Guide
How the kit works
Start with Basic Attack: Sweet Melody. Its fourth hit creates 1 Fandom Power if it hits. Follow it with Special Attack: Full-Sugar Electronica - No Ice, which creates another Fandom Power on a hit. With 2 nearby, hold the attack input after either move to consume them and quickly launch a level three Basic Attack: Perfect Pitch. Each Fandom Power absorbed while charging raises the charge level by 1 and adds 10% Ether Anomaly Buildup to that attack, up to 20%.
EX Special Attack: Fall Into Delusion (Special) creates 3 Fandom Power on a hit. With enough Energy, follow it with EX Special Attack: Instantly Hooked (Special) for another 3 on a hit. Chain Attack: Dream Collab creates 4 on activation. After a level three charged attack, Chain Attack or Ultimate, you can also press within a short window to spend 2 nearby Fandom Power on another quick level three attack.
Use Ultimate: 100% Energy when its Decibel requirement is met. It starts Moment of Delusion for up to 15 seconds, grants 3 All-Out Cheering stacks and activates Ether Veil: Delusion Reprise, giving the squad 50 ATK for 30 seconds. Each Cheering stack consumed while charging adds 2 charge levels and is used before Fandom Power. The level three attack is enhanced during this state. Unused Cheering becomes 2 Fandom Power per stack when the state ends.
Dodge: On-Beat Precision keeps the Basic Attack count during a combo. After Dodge Counter: Slide-Shift Variation, continue directly into Sweet Melody's third hit. Charging reduces received DMG by 40%, while the charged attack itself makes Aria invulnerable.
Build and why
Use four pieces of Shining Aria. Its two-piece bonus gives 10% Ether DMG, and hitting with a Basic Attack grants 36 Anomaly Proficiency for 8 seconds. Its four-piece effect also gives 25% DMG for 18 seconds when an enemy is Stunned. Pair it with two pieces of Phaethon's Melody for 8% Anomaly Mastery.
Four pieces of Phaethon's Melody with two pieces of Shining Aria are an alternative. An EX Special Attack from any squad member grants the wearer 45 Anomaly Proficiency for 8 seconds; if another character uses it, Aria also gains 25% Ether DMG. Freedom Blues is another option: its two-piece bonus gives 30 Anomaly Proficiency, while its four-piece effect reduces the target's Ether Anomaly Buildup RES after Aria's EX Special Attack hits.
Choose Anomaly Proficiency on disc 4, Ether DMG Bonus on disc 5 and Anomaly Mastery on disc 6. Look for Anomaly Proficiency first and Percent ATK second in substats. These choices support her Anomaly damage and Ether attacks.
Angel in the Shell is the first weapon choice. It gives 90 Anomaly Proficiency and, while Aria is on-field, can increase her damage against enemies with Attribute Anomalies as well as the Anomaly and Disorder DMG she triggers. Flight of Fancy follows, offering Anomaly Buildup Rate and Anomaly Proficiency stacks from Ether DMG. Weeping Gemini is another option, gaining Anomaly Proficiency stacks when the squad inflicts Attribute Anomalies; those stacks expire when the target recovers from Stun or is defeated.
Leveling priority
Follow the game's order: Core Passive: Innate Stage Presence first, then Basic Attack, Special Attack, Chain Attack, Assist and Dodge. The Core Passive unlocks Aria's Abloom damage and increases Anomaly Proficiency. Basic Attack comes next because the charged attack is central to using Fandom Power and triggering Abloom.
For maximum ascension, you need 800,000 Denny, 4 Basic Anomaly Certification Seal, 32 Advanced Anomaly Certification Seal and 30 Controller Certification Seal. Raising all skills to maximum takes another 2,905,000 Denny, 25 Basic Ether Chip, 75 Advanced Ether Chip, 250 Specialized Ether Chip, 5 Hamster Cage Pass, 9 Clouded Crystalline Substance and 60 Higher Dimensional Data: Falling Fist.
Mindscapes worth it
For the biggest change to her play, I'd look at Construct's Dream: after entering Moment of Delusion, Aria no longer exits it, and her enhanced charged attack and Ultimate deal 40% more Ether DMG. Enemies entering an Anomaly state can also give her All-Out Cheering during that state, once every 6 seconds.
Fantastical Beat is a good earlier target: Aria's attacks and Abloom ignore 16% of the target's DEF, with another 8% ignored during Moment of Delusion. Energetic Sound Waves lets certain attacks ignore 10% Ether Anomaly Buildup RES and gives Abloom a chance to crit, with a base 25% CRIT Rate and 25% CRIT DMG.
Mechanical Angel is worth considering for the 4 Energy and 70 Decibels it grants when Aria triggers Abloom, once every 10 seconds. If you are stopping earlier, Delulu and Tears in the Rain are reasonable upgrades to skip as immediate targets: both raise skill levels rather than adding a new mechanic.
Teams
Aria wants an enemy affected by Ether, Electric, Fire, Physical, Ice or Wind Anomaly before her level three heavy hit lands. A Stun teammate helps set up the extra Abloom ratio against Stunned targets. A Support or another Anomaly character also satisfies her Additional Ability: Collaborative Stage, as does a teammate from her faction.
Common mistakes
Don't launch the level three heavy hit before an eligible Anomaly is on the target if you want Abloom. A Stunned target improves its damage ratio, so watch the enemy's state as well as your Fandom Power.
Don't treat every charge as safe. Aria takes 40% less DMG while charging, but invulnerability applies during the attack itself. Use a dodge to preserve your Basic Attack count when you need to move.
Don't assume All-Out Cheering and Fandom Power do the same thing. Cheering is consumed first while charging and adds 2 charge levels per stack; absorbed Fandom Power adds 1 level and grants the Ether Anomaly Buildup buff. Also remember that Angel in the Shell loses its timed effect when Aria switches off-field.
