No JRPG is complete with an eclectic group of followers for you to share your adventure with. Square Enix is no stranger to enticing parties in their games, thoughVisions of Manacomes with a truly lovable group of adventurers, from their stellar performances to their wonderful appearances.

One of the most distinctive of these party members is Morley, Catboy extraordinaire. Of course, even with nine classes for him to choose from, you might be wondering how much extra efficiency you can eke out of this kitty. Here are some of our recommended builds for the dashing Morley.

Visions of Mana Morley Ranger class.

What Does Morley Specialise In?

Morley is introduced to the party in Chapter One once you arrive in Etaern, and he makes quite the appearance. Throwing his katana by your feet to stop your approach, he shows thathe can attack with speed and precision, which is exactly what he’s like in combat.

Every class and weapon Morley uses is built around speed. He’s rarely one to sit around the sidelines, instead being at the forefront of every encounter you find yourself in. This is especially true for his daggers which allow him to cross the battlefield in the blink of an eye.

Morley’s katana thrown between Ramcoh, Careena, and Val in Etaern as he is introduced in Visions of Mana.

While his stats change according to his class,Luck is always one of Morley’s highest statsand he easily has the highest Luck of any of the five party members. As such, the best builds for Morley will focus on pushing his Luck to the highest it can possibly go to guarantee just about every hit is a Critical one.

The Best Builds For Morley

WhileMorley will ideally be built around Luck, you still have some wiggle room here to create some unique builds with the use of Ability Seeds and party composition. Below we’ve listed some builds that get some incredible performance out of Morley

One thing you’ll want to be stuffing Morley with is Luck Serums. These are primarily found in chests as you progress later into the game, though quitea few can be bought from the Dudbearat the Grizzly Exchange for Grizzly Syrup. Their stock also updates between Chapters, so always check back for more.All Luck Serums should be given exclusively to Morley.

Morley standing before the party of Careena, Val, and Hinna in Visions of Mana.

Moon Energy is an essential part of all of Morley’s builds, so make sure you’ve learned that from his Moon Elemental Plot no matter which build you go with.

Nightblade - Crits Galore

This is far and away Morley’s strongest build because it has a singular focus -every single hit should be a critical hit. And that’s not a pipe dream either because in conjunction with the Elemental Plot skills and some Ability Seeds, Morley will have your screen flooded with crits.

Here are the skills and Ability Seeds we recommend to get the most out of Morley’s Nightblade build:

Everything in the Nightblade Elemental Plot is about boosting Crits, and with Ability Seeds you’re able to boost the damage those crits do, as well. Combining Deprivation with Magical Dismantle will make it so thatevery critical hit weakens both magical and physical defence.

Frequently when Morley performs his Charged Normal Attack, enemies will get flung into the air. Following them up with a Charged Special Attack will track them in the air, andStrafe will boost that damage even further. Use the Luna Globe on top, and you can trap enemies in place while you tear them to shreds.

If you’re willing to take some extra damage,Meelpa’s TeachingandRespect for the Ancientsgive a dramatic damage boost in exchange for reduced defence and sapping your HP with Normal Attacks.

Samurai - Last Man Standing

Any other build should be secondary to Nightblade if you want Morley as your primarily played character, though Samurai comes in a strong second. Rather than focusing on critical hits, itmakes Morley more powerful by defaultand makes him even stronger the better his defence is.

While difficult to pull off,Morley can counter most melee attacks with his katana, unleashing a powerful counterattack when successful. This is great to remember for Samurai.

Here are some of our recommendations to make the Samurai build shine even further.

Samurai is all about doling out as much damage as possible and making sure Morley never takes a hit during it. The benefit of the katana is that its Special Attack allows you to deal high-powered attacks at a distance. Becausethe goal is to stay at high healthregardless, Ability Seeds like Triumphant are a great compliment to this build.

Since Samurai is of the Wood Element,the Dryad Sprig is very helpful for keeping Morley’s HP high. Standing under it while waiting for enemies to come to you is an effective strategy to keep your health and damage high simultaneously.

Sovereign - Noble Protection

While Nightblade and Samurai are focused on building Morley’s own damage,Sovereign is all about playing a more supportive Morley. As such, the assumption is that you won’t play as this Morley, instead allowing them to operate automatically as part of the party. The majority of their bonuses are passive, so this is a perfectly fine way to play them.

Here are some of the skills and seeds we used to get the most performance out of the Sovereign build:

Despite Morley playing defence here,you don’t want him entirely passive. He still has some great bonuses that benefit the entire party when he lands crits, so boosting his chances of landing one is still a good idea. Since Morley is in a support role here, it can be helpful toequip him with buffing spells and healing through Ability Seeds. He has his highest Spirit stat as Sovereign, so this can be a great way of complimenting his more background role.

Best Party Compositions For Morley

As each build here has a very different focus for Morley, the parties you bring with him should adapt to each scenario too. For example,you don’t want a party of healers while playing as a Sovereign, while having only damage dealers as a Nightblade will remove the chance to buff or heal more efficiently.

Nightblade

Morley is more or less a one-man army when he’s a Nightblade, so your party member choices are relative. HavingPalamena or Careena to cover magical weakness, orVal to double up on the damage and offer Elemental Saber attacks. Either way, they exist to complement his build rather than complete it.

Samurai

Samurai is about raw strength and defence but also gets stronger as soon as Morley’s other party members fall in battle. As such, it’s better to put characters likePalamena and Juleiwith this build as their lower defences will mean they’re more likely to fall quickly. Meanwhile,they can provide magical attacks, healing and buffs while they’re still standing, keeping Morley’s other skills active.

Sovereign

Since Sovereign is a support build, you’ll want some stronger characters alongside Morley here.Val is a surefire answerfor both his generally high defence and attack, whileCareena or Palamenawould make a great second member, depending on the classes you put them in.