Meta Naito
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17 Min read Black Swan is a wind AoE DoT DPS that also provides debuffing capabilities with her DEF shred. She has a unique mechanic called “Arcana”, which requires stacking from other teammates who also have DoTs before the enemy turn comes. She is our 2nd limited nihility unit specialized for DoT, and synergizes well with Kafka.
With the limited support DoT characters have received compared to FUA or break comps, DoTs have seen a stagnation in their potential recently. However, they are still more than capable of clearing all the content for endgame and provide a different style of gameplay as you see your enemies melt on their turn and from placing all the hazards on them, compared to your traditional DPS.
Black Swan originally released in Version 2.0 and her banner ran from February 6, 2024 to February 29, 2024. Her latest rerun took place in the first half of Version 2.5, which released on September 9th, 2024 and lasted until October 2nd, 2024.
Black Swan’s kit when you first look at it can be overwhelming, especially with the lengthy paragraphs for each description. However much of it breaks down to understanding Arcana, a unique DoT Black Swan possesses.
Arcana is a unique DoT that is also treated as a wind shear. Arcana becomes more powerful for each stack, starting at 240% of Swan’s Attack, and increasing by 12% for each stack, maxing out at 50 stacks. Arcana’s stacks only last until the enemy’s turn, then resets back to 1. On the enemy’s turn, Arcana triggers different effects depending on how many stacks you have. At 3 stacks, Arcana in addition to her main target damage, deals 180% to adjacent targets, and can inflict 1 stack. At 7 stacks, Arcana gives 20% DEF shred to the current DoT. Note that this only applies to Swan, so someone like Kafka won’t be able to benefit from these effects.
There are three ways to stack Arcana; using her basic attack and skill, triggering DoTs on enemies out of turn from your teammates, and when enemies take damage from DoTs. In short, we want to trigger and apply as many DoTs as possible before the enemy’s turn to maximize our Arcana damage.
Black Swan’s basic attack is quite important. The damage it does is not important and also unsubstantial. It gives you a stack of Arcana and has a 65% base chance of applying another Arcana for every type of DoT type, namely Wind Shear, Bleed, Burn, or Shock. Her skill is a blast attack that applies Arcana on every enemy, and also applies 20.8% DEF shred for 3 turns. Thanks to one of her traces, her skill has the same properties as her basic, allowing her to benefit from different DoTs that are applied.
Her 2nd major trace applies 1 Arcana on targets entering battle, and inflicts Arcana when enemies receive DoT damage. Finally her last trace gives her DMG% equal to 60% of her Effect HIt Rate, capping out at 72%. To maximize this, you need 120% Effect Hit Rate, which is also enough to guarantee landing her Arcana on 30 Eff Res enemies with her base 65% chance. Swan’s technique is straightforward, where when starting the battle you start off with Arcana stacks, allowing you to trigger her secondary effects faster.
Her ultimate inflicts Epiphany, which applies a 25% vulnerability to enemies for 2 turns, but it only applies on their turn. This means you want to use your damaging abilities when it’s the enemy’s turn. In addition, Epiphany makes Arcana stacks not reset on the next turn, and is considered as having every type of DoT. This means when Swan’s ult is up, her basic attack and skill would give her 5 stacks of Arcana. Oddly though this only counts as one DoT, so you would still need additional DoTs to utilize the prisoner relic.
Black Swan and her DoT teams perform well in MoC and PF, yet aren’t that great in AS, as they’re not good at breaking the enemies quickly. Black Swan also heavily depends on Kafka, or an external dot triggerer, otherwise you have to wait for the enemy turn to do damage.
Deals Wind DMG equal to 60% of Black Swan’s ATK to a single target enemy, with a 65% base chance of inflicting 1 stack of Arcana. And if the hit target currently has Wind Shear, Bleed, Burn, or Shock applied to them, each respectively has a 65% base chance of inflicting 1 extra stack of Arcana onto the enemy.
Deals Wind DMG equal to 90% of Black Swan’s ATK to a single target enemy and any adjacent targets. At the same time, there is a 100% base chance of inflicting 1 stack of Arcana on the target enemy and the adjacent targets. Additionally, there is a 100% base chance of reducing the DEF of the target enemy and the adjacent targets by 20.8%, lasting for 3 turn(s)
Inflicts Epiphany on all enemies for 2 turn(s). Enemies affected by Epiphany take 25% more DMG in their turn, and their Arcana effect is regarded as Wind Shear, Bleed, Burn, and Shock effects. In addition, when their Arcana effect is triggered at the beginning of the next turn, the Arcana stacks are not reset. The stack non-reset effect can be triggered up to 1 time(s) in Epiphany’s duration, and its charges are replenished when Epiphany is applied again. Deals Wind DMG equal to 120% of Black Swan’s ATK to all enemies.
Every time an enemy target receives DoT at the start of each turn, there is a 65% base chance for it to be inflicted with Arcana.
While afflicted with Arcana, enemy targets receive Wind DoT equal to 240% of Black Swan’s ATK at the start of each turn. Each stack of Arcana increases this DoT DMG multiplier by 12%. Then Arcana resets to 1 stack. Arcana can stack up to 50 times.
Only when Arcana causes DMG at the start of an enemy target’s turn, Black Swan triggers additional effects based on the number of Arcana stacks inflicted on the target:
When there are 3 or more Arcana stacks, deals Wind DoT equal to 180% of Black Swan’s ATK to adjacent targets, with a 65% base chance of inflicting 1 stack of Arcana on adjacent targets.
When there are 7 or more Arcana stacks, enables the current DoT dealt this time to ignore 20% of the target’s and adjacent targets’ DEF.
After this Technique is used, there is a 150% base chance for each enemy to be inflicted with 1 stack of Arcana at the start of the next battle. For each successful application of Arcana on a target, inflicts another stack of Arcana on the same target. This process repeats until Arcana fails to be inflicted on this target. For each successive application of Arcana on a target, its base chance of success is equal to 50% of the base chance of the previous successful infliction of Arcana on that target.
After using the Skill to attack a single enemy that has Wind Shear, Bleed, Burn, or Shock, each of these debuffs respectively has a 65.0% base chance of inflicting 1 extra stack of Arcana.
When an enemy target enters battle, there is a 65.0% base chance for it to be inflicted with 1 stack of Arcana. Every time an enemy target receives DoT during a single attack by an ally, there is a 65% base chance for the target to be inflicted with 1 stack of Arcana. The maximum number of stacks that can be inflicted during 1 single attack is 3.0.
Increases this unit’s DMG by an amount equal to 60.0% of Effect Hit Rate, up to maximum DMG of 72%.
| E1 | Seven Pillars of Wisdom: While Black Swan is active in battle, enemies afflicted with Wind Shear, Bleed, Burn, or Shock will have their corresponding Wind, Physical, Fire or Lightning RES respectively reduced by 25.0%. |
| E2 | Weep no for Me, My Lamb: When an enemy target afflicted with Arcana is defeated, there is a 100% base chance of inflicting 6.0 stack(s) of Arcana on adjacent targets. |
| E3 | As Above, So Below: Skill Lv. +2, up to a maximum of Lv. 15. Talent Lv. +2, up to a maximum of Lv. 15. |
| E4 | In Tears we Gift: While in the Epiphany state, enemy targets have their Effect RES reduced by 10.0% and Black Swan regenerates 8.0 Energy at the start of these targets’ turns or when they are defeated. This Energy Regeneration Effect can only trigger up to 1 time while Epiphany lasts. The trigger count is reset when Epiphany is applied again. |
| E5 | Linutee Flyway: Ultimate Lv. +2, up to a maximum of Lv. 15. Basic ATK +1, up to a maximum of Lv. 10. |
| E6 | Pantheon Merciful, Masses Pitiful: When an enemy target gets attacked by Black Swan’s allies, Black Swan has a 65.0% base chance of inflicting 1 stack of Arcan on the target. Every time Black Swan inflicts Arcana on an enemy target, there is a 50.0% fixed chance to additionally increase the number of Arcana stacked this time by 1.0. |
Black Swan possesses one of the strongest supportive E1s in the game, if you can activate it. It requires a DoT, which reduces its flexibility compared to say Robin’s E1. However it still is an incredibly powerful eidolon; since Swan’s signature only helps her personal damage while this boosts her whole team’s damage by at least 25%, her E1 is a bigger damage increase in almost all cases. E2 and E4 are eidolons that make her AoE performance better, but not as oppressive as E1. Finally if you go all the way to E6 you will see her Arcana stacking very quickly, along with her damage profile.
Increases the wearer’s Effect Hit Rate by 40.0% / 45.0% / 50.0% / 55.0% / 60.0% . When the wearer deals DMG to an enemy inflicted with Wind Shear, Burn, Shock, or Bleed, each respectively grants 1 stack of Prophet, stacking up to 4.0 time(s). In a single battle, only 1 stack of Prophet can be granted for each type of DoT. Every stack of Prophet increases wearer’s ATK by 5.0% / 6.0% / 7.0% / 8.0% / 9.0% and enables the DoT dealt to ignore 7.2% / 7.9% / 8.6% / 9.3% / 10.0% of the target’s DEF.
Big damage increase for Swan’s personal damage, over other 4 star options. Gives her Effect Hit Rate so that she can more easily reach the 120% EHR to max out her A6 trace. Black Swan’s ultimate will give her 4 stacks of Prophet immediately, granting her 20% ATK and 28.8% DEF ignore for the rest of the battle. This combined with her skill, prisoner set, and Arcana which all give DEF reduction can add up to 87.5% DEF ignore. As mentioned above though, her E1 is still a bigger increase in team damage.
Increases the wearer’s Effect Hit Rate by 60.0% / 70.0% / 80.0% / 90.0% / 100.0% . After the wearer uses Basic ATK, Skill, or Ultimate to attack an enemy target, there is a 60.0% base chance to inflict “Unarmored” on the target. While in the Unarmored state, the enemy target receives 10.0% / 12.0% / 14.0% / 16.0% / 18.0% increased DMG, lasting for 2.0 turn(s). If the target is under a DoT state inflicted by the wearer, there is a 60.0% base chance to upgrade the “Unarmored” state inflicted by the wearer to the “Cornered” state, which additionally increases the DMG the enemy target receives by 14.0% / 16.0% / 18.0% / 20.0% / 22.0% , lasting for 2.0 turn(s). During this period, the wearer cannot inflict “Unarmored” on the target.
Jiaoqiu’s signature is a great alternative, performing similarly or even outperforming in some situations. Fortunately Swan can make great use of this, as she possesses a DoT to inflict Unarmored. While Black Swan’s sig will increase her personal damage, the 24% Vulnerability provides a huge amp towards her team dps, where there are normally more than 1 DPS. It also gives 20% more EHR than her sig, allowing her to hit her A6 threshold easier. You shouldn’t pull his signature just for her, but if you do have it, works great on Swan.
Increases the wearer’s Effect Hit Rate by 20.0% / 25.0% / 30.0% / 35.0% / 40.0% and increases DoT by 24.0% / 30.0% / 36.0% / 42.0% / 48.0%
Provides Effect Hit Rate, which Swan values highly, and also provides increased DoT damage. A solid 4 star option.
Increases DMG dealt by the wearer by 24% / 28% / 32.0% / 36% / 40.0%. After every attack launched by the wearer, their SPD increases by 4.8% / 5.6% / 6.4% / 7.2% / 8.0%, stacking up to 3 times.
If the wearer hits an enemy target that is not afflicted by Erode, there is a 100% base chance to inflict Erode to the target. Enemies afflicted with Erode are also considered to be Shocked and will receive Lightning DoT at the start of each turn equal to 60% / 70% / 80.0% / 90.0% / 100.0% of the wearer’s ATK, lasting for 1 turn(s).
This LC is not recommended under normal situations for Swan. It provides decent DMG% and speed, something Swan can use. However it does have a niche at E1, where the Erode DoT will give Lightning RES pen. This can be helpful when you’re using her as a debuffer for a lightning DPS.
Increases the wearer’s Effect Hit Rate by 20%/25%/30%/35%/40%. When the wearer attacks DEF-reduced enemies, regenerates 4/5/6/7/8 Energy.
Provides Effect Hit Rate and since Swan applies DEF shred from her kit, will allow her to get ultimate faster.
When the wearer inflicts a debuff on an enemy, gains a stack of Trick. Every stack of Trick increases the wearer’s DMG dealt by 6.0% / 7.0% / 8.0% / 9.0% / 10.0% , stacking up to 3.0 time(s). This effect lasts for 1.0 turn(s). When the wearer’s Effect Hit Rate is 80.0% or higher, increases ATK by 20.0% / 24.0% / 28.0% / 32.0% / 36.0% .
Decent stat stick, available in the MoC shop. Since Swan prioritizes Effect Hit Rate, she should meet the threshold with a regular build.
Since Swan is a DoT unit, she cannot crit (her DoT)! Black Swan’s Arcana will only land on your enemy with a high effect hit rate. In addition, Swan’s A6 trace maxes out at 120% EHR, which is what we aim for. 120% Effect Hit Rate is enough to guarantee Arcana landing on enemies with 30% Effect Res.
This is quite a steep requirement, so using a LC that gives EHR is heavily recommended. For boots both SPD and Attack perform similarly. You’ll still want to hit the 135 SPD if you’re running Glamoth though, so a speed source like Ruan Mei will help greatly. Wind Orb and Attack also have marginal differences, so choose the one with better substats.
As stated above, we want to hit or get as close to 120% EHR so that our Arcana is guaranteed on almost all targets. Beyond that, since DoT cannot benefit from crit, we want Speed and Attack on our pieces.
A good middle ground for stats at E0S1: 135+ SPD, 120% Effect Hit Rate, and 3000 Attack
It is difficult to get the required EHR while also hunting for speed substats. That being said, there are two ways you can speedtune Swan. Fast speed (155+) or slow (102). Hitting 160 you can make use of the 2nd threshold of Glamoth.
Fast Swan allows her to move before Kafka so that she can apply her def shred before Kafka’s turn as often as she can. Slow Swan on the other hand is to make your Arcana procs pack a punch, as you will have much higher Attack. For slow Swan you instead rely on Kafka to stack arcana as much as possible.
Both have their use cases, so players should experiment what works best for them.
Black Swan’s best in-slot relic. Swan’s kit also provides a lot of DEF shred, stacking with the prisoner set. She should be paired with another DoT DPS in order to get the 3 required DoTs for the set to work.
A temporary substitute you can use until you get a usable prisoner set. You should switch as soon as possible as prisoner 4-Pc is much better for Swan.
Swan’s best option for her planar. Aiming for 160 speed is not necessary and can be worse if you sacrifice too much Attack and Effect Hit Rate to hit the breakpoint.
Solid 2nd choice, performs identical to Glamoth at 135 SPD and worse than the 160 threshold.
Damage wise Swan’s best planar, and has no speed requirements. Also great to help her hit the EHR requirements. However the world is terrible to farm, since the other planar is Celestial Differentiator, which nobody uses. Recommend crafting/synthesizing instead if you want to use this planar.
Black Swan wants DoT characters that can help her build her Arcana stacks, in addition for someone to trigger it since she cannot do it herself. There are only two characters in the game that can trigger her Arcana out of enemy turn; Kafka’s skil/ultl and Sampo at E4. Luka and Guinaifen can as well, but only when her ult is up, since it counts as every type of DoT. Black Swan also wants an aura buffer, like Ruan Mei since her comps usually have more than one DPS, as well as a good sustain since she’s not very tanky.
DPS
Black Swan’s partner in crime. Not an exaggeration to say she’s required to play Black Swan properly, because otherwise Swan’s damage would be too backloaded. Allows her to proc Arcana out of enemy turn using her Skill and Ultimate, and can also stack it multiple times before enemy turn if Kafka is fast enough. In addition, Kafka’s multiple ways of applying her DoT make her the best character for helping Swan raise her Arcana stacks.
Sampo gets a special mention due to his E4. Working as a pseudo Kafka, Sampo can proc wind sheared enemies with 5 or more stacks. Arcana is also considered wind shear, allowing Sampo to be a more effective DoT enabler compared to other characters.
Swan can be used as a debuffer as well, helping Acheron satisfy her nihility requirement and obtaining Ult stacks. Provides DEF shred on skill and assists with AoE in modes like pure fiction. Her real debuffing capabilities can be seen at E1, where if you equip her with Kafka’s signature, she can provide Lightning RES for Acheron when her ult is active.
Providing DoTs for Black Swan is always helpful to build her Arcana stacks, increasing the damage Swan does. Both Luka and Guinaifen can proc Arcana when Swan ults, since her ult treats Arcana as all DoT types.
Both Swan’s and DoT’s ideal unit as a support. Provides Speed, DMG%,Res PEN to all teammates and is SP efficient, even more with her lightcone. Her break extension also allows DoTs to proc twice, and prevents enemies from attacking when broken, providing safety too.
Strongest harmony in the game buff wise, and providing an extra action when she ults allows her teammates to stack Arcana even more before the enemy turn. SP is tight in this team, and may need Swan to use her basic attack instead of being able to skill every turn.
Provides great debuffing capability, but his DoT damage is not that impressive, unless at E2. Jiaoqiu performs slightly below the two harmonies, but can be a worthy substitute if they’re being used on another team.
A F2P option that provides Attack and Speed to the whole party. Asta also possesses a fire DoT of her own from one of her traces that can help with stacking Arcana. Her party wide buffs as well as SP positive nature at higher eidolons makes her usable if you don’t own any limited harmonies/nihilities.
Huohuo as of now is by far the most helpful to DoT teams. Her ult provides a 40% attack boost and 20% of their max energy, increasing the tempo of Swan’s team. Her cleansing capabilities are also second to none. Huohuo’s E1 also grants a 12% speed boost, one of the hardest stats to get in-game. Other limited sustains are strong in their role, but don’t offer much synergy to DoT comps. SP however can be tight at E0, so a SP efficient support like Ruan Mei is appreciated.
Gallagher’s SP friendly kit is very welcomed for DoT’s hungry nature, and is just a solid option for a 4 star healer. His sustaining capabilities are not as safe as limited characters, so make sure to save your ult for situations when you need an emergency healing or cleansing.
This is DoT’s premier comp. Black Swan provides DoTs for Kafka to detonate, Ruan Mei provides speed, DMG%, and RES PEN for the team, while Huohuo provides energy and attack for the whole team. Little is wasted on each unit, other than Ruan Mei’s break efficiency, that is more beneficial for break comps. Black Swan would want to act first when starting the battle, so that Kafka can start stacking her arcana stacks as soon as possible to get the defense shred.
Without Kafka, Sampo can be used as a weaker substitute for Kafka. Being able to proc Arcana at E4 is a massive help. Without any of the limited harmonies, Asta can be used to buff both speed and attack, while also using her DoT that can assist in stacking Arcana.
This comp is good when you require a lot of AoE, such as pure fiction. Swan serves as a nihility unit for Acheron’s trace and provides her with stacks for her ult. Acheron is strong enough on her own if you give her the required 2 nihility units, making this comp surprisingly viable.
Black Swan’s kit has some major flaws in it, and while Arcana does do respectable damage, its stacking mechanism is holding it back. DoT characters want enemies to be faster, so that their DoT goes off more. However Black Swan wants as much time between enemy attacks to gain a high number of Arcana stacks. With enemies becoming faster every patch, this anti-synergistic nature is becoming more noticeable, making it harder for her to gain high Arcana stacks.
In addition, Black Swan’s performance is nearly halved without Kafka. Without Kafka, Black Swan is too backloaded to be usable when the endgame is focused on clearing the fastest. The DoT archetype’s performance is also falling behind, when you compare to other archetypes such as break or FUA, even if you have the premium DoT team.
If you want to play DoT and have Kafka, Black Swan can be considered. Other than that, her pull value is pretty low and not recommended to players for how expensive the team can be.
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