Gnome

Special Ability
Unlocked by upgrading once, Gnome adds a shield to all party members in its dungeon team. This shield has the same defense as the pet it surrounds and will absorb damage based on Gnome's Earth element stat. Gnome will shield the team once per room with a good sized bubble of bonus health. This shield can not be healed by a supporter, but will be reset to full by Gnome every room.

After the first upgrade, the shield is equal to Earth Element of Gnome. After the second upgrade, shield is equal to 3 * Earth Element. After the third upgrade, shield is equal to 5 * Earth Element * (0.5 + 0.02 * CL)

Because the Class Level for Gnome is taken into account after the third upgrade, the effectiveness of the shield is reduced for Gnome V4 compared to Gnome V3. After evolving and reaching CL 5+, the shield is improved compared to Gnome V3.

=The Quest for Gnome=

Before continuing and giving Gnome all of his upgrades, it is advised you follow this table and reach the specified growth first, depending on where you are in the process. This will allow you to reach his Evo Growth requirement without needing a 55K GC.

Campaign Bonus Each Form

1st Step Unlocking the Gnome: To unlock Gnome, you will need to do 100 hours of Item Campaign in a single rebirth to get its 'Core Shard' and then hit unlock. This cannot be split among multiple rebirths. It must be in a single rebirth.

2nd Step Upgrading the Gnome: To upgrade the Gnome, you will need to run item campaigns with Gnome that exceed 6hrs in a single rebirth. This can be 1 6hr, 2 3hr or 3 2hr, etc. You will receive Core Shards for every 6hrs you complete in the same rebirth. Gnome does not have to be in the item camp during the entire time, so for example you can run an 11hr camp without Gnome and then a 1hr camp with Gnome, and you'll still get 2 Core Shards. This is maxed at 4 shards per campaign, for example running 29 hours of item camp and then taking gnome for 1 hour would only give you 4 shards and would require a 2nd camp of 1 hour with gnome to get the 5th shard. Each upgrade you give the Gnome will increase its growth by a certain amount, which is specified on each step, similar to Undine.

3rd Step 1st Upgrade: Create and give Gnome a Magic Soil

4th Step 2nd Upgrade: Create and give Gnome a Soul of Gnome

Final Step 3rd Upgrade: Create and give Gnome a Magic Soul of Gnome

Total Cost Keep in mind, this does not include the materials needed for his evo. Also, 100 of the Core Shards listed below are specifically used in making 50 Magic Soils used throughout the upgrades.

Recommendation
Gnome unlock could be done during an AAC or UPC, since you need so many hours of item campaigns for those. Later in the game you could also do a slow/lazy OCCC to unlock it.