When setting out on an adventure across the beautiful but dangerous land of Aesperia, Tower of Fantasy matrices are an integral asset to your kit. They offer amazing stat buffs and super handy set bonuses that allow you to take on even the scariest fire-plant ladies and rolling frost robots with relative ease. But with so many complex systems at play, it’s easy to overlook them.
In this ToF matrices guide, we lay out the purpose of matrices, how they work, and how to upgrade them, along with a list of every ToF matrix set and all of their set skills, so you can get to grips with the best sets to equip to your weapons. We also take a look at how to get more matrices, so you can truly enter the matrix with a smorgasbord of stat-buffing chips on hand.
If you’re looking for more assistance acclimatising to the world of Tower of Fantasy, check out our Tower of Fantasy weapons, Tower of Fantasy vehicles, Tower of Fantasy cooking, and Tower of Fantasy characters guides. We’ve also got all the latest Tower of Fantasy codes and a Tower of Fantasy tier list for your perusal.
Tower of Fantasy Matrices
What is a Tower of Fantasy matrix?
Tower of Fantasy matrices are similar to Genshin Impact’s artifacts. They’re item sets that you can equip to each of your weapons in order to increase their stats, such as attack, resistance, and HP. They also offer unique bonuses when you equip a certain amount of matrices from the same set – usually two, three, or four, depending on the matrix rarity.
These little beauties make a huge impact on gameplay and are integral for higher game content, as they have the potential to boost your weapon’s power dramatically.
You can equip a total of four matrices to each weapon – one in each category slot. Each category has its own fixed stats. They are:
- Mind – HP and crit
- Memory – attack and HP
- Belief – attack and HP
- Emotion – attack and resistance
Though every matrix has a fixed stat related to its category, the amount it boosts that stat is dependent on its rarity and level. Here are the different rarities that matrices come in, and their corresponding colour.
- N – green, common
- R – blue, uncommon
- SR – purple, rare
- SSR – gold, ultra rare
To equip a matrix, you need to head to the matrices tab of your weapons page, choose a matrix, then tap ‘affix’.
How do I get Tower of Fantasy matrices?
There are several ways to obtain Tower of Fantasy matrices.
- Banners – the most common way to snag ‘em is through the Choice and Limited Matrices banners. The choice banner always has a standard set of matrices to acquire, from N to SSR. The limited banner offers the same matrices as the standard one, but with an increased drop rate on a specific matrix set that matches the weapon featured on the limited banner. Check out our Tower of Fantasy banner guide to find out more
- World boss chests – there are world bosses dotted around Asperia, and defeating them allows you access to boss chests. These chests require a gold chip to open, and offer a variety of goodies, including relic shards, weapons, and matrices of all rarities. Keep in mind that drops are entirely random, and Hotta recommends taking on these baddies with a team of at least eight players. Keep an eye on the group chat to see what bosses are up and which channel they’re in, as other players often flag it as soon as they dive into battle
- Joint Operations – joint operations are multiplayer matches where you trawl through rooms of enemies in exchange for rewards. There’s a chest at the end of each section that takes 30 vitality to open, and offers multiple goodies, including matrices from specific sets
- Void Rifts – another multiplayer mode, void rifts are tough challenges where you sweep through a room of enemies to collect keys, then take on a boss in exchange for rewards such as matrices. Void rifts take a lot of coordination and good teamwork, so be sure to come prepared
- Suppressor upgrade rewards – every time you upgrade your suppressor to a new version, you gain a matrix from Echo’s set
- Wanderer’s log rewards – completing all seven chapters of the Wanderer’s log nets you a whole set of Pepper’s matrices
As you can see, matrices can be a bit tricky to get your hands on, and you’ll likely be lumped with a mis-matched lineup of blue ones for quite some time. Regardless of what route you go through, acquiring matrices is heavily dependent on RNG – from which set, to which piece you pull. Regardless, it’s always worth slapping whatever you’ve got on your weapons and levelling them up to make the most of the stat bonuses until you get something better.
How do I upgrade my Tower of Fantasy matrices?
To level up your Tower of Fantasy matrices, head to the matrices tab of your weapons page, select the matrix you’d like to upgrade, and hit ‘develop’. Developing your matrices requires matrix data packs. These come in different rarities, with higher rarities offering more EXP for your matrices. You can collect matrix data packs from a variety of sources, including password chests, bounty missions, omnium beacons, and Mia’s Kitchen, or you can purchase them from the points store. Alternatively, you can sacrifice other matrices in order to upgrade the one you want.
What is Tower of Fantasy matrix advancement?
As with weapons, you can advance SR or higher ToF matrices if you have more than one copy of a matrix. The copies need to be from the same category – for example, in order to upgrade the King: Thrillseeker matrix from the Faith category, you’d need another King: Thrillseeker matrix, and no other matrices from the King set would work.
Advancing your matrices boosts the growth rate of their stats and increases their CS value.
All Tower of Fantasy matrix sets
SSR ToF matrices
| ToF matrix set | Effect |
| Fanatical Pursuit: Crow | Two equipped: increases crit damage to targets with less than 60% HP by 24%/30%/36%/42% Four equipped: crits deal additional damage over time equal to 18%/22%/26%/30% of attack every second for five seconds. Does not stack |
| Incredible Connection: Zero | Two equipped: upon using a discharge skill to switch to the current weapon, gain a shield equal to 150%/200%/250%/300% of attack for six seconds Four equipped: while the shield is active, you and your teammates deal 16%/20%/24%/28% more damage |
| Eye of Wind: Tsubasa | Two equipped: increases damage dealt by 14%/16%/18%/20% when there are no enemies within four metres Four equipped: upon landing a headshot or using Icewind Arrow: Piercing Shot, increases attack by 15%/18%/21%/25% for eight seconds |
| Poem of Departure: Shiro | Two equipped: increases both damage and shatter to targets with more than 50% HP by 15%/19%/22.5%/26% Four equipped: upon entering battle, gain a 20%/25%/30%/35% damage boost for 35 seconds. Resets five seconds after exiting battle |
| Rational Liberation: Samir | Two equipped: increases your damage progressively by 1% upon hitting a target. Stack up to 10/13/16/20 times. Lasts 1.5 seconds Four equipped: increase Dual EM Stars’ electrical explosion damage by 16%/22%/30%/40% of attack |
| Pure White Guardian: Meryl | Two equipped: if your HP is less than 30% after being attacked, gain a shield equal to 20%/26%/32%/40% of max HP for ten seconds. Cooldown is 90 seconds Four equipped: increases Whirlwind’s damage by 36%/45%/54%/63% and restores HP equal to 30%/38%/44%/50% of damage dealt while Whirlwind is active. The maximum HP restored every 0.5 seconds cannot exceed 60%/72%/81%/90% of attack |
| Advocate of Violence: King | Two equipped: when a target is shattered, gain a 8%/10%/12%/14% damage boost for 25 seconds. Only the highest level’s effect is applied when obtained repeatedly Four equipped: when there are more than two enemies around, hits restore HP equal to 14%/18%/22%/26% of damage dealt upon attacking. The maximum HP restored every 0.5 seconds must not exceed 36%/42%/48%/54% of attack |
| Slightly Awakened: Huma |
Two equipped: hitting targets with dodge skills inflicts bleed, dealing damage equal to 15%/19%/22.5%/26% of attack every second for five seconds Four equipped: reduces attack of all targets within eight metres that are taking damage over time by 10%/12%/13%/15%. Only the highest level’s effect is applied when obtained repeatedly |
| Proof of Trust: Cocoritter |
Two equipped: increases healing capability and healing received by 10%/12%/14%/16% Four equipped: when you or your teammates are healed, increases attack by 12.5%/15%/17.5%/20% for six seconds. Only the highest level’s effect is applied when obtained repeatedly. |
| Life Bridging: Nemesis | Two equipped: when you heal a target, their volt attack increases by 8%/10%/12%/15% for 20 seconds. This effect doesn’t stack, and only the highest level’s effect is applied when obtained repeatedly Four equipped: when healing yourself or your electrode, the target of healing gains a charge of lightning. This causes the next attack within 30 seconds to cast lightning upon the target, dealing volt damage equal to 240%/300%/360%/420% of volt attack, and damage caused by electrodes is reduced by 50%. Cannot be triggered more than once in ten seconds. Lightning charges don’t stack. Only the highest level’s effect is applied when obtained repeatedly |
SR ToF matrices
| ToF matrix set | Effect |
| Double Nightmares: Barbarossa | Three equipped: upon switching to the weapon, gain 50%/62.5%/75% damage reflection for three seconds. Cooldown is 30 seconds. Upon switching to another weapon, gain a 20%/25%/30% damage boost for five seconds. Cooldown is 30 seconds |
| Swamp Shadow: Sobek | Three equipped: increases damage dealt by 6%/7.5%/9% for each enemy nearby. Up to three stacks |
| Extreme Zero: Frost Bot | Three equipped: when your HP falls below 40%, using a discharge skill to switch to the current weapon restores HP equal to 160%/200%/240% of attack |
| Internal Struggle: Apophis | Three equipped: deal higher damage at lower HP. Deal maximum damage when your HP is 20% or lower. The damage can be increased by up to 20%/25%/30% |
| Devourer: Robarg | Three equipped: when a target is shattered, poison them and deal damage equal to 45%/56%/67.5% of attack every second for ten seconds |
| Nonstop: Pepper | Three equipped: Increase speed of obtaining weapon charge by 10%/12.5%/15% |
| Parabola: Hilda | Three equipped: increases attack by 15%/19%/22.5% when there are no enemies within six metres |
| Overload: Ene | Three equipped: when dealing damage greater than 100% of attack, deal additional damage equal to 60%/75%/90% of attack. Cooldown is three seconds |
| Uproot: Echo | Three equipped: using a discharge skill to switch to the current weapon grants 80/100/120 weapon charge |
| Deadly Lock: Bai Ling | Three equipped: increases damage dealt to grievous targets by 12%/15%/18% |
R ToF matrices
| ToF matrix set | Effect |
| Standard operation | Three equipped: increases damage dealt by volt weapons by 6% |
| Plunder | Three equipped: increases damage dealt by physical weapons by 6% |
| Functional dash | Three equipped: increases damage dealt by frost weapons by 6% |
| Self-explosive | Three equipped: increases damage dealt by flame weapons by 6% |
N ToF matrices
| ToF matrix set | Effect |
| Swipe | Three equipped: reduces damage received by 4% |
| Savage Bloodline | Three equipped: increases damage dealt by 4% |
What’s the best Tower of Fantasy matrix set?
There’s no definitive answer to what the best matrix set is, as it entirely depends on which weapon you’re equipping them to. Generally, the best set for each Simulacra is the one named after them, as they’re tailor-made with the character’s weapon in mind. However, if you want a more in-depth look at the best ToF matrices for each character, take a look at our individual Tower of Fantasy character build guides.
That’s it for our Tower of Fantasy matrices guide. If you need a break from taking down ravagers and helping the settlements of Aesperia, check out our list of the best games like Genshin Impact and set off on a new adventure.