Phantom Theatre Guide
Phantom Theatre is Etheria’s first true co-op PvE mode, challenging two players to coordinate across three simultaneous boss fights with support from the unseen fourth enemy, Nicolette. Each player selects a team to handle Fury or Smiling Face—while a shared team of both players’ Animus fights the Lament. This cooperative setup adds a fresh layer of strategy, rewarding communication, synergy, and flexible team-building. Score is based on combined performance across all three battles, with SSS (1000+) being the top tier, and each boss requiring its own tailored counter-strategy.
Fury Guard (Red) – Shield, Crit Management, and Silence Mitigation
Fury Guard is a crit-reliant bruiser who applies [Mark] to your units, guaranteeing critical hits against them. His kit revolves around Turn Meter manipulation, [DEF-], and a powerful AoE [Silence] if he lands crits unshielded. His passive, Fury, increases his [Crit Rate] and Counter chance significantly when your team lacks [Shield], making shield uptime critical. Additionally, each critical hit provides 30 charge to Nicolette, so preventing these is essential for controlling the global mechanic.
To counter this, bring champions who provide consistent [Shield] and [Immunity]. Helkid is ideal here—he offers [Shield], [Immunity], and [ATK-] all in one, mitigating both damage and status effects. Lingluo is excellent as your main healer, providing [Immunity] and reliable sustain while benefiting from her Odd affinity for bonus damage. Pair these supports with a strong Odd DPS, like Rosa, who thrives in crit-focused environments.
Recommended Team:
Lament Guard (Blue) – Turn Meter Suppression, Buff Strip, and Stasis Control
Lament Guard is a disruptive debuffer who steals buffs, inflicts [Stasis] (60% [SPD-]), and constantly drains Turn Meter. Once a unit’s Turn Meter hits zero, it’s guaranteed to be [Stunned], adding severe tempo disruption. All of his attacks reduce Turn Meter by 20%, and he can target up to three different allies per cast, depending on their HP and Turn Meter stats. If not managed properly, his kit will lock your team down, slow them to a crawl, and give Nicolette massive charge gains.
To manage this, stack as many buffs and speed boosts as possible. While [Immunity] helps prevent [Stasis] and [SPD-], Lament Guard can remove buffs, so redundancy is key. Lingluo again performs well here due to her constant buff application and [Immunity]. Tiamat is valuable for controlling aggro with [Taunt] and bringing [HoT] and [Shield]. RC-77 provides both [DEF-] and [ATK-], while Tsukiyo Mi delivers [SPD+], [DEF+], and [ATK+] in one kit, offering excellent synergy without overlapping with Lingluo or Tiamat. Odd DPS like Xiada are strong damage dealers who benefit from stacking buffs and provide undispellable value through Soul Flames.
Example Team:
- Lingluo – Buffs, healing, [Immunity]
- RC-77 – [DEF-], [ATK-], utility
- Tiamat – [Taunt], [HoT], [Shield]
- Xiada – Self-scaling DPS with [DEF-]
- Tsukiyo Mi – [ATK+], [DEF+], [SPD+]
Smiling Face Guard (Green) – Speed Race, Charge Stacking, and Consistent Aggression
Smiling Face is the tempo boss, rewarding quick-turn teams and punishing slow ones. Every turn your team takes charges him up via Smiling Face—once you’ve acted 20 times collectively, he immediately takes a bonus turn. He gains [Charge] stacks every attack, each increasing his damage, and his skills can apply [ATK-] and [Stun]. Your goal is to constantly hit him to remove stacks while staying fast and durable enough to avoid being overwhelmed by his auto-triggers and burst.
Here, the solution is simple: go fast, go often, and bring passive sustain. Helkid is perfect for controlling [ATK-] while providing [Shield] and [Immunity]. DokiDoki provides massive Speed support and passive purify. Sania brings strong healing and targeted cleanse to support your core team. Dinah is the standout [DEF-] + [Vulnerable] applier, boosting damage dramatically. For DPS, Khloros is ideal—his damage scales with Speed and frequent turns, making him deadly in this fight. Lian is a strong alternative, bringing AoE and accessible to all players.
Recommended Team:
Hack Guard (Yellow) – Buff Management, Self Purify, and Stacking Damage
Hack Guard is a hard boss to control, purifying debuffs from itself and gaining attack in the process. Placing [Basic Buff Effect] on itself and stealing your buffs, this fight is all about careful management of buffs through dispel effects. Two of its abilities purify debuffs from itself making it very hard to give you the upper hand, especially considering the [Immunity] it can place on its skill 3. When attacking, if it has more buffs than debuffs, each additional type increases its attack by 20% and give Nicolette 20 points so its crucial to stay at parity if you can. If not kept in check, the damage will scale out of control making for a very hard encounter. Your aim is to constantly hit it with dispels to remove buffs while placing debuffs to avoid being overwhelmed.
We’ve hinted at the solution, but who is going to get us over the finish line. Disorder units are key here and Heinrich is the standout option. His kit is perfect for this encounter consistently removing buffs and place [Block] to stop the boss from gaining more or stealing yours. His unique [Last Words] and [Wound] add 2 more debuffs to your quota making it easier to stay at parity with potential buffs the boss has. Lily provides massive Speed support and follow up attacks, if her [Twin Trick] also happens to target Heinrich managing the bosses buff’s will be a breeze. Sania brings strong healing and the only buff in her kit cant be stolen. Kloss is a standout debuffer bringing [DEF-], [SPD-] and her own unique [Hack In]. 3 more debuffs for your quota. For DPS, Diting remains king. His damage is immense and perfect for single target fights. He also has the chance to place to [Vulnerable] allowing for even more damage over time.
Recommended Team:
Scoring and Final Advice
Each boss contributes to your overall Phantom Theatre score, with SSS (1000+) being the top tier. Rewards scale based on your total across the three fights and include Etheria Coins, XP, and Shadow Prints—key resources needed daily. Even if one team struggles, consistent performance across all three can carry you to higher reward brackets.
Key takeaways:
- Fury Guard: Prioritize [Shield] and [Immunity] to prevent crit chains and [Silence].
- Lament Guard: Stack buffs and cleanse; control Turn Meter decay and avoid [Stuns].
- Smiling Face: Hit fast and often; control [Charge] stacking with constant aggression.
- Hack Guard: Stack debuffs and dispel; stay at parity with buffs on boss at minimum, [Block] is your friend.
The mode encourages communication and shared synergy. By coordinating element usage, role balance, and buff spread, you and your teammate can not only hit SSS every week but dominate Phantom Theatre with smart, strategic play.
