Player notes
Magnus is a Legendary Defender tagged with Iria, SoC. In practical terms they cover frontline soak, cover, and zone control. Heavy Defender focused on raw bulk and simple frontline duties.
Park on choke points and cover allies; replace when SP tanks arrive.
In the role triangle, lean on free damage into Seekers and respect Breakers. Stars and gear still matter more than matchup alone on hard maps.
Star plan on this page (“See guide”) is a budgeting hint: finish the first power spike that stabilizes clears, then reassess against your enabler and main carry before dumping every shard here.
Edited for SoC Wiki · contact contact@socwiki.app with corrections.
By Jason, Founder & Lead Editor · Updated 2026-08-02 · contact@socwiki.app
Is Magnus worth building?
Magnus is a situational A Defender. Keep them as a flex or faction piece unless a stage specifically needs their kit—do not overspend limited shards early.
Role and matchups
Magnus fills frontline soak, cover, and zone control. Defenders cover the board against Seekers but melt if Breakers get free swings. Attack into Seekers for free damage. Avoid feeding Breakers free swings. Full role chart →
Quick Build
| Slot | Recommendation |
|---|---|
| Basic Attack | Feverish Attack |
| Reaction | Steel |
| Skills | Mountain Breaker · Cry of Victory |
| Weapon | Newborn Blade |
| Trinket | Focus Lens |
| Tarot | Temperance |
Pros
- High HP pool
- Simple kit
- Early wall
- Low micro
How to use
Park on choke points and cover allies; replace when SP tanks arrive.
Star priority: See guide
Gear deep dive
- Weapon — Newborn Blade: Flexible physical blade for general Seekers and Breakers. Prefer it when default physical weapon when signatures are missing — highest build count in the DB.
- Trinket — Focus Lens: Crit lens for physical carries mid-game. Best when universal crit budget piece — highest build count in the DB.
- Tarot — Temperance: Balanced mid-game tarot for flexible builds. Take it for flexible mid-game tarot when bis is missing — very high build count.
Open each gear page for alternatives and Best on lists.
Team plan
Park Magnus on the contested tile or choke, pair with a Watcher battery and at least one damage role that covers their weak matchup. Do not stack pure tanks without a kill threat.
- Open with Mountain Breaker when the board allows a clean cast.
- Keep reaction (Steel) online—do not strip it for vanity actives mid-fight.
- Basic attack (Feverish Attack) is for reposition turns or when NRG is dry.
Skill table
Priority stars are SoC Wiki recommendations for general PvE. NRG/CD values are approximate guide bands—confirm in-game for patches.
| Skill | Type | NRG | CD | Priority | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bloodthirsty Axe | Basic | — | — | ★★★★★ | A Reaction that allows Strike Back with Basic Attack. Therefore, with [Mighty Swing], it becomes an AoE attack, and with [Feverish Attack], Life Steal occurs. S A Reaction that allows Strike Back with Basic Attack. Therefore, with [Mighty Swing], it becomes an AoE attack, and with [Feverish Attack], Life Steal occurs. Since Magnus often positions himself in the front, use this Reaction in your build. |
| Cry of Victory | Active | — | — | ★★★★★ | A powerful conditional Skill that increases damage dealt by allies in a wide area and applies powerful debuffs that lower enemy attack all at once. Prioritize i A powerful conditional Skill that increases damage dealt by allies in a wide area and applies powerful debuffs that lower enemy attack all at once. Prioritize it for slots unless other allies can apply similar buffs/debuffs. |
| Feverish Attack | Basic | — | — | ★★★★★ | A Basic Attack with a Life Steal effect. Since it also enables Life Steal when Striking Back with [Bloodthirsty Axe], slot it when prioritizing durability. A Basic Attack with a Life Steal effect. Since it also enables Life Steal when Striking Back with [Bloodthirsty Axe], slot it when prioritizing durability. |
| Mighty Swing | Basic | — | — | ★★★★★ | A Basic Attack that can deal damage over a wide area. Slot when focusing on multi-target battles. A Basic Attack that can deal damage over a wide area. Slot when focusing on multi-target battles. |
| Mountain Breaker | Active | 3 | 2 | ★★★★★ | A single-target attack Skill that also triggers [Cry of Victory]. Since this Skill supports Magnus's strength, prioritize it for builds when utilizing [Cry of V (Physical DMG) Single-target attack. Magnus deals 150% DMG. When the target is Injured , he also inflicts Isolate before attacking. Magnus restores 2 NRG when he defeats the target. |
| Steel | Reaction | — | — | ★★★★★ | A Leader's Aura that greatly strengthens allies. Since includes powerful characters like Cocoa and Gloria , include it if they are present in the party. A Leader's Aura that greatly strengthens allies. Since includes powerful characters like Cocoa and Gloria , include it if they are present in the party. |
| Foreceful Cast | Active | — | — | ★★★★★ | A unique Skill that allows throwing enemies or some objects to distant places. It can neutralize troublesome enemies by throwing them off cliffs or into low gro A unique Skill that allows throwing enemies or some objects to distant places. It can neutralize troublesome enemies by throwing them off cliffs or into low ground, or deal massive AoE damage by throwing gunpowder barrels. Often useful, especially in multi-target battles. Blood & |
| Cry of Victory - | Passive | — | — | ★★★★★ | When an enemy is slain within 2 tiles around you, inflicts ▽ Attack 2 on all enemies within 5 tiles around you and grants all allies within (Passive) When an enemy is slain within 2 tiles around you, inflicts ▽ Attack 2 on all enemies within 5 tiles around you and grants all allies within 5 tiles around you ▲ DMG 2 . The effects last 2 rounds and will be triggered immediately before you use Mountain Breaker and can be triggered up to 1 time per round. |
| Hardening - | Reaction | — | — | ★★★★★ | When hit by an active attack, the DMG taken is decreased by 8%. After being attacked, the character gains DMG Reduction II for 2 turns. Skil (Reaction) When hit by an active attack, the DMG taken is decreased by 8%. After being attacked, the character gains DMG Reduction II for 2 turns. Skills That Can Be |
| Magnus's Base Skills Skill Range Slash | Basic | — | — | ★★★★★ | Deals 100% Physical DMG. (Basic Attack) Deals 100% Physical DMG. |
| Resolve - | Passive | — | — | ★★★★★ | Immediately recovers 5% HP when the character is defeated. Can be activated up to 1 time per battle. (Passive) Immediately recovers 5% HP when the character is defeated. Can be activated up to 1 time per battle. |
| RK1 Skill Range Offensive Stance | Active | 1 | 1 | ★★★★★ | Instant . Adds 40% of the character's P.DEF to P.ATK and takes 8% more DMG for 2 turns. (Support) Instant . Adds 40% of the character's P.DEF to P.ATK and takes 8% more DMG for 2 turns. |
Synergies
Other Defenders to compare
Browse the full Defender roster.
FAQ
- What is the best build for Magnus in Sword of Convallaria?
- Run basic Feverish Attack, reaction Steel, and skills Mountain Breaker, Cry of Victory. Gear: Newborn Blade, Focus Lens, and Temperance. Adjust only when a stage bans a slot or you lack the piece—see alternatives on each gear page.
- Is Magnus worth building?
- Magnus is a situational A Defender. Keep them as a flex or faction piece unless a stage specifically needs their kit—do not overspend limited shards early.
- What role is Magnus and who do they counter?
- Magnus fills frontline soak, cover, and zone control. Defenders cover the board against Seekers but melt if Breakers get free swings. Attack into Seekers for free damage. Avoid feeding Breakers free swings.
- How should I star Magnus?
- Follow star priority: See guide. Stop at the first power spike that stabilizes your clear, then return after your enabler and main carry hit their breakpoints.
- What teams pair well with Magnus?
- Park Magnus on the contested tile or choke, pair with a Watcher battery and at least one damage role that covers their weak matchup. Do not stack pure tanks without a kill threat.
- How do I test Magnus in a Sword of Convallaria team?
- Open the SoC Wiki Team Builder at socwiki.app/tools/team-builder and load Magnus with synergy units to check Watcher/Defender/DPS coverage before you spend shards.