This article is based on the answer Vinc69cmalot received from support. Take it with a grain of salt until the inscriptions are officially revealed and their mechanics can be tested in game.
The first thing that stands out is the increase in permanent Combo Damage boosts—26.5% in listed boosts across the new offensive specials, before their additional effects.
These are multiplicative, not ordinary additive damage bonuses. So the new Delta set could simply become the stronger option overall.
We ran a few simulations to explore how much better—and which upgrades deserve priority.
Open Field: Arthur / Ivan
Methodology
5,000 battles of 30 seconds per setup, multiple targets, Horn, the classical talent setup including Iron & Steel, and Delta’s flat 12% Combo Damage bonus. Attacking without receiving attacks.
These are controlled models, not predictions of real combat trades.
Key Results
Rapid Advance
We looked at how frequently its Defense Ignore applied.
Across all Combo target-hits, it provided approximately 14% average Defense Ignore, with around 1.8 unique targets affected per activation. (This is hit-weighted coverage, not a permanent reduction or an uptime percentage.)
A large portion of its activations came from the primary commander’s active skill. That makes sense with the three-second cooldown, which frequently blocks Ivan’s secondary skill two turns later. Instant-proc Combo damage from several sources also consumed a meaningful share.
Bold Ambitions
Compared with Butterfly Effect, Bold Ambitions shortened cycles by approximately 0.3 seconds on average.
That is a significant upgrade. We previously saw relatively little difference between Butterfly and Causative for this pairing, where Combo density is already high. Here, however, the additional rage provided over time makes a more noticeable difference.
The Instrument slot becomes a much higher upgrade priority.
Impervious
Without Butterfly or Bold Ambitions, the stacking effects averaged approximately 13% less damage taken with Impervious, versus 6% with Steelskin, excluding permanent resistance.
A substantial defensive upgrade—whose practical value will depend on your playstyle and how much damage your march receives.
Raging Tide
A straightforward upgrade: a larger permanent Combo Damage multiplier, without another proc mechanic to manage.
Which Slot Should You Upgrade First?
We then compared each original Delta special with its Delta II replacement, measuring eDF/s—Effective Damage Factor per second—with Horn + Ring equipped.
The individual offensive upgrades ranked:
Bold Ambitions, by a large margin → Rapid Advance → Raging Tide.
Equipping all three increased average eDF/s by approximately 23% over Trasher + Butterfly + Flurry in this model.
Including Impervious’s defensive value, my practical open-field priority would be:
Instrument → Flag → Scroll → Emblem.
The Flag’s position is a judgment call: damage reduction and outgoing eDF/s are different metrics. If your priority is offensive output, move the Scroll ahead of the Flag.
If You Are Low on Conversion Stones
You do not need to replace everything immediately.
If you already own Butterfly, Bold Ambitions was the strongest offensive upgrade in this test.
If you do not own Butterfly yet, redirect your wishlist toward the Instrument slot for Bold Ambitions.
Every Special slot looks like a meaningful upgrade, but there may be a budget route if you cannot afford to convert a whole set immediately.
Disclaimer: these may not be the final descriptions, and we do not know the complete Rare inscription pool yet. A particularly powerful Rare could change these priorities.
Once the Rares are revealed, we will publish a Budget Road Map for Delta.
Rally: Subutai / William Marshal
The initial direction looks straightforward: upgrading the full Special set to Delta II appears worthwhile, subject to confirmation of the mechanics.
We also tested the Instrument slot’s effect on rage cycles.
Across 1,000 × 300-second Horn-only rally battles, Bold Ambitions shortened the average skill cycle from approximately 5.5% faster, before considering its larger permanent Combo boost.
Conclusion
The developers do not appear to have surprised us with their creativity: the new Delta looks like a straightforward, meaningful upgrade across all four slots.
My initial open-field priority:
Instrument → Flag → Scroll → Emblem if you prioritize your march’s sustainability.
Or:
Instrument → Scroll → Flag → Emblem if you prioritize its offensive punch.
This remains a first look. Official confirmation, in-game testing and the remaining inscriptions could still change the recommendation.