AlsaInformation and Guide

Alsa is a control-type Mage from the Mauler faction. Unlike most other mages who focus purely on bursts, Alsa tries to balance between constant damage, self-sustainability and disruption. Being split like that means that Alsa isn't as easy as other damage-dealers to slot into teams, and depending on the game mode, she may need more effort to actually shine. Regardless, Alsa does come with a unique kit that is worth looking into.

Her main gimmick is the ability to create terrain through her skill "Stone Barrier". That ability can disrupt enemy formations and, in some cases, isolate targets, which can be the key to crack some stages or to gain an edge in PvP. It does come, however, with its own downsides. The first and more obvious is the fact that in order to be truly effective, sometimes the player will need to manually control Alsa. The second is the fact that as of the writing of this review, we don't have any character who benefits directly from terrain. Considering that Soren is already confirmed and will have a kit that benefits from collision, we can expect Alsa to become more versatile in the future, as her synergy options increase. Finally, the third issue is that the walls may disrupt your own team, as they can make your melee heroes unable to reach the enemy or have to spend precious seconds moving around them.

Alsa's second gimmick is her ability to relocate around the map. After using her Ultimate, "Twirling Rocks", Alsa gains two new abilities: "Combat Stance" and "Swift Evasion". The more invested Alsa is, the more effective these skills become, as her EX weapon allows them to cycle faster. At EX +5, "Combat Stance" allows Alsa to CC-lock a target, but once more, this may require manual input. "Swift Evasion" triggers every 7 seconds (6s if at EX +10, not a priority investment), and makes Alsa roll away from danger, giving her a shield. This can either be fantastic and give her the upper hand in terms of survivability among other ranged DPS, or make her kamikaze, depending on your luck.

When it comes to synergies and team composition, two main points should be taken into consideration. The first is that Alsa needs a solid frontline to keep the focus of enemies away from her. Preferably, the frontline should offer her some sort of extra boost or survivability. Great picks include Thoran, Scarlita, Brutus, Shakir and Eironn.

Eironn also brings up the second point. Being a control-type Mage, much like Carolina, Alsa benefits from having as much CC built in the team as possible. Eironn is an easy mention here as at M+ his ultimate allows Alsa an early burst through her skill "Rolling Boulder". Other great synergies include Soren, Cecia, Reinier, Smokey & Meerky, Rhys, and Cassadee.

Conclusion

Alsa has a lot of potential for the future, as we get more characters who can benefit from terrain and have more control effects. She's a good addition for PvP and can make a difference on PvE progression, but not without shortcomings. Her damage for bossing is also decent, but she remains below the top DPS on those modes since due to the bosses being immune to CC, she loses access to her main source of burst ("Rolling Boulder" and her S+ passive). Still, she's may be worthy bringing to Battle Drills due to her versatility and speedy clear capabilities.

As of now, Alsa is not a must-pull and not recommended to pick on the rate up banner for F2P players and low spenders. But if you have the resources and wish to invest on her, she's still a good character.