However, Machina only truly becomes a really powerful tank after you’ve unlocked his vampiric skills. Siphon Sword is a decent attack that allows him to drain enemies’ HP while attacking. When you’ve leveled him up enough, feel free to swap out Siphon Sword for the vastly superior Darkside. This ability has Machina pierce multiple enemies in rapid succession and possibly inflict Stun on them while draining their HP. A decent build for Machina is to fill his command slots with Darkside and Cyclone Drive. One attack allows him to deal massive damage to enemies, while the other helps to restore any lost HP in a pinch. For his defensive magic, consider Block. Cure isn’t really necessary for Machina since he can pretty much heal himself with his own abilities.
Machina’s only shortfall is his attack speed, which is just a tad slower than Queen’s. As such, you might want to take him out to the arena and have him go a few rounds in the combat simulation to get a good feel for his attacks. His Combo Bonus is also worth getting during his early levels so that he can execute a larger number of hits in his regular attacks.
With Machina’s decent HP pool, high defense stat, and his insanely useful life-draining abilities, he’s got the potential to be an effective melee tank in your party. With some practice, Machina could easily be one of the most powerful cadets on your roster. I just wish he’d get rid of that silly cape.
Find out how to play as the other Class Zero cadets here, and you can check out our review of the game here.
