Rouge Guide & Review

Immerse in the chanceful world of deception and intuition, where you can gamble all your riches away and have a shot at becoming the world's richest entrepreneur. Learn how to manipulate probability from Rouge, the erudite leader of 777 and a seasoned fortune hunter, and perhaps you will be the next lucky person to win a million dollars.

Can you give a brief summary about this unit?

Rouge is a stately support with CDR and a fantastic one at that, comparable to the well-known D:Wife. Unlike Liter or Volume, who both require stacking to achieve the smoothest rotations, Rouge's CDR is instantly at its peak value. This is mainly useful in Campaign and Raids, where those 3 to 6 seconds lost waiting in the first three rotations could have netted you another hundred million of damage. Her CDR is also easy to trigger, and since it is not tied to using Burst Skill, you can also use her as an off-burst CDR unit. The requirement is simple; you only have to full-charge 8 times before the next burst cycle begins. This is literally the same condition imposed on D:Wife, so ShiftUp is obviously not being creative here.

Although CDR is Rouge's main selling point, she does offer plenty of other buffs on the table. As a game master, she likes to fiddle with coins, and her buff-providing utilities that only activate upon fulfilling a certain condition are related to these coins. When a coin activates, a continuous buff is provided to the team, and the effect of her Burst Skill is strengthened. Taking everything into account, Rouge can constantly increase the team's MAX HP (with or without restoring their HP), increase the Attack Damage of two units and reduce the damage they take, as well as boost the team's ATK every once in a while. The values of these buffs are not game-changing, but they are there and can be felt, especially since Rouge is the first CDR who can actually 'heal' the team.

One of Rouge's other perks is that she can be deployed together with Blanc & Noir to reinforce them and perhaps even separate the once unbroken bond of the bunny duo. Ideal? No one knows yet, but it does unlock a few team ideas to experiment with. For example, Rouge + Blanc can employ 3 B3 DPS at the same time, and Blanc no longer has to succumb to Noir's slot-pressuring whims. What about the DPS? Well, Asuka + Rei + Modernia is a powerful trio DPS that can join them, but you can come up with other ideas on the fly, such as the Electric Trio of Ein + S.Anis + Scarlet. Whether this is effective will highly depend on your current state of investments and roster, and the same advice cannot be suggested to everybody.

As for deployment, we think Rouge will be completing Alice's or RH's team as an instant CDR unit in Raids or any teams that lack CDR + survivability and need an all-in-one package solution. This is because their teams tend to rotate very quickly, thanks to RH's and Alice's excellent burst regen. Rouge + Blanc is also a feasible combo that eliminates Noir's slot-pressuring tendencies. She will definitely be replacing Volume in Tribe Tower and even sideline Noir as well if the use of SAnis is envisioned. When it comes to PvP, however, her presence is low due to the fact that her Burst Skill is horrendously weak at the first second and she needs time to properly ramp it up.

Should I pull this unit?

She is not exactly groundbreaking. You will not experience an OMG experience if you already have other meta CDR units, like Liter or D:Wife. If you do not have one, though, and have a lot of gems to spare, getting her will significantly improve your QoL in Campaign and damage in Raids. Besides that, if you somehow have Blanc but not Noir, Rouge will also allow you to use Blanc and finally cry tears of joy.

Meanwhile, endgame players will benefit from having Rouge in Raids, as she supersedes Dorothy as the third best CDR unit in the game. Both Alice and RH require an instant CDR unit, and while Dorothy + Privaty would have been sufficient in the past, we usually always opt for the more superior options. Specifically in Solo Raid, there is a chance that Dorothy will be separated from Privaty (again) and replaced by either Rouge or D:Wife in the fabled Alice-SBS reload team. The idea of being able to deploy Blanc without Noir is also something that you may want to peer into.

Note: Beware! Be careful when using your Gold Mileage. Nikke's 2nd Anniversary is very close, and we would recommend you save at least 200 Gold Mileage for the anniversary pilgrim unit to confirm your chances of getting her! With the two upcoming DPS units who look like great choices for Water Weak Raids — 'Quency: Escape Queen' and 'Phantom' — make sure you manage your resources well. Remember, while Rouge is a meta unit for Raids, she can be skipped if you lack funds. You can always wishlist her afterward and hopefully get her in the future. Don't go around mileaging her if you do not have enough funds for anniversary!

Rouge is a CDR extraordinaire. The instant 7-second CDR is something to thirst for. It unlocks a whole new world of possibilities in Raids, especially if you are a new player. Her other buffs are not grandiose, but we all already know that CDR alone is enough a reason to pull a unit. She can also 'heal' the team. Who doesn't want a unit that can provide CDR and improve the team's survivability at the same time? The fact that she also has tons of MAX HP buffs will also future-proof your roster should ShiftUp release more meta units that scale off MAX HP in the future.

To elaborate, increasing MAX HP without restoring HP is a dual-edged sword. It is useless for most units that do not possess skills that scale off final MAX HP but useful for units that have one (such as other healers & 2B). At the same time, it is also a detriment for units who are reliant on being higher than a certain HP% threshold as increasing the HP cap without restoring HP will relatively lower the current HP%. Affected units include A2, Noir, and Alice (though Alice can heal herself back up quickly).

Worht Drac

■ Activates when attacking with Full Charge for 8 time(s). Affects all allies.

Max HP ▲ 5% of the caster's Max HP without restoring HP, lasts for 5 sec.

Cooldown of Burst Skill ▼ 7 sec.

After sniping with a full charge 8 times, Rouge throws a card (presumably) and grants increased MAX HP to the team without restoring HP for 5s. This is pretty much negligible and pretty much ShiftUp's effort to make something there without actually being there. Besides, Rouge will take slightly over ~12s to full-charge 8 times, so that means the uptime for this buff is very low too. Now, you can say it helps buff 2B's damage slightly, but at the same time it also makes Alice, Noir, A2, and everyone else reliant on being higher than a certain %HP threshold slightly easier to lose their buffs.

The only important bit from this skill is the CDR portion. It is what makes Rouge part of the meta. Instant 7s CDR, identical to D:Wife's. This allows your team to rotate smoothly ever since the second burst rotation; no more annoying hiccups. While this is not going to matter a lot for teams with low burst generation because you will spend a lot of time charging, units like Alice and RH can generate burst very quickly.

Pilf Nioc

■ Activates when assigned to the back row in battle. Affects self and 2 allies on both sides.

Sword Coin: Attack Damage ▲ 6.65% continuously.

■ Activates when attacking with Full Charge for 30 time(s). Affects self and 2 allies on both sides when in Sword Coin status.

Shield Coin: Damage Taken ▼ 15.2% continuously.

■ Activates when using Burst skill for 5 time(s). Affects all allies when in Shield Coin status.

Double Sword Coin: Max HP ▲ 15.08% of caster's Max HP continuously.

As long as Rouge is alive and performs certain actions, she will collect coins from time to time, providing the team with buffs. Coins also strengthen the effects of her Burst Skill, which we will cover in the next section. There are three coins that can be activated:

• If Rouge is placed in the back row (see picture), in P2 or P4, her Sword Coin will activate, providing self and the adjacent front-row units a permanent medium ATK DMG buff.
• As usual, ATK DMG can be diluted or not depending on the DPS. Undiluted kits will find this buff impactful, but the same goes for diluted ones. The good thing is that it is permanent, so it benefits both burst units and non-burst units equally. She also needs to have Sword Coin before she can collect other types of coins, hence placing her in the back row is a must.

• Once Rouge successfully performs 30 full-charge attacks, and if Sword Coin is active when this is achieved, Shield Coin will activate, greatly reducing the Damage Taken by self and the DPS units buffed by Sword Coin.
• Damage Taken reduction is generally useful in Raids and even a single percent can make a difference when running a no-heal team. And, since Rouge reduces the Damage Taken of the buffed DPS, any DPS with self-heal and a lot of ATK can passively 'taunt' the boss and absorb damage for the team. Since Shield Coin is permanent, and you want to trigger it as early as possible, pay extra care when using her to generate burst gen with shot spamming in the first few rotations. After Shield Coin is enabled, you do not have to worry about this anymore.

• Once Rouge uses Burst Skill 5 times, and if both Sword Coin and Shield Coin are active when this is achieved, Double Sword Coin will activate, 'healing' the team once as she increases their MAX HP for the first time.
• This skill heals the team a small amount when it first activates and increases their MAX HP permanently. The healing may seem small, but as trivial as it may seem, it can be just enough for your team to last a whole run. Shield Coins also determines whether Rouge will heal your team with her Burst Skill. Additionally, the MAX HP also synergizes with units who scale off MAX HP like 2B. Since it scales off caster's MAX HP, higher base stats and also Vigor Cube will affect how much 'healing' your units receive.

Retsam Emag

■ Affects all allies.

ATK ▲ 15.07% of caster's ATK for 10 sec.

■ Activates when in Sword Coin status. Affects all allies.

Max HP ▲ 10.15% of caster's Max HP without restoring HP, lasts for 10 sec.

■ Activates when in Shield Coin status. Affects all allies.

Max HP ▲ 20.1% of caster's Max HP, lasts for 10 sec.

■ Activates when in Double Sword Coin status. Affects all allies.

Max HP ▲ 30.02% of caster's Max HP without restoring HP, lasts for 10 sec.

Without any coins, Rouge will temporarily increase the ATK of the team based on her base ATK stat. The value is not that big, so it is not going to be mind-blowing, but it is there and can be felt, especially in High Deficit Campaign and with units that do not have a lot of ATK.

Depending on the coins she has collected, additional effects will also trigger:

• If she has a Sword Coin for being in the back row, she will increase the team's MAX HP without restoring their HP as well.
• If she has a Shield Coin for full-charging 30 times while Sword Coin is active, then she can 'heal' the team as she increases their MAX HP with every burst rotation. This is very important and also the reason why you want to trigger Shield Coin as early as possible for survivability reasons.
• If she has a Double Sword Coin for having used Burst Skill for a total of 5 times while both other coins are active, then the effect of increasing the team's MAX HP without restoring HP in her Burst Skill will become amplified.

Campaign (LD) - SS | Campaign (HD) - SS

Similar performance to D:Wife and fulfills the same role, aka as an instant CDR unit, which is great for stages that require you to rotate fast. D:Wife technically has a stronger offense since her Pierce DMG buff is broken for Alice and RH. However, if you use neither or need a decent alternative that also 'heal' (does not trigger Crown's S2 effect), you can use Rouge. Rouge also allows you to use Blanc without Noir, which can be important for newer players who do not have access to a complete roster.

In addition, Rouge is an excellent unit for Tetra Tribe Tower. Since Volume is useless, and Rouge offers better buffs (and can separate Blanc from Noir), Rouge is a direct vertical upgrade that everyone should consider getting.

Boss (Solo) - SS | Boss (Adds) - SS

Similar performance to D:Wife but with a different focus. While D:Wife's offensive buffs as stronger for Sniper Rifles with Pierce, Rouge is more of a generalist and can be paired with almost anyone. She fits well with units that benefit from Max HP buffs like 2B, but on the contrary also antagonizes those who have HP threshold mechanics, like A2 and Noir. Alice counts, but we believe the impact is not too drastic. Rouge also 'heals' the team and can separate Blanc from Noir (which also allows them to support units that despise Max Ammo).

Since she is technically better than a plain Dorothy, Volume, and Dolla, she becomes the third best CDR unit in this game, making her a top choice for both Union and Solo Raid. She will open a lot of team-building opportunities to explore, which will allow you to perfect your current raid compositions even further.

PVP - C

Most of Rouge's enhancing effects are locked behind virtual stacks that can only be gained after some time (around 1 minute). The current PvP system does not allow units to ramp up this long.

Gear Investments

Rouge has a base ammo of 6. Without any Max Ammo OL, you are prone to stutters, where you have already recharged enough Burst Energy but have to wait Rouge to finish one or two more Full Charge(s) before you can continue cycling. This does not happen all the time, but it does, and you want to avoid it at all costs if you are extremely competitive in Solo Raid. Otherwise, the difference is not going to matter much.

Overload and leveling gear also increase her base ATK stats, which strengthen her caster's ATK buff.

• Essential: 1× Max Ammo
• Ideal:
• Passable:
• Priority: Medium (PvE)

Skill Investments

• Skill 1: 4~10
• Her S1 is her purpose. Higher levels mean higher CDR. Technically, there is no breakpoint, but Level 4 gives you 5-second reduction, Level 6 gives you 6-second reduction, and Level 10 gives you 7-second reduction. Slower teams may not need much CDR, but faster teams like ones with RH/Alice may need it.
• Skill 2: 4~10
• Rouge's S2 provides a permanent ATK DMG buff and also reduces Damage Taken. To save materials, it is fine to leave this at 4, but you may want to up it to 7 and eventually 10 with overflowing resources. There is no breakpoint to worry about, and it's all about more damage.
• Burst Skill: 4~7
• A minor ATK buff but still an offensive buff. We recommend upgrading this to only 4 or 7 since the value is not that high. A different case would apply if you are pairing her with units who scale tremendously with Max HP buffs, such as 2B, for which you may want to max this skill to 10. Higher levels also mean more heal per rotation.

Suggested Progression Path

 

PVE Investment

PVP Investment

Priority

Rouge

PVE investment

1/1/1 → 7/4/4 → 10/7/4 (→ 10/10/7)

PVP investment

1/1/1

Priority

Medium

Cube Investments

• Resilience Cube is the ideal cube for Rouge if she has 1× Max Ammo OL. This will make the triggering of her CDR much smoother.
• Otherwise, without Max Ammo OL, Wingman Cube Level 7+ is the next best alternative to get her Ammo to 8 to match the number requirement of Skill 1.
• Alternatively, if more survivability is desired, Vigor Cube is a great option. It increases her Max HP, which increases how much MAX HP (and in turn 'healing') is received by the team.

Team #1: Anis Holds a Summer Party

Burst 2

Burst 3

Burst 3

Burst 1

Burst 3

Tetra Tower Squad. With the removal of Noir, S. Anis can finally enjoy Blanc's buffs without bricking herself. With Rouge, she can be added to your Tetra Tower squad without any loss of DPS and can effectively be used as a B3.

Team #2: Breaking the Bunny Duo

Burst 3

B3

Burst 1

Burst 3

B3

Burst 2

Burst Flex

Flex

Challenges the meta by removing Noir out of rotation (or moving her to a different team). The goal here is to not use Noir, which is considered a slot-pressure unit in most cases nowadays, and include another B3 DPS or a more effective support for the team. Examples of 3 DPS combos include: Asuka + Rei + Modernia for Fire, Ein + S.Anis + Scarlet/ExiaTreasure for Electric, and RedHood + Maxwell/Laplace with Treasure/SnowWhite + Summer Helm for Iron.

Team #3: Rouge Enters the Kingdom

Burst 2

Burst 3

B3

Burst 3

B3

Burst 1

Burst Flex

Flex

If you lack D:KW and Liter, Rouge can help you a lot in Campaign. Her CDR is great, she provides heals, and simply is a better choice when compared to other CDR units like Volume or Dolla. This team can also house the famous Electric comp: ExiaTr Crown Ein S.Anis Rouge, where Rouge can fit in effectively as an off-burst CDR unit. This is because Rouge's Burst Skill effects are not that strong to matter anyways, not when compared to ExiaTr's.

Rouge can also be used with Mari, Summer Rosanna, and other B2 units like how you would use normal CDR units.

Team #4: Flashbacks to Old Collaboration

Burst 3

Burst 1

Burst 3

B3

Burst 2

Burst Flex

Flex

There is only one DPS unit who scales her damage output with MAX HP buffs: 2B. Well, Kilo counts, but she is not really a DPS. In this team, we aim so that 2B 'taunts' the enemy and takes damage due to having the highest ATK. Then, Blanc's Burst Skill will heal her and also increase her MAX HP, further strengthening her damage output.