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Analysis by Redarrix
Abel - The Panther

3-4

Obtainable as a 3 - 4 only

Hero Stats

Max Avg Total Stats at Lvl 40
154
HP 39
ATK 33
SPD 32
DEF 25
RES 25

Stat Variations

Level 1 Stat Variation
5★
4★
3★
HP ATK SPD DEF RES
Low 16 6 7 7 5
Middle 17 7 8 8 6
High 18 8 9 9 7

Level 40 Stat Variations
5★
4★
3★
HP ATK SPD DEF RES
Low 35 30 29 22 22
Middle 39 33 32 25 25
High 42 36 35 28 29

IV Sets

Key stats worth increasing through nature if possible.
Complementary stats that matter, but not to the point of picking them over key stats for nature increase.
Relatively worthless stat that can safely be decreased through nature.
HPATKSPDDEFRES

Assets

  • +SPD: Abel comes with a painfully average Speed stat. However, Speed still makes for a strong Asset choice. As there are many skills and boosts available for Abel to utilize and that he has a conditional Brave Lance with no Speed penalty, he can become substantially buffed and be extremely effective at performing four attacks.

  • +ATK: Attack is also a great Asset choice. Abel will appreciate the increased Attack which in turn will help him to deal more damage.

Neutral

  • HP: Abel’s HP stat of 39 is good. While far from the highest, he gains decent bulk thanks to his balanced defenses. As this stat affects both physical and magical bulk, keeping it neutral is recommended.

  • DEF: Combined with his good HP, Abel has pretty good physical bulk that allows him to potentially take a couple of hits before he goes down. Keeping Defense neutral is recommended so he can preserve his physical bulk.

Flaws

  • -RES: While his Defense and Resistance are identical, Abel will typically find more benefit from maintaining his Defense over his Resistance. As such, Resistance is the ideal Flaw choice.

Skill Sets

The Omega (Offensive)

Build by
Recommended
Panther Lance (+Eff) A Atk/Spd Solo 3
Alternate: Death Blow (3 or 4)
Reposition B Chill Def 3
Alternate: Desperation 3
Moonbow
Alternate: Luna
C Hone Cavalry
IVsSDarting Blow 3
Alternate: Heavy Blade 3

Show Explanation/Analysis

Preferred IV: +ATK or +SPD / -RES

Abel will greatly enjoy any offensive boost that he can get. As such, having either an Attack or Speed Asset will be the most beneficial for him. As it is his overall least important stat, having a Resistance Flaw is recommended.

Weapon: Panther Lance (+Eff)

  • Panther Lance is a powerful weapon that can turn Abel into a strong offensive unit.

  • This weapon gives him extra Attack and Defense dependant on how many allies are nearby, but the real benefit offensively comes from the refine.

  • When refined, Panther Lance obtains a Brave effect with no downside whenever Abel has a nearby cavalier which uses Sword, Lance, or Axe.

Assist: Reposition / Player Preference

Special: Moonbow / Luna  

  • Moonbow and Luna are both strong Special choices. Both can be fully charged in a single round should Abel performs four attacks. Which one is used will be a matter of personal preference.

  • If Abel has Heavy Blade, Moonbow can potentially activate on both Abel’s second and fourth attack. This makes Moonbow a superior choice when using Heavy Blade.

Passive A: Atk/Spd Solo / Swift Sparrow / Death Blow

  • Atk/Spd Solo grants Abel with a large offensive buff whenever he has no adjacent allies. Since Panther Lance doesn’t require allies to be adjacent, he can make effective use of this skill.

  • Swift Sparrow is similarly strong. While not granting as large as a buff, Swift Sparrow does only need Abel to initiate combat which makes it easier to activate. It is also significantly cheaper than Atk/Spd Solo.

  • Death Blow makes for a powerful budget option that gives Abel a large Attack boost when initiating combat. Note though that he’ll gain no extra Speed. While Death Blow 4 is objectively superior to Death Blow 3, it is far more expensive and not necessary.

Passive B: Chill Def / Chill Spd / Desperation

  • Chill Skills are a natural fit with Brave weapons that debuff the opponent with the highest in that particular stat. Both Chill Def and Chill Spd would benefit Abel with either increased damage or increased follow-up potential against anyone affected.

  • Desperation is a solid budget option for Abel. Should Desperation be active, Abel can make any follow-up attack immediately, potentially allowing him to attack four times before the opponent can even retaliate.

Passive C: Cavalry Buff / Player Preference  

  • As using another Cavalry unit alongside Abel is mandatory for Panther Lance to take effect, taking a Cavalry buff of any kind is an easy choice.

Sacred Seal: Darting Blow / Heavy Blade / Atk/Spd 2

  • Darting Blow is a fantastic Sacred Seal choice that will substantially increase Abel’s ability to perform four attacks.

  • Heavy Blade is another strong option, helping Abel with charging his Special whenever he has higher Attack than his opponent.

The End (Melee Generalist)

Build by
Panther Lance (+Eff) A Atk/Def Solo 3
Alternate: Fury (3 or 4)
Reposition B Quick Riposte 3
Alternate: Renewal 3
Bonfire
Alternate: Moonbow
C Hone Cavalry
Alternate: Atk Smoke 3
IVsSAttack/Def +2
Alternate: Heavy Blade 3

Show Explanation/Analysis

​​​​​Preferred IV: +ATK or +SPD / -RES

Both Attack and Speed will help Abel offensively which makes both of them great Asset choices. Speed in particular also helps Abel defensively through increased ability to avoid follow-up attacks. Resistance remains his least important stat and therefore makes for the ideal Flaw.

Weapon: Panther Lance (+Eff)

  • Panther Lance is a weapon that can benefit Abel both offensively and defensively.

  • Offensively speaking, the extra Attack from nearby allies and the Brave effect from refining the weapon will make Abel a strong offensive threat.

  • Defensively, the extra Defense gain from nearby allies helps Abel to defend himself on Enemy Phase from physical threats.

Assist: Reposition / Player Preference  

Special: Bonfire / Luna / Moonbow

  • As Abel will likely be obtaining substantial Defense boosts, Bonfire makes for a powerful choice to benefit offensively from that boosted Defense. Luna has the same cooldown as Bonfire and is also a powerful choice, though its power is dependant on the opponent’s defense.

  • Moonbow is also a good choice thanks to its low cooldown.

Passive A: Atk/Def Solo / Fury

  • Atk/Def Solo will give Abel a huge Attack and Defense boost whenever he has no adjacent allies. This benefits him both offensively and defensively.

  • Fury is a great budget alternative, giving a good all-around boost to all stats at the cost of some recoil damage after combat. Fury 4 can be used over Fury 3, but note that Fury 4 is far more expensive and not required if one doesn’t want to make the investment.

Passive B: Quick Riposte / Guard / Renewal

  • Quick Riposte allows Abel to secure follow-up attacks on Enemy Phase without having to rely on Speed.

  • Guard is also a good choice, blocking enemies from effectively charging their Special and negating the extra Special charge gained from skills such as Special Fighter.

  • Renewal is a good budget option that helps to keep Abel healthy through some healing every other turn.

Passive C: Cavalry Buff / Atk Smoke / Player Preference

  • As Abel will be used alongside another Cavalry unit, using a Cavalry buff is a natural choice.

  • Atk Smoke can also be used to help Abel defensively through reducing the Attack of opponents around his target.

Sacred Seal: Attack/Def +2 / Heavy Blade / Quick Riposte

  • Attack/Def +2, while simple in effect, will be beneficial for Abel as it’ll give one last push to his offensive and defensive capabilities.

  • Heavy Blade is also a great choice of Sacred Seal, helping Abel with charging his Special. Given the mixed phase nature of this set, Heavy Blade can benefit him regardless of if he’s using Bonfire or Moonbow.

  • If one isn’t using Quick Riposte in the B slot, it can alternatively be used in the Sacred Seal slot.

Introduction

Abel is a lance cavalry unit and one that has been present since the launch of Fire Emblem Heroes. If one was to judge Abel entirely off of his statline, Abel fails to impress. However, thanks to the weapon refinery, Abel now makes for a great lance cavalry choice.

With a neutral statline of 39 HP, 33 Attack, 32 Speed, 25 Defense, and 25 Resistance, Abel doesn’t have any standout areas that he excels in. While none of his stats are necessarily bad, he don’t have anything that could be considered excellent. He’s simply decent in all areas.

However, thanks to the 3.4.0 update, Abel gets his own personal weapon. Panther Lance is a strong weapon that allows him to become strong when used offensively, specifically when alongside any cavalier wielding a Sword, Lance, or Axe. He also benefits defensively.

Overall, Abel is finally able to set himself apart in the large abundant crowd that is lance cavaliers, specifically in the case of a cavalry team. Unfortunately, Panther Lance’s requirements does result in him being a lackluster option for mixed movement compositions. As long as he has the cavalry backing him up, Abel will fight well on the battlefield.

Strengths

Panther Lance

Panther Lance is Abel’s personal weapon that was added in the 3.4.0 update. Without refine, this weapon will grant an Attack and Defense bonus to Abel equivalent to the number of allies within two spaces times two. This bonus has a cap of +6 to each stat which is reached if Abel has three allies within two spaces. On its own, this effect is good and helps Abel both offensively and defensively.

The real strength lies within the refinement though. When refined, Panther Lance will act as a Brave Lance with no Speed downside whenever Abel has a cavalry ally using a sword, lance, or axe within two spaces of him. This makes him very strong offensively, especially when considering that the lack of Speed penalty makes him very good at performing four attacks so long as he gets Speed bonuses.

Cavalry Strengths

The two largest strengths that cavalry units have are their movement range and ease of access to Cavalry Buffs. With a movement range of three, Abel has further natural reach than other offensive sword units found in the other movement types. However, one should take caution not to accidentally remove Abel from the range of his allies. Additionally, Hone Cavalry and Fortify Cavalry are both readily available and both will be of great benefit to Abel.

Weaknesses

Mediocre Stats

When not considering Panther Lance, Abel is simply nothing special. His 33 Attack and 32 Speed is ok but not great while his balanced defensive statline of 39 HP, 25 Defense, and 25 Resistance only make him decent defensively. Overall, Abel’s stats are simply underwhelming, though Panther Lance does make up for it somewhat.

Cavalry Weaknesses

Cavalry units also have notable weaknesses. Cavalry are the movement type most hindered by terrain, being the only movement type slowed down by trenches and being completely incapable of passing through forests. This can hinder Abel’s ability to properly position himself or make attacks from advantageous positions. Weapons which deal effective damage against cavalry are also common in modes such as Aether Raids, so caution must be taken.

Weapon Skills

Weapons SP Rng. Mt.
Iron Lance
Learns by default at 1 ★
Unlocks at 1 ★
Lance Users Only
50 1 6
Steel Lance
Learns by default at 3 ★
Unlocks at 2 ★
Lance Users Only
100 1 8
Brave Lance

Spd-5. Attack twice when initiating combat.

Learns by default at 4 ★
Unlocks at 3 ★
Lance Users Only
200 1 5
Brave Lance+

Spd-5. Attack twice when initiating combat.

Learns by default at 5 ★
Unlocks at 5 ★
Lance Users Only
300 1 8
Panther Lance

During combat, boosts unit's Atk/Def by number of allies within 2 spaces × 2. (Maximum bonus of +6 to each stat.)

Unlocks at 5 ★
400 1 16
Weapon Evolution
Weapon Upgrades
Weapon Upgrades

Special Skills

Special Skills SP Turns
Holy Vestments

Reduces damage inflicted by attacks from foes 2 spaces away by 30%.

Learns by default at 4 ★
Unlocks at 3 ★
Restricted to melee units.
100 3
Aegis

Reduces damage inflicted by attacks from foes 2 spaces away by 50%.

Unlocks at 4 ★
Restricted to melee units.
200 3

Passive Skills

Passive Skills SP Slot
HP +3

Grants +3 to max HP.

Inheritable by all units.
Unlocks at 3 ★
40
A
HP +4

Grants +4 to max HP.

Inheritable by all units.
Unlocks at 4 ★
80
A
HP +5

Grants +5 to max HP.

Inheritable by all units.
Unlocks at 5 ★
160
A
Swordbreaker 1

If unit's HP ≥ 90% in combat against a sword user, unit makes a follow-up attack and foe cannot.

Non-Inheritable by green units.
50
B
Swordbreaker 2

If unit's HP ≥ 70% in combat against a sword user, unit makes a follow-up attack and foe cannot.

Non-Inheritable by green units.
Unlocks at 3 ★
100
B
Swordbreaker 3

If unit's HP ≥ 50% in combat against a sword user, unit makes a follow-up attack and foe cannot.

Non-Inheritable by green units.
Unlocks at 4 ★
200
B

Other Info

Origin
Fire Emblem: Mystery of the Emblem
Fire Emblem: New Mystery of the Emblem
Fire Emblem: Shadow Dragon
Fire Emblem: Shadow Dragon and the Blade of Light

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