Another Eden Begins Cyrus Guide: Frog Samurai Build & Skills

Cyrus is the frog-bodied samurai who fights with bamboo and bashfulness in Another Eden Begins, and knowing how to slot him into your party saves you a lot of trial-and-error in the early hours. This Another Eden Begins Cyrus guide breaks down his element, skill kit, and the quest chain you must clear to recruit him so you can decide whether his tanky, debuff-leaning playstyle matches the team you are building.

Who Cyrus Is and Why He Stands Out

Cyrus is one of the original companions tied to the Begins-original story branch, and his design leans hard into a single identity: a frog in samurai armor who is embarrassed about his own species. Mechanically, he is a Wind-element bruiser who prefers to be in the front line, absorbing hits and retaliating with physical strikes rather than casting flashy spells. Players coming from the mobile original of Another Eden will not find a direct counterpart; he is a Begins-exclusive unit, which means his availability is tied to the new campaign rather than classic story recruitment.

His standout value is what he does between turns. Cyrus stacks a self-buff on taking damage, he can apply a wind-type debuff that lowers enemy attack, and his unique sword art tags him as a Samurai-class attacker for any party-wide conditional effects. If you are running a wind-focused team, Cyrus is one of the easiest front-line anchors to slot in because he shares his element with Ramiu, the Begins-original sand-spirit guide who walks Aldo through New Game+. For the broader pool of how Cyrus compares to every other playable unit in the roster, our Another Eden Begins full character list gives a side-by-side of elements, roles, and unlock methods.

Cyrus's Skill Kit at a Glance

Cyrus's kit is small on purpose, and every skill on it pulls weight. The main combo loop is straightforward: take a hit, trigger a self-buff, then spend the buffed turn on a hard-hitting sword art. Below is the full breakdown of his current kit as reported by players clearing his recruitment quest on launch week.

The combo most players settle on is Frog Counter → Croak Guard → Samurai's Pride → Lily Cut, because each piece of the chain feeds the next. The reason this loop works in practice is that Cyrus wants to be hit at least once before he unleashes his strongest attack, so front-lining him against a boss with a multi-hit phase is ideal. If you are using him against enemies that prefer to cast magic, swap him out — his defensive passive only triggers on physical hits, so a magic-heavy encounter will starve his Mettle stacks.

How Mettle Stacks Drive His Damage

Mettle is the hidden engine of Cyrus's kit, and the way it decays is what separates a decent player from a great one. Stacks build only on physical damage taken, they cap at 3, and they fall off at the end of the battle if you never trigger Croak Guard. That makes Cyrus a tempo character: he wants short, punchy fights where he can build to 3 stacks, spend them on one big Lily Cut, and reset.

If you are trying to decide where Cyrus sits in your progression, the honest answer is that he pays off hardest in the mid-game, where the boss roster is mostly physical attackers. By the time you reach the post-game encounters, magic-heavy enemies show up often enough that his Mettle uptime drops and you will want a magic-tank in his slot.

How to Unlock Cyrus Through His Character Quest

Recruiting Cyrus is not tied to the gacha or to a random encounter — he is a story reward, which makes him one of the most reliable units to plan around if you are building a wind roster. The quest chain is part of the Begins-original campaign content, and it sits roughly in the second arc of the game.

Step-by-Step Recruitment Path

The steps below are the community-confirmed route based on launch-week player reports. The exact dialogue changes between versions, but the trigger points are stable.

The real-time gate in step 2 catches a lot of new players off guard, because Another Eden Begins runs on a server clock and the three conversations must happen on three separate in-game days. If you are rushing through the story, this is the place to slow down. Skipping the gate will lock you out of the duel until the next in-game reset, and you will lose 24 real-time hours of progress on his quest.

Why This Quest Fits the Character Unlock Pattern

Another Eden Begins runs two parallel quest systems: the classic encounter and character quests from the mobile original, plus a new set of kinship quests introduced for the Begins-original cast. Cyrus's chain is a character quest, not a kinship quest, which means it is mandatory for his recruitment and cannot be skipped. If you want a deeper breakdown of how character quests differ from kinship and encounter quests, our Another Eden Begins encounter and quest guide walks through every quest type in the game and which ones gate roster slots.

How Cyrus Compares to Ramiu, Thillelille, and Tiramisu

Because the locked keyword set asks for a comparison across four named units, the practical question most players have is how Cyrus stacks up against the other wind-aligned or front-line options in Begins. The honest answer is that each of them fills a different niche, and which one you build first depends on whether you are chasing raw damage, survivability, or story content.

Cyrus vs Ramiu

Ramiu is the Begins-original spritely sand spirit who guides Aldo through New Game+, and unlike Cyrus, he is not a gacha unit. He is a Wind-element support who leans into the Another Force gauge by buffing party-wide damage and providing a shield. In a vacuum, Ramiu is a stronger generalist because his kit is more flexible, but he lacks the front-line survivability that Cyrus brings. If you are running Cyrus, Ramiu is the perfect back-row partner because he converts Cyrus's chip damage into AF gauge faster.

Cyrus vs Thillelille

Thillelille is one of the two Character Pack Vol. 1 DLC units, and she is a Wind-element healer with a staff. She outclasses Cyrus on raw healing output, but she cannot take a hit, so the two of them actually pair extremely well: Cyrus in the front line soaking damage, Thillelille in the back line patching up the party. The trade-off is that Thillelille is locked behind paid DLC, while Cyrus is free through his quest. If you want a no-spend wind team, Cyrus is the only front-line option in this list.

Cyrus vs Tiramisu

Tiramisu is the second Character Pack Vol. 1 DLC unit, and he is a Wind-element magical damage dealer with high burst but low HP. Comparing Cyrus and Tiramisu is a question of front-line versus back-line: Cyrus builds Mettle slowly and rewards patience, while Tiramisu wants to open with a big spell and then fall back. For boss fights with multiple physical phases, Cyrus pulls ahead; for fights with a single magical burst window, Tiramisu wins outright.

If you are deciding which unit to prioritize, the simplest rule of thumb is to recruit Cyrus first through his free quest, then evaluate whether the Character Pack DLC is worth it based on your wind team needs. For a broader look at how the DLC units rank against the free roster, our Another Eden Begins top 10 characters and tier breakdown ranks the most-used units by community vote.

Best Party Formations Featuring Cyrus

Cyrus is a front-line anchor, so any formation you build around him should keep him in slot 1 or 2 with at least one wind ally in the back row. Below are the three formations the launch-week community has settled on, with a short note on what each one is good at.

The Wind-Stacking formation is the strongest pure-wind team you can build without DLC, and it plays cleanly because every unit on it either buffs wind damage, deals wind damage, or both. The trade-off is that you have no dedicated healer, so you need to win the fight before Ramiu's shield expires. The Balanced Tank formation is the safer pick for story content, because Thillelille patches up the team and Suzette's MP-free basic attacks keep the Another Force gauge moving even when Cyrus is eating hits. The Aggressive Burst formation is high-risk, high-reward and only works if Tiramisu gets to open with his strongest spell before the boss gets a turn.

Pairing Cyrus With Aldo for Early-Game Survival

For new players who have not unlocked Ramiu yet, the simplest duo is Cyrus in slot 1 and Aldo in slot 2. Aldo's classic Another Force burst gives Cyrus a free turn to spend 3 Mettle stacks, which is the easiest way to fish for a one-shot Lily Cut in the first 15 hours of play. Once you unlock Ramiu, swap Aldo to slot 3 and run the Wind-Stacking formation instead.

Tips for Playing Cyrus Effectively

Below is a list of practical tips that the launch community has converged on. None of them are hidden mechanics, but they are the kind of details you only learn after running Cyrus through a dozen fights.

• Front-line him only against physical attackers. His Mettle passive only triggers on physical damage, so a magic fight will leave him at 0 stacks and his Lily Cut will hit like a wet noodle.

• Save Samurai's Pride for burst windows. Popping Lily Cut at 3 Mettle stacks during an Another Force burst is the single highest damage combo Cyrus can output.

• Do not waste Croak Guard at 0 stacks. The retaliation only fires if you have at least 1 Mettle stack, so guard at 1 or 2 stacks when you want the counter, not at 0.

• Pair him with a Wind-ally buffer. Ramiu and Tiramisu both stack wind damage modifiers, and Cyrus's 1.5x modifier at 3 stacks multiplies on top of their buffs.

• Skip him on magic-resistant bosses. Wind damage is wind damage, and there are post-game bosses with wind resist. Pull Cyrus for those and bring a fire or earth unit instead.

• Re-run the Bamboo Grove fight on Hard mode. The quest duel unlocks Hard mode for that specific duel, and the reward is a unique accessory that boosts Cyrus's Mettle cap from 3 to 4. It is the single best-in-slot item for him.

• Level him last, not first. Cyrus does not need levels to function because his damage scales off Mettle stacks, not raw stats. Put your early XP into Aldo and Feinne, and only start feeding Cyrus levels once you hit Chapter 6.

Where Cyrus Fits in the Broader Roster

The short version is that Cyrus is a free, reliable, mid-game wind bruiser with a clear identity and no gacha gate. He is not the best unit in the game, and he is not the worst — he is the kind of solid front-line anchor that will carry you through the second arc of the Begins-original story without requiring you to pull on the gacha or buy the DLC. If you are building your first wind team, recruiting Cyrus is the first step, and pairing him with Ramiu and Aldo is the cheapest way to clear the chapter 5–8 content.

If you have already cleared Cyrus's quest and want to push your wind team further, the next move is to evaluate the Character Pack Vol. 1 DLC and decide whether Thillelille and Tiramisu are worth the upgrade over the free roster. For the official launch details, pricing, and voice cast, the Another Eden Begins Steam store page is the most up-to-date reference, and the official English website hosts the serial-code redemption portal if you are playing the early-bird edition.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is Cyrus worth using without the Character Pack DLC?

Yes. Cyrus is recruited through a free character quest in the Begins-original story, and he is one of the strongest free wind front-line units in the game. The DLC adds Thillelille and Tiramisu, but Cyrus does not need them to perform well in the mid-game.

What level should Cyrus be for his recruitment duel?

Cyrus's duel is a level 22 boss fight, but your party level does not have to match. Community data suggests clearing the fight at level 18–20 is comfortable if you bring a wind-ally buffer and abuse Croak Guard. If you are under-leveled, the Bamboo Grove has side encounters that scale to your level, so grinding a few hours ahead is easy.

Can you respec Cyrus's skill points?

No, Another Eden Begins does not use a skill-point system. Cyrus's kit is fixed, and his only progression is the Mettle cap increase from the Hard-mode Bamboo Grove accessory, which raises the cap from 3 to 4 stacks. There are no other respec or build options.

Does Cyrus work in the post-game content?

He is usable but not optimal. Post-game bosses rotate between physical and magical phases, and Cyrus falls off during the magic phases because his Mettle stacks only build on physical damage. He is a strong mid-game carry and a serviceable bench option later on, but you will eventually swap him for a magic-tank or a healer in the hardest fights.

How does Cyrus compare to the original mobile Another Eden roster?

There is no direct Cyrus counterpart in the mobile original. He is a Begins-original unit, which means he is not in the global mobile version and you cannot transfer him between saves. If you are coming from the mobile game, treat him as a brand-new addition designed around the new command-based battle system.