Element choice, and what/when should I fuse?

[Paperbell]

Does the element I choose in character creation affect anything other than my resistances, and does a demon's modifier power up certain moves (for example does firesworn use throw flame with more power)?

So far, I have just been fusing a fairy to a gandayah as soon as possible. Is this a good idea, or should I focus on recruiting and copying abilities for demons near the beginning?

I have gotten up to but not past anomaly:1, so I guess general tips for survival would be useful as well.

Edit: Also, do evasion abilities stack?

[Ferret]

Hello Paperbell, and welcome to the forum.

Element choice only affects your starting ability and resistance.

A demon's modifier does not directly power up related moves, though most modifiers (especially non-unique ones) tend to increase stats that are usually important to that element's moves. Firesworn is a hybrid Slash/Fire modifier that behaves a bit oddly when it comes to stats: in essence, it tries to make your stats more "average" since that is beneficial for a Slash/Fire hybrid, which needs every stat. If Firesworn was used on a character with low Magic, it would raise Magic, making Throw Flame stronger. But, if it were used on a high Magic character, it would actually lower it and make it perform worse. The Fiery modifier on the other hand is a pure Fire modifier, it always improves Magic, and would always make Throw Flame stronger.

How you handle demon fusing / ability copying depends a bit on your relic and strategy. I will agree it's generally good to have a strong healer (or even two, so you can rotate them out if SP becomes an issue, or use both if the incoming damage gets crazy... though this will limit your own damage in turn!) unless your summoner is a healer, but I've never been as sold on the Faerie->Gandayah advice as some folks.

For example, a notable thing is that all three starter demons begin with the Draw Wounds ability: you might look into trying to incorporate this into healing strategies. Yes, it damages the user... but the free action aspect is extremely powerful. On any demon at all, it allows them (without using their turn) to give HP to those in need freely. On a demon with life-draining or other abilities that are self-healing (Reshape, Flesheater, Souleater, abilities that use Regen or Guilt status, etc.), it can give them a way to share that healing with others. On a demon already good at healing, it can allow them to heal two targets in one turn, or one target twice, in dire situations. (Refresh, the SP version of Draw Wounds, can work in similar ways... though in that case, since self-SP recovery is much rarer, you'll probably be looking to put it on demons that don't use much SP, such as some melee attackers, or heavily cooldown based demons.)

And yes, Evasion abilities stack.

[ShinQuickMan]

As far as Lifegiver Gandayah goes (as well as most early game fusions), it's kind of a gamble. The resulting demon is tougher, and they may give you some useful abilities (such as Healing Aura, which really helps sooner in the game rather than later). Of course, the trade-off is spending power for later. That's less money to copy abilities from other pre-fused demons/pre-owned demons, and less money to fuse stronger and longer lasting demons.

IMHO, very early-game fusions are too risky an investment. I'd rather wait a few levels to fuse a slightly stronger demon, many of which tend to have better resistances and more useful abilities on their kit. For instance, instead of a Lifegiver Gandayah, I'd fuse a Fiery Dryad. She has almost all the resistances I'd want in a demon to tackle the anomaly, and will remain useful several floors after.

[Paul]

Yeah early on I don't think it's worth paying for fusion, but if you find yourself dying a lot early on, the early boost in power might help you learn more of the game.

Before the anomaly you can usually defeat nearly anything with just Ogre or two.

But the earliest fusion I bother with is Holy Aeras because it covers one of its big weaknesses and gives it a great element.

For long term playing, fusing low level demons is a waste of cc, though i guess it can help you stay alive