Nightcap Zirdel guide: skills, build and team roles
Overview
Nightcap Zirdel is a Rare Dark Melee Attacker from the Nocturna Faction in Invokers: Titan Legacy. He spreads Bleed through a group, then piles more onto one target. Mixer charges through a path and casts a Bleed on every enemy it hits, Last Orders casts three Bleeds on one enemy, and Deadly Cocktail adds area damage over five seconds.
His Bleeds deal a percentage of enemy MAX HP per tick, capped by his ATK. That makes ATK and Accuracy the stats that matter most, because Accuracy lets the Bleeds land and ATK raises the cap on each tick. Fully Awakened and before Gear, Zirdel has 719 ATK, 515 DEF and 7,073 HP, with 23 Accuracy and 37 Mana Gen. His HP and DEF are modest, so he needs a Tank in front of him.
Bleed is his whole identity, which is also his limit: Bosses that are immune to Bleed or punish it make him a poor pick.
Skills To Prioritize
Mixer charges through a 10x3m path towards one enemy and hits every enemy in it, casting a Bleed on each. The Bleed lasts four seconds at Level 1, five at Level 6 and six at Level 10, ticking for 1% of MAX HP at Level 1 and 1.25% from Level 8. The cap on each tick rises from 150% ATK to 250% at Level 9 and 300% at Max Level, and the cooldown falls from 27 seconds to 24 at Level 10 and 22 at Max Level. It needs Accuracy.
Last Orders, his Ultimate, hits one enemy three times, and each hit casts a Bleed. The Bleed lasts four seconds at Level 1, six at Level 7, seven at Level 10 and eight at Max Level, ticking for 1% of MAX HP at Level 1 and 1.5% from Level 9. The cap rises from 150% ATK to 250% at Level 9 and 300% at Max Level. Its cost falls from 900 Mana to 850 at Level 8 and 800 at Max Level. It needs Accuracy.
Deadly Cocktail selects an enemy up to 14m away and hits eight enemies in a 4m radius five times over five seconds, for 27.5% ATK per hit at Level 1, 51.7% at Level 10 and 55% at Max Level. The cooldown falls from 30 seconds to 25 at Level 10 and 24 at Max Level.
If you want Zirdel to spread Bleed across waves, upgrade Mixer first, as Level 9 raises the cap on each tick to 250% ATK and Max Level to 300%. If you want him to melt a single target, upgrade Last Orders first, as Level 10 stretches each Bleed to seven seconds and Max Level to eight. If you want him to deal area damage as well, upgrade Deadly Cocktail first, as Level 10 shortens the cooldown to 25 seconds.
Build And Team Support
Build ATK and Accuracy to the maximum. He relies on Bleed, so don't build Crit Rate or Crit DMG, as those rolls do nothing for the part of his damage that matters. Put Accuracy on your Chestplate and your Flask, then keep stacking it, because every Bleed has to land. Mana Gen on your Talisman gets him to Last Orders sooner, and Skill RECOV brings back Mixer, which carries his Bleeds.
For Relic Sets, Attack Relics raise the ATK his Bleed cap scales from, and Accuracy Relics help his Bleeds land. Spark Relics add Skill SPD, which makes Bleed tick faster, and Fury Relics bring Mixer back sooner. Mana Relics help him reach Last Orders.
Pair him with a Tank to soak damage, and a healer or Shielder to keep the team alive while the Bleeds tick. A teammate who extends debuff duration keeps the Bleeds running longer.
Arena, Bosses And Spires
In Arena, Mixer casts Bleed on every enemy in its path while Last Orders finishes the most dangerous enemy. Be wary of enemy Invokers with Immunity or Skills that cleanse debuffs, as they wipe out his Bleeds.
Against Sorgott, his native Manaburn Tolerance covers one of Sorgott's Corruptions, and Deadly Cocktail's wide hit helps with the Crypt Rats. His Manaburn Tolerance also covers one of the Corruptions of Dark Omnissi, Fire Omnissi and Hyxxis.
Several Bosses punish Bleed. Don't bring him against Althar, because a Bleed on him gives him Invincibility for ten seconds. Koltmos and Earth Omnissi are immune to Bleed, and Sakiel takes half damage from it. Against Hyxxis, each Bleed cast on her shortens Ensacment's cooldown by one second, and Mixer and Last Orders cast several at once, so avoid them there.
Against Sedula, Deadly Cocktail hits eight enemies in a 4m radius, which helps clear her Tentacles, and Mixer's path hits every enemy in it. She takes 70% less damage from Bleed, so treat his Bleeds as a bonus and rely on Deadly Cocktail and his direct hits. Sedula changes Element every day, and Zirdel has Elemental Advantage on the days she is Light.
In the Dark Spire, Mixer and Deadly Cocktail are a good fit for waves. Pair him with Invokers of a similar Rarity: Gondo the Watchman, an Epic Dark Tank, casts Taunt and Shields, Darkseer Lumisa, a Rare Dark Support, heals, revives and extends debuff duration, and Zhine the Spark, an Epic Dark Support, extends debuff duration and casts Shields, which keeps his Bleeds ticking longer.
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 Zirdel'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.
