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

[Fire Emblem Fan]

Is Shanna better with +Atk or +Spd?

[XRay]

37 minutes ago, Fire Emblem Fan said:

Is Shanna better with +Atk or +Spd?

+Atk is fine, but you generally want to go for +Spd if possible.

[Xenomata]

I again have a "who to throw a lot of resources at" question, this time about Weapon Refinery.

I have 50 Refining Stones that will put me at above 200 Divine Dews, which means both a normal refinery and a personal weapon refinery. It sort of ties into my earlier 20k-22k feathers question, and may in fact even affect who I promote to 5*.

Refining Stone upgrades I am considering:

Spoiler

 

Saber +Atk -Res ~ Slaying Edge+: Saber would perhaps appreciate speed, but right now I have him situated with Pavise and Shield Pulse for those times where I need someone to take a REALLY strong hit and survive.

Selena +Spd -HP ~ Wo Dao+ (current refine: Spd): While the speed refine plus her naturally high speed with a +1 merge puts her at a wonderful 45 Speed, perhaps focusing on her Defense would be a wiser choice, especially if I finally manage to get Steady Breath?

Soleil +Atk -Res ~ Armorsmasher+ (current refine: Atk): I don't feel a need to get the Special Skill refine (Armors almost never seem to use field buffs), but boosting her speed may prove beneficial.

Arden ~ Slaying Edge+ (current refine: Def: Perhaps an Atk refine would be beneficial to, since Arden already has a lot of Defense...?

Camilla +Spd -HP ~ Kadomatsu+: I feel like keeping the Kadomatsu+ for supportive purposes, but I'd also like to let it be known that I am considering giving her a Firesweep Sword one day.

Adult Tiki +Atk -Spd ~ Lightning Breath+ (current refine: Res): I gave her a Res refine because with it and Fury 3 she hits 31 res, but it turns out to not matter much when she gets doubled a lot anyways...

Winter's Envoy Tharja +HP -Spd ~ Candelabra+ (current refine: Def): The Def refine is to balance out her defenses and render Breaths targeting the lowest defensive value trivial, but I'd also be fine with boosting her Resistance.

Nephenee +Spd -HP ~ Slaying Lance+ (current refine: Spd): She runs Fury 3, which means no Steady Breath and no concrete reason to run a Def refine. But I already don't have many tanky lance users, and Nephenee is a good enemy phase unit.

Love Abound Eliwood ~ Casa Blanca+: I don't use him... at all. But that's only because he isn't built.

Winter's Envoy Robin +Spd -Res ~ Tanenboom!+ (current refine: Spd): I've recently given him Bold Fighter (works surprisingly well with Galeforce), so he's not really needed to have as much speed as he has, but at the same time he is able to outspeed a number of units on enemy phase between Tanenboom's Spectrum Stance, Ally Support, and a lot of Drive Spd being stacked onto 40 base spd.

Ninian +Res -Spd ~ Light Breath+: Between still having the classic Light Breath and how weak she is, this is a refine I'm really considering, but I already only use her as a dancer for dragons.

Nowi +Atk -Res ~ Lightning Breath+ (current refine: Res): The refine was simply to ensure she could take magical hits well with TA3, but she already mostly only fights Swords at this point...

Male Kana ~ Water Breath+: He is built to counter swords. The refine would go to his Defense to keep the damage he takes as low as possible even before Brazen Def/Res.

Bridal Bloom Ninian +Atk -Def ~ Fresh Bouquet+: I'm proud of this pulling, but since she's a dancer who's more likely to inherit a Blarblade for Flier Emblem, I'm not sure she even needs the refine...

Hawkeye +Res -HP ~ Slaying Axe+: I originally considered giving him my spare Warding Breath, but a simple Fury 3 with Res Refine would still make him a fine Blue Breath counter.

Ylissean Summer Tiki +Atk -Res ~ Melon Crusher+: at this point she is exclusively a physical wall, so the extra 4 defense would be nice.

Winter's Envoy Lissa +Atk -Def ~ Handbell+: I'm considering giving her a Res refine to one day also give her Distant Counter and make her a decent mage tank, but that day won't be anytime soon, not unless I get idiotically lucky again.

Fae +Atk -Res ~ Lightning Breath+ (current refine: Def): The refine was to balance out her defensive abilities for Triangle Adept 3, but she now has Warding Breath and mostly counters only Blue mages now, so it could be high time to focus a little more on her Resistance...

Female Kana +Def -Spd ~ Water Breath+: With a Defense refine, she would be my tankiest Green unit, even including the Hectors, YS!Tiki, and my Beruka, and that'd only get better the moment she gets her hands on a defensive A skill.

Units at 4*

Athena +Atk -Res ~ Wo Dao+: Would probably do a Speed refine.

Marisa ~ Wo Dao+: Would probably do Speed refine... I guess.

Hana +Spd -HP~ Armorslayer+: I'd either go with building on her Armorslayer, or just drop it entirerly. Not sure yet.

Est +Atk -Spd ~ Heavy Spear+: I know I'm building her around a Brave Lance+, which she already inherited, but having some extra armor effectiveness would be killer.

Shigure +Spd -HP ~ Harmonic Lance+: Speed refine or what am I even doing.

Sheena +Def -Spd ~ Killer Axe > Upgrade to Slaying Axe+: Def refine, most definitely.

Gwendolyn +Atk -Spd ~ Berkuts Lance (future inheritance): I think the refine I remember being recommended was Defense? That seems right...

Female Corrin +Atk -Res ~ Dark Breath+: Speed refine, for tanking purposes.

Refinable weapons on fodder units

Horseslayer+ (Mathilda): I don't typically need that much power to run down horses, but... well I never said I come out of the battles unscathed.

Killer Lance+ > Slaying Lance+ (Catria): I know it's a useful lance and that some of my own units would even like this lance, but they just run their default lances perfectly fine already...

Lightning Breath+ (Nowi): I have a Young Tiki [+Spd -Atk] who'd like this, as well as some other dragons, but those other dragons already run their default breaths perfectly fine. I could also give it to that Female Corrin I mentioned earlier...

Light Breath+ (Fae): I'm sure Light Breath+ has applicable uses.

Keen Gronnwolf+ (Rhajat): I'm not sure I even need Horseslaying weapons all that badly, but hey I do still have this Rhajat.

Slaying Bow+ (Leon): I know it's not a popular bow, but I think it has potential if used in the right way.

Lethal Carrot+ (Spring Kagero): A potentially dangerous weapon to just give to someone, and to be honest it'd be nice to have a dagger with a dangerous weapon, but... I also don't have many daggers in the first place, and the ones I do have like their base weapons just fine... maybe my 4* Kagero [+Spd -Res] would like this thing if Poison Dagger+ doesn't work out...

As a side note, I am not considering upgrading any Staves for the time being, as I now have 6 all very powerful in their own ways staves, which is already enough for Arena Assault.

 

All possible Divine Dew upgrades

Spoiler

 

Marth +Spd -HP ~ Altean Falchion (current refine: Special Skill Drive Spectrum): Marth mainly serves as support with the occasional combat, so I don't see a strong need to replace Drive Spectrum.

Alm +Spd -Def ~ Valentian Falchion: I'm considering this refine simply because having a dragon effective auto-follow-up 16 might weapon is appetizing, but even now he is mostly used as an off-healer.

Roy +Atk -Def ~ Binding Blade (current refine: Special Skill Quick Riposte 5): I like this refine already, but perhaps one of the others are better for some reason?

Lyn +Spd -Res ~ Sol Katti: Lowest priority, as the effects of this refine could be replicated with a Brave Sword on a decently strong unit.

Eirika +Spd -HP ~ Sieglinde (current refine: Special Skill Share Bonuses): I upgraded Sieglinde purely for Hone Atk 3, but I will admit that this is a cool effect, but perhaps just having one stat be permanently up would be better?

Masked Marth ~ Ylissean Falchion: I have given this Marth nothing. Perhaps now is the time?

Male Corrin +Atk -Def ~ Yato: I've not even given Corrin any Ally Support, and it's shaky who I would team him up with in the first place so the Supportive upgrade is off the table. I'd consider the Speed upgrade first.

Eldigan +Spd -Atk ~ Mystletainn: I know hes going to get Dark Mystletainn in the future, but there's still merit to built in Fury 3.

Lilina +Atk -Spd ~ Forblaze: The upgrade I'm leaning strongest for, as she currently lacks all the power she needs to net those OHKOs.

Sanaki +Atk -Def ~ Cymbeline (current upgrade: Special Skill Flier Bond): I like this upgrade and don't feel reason to replace it, but hey I always seem to forget to field Sanaki with fliers, so...

Ephraim Neutral ~ Siegmund: Another strong contender for the upgrade, since I upgraded Siegline. I would not consider Flame Siegmund at all. That ruins the point of being supportive, and he doesn't even run it as well without a horse.

Clair +Res -Spd ~ Rhomphaia: Low contender due to the horrid nature, but in case of future merges perhaps...?

Hinoka +Def -Spd ~ Hinoka's Spear: The nature sucks, but right now I only use her for Hone Fliers, and having the Flier/Infantry Guidance effect might be nice.

Linde +Atk -Def ~ Aura > Dark Aura upgrade: I don't really feel the need to do it, since I hardly even use Delthea for that, but... well, it's there.

Raven +Spd -Res ~ Basilisko: I have the +Spd Raven still at 3*, but the Basilisko upgrade is tempting enough to make me consider spending all those feathers.

Hector +Spd -HP ~ Armads > Berserk Armads upgrade: Not feeling a strong need tbh, Quick Riposte 2 still has its merits.

Minerva +Atk -HP ~ Hauteclere (current upgrade: Special Effect Special Damage +10): I have the best of the upgrades, I really don't feel I need to even add her, but this is for safety.

Jeorge +Spd -HP ~ Parthia: He would be deadly to ranged units.

Takumi +Res -HP ~ Fujin Yumi: I'm not sure which upgrade he'd like, but the Acrobatics effect by itself would be neat.

Units at 4*

Lloyd ~ Regal Blade: After reading on it, it still feels like a weak refine, but maybe I'm only looking at the upgrade to the base effect without considering if it'd still be any good with Infantry Magic Bond...

Chrom +Atk -Res ~ Ylissean Falchion: I'm not sure if I'd wanna go for Sealed Falchion or Spectrum Bond Falchion on Chrom, because both have their merits...

Zephiel ~ Eckezachs: Zephiel is pretty low on my promotion list, but he has to be listed.

Caeda ~ Wing Sword: Flashing Blade refine, but she's not a high priority.

Camilla +Spd -HP ~ Camilla's Axe: Would I go for the Roses Thorns refine for some supportive action, or simply let her be a raw damage dealer...? Decisions decisions...

Merric +Spd -HP ~ Excalibur > Dark Excalibur upgrade: I don't have a reason not to go for Dark Excalibur. The biggest question is, how do I make Merric work with it...?

 

That is... a lot of info that might be wasted if the answer was a simple one.

[Ginko]

@Xenomata I think Divine Dew refine should go to these 4 units for top priority.

Alm>Ephraim>Raven>Lilina

Alm is for being dragon killing machine.

Ephraim is similar to Alm but it's not 2 consecutive hit. Still brutal anyway.

Raven is the true sweeper if you decide to give him the upgrade. Not to mention, you have his perfect IV.

Lilina is similar to Sanaki as one-shot mage so I gave her last spot.

For normal upgrade, I recommend to upgrade Bride Ninian Fresh Bouquet+ for SPD refine. With Fortify Flier and Hone ATK seal on her, she can buff all 4 stat at once 4/4/6/6. Blade tome fliers can appreciate this for more flexible buff position. Because you can't do 6/6/6/6 buff at all time.

[Rafiel's Aria]

@Xenomata I'll throw in my two cents since you went through all the trouble to type out all of that info. For your 50 dew, a lot of the refines I thought I'd suggest, you've already given to your characters (Tiki, Nowi, Nephenee...) So if you're unsatisfied with those, you can switch. For 4 stars, I can attest that Shigure is a MONSTER with that SPD refine. I gave mine LaD to make up for the fact that mine's -SPD, and he still hits 43 SPD which is nice. He's a fabulous flier. I'll also say I actually like Slaying Bow. I originally gave my Leon a SPD Refine on his, but I switched it to DEF. No regrets. I'm the type of person who likes to just kind of throw away my normal upgrades because it's fun. This weekend, I gave my Tobin a DEF refine on his Armorsmasher and Saber a DEF refine on his Slaying  Sword just because. 

For Divine Dew upgrades, of those you have listed, I can personally speak for Marth, Masked Marth/Lucina, Raven, Caeda, and Merric. Lucina/Masked Marth is an amazing sword unit even without the buff. Marth benefits a lot from having the Drive niche Raven is EASILY the best upgrade I've ever done. He's kind of insane, especially with Heavy Blade seal and Galeforce. Caeda is also wonderful, easily my favorite flier because she kills the two things that give me the most trouble. Merric...is not for the faint of heart. He's honestly one of my favorite characters and one of my first upgrades. He takes some love to become deadly, but he likes Dark Excalibur paired with Bonfire. But if you don't have any plans to use him, don't do it. 

Of those I haven't upgraded, I'd say Alm is super cool. I've been wanting to upgrade him but holding off to see who's coming next. If I'm not too impressed with the next weapon upgrades, I may just give it to him.

[mampfoid]

8 minutes ago, Rafiel's Aria said:

For 4 stars, I can attest that Shigure is a MONSTER with that SPD refine. I gave mine LaD to make up for the fact that mine's -SPD, and he still hits 43 SPD which is nice. He's a fabulous flier.

May I ask how the rest of his build looks? I'm running mine (+RES/-HP) currently in a Ward Fliers team along with NY!Camilla, Minvera (+SPD with +SPD refinement) and F!Morgan. Compared to the others his kill count is a little low. LnD sounds good, but that's a little bit against the idea of a ward Fliers team ... wait, also Minvera has LnD equiped ... 

@Xenomata Like the other mentioned, Alm and Caeda would get a big boost from their special refinement. Alm became my best +10 dragon killer in AA. However, I would consider more who you would use after refining the weapon. Ephraims special refinements are both great for example, but if you don't need an infantry lance, his refinements won't change that. 

[Rafiel's Aria]

6 minutes ago, mampfoid said:

May I ask how the rest of his build looks? I'm running mine (+RES/-HP) currently in a Ward Fliers team along with NY!Camilla, Minvera (+SPD with +SPD refinement) and F!Morgan. Compared to the others his kill count is a little low. LnD sounds good, but that's a little bit against the idea of a ward Fliers team ... wait, also Minvera has LnD equiped ... 

He's running Harmonic Lance+ (SPD refine), Reposition, Luna, LaD 3, Lancebreaker, Goad Fliers or Drive SPD 2, and Guidance or SPD 3. Mine's also +DEF -SPD with a few merges. Had he been +DEF -RES, I might have opted for a Fury build instead since he's actually got some decent bulk (30) with +DEF, but I wanted to try and patch-up his SPD instead. I can't remember exactly why I gave him Lancebreaker. In the Arena, I think I was having some trouble with lance units and decided it'd be a good enough skill for him to have. Eventually, he'll get Desperation I suppose. 

I tend to run him way more offensively too with Hone Fliers or on a Goad team. My "main" flying team includes Caeda (Fortify Fliers), Shigure (Goad), Summer Corrin (Goad or Fortify), and PA!Azura (Hone). I haven't tried a Ward team. I suppose if you wanted to try to make him bulky/fast/hard-hitting, you might be able to give him Brazen ATK/DEF from a 4 star Ares. Don't quote me on that. I always make bad choices. XD 

[mampfoid]

18 minutes ago, Rafiel's Aria said:

He's running Harmonic Lance+ (SPD refine), Reposition, Luna, LaD 3, Lancebreaker, Goad Fliers or Drive SPD 2, and Guidance or SPD 3. Mine's also +DEF -SPD with a few merges. Had he been +DEF -RES, I might have opted for a Fury build instead since he's actually got some decent bulk (30) with +DEF, but I wanted to try and patch-up his SPD instead. I can't remember exactly why I gave him Lancebreaker. In the Arena, I think I was having some trouble with lance units and decided it'd be a good enough skill for him to have. Eventually, he'll get Desperation I suppose. 

I tend to run him way more offensively too with Hone Fliers or on a Goad team. My "main" flying team includes Caeda (Fortify Fliers), Shigure (Goad), Summer Corrin (Goad or Fortify), and PA!Azura (Hone). I haven't tried a Ward team. I suppose if you wanted to try to make him bulky/fast/hard-hitting, you might be able to give him Brazen ATK/DEF from a 4 star Ares. Don't quote me on that. I always make bad choices. XD 

That build and team sound pretty good (are you sure it's PA and not NY Azura?). I wish you luck to get a better nature soon (his demotion helps eventually). 

My problem is, I have so many good offensive lance Fliers (Cordelia, Hinoka, Tana, Valter etc.) and I wanted to try his vanilla A-Skill, weapon and special. Since I have yet to get my first Ares, I'll just change Noontime for Moonbow and add a Goad Flier (plus Drive ATK seal) to the team. 

Thanks! 

[Shiki]

So I ended up with 2 Ishtars; one is +Def/-Atk, the other +Res/-Spd.

... yes, hardly ideal but what can you do, right?
I want to keep one with her default kit (Desperation over Vantage of course) and use the other for SI fodder (Swift Sparrow or Odd Atk Wave). Who is better to hold on to?
Currently leaning to keep the latter because she still reaches 43 Spd with her default kit. -Atk seems only more preferable if I intend to give her a -blade tome which I don't plan to.

Edited May 22, 2018 by The Priest

[ShadowAlchemist]

Which is better, Black Knight (because I started late, I missed the TT he was in so I don’t know if he’ll ever get merges) or +10 Draug? If I get BK, should I still promote and merge the Draug’s or will I not need any other armored sword units?

[Ice Dragon]

36 minutes ago, ShadowAlchemist said:

Which is better, Black Knight (because I started late, I missed the TT he was in so I don’t know if he’ll ever get merges) or +10 Draug? If I get BK, should I still promote and merge the Draug’s or will I not need any other armored sword units?

Depends on what you're using them for.

A +10 Draug will score much higher than a +0 Black Knight in the Arena. A +0 Black Knight is far cheaper to make good enough for general use and has a better performance ceiling if you're willing to go all out with skill investment.

[Raven]

37 minutes ago, ShadowAlchemist said:

Which is better, Black Knight (because I started late, I missed the TT he was in so I don’t know if he’ll ever get merges) or +10 Draug? If I get BK, should I still promote and merge the Draug’s or will I not need any other armored sword units?

I'd say Black Knight, if only for the innate Distant Counter.

[Rafiel's Aria]

9 hours ago, mampfoid said:

That build and team sound pretty good (are you sure it's PA and not NY Azura?). I wish you luck to get a better nature soon (his demotion helps eventually). 

My problem is, I have so many good offensive lance Fliers (Cordelia, Hinoka, Tana, Valter etc.) and I wanted to try his vanilla A-Skill, weapon and special. Since I have yet to get my first Ares, I'll just change Noontime for Moonbow and add a Goad Flier (plus Drive ATK seal) to the team. 

Thanks! 

Definitely meant NY and PA. XD Too many letters. Not enough sleep. I'm definitely hoping to get more of him eventually, but I'm not that mad about the -SPD to be perfectly honest. He's so fast that I can patch it up. He reaches 50+ SPD easily which is more than enough to double most things. 

Yeah... I haven't used his Darting Stance really... I don't even think I've had him learn it yet. I'm not quite sure what kind of build you'd use that on. It's kind of an odd skill...and there is a lot of competition for offensive lance fliers. If only he had been a singer or kinshi knight. He's still one of my faves, so I have no issue letting him replace someone else. 

No problem!

[Nicolu-Chan]

I don't know if I should put this on here, but when I was training my Bridal Ninian and Bridal Tharja, Tharja just disappeared when using her Rally Spd on Ninian. Have this happened to any of you? And if so, is it normal?

[Sias]

On 11.5.2018 at 8:53 PM, Ice Dragon said:

Staves:

I'd venture to say that Mist's 28 base Spd is the borderline for where Spd starts or stops mattering. Everyone slower than her definitely doesn't care about their Spd, and everyone faster than her generally does. I just don't know if Mist herself cares or not (but I'm leaning towards not).

If you aren't able to run Wrathful Staff, I suggest using either Pain+ or Gravity+ on everything. The former doesn't care about direct damage and is made useful simply by stacking Savage Blow on top of it as many times as you can. The latter can be used purely for support with no need to care about its damage.

Robin: I prefer [+Spd, -Res] for a player-phase or mix-phase build. If you are stacking Ward Fliers or Ward Dragons, [+Spd, -HP] is better for an enemy phase build.

Sheena: Both are fine. I would personally go for +Atk over either of them because I run my enemy-phase armor teams with 2 or 3 stacks of Ward Armor.

Nino: If you see a lot of dragons or Distant Counter users and are noticing that you get killed in one hit a lot, go for -Res. Otherwise, -Def is better for dealing with tome users that are actually capable of counterattacking.

 

On 12.5.2018 at 12:29 AM, XRay said:

I second @Ice Dragon. Units want to ideally reach around ~40 Spd to reliably avoid doubles. Mist can reach 37 Spd with +Spd-Speed +3-Speed +3, so it feels like she is almost kind of there but not really. Since Mist got a pretty decent 34 Res, I would just go with +Res-Fortress Res and let her Ploy things.

I am blind.

For Sheena, I do not think it makes a huge difference between +Def and +Res, especially in a Ward Armor team. Since you are not running Distant Counter on her, I am leaning towards +Def. I think mine is [+Atk, -Spd], but basically anything like [+Atk/Def/Res, -Spd] works.

For Nino, if you are going with Life and Death, I think I would go with -Def. Nino's Def would get so low that I do not think Nino is going to survive any physical counterattack whether she keeps her physical bulk or not. Her magical bulk is not that much better either, but she has a better chance of surviving a counter from magical attacks if you preserve her Res.

Okay, thank you both. :)

I have three further questions though, if you can still spare the time:

• +Spd/-Atk vs +Def/-Res Brave Roy?
• Do you prefer Alm's full offense (Death Blow+Windsweep) or healer (Fury+Renewal) build?
• Is there some way to make good use of the Fujin Yumi's special refine? It seems kind of underwhelming imo.

[XRay]

15 hours ago, Xenomata said:

Selena +Spd -HP ~ Wo Dao+ (current refine: Spd): While the speed refine plus her naturally high speed with a +1 merge puts her at a wonderful 45 Speed, perhaps focusing on her Defense would be a wiser choice, especially if I finally manage to get Steady Breath?

Spd stacking is generally better on faster units, so if you do give her Steady Breath, she has even more reason to keep Spd Refinement to prevent being doubled. Def/Res stacking is generally better on slow units.

15 hours ago, Xenomata said:

Camilla +Spd -HP ~ Kadomatsu+: I feel like keeping the Kadomatsu+ for supportive purposes, but I'd also like to let it be known that I am considering giving her a Firesweep Sword one day.

There is nothing wrong with giving a unit two Weapons.

15 hours ago, Xenomata said:

Est +Atk -Spd ~ Heavy Spear+: I know I'm building her around a Brave Lance+, which she already inherited, but having some extra armor effectiveness would be killer.

Since she is so easy to pull, I recommend having two separate Ests with different builds to give yourself more options during Arena Assault.

15 hours ago, Xenomata said:

Gwendolyn +Atk -Spd ~ Berkuts Lance (future inheritance): I think the refine I remember being recommended was Defense? That seems right...

Yeah. You want to Def stack her.

15 hours ago, Xenomata said:

Slaying Bow+ (Leon): I know it's not a popular bow, but I think it has potential if used in the right way.

I do not recommend Slaying Bow unless you are using it on a Close Counter archer that only deals with melee units (if you need that archer to deal with ranged units too, Guard Bow is superior). Brave Bow is cheaper and more powerful while Firesweep Bow is more relevant in higher Arena tiers.

15 hours ago, Xenomata said:

Lethal Carrot+ (Spring Kagero): A potentially dangerous weapon to just give to someone, and to be honest it'd be nice to have a dagger with a dangerous weapon, but... I also don't have many daggers in the first place, and the ones I do have like their base weapons just fine... maybe my 4* Kagero [+Spd -Res] would like this thing if Poison Dagger+ doesn't work out...

I would keep HATF!Kagero since she is the dagger unit with the best stat distribution in the game in my opinion, unless yours got stat screwed by a bad nature or something. She also flies, so that alone makes her a shit ton better than dagger infantry.

15 hours ago, Xenomata said:

Lilina +Atk -Spd ~ Forblaze: The upgrade I'm leaning strongest for, as she currently lacks all the power she needs to net those OHKOs.

I like ranged units, so I highly recommend investing in Lilina.

15 hours ago, Xenomata said:

Hector +Spd -HP ~ Armads > Berserk Armads upgrade: Not feeling a strong need tbh, Quick Riposte 2 still has its merits.

Hector is still better than LA!Hector in my opinion with Armads-Wary Fighter-Quick Riposte, so I definitely would not prioritize Berserk Armads.

15 hours ago, Xenomata said:

Takumi +Res -HP ~ Fujin Yumi: I'm not sure which upgrade he'd like, but the Acrobatics effect by itself would be neat.

I do not recommend Refining Fujin Yumi unless you plan to put him on your defense team or doing it for fun.

15 hours ago, Xenomata said:

Merric +Spd -HP ~ Excalibur > Dark Excalibur upgrade: I don't have a reason not to go for Dark Excalibur. The biggest question is, how do I make Merric work with it...?

Merric does not really work as an offensive nuke. He still sucks even with Gronnblade. I recommend turning him into a Raven mage, since he really needs that Atk boost from Triangle Adept.

Just use Soren, Rhajat, and Nino as green mage nukes.

Merric +Spd, -Def
Moonbow
Life and Death, Desperation
Speed +3
4/4/0/0
Enemies +5, +Spd, Moonbow, Fury
Player Phase [Dark Excalibur] 104:28:121
Player Phase [Gronnblade] 120:28:105

As a nuke, leaving that many enemies alive is just asking for trouble. For comparison, here is Soren:

Soren +Spd, -Def
Moonbow
Life and Death, Desperation
Speed +3
4/4/0/0
Enemies +5, +Spd, Moonbow, Fury
Player Phase [Gronnblade] 156:49:48

8 hours ago, The Priest said:

So I ended up with 2 Ishtars; one is +Def/-Atk, the other +Res/-Spd.

... yes, hardly ideal but what can you do, right?
I want to keep one with her default kit (Desperation over Vantage of course) and use the other for SI fodder (Swift Sparrow or Odd Atk Wave). Who is better to hold on to?
Currently leaning to keep the latter because she still reaches 43 Spd with her default kit. -Atk seems only more preferable if I intend to give her a -blade tome which I don't plan to.

I would go for [+Spd, -Atk] for better independent performance.

Ishtar
Mjölnir, Moonbow
Swift Sparrow, Desperation
Speed +3
Enemies +5, +Spd, Moonbow, Fury
Player Phase [+Spd, -Atk] 197:14:42
Player Phase [+Res, -Spd] 136:13:104
Player Phase [+Spd, -Atk, 4/4/0/0] 199:14:40
Player Phase [+Res, -Spd, 4/4/0/0] 199:13:41

15 minutes ago, Sias said:

+Spd/-Atk vs +Def/-Res Brave Roy?

I would go for [+Spd, -Atk] unless you plan to use him as a tank or something.

BH!Roy
Blazing Durandal, Moonbow
Life and Death, Desperation
Speed +3
6/6/0/0
Enemies +5, +Spd, Moonbow, Fury
Player Phase [+Spd, -Atk] 189:46:18
Player Phase [+Def, -Res] 176:40:37

15 minutes ago, Sias said:

Do you prefer Alm's full offense (Death Blow+Windsweep) or healer (Fury+Renewal) build?

They have a different purpose, so I would build both if resource allows. I would prioritize dragon slaying since staff healers got the healing role covered already and, in my opinion, are among the best combat units with Wrathful Staff-Dazzling Staff.

15 minutes ago, Sias said:

Is there some way to make good use of the Fujin Yumi's special refine? It seems kind of underwhelming imo.

It is okay on Arena defense teams to surprise players who do not play with the enemy range red UI on.

Edited May 23, 2018 by XRay

[Xenomata]

Thanks all, @Ginko, @Rafiel's Aria, @mampfoid, and @XRay. The following is what I can gather, after rereading all that was said multiple times over...

>Raven is one of the stronger and most deserving Divine Dew beggars, especially considering my having his most ideal nature already. The set I'm leaning strongest towards is Basilisko (LnD3 refine), Galeforce, Fury 3, Desperation, and Heavy Blade SS, though I don't have any Desperation fodder and don't see myself getting any for at least a few more weeks.

>Lilina is another strong contendor, and it's not hard to see why. Only big concern is that I am well aware that -Spd isn't the best bane for her, but I assure you I am checking every Lilina I get for better.

>Alm is a strong option, with Dragon effectiveness on a weapon that hits twice for one attack. My own Alm could be better, but we can't all be as choosy as whales...

As for Refining Stone upgrades...

>Shigure, after checking in a mass dual simulator, hits 43 speed with just +Spd and Speed refine, so he'd become one of my faster units, able to run Firesweep, Harmonic Lance, or whatever else I need on him perfectly well.

>Bridal Bloom Ninian, despite probably not being used in combat as often, would still benefit from the boost in... a stat. I dunno, you forgot to tell me a stat Ginko. I just assumed Speed.

Only two issues arised from the above that I gathed: One, the strongest contenders, Raven and Shigure, both would want Desperation, a skill I don't even have 5* fodder of. Two, those same contenders will require a lot of feathers if I want them both to get their goodies at the same time, but in reality that just means I won't have any chain challenges after I'm done with them.

29 minutes ago, XRay said:

I do not recommend Slaying Bow unless you are using it on a Close Counter archer that only deals with melee units (if you need that archer to deal with ranged units too, Guard Bow is superior). Brave Bow is cheaper and more powerful while Firesweep Bow is more relevant in higher Arena tiers.

Fortunately (unfortunately?), there's enough archers in FEH right now with dumb enough stat spreads that such a scenario can possibly happen. I tried the following set on multiple archers with middling Atk and Def, terrible enough Res that they don't want anything to do with Archers, and any amount of Spd and HP. And the winner is...

Spoiler

 

Gordin [+Atk -Res]

• Slaying Bow+ (Def refine), Bonfire
• Close Counter, Quick Riposte 3, Close Defense SS,
• Enemies +5, +Spd, Moonbow, Fury
• All units: 94-74-72
• Melee only: 64-19-60 (143 units total)

I know those are nightmarishly horrid numbers, but I also checked, for the heck of it, the numbers if Gordin had a Guard Bow+, and they are slightly worse. Plus the next highest (melee only) is Leon with 59 kills.

I'm not defending the Slaying Bow by any means, I just wanted to check the numbers myself. For reference, Brave Gordin with a standard Brave Bow set on player phase is 107-31-100 on all units.

 

57 minutes ago, XRay said:

I would keep HATF!Kagero since she is the dagger unit with the best stat distribution in the game in my opinion, unless yours got stat screwed by a bad nature or something. She also flies, so that alone makes her a shit ton better than dagger infantry.

This is actually a spare HatF!Kagero I'm considering foddering. My normal HatF!Kagero is +Res -Def, this fodder one is +Res -HP. I don't personally see any reason to boost her HP and Atk by 1 each when I don't even care/use this Kagero much, so Lethal Carrot+ fodder.

1 hour ago, XRay said:

Merric does not really work as an offensive nuke. He still sucks even with Gronnblade. I recommend turning him into a Raven mage, since he really needs that Atk boost from Triangle Adept.

Just use Soren, Rhajat, and Nino as green mage nukes.

Merric +Spd, -Def
Moonbow
Life and Death, Desperation
Speed +3
4/4/0/0
Enemies +5, +Spd, Moonbow, Fury
Player Phase [Dark Excalibur] 104:28:121
Player Phase [Gronnblade] 120:28:105

As a nuke, leaving that many enemies alive is just asking for trouble.

I subbed Desperation for Chill Speed 3, and managed 122-28-88 with Dark Excalibur, at full HP to.

I... seem to really like Chill Speed...

 

[Ginko]

26 minutes ago, Xenomata said:

>Bridal Bloom Ninian, despite probably not being used in combat as often, would still benefit from the boost in... a stat. I dunno, you forgot to tell me a stat Ginko. I just assumed Speed.

 

Read carefully, I did told you to give her SPD refine.

To be honest, I think she doesn't get any benefit to give Blarblade on her while she can buff and dance S!Corrin or F. Morgan who is a lot stronger than her, right?

Edited May 23, 2018 by Ginko

[Xenomata]

2 minutes ago, Ginko said:

Read carefully, I did told you to give her SPD refine.

To be honest, I think she doesn't get any benefit to give Blarblade on her while she can buff and dance S!Corrin or F. Morgan who is a lot stronger than her, right?

Oh you did. I somehow got that confused with the Hone Spd description, my bad.

They are both much stronger Blarbladers, Corrin is stronger and Faster, and Morgan is just plain stronger, if slower. What Ninian brings is Dancer utility, so once her job is done (or when she can't do her job), she can act as a strong support option for the other fliers.

Kinda part of what makes PA!Inigo a good dancer to, since he can do his job of countering bows and Reinhardt and then go dance others around.

[sirmola]

1 hour ago, Xenomata said:

Only two issues arised from the above that I gathed: One, the strongest contenders, Raven and Shigure, both would want Desperation, a skill I don't even have 5* fodder of. Two, those same contenders will require a lot of feathers if I want them both to get their goodies at the same time, but in reality that just means I won't have any chain challenges after I'm done with them.

 

Desperation 3 is avalible on shanna at 4*. no promotion required. She was in the 3-4* pool at launch, so you may have a 3* copy as well (which is of coures cheap). of course, you could be in the boat i am in right now where you run out of copies of shanna because everyone wants desperation. Raven especialy requires no feathers for a great build.

basilikis +eff (refine weapon he can learn at 5*. dew is required)

Reposition (barst or selena at any star rating)

Glimmer (beruka, clarise, lon'qu, peri, or soth at 4*)

Life or death (soth at 4*) or fury (hinata at 4*).

Desperation (Shanna at 4*)

Threaten def (he comes with it).

Note that Galeforce (which DOES require you to spend feathers to promote a cordelia to 5*) apparently works better than glimmer if you equip the heavy blade seal, and it apparently changes "great" to "borderline broken", but he is still excellent without it. (he works very well for me, and I never gave him galeforce).

Edited May 23, 2018 by sirmola

[Xenomata]

@sirmola Yep, not even 3* copies. My next big summoning session is expected to be in less than a month, but that's still less than a month I'll just have a Raven who doesn't have Desperation. Stupid fast nukes who want Desperation...

I know Glimmer would be cheaper and ensure deaths if that's what I needed, but Galeforce? Oh baby, I've been using Galeforce on Bold Fighter 3 Tanenboom!+ WE!Robin, and it is plain fun. Helps that I have a whole 3 fodders for it to, two of them being Lyn and one of them being Brave Roy.

By the way @Ginko, I failed to notice a little something... important.

+Atk Bride Ninian actually has the same amount of Atk as -Atk FeMorgan, which is my own FeMorgans nature...

While FeMorgan does slight better thanks to better Res bulk, they are otherwise the same unit offensively. So...

I'm not saying "Screw Fresh Bouquet I'm going Blarblade", but it's certainly a tempting offer again...

Edited May 23, 2018 by Xenomata

[mampfoid]

4 hours ago, Nicolu-Chan said:

I don't know if I should put this on here, but when I was training my Bridal Ninian and Bridal Tharja, Tharja just disappeared when using her Rally Spd on Ninian. Have this happened to any of you? And if so, is it normal?

It's a glitch someone reported on Reddit. As far as I understood it happens when you use Tharjas or Sanakis Rally on Ninian twice in one round? 

 

Edited May 23, 2018 by mampfoid

[Stephen the Great]

... das ist sehr seltsam. Meh, es ist bestimmt, dass IS wird es reparieren.

How'd I do?

[Humanoid]

19 minutes ago, mampfoid said:

It's a glitch someone reported on Reddit. As far as I understood it happens when you use Tharjas or Sanakis Rally on Ninian twice in one round?

It should only be Tharja, and should happen anytime the intended rally target is already buffed, and there are no enemy units in a cardinal direction relative to Tharja.

As posited in the reddit thread, normally the game doesn't let you use rally on an already-buffed ally. However, having a Feint skill overrides this because the devs kindly want to still let us use the Ploy aspect of the skill even if the buff doesn't apply. However if there are no valid ploy targets, the game freaks out and this happens.

[mampfoid]

@Zawisza Czarny na pewno!