Is EX Fiore Good? A Comprehensive Review

Summer may be winding down, but in the world of Octopath CotC, the excitement is just heating up with the arrival of summer units EX Fiore and EX Sofia in a new time-limited banner: The Marine Travelers.

This guide offers an in-depth look at EX Fiore, the new Dancer of the Fame faction from Rippletide, who will quickly become a game-changer.

Let's explore her abilities, design, and role as arguably the best tank in the game.

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Introducing EX Fiore: A Comprehensive Overview for Octopath CotC Players

But first of all, let's talk about the newly introduced EX job system.

What are EX Job Characters?

The introduction of EX Job Characters brings a new layer of complexity to the game.

They represent versions of existing characters that have gone through a job change. EX units have the same stats as their previous versions.

The abilities differ, leading to variations in performance and party compositions. For example, while the existing character Fiore is a Sword DPS, EX Fiore is a Physical Fan Attacker and a Tank Dancer.

Some abilities may be similar in name and effect. For instance, Fiore's ultimate "Cave In" and EX Fiore's "Dance - Cave In" share the same name potency. They also share Crumbling Cut's name, potency and debuff effects.

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Navigating Between Same-Name Characters

• Switching Status Screens: With the addition of EX Jobs, a "Show Different Job" button allows players to move between same-name character status screens.
• Identifying EX Jobs: Special titles next to the button help identify whether a character is an EX Job Character.

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Key Considerations for EX Job Characters

• Separate Characters: EX Job Characters are obtained like regular characters through gacha and are treated as separate from their same-name counterparts. Note that this is different from changing jobs in Octopath Traveler I & II.
• Special Materials Required: EX Job Characters require specific stones and awakening stones for level cap breakthroughs and awakenings. They cannot share guidestones or awakening stones with existing characters of the same name.
• In-Game Logic: Though treated as separate characters in data, EX Job Characters are still the same individual in the story. Therefore, you cannot add both in the same party. Attempting to do so will remove the previously added same-name character from the party.

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Is EX Fiore any Good? A Comprehensive Review

EX Fiore's Voice Acting

Saori Oonishi, who also voices Alaune, lends her talent to EX Fiore.

You may notice similarities between both characters if you use them in the same team.

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EX Fiore's Skills and Gameplay

Best Battle Skills and Combustion Mechanic

What is Combustion? It's a status ailment that deals elemental damage and shaves one shield point to the enemy at the end of the turn. This status cannot break the enemy.

Here are the best EX Fiore attacking abilities:

• 3-hit Single Target Fan Damage: Has a potency of 65. If the enemy has the Combustion status, it becomes a 4-hit attack.
• (Priority) 1-hit Fan Damage: EX Fiore goes first, the attack has a potency of 170, and inflicts Combustion for 2 turns. If it's the first turn, Combustion's turn count becomes 6.
• 2-hit AOE Fan Damage: Has a potency of 2x95.
• 1-hit Nuke Fan Damage: Has a potency of 230, lowering enemy's physical defense by 20% and increasing potency by 20% when enemy is burning (Combustion status).
• Ultimate: 1-hit fan damage attack with a 500 potency, up to 600 at level 10. If the enemy is combusted, potency increases by 20%.

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Support and Tank Skills

• Self-Boost: Fan and physical attack up by 15% respectively for 3-6 turns based on boost.
• Physical Dodge and Counter: EX Fiore goes first and blocks all incoming physical attacks for 1 turn, even enemy counterattacks. If she blocks any hit, counters with a 230 potency Fan attack and inflicts Combustion for 2 turns.
• Elemental Dodge and Counter: EX Fiore goes first and blocks all incoming elemental attacks for 1 turn, even enemy counterattacks. If she blocks any hit, counters with a 230 potency Fan attack and inflicts Combustion for 2 turns.
• First Passive: 20% increase in physical damage and 20% in fan damage for herself when the enemy is broken.
• Covering Allies: Her second passive is similar to Olberic's cover mechanic. If the enemy targets someone other than Fiore after doing her blocking skills, she will cover those allies too. But EX Fiore will completely block them without taking any damage and will also counterattack.

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Stats Overview

Amongst other Dancer units, EX Fiore has:

• Strengths: Highest HP, physical attack, and physical defense in the game amongst Dancer units.
• Weaknesses: Lowest SP, elemental attack and defense, and speed. SP limitations may affect her performance in long fights.

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You can check the full character stats, skills, and more in this Notion database.

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Awakening Priority

EX Fiore is a perfectly great unit at A0.

If you want to spend her Awakening Stones, you should focus on awakening her to A3 for the HP bonus.

Her A4 accessory is not that great, offering 50 PAtk, 500 HP and 40 SP + surviving a deadly hit with 1 HP. At full HP, the wearer also gains a 25% Damage Reduction.

Leveling her Ultimate to level 10 is also not a priority, so keep all that in mind if you get more than one copy of her.

Check out her power in Master Tower Floor 9:

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Should You Pull for EX Fiore?

Pros

• An excellent tank and fan unit, even in JP is still considered a Tier 1 tank.
• Shaving Shields with Combustion is effective regardless of enemy weakness.
• Her abilities are strengthened by the Combustion status.
• Physical and Elemental cover are game-changing abilities. They will help a lot in some boss fights, making them trivial.

Cons

• Hard to use if you don't know the enemy's attack type and pattern. Requires careful planning to perform well.
• Doesn't block AOE attacks.
• SP consumption of block skills is very high at 85 SP, compared to her low 286 SP pool.
• If you want to use her as a Physical attacker, you'll need to equip her a Fortune Weapon focused on PAtk, like Glossom.
• Hard to use her as a Tank and as an Attacker at the same time. To be a Tank, she'll need a Fortune Weapon focused on SP.

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How would I rate her?

Despite a few cons, EX Fiore will become the best tank in Octopath Traveler Champions of the Continent for a looong time.

You won't get any better tanks in more than a year, so pulling for her is advised if you want to tackle harder fights or make some Arena fights trivial.

Rating: 10/10

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Conclusion: EX Fiore - The Best Tank in a Long Time

EX Fiore is not just a summer sensation; she's a long-term investment for players seeking a powerful tank with unique abilities and outstanding physical abilities.

Her introduction to the game brings new dynamics and strategies, making her an attractive option for those looking to improve their gameplay.

Good luck with your pulls!