Etheria: Restart Intro to PVP Guide

This guide is based on another guide that was created by the Lunar Crescendo alliance cluster - big thanks to oncewasblind, arisante and r3minder. You can find the original guide here and if you're interested in joining the Lunar Crescendo alliance, check their Discord below.

If you’re coming from a game like Epic Seven or Summoners War, you probably have a general understanding of how this plays out. For most of you coming from more modern gacha games (HSR, ZZZ, Genshin, WW, etc.) the idea of PvP probably sounds both horrible, and if we’re honest, a bit terrifying. For those of you in the latter camp, I assure you, it’s likely to be the most engaging and fun part of the game, so I encourage you to give it a try.

Below is a general walkthrough of what to expect.

There are three types of PVP available in Etheria: Restart with a fourth mode coming some time after launch:

• Etherena - the classical PVP mode where you attack defenses set by other players and since AI control them, you're able to easily outplay them or just attack targets you know you can easily defeat,
• Summit Arena - this is the real time arena where before the battle begins you have to draft your team. What's important, the same characters can't appear on both sides, so if your opponent picks someone you wanted to use, you're out of luck,
• Fearless Arena - it's basically a simulated E-Sport mode that everyone can try. 8 players are placed in a tournament bracket and they play RTA battles against each other. If you lose, you're out of the tournament.

Other information:

• Etherena and Summit Arena have their own leagues and weekly/seasonal rewards that increase based on the rank you achieve,
• There are also two shops tied to the modes above that allow you buy materials, Lattices and other stuff. SSR characters dupes will also become available there post launch,
• Dupes are enabled in all three modes.

Guild vs Guild

A Guild vs Guild PVP mode was announced to release some time after the game's launch. No information are known about the mode currently.

Since Etheria Restart using an active time gauge, Speed plays a definitive part in strategy. In short, your goal is to either 1. Play first, and kill or control your opponent, or 2. Play second, and beat your opponent in a battle of attrition.

Below you can find the existing archetypes for teams you will encounter in PVP.

Cleave

This team wants to annihilate your opponent before they even have a chance to take a turn. You will need to run multiple openers (very fast characters) who can control turn-meter and increase damage / decrease enemy defenses. In many cases you will have an executioner who can guarantee a complete wipeout. Your units will all be glass cannons - all Speed and damage or all Speed and Effect Acc.

Example:

• 
  Tsukiyo Mi (Opener)
• 
  Marvell (Second opener)
• 
  Rosa
• 
  Heinrich
• 
  Lian (Executioner)

Control

This team also wants to go first, but prefers to utilize debuffs and control effects to secure a win. There’s no need to race for the win here - a battle of attrition is fine, as long as you’re able to prevent your opponent from killing you while you whittle them down. Early on you only need crowd control. But later on once people start using the Bulwark matrix and the Alicorn shell, you’ll need someone to strip buffs (dispel), and lots of turn meter pushers.

Example:

• 
  Heinrich (Dispel + heal/buff block)
• 
  Mia (Dispel + turn meter decrease + sustain)
• 
  Kraken (CC)
• 
  Marvell (turn meter decrease + Silence)
• 
  Lily (SPD+ buff + Assist)

Counter

This team falls under the “Turn 2” category. Meaning you’ve abandoned Speed to play the long game. In this case you’re looking to build defensively, but with enough power to beat a team that focuses all their stats on power. Counter is the natural enemy of Cleave. You will want characters that can punish your opponent the more they hit you, with the secondary objective of shutting down their Cleave or Control strategy with a unit that can heal and reset your team. In some cases you can try to contest your opponent to a race in Speed. Meaning, you’ll have one character that has very high base Speed, with a defensive skill that can disrupt your opponent’s plans.

Example:

• 
  Viper (Counterattack)
• 
  Tiamat (Counterattack with Bramble set)
• 
  Lingluo (Sustain + Immunity buffs)
• 
  Sania (Sustain + Revive)
• 
  Freya (Buffer/Debuffer)

Combo

Your goal here is to create a chain reaction that will overpower your team, no matter their defense. You want characters that can perform the setup, and characters that can finish. Pretty simple. While powerful, these teams are difficult to pull off, because if your opponent already knows your strategy, they can dismantle it by banning out a key character. However, with clever planning and pick/banning, you can often catch your opponent by surprise.

Example:

• 
  Beyontin (Setup - 100% Turn Meter push)
• 
  Freya (Setup)
• 
  DokiDoki (Setup)
• 
  Xiada (Finisher)
• 
  Rilmocha (Finisher)

The combo above is pretty straightforward. DokiDoki/Freya pushes your team forward, while Freya/Beyontin loads everyone up with buffs. Xiada/Rilmocha then deliver a big hit for the win.

Cover

This one goes by many names and concepts. There are two main categories, but they both fall under Turn 2 comps. You are either trying to Protect the Carry, meaning you have one windup character that you’re trying to keep alive until they can properly go off, or you have a full on Turtle team. In this coward comp, you are strategically defending the entire time, with enough sustain to beat your opponent to death with a thousand parries.

What does that even mean? If your opponent has zero means of sustain, you can pick a team entirely built around survival. And then, over several tedious turns, you win by brute attrition. Some view this as unsporting behavior. But if you never get Speed rolls on your gear, you win how you can.

Example:

• 
  Tiamat (Carry + Sustain)
• 
  Lingluo (Sustain + Immunity buffs)
• 
  Mia (Sustain)
• 
  Sania (Sustain + Revive)
• 
  Viper (Counterattack)

So how do you know what to pick? In some respects, your options will be limited by the gear and characters you choose / RNG. But in the long term your account will veer towards a specific playstyle. Ideally you’ll have the ability to run multiple types of teams based upon your need in a given match. Here’s a quick breakdown to know what works against what. These are just some general rulings - individual player skill and account gear will impact results.

Counter beats Cleave beats Combo beats Cover beats Control beats Counter

When in doubt, the faster team wins.

Keep in mind that the rules aren't set in stone. You might be running a Cover team that loses to a Cleave / Control team because your primary sustain gets stunned. Or you might be running the perfectly picked Counter team that loses to Cleave simply due to the RNG of your counters not triggering. Or you might be trying to Control an opponent who is running +200% effect resistance on every member of his Counter squad.

What we're trying to say is that unpredictable stuff happens, which makes it infuriating at certain times, and thrilling at others. Our final suggestion? Loss is the best teacher. Learn from experience. Learn from each other. Stay humble, and most important of all, have fun.