Elder King Thalbrennar guide: skills, build and team roles
Overview
Elder King Thalbrennar is a Legendary Wind Melee Attacker from the Stonehearts Faction in Invokers: Titan Legacy. He pairs focused damage with his own Crit Rate Up buff, and he generates both Ultimate Mana and Titan Mana, so one Invoker gives your team a damage phase and a Titan to go with it. Useful buffs from your team make him stronger still, as his Skills keep them running longer.
The Mana he generates for Ultimates and Titans is separate: Royal Mandate and his fifth Combo Attack feed his Ultimate and Titan, and Lineage of Kings adds a large Titan Mana grant of its own.
Fully Awakened and before Gear, Thalbrennar has 1,106 ATK, 716 DEF and 9,953 HP. His ATK is high for a Melee Attacker and his HP is among the highest.
Skills To Prioritize
Crush Dissent attacks one enemy and then places Crit Rate Up on Thalbrennar for fifteen seconds. The amount rises from 45% at Level 10 to 50% at Max Level, while the base cooldown drops from 21 to 20 seconds. The buff arrives after the attack, so the opening hit doesn't benefit from it, and you shouldn't count on Crit Rate being up the whole time.
From On High extends random buffs on Thalbrennar. Level 8 increases the ordinary count to three. At Level 10 it extends up to three buffs by six seconds, with an additional critical branch extending one random buff by eight seconds. Max Level raises the critical count to two. Don't count on every buff being extended, and buffs that can't be extended stay excluded.
Royal Mandate grants 46 Ultimate Mana at Level 10, or fifty at Max Level. A critical hit also grants the same amount of Titan Mana. The Ultimate Mana grant doesn't need a critical hit.
His fifth Combo Attack grants 24 Titan Mana at Level 10, or 25 at Max Level. Lineage of Kings adds a larger grant on its first hit: 180 Titan Mana at Level 10, or 200 at Max Level. These grants feed Invokation; they don't refund the Ultimate Mana spent casting Lineage of Kings.
Lineage of Kings attacks three times and deals 60% more damage at Level 10, or 70% at Max Level, when the target has no buffs. Thalbrennar doesn't remove buffs in his kit, so he needs allied buff removal or an enemy that's naturally unbuffed. Buffs that can't be removed, and fresh buffs placed on the target, can stop the bonus, so don't assume a target is always unbuffed. The Titan Mana comes from the first hit only, not from all three.
If you want Thalbrennar to keep his buffs running longer, upgrade From On High to Level 8 first, for the extra extension target. If you want more reliable Crit Rate on him, upgrade Crush Dissent first, as it raises Crit Rate Up from 45% to 50% at Max Level and shortens its cooldown.
Build And Team Support
Build ATK, then Crit Rate to about 75-80%, then as much Crit DMG as the build allows. After that point, Crit DMG is worth more than more Crit Rate. Add enough HP and DEF to survive up close. None of his Skills place debuffs, so he doesn't need Accuracy for them, though the Titan you pick may want it. Mana Gen on his Talisman gets Lineage of Kings out sooner, which matters most in Arena.
For Relic Sets, Attack Relics add ATK for more damage, and Crit Rate Relics help you reach the Crit Rate threshold. Predator Relics add ATK and then Crit DMG if you're building around his critical hits. If you want Lineage of Kings more often, Mana Relics add Mana Gen.
Pair him with Invokers who place buffs on him and Invokers who remove enemy buffs, so Lineage of Kings gets its damage bonus. He places no DEF Down or Heal Reduction, has no cleanse and has no heal of his own, so bring Invokers who cover those. Line up your team's buffs, buff removal and Invokation timing around the fight. He works best with that support, and his bonuses and buff extensions won't all be active all the time.
Arena, Bosses And Spires
In Arena, Thalbrennar brings focused damage and the Titan he helps unlock.
Against Pentiax, whose fight rewards Titan damage, Thalbrennar's Titan Mana gives Invokation a clear job, and his native Mindfog and Nightmare Tolerances match Pentiax's two Corruptions.
In the Wind Spire, bring other Invokers for area damage and protection, because his attacks focus on one target.
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 Thalbrennar'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.
