Crash Course
In this Nikke squad building crash course. I will go over all the aspects one should be aware of when putting together a squad in Nikke.
Properties
Rarity (SSR/SR/R)
Like most gacha games, Nikkes come in 3 rarities: SSR, SR and R. Where SSR is the highest rarity, with the best base stats.
In most cases you will want to use a squad made up of entirely SSR Nikkes. The only exception being in the early game where you do not have sufficient SSR Nikkes to make up an effective squad.
(Element) Code
Nikkes have a (Element) Code type. When they attack enemies that are weak to this Code type, the Nikke will have a 10% damage bonus against them.
When building a squad, having Code type advantage is usually a nice-to-have.
Although in saying that, there are raptures and bosses that can only be damaged by Nikkes with the Code type it is weak against.
Union Raid is a good example of this. Something to keep in mind.
Weapon (Type)
The type of weapon a Nikke uses affects more than just the gameplay (when playing manually).
Each weapon type has an attack range that it is most effective in. For example, sniper rifle is most effective for attacking raptures that are far away.
The only weapon type that does not have a range impairment is rocket launcher. Rocket launcher is effective in all ranges - close, mid and far.
For squad building, the biggest thing to think about when it comes to weapon type is the Burst generation.
Though Burst generation isn't strictly linked to a weapon type per se. Nikkes using sniper rifles and rocket launchers tend to have higher Burst generation.
What this means is, a squad with more Nikkes using sniper rifle/rocket launchers will get to Burst faster and more often.
Like Code above, there are times when you will require Nikkes with other weapon types in order to clear the stage/boss.
Raptures with fire-rate gated shields is a good example. You need machine gun Nikkes to break those shields.
Class (Type)
Class in its current state can be ignored completely.
Cinderella is classified as a Defender. Yet, she's one of the best DPS in the game at the writing of this crash course.
Burst (Stage)
Most Nikkes belong to only 1 of the 3 possible Burst Stages (Burst Stage 1, Burst Stage 2, and Burst Stage 3).
The exceptions at the time of writing this crash course are Red Hood, who can trigger Burst in all 3 Burst Stages. And Rapi: Red Hood, who can trigger Burst in Burst Stage 1 and Burst Stage 3 (depending on whether there is an active Burst Stage 1 Nikke in the squad or not).
Burst 1 and Burst 2 Nikkes tend to be focused on support, while Burst 3 is usually focused on DPS output. Though, not always the case, for example, Helm.
The most important thing about Burst is the cooldown of the Burst skill.
For Burst 1 and Burst 2, you want Nikkes with a 20 second Burst cooldown. But like everything, there are exceptions like Rapunzel and Blanc.
Burst 3 Nikkes usually have a 40 second Burst cooldown. So, you will need 2 Burst 3 Nikkes to cycle through Burst without delay.
Skills (Kit)
The skills (kit) of a Nikke is what really makes and breaks a Nikke.
Thankfully, limited Nikkes do not have broken skill kits like in other gacha games. So, those who missed out on the limited collab Nikkes are not crippled in terms of general game progression.
For supporter squad members you want to look for Nikkes with Burst cooldown reduction, attack buffs, shielding and healing.
For the DPS members, it's a bit more straight-forward. You want to look for ones with big damage output numbers/multipliers.
Placement
Slot
You can have up to 5 Nikkes on a squad. There are 5 slots (slot 1 to slot 5). Slot 1 gets filled first, then slot 2 and so forth.
Before the release of Rouge. Placement of Nikkes was only important for those who used auto-Burst.
When using auto-Burst, the game would auto trigger the Burst of the Nikke on the most left (if there was more than 1 Nikke with the same Burst Stage and both are Burst ready).
Front Row/Back Row
On the battlefield, the Nikkes are placed into a front row and a back row.
Slots 1, 3, and 5 are situated in the front row. While slots 2 and 4 are positioned in the back row. See the screenshots below for an example.
Composition
Basics
The most fundamental concept to building an effective squad in Nikke is the squad needs to be able to cycle through Burst without delay.
This is usually achieved with a squad composing of:
- 1x 20 second cooldown Burst 1,
- 1x 20 second cooldown Burst 2,
- and 2x 40 second Burst 3 Nikkes.
For Burst 1 and 2, you want to be looking for Nikkes that have support skills such as squad-wide attack/damage buff, shield generation, Burst skill cooldown reduction and healing.
Burst 3 DPS Nikkes are much easier to enrol. Just look for the ones with the highest damage output (highest damage numbers/multipliers in their skill descriptions).
The last slot is usually filled with another Burst 3 DPS Nikke or a Nikke with passive buff/healing skills such as Rapunzel and Naga.
All Nikkes in the squad should be SSR.
Advanced
After your squad can cycle through Burst without delay. It's time to look into Nikke synergies and placements.
Placement
I won't repeat what I already said in Placement above. But, a few more points to think about:
- auto-Burst is much faster than manual Burst.
- most stages, you want your strongest Burst 3 DPS to trigger first.
- most stages, you would only get to trigger Burst twice.
- in some stages, it is more effective to use an AoE Burst Nikke(s) for first or second Burst.
- Nikkes such as Maiden: Ice Rose need time to build up stacks for Burst to be effective.
- some Nikkes require to be placed in specific slots for their skills to work. Such as Rouge who needs to be in the back row.
Synergy
At the time of writing this crash course, the synergies we see in the game are:
- ammunition capacity. Such as Last Bullet skills seen in Privaty's kit.
- weapon type. Such as Rem's Burst only buffing rocket launcher Nikkes.
- (element) Code. Such as half of Mary: Bay Goddess's kit only applies to Water Code Nikkes.
- crit (critical damage). Such as Volume's kit buffing crit rate and damage.
- HP. Such as 2B's kit scaling off her Max HP.
- Distributed Damage. Such as Dorothy and Elegg.
- Single Target. Such as Miranda and Snow White.
Burst Generation
Burst generation is not just for PVP. Burst generation also plays a big role in PVE.
The bulk of a squad's damage capability is locked behind Burst. So it is critical to be able to reach Burst as quickly as possible.
Therefore, it is recommended to have at least 1 sniper rifle or rocket launcher on the squad. 2 would be better. And Nikkes with the support role (such as Liter), should use the Quantum Cube to further help with Burst generation.
Single Target
Some of the stages and game modes such as Union Raid, Solo Raid, and Special Intercept; only have one enemy rapture to deal with.
For these particular stages and game modes, you could consider building a squad around the Single Target synergy.
Optimal Squad
Putting it altogether.
To build an optimal squad, you need the squad to be able to cycle through Burst without delay and take into account the squad members' synergies, role, and placement.
At the time of writing this crash course, an optimal squad should include the following:
- 1x 20 second cooldown Burst 1 Support Nikke. Such as Liter.
- 1x 20 second cooldown Burst 2 Support Nikke. Such as Crown.
- 2x 40 second cooldown Burst 3 DPS Nikkes. Such as Cinderella and Scarlet: Black Shadow.
- 1x Nikke that will complement/enchance the rest of the squad passively. Such as Naga or Rapunzel.
- 1x Nikke in the squad is a healer.
- 1x Nikke in the squad who can recover Cover HP.
- Burst 1 and Burst 2 Nikkes should focus on providing support buffs.
- 1x Nikke with skill to reduce the squad's Burst cooldown.
- 1-2x sniper rifle/rocket launcher users.
- 1x Nikke in the squad who could generate shields for the squad.
- The Nikkes in the squad should synergise well together.
- The support Nikkes on the squad should also buff Attack Damage.
If you do not have the Nikkes to build such a squad. The main features to focus on are:
- 1x Nikke with skill to reduce the squad's Burst cooldown.
- The support Nikkes on the squad should also buff Attack Damage.
- 1x Nikke in the squad is a healer.
Example
Now that you have a clear idea of what a good squad encompasses. Let's take a look at an example squad - the suggested starter squad.
The suggested starter squad is composed of:
- N102 - a 20 second cooldown Burst 1, Attack Buffer. (support)
- Anis - a 20 second cooldown Burst 2, Defense Buffer. (support)
- Rapi - a 40 second cooldown Burst 3, DPS.
- Mihara - a 40 second cooldown Burst 3, DPS.
- Belorta - a 20 second cooldown Burst 2, Charge Speed Buffer. (support)
The first thing you will notice is that Belorta has an extra flex label.
This flex label means that Belorta is not part of the core squad composition and can be replaced with any other Nikke. Think of her as an extra nice-to-have on the squad.
In saying that, if there were 2 or more flex labels in a squad suggestion. You will need to ensure the replacements do not break the Burst chain.
Breaking down the squad composition, we can see:
- The squad can cycle through Burst without delay.
- The squad contains 2 Burst 3 DPS Nikkes.
- Rapi who is the better of the 2 Burst 3 DPS Nikkes is placed in a slot before Mihara.
- Anis who is the better Burst 2 is placed before Belorta.
There you have it. That's all there is to composing an effective squad in Nikke.