Granblue Fantasy: Relinkis an action RPG set in the Zegagrande Skydom of the Sky Realms, a vast region of floating islands spread across the expansive sky. You control Gran or Djeeta, the captain of the Grandcypher, as you and your crew search for the end of the skies.

Whether you’re a fan of Granblue Fantasy or a new player to the series, there are tons of new things to learn as you explore the Sky Realms in Granblue Fantasy: Relink. Below, we’ll take a look at a few tips to keep in mind for beginners to the game as you make your way through the story and start tackling high-difficulty side quests.

link time gauge filling as characters use link attacks and skybound arts

One of the staples of combat in Granblue Fantasy: Relink is using theLink systemto gain a variety of benefits in combat. When youbreak an enemy’s Stun Gauge(the blue bar above their head), you will create aLink Chance. Press Circle on PlayStation or R on PC to execute aLink Attack, dealing extra damage and greatly increasing the Link Level.

When yourLink Level reaches 100 percent, using another Link Attack will have you and your allies enterLink Time. During this time, all enemies are slowed, while you and your allies gain a variety of useful buffs like attack up, regen, and reduced skill cooldowns.

Gran using his skybound art, tempest blade

Making effective use of Link Attacks and Link Time is essential, especially for turning the tide of a difficult battle.

There are several ways to raise your Link Level in combat. Simplyattacking and dealing damageto an enemy will slowly raise it, whileusing a Skybound Art or triggering a Chain Burstwill greatly raise it. Keep an eye on your Link Level as you fight and you’ll see it quickly rise as you perform feats of strength.

Finish The Fight With Skybound Arts

Skybound Arts are powerful finishing moves that each character has access to. As you deal and take damage, the SBA Gauge will slowly fill. Once it reaches 100 percent, you can unleash your Skybound Art, dealing high damage in an area; the damage of this attack has thesame element as your character.

Activating an SBA will alsoslightly fill your allies' SBA Gauge, allowing them to charge theirs faster.

Granblue Fantasy Relink, Using a full burst

If your allies also have their SBA Gauge full, they canjoin in and create a Chain Burst. Once all allies have finished using their SBAs, you will all perform aChain Burst attack, dealing tons of extra damage. The strength of the Chain Burst depends on how many allies used their SBA; if all four allies used theirs, you will instead activate aFull Burst.

You can toggle between allowing your allies to use their SBAs whenever they are ready, or two hold them until you use yours. Holding them is useful when you want to use a Chain Burst of a specific element, as the damage of the Burst depends on who activates their SBA first.

ferry’s intro animation as she joins the crew of the grandcypher

Alternatively, allowing your allies to use their SBAs when they’re ready can lead to more SBA activations, as theirs will fill your SBA Gauge.

Unlock New Characters

Besides the main crew of the Grancypher, there are several characters you can unlock fromSierokarte’s Knickknack Shack. Recruiting new characters is a great way to try out new playstyles while filling out your roster with useful crewmates.

You needCrewmate Cardsto unlock new characters, which can be obtained as you progress through the story and fromoptional quests.

Gran’s Rain of Arrows skill on the Mastery tree

Having access to multiple characters with the same Element will make building a team for specific bosses easier, while slotting in characters thatspecialize in tanking or healingcan also be extremely beneficial in the right situations. If a fight ever feels too difficult, try swapping around your crew lineup.

Upgrade Masteries

Using Mastery Points to upgrade your characters' offensive and defensive stats is one of the simplest but most effective ways to get stronger. You’ll gain Mastery Points (MSP) from a ton of different sources, like side quests, optional missions, and as you level up your characters.

You can also unlocknew skillsfor your characters in the Mastery Tree, allowing you to try out different methods of battle. These optional skills can let you turn your characters into dedicated tanks or healers, greatly improving their usefulness in battle.

the perfect dodge mastery node and ability explanation

Dodging And Blocking

Blasting through groups of enemies with your skills is part of what makes Granblue Fantasy: Relink’s combat so satisfying, but some aggressive enemies will force you to play more defensively. Luckily, dodging and blocking are two great tools you have to avoid taking damage and continuing your assault.

You canresume an attack combofrom where you left offafter dodging.

When you upgrade yourDefense Masteriesfor a particular character, they’ll gain theperfect dodgeandperfect blockabilities. Dodging or guarding at just the right moment will either grant youtemporary invincibilityorfill the Stun Gaugeof surrounding enemies, respectively. Learning the timing of these defensive tools is a great way to turn the tide in your favor.

Upgrade Weapons

A surefire way to get stronger in Relink is to constantly upgrade your weapons for your main party.Weapons provide a majority of your attack and health stats, making them one of the most important things to upgrade.

You should alsocheck back at the Blacksmith frequentlyas you explore new locations and get new materials to see if you canUncap your current weaponto keep leveling it up.

the blacksmith in folca for upgrading and forging weapons

As you progress through the story, you’ll unlock the ability toForge new weaponsthat start at a higher base level and have better stats.Equipping and upgrading Sigilsis also a great way to get a bit of extra stats, but upgrading them to higher levels isn’t really possible until you reach higher difficulty levels.

Each weapon also has a uniqueTraitassociated with it. Usually, these will boost a base stat like health or attack. However, you can also findWrightstonesthat can beImbued to the weapontochange its Trait to that of the Wrightstone. This is a great way to customize your characters to your liking and playstyle.

the quest counter in folca for accepting quests, playing online, and reading fate episodes

Take On Side Quests And Optional Quests

As you explore the towns of the Zegagrande Skydom, you’ll encounter individuals who are in need of help. Completing the Side Quests is a great way to stock up on forging materials, Rupies, MSP, and tons of other useful items. Plus, these Side Quests are often pretty simple to complete, involving things you would already be doing.

Additionally, optional quests undertaken from theQuest Counterwill send you on a mission with different objectives that give great rewards for upgrading your characters. Throughout the story, these quests are a good way to boost up your characters a bit, but you’ll be limited by the types of quests you have available.

Optional quests are thebest way to grind out some extra MSP, Rupies, and weapon forging materialsas you progress through the story.