A strong pontos morimens team is built around Benthos: Aequor. Pontos is an Aequor Realm Warden whose talent turns the Aequor Realm into Benthos: Aequor, and his kit pays off through stance switches, kills, and Tentacle DMG. Pair him with Vortice or Murphy: Fauxborn, who share that realm talent, and an Aequor damage dealer such as Tulu. He arrived in V2.5.2, and his Character Event Awakening ran from June 29 to July 27, 2026.
This page is based on official Steam posts, checked October 20, 2026: the V2.5.2 notes, the Pontos Awakener and Wheel of Destiny introduction, and later patch notes through V2.6.2. Kit numbers are internal test-server values from the official infographic (Awakener Lv. 60, skills Lv. 6). Team suggestions are editorial.
01
Who is Pontos?
Pontos calls himself the Lord of the Great Abyss and is voiced by Junichi Suwabe. In his backstory, his parents vanish, his sister Leisha takes him to a seaside town, and a dead creature from the abyss at the harbor starts his descent. His Psyche Deepdive, "Ebwynnos Evermore," unlocks the Posse "Hollow One": Temporary Crit DMG +30%, all enemies' STR -35 temporarily, and 1 Pack Hunt stack for Pontos.
02
Pontos kit explained
His talent, Lightless Bottom, turns the Aequor Realm into Benthos: Aequor when he is on the team. Vortice and Murphy: Fauxborn's matching talents were renamed to Lightless Bottom in V2.5.2. His Chapter Talent adds 50% to 100% Fixed DMG against "Kindreds of Rapture" enemies. It also makes Relentless Hunt add Tentacle DMG (1% to 3% of ATK per 10 Aliemus consumed) and lets Gaunt Ravage cut the target's STR by 1% to 3% of his DEF.
| Card | Type and cost | Effect (test-server values) |
|---|---|---|
| Relentless Hunt | Exalt | Removes his own STR▼. All enemies get STR -64 temporarily, and the lowest-HP enemy takes Fixed DMG equal to 6000% of Tentacle DMG. A kill creates 1 Permanent Gaunt, up to 3 per battle |
| Wrath of the Abyss | Rouse, 3 | Gain 25% to 50% Base Aliemus. Every 3 Gaunts in the deck give 1 Pack Hunt stack. Each Pontos card played adds 25% to the next Relentless Hunt's STR▼, up to 3 times per turn |
| Gaunt Ravage | Command, X | 79 DMG to all enemies with a guaranteed crit, gain 8 Aliemus, then trigger X more times |
| Gauntwards' Call | Command, 2 | First use: 3 different Gaunts into hand, 106 Shield, and 1 Conjoined Gaunts upgrade per 4 permanent Gaunts. After that: draw 3 Gaunts. Retain, Prepare |
| Strike / Defense | Command, 1 | 27 DMG or 36 Shield, plus 10 Aliemus |
Gaunts are his 1-cost Buff Cards:
- Raid-Gaunt: shuffle 1 Insight into the Draw Pile; other Awakeners gain 5 Aliemus.
- Vex-Gaunt: all enemies' STR -22 temporarily; Tentacle DMG +20.
- Slay-Gaunt: the lowest-HP enemy takes Fixed DMG equal to 2000% of Tentacle DMG, and he gains Temporary Crit DMG (15% of Base Crit DMG).
Pack Hunt: each Gaunt you play spends 1 stack for an extra trigger. It caps at 9 stacks, and stacks persist after battle. Past 6 permanent Gaunts, new ones upgrade a random Gaunt into Conjoined Gaunts (cost +1, one extra trigger, counts as 2 Gaunts).
His Enlightens:
- Lure of Light: Slay-Gaunt gets +10% Fixed DMG and Relentless Hunt gets +5% STR▼, both scaling further with Crit DMG from Pontos, his Wheel, and his Covenant.
- Hollow Shell: Gaunt Ravage gets +25% Base DMG and X+1 triggers.
- Revelry in Absence: Strike and Defense each draw 1 Gaunt, once per turn, and Gaunts gain "Aftershock: Arithmetica Cost -1."
Over-Exaltation "Another Ebwynnos" triples his Fixed DMG, adds a Gaunt on a kill, and cuts Gaunt costs by 1. Absolute Axiom "Abyssal Engulfment" makes Strike and Defense each give 15 more Aliemus once per turn and lowers the Pack Hunt requirement from 3 Gaunts to 2.
03
Best Pontos teams
Editorial judgement, as of V2.6.2 (October 2026). What his kit asks for:
- Benthos stances: his talent creates Benthos: Aequor, and The Living Cage triggers after switching to "Raging Waves." See the realms guide.
- Kills: Relentless Hunt and Slay-Gaunt hit the lowest-HP enemy, and kills feed Gaunts and Wheel stacks, so he shines in multi-enemy fights.
- Crit DMG: Gaunt Ravage always crits, and Lure of Light scales with Crit DMG. Prioritize Crit DMG on Covenants.
In return, he cuts enemy STR, adds Shield, and feeds Aliemus to teammates.
| Shell | Core | Flex options | Why |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pure Benthos: Aequor | Pontos + Vortice or Murphy: Fauxborn | Tulu (Assault), Miryam (Chorus), Corposant or Murphy (Warden) | Every pick is Aequor, and the developer describes an existing doubled Realm Mastery effect for pure teams |
| Benthos anchor, mixed team | Pontos + one Lightless Bottom partner | An Exalt-heavy carry from another realm | Raid-Gaunt's Aliemus and his STR cuts help any carry, and the developer says second-generation realms were designed with mixing in mind |
Bring Hollow One as the Posse, and check the in-game Growth Guide's "Training Overview" (added in V2.6.2) for official lineup recommendations. The October "30-Day Challenge" dev log plans more for Benthos: Realm Charge for its stances, +25% team DMG Amplification per stance switch, and +250 Realm Mastery for pure-realm teams. These may still change, but they would favor stance-switching, pure Aequor lineups. See Realm Mastery.
04
Is Pontos good?
Editorial judgement, as of V2.6.2: yes, for Aequor players. He defends by shrinking enemy STR with his Exalt, Vex-Gaunt, and Gaunt Ravage, not just by shielding. He still deals Fixed DMG that scales off Tentacle DMG, and Pack Hunt plus The Living Cage's kill stacks carry between fights. The trade-offs: single-boss fights give fewer kills, his Exalt caps at 3 permanent Gaunts per battle, and his banner is closed. Compare him on the tier list.
05
The Living Cage and other wheels
The Living Cage came from the WoD Event Awakening "The Abyssal Oubliette." It gives Crit DMG 21.6% (43.2% with 12 additional Ascensions). Its effect: STR▼ +20/25/30/35%. Each kill during the exploration raises fixed Aliemus recovery at turn end by 2, up to 4/6/8/10 stacks. After switching to "Raging Waves," he gains Temporary Crit DMG equal to 20/25/30/35% of Base Crit DMG, with a 3-turn cooldown.
The free limited SR Wheel "Compass to False North" came from the "Ebwynnos Evermore" event. The V2.5.2 notes only describe its Traphase version, so its main-mode effect is not confirmed here. Since V2.6.0, Slay-Gaunt kills correctly trigger the Wheel "Analysis of Death." More options are in the Wheels list.
06
Release date and how to get Pontos
| Item | Details (UTC+8) |
|---|---|
| V2.5.2 maintenance | June 28, 2026, 08:00 to 12:00 |
| Character Event Awakening "Lord of the Deep" | Pontos, June 29 to July 27, 2026, 9:00 |
| WoD Event Awakening "The Abyssal Oubliette" | The Living Cage, same dates |
| Trial Event "Fount of the Chasm" | Silver ×40, Luminous Core ×1 |
| Gameplay event "Ebwynnos Evermore" | Compass to False North, avatar "By the Silver Key: Pontos" |
His banner has ended. Steam notes through V2.6.2 announce no Pontos rerun; the next rerun window, November 2 to 30, features Pickman, Tulu, and Lily. Since V2.0, new limited Awakeners have no guaranteed permanent pool spot or set rerun time. Watch the banners page.
07
Later changes since V2.5.2
- V2.5.3: fixed "Dimensional Image·Pontos" not dropping in Ashen Ruins. Rite of the Lord's cost dropped from 2 to 1, in Traphase only.
- V2.6.0: Slay-Gaunt kills now trigger "Analysis of Death," plus a fix for his Exalt kills against Elite Serket's summons.
- V2.6.1: the temporary STR cut from his skill "Nightmare Raid" in Astral Arc stages now benefits from Singularity Beacon.
- V2.6.2: his story, skill, and voice text received human Korean translation.
We found no main-mode number changes to his kit in these notes. Traphase uses a separate Pontos kit (Guardian class, HP 134), so don't mix the two up.
08
FAQ
What is the best Pontos Morimens team?
Editorial pick: Pontos with Vortice or Murphy: Fauxborn in Benthos: Aequor, plus Tulu or another Aequor damage dealer.
Is Pontos good in Morimens?
For Aequor teams, yes, as of V2.6.2. He combines enemy STR cuts, Shield, and kill-based Fixed DMG.
When was Pontos released in Morimens?
V2.5.2 went live June 28, 2026. His banner ran June 29 to July 27, 2026.
Is Pontos Aequor or Caro?
Aequor. The V2.5.2 notes list him as an Aequor Realm Warden, and his talent creates Benthos: Aequor.