While rolling for heroes in Epic Seven, or rolling your Selective Summon for the first time, you may obtain a couple duplicate character, aka dupes. Since you can’t use two of the same hero on your team, what exactly should you do with dupes?
For any heroes that are 3★ and above, you should be saving dupes. Use them for memory imprinting and promotion. If the target hero is fully memory imprinted and fully promoted at 6★, then feel free to use the dupe simply as fodder.
What is Memory Imprint?
Memory Imprint is basically a way to give dupes a purpose. Imprinting your heroes will unlock what the game calls, Devotion Skill. Devotion Skills, for the most part, depend on your hero’s class. For example, a Knight would provide defensive stats like flat Health or Defense %.
There are seven ranks to this system: D, C, B, A, S, SS, and SSS, in increasing order. Devotion Skill effects increase with each rank. The difference in stats from D to SSS can vary from 3 to 4 times the effect! To check Devotion Skills of various heroes, browse the in-game Journal.
Base 4★ heroes don’t have a D-rank Devotion Skill, while base 5★ heroes have neither D-rank nor C-rank Devotion Skills. In other words, higher base-tier heroes require less dupes to get to SSS-rank.
How many dupes do you need to fully imprint?
- 3★ heroes = 7 dupes
- 4★ heroes = 6 dupes
- 5★ heroes = 5 dupes
Imprint Release vs. Imprint Concentration
Prior to an October/November 2019 update, there was only one option for Memory Imprint, which is now the default Imprint Release. Now you have a choice between two Memory Imprints for your team.
Imprint Release
Imprint Release is the standard Memory Imprint. Stats are given to your team based on the position highlighted for that specific Devotion Skill. Note that the stats can’t be given to the hero themselves regardless of position. You’ll need to use Imprint Concentration for this.
Imprint Concentration
Imprint Concentration is the newer option of Memory Imprint. This allows your hero to gain stats for themselves. This method of imprinting requires an item called Ego Fragment (a name quite fitting). Ego Fragment can be purchased for 12 Transmit Stones in the shop.
Imprint Release is typically much better than Imprint Concentration, because of the total stats granted to your party. Also, there are better uses for your Transmit Stones. Save Imprint Concentration for very late endgame theorycrafting.
How to efficiently Memory Imprint?
It’s possible to stack Memory Imprint between heroes. For instance, let’s say you have a C-rank Montmorancy, and a B-rank Montmorancy. When you use the C-rank Montmorancy as fodder for the B-rank Montmorancy, you’ll end up with an SS-rank hero!
To efficiently Memory Imprint a 3★ hero, follow these steps:
- Obtain seven dupes of a hero you’re trying to imprint (arguably the hardest part).
- Use three dupes to promote the base hero (base hero at B-rank).
- Level up and promote one of your remaining dupes with other dupes (dupe at B-rank).
- Get three more 4★ fodder.
- Use the dupe and three other fodder to level up and promote your hero.
At the end of this, you’ll end up with a 5★ hero at SSS-rank.
What if I don’t have dupes?
Unless you are a whale, then you probably won’t fully get a 5★ to be fully imprinted without any dupes. Don’t worry, though! There’s another way to Memory Imprint your heroes. It’s possible with the use of an Unknown Slate which is bought in the Conquest Shop. These are available once per season, and if you’ve got extra Conquest Tokens, then I’d suggest you buy the item.
Generally, it’s better to buy equipment from the Conquest Shop first. The reason is because Memory Imprint is a small boost in power as opposed to equipment which is vastly more important (and isn’t a one-time use).