Guide
How the kit works
Start with EX Special Attack: Smash the Horizon, Bro! (Special) when Anton has enough Energy. It hits enemies in a line, makes him invulnerable during the attack and activates Burst Mode. Once inside, use Basic Attack: Enthusiastic Drills (Burst Mode). Hold or repeatedly press the attack button during its second Drill Attack and third Piledriver Attack to extend them.
His Core Passive increases Piledriver Attack DMG by 24% and Drill Attack DMG by 40%. Burst Mode lasts until his Energy is depleted, so pay attention to the resource while extending those attacks.
Bring another character with the same Attribute or Faction to activate his Additional Ability. In Burst Mode, every four critical hits prepare the next hit against a Shocked enemy to trigger an extra bout of Shock DMG equal to 45% of the original DMG. It can trigger once every 0.5 seconds.
Use Dodge: Let's Move to avoid attacks. A Perfect Dodge lets Anton counter; his Burst Mode counter deals Electric DMG. His Defensive Assist parries an incoming attack and deals Daze, and its follow-up deals Electric DMG. Chain Attack and Ultimate also deal Electric DMG over a large area.
Build and why
The game's build uses four pieces of Thunder Metal and two of Woodpecker Electro. Thunder Metal gives 10% Electric DMG and, while an enemy in combat is Shocked, 28% ATK. Woodpecker Electro adds 8% CRIT Rate, which helps both Anton's damage and his Shock follow-up.
For disc 4, choose CRIT Rate or CRIT DMG. Disc 5 can have Electric DMG Bonus or Percent ATK; disc 6 can have Percent ATK or Energy Regen. The listed substat order is Percent ATK, CRIT Rate, then CRIT DMG. Balance the critical stats with enough Energy to use Burst Mode comfortably.
Dawn's Bloom is another four-piece option: it increases Basic Attack DMG and gives an Attack character a further increase after an EX Special Attack or Ultimate. Hormone Punk is worth considering for its ATK and its temporary ATK increase when Anton becomes the active character.
Among the weapons named by guides, Heartstring Nocturne is ranked first by two sources. Its 50% CRIT DMG helps Anton, though its Fire RES ignore applies to Chain Attack and Ultimate and does not improve their Electric DMG. Severed Innocence builds CRIT DMG stacks and gives Electric DMG at three stacks. The game's listed Drill Rig - Red Axis increases Electric DMG from Basic Attacks and Dash Attacks by 50% for 10 seconds after an EX Special Attack or Chain Attack; the effect can trigger once every 15 seconds.
Leveling priority
Follow the game's order: upgrade Core Passive first for stronger Drill and Piledriver attacks, then Basic Attack for the attacks Anton uses on field. Next are Chain Attack, Special Attack, Assist and Dodge, in that order.
For maximum ascension you need 800,000 Denny, 4 Basic Attack Certification Seal, 32 Advanced Attack Certification Seal and 30 Pioneer's Certification Seal.
For all skills, the listed total is 2,905,000 Denny, 25 Basic Shock Chip, 75 Advanced Shock Chip, 250 Specialized Shock Chip, 5 Hamster Cage Pass, 9 Living Drive and 60 Higher Dimensional Data: Destructive Advance. These skill costs are separate from the ascension costs.
Mindscapes worth it
Warm-Up Exercises is a useful early option: Drill Attack hits give Anton extra Energy, up to 5 Energy per skill use. That fits a character whose Burst Mode runs on Energy.
Break the Limit is worth considering for damage. A critical Piledriver Attack gives his Burst Mode Basic Attack and Dodge Counter 4% more DMG for 30 seconds, stacking up to six times. Further triggers reset the duration.
Everyone Get Fired Up! gives the whole squad 10% CRIT Rate for 12 seconds after Anton uses a Chain Attack or Ultimate. State of Flow instead gives him a Shield equal to 7.5% of Max HP when he enters Burst Mode; it disappears when the mode ends. If you are focused on damage, you can treat that Shield and the skill-level increases at M3 and M5 as less important individual goals.
Teams
Anton gives the team on-field Electric damage and can add extra Shock DMG when his passive conditions are met. At M4, his Chain Attack or Ultimate also gives the squad CRIT Rate.
Common mistakes
Do not expect normal attacks outside Burst Mode to deal Electric DMG. Save enough Energy to enter the mode, then extend the Drill and Piledriver attacks instead of stopping at short taps.
Do not ignore the Additional Ability condition or attack an enemy without Shock expecting its extra Shock DMG. CRIT Rate matters too: the effect needs four critical hits before the next qualifying hit.
With Thunder Metal, remember that the four-piece ATK bonus requires a Shocked enemy in combat. With Drill Rig - Red Axis, watch the gap between its 10-second buff and its 15-second trigger interval.
