Oathbound — guide

In short

Oathbound is an Epic Defense champion of the Banner Lords (Force affinity) whose damage and utility both scale off DEF. He shines in Faction Wars (3.5/5) and Hydra (3.0), holds his own in Arena and dungeons, and is close to dead weight in Clan Boss and Chimera. The author says build him and calls him a top Epic — medium priority unless you still lack a proper tank-debuffer.

Strengths

• Massive 50% Decrease ATK — the author flags it as his signature: it blunts the whole enemy team's damage.
• All damage comes from DEF: A1 hits for 1.5×ATK + 2.7×DEF, A2 for 4×DEF, A3 for 1.7×DEF per hit across 4 hits. A tank that actually bites.
• Three layers of control in one kit: 20% Freeze for 1 turn on A1, 30% Turn Meter reduction per hit on A2, 30% Block Active Skills for 2 turns per hit on A3.
• Solid base: 18,330 HP, 1,299 DEF and 40 RES at 6★ — survives without babysitting.

Weaknesses

• 88 SPD is slow; without speed gear he moves last and lands debuffs too late.
• Control chances are modest (20/30/60%) — he needs ACC and tomes or the debuffs simply miss.
• Damage is single-target or spread over random targets, no real AoE nuke; bosses immune to debuffs blunt him badly.
• Weak ratings for Clan Boss (2.0), Chimera (1.5), Hard mode (2.0) and Doom Tower (2.0) — not a boss runner.

Where to use

Best areas first: Faction Wars (3.5) — he carries the Banner Lords as a debuffing wall; Hydra (3.0) — Decrease ATK and Turn Meter cuts are exactly what that fight wants; Arena (3.0) and dungeons (3.0) — a durable secondary debuffer. Skip him in Clan Boss (2.0), Hard (2.0), Doom Tower (2.0) and especially Chimera (1.5).

Stats and gear

Priority: DEF → SPD → ACC → HP. Rough targets: 3,000+ DEF, 200+ SPD, 200–250 ACC for reliable debuffs, HP as a bonus. Don't bother with C.RATE or C.DMG — his damage is DEF-based. Sets: Defense, Speed and Accuracy (2+2+2 mixes are fine), or Immunity / double Defense for Arena. From the relic list: Molten Deathbell and Perched Shadow.

Masteries and blessings

From the recommended list: In For The Kill, Expeditious Exploitation and Gathering Momentum — an offense/speed slant. Round it out with the Support tree for ACC and SPD so the debuffs land on the first cast. For blessings, lean into survivability and speed: he needs to live to the second skill rotation more than he needs extra damage.

Tomes

Book A2 first: the Decrease ATK chance climbs (up to +10% at level 5) along with the Turn Meter cut, and that is his main job. Then A3 to level 5 for -1 cooldown and better Block Active Skills odds. A1 last — a 20% Freeze isn't worth the tomes.

Verdict

A solid Epic for Faction Wars and Hydra: DEF-scaling damage plus Decrease ATK and control. Worth building, just never as your Clan Boss answer.