DragonSword: Awakening Reina Build Guide
Quick answer
Reina is a sword-wielding knight and one of DragonSword: Awakening's strongest burst heroes. She applies both Airborne and Bleed, which means she can extend a tag chain as well as end it. Her airborne attacks keep enemies under continuous pressure, and she is far more forgiving to execute than Theresia.
Updated · Verified on Patch 1.0.x · Sources: in-game testing, Steam store page, Hound13 announcements
Reina is the burst hero most DragonSword: Awakening players should actually use. She is close to the top of the roster, and unlike Theresia she does not demand near-perfect execution to get there.
Why Reina is unusually flexible
Most heroes apply one ailment. Reina applies two — Airborne and Bleed — and they do different jobs in a chain.
| Property | Detail |
|---|---|
| Element | Physical |
| Role | Burst |
| Applies | Airborne, Bleed |
| Style | Fast combos, several airborne attacks, continuous pressure |
| Difficulty | Moderate — forgiving relative to her power |
| Data status | Verified on patch 1.0.x |
Airborne launches the target, which extends a chain and sets up aerial follow-ups. Bleed is a detonator that converts an open window into scaling damage. Having both means Reina can sit in the middle of a rotation or at the end of one, which is why she fits into more teams than a single-ailment hero. See status ailments.
Her rotations
Reina slots into three standard DragonSword: Awakening rotations.
Freeze relay (her best home): Cerese (Freeze) → Castella (Break) → Reina (Bleed detonation). The canonical strongest team in DragonSword: Awakening — see best team comps.
Aerial extension: setup hero → Reina (Airborne) → a hero who answers Airborne. Here she is the middle link rather than the finisher, using the launch to keep the target off the ground and unable to act.
Fast field clears: Reina's speed and airborne pressure make her excellent at ordinary open-world combat, where you are not building toward a single big window and just want packs dead quickly.
Karma and gear
Karma: Physical element. Reina is Physical, and Karma must match the hero's element or part of its bonus does not apply. A matching Basic Karma beats a mismatched better card — equip one early rather than waiting for a perfect drop.
Gear: raw damage and critical damage. She is a burst hero. Do not put Ailment Buildup Rate on her, despite the fact that she applies two ailments — Buildup Rate belongs on your dedicated setup hero, where it decides whether the chain starts in one skill cast or two. Reina's ailments are chain extensions, not chain openers. See upgrade priority.
Playing her well
Four habits separate a good Reina from an average one in DragonSword: Awakening.
- Use the air. Her airborne attacks are her identity. Staying grounded plays her as a worse version of an ordinary swordsman.
- Decide her job before the fight. Extender or finisher — the two roles want different swap timings, and drifting between them mid-fight is how chains drop.
- Let follow-ups finish. Inputting during a Signal Skill follow-up interrupts your own scripted hit. This is easy to do with Reina because her normal combo speed encourages mashing.
- Watch the portraits, not the enemy. Prompts appear on the party order at the left — see Signal Skills.
Reina versus Theresia
The comparison most players are actually making:
| Reina | Theresia | |
|---|---|---|
| Ceiling | High | Highest in the game |
| Floor | High — forgiving | Low — punishes dropped chains |
| Ailments | Airborne + Bleed | Bleed |
| Flexibility | Extender or finisher | Finisher only |
| Best for | Most players, most content | Players with tag timing mastered |
| Co-op Raids | Solid | Weaker — chaotic enemy state |
If you are choosing one to invest in first, choose Reina. Her forgiving floor means your materials return power immediately rather than after a skill investment. You can always build Theresia later. See the tier list for full context.
Reina in co-op
Reina holds up well in Hunts and Raids precisely because she carries two ailments. In a chaotic Raid where the enemy state changes faster than you can plan around, a hero who can either extend or finish is more useful than a pure detonator — which is the main reason she sits above Theresia in DragonSword: Awakening's co-op ratings on the tier list.
FAQ
Is Reina good in DragonSword: Awakening?
Yes. She is an S-tier burst hero who applies both Airborne and Bleed, and she is considerably more forgiving to play than Theresia.
What ailments does Reina apply?
Airborne and Bleed. Airborne extends a chain by launching the target; Bleed detonates an open window with scaling damage.
What is the best Karma for Reina?
Any Physical-element Karma. Element matching matters more than card rank, because mismatched Karma loses part of its effect.
Should I gear Reina for Ailment Buildup Rate?
No. She is a burst hero — prioritise raw damage and critical damage. Buildup Rate belongs on your setup hero.
Reina or Theresia — who should I build first?
Reina, for most players. She reaches nearly the same power with far less execution risk.