Progression, practical choices and current mode rules.
Weapon and set target
Target the Fallen Lord Spear and five armor pieces. The scroll is in Silent Temple; Fallen Lord’s Claw comes from relevant areas including Embars Ruins.
While pieces are missing, keep a Moonlight loop you can land reliably. Do not sacrifice usable stamina for thresholds copied from launch guides; current recorded bonuses differ.
Use accessories for stamina, recovery and relevant resistance. Start with Keshta or Conrad; consider Atlante if Javelin damage becomes your main focus.
Learning order and target ranks
Open Moonlight before Moonlight Stance and Full Moon. This is a learning order; Mastery, prerequisite links and equipped sets still determine availability.
Make stance activation consistent before improving multi-rank damage skills. Upgrade gradually rather than trying to max every branch at once.
| Order | Skill | Target | Purpose |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Moonlight | Unlock | Swift-chain Moonlight slash |
| 2 | Moonlight Stance | Work toward rank 3 | Stance loop after a Moonlight hit |
| 3 | Moonlight Stance: Vitality / Persistence | Learn after prerequisites | Stamina and duration during stance |
| 4 | Full Moon | Work toward rank 3 | Hold Potent Blow during stance |
| 5 | Spiral Thrust | Work toward rank 3 | Long openings and set synergy |
| 6 | Opportunistic Spirit | Upgrade for your dodge usage | Resource return from Brink Dodge |
| 7 | Trance / Phantom: Heatwave | Add as needed later | Check current costs and hit requirements |
Three practical windows
Establish the stance: confirm Moonlight connects and the stance indicator appears before pursuing. A whiff does not guarantee activation.
Short opening: use a safe Swift string and maintain spacing. Long opening: choose Full Moon in stance or Spiral Thrust; both are not mandatory every time.
Extend only after exhaustion is confirmed, leaving time for the Brutal Attack. Re-establish stance if it ends, Spirit is insufficient or the target moves out of range.
Avoid obsolete infinite-loop claims
After the May 2025 adjustment, Trance: Spirit requires a hit for the follow-up cost reduction; its refund is timed and does not stack.
Do not treat Phantom: Heatwave as unlimited invulnerability for one Spirit. Official balance changes addressed its resource costs, including stamina during guards.
Before saving the preset
Test a short sequence and a long-opening sequence against the same enemy on the same difficulty. Track safe recovery rather than only peak damage.
Check active set thresholds, weight, resistance accessories, phantom ability and skill activation before saving. Ultimate Challenge provides its own equipment, so this campaign loadout does not transfer directly.
Sources and version notes
Checked on 2026-10-22. Recommendations are editorial; patch-specific rules are identified in the text.