Boon/Bane vs. Neutral

[Fire Emblem Fan]

So is it better to have units that have a boon/bane, or is it better to get them without that and have them totally neutral? Is one more beneficial than the other, or is it totally dependent on the unit? And what about for merging, is it better to merge into a neutral, or merge the neutral into a unit with a boon/bane?

[Arcanite]

Should've asked this in the question thread heh

Some units end up better than others with baked and boons. Without them, they could be completely outclassed (I.e. Neutral Raven vs Legion or +Atk-Res Raven vs Legion)

Banes and boons are even the difference in some events like grand hero battles (I got messed up once because my Jaffar was -Spd)

so they may suck sometimes, but they do help (like my +Spd Gordin on Valter infernal)

[NekoKnight]

All units have a preferred boon/bane which is better than neutral. There are also many possible natures worse than neutral. You should always merge into your best nature.

What's a ideal nature depends on the unit but the best boons are often Atk/Spd, and the worst are HP/your weaker def/res stat. The best banes are usually HP or your weaker def/res stat, and the worst banes tend to be Atk/Spd. It really does depend on the unit, however, so consider what you want that unit to do.

Also, stats usually differ by 3 points because of the boon/bane but sometimes it's a 4 point difference. Consider this when thinking about their optimal nature.

Edited September 13, 2017 by NekoKnight

[Mackc2]

Completely depends on the units boon and bane. I think the boost is +3 in their good stat at -3 in their bad stat, generally you want to boost something the unit is already good at even further and drop the stat that they already suck in. But it's not necessary unless you are min-maxing and neutral is preferred to iv's which lower crucial stats like a -atk on a unit 

Edit: Sniped twice 

Edited September 13, 2017 by Mackc2

[Fire Emblem Fan]

17 minutes ago, Arcanite said:

Should've asked this in the question thread heh

I never would have seen any replies if I'd done that. With my internet, I can't keep up with big mega-threads like that.

[Ice Dragon]

12 hours ago, Fire Emblem Fan said:

I never would have seen any replies if I'd done that. With my internet, I can't keep up with big mega-threads like that.

That's really not an excuse. The forums will give you notifications when your post is quoted, and it's common courtesy for people answering your question to quote your post or use an @ mention, which also gives you a notification. Clicking on the notification sends you directly to the post.

As for the actual question, there is always a nature better than neutral (unless neutral is the only nature available to the character or you are specifically manipulating your units' stats to force the AI to move differently). No unit in the game values all five stats equally.

Edited September 13, 2017 by Ice Dragon

[Prince Endriu]

On 13.09.2017 at 6:49 AM, Fire Emblem Fan said:

So is it better to have units that have a boon/bane, or is it better to get them without that and have them totally neutral? Is one more beneficial than the other, or is it totally dependent on the unit? And what about for merging, is it better to merge into a neutral, or merge the neutral into a unit with a boon/bane?

IMO you should check out the gamepress tier list, they have advise on which IV is supposedly the best. Not saying that I agree with it all the time.

The thing about nature is that you can have 21 different versions of a hero (grand heros notwithstanding). Not all stats are equally important, some boons may perform  better than others.

 

As an example: Nino is IMO one of the best units in the game. Its a glass cannon. That means she can be easily destroyed by a melee unit. A +def boon will not change a thing. +atk, however, will give her more 6 atk points more than if she was -atk. And that can mean the difference between a OHKO and death. A +spd nature on the other hand will give her 39 spd over 33 spd (if she was -spd). With minus spd she wont double too many units and that makes her generally less powerful. Now imagine you give her fury3 and spd seal, that makes her 43 spd :)

Some units like Corderlia have brave weapons - they subtract 5spd points. Probably because they attack twice anyway. +spd cordelia will have 33spd. I you gave her Life and Death 3, she would be at 38, and with spd seal at 39, and as +10 unit at 43 spd. And that means she could hitcertain units 4 times.

Reinhard also hits twice but even the +spd version is so damn slow that you will never be able to hit 4 times. Well, maybe some units, I dont know.

 

When all is said and done, I wouldnt care too much about boons or banes, just be aware of what you got so that you can do proper merges if that need arises.

 

 

 

 

Edited September 14, 2017 by Prince Endriu

[Water Mage]

It's very rare for a unit to want a neutral nature. The only one that comes to mind is Merric.

[NekoKnight]

11 hours ago, Water Mage said:

It's very rare for a unit to want a neutral nature. The only one that comes to mind is Merric.

Cecilia as well, in my opinion. If she's running a Raven build, she appreciates maintaining her bulk but doesn't want to sacrifice her Atk or Spd either.