Elpis – Playstyle

Elpis

• Element – Null
• Battle Theme – (TBA)

Playstyle

Elpis is a control-oriented grappler with a focus on hit-and-run tactics, versatile weapon transformations, and status-inflicting attacks via Ciphers. He operates through a reactor-based system governed by Atomic Flux, where his combat effectiveness escalates as he builds, manipulates, and destabilizes his own momentum. He excels at pressuring enemies through layered status effects, converting openings into grapples and finishers, and maintaining unpredictable engagement patterns through rapid stance and weapon shifts. His combat style blends directional mobility, ranged-melee hybrid routing, and reactive conversion windows through Ouroboros Cross. Elpis thrives in unstable combat states, where Flux overclocking allows him to amplify damage, extend combos, and trigger high-reward execution sequences at the cost of increased risk and self-degradation.

Strengths

• Unpredictability & Agility: Constant stance shifts and Flux acceleration make him difficult to read or pin down
• Control & Versatility: Weapon forms, Ciphers, and Cross windows allow flexible adaptation mid-fight
• Conversion Pressure: Strong ability to turn small openings into extended combo chains and executions
• Grapple Efficiency: Grapples restore resources, generate Flux, and reinforce momentum loops
• Multi-target Disruption: Ciphers and Agryo routing allow consistent pressure across multiple enemies
  

Weaknesses

• Moderate Raw Damage: Requires setup and conversion states to reach peak output
• Evasive Dependency: Hit-and-run structure limits sustained DPS uptime
• Fragility: High vulnerability when Flux states are disrupted or mistimed
• Status Resistance Weakness: Reduced effectiveness against immune or cleanse-heavy enemies
• Resource Dependence: Performance drops sharply when Flux and conversion timing are mismanaged

Mechanics

Atomic Flux Gauge

Atomic Flux is a reactor spinner-styled gauge that governs how fast Elpis’ special gauge fills, how volatile his Cipher buffs are, and how dangerous his momentum becomes. The first section is colored turquoise, the next white, and the last purple.

Color changes to:

• Orange for Interior
• Magenta for Diamondback
• Cyan for Caduceus

It does not fill on its own. It is accelerated or destabilized by how Elpis fights, being gained when Elpis performs combos, grapples, weakpoint strikes, and successful Ouroboros Cross follow-ups.

Atomic Flux is the core fuel source for:

• Quark Basilisk
• Agryo
• Chryso
• Cipher Enhancements

As Elpis accelerates his reactor through Ouroboros Cross chains, the Flux Gauge enters increasingly unstable states. It decreases when Elpis hasn’t attacked enemies or doesn’t release any charges. As Elpis accelerates his reactor through Ouroboros Cross chains, the Flux Gauge enters increasingly unstable states. 

Turquoise Flux (Stable)

• Standard meter gain
• Cipher effects operate normally
• Safe charge cancels
• Basic Ouroboros Cross extensions

White Flux (Critical)

Elpis begins overclocking his reactor.

• Increased meter gain
• Faster charge attacks
• Grapples absorb more Nexeratic
• Cipher debuffs last longer

However:

• Special moves consume additional Flux
• Missing charge cancels drains Flux

Purple Flux (Volatile)

Elpis reaches maximum reactor output.

• Attack speed greatly increases
• Charge moves become instant
• Whips gain larger range
• Grapples gain bonus properties
• Poison spreads to nearby enemies

However:

• Flux continuously drains
• Taking damage causes Flux collapse
• Special moves consume large portions of Flux

Gilded Lash – Normally, Elpis fights using a single sword. However, after successfully connecting with certain attacks or completing combo strings, Elpis briefly flashes turquoise. During this window, activating Ouroboros Cross causes Elpis to unsheathe his second blade and enter a dual-wielding follow-up. These follow-ups are tied to the mechanic known as Gilded Lash.

Gilded Lash attacks:

• Generate Flux.
• Increase attack speed.
• Apply additional hitstun.
• Extend combo routes with unique dual-blade follow-ups.

Before the attack ends, Elpis can interrupt the start of a normal attack into the follow-up of another attack to cancel out recovery and cause varying effects based on Agryo / Chryso, slowing enemies down briefly. 

• Agryo – Extends Elpis’ attack at the end of his move, creating an AoE-styled blast
• Chryso – Elpis compresses the stored energy into a focused strike. 
• Upon a successful Charge cancelled into another Charge move, causing his charge to be transferred into the new move that becomes insta-charged. 

When Elpis attacks with these follow-ups, on block or on hit, the entire gauge will flash yellow, indicating that Elpis has increased his reactor speed. The spinner will spin faster, which earns Elpis meter faster. When Elpis is knocked down, or performs any special move, the reactor gauge will flash red, which will decrease his reactor speed and slow Elpis’ meter gain. 

When Elpis is in his follow-up window, he can cancel into his Ouroboros Cross stance; a combo sequence that can extend based on how many hits Elpis has done prior. Ouroboros Cross activates Elpis’ second sword for a dual-wielding combo, where his second sword is buffed with a Cipher’s element.

• Certain attacks use grab follow-ups 

In this window, he runs automatically. Can be cancelled out with a dash / dodge.

• Cancelling into another move boosts Elpis’ attack speed. 

At the 4th /5th attack of the chain, Elpis will perform an insta-charged version of the move as his Flux raises. Buffing his grabs and whip. 

Quark Basilisk is Elpis’ charge mechanic, destabilizing Gestalt’s segmented structure and amplifying follow-up attacks.

By holding the input during compatible attacks, Elpis compresses Atomic Flux within Gestalt. Upon release, the weapon partially unravels into whip-like segments.

Quark Basilisk attacks:

• Extend attack range.
• Gain explosive properties based on the active Cipher.
• Increase stagger and crowd-control potential.
• Come out slower than their normal counterparts.

Certain Quark Basilisk attacks can transfer their stored charge into another attack, instantly charging the next move and preserving offensive pressure.

When Flux reaches maximum capacity, Elpis automatically enters Reactor Discharge.

The next Quark Basilisk release:

• Gains maximum charge properties regardless of charge duration.
• Consumes all accumulated Flux.
• Produces enhanced visual and elemental effects based on the active Cipher.

This allows Elpis to immediately unleash a fully-powered Quark Basilisk attack without requiring a charge period.

During the Ouroboros Cross string, Elpis has different combo finishers that can be charged via Quark Basilisk at the cost of certain Atomic Flux thresholds, causing him to lose the buff. 

• Deals multi-hitting damage that can hit multiple enemies at once

Ciphers 

Ciphers are status-inflicting styles tied to Elpis’ weapon forms that modify attacks and control enemy behavior. They can be applied through melee strikes, ranged shots, grapples, or follow-up combos. Elpis alters his weapons with multiple modes of varying tools branching off his dual-wielding style. Charging with a Cipher drains Atomic Flux for an elemental buff. 

Neutral – Without either of these activated, Quark Basilisk becomes neutral with light Flux consumption. Being used safely with Elpis’ core moveset. When using a Cipher, Elpis’ normal attack input will use one of his swords while his Style input changes to the Cipher

Holding Quark Basilisk compresses Atomic Flux to charge for a powerful attack. The more he’s able to charge during a short duration, the more damage his follow-up deals at the cost of Flux thresholds, gaining an elemental buff.

• Charge Level 1 (Stable – 10 Seconds during Charge) – 30 Flux Points: Elpis’ veins glow turquoise, as the edge of his sword ignites. Attacks send out a light shockwave, adding a second hit to attacks and comes out the quickest. Elpis’ Quark Basilisk fills slowly but safely.
• Charge Level 2 (Agitation – 5 Seconds during Charge) – 60 Flux Points: Elpis’ veins crawl further, as his sword extends it’s length. Charge attacks do stronger sweep effects, and attacks are 15% quicker. Slight auto-pull toward marked enemies 
• Charge Level 3 (Critical – 3 Seconds during Charge) – 90 Flux Points: Elpis’ veins glow purple, and his sword collapses inward, then violently expands on release. Quick and dangerous. Used for combo finisher-styled charge slashes, dealing guard-breaking damage. All hits become pierce + delayed detonation. Fission auto-triggers on hit (free grab confirm window)

If Elpis builds too much Flux without releasing it, he reaches critical mass, dropping his defense. If Elpis is hit while in Critical Flux, Core Defect occurs. His Atomic Flux gauge will freeze for 2-3 seconds, and he’ll lose his buff instantly

• Air Taunt can speed up the charge rate

After an attack, Elpis can quickly transition into Quark Basilisk to quickly charge. The more Flux available, the more damage the follow-up does. When using Quark Basilisk, Elpis can do two actions that converts his Flux; Fission, raising Agryo. Fusion, using Chryso. 

• Fission: Waiting for Elpis to glow. Attacks have extended hitstop and lingering Flux trails based on element
• Fusion: Immediately using Quark Basilisk. Attacks add a drill to it for chip damage / guard-break, 25% grab damage.
• Patient Zero: Perfect timing, causing no Flux cost for follow-up → Doubled damage. Can cancel one Quark Basilisk into another. Instant follow-up window reset 

Flux shifts depending on the active Cipher’s element, allowing it to be later used for an elemental buff. Using these elemental buffs in follow-ups drains Flux. Attacks leave lingering radiation damage.

• Interior – Adds fire damage to Elpis’ basic attacks. Attacks gain chain explosions at max level, adding heavy knockback. Fission attacks leave unstable nano-cells in enemies. Hitting those enemies again causes secondary bursts.
• Diamondback – Adds lightning damage to Elpis’ basic attacks. Attacks add up stun on each hit, hitting nearby enemies. High Flux creates a small ionized field around Elpis. Enemies entering the field take pulse damage.
• Caduceus – Adds ice damage to Elpis’ basic attacks. Attacks slow down enemies with AoE shots. 

If Elpis performs another Basilisk release within a short window, elemental effects stack and shockwave radius grows. At the end of a hit on an enemy, Elpis can hold it to explode on them for finishers within a short window. 

Interior (Fire): Elpis uses vernier jet-infused grieves that grants him access to thruster-styled dashes imbuing his attacks with fire.

• Buffs attack speed and shortens recovery.
• Gains a charged dash with invincibility.
• Dashes leave burning jetstreams that damage enemies who pass through them.
• Dash attacks gain explosive finishers.
• Quark Basilisk releases create firebursts that launch enemies slightly.
• Agryo Synergy: Whip attacks pull enemies through burning jetstreams.
• Chryso Synergy: Grab finishers ignite enemies, causing delayed explosions when struck again.

Diamondback (Lightning): Elpis equips a polarized lightning shield that can be used both defensively and as a thrown weapon.

Buffs defense and attack stun. Changes grabs into Electromagnetic Grabs.

• Successful grabs magnetize enemies.
• Nearby enemies are pulled toward the grabbed target.
• Grab finishers release chain lightning between affected enemies.

Elpis’ shield grants a guarding stance. If Elpis guards shortly before an attack:

• Damage is nullified.
• Gains bonus Atomic Flux.
• Counterattacks briefly stun enemies, opening grab opportunities.

The shield can be thrown as a spinning disc. It ricochets between enemies and terrain.
Marked enemies increase ricochet count.

Gun + Caduceus Synergy: While the shield is airborne, Elpis can fire shots from Anaconda to reflect projectiles off the shield.

• Shotgun shots cause the shield to be pushed further, increasing impact
• Rifle shots bounce between the shield and enemies

Flux Charge: Holding Quark Basilisk while the shield is thrown causes lightning arcs to jump between enemies, extending stun duration and building Flux rapidly.

Caduceus (Ice): Elpis fuses his revolver with a sword, turning it into a shotgun-axe. It can charge to become a rifle. 

• Upgrades charged shots with lingering effects. Ice shots slow down enemy attack speed, giving Quark Basilisk follow-ups a timing advantage
• Can “tag” multiple enemies for multiple shots at once
• Alters / expands gun’s moves. Quark Basilisk affects guns via Sniper Mode.

Consecutive normal follow-ups with Caduceus uses his gunblade axe

Alternative follow-ups hold between attacks for either a quick shotgun shot or a held rapid-firing stance shot that adds up damage. Releasing it does a quick rifle shot. Can cancel out of it with a timed release to dodge enemies.

– Shotgun can be held after each melee hit

When Elpis finishes a rifle shot or shotgun burst during Quark Basilisk: press attack again during a small timing window to instantly fire a shot, increasing chip damage. When mistimed, it has a slight delay. 

Charged shots sweep in nearby enemies. After a charged shot, Elpis’ melee attacks are enhanced with Vials. Shotgun shots use held autocombos consuming Vials for ice-damaging melee-gun combos using the shotgun / gunblade axe. 

Elpis has a unique way of charging Quark Basilisk for Caduceus, allowing him to charge his guns. When not full, Elpis throws out a grenade. 

When full, Elpis enters a special rifle stance while enemies become slowed down, allowing him to rapid-fire. Elpis uses Vials as ammo in this window with up to 6 highly powered charge shots that are stocked together, allowing Elpis to enter a rapid-firing stance. Each shot fired adds chip damage to enemies that can burst enemy guards when fired consecutively, boosting shot speed. 

During the rifle stance, Elpis has multiple options

– Manual shooting

– Holding -> An alternate autocombo for Quark Basilisk

Agryo / Chryso

Tied to Elpis’ core sword kit is his whip and barehands, helping him shift between long range and close range. Altering and expanding his sword moves

Agryo – Agryo is linked to Elpis’ whip mode, where each sword hit can be held for a whip extension, hitting multiple enemies at once but at slower speed. It excels at battlefield control, enemy grouping, and amplification, enabling Elpis to dominate space and set up high-damage conversions.

It puts a layer of super armor on Elpis’ health during a charge. Elpis’ whip pulls in enemies, reinforcing its role as a control and setup tool.

• All Agryo charge attacks magnetize marked enemies, pulling them inward slightly.
• All whip extensions prioritize multi-target hits over single-target damage.
• Agryo never “finishes” enemies—it sets them up.

During Quark Basilisk (Fusion), Elpis performs a combo-style series of rapid, shockwave-sending slashes that scale based on Agryo’s gauge. Each consecutive hit increases speed, widening his AoE range gradually. The final hit applies a Weakpoint Mark.

Marked enemies take increased damage from:

• Ciphers
• Grapples
• Reactor Discharges

Weakpoints also generate Vials when struck. 

Marked enemies take 20% more damage from Ciphers on a weakpoint. These weak points drop different items tied to each Cipher when struck, known as Vials. When activated, Elpis’ dual blades fuse into one sword that bursts into shorter micro-whips during burst attacks.

Weakpoints define how enemies are setup

• Head → Stun
  → Grab: Elpis repeatedly headbutts the enemy (control lock)
• Core → Launch vulnerability
  → Grab: German suplex, throwing an enemy to a deemed position (positioning)
• Arms → Guard disabled
  → Grab: Elpis disarms an enemy, gutpunching them (anti-defense)
• Legs → Restricts dashes / teleports
  → Grab: Elpis grabs an enemy by their legs, spinning before slamming them down repeatedly. Finishes by kicking them away (anti-movement)

Weakpoints can only be exploited once. Successfully exploiting a weakpoint:

• Heals Elpis
• Grants Flux
• Extends active Cipher duration

Marked enemies are pulled by all charge attacks. Elpis’ dashes are turned into homing dashes near marked enemies, causing Elpis to leave a jetstream behind him as he instantly hits an enemy. Striking these weakpoints heals Elpis for a percentage of damage dealt

Hitting multiple weakpoints from different enemies in a row allows Elpis to do a special multi-kill execution. 

Agryo alters Elpis’ charge. Upon a full charge, it activates the Ouroboros Ring, an elemental-boosting AoE in the form of an amplification field. This field causes Cipher buffs to stack upon each other.

– Vital Veins stability extends duration of amplification field

When charging, a Vial becomes overcharged

Using multiple different Vials (max 3–4 Vials per chain) in succession can cause a Chain Reaction. While multiple of the same Vial can be stocked to form an Ouroboros Ring. 

Chryso – Chryso is linked to Elpis’ barehanded pilebunker / drill attacks, enabling grab-based follow-ups instead of whip extensions via a purple-red blink. It specializes in single-target destruction, guard-breaking, and damage conversion, trading safety for overwhelming output.

It is activated through Fission, making it the direct conversion of Atomic Flux into offensive power. Rather than being built up passively, Chryso converts both Atomic Flux and Vital Veins into Overflow Veins, empowering Elpis’ grabs, drill attacks, and finishers.

Vital Veins represent Elpis’ normal health.

Overflow Veins (purple + gold) act as Chryso’s dedicated resource. When Chryso is activated, Elpis sacrifices a portion of his Vital Veins and converts them into Overflow Veins through reactor overdrive. Overflow Veins are not true health and cannot prevent defeat. Instead, they function as stored Chryso energy that fuels grabs, drill attacks, finishers, and damage conversion.

Overflow Veins decay after 5 seconds when unused, encouraging aggressive play. Using grabs, finishers, and drill attacks consumes Overflow Veins before they can decay. Successful executions, grapples, and Nexeratic absorption can recover portions of sacrificed Vital Veins.

Activating Chryso:

• Consumes Atomic Flux
• Converts Vital Veins into Overflow Veins
• Enhances grabs
• Enhances drill attacks
• Grants access to Chryso finishers

Elpis has grabs that ignore guards, counter armored moves, and pull enemies within range.

Grounded Grabs (Enemy on Ground)
→ Anti-block

Anti-Air Grabs (Enemy Airborne)
→ Punishes aerial opponents

Downed Grabs (Enemy Knocked Down)
→ Combo extension; Elpis grabs an enemy by their legs before repeatedly slamming them into the ground.

During Quark Basilisk (Fission), attacks extend reactor drills from Elpis’ fists. These attacks gain chip damage and guard-breaking properties. Holding them causes constant multi-hitting damage, while releasing them emits a reactor shockwave.

Successful Fission attacks open an instant grab-confirm window.

During low Atomic Flux, Elpis’ grabs are slower and more committal.

During high Atomic Flux, Elpis’ core glows brightly and his grabs become significantly faster, unlocking special finisher routes. During these finishers, jetstreams form around Elpis’ arms like talons while his veins pulse outward, releasing reactor blasts with every strike.

Chryso conversion only occurs when attacks successfully connect, rewarding commitment and accuracy.

If an enemy is launched, downed, or placed into a vulnerable state, Elpis can perform a Chryso Finisher. These finishers consume Marks and Overflow Veins, converting stored Chryso energy directly into damage.

Each grab consumes Overflow Veins, allowing Elpis to chain up to 4 grabs before exhausting his stored reactor output.

Certain charged attacks and Chryso finishers can trigger special executions.

Holding any Chryso melee attack:

• Drills into enemies
• Consumes Overflow Veins
• Builds stagger
• Increases Flux conversion
• Strengthens follow-up grab damage

Releasing:

• Emits a reactor shockwave
• Launches enemies
• Causes wall splats
• Opens grab-confirm windows

When Elpis falls into critical health, Chryso enters Terminal Conversion.

Terminal Conversion:

• All grabs automatically consume Marks
• Drill attacks gain maximum hit count
• Grab startup gains brief hyper armor
• Overflow Vein generation is increased
• Overflow Veins decay extremely quickly
• Flux conversion increases dramatically

The first successful grab during Terminal Conversion triggers a forced execution state. While Terminal Conversion is active, Vital Vein recovery is disabled until Chryso ends. 

Overflown Tail can be used as a final charge finisher, consuming all remaining Overflow Veins, restoring a portion of sacrificed Vital Veins, and ending Chryso.