AQ7 has been out for a while now. And since it looks like AQ7 will be the final AQ for at least one more year, maybe this guide will help somebody to gear up. Notice that if you can't handle AQ7 even with this guide, I also have a guide for AQ5 and a guide for AQ6.

So, what is the benefit for running AQ7? Quite a lot, actually.
1. Double guaranteed SSR drop gets you the best accessory leveling speed.
2. One Ancient SSR drop guaranteed (with a chance for a second), which are significantly more likely to have good shit in them.
2. The only way to get your hands on Devil Accessories.
And speaking of Devil Accessories... they themselves aren't all that impressive. They have a slight increase in base stats, but the most important part (the enigmas) seem to be on par with Ancients. However, they CAN have "jackpot" enigmas in them. This will always be the third enigma and is accompanied by a marking for [1], [2] or [3]. This marking means that the enigma is only active in that Accessory Slot. These slots are also predetermined, here is a list of them when at level 50:

Slot 1:
Atk+ (+10%) (aka Assault)
Crit+ (+10% chance, +x% damage) (damage value unknown, probably shit)
Dbl+ (+5%)

Slot 2:
Def+ (+10%)
HP+ (+10%)
Damage cut (-5%) (stacks with other damage cuts!)

Slot 3:
Counterattack+ (+15%) (aka Pride, aka Assault) (scaling unknown, 5% Assault per 10% HP lost, up to 15%?)
Evasion+ (+3%)
Heal+ (+8%) (aka Ascension)

So. You MIGHT find a Devil Accessory. Which MIGHT have a jackpot enigma in it. Which MIGHT be one of the good types (and not trash like +HP). And then it MIGHT have one good enigma in the remaining two slots, making it equally good with good Ancients. In other words... ... don't hold your fucking breath. Just aim for good normal/Ancient Accessories, two good enigmas in Tiaras (of which every Hime needs three of) and three good enigmas in non-Tiaras.


Now then, let us finally get to the actual guide:
About first waves in general:

ALL mobs here have a Trigger which happens when you attack them with normal attacks. This seems to be a priority over all Overdrives, so make sure to Trigger mobs to prevent the real pain from happening if you need it.

Please note that the Trigger is REALLY finicky. Even if you don't actually hit a mob, being the next target is good enough for them. In other words, if your final Hime kills a mob, the next mob (whoever is now the topmost one) WILL Trigger despite having taken no damage.

The Trigger does not happen from Abilities, so weaker players might want to use them to weaken the first wave up.

About second waves in general:

The devs got lazy and only made to different types. I refer them as the "easy" type and the "HARD" type.

I was too strong for AQ7 already when it came out so I might be wrong, but, I don't think it is possible to lose to the easy type when being strong enough to kill the last boss of AQ7. One thing to note here is that you should NOT burst against these guys, as they Trigger pretty harshly from that.

However, the HARD type is a different story. These guys slam a 100% HP DoT on you, which WILL kill you in five turns no matter how strong you are. There are ways to play around this, but I will mention it per element. I will assume that you're playing on-element, so if you're playing off-element, well, you probably have good knowledge of your element of choice and can adapt. In addition, these guys have a murderous Overdrive and will probably wipe newer players if it happens. Don't be afraid to use burst against these!



And finally, to the element specific stuff. I have tried to verify as much damage numbers as possible, but there are still lots of numbers from the DMM wiki page. The DMM wiki numbers were a mess, with some numbers clearly with elemental advantage and some with not (despite all of them supposedly being without). All numbers here should be with elemental advantage, so if you're going off-element, remember that you're taking more damage.

Thunder:

1st:
Hati, 800k, 2 orbs, trigger: 4x 1.5k, OD 3x 3.5k
Storm Katze, 3 orbs, trigger: 70k AoE Heal, OD 160k AoE Heal
Ratatoskr, 800k, 1 orb, trigger: AoE Atk Down (-15%) 2t (stacks), OD AoE damage cut (-10%)(5 times)

Be careful of leaving bottom last if you plan on Cleansing. Middle is entirely harmless. So probably just AAB starting from bottom.

2nd:
Wraith, 6.5m, 5 orbs
OD: ~7k AoE
Trigger: First action: 20% DoT, 5t
Trigger: On Stun: ~5k AoE + burst gauge- ?t + kill self (if you use Rage cuts, might not die)

The HARD type. You MUST have a countermeasure for that DoT or you WILL die. Wind has very few Hime who are capable of it... but here your options:
1. Kill it on turn 1.
2. Maiden's Prayer, Soul EX-skill for Cleanse. Or Andromeda's EX-skill Pure Garden (Debuff Prevention).
3. Fight wave1 slowly and use gacha SSR Eidolon Behemoth to Cleanse (8t CD).
4. Cleanse from SSR Set/R Apep (Limited!).
5. Debuff Prevention from SSR Poseidon (Ruler of Sea Breezes) (Limited!).
And once you've cleared that hurdle, remember that getting hit by that Overdrive will hurt. Good luck!

Fire:

1st:
Lechsal, 800k, 3 orbs, trigger: 1.5k AoE, OD ?k AoE
Gaddahl, 800k, 3 orbs, trigger: AoE Atk Down 3t (-?%)(stacks), OD AoE Def Down 10t
Katieu, 800k, 3 orbs, trigger: 1x 2.5k, OD ?

Nothing special here. Try not to let middle to use OD, and bottom probably hurts too.

2nd:
Ronove, 6m, 3 orbs
OD: 3k AoE + Exhaustion ?t
Rage behavior: Unraging takes about ~75% HP
Trigger: First turn: Set Rage bar to full
Trigger: Normal and 3+ characters burst: ?k AoE damage
Trigger: Raging and 5 characters burst: ?k AoE damage + ability seal ?t + self-Rage bar to 0

The easy type. If your numbers are high enough to beat wave3, then this shouldn't pose a threat to you.

Water:

1st:
Krirtu, 900k, 2 orbs, trigger: 3k AoE + hurt self 180k, OD 4k AoE + hurt self 180k
Oannes, 900k, 1 orb, trigger: 3x 3k + hurt self 180k, OD 1x 7k + hurt self 180k
Apsasu, 700k, 3 orbs, trigger: 90k AoE heal, OD 180k AoE heal

Ignore bottom, it does nothing ever. The other two really hurt, but will murder themselves quite quickly, making this a short fight. Weaker players might need to burn skills to kill the top two mobs safely.
There are no debuffs here, so if you're bringing a Friend's Kirin, you should use it on turn1.

2nd:
Umu Dabrutu, 6.5m, 5 orbs
OD: ~7k AoE
Trigger: First action: 20% DoT, 5t
Trigger: On Stun: ~5k AoE + Charm ?t + kill self (if you use Rage cuts, might not die)

The HARD type. You MUST have a countermeasure for that DoT or you WILL die. Thunder has some ways to deal with it:
1. Kill it on turn 1 (this is very difficult due to short wave1!).
2. Maiden's Prayer, Soul EX-skill for Cleanse. Or Andromeda's EX-skill Pure Garden (Debuff Prevention).
3. Cleanse from SSR Dian/SR Cyclops/R Indra (Gem Gacha!).
4. Friend's Kirin can give you Debuff Prevention - notice that there are no debuffs in wave1!
And once you've cleared that hurdle, remember that getting hit by that Overdrive will hurt. Good luck!

Wind:

1st:
Werecat, 800k, 6 orbs, trigger: 1x 4k, OD 5x ?k
Typhoon, 750k, 3 orbs, trigger: AoE Atk down 4t (-?%)(stacks), OD AoE Def Down 10t (-?%)
Senri, 800k, 3 orbs, trigger: give 2 orbs to topmost mob, OD 2k AoE + give 2 orbs to topmost mob

Top mob AoE is probably wipe level (it was pretty harsh in AQ5 already). But you can avoid even that by Triggering her, so there is literally zero danger in this wave as long as you start from the top.

2nd:
Copia, 6m, 3 orbs
OD: 3k AoE + Exhaustion 2t
Rage behavior: Unraging takes about ~75% HP
Trigger: First turn: Set Rage bar to full
Trigger: Normal and 3+ characters burst: 4x ?k
Trigger: Raging and 3+ characters burst: ?k AoE damage + self-Rage bar to 0

The easy type. If your numbers are high enough to beat wave3, then this shouldn't pose a threat to you.

Light:

1st:
Al-mi raj, 800k, 3 orbs, trigger: AoE 1.5k, OD AoE 2k?
Satyr, 800k, 3 orbs, trigger: 3x charm (0 damage)(6t), OD 1k AoE + Charm (6t)
Sandman, 800k, 1 orb, trigger: random effect, OD 2x random effect (random effects buff allies or debuff you)

Not the easiest and not the hardest wave1. Sandman doesn't have Doom or anything, so there is little to be afraid of in this wave.

2nd:
Leyak, 6m, 3 orbs
OD: 3k AoE + Exhaustion 2t
Rage behavior: Unraging takes about ~75% HP
Trigger: First turn: Set Rage bar to full
Trigger: Normal and 3+ characters burst: AoE Doom 2t
Trigger: Raging and 3+ characters burst: ?k AoE damage + self-Rage bar to 0

The easy type. If your numbers are high enough to beat wave3, then this shouldn't pose a threat to you.
Note that this one can AoE Doom you if you turn1 burst her and fail to Rage her, supposedly.

Dark:

1st:
Spriggan, 750k, 2 orbs, trigger: 1.5k AoE, OD 2k AoE + AoE Atk+ (+low%)(stacks)(240s)
Boogeyman, 750k, 3 orbs, trigger: AoE Def Down + Debuff res- (4t)(0 damage), OD 2x 4k + Doom 2t (you have one turn to Cleanse!)
Lycantrope, 800k, 2 orbs, trigger: 1x 3.5k, 4x 1.5k + AoE Combo+ (240s)

Just start from middle and there is nothing special here.
If you are relying on Debuff Prevention for wave2, you can use it as soon as middle is dead.

2nd:
Jaculus, 6.5m, 5 orbs
OD: ~7k AoE
Trigger: First action: 20% DoT, 5t
Trigger: On Stun: ~5k AoE + Charm (really weak, just ignore) ?t + kill self (if you use Rage cuts, might not die)

The HARD type. You MUST have a countermeasure for that DoT or you WILL die. Light has some ways to deal with it:
1. Kill it on turn 1.
2. Maiden's Prayer, Soul EX-skill for Cleanse. Or Andromeda's EX-skill Pure Garden (Debuff Prevention).
3. Cleanse from SSR Sol/SR Belebog/SR Attar (not attainable until Yam Epic Quest in ~April 2020!)/R Luchtaine.
4. Debuff Prevention from SSR Eros/SR Metis (note: Metis herself doesn't get hit by this!).
And once you've cleared that hurdle, remember that getting hit by that Overdrive will hurt. Good luck!

3rd, same boss with different element for all:

Andromalius, 2 orbs, 11m HP
OD: 4k AoE + ability seal (1t)
Rage OD: 4x 8k
Rage behavior: Rage around 75%, Stun around 15%
Trigger: All four color abilities used: BP to self (can happen twice, increasing orbs up to 4)
Trigger: No abilities used: 4k AoE + Def Down 6t (-10%?)(stacks) (happens even during Stun) (priority over ODs!)
Debuff resistant.

What an interesting design! If you build your team around it, the boss is significantly easier!

The first thing is that you should keep using skills every turn. Some Hime have very short CDs, which will help you to do this easily. Combine with Hercules with short CD skill (such as Overlimit every second turn (buff type) or Maiden's Prayer every third turn (heal type)) and you'll handle that part easily. Remember! You can avoid Overdrives by NOT using skills!!

The second thing is, you can increase the boss' bubbles without landing BP (which is unreliable in this fight). This happens by using all four types of abilities in a single turn: damage type (red), heal type (green), buff type (yellow) and affliction type (blue, typically these don't deal damage or they are red).

Doing both of these will make the boss a joke. So really, it comes down to how well you can build your team to match both these conditions AND clear waves1 and waves2, which are significantly stronger here than elsewhere. Good luck!