Cataphract — guide

In short

Cataphract is a Rare Banner Lords Defense champion whose only real selling point is a +25% HP aura in Arena. He shows up on Arena and in Faction Wars, and even there he is mostly a body in the lineup. The site author is blunt about it: vault him, and the best outcome is using him as fusion material.

Strengths

• Arena aura: +25% HP to all allies — the one thing that helps the team.
• His A2 puts Block Debuffs and a 60% DEF buff on himself for 2 turns — self-protection from control plus extra survivability.
• A3 ignores DEF against targets under 50% HP — a finisher for the end of a fight.
• 18,330 HP at 6★ is solid bulk for a Rare, and his A3 damage also scales off his MAX HP.

Weaknesses

• Only 815 DEF — he does not tank, and the Defense role is mostly on paper.
• A1 and A3 damage scale off ATK (A3 off ATK and HP) while his ATK base is 991, so the damage is weak.
• A1's -50% ACC debuff is a 20% chance for 1 turn — unreliable even when booked.
• 97 SPD and no team support beyond the aura: no shields, no healing, no control.

Where to use

Arena (2/5) is his best spot — the aura and self-buffs do something there, though you would still rather bring anyone else into real offense or defense. Faction Wars Banner Lords (1.5/5) is a filler slot when you are short on bodies. Clan Boss, Hydra, Chimera, dungeons, Hard mode and Doom Tower are all 1/5 — he brings nothing. Practical use: vault and fusion.

Stats and gear

Priority: HP → SPD → ACC/DEF. Rough targets: 50–60k HP, 170+ SPD, 120–150 ACC (only for A1), 2,000+ DEF. HP% chest, SPD boots, HP% or DEF% gloves; ignore C.RATE and C.DMG.

Sets: HP or Immortal, Speed, Perception (or Accuracy if you want A1 to land).

Masteries and blessings

The build lists Pierce Defenses in the Offense tree. Fill the rest sensibly: the Defense tree (Tough Skin, Defensive Stance, Rejuvenation, Resurgent) for bulk, and Warmaster as the tier-6 pick only if you actually run him in Arena. The listed relic is Malefic Talon. No blessing is listed — don't spend on a vault champion.

Tomes

If you must book anything, do his A2 first: level 2 cuts its cooldown by 1, so his self-buffs stay up almost permanently. Then A1 for the accuracy-debuff chance; A3 books are pure damage. Honestly, tomes are wasted on him.

Verdict

One useful trait (the Arena aura) and nothing else above average. Keep him in the vault or feed him to a fusion.