Zhuge Liang (Lord El-Melloi II)

This is a beginner-friendly guide to Zhuge Liang (Lord El-Melloi II) in Fate/Grand Order (English). It breaks down what makes Zhuge Liang (Lord El-Melloi II) strong, his basic stats, skills, and Noble Phantasm, plus the Ascension and skill-up materials you'll need to raise them.

Zhuge Liang (Lord El-Melloi II)'s Basic Information

Name	Zhuge Liang (Lord El-Melloi II)
Class	★5 Caster
Obtain	Permanently available in all Summons

Zhuge Liang (Lord El-Melloi II)'s Strengths

A Powerful Supporter Equipped with 3 Types of NP Batteries

Zhuge Liang (Lord El-Melloi II) is a versatile support who can provide up to 50% NP charge (20% teamwide and 30% targeted). This allows your Attackers to immediately use their Noble Phantasms when equipped with starting NP Craft Essences.

Only Needs Third Ascension for NP Charging

Zhuge Liang only needs to reach his Third Ascension to unlock all his NP-charging skills. You can start farming for his Ascension materials after clearing Part 1, Chapter 4. Since the amount of NP charge doesn't increase with Skill Levels, you can leave them at Lv. 1 until you have materials to spare.

Possesses Universal and Highly Potent Damage Buffs

In addition to his NP-charging abilities, Zhuge Liang's skills also provide universal damage buffs such as ATK Increase, Damage Plus, and Critical Strength Increase. Thanks to these buffs, he is not limited by Card type and can be paired with any Servant.

Skill	Offensive Buffs Provided
Discerning Eye A	- 50% Critical Strength Increase - 30% Targeted NP Charge
Tactician's Command A+	- 30% ATK Increase - 500 Damage Plus - 10% Teamwide NP Charge

* Skill information is based on Skill Level 10.

Vulnerable Once All Skills Are on Cooldown

Zhuge Liang's buffs last for 3 turns, after which he offers little support until his skills are available again. You can compensate for this vulnerability by leveling up his skills to reduce their cooldowns (CD) or by using the Chaldea Combat Uniform's Order Change to swap him with a backline Servant.

Equipped with a Utility Noble Phantasm Perfect for High-Difficulty Quests

Zhuge Liang's Noble Phantasm is an AoE debuff that affects all enemies on the field. Its ability to reduce enemy Charge and inflict a chance-based Stun (success rate scales with Overcharge level) makes it great for stalling. Additionally, it decreases enemy defense, which helps boost the party's damage.

Low-Effort Noble Phantasm Gauge Building

Even without his skills, Zhuge Liang's Arts-heavy card deck makes it easier to form Arts Chains and gain NP. Additionally, his cards benefit from his own teamwide ATK buff, allowing him to deal more damage.

Tip!	If your team has 7+ Arts cards, an Arts Chain is guaranteed to appear at least once every 3 turns.

Servants with Good Synergy

Compatible Attackers
	Arjuna (Alter) (★5) An attacker who deals high damage with his Special Attack that scales with debuffs. He has a 30% NP charge skill, allowing him to use his NP immediately with Zhuge Liang's 20% charge and a 50% NP charge CE. Zhuge Liang's ATK buff works great for boosting damage dealt.
	Gilgamesh (★5) An attacker with a special damage bonus against most Servants. His 30% NP charge skill makes it easy to use his NP.
	Aesc the Savior (★5) She has a 100% NP charge skill. Zhuge Liang's NP charge helps her use her NP multiple times, while his ATK buff increase her damage output.
	Chen Gong (★2) He has a high-damage AoE NP that requires sacrificing another front-line ally. Zhuge Liang's NP charge facilitates repeated NP use, and his ATK buff boost Chen Gong's damage.
	Arash (★1) His high-damage NP, which causes him to self-destruct, acts like a free Order Change, making him ideal for clearing the first wave in farming quests. With his 30% NP charge, Zhuge Liang's 20% charge and a 50% NP charge CE allow for an instant NP.
Compatible Supporters
	Oberon (★5) He can provide up to 70% NP charge, a high-multiplier NP Strength buff, and a Buster buff. Zhuge Liang's ATK buff can fill in for the buff types that Oberon is unable to give for the Attacker.
	Altria Caster (★5) She provides 50% NP charge, an ATK buff, and an Arts buff. Zhuge Liang's AoE 20% NP charge complements Altria Caster's AoE 30% NP charge, totalling for a 50% AoE NP charge.
	Summer Scáthach-Skadi (★5) She can provide up to 50% NP charge. In addition to a powerful Quick buff, she also has Buster and Buster Critical Strength buffs to enhance Buster attacks. She is also a great source of Critical Stars, making it easier to land critical hits.
	Zhuge Liang (Lord El-Melloi II) (★5) Pairing two Zhuge Liangs allows for stacking NP charges and buffs, making farming even more efficient. This also enables advanced tactics like staggering their DEF buffs or using one as a swap-in support via the Order Change skill.
	Lady Avalon (★5) A supporter specializing in high-difficulty quests for Arts attackers. Her Max HP Up and party-wide Invincibility improve survivability, while her Star generation and Critical Strength buffs make it easier to deal critical damage.
	Merlin (★5) A supporter specializing in high-difficulty quests for Buster attackers. His party-wide Invincibility and HP recovery per turn improve survivability, while his Star generation and Critical Strength buffs make it easier to deal critical damage.
	Jeanne d'Arc (★5) Her NP provides party-wide Invincibility, healing, and a DEF buff, making her a valuable asset in high-difficulty quests. Her targetable Stun against Servants and passive Star generation are also excellent.
	Tamamo-no-Mae (★5) She has a skill that guarantees enemy NP charge reduction. Her NP provides support through HP recovery, skill cooldown reduction, and NP charge for the party.
	Xu Fu (★3) She provides an Arts buff, an NP Gain buff, and a 30% NP charge. She also offers critical support, and when paired with Zhuge Liang, can significantly boost an attacker's critical damage.
	Hans Christian Andersen (★2) His Critical Strength buff, which has a short 5-turn cooldown at max level, synergizes well with Zhuge Liang's buffs. His NP provides HP recovery, which Zhuge Liang lacks, along with a chance-based DEF buff.
	Mash Kyrielight (★3-★4) Her DEF buffs from both her skills and NP are a great fit. If the third party member also provides ATK Down or DEF Up, it's possible to survive enemy NPs with stacked DEF buffs alone. Mash's defensive buffs complements Zhuge Liang's Damage Cut buffs for better survivability.

Zhuge Liang (Lord El-Melloi II)'s Skills & Noble Phantasm

Skills & Noble Phantasm

Class	★5 Caster
Cards
Obtain	Permanently available in all Summons
HP / ATK	14259 / 10598（Lv Max）
Skill 1	Discerning Eye A【CT：7~5】 Increase one ally's Critical Strength by 20-50% (3T)[Lv] Increase one ally's NP Gauge by 30%
Skill 2	Tactician's Advice A+【CT：8~6】 Increase DEF by 20-30% for all allies (3T) [Lv] Apply Incoming Damage Cut 200-500 to all allies (3T) [Lv] Increase NP Gauge by 10% for all allies
Skill 3	Tactician's Command A+【CT：8~6】 Increase ATK of all allies by 20-30% (3T) [Lv] Apply Damage Plus 200-500 to all allies (3T) [Lv] Increase NP Gauge of all allies by 10%
Noble Phantasm (Enhanced)	「Unreturning Formation」 Decrease all enemies' Charge Medium chance to inflict Stun (1 turn) to all enemies [OC] Medium chance to inflict Curse (6 turns/1000 damage) to all enemies Decrease their DEF by 30~50% (3 turns) to all enemies [Lv]
VA	Daisuke Namikawa
Illustrator	Takashi Takeuchi

Append Skill

Extra Attack Boost	Increase Extra Attack Card's effectiveness by 30~50% for yourself
Load Magical Energy	Begin battle with NP charged at 10~20% for yourself
Anti-Caster (ATK Up)	Increase own ATK against Caster class by 20-30%

Card Performance

Alignment & Traits / Class Skills

Alignment & Traits
Alignment	Neutral / Good / Human
Traits	Male / Loved One / Modern Human
Class Skill
Territory Creation A	Increase Arts Card effectiveness by 10%
Item Construction B	Increase Debuff Success Rate

Recommended Skill Leveling by Priority

Skill 1	Priority: ★★☆ The multiplier of the single-target Critical Strength Up buff increases. The NP Charge stays fixed at 30%, but since it can boost damage, level it up if you have the resources to spare.
Skill 2	Priority: ★☆☆ It increases the multipliers of DEF Up and damage cut for all allies. The NP charge is fixed at 10%, so level Skills 1 and 3 first.
Skill 3	Priority: ★★★ It increases the multipliers of ATK + damage dealt up for all allies. The NP charge is fixed at 10%, but since it boosts damage, level it up alongside Skill 1.

Ascension & Skill Enhancement Materials

Ascension Materials

Stage 1	Caster Piece x5
Stage 2	Caster Piece x12 Void's Dust x15
Stage 3	Caster Monument x5 Forbidden Page x10 Eternal Gear x5
Final Ascension	Caster Monument x12 Eternal Gear x10 Phoenix Feather x10
Total	x17 x17 x15 x15 x10 x10 x4,400,000 QP

Skill Enhancement Materials

Lv1	Gem of Caster x5
Lv2	Gem of Caster x12
Lv3	Magic Gem of Caster x5
Lv4	Magic Gem of Caster x12 Forbidden Page x5
Lv5	Secret Gem of Caster x5 Forbidden Page x10
Lv6	Secret Gem of Caster x12 Void's Dust x10
Lv7	Void's Dust x20 Heart of the Foreign God x3
Lv8	Heart of the Foreign God x8 Phoenix Feather x20
Lv9	Crystallized Lore x1
Total	x17 x17 x17 x1 x15 x30 x11 x20 x54,400,000 QP

Append Skill Enhancement Materials

Lv1	Gem of Caster x5
Lv2	Gem of Caster x12
Lv3	Magic Gem of Caster x5
Lv4	Magic Gem of Caster x12 Meteor Horseshoe x5
Lv5	Secret Gem of Caster x5 Meteor Horseshoe x10
Lv6	Secret Gem of Caster x12 Eternal Gear x5
Lv7	Eternal Gear x10 Primordial Lanugo x4
Lv8	Primordial Lanugo x11 Egg of Truth x10
Lv9	Crystallized Lore x1
Total	x17 x17 x17 x1 x15 x15 x15 x10 x54,400,000 QP

Illustrator / Voice Actor & Final Ascension Art

Illustrator / Voice Actor

Parameters

Ascension Art (Final Ascension Spoiler Warning)

We have included images up to Final Ascension. Because they contain spoilers, please proceed with caution.

Default

1st Ascension

2nd-3rd Ascension

Final Ascension

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