Tags / Re-Tags Guide
Last update: 12/01/2021
I] Basic Tags
1.1) What are Tags?
Your equipment pieces might have red sub-stats applied on them (like the one on the following image). Those red sub-stats are called "Tags".
Non-Applyable tags, unlike Re-Tags, are randomly applied on pieces you get from drops or after crafting them. These tags cannot be applied manually on your pieces, and their values are random as well.
All tags have their own name bounded to their own buff. When a tag is applied to your piece, this one obtains the tag's name as a prefix for its name (on the image above, the name prefix is "Rigorous" and it buffs the basic atk value of the weapon by 25).
The tags' basic buff (attack for weapons and defense for gears) applies on your piece scaling on its upgrade level. A +0 weapon won't have the same buff from its tag than a +9 weapon even though the tag is the same (for example, using the tag on the image above, it will grant +25 attack to a +0 unique SoulWeapon, but 115 to a +9 unique SoulWeapon).
They cannot be rolled: tag values are always fixed.
Common and Magical items cannot handle tags like those.
Endgame raids gear sets cannot receive any of these basic tags in any way.
1.2) Basic Tags List
The tags' list is accessible Here.
II] Re-Tags
2.1) What are Re-Tags?
The Re-Tags (may still be called "chip flexor" or "flexor" by older players) are tags you can manually apply on your equipment pieces. Re-Tags always provide 2 stat buffs: flat or % native atk/def, and a "random" sub-stat (i.e image below).
Flat atk/def bonuses will directly alter the basic value of your equipment piece at +0 and then scale on its upgrade levels (following the upgrade increments, the table listing them is on the equipment guide page), where % atk/def will apply on its overall value*. Using these maths, we can affirm that flat atk/def flexor are currently providing more gains in terms of basic values than atk%/def% re-tags (for the exact same chip) on current equipment pieces since they do not have high enough basic values to make % buffs stronger.
*It actually scales the same way than flat tags, but after calculation it seems the obtained result is identical when applying the percentage value on the overall value than using the upgrade scaling increment multipliers (for example, calculating [(1280*(1+12/100)*5] will have the same result than calculating [(1280*5)*(1+12/100)], this due to maths' calculation rules).
Let's use an example to illustrate: your weapon is a Primacy (HH) weapon and has 100% quality, so 2,940 native atk at +0. You have a choice between 2 tags, which are rank 6 (purple) Shrieking and Dawn; Shrieking provides 511 flat atk while Dawn proposes 12% atk.
Since the weapon is a Primacy weapon, at +9 it has 5x the native atk value of its +0 state, so your weapon theoretically reaches a value equal or very close to 14,700 atk without any Re-Tag applied on it. At +5 (for the example), it will have 1.91x more atk and reach roughly 5615 atk.
- If you apply Shrieking on your weapon, it will add +511 atk on the base at +0, so: 2,940 + 511 = 3,451. The game now consider your weapon has 3,451 native attack at +0, so at +9 it will have 3,451 * 5 = around 17,255 atk.
If your weapon was +5, it would give 3,451 * 1.91 = 6,591 atk. - If you apply Dawn on your weapon, it will add +12% on the current atk value of your weapon. If your weapon is +9, it will have 14,700 * (1 + 12/100) = 16,464 atk.
If your weapon was +5, it would have 5,615 * (1 + 12/100) = 6,289 atk.
To outperform flat re-tags, % re-tags should be applied on weapons with 4259 or more native atk at +0 (21295 at +9), and 6801 or more native def at +0 for gears (34005 at +9) (check details here - broken link). At the moment, only the level 76 raid "Broken Savior" introduced weapons for which %atk/%def tags are better than flat tags at +9 upgrade level. But flat tags are still better on gears though, and this raid is still unavailable on the global server.
--- So what about %modifier re-tags if they are weaker than flat ones? ---
Well, flat tags are objectively stronger for the moment, but this perspective already changed for weapons with the introduction of the raid "Broken Savior" on the KR server.
For the moment, they can be used for "better than nothing" use; note that, depending on your current configuration, it may also be better to use %modifier tags instead of flat ones depending on the second sub-stat one and the other provide.
2.2) Types of Re-Tags
There are 4 types of Re-Tags: one for weapons, one for gears (i.e image below) and one for accessoriesi. The last (special) type has a cracked top face as icon and is intended for weapons; it is not shown on the image below.
Each type brings its own range of second sub-stats and name prefixes. If common Re-Tags bring a various set of second sub-stats, the special re-tags always provide Partial Damage bonus as second sub-stat.
There are 6 ranks for Re-Tags, which have the same gradation as equipment pieces rarity (See the Re-Tags list).
There is a translation mistake about these transmitters, for the attack ones. They say you can obtain a random chip between rank 1 and rank 5, but you can still obtain rank 6 flexor in them too.
Re-Tags can be obtained randomly in transmitters called [Type] Tag Transmitter. There are several sub-types of Re-Tags transmitters.
Re-Tags' names vary according to their second sub-stat and will always be the same regarding this last one. For example, a Re-Tag with a flat basic atk bonus and boss damage bonus will always be named "Shrieking".
2.3) Re-Tags List
The tags' list is accessible Here.
III] Apply, Craft and Dismantle a Re-Tag
3.1) Apply a Re-Tag
You can apply a Re-Tag through Trisha in her "Refine" menu, under the "Tag Refinement" tab (i.e image below - it is named "Enhance Flexor' on the screen).
Each process requires some zenny and ether. The higher the rank of the Re-Tag you’re trying to apply, the more ZN and ether it costs. Here are details:
- Rank 1 Re-Tag: 650 000 ZN + 8 000 ether
- Rank 2 Re-Tag: 1 300 000 ZN + 16 000 ether
- Rank 3 Re-Tag: 2 600 000 ZN + 32 000 ether
- Rank 4 Re-Tag: 3 900 000 ZN + 48 000 ether
- Rank 5 Re-Tag: 5 200 000 ZN + 64 000 ether
- Rank 6 Re-Tag: 6 500 000 ZN + 80 000 ether
The Re-Tag's applying process works on a scaling success rate. This success rate can be improved using up to 10 other Re-Tag chips as fodders; the success rate increases depending on the sacrificed chip's rarity:
Success Rate Chart | ||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Rarity › ˇ | Default Rates | Fodder Bonus Rates | ||||||
Rank 1 | Rank 2 | Rank 3 | Rank 4 | Rank 5 | Rank 6 | |||
Used Re-Tag | Rank 1 | 7% | 20% | 93%+ | 100% | 100% | 100% | 100% |
Rank 2 | 5% | 1.5% | 18% | 81% | 100% | 100% | 100% | |
Rank 3 | 3% | 0.33% | 4.1% | 19.99% | 57% | 97% | 100% | |
Rank 4 | 1% | 0.1% | 1.3% | 5.9% | 16.67% | 41% | 83% | |
Rank 5 | ~0% | 0% | 0.5% | 2.5% | 7.5% | 18% | 36.5% | |
Rank 6 | 0% | 0% | 0.25% | 1% | 4% | 9.33% | 19% |
If an attempt to apply a Re-Tag failed, you lose all of your Re-Tag chips used to improve the success rate, and you have a high risk to lose the previous Re-Tag applied on your piece (if there is actually not 100% chance to lose it). When you want to apply a high rank Re-Tag, it is advised to reach 100% success rate before attempting to apply it.
The applied Re-Tags cannot be removed. Nevertheless, you can still apply another Re-Tag on your equipment piece if this one already has a tag on it: in that case, the previous Re-Tag is overwritten by the new one.
If you want to apply a crafted Re-Tag chip, this one will randomly apply a tag among all the existing Re-Tags of the same rank level than the chip. The chance to get specific tags out of them on your pieces are very low with this method (around 3.1% to obtain a specific Re-Tag on weapons, like Shrieking, and 3.3% for gears). Those random chips are usually used as fodders for better Re-Tag chips, but choosing to apply them on your pieces and try your luck is all up to you.
Not every equipment pieces allow to apply a Re-Tag chip on them. To check if a piece can receive a Re-Tag, check if it has a blue text reading "Tag Refine possible" under its upgrade attempts/seals/restorations details.
3.2) Craft / Dismantle a Re-Tag
You can craft random chips at Janice's, under the "Tag" tab of her main craft shop (i.e image below), using a material called Bluelight Dust only.
Bluelight Dusts are named "Zirconia Sand" on the screen above, just like Janice is named "Jenna". This because the screen comes from GFSW and not the global version; the elements' disposition in the window + the required materials remain the same between both versions though.
Here are cost details:
- Rank 1 Re-Tag: 3 Bluelight Dusts
- Rank 2 Re-Tag: 9 Bluelight Dusts
- Rank 3 Re-Tag: 27 Bluelight Dusts
- Rank 4 Re-Tag: 81 Bluelight Dusts
- Rank 5 Re-Tag: 243 Bluelight Dusts
- Rank 6 Re-Tag: 729 Bluelight Dusts
VIP costs reduction for craft does not apply on this tab.
Re-Tag chips can be dismantled at NPCs (Yomi/Zyte) or by using a Magic Hammer. Dismantling a Re-Tag provides some Bluelight Dusts as well:
- Rank 1 Re-Tag provides 1 Bluelight Dust
- Rank 2 provides 3
- Rank 3 provides 9
- Rank 4 provides 27
- Rank 5 provides 81
- Rank 6 provides 243
As you maybe noticed, dismantled Re-Tags provide 3x less Bluelight Dusts than the required amount to craft them for identical rarity.