thus, it’s fine to leave the Basic Attack at a lower level initially. Level it up after the other abilities are done – or at least bring it to a moderate level if resources allow, to slightly improve those occasional no-SP turns. But do not prioritize it over his Skill, Ult, or Talent, as it contributes the least to his damage output.
Summary: Max Skill and Ultimate (they are your damage pillars), then Talent (to empower his follow up attacks), and Basic last. This order ensures you get the most bang for your materials, turning Archer into a lethal single-target nuker as early as possible.
Team Compositions and Synergy
Archer is a classic hypercarry, meaning he performs best when supported by buffers, debuffers, and sustain units that enable him to deal maximum damage every turn. Given his heavy SP consumption, team synergy is crucial to keep him effective. Here are some of Archer’s best team compositions and support options:
Archer + SP Generator + Buffer + Healer/Shield: This is a general template for Archer teams. Archer will hog SP for his Skills, so include at least one unit who helps manage SP economy or doesn’t use much SP.
Archer / Sparkle / Sunday / Hyacine (BiS) - Sparkle provides SP with her ultimate, Sunday provides SP with his light cone, and Hyacine rarely uses her skill. Huohuo can be used to get Archer's ultimate quickly.
Archer / Bronya / Sparkle / Luocha – Bronya provides huge damage buffs (Crit DMG, ATK) and extra turns for Archer with her Skill (she can effectively let Archer act back-to-back) – though note Bronya herself will consume 1 SP on her turn. Sparkle is a Harmony support known to generate extra Skill Points for the team, which directly addresses Archer’s weakness. With Sparkle feeding SP, Archer can spam Skills continuously without starving the team. Luocha (or any healer like Hyacine/Lingsha/Gallagher) keeps the team alive; Luocha in particular heals without using Skill Points once his field is up, which is perfect for an SP-tight comp. This team offers ATK/Crit buffs, SP sustain, and healing – everything Archer needs to unleash his full potential each turn.
Mono Quantum: Archer / Silver Wolf / Quantum Flex / Quantum Sustain – Silver Wolf is a tremendous enabler for Quantum DPS. She can inflict Quantum Weakness on enemies that aren’t naturally weak to it, ensuring Archer always benefits from the DEF-ignoring effect of Genius of Brilliant Stars set. She also reduces enemy DEF and can implant other debuffs, increasing Archer’s damage output. Since Silver Wolf’s Skill uses SP, pair her with a low-SP support or an SP-positive unit. The remaining two slots can be a buffer (Cipher), a follow-up attacker (Jade), a SP generator (Sparkle), the GOAT (Tribbie) and a sustain (Fu Xuan or Lynx).
Best F2P BiS: Archer / Ruan Mei / RMC / Gallagher - Ruan Mei is free to obtain and provides universal support to Archer, RMC provides True Damage to Archer, and Gallagher is the best free-to-play healer who was given for free.
F2P Flex options: Tingyun is a 4★ Harmony who buffs ATK and regenerates energy; crucially she doesn’t need to spam her skill every turn after applying her ATK buff (she can basic to conserve SP). Asta can boost SPD team-wide (helping Archer get more turns) and ATK; she needs to build up stacks but can then mostly basic attack
Additional Synergy Notes: Archer’s reliance on Skills means turn manipulation is incredibly valuable:
Bronya/Sunday/Sparkle can advance Archer’s turn and buff him, essentially letting him attack again immediately – perfect to extend buffs or quickly capitalize on a break.
In summary, surround Archer with allies that amplify his damage and cover his weaknesses. He needs:
Offensive buffs (ATK, Crit DMG, SPD) – from Harmony units (Bronya, Tingyun, Sunday, Asta).
Enemy debuffs (DEF shred, Vulnerability) – from Nihility supports (Silver Wolf, Pela).
SP management – either supports who can generate SP (Sparkle) or ones that don’t consume much (Tingyun after buff, Luocha’s healing, etc.).
Survivability – a Preservation shielder or Abundance healer to keep him alive in tough content, since Archer has minimal defensive utility himself.
With the right team, Archer can be the centerpiece that delivers massive quantum damage every turn, trivializing single-target encounters and contributing meaningfully even in multi-target fights (especially if his Ultimate provides some AoE damage for wave clear).
To conclude, Archer is a powerful single-target specialist whose value scales with the support invested in him. He might not bring fancy debuffs or team buffs himself, but in endgame content like Memory of Chaos, that’s exactly the kind of character you want. Build him with the recommendations above, pair him with a compatible team, and Archer will serve as justice’s steadfast companion on your account, cutting down even the toughest foes with ease.
