📋 Character Overview
Grace Howard is an A-rank Electric Anomaly character from the Belobog Industries faction. She specializes in on-field Electric damage through rapid Shock application — making her one of the most accessible and effective anomaly appliers for Disorder team compositions.
Grace's core mechanic revolves around her Electric Shock anomaly. Unlike typical DPS characters, Grace's damage comes primarily from applying the Shock status effect, which deals sustained Electric damage over time and can be exploded through the Disorder reaction when combined with another anomaly type (Physical, Fire, or Ice). Her EX Special Attack and charged Basic Attacks apply massive amounts of Electric anomaly buildup, allowing her to trigger Shock repeatedly throughout a fight.
Strengths: Excellent on-field Electric anomaly application — Grace can maintain near-100% Shock uptime against single targets; high base Energy generation allows frequent EX Special usage; strong synergy with other anomaly characters for Disorder comps; available from all banners as an A-rank, making her Cinema levels easy to obtain. Weaknesses: Low personal direct damage — almost all her value is in anomaly application; requires field time to build Shock, which can be dangerous in endgame content without a shielder; no off-field presence — she must stay on the field to apply anomaly effectiveness; her basic attack chain is slow and leaves her vulnerable without proper positioning.
Base Stats (Lv. 60)
How Shock and Anomaly Buildup Work
Electric anomaly (Shock) applies a debuff to the target that deals continuous Electric DMG over 10 seconds. When Shock is applied to an enemy already affected by another anomaly (like Assault or Burn), it triggers Disorder — a powerful reaction that deals massive burst damage equal to 150% of both anomalies' remaining damage over time values. This is the foundation of Grace's team value. Her Anomaly Proficiency stat increases both the damage of each Shock tick AND the Disordered burst damage. Every 10 points of Anomaly Proficiency increases Shock damage by roughly 2.8%, making it her single most important offensive stat.
Anomaly Buildup is the rate at which Grace fills the enemy's anomaly gauge. Her EX Special applies the highest buildup per hit, followed by her charged Basic Attack combo. Anomaly Mastery increases this buildup speed — at 96 base Mastery, Grace needs approximately 6-7 EX Special hits to Shock a standard enemy. With high Anomaly Mastery investment, this drops to 4-5 hits. Grace's M1 (first Cinema) increases her Anomaly Buildup rate by 18%, which is a substantial early power spike.
🔧 Best W-Engine (Weapon)
| Priority | W-Engine | Rarity | Details |
|---|---|---|---|
| 🥇 Best | Electro-Lip Gloss | A | Battle Pass W-Engine. Provides Anomaly Proficiency as its main stat (40 at R1). Its passive grants a 12-20% DMG bonus against enemies affected by an anomaly — which is nearly permanent uptime for Grace, since she applies Shock constantly. At R5, reaches roughly 95% of signature-level performance. The best all-around option but costs $10 for the Battle Pass. |
| 🥈 F2P Best | Rainforest Gourmet | A | Craftable A-rank. Anomaly Proficiency main stat with Energy Regen on its passive — every time Grace triggers an anomaly, she regenerates 4.5 Energy. This allows her to use EX Special more frequently, directly increasing her Shock application rate. At R5, roughly 85-90% of Electro-Lip Gloss performance. The go-to F2P option. |
| 🥉 Budget | Weeping Gemini | A | Standard banner A-rank. Anomaly Proficiency main stat with a stacking ATK buff (max 3 stacks) when triggering an anomaly. The ATK bonus helps Grace's personal damage and Shock tick damage. Roughly 75% of R5 Rainforest Gourmet performance. Good starting option. |
| 🔄 Free Starter | Fusion Compiler (S-rank) | S | Standard S-rank Anomaly W-Engine. If you happen to have this from the standard banner, it's Grace's absolute best option — significantly better than any A-rank. Provides Anomaly Proficiency, PEN ratio, and ATK% on anomaly trigger. Roughly 30% better than Electro-Lip Gloss. |
💿 Drive Disc Recommendations
Best Set: Freedom Blues (4-Piece) + Thunder Metal (2-Piece)
Freedom Blues 4-Piece: Increases Anomaly Proficiency by 30. After triggering an anomaly (Shock), the entire team gains 20% bonus damage against that enemy for 10 seconds. This is the recommended setup for Grace — the anomaly damage amplification benefits both Grace's Shock ticks and her team's follow-up damage during Disorder procs.
Thunder Metal 2-Piece: Increases Electric DMG by 10%. Straightforward and effective — more Electric damage means stronger Shock ticks and better Disorder damage values.
Alternative: Chaos Jazz (4-Piece) + Freedom Blues (2-Piece)
Chaos Jazz boosts Electric and Fire damage while increasing the DMG multiplier of Disorder reactions. If Grace is the primary anomaly trigger in a double-anomaly team (e.g. Grace + Burnice), this set can outperform Freedom Blues by roughly 5-8% in Disorder-heavy rotations. Use this setup when Grace is building two different anomalies in quick succession.
Main Stat Priority
| Slot | Main Stat | Explanation |
|---|---|---|
| Slot IV | Anomaly Proficiency | The most important stat for Grace. Higher AP = faster Shock buildup + higher Shock damage + stronger Disorder procs. Non-negotiable for this slot. |
| Slot V | Electric DMG Bonus / ATK% | Electric DMG% is preferred for maximum Shock and Disorder damage. ATK% is an acceptable alternative if your Electric DMG piece has poor substats. |
| Slot VI | Anomaly Mastery / ATK% | Anomaly Mastery increases anomaly buildup speed — it helps Grace apply Shock faster, which means more frequent Disorder triggers. ATK% is a universal fallback if Anomaly Mastery pieces are scarce. |
Substat Priority
Anomaly Proficiency > ATK% > PEN > Energy Regen > CRIT Rate/DMG (very low priority)
⭐ Skill Priority
| Priority | Skill | Explanation |
|---|---|---|
| S+ Highest | EX Special Attack (Electro Voltaic Blast) | Grace's most important skill. Her EX Special applies massive Electric anomaly buildup in a wide cone AoE and deals strong burst damage. This skill accounts for roughly 60% of her total anomaly application. Level 12 — max this first. |
| S Highest | Core Passive (Electro Discharge) | Increases Shock damage and Anomaly Buildup rate. Each level of the Core Passive directly improves how fast Grace can trigger Shock and how hard it hits. Priority after EX Special. Level 10-12. |
| A High | Basic Attack (Voltaic Chain) | Grace's charged Basic Attack string applies significant Electric anomaly buildup, especially the 3rd and 4th hits. Since she spends considerable field time doing Basic Attacks, leveling this skill matters. Level 9-11. |
| A High | Chain Attack / Ultimate | Both deal solid Electric burst damage and apply a large chunk of Electric anomaly buildup. Use these during stun windows or for quick anomaly procs. Level 8-10. |
| B Medium | Dodge Counter | Grace's dodge counter applies a small amount of Electric buildup. Useful for weaving in extra anomaly application while staying safe. Level 6-8. |
| B Low | Assist Attack | Lowest priority. Grace's assist attacks are mostly for defensive utility and don't contribute meaningfully to anomaly buildup. Level 1-6 is fine. |
🤝 Team Compositions
Grace is a dedicated Disorder enabler. Her teams pair her with a secondary anomaly DPS who applies a different element, creating massive Disorder reactions. She can also fit in mono-Electric as a sub-DPS:
🥇 Best F2P Disorder Team
Grace + Piper + Lucy
The most accessible and effective Disorder team in the game. Grace applies on-field Electric Shock, Piper spins up Physical Assault rapidly, and Lucy provides team-wide ATK buffs with Sons of Calydon faction synergy with Piper. Rotation: Start with Grace → use EX Special to apply Shock → swap to Lucy → use EX for ATK buff → swap to Piper → use EX Special spin to trigger Assault → Disorder triggers for massive burst damage. This team can clear all endgame content including Shiyu Defense with proper investment.
🥈 Grace + Burnice (Disorder Hybrid)
Grace + Burnice + Rina
Grace applies Shock while Burnice applies off-field Burn through her Afterburn mechanic. When both anomalies are active, they trigger Disorder for multiplicative damage. Rina provides PEN% for the entire team, amplifying both Shock and Burn damage. Burnice's off-field presence means Grace can stay on the field building Shock while Burn damage ticks in the background. This team is highly flexible — Rina can be replaced with Lucy, Seth, or Caesar depending on what you need.
🥉 Premium Dual Anomaly
Grace + Jane Doe + Seth
Jane Doe is an S-rank Physical anomaly DPS who creates massive Assault procs. Grace provides the Electric Shock for Disorder reactions. Seth boosts the entire team's Anomaly Proficiency by 80, dramatically increasing both Shock and Assault damage. This team has the highest theoretical DPS of any Grace team but requires high investment in both anomaly characters and Seth's shield management. Better suited for players who have both Grace and Jane built at high investment.
🔄 Mono-Electric (Budget)
Grace + Anton + Anby
A pure Electric team for content where you need consistent Electric damage without relying on Disorder. Anby provides stun support with fast Daze buildup, Anton delivers burst DPS during stun windows with his Ultimate and Burst Mode, and Grace applies Shock as the sub-DPS/anomaly enabler. This team is very F2P-friendly — all three are A-rank characters available from the standard banner. The Shock from Grace boosts Anton's passive damage against shocked enemies, creating a nice synergistic loop.
🎮 Playstyle & Rotation
Grace is a field-time intensive anomaly character. Unlike off-field anomaly appliers like Burnice, Grace needs to stay on the field to build Shock effectively. Her playstyle follows a clear rhythm:
- Open with EX Special: Start the fight by using Grace's EX Special Attack (Electro Voltaic Blast). This fires a wide cone of electricity that applies massive Electric anomaly buildup. Aim to hit as many enemies as possible.
- Charged Basic Attack chain: Follow up with her full Basic Attack combo (4-hit string). The 3rd and 4th hits are charged and apply significantly more anomaly buildup than the first two hits. Weave in dodges between hits to stay safe — Grace has no super armor during her attack string.
- Apply Shock: After 2-3 EX Specials or one full EX + charged combo, the enemy's Electric anomaly gauge fills and Shock triggers. This deals initial damage and starts the 10-second Shock DoT.
- Swap to support: While Shock is active, swap to your support (Lucy, Rina, or Seth) to apply buffs and shields. The goal is to have your secondary anomaly DPS ready to capitalize on Shock.
- Disorder Trigger: Your secondary anomaly DPS applies their element (Physical, Fire, etc.) while Shock is active. When their anomaly triggers, Disorder explodes for massive damage. The freshly-applied Shock means maximum remaining duration, hence maximum Disorder damage.
- Refresh Cycle: After Disorder triggers, Shock is consumed. Swap back to Grace, use EX Special + charged Basics to re-apply Shock, and repeat the cycle.
💡 Pro Tip: Grace's M1 (first Cinema) increases her Anomaly Buildup rate by 18%. This is a massive QoL improvement that reduces the number of hits needed to trigger Shock by roughly 15-20%. If you're building Grace for endgame content, M1 is the most impactful early Cinema to aim for. At M6, Grace's EX Special fires an additional wave of electricity, dramatically increasing her AoE anomaly application — this is her single biggest power spike.
❓ FAQ
Grace doesn't have a dedicated signature W-Engine (she's A-rank). The best option is Electro-Lip Gloss from the Battle Pass, or Fusion Compiler if you have an S-rank Anomaly W-Engine. For F2P players, Rainforest Gourmet (craftable) at R5 is excellent and roughly 85-90% of Electro-Lip Gloss's performance. The key stat you need is Anomaly Proficiency — any W-Engine that provides it will work well.
Grace should aim for at least 300 Anomaly Proficiency as a baseline for mid-game content. For endgame content like Shiyu Defense critical nodes, aim for 350-400 AP. With a fully optimized build (AP main stat on Slot IV, good substat rolls, and Freedom Blues 4-piece), Grace can reach 420+ AP. Each point of AP increases Shock damage by roughly 0.28% and Disorder damage by a similar margin. This makes AP substat rolls incredibly valuable — never settle for a piece that rolled into flat ATK or DEF instead of AP.
Yes! Grace + Anton is a solid mono-Electric core. Anton's passive grants him bonus damage against shocked enemies, and Grace applies Shock constantly. Anby works as the third slot for stun support (Grace + Anton + Anby). The rotation is: Anby stuns the enemy → Grace applies Shock → Anton uses his Ultimate to enter Burst Mode and wreak havoc. This team is very F2P-friendly since all three are A-rank and accessible from standard banners. It won't compete with top Disorder teams in terms of raw damage, but it clears all content comfortably with proper investment.
This is a common question — the answer is both. Grace and Piper are the two halves of the most famous F2P Disorder core. Grace applies Shock (Electric) and Piper applies Assault (Physical). They complement each other perfectly — Grace builds Shock while Piper builds Assault, and Disorder triggers when the second anomaly hits. If you had to choose one, Piper has slightly higher solo carry potential due to her self-sufficient Energy generation and super armor on her spin. But neither reaches their full potential without the other. Build both — they share the same Drive Disc set (Freedom Blues) and can use similar W-Engines, making them very efficient to gear together.