Gorgon

Gorgon is a Servant of irregular origins, a monster who is not supposed to exist, and her kit reflects this fact. The monstrous aspect of Medusa possesses good offensive potential, coming with an extraordinarily high ATK stat, the Avenger class’ 1.1x damage modifier, as well as increased critical damage and NP gain from her passive skills. This potential is further amplified through her kit, which contains major ATK and critical damage buffs. With all of these aspects factored in, Gorgon has ridiculous damage potential, rivaling even many higher-rarity Servants. As a cherry on top, she also comes with a couple of utility tools, most significantly her signature Mystic Eyes’s stun effect.

Unfortunately, every monster has a bane, and Gorgon is not exempt from this fact. As an Avenger-class Servant, her base star weight is extremely low. With no way to increase it on her own, to say that her critical hits are inconsistent would be an understatement. As a result, her critical damage buff is often useless unless the party is specifically tailored to help her in this regard, which makes building a team for her far more restrictive. Another factor that restricts her team building is that Gorgon has no reliable survival tool except for Demonic Mutation’s Guts, (which is generally subpar compared to other defensive measures), and thus she also needs to rely on her allies to survive more difficult battles.

Considering these factors, Gorgon is definitely usable in the right scenarios, but the many restrictions posed by her drawbacks can make fielding her optimally feel like a hassle, especially when easier-to-use alternatives are available.

High Damage Potential

Gorgon has extremely high damage potential thanks to the various buffs provided by her kit. This is especially true in regards to critical damage, allowing her to deal ridiculous amounts of damage when her critical hits do land. Gorgon’s high damage is especially visible in the few situations where she has full class advantage against Rulers and Berserkers.

A future interlude will grant Gorgon an upgrade to her NP, turning her NP into one of the highest damaging NPs among her rarity against neutral targets.

Decent Utility

Gorgon is able to work alongside and provide additional leeway for her teammates by using her powerful non-conditional Stun, and her party-wide NP charge on her NP (which is buffed further after her interlude). Her NP’s Curse side-effect can also help with certain challenge quests, though such quests are few and far between.

Heavily Team Dependent

In order to utilize Gorgon’s critical damage potential, she has to be CE-equipped or buffed with critical star absorption unless the team is able to generate a massive surplus of critical stars, for example with the help of A Fragment of 2030 on supports. This poses a problem in many events, as the party would then be unable to equip as many event CEs, or bring as many event bonus Servants.

Low Long-Term Survivability

Gorgon has a very low HP stat for a 4-star Servant, and although Guts allows her to survive a deadly situation, she is rather bad at staying alive in harder/longer fights as she has no other defensive measure.

Few Class Advantages

While Gorgon is extremely effective against Rules and Berserkers, she has no class advantage against any of the other classes. Lacking the bonus of class advantage damage means that her AoE NP will often feel rather underwhelming, which makes her less desirable for quick farming runs.

Monstrous Strength A+ is Gorgon’s least situational skill, and should be leveled first. After that follows Demonic Mutation B, as it will be her main source of damage in proper critical setups. Mystic Eyes A++, while very powerful, should be maxed last, but if Gorgon is to be used extensively, it is recommended to max all three skills.

• Leveling Monstrous Strength first puts emphasis on single-turn bursts, where Demonic Mutation B’s limited availability poses less of a concern, while also allowing Gorgon to make the most of her external buffs. Being an ATK buff, it benefits her NP as well, and it is less hindered by her low star absorption.

• With its notably long cooldown, Demonic Mutation’s critical buff reaches less than 50% uptime at max level. This skill’s modifier scales greatly with extra levels, and it lasts for three turns compared to Monstrous Strength A+’s one turn. As a cherry on top, it contains a Guts effect, thus acting as Gorgon’s survival skill as well. However, while the argument can be made to level this skill first for critical team setups, it is generally a safer bet to level Monstrous Strength A+ instead.

• Mystic Eyes is a highly notable skill as its stun can be used on any opponent regardless of trait. While it is not sure-hit at lower levels, the effectiveness increases greatly when it is maxed, allowing the skill to act as a reliable defensive measure. While a very powerful skill on its own, this skill doesn’t directly benefit Gorgon’s damage dealing role, so it is generally better to level it third, especially if proper defensive supports are available.

Gorgon’s Craft Essence choices are generally aimed to patch up her low star absorption, or amplify her strengths if the team is able to produce a sufficient amount of critical stars. These picks generally revolve around Critical Absorption Up, Buster Performance Up, and Starting NP effects.

• Conversation on the Hot Sands / Seal Designation Enforcer / Teacher and I / Leisure Stroll / Room Guard: Aimed to let Gorgon use her critical damage potential, these CEs greatly increase her star absorption. Conversation on the Hot Sands is the most powerful option with a well supported team. However, due to her low base absorption, Seal Designation Enforcer is most reliable to make her critical rate considerably more often, while both Teacher and I and Leisure Stroll only bring it to slightly above average but carry other benefits.

• Limited/Zero Over / Hero Elly’s Adventure / Joint Recital: Gorgon’s damage scales really well with Buster Performance Up buffs, making these CEs attractive picks when her critical absorption problem is not a concern. Hero Elly’s Adventure and Joint Recital provide NP damage and even more critical damage, respectively, buffing her damage output even further.

• Kaleidoscope / The Imaginary Element / Partake with the King: Gorgon’s NP damage is decent due to her having high stats and a massive ATK buff, allowing her to help wipe waves of weaker mobs. These CE picks allow her to unleash her NP faster and more reliably in these situations.