Silica brings fast dagger attacks and her feathered dragon companion Pina to battle. Learn how Pina supports the party, how Silica fights, and why this duo is deceptively strong.
Silica and Pina: A Package Deal
When you bring Silica into your party, you are not just getting one ally -- you get Silica with her daggers AND Pina, her small feathered dragon companion. Pina fights alongside Silica automatically, providing additional damage, occasional support effects, and some of the most adorable combat animations in the game. Do not underestimate this duo. Silica is often written off as a beginner or support-only character, but she has excellent damage output and Pina provides utility no other party member offers.
How Silica Fights
Silica uses daggers, which means:
• Fast attack speed and frequent dodging. She survives by not getting hit rather than by tanking.
• Good mobility, often darting in and out of combat range.
• Applies status effects like poison with rapid dagger hits.
• Decent Switch follow-up speed, though she is slightly less reliable at responding than Asuna due to her positioning.
Her AI plays cautiously compared to Asuna's aggression. She will pull back if she takes damage, which can be both good (she survives longer) and frustrating (she sometimes backs out of Switch range).
Pina's Support Abilities
Pina is the real reason to consider Silica for your party. Pina provides:
• Additional damage -- Pina attacks enemies on her own, adding extra hits during combat. Every bit of damage helps.
• Support breaths -- Pina occasionally uses breath attacks that can heal party members or apply buffs. These are not frequent enough to replace a dedicated healer, but they supplement healing nicely.
• Status breath -- Some of Pina's attacks apply status effects to enemies, adding to the pressure Silica already applies with her daggers.
• Distraction -- Pina occasionally draws enemy attention away from party members, giving you brief windows to heal or reposition.
Player Tip: Pina's support effects are most noticeable in longer fights, especially boss fights where the extra healing and damage add up over time. In short trash fights you may not notice Pina much, but in prolonged encounters Pina's contributions become substantial.
Party Synergy with Silica
Silica works best in compositions where she can provide supplementary damage and support without being the primary anything:
• She is an excellent third slot alongside Lisbeth (tank/stun) and Asuna (DPS/heals) if you want extra sustain and status application.
• She pairs well with Sinon in ranged-heavy compositions -- Pina can body-block enemies who try to close on Sinon while Silica applies pressure at close-mid range.
• For solo players who want extra safety, Silica's Pina provides a little extra healing and distraction that can save you in tight moments.
Raising Silica's Affinity
Silica responds well to kind, supportive dialogue choices. She is younger than many of the other characters and appreciates encouragement. She likes cute items and food as gifts. As her affinity increases:
• Pina becomes more active in combat, using support breaths more frequently.
• Silica herself fights more aggressively and stays in combat longer rather than retreating early.
• Her Switch response time improves.
• You unlock character-specific story events showing her bond with Pina.
Should you main Silica? If you enjoy dagger combat and like having extra support from a companion, absolutely. She is not as overwhelmingly powerful as Asuna in the general case, but she is far from weak, and Pina's unique support makes her a compelling choice for players who enjoy a more playful, companion-focused playstyle.