Cataphrax the Grave guide: skills, build and team roles
Overview
Cataphrax the Grave is a Legendary Earth Melee Attacker from the Nocturna Faction in Invokers: Titan Legacy. He hits hard, slows groups of enemies and heals himself. Howling Swing places Move SPD Down and Combo SPD Down on the ten enemies with the lowest HP in front of him, Soul Ravager lands his heaviest single-target hit and speeds him up, and his Ultimate, Cruel Whirligig, hits one enemy three times and heals him from the damage it deals. With an Invoker who protects him, he can stay in the fight for longer than most attackers.
Fully Awakened and before Gear, Cataphrax has 1,187 ATK, 729 DEF and 9,131 HP. His ATK is one of the highest of any Melee Attacker, his HP is high for a Melee Attacker and his DEF is typical.
Only two Invokers in the game place both Move SPD Down and Combo SPD Down, and Cataphrax is the only one who places both with a single Skill, so he's a good candidate if you're building a team that needs both. His Skills don't give the team Shields or healing, so the protection has to come from allies.
Skills To Prioritize
Howling Swing hits the ten enemies with the lowest current HP in a 7-meter semicircle in front of Cataphrax and places Move SPD Down and Combo SPD Down on them. At Level 1 both are 15% for 12 seconds. At Level 10 they're 30% Move SPD Down and 25% Combo SPD Down for 16 seconds, and Max Level raises Combo SPD Down to 30%. Both need Accuracy to land. The base cooldown is 27 seconds and the slows last up to 16, so they aren't up all the time on their own.
Soul Ravager hits one enemy for 320% ATK at Level 1 and 640% ATK at Max Level, and gives Cataphrax Move SPD Up and Combo SPD Up. At Level 10 that's 30% Move SPD Up and 25% Combo SPD Up for 14 seconds, and Max Level raises Combo SPD Up to 30%. Its base cooldown is 27 seconds. It's his biggest single hit, and the Move SPD Up helps him keep up with Bosses that move around.
Accursed Earth hits the ten enemies with the lowest current HP within 6 meters of Cataphrax, for 77.5% ATK at Level 1 and 155% ATK at Max Level, and shortens Soul Ravager's cooldown, by 0.25 seconds at Level 1 and 0.75 at Max Level for each critical hit. Its base cooldown is 10 seconds, so it's the Skill he uses most often.
Cruel Whirligig costs 900 Mana. It hits one enemy three times for 172.5% ATK each at Level 1 and 345% ATK at Max Level, and heals Cataphrax after every hit for a share of the damage dealt: 35% at Level 1, 60% from Level 9 and 70% at Max Level. The third hit also gives him Titan Mana, 100 at Level 1, 175 at Level 10 and 200 at Max Level, so his Titan Invokation comes round sooner. The heal depends on damage actually dealt, so it's weaker against a target who takes little damage. His fifth Combo Attack also gives him Ultimate Mana, 10 at Level 1 and 20 at Max Level.
If you want Cataphrax to slow enemies for your team, prioritize Howling Swing, as Level 10 already reaches 30% Move SPD Down and Max Level lifts Combo SPD Down to 30%. If you want him to focus on damage, consider upgrading Soul Ravager first, as it reaches 640% ATK at Max Level. If you want him to survive longer and bring his Titan sooner, upgrade Cruel Whirligig, as Max Level raises the heal to 70% of the damage dealt and the Titan Mana to 200.
Build And Team Support
Cataphrax places Move SPD Down and Combo SPD Down, so put Accuracy on his Chestplate and Flask, and stack more after that as the build allows. Then build Crit Rate to about 75–80%, and as much Crit DMG as the build allows: his kit doesn't rely on Bleed or Burn, so past that Crit Rate threshold Crit DMG is worth more than extra Crit Rate. Cruel Whirligig costs 900 Mana and fills his Titan Mana, so put Mana Gen on his Talisman, especially for Arena. Skill RECOV helps if you want Soul Ravager, his heaviest hit, back sooner. Keep enough HP and DEF to stay in melee.
For Relic Sets, Accuracy Relics help Howling Swing's slows land. Predator gives ATK +10% with three pieces and Crit DMG +40% with five, and Mana Relics bring Cruel Whirligig round sooner. For more damage, equip Predator or Attack; to land his slows more consistently, equip Accuracy. He has native Frost and Fatigue Tolerances.
He heals only himself and has no Shield, so bring a Support and a Tank beside him.
Arena, Bosses And Spires
In Arena, Howling Swing slows the Move SPD and Combo SPD of up to ten enemies at once, and Soul Ravager follows with his heaviest single-target hit while speeding him up. Cruel Whirligig heals him as it hits, so he can take some pressure in melee. Be wary of enemy Invokers who have Immunity or cleansing Skills, as they can remove his slows.
Against Althar, Cataphrax's native Fatigue Tolerance matches Althar's Damage Corruption, and Soul Ravager's Move SPD Up helps him keep up with Althar's teleports.
Against Yskara, his native Frost and Fatigue Tolerances match both of her Corruptions. Her fight rewards Melee Attackers with high Move SPD, and Soul Ravager's Move SPD Up helps him move between the Flame Shards.
Against Pentiax, who asks for Invokers who generate Titan Mana quickly, Cruel Whirligig gives Cataphrax up to 200 Titan Mana at Max Level.
Against Wind Omnissi, who dodges Combo Attacks while she has no Move SPD Down, Howling Swing places that debuff, and his native Fatigue Tolerance matches her Damage Corruption. She shortens debuffs on herself with Tempest Crush, so bring another source of Move SPD Down or an Invoker who extends debuffs. Against Dark Omnissi, her damage reflection switches off while she has Combo SPD Down. Howling Swing places it the same way, and the same advice applies to keeping it up.
In the Earth Spire, Howling Swing slows waves while Cruel Whirligig keeps him healthy between them. Good teammates in his Rarity are Asprill the Enshrined, who protects a team with HP Shields, DEF Up and Damage Filter and can place Unkillable on the two lowest-HP allies, and Quinnto the Proclaimer, who gives allies ATK Up and Combo SPD Up, extends their buffs and removes their debuffs.
Awaken
Awakening boosts an Invoker's stats significantly. Bonuses from Relics, Accessories, the Trophy Room, Tactics and Titan leader bonuses apply to base stats and Awakening stats alike, so unlocking the Awakening nodes is critical to maximise Cataphrax's potential.
Unlocking each Titan node at Star 2, 4 and 6 adds a second to Titan Invokation, taking the total from 12 seconds to 15.
Review the Awakening guide for more detail.