Should I invest some time into Donnel?

[Gold Vanguard]

So far I find it impossible to level him up. His bases are to low and he dies to easily. I know he has good growths but is it worth all the stress?

[Velth]

He eventually becomes really strong after he gets through the wimp villager phase,but is it worth it? In my opinion no, not unless you like him and want to use him regularly.Otherwise the time would be better spent on other characters.

Edited February 11, 2013 by Velth

[Knight]

Ests will always be Ests. I didn't bother, but my brother did, and now he can solo my streetpass team with him.

[Saria]

Depends on the mode you're on I'd say. On normal I still struggled to raise him, and while he turned out to be one of my strongest units without having to reclass him more than once, it's really difficult for me to even raise him on hard mode. If you want to use him, invest in reeking boxes and use them on the early chapter spots so the risen will be low leveled and he won't be as over powered. Also: Reclass him as soon as he hits level 10 villager, I changed him to a mercenary and all his stats got ridiculous boosts to the point he was as strong/stronger than most people I had at the time.

In short: He can be a monster, but sometimes it's not the most practical option. You could get the same effect by just reclassing Gregor a few times (or anyone else for that matter) if you just don't want to bother with Donnel

Edited February 11, 2013 by Saria

[Samias]

As soon as Donnel gets out of the villager class he just becomes amazing. However, it's wildly impractical and unnecessary. If you want to waste the time, go ahead and use him, since his supports are a lot of fun and it's a challenge to get over the first hurdle, but if you're playing efficiently, put him on the bench forever.

[Mighty Kamina]

Donnel has 3 hurdles he needs to get over before he becomes good, and they are:

1. His abysmal starting stats and class (Reclass increases his stat considerably but you need to get him to level 10 first)

2. His E rank in Lances

3. After reclassing his E rank in Swords or Axes is an issue.

If you can deal with those than Donnel usually turns out great, but on Lunatic mode it's nearly impossible unless you are on casual mode and grinding on the DLC.

Edited February 11, 2013 by Zelos

[eclipse]

He reminds me of Amelia, except that once he can use a Second Seal, he isn't in a rut. You can try to pair him with someone that has Speed, so he'll be able to double/dodge slightly more effectively. Alternately, you can pair him with someone that has Defense and pray.

Since my characters like to troll me by leaving stuff 90% dead, I didn't have quite as many problems leveling him.

[Psych]

I was trying to get Olivia x Krom so I needed to marry the other early ladies off and paired him with Sully. Having an S support by Chapter 6 really allows him to do a lot more and let Aptitude shine.

[CinderSkye]

Donnel's biggest importance is being a babydaddy. Good Growths is an awesome thing to pass to almost any kid. While I hate Severa as a character, she was Donny's kid in my game, and by level 18 she had multiple stats prepromote capped and was easily my strongest unit at the time, not including the Avatar.

Edited February 11, 2013 by CinderSkye

[shadykid]

no if you're doing LTC or playing on lunatic/lunatic+

yes otherwise

....that's basically it

[Karasz]

Donnel can become a beast given some training. And for those of you that complain about him having low power, here's what I did.

1. Go to a shop that sells Bronze Lances.

2. Buy him one.

3. Forge it to have max attack and 60% improved hit rate.

4. Repeat when he is reclassed to Mercenary with swords, or Fighter with axes.

Pair him with a unit who is REALLY good with support blocking and dodge bonuses, and PRESTO. You can get him to higher levels pretty easily.