Limbus Tier List

Heathcliff

The House of Spiders: The Thumb Apprentice

The House of Spiders: The Thumb Apprentice Heathcliff artwork
“… But she took me in and put a roof over my head. Fed me. Taught me this… bloody incredible swordfighting style—the sort a lowly vagrant like me would never have had the chance to learn. I know that. Shite, I know that, but… is this how the rest of my life's gonna go?”

Review

A

Mirror Dungeon tier

Single target Tremor and Burn duelist

A duelist who stacks buffs by hitting the same enemy again and again, then cashes out with a four coin Tremor and Burn finisher. His skills look plain, but passive scaling makes them strong against one target, and he gains SP at clash start. He also gives free follow-ups to the Thumb Nursefather Rodion. Reviewers rated him a bit weaker than Rodion, but he is very good at breaking shields and staggering bosses.

Worth pulling?
good pull
Uptie
Uptie IV is worth it if you want him in Tremor and Burn teams, but his kit works at lower uptie levels as well, since the passives do most of the scaling.

How to play

Hit one enemy repeatedly with skills 1 and 2 to build The Duel Escalates, clashing for double stacks. Skill 2 is a free Tremor Burst and needs a clash win to keep counts. Once the target has 5 stacks, skill 3 becomes Sezionatura di Cervo, a single-target burst with Unbreakable Coins that resets the duel and adds a Maturing Textbook. Use the defense skill before it if you need to survive.

  • +Scales hard against a single target
  • +SP recovery at clash start
  • +Skill 3 alternate is a huge Tremor burst
  • +Great synergy with Thumb Nursefather Rodion
  • −Bad at fighting many targets
  • −Needs clash wins to keep Tremor count
  • −Weaker than Rodion in raw single-target damage

FAQ

Is The House of Spiders Thumb Apprentice Heathcliff good?
Yes, he is a strong single-target Tremor and Burn damage dealer, best paired with Thumb Nursefather Rodion. He is a bit weaker than Rodion but still excellent for staggering bosses.
What is Thumb Heathcliff's best team?
A Burn and Tremor team of Thumb identities with Rodion, using Tremor Burst heavy units alongside him.
What does The Duel Escalates do?
It is a debuff, up to 5 stacks, that boosts his skills against that target. He applies it with base skills, and it unlocks his skill 3 alternate at 5 stacks.

Skills

S1

La Spada di Palermo

LustSlash
Base power
3
Coin power
+4
Coins
2
Offense
+2
Atk weight
1
Copies
3

[On Use] Coin Power +1 for every 6 (Burn + Tremor) on target (max 2)

  1. 1[On Hit] Inflict 2 Burn
  2. 2[On Hit] Inflict 1 Tremor
S2

Colpi Sottani

SlothSlash
Base power
4
Coin power
+4
Coins
3
Offense
+3
Atk weight
1
Copies
2

[On Use] Coin Power +1 for every 6 (Burn + Tremor) on target (max 2) [Clash Win] If target has The Duel Escalates (Heathcliff), inflict +1 Tremor Count

  1. 1[On Hit] Inflict 2 Burn and +2 Burn Count
  2. 2[On Hit] Inflict 2 Tremor and +2 Tremor Count
  3. 3[On Hit] If this unit has Maturing Textbook, or if target has The Duel Escalates (Heathcliff), trigger Tremor Burst; then, reduce target's Tremor Count by 1
S3

Il Cacciatore

WrathSlash
Base power
5
Coin power
+4
Coins
3
Offense
+4
Atk weight
1
Copies
1

[Before Use] If target has 5 The Duel Escalates (Heathcliff), activate "Sezionatura di Cervo" instead (once per turn) [On Use] Coin Power +1 for every 6 (Burn + Tremor) on target (max 2) [On Use] Gain the following effects based on The Duel Escalates (Heathcliff) Stack on target: - Deal +6% damage for every Stack (max 30%) - 1+ The Duel Escalates (Heathcliff): Inflict +1 more Tremor Potency - 2+ The Duel Escalates (Heathcliff): Inflict +1 more Tremor Count - 3+ The Duel Escalates (Heathcliff): Inflict +1 more Burn Potency - 4+ The Duel Escalates (Heathcliff): Inflict +1 more Burn Count [On Use] If this unit has Maturing Textbook, or if target has 3+ The Duel Escalates (Heathcliff), convert all Coins on this Skill to Unbreakable Coins

  1. 1[On Hit] Inflict 3 Burn and +2 Burn Count
  2. 2[On Hit] Inflict 3 Tremor and +2 Tremor Count
  3. 3Deal +25% damage for every Maturing Textbook Stack on self (max 75%) [On Hit] Trigger Amplitude Conversion into Tremor - Scorch [On Hit] Trigger Tremor Burst; then, reduce target's Tremor Count by 1 [On Hit] If this unit has Maturing Textbook, or if target has 3+ The Duel Escalates (Heathcliff), trigger Tremor Burst 2 times; then, reduce target's Tremor Count by 2
S3 alt

Sezionatura di Cervo

WrathSlash
Base power
5
Coin power
+3
Coins
4
Offense
+5
Atk weight
1
Copies
1

[On Use] - Gain +(Maturing Textbook - 1) Atk Weight (max 2) - Coin Power +1 for every 6 (Burn + Tremor) on the main target (max 3) - When attacking just 1 target, deal +25% damage (for Focused Encounters, 1 Part) - Deal +25% damage for every excess Atk Weight beyond the # of actual targets (for Focused Encounters, Parts) [Attack End] - Consume all The Duel Escalates (Heathcliff) on the main target - Gain 1 Maturing Textbook. If the main target is defeated, gain 2 Maturing Textbook instead

  1. 1Unbreakable Coin [On Hit] Inflict 4 Burn and +3 Burn Count
  2. 2Unbreakable Coin [On Hit] Inflict 4 Tremor and +3 Tremor Count
  3. 3Unbreakable Coin
  4. 4Unbreakable Coin [Coin Start] This Coin gains Coin Power +1 for every Maturing Textbook (max 3) [On Hit] Trigger Amplitude Conversion into Tremor - Scorch [On Hit] Trigger Tremor Burst 3 times; then, reduce target's Tremor Count by 3
Defense

Measuring Blade Reach

WrathSlash
Base power
5
Coin power
+4
Coins
2
Offense
+1
Atk weight
1

[Clashable Counter] Deal +20% damage for every The Duel Escalates (Heathcliff) on target (max 100%) [On Use] Final Power +1 for every 4 (Burn + Tremor) on target (max 2)

  1. 1[On Hit] Inflict 1 Burn (2 times per turn)
  2. 2[On Hit] Inflict 1 Tremor (2 times per turn)
Defense

I Will Protect.

GloomGuard
Base power
3
Coin power
+10
Coins
1
Offense
0
Atk weight
1

Clashable Guard Assist Defense exclusive Skill [On Use] - Gain 2 Protection (once per turn) - Heal 5 SP for the unit protected by the Assist Defense

  1. 1Unbreakable Coin

Passives

Innate

Duello Disperato

At Base Skill End against an enemy: - If the target is defeated while having The Duel Escalates (Heathcliff) (on any of its Parts), gain 1 Maturing Textbook - If the main target isn't defeated, inflict 1 The Duel Escalates (Heathcliff) on the main target; if there was a Clash against the said main target using the said Base Skill, inflict 2 The Duel Escalates (Heathcliff) on the main target instead At Clash Start against a target that has The Duel Escalates (Heathcliff), heal SP equal to The Duel Escalates (Heathcliff) Stack on target (max 5 per turn)

Combat passive

Palermitan Style

Lust2

Gain the following effects based on (Maturing Textbook on self + The Duel Escalates (Heathcliff) on the main target) - Base Skills deal +3% damage for every combined Stack (max 15%) - 1+ Stack: Clash Power +1 - 2+ Stack: Base Skills gain Base Power +1 - 3+ Stack: On Hit using a Base Skill, inflict 1 Severed Tendon (Heathcliff) next turn - 4+ Stack: Base Skills gain Final Power +1 - 5+ Stack: Base Skills deal +15% damage Take -3% damage for every (Maturing Textbook on self + The Duel Escalates (Heathcliff) on the enemy attacking this unit) (max -15%)

Support passive

In One-on-one Duels…

Wrath3 Res

1 ally with the fastest Speed: On Clash Win using Base Attack Skills, inflict +1 Burn Count on target (once per turn) - Prioritizes "The Thumb" Identities - If the ally is "The Thumb" Identity, inflict +1 Burn Count and Tremor Count instead - Combat Start: If there is only 1 enemy on the field, (for Abnormalities, a Core), this effect inflicts +1 more Burn Count and Tremor Count