Galleus Bloodcrest – Champion Spotlight

Galleus Bloodcrest is often regarded as one of the less impressive Mythicals in the game, largely due to the damage output from his abilities in his Alternate Form, making him less viable in high level Arena. His value also lies in having Decrease Defence active, which can be difficult in a Meta dominated by Stoneskin, Block Debuffs, and Cleansers. However, today we’ll explore his current strengths, optimal builds and which forms perform best in specific content.

As a Mythical Champion, Galleus can switch between two forms, each with different abilities. In his base form, he shines as a support option while dealing Enemy Max HP damage on counterattacks. His A2 places Provoke on enemies, lasting two turns against bosses, making him ideal for controlling the Head of Decay and acting as a strong Mischief Tank through his self buffs, one of which enabling the counters for his A1. Galleus is also one of the few champions able to fully restore destroyed HP on allies, and he provides Revive on Death and Increase Defence with his A3 for team sustain. Additionally, he brings Decrease Speed with his default attack, while his passive reflects his incoming damage and heals him for 50% of what he takes.

Switching to his alternate form, Galleus’s abilities shift towards dealing damage to enemies. His A2 applies Decrease Defence on targets before attacking, boosts his damage by 10% against those affected and steals 20% of their Turn Meter. This skill enables his passive, which resets his active skill cooldowns whenever he kills enemies under Decrease Defence, allowing him to unleash his effects more frequently. His Sonic Torture [A3] attack increases its damage by 15% for each buff on his targets and reduces their buff duration by 2 turns, making him effective against buff teams in Arena. This kit’s synergy also makes Galleus a great choice for content like Minotaur speed farming, Cursed City, Doom Tower progression, and Dark Fae teams.

Galleus is an excellent choice to consider when building a speed farm team for the Iron Twins Fortress, particularly in setups that aim to defeat the boss before Iron Brand debuffs accumulate too heavily. The strategy involves locking him into his base form, where his A2 places Counterattack on himself, enabling his A1 to deliver Enemy Max HP damage whenever he counters. When paired with champions like Gnut, his Blessed Bash can trigger the boss’s Retaliatory Launch [P], which attacks all allies whenever the boss’s HP drops to specific thresholds, prompting additional counters from Galleus.

His A1 also applies Decrease Speed to the boss, allowing allies to cycle their skills more effectively, including Gnut’s MAX HP attacks and Geomancer’s burn for more damage. Between Galleus and Gnut, the boss goes down quickly, although some affinities may slow the run slightly. To support this team, including a reviver like Pythion is advisable to bring back allies as needed, especially when built with high resistance to mitigate Iron Brand stacks. Galleus also offers Revive on Death and Increase DEF for extra team sustainability, and champions like Kymar fit well in this setup to reset and reuse your active skills more quickly.

If you’re looking for a strong damage dealer for the Hydra, Galleus might fall short in that area. However, when it comes to team support and crowd control, he’s an excellent option for teams that need the utility he provides. It’s recommended to lock him in his base form, where his standout ability is a 2 turn Provoke debuff on bosses, perfect for controlling the Head of Decay – a role few champions can perform. This same skill also places two buffs, making Galleus a suitable Mischief Tank, provided he has sufficient Resistance or your allies place Increase RES and Decrease ACC effects to reduce the chance of buffs from being stolen.

Galleus’s counterattacks enables Enemy Max HP attacks with his A1 when hit, which is useful for freeing digested allies or adding extra damage over the course of the run [though it doesn’t work on decapitated heads]. His A3 fully restores all allies MAX HP, places Revive on Death for tough moments, and Increase DEF to support team survival and enhance Defence based damage dealers. With the changes to Hydra, champions with A1 Decrease Speed have become more valuable for placing this debuff on decapitated heads or controlling targets that resisted / of received weak hits from AOE attempts.

Lastly, Galleus’s Aura is a strong choice if you’re lacking alternatives, and his passive ability reflects 100% of damage he takes back to heads while healing him for 50% of that damage for self sustain.

Galleus is a top contender for dealing with mirrored clones and clearing waves in The Dark Fae, and should be used in his Alternate Form. His passive ability allows for continuous cooldown resets of his active skills when enemies die under Decrease Defence, making him highly effective for clearing the waves. When you reach the boss phase, prioritize his A2 to eliminate the clones, which places Decrease Defence before attacking and steals 20% Turn Meter to help prevent the boss from interrupting. From that point, use Galleus to cycle his A2 for Turn Meter control and use his A1, which hits twice when the target has Decrease Defence for more damage.

Pairing Galleus with champions like Gnut, who brings Weaken, provides debuff coverage for enhancing your damage. While Galleus might not be the top choice for Turn Meter control alone, he fits well in speed farming teams with existing strong control.

To optimize Galleus’s potential as both a damage dealer and debuffer, focus on a build that balances both roles. Defence ignoring sets are highly effective, and using Retaliation can enable additional counterattacks to trigger Enemy Max HP hits if his Counterattack buff expires or is removed.

The key stats to look for on Galleus are:

1. 100% C.RATE
2. DEF%
3. C.DMG
4. SPD
5. ACC

The best sets for Galleus are:

1. Merciless
2. Savage/Lethal
3. Retaliation
4. Slayer
5. Perception

Check out our detailed Champion page on Galleus Bloodcrest to see our recommended Blessings, Masteries and more!

Overall, Galleus is a strong all around option for various content. In Arena, he performs well but may struggle in the high end where his full potential relies on placing Decrease Defence, which can be challenging against teams with Polymorph, Stoneskin, Block Debuffs, high resistance, or cleansers. His base form is excellent for players seeking crowd control and universal support, while his Alternate Form can shine in Faction limited stages like Siege and The Cursed City, as well as in Doom Tower and Dungeons, where resetting cooldowns for wave clearing is strong.