Glenn, The Fighter

This page may contain spoilers regarding Broken Aether.

As the main character, Glenn is the most balanced character in the cast, with a decent array of offensive and defensive abilities, making him a mixed fighter of sorts. He can work as a budget tank since he has access to a taunt (Decoy) and Defense Stance (increases defense at the expense of decreasing attack), but works formidably well as a damage dealer.

At heart, Glenn is the game's "Breaker", as he has access to abilities that can decrease enemy offensive and/or defensive stats, which can turn the tide of battles. His Ultra Move, Power Armor Salvo, and his All Break ability both apply all detrimental debuffs except for lowering agility; the Ultra Move is notable as it hits all enemies.

Strengths

• Fits the typical fighter archetype: versatile at pretty much everything.

• Boasts high offensive and defensive stats.

• Third highest HP.

• Second highest ATK.

• Third highest DEF, tied with Raphael.

• Third highest AGI, tied with Tomke.

• Can be played as hybrid tank / damage dealer.

• Has access to powerful Break abilities to cripple enemy stats.

• Has one of the most useful Ultra Moves in the game.

• Amazing self-sustain in the endgame thanks to HP Drain combined with his already high attack.

Weaknesses

• Not very reliable as a dedicated tank since he has no innate abilities to increase Hate other than Decoy.

• Mostly single-target damage aside from his Ultra Move and Whirlwind Slash (which is obtained much later in the game). Certain abilities from Class Emblems can remedy this.

• Has the fourth lowest TP, meaning he'll starve really fast when using abilities in quick succession.

Baseline

• Armor Break / Arms Break / All Break: Glenn's bread and butter is his stat debuff abilities, which makes him a must for boss fights. Once you get All Break, you can forgo the other two.

• Cross Slash: his most reliable damaging ability. Hits like a truck, and has direct synergy with HP Drain, which can make him nearly unkillable.

• Lend Energy: incredibly useful to help fuel your main damage dealers and supports. Even though Glenn tends to burn through skills very fast himself, there still plenty of value in this ability.

• Whirlwind Slash: pretty decent area-of-effect ability with a pretty cool animation, and when combined with HP Drain means he can top his healthbar easily while fighting multiple opponents.

• HP Drain: deal damage, recover health. Simple as that. The beauty of this passive is that it works with multi-hit moves and also area-of-effect, meaning you'll gain HP per hit and/or enemy hit. This even works with his Ultra Move.

Class Abilities

• Ether Sucker: from Vampire. Useful on all characters, period.

• Drunken Master: from Monk. Works fine equipped on any character, but since Glenn tends to have free ability slots in the endgame, it's a pretty decent filler ability.

• Power Swing: from Warrior. Useful for normal battles against multiple opponents. Keep this on him until you unlock Whirlwind Slash later in the game.

• Blindman's Buff: from the Gambler. Can be useful in certain fights with multiple targets, but its reliance on RNG makes it less desirable. Still a pretty decent filler skill. Can fully heal Glenn if you get at least 3 hits when combined with HP Drain.

• HP Sacrifice: from Vampire. A passive skill where you lose 5% of your HP but deal 5% more damage (up to 15% when maxed). Combining this with HP drain means you'll never be a disadvantage, and the extra +15% damage is juicy.

Crystals

• Break Extender: you'll absolutely want this on Glenn, maxed, since it guarantees 100% of extending any existing Break debuff for 3 additional turns. The beauty of this is that it works with area-of-effect skills, such as Whirlwind Slash, allowing you to extend it on multiple enemies. With this crystal you pretty much only need to use All Break once in the entire fight as long Glenn continues to attack.

• ATK Up: Glenn already hits pretty hard, so further increasing his ATK is a no-brainer.

• Dry Strike: this is a filler crystal that can be useful for a certain combo involving Lenne and Victor that will be discussed later in their sections.

Early Game

Glenn starts with a solid kit: Cross Slash and Armor Break being the bulk of his character through the entire game. Oil Slash is quite useful with Lenne's Fire Thrust for some extra damage.

Focus your points on getting Lend Energy as soon as possible, while spreading points on stat bonuses (HP, ATK and DEF) and getting passives such as HP Up and ATK Up.

Mid Game

During the mid-game, Glenn continues to function as a frontline-oriented character capable of both offensive contributions and limited threat-control. Early abilities allow him to draw enemy attention and provide protection to more vulnerable party members, though his toolkit is not exclusively focused on tanking and can support multiple build directions.

Once additional defensive-oriented characters join the party, Glenn’s role can shift toward offense and utility. His abilities enable him to contribute through damage output, debuffs, and counter-based effects, providing flexibility in party strategies that rely on managing enemy defenses or applying pressure across multiple turns.

Glenn can learn abilities that influence enemy targeting behavior. These abilities provide opportunities to redirect attacks but may not guarantee consistent threat control in all encounters. Their primary purpose is to support survivability in specific situations rather than define him as a dedicated tank role.

Glenn has access to stance abilities that modify performance based on the player’s preferred role. Offensive stances enhance damage potential, while utility-focused options support mixed or adaptive playstyles. Players can tailor these based on team composition and encounter demands.

Different Class Emblems allow Glenn to emphasize various attributes such as durability, speed, or offensive specialization. Choosing an emblem that enhances his versatility or damage output supports hybrid roles, while more defense-oriented setups enable frontline stability. Multiple emblem paths remain viable depending on build preference.

End Game

In the late game, Glenn can be developed into a resilient frontline character with strong offensive capabilities and high survivability. His toolkit allows him to sustain himself during prolonged encounters through damage-based healing effects and multi-target abilities, supporting aggressive playstyles even in high-pressure battles.

End-game skill options enable Glenn to:

• apply defensive debuffs to enemies, reducing their damage output

• maintain consistent survivability through abilities that restore health based on damage dealt

• support allies by redirecting or mitigating incoming threats

This allows him to function as a self-sustaining frontline fighter while still contributing to overall party utility.

Glenn’s attributes and passives can be developed to reinforce offensive and self-sustain mechanics. Increasing attack power enhances both his damage output and the effectiveness of skills that restore health based on damage dealt. Additional effects, such as counter-attack triggers or defensive enhancements, support roles that rely on sustained front-line presence rather than traditional taunt-based tanking.

Certain accessories and equipment types improve Glenn’s survivability or offensive consistency. Players may choose options that:

• enhance counterattack frequency

• increase raw attack power

• improve initial threat generation for a semi-defensive role

These choices allow different specializations depending on preferred strategy, whether focused on damage, reaction-based defense, or controlled threat management.