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Analysis by Chibi_Chu
Flora - Cold as Ice

5

Obtainable as a 5 only

Related Heroes

Hero Stats

Max Avg Total Stats at Lvl 40
151
HP 38
ATK 34
SPD 23
DEF 18
RES 38

Stat Variations

Level 1 Stat Variation
5★
HP ATK SPD DEF RES
Low 15 7 5 4 9
Middle 16 8 6 5 10
High 17 9 7 6 11

Level 40 Stat Variations
5★
HP ATK SPD DEF RES
Low 34 31 20 14 35
Middle 38 34 23 18 38
High 41 37 26 21 41

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

Skill Sets

Cold-Blooded Demoiselle (Aether Raids Defense)

Build by Chibi_Chu
Recommended
Hoarfrost Knife (+Eff) A Sturdy Impact
Alternate: Mirror Impact

Alternate: Rally Assist
B Lull Atk/Def 3
Ruptured Sky
Alternate: Ignis
C Time's Pulse 3
IVs

+ATK or +DEF or +RES / -SPD

SHardy Bearing 3
Alternate: Sturdy Blow 2

Show Explanation/Analysis

Weapon: Hoarfrost Knife (+Eff) 

Assist: No Assist / Rally Assist

Special: Ruptured Sky / Ignis / Glacies

Passive A: Sturdy Impact / Mirror Impact 

Passive B: Lull Atk/Def

Passive C: Time’s Pulse

Sacred Seal: Hardy Bearing / Sturdy Blow / Mirror Strike

  • Hoarfrost Knife’s numerous effects make Flora a dangerous Aether Raids Defense threat that, unlike many other Aether Raids Defense nukes, can survive initiations and receive refreshes to continue her onslaught
    • Time’s Pulse grants Flora -1 Special cooldown at the start of her turn if her Special is at its maximum cooldown. Because Hoarfrost Knife has a constant Slaying effect (-1 Special cooldown), this means the maximum cooldown for what are usually 2-cooldown Specials is actually 1; Flora will thus have her Special ready at the start of every turn, and the only way that can be removed is if Pulse Smoke is applied after Flora’s turn begins, but before Flora initiates. Ruptured Sky is the strongest 2-cooldown Special for Flora, as it grants bonus damage equal to 20% of the enemy’s Attack (or 40% if they are a Beast or Dragon); most superunits invest heavily into Attack, and Ruptured Sky works especially well against everyone’s favorite meta unit, Fallen Edelgard.
    • The +20 Defense and -5 Atk/Def effectively grants Flora +5 Atk/Res and +25 Defense, springing her defenses from 18/38 to 43/43. The Guard effect further increases Flora’s presence as a threat; if the enemy uses a healing Special, their healing is delayed, while if the enemy uses a damaging Special, they may fail to ORKO Flora.
    • Finally, Flora’s guaranteed follow-up attack if the enemy can counterattack makes her an incredibly potent damage dealer. If she fails to OHKO on her first Ruptured Sky, the enemy will counterattack, and assuming no Guard effect is active, Flora will activate Ruptured Sky a second time. Granted, Null Follow-Up is very common on superunits, but against those that do not have Null Follow-Up, the guaranteed follow-up attack is fantastic.
  • Flora prefers no Assist Skill because her movement will be prioritized above allies without Assist Skills, meaning she can receive a refresh if she survives her initiation to initiate again. Rally Assists are strong as well, as Defense Keeps can set up Rally Traps that force Flora to move towards the enemy to Rally an ally whose danger zone reaches the enemy, then receive a refresh to catch the enemy by surprise.
  • Sturdy and Mirror Impact are Flora’s best A slots, as they grant stats and follow-up prevention on initiation. While they both grant +6 Attack, the former grants +10 Defense while the latter grants +10 Resistance; typically, Sturdy Impact is preferred because a majority of superunits are physical.
    • Alternatives to Ruptured Sky are Ignis and Glacies, with the former granting bonus damage equal to 80% of Flora’s Defense and the latter equal to 80% of Flora’s Resistance. Whichever one is chosen should correspond with which Impact skill Flora is using; if using Sturdy Impact, she should use Ignis, as she will have 48 Defense, but only 38 Resistance on initiation. If using Mirror Impact, she should use Glacies, as she will have 48 Resistance, but only 38 Defense on initiation. Note that because Ignis and Glacies are 4-cooldown Specials (3 with Hoarfrost Knife’s Slaying effect taken into account), she will need additional cooldown reduction from allies and she can easily get Pulse Smoked.
  • Lull Atk/Def inflicts -3 Atk/Def on the enemy and neutralizes the enemy’s visible Atk/Def buffs during combat, making it a great option for Flora’s B slot considering Peony and Plumeria, Light Astra seasons’ Mythic refreshers respectively, both grant visible Atk/Def buffs with their personal Assists. Null Follow-Up is a strong alternative, as it neutralizes effects that guarantee the enemy’s follow-up attack (meaning the enemy will need Null Follow-Up and 5+ more Speed than Flora to perform a follow-up attack) and prevent Flora’s follow-up attack (meaning Null Follow-Up is the only way to prevent Flora’s follow-up attack).
  • While Flora’s mixed bulk is excellent, Vantage users may still pose a threat if Flora has taken damage from a Bolt Tower, Bolt Trap, Halloween Hector’s Duo Skill, or through other means. As such, Hardy Bearing is a great way to ensure Vantage users pose little threat to Flora, as it neutralizes effects that change attack priority (Vantage changes attack priority by allowing the unit with Vantage to counterattack before the initiator attacks). Sturdy Blow and Mirror Strike grant stats on initiation (+4 Atk/Def for the former and +4 Atk/Res for the latter), making them nice alternatives if other units need Hardy Bearing or have Hardy Bearing effects.

Cool and Collected (Dual-Phase)

Build by Chibi_Chu
Recommended
Hoarfrost Knife (+Eff) A Atk/Res Solo (3 or 4)
Positional Assist B Null Follow-Up 3
Alternate: Lull Atk/Def 3
Iceberg C Joint Drive Atk
Alternate: Atk Smoke 3
IVs

+ATK or +RES / -SPD

SQuick Riposte 3

Show Explanation/Analysis

Weapon: Hoarfrost Knife (+Eff) 

Assist: Positional Assist 

Special: Iceberg 

Passive A: Atk/Res Solo (3 or 4)

Passive B: Null Follow-Up / Lull Atk/Def / Mystic Boost

Passive C: Joint Drive Atk / Atk Smoke / Flexible

Sacred Seal: Quick Riposte

  • Flora’s stat allocation and Hoarfrost Knife create an opportunity for players to build her as a mixed-phase unit. Something to note is that while Flora is strong against both physical and magical threats on Player Phase, she is much weaker against physical threats on Enemy Phase because Hoarfrost Knife’s +20 Defense is only granted on initiation (and against enemies that can counterattack); the same goes for the guaranteed follow-up attack, meaning Quick Riposte in her Sacred Seal is a necessity for performing follow-up attacks on Enemy Phase. Her -5 Atk/Def and Guard inflictions during combat are only limited by initiation or being within 2 spaces of an ally, so those can be inflicted on both Player and Enemy Phase.
  • Because Flora only potentially gains +20 Defense on exclusively Player Phase, Specials that scale based on Flora’s Resistance are much more consistent for being activated on both phases, making Iceberg the go-to choice. On Player Phase, Flora can attack, receive a counterattack, then activate Iceberg thanks to Hoarfrost Knife’s -1 Special cooldown; on Enemy Phase, Flora will waste a Special charge if the enemy can perform a follow-up attack, but the additional damage that would have been gained from Glacies is usually overkill anyways.
  • Flora’s base Atk/Res Solo 3 is her strongest A slot, as its condition can be fulfilled on both phases and it does not inflict recoil damage on Flora like Atk/Res Push 4 does. Of course, it can be upgraded to Atk/Res Solo 4 for the +1 Atk/Res, but this is hardly necessary.
  • Because Flora is reliant on guaranteed follow-up attacks on both phases, Null Follow-Up is greatly appreciated, as it neutralizes effects that prevent Flora’s follow-up attack. In order to prevent Flora’s follow-up attack, the enemy needs a Null Follow-Up effect, which most PvE and Arena enemies do not have. Lull Atk/Def and Mystic Boost are nice alternatives, with the former inflicting -3 Atk/Def and neutralizing visible Atk/Def debuffs for higher bulk and damage output and the latter healing Flora for 6 HP (allowing her to heal back to Quick Riposte’s ≥ 70% HP condition if necessary), neutralizing Wrathful Staff (makes Staff units deal normal damage instead of halved damage), and neutralizing adaptive damage (any weapon/effect that targets the lower of Flora’s Def/Res to calculate damage). 
  • Joint Drive Atk grants +4 Attack to Flora and allies within 2 spaces if she is within 2 spaces of an ally, increasing the team’s overall damage output. Atk Smoke inflicts -7 Attack on enemies within 2 spaces of the target after combat, bolstering her bulk if the enemies are positioned favorably. In general, units’ C slots are flexible, with Flora’s being no exception; as long as her C slot benefits her and/or the team in a consistently and substantially helpful way, it will work well. :)

Strengths

Decent Attack

While 34 Attack is not quite as threatening as it was before, it is still more than enough to deal sufficient damage.

Excellent Resistance

Despite her low 38 HP, Flora’s excellent 38 Resistance allows her to give most magical enemies the cold shoulder. She also greatly benefits from the Resistance-scaling bonus damage granted by Glacies and Iceberg when activated.

Hoarfrost Knife

Initially, Flora’s Hoarfrost Knife received a cold reception due to a description of, at the time, unprecedented length in addition to an effect that failed to live up to its several lines of text. While -1 Special cooldown has only become more and more valuable as the meta has progressed and +20 Defense and a guaranteed follow-up if Flora initiates against a Sword, Lance, Axe, Dragonstone, or Beast enemy that can counterattack seem great on paper, there were a variety of ways to put Flora in her place. Archers and Daggers were arguably the most effective ways to dispatch Flora on Enemy Phase, as Flora gained neither +20 Defense nor a guaranteed follow-up attack against them on initiation. Despite the effective 38/38 defenses against Sword, Lance, Axe, Dragonstone, and Beast enemies that could counterattack against Flora, Special activations on retaliation could easily OHKO her. The existence and increasing prevalence of Null Follow-Up impeded Flora’s guaranteed follow-up attack; this was especially problematic given that much of Flora’s damage came from her Special, meaning that her burst damage was backloaded. Guard effects could also prevent Flora from activating her Special, only adding to the laundry list of obstacles to Flora’s peak performance.

In update 5.6.0, Flora received a long-awaited refine that bolsters her combat consistency. The +20 Defense and guaranteed follow-up attack are now granted to Flora when she initiates against any enemy that can counterattack, meaning she fares far better against Archers, Daggers, Mages, and Staff wielders than she used to. With the +Eff refine, if Flora initiates combat or is within 2 spaces of an ally (so almost always), she inflicts -5 Atk/Def and -1 Special charge per attack (a Guard effect), further increasing Flora’s damage output and survivability. While Hoarfrost Knife’s refine did not change any of its fundamental effects (-1 Special cooldown plus conditional +20 Defense and follow-up attack), the condition’s increased leniency and the +Eff refine’s add-ons make it a fantastic personal weapon.

Infantry benefits

Nothing but the best is expected from maids, so Flora is naturally the best movement type in the game. Access to Skills such as Sturdy Impact, Mirror Impact, Null Follow-Up, Lull Atk/Def, and Time’s Pulse remarkably boost Flora’s combat proficiency. The lack of common Infantry-effective or Dagger-effective weapons means that Flora rarely needs to concern herself with receiving effective damage.

Relevant niche for both competitive and PvE modes

Hoarfrost Knife is an outstanding weapon for an Aether Raids Defense Flora.

  • -1 Special cooldown in conjunction with Time’s Pulse immediately readies a 2-cooldown Special at the start of Flora’s turn; the only way her Special can be neutralized is through Pulse Smoke being applied during Flora’s turn, but before she initiates. Ruptured Sky allows Flora to connect high-damage attacks against most Aether Raids Offense threats, including Fallen Edelgard, everyone’s favorite superunit.
  • +20 Defense and a guaranteed follow-up attack when initiating against enemies that can counterattack, in combination with inflicting -5 Atk/Def and a Guard effect, make Flora a nightmare to handle without Null Follow-Up and damage reduction. Even with both of these effects, Flora can cut through a decent chunk of the enemy’s health while also slowing the enemy’s Special, which is important if they are reliant on said Special for healing (Noontime, Sol, Aether, etc.).

Aether Raids aside, Flora is an incredibly strong dual-phase unit in most PvE and Arena fights, with players having more freedom in picking and choosing which combats to have and when those combats will occur.

Weaknesses

Slow; vulnerable to Null Follow-Up

Because of her 23 Speed that is unboosted by Hoarfrost Knife, Flora is very vulnerable to getting her guaranteed follow-up attack and any follow-up prevention from Skills such as Sturdy Impact and Mirror Impact neutralized by Null Follow-Up effects. Mareeta, Karla, Byleth (M), and Byleth (F) are particularly notable threats that have Null Follow-Up built into their weapons (Mareeta’s Sword, Vassal’s Blade, and Creator Sword respectively).

Abysmal physical bulk...on Enemy Phase

Hoarfrost Knife’s +20 Defense is only granted on initiation, meaning Flora is a sitting duck against physical enemies on Enemy Phase. In combination with her practically irredeemable Speed, nearly any physical enemy that has 5+ more Speed than Flora can swiftly strike her down if she does not initiate.

Reliant on enemy counterattacks

Flora only gains +20 Defense and performs a guaranteed follow-up attack if she initiates against an enemy that can counterattack. Her combat performance substantially weakens if the enemy cannot counterattack, as losing her follow-up attack likely means losing her Special activation unless she has Time’s Pulse with a 2-cooldown Special or Special Spiral.

Weapon Skills

Weapons SP Rng. Mt.
Iron Dagger

After combat, inflicts Def/Res-3 on foe through its next action.

Dagger users only.
50 2 3
Steel Dagger

After combat, inflicts Def/Res-3 on foe through its next action.

Dagger users only.
100 2 5
Silver Dagger

After battle, inflicts Def/Res-5 on foe through its next action.

Dagger users only.
200 2 7
Hoarfrost Knife

Accelerates Special trigger (cooldown count-1). If unit initiates combat and foe uses sword, lance, axe, dragonstone, or beast damage, grants Def+20 during combat, and if foe can counter, unit makes a guaranteed follow-up attack. After combat, if unit attacked, inflicts Def/Res-7 on target and foes within 2 spaces of target through their next actions.

Learns by default at 5 ★
Non-Inheritable skill.
400 2 14
Available Rearmed Weapons
Arcane Void
Weapon Evolution
Weapon Upgrades
Weapon Upgrades

Special Skills

Special Skills SP Turns
Chilling Wind

Boosts damage dealt by 50% of unit's Res.

Learns by default at 5 ★
Non-inheritable by Staff-wielding units.
100 4
Iceberg

Boosts damage dealt by 50% of unit's Res.

Unlocks at 5 ★
Non-inheritable by Staff-wielding units.
200 3

Passive Skills

Passive Skills SP Slot
Atk/Res Solo 1

If unit is not adjacent to an ally, grants Atk/Res+2 during combat.

Inheritable by all units.
60
A
Atk/Res Solo 2

If unit is not adjacent to an ally, grants Atk/Res+4 during combat.

Inheritable by all units.
120
A
Atk/Res Solo 3

If unit is not adjacent to an ally, grants Atk/Res+6 during combat.

Inheritable by all units.
Unlocks at 5 ★
240
A
Quick Riposte 1

Unit automatically makes a follow-up attack if attacked at HP ≥ 90%.

Inheritable by all units.
60
B
Quick Riposte 2

Unit automatically makes a follow-up attack if attacked at HP ≥ 80%.

Inheritable by all units.
120
B
Quick Riposte 3

Unit automatically makes a follow-up attack if attacked at HP ≥ 70%.

Inheritable by all units.
Unlocks at 5 ★
240
B
Def Ploy 1

At start of turn, inflicts Def-3 on foes in cardinal directions with Res < unit's Res through their next actions.

Inheritable by all units.
60
C
Def Ploy 2

At start of turn, inflicts Def-4 on foes in cardinal directions with Res < unit's Res through their next actions.

Inheritable by all units.
120
C
Def Ploy 3

At start of turn, inflicts Def-5 on foes in cardinal directions with Res < unit's Res through their next actions.

Inheritable by all units.
Unlocks at 5 ★
240
C

Other Info

Origin
Fire Emblem Fates

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