Bena

General overview

Bena is incredibly niche and a bit difficult to figure out, but she's very powerful in the hands of a clever player. She's an excellent staller or damage baiter because her trait and talent make her extremely difficult to fully kill. It’s also possible for her to hold a lane, but this isn't a low-maintenance endeavor. Bena is tricky, but that makes her all the more rewarding to learn.

E2? A bit of a luxury investment, but nonetheless a good idea for players who want to use her to her full potential. E2 Annie takes 40% less damage, which translates into Bena being very difficult to fully get rid of.

Game modes

Bena is a good specialist option for SSS, though certainly not a must-bring. Annie allows her to stay on the field even in really dire situations, which buys you more time to put a new operator out without losing your buff stacks. The downside is that Annie can't block, so you will need some sort of contingency plan. (To be fair, defeated operators can't block either...)

Talents

Talent - Bena's Protractor

E1 Annie deals Arts damage and takes 20% (+3%) less Physical and Arts damage

E2 Annie deals Arts damage and takes 40% (+3%) less Physical and Arts damage

This talent usually ensures that Annie will survive until Bena is ready to go again. The 40% damage reduction at E2 is particularly hefty.

Skills

Skill 1 - Fervent Trimming

Skill effect: Max HP -50%; ATK +80%/100%; ignore 30%/35% of the target’s DEF

Overview: This skill gives her a large attack steroid and allows her to ignore defense on top of it, so it's particularly effective against really tanky enemies. It's also a little easier to manage her HP than it is with skill 2.

Skill 2 - Rapid Trimming

Skill effect: ATK +60%/90%, ASPD +50/80; lose 4% HP every attack

Overview: This skill gives her a massive damage spike with pretty good uptime. Of course, the downside is she loses health with each hit (not to mention she loses even more health at M3 because of the ASPD increase). If nothing else, she'll get some good damage in before she goes down. Creative players can also use this skill to force Annie's appearances.

M3? The gains here are very good if you intend on using Bena for DPS. Keep in mind that the extra ASPD from masteries translates into her killing herself faster.

Module - The Jeffreys Collection of Fairytales New and Old, Hardback Edition

Level 1: Annie gains +15% max HP.

Level 2: Talent Upgrade: Annie deals Arts damage and takes 43% less Physical and Arts damage

Level 3: Talent Upgrade: Annie deals Arts damage and takes 45% less Physical and Arts damage

Overview: The enhancements from the module probably won't be noticed by most players, unless you're really trying to get maximum mileage out of Annie.