================================================================================
Fire Emblem: Radiant Dawn - Character Guide
by Ken J. Egervari
[email protected]
Game...............Fire Emblem: Radiant Dawn
Guide...........................In-depth FAQ
Platform.................................Wii
Version.................................0.14
First Published............November 21, 2007
Last Updated...............November 26, 2007
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Table of Contents
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Use CTRL-F and copy-paste the content inside the []'s to quickly find a
section.
1. Introduction ....................................................[1-00]
1.01 - About This FAQ ...........................................[1-01]
1.02 - Credits/Thanks ...........................................[1-02]
1.03 - Updates and Revisions ....................................[1-03]
2. Party Overviews .................................................[2-00]
2.01 - The Dawn Brigade .........................................[2-01]
2.02 - Kingdom of Crimea ........................................[2-02]
2.03 - The Greil Mercenaries ....................................[2-03]
2.04 - Begnion Empire ...........................................[2-04]
2.05 - The Laguz ................................................[2-05]
3. The Characters ..................................................[3-00]
3.01 - Micaiah ..................................................[3-01]
3.02 - Edward ...................................................[3-02]
3.03 - Leonardo .................................................[3-03]
3.04 - Nolan ....................................................[3-04]
3.05 - Laura ....................................................[3-05]
3.06 - Sothe ....................................................[3-06]
3.07 - Ilyana ...................................................[3-07]
3.08 - Aran .....................................................[3-08]
3.09 - Meg ......................................................[3-09]
3.10 - Volug ....................................................[3-10]
3.11 - Tauroneo .................................................[3-11]
3.12 - Jill .....................................................[3-12]
3.13 - Zihark ...................................................[3-13]
3.14 - Fiona ....................................................[3-14]
3.15 - Tormod ...................................................[3-15]
3.16 - Muarim ...................................................[3-16]
3.17 - Vika .....................................................[3-17]
3.18 - Nailah ...................................................[3-18]
3.19 - Rafiel ...................................................[3-19]
3.20 - Elincia ..................................................[3-20]
3.21 - Marcia ...................................................[3-21]
3.22 - Nealuchi .................................................[3-22]
3.23 - Leanne ...................................................[3-23]
3.24 - Haar .....................................................[3-24]
3.25 - Brom .....................................................[3-25]
3.26 - Nephenee .................................................[3-26]
3.27 - Heather ..................................................[3-27]
3.28 - Lucia ....................................................[3-28]
3.29 - Lethe ....................................................[3-29]
3.30 - Mordecai .................................................[3-30]
3.31 - Geoffrey .................................................[3-31]
3.32 - Kieran ...................................................[3-32]
3.33 - Astrid ...................................................[3-33]
3.34 - Makalov ..................................................[3-34]
3.35 - Danved ...................................................[3-35]
3.36 - Calill ...................................................[3-36]
3.37 - Ike ......................................................[3-37]
3.38 - Titania ..................................................[3-38]
3.39 - Soren ....................................................[3-39]
3.40 - Mist .....................................................[3-40]
3.41 - Rolf .....................................................[3-41]
3.42 - Boyd .....................................................[3-42]
3.43 - Oscar ....................................................[3-43]
3.44 - Shinon ...................................................[3-44]
3.45 - Gatrie ...................................................[3-45]
3.46 - Rhys .....................................................[3-46]
3.47 - Mia ......................................................[3-47]
3.48 - Ranulf ...................................................[3-48]
3.49 - Kyza .....................................................[3-49]
3.50 - Lyre .....................................................[3-50]
3.51 - Reyson ...................................................[3-51]
3.52 - Janaff ...................................................[3-52]
3.53 - Ulki .....................................................[3-53]
3.54 - Sigrun ...................................................[3-54]
3.55 - Tanith ...................................................[3-55]
3.56 - Sanaki ...................................................[3-56]
3.57 - Skrimir ..................................................[3-57]
3.58 - Tibarn ...................................................[3-58]
3.59 - Naesala ..................................................[3-59]
3.60 - Pelleas ..................................................[3-60]
3.61 - Stefan ...................................................[3-61]
3.62 - Oliver ...................................................[3-62]
3.63 - Bastian ..................................................[3-63]
3.64 - Volke ....................................................[3-64]
3.65 - Kurthnaga ................................................[3-65]
3.66 - Ena ......................................................[3-66]
3.67 - Caineghis ................................................[3-67]
3.68 - Giffca ...................................................[3-68]
3.69 - Renning ..................................................[3-69]
3.70 - Gareth ...................................................[3-70]
3.71 - Nasir ....................................................[3-71]
3.72 - Lehran ...................................................[3-72]
4. The Final Party .................................................[4-00]
5. Last Words ......................................................[5-00]
5.01 - Contact Info .............................................[5-01]
5.02 - Copyright Info ...........................................[5-02]
5.03 - Coming Soon ..............................................[5-03]
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1. Introduction
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1.01 - About This FAQ
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The main purpose of this FAQ is to help you evalute the characters so that
you can decide who you want to include in your party, both during the regular
chapters, as well as in the final endgame chapters.
This FAQ is aimed at helping new and experienced players alike, including
basic class and character information, as well as detailed strategies and
arguments for each character.
Despite most of the info not currently written, the guide's immediately
useful with the charts I have generated. So check them out and make
comparison's yourself.
If you need to, check the "Credits" and "Copyright" sections at the bottom of
the document.
Lastly, I hope you learn something, and please ALWAYS have fun! :)
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1.02 - Credits/Thanks
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First, I'd like to thank Aveyn_Knight for his site, which lists all the
characters, their growth rates, jobs, job caps and promotion bonuses! I
converted all of his web content to XML, and generated all the tables that
you see in this FAQ using all of his data! Thank you so much! You can find
his site here:
http://myweb.tiscali.co.uk/tiara/fe10/
Here's a list of people I'd also like to thank, in no particular order:
* Tristan C and Fred Delles for informing me about Leanne's refresh
mechanics.
* Nintendo and Intelligent Systems: For making the game!
* GameFAQs: For hosting this guide!
* ME: For writing this FAQ ;)
And last, but not least:
* YOU: For reading it! ;)
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1.03 - Updates and Revisions
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Version 0.14 - November 26, 2007
--------------------------------
* Added character descriptions up to Calill - more than half done!
* Some temporary descriptions for Mia, Gatrie, Rhys, etc.
* Lots of corrections, changes, etc. in previous descriptions
Version 0.13 - November 25, 2007
--------------------------------
* Added character descriptions up to Lucia
Version 0.12 - November 23, 2007
--------------------------------
* Added character descriptions up to Vika
Version 0.11 - November 22, 2007
--------------------------------
* Fixed Laguz Levels so they don't show as Beorc style levels
* Fixed Lagus Max Statistics (now based on 40 level, single-tier)
* Added character descriptions for 6-7 characters
Version 0.10 - November 21, 2007
--------------------------------
* Start of the project
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2. Party Overviews
================================================================================
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2.01 - The Dawn Brigade
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2.02 - Kingdom of Crimea
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2.03 - The Greil Mercenaries
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2.04 - Begnion Empire
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2.05 - The Laguz
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================================================================================
3. The Characters
================================================================================
This FAQ gives a pretty good overall and detailed analysis of all the
characters in the game. I assume you are playing on NORMAL mode, because
quite frankly, if you're playing easy, all you need to do is get your final
team to 20/20/20 and you should be more than capable to beat the game. That,
and just as long as you don't use many magic-based classes other than the
ones you are forced to use (Micaiah and Sanaki) - that'll give you best
results.
Rather than organize the characters by class, I decided to organize them
based on when you come across them during the game. I do this because I don't
think character class is all that important. What IS most important is the
character's resourcefulness to help you win the game, which largely amounts
to their base stats, growths and any specific skills that character
possesses.
Sometimes, even though a character is the best in a specific class, they can
still be ineffective as a whole. Other times even the worst character in a
given class is actually worth using. And even still, two characters in the
same class perform completely opposite to each other.
Given the nature of how Radiant Dawn separates your parties throughout the
game, it's very challenging to evaluate the characters. While it's
definitely possible to get the characters you want to take to the final
chapter to level 20/20/20, my goal is to help you select characters that will
give you the greatest advantage, and help you win the game at all stages
(rather than the final few chapters). This means I won't just be comparing
end-game stats - I will be evaluating the overall effectiveness of the
character from beginning to end.
I will give each character a letter grade, from F to A+, for their
performance when you first acquire the character, and for the end-game. Keep
in mind, these are my opinions. However, I will give indepth arguments as to
why I rank them the way that I do.
NOTE: I wrote a program to generate all the character titles, charts, etc.,
because a lot of this would have been really tedious to do by hand.
So, if there's an error in stats, let me know so I can correct the
corresponding XML file and regenerate the chart with the program.
Thanks!
NOTE: When grading characters, I assume no use of BEXP, Paragon or any other
forms of special treatment. It's my opinion that if a character needs a
lot of special treatment, then that's a disadvantage when other
characters are better as they are.
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3.01 - Micaiah [3-01]
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Starting Level: 01
Class Progression: Light Mage -> Light Sage -> Light Priestess
---------.----------.-------.------------.-------.------------------------------
| | Base | Max | Class |
Stat | Growth % | Stats | Avg. Stats | Caps |
---------|----------|-------|------------|-------|------------------------------
HP | 40% | 15 | 43.8 | 50 |
STR | 15% | 2 | 18.5 | 22 |
MAG | 80% | 7 | * 40 | 40 |
SKL | 40% | 8 | 32.6 | 35 |
SPD | 35% | 7 | 30 | 33 |
LUCK | 80% | 10 | * 40 | 40 |
DEF | 20% | 2 | 21.4 | 23 |
RES | 90% | 4 | * 40 | 40 |
---------'----------'-------'------------'-------'------------------------------
Micaiah's the main Lord in Radiant Dawn, although there are several Lord
characters. Micaiah's is fairly competent in her own chapters. She's
effective at killing weakened enemies, or weakening enemies for other
characters to kill. This is the nature of Micaiah's party since they are
considerbly weak until their characters start promoting.
One of the big bonuses with Light Magic is that it does pretty decent damage
in the first few chapters (10-11) compared to Edward against Lance users.
She's also very reliable, having 100% hit against everything. So you'll rely
on her to finish off enemies - it usually starts with Nolan tanking and
attacking first to soften the enemy, and then Micaiah attacking for the kill.
Her Thani spell, a spell that's effective against high-armored targets, does
terrific damage against some bosses and otherwise very tough targets like
Armored Knights... killing them in a single hit (35+ damage).
However, Micaiah has a whole slew of problems when it comes to midgame and
endgame, starting with her promotions. Micaiah requires two story-driven
promotions, both of which occur much later compared to other characters. Many
characters will be level 20/20/15 by the time Micaiah reaches her 3rd
promotion. This means you are forced to use a combination of the Paragon
skill and BEXP to level her up - clearly a disadvantage.
To make matters worse, Micaiah is fairly weak. While she should
theorectically be doing decent damage with her insane magic growths, her
speed is so low that she won't double-attack anything in the later chapters.
This means just about any character in the game with lower Magic or Strength
will deal more damage than Micaiah - And this includes the additional damage
from enemy weaknesses to magic. Worse still, even Thani cannot kill a General
in a single turn.
Like many of the central characters in this game, Micaiah has an incredible
Luck score. However, all that Luck doesn't really help her dodge attacks
consistently. You can't take advantage of her naturally high resistance
either because mages account for 10% of the enemies you will face in this
game.
Ultimately, Micaiah will get hit, and it only takes one or two hits to kill
her. With a defense score likely to be among the lowest on your entire
roster... Micaiah is a very risky unit to have on the battlefield - she needs
constant babying and protection to avoid being killed.
Honestly, if Micaiah wasn't a Lord, I would not recommend her. Unfortunately,
you are forced to take her into the final chapters. So regardless, you have
to aggressively level her up before the promotions kick-in and make the best
of what you've got.
--------------------
Join Grade: 08/10
Endgame Grade: 05/10
--------------------
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3.02 - Edward [3-02]
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Starting Level: 04
Class Progression: Myrmidon -> Swordmaster -> Trueblade
---------.----------.-------.------------.-------.------------------------------
| | Base | Max | Class |
Stat | Growth % | Stats | Avg. Stats | Caps |
---------|----------|-------|------------|-------|------------------------------
HP | 85% | 19 | * 55 | 55 |
STR | 60% | 7 | * 32 | 32 |
MAG | 5% | 0 | 8.7 | 20 |
SKL | 65% | 11 | * 40 | 40 |
SPD | 60% | 12 | * 40 | 40 |
LUCK | 50% | 8 | * 30 | 30 |
DEF | 35% | 5 | * 26 | 26 |
RES | 20% | 0 | 16.8 | 24 |
---------'----------'-------'------------'-------'------------------------------
Edward is a farely weak at the start of the game, hardly being able to 1HKO
most enemies, despite doubling them. He's also very fragile - taking more
than 2 hits will often kill him, at least until his promotion to Swordmaster.
Even still, he's worth using through all of Micaiah's chapters, and he only
gets better as he levels. He has the Wrath skill, which lets him increase his
critical chance as he takes damage. Cancel's a good skill to start him off
with, however once he's promoted, he should start using Adept and Vantage,
which activate very frequently given his high skill stat. He's a beast that
even the Laguz will fear.
As for endgame, Edward is simply the best Trueblade in the game... at least
when it comes to 20/20/20 stats. Edward nearly caps everything (and arguably,
that's all he really needs to cap to be effective). However, despite being
the best Trueblade in the game, he's not far superior to other Trueblades,
namely Zihark and Mia. And if you take into account that Edward is far
under-leveled, he actually factors in to be the worst out of the 3
characters.
As far as stats are concerned... compared to Zihark, Edward has +4.6 Luck and
+2 Defense lead, which I think is better than +7.2 Resistance lead that
Zihark offers. Resistance really only helps in the last 2 chapters of the
game - big deal. The rest of the stats are comparable.
However, Zihark has a massive level lead on Edward, so you could largely
choose to stop leveling Edward once you acquire Zihark. You could put
Edward's XP to better use by focusing on Micaiah, Nolan and Jill instead...
and use Zihark all the way until the endgame. This isn't a bad approach since
Zihark comes back in Part 3 to help Ike's party, whereas Edward doesn't see a
lot of action at all. This gives Zihark a huge level advantage.
Also consider that Zihark has the Earth affinity, which gives massive boost
to the Avoid statistic for supports. It's considered to be the best affinity
in the entire game. Zihark is clearly winning over Edward.
Now, since Edward has Wrath... and Zihark has Adept... I consider them both
equal. Regardless which one you use, you'll most likely remove the other's
skill and assign it to create the Wrath + Adept pair that is fantastic on
Swordmasters and Trueblades with their high skill stats. As a whole, Zihark
has the win here since he can use both skills right away, without having to
wait around and promote to use them.
Compared to Mia, Edward also has her beat in stats, but he's only beating her
by 1 point in a few key areas. Again, Mia has a massive level-lead on Edward
if you use her in Ike's chapters. It's a waste of XP to have Edward catch up
at that point. Still, for the same reason you want might want to bench Mia to
spread more XP around to Ike's team... you might want to use Edward anyway
despite the level gap.
When all is said and done, you can't go wrong with Edward, Zihark or Mia. The
Trueblade is a great endgame class to have, and Edward is a great endgame
unit, given that you deal with his very early-game shortcomings. He's
definitely a prime candidate for using Alondite in the final chapters.
However, it's more efficient XP-wise to use Zihark or Mia, and you should
consider doing so.
--------------------
Join Grade: 07/10
Endgame Grade: 08/10
--------------------
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3.03 - Leonardo [3-03]
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Starting Level: 04
Class Progression: Archer -> Sniper -> Marksman
---------.----------.-------.------------.-------.------------------------------
| | Base | Max | Class |
Stat | Growth % | Stats | Avg. Stats | Caps |
---------|----------|-------|------------|-------|------------------------------
HP | 60% | 17 | 55.4 | 60 |
STR | 40% | 8 | 32.6 | 36 |
MAG | 15% | 12 | * 15 | 15 |
SKL | 75% | 10 | * 40 | 40 |
SPD | 35% | 10 | 31.9 | 34 |
LUCK | 65% | 6 | * 30 | 30 |
DEF | 35% | 5 | 26.9 | 32 |
RES | 55% | 4 | * 25 | 25 |
---------'----------'-------'------------'-------'------------------------------
Leonardo's the first archer you get, and to put it simply: he's okay as far
as Archers go. The problem with Leonardo, like many of Micaiah's units, is
that his defense is bad. You have to constantly shield him away from the
battle, and for largely no real benefit. Why is it that a Fighter does more
damage, has more HP, and largely does everything better than an Archer?
Honestly... other than perhaps hit %, I don't know. If I had 2 Fighters, I'd
use them instead of this twit.
As you might have guessed, I don't really like Leonardo... or Archers for
that matter. The Archer is just not a very good early-game class. They cause
low damage... they are fragile... and they support a playstyle that revolves
around protecting useless, weak units rather than a playstyle that actually
WINS the game quickly. Personally, this game is about WINNING the chapters -
it's NOT about "How many turns can I keep my Archer alive."
What's worse though, is that since Leonardo can't counter-attack on the enemy
attack phase (at this early point in the game), his only damage production is
on your own turn. So while units can attack on both phases, Leonardo often
picks his nose.
And if you leave him unguarded in the range of enemy fire, even just once?
Well, he'll get a beating that'll likely send him to his grave. All this
constant babying and planning careful movements to protect Leonardo (and
Micaiah and every other weak unit) makes it very difficult to achieve bonus
experience objectives. For this reason, as well as his mediocre damage
production on the player phase, Leonardo is a fairly poor unit. I recommend
benching Leonardo at the earliest oppurtunity... preferably in Chapter 1-4.
As for the endgame, there's not much to say. Shinon has Leonardo beat in
every stat by 3 or more points except for Luck and Resistance (which are more
or less pointless considering Shinon has +5.1 Defense). Shinon also comes at
a higher level, thus saving you valuable XP for other characters instead of
wasting it on Leonardo. So regardless if you think Archers are worth taking
into the final chapter, we can safely rule out that Leonardo will have a
place in the endgame.
--------------------
Join Grade: 05/10
Endgame Grade: 04/10
--------------------
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
3.04 - Nolan [3-04]
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Starting Level: 09
Class Progression: Fighter -> Warrior -> Reaver
---------.----------.-------.------------.-------.------------------------------
| | Base | Max | Class |
Stat | Growth % | Stats | Avg. Stats | Caps |
---------|----------|-------|------------|-------|------------------------------
HP | 60% | 29 | 64.4 | 68 |
STR | 45% | 12 | 37.1 | 40 |
MAG | 20% | 0 | * 10 | 10 |
SKL | 70% | 11 | * 36 | 36 |
SPD | 60% | 10 | * 35 | 35 |
LUCK | 30% | 7 | 21.7 | 30 |
DEF | 35% | 9 | 29.2 | 31 |
RES | 40% | 3 | * 20 | 20 |
---------'----------'-------'------------'-------'------------------------------
Nolan is arguably one of the best units on Micaiah's team, next to Sothe. He
has very good stats all around, enough HP to take a few hits (very important)
and very competent defense compared to most other charcaters at this point in
the game. His growths are on the high-side, meaning he'll always stay strong
and be useful for the team.
Some people say this character is a little like a Jeigan (?), but I think
he's useful from the moment he joins, and you shouldn't be all that concerned
if he's getting combat experience. He's extremely useful in softening enemies
so Edward or Micaiah can finish them off to get the bulk of the combat XP.
Besides, by chapter 4, Aran, Micaiah and Edward should more or less be at or
exceeding his level anyway, putting them all in same level-range.
While Nolan's defense allows him to tank, it's very possible for Nolan to die
in 3 hits in the early stages of the game. The system is rigged I tell you...
the moment a fighter can't even survive a few attacks.
As for Endgame, you certainly cannot go wrong with using Nolan, or any
Warrior for that matter - it's a class that knows it's strengths, and if you
play to them, you will do very well them.
Compared to Boyd, I would have to say that it's a tie. They both have stats
to beat out each other, and overall they are both quite balanced... so it
really doesn't matter who you take. In Boyd's case, the extra HP doesn't make
much of a difference. However, Boyd will have 3-6 more Attack, depending if
he doubles, and ~4 more Luck. Nolan has slightly better speed, and has +5
boost to Resistance.
In all honesty, decide which character (Boyd or Nolan) you want to use for
the endgame... and then bench the other one. It's easy to get either
character to 20/20/20 before you reach the final chapters. Also, something to
consider... Ike has more potential characters you'd want to take into the
endgame, so distributing more XP to Ike's units by not using Boyd can be a
big benefit to take Nolan. Besides, you have to use Nolan in the early game
whether you want to or not because he's one of your best units, whereas Boyd
is optional.
--------------------
Join Grade: 10/10
Endgame Grade: 08/10
--------------------
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
3.05 - Laura [3-05]
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Starting Level: 01
Class Progression: Priest -> Bishop -> Saint
---------.----------.-------.------------.-------.------------------------------
| | Base | Max | Class |
Stat | Growth % | Stats | Avg. Stats | Caps |
---------|----------|-------|------------|-------|------------------------------
HP | 45% | 16 | * 45 | 45 |
STR | 20% | 3 | 22.4 | 23 |
MAG | 70% | 8 | * 38 | 38 |
SKL | 70% | 3 | * 30 | 30 |
SPD | 70% | 5 | * 31 | 31 |
LUCK | 50% | 8 | 36.5 | 40 |
DEF | 20% | 2 | * 21 | 21 |
RES | 35% | 10 | 33 | 40 |
---------'----------'-------'------------'-------'------------------------------
Laura is the only healer in Micaiah's group for the first part of the game,
so that automatically makes her a useful unit, regardless of her stats (which
are pretty bad to start).
Unfortunately for Laura, she's extremely fragile. She only has 2 Defense to
start, and with a defense stat growth of 20%, that trend pretty much
continues for the rest of the game. You have to protect her at all costs and
watch your movements carefully, as Laura will die in 1 or 2 hits. I wouldn't
count on her avoid supports to kick in either. To best offset this, give her
the Shade skill to deter enemy units from attacking her.
On the plus side, her growths in other areas are great, and she'll cap most
of her stats. It's too bad her caps are low, as that severely limits her
usefulness. At least you don't have to worry about getting RNG-screwed.
There's a lot of "Laura craze" happening on the forums, and I'm not sure why.
Laura's stats are comparable (if not a little low) compared to many mages.
And while she has the ability to heal, she is NOT front-line material - she
has low movement, bad defense and no Canto ability.
Her starting level also prevents her from being useful at endgame. Even if
you use her every turn during Micaiah's chapters (without severely
stave-abusing her), she'll only promote to 2nd-tier in Part 3 at the
earliest. By then, you have Micaiah, Rhys, Mist and Elincia... who are
already at least 2nd-tier (or are just starting 3rd tier in Elincia's case).
Compared to Rhys specifically, he has a 7-level lead on her assuming that
Laura finishes Micaiah's playthrough at Level 16 - which is not unreasonable.
Since Rhys will have 10 more chapters to level up before Part 4 starts while
Laura only has 3, Rhys will easily become the better Bishop, and thus is
better for mid-game and end-game.
Even worse, Elincia is superior to Laura in every way: from base stats, base
level, attack ability, defense, Amiti stat bonuses, and movement. I know
Elincia isn't doing magic damage, but who cares? - A dead enemy is still a
dead enemy! Elincia's movement makes her a far better healer too.
Overall, I'd recommend that you use Laura in Part 1 because she's nearly an
essential unit, but pass on her for the endgame. She's too much effort to
level up past her natural level growth. She'll likely hit Level 20/5 while
Elincia or Rhys will have a massive level advantage on her. She's just not
worth your time. For a more detailed analysis about why this is the case,
check out Rhy's analysis at [3-46].
--------------------
Join Grade: 08/10
Endgame Grade: 04/10
--------------------
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
3.06 - Sothe [3-06]
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Starting Level: --/01
Class Progression: Rogue -> Whisper
---------.----------.-------.------------.-------.------------------------------
| | Base | Max | Class |
Stat | Growth % | Stats | Avg. Stats | Caps |
---------|----------|-------|------------|-------|------------------------------
HP | 30% | 35 | 49.7 | 50 |
STR | 60% | 18 | * 28 | 28 |
MAG | 20% | 4 | 15.6 | 20 |
SKL | 80% | 20 | * 38 | 38 |
SPD | 45% | 20 | 39.1 | 40 |
LUCK | 65% | 15 | * 35 | 35 |
DEF | 20% | 14 | 23.6 | 26 |
RES | 30% | 9 | 24.4 | 25 |
---------'----------'-------'------------'-------'------------------------------
Sothe, overall is a pretty good character. When he joins, it seems like Sothe
is a god. However, other high-level characters join the mix and Sothe's
advantages seem less and less as each chapter passes.
Sothe may very well be one of the best tanks on Micaiah's team. His base
defense is pretty good (14), but more importantly, Sothe manages to dodge a
very high number of attacks, even without his excellent A-level support with
Micaiah (which is also a big benefit that Sothe brings). Even in the final
chapters of Micaiah's part of the game, Sothe is still a reliable tank, and
is far more useful that way compared to Nolan or Jill (they still die in a
few hits, where Sothe can be attacked 10+ times on Normal mode).
His Guard skill is also highly useful, even with unequipped weapons. Most of
the time I send Sothe and Micaiah off on their own to level Micaiah up,
because I know the enemies won't attack Micaiah unless Sothe is not in their
radius (you just have to make sure Sothe is always in front). Besides, their
support helps Micaiah avoid attacks.
As for Sothe's attack, he's very good early game. Not only does he deal good
damage with his low MT weapons, but he double-attacks everything. Still,
you'll probably want to constantly de-equip Sothe's weapons and use him as a
tank... at least until the final chapter in Part 1.
Sothe's ability to steal also makes him pretty essential in Micaiah's
chapters. More than just opening doors and chests, there are a lot of good
items to pilfer off enemies, like character skills and weapons. It seems that
Intelligent Systems made Thieves much more useful than any other Fire Emblem
yet.
The only thing I don't like about Sothe is that he has a forced promotion
after Chapter 4-Prologue. This means that you have to rush and raise Sothe to
level 20 in Chapters 3-6, 3-12 and 3-13. On Easy mode with Paragon, it's
pretty easy to hit 20/20. However, I don't like giving characters special
treatment. Still, if you want Sothe to be the best possible character, you
don't really have a choice. On Normal, this is much harder, and you might be
forced to BEXP the rest of the way there.
As for the endgame, it's really not a question if Sothe is good because you
are forced to use him. Luckily, despite the fact that his thieving skills
aren't all that useful during the endgame, his stats are pretty good as he'll
likely cap almost everything - Skill, Speed and Luck are all high. He'll also
come close to capping Resistance, HP and Speed too.
I wish Sothe had more strength, because even with Baselard (Sothe's best
weapon), he can't seem to 1HKO most enemies in the final chapters, despite
double-attacking them. Still, he dodges almost all attacks, so I don't see
him dying at least (despite the low defense).
Still, I find this unfortunately, because from a Tier perspective, Heather
would have a pretty large statistical advantage at about the time Sothe
promotes. I don't like that the game is forcing me to choose certain units
over others, which largely kills replayability.
Overall, Sothe is a pretty decent character, even if you are forced to use
him. All this means is that characters like Heather and Volke are lower in
value, because you don't really want more than 1 Thief on your team.
--------------------
Join Grade: 09/10
Endgame Grade: 07/10
--------------------
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
3.07 - Ilyana [3-07]
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Starting Level: 12
Class Progression: Thunder Mage -> Thunder Sage -> Arch Sage (Thunder)
---------.----------.-------.------------.-------.------------------------------
| | Base | Max | Class |
Stat | Growth % | Stats | Avg. Stats | Caps |
---------|----------|-------|------------|-------|------------------------------
HP | 55% | 22 | * 45 | 45 |
STR | 45% | 6 | * 24 | 24 |
MAG | 50% | 12 | 37.5 | 39 |
SKL | 60% | 12 | * 34 | 34 |
SPD | 30% | 13 | 29.8 | 30 |
LUCK | 40% | 6 | 24.4 | 30 |
DEF | 30% | 3 | * 24 | 24 |
RES | 50% | 9 | 35 | 38 |
---------'----------'-------'------------'-------'------------------------------
Let me start by saying that Illyana is a pretty terrible unit, for a number
of reasons. Firstly, she's just really fragile - she's level 12 AND she only
has a whopping 3 defense?! How is that supposed to keep her alive?
"But Ken, you don't know how to use mages! If you used them correctly and
protected them, they wouldn't get hit!" - You see that's the problem, why is
my whole army trying to make sure SHE doesn't get hit? Isn't there more
important things for my army to be doing? Besides, almost everyone needs
protection on Micaiah's team.
The thing is, Tauroneo, Sothe and Nolan can only do so much protecting. Just
having yet another weak unit on the field makes the game A LOT HARDER. I
don't like units that make my job harder; I use units that make it easier.
Now, what about her offense? Her offense isn't that great when you first get
her either. Thunder and Elthunder have unreliable accuracy, and they don't do
much damage during Micaiah's run (don't expect any 1HKO's). She never double
attacks either.
And for those of you who still insist that she's useful on the player attack
phase, tell me how useful she is on a map like Part 1, Chapter 6-2? Is she
ever going to be in range to attack anything without the risk of dying? Not
really. So she basically just stays away from danger all the time, never
really contributing.
To make matters worse, a level 8 Micaiah is actually better statistically
than a level 12 Illyana, and this continues to be the case for the rest of
the game. When Micaiah does get to level 12, she's absolutely crushing
Illyana in stats. Seeing that you don't want too many mages on your team,
this is all the reason you should need to avoid Illyana.
Therefore, my recommendation is not to use Illyana, except for softening
laguz and higher-defense bigger enemies for 2-3 chapters. She's useful in
Chapter 1-5 at her base level, seeing as it's impossible to take out all the
units with a low number of characters in 6 turns anyway. By 1-6, you don't
need her anymore.
As far as endgame goes, better and higher-level mages come along, who don't
have to be babied (as much anyway). Even if get her level to 20/20/20, her
speed doesn't even reach 30... so she won't be double-attacking anything. She
doesn't even reach 38 Magic, whereas other Mages will consistent cap it.
Besides, almost every chapter doesn't contain a high number of generals or
marshalls to deal with, giving the edge to physical units anyway. Just skip
her... unless you like women who like to eat and don't get fat.
--------------------
Join Grade: 04/10
Endgame Grade: 02/10
--------------------
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
3.08 - Aran [3-08]
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Starting Level: 07
Class Progression: Soldier -> Halberdier -> Sentinel
---------.----------.-------.------------.-------.------------------------------
| | Base | Max | Class |
Stat | Growth % | Stats | Avg. Stats | Caps |
---------|----------|-------|------------|-------|------------------------------
HP | 50% | 24 | 55.5 | 60 |
STR | 75% | 10 | * 35 | 35 |
MAG | 10% | 0 | 11.1 | 20 |
SKL | 75% | 12 | * 35 | 35 |
SPD | 35% | 10 | 30.9 | 33 |
LUCK | 35% | 6 | 23.9 | 30 |
DEF | 70% | 11 | * 34 | 34 |
RES | 25% | 2 | 20.8 | 27 |
---------'----------'-------'------------'-------'------------------------------
Aran is one of those characters that comes at the right time - just when you
need a highly defensive unit to protect the party's more fragile members. On
easy mode, you can get by without using Aran at all. On Normal, however,
Aran's nearly essential.
Starting at 11 Defense with a growth rate of 70%, he becomes one of the best
tanks for Micaiah's team, especially since you don't mind him
counter-attacking (unlike Tauroneo). Sure, his resistance is bad, but if you
focus down the mages, Aran functions in his role quite well.
Aran isn't perfect, however. He often misses a lot at the beginning, having
50% chance to hit Laguz with a Javalin, and 70% chance to hit with an iron
lance. As he levels, these numbers improve with his excellent growths... and
yet, you can never fully rely on his attack until the very end of Micaiah's
chapters.
As for endgame, he's not a bad unit by any means, having fairly well-rounded
stats across the board - his speed is the only stat that isn't quite high
enough to double-attack anything.
Even still, Nephenee makes a far better Sentinel during the endgame. Let's
compare:
.-----------------.------------------.
| Aran | Nephenee |
|-----------------|------------------|
| +2.4 HP | +3.9 Speed |
| +3.7 Strength | +3.3 Luck |
| +3.7 Defense | +9.2 Resistance |
'-----------------'------------------'
I think Aran and Nephenee are comparable defensively (and nothing's killing
Nephenee anyway). However, Nephenee's extra speed is just fast enough to
double-attack a few enemies in late game... an area where Aran has trouble
in. I think that makes Nephenee better over the modest Strength gain that
Aran has.
Also, you have to deal with the fact that Nephenee will have reached 3rd
tier long before you regain control of Aran, ultimately making Aran a poor
choice regardless of their final stat analysis.
Overall, Aran's a necessary, even great unit for Micaiah's chapters. His
playtime's severely limited after that though.
--------------------
Join Grade: 08/10
Endgame Grade: 06/10
--------------------
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
3.09 - Meg [3-09]
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Starting Level: 03
Class Progression: Armor Sword -> Sword General -> Marshall (Sword)
---------.----------.-------.------------.-------.------------------------------
| | Base | Max | Class |
Stat | Growth % | Stats | Avg. Stats | Caps |
---------|----------|-------|------------|-------|------------------------------
HP | 60% | 21 | * 60 | 60 |
STR | 35% | 10 | 34.3 | 36 |
MAG | 15% | 1 | 15.3 | 20 |
SKL | 40% | 7 | 32 | 33 |
SPD | 65% | 8 | * 32 | 32 |
LUCK | 75% | 8 | * 30 | 30 |
DEF | 35% | 10 | 34.3 | 35 |
RES | 50% | 5 | * 32 | 32 |
---------'----------'-------'------------'-------'------------------------------
Meg looks like one of those units in FE6 and FE7 that start off bad and
promises to be good, but you can't afford to use her in Micaiah's chapters.
At level 3, she dies to Laguz pretty fast, and becomes a liability. You have
to sink too much combat and BEXP into her to make Meg worthwhile. In a group
desperate for experience, that's just not a good idea when Nolan, Edward and
Jill need that experience more. Besides, with growths as fantastic as Meg's,
why would you want to sink BEXP into her?
Meg does promise to be a pretty good unit I guess. She nearly caps all of her
stats, and having 30+ in almost every stat is definitely pretty good.
Still, looking at other Generals like Gatrie or Tauroneo, and it's hard to
recommend Meg considering she starts so low in level and it takes way to long
just to catch up, let alone become better. Even Tauroneo's final stats are
highly comparable (and he has better Strength and Skill, but less Luck and
Resistance).
And when you compare her to units like Tanith, Nephenee or Titania, you
wonder if the stats are even worth it, as Tanith has roughly the same stats,
she comes at a higher level, her weapon type is better (lances), she can fly,
and she has the Canto ability.
Ultimately, it's not worth putting Meg in harms way and making the game a lot
harder when other characters are clearly better for the endgame. Micaiah's
chapter extremely difficult as it is, and including Meg isn't going to make
it any easier.
I say pass.
--------------------
Join Grade: 03/10
Endgame Grade: 01/10
--------------------
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
3.10 - Volug [3-10]
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Starting Level: 15
Class Progression: Wolf
---------.----------.-------.------------.-------.------------------------------
| | Base | Max | Class |
Stat | Growth % | Stats | Avg. Stats | Caps |
---------|----------|-------|------------|-------|------------------------------
HP | 95% | 49 | * 70 | 70 |
STR | 25% | 11 | 17.2 | 20 |
MAG | 15% | 2 | 5.8 | 7 |
SKL | 35% | 12 | 20.8 | 22 |
SPD | 40% | 13 | * 18 | 18 |
LUCK | 90% | 13 | * 35 | 35 |
DEF | 15% | 9 | 12.8 | 15 |
RES | 10% | 5 | 7.5 | 12 |
---------'----------'-------'------------'-------'------------------------------
Volug is one of those characters that can help out in a pinch at the cost of
taking away some party experience. He has great movement, good attack and
great HP.
Volug has very good stats when he joins, crushing both Nolan and Edward in
attack, attack speed and HP... which can be enticing. Volug is a temporary
Laguz unit at best, designed to make the early-game chapters a little easier.
This is partial due to Volug's Wildheart skill, which cuts XP in half, and
his current level.
Even when he does level-up, his growths are terrible - he just doesn't
promise to be a very a good unit. What's the point of investing combat
experience into him when he doesn't promise to improve and when his caps are
low?
Therefore, it's not a good idea for Volug to take away experience from the
rest of Micaiah's team unless it's absolutely necessary. Getting one or two
kills in Chapter 1-5 or any other chapter won't matter all that much, but
anything more and he'll be an experience sinker for literally no benefit.
Ultimately, Volug is not a very good unit, and it starts to show even in
Chapter 1-10 (although I guess every unit is getting beating here too).
Still, when you could take Nailah - or practically anyone with better stats -
into the final chapters... why bother with Volug for?
--------------------</pre><pre id="faqspan-2">
Join Grade: 06/10
Endgame Grade: 01/10
--------------------
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
3.11 - Tauroneo [3-11]
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Starting Level: --/14
Class Progression: Lance General -> Marshall (Lance)
---------.----------.-------.------------.-------.------------------------------
| | Base | Max | Class |
Stat | Growth % | Stats | Avg. Stats | Caps |
---------|----------|-------|------------|-------|------------------------------
HP | 55% | 38 | 55.7 | 60 |
STR | 40% | 24 | * 36 | 36 |
MAG | 5% | 12 | 17.3 | 20 |
SKL | 65% | 22 | * 34 | 34 |
SPD | 50% | 20 | * 31 | 31 |
LUCK | 20% | 18 | 23 | 30 |
DEF | 45% | 21 | 34.2 | 37 |
RES | 50% | 15 | * 30 | 30 |
---------'----------'-------'------------'-------'------------------------------
With the addition of Tauroneo, you'll finally have a super-tank to mitigate
damage on Micaiah's team, which is desparately needed... if only for a little
while. He'll definitely be the best character you have on your team at this
point, all the way until Micaiah's first playthrough ends.
If anything, Tauroneo is the real Jeigan-style character in Radiant Dawn.
However, he doesn't suffer the growth rate problems like many Jeigan
characters do. In fact, if you were to do a stat-by-stat comparison at
20/20/20 with Gatrie or Brom, you'll see that Tauroneo is slightly better.
I would have given Tauroneo a better entry-level score, but for some odd
reason, the game prevents you from using him in many of Micaiah's later
chapters. Otherwise, I would have given him a 9 just for his ability to tank
without weapons equipped.
As for endgame, despite Tauroneo coming in overleveled, he will end up
falling behind Gatrie or Brom in the long run, if you should choose to use
them. The reason for this is that Ike's chapters are long and offer A LOT of
XP. Gatrie or Brom will reach the 3rd tier and gain several levels before you
regain access to Tauroneo. This ultimately makes Gatrie or Brom better.
Also unlike previous games where Jeigan characters have their early uses,
whether you use them to kill enemies or not, Tauroneo is very dangerous to
use because Micaiah's team needs all the experience they can get. It's best
to send all of his weapons to the convoy or unequip them to ensure your
lower-leveled party members get the experience. Micaiah's team suffers the
greatest compared to all others in this regard, making it somewhat difficult
to get many of the Dawn Brigade's members to 20/20/20, or for Sothe/Micaiah
to reach their promotions with their maximum potential.
--------------------
Join Grade: 07/10
Endgame Grade: 06/10
--------------------
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
3.12 - Jill [3-12]
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Starting Level: 14
Class Progression: Dragonknight -> Dragonmaster -> Dragonlord
---------.----------.-------.------------.-------.------------------------------
| | Base | Max | Class |
Stat | Growth % | Stats | Avg. Stats | Caps |
---------|----------|-------|------------|-------|------------------------------
HP | 50% | 24 | 52 | 55 |
STR | 45% | 11 | * 35 | 35 |
MAG | 15% | 1 | * 10 | 10 |
SKL | 45% | 12 | 34.8 | 38 |
SPD | 65% | 15 | * 35 | 35 |
LUCK | 60% | 14 | * 35 | 35 |
DEF | 35% | 13 | 33.4 | 36 |
RES | 45% | 3 | * 22 | 22 |
---------'----------'-------'------------'-------'------------------------------
Not only is Jill the first mounted unit you get in Radiant Dawn, she's also
the first flying unit you get too - and she's awesome! As you can see, all of
her stats are really good for her level, except for Resistance (so just keep
her away from enemy mages - especially Lighting mages).
What's most impressive about Jill though is her defense - she can tank and
protect units just as well as Nolan can - you usually don't have to worry
about her all that much once she gains a few levels.
Because Jill's a mounted unit, she has the ability to Move-Again after an
action, which is VERY helpful. She can do hit and run attacks. She can
protect units while attacking. And she can even go back and get some healing
from Laura to be ready for the next turn.
At first Jill offense is a little questionable. She does good damage with
axes, but she hardly double-attacks anything. Within time though, her speed
stat will increase and she'll double just about everything. Also, axes are a
good weapon type to have since the enemy likes to use Lances.
As for endgame, her potential is terrific. If you can get Jill to level
20/20/20, she'll likely be one of your best units. She caps nearly
everything, and has 5 stats over 33 - simply awesome! While someone like Haar
will most likely get Urvan, she's still quite a beast with a top-notch forged
Silver Axe.
The only real problem with Jill is that she's on Micaiah's team. This means
she won't be at quite the level Ike's team will be at, and ultimately, that
means she'll be 15-20 levels behind Haar. For this reason, I don't give her a
great endgame grade. However, if you can put up with that without sacrificing
your other units XP-wise, Jill is one of the best Beorc units in the game,
period.
--------------------
Join Grade: 09/10
Endgame Grade: 07/10
--------------------
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
3.13 - Zihark [3-13]
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Starting Level: --/03
Class Progression: Swordmaster -> Trueblade
---------.----------.-------.------------.-------.------------------------------
| | Base | Max | Class |
Stat | Growth % | Stats | Avg. Stats | Caps |
---------|----------|-------|------------|-------|------------------------------
HP | 55% | 30 | 53.8 | 55 |
STR | 35% | 17 | 31.6 | 32 |
MAG | 10% | 6 | 13.6 | 20 |
SKL | 75% | 22 | * 40 | 40 |
SPD | 70% | 23 | * 40 | 40 |
LUCK | 40% | 11 | 25.4 | 30 |
DEF | 25% | 13 | 24 | 26 |
RES | 35% | 11 | * 24 | 24 |
---------'----------'-------'------------'-------'------------------------------
Zihark is probably the best Swordsmaster on Micaiah's team, not because of
endgame stats, but because Edward is trailing in levels and it just doesn't
make sense to put up with Edward when you get Zihark. If you were to bench
Edward and use Zihark instead, you'd have a better Swordsmaster in the end.
The only exception to this is if Edward was somehow blessed and compared to
Zihark despite being under-leveled. A smart tactician trying to use the best
units would mostly choose Zihark over Edward every time.
As far as the endgame is concerned, compared to Edward or Mia, he's not quite
as good stat-wise, but he's not trailing far behind either. For the stats
that he doesn't cap, he still comes fairly close.
While Zihark has +7.2 Resistance over Edward, which helps more in the final 2
chapters of the game... Edward's +4.6 Luck and +2 Defense is overall more
useful. However, these endgame stat gains are overshadowed by the fact that
Zihark has a higher level. So when Zihark comes along, give him Edward's
Wrath skill and call it a day, because his level-lead closes the cap on Luck
and Defense anyway.
Compared to Mia, it's more of the same story, but he doesn't have much of a
Resistance lead - he's only at +4. The rest of the stat comparisons don't
even result in a full point difference. Also, you can use Zihark in most of
Ike's chapters, which gives him plenty of oppurtunty to level, just like Mia,
so there really isn't a big level advantage between Zihark or Mia, unlike the
massive level gap that Edward has to deal with.
In addition, Zihark has the earth element support - easily the best support
element in the game because it adds Avoid. That alone makes Zihark better
than Edward, and possibly Mia too. Zihark's better than Edward for sure -
better stats, higher level and better support bonuses. What more can you ask
for in a Swordmaster?
Overall, Zihark is a great unit, through and through. He's just over-leveled
when he joins, which makes him appear worse than he is. While he's not as
good as Mia or Edward when it comes to the endgame, he's definitely more
useful in the early game - he'll be less of a nusance and easier to level.
Overall, seeing as his endgame is almost the same, I think that makes Zihark
the better of the two.
--------------------
Join Grade: 09/10
Endgame Grade: 09/10
--------------------
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
3.14 - Fiona [3-14]
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Starting Level: 09
Class Progression: Lance Knight -> Lance Paladin -> Silver Knight (Lance)
---------.----------.-------.------------.-------.------------------------------
| | Base | Max | Class |
Stat | Growth % | Stats | Avg. Stats | Caps |
---------|----------|-------|------------|-------|------------------------------
HP | 45% | 25 | 53.1 | 55 |
STR | 40% | 8 | 31.6 | 33 |
MAG | 15% | 6 | 19.3 | 20 |
SKL | 40% | 8 | 30.6 | 34 |
SPD | 60% | 10 | * 34 | 34 |
LUCK | 55% | 7 | 34 | 35 |
DEF | 55% | 8 | * 28 | 28 |
RES | 50% | 6 | * 27 | 27 |
---------'----------'-------'------------'-------'------------------------------
There's not much to say about Fiona. She's a Level 9 Lance Knight... who just
doesn't fit into a set of level 16 to level 19 characters. If she joined a
few chapters ago, my opinion would surely be different. As it stands, you are
practically forced to bench her. It's just not worth babying a lower-level
unit at this point in Micaiah's part of the game, especially when a slew of
higher-level and more effective Paladins come along. Why waste all that
precious experience when you can use it to get a few of Micaiah's team
members to Tier 2?
Moreover, Paladins are severally hindered in Radiant Dawn, nowhere near the
power they had in Path of Radiance. The terrain obstacles and limited
movement on many characters far outweigh their advantages now.
The only thing Fiona's good for is her Imbue and Saviour skills, where a few
characters can make good use of them down the road. So be sure to remove
those :)
--------------------
Join Grade: 03/10
Endgame Grade: 01/10
--------------------
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
3.15 - Tormod [3-15]
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Starting Level: --/05
Class Progression: Fire Sage -> Arch Sage (Fire)
---------.----------.-------.------------.-------.------------------------------
| | Base | Max | Class |
Stat | Growth % | Stats | Avg. Stats | Caps |
---------|----------|-------|------------|-------|------------------------------
HP | 50% | 34 | * 50 | 50 |
STR | 55% | 13 | * 24 | 24 |
MAG | 40% | 17 | 32.6 | 38 |
SKL | 45% | 16 | 33.3 | 34 |
SPD | 55% | 20 | * 32 | 32 |
LUCK | 25% | 14 | 22.5 | 30 |
DEF | 35% | 12 | * 25 | 25 |
RES | 45% | 14 | 31.3 | 36 |
---------'----------'-------'------------'-------'------------------------------
Finally, we have a mage that can sort of go off on his own and not worry
about dying in 1-2 hits. The price? - he's over-leveled, but only slightly.
Still, he's miles ahead compared to Illyana as far as early game is
concerned.
As far as endgame is concerned, Tomod (and the rest of his team) simply won't
measure up. It's not even worth comparing stats since you only regain access
to him at Chapter 4-4. Even if you wanted to use BEXP, his stats are just
bad. With so many Mage-like characters reaching 38 to 40 in their Magic stat,
Tormod just doesn't really factor in. Being capped at 32 Speed doesn't help
much either. I say pass.
--------------------
Join Grade: 06/10
Endgame Grade: 01/10
--------------------
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
3.16 - Muarim [3-16]
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Starting Level: 19
Class Progression: Tiger
---------.----------.-------.------------.-------.-------------.----------------
| | Base | Max | Class | Transformed |
Stat | Growth % | Stats | Avg. Stats | Caps | Avg. Stats |
---------|----------|-------|------------|-------|-------------|----------------
HP | 60% | 58 | 70.6 | 75 | 70.6 |
STR | 55% | 18 | * 23 | 23 | * 46 |
MAG | 5% | 3 | 4 | 5 | 8 |
SKL | 45% | 14 | * 18 | 18 | * 36 |
SPD | 20% | 11 | * 15 | 15 | * 30 |
LUCK | 55% | 12 | 23.6 | 30 | 23.6 |
DEF | 35% | 15 | * 22 | 22 | * 44 |
RES | 30% | 9 | * 10 | 10 | * 20 |
---------'----------'-------'------------'-------'-------------'----------------
Now we're talking! - Finally a Laguz that has good stats, although that
doesn't mean much. Unfortunately for Muarim, when he joins, his level's just
too high to be useful. A level 19 Laguz is comparable to a level 20/18 Beorc
unit. So, don't expect Muarim to gain any experience for quite a long time.
Even worse, you can't de-equip Muarim's claws to help in the tanking
department. He'll likely kill whatever he attacks... thus taking away
valuable experience points from your units that so desperately need to
promote by the end of Micaiah's chapters.
While you may still enjoy the fact that Muarim makes chapters easier, I
really don't think you need powerful units in Chapter 1-7... it's pretty easy
with the plethora of level 18/19 units that you have. Still, if you don't
have any intentions of taking Edward, Nolan, Jill, etc. further than
Micaiah's chapters... then by all means, use Muarim to end these chapters
quicker.
At the end of the day, Muarim won't fit into the final team. Not only is he
outclassed by the Laguz Kings in every way (better stats and Formshift), you
can't even use him again until Chapter 4-4. Pass.
--------------------
Join Grade: 08/10
Endgame Grade: 01/10
--------------------
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
3.17 - Vika [3-17]
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Starting Level: 13
Class Progression: Raven
---------.----------.-------.------------.-------.-------------.----------------
| | Base | Max | Class | Transformed |
Stat | Growth % | Stats | Avg. Stats | Caps | Avg. Stats |
---------|----------|-------|------------|-------|-------------|----------------
HP | 60% | 38 | 54.2 | 60 | 54.2 |
STR | 25% | 9 | * 15 | 15 | * 30 |
MAG | 50% | 5 | * 10 | 10 | * 20 |
SKL | 60% | 13 | * 21 | 21 | * 42 |
SPD | 60% | 15 | * 23 | 23 | * 46 |
LUCK | 65% | 14 | 31.5 | 35 | 31.5 |
DEF | 15% | 7 | 11.1 | 12 | 22.2 |
RES | 65% | 7 | * 18 | 18 | * 36 |
---------'----------'-------'------------'-------'-------------'----------------
Vika's not a bad unit. When transformed, she's quite capable, dealing good
damage and double-attacking everything. She's a little better than Nolan and
some of the other better Beorc units on your team. And starting off with 18
strength, she'll be doing fantastic damage to boot! That's saying something
since level 13 isn't too high for a Laguz.
Another plus is that she has excellent movement, just like Muarim. Also, she
has the Canto skill by default, which allows her to move-again after an
action. Canto is something I don't think bird-tribe Laguz had in Path of
Radiance (and I could be wrong - I just know Reyson didn't have it). I'm
always a fan of that inherant class ability.
It is unfortunate that the Raven class has terrible Caps, because Vika's
growths are insanely good. On the plus side then, you could get a fairly
well-leveled unit much sooner than level 40. Still, just like all the other
Laguz, Vika gets outclassed by the Laguz Kings. If she had Formshift
inherantly, I'd take her (like many Laguz) because her fully transformed
stats are comparable to Haar's.
However, just like Tormod and Muarim, you don't regain control of her until
Chapter 4-4, making final stat comparison pointless. I say Pass.
--------------------
Join Grade: 07/10
Endgame Grade: 03/10
--------------------
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
3.18 - Nailah [3-18]
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Starting Level: 33
Class Progression: Wolf (Nailah)
---------.----------.-------.------------.-------.-------------.----------------
| | Base | Max | Class | Transformed |
Stat | Growth % | Stats | Avg. Stats | Caps | Avg. Stats |
---------|----------|-------|------------|-------|-------------|----------------
HP | 60% | 66 | * 70 | 70 | * 70 |
STR | 25% | 17 | 18.8 | 20 | 35.6 |
MAG | 50% | 5 | * 7 | 7 | * 14 |
SKL | 60% | 23 | * 24 | 24 | * 48 |
SPD | 60% | 19 | * 20 | 20 | * 40 |
LUCK | 65% | 35 | 39.5 | 40 | 39.5 |
DEF | 15% | 16 | 17 | 20 | 34 |
RES | 65% | 13 | * 15 | 15 | * 30 |
---------'----------'-------'------------'-------'-------------|----------------
Well, what is there to say? Nailah's one of the best units in the game, hands
down. She is probably the sickest thing stat-wise you've ever seen in a Fire
Emblem game if this is your first playthrough.
Nailah's a near perfect unit. Her strength is a little low (all considering,
I guess...), but otherwise, she's a powerhouse. Not only does she have
awesome stats, she has SS-rank in Strike, she has Formshift (which allows her
to stay in Laguz form indefinitely), she has Savage (which deals 3 times the
damage and activates a crazy amount due to her 48 Skill), and she also has 65
more skill points, allowing you to add 2 more powerhouse skills of your
choosing (since you'll probably remove Guard). She also the Glare skill,
which can immobolize an enemy permanently... however, I've never got it to
work.
You only get to control Nailah for 5 chapters, not including the endgame.
Suffice it to say, while she's not around much, she's sufficient to tackle
the endgame at her current level. Also, her weapon, the Great Fang, has 20
MT... which is comparable to all the final endgame weapons.
While Nailah isn't quite as good as the other Laguz kings, the sheer fact
that she basically beats every beorc unit out of the water gives her the
right to be on the final roster. Really, look at those transformed stats and
convince me that she doesn't belong there.
--------------------
Join Grade: 10/10
Endgame Grade: 10/10
--------------------
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
3.19 - Rafiel [3-19]
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Starting Level: 12
Class Progression: Heron (Rafiel)
---------.----------.-------.------------.-------.------------------------------
| | Base | Max | Class |
Stat | Growth % | Stats | Avg. Stats | Caps |
---------|----------|-------|------------|-------|------------------------------
HP | 60% | 31 | 47.8 | 60 |
STR | 0% | 1 | 1 | 5 |
MAG | 40% | 6 | * 15 | 15 |
SKL | 10% | 1 | 3.8 | 10 |
SPD | 20% | 6 | 11.6 | 15 |
LUCK | 60% | 31 | 47.8 | 50 |
DEF | 10% | 3 | 5.8 | 10 |
RES | 50% | 13 | * 25 | 25 |
---------'----------'-------'------------'-------'------------------------------
By the looks of it, Rafiel looks like a great unit. While his movement is a
little subpar (put the Celerity skill on him ASAP), his ability to Refresh up
to 4 units every turn seems like it's too good to be true. And unlike Reyson
from Path of Radiance, Rafiel can refresh 4 units without having to
transform! Sweet!
Honestly, I've always loved Reyson in Path of Radiance, so I fully expected
to love all the Herons in Radiant Dawn. However, at no fault to Refiel,
Micaiah's party just isn't ready for him.
You see, when Reyson joined Ike's party in Path of Radiance, Ike's team was
highly competent - they could protect Reyson. In the event where Reyson had
to put himself in danger, at least the refreshed units could deal with any
emergencies that would threaten Reyson's life. The same can't be said with
Micaiah's party - every unit is always in danger. Micaiah's party can hardly
afford to protect themselves, let alone Rafiel.
You see, you only get access to Rafiel for 2 chapters in the early game. In
chapter 1-8, he starts off on the opposite side of the map, taking him awhile
to get over to the other side (you need every unit to protect the prisoners
that you can get). He doesn't really see any action until the final turns of
the chapter.
In Chapter 1-10, he has to put himself in dangerous situations to be useful,
which is a contradiction because he won't be useful anymore if he's put into
a dangerous situation :)
Even if Rafiel refreshes some units, those units don't have the reliability
to take care of the imposing threats. Heck, Edward only has a ~2% chance to
hit the Archers in 10-2 with his Wind Edge... and Nolan's accuracy with Hand
Axe is ~50%. Is Intelligent Systems saying that we HAVE to use Nailah and the
Black Knight? So, my point is this: What is the point of putting Rafiel in
danger to refresh these units?
I realize this is a pretty odd character description, because I'm largely
talking about Micaiah's team instead of Rafiel... but that's the point. The
Herons are always going to be as good as your team is. If your team sucks,
the Heron is going to suck too. If your team rocks, then using a Heron is
only going to make your team better.
Since the game is rigged in Micaiah's chapters on Normal mode, Rafiel doesn't
shine - in fact, sometimes he becomes a liability when lots of enemies are
around. Now, don't get me wrong - I myself found many awesome oppurtunities
in Chapter 1-10 to use his abilities, and he certainly proved his worth. At
the very least, he can refresh Laura to heal again. Even so, sometimes you
have to protect him and cannot use his ability. You should still use him
though. He largely gets better as the game progresses. Perhaps this
description is more of a rant at Micaiah's team than Rafiel, but so be it.
--------------------
Join Grade: 07/10
Endgame Grade: 09/10
--------------------
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
3.20 - Elincia [3-20]
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Starting Level: --/--/01
Class Progression: Queen
---------.----------.-------.------------.-------.------------------------------
| | Base | Max | Class |
Stat | Growth % | Stats | Avg. Stats | Caps |
---------|----------|-------|------------|-------|------------------------------
HP | 45% | 31 | 39.6 | 50 |
STR | 65% | 19 | * 30 | 30 |
MAG | 40% | 17 | 24.6 | 30 |
SKL | 50% | 21 | 30.5 | 36 |
SPD | 70% | 22 | * 35 | 35 |
LUCK | 60% | 29 | * 40 | 40 |
DEF | 20% | 18 | 21.8 | 26 |
RES | 35% | 24 | 30.7 | 36 |
---------'----------'-------'------------'-------'------------------------------
There's no question that Elincia is a useful unit when you first get access
to her, and to be honest, she continually doesn't disappoint. I mean, she
starts off at 3rd tier and has really decent stats - obviously she's good.
First off, Elincia's basically a suped-up Seraph Knight, which I really like.
Her starting stats are better than any of the Falcon Knights in the game.
There's no reason NOT to use her.
I really love flying units in Fire Emblem because they have great movement
and they can move-again after an action, which is extremely useful. Just
imagine all the hit-and-run attacks you can pull off with her.
And best of all, Elincia is way better than a typical Seraph Knight because
she can HEAL! Just imagine being able to move, heal, and then move-again!
In addition to having better movement, flying units move around in terrain
better than any other unit - she's great for sand areas, water/swamp areas,
going over cliffs - anything! This largely makes flying units better than
Paladins.
The only weakness Elincia has is to bows (3x the damage), but unlike Marcia
and other Seraph Knights, Elincia's high Luck stat allows her to dodge them
far more frequently.
The best thing about Elincia is that she doesn't require a lot of grinding
and babying to level up like a lot of other characters... especially healers.
You know for a fact that she's going to have great base stats, and even if
she's RNG-screwed, the impact won't nearly be as bad as other characters.
Also, in Part 4, Elincia will likely have better stats than every other
healer in the game, which includes Laura, Rhys or Mist. This largely makes
Elincia the best healer in the game, and perhaps the best Seraph Knight too.
Unlike Seraph Knights though, Elincia uses Swords. At the beginning, she
starts with a mere Slim Sword, but shortly after, she gets Amiti, which is a
custom, unlimited-use Brave Sword. This makes Elincia absolutely awesome in
combat. With such a high speed stat, she will attack 4 times against
everything. And don't forget, her Amiti sword gives +3 Defense and +3
Resistance, which is awesome. Her defense rarely becomes an issue because of
this, and her Avoid is so high regardless.
And that's not all. Elincia also comes with the Renewal skill, which heals
10% of her HP every turn. Since Elincia has such a high magic stat, she's a
prime candidate for Imbue, which heals based on that stat too.
As for endgame, don't let her final stats fool you - Elincia is AWESOME. She
maxes Strength and Speed, which largely contribute to her combat
effectiveness. Even though her strength is only 30, because she's doing 4
attacks per round, she often does more damage than almost any other
character. The only exception is when the target is heavily armored.
While she's a little low on the Magic stat compared to other healers, it
really doesn't matter because Mend/Psychic tends to heal fully anyway. Her
ability to move-again largely compensates for the extra HP she can't heal for
(which doesn't happen all that often). Her defense is weak, but again, it
doesn't really matter because she can reliably dodge attacks as well as be
effective against mages due to her high Resistance.
Because Elincia's so useful, she gets my vote for one of the best units in
the entire game. Even if you just use her as a healer, you are using the best
one - everything else Elincia offers is just a bonus. She's definitely a pick
for the endgame. Just be sure to take off the Mercy skill so she can kill
things in Part 4 :)
--------------------
Join Grade: 10/10
Endgame Grade: 10/10
--------------------
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
3.21 - Marcia [3-21]
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Starting Level: --/05
Class Progression: Falcon Knight -> Seraph Knight
---------.----------.-------.------------.-------.------------------------------
| | Base | Max | Class |
Stat | Growth % | Stats | Avg. Stats | Caps |
---------|----------|-------|------------|-------|------------------------------
HP | 70% | 34 | * 50 | 50 |
STR | 30% | 16 | 29.2 | 32 |
MAG | 20% | 6 | 16.8 | 20 |
SKL | 40% | 17 | 32.6 | 36 |
SPD | 65% | 20 | * 36 | 36 |
LUCK | 50% | 12 | 29 | 35 |
DEF | 35% | 16 | * 28 | 28 |
RES | 35% | 15 | 30.9 | 34 |
---------'----------'-------'------------'-------'------------------------------
Marcia's an all-around great unit, having well-balanced stats in every area
except for Magic (and who really cares about that stat). Marcia's good at
what Falcon Knights do best, mage-killing due to high resistance, providing
fast hit-and-run attacks and using their increased movement to their
advantage. Marcia largely has all the benefits of Elincia except that she
can't heal.
Marcia looks like a good candidate for the endgame. There are a lot of units
in Radiant Dawn with balanced stats, but most of them don't have the benefits
of being a mounted, flying unit, which is a huge plus for someone like
Marcia.
Unfortunately, Marcia isn't available for many chapters, which increases the
pressure to level her up in Part 4. Ultimately, I think she doesn't fit the
endgame mix despite how much I like her class and her stats. Elincia
basically provides the same benefits as Marcia and more... AND Elincia comes
15 levels higher. Tanith also has a higher level to start, and the best
potential. Sorry Marcia :(
--------------------
Join Grade: 09/10
Endgame Grade: 07/10
--------------------
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
3.22 - Nealuchi [3-22]
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Starting Level: 22
Class Progression: Raven
---------.----------.-------.------------.-------.-------------.----------------
| | Base | Max | Class | Transformed |
Stat | Growth % | Stats | Avg. Stats | Caps | Avg. Stats |
---------|----------|-------|------------|-------|-------------|----------------
HP | 55% | 53 | * 60 | 60 | * 60 |
STR | 35% | 10 | * 16 | 16 | * 32 |
MAG | 10% | 4 | 5.8 | 10 | 11.6 |
SKL | 40% | 9 | 16.2 | 21 | 32.4 |
SPD | 10% | 18 | 19.8 | 23 | 39.6 |
LUCK | 80% | 24 | * 32 | 32 | * 32 |
DEF | 40% | 10 | * 13 | 13 | * 26 |
RES | 25% | 10 | 14.5 | 17 | 29 |
---------'----------'-------'------------'-------'-------------'----------------
Like all Laguz, Nealuchi's main problem has nothing to do with his combat
effectiveness, but his ability to stay that way. He's fairly useful when he
joins - he's quick and has no trouble avoiding enemy attacks. However, other
than that, I doubt he'll see much use once other characters come along.
As for endgame, many Beorc units beat him in stats (Marcia comes close, and
she doesn't have to deal with the pains of transforming). Besides, he doesn't
compare to any of the Laguz Kings, so there really isn't much point to using
him.
--------------------
Join Grade: 06/10
Endgame Grade: 04/10
--------------------
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
3.23 - Leanne [3-23]
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Starting Level: 05
Class Progression: Heron (Leanne)
---------.----------.-------.------------.-------.------------------------------
| | Base | Max | Class |
Stat | Growth % | Stats | Avg. Stats | Caps |
---------|----------|-------|------------|-------|------------------------------
HP | 60% | 25 | 46 | 60 |
STR | 0% | 0 | 0 | 5 |
MAG | 40% | 3 | * 15 | 15 |
SKL | 10% | 1 | 4.5 | 10 |
SPD | 20% | 6 | 13 | 15 |
LUCK | 80% | 27 | * 50 | 50 |
DEF | 10% | 2 | 5.5 | 10 |
RES | 40% | 11 | 25 | 25 |
---------'----------'-------'------------'-------'------------------------------
Leanne's my least favourite Heron out of the 3 given to you in the game. Not
only is she level 5, but she can only refresh 2 units at a time, and they
both have to be adjacent to Leanne and be on the same axis, which is somewhat
troubling (thanks to Tristan C and Fred Delles for that).
Compared to other Heroes, Rafiel can refresh up to 4 units all the time, and
Reyson can refresh 4 while he is in his Heron state. Reyson can also correct
the game's stupid Biorhythms with Bliss - that makes them both better, right
out of the box.
Still, to Leanne's defense, she has the Canto ability, which is actually
pretty good because God knows how I loved Reyson using the Knight Ring. This
can keep Leanne out of a lot of trouble and make her refresh ability fairly
useful most of the time. In that respect, she's pretty good, just not as good
as the others for the endgame where the teams are really competent and can
protect their Herons with ease.
I suggest using Leanne in Elincia's chapters and use the others for the
endgame.
--------------------
Join Grade: 08/10
Endgame Grade: 07/10
--------------------
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
3.24 - Haar [3-24]
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Starting Level: --/11
Class Progression: Dragonmaster -> Dragonlord
---------.----------.-------.------------.-------.------------------------------
| | Base | Max | Class |
Stat | Growth % | Stats | Avg. Stats | Caps |
---------|----------|-------|------------|-------|------------------------------
HP | 30% | 46 | 58.4 | 60 |
STR | 70% | 23 | * 38 | 38 |
MAG | 5% | 2 | 7.4 | 10 |
SKL | 70% | 24 | * 38 | 38 |
SPD | 30% | 20 | 30.4 | 32 |
LUCK | 45% | 13 | 25.6 | 30 |
DEF | 65% | 23 | * 38 | 38 |
RES | 20% | 7 | 16.6 | 20 |
---------'----------'-------'------------'-------'------------------------------
I doubt this is a surprise to anyone, but Haar is easily one of the best
units in the game, hands down. Not only are his base stats equivalent to
someone like Elincia (Despite being 9 levels lower), but his almost
guarenteed potential to reach 38 in Strength, Skill and Defense make him the
best Beorc unit in the game.
Like Elincia, Haar has many of the same benefits - he is great in a wide
variety of terrain, he has great movement, and he has the ability to
move-again for hit-and-run attacks as well as placing himself strategically
after a battle to protect his teammates. It is my belief that Dragonlord is
the best Beorc class in the entire game.
Most of all, Haar's defense is as good as a General/Marshall, so he can hold
a position all on his own. Even more so, it's not uncommon for Haar to
decimate the enemy on their attack phase.
Haar also uses Axes, which is probably the best weapon type you can use -
they have the most MT as well as having the advantage over lances, which the
enemy just loves to use.
And like I said before, Dragonlords don't have problems against Bows and
Crossbows - just keep him away from Thunder magic... which is probably Haar's
only weakness.
One of the best things about Haar is that he's available for 14 chapters
before the final endgame, which gives him lots of oppurtunity to level up to
20/20/20. In fact, it's almost too easy since these chapters yield the most
experience.
As for endgame, Haar should make everyone's final roster. It's inconcievable
not to take him, unless you want to give yourself a challenge. With such high
stats, he'll be doing a ton of damage, and his Stun skill will activate quite
frequently.
Haar is one of the best candidates for using Urvan, but with Strength like
Haars, you may even just want to give him a forged Silver Axe and give Urvan
to someone else with a higher Speed.
There's not enough good things to say about Haar - just use him and watch
yourself succeed!
--------------------
Join Grade: 10/10
Endgame Grade: 10/10
--------------------
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
3.25 - Brom [3-25]
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Starting Level: --/02
Class Progression: Axe General -> Marshall (Axe)
---------.----------.-------.------------.-------.------------------------------
| | Base | Max | Class |
Stat | Growth % | Stats | Avg. Stats | Caps |
---------|----------|-------|------------|-------|------------------------------
HP | 80% | 36 | * 60 | 60 |
STR | 40% | 19 | 35.8 | 37 |
MAG | 5% | 4 | 9.9 | 20 |
SKL | 40% | 17 | 33.8 | 35 |
SPD | 30% | 16 | 29.1 | 30 |
LUCK | 70% | 13 | * 30 | 30 |
DEF | 60% | 21 | * 36 | 36 |
RES | 25% | 9 | 22.2 | 30 |
---------'----------'-------'------------'-------'------------------------------
Brom's a really good General in this game, having very good stats all-across
the board. He also benefits from using Axes, which is the best weapon type.
Brom's extremely useful during Elincia's part of the game, providing the
necessary tanking ability to combat the endless enemy attacks against your
party. I fully recommend using him during these parts of the game, regardless
who you decide to take into the final chapters.
As for endgame, he's pretty good too, having exceptional Strength and Defense
stats, and decent Skill, Luck and Speed (as far as General's are concerned).
Best of all, you have more than enough time to level him to 20/20/20 without
rushing, as he's playable through most of Part 2 through 4.
Compared to Gatrie, there isn't much of a difference. I think Gatrie has the
edge because he starts at level 20/10, which is slightly higher, and Gatrie's
average 20/20/20 stats are slightly better, are shown by this chart below:
.--------------------.---------------------.
| Brom - 20/20/20 | Gatrie - 20/20/20 |
|--------------------|---------------------|
| +1.5 HP | +0.2 Strength |
| +0.75 Skill | +0.6 Magic |
| +6.3 Luck | +1.9 Speed |
| | +1 Defense |
| | +2.9 Resistance |
'--------------------'---------------------'
As you can see, there's very minor differences between them, if anything
truly noticable. Gatrie's extra speed won't help in him double-attack many
endgame enemies, and Brom's luck likely won't play a huge role in the overall
failure and success of either character - they are both tanks and likely
won't die. If there's any advantage, it's from Brom's axes compared to
Gatrie's lances. Truely, if you want a Marshall on your team, you can't go
wrong with either one.
--------------------
Join Grade: 09/10
Endgame Grade: 08/10
--------------------
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
3.26 - Nephenee [3-26]
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Starting Level: --/01
Class Progression: Halberdier -> Sentinel
---------.----------.-------.------------.-------.------------------------------
| | Base | Max | Class |
Stat | Growth % | Stats | Avg. Stats | Caps |
---------|----------|-------|------------|-------|------------------------------
HP | 45% | 32 | 53.1 | 58 |
STR | 35% | 15 | 31.3 | 34 |
MAG | 15% | 6 | 15.7 | 20 |
SKL | 70% | 19 | * 35 | 35 |
SPD | 65% | 20 | * 34 | 34 |
LUCK | 40% | 12 | 27.2 | 30 |
DEF | 35% | 15 | 31.3 | 33 |
RES | 45% | 14 | * 30 | 30 |
---------'----------'-------'------------'-------'------------------------------
Enter Nephenee: Finally, we get a character that can take more than 2 hits,
rarely miss when she attacks, and can even double-attack most enemies. After
dealing with the great amount of suckage in Micaiah's playthrough, with
characters always missing and always getting hit, Nephenee is like a
blessing.
With a base Speed of 20, Skill of 19, Defense of 15 and Strength of 15, it's
no wonder Nephenee is a great character at this point in the game. Having
well-rounded stats in practically everything, and even better stats than Brom
as a whole, Nephenee is an invaluable addition to the party - and for the
rest of the game for that matter.
I fully endorse using Nephenee, as not only is she a great character when you
get her, she largely develops into one of the best Beorc characters in the
game. Nephenee is one of the best candidates to use Wishblade, the ultimate
lance weapon.
While none of Nephenee's stats scream overpowered, it's the shear balance and
well-roundedness that make her great. She has enough Speed and Strength to do
lots of damage to the enemy, she has enough Defense to tank almost as well as
Gatrie (she's not dying anyway), and she has a crazy Resistance score that
only mages can realistically top. And oh, 35 Skill isn't bad to activate Luna
from time-to-time either ;) When Luck and Magic being her weakest stats, that
usually spells good news.
The only real disadvantage Nephenee has is her movement. Gold/Silver Knights
like Titania often have very balanced stats like Nephenee, but they have
added movement. While being mounted in this way can be a big disadvantage on
some maps, it's often a bonus. Consider Nephenee vs. Titania:
.--------------------.---------------------.
| Nephenee - 20/20 | Titania - 20/20 |
|--------------------|---------------------|
| +1 Speed | +0.7 HP |
| +3.7 Defense | +2.7 Strength |
| +5.1 Resistance | +1.75 Magic |
| | +1 Luck |
'--------------------'---------------------'
Here, you can see that Nephenee has better stats, but perhaps the movement
would come in handy over 3.7 Defense and 5.1 Resistance. That's not to say
Nephenee sucks though, because that's a pretty big statistical difference at
max stats.
Also, keep in mind, I'm comparing Nephenee with the best Paladin in the game.
If I were to compare Nephenee to Kieran, Geoffrey or Oscar, it's not really a
contest stat-wise as Nephenee is beating them all (especially Kieran).
Overall, Nephenee is a great choice for the endgame, and is one of the prime
candidates for using Wishblade. Highly recommended.
--------------------
Join Grade: 09/10
Endgame Grade: 08/10
--------------------
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
3.27 - Heather [3-27]
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Starting Level: --/07
Class Progression: Rogue -> Whisper
---------.----------.-------.------------.-------.------------------------------
| | Base | Max | Class |
Stat | Growth % | Stats | Avg. Stats | Caps |
---------|----------|-------|------------|-------|------------------------------
HP | 40% | 32 | 48.8 | 50 |
STR | 20% | 15 | 24.4 | 28 |
MAG | 20% | 9 | 19.4 | 20 |
SKL | 50% | 21 | 36.5 | 38 |
SPD | 70% | 25 | * 40 | 40 |
LUCK | 75% | 16 | * 35 | 35 |
DEF | 30% | 10 | 22.6 | 25 |
RES | 40% | 14 | * 26 | 26 |
---------'----------'-------'------------'-------'------------------------------
Heather's the only Rogue during Elincia's and Ike's portion of the game.
Since Heather is the only Rogue you can use for a large part of the game
(Sothe and Heather never cross paths), she is vital to getting all the
treasure from chests and enemies during Part 2 through Part 4.
Unlike Sothe, Heather's fairly fragile, so she definitely runs the risk of
dying a lot more than Sothe did. She's also not overleveled, so her combat
abilities are far truer to the nature of her class - expect other characters
to be doing a lot more damage overall. For this reason, she's less useful
overall, and I rank her less than Sothe as far as the Join Grade is
concerned.
It's rather unfortunate you are forced to use Sothe during the endgame,
because if you wanted to take another Rogue, you have redundancy - and that's
NOT cool. Heather does have the edge over Sothe though, because she's a lot
hotter than him... and she's a lesbian to boot :)
Unfortunately, Heather is a mixed bag compared to Sothe statistically.
Comparing her to a level 5 Sothe (the level he's likely to end up at the end
of Micaiah's run), she's at a disadvantage:
.--------------------.---------------------.
| Sothe - 20/05 | Heather - 20/07 |
|--------------------|---------------------|
| +4.2 HP | +4.2 Magic |
| +5.4 Strength | +3.2 Speed |
| +2.2 Skill | +3.8 Resistance |
| +1.6 Luck | |
| +4.8 Defense | |
'--------------------'---------------------'
Sothe pretty much has a sizable lead on every meaningful statistic except for
Speed. At endgame, the same story continues:
.--------------------.---------------------.
| Sothe - 20/20/20 | Heather - 20/20/20 |
|--------------------|---------------------|
| +3.5 HP | +3.8 Magic |
| +10.4 Strength | +5.55 Speed |
| +7.7 Skill | +4.5 Resistance |
| +1.6 Luck | |
| +3.9 Defense | |
'--------------------'---------------------'
Now, the above is only true if you aggressively level up Sothe before his
promotion, and then aggressively level him up afterwards. However, Heather
does, in fact, have many more chapters to reach 3rd tier and gain a fairly
massive level-lead on Sothe. This ultimately makes Heather better.
Here's why: Let's say that you used Paragon on Sothe, and then use BEXP
(after his Skill and Speed are capped) to make sure that Sothe reached 20/20
before his forced promotion (reasonable assumption, despite the obvious
favouritism towards Sothe - this is the reality of the game).
After Sothe promotes, Heather will still have a pretty massive statistical
advantage over Sothe if you used her like any other character. Sothe is
pretty much forced to use Paragon after he promotes to Whisper so he can
catch up. There's no excuse why Heather can't use Paragon as well to maintain
her lead (fair is fair), so we can't consider that. Here's how it looks:
.--------------------.---------------------.
| Sothe - 20/20/1 | Heather - 20/20/10 |</pre><pre id="faqspan-3">
|--------------------|---------------------|
| +1.8 Strength | +0.4 HP |
| +0.5 Defense | +5.4 Magic |
| | +3 Skill |
| | +7.05 Speed |
| | +4 Luck |
| | +5.5 Resistance |
'--------------------'---------------------'
Whether it's questionable that Heather would have an HP, Luck or Resistance
advantage due to BEXP abuse, she will still have a Speed and Skill advantage,
which are the class's best stats.
Ultimately, this makes Heather better than Sothe from a tier-perspective.
However, given that Sothe is forced into the final chapter, I think it's safe
to assume most players are going to favour Sothe so that he doesn't suck at
endgame.
And even still, Heather's stats compared to other characters largely don't
make her qualify for the endgame anyway (I wouldn't take Sothe if he wasn't
forced into the endgame, that's for sure). So, it's best to not sink a lot of
experience into both Heather and Sothe, especially since you can put it
towards a much stronger unit on Ike's team instead.
In conclusion, despite the fact that Heather would rank higher on a tier list
compared to Sothe, I don't recommend that you invest in Heather all that much
other than to get the necessary treasures and items during the chapters when
she's available.
--------------------
Join Grade: 08/10
Endgame Grade: 07/10
--------------------
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
3.28 - Lucia [3-28]
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Starting Level: --/14
Class Progression: Swordmaster -> Trueblade
---------.----------.-------.------------.-------.------------------------------
| | Base | Max | Class |
Stat | Growth % | Stats | Avg. Stats | Caps |
---------|----------|-------|------------|-------|------------------------------
HP | 50% | 38 | * 50 | 50 |
STR | 25% | 18 | 27.2 | 31 |
MAG | 20% | 10 | 19 | 20 |
SKL | 70% | 27 | * 40 | 40 |
SPD | 60% | 27 | * 40 | 40 |
LUCK | 30% | 19 | 26.5 | 35 |
DEF | 15% | 14 | 20.7 | 25 |
RES | 50% | 15 | * 26 | 26 |
---------'----------'-------'------------'-------'------------------------------
At first glance, Lucia looks extremely good, being level 14 Swordmaster (the
highest Prepromote Swordmaster in the game). Her base stats are pretty good
too, other than possibly her low Defense stat (and growth).
However, Chapter 2-2 is one of the only chapters in the game where you can
use Lucia, and she doesn't come back until Chapters 4-2 and 4-5, just before
the endgame. This makes Lucia absolutely worthless compared to Edward, Zihark
and Mia. All of these characters should be promoted to Trueblade by then if
you've been using them. Outside of Trueblades, a level 20/14 character
doesn't have a lot of use at this point either.
I recommend not using Lucia at all, as she only serves to make one chapter
easier, and she'll sink much needed XP from other characters who could use it
a lot more.
--------------------
Join Grade: 10/10
Endgame Grade: 01/10
--------------------
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
3.29 - Lethe [3-29]
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Starting Level: 21
Class Progression: Cat
---------.----------.-------.------------.-------.-------------.----------------
| | Base | Max | Class | Transformed |
Stat | Growth % | Stats | Avg. Stats | Caps | Avg. Stats |
---------|----------|-------|------------|-------|-------------|----------------
HP | 85% | 51 | * 65 | 65 | * 65 |
STR | 35% | 9 | 15.6 | 18 | 31.2 |
MAG | 5% | 6 | 6.9 | 10 | 13.8 |
SKL | 30% | 13 | 18.7 | 20 | 37.4 |
SPD | 50% | 12 | * 20 | 20 | * 40 |
LUCK | 45% | 18 | 26.5 | 30 | 26.5 |
DEF | 35% | 9 | * 14 | 14 | * 28 |
RES | 20% | 10 | 13.8 | 16 | 27.6 |
---------'----------'-------'------------'-------'-------------'----------------
Like most entry-level Laguz, Lethe's a pretty unspectacular unit. She's okay
when she's transforms, but it seems like she falls out of transformation very
quickly... just after a few attacks. And for what? It's not like she's so
"overpowered" or anything like that. It becomes a huge annoyance that you
can't use her for more than a few turns.
Overall, she's an okay unit to perform a timely attack where you need it, or
perhaps hold off reinforcements where your other units are tied up on the
main front. Otherwise, I'd avoid using her because her transformations are so
unreliable.
As for endgame, the Laguz selection is so amazing that Lethe pales in
comparison. Pass.
--------------------
Join Grade: 05/10
Endgame Grade: 01/10
--------------------
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
3.30 - Mordecai [3-30]
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Starting Level: 16
Class Progression: Tiger
---------.----------.-------.------------.-------.-------------.----------------
| | Base | Max | Class | Transformed |
Stat | Growth % | Stats | Avg. Stats | Caps | Avg. Stats |
---------|----------|-------|------------|-------|-------------|----------------
HP | 90% | 57 | * 75 | 75 | * 75 |
STR | 35% | 14 | 22.4 | 23 | 44.8 |
MAG | 10% | 1 | 3.4 | 5 | 6.8 |
SKL | 25% | 9 | 15 | 18 | 30 |
SPD | 15% | 9 | 12.6 | 15 | 25.2 |
LUCK | 80% | 15 | * 30 | 30 | * 30 |
DEF | 45% | 16 | * 22 | 22 | * 44 |
RES | 15% | 4 | 7.6 | 10 | 15.2 |
---------'----------'-------'------------'-------'-------------'----------------
Mordecai's a pretty good unit. He does decent damage, although he rarely
double attacks. Still, he's a fairly good tank because of his high base
defense and his rediculously high HP.
A big plus, at least compared to Lethe, is that he stays in his Laguz state
for a longer period of time, making him more useful in tight situations.
As for endgame, Mordecai's easily missable. By only being level 16, he's just
not worth raising, especially when so many amazing Laguz come along. Even if
Mordecai was transformed permanently at maximum stats, his low speed stat of
25.2 would easily make him fall out of contention for an endgame spot vs.
many Beorc units, let alone the Laguz Kings. Pass.
--------------------
Join Grade: 07/10
Endgame Grade: 01/10
--------------------
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
3.31 - Geoffrey [3-31]
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Starting Level: --/15
Class Progression: Lance Paladin -> Silver Knight (Lance)
---------.----------.-------.------------.-------.------------------------------
| | Base | Max | Class |
Stat | Growth % | Stats | Avg. Stats | Caps |
---------|----------|-------|------------|-------|------------------------------
HP | 60% | 37 | 55.4 | 60 |
STR | 50% | 24 | * 35 | 35 |
MAG | 10% | 8 | 14.4 | 20 |
SKL | 60% | 23 | * 34 | 34 |
SPD | 35% | 20 | 30.4 | 32 |
LUCK | 30% | 19 | 26.2 | 30 |
DEF | 30% | 18 | 27.2 | 30 |
RES | 55% | 15 | * 25 | 25 |
---------'----------'-------'------------'-------'------------------------------
Geoffrey's an excellent unit, and easily the best Paladin out of the 4 you
get in Elincia's chapters to start. I fully recommend using him, because not
only can he take a massive beating (and dodge a lot of attacks), but he does
great damage too. He has all-around fantastic stats, and comes with some
great weapons too (Killer Lance, Brave Lance, Stl Greatlance, etc.)
As for endgame, Geoffrey is one of 4 Paladins that have some endgame
potential. Unfortunately, despite his excellent join level, his final stats
are a little lacking (Noticiably in Speed).
Let's compare final stats, since we don't have to consider the fact that
Geoffrey will have trouble making final endgame stats. I won't compare
against Makalov, Astrid and Fiona, because it's an auto-win for Geoffrey.
Let's compare Geoffrey vs. Kieran:
.--------------------.---------------------.
| Geoffrey - 20/20 | Kieran - 20/20 |
|--------------------|---------------------|
| +0.2 Magic | +4.6 HP |
| +0.8 Skill | +1 Strength |
| +1.8 Luck | +2.8 Defense |
| +3 Resistance | |
'--------------------'---------------------'
As you can see, Kieran's a little bit better. Keiran not only has +1
Strength, but his attack will be better because Axes typically do more damage
against a wide variety of enemies. Geoffrey's stat gains in Luck and
Resistance largely don't help.
Still, the comparison is a little closer than you might think - Geoffrey's
slightly ahead in Levels, and will promote sooner since he's 4 levels higher.
I think Kieran performs admirably though at the level he's at, so that makes
little difference. Overall, Kieran > Geoffrey.
.--------------------.---------------------.
| Geoffrey - 20/20 | Oscar - 20/20 |
|--------------------|---------------------|
| +3.55 Strength | +0.1 HP |
| +0.1 Defense | +2 Magic |
| +2.6 Resistance | +1.6 Speed |
| | +3.8 Luck |
'--------------------'---------------------'
This looks close, but it's not. Oscar has a much better chance to get to
20/20, being on Ike's team and all. There's more experience and chapters to
level up in. Geoffrey doesn't have that available to him, even with the help
of Paragon (which you may or may not redistribute to someone else by then).
However, stats-wise, 3.6 Strength is largely better than all of Oscar's
stats. But then you have to factor in that Oscar as the Earth element
support, which makes Oscar a lot better all-around.
Overall, because Oscar has the Earth element support, as well as having the
oppurtunity to gain more levels well into 3rd tier, I have to conclude that
Oscar > Geoffrey.
.--------------------.---------------------.
| Geoffrey - 20/20 | Titania - 20/20 |
|--------------------|---------------------|
| +1.6 HP | +3.05 Magic |
| +1 Strength | +1 Skill |
| +0.1 Resistance | +2.6 Speed |
| | +2 Luck |
| | +0.4 Defense |
'--------------------'---------------------'
While I wouldn't say Titania is "crushing" Geoffrey stats-wise (far from it),
but Titania does have a noticable edge in Speed, which is largely Geoffrey's
problem (Titania is the fastest Paladin). Really, it amounts to +1 Strength
vs +1 Skill and 2.6 Speed, so I think it's safe to say Titania wins.
Also, Titania starts Ike's chapter at level 16 as well, which is pretty
amazing. She also has great base stats. Because Titania is with Ike, she will
have absolutely no problem reaching 20/20/20 by the endgame, just like Oscar.
Titania > Geoffrey.
Overall, Geoffrey's not such a bad Paladin... he just loses either due to
stats (Keiran or Titania), or because he doesn't have the same oppurtunities
to level to the 3rd tier (Oscar or Titania).
I will conclude that Geoffrey's the 4th best Paladin in the game, and whether
or not we agree that Titania gets to go, we can safely conclude that Geoffrey
won't be going.
--------------------
Join Grade: 10/10
Endgame Grade: 07/10
--------------------
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
3.32 - Kieran [3-32]
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Starting Level: --/11
Class Progression: Axe Paladin -> Gold Knight (Axe)
---------.----------.-------.------------.-------.------------------------------
| | Base | Max | Class |
Stat | Growth % | Stats | Avg. Stats | Caps |
---------|----------|-------|------------|-------|------------------------------
HP | 75% | 41 | * 60 | 60 |
STR | 60% | 21 | * 36 | 36 |
MAG | 15% | 6 | 14.2 | 20 |
SKL | 40% | 20 | 33.2 | 35 |
SPD | 30% | 20 | 30.4 | 31 |
LUCK | 30% | 16 | 24.4 | 30 |
DEF | 60% | 18 | * 30 | 30 |
RES | 25% | 11 | 22 | 24 |
---------'----------'-------'------------'-------'------------------------------
Keiran is the second best paladin out of the 4 that join in Elincia's
playthrough. He has fantastic stats, all-across the board - especially for a
level 11 Axe Paladin.
One of Kieran's strengths is that he has great strength and damage output.
Axes are considered to be the best weapon type among FE Vets, so despite
having less Strength than Geoffrey, he manages to deal similar damage to
enemies, often double-attacking them too.
.--------------------.---------------------.
| Kieran - 20/20 | Geoffrey - 20/20 |
|--------------------|---------------------|
| +4.6 HP | +0.2 Magic |
| +1 Strength | +0.8 Skill |
| +2.8 Defense | +1.8 Luck |
| | +3 Resistance |
'--------------------'---------------------'
Compared to Geoffrey, Keiran performs very similarly, despite a few levels
apart. And as far as the endgame is concerned, he manages to be a few %
better, but having +1 Strength and +2.8 Defense, which is considered better
than the advantages that Geoffrey brings (No speed boosts). Kieran also uses
Axes, which provide even more damage than Geoffrey's lances:
Kieran > Geoffrey.
.--------------------.---------------------.
| Kieran - 20/20 | Oscar - 20/20 |
|--------------------|---------------------|
| +4.5 HP | +2.2 Magic |
| +4.55 Strength | +0.8 Skill |
| +2.9 Defense | +1.6 Speed |
| | +5.6 Luck |
| | +0.4 Resistance |
'--------------------'---------------------'
Compared to Oscar, Kieran's strengths shine even more, boosting even more
Strength and Defense over minor boosts to Speed and Skill, plus he has the
benefit of using Axes. Oscar does have the Earth support element though, as
well as a better oppurtunity to reach Tier 3 and gain a few levels from being
in Ike's party. Because of that, I'm leaning towards Oscar here:
Oscar > Kieran.
.--------------------.---------------------.
| Kieran - 20/20 | Titania - 20/20 |
|--------------------|---------------------|
| +6.2 HP | +3.25 Magic |
| +2 Strength | +1.8 Skill |
| +2.4 Defense | +2.6 Speed |
| | +3.8 Luck |
| | +2.9 Resistance |
'--------------------'---------------------'
Compared to Titania, Kieran's Strength and Defense bonuses are not as
pronounced, and Titania's Speed, base-level (16) and overall level advantage
from being on Ike's team make her a much stronger character. In all honesty,
I don't think there's a contest here: Titania > Kieran.
Overall, Kieran's pretty good as far as Paladin's go. As you can see,
compared with 3 of the best Paladins in the game, he doesn't rank that much
lower - there are only minor differences among them. Still, if you want a
Paladin, Titania's your best pick.
--------------------
Join Grade: 09/10
Endgame Grade: 07/10
--------------------
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
3.33 - Astrid [3-33]
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Starting Level: --/02
Class Progression: Bow Paladin -> Silver Knight (Bow)
---------.----------.-------.------------.-------.------------------------------
| | Base | Max | Class |
Stat | Growth % | Stats | Avg. Stats | Caps |
---------|----------|-------|------------|-------|------------------------------
HP | 55% | 33 | * 50 | 50 |
STR | 40% | 13 | 30.8 | 33 |
MAG | 20% | 8 | 19.4 | 20 |
SKL | 45% | 16 | 34.6 | 36 |
SPD | 40% | 15 | 31.8 | 35 |
LUCK | 70% | 17 | * 35 | 35 |
DEF | 30% | 10 | 24.1 | 27 |
RES | 25% | 14 | 27.2 | 30 |
---------'----------'-------'------------'-------'------------------------------
Astrid is just bad - period. Not only is she Level 2, but her defense score
is extremely low (10) and it doesn't get any better with time. It doesn't
matter that she has Paragon to help with the levels, because her potential is
horrible.
Besides, she has a lot of trouble in the chapter she joins, running the risk
of dying as she can't dodge attacks or take much damage. Compared to Kieran
or Geoffrey, it's a wonder why anyone would want to use Astrid.
Astrid also can't double-attack any enemies, even on the player attack phase.
To sum it up: She's pretty worthless compared to everyone else on her team.
Because she's a bow user, she can't counter attack on the enemy's attack
phase. While this was a problem in Path of Radiance, her excellent stat
growths in addition to her unique Paragon skill made her worth-while in that
game. Now that you can use Paragon on any unit, as well as the fact that you
have to put up with all the challenges that mounted horse units have on
various maps... it's just not worth using Astrid.
My recommendation is to remove her from the character selection screen, even
in Chapter 2-3 and 2-Finale when she's available.
--------------------
Join Grade: 04/10
Endgame Grade: 01/10
--------------------
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
3.34 - Makalov [3-34]
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Starting Level: --/07
Class Progression: Sword Paladin -> Gold Knight (Sword)
---------.----------.-------.------------.-------.------------------------------
| | Base | Max | Class |
Stat | Growth % | Stats | Avg. Stats | Caps |
---------|----------|-------|------------|-------|------------------------------
HP | 55% | 37 | 58.6 | 60 |
STR | 40% | 18 | 32.8 | 34 |
MAG | 15% | 5 | 13.8 | 20 |
SKL | 40% | 17 | 31.8 | 34 |
SPD | 75% | 18 | * 33 | 33 |
LUCK | 45% | 20 | * 30 | 30 |
DEF | 50% | 17 | * 30 | 30 |
RES | 25% | 9 | 21 | 25 |
---------'----------'-------'------------'-------'------------------------------
Makalov's an okay unit, that largely has problems double-attacking enemies
even at the point he joins... which greatly lowers his damage potential. I
know 2 Points in speed is all he'd need to fix that problem, but what's the
point: He is very much outclassed by Kieran and Geoffrey anyway.
Also, swords are not a very good weapon type, and it shows in chapter 2-3.
Axes and Lances perform much better. Makalov will still help soften enemies,
but I wouldn't put him in a dangerous situation with a few enemies swarming
him... not like you can with Keiran or Geoffrey.
As for endgame, Makalov just doesn't cut it. At level 7, you have to give him
a lot of BEXP to get him into 3rd tier. With so many better Paladins around,
what's the point?
--------------------
Join Grade: 06/10
Endgame Grade: 03/10
--------------------
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
3.35 - Danved [3-35]
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Starting Level: --/09
Class Progression: Halberdier -> Sentinel
---------.----------.-------.------------.-------.------------------------------
| | Base | Max | Class |
Stat | Growth % | Stats | Avg. Stats | Caps |
---------|----------|-------|------------|-------|------------------------------
HP | 75% | 39 | * 60 | 60 |
STR | 40% | 17 | 31 | 35 |
MAG | 20% | 8 | 18 | 20 |
SKL | 30% | 23 | 33.7 | 35 |
SPD | 45% | 21 | * 33 | 33 |
LUCK | 60% | 18 | * 30 | 30 |
DEF | 45% | 15 | 30.5 | 34 |
RES | 25% | 12 | 23.5 | 27 |
---------'----------'-------'------------'-------'------------------------------
Despite what a lot of people say, Danved's a pretty good unit. I wouldn't say
he's fantastic like Kieran or Geoffrey at the time you get them all, but he's
definitely the 3rd best on the team of Royal Knights for Chapter 2-3.
First off, while Danved doesn't do a lot damage with his lances, he'll always
double-attack, which quite frankly, makes him miles better than Makalov or
Astrid. Danved's also built like a brick, being able to take a lot of
punishment as well as dodge a high number of attacks. He's an all-around
great unit.
As for endgame, while he has a lot of good stats, he doesn't have any
game-breaking numbers - his highest stat is 33 in speed. In a world where
35-40 is considered impressive for the endgame, Danved just doesn't have the
goods. Still, being as balanced as he is stat-wise, he's not terrible by any
means.
What hurts Danved the most is that he doesn't get a lot of time to level-up
to 3rd tier. By only being Level 9, he will severely be outclassed by
Nephenee by the time Part 4 rolls around. She'll have a massive level
advantage over Danved from being in both Elincia and Ike's parties. Nephenee
also has slightly better 20/20 stats too:
.--------------------.---------------------.
| Danved - 20/20 | Nephenee - 20/20 |
|--------------------|---------------------|
| +6.9 HP | +0.3 Strength |
| +2.3 Magic | +1.3 Skill |
| +2.8 Luck | +1 Speed |
| | +0.8 Defense |
| | +6.5 Resistance |
'--------------------'---------------------'
Overall, Danved's a great unit for the chapters he's available in, and
nothing more.
--------------------
Join Grade: 08/10
Endgame Grade: 06/10
--------------------
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
3.36 - Calill [3-36]
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Starting Level: --/06
Class Progression: Fire Sage -> Arch Sage (Fire)
---------.----------.-------.------------.-------.------------------------------
| | Base | Max | Class |
Stat | Growth % | Stats | Avg. Stats | Caps |
---------|----------|-------|------------|-------|------------------------------
HP | 35% | 32 | 47.6 | 50 |
STR | 25% | 9 | 22.2 | 24 |
MAG | 45% | 19 | 35.6 | 38 |
SKL | 60% | 18 | * 34 | 34 |
SPD | 55% | 18 | * 32 | 32 |
LUCK | 55% | 16 | * 25 | 25 |
DEF | 15% | 11 | 20.9 | 23 |
RES | 50% | 17 | 35.5 | 38 |
---------'----------'-------'------------'-------'------------------------------
Calill's okay as far as mages go, which doesn't say much. With a defense stat
of 11... there isn't a whole lot of safe spots on the front lines for her to
attack, especially in 2-Finale where she joins.
Calill's saving grace is that she comes with Meteor, a long-range Fire tome.
Granted that it only has 5 uses, but it helps soften 5 enemies so other units
can kill them in a single combat round.
Unfortunately for Calill, she won't be seeing much time after this chapter.
Being at level 20/6, she's going to fall behind easily, only having Chapters
3-9 and 3-11 to level up - it's practically pointless to use her when Soren
will have reached 3rd tier by then and Sanaki will come pre-promoted to 3rd
tier (and having better caps too).
While Calill's stats are much better than Tormod's at least (and I like her
speed), Soren and Sanaki will have her beat. If it's due to stats, it's due
to their level-advantage.
Besides, I don't think mages really have a place in the endgame. I think it's
bad enough that we are forced to use Micaiah and Sanaki, let alone wasting
valuable party slots on MORE of them by choice... but I'm biased that way.
Overall, Calill's pretty useful with her Meteor spell... and then she becomes
obsolete.
--------------------
Join Grade: 05/10
Endgame Grade: 01/10
--------------------
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
3.37 - Ike [3-37]
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Starting Level: --/11
Class Progression: Hero -> Vanguard
---------.----------.-------.------------.-------.------------------------------
| | Base | Max | Class |
Stat | Growth % | Stats | Avg. Stats | Caps |
---------|----------|-------|------------|-------|------------------------------
HP | 65% | 44 | * 65 | 65 |
STR | 55% | 24 | * 37 | 37 |
MAG | 10% | 2 | 8.8 | 15 |
SKL | 60% | 28 | * 40 | 40 |
SPD | 35% | 23 | 34.8 | 37 |
LUCK | 30% | 14 | 22.4 | 30 |
DEF | 40% | 21 | * 32 | 32 |
RES | 15% | 7 | 15.2 | 23 |
---------'----------'-------'------------'-------'------------------------------
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
3.38 - Titania [3-38]
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Starting Level: --/16
Class Progression: Axe Paladin -> Gold Knight (Axe)
---------.----------.-------.------------.-------.------------------------------
| | Base | Max | Class |
Stat | Growth % | Stats | Avg. Stats | Caps |
---------|----------|-------|------------|-------|------------------------------
HP | 60% | 36 | 53.8 | 60 |
STR | 60% | 25 | * 34 | 34 |
MAG | 15% | 10 | 17.4 | 20 |
SKL | 55% | 22 | * 35 | 35 |
SPD | 50% | 21 | * 33 | 33 |
LUCK | 40% | 19 | 28.2 | 30 |
DEF | 20% | 20 | 27.6 | 28 |
RES | 30% | 14 | 24.9 | 26 |
---------'----------'-------'------------'-------'------------------------------
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
3.39 - Soren [3-39]
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Starting Level: --/05
Class Progression: Wind Sage -> Arch Sage (Wind)
---------.----------.-------.------------.-------.------------------------------
| | Base | Max | Class |
Stat | Growth % | Stats | Avg. Stats | Caps |
---------|----------|-------|------------|-------|------------------------------
HP | 40% | 28 | 45.6 | 50 |
STR | 25% | 9 | 21.5 | 23 |
MAG | 80% | 23 | * 40 | 40 |
SKL | 60% | 21 | * 34 | 34 |
SPD | 35% | 18 | 31.7 | 32 |
LUCK | 35% | 11 | 22.9 | 30 |
DEF | 25% | 9 | 21.5 | 24 |
RES | 70% | 21 | * 36 | 36 |
---------'----------'-------'------------'-------'------------------------------
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
3.40 - Mist [3-40]
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Starting Level: --/01
Class Progression: Cleric -> Valkyrie
---------.----------.-------.------------.-------.------------------------------
| | Base | Max | Class |
Stat | Growth % | Stats | Avg. Stats | Caps |
---------|----------|-------|------------|-------|------------------------------
HP | 40% | 28 | 47.2 | 50 |
STR | 25% | 8 | 22.5 | 25 |
MAG | 80% | 13 | * 35 | 35 |
SKL | 60% | 13 | * 35 | 35 |
SPD | 35% | 15 | 30.3 | 34 |
LUCK | 35% | 16 | 29.3 | 35 |
DEF | 25% | 7 | 21.5 | 24 |
RES | 70% | 16 | * 36 | 36 |
---------'----------'-------'------------'-------'------------------------------
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
3.41 - Rolf [3-41]
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Starting Level: --/01
Class Progression: Sniper -> Marksman
---------.----------.-------.------------.-------.------------------------------
| | Base | Max | Class |
Stat | Growth % | Stats | Avg. Stats | Caps |
---------|----------|-------|------------|-------|------------------------------
HP | 85% | 32 | * 60 | 60 |
STR | 75% | 17 | * 36 | 36 |
MAG | 10% | 3 | 10.8 | 15 |
SKL | 45% | 20 | 39.1 | 40 |
SPD | 45% | 19 | * 34 | 34 |
LUCK | 35% | 13 | 26.3 | 30 |
DEF | 35% | 13 | 28.3 | 32 |
RES | 20% | 9 | 20.6 | 25 |
---------'----------'-------'------------'-------'------------------------------
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
3.42 - Boyd [3-42]
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Starting Level: --/08
Class Progression: Warrior -> Reaver
---------.----------.-------.------------.-------.------------------------------
| | Base | Max | Class |
Stat | Growth % | Stats | Avg. Stats | Caps |
---------|----------|-------|------------|-------|------------------------------
HP | 80% | 45 | * 68 | 68 |
STR | 65% | 22 | * 40 | 40 |
MAG | 5% | 1 | 6.5 | 10 |
SKL | 45% | 20 | 36 | 36 |
SPD | 45% | 18 | 33.9 | 35 |
LUCK | 40% | 13 | 25.4 | 30 |
DEF | 50% | 15 | * 31 | 31 |
RES | 10% | 8 | 15.1 | 20 |
---------'----------'-------'------------'-------'------------------------------
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
3.43 - Oscar [3-43]
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Starting Level: --/12
Class Progression: Lance Paladin -> Silver Knight (Lance)
---------.----------.-------.------------.-------.------------------------------
| | Base | Max | Class |
Stat | Growth % | Stats | Avg. Stats | Caps |
---------|----------|-------|------------|-------|------------------------------
HP | 50% | 38 | 55.5 | 60 |
STR | 35% | 20 | 31.5 | 35 |
MAG | 20% | 7 | 16.4 | 20 |
SKL | 65% | 22 | * 34 | 34 |
SPD | 60% | 21 | * 32 | 32 |
LUCK | 55% | 18 | * 30 | 30 |
DEF | 30% | 17 | 27.1 | 30 |
RES | 20% | 13 | 22.4 | 25 |
---------'----------'-------'------------'-------'------------------------------
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
3.44 - Shinon [3-44]
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Starting Level: --/13
Class Progression: Sniper -> Marksman
---------.----------.-------.------------.-------.------------------------------
| | Base | Max | Class |
Stat | Growth % | Stats | Avg. Stats | Caps |
---------|----------|-------|------------|-------|------------------------------
HP | 50% | 43 | 58.5 | 60 |
STR | 40% | 21 | 33.4 | 36 |
MAG | 15% | 7 | 14.9 | 15 |
SKL | 70% | 28 | * 40 | 40 |
SPD | 65% | 24 | * 34 | 34 |
LUCK | 30% | 15 | 22.8 | 30 |
DEF | 45% | 20 | * 32 | 32 |
RES | 20% | 14 | 23.2 | 25 |
---------'----------'-------'------------'-------'------------------------------
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
3.45 - Gatrie [3-45]
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Starting Level: --/10
Class Progression: Lance General -> Marshall (Lance)
---------.----------.-------.------------.-------.------------------------------
| | Base | Max | Class |
Stat | Growth % | Stats | Avg. Stats | Caps |
---------|----------|-------|------------|-------|------------------------------
HP | 50% | 44 | 58.5 | 60 |
STR | 60% | 25 | * 36 | 36 |
MAG | 5% | 5 | 10.5 | 20 |
SKL | 45% | 18 | 33 | 34 |
SPD | 60% | 20 | * 31 | 31 |
LUCK | 30% | 15 | 23.7 | 30 |
DEF | 60% | 24 | * 37 | 37 |
RES | 35% | 11 | 25.2 | 30 |
---------'----------'-------'------------'-------'------------------------------
Like every other member of Ike's team, Gatrie's around long enough to make
20/20/20 with little effort, as there's more than enough experience to go
around with all that playtime.
As for endgame, Gatrie is considered to be the best Marshall in the game,
only by a fraction of a percent compared to Brom. Basically, the trade off is
Resistance and Speed vs. Luck and Skill, as shown below.
.--------------------.---------------------.
| Gatrie - 20/20/20 | Brom - 20/20/20 |
|--------------------|---------------------|
| +0.2 Strength | +1.5 HP |
| +0.6 Magic | +0.75 Skill |
| +1.9 Speed | +6.3 Luck |
| +1 Defense | |
| +2.9 Resistance | |
'--------------------'---------------------'
Gatrie also has a slight level advantage over Brom, as it's doubtful that
Brom will make 20/10 by the time Elincia's playthrough is complete. So the
win on a tier list would go to Gatrie.
Tauroneo actually has better final stats compared to either Gatrie or Brom,
but Tauroneo's limited use puts him far behind in the level department, so
much as 15 or 20 levels.
Not to beat a dead horse here, but Gatrie's your man if you want a Marshall.
With 37 Defense, he fills his role as a tank quite nicely. His HP, Strength
and Skill are all nice and high too. For a Beorc unit, he's pretty good.
--------------------
Join Grade: 09/10
Endgame Grade: 08/10
--------------------
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
3.46 - Rhys [3-46]
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Starting Level: --/03
Class Progression: Bishop -> Saint
---------.----------.-------.------------.-------.------------------------------
| | Base | Max | Class |
Stat | Growth % | Stats | Avg. Stats | Caps |
---------|----------|-------|------------|-------|------------------------------
HP | 40% | 27 | 45.4 | 50 |
STR | 25% | 8 | 21 | 25 |
MAG | 65% | 23 | * 36 | 36 |
SKL | 35% | 16 | * 30 | 30 |
SPD | 35% | 14 | 28.6 | 30 |
LUCK | 60% | 21 | * 35 | 35 |
DEF | 20% | 7 | 18.2 | 22 |
RES | 75% | 24 | * 40 | 40 |
---------'----------'-------'------------'-------'------------------------------
A lot of people really like Laura, and I don't understand why. As much as the
Saint class doesn't appeal to me at all for endgame, I have to defend Rhys as
being the better of the two.
Let's assume that Laura is level 16 by the time Micaiah's chapter ends. This
is not unreasonable, as it assumes Laura's healed just about every turn
during her run without stave abuse (if you're going to use BEXP and staves
for 40 turns every chapter, obviously you're going to have higher than level
16).
.--------------------.---------------------.
| Rhys - 20/03 | Laura - 16 |
|--------------------|---------------------|
| +4.25 HP | +1 Speed |
| +2 Strength | |
| +4.5 Magic | |
| +2.5 Skill | |
| +5.5 Luck | |
| +2 Defense | |
| +8.75 Resistance | |
'--------------------'---------------------'
Even with Laura's excellent growths, she's massively losing in everything but
Speed (and it's only by 1 point). This alone should put a nail in Laura's
coffin, as it's very unlikely Laura will ever catch up. You see, it doesn't
matter if Laura's "potential" is better... Rhys will always have the
advantage over Laura regardless.
Rhys also has another advantage because he has 10 chapters to gain an even
level advantage on top of Level 20/3, whereas Laura only has 3 more chapters
to reach tier 3 before Part 4 starts, which is doubtful to say the least. All
of this just makes Laura's situation much worse.
Some people say, "Well, you could give her Paragon scroll..." or "You can use
BEXP on her..." But isn't that just compensating for an inherant disadvantage
that Laura has? The fact that she NEEDS Paragon and BEXP proves that she's
not as good as Rhys, who doesn't need any special treatment at all to reach
3rd tier.
I only hammer this point to show that Laura's not worth investing in, despite
tons of people sending me emails and posting threads about how great Laura is
for the endgame. Her final stats are nice, but she requires too much
resources for very little benefit after she's finished with Micaiah's
chapters. Given the same treatment, Rhys will always be much better.
Now, does that mean I think you should pick Rhys? No! Rhys is pretty bad too
;) Elincia is tier 3 right out-of-the-box, and she has better movement, she
can fly, she can dodge, she has better defense, she can move-again, and she
has better offense because she can attack 4 times. If that alone doesn't
convince you, let's take a look at stats:
.--------------------.---------------------.
| Rhys - 20/01 | Elincia - 20/01 |
|--------------------|---------------------|
| +6.8 HP | +2.75 Strength |
| +10 Magic | +0.05 Speed |
| +2.95 Skill | +3.6 Defense |
| +2.2 Luck | |
| +8 Resistance | |
'--------------------'---------------------'
This looks like a big win for Rhys stats-wise, but it's not. 10 Magic is
largely more than is required to heal for the max amount, and as far as
offense is concerned, Elincia is actually attacking 4 times with her Strength
stat, thus doing a lot more damage than Rhys' Light Magic. Elincia's defense
counter-balances Rhys' Resistance too. Also don't forget, Elincia gets
another +3 Defense and +3 Resistance from Amiti, her custom sword.
If you take these up to their max potential...
.--------------------.---------------------.
| Rhys - 20/20 | Elincia - 20/20 |
|--------------------|---------------------|
| +5.85 HP | +9 Strength |
| +11.4 Magic | +2.95 Skill |
| +9.35 Resistance | +6.4 Speed |
| | +5 Luck |
| | +3.6 Defense |
'--------------------'---------------------'
... you start to see Elincia dominating in everything that's important.
Couple that with her offensive advantages, her stat bonuses from Amiti, and
everything she gains by being a mounted unit... and it's pretty easy to see
why Rhys is a failure and doesn't deserve to be on the endgame roster.
Overall, I say use Rhys and Mist to heal your team during Ike's chapters -
don't be concerned with "which healer I'm going to pick". The game is easier
with both, and you'll end up choosing Elincia in Part 4 anyway.
--------------------
Join Grade: 05/10
Endgame Grade: 06/10
--------------------
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
3.47 - Mia [3-47]
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Starting Level: --/07
Class Progression: Swordmaster -> Trueblade
---------.----------.-------.------------.-------.------------------------------
| | Base | Max | Class |
Stat | Growth % | Stats | Avg. Stats | Caps |
---------|----------|-------|------------|-------|------------------------------
HP | 70% | 34 | * 50 | 50 |
STR | 45% | 17 | * 31 | 31 |
MAG | 15% | 5 | 13.8 | 20 |
SKL | 60% | 26 | * 40 | 40 |
SPD | 65% | 28 | * 40 | 40 |
LUCK | 35% | 18 | 29.2 | 35 |
DEF | 40% | 13 | * 25 | 25 |
RES | 25% | 8 | 20 | 26 |
---------'----------'-------'------------'-------'------------------------------
Unlike Edward, Mia starts off at an appropriate level and is immediately
useful. However, she doesn't really shine any more or less compared to the
other units on Ike's team - everyone is amazing. Perhaps her Defense is a
little low for the upcoming challenges (and it's lower than Zihark's would be
if you used him), but that will be remedied within time.
As for endgame, she's definitely the best pick out of all the Trueblades to
bring into the final chapters. Compared to Edward, her stats are about on
par. Edward has +5 HP, +1 Strength, +0.8 Luck and +1 Defense... but Mia has
+3.2 Resistance. I'd say she's tied with Edward for the best Trueblade in the
game, at least as far as endgame stats are concerned.
However, out of all the Swordmasters, Mia has the best chance to reach 3rd
tier and be the highest level for the endgame (the 2nd is Zihark, but he only
comes along Chapter 6-3). She starts off at Level 7, which is most likely a
few levels higher than Zihark or Edward. Also, Ike's chapters simply provide
a lot more XP compared to Micaiah's. This, along with having the best stats,
make her the best Swordmaster - hands down.
If you decide to use Mia, there's no point in using Edward or Zihark past
helping out with completing their chapters. Ultimately, you have to make a
decision - actively use Mia, or bench her? - Make that decision in advance so
you can maximize on your XP gains for Edward or Zihark.
--------------------
Join Grade: 07/10
Endgame Grade: 09/10
--------------------
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
3.48 - Ranulf [3-48]
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Starting Level: 26
Class Progression: Cat
---------.----------.-------.------------.-------.-------------.----------------
| | Base | Max | Class | Transformed |
Stat | Growth % | Stats | Avg. Stats | Caps | Avg. Stats |
---------|----------|-------|------------|-------|-------------|----------------
HP | 70% | 55 | 64.8 | 65 | |
STR | 30% | 14 | * 18 | 18 | |
MAG | 15% | 6 | 8.1 | 10 | |
SKL | 40% | 16 | * 20 | 20 | |
SPD | 35% | 15 | 19.9 | 20 | |
LUCK | 55% | 23 | 30.7 | 35 | |
DEF | 15% | 13 | 15.1 | 16 | |
RES | 10% | 10 | 11.4 | 14 | |
---------'----------'-------'------------'-------'-------------'----------------
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
3.49 - Kyza [3-49]
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Starting Level: 18
Class Progression: Tiger
---------.----------.-------.------------.-------.-------------.----------------
| | Base | Max | Class | Transformed |
Stat | Growth % | Stats | Avg. Stats | Caps | Avg. Stats |
---------|----------|-------|------------|-------|-------------|----------------
HP | 85% | 55 | 73.7 | 75 | |
STR | 40% | 10 | 18.8 | 23 | |
MAG | 5% | 3 | 4.1 | 5 | |
SKL | 45% | 10 | * 18 | 18 | |
SPD | 35% | 11 | * 15 | 15 | |
LUCK | 50% | 14 | 25 | 30 | |
DEF | 40% | 10 | 18.8 | 22 | |
RES | 15% | 5 | 8.3 | 10 | |
---------'----------'-------'------------'-------'-------------'----------------
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
3.50 - Lyre [3-50]
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Starting Level: 17
Class Progression: Cat
---------.----------.-------.------------.-------.-------------.----------------
| | Base | Max | Class | Transformed |
Stat | Growth % | Stats | Avg. Stats | Caps | Avg. Stats |
---------|----------|-------|------------|-------|-------------|----------------
HP | 50% | 47 | 58.5 | 65 | |
STR | 35% | 7 | 15 | 18 | |
MAG | 10% | 6 | 8.3 | 10 | |
SKL | 65% | 11 | * 20 | 20 | |
SPD | 70% | 11 | * 20 | 20 | |
LUCK | 50% | 16 | 27.5 | 30 | |
DEF | 20% | 7 | 11.6 | 14 | |
RES | 30% | 8 | 14.9 | 16 | |
---------'----------'-------'------------'-------'-------------'----------------
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
3.51 - Reyson [3-51]
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Starting Level: 15
Class Progression: Heron (Reyson)
---------.----------.-------.------------.-------.-------------.----------------
| | Base | Max | Class | Transformed |
Stat | Growth % | Stats | Avg. Stats | Caps | Avg. Stats |
---------|----------|-------|------------|-------|-------------|----------------
HP | 65% | 40 | 56.2 | 60 | |
STR | 5% | 3 | 4.2 | 5 | |
MAG | 30% | 5 | 12.5 | 13 | |
SKL | 20% | 5 | 10 | 10 | |
SPD | 20% | 11 | 16 | 16 | |
LUCK | 60% | 31 | 46 | 50 | |
DEF | 20% | 6 | 11 | 12 | |
RES | 20% | 17 | 22 | 24 | |
---------'----------'-------'------------'-------'-------------'----------------
</pre><pre id="faqspan-4">
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
3.52 - Janaff [3-52]
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Starting Level: 29
Class Progression: Hawk (Janaff)
---------.----------.-------.------------.-------.-------------.----------------
| | Base | Max | Class | Transformed |
Stat | Growth % | Stats | Avg. Stats | Caps | Avg. Stats |
---------|----------|-------|------------|-------|-------------|----------------
HP | 55% | 57 | 63 | 65 | |
STR | 40% | 16 | * 19 | 19 | |
MAG | 15% | 2 | 3.6 | 5 | |
SKL | 45% | 19 | * 23 | 23 | |
SPD | 25% | 17 | 19.8 | 21 | |
LUCK | 50% | 30 | * 35 | 35 | |
DEF | 35% | 12 | 15.8 | 16 | |
RES | 10% | 8 | 9.1 | 12 | |
---------'----------'-------'------------'-------'-------------'----------------
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
3.53 - Ulki [3-53]
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Starting Level: 28
Class Progression: Hawk (Ulki)
---------.----------.-------.------------.-------.-------------.----------------
| | Base | Max | Class | Transformed |
Stat | Growth % | Stats | Avg. Stats | Caps | Avg. Stats |
---------|----------|-------|------------|-------|-------------|----------------
HP | 65% | 59 | * 65 | 65 | |
STR | 25% | 14 | 17 | 19 | |
MAG | 30% | 3 | * 5 | 5 | |
SKL | 25% | 17 | 20 | 22 | |
SPD | 40% | 18 | * 21 | 21 | |
LUCK | 35% | 25 | 29.2 | 35 | |
DEF | 30% | 11 | 14.6 | 16 | |
RES | 25% | 10 | * 12 | 12 | |
---------'----------'-------'------------'-------'-------------'----------------
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
3.54 - Sigrun [3-54]
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Starting Level: --/19
Class Progression: Falcon Knight -> Seraph Knight
---------.----------.-------.------------.-------.------------------------------
| | Base | Max | Class |
Stat | Growth % | Stats | Avg. Stats | Caps |
---------|----------|-------|------------|-------|------------------------------
HP | 40% | 34 | 46 | 50 |
STR | 45% | 18 | 30 | 32 |
MAG | 10% | 13 | 19 | 20 |
SKL | 70% | 22 | * 36 | 36 |
SPD | 25% | 24 | 31 | 36 |
LUCK | 70% | 28 | * 35 | 35 |
DEF | 10% | 20 | 25 | 28 |
RES | 50% | 22 | * 34 | 34 |
---------'----------'-------'------------'-------'------------------------------
While Sigrun comes in at the highest level out of the Falcon Knight trio,
she's considered to be the worst one out of the 3. Marcia has the potential
to surpass Sigrun if you spent time leveling her, and Tanith (to be discussed
next) has better growths that put her over the top at level 20/14.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
3.55 - Tanith [3-55]
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Starting Level: --/16
Class Progression: Falcon Knight -> Seraph Knight
---------.----------.-------.------------.-------.------------------------------
| | Base | Max | Class |
Stat | Growth % | Stats | Avg. Stats | Caps |
---------|----------|-------|------------|-------|------------------------------
HP | 35% | 35 | 47.1 | 50 |
STR | 55% | 20 | * 32 | 32 |
MAG | 15% | 10 | 17.4 | 20 |
SKL | 75% | 21 | * 36 | 36 |
SPD | 40% | 23 | 34.2 | 36 |
LUCK | 35% | 22 | 30.1 | 35 |
DEF | 40% | 19 | * 28 | 28 |
RES | 30% | 20 | 30.9 | 34 |
---------'----------'-------'------------'-------'------------------------------
As for endgame, Tanith has great potential. She promises to have the best
stats compared to both Marcia and Sigrun at 20/20/20, despite the fact that
she comes at a lower level.
Whether Tanith is any good largely depends on how well you leveled up Marcia.
If Marica is already into 3rd tier, then both Sigrun and Tanith are largely
obsolete, as they'll never catch up.
If you've never leveled up Marcia, then Tanith is actually better to use
compared to Sigrun - not right away obviously, but she climbs out of her hole
rather quickly. In fact, a level 20/14 Tanith is about as effective as a
20/20 Sigrun, since they both have the same stats except for Luck and
Resistance (Sigrun still has the advantage, but not a crucial one). Once
Tanith breaks 20/14 and into 20/20, Tanith is clearly in the lead because
she'll have +2 Strength, +3.2 Speed and +3 Defense.
Also, not something talked about a lot, but Tanith's potential is even
greater than Nephenee, who is largely thought of as one of the prime
candidates for Wishblade, the ultimate lance. Take a look:
.--------------------.---------------------.
| Tanith - 20/20 | Nephenee - 20/20 |
|--------------------|---------------------|
| +0.7 Strength | +6.05 HP |
| +1.75 Magic | +3.3 Defense |
| +1 Skill | |
| +0.2 Speed | |
| +2.85 Luck | |
| +0.9 Resistance | |
'--------------------'---------------------'
While Tanith doesn't have much of an overall stat lead compared to Nephenee
(let's be honest, 3.3 Defense is probably better overall), Tanith can fly and
she has the Canto skill, which is far superior to Nephenee's defense. This
ultimately makes Tanith the best Lance user in the game.
Unfortunately, there isn't a lot of time to level up Tanith before the
endgame, while there's a lot of time to level-up Nephenee.
--------------------
Join Grade: 7/10
Endgame Grade: 9/10
--------------------
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
3.56 - Sanaki [3-56]
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Starting Level: --/--/01
Class Progression: Empress
---------.----------.-------.------------.-------.------------------------------
| | Base | Max | Class |
Stat | Growth % | Stats | Avg. Stats | Caps |
---------|----------|-------|------------|-------|------------------------------
HP | 70% | 28 | 41.3 | 45 |
STR | 40% | 2 | 9.6 | 20 |
MAG | 60% | 33 | * 40 | 40 |
SKL | 60% | 22 | * 33 | 33 |
SPD | 35% | 23 | 29.7 | 32 |
LUCK | 55% | 32 | * 40 | 40 |
DEF | 30% | 10 | 15.7 | 20 |
RES | 50% | 28 | 37.5 | 40 |
---------'----------'-------'------------'-------'------------------------------
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
3.57 - Skrimir [3-57]
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Starting Level: 25
Class Progression: Lion (Skrimir)
---------.----------.-------.------------.-------.-------------.----------------
| | Base | Max | Class | Transformed |
Stat | Growth % | Stats | Avg. Stats | Caps | Avg. Stats |
---------|----------|-------|------------|-------|-------------|----------------
HP | 90% | 66 | 79.5 | 80 | 80 |
STR | 35% | 19 | * 24 | 24 | * 48 |
MAG | 5% | 3 | 3.7 | 5 | 7.4 |
SKL | 35% | 14 | 19.3 | 22 | 38.6 |
SPD | 25% | 13 | 16.8 | 17 | 33.6 |
LUCK | 20% | 24 | 27 | 30 | 27 |
DEF | 50% | 16 | * 22 | 22 | * 44 |
RES | 5% | 9 | 9.8 | 16 | 19.6 |
---------'----------'-------'------------'-------'-------------'----------------
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
3.58 - Tibarn [3-58]
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Starting Level: 31
Class Progression: Hawk (Tibarn)
---------.----------.-------.------------.-------.-------------.----------------
| | Base | Max | Class | Transformed |
Stat | Growth % | Stats | Avg. Stats | Caps | Avg. Stats |
---------|----------|-------|------------|-------|-------------|----------------
HP | 75% | 68 | 74.8 | 75 | 75 |
STR | 40% | 18 | 21.6 | 22 | 43.2 |
MAG | 5% | 2 | 2.4 | 6 | 4.8 |
SKL | 10% | 24 | 24.9 | 25 | 49.8 |
SPD | 20% | 20 | 21.8 | 23 | 43.6 |
LUCK | 40% | 29 | 32.6 | 35 | 32.6 |
DEF | 40% | 16 | 19.6 | 20 | 39.2 |
RES | 20% | 10 | 11.8 | 14 | 23.6 |
---------'----------'-------'------------'-------'-------------'----------------
Tibarn is essentially a god, and unlike many of the Laguz Kings, you have
time to level him up to 40 in the Izuka chapter. Surprisingly, nothing caps,
but they all come close.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
3.59 - Naesala [3-59]
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Starting Level: 27
Class Progression: Raven (Naesala)
---------.----------.-------.------------.-------.-------------.----------------
| | Base | Max | Class | Transformed |
Stat | Growth % | Stats | Avg. Stats | Caps | Avg. Stats |
---------|----------|-------|------------|-------|-------------|----------------
HP | 40% | 60 | 65.2 | 70 | 65.2 |
STR | 45% | 17 | * 20 | 20 | * 40 |
MAG | 15% | 7 | 9 | 10 | 18 |
SKL | 30% | 20 | * 22 | 22 | * 44 |
SPD | 45% | 21 | * 25 | 25 | * 50 |
LUCK | 55% | 20 | 27.2 | 30 | 27.2 |
DEF | 15% | 13 | 15 | 17 | 30 |
RES | 35% | 14 | 18.6 | 19 | 37.2 |
---------'----------'-------'------------'-------'-------------'----------------
Not nearly as enticing as the other Laguz Kings when you look at his base
stats, but if you got BEXP to burn, he'll largely be better than any Beorc
unit. Considering he caps quickly, you can expect above average stats using
BEXP.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
3.60 - Pelleas [3-60]
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Starting Level: --/12
Class Progression: Dark Sage -> Arch Sage (Dark)
---------.----------.-------.------------.-------.------------------------------
| | Base | Max | Class |
Stat | Growth % | Stats | Avg. Stats | Caps |
---------|----------|-------|------------|-------|------------------------------
HP | 35% | 33 | 46.5 | 50 |
STR | 25% | 13 | 23.8 | 25 |
MAG | 55% | 24 | 38.4 | 39 |
SKL | 45% | 20 | 33.6 | 34 |
SPD | 60% | 21 | * 31 | 31 |
LUCK | 40% | 14 | 24.8 | 25 |
DEF | 30% | 14 | * 24 | 24 |
RES | 45% | 19 | 33.1 | 36 |
---------'----------'-------'------------'-------'------------------------------
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
3.61 - Oliver [3-61]
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Starting Level: --/--/08
Class Progression: Saint
---------.----------.-------.------------.-------.------------------------------
| | Base | Max | Class |
Stat | Growth % | Stats | Avg. Stats | Caps |
---------|----------|-------|------------|-------|------------------------------
HP | 65% | 48 | * 50 | 50 |
STR | 55% | 22 | * 25 | 25 |
MAG | 35% | 31 | 35.2 | 36 |
SKL | 35% | 22 | 26.2 | 30 |
SPD | 45% | 20 | 25.4 | 30 |
LUCK | 30% | 28 | 31.6 | 35 |
DEF | 30% | 18 | 21.6 | 22 |
RES | 20% | 32 | 34.4 | 40 |
---------'----------'-------'------------'-------'------------------------------
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
3.62 - Bastian [3-62]
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Starting Level: --/--/10
Class Progression: Arch Sage (Wind)
---------.----------.-------.------------.-------.------------------------------
| | Base | Max | Class |
Stat | Growth % | Stats | Avg. Stats | Caps |
---------|----------|-------|------------|-------|------------------------------
HP | 25% | 45 | 47.5 | 50 |
STR | 20% | 21 | 23 | 23 |
MAG | 30% | 35 | 38 | 40 |
SKL | 70% | 27 | * 34 | 34 |
SPD | 40% | 24 | 28 | 32 |
LUCK | 40% | 21 | 25 | 30 |
DEF | 25% | 20 | 22.5 | 24 |
RES | 50% | 32 | * 36 | 36 |
---------'----------'-------'------------'-------'------------------------------
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
3.63 - Volke [3-63]
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Starting Level: --/--/13
Class Progression: Assassin
---------.----------.-------.------------.-------.------------------------------
| | Base | Max | Class |
Stat | Growth % | Stats | Avg. Stats | Caps |
---------|----------|-------|------------|-------|------------------------------
HP | 50% | 52 | * 55 | 55 |
STR | 50% | 30 | * 32 | 32 |
MAG | 5% | 5 | 5.3 | 15 |
SKL | 60% | 36 | * 40 | 40 |
SPD | 65% | 35 | 39.5 | 40 |
LUCK | 20% | 19 | 20.4 | 25 |
DEF | 45% | 26 | 29.1 | 30 |
RES | 15% | 32 | * 25 | 25 |
---------'----------'-------'------------'-------'------------------------------
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
3.64 - Kurthnaga [3-64]
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Starting Level: 20
Class Progression: Black Dragon (Kurthnaga)
---------.----------.-------.------------.-------.-------------.----------------
| | Base | Max | Class | Transformed |
Stat | Growth % | Stats | Avg. Stats | Caps | Avg. Stats |
---------|----------|-------|------------|-------|-------------|----------------
HP | 95% | 55 | 74 | 80 | 74 |
STR | 45% | 15 | * 23 | 23 | * 46 |
MAG | 15% | 7 | 10 | 12 | 20 |
SKL | 20% | 8 | 12 | 18 | 24 |
SPD | 35% | 10 | * 16 | 16 | * 32 |
LUCK | 60% | 21 | * 30 | 30 | * 30 |
DEF | 25% | 15 | 20 | 23 | 40 |
RES | 40% | 15 | * 19 | 19 | * 30 |
---------'----------'-------'------------'-------'-------------'----------------
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
3.65 - Ena [3-65]
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Starting Level: 22
Class Progression: Red Dragon
---------.----------.-------.------------.-------.-------------.----------------
| | Base | Max | Class | Transformed |
Stat | Growth % | Stats | Avg. Stats | Caps | Avg. Stats |
---------|----------|-------|------------|-------|-------------|----------------
HP | 50% | 59 | 68 | 70 | 68 |
STR | 20% | 10 | 13.6 | 20 | 27.2 |
MAG | 50% | 15 | * 20 | 20 | * 40 |
SKL | 40% | 13 | * 15 | 15 | * 30 |
SPD | 40% | 11 | * 13 | 13 | * 26 |
LUCK | 35% | 18 | 24.3 | 30 | 24.3 |
DEF | 15% | 13 | 15.7 | 20 | 31.4 |
RES | 50% | 17 | * 20 | 20 | * 40 |
---------'----------'-------'------------'-------'-------------'----------------
Given that all of Ena's high growths are in areas that cap quickly, Ena's a
prime candidate to abuse BEXP so that she maxes everything. What are you
saving it for anyway? You might as well make a craptastic unit into someone
that's useful seeing as you are forced to take her.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
3.66 - Caineghis [3-66]
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Starting Level: 36
Class Progression: Lion
---------.----------.-------.------------.-------.-------------.----------------
| | Base | Max | Class | Transformed |
Stat | Growth % | Stats | Avg. Stats | Caps | Avg. Stats |
---------|----------|-------|------------|-------|-------------|----------------
HP | 50% | 76 | 78 | 80 | 78 |
STR | 40% | 22 | 23.6 | 24 | 47.2 |
MAG | 10% | 4 | 4.4 | 5 | 8.8 |
SKL | 40% | 23 | * 23 | 23 | * 46 |
SPD | 20% | 17 | 17.8 | 20 | 35.6 |
LUCK | 40% | 30 | 31.6 | 35 | 31.6 |
DEF | 30% | 22 | * 23 | 23 | * 46 |
RES | 10% | 10 | 10.4 | 12 | 20.8 |
---------'----------'-------'------------'-------'-------------'----------------
You do have to wonder, with the Laguz kings having such grossly over-powered
stats, what is the point to carefully planning your units for the endgame?
Not much, outside of a few key units really. Considering how the game's setup
into Parts... I'd have to consider that to be in the game's best interest -
that way won't complain about not having the forsight to raise certain
characters. Still, with such over-powered units, very few Beorc units really
deserve to go.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
3.67 - Giffca [3-67]
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Starting Level: 36
Class Progression: Lion
---------.----------.-------.------------.-------.-------------.----------------
| | Base | Max | Class | Transformed |
Stat | Growth % | Stats | Avg. Stats | Caps | Avg. Stats |
---------|----------|-------|------------|-------|-------------|----------------
HP | 40% | 73 | 74.6 | 80 | 74.6 |
STR | 35% | 21 | 22.4 | 24 | 44.8 |
MAG | 10% | 4 | 4.4 | 5 | 8.8 |
SKL | 35% | 22 | * 23 | 23 | * 46 |
SPD | 50% | 18 | * 20 | 20 | * 40 |
LUCK | 25% | 28 | 29 | 35 | 29 |
DEF | 30% | 20 | 21.2 | 23 | 42.4 |
RES | 15% | 11 | 11.6 | 12 | 23.2 |
---------'----------'-------'------------'-------'-------------'----------------
Despite not being quite as good as Caineghis, it's hard to refute that having
40+ in 4 stats is bad. Broken.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
3.68 - Renning [3-68]
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Starting Level: --/--/16
Class Progression: Gold Knight (Sword)
---------.----------.-------.------------.-------.------------------------------
| | Base | Max | Class |
Stat | Growth % | Stats | Avg. Stats | Caps |
---------|----------|-------|------------|-------|------------------------------
HP | 40% | 56 | 57.6 | 60 |
STR | 60% | 31 | 33.4 | 34 |
MAG | 10% | 18 | 18.4 | 20 |
SKL | 50% | 32 | * 34 | 34 |
SPD | 40% | 29 | 30.6 | 33 |
LUCK | 10% | 24 | 24.4 | 30 |
DEF | 70% | 27 | 29.8 | 30 |
RES | 20% | 23 | 23.8 | 25 |
---------'----------'-------'------------'-------'------------------------------
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
3.69 - Gareth [3-69]
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Starting Level: 31
Class Progression: Red Dragon
---------.----------.-------.------------.-------.-------------.----------------
| | Base | Max | Class | Transformed |
Stat | Growth % | Stats | Avg. Stats | Caps | Avg. Stats |
---------|----------|-------|------------|-------|-------------|----------------
HP | 90% | 82 | * 90 | 90 | * 90 |
STR | 40% | 22 | * 25 | 25 | * 50 |
MAG | 5% | 5 | 5.4 | 10 | 10.8 |
SKL | 30% | 10 | 12.7 | 15 | 25.4 |
SPD | 10% | 7 | 7.9 | 10 | 15.8 |
LUCK | 65% | 20 | 25.8 | 30 | 25.8 |
DEF | 30% | 21 | * 23 | 23 | * 46 |
RES | 25% | 9 | 11.2 | 15 | 22.4 |
---------'----------'-------'------------'-------'-------------'----------------
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
3.70 - Nasir [3-70]
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Starting Level: 34
Class Progression: White Dragon
---------.----------.-------.------------.-------.-------------.----------------
| | Base | Max | Class | Transformed |
Stat | Growth % | Stats | Avg. Stats | Caps | Avg. Stats |
---------|----------|-------|------------|-------|-------------|----------------
HP | 70% | 74 | 78.2 | 90 | 78.2 |
STR | 15% | 7 | 7.9 | 10 | 14 |
MAG | 45% | 24 | * 25 | 25 | * 50 |
SKL | 35% | 13 | * 15 | 15 | * 30 |
SPD | 20% | 8 | 9.2 | 10 | 18.4 |
LUCK | 45% | 19 | 21.7 | 30 | 21.7 |
DEF | 15% | 12 | 12.9 | 15 | 25.8 |
RES | 40% | 21 | * 23 | 23 | * 46 |
---------'----------'-------'------------'-------'-------------'----------------
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
3.71 - Lehran [3-71]
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Starting Level: --/--/20
Class Progression: Chancellor
---------.----------.-------.------------.-------.------------------------------
| | Base | Max | Class |
Stat | Growth % | Stats | Avg. Stats | Caps |
---------|----------|-------|------------|-------|------------------------------
HP | 0% | 50 | 50 | 50 |
STR | 0% | 11 | 11 | 25 |
MAG | 0% | 40 | 40 | 40 |
SKL | 0% | 40 | 40 | 40 |
SPD | 0% | 40 | 40 | 40 |
LUCK | 0% | 40 | 40 | 40 |
DEF | 0% | 23 | 23 | 25 |
RES | 0% | 40 | 40 | 40 |
---------'----------'-------'------------'-------'------------------------------
================================================================================
4. The Final Party
================================================================================
================================================================================
5. Last Words
================================================================================
Well, I hope you enjoyed reading the FAQ and learned something from it. I
enjoyed poking away at the secrets of the game, trying to find best
characters myself as well and writing this FAQ was a good way to assert my
knowledge and help people who don't have time to do all the work we did.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
5.1 - Contact Info
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
If you have any suggestions to improve or fix the content in the FAQ, please
contact me (Ken Egervari) at
[email protected] and I'll add them
to the next version. I will, of course, give you full credit for your
addition, and be eternally grateful to you (as well as the other readers that
benefit from your information).
If you are going to email me about this game, in the subject line, please put
"Fire Emblem: Radiant Dawn Character Guide" along with the version number of
the FAQ that you are looking at. If you don't do this, I might not reply
seeing as you didn't take the time to respect my wishes.
If you ask me generic questions about the game, I may or may not respond.
I only have so much free time and I obviously can't respond to everything.
I really tried to convert my knowledge about this game into the written
work that you see here, so if it concerns Radiant Dawn's characters, it's
probably here already.
As a last thought, please read this FAQ in its entirety before you ask
questions.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
5.2 - Copyright Info
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
This Document is Copyright 2007-2008 by Ken J. Egervari.
Fire Emblem: Radiant Dawn and all related marks are copyrighted and
trademarked by their respective owners. I had nothing to do with the
development of the game and I am not affiliated with them in any way.
This FAQ may not be posted without my expressed permission. In the event
where it's posted, YOU are responsible for keeping to date. If it's not, I
reserve the right to ask you to take it down from your site.
You may not charge for, or in any way profit from this FAQ.
If you would like to me write articles and FAQs for you, email me and we can
work something out.
You are welcome to download the FAQ, print it out and even give it out to
friends (although I'd prefer that you give them the proper gamefaqs.com URL).
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
5.3 - Coming Soon
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Basically, the whole FAQ :) I wanted to get a structure release out first,
and I'll slowly add content from this point on. This is a huge undertaking,
so it'll probably take me an entire month to complete.
Also, expect future updates to this FAQ as people, like yourself, contribute
new ideas and material.
================================================================================
