Metera (Fire)/Strategy

Ratings

Overview

Metera is a selfish attacker, providing moderate utility with a DelayReduce a foe's charge diamonds by 1
and a CharmedAttacks are slightly limited
Strength: 35%Duration: 180 seconds debuff, while dealing very high damage. Her main draw is her ability to hit way over the Damage cap thanks to her 80% Bonus Fire DMGDeals bonus fire DMG for one-foe one-ally attacks
Strength: 80%. However, unlike other characters of the same kind, she has very little ability to increase her base damage or Multi Attack Rate and can only shine with a fully developed grid and proper support. Exploiting her full potential requires to operate at, or close to, the damage cap, and consistently dealing triple attack. Because of that, Metera is usually not considered a free to play friendly character, as Omega Fire grids have a hard time achieving both of those goals.

How to Play

Use  Starry Sky5-hit Fire damage to random foes (Damage cap: ~400,000).
Gain Aetherial SealAetherial Seal is casted
.
At level 55:
Damage increased to 90% per hit. on cooldown to maximize Aetherial SealAetherial Seal is casted
uptime, as it is Metera's main source of damage. If you want to take advantage of the CharmedAttacks are slightly limited
Strength: 35%Duration: 180 seconds and don't particularly need the DelayReduce a foe's charge diamonds by 1
, use  Adorned Remittance200% Fire damage to a foe.
Inflict CharmedAttacks are slightly limited
Strength: 35%Duration: 180 seconds (Damage cap: ~270,000).
Consume Aetherial SealAetherial Seal is casted
: Also inflict DelayReduce a foe's charge diamonds by 1
.
At level 75:
Effect enhanced. first so as not to use an Aetherial SealAetherial Seal is casted
. This skill has otherwise very little damage and can usually be ignored. Due to the strength of her passive Bonus Damage, barring any restrictive type of Damage cap increase:

• It is more interesting to spend a Seal on a Normal Attack than on  Descent of the Flames550% Fire Damage to a foe (Damage cap: ~700,000).
  Self-inflict 20% DEF DownDEF is lowered (Can't be removed)
  Strength: 20%Duration: 5 turns and Hostility Up (Stackable)More likely to be attacked (Stackable / Can't be removed)
  Duration: 5 turns.
  Consume Aetherial SealAetherial Seal is casted
  : Don't self-inflict 20% DEF DownDEF is lowered (Can't be removed)
  Strength: 20% and Hostility Up (Stackable)More likely to be attacked (Stackable / Can't be removed)
  . if you can consistently deal more than 875,000 damage in a turn, as the bonus damage will be more important than the skill damage (more than 700,000).
• It is as interesting to spend a Seal on Normal Attack as on Charge Attack if you can consistently triple attack with damage near the cap.
  • The bonus damage effect on the C.A. is similar to a use of  Descent of the Flames550% Fire Damage to a foe (Damage cap: ~700,000).
    Self-inflict 20% DEF DownDEF is lowered (Can't be removed)
    Strength: 20%Duration: 5 turns and Hostility Up (Stackable)More likely to be attacked (Stackable / Can't be removed)
    Duration: 5 turns.
    Consume Aetherial SealAetherial Seal is casted
    : Don't self-inflict 20% DEF DownDEF is lowered (Can't be removed)
    Strength: 20% and Hostility Up (Stackable)More likely to be attacked (Stackable / Can't be removed)
    ., but the C.A. itself makes up for the difference in damage.
  • While the best scenario is to use Metera's C.A. during the turn of downtime in her Seals, stalling other characters C.A. to wait for that is not recommended.
    • On the other hand, stalling Metera's C.A. to wait for other characters (e.g. to Chain Burst) has no adverse effect on her damage.

Bear in mind that  Descent of the Flames550% Fire Damage to a foe (Damage cap: ~700,000).
Self-inflict 20% DEF DownDEF is lowered (Can't be removed)
Strength: 20%Duration: 5 turns and Hostility Up (Stackable)More likely to be attacked (Stackable / Can't be removed)
Duration: 5 turns.
Consume Aetherial SealAetherial Seal is casted
: Don't self-inflict 20% DEF DownDEF is lowered (Can't be removed)
Strength: 20% and Hostility Up (Stackable)More likely to be attacked (Stackable / Can't be removed)
. and the Aetherial SealAetherial Seal is casted
effect of  Dense Caress450%Massive Fire damage to a foe.
Consume 1 Aetherial SealAetherial Seal is casted
: 200% Bonus Fire damage (Damage cap: ~700,000). are both Skill Damage. Fire has relatively easy access to Skill Damage Cap boost with Ushumgal and Tien's  Danza CremazioneMassive Fire damage to a foe.
Inflict Red Spider LilyAttacks have a slight chance to miss / HP is lowered on every turn
Duration: 180 seconds.
All allies gain 20% Skill DMG Cap UpMaximum amount of skill DMG that can be dealt per hit is boosted
Strength: 20%Duration: 3.5 turnsStacking: Charge AttackApplied during the attack phase.
On the next turn, it'll have 3 turns remaining.. which can change which Seal use to prioritize quite a bit.
Also note that "Assassin" buffs, like Salted WoundATK is boosted when foe is in break mode
or Path of DestructionATK is boosted
, have a stronger effect on Normal Attack than on Charge Attack, which make a triple attack with a 80% Bonus Damage stronger than a C.A.
An alternative use of  Descent of the Flames550% Fire Damage to a foe (Damage cap: ~700,000).
Self-inflict 20% DEF DownDEF is lowered (Can't be removed)
Strength: 20%Duration: 5 turns and Hostility Up (Stackable)More likely to be attacked (Stackable / Can't be removed)
Duration: 5 turns.
Consume Aetherial SealAetherial Seal is casted
: Don't self-inflict 20% DEF DownDEF is lowered (Can't be removed)
Strength: 20% and Hostility Up (Stackable)More likely to be attacked (Stackable / Can't be removed)
. is to cast it without Aetherial SealAetherial Seal is casted
to sacrifice Metera, either to draw attacks away from other character, or to make a sub ally take her place. However, this method does not guarantee that Metera will be targeted, and should not be relied upon too heavily.

Synergy

• Benefits from any and all buffer, as she needs all the damage and multi-attack rate you can give her.
• Using a strong buffer with low personal damage in combination with her, rather than a weaker buffer with better personal damage, is potentially more interesting as Metera can more than make up for the difference if she's properly supported.
• Benefit greatly from Ushumgal, Ultima Weapons with Gauph Key βBoost to skill DMG cap, and Tien's 5★  Danza CremazioneMassive Fire damage to a foe.
  Inflict Red Spider LilyAttacks have a slight chance to miss / HP is lowered on every turn
  Duration: 180 seconds.
  All allies gain 20% Skill DMG Cap UpMaximum amount of skill DMG that can be dealt per hit is boosted
  Strength: 20%Duration: 3.5 turnsStacking: Charge AttackApplied during the attack phase.
  On the next turn, it'll have 3 turns remaining.. as she has a total of 4 sources of Skill DMG.
• Alternatively, a Gauph Key αBoost to one-foe attack DMG cap can go a long way in improving Metera's damage, if she can consistently triple attack and reach the damage cap.
• Due to her Bow Specialty, Metera can be used in combination with the Hollowsky Bow, making her indirectly synergize with all sources of Critical hit rate.
• Omega based Fire grids have easy access to high Critical hit rate thanks to Ancient Ecke Sachs.
• Similarly, Primal based Fire grids can make use of Ecke Sachs, but due to how Critical Hit rate from Normal weapons skill interact with each other they are usually seen as inferior to Omega ones.
• At level 90, Tien's passive Treacherous Trigger gives all allies a weak but guaranteed crit against foes in Break, a highly efficient way to trigger the Hollowsky Bow effect. Additionally, Tien's  The Final OrderGain Salted Wound (1 time)ATK is boosted when foe is in break mode
  Strength: 280%Multiplier: AssassinDuration: 1 turn 2/3 effectiveness when used with Charge Attack and 20% ATK UpATK is boosted
  Strength: 20%Duration: 1 turn .
  At level 75:
  Effect enhanced.
  At level 85:
  Also inflict OnslaughtTakes effects that activate against foes in break
  Base Accuracy: Guaranteed to land if the foe does not have 100% debuff resistance (10,000% base accuracy)Duration: 3 turnsLocal status effect, Break Boosted (Time)Break mode time is extended
  , and Break Boosted (DMG)DMG needed to switch to normal mode is boosted
  on a foe. can artificially activate all effect requiring a foe to be in Break state, regardless of its actual state, further improving the uptime.
• Other notable sources of Critical Hit rate include Anila's  Hidden Tiger, Crouching DragonAll allies gain Hidden Tiger, Crouching DragonAttacks made with elemental superiority have a chance to deal boosted DMG / Double attack rate is boosted / ATK is boosted / Debuff resistance is boosted / Charge bar is boosted
  Multiplier: NormalDuration: 3 turns
  Lvl 95:
  5 turns., Io (Summer)'s  Elemental CascadeMassive Fire damage to a foe.
  All Fire allies gain 60% / 20% Critical Hit Rate UpAttacks made with elemental superiority have a chance to deal boosted DMG
  Strength: 60% chance of dealing 20% more damage.Duration: 2.5 turnsApplied during the attack phase.
  On the next turn, it'll have 2 turns remaining.. and Zahlhamelina's  Alexander PlasmaMassive Fire damage to a foe. (50% boost to C.A. damage and 20% boost to C.A. damage cap when the field effect FlareATK is modified by number of turns passed
  Field effect is active.)
  All allies gain 30% / 30% Critical Hit Rate UpAttacks made with elemental superiority have a chance to deal boosted DMG
  Strength: 30% chance of dealing 30% more damage.Duration: 3.5 turnsApplied during the attack phase.
  On the next turn, it'll have 3 turns remaining...
• Metera can help quickly build Ilsa (Summer)'s Summer Hell Drill Sergeant stacks, as her 3 skills are considered "damage skill" (identifiable by their red border).
• Sutera (Event)'s passive Diligent gives her a Critical Hit rate when in the same party as Metera, making them more interesting to play together if you only have a limited number of Fire characters, but shouldn't be considered over more powerful choices.

Extended Mastery Perks

Resources

• Reddit Character Discussion (2017-11-14)
• Reddit Character Discussion (2020-07-14)