Viper Animus Spotlight

Viper, the Wandering Center Animus, is a buff-stripping, counterattacking tank who thrives in both PvP and PvE.

As one of the few Animus in Etheria: Restart with AoE buff removal, he becomes invaluable when facing buff-heavy comps. Viper also brings silence, attack break, speed down, and crit damage mitigation—all in a reactive kit that rewards smart play and solid timing.

In this Article, we are going to be breaking down the best ways to utilize Viper, and how to gear him for the best possible results.

Skill 1 – Savage Fang

Deals 2 hits of 130% damage to a single enemy. The second hit has a 25% chance to inflict silence and grants 1 stack of Serpent Skin.

Cold-Blooded Passive:

At 4 stacks of Serpent Skin, Viper’s next activation consumes the stacks and triggers Skill 3 (Scale Slash) as a counterattack. Starts battle with 2 stacks.

Skill 2 – Shifting Scales (Passive)

• Reduces crit damage taken by all allies by 30%.
• When an ally is hit, there’s a 12% chance to counterattack with Savage Fang.
• If the ally takes a crit, the counter chance rises to 60%.
• Only one counter per turn.

Skill 3 – Scale Slash

Deals 240% AoE damage and has a 65% chance to:

• Inflict Attack Break (2 turns)
• Inflict Speed Down (2 turns)
• Dispel 2 buffs from each enemy

This ability is Viper’s centerpiece, providing huge utility in a single move. It becomes especially deadly when counter-triggered via Serpent Skin stacking.

Skill 2 is your top priority to ensure consistent counterattacks and team-wide damage reduction.

Skill 2 – Shifting Scales

• Level 2: +27% crit damage reduction
• Level 3: +12% base counter chance
• Level 4: +30% crit damage reduction
• Level 5: +60% counter chance on crit

Skill 3 – Scale Slash

• Level 2: +65% chance to land debuffs
• Level 3: +240% damage multiplier
• Level 4: Dispels 2 buffs
• Level 5: -1 cooldown

Skill 1 – Savage Fang

• Level 2: +120% damage
• Level 3: +25% silence chance
• Level 4: +130% damage
• Level 5: Gain 2 Serpent Skin at battle start

You can build Viper two ways: as a tanky utility counterattacker or a hybrid debuffer with DPS. Decide based on your team’s needs.

Suggested Sets:

• Unbreakable: +45% DEF – best early for survival
• Wellspring: +45% HP – boosts bulk and Serpent Skin uptime
• Bramble: +10% DEF and 25% counter chance – perfect synergy
• Blood Bath: +18% Effect RES, 60% damage reduction vs high burst
• Swift Smite: +15% SPD and +20% Effect ACC – ensures more debuff uptime

Main Stats (Early Game):

• HP%, DEF%, Effect RES%

Main Stats (Late Game Utility Build):

• SPD / HP% / Effect ACC%

Substats to Target:

• Effect Accuracy
• Speed
• HP%, DEF%
• Effect RES

Optional (DPS Viper Build):

• Crit Rate
• Crit Damage
• ATK%

• Unbridled Science: +30% strike prep after action
• Star: -1 skill cooldown before action
• Mermaid Princess: Purifies 2 debuffs pre-action
• Black Flag: 120% bonus hit after action, +20% strike prep
• Shanghai Jing: +20% strike prep after 3 enemy actions
• Gigabyte: +30% strike prep after 3 enemy actions
• Alicorn: Dispel 2 debuffs + heal 8% HP
• Codex of Magic: Next skill has no cooldown
• Law of Silence: 1-turn void state at battle start and every 4 turns

Pros:

• One of the few AoE buff strippers in the game
• Excellent counterattack synergy
• Brings attack break, speed down, and silence
• Crit damage mitigation for team
• Can be tailored to PvP or PvE needs
• Serpent Skin enables reactive gameplay and frequent Skill 3 use

Cons:

• Needs multiple stacks to activate Skill 3 passively
• Requires investment in Effect Accuracy to land debuffs
• Competing builds (tank vs. DPS) mean hard choices in gear/subs
• Only one counterattack per turn limits consistency
• Requires proper team setup to shine in high-level content