A Warrior Who Excels at Close Combat
With his high Physical Attack and Physical Defense, Gaius excels on the front lines. He’s particularly strong in one-on-one combat, thanks to his ability to counterattack enemy hits with the Retribution ability. Conversely, he can have difficulties with large groups of foes, as his attacks often have long wind-ups that make them hard to deliver when surrounded. Keep a careful eye on battlefield positions and always strive to engineer one-on-one fights.
Key Attributes
- Learns a variety of skills related to guarding.
- Can learn numerous artes that prop up fallen foes, making combos easier.
- Retribution ability allows for an effective guard-and-retaliate style of combat.
Special Ability—Retribution
Transforms a Post-Guard Front-Step into a Deadly Strike
After Gaius guards an attack (except for a spirit arte), for roughly the next second, his front-step is transformed into a powerful, enemy-launching attack. The amount of damage the attack deals varies based on how quickly Gaius guarded, hitting for up to six times the amount of damage as a normal attack if he guarded at the last minute, and only four times as much if he guarded early. This ability is easy to trigger and costs no TP, so you should aim to use it often. Note that if the skill Aerial Revenge is active, you can trigger Retribution with 
+ 
instead of a front-step to add a mid-air follow-up attack.
Retribution-Related Skills
| Skill | Effect When Active |
|---|---|
| Revenge Plus | Provides a 30% chance of earning the maximum damage multiplier when using Retribution. |
| Aerial Revenge | Allows triggering of Retribution with  +  . |
| Avenger | Increases duration of Retribution to 4 seconds. |
| Avenger Plus | If Avenger is also active, allows triggering of Retribution when an enemy attack is successfully evaded with a back-step. |
Steps of Retribution
Normal Attacks
String Together Combos with 
Strikes
Gaius’s normal attacks are generally on the slow side, so make the relatively quick 
strike your main combo starter. The 
+ 
attack is ideal as a combo finisher, knocking your target down and giving you a chance to refill your AC. But when you just want to dish out the damage, focus on executing Retribution attacks and following them up with 
+ 
strikes or the Tiger Fang arte.
The second through fourth stages of Gaius’s 
combo have a wide area of effect, allowing him to ensnare nearby foes.