Hey Granblue Fantasy players! Ever feel like your characters could use that extra oomph? That's where Extended Mastery (EM) comes in. This system allows you to customize your characters beyond their base stats and skills, giving them unique advantages tailored to your playstyle. Let's dive into the world of Extended Mastery and unlock your characters' full potential!

What is Extended Mastery?

Extended Mastery, or EM, is a character enhancement system in Granblue Fantasy that allows players to further customize their characters beyond their normal level progression, skills, and weapon grid. Think of it as a way to fine-tune your characters, patching up weaknesses or amplifying their strengths to create powerful and specialized units. This system offers a significant layer of depth and strategy, enabling players to tailor their teams to specific content and challenges. The EM system is accessed through a character's individual page, typically after they've reached a certain level or a specific uncap has been achieved. It's important to note that the availability and extent of EM can vary from character to character, with some characters having more extensive options than others. Furthermore, the cost of unlocking and upgrading EM nodes involves resources such as JP (Job Points) and specific character-specific materials, encouraging players to engage with various aspects of the game to gather these resources. Effectively utilizing the Extended Mastery system can dramatically improve a character's performance in both solo and multi-player battles, making it an essential component of end-game progression and team optimization. Don't underestimate the power of a well-configured EM setup!

Understanding the Extended Mastery Grid

The Extended Mastery grid is the visual representation of the customization options available for each character. It's usually presented as a network of interconnected nodes, each offering a different bonus or enhancement to the character's abilities. The grid is divided into several categories, including basic stat boosts, elemental attack increases, skill enhancements, and unique passive abilities. Navigating this grid requires careful consideration, as each node requires specific resources to unlock and upgrade. Players must weigh the benefits of each node against the cost of unlocking it, taking into account the character's role in the team and the specific challenges they'll be facing. For example, a damage-focused character might prioritize nodes that increase attack power, critical hit rate, or multi-attack chance. Conversely, a support character might focus on nodes that enhance healing abilities, increase debuff success rates, or provide additional defensive buffs. The strategic allocation of EM points is crucial for maximizing a character's effectiveness and optimizing team performance. The grid is not static; certain nodes may become available only after unlocking prerequisite nodes, adding another layer of complexity to the customization process. Experimentation is key to discovering the most effective EM configurations for each character and adapting them to different battle scenarios. Understanding the interplay between different nodes and how they synergize with a character's existing skills and abilities is essential for mastering the Extended Mastery system. So, take your time, explore the grid, and unlock the true potential of your characters!

Types of Extended Mastery Skills

Let's break down the different types of Extended Mastery skills you'll encounter. You'll generally see a mix of the following:

• Basic Stats: These are straightforward boosts to a character's core stats like ATK, HP, DEF, and DA/TA (Double Attack/Triple Attack rate). These are foundational improvements that provide a solid base for any character build.
• Elemental ATK Up: These skills boost a character's attack power when fighting enemies of a specific element. Extremely useful for focusing on specific content or optimizing for elemental advantage.
• Debuff Success Rate Up: If a character relies on landing debuffs like attack down, defense down, or status ailments, these skills are essential. They significantly increase the chance of those debuffs sticking.
• Critical Hit Rate Up: More critical hits mean more damage! These skills increase the likelihood of landing a critical hit, which can significantly boost damage output.
• Skill Damage Up: For characters with powerful offensive skills, these enhance the damage those skills inflict. A must-have for DPS characters.
• Healing Up: If you're building a healer, these skills will amplify the amount of HP they restore with their healing skills.
• Enmity/Stamina: These skills provide bonuses based on a character's current HP. Enmity skills increase damage when HP is low, while Stamina skills increase damage when HP is high. These are great for advanced team comps.
• Unique Passives: This is where things get really interesting! These are character-specific skills that provide unique effects, such as increased dodge rate, resistance to certain debuffs, or even special buffs under specific conditions. These are often the key to unlocking a character's full potential.

How to Choose the Right EM Skills

Choosing the right EM skills is crucial for maximizing your characters' effectiveness. There's no one-size-fits-all answer, as the optimal choices depend on the character's role, their existing skillset, and the content you're tackling. However, here's a general approach:

1. Identify the Character's Role: Is the character a damage dealer, a tank, a healer, or a debuffer? This will heavily influence your EM choices. Damage dealers generally benefit from ATK, Critical Hit Rate, and Skill Damage Up. Tanks might prioritize HP, DEF, and debuff resistance. Healers will want Healing Up and potentially HP. Debuffers need Debuff Success Rate Up.
2. Consider their Existing Skills: Look at the character's skills and identify their strengths and weaknesses. Do they already have high ATK? Maybe focus on Critical Hit Rate to complement it. Do they struggle to land debuffs? Debuff Success Rate Up is a priority.
3. Think about the Content: What kind of content are you planning to use the character in? If you're fighting fire enemies, Elemental ATK Up (Water) is a great choice. If the enemy inflicts a lot of debuffs, debuff resistance might be helpful.
4. Prioritize Key Passives: Many characters have unique passive EM skills that significantly enhance their performance. Research these and prioritize unlocking them early on.
5. Don't Neglect Basic Stats: While unique passives are exciting, don't forget the importance of basic stat boosts like ATK, HP, and DEF. These provide a solid foundation for any build.
6. Experiment and Adapt: The best way to find the optimal EM setup is to experiment and see what works best for you. Don't be afraid to try different combinations and adapt your choices based on your experiences.

Farming Resources for Extended Mastery

Unlocking and upgrading EM nodes requires resources, primarily JP (Job Points) and character-specific materials. Here's how to farm them efficiently:

• JP (Job Points): JP is primarily earned through battles. Focus on completing quests, raids, and events that offer generous JP rewards. Joining active crews can also provide JP bonuses.
• Character-Specific Materials: These materials are often obtained from specific quests, raids, or events that feature the character in question. Check the Granblue Fantasy Wiki or other resources to identify the best sources for each character's materials. Event shops are often a great place to exchange event currency for these materials.
• Angel Halo Farming: Angel Halo farming is a classic method for obtaining a variety of essential materials, including those used for EM. While it can be repetitive, it's a reliable source of resources.
• Treasure Trade: The Treasure Trade in the Shop allows you to exchange unwanted items for more valuable resources, including some EM materials. This can be a good way to clear out your inventory and acquire needed items.

Advanced Tips and Strategies

Ready to take your EM game to the next level? Here are some advanced tips and strategies:

• Consider Team Synergy: Think about how your characters' EM skills synergize with each other. For example, if one character provides a debuff that increases critical hit rate, focus on Critical Hit Rate Up on your damage dealers.
• Optimize for Specific Raids: Tailor your EM choices to the specific raids you're tackling. Research the raid boss's weaknesses and resistances and adjust your EM accordingly.
• Use EM Resets Wisely: Granblue Fantasy occasionally offers EM reset items, allowing you to reallocate your EM points. Use these wisely to experiment with different builds or adapt to new content.
• Join a Helpful Crew: A good crew can provide valuable advice and resources for optimizing your EM setups. Share your strategies and learn from others.
• Stay Updated: The Granblue Fantasy meta is constantly evolving, so stay updated on the latest EM strategies and character rankings.

Examples of Effective EM Builds

To give you some inspiration, here are a few examples of effective EM builds for different types of characters:

• Damage Dealer (e.g., Zeta): ATK Up, Critical Hit Rate Up, Skill Damage Up, Elemental ATK Up (for relevant element), Unique Passive (if applicable)
• Tank (e.g., Vane): HP Up, DEF Up, Debuff Resistance Up, Hostility Up, Unique Passive (if applicable)
• Healer (e.g., Clarisse): Healing Up, HP Up, Debuff Resistance Up, Support Skill Enhancement, Unique Passive (if applicable)
• Debuffer (e.g., Metera): Debuff Success Rate Up, ATK Down, DEF Down, Elemental ATK Down, Unique Passive (if applicable)

Remember that these are just examples, and the optimal build will vary depending on the specific character and your playstyle.

Conclusion

Extended Mastery is a powerful tool for customizing your characters and optimizing your teams in Granblue Fantasy. By understanding the different types of EM skills, how to choose the right ones, and how to farm the necessary resources, you can unlock your characters' full potential and conquer even the most challenging content. So, dive in, experiment, and have fun mastering the world of Extended Mastery!