Duchess Trailer & Gameplay Reveal: Skill, Ability, & Ultimate – Devastating Support Role

Guessing which character BANDAI NAMCO will feature next has become a bit of a game at this point. Whose bets were on Duchess? Because it’s her two trailers that we got to see this time around! Duchess can easily rival other Nightfarers on her support options: the two abilities are dealing all of most recent team damage to the enemy again, and making herself and allies invisible. Either of these would be worth discussing on their own, but the magnificent Duchess merely readjusts her collar and proposes, “why not both?”

Oh, by the way, if you weren’t sold yet — Duchess gets stamina cost reductions on dodge. Yes, ladies and gentlemen. The Panic Roll Nightfarer. Remember to mix in some backflips also, just because. (Well, uh, probably don’t do those on the bosses known for their offbeat attack timing.)

Duchess Abilities

The Gameplay trailer describes Duchess as “a nimble fighter who specializes in stealth and prefers daggers” and mentions Duchess’s Abilities:

• Passive Ability | MAGNIFICENT POISE: Dodge and attack swiftly with reduced stamina cost.
• Character Skill | RESTAGE: Reapply the last few seconds of team damage to enemies.
• Ultimate Art | FINALE: Obscure nearby allies to hide from foes.

I touched on that with moderate level excitement in the intro, but seriously — Duchess’s active abilities are more than worth discussing. First of all, we got Restage. Consider that it’s a Skill, not her Ultimate. So, once the cooldown passes, your party is free to blast forth everything they got, yell “done!” into the mic, and have Duchess repeat the damage. Of course, we will need to see the cooldown on this thing, but you probably understand why I am so excited about this one. Duchess could probably have some fun doubling down on the dagger attacks and repeating the sequence even when soloing, but what an incredible support ability!

Now, let’s talk Finale, Duchess’s group invisibility Ultimate. If there is an environmental damage to be dealt, she can easily sneak around and ambush from behind, and if there is targeting before a powerful attack from a boss enemy, this is pretty much the way to cause a miss. If a boss is great at interrupting, casting invisibility, closing in, and dealing a lot of damage will be a great opportunity for Restage to repeat it all back again right after.

One or two of these combinations are likely to turn tides of a battle but it’s important to note that both would clearly benefit from collaboration. Duchess will probably shine best in teams with solid communication, and in the hands of players who watch after their teammates closely.

And, of course, let’s make a mention of Duchess’s fun little bonus passive — the stamina cost reduction on attacks and dodges. Two weapon slots is a great opportunity for stacking debilitating effects, and this passive is a great way to speed these hits up. But, of course, the highlight of the passive is the almighty dodge. If done right, this could probably be Duchess’s most powerful line of defense, and her best way to find openings and to land Critical Hits. On top of it all, controlling her will probably just feel more swift and responsive, which definitely counts in a more fast-paced environment.

Duchess Trailers

Of course, it shouldn’t be understated that all of these come with gorgeous, sleek animations, so you should definitely check out the trailers yourself (also, where do they keep finding the voice actors to make the Nightfarers sound so cool, too?):

What do you think of the impressive Duchess? Does she seem to be a bit too much of a support character for your taste (especially if you prefer to split up even in co-op games), or is there an untapped solo potential? If you are a team player, do you have high expectations of her abilities? Let us know in the comments below!