PVE Crystal Build Examples - BDFoundry (2024)

Introduction

This guide gives different PVE Crystal build examples that you can tweak for different monster zones depending on your needs. The crystals in the examples are BIS end-game crystals and very costly but should give you an idea of what to aim for. In some cases you can swap crystals for the lower tier if you want to spend less, for example you can use Crystal of Elkarr instead of Visionary Crystal of Elkarr.

If you want to learn the basics of the Crystal Preset system and how to unlock all crystal slots, you can view our Crystal Preset & Transfusion Guide for more info.

Cheap Crystal Example

Below is a cheaper crystal set example with a cost of around 2.5 billion silver. It uses 15 crystal slots in total for players who have completed the Land of the Morning Light story quests (to unlock 2 slots) and are using the Karanda’s Heart (1 slot) instead of a Garmoth’s Heart (2 slots)

If you have a little bit extra silver to spare, you can swap Ancient Magic Crystal of Crimson Flame – Power x2 for Crystal of Brutal Decimation x2. These crystals provide extra back attack damage and higher AP against monsters so they are better than the Power crystals but also more expensive.

You may also want to swap the Ancient Magic Crystal of Nature – Adamantine x2 for Ancient Magic Crystal of Nature – Giant x2 depending on the monster zone and the type of crowd control (CC) effects the monsters inflict. Adamantine provides Knockdown/Bound CC Resistance, while Giant gives you Stun/Stiffness/Freeze CC Resistance instead.

Basic/Core Crystal Build

These build examples are purely focused on high damage and are a general build you can then use to swap and refine for certain monster zones.

The first example uses Crystal of Mysterious Darkness x2, which is useful in certain spots where you can get lots of back-attacks

Accuracy Crystals

If you are in a spot that requires higher accuracy, such as Ash Forest or Crypt of the Resting Thoughts, you want to aim for at least 900 accuracy.

If you don’t have accuracy accessories you can use Elkarr Crystals x2 and JIN Magic Crystal – Viper x1/2 instead to raise your accuracy.

Try swapping out your crystals one at a time to find the right balance for you and your class.

If you don’t need 100% resistance at a grind spot you can swap the following:

If you need 100% resistance at a grind spot then swap the following instead:

Accuracy Crystals	Swapped with
JIN Magic Crystal – Viper x2 Visionary Crystal of Elkarr x2	Ultimate Combined Magic Crystal – Macalod x4

100% Resistance Crystals

There are 3 ways you can obtain 100% resistance in a certain CC. This is important for end-game spots where a CC will guarantee a death. It is recommended to use Ancient Magic Crystal of Nature crystals instead of the Red Battlefield crystals since they are much cheaper and you don’t need the secondary resistance.

Resistance crystals:

Below are other resistance crystals you can use depending on which CC resistance you need for the grind spot.

Crystal Name	Resistance Effect
Ancient Magic Crystal of Nature – Adamantine	Knockdown/Bound Resistance +25%
Ancient Magic Crystal of Nature – Giant	Stun/Stiffness/Freezing Resistance +25%
Ancient Magic Crystal of Nature – Fighting Spirit	Knockback/Floating Resistance +25%
Black Magic Crystal – Intimidation	Knockdown/Bound Resistance +10% Stun/Stuffness/Freezing Resistance +5%
Black Magic Crystal – Armor	Damage Reduction +2 Stun/Stuffness/Freezing Resistance +10%
Black Magic Crystal – Adamantine	Knockdown/Bound Resistance +5% Knockback/Floating Resistance +10%
Black Magic Crystal – Vigor	Max HP +50 Stun/Stuffness/Freezing Resistance +10%
Kydict’s Crystal – Giant	Damage Reduction +2 Max HP +100 Stun/Stuffness/Freezing Resistance +10%

End-game Grind Spot Examples

Now that we have seen the different options for PVE crystals, we can put these together to create the perfect build for certain spots.

Dehkia Ash Forest

Dehkia Ash Forest requires 100% Knockdown Resistance. Use a Villa buff with the following crystal set to reach 100% resistance.

You can also swap Ultimate Combined Magic Crystal – Macalod x2 for Crystal of Frozen Bitterness x2 if you feel you need more defenses.

Dehkia Thornwood Forest

Dehkia Thornwood requires 100% Knockback Resistance. Use a Villa buff with the following crystal set to reach 100% resistance.

You can also swap Ultimate Combined Magic Crystal – Macalod x2 for Crystal of Frozen Bitterness x2 if you feel you need more defenses.

Dehkia Oluns Valley

Dehkia Oluns Valley requires 100% Stun Resistance and Knockdown Resistance.

This spot is a party grind spot and is it highly recommended to have a Shai in your party using the Summer Rain III skill. This allows you to use 2 different Ancient Magic Crystal of Nature crystals and a Villa buff to reach 100% resistance.

Crypt of Resting Thoughts

Crypt of the Resting Thoughts requires 100% Stun Resistance. Use a Villa buff with the following crystal set to reach 100% resistance.

You can also swap Ultimate Combined Magic Crystal – Macalod x2 for Visionary Crystal of Elkarr x2 if you don’t have enough accuracy. Generally, you want to aim for at least 900 accuracy.

If you don’t have accuracy accessories and require a lot of accuracy, you can swap Ultimate Combined Magic Crystal – Macalod x4 with Visionary Crystal of Elkarr x2 and JIN Magic Crystal – Viper x2

Darkseeker’s Retreat / Yzrahid Highlands

For Darkseeker’s Retreat and Yzrahid Highlands, the monster zones do have CC effects but they are easy to dodge by dashing behind the monster or using your PVE I-frames so you should not really need CC resistance crystals as long as you learn the mechanics for the spot. Instead, you want to stack as much AP as possible and for this spot we will use the “Core” build listed at the start with a small tweak.

It is recommended to have a total of 1,000 or higher AP for these spots. This includes your crystals, addons, and any buffs.

• Check your total AP through the “My Stats” button in your inventory. Add together your AP + Extra AP Against Monsters

In addition, you want to aim for around 850 or higher accuracy, so you can use JIN Magic Crystal – Viper x1 or Visionary Crystal of Elkarr x1 to help you reach this instead of the Ancient Magic Crystal of Crimson Flame – Power x1 we list in the “Core” build.