How many elements are there?
Nine. The current build uses Fire, Water, Grass, Lightning, Ice, Earth, Wind, Light and Dark. Earlier guides sometimes borrow element names from other games; this site uses only the nine labels above, because those are the names the current build and the client use.
Eight of the nine appear somewhere in the printed stage-prep notes. Light is the only element with no printed directional pair at all, which is why the chart on this page leaves it unconnected.
Version-tested The nine-element list is corroborated by multiple independent community matchup tables and by media coverage. Official pages do not print the number nine as a single sentence, so the count is labeled version-tested rather than officially confirmed.
What damage multipliers apply?
There are three outcomes and one cap. The multipliers are the most stable part of the whole system and the part most often quoted without a source.
| Case | Multiplier | What it means in practice | Confidence |
|---|---|---|---|
| Advantage | 1.6× | Pick this skill element into the target when possible. | Community double-source |
| Neutral | 1× | No bonus, no penalty. Most pairs sit here. | Community double-source |
| Resisted | 0.625× | Still functional, but a poor choice for a burst window. | Community double-source |
| Dual advantage | 2.56× cap | 1.6×1.6. Both elements of a dual attacker must have the advantage. | Community, single convention |
Community-derived The 1.6×, 1× and 0.625× values are standard across community damage guides and are treated as reliable. The 2.56× dual cap is the community convention for multiplying two advantages; no official page prints it as a formula.
What beats what?
The direct answer: no official nine-by-nine pairing chart is published. The multipliers are known, but the pair list is shown in the client's target preview, and the only printed directional lists in the sources are stage-prep notes from Holo-Battle Sim. Those notes say which elements a themed stage is defended against, not a complete proof of the wheel.
| Stage theme | Prepare to defend against | How to read it |
|---|---|---|
| Grass stage | Fire, Wind, Dark | These are the threat elements in a Grass-themed Sim stage. |
| Water stage | Grass, Lightning, Ice | These are the threat elements in a Water-themed Sim stage. |
| Fire stage | Water, Earth | These are the threat elements in a Fire-themed Sim stage. |
These three lists do support one closed loop: Fire threatens Grass, Grass threatens Water, and Water threatens Fire. That triangle is the best-supported part of the community chart. Every other pair, including anything involving Light, should be checked in the target preview before a fight rather than assumed from a fan graphic.
Unverified The stage prep line uses the older word "rock" where this site writes Earth. The site uses Earth because that is the frozen terminology for the nine-element list. The underlying stage advice is still the only printed directional data.
If a target preview shows 1× against every element a team owns, that is not a bug. Neutral is the default for undocumented pairs, and it is also why a mono-element team can clear most of the open world without learning the chart.
Are resisted elements immune?
No. A resisted hit deals 0.625× damage, and nothing in the current sources grants a 0× immunity. A resisted skill is worth roughly three-fifths of a neutral one, which is bad inside a BREAK window but still finishes off a low-health target.
This matters for team design. A mono-element team is never locked out of a fight by a bad matchup; it is slowed down. The practical cost is time on the guard bar and more healing consumed, not a hard wall. See the BREAK combat page for why that extra time is expensive.
Which element pairs cover the most content?
For the Whisperwake Isles, Grass plus Lightning is the strongest two-element pair. Both are listed as threats into Water, and Water appears in every Whisperwake subregion. A Fire attacker covers the grass pockets in Crescent Bay and Rosy Mirelands.
For the old continent, Fire plus Grass is the safer pair. Fire answers the Grass-heavy early routes, and Grass answers Water. Add a Water attacker if the route includes fire-themed caves or a Fire Sim stage, because Water is the documented Fire threat.
| Goal | Pair | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Whisperwake, water-led routes | Grass + Lightning | Both appear in the Water stage threat list; Water is in all four subregions. |
| Old continent, mixed grass and water | Fire + Grass | Fire covers Grass; Grass covers Water, which keeps the triangle closed. |
| Fire-themed Sim stages | Water + Earth | Both are listed as the elements to defend against in a Fire stage. |
| Anything involving Light | No recommendation | Light's pairings are not documented; check the target preview instead. |
This is a coverage recommendation, not a tier claim. A pair that fits the region saves travel and swap time; it does not guarantee that the individual Aniimo are strong.
Which elements does Whisperwake favor?
Whisperwake is a water-led archipelago. Water, Wind and Dark appear in all four subregions; the other six are unevenly distributed. The four local lists are the most granular data available.
| Subregion | Listed element mix | What it means for preparation |
|---|---|---|
| Crescent Bay | Water, Grass, Earth, Wind, Dark; one snapshot adds Ice | Broad mix. Bring a Grass attacker and expect Dark. Ice presence is unresolved in the sources. |
| Rosy Mirelands | Water, Grass, Earth, Wind, Ice, Dark | Wetland mix. Grass and Ice both appear; Fire has little natural target here. |
| Wildwater Gorge | Water, Lightning, Wind, Ice, Dark | Fast water route. Lightning is native here, so a Water attacker needs care. |
| Cloudreach Falls | Water, Wind, Dark | Narrowest mix in the isles; a single Grass attacker covers most encounters. |
Community The subregion element lists come from structured community tables, not an official page. The isles overview separately describes the whole archipelago as a Water, Grass, Lightning, Ice and Dark ecosystem, so the local tables are finer-grained rather than contradictory. The Crescent Bay Ice entry is flagged as a source conflict.
The regional hub page has the rest of the unlock chain and route detail: Whisperwake Isles.
How do dual-element Aniimo resolve a matchup?
A dual-element Aniimo carries two elements on its card, and both participate in matchup resolution separately. If both have the advantage into the target, the community convention multiplies the two advantages to the 2.56× cap. If one is advantaged and one is resisted, the result lands between the two, not at either extreme.
Skills can also carry an element different from the body. Hexxin is a Dark/Grass body with an Earth-tagged skill, for example. In practice that means the skill's own label decides the multiplier, not the creature's portrait.
Unverified The exact rounding order for dual-element resolution is not published. Community tables multiply and cap at 2.56×; the client preview is the only way to confirm a specific combination.
How should the chart change a fight?
Three habits cover almost every case:
- Check before the opener. Target the enemy, read the preview, then choose the lead skill. The check costs a second and saves a whole burst window.
- Build coverage, not a counter for every fight. Three slots cannot cover nine elements. Pick two elements for the region and let the third slot solve the role problem instead.
- Do not bench a good unit over one bad pair. A resisted hit is 0.625×, not zero. Keep the unit and change the skill or the timing.
For the role side of that third slot, see team building. For which units currently perform best under the patch, see the tier list.