A Google Sheets document with calculated DPS of all arts as well as some general frame data for them, followed by recommended Combo Link setups for every fighter character.
Foreword: Introduction
A couple of people on the discussion board requested that I make some information I posted into a guide for posterity. Sure. Why not.
This guide will include an Art Data spreadsheet (DPS and animation data), a Combo Link Art Calculator on said spreadsheet (displays roughly estimated DPS between Combo Link setups involving any two arts), and briefly touch on my recommended Combo Link setups for every character.
Foreword: Combo Link – What Does It Do, Really?
At a certain point during your journey through Expel, you will unlock a feature called the Combo Link, which allows any fighter (non-caster) to set a second Special Art to each button press instead of just one. This allows the corresponding button to be pressed twice to chain the first art into the second.
To understand the advantage offered by Combo Linking your Special Arts, you first need to understand how animations work. Here’s a brief rundown.
TL;DR – Combo Linking Special Arts makes them execute a little faster.
Animations are broken up into three parts:
- Precast – The portion of an animation that occurs before the first hit lands. More commonly known as “wind-up”.
- Cast – The portion of an animation that occurs between the first and last hit landing. In other words, the damaging portion of the animation.
- Aftercast – The portion of an animation that occurs after the final hit lands. More commonly known as “recovery”.
The duration of each portion depends on the specific Special Art. Some have long aftercasts, like Claude’s Phase Gun, and some have extremely long pre-casts, like Chisato’s Missile Strike.
Chaining arts together with Combo Link allows you to skip some or all of the first Special Art’s Aftercast. Although it is ideal to use Special Art with a really long Aftercast as the first art so you can skip it (so long as their damage isn’t too low), using almost any Special Art will result in at least slightly more damage from faster execution.
Special Art Data Spreadsheet
I spent some hours over the last week or so recording every Special Art and combing through the videos frame by frame. In doing so, I recorded the following for each of the Special Arts:
- Its damage relative to a basic attack chain, for comparison.
- Its damage per second (DPS) when used on its own.
- How much break damage it deals, represented as a description from Trivial to Extreme.
- The length of its animation (rounded to the nearest 0.2s).
- The length of its Precast and Aftercast, represented as a description from Very Short to Extremely Long
I’ve compiled all of this data into a spreadsheet on Google Sheets for everyone.
As a bonus, I also included a Combo Link DPS Calculator in the spreadsheet as its first page. The calculator can be used to get a very rough estimate of the DPS that would be dealt to a single target by adding any two Special Arts to a Combo Link. Follow the instructions on the calculator to use it.
Since Steam doesn’t like direct links to Google Sheets, here is a link to a Google Drive folder that the Sheet resides in. Just double click it to open it.
Combo Link
The following sections will list particularly strong Combo Links for each fighter character in the game, explaining in detail why they work as well as they do.
Combo Link: Claude
Meteor Palm -> Rock Explosion
Meteor Palm is Claude’s highest
reliabledamage Art by far. Theoretically, chaining it back to back would be the best damage, but that has a flaw in practice – each of its hits slightly pushes back the target. If you chain it together to itself, the second Meteor Palm will push the enemy out of its own range and miss a chunk of its attacks. In contrast, Rock Explosion’s range is higher and will hit all its hits, causing its damage to pull ahead. As an extra benefit, enemies sure love to wander up behind Claude during his Meteor Palm animation, and Rock Explosion (Short), being a 360 degrees AoE, will usually interrupt their back attack in time.
If you’re not controlling Claude, don’t use this Combo Link, as the AI will spam the range version of Meteor Palm (which is awful damage).
If you’re facing only one enemy, it’s higher DPS not to use Rock Explosion at all.
Phase Gun -> Phase Gun
Phase Gun does roughly half the DPS of Meteor Palm. That means that it’s preferable over Meteor Palm If you can hit 2+ targets with it. Its downside is actually its long Aftercast, so Combo Linking it to itself allows you to skip one of those Aftercasts and push its DPS up pretty significantly…with a catch.
You need to time the button presses, as you can actually cancel out of the first Phase Gun’s damage animation and lose its third hit, significantly lowering the damage.
This Combo Link is particularly useful as a ranged option for Claude. Against powerful bosses that usually aren’t affected by hitstun (that flinch enemies make when you hit them), Phase Gun can be both easy to land and safe to use while still packing a punch.
Double Slash -> Meteor Palm
Specifically for if you are not controlling Claude, this Combo Link forces the AI into melee range with Double Slash so that it can use the short range version of Meteor Palm. This is weaker than just using Meteor Palm itself, so I don’t suggest using this if you are controlling Claude.
Combo Link: Ashton
Twin Thrust -> Twin Thrust
Twin Thrust deals low DPS but has a long Aftercast ideal for Combo Linking. This Combo Link has the same DPS as Ashton’s basic attack chain, with the added benefit of having a medium-range AoE for potential to hit additional targets. This is one of his best Combo Links until it’s fully outclassed by Hurricane Slash in the midgame.
Piercing Blades -> Piercing Blades
Piercing Blades does high break damage and decent DPS at the same time, but its projectiles do not pierce and can only hit one target. Against only a single target, it outperforms Twin Thrust -> Twin Thrust in hp damage. This is a great break damage Combo Link for Ashton all the way through the game.
Can be iffy when you’re not controlling Ashton, as the AI won’t use them point-blank.
Hurricane Slash -> Hurricane Slash
Finally, a Special Art for Ashton that has genuinely good DPS. Hurricane Slash’s DPS is the second highest among all of Ashton’s Special Arts, and it has a great line AoE as well. It has a medium Aftercast, resulting in a strong benefit from Combo Linking.
Hurricane Slash -> Sword Dance
Sword Dance is what Claude’s Mirror Blade wishes it could be. It’s Ashton’s highest DPS Special Art, and it pairs very well with Hurricane Slash to make his highest DPS Combo Link. Sword Dance also deals a moderate amount of break damage.
Combo Link: Opera
Tracking Plasma -> Tracking Plasma
Tracking Plasma deals modest damage, bit homes in on the target and thus will always hit. As a bonus, it does moderate break damage. It even has a long Aftercast, making Combo Linking it a big boost to its damage. This combo has one weakness: it does not pierce or have AoE, and can only ever hit a single target per shot.
Good for the early game, but higher level Special Arts eventually outclass Tracking Plasma.
Refraction Beam -> Refraction Beam
Refraction Beam is Opera’s highest damage Special Art by far for most of the game, but only when used point-blank, at which its spread shot acts more like a shotgun and all bullets hit your target. This makes it ideal for use by the player, but less so by the AI – the AI will just spam it at range for far less damage.
Later on, it will be outclassed by Hyperlauncher alone, let alone its use in a Combo Link.
Gravitational Sphere -> Gravitational Sphere
Gravitational Sphere pulls in enemies and causes high break damage in an AoE. Its pull allows it to act as a soft crowd control ability while also positioning units to be hit together by most attacks. Furthermore, Gravitational Sphere even does good HP damage for a Break-focused Special Art. This Combo Link is very powerful overall.
Healing Star -> Healing Star
A maxed out Healing Star heals your entire group for roughly half their max HP. Using it twice in a row means your party is fully healed.
Gravitational Sphere -> Healing Star
The hitstun and pull effect from Gravitational Sphere buys time for the Precast of Healing Star to finish, so it can be used safely and reliably. In the process, the one use of Gravitational Sphere still does high break damage, and that adds up over time.
Gravitational Sphere -> Hyperlauncher
Hyperlauncher is Opera’s highest damage Special Art. Comboed to Gravitational Sphere, it makes a good mix of break damage and hp damage. The hitstun of Gravitational Sphere buys time for the Precast of Hyperlauncher, while the pull effect forces nearby enemies directly into Hyperlauncher’s path. Round ’em up and blast ’em!
Electric Shockwave -> Hyperlauncher
Electric Shockwave’s DPS is second only to Hyperlauncher while having a similar AoE, and its hitstun helps buy time to get through Hyperlauncher’s precast for massive damage overall.
Combo Link: Welch
Flick -> Slap
Welch’s only worthwhile Combo Link until she learns Slappity Slap (which completely outclasses this). Does a little more DPS than her basic attack chain while also dealing a moderate amount of break damage.
Slappity Slap -> Slappity Slap
Slappity Slap is the highest DPS Special Art in the entire game, and with a medium Aftercast that allows it strong benefit of Combo Linking to itself! Just raw, massive HP damage.
Rapid Flick -> Rapid Flick
Rapid Flick deals an extreme amount of break damage, matched only by a couple other arts in the game. It’s essentially the break damage version of Slappity Slap, but its animation time is a little longer. On top of its extreme break damage, its DPS is the highest of any Break-focused Special Art in the game.
Mithril Fist -> Mithril Fist
Requires Precis to learn. Mithril Fist is the equivalent of a caster using their strongest field-wide spell, but with a faster “cast” time. Uniquely, Mithril Fist frequently locks an enemy into hitstun for a full second. Great damage and great crowd control. And on top of all that? It does moderate break damage, too.
Combo Link: Bowman
Poison Pellets -> Poison Pellets
From the very start, Poison Pellets is one of Bowman’s highest DPS Special Arts. It also does some break damage. It’s so much higher DPS than the rest of his arts that nothing else is worth using for hp damage until near the end of the game when Bowman learns…
Inferno Pellets -> Inferno Pellets
Inferno Pellets is the second highest DPS Special Art in the entire game, only slightly behind Welch’s Slappity Slap. Yet unlike Slappity Slap, Inferno Pellets has a fairly significant AoE and a short overall animation time, causing it to arguably be the stronger of the two. This is practically a straight upgrade from Poison Pellets, unless the enemy is fire resistant.
Phoenix Talons -> Phoenix Talons
Phoenix Talons is a projectile a lot like Claude’s Air Slash. It does moderate break damage that adds up very quickly, and can do so from range.
Combo Link: Precis
It’s worth noting that Precis has the quickest basic attack combo in the game. Hers is about 15% faster than most fighter’s. This makes her the strongest user of the Meteor Ring/Lightspeed Ring until she gets her superweapon from a certain Raid Boss during postgame.
Rocket Punch -> Rocket Punch
Rocket Punch is Precis’ highest DPS Special Art up until you can use any one of the Combo Links below. It’s a solid damaging Combo Link for the earlygame.
Forcefield -> Forcefield
Forcefield is Precis’ highest DPS Special Art. It can be used from any position on a target anywhere on the field, resulting in a medium-sized explosion AoE. This does absolutely incredible damage for its ease of use from total safety. It even does a little bit of break damage.
Forcefield -> Robbie’s Superbeam
Robbie’s Superbeam does a bit less DPS than Forcefield, but its AoE can usually catch 2-3 targets at once in ways that Forcefield won’t always manage. Forcefield’s hitstun will buy time for Robbie’s Superbeam’s extremely long Precast, so that it can go off more reliably.
Frankenrobbie -> Frankenrobbie
Frankenrobbie has incredible HP damage for the amount of break damage that it deals. It’s the epitome of Balanced type Special Arts, which makes it funny that they actually classified it as Break-focused. It does about 2/3’rds the damage of Robbie’s Superbeam or Forcefield while doing moderate break damage.
Combo Link: Ernest
It’s worth noting that Ernest has the slowest basic attack combo in the game. His is about 25% slower than most fighter’s. However, his basic attacks are also the only ones in the game that have a medium range AoE to them, so it’s not entirely disadvantaged.
Spiral Lash -> Dimensional Whip
Very good melee AoE combo for the early to mid game. Spiral Lash pulls in nearby enemies and lifts them airborne while Dimensional Whip impales them mid-air. Spiral Lash has a medium Aftercast, so it benefits a lot from Combo Linking into Dimensional Whip.
Outclassed by Thousand Tails once you get it.
Thousand Tails -> Thousand Tails
Thousand Tails is simultaneously one of the strongest break damage Special Arts in the game and has very good hp damage in an AoE of respectable size. It is Ernest’s highest DPS Special Art until he learns Bed of Roses, while also being his strongest break damage Special Art entirely.
Bed of Roses -> Bed of Roses
Bed of Roses is a very high damage Special Art, second only to Sonic Whip for Ernest. It can be used from anywhere on the field to strike at your target no matter where they are, and it will even switch targets mid-animation if the current target dies.
Sonic Whip -> Bed of Roses
Sonic Whip is Ernest’s highest DPS Special Art, and line AoE to boot. Since it has a medium Aftercast, it benefits strongly from being Combo Linked. This Combo Link does incredible DPS even if Sonic Whip only hits a single target.
Combo Link: Dias
It’s worth noting that Dias has a slower basic attack combo than normal. His is about 13% slower than most fighter’s.
Air Slash -> Air Slash
Air Slash is Dias’ first Special Art, and also his strongest. In short range, Air Slash functions as a powerful 360 degree AoE. At long range, Air Slash functions as a piercing projectile that travels in a line toward the target, and is the highest DPS Special Art he has.
Pale Moonlight -> Pale Moonlight
Pale Moonlight does high break damage and has a special feature. If Dias is hit while using Pale Moonlight (still takes damage), he will instantly move behind the target and get a back attack. Break damage is seemingly sometimes increased if dealt as a back attack, benefiting Pale Moonlight’s effect and putting it almost on the same power as Full Moon Slash.
Full Moon Slash -> Full Moon Slash
Full Moon Slash is arguably the strongest break damage Special Art in the entire game. It pulls nearby enemies toward its strike, then strikes in an AoE to deal extreme break damage.
Combo Link: Chisato
Burning Cards -> Burning Cards
Burning Cards does extreme break damage if all its projectiles hit the target. When used point-blank, it’s like a shotgun to the enemy’s face. Even its HP damage is good.
Can be iffy if controlled by the AI, because it will spam it at range.
100,000 Volts -> 100,000 Volts
100,000 Volts is the HP damage version of Burning Cards. It deals great damage at point-blank range and good a AoE spread further out for good splash damage.
Can be iffy if controlled by the AI, because it will spam it at range.
Conclusion
I hope you all have found this useful! Please feel free to share any comments you may have, or to let me know in the comments if you’ve noticed any mistakes.
