Hello all, we’ve got a new Interlude campaign with 6 (+1, kinda) new missions to run, 3 (+1) of which pack an upgrade while the other 3 are just there for the story. It’s also 1/2 AP for all existing Interludes, so if you have any on the back burner, now’s the time to do them too!
Ishtar:
Ishtar is an AoE Buster NP with a focus on crit damage instead of trait damage like her competitors. Also, she has Goddess-tier thighs 
@Bow-of-Sacae
Her upgrade is to her NP - it raises the damage scaling the normal amount, but then it adds the feature of a flat 20 star bomb. Remember how I said she had a focus on crit damage? Yeah, this plays right into that by letting her set up for a burst of crit damage if anything survives the damage her NP does. A very solid upgrade. This is her first and to date only upgrade.
Tesla:
Not to be outdone (?) Tesla joins the fray with his 3rd upgrade (his NP and S2 already being buffed). It takes the selfish NP gain of his 1st skill and adds a smaller NP gain buff to the rest of the party. Tesla can see some use in CQs thanks to trait damage, Invincibility Pierce, and Guts so this is meant to help with those times by letting say Merlin NP more often, but it won’t help him in his day-to-day duties.
Enkidu:
Our final Interlude that buffs someone is for Enkidu. It’s for his NP, like Ishtar’s, adding multiple new effects. In order:
- the normal damage scaling
- a truly massive 200% extra damage to “Threat to Humanity” enemies - normally extra damage bonuses are in the 150% range (see MHX w/150% to Saberfaces, Mordred with 180% to Arthurs, or MHXA’s 150% to Sabers)
- It increases the pre-damage Defense Down debuff (depending on OC) by 10% at each OC stage
These buffs make Enkidu the top NP damage dealer on his own merits until Musashi gets her buff next year.
We also get stories for Jack (her 2nd Interlude), Amakusa (his 2nd), and Parvati (her 1st).
Saber Alter:
Finally, not really a part of this campaign but it’s so close I’ll mention it anyway - Saber Alter got her RUQ 6 months early, giving her access to a flat 20% battery (blessed, really, since you don’t need to spend a Lore) and increasing the number of stars she drops.
Anyway, come one and all to share your favorite parts of the new stories, discuss if it changes/enhances/ruins their character, if you’re really excited to go out and nuke enemies now with planets or chains or balls of lightning, any old ones you’re catching up on (I haven’t done the 1st Enkidu one yet 
).
Old interludes are all cleared aside from recent acquisitions—I have Dantes’s unlocked, but I’m fresh out of embers, so Siegfried and Shuten will probably have to wait until after Gilfest. Shame.
