What is the Bloodtithe archetype?
This archetype is focused on Max HP-based DMG output and continuously losing HP to generate stacks of [Bloodtithe]. This is then consumed through various sources to amplify certain abilities or trigger extra effects. You can also manually activate Bloodtithe Chalice by clicking on it, creating a special card that will burst heal your team (though no one ever uses this part of its functionality).
It shares a lot of similar traits to Lingering Glow, and the Precognitions even explicitly state that the [Bloodtithe] and [Lingering Glow] cannot coexist at the same time. Unlike Lingering Glow, the Bloodtithe archetype is known for being incredibly hard to kill. This is despite the fact that they routinely reduce their own HP, as their damage scales with their Max HP, which most Bloodtithe-related characters can stack. They have a lot of defensive buffs; some can even bypass lethal damage and generally their healing is based on Lost HP, which can bring anyone back from the brink.
How to play Bloodtithe?
The gameplay loop is almost laughably simple:
Spam cards that eat your team’s HP.
Consume the gathered [Bloodtithe] to unleash hell upon your enemies.
Heal up if you're about to take significant damage.
Fundamentally, Bloodtithe is an archetype that wants the pilot to make the risk assessment of whether they can squeeze the team down to a lower HP value, or if the next attack will actually kill the team and heal back up at the cost of damage output. However, considering the fluctuating damage output of enemies, it is difficult to really predict in what instances the next burst of incoming damage will actually kill you.
The archetype’s HP Loss effects are built naturally into their kit; everything the current rosters do will cause self-damage. From consuming HP to deal more damage, to stacking damage over time effects on themselves, to even setting up the [Blood Domain] Array, which reduces HP with every action. The only thing that is really required of you is to make sure that you don’t accidentally pass to the enemy turn while your entire team is fighting for their life at 5% HP. Even then, with their massive HP pools, they’re tankier than they may seem.
Semmelweis and her [Blood Domain] are the primary [Bloodtithe] batteries for your team. Put her buff on your Damage Dealer, spam her Ultimate on cooldown; there is very little nuance to using Semmelweis, as she does practically everything you want her to with minimal effort on your part.
In Depth: What gives Bloodtithe its flavor, primarily, is how the team plays when Nautika is in control. Though not the main driver per se, that would be Semmelweis; Nautika is the only real spearhead for the archetype when it comes to the meta. Due to how Nautika’s “Faith” functions, she is incredibly good at generating her Ultimate. She easily slips it into your Spelldock just about every turn; the issue is that you can’t really cast it every turn, as you’re held back by your Bloodtithe stacks to optimize how many nukes she can throw at the enemy. To get the maximum of 24 spears, you’ll want to hit 64 [Bloodtithe] roughly every 2-3 rounds.
To accomplish this, ensure that you have any passive HP Reduction effects like Semmelweis' [Blood Domain] & [Fresh Blood] + Sentinel's [Nightwatch] + Fatutu's [Shared Shells, Shared Fate] active while looking for ways to burst-reduce HP with things like Nautika's "Martyr of the Abyss" cast or [Mouth of the Mother] triggers.
But what are the benefits to playing Bloodtithe over other Archetypes, and what may make you reconsider?
Bloodtithe is one of the easiest archetypes to grasp, with a broad list of Supports and a main driver that requires effectively no brain to use. So long as you hit the required [Bloodtithe] stacks every round and keep uptime on your buffs, you rarely have to think about anything else.
“Hard-to-kill” doesn’t actually mean much as a concept and as a mechanic when other Sustains like Enigma, Marsha, and J both make their respective teams nigh-invulnerable and also can better prevent one-shots in high-end content.
Despite having been a supported archetype for quite a while, it has a very limited pool of Sustains due to not being able to use Shielders by design.
Teambuilding
This archetype is a bit polarizing with its teambuilding. Realistically, it only needs Semmelweis currently to ‘exist’ and while typical Supports like Eternity(E1) and Sentinel can and will help with generating [Bloodtithe] quicker, if you’re not looking to sweat on getting a full Nautika Ultimate every other turn, there’s quite a bit of leeway in your roster.
Currently, your BIS will be: 
Nautika / 
Semmelweis / 
Rhiannon / 
Rubuska
Rhiannon’s spot here is semi-flexible. While she has teamwide Max HP buffs built in specifically for this archetype, beyond just having a lot of active actions to reduce her own HP while [Blood Domain] is active, she is not actually doing anything specifically for Bloodtithe. However, since the team can still benefit from her other general buffs, she makes the cut.
Other options here vary. If you’re not looking to lock Rhiannon into this composition for whatever reason, characters like Sentinel and Eternity(E1) are able to help smooth out [Bloodtithe] generation, while Flutterpage or even Melania can support Nautika’s Ultimate (since every spear counts as a FUA and an Ult).
Healer options are also a bit broader, though lower power overall. While Rubuska is BiS at the moment, she lacks any sort of cleansing that Fatutu might bring, who also has her DMG Share, which counts towards generating [Bloodtithe]. Medicine Pocket is also always an option, being able to both heal and shield.
When looking at future releases for this archetype, make sure you are looking for the following things:
How fast are they at bouncing between low and high HP? Self-damage is always percentile-based, so there are diminishing returns the lower HP you go. Going back to full health is an important factor in being able to continue generating [Bloodtithe].
Are they able to globally lower team health such as through DMG Share or things like teamwide effects such as Nautika’s [Martyr of the Abyss] or Semmelweis’ [Blood Domain]?
Are they able to boost Max HP (either their own or that of allies)? This is the biggest scaling component for most Bloodtithe characters.
Are they able to grant either themselves or (preferably) the entire team some sort of benefit from being at low HP besides generating [Bloodtithe]. Do they have any defensive capabilities that might make the game plan less risky?
Unit ranking
What follows are two tables, one displaying only characters that adhere specifically to the Bloodtithe Archetype. The other is a table of Generalist options, also ranked. Take note of the following:
Core — Integral to the functionality of the archetype.
Common — Most often seen in this position alongside the Core. Can be BiS.
Flex — Either good in specific situations or potentially good in a Common slot.
Cope — Only really used if nothing else is available. And even then, lmao.
Bloodtithe Unit Spread
Damage Dealer | Support | Sustain | |
|---|---|---|---|
Core |
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Common |
|
|
|
Flex |
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Cope |
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|
Core:
Semmelweis (E1) – Integral [Bloodtithe] battery with massive offensive buffs.
Common:
Nautika (E1) – Teamwide HP reducer, buffer and extremely high ST output.
Sentinel – Decent offensive buffs and great [Bloodtithe] battery.
Rubuska – Massive ST offensive buffs with death protection and Lost HP% healing.
Flex:
Eternity (E1) – Teamwide HP reducer with important offensive buffs (only Low HP).
Cope:
Eternity (E2) – Mediocre Nautika proxy with decent Mass output.
Ezra Theodore (E2) – Decent healer with offensive (de)buffing.
Generalist Unit Spread
Damage Dealer | Support | Sustain | |
|---|---|---|---|
Core | |||
Common |
|
| |
Flex |
|
| |
Cope |
|
Core:
N/A
Common:
Rhiannon – Versatile buffer with frequent active casts and strong QoL utility.
Fatutu – Generically good healer with FUA debuffing and DMG Share to supplement [Bloodtithe] generation.
Flex:
Flutterpage – Potent FUA buffer for Nautika with AP+ playstyle.
Medicine Pocket (E1) – Teamwide HP reducer with healing and shielding mix.
Cope:
Melania (E1) – Potent Ultimate Might buffer for Nautika.