After a long wait, here is the updated Shadow Guide, bringing the entire guide collection fully up to date.
Shadows contribute the majority of our Total Power (TP).
My Shadows, which are nearly fully upgraded, grant me a total of 2.24 million TP.
The Basics: What to Unlock/Level First?
It's critical to unlock all Shadows so you can upgrade your Shadow Army Level. This feature provides a huge chunk of your overall TP. Other important factors are detailed further below.
Here is an overview of which Shadows are used as Main Shadows, Sub Shadows, or simply for boosting our TP.
Start by unlocking the Main Shadows first, and then the Sub Shadows. They give you immediate damage boosts through their Authority and/or De/Buffs. However, don't forget to unlock and upgrade the remaining Shadows as well!
Main Shadows | Sub Shadows | TP Shadows |
|---|---|---|
Igris | Uros | Kaisel |
Beste* | Cerbi | Iron |
Beru* | Skull | Blades |
Greed** | Tank | |
Big Rock | ||
Tusk | ||
Jima | ||
Brute |
*Both Best and Beru can be utilized as Sub Shadows. Beru's use case as a Main Shadow is very limited, though it does exist. Your primary focus should be on Igris and Best.
**The info on Greed is based on what Netmarble has officially released so far.
Below, you will also find an explanation of why we designate the Shadows as Main or Sub Shadows.
I will only mention the specific abilities that justify their usage. For example, if you see that Igris has no entry under "Sub Shadow Effect," it is because we use him exclusively as a Main Shadow.
Shadow | Authority | Sub Shadow Effect |
|---|---|---|
Igris | 8% Crit Rate | - |
Beste | 8% Def Pen | 10% Def Pen (it stacks if you use her as Main Shadow) |
Beru | 5% Attack & 5% Crit Damage | Increase Damage taken by 5% |
Uros | - | Decrease Defense by 20% (stacks with Bloodlust) |
Cerbi | - | Increase Damage taken by 5% (permanent effect) |
Skull* | - | Decrease Defense by 5% (stacks with Bloodlust and Shadow Step) |
Greed* | Increase Crit Chance |
Although Skull's defense down can stack with Bloodlust and Shadowstep, the effect is minor. I would recommend Uros instead.
*The info on Greed is based on what Netmarble has officially released so far.
For information on which Shadow combinations are used by specific teams, please refer to my Team Guides.
You can find them here
Maximizing Shadow Army TP
Maximizing your Shadow Army TP is divided into five areas:
Weapons
Weapons unlock when a Shadow reaches General Level. The key is sequential leveling: Unlock the weapon for one General, then immediately proceed to the next until all Generals possess their weapon. Once this baseline is achieved, continue leveling them up one at a time (e.g., Igris to A1, then the next General to A1, and so on) to maximize efficiency.
Growth
The process here follows the same sequential logic: First, upgrade all your Shadows to the Green I growth level. Once that tier is complete for every Shadow, move on to Green II, continuing this pattern until all Shadows have reached their current highest available growth level.
Skills
The same sequential principle generally applies to Skills. Because the required materials are more abundant, you could theoretically skip straight to Level 4. However, I strongly recommend leveling them sequentially: start by bringing all Shadows to Skill Level 1, then all to Skill Level 2, and so on. Crucially, once your Shadows reach Skill Level 4, you absolutely must prioritize bringing them up sequentially to Level 5, then Level 6, etc., one after another.
Remember: Shadows deal minimal damage on their own. Their primary role is to grant you significant Power boosts and allow you to benefit from their powerful effects.
Army Level
Continuously prioritize raising your Army Level. The increase in level directly correlates to a significant gain in Army Total Power (TP). If you hit your current level cap, you can increase it further by promoting your Shadows.
Current Max Level: 182
Post-Level 150 Requirement: Beyond Level 150, you will require Shadow Waves (which can be crafted) to continue leveling up.
Gems
We achieve the largest increase in Total Power (TP) by equipping our Shadows with percentage-based gems (Attack, Defense, and HP). These provide a massive, undeniable boost; differences of up to 12k TP between percentage-based and flat-based gems are common.
This discrepancy is because our Shadows scale far more effectively with percentage-based stats. Utilizing these gems is a prerequisite for reaching Shadow Army TP values similar to mine.
It's perfectly fine to use lower-ranked gems to start. The ultimate goal for the late game is to acquire Tier 6, Rank A gems, but that is a long-term goal you can gradually work towards.