Temtem: How to beat Sophia, leader of Arissola Dojo

The culmination of your journey around each island in the Airborne Archipelago is a Dojo. These are like Gyms from Pokémon. You will have to battle your way through a series of Dojo members before taking on the leader. In Temtem, your first real challenge will be attempting to beat Arissola, the water and wind Dojo, led by Sophia.

You can brute force your way through the Arissola Dojo. But each time your team of battle buddies gets knocked out, you’re going to lose gold that could be better spent on Temtem Cards or Donut backpacks. So, save yourself some time (and money) and check out the tips I’ve put together to help you finesse your way past the Dojo’s initiates and takedown Temtem’s first Dojo leader, Sophia.

Most of the Temtem you encounter in Arissola Dojo will be between level 15 and 19. There are only three that are higher: Samael’s lone level 24 Saipat and Sophia’s level 21 Tuwai and level 22 Oceana. It’s probably a good idea to level your Temtem to at least level 19 for this Dojo. You might want to get a few over level 20.

Know your strengths and weaknesses

The easiest way to beat the Arissola Dojo is to ensure you have the right Temtem types and Techniques that are also the right type. The Dojo is mostly made up of Water- and Wind-types, but there are some exceptions, as well as some that have two types. Here’s a breakdown of exactly what Temtem you will encounter throughout the Dojo.

Temtem you will encounter in Arissola Dojo.

There are six Water-type Temtem you will battle inside Arissola: Saipat, Piraniant, Kalabyss, Oceara, Ukama, and Nessla. Water-types are weak to Nature, Electric, and Toxic-types. They are strong against Fire, Earth, and Digital-types.

The other type you will regularly encounter throughout the Dojo is Wind, of which there are also six: Tuwai, Pharac, Pigepic, Loali, Saku, and Barnshe. Wind-types are weak to Electric-types and strong against Toxic-types.

There is one Temtem you will encounter in the Dojo that is both Water- and Wind-type, Wiplump. As its name implies, this lump is going to get whipped by your Electric-types. Then there are two Temtem that don’t follow the rules of the Dojo. Sophia has a Sparzy, which is an Electric-type, and one of the Lieutenants has a Skunch, which is Normal and Melee-type.

Now that we know what we’re up against, we can work out how to beat Arissola Dojo. We’ll talk about the encounters before Sophia first because she’s a little bit more complicated. The strategy is simple, you need to catch some Electric- and Nature-type Temtem.

What Temtem are the best to beat Arissola Dojo?

Welcome to the Arissola Dojo.

Starting with the Electric-type, you want to head to the Thalassian Cliffs and catch a Ganki. Ideally with the Botanophobia Trait, instead of Cold-Natured. It appears frequently, and should be an easy catch. Ganki’s DC Beam and Chain Lightning will help you take down all the Water- and Wind-types you encounter. Ganki will destroy the Wiplumps and Barnshe you encounter, dealing four times more damage to them. You might want to pick up a couple of Gankis in case one gets knocked out.

It’s a good idea to pair Ganki with a Temtem that will take reduced damage from its Chain Lightning, which hits three of the four Temtem on the battlefield. Crystle, if you took it as a starter, and Kaku are both good. A Paharo or Pigepic with the Friendship Trait are also both solid choices. Friendship prevents a Temtem from taking damage from an ally’s Technique.

Your dream team: Kaku, Saku, and Ganki.

The other Temtem that will help you beat Arissola Dojo’s numerous members is Kaku and its evolution Saku. Kaku is a Nature-type and Saku is a Nature and Wind-type. At level 11, they both acquire the Sharp Leaf Technique, which deals Nature damage. As we’ve learned, that’s exactly what we need against Arissola’s numerous Water-types. Kaku can also be caught in the Thalassian Cliffs and Saku in The Gifted Bridges.

Kaku is very resistant to damage from the enemies inside Arissola Dojo. Both Water and Electric-types deal half damage to it. Saku will take half damage from Water-types. But because it is a Nature- and Wind-type, it is both resistant and vulnerable to Electric Techniques. Which simply means it will take normal damage from Electric-types.

How to beat the rouge Skunch

The out of place Skunch.

This Temtem didn’t get the memo about Arissola Dojo being for Water- and Wind-types. Skunch is a Normal- and Melee-type hybrid.

If you chose Houchic as your starter Temtem, dealing with Skunch is no problem. Houchic’s Mental-type attacks will be multiplied by four when fighting Skunch. If you didn’t go with Houchic, it still won’t be a problem. Just don’t use Earth- or Melee-type techniques and don’t let your valuable Electric- and Nature-types take unnecessary damage.

How to beat Nessla

This is where things get a little complicated.

Nessla throws a spanner into your usual strategy. All the ones you encounter in Arissola Dojo have the Electric Synthesize Trait. This Trait causes the Nessla to get healed instead of damaged by Electric Techniques. Enemy Nessla’s will use Chain Lightning to damage both your Temtem while healing itself. You can’t use your Ganki to kill it, as you normally would with a Water-type. So, make sure you have your Saku or Kaku ready with Sharp Leaf to take down Nesslas quickly.

How to beat Sophia

Sophia’s team of Temtem.

Now for your final hurdle, defeating Sophia. She has three Wind-types, two Water-types, and one Electric-type. She’ll open with the Water and Toxic hybrid Kalabyss, and the Nature and Wind hybrid Loali. You should open with an Electric-type or two to wipe Kalabyss off the battlefield and comfortably deal with Laoli. You will probably also have a relatively strong Tuwai, which has Wind Techniques that will also deal double damage to Kalabyss.

Sophia will follow up by throwing her Sparzy into the ring. The main thing to concentrate on now is not letting too many of your Temtem get knocked out. Sparzy is going to destroy your Ganki or Tuwai, but it’s alright. Sacrifice one while focusing on Sparzy’s partner with Electric attacks (this is why it’s a good idea to have multiple Gankis). When your first Temtem gets knocked out, bring in your starter.

If you chose Crystle, you’ll be able to deal double damage to Sparzy and it’ll go down in no time. Players who went with Smazee should just go all out on the Sparzy with your biggest attacks. If you chose Houchic, there’s another strategy you can employ. You can partner Houchic with a Tateru that has the Soft Touch Trait. Houchic can put Sparzy to sleep and both your Temtem will be able to damage it without waking it up. Just remember that Houchic will take double damage from Electric Techniques.

Once Sparzy goes down, you’re pretty much home free. Bring out your second Ganki to dispatch Sophia’s Pigepic and Tuwai. And Ganki, Saku, and Kaku will all deal double damage to her Oceara. Saku and Kaku will also take half damage from its attacks.

The best team to beat Arissolo Dojo and Sophia

There are a few team compositions that you can consider when you go up against the water and wind Dojo. I would have two Gankis on hand and probably two Sakus as well. If your starter Temtem was Houchic, pick up a Tateru with Soft Touch. If not, bring along your starter and a Skail or Skunch.

Whichever Temtem you are going to use to deal with Sparzy, make sure you give it the Talisman to hold. It will prevent your Temtem from being Doomed by Sparzy’s Psychosis. The Talisman can be found on the rooftop of Windward Fort.

When catching your Electric and Nature Temtem for Arissola Dojo, make sure you catch ones with good Single Value stats (SVs) – particularly try to pick up ones with high HP, DEF, and SPDEF. Sophia isn’t particularly good at managing her Temtem’s Stamina, so if you can soak up some damage, she will damage her Temtem. If you’re not familiar with SVs, you can check out my guide on them here. If you’re about to start Temtem, you can also check out my guide on which starter Temtem is best for you.