Cesti are a combination damage-dealing and disabling class--think whip Dark Hunters from EO1/2/U/2U. They punch things! Sometimes the punching results in binds and can result in combos based on the binds, sometimes the punching plays with the user's HP and is amplified by the user losing HP. My point is that Cesti are about punching in various fun ways, and they're one of my favorite classes in EO5. I tend to err more on the disabling side of things, since I have a very disable-heavy playstyle, but that's just me. The only real disadvantage to Cesti is that their multi-target options are severely lacking, almost non-existent if you're going the disable-heavy path.


Stats

Earthrun Base



Combo Boxer: Disable-focused

(Full stats table)

Devastating Fistfighter: HP manipulation-focused

(Full stats table)

Basic gist of the stats: Combo Boxers have slightly more TP and AGI, and significantly more LUC, while Devastating Fistfighters have more HP, STR, VIT, and WIS.

Cesti can equip gauntlets, and can wear light armor and clothes.

For reclasses, there's no question for Combo Boxers: Earthrun is the only option for them, since that specialization isn't entirely focused on damage and relies more on disables--Therians, with their lower LUC, wouldn't do so hot. For Devastating Fistfighters, you could use a Therian for them for the extra STR, but their lower HP and VIT, and significantly lower WIS, make it a lot harder to keep them alive to actually use the skills that benefit from lower HP.


Basic Skills
Common Passives: Phys ATK Up

Gauntlet Mastery
Requirements: None


Increases damage dealt with gauntlets.

Flicker / Arm Break / Liver Blow
Requirements: None
Body parts used: Arms


Deals melee STR-based bash damage to one enemy. Attempts to bind the target's head (Flicker), arms (Arm Break), or legs (Liver Blow). Has a 90% speed modifier and +5 base accuracy at all levels.
The most basic, and also the most important, skills for the Combo Boxer line (even though they're Basic skills). If you've played any EO game with Dark Hunters, these should look very familiar--they're Gag, Cuffs, and Shackles all over again. They're not quite as powerful as they were in EO2U, but they also cost FAR less TP, and are designed to work perfectly with...


One-Two
Requirements: Flicker level 3, Arm Break level 3, Liver Blow level 3
Body parts used: Arms


Deals melee STR-based bash damage to one enemy. The user has a chance to follow up the initial One-Two hit with Flicker, Arm Break, and Liver Blow, if the target does not have the body part for that respective skill bound. If the target's arms are bound, for example, Flicker and Liver Blow can activate, but Arm Break cannot. The skills are rolled for in this order: Flicker, Arm Break, Liver Blow. Each skill is rolled for individually--failing to roll for Flicker, for example, means that Arm Break and Liver Blow can still activate. Despite the name, One-Two does not stop after one follow-up. Has a 90% speed modifier and +5 base accuracy at all levels.
This is where the "Combo" part of Combo Boxer starts to come into play. One-Two is both very fun to use (it's very satisfying to watch four punches in one action, plus the potential build-up of binds) and very effective, both in terms of TP cost and action economy (assuming you want one bind in particular, in which case you should probably just use the singular bind punch instead of One-Two).


Bloodlust
Requirements: None


When the user loses HP, they have a chance to attack an enemy with their equipped weapon. Bloodlust can activate on self-inflicted HP loss, such as Giving it Everything. Any modifiers to the user's normal attacks are applied for Bloodlust. For example, if the user has a Fire Oil effect, Bloodlust counterattacks will be bash+fire. Bloodlust attacks have +5 base accuracy.
Ew, no thanks. 10 skill points for a 50% chance to use a normal attack when losing HP?


Giving it Everything
Requirements: Bloodlust level 1
Body parts used: Head


Places a buff on one party member that increases their STR-based attack, at the cost of losing a percentage of their current HP whenever they act, for 4 turns. Because the HP loss from Giving it Everything is a percentage of current HP, not max HP, the HP loss from it cannot kill the buff owner. Has a 40% speed modifier at all levels.
On the other hand, yes PLEASE. Giving it Everything is the strongest attack buff in the game, and while the HP loss might seem pretty significant (because it is), it fucking doubles a party member's physical damage at level 10. As long as you have either a dodgetank Fencer (to just fully take attacks off the buff target) or a Dragoon with probably Soul Guard (to potentially soften the blow if the buff target takes mortal damage), physical damage dealers can seriously wreck face with this--especially Masurao Spec 2, where crits (Sword God makes it so that crits apply to skills too) will deal quadruple the Masurao's normal damage.


Raijinken
Requirements: None
Body parts used: Arms


Deals melee STR-based bash+volt damage to one enemy. If the target is not killed by Raijinken, the user suffers backlash damage--a percentage of the damage they just dealt. Has a 130% speed modifier and +10 base accuracy at all levels.
The most basic of the Devastating Fistfighter skills. It actually deals quite a lot of damage early on, I will admit, but it does start to fall off as the game goes on.


Kijinken
Requirements: None
Body parts used: Arms


Consumes a percentage of the user's current HP to deal melee STR-based bash damage to one enemy, with splash damage. Has an 80% speed modifier and no base accuracy modifier at all levels.
One of two innate multi-target damage option for Devastating Fistfighters, and the absolute only innate option for Combo Boxers. Damage is kind of pitiful, but that's to be expected from a multi-target Basic skill, honestly. If you really want to go full bore on the HP loss-based gimmicks for Devastating Fistfighter, you might want to leave Kijinken at low levels to keep the current HP loss higher.


Combo Boxer Skills
Common Passives: Curb ATK Up, Speed Up

Double Punch
Requirements: None


When using Flicker, Arm Break, Liver Blow, or Corkscrew on their own (not as follow-ups from One-Two or Lead Blow), if the skill fails to inflict its ailment/bind, the user has a chance to use the skill again.
Double Punch is really damn good if you want your Cestus to prioritize disabling over just comboing with One-Two or Lead Blow.


Corkscrew
Requirements: None
Body parts used: Arms


Deals melee STR-based bash damage to one enemy. Attempts to inflict paralysis on the target. Has a 90% speed modifier and -5 base accuracy at all levels.
Corkscrew is pretty mediocre on its own (paralysis's usefulness pales in comparison to that of binds), but where its real use lies is both providing setup for, and giving an extra hit to...


Lead Blow
Requirements: One-Two level 5, Corkscrew level 2
Body parts used: Arms


Deals melee STR-based bash damage to one enemy. If the target has an ailment and/or binds, follows up with the following skills: Flicker for head bind, Arm Break for arm bind, Liver Blow for leg bind, and Corkscrew for any ailment. The follow-up skills have a multiplier applied to their damage. While the description for the skill says "follow up with the skill that causes the same ailment," Lead Blow will activate Corkscrew if the target has any ailment at all, not just paralysis. Has a 90% speed modifier and no base accuracy modifier at all levels.
Here it is: the Combo Boxer's ultimate damage skill. Assuming level 10 for all skills involved, even if you only proc one of the bind punches and Corkscrew, you still deal (150% + 337% + 360%) = 847% damage, which can go up to 1881% damage if the target is fully bound and has an ailment (which isn't [i]impossible[/i]).

Oh, and don't forget Giving it Everything, too, which can propel the damage to absurd levels (for anyone who doesn't feel like doing mental math: level 10 GiE means that the bind + ailment hit would deal 1694% damage, while the fully bound + ailment hit would deal 3762% damage).


Rush Out
Requirements: Speed Up level 5
Body parts used: Arms


Deals multiple instances of melee STR-based bash damage to random enemies. Can hit the same target multiple times. The amount of attacks Rush Out deals is equal to the number of times the user hit an enemy on the last turn. As an example, if the user used One-Two and activated all three follow-ups, Rush Out would hit four times. Using Rush Out on the last turn does not count for hits given on the next turn. Has an 80% speed modifier and -10 base accuracy at all levels.
Uhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh. No clue what the use case for this thing is, to be very frank with you.


Cross Counter
Requirements: Giving it Everything level 5
Body parts used: Arms


For one turn, when an ally in the same row as the user takes STR-based damage, the user will attack the source of damage with their equipped weapon. Attempts to bind whichever body part was used to attack the damage receiver. If the source was a normal STR-based attack, Cross Counter (most likely) will attempt to bind the source's arms. Any modifiers to the user's normal attacks are applied for Cross Counter. For example, if the user has a Fire Oil effect, Cross Counter counterattacks will be bash+fire. Cross Counter only works once per turn. Initial prep has standard priority and a 1500% speed modifier at all levels. Counterattacks have +50 base accuracy at all levels.
An otherwise great skill kind of hamstrung by the one activation per turn limit. I guess multiple activations would make it ludicrously overpowered, but I still have the right to be disappointed.


Interval
Requirements: None
Body parts used: None


Can only be used if the user has a bind or ailment. Removes all binds and ailments from the user. If a bind or ailment is removed, increases the user's damage on the next turn. Has a 200% speed modifier at all levels.
Theoretically has its uses when going up against a disable-heavy boss, but is mostly designed to work with Clinch--although, for the latter, if you rotate Clinch -> Interval -> Attack, you're losing damage in the long run, since you spend three turns for 2.5x damage.


Arm Block
Requirements: None
Body parts used: Arms


Reduces the chance of being afflicted with ailments and binds for party members in the user's row for a set amount of turns. Has standard priority and a 70% speed modifier at all levels. The speed modifier is only taken into account when dealing with other standard priority skills.
Nah.


Clinch
Requirements: Interval level 3, Arm Block level 3
Body parts used: None


Attempts to bind the head, arms, and legs of both one enemy and the user. Each bind is rolled for individually. Has an 80% speed modifier at all levels.
Stigmata from EOU/2U, but less effective, less cumbersome to use, and with more consistent internal logic. If you really want to go all-in on Lead Blow, this is a more efficient way of trying to bind an enemy than just spamming One-Two or individually waiting for the bind punches to land binds.


Devastating Fistfighter Skills
Common Passives: HP Up, Curb DEF Up

Grit
Requirements: None


Increases the user's damage when their HP is below a certain percentage of their maximum.
Grit's kind of dicey to really use if you're not using Giving it Everything on your Cestus--but, honestly, if you're going down the Devastating Fistfighter path, you really, REALLY should be using Giving it Everything.


Vajra Stance
Requirements: None
Body parts used: Arms


Increases defense against STR-based attacks for the user and any party members in their row for a set amount of turns. Has a 70% speed modifier at all levels.
Excuse me for one moment while I laugh at a defense buff that caps out at 25% at levels 9/10.


Soul Smash
Requirements: None
Body parts used: Arms


Deals melee STR-based bash damage to all enemies. Heals the user for a percentage of the damage dealt. Has an 80% speed modifier and -5 base accuracy at all levels.
Gives Devastating Fistfighters a way to contribute meaningfully to random encounters, and a little bit of sustain. I wouldn't necessarily max it out, but it's still useful.


Ougi Rengokusatsu
Requirements: Vajra Stance level 5, Soul Smash level 5
Body parts used: Head


For one turn, the user will endure mortal damage once. The user's damage on the next turn is increased by some unknown function of the base increase and how much HP they have remaining. If I had to guess, the base damage increase and the percentage of HP the user is missing are added together to create the final multiplier. Essentially, surviving a fatal hit would leave the user at 1% HP (assuming the game rounds the % value), meaning that the damage increase would be 150% + 99% = 249%. It's roughly in line with what Interval gives, anyway. Has a 200% speed modifier at all levels.
A really goddamn strange charge skill that's also really goddamn dangerous to try and make use of. It can work if you're not dealing with enemies that don't have random-target skills, I guess, but... Ehhh. At least the endure effect also means that, assuming your Cestus doesn't get healed before they act next turn, they'll also get a guaranteed Grit bonus.


Giant Killer
Requirements: None
Body parts used: Arms


Deals melee STR-based bash damage to one enemy. Damage is increased if the target has a higher percentage of their max HP than the user does--ie. if the user has 50% of their max HP and the target has 80%, the damage is amplified. While I'm not entirely certain if the damage bonus is additive or multiplicative, I see no reason to not assume it's additive--the scaling makes much more sense this way, as the increases per level are consistent. Has a 150% speed modifier and no base accuracy modifier at all levels.
Best used in the opening of FOE/boss fights, obviously. The damage from it can actually stack up really damn quickly between Giving it Everything and Grit bonuses--a level 10 amplified Giant Killer with level 10 GiE and Grit will deal 1800% damage. The issue is that you're investing skill points in a skill that's useful as an opener, but which becomes harder to use as the fight goes on. That doesn't make it useless, mind you, just that you might want to consider how much you value big opening damage. Combos pretty well with Ougi Rengokusatsu, if that's your thing, since the endure effect will leave your Cestus at 1 HP.


Back from the Dead
Requirements: Giving it Everything level 3
Body parts used: Arms


Deals melee STR-based bash damage to one enemy. Damage is affected in some way by how low the party's HP is. I cannot make any reasonable guesses on my own for how the damage is affected by the party's HP. However, the SQ5 @wiki has a few guesses based on hand-testing:
Has a 20% speed modifier and +50 base accuracy at all levels.
...Um. Okay. I called Ougi Rengokusatsu weird, but this one takes the damn cake.


Ougi Tenchihaten
Requirements: Giant Killer level 3, Back from the Dead level 3
Body parts used: Head


Increases the user's damage on the next turn based on how much HP they recover on the turn that Ougi Tenchihaten is casted. How the damage increase value is modified is a mystery. The @wiki says that going from 1 HP to full HP in one turn made the test subject deal almost 4x damage on the next turn. Has a 200% speed modifier at all levels.
I have my reservations about giving opinions on a skill that, truthfully, I have no idea how it works, but:
Kishinken
Requirements: Kijinken level 3
Body parts used: Arms


Consumes a percentage of the user's current HP to deal melee STR-based bash damage to one row of enemies. Has an 80% speed modifier and no base accuracy modifier at all levels.
Low damage. Boring.
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