Total Assault
Total Assault is Blue Archive's premier challenging raid-style event, offering some of the most valuable resources in the game. These limited-time events pit Senseis against powerful bosses with unique mechanics and armor types, requiring strategic team building and execution across multiple squads. Excelling in Total Assault is crucial for character progression, providing access to high-tier crafting materials, Pyroxene, and exclusive Total Assault Coins.
Understanding Total Assault Basics
- Event Duration: Total Assault typically runs for approximately one week, with a new boss or a returning boss appearing regularly.
- Entry Tickets: Each attempt consumes an "Assault Ticket." These tickets regenerate over time (usually 3 per day) and can also be purchased with Pyroxene. Maximize your daily attempts for better rewards.
- Difficulty Levels: Bosses are available across various difficulty tiers, from Normal to Insane (and sometimes Torment for the most dedicated Senseis). Higher difficulties offer significantly better rewards and higher score multipliers.
- Score and Ranking: Your score is determined by the damage dealt to the boss and the time taken to defeat it. A higher score translates to a better rank, which in turn yields superior ranking rewards.
- Multiple Teams: Unlike regular missions, Total Assault allows you to use multiple teams (up to four) to tackle a single boss. If your first team fails to defeat the boss, your subsequent teams can continue the fight from where the previous team left off, retaining the boss's remaining HP.
- Armor Types & Elemental Advantage: Each boss possesses a specific armor type (Light, Heavy, Special). Matching your Students' attack types (Explosive, Piercing, Mystic) to the boss's armor type is paramount for maximizing damage.
- Explosive (Red) is strong against Light Armor (Red).
- Piercing (Yellow) is strong against Heavy Armor (Yellow).
- Mystic (Blue) is strong against Special Armor (Blue).
General Strategy & Preparation
- Scout the Boss: Before committing your tickets, always check the boss's details. Understand its armor type, attack patterns, and unique mechanics. Community guides and in-game previews are invaluable.
- Optimize for Elemental Advantage: Prioritize Students whose attack type is strong against the boss's armor. This provides a significant damage boost and reduces incoming damage.
- Synergy is Key: Build teams with strong synergy. This includes tanks to absorb damage, healers to sustain the team, damage dealers (DPS) to inflict maximum harm, and support Students who buff allies or debuff the boss.
- Utilize EX Skills Effectively: Timing your Students' EX skills is critical. Some skills provide burst damage, others provide crucial healing or crowd control. Learn the boss's attack timings to deploy defensive skills proactively.
- Multiple Team Planning: For higher difficulties, you'll likely need 2-4 well-built teams. Plan each team's composition carefully, ensuring you have enough damage and sustain to clear the boss's HP bar. Don't be afraid to use weaker teams for "chip damage" if your main teams are struggling.
- Practice Mode: Use the practice mode to test different team compositions and strategies without consuming Assault Tickets. This is essential for fine-tuning your approach.
- Gear & Skill Levels: Ensure your chosen Students have adequately leveled skills, equipped with high-tier gear, and their Unique Weapons are upgraded if applicable. These contribute significantly to their performance.
Boss Mechanics & Recommended Teams (Examples)
Kaiten FX Mk.0 (Light Armor - Explosive Weakness)
- Key Mechanic: Kaiten FX Mk.0 frequently summons smaller Kaiten units. These units can overwhelm your team if not dealt with quickly. The boss also has a powerful ultimate attack that targets a wide area.
- Strategy: Prioritize Students with strong area-of-effect (AoE) Explosive damage to clear the summoned units. A strong single-target Explosive DPS is also crucial for damaging the main boss. Interruption skills can sometimes delay its ultimate.
- Common Pitfalls: Allowing too many Kaiten units to accumulate, leading to high incoming damage. Not having enough AoE clear.
- Example Team Composition (Insane Difficulty):
- Main DPS: Aris (Explosive, AoE), Hoshino (Swimsuit) (Explosive, AoE/Single Target)
- Sub DPS/Support: Akane (Bunny) (Explosive, DEF Down), Nonomi (Explosive, AoE)
- Tank: Yuuka (Light Armor, High DEF)
- Healer/Support: Serina (Heal), Ako (Crit Buff)
- Striker Team 1: Yuuka, Hoshino (Swimsuit), Akane (Bunny), Aris
- Special Team 1: Serina, Ako
Binah (Heavy Armor - Piercing Weakness)
- Key Mechanic: Binah has two phases. In its first phase, it's a single target. In its second phase, it summons turrets that deal significant damage. Binah also has a powerful charge attack that can one-shot unprepared tanks.
- Strategy: Focus on high single-target Piercing damage for the first phase. For the second phase, incorporate some AoE Piercing damage to clear the turrets, or focus fire on Binah while relying on strong healing to survive the turrets' damage. Interruption skills are highly valuable to stop Binah's charge.
- Common Pitfalls: Not having enough healing for the second phase. Failing to interrupt the charge attack.
- Example Team Composition (Insane Difficulty):
- Main DPS: Haruna (Piercing, Single Target), Shiroko (Piercing, AoE/Single Target)
- Sub DPS/Support: Maki (Piercing, DEF Down), Izuna (Piercing, Single Target)
- Tank: Tsubaki (Heavy Armor, High DEF)
- Healer/Support: Koharu (Heal), Himari (ATK Buff)
- Striker Team 1: Tsubaki, Haruna, Maki, Izuna
- Special Team 1: Koharu, Himari
Chesed (Special Armor - Mystic Weakness)
- Key Mechanic: Chesed summons numerous small drones that explode upon reaching your Students, dealing AoE damage. The main boss itself has high defense. Chesed also has a powerful laser attack that targets a wide area.
- Strategy: AoE Mystic damage is absolutely essential to clear the drones before they detonate. Students with skills that pull enemies together (e.g., Haruna's EX) or deal wide-area damage are highly effective. Single-target Mystic DPS is needed for the main boss.
- Common Pitfalls: Being overwhelmed by drones. Not having enough AoE clear, leading to constant damage.
- Example Team Composition (Insane Difficulty):
- Main DPS: Hina (Mystic, AoE), Iori (Mystic, Single Target)
- Sub DPS/Support: Hibiki (Mystic, AoE), Ako (Crit Buff)
- Tank: Hoshino (Special Armor, High DEF)
- Healer/Support: Serina (Heal), Kotama (ATK Buff)
- Striker Team 1: Hoshino, Hina, Iori, Hibiki
- Special Team 1: Serina, Kotama
Total Assault Rewards
Total Assault offers two primary types of rewards: Clear Rewards and Ranking Rewards.
Clear Rewards
These are awarded each time you defeat the boss on a specific difficulty. They are crucial for daily progression.
| Difficulty | Total Assault Coins (Approx.) | Pyroxene (First Clear) | Credit Points (Approx.) | Other Materials |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Normal | 10-20 | 50 | 10,000-20,000 | Low-tier Tech Notes, Activity Reports |
| Hard | 20-40 | 75 | 20,000-40,000 | Mid-tier Tech Notes, Activity Reports |
| Very Hard | 40-60 | 100 | 40,000-60,000 | Mid-tier Tech Notes, Activity Reports |
| Hardcore | 60-80 | 125 | 60,000-80,000 | High-tier Tech Notes, Activity Reports |
| Extreme | 80-100 | 150 | 80,000-100,000 | High-tier Tech Notes, Skill Materials |
| Insane | 100-120 | 200 | 100,000-120,000 | High-tier Tech Notes, Skill Materials, Eligma |
| Torment | 120-150 | 250 | 120,000-150,000 | High-tier Tech Notes, Skill Materials, Eligma, Artifacts |
Note: Quantities are approximate and can vary slightly per event. First clear Pyroxene is a one-time reward per difficulty.
Ranking Rewards
These are distributed at the end of the Total Assault event based on your highest score achieved. Higher ranks yield significantly more valuable rewards.
- Total Assault Coins: The primary currency for the Total Assault Shop. Higher ranks provide thousands of coins.
- Pyroxene: A substantial amount of Pyroxene is awarded to top-ranking Senseis, often ranging from 300 to 1200+ for the highest tiers.
- Eligma: Used for purchasing Student Shards in the Eligma Shop.
- Artifacts: Rare materials used for upgrading Unique Weapons.
- Skill Materials & Tech Notes: High-tier materials for upgrading Student skills and equipment.
The Total Assault Shop is where you spend your Total Assault Coins. Prioritize purchasing Student Shards for characters you need to upgrade, especially those with Unique Weapons. Skill materials and high-tier equipment blueprints are also excellent investments.
Common Pitfalls & Tips for Improvement
- Underestimating Boss Mechanics: Simply bringing strong students isn't enough. Understanding and countering boss mechanics is paramount.
- Neglecting Elemental Advantage: Using the wrong attack type will severely cripple your damage output. Always match types.
- Poor EX Skill Timing: Wasting powerful EX skills or using them at suboptimal times can lead to lower scores or team wipes.
- Ignoring Practice Mode: This free resource is invaluable for testing and refining strategies.
- Not Using All Tickets: Even if you can't clear the highest difficulties, using all your daily tickets on lower difficulties still nets you valuable Total Assault Coins.
- Lack of Student Diversity: A diverse roster of students covering all attack and armor types will make you more adaptable to different Total Assault bosses.
- Overlooking Support Students: Buffers and debuffers like Ako, Himari, Kotama, and Maki can significantly boost your team's overall performance.
Total Assault is a continuous learning process. Don't get discouraged by initial struggles. Analyze your runs, learn from community guides, and steadily improve your roster and strategies. With consistent effort, you'll climb the ranks and reap the bountiful rewards!