"Ask Fire Emblem Heroes Questions and Get Them Answered Here" Thread

[Personette]

I just got Hinoka & now I'm facing a familiar dilemma.

She's got a unique skill I'd like to pass on & an iffy IV (and I've got a great Cordelia) but I don't want to sacrifice my only copy of a character for inheritance.

I have the same issue with Mathilda--I pulled a -ATK copy at 5 stars. She's frustrating to use, but I don't want to patch up her weaknesses with SI because there's a good chance I'll turn her into fodder eventually (I do have a couple 4 star Mathildas...) so instead she just sits there, doing nothing.

I'm leveling this Hinoka just to see what she's like & i keep thinking, "she'd work better if I inherited this or that..." but if I'm just going to sacrifice her down the line...

What do you guys do in thos situation? Other than dither endlessly...

[Ice Dragon]

4 hours ago, The_antithesis said:

When counterattacking a foe using distant counter, can the enemy use Aigis or Pavise?

Aegis. Defensive skills based on attack distance always use the actual distance of the round of combat, not the range value of your weapon.

[Book Bro]

So I drew a second Reinhardt and have promoted him to 5☆ in order to merge with the one I already have. The problem is that they both have pretty bad natures, yet I don't know which is worse of the two.

I have one with -Atk +Res and one with -Def +Res. What do?

[Ice Dragon]

Just now, Book Bro said:

So I drew a second Reinhardt and have promoted him to 5☆ in order to merge with the one I already have. The problem is that they both have pretty bad natures, yet I don't know which is worse of the two.

I have one with -Atk +Res and one with -Def +Res. What do?

Neutral Atk is always better than -Atk on a Brave weapon user regardless of all other stats.

[mampfoid]

2 hours ago, Personette said:

I just got Hinoka & now I'm facing a familiar dilemma.

She's got a unique skill I'd like to pass on & an iffy IV (and I've got a great Cordelia) but I don't want to sacrifice my only copy of a character for inheritance.

I have the same issue with Mathilda--I pulled a -ATK copy at 5 stars. She's frustrating to use, but I don't want to patch up her weaknesses with SI because there's a good chance I'll turn her into fodder eventually (I do have a couple 4 star Mathildas...) so instead she just sits there, doing nothing.

I'm leveling this Hinoka just to see what she's like & i keep thinking, "she'd work better if I inherited this or that..." but if I'm just going to sacrifice her down the line...

What do you guys do in thos situation? Other than dither endlessly...

I try to not sacrifice units with only 1 copy left. In case of your Mathilda I wouldn't have problems to sacrifice her for SI, since you have copies with better natures left (and probably other better lance Cavs).

Hinoka on the other hand is a cool unit which can be strong of her own. True, Cordelia and Tana are better, but depending on your team, Hinoka can perform quite well. Mine buffs the flying blade mages together with Palla (fortify fliers). And if there is need for physical damage, Hinoka can handle that easily. 

While Cordelia is strong enough to work without flier buffs, you could build a second flier team around her. Melee fliers don't profit as much from hone than blade mages do. Field buffs are sufficient to make Cordelia, Cherche, Tana, Elincia and the likes a strong force. 

Currently I plan to built a Galeforce team with BH!Roy, Cordelia, Elincia and dancer. Perhaps I'll switch Roy out for Firesweep Tana at some point. 

Edited September 15, 2017 by mampfoid
Typo

[Xenomata]

Just wondering, is there a way for an ally unit to take even one damage without ever engaging the enemy?

For the sake of Ardent Sacrifice, a skill which I have some problems with because it does require a unit to have taken damage first, which by that time most Arena enemies have already made it halfway to my army, if not have already engaged combat.

[Book Bro]

49 minutes ago, Ice Dragon said:

Neutral Atk is always better than -Atk on a Brave weapon user regardless of all other stats.

Thanks! 

[Thienphu]

Hi, 

What would be better for Ryoma (+def/-res) life and death or fury? He already got vantage. His stats are 46/52/37/32/20

[DarkLordIvy]

12 hours ago, phineas81707 said:

So what suggestions are there for a cheap Soren? I have a functionally perfect Nino, and I don't think this particular Soren has a great nature (I can't remember from memory), but it'd be nice to have for the Tempest if he's a bonus.

If you don't want to inherit a different tome I would suggest trying out a build with ether:

1) Dragonic Aura/Fury3/Watersweep/Whatever

2) Dragonic Aura/LaD2/Watersweep/Whatever

if you don't have a source of Dragonic Aura it would probably be best to stick with Growing Wind

[DehNutCase]

8 hours ago, MrSmokestack said:

Savage Blow is a bit niche. I don't like Out-of-Combat damage skills like these since they can have some unintended side effects, like triggering Vantage on enemy units. Buffs like Hone or Spur are more useful in a general way while having no real risk of backfiring ever.

Threatens are in a similar position. They don't work well on offensive units since you don't want them near the enemy in the first place, which makes them less likely go off. Defensive units like Effie, Zephiel, Lukas, Nowi, and others can make better use of them.

Savage Blow is reasonably reliable so long as you only pack one a team---I have it on Cordelia, so it's basically a +3.5 Atk on her when she's doing her Galeforce sweep. Mind, that only works because Cordelia gets 3 unit-turns a turn pretty reliably.

Edit: If she were a 35/35 horse I'd consider a generic Hone, but 2 move melee simply has enough positioning issues without having to stay around their buffees, I usually have to position her away from everyone else so she can get to where she needs to be at the start of turn.

Edited September 15, 2017 by DehNutCase

[Astellius]

19 hours ago, DehNutCase said:

If you don't inherit a 5* weapon, most 4* +10s get outdone at around 5* +1 or +2 in terms of matchups, because Atk is one of the best stats to have, and a 5* weapon gives 4 MT for the typical weapon (more for Prfs, less for things like Braves and daggers).

Moreover, units with good vanilla skillsets that aren't fully unlocked at 4* (Hana gets L&D at 5*, for example) get extra value from promotion.

Rather than investing 40k or 60k feathers for a 4* +10 I'd much rather invest around 20k into a unit with a good vanilla skillset instead. yeah, it'll be weaker, but it's also way easier on duplicate requirements, skill inheritance requirements, and longevity (in case one decide to further invest in said unit later). Most brave users tend to be good in this regard, considering brave is often the optimal weapon for a offensive unit (I prefer Abel to Peri partly because of this, and partly because his defensive stats are min-maxed better in exchange for minor 1 spd deficit---Abel starts ahead in terms of skillset cost, due to not needing to inherit a Brave Lance, and stays ahead basically forever because of it.)

 

Basically, 4* +10 are only worth it in the very rare case where you intend to build a unit to be reasonably expensive (~60k feather investment) but not any more over that, ever. A budget SI'd 5* can often come below 30k feathers (20k promotion, less than 10k for skills), including the promotion cost itself, but a 4* will usually take at least 40k to catchup (20k for 5* weapon, ~10k for skills, slightly more because 5*s get all their skills maxed, which matters for people with good vanilla sets like Klein---not 'optimal,' but very cheap and exceedingly efficient for the feather cost, and ~10k for enough merges to actually overtake a 5*'s natural stat advantage). After that the 4* will be a cheaper investment at 2k feathers + 1 unit for a +1 compared to a 5*'s 22k feathers + 1 unit for a +1, but that's the only place it has an advantage. Budget sets will prefer a 5* with a good vanilla set, and optimal sets would prefer multi 5* merges for better ceiling.

I was referring specifically to the stat spread, not accounting for skills or weapons. A 4*+10 has the stats usually equivalent to a 5*+5. As for whether or not the individual thinks its worth it to go a 4*+10 route is up to them. It's certainly cheaper to make a 4*+10 than a 5*+5, and simply have them inherit a 5*weapon. Assuming one is promoting from 4*, the 5*+5 would cost 120k feathers, while a 4*+10 would require 22k feathers to promote all from 3*s, plus another 20k for inheriting a 5* weapon. 120k feathers vs. 42k is a huge difference. I'm going the 4*+10 route with a couple really common characters (e.g., male Robin, Cecilia) since I pull them a lot, and there's not a real need for their skills for inheritance.

There's also the advantage of not needing to put down a ton of resources at any one moment in order to build up a 4*+10 (with the exception of when they inherit a 5* weapon). It's a pretty gradual process.

18 hours ago, XRay said:

That is because it is not rare. Since it happens quite often and it seems most players do not notice that promoting to 5* does not always gives +2 to all stats, I feel a sense of duty to bring it up? 4*+10 does not always equal to 5*+5, so I feel more comfortable giving a range as 5*+4/5.

I will just use Hero Battle units as examples since they are common and they are not normally available at 5*.

Sophia
34/37/40    28/31/34    14/17/20    22/25/28    24/27/30
36/40/43    30/33/36    16/19/22    24/28/31    25/29/32

Virion
40/43/46    26/29/32    26/29/32    21/24/27    09/12/15
43/46/49    28/31/34    28/31/34    23/26/30    10/13/17

Hana
32/35/38    30/33/36    31/34/37    18/21/24    20/23/26
34/37/41    32/35/38    33/36/39    20/23/26    22/26/29

Subaki
34/37/40    20/23/26    30/33/36    30/33/36    17/20/23
36/40/43    22/25/29    32/35/38    32/35/38    19/22/25

Donnel
37/40/43    30/33/36    23/26/29    27/30/33    18/21/24
40/43/46    32/35/38    26/29/32    29/32/35    20/23/27

Lissa
33/36/39    22/25/28    20/23/26    22/25/28    25/28/31
35/39/42    23/26/30    22/25/29    24/28/31    26/30/33

Gunter
37/40/43    27/30/33    19/22/25    28/31/34    13/16/19
39/43/46    28/32/35    21/24/27    29/33/36    14/18/21

Cecilia
31/34/37    27/30/33    20/23/26    17/20/23    24/27/30
33/36/40    29/32/35    22/25/29    19/22/25    25/29/32

Felicia
29/32/35    18/21/24    32/35/38    13/16/19    30/33/36
31/34/38    20/23/26    34/37/40    15/18/21    32/35/38

Wrys
36/39/42    19/22/25    19/22/25    17/20/23    31/34/37
39/42/45    21/24/28    20/23/26    19/22/25    33/36/39

Olivia
31/34/37    23/26/29    28/31/34    21/24/27    20/23/26
33/36/40    24/28/31    30/33/36    23/27/30    22/26/29

Stahl
39/42/45    26/29/32    21/24/27    25/28/31    17/20/23
42/45/48    28/31/34    23/26/30    26/30/33    19/22/25

I suppose it's more common than I thought, so point taken, although it's still pretty uncommon. I was more referring to the fact that it was a +Spd Hana that was in question, but I didn't look at the Res part, so she might very well have a point of Res less. Also, my apologies, "disingenuous" was poor word choice on my part and not what I meant.

[DehNutCase]

1 minute ago, Astellius said:

I was referring specifically to the stat spread, not accounting for skills or weapons. A 4*+10 has the stats usually equivalent to a 5*+5. As for whether or not the individual thinks its worth it to go a 4*+10 route is up to them. It's certainly cheaper to make a 4*+10 than a 5*+5, and simply have them inherit a 5*weapon. Assuming one is promoting from 4*, the 5*+5 would cost 120k feathers, while a 4*+10 would require 22k feathers to promote all from 3*s, plus another 20k for inheriting a 5* weapon. 120k feathers vs. 42k is a huge difference. I'm going the 4*+10 route with a couple really common characters (e.g., male Robin, Cecilia) since I pull them a lot, and there's not a real need for their skills for inheritance.

There's also the advantage of not needing to put down a ton of resources at any one moment in order to build up a 4*+10 (with the exception of when they inherit a 5* weapon). It's a pretty gradual process.

Again, 4* +10 is only worth it in the rare case where you want to dump 40-60k feathers into a single unit and not a single feather more than that. For budget sets a 5* +0 with good vanilla set would be far cheaper, and for optimal builds you want 5*s anyway for the higher growth ceiling. Also, most units catch up to their 4*+10 counterparts at 5* +4, some even catch up at 5* +3, this is because the +5 level gives the 4th and 5th lowest at at level 1, which tends to be the stats you wanted to dump in the first place. Cordelia, for example, gets def and res for her +5 level, that's completely pointless with regards to her matchups, considering the fact that she gets 3 hp over the 4* version on promotion, meaning she basically already got that 1 extra point of bulk for being 5* anyway.

The reason stat spreads matter is because some stats are less valuable than others, and that means merge levels are not created equal.

Furthermore, you're comparing the optimal case with a 4*+10 in terms of budget, and neglecting the fact that 5* units have cheaper budget sets because they can simply stay 5* +0 and be perfectly usable and cheaper than any 4* option. 5* promotion gives minimum +2 to all stats (often a unit gets +3 in a relevant stat), 5* weapon access (budget sets will pick units with a relevant weapon), and full skill access (Galeforce and Aether are 5* only, and someone like Cordelia will get 2 5* only skills simultaneously from her Brave Lance+ and Galeforce), all of this gives budget 5*s an appreciable cost lead that they never lose because you stop investing in budget units once they're usable.

[Ice Dragon]

20 minutes ago, DehNutCase said:

5* promotion gives minimum +2 to all stats

Technically not true, but it's close enough.

A stat with a base growth rate of 25% and is the character's lowest or second lowest level 1 base stat gains only +1 on promotion to 5-star. A stat with a base growth rate of 30-45% and is the character's second or third highest level 1 base stat (not sure this combination actually exists since a character's third highest level 1 base stat usually has a base growth rate of 55% or higher) also gains only +1 on promotion to 5-star.

Ogma's Res, Bartre's Res, Virion's Res, Frederick's Res, Leon's Res, and Lucius's Def all gain only +1.

Summer Xander's Res, Delthea's Def, Linde's Def, Sonya's Def, Katarina's Def, and Summer Leo's Def would also do this if they could be pulled at 4-star rarity.

Edited September 15, 2017 by Ice Dragon

[Flying Shogi]

8 hours ago, MrSmokestack said:

Savage Blow is a bit niche. I don't like Out-of-Combat damage skills like these since they can have some unintended side effects, like triggering Vantage on enemy units. Buffs like Hone or Spur are more useful in a general way while having no real risk of backfiring ever.

Threatens are in a similar position. They don't work well on offensive units since you don't want them near the enemy in the first place, which makes them less likely go off. Defensive units like Effie, Zephiel, Lukas, Nowi, and others can make better use of them.

I usually don't have a problem with Vantage since I put units in their range to counter them and just finish them off at the range they can't counter at if the initial unit doesn't take said enemy out. 

Maybe it's just me but I don't like Spur skills because I feel like I am limiting what a unit with Spur skills can do on my turn in order to reap the best benefits. Maybe I'm just using Spur skills the wrong way. I prefer to use my units to attack if possible knowing that they have gotten the their buffs through Hone skills. My main team has mixed movement type units so positioning are a little tricky. As for Threaten skills, I agree that your offensive units shouldn't be near the enemy but I still find them useful. I feel like there is enough obstacles/space between your starting position and that of the enemy such that I can position my units to have them walk into Threaten [stat] range. 

23 minutes ago, DehNutCase said:

Savage Blow is reasonably reliable so long as you only pack one a team---I have it on Cordelia, so it's basically a +3.5 Atk on her when she's doing her Galeforce sweep. Mind, that only works because Cordelia gets 3 unit-turns a turn pretty reliably.

Edit: If she were a 35/35 horse I'd consider a generic Hone, but 2 move melee simply has enough positioning issues without having to stay around their buffees, I usually have to position her away from everyone else so she can get to where she needs to be at the start of turn.

I didn't plan on giving more than one unit Salvage Blow since only Camilla gets the level 3 version at 4★. I just thought it synergizes with her Clarisse's Bow since Poison Strike made the training process a little easier so I'm a little biased. 

In other news, I pulled an Atk+/Spd- Elincia. Should I keep Flyer Formation or should she get a new B skill?

[Birdy]

Not sure who asked the question about 4*+10 vs 5*+, but I've made several units 4*+10 when merging got introduced in the game and now, months later, I still think it was the best decision and don't regret it at all. Using these 4*+10 units gave me a lot more points in Arena and a lot more rewards in the past few months than I would've gotten without merging, especially pre-tiers arena.

[MrSmokestack]

3 minutes ago, tobuShogi said:

I usually don't have a problem with Vantage since I put units in their range to counter them and just finish them off at the range they can't counter at if the initial unit doesn't take said enemy out. 

Maybe it's just me but I don't like Spur skills because I feel like I am limiting what a unit with Spur skills can do on my turn in order to reap the best benefits. Maybe I'm just using Spur skills the wrong way. I prefer to use my units to attack if possible knowing that they have gotten the their buffs through Hone skills. My main team has mixed movement type units so positioning are a little tricky.

In other news, I pulled an Atk+/Spd- Elincia. Should I keep Flyer Formation or should she get a new B skill?

Attacking at a range the Vantage enemy can't counter from isn't possible if they have 1-2 range counter, and the only units that run Vantage in the first place already have access to 1-2 range counter, so that's a moot point.

Spurs aren't very good to run alone, but they work much better when paired with Hones. Hone + Spur Atk is a +8 bonus to damage, which bumps the offense on your Brave and Desperation users, which has saved me a couple of times throughout my arena runs. It's just a difference in playstyle though, so I can understand.

Flier Formation would have been better as a C skill, but I digress. It's similar to Armor March in that you only want at most one on a team, as the B slot has more gamechanging skills like Desperation and the Warps. I'm switching mine out for Desperation but it wouldn't hurt to teach her both, with the double SP weekend running now.

[Ice Dragon]

2 minutes ago, MrSmokestack said:

Flier Formation would have been better as a C skill, but I digress. It's similar to Armor March in that you only want at most one on a team, as the B slot has more gamechanging skills like Desperation and the Warps.

Flier Formation is a warp skill, trading a shorter distance and limited targets for no HP restriction.

[MrSmokestack]

Just now, Ice Dragon said:

Flier Formation is a warp skill, trading a shorter distance and limited targets for no HP restriction.

I'm aware Formation is another warp skill, but Wings of Mercy and Escape Route are distinct in that they are both for general use and are more dynamic; neither has any movement restriction which opens up a lot more flexibility with movement.

Formation is more similar to Guidance in giving a psuedo-movement bonus rather than being a true warp skill like the other two are.

[Ice Dragon]

1 minute ago, MrSmokestack said:

I'm aware Formation is another warp skill, but Wings of Mercy and Escape Route are distinct in that they are both for general use and are more dynamic; neither has any movement restriction which opens up a lot more flexibility with movement.

Formation is more similar to Guidance in giving a psuedo-movement bonus rather than being a true warp skill like the other two are.

Flier Formation belongs in the B slot, though, because it's a self-mobility skill like Drag Back and Wings of Mercy.

I don't see any reason to want to limit it to one unit on your team, especially considering that the top fliers in the game have very flexible B slots. The fact that Drag Back and Hit and Run are serious options for fliers is telling that they don't really need an offensive B skill to function.

A team consisting of all Flier Formation units would be particularly annoying to deal with and be extremely versatile in positioning.

[Usana]

Whelp, another Boon/Bane Question.

Two Adult Tiki's. Neutral or HP Boon/Speed Bane? I imagine the non-neutral is better since her speed is crap so it is basically free HP. However, I am not sure ho much a difference it would make. Neither are leveled yet so I wouldn't have to regrind or anything.

Also does anyone know just how bad Negative attack hits Leo? If I use him it would be as a Red Blade tome in Cavalry teams. Given how slow he is I am not sure how much that 4 attack will matter. Well, it will be 8 attack since I likely won't spend the 20,000 feathers for the +. If it matters his boon is defense. And man so many of his banes are 4 points.

[Zangetsu]

Who's better to promote for Armor Emblem?

 

Sheena or Zephiel?  I only have Effie as my only 5* star unit & I figure since BK might be a tempest trial award, I might as well promote Sheena.

[XRay]

44 minutes ago, Usana said:

Whelp, another Boon/Bane Question.

Two Adult Tiki's. Neutral or HP Boon/Speed Bane? I imagine the non-neutral is better since her speed is crap so it is basically free HP. However, I am not sure ho much a difference it would make. Neither are leveled yet so I wouldn't have to regrind or anything.

Also does anyone know just how bad Negative attack hits Leo? If I use him it would be as a Red Blade tome in Cavalry teams. Given how slow he is I am not sure how much that 4 attack will matter. Well, it will be 8 attack since I likely won't spend the 20,000 feathers for the +. If it matters his boon is defense. And man so many of his banes are 4 points.

A!Tiki needs -Spd so she can be doubled and activate Moonbow on her second hit, so that is good. I prefer either +Atk for a general purpose build or a +Def for a Triangle Adept build. Not really sure what +HP can do besides Panic Ploy and Infantry Pulse.

 

[Usana]

1 hour ago, XRay said:

A!Tiki needs -Spd so she can be doubled and activate Moonbow on her second hit, so that is good. I prefer either +Atk for a general purpose build or a +Def for a Triangle Adept build. Not really sure what +HP can do besides Panic Ploy and Infantry Pulse.

 

Good, that is what I will go with then. I was originally holding out for  +atk/-spd, but the game just doesn't want to give me a solid boon for her. It likes +spd apparently. Had 3 +spd Tikis and 1 +res. So Neutral and +HP/-Spd seemed my best two options. Just wasn't sure if her neutral spd actually managed to prevent any important doubles(I doubted it, but her speed is close to hector's).

I have been finding that my +spd Hector is actually outperforming my +atk Hector for some of these Lunatic maps. Both are -HP, but the spd one keeps avoiding being doubled by folks he really doesn't want to be doubled by(particularly with a hone armor). That was something I was not expecting. Of course there is no hone dragon skill so. . .

Oh and thanks for your advice on Cordelia earlier. She has been working out quite well.

[Flying Shogi]

14 hours ago, MrSmokestack said:

Attacking at a range the Vantage enemy can't counter from isn't possible if they have 1-2 range counter, and the only units that run Vantage in the first place already have access to 1-2 range counter, so that's a moot point.

Spurs aren't very good to run alone, but they work much better when paired with Hones. Hone + Spur Atk is a +8 bonus to damage, which bumps the offense on your Brave and Desperation users, which has saved me a couple of times throughout my arena runs. It's just a difference in playstyle though, so I can understand.

Flier Formation would have been better as a C skill, but I digress. It's similar to Armor March in that you only want at most one on a team, as the B slot has more gamechanging skills like Desperation and the Warps. I'm switching mine out for Desperation but it wouldn't hurt to teach her both, with the double SP weekend running now.

While that's true that I can't avoid a counter if Vantage enemies can fight back at 1/2 range, I'm lucky enough to have pulled units that can deal with them so Vantage has never been a big issue for me. 

I've never thought about using Hone & Spur skills together so I may try it out sometime.

I feel like Flier Formation would work well with tome flyers but I don't have either one so I might hold off on it.

Edited September 16, 2017 by tobuShogi

[Birdy]

Probably asked already, but does Wrath stack with Wo Dao(+)?