Guides

@starmates

There are two aspects to consider when picking an element.

1. Take as little chip damage as possible by resisting the most casters
2. Avoid the chance of a one-shot crit from a super-effective caster bolt or boss slash

I wrote more specifically about the element choices for the Golem Workshop here (the inspiration for the training build linked in Maki's guide).

In the Forbidden Portal, Fire is the best element. Fire and Water are both only weak to one mage, while fire has more resistances (two mages and a boss vs just a boss for water). This sheet helps show that (also linked in Maki's farming build for the Portal). Fire is also good in the Workshop, with no caster weaknesses and only one boss weakness.

For a fighter, that's really it and Fire is probably the best element. The chip damage from casters is a concern and a crit bolt can one-shot you. You fight way more casters than bosses, so caster resists are what you need.

For a mage, it's slightly more complicated. If you would like to use the same team for both the Portal and the Workshop, Wind comes back into consideration. The mage build has more VIT, and so while at near full health, can survive a super-effective caster bolt crit. (The fighter does not have enough VIT for this.) However, a super effective boss slash crit is always a KO. Fire is weak to a boss in the Workshop, and so risks a one-shot there. The downside to Wind though is that it is weak to two different mages in the Portal and so will take more chip damage in that zone. In short, Fire risks a one-shot, Wind takes more average damage. I would pick Wind, Maki's guide prefers Fire. Both are very reasonable choices.

Lastly, despite all I wrote and all the thought I have put into this, it really does not matter. I use Plague for my team, in both the Portal and Workshop. If you look at Plague on Amayai's sheet linked above, it's labeled as "don't even try" for the Portal and "HA! don't try." for the Workshop; it is literally the worst element I could use. But, it still works just fine. With a dedicated healer in the team and most fights ending before the enemies get to attack, the risk is really quite low.

TLDR:

• The element is a very minor optimization in these builds.
• Fire for a fighter in either or both of the Portal and the Workshop. (Nature is an equivalent alternative for a fighter in just the Workshop.)
• Fire for a mage in the Portal. Fire or Wind for a mage in both the Portal and the Workshop. (Earth, Wind, or Ice for a mage in just the Workshop.)

@starmates

Glad to help!

I should mention that the Mire is WAY faster for leveling than either the Forbidden Portal or the Golem Workshop. This build helps close the gap, but the efficiency of training two fodder quickly is hard to beat. (There's a time comparison at the bottom of the post at the top of Maki's build list.)

As I said previously, the element does not matter that much. I use Plague, literally the worst element for both these zones, and it works fine for me. However, if you want to go for the small optimization of choosing a better element, my recommendations are:

Forbidden Portal
Fighter: Fire
Mage: Fire

Hybrid Golem Workshop and Forbidden Portal
Fighter: Fire
Mage: Wind or Fire (I would prefer Wind, Maki's guide prefers Fire. Both are solid picks.)

Golem Workshop:
Fighter: Nature or Fire
Mage: Earth, Ice, or Wind



Aside on Water:
Water lets you make super effective attacks against both bosses. Which sounds cool, except for when you account for how good Eliminate is and how few stone slots you have.

I don't have the numbers in front of me, but as I recall, Eliminate is about as effective (damage/breath) as a super effective elemental slash. So, choosing a fighter for the elemental slash is not that great.

For a mage, a super effective elemental bolt would do WAY more damage than Contuse. But, with only four slots for Ability Stones, you need to pick them with care. Rally and Contuse are part of your optimal farming loop. Haste helps with the startup sequence and Aid helps sustain the team. And that's all four stones, no room for Hydro Bolt. So, Water's not worth it on the mage either.