A swordsman that uses a small knife as a medium to conjure and wield ethereal, arcane blades. They can protect not just themselves, but their allies as well, using skills to restore the party’s health or shore up everyone’s magical defenses. Boasting the highest defense of all classes, they are any party’s stalwart guardian.
”
— Website description.
"A magical knight cloaked in mystic aura", Rune-Knight is one of the eight classes of 7th Dragon III Code: VFD. It is based on the past timeline and available from Chapter 2 after reaching Lower Ward Cladeon.
Rune-Knights can be seen as the spiritual successor of Knight from 7th Dragon, although from an entirely different concept that spends Life to deal damage.
Rune-Knights are magic-based frontline warriors that risk their LF to protect allies and unleash devastating attacks. They have unmatched DEF and MDF and above average LF, and skills that improve their allies' survival as well as their own, so they are the best tanks.
Strategy[]
When Rune-Knights are unlocked, they start off with all the basics of effective tanks. They already take the least damage from enemy attacks, so their healing skill, Knight's Grace, provides all the healing they need for themselves, and sustains their companions in the fight. Life Oath increases their current and maximum LF, which can push the total ahead of their allies to make them a more attractive target. When that is not enough they can forcibly redirect attention to themselves with Provoke and Substitute. Ice and Lightning Sword, while not exactly tank abilities, set the flavor of a magical frontliner and can inflict Freeze and Paralysis.
Rune-Knights receive serious flair from Skill Development 1 that ignites their core dynamic. To start off, Drain Sword deals way more damage than Ice and Lightning Swords and usually restores way more Life than Knight's Grace, and Vengeful Sword establishes a pattern of dealing even more damage after taking hits in place of allies, as a tank should. However, these attacks have high Mana costs. Notice that Aspir Sword restores Mana and costs no Mana, so theoretically Rune-Knights have bottomless Mana so long as they alternate between Drain Sword and Aspir Sword. This means Rune-Knights are ultimately not constrained by Mana, but by whether these attacks deal enough damage and enough healing to survive. Add Toughness React and Clench to the mix. These make Rune-Knights stronger combatants at very low health. By successfully navigating the risks, they can take on certain enemies way ahead of their level, because if they have Clench active at the right moments, it doesn't matter how much damage Rune-Knights take, just recast Clench and keep surviving.
Brave Sword is the capstone that makes all this flow like a river. Make no mistake, the potential of this attack is absolutely immense. Boosting maximum LF and keeping the Rune-Knight healthy while spamming Brave Sword is a great strategy to deal massive DPS. Otherwise it synergizes beautifully with earlier skills like Life Oath and Vengeful Sword, and you already want to keep a Rune-Knight alive and kicking to take hits for the team. Even if the Rune-Knight ends up dying in the process, tremendous damage will still be dealt if Knight's Pride successfully activates. Taking deep but calculated risks and prevailing in the end is the best part of Rune-Knights.
Party Combinations[]
In inactive teams, the Rune-Knight is one of the fastest-charging classes. Their Buddy skill decreases enemy MDF, thereby improving MAT-based damage. If one creates backup teams consisting of 6 Rune-Knights, it is possible to create a Unison attack where all 6 of them unload full-power Brave Swords on a target, presenting unparalleled upfront burst damage that ends bosses on the third turn. All this makes the Rune-Knight one of the strongest classes to have in standby.
Samurai: Samurai move faster, so can pull off Focus Breathing first to substitute for Life Oath, allowing the Rune-Knight to skip straight into Brave Sword.
Agent: TROY: Ice has a pretty crazy interaction with Ice Enchant, such that every regular and skill attack that hits the debuffed enemy triggers the follow-up. It works on skills you may not expect, like Hack, helping the Agent crit more to trigger Assassin's React.
God-Hand: Rune-Knights pair well with God-Hands for their priority healing. This lets the God-Hand quickly patch them up after taking a barrage of enemy attacks, or restore their LF in order to unleash a full-powered Brave Sword. ATK Acupressure helps amplify the Rune-Knight's power to even greater heights, while DEF Acupressure improves the longevity of the provoking Rune-Knight.
Mage: Cure is the best healing skill in the game, for its raw potency, the option to target the team, and Mage's very high MAT makes it scale well. Fuel Brave Sword with it. Also put Veils on the Rune-Knight for all the counterattacks.
Stats[]
Base Stats at Lv. 99[]
LIFE
MN
ATK
MAT
DEF
MDF
SPD
364
169
200
159
132
132
99
MAX stats[]
LIFE
MN
ATK
MAT
DEF
MDF
SPD
500
300
500
500
300
300
255
Reclass[]
Class changing refunds 100% of SP.
Stat
Lv. 30
Lv. 40
Lv. 50
Lv. 60
Lv. 70
Lv. 80
Lv. 99
DEF
+0
+1
+2
+3
+3
+5
+10
Standby[]
Rune-Knights charge 1 bar of their gauge every turn.
Support Skill[]
Increase 1st Team MDF.
Multiplier of 1.2x. Lasts 1 turn.
Buddy Skill[]
Decrease enemy MDF.
Deals 150% melee ATK-based non-elemental damage to the target, and has a 100% chance of lowering their MDF (0.8x multiplier) for 2 turns.
Lv. 1: 280% damage. 65% infliction rate. 20% chance to not act.
Lv. 2: 290% damage. 70% infliction rate. 30% chance to not act.
Lv. 3: 300% damage. 75% infliction rate. 40% chance to not act.
Lv. 4: 320% damage. 80% infliction rate. 50% chance to not act.
Lv. 5: 350% damage. 85% infliction rate. 60% chance to not act.
Deals melee MAT-based lightning damage to one enemy.
Has a chance to cause Paralysis for 4 turns.
Fills 3% of the EX Gauge per hit.
Drain Sword
10
High magic dmg/LF absorb: one.
5
Skill Development 1
Progression
Lv. 1: Skill learned. Cost 1200 SP.
Lv. 2: Damage/LF absorption rate ↑. Cost 2400 SP.
Lv. 3: Damage/LF absorption rate ↑. Cost 3600 SP.
Lv. 4: Damage/LF absorption rate ↑. Cost 4800 SP.
Lv. 5: Damage/LF absorption rate ↑. Cost 6000 SP.
Notes
Formula:
Lv. 1: 400% damage. 15% of damage dealt as healing.
Lv. 2: 430% damage. 17% of damage dealt as healing.
Lv. 3: 460% damage. 20% of damage dealt as healing.
Lv. 4: 490% damage. 23% of damage dealt as healing.
Lv. 5: 530% damage. 27% of damage dealt as healing.
Deals melee MAT-based non-elemental damage to one enemy.
Heals the Rune-Knight proportional to the damage dealt.
Fills 5% of the EX Gauge per hit.
Speed multiplier of 1.5.
Aspir Sword
0
Medium magic dmg/MN absorb: one.
5
Skill Development 1
Progression
Lv. 1: Skill learned. Cost 1200 SP.
Lv. 2: Damage/MN absorption rate ↑. Cost 2400 SP.
Lv. 3: Damage/MN absorption rate ↑. Cost 3600 SP.
Lv. 4: Damage/MN absorption rate ↑. Cost 4000 SP.
Lv. 5: Damage/MN absorption rate ↑. Cost 6000 SP.
Notes
Formula:
Lv. 1: 230% damage. 5% of damage dealt as Mana restoration.
Lv. 2: 260% damage. 10% of damage dealt as Mana restoration.
Lv. 3: 290% damage. 15% of damage dealt as Mana restoration.
Lv. 4: 320% damage. 20% of damage dealt as Mana restoration.
Lv. 5: 350% damage. 25% of damage dealt as Mana restoration.
Deals melee MAT-based non-elemental damage to one enemy.
Restores the Rune-Knight's Mana proportional to the damage dealt.
Fills 5% of the EX Gauge per hit.
Brave Sword
13
LF 50% ↓. Magic dmg based on LF taken.
5
Skill Development 2
Progression
Lv. 1: Skill learned. Cost 3000 SP.
Lv. 2: Damage/LF consumption ↑. Cost 6000 SP.
Lv. 3: Damage/LF consumption ↑. Cost 8000 SP.
Lv. 4: Damage/LF consumption ↑. Cost 9000 SP.
Lv. 5: Damage/LF consumption ↑. Cost 9500 SP.
Notes
Formula:
Lv. 1: 400% damage. Sacrifices 50% Life.
Lv. 2: 500% damage. Sacrifices 55% Life.
Lv. 3: 600% damage. Sacrifices 60% Life.
Lv. 4: 700% damage. Sacrifices 65% Life.
Lv. 5: 750% damage. Sacrifices 70% Life.
The damage shown above is multiplied by: [Life Sacrificed * 0.02]
The Rune-Knight loses a percentage of their current Life and deals melee MAT-based non-elemental damage to one enemy proportional to how much they lost. The more Life sacrificed, the more damage dealt.
The amount of Life sacrificed is always rounded down, so this skill cannot kill the Rune-Knight.
Fills 5% of the EX Gauge per hit.
Vengeful Sword
10
Attack/Bleed: one. Low LF = high dmg.
5
Skill Development 1
Progression
Lv. 1: Skill learned. Cost 2500 SP.
Lv. 2: Damage/Bleed inflict rate ↑. Cost 3500 SP.
Lv. 3: Damage/Bleed inflict rate ↑. Cost 4500 SP.
Lv. 4: Damage/Bleed inflict rate ↑. Cost 5500 SP.
Lv. 5: Damage/Bleed inflict rate ↑. Cost 6500 SP.
Notes
Formula:
Lv. 1: 150% damage. Multipliers of 0.3x/1.2x/2.5x/4.5x (Results in 0.45x/1.8x/3.75x/6.75x damage.) 50% infliction rate. 40/48/49 Bleed damage.
Lv. 2: 180% damage. Multipliers of 0.35x/1.5x/2.8x/4.9x (Results in 0.63x/2.7x/5.04x/8.82x damage.) 55% infliction rate. 55/66/68 Bleed damage.
Lv. 3: 210% damage. Multipliers of 0.4x/1.8x/3.1x/5.3x (Results in 0.84x/3.78x/6.51x/11.13x damage.) 60% infliction rate. 70/84/86 Bleed damage.
Lv. 4: 250% damage. Multipliers of 0.45x/2.1x/3.5x/5.7x (Results in 1.125x/5.25x/8.75x/14.25x damage.) 65% infliction rate. 85/102/105 Bleed damage.
Lv. 5: 300% damage. Multipliers of 0.5x/2.5x/4x/6x (Results in 1.5x/7.5x/12x/18x damage.) 70% infliction rate. 100/120/124 Bleed damage.
Deals melee MAT-based non-elemental damage to one enemy.
The lower the Rune-Knight's current Life%, the more damage dealt. There are 4 Life thresholds at which the game decides how much damage the Rune-Knight deals:
100% to 90%, 89.9% to 70%, 69.9% to 40%, and 39.9% to 0%.
Has a chance to cause Bleed for 3 turns.
Fills 5% of the EX Gauge per hit.
Speed multiplier of 1.3.
Knight's Wrath
1
Magic dmg based on number of fallen allies.
5
Skill Development 1
Progression
Lv. 1: Skill learned. Cost 2000 SP.
Lv. 2: Damage ↑. Cost 3000 SP.
Lv. 3: Damage ↑. Cost 4000 SP.
Lv. 4: Damage ↑. Cost 5000 SP.
Lv. 5: Damage ↑. Cost 6000 SP.
Notes
Formula:
Lv. 1: 300% damage if 1 ally is dead. 500% damage if 2 allies are dead.
Lv. 2: 350% damage if 1 ally is dead. 550% damage if 2 allies are dead.
Lv. 3: 400% damage if 1 ally is dead. 600% damage if 2 allies are dead.
Lv. 4: 450% damage if 1 ally is dead. 650% damage if 2 allies are dead.
Lv. 5: 500% damage if 1 ally is dead. 800% damage if 2 allies are dead.
Deals melee MAT-based non-elemental damage to one enemy.
Damage increases if there are any dead allies on the current team. Deals 0.1x damage at all levels if no one on the current team is dead.
Fills 3% of the EX Gauge per hit.
Speed multiplier of 1.3.
Berserk
18
Random frenzy attack: all. MAT/SPD ↑. 3 turns.
5
Skill Development 2
Progression
Lv. 1: Skill learned. Cost 2500 SP.
Lv. 2: Damage/MAT/SPD ↑. Cost 6000 SP.
Lv. 3: Damage/MAT/SPD ↑. Cost 8000 SP.
Lv. 4: Damage/MAT/SPD ↑. Cost 9000 SP.
Lv. 5: Damage/MAT/SPD ↑. Cost 9500 SP.
Notes
Formula:
Lv. 1: 800% damage. 1.05x MAT and SPD multiplier.
Lv. 2: 900% damage. 1.07x MAT and SPD multiplier.
Lv. 3: 1000% damage. 1.1x MAT and SPD multiplier.
Lv. 4: 1200% damage. 1.14x MAT and SPD multiplier.
Lv. 5: 1500% damage. 1.19x MAT and SPD multiplier.
Places buffs on the Rune-Knight that increases their MAT and SPD for 3 turns, but forces them to automatically attack one enemy at a time with melee MAT-based ice damage for the duration.
Fills 2% of the EX Gauge per hit.
The initial buff has priority level 3, but does not affect the attacks themselves.
The initial buff has speed multiplier of 1.3, but does not affect the attacks themselves.
Odin's Rage
45
Massive dmg/Freeze/LF absorb: one.
1
Post Chapter 5.1
How to Unlock
After Chapter 5.1, Director Yoshida explain EX skills and give pointers to how to unlock them. The prerequisite is to first have a Lv. 50 character of respective class and set them as leader.
Talk to Eigur in the Atlantis Evac Ward
Follow him to the Berg Sea Palace
Talk to Eigur in the Palace Gate
Beat him in a fight
Once all objectives are cleared, the EX skill is unlocked for all characters of that class.
Notes
Cost 9900 SP to learn.
Deals 15x (Actually 22.5x) melee MAT-based ice damage to one enemy.
Has a 100% (Actually 200%) chance to inflict Freeze for 3 turns. The Freeze hits for 141 damage, and applies a 0.1x multiplier to the target's SPD.
The Rune-Knight is healed for 50% of the damage dealt.
Support[]
Name
MN Cost
Description
Max Level
Prerequisite
Ice Enchant
5
Add ice dmg to all ally attacks. Instant.
1
Skill Development 1
Progression
Lv. 1: Skill learned. Cost 1000 SP.
Notes
Places a buff on all party members that changes the damage type of their normal attacks to ice for 4 turns.
While only the party members' regular attacks will deal ice damage, their skills that target any enemies with TROY: Ice's debuff will also be followed up on even if they don't deal damage. This includes TROY: Ice itself.
Priority level 2.
Lightning Enchant
5
Add lightning dmg to all ally attacks. Instant.
1
Skill Development 1
Progression
Lv. 1: Skill learned. Cost 1000 SP.
Notes
Places a buff on all party members that changes the damage type of their normal attacks to lightning for 4 turns.
Lv. 3: Costs 3 Mana. Cures Sleep, Burn, Freeze, and Paralysis, Curse, and Confusion.
Lv. 4: Costs 3 Mana. Cures Sleep, Burn, Freeze, and Paralysis, Curse, Confusion, Charm, and Blind.
Lv. 5: Costs 2 Mana. Cures Sleep, Burn, Freeze, and Paralysis, Curse, Confusion, Charm, and Blind.
Dispels ailments on all party members.
Aura Shield
2
MDF ↑: all allies. 3 turns. Instant.
5
None
Progression
Lv. 1: Base skill.
Lv. 2: MDF increase ↑. Cost 500 SP.
Lv. 3: MDF increase ↑. Cost 1000 SP.
Lv. 4: MDF increase ↑. Cost 2000 SP.
Lv. 5: MDF increase ↑. Cost 4000 SP.
Notes
Formula:
Lv. 1: 1.05x MDF multiplier.
Lv. 2: 1.07x MDF multiplier.
Lv. 3: 1.1x MDF multiplier.
Lv. 4: 1.14x MDF multiplier.
Lv. 5: 1.19x MDF multiplier.
Places a buff on the party that increases their MDF for 3 turns.
Priority level 3.
Other[]
Name
MN Cost
Description
Max Level
Prerequisite
Provoke
3
Enmity ↑. Instant.
10
None
Progression
Lv. 1: Base skill.
Lv. 2: Enmity increase ↑. Cost 500 SP.
Lv. 3: Enmity increase ↑. Cost 1000 SP.
Lv. 4: Enmity increase ↑. Cost 1500 SP.
Lv. 5: Enmity increase ↑. Cost 2000 SP.
Lv. 6: Enmity increase ↑. Cost 2500 SP.
Lv. 7: Enmity increase ↑. Cost 3000 SP.
Lv. 8: Enmity increase ↑. Cost 3500 SP.
Lv. 9: Enmity increase ↑. Cost 4000 SP.
Lv. 10: Enmity increase ↑. Cost 4500 SP.
Notes
Formula:
Lv. 1: 65% target rate.
Lv. 2: 67% target rate.
Lv. 3: 70% target rate.
Lv. 4: 73% target rate.
Lv. 5: 76% target rate.
Lv. 6: 79% target rate.
Lv. 7: 82% target rate.
Lv. 8: 85% target rate.
Lv. 9: 90% target rate.
Lv. 10: 95% target rate.
Places a buff on the Rune-Knight that increases the chance to be targeted by enemies. Despite lacking an icon on the buff list, the Enmity boost persists for 3 turns.
Only works for preferred or random targeting. Does not work on specific targeting such as the whole party.
Priority level 3.
Speed multiplier of 1.3.
Life Oath
3
Own max LF ↑. 3 turns.
5
None
Progression
Lv. 1: Base skill.
Lv. 2: Max LIFE increase ↑. Cost 600 SP.
Lv. 3: Max LIFE increase ↑. Effective turns 3→5. Cost 1000 SP.
Lv. 4: Max LIFE increase ↑. Cost 2000 SP.
Lv. 5: Max LIFE increase ↑. Cost 4000 SP.
Notes
Formula:
Lv. 1: 1.1x Life multiplier. Lasts for 3 turns.
Lv. 2: 1.15x Life multiplier. Lasts for 3 turns.
Lv. 3: 1.2x Life multiplier. Lasts for 5 turns.
Lv. 4: 1.25x Life multiplier. Lasts for 5 turns.
Lv. 5: 1.3x Life multiplier. Lasts for 5 turns.
Places a buff on the Rune-Knight that increases their current and maximum Life for a certain number of turns.
The LF cap is 500.
Substitute
2
DEF/MDF ↑. Block single-target attacks. Instant.
10
None
Progression
Lv. 1: Skill learned. Cost 500 SP.
Lv. 2: DEF/MDF/activation rate ↑. Cost 1000 SP.
Lv. 3: DEF/MDF/activation rate ↑. Cost 1500 SP.
Lv. 4: DEF/MDF/activation rate ↑. Cost 2000 SP.
Lv. 5: DEF/MDF/activation rate ↑. Cost 3000 SP.
Lv. 6: DEF/MDF/activation rate ↑. Cost 4000 SP.
Lv. 7: DEF/MDF/activation rate ↑. Cost 5000 SP.
Lv. 8: DEF/MDF/activation rate ↑. Cost 6000 SP.
Lv. 9: DEF/MDF/activation rate ↑. Cost 7000 SP.
Lv. 10: DEF/MDF/activation rate ↑. Cost 8000 SP.
Notes
Formula:
Lv. 1: 50% activation rate. 1.05x DEF and MDF multiplier.
Lv. 2: 55% activation rate. 1.07x DEF and MDF multiplier.
Lv. 3: 60% activation rate. 1.1x DEF and MDF multiplier.
Lv. 4: 65% activation rate. 1.13x DEF and MDF multiplier.
Lv. 5: 70% activation rate. 1.16x DEF and MDF multiplier.
Lv. 6: 75% activation rate. 1.19x DEF and MDF multiplier.
Lv. 7: 80% activation rate. 1.21x DEF and MDF multiplier.
Lv. 8: 85% activation rate. 1.24x DEF and MDF multiplier.
Lv. 9: 90% activation rate. 1.27x DEF and MDF multiplier.
Lv. 10: 100% activation rate. 1.3x DEF and MDF multiplier.
Places buffs on the Rune-Knight that increases their DEF and MDF for the current turn.
For the current turn, any enemy attack that can only attack 1 party member at a time has a chance to be redirected to the Rune-Knight. This is different from Enmity.
Works on single and random target attacks, just not AOEs.
Counter skills on other classes can still activate if they were the original intended targets of the attack. However, the Mage's Veil skills must be placed on the Rune-Knight for those to activate. In that case, the Veils will always activate on melee attacks if this skill does.
Priority level 3.
Clench
5
Survive one fatal blow.
1
Skill Development 1
Progression
Lv. 1: Skill learned. Cost 3000 SP.
Notes
Places a buff on the Rune-Knight that lasts indefinitely until hit with a mortal blow. The Rune-Knight remains at 1 LF.
Since the Rune-Knight does not die, all other buffs remain, and relevant effects from getting hit trigger. Relevant effects from dying do not.
Only survives one instance of damage. If the mortal blow was part of a multi-hit attack, any further hits kill the Rune-Knight as usual.
Priority level 3.
Knight's Pride
-
Auto. Counter upon death.
5
Skill Development 2
Progression
Lv. 1: Skill learned. Cost 2000 SP.
Lv. 2: Damage ↑. Cost 3000 SP.
Lv. 3: Damage ↑. Cost 4000 SP.
Lv. 4: Damage ↑. Cost 5000 SP.
Lv. 5: Damage ↑. Cost 6000 SP.
Notes
Formula:
Lv. 1: 250% damage.
Lv. 2: 275% damage.
Lv. 3: 300% damage.
Lv. 4: 325% damage.
Lv. 5: 350% damage.
The damage shown above is multiplied by: [Life Lost * 0.05]
When an enemy kills the Rune-Knight, they have a 60% chance to counterattack the enemy responsible with melee MAT-based non-elemental damage.
The damage scales depending on how much Life the Rune-Knight lost on the turn they died. Dying through Instant Death counts as losing 0 Life, and will cause the counterattack to deal 0 damage as a result.
Vital Protection
-
Auto. MDF ↑: all allies. 3 turns.
5
None
Progression
Lv. 1: Skill learned. Cost 700 SP.
Lv. 2: MDF increase ↑. Cost 1500 SP.
Lv. 3: MDF increase ↑. Cost 2000 SP.
Lv. 4: MDF increase ↑. Cost 2500 SP.
Lv. 5: MDF increase ↑. Cost 3000 SP.
Notes
Formula:
Lv. 1: 1.15x MDF multiplier.
Lv. 2: 1.17x MDF multiplier.
Lv. 3: 1.2x MDF multiplier.
Lv. 4: 1.23x MDF multiplier.
Lv. 5: 1.27x MDF multiplier.
25% chance to activate at the start of battle. Only 1 start of battle AUTO skill can activate at a time.
Upon activation, places a buff on all party members that increases their MDF for 3 turns.
