Medusa
Overview
Medusa combines rapid mark detonation, Overdrive disruption, and Punishment-triggered petrify to lock down priority targets.
Abilities
Stonegaze
Deals 260% Physical Damage in a straight line. Can trigger [Punishment], and successful triggers also inflict [Petrify] for 4 seconds.
⚡ Broken Arrow
Basic Attacks have a 40% chance to fire 2 extra strikes on random enemies, each dealing 65% base Attack damage. Each [Deathrattle] stack increases this chance by 2%.
🔐 Snake Dance
Each [Deathrattle] stack grants 6% Attack Speed.
🎯 Mystic Serpent
Serpent jumps across up to 3 enemies, dealing 210% Physical Damage to each and delaying their Overdrive cooldown by 3 seconds.
Talent: Venom Mark
Basic attacks apply [Venom Mark]. At 4 stacks, marks detonate for 190% Physical Damage.
Level Enhancements
⭐ Level 2
Each [Deathrattle] gain applies 1 [Venom Mark] to all enemies
⭐ Level 3
Attack is increased by 15%
⭐ Level 4
After [Venom Mark] detonation, 10% chance to increase target's next Overdrive Energy Cost by 1
⭐ Level 7
[Venom Mark] detonations can trigger [Punishment]; successful triggers dispel 1 target buff
Our Take on Medusa
Medusa is a disruption-focused Archer who delays enemy Overdrives and builds damage through basic attacks. Mystic Serpent jumps across up to 3 enemies for 210% Physical Damage each and pushes back their Overdrive cooldown by 3 seconds, while every 4 stacks of [Venom Mark] from her basic attacks detonate for 190%. Her Overdrive, Stonegaze, adds a 4-second [Petrify] when it successfully triggers [Punishment].
Strengths
- +Mystic Serpent delays the Overdrive cooldown of up to 3 enemies by 3 seconds per cast, which needs no setup.
- +Broken Arrow gives basic attacks a 40% chance to fire 2 extra strikes at 65% of base Attack each, adding volume to a kit that runs on basic attacks.
- +A successful [Punishment] on Stonegaze inflicts [Petrify] for 4 seconds on top of its 260% line damage.
- +At talent level 7, [Venom Mark] detonations can trigger [Punishment] and dispel 1 buff from the target when they succeed.
Weaknesses
- −[Petrify] and the level 7 dispel both rely on [Punishment] succeeding, and the in-game text does not explain what makes a [Punishment] check succeed.
- −Snake Dance (6% Attack Speed per stack), Broken Arrow's extra 2% per stack and talent level 2 all scale on [Deathrattle], which other kits tie to allied defeats.
- −The talent level 4 Overdrive cost increase is only a 10% chance per detonation, so it cannot be planned around.
How to Play Medusa
Medusa fights from the back row like other Archers, and much of her output comes from steady basic attacks: each one applies [Venom Mark] toward the 4-stack detonation. Use Mystic Serpent whenever it is ready, ideally when it can bounce onto enemies whose Overdrives you most want delayed. Aim Stonegaze down a line that includes the biggest threat for a chance at [Petrify]. Talent level 7 is the most meaningful upgrade, since it gives every detonation a [Punishment] check and a buff dispel. Level 3's 15% Attack is the simplest gain, and level 2 only helps in fights where allies fall.
Good Teammates
- Kleina (SR) – Kleina's Terror Shriek raises an enemy's next Overdrive Energy Cost by 1 and Medusa's level 4 detonations can add another, so both push enemy Overdrives toward the 4-cost threshold Kleina's Soul Reaper punishes.
- Bladeheart (SR) – Bladeheart's Apex Predator inflicts [Physical Defense Down], which supports Medusa's all-physical damage from Stonegaze, Mystic Serpent and mark detonations.
- Siegfried (SR) – The SR Siegfried's Flamecleave applies [Physical Defense Down] in a rectangular area, softening the enemies Medusa's serpent bounces between.
Keywords in brackets are explained in the status effect glossary.
Should You Invest?
Medusa is an SSR rated T2 here. She earns her slot when enemy Overdrives are the main problem, because Mystic Serpent's 3-second delay works from her first cast. Her [Petrify] and dispel effects depend on [Punishment] and on talent level 7, so expect to invest more before those parts feel consistent.
Medusa FAQ
- How does Medusa's [Venom Mark] work?
- Each basic attack applies a [Venom Mark]. At 4 stacks the marks detonate for 190% Physical Damage. Talent level 4 adds a 10% chance per detonation to raise the target's next Overdrive cost by 1, and level 7 lets detonations trigger [Punishment] to dispel a buff.
- When does Medusa's Stonegaze petrify enemies?
- Only when Stonegaze successfully triggers [Punishment]. A successful trigger inflicts [Petrify] for 4 seconds in addition to the 260% Physical Damage line hit.