GamePress

Halloween Niles

Analysis by Chibi_Chu
Halloween Niles - Forbidden Tease

5

Obtainable as a 5 only

Hero Stats

Max Avg Total Stats at Lvl 40
164
HP 37
ATK 34
SPD 39
DEF 25
RES 29

Stat Variations

Level 1 Stat Variation
5★
HP ATK SPD DEF RES
Low 17 9 10 5 6
Middle 18 10 11 6 7
High 19 11 12 7 8

Level 40 Stat Variations
5★
HP ATK SPD DEF RES
Low 34 31 36 22 25
Middle 37 34 39 25 29
High 41 37 42 29 32

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

  • +ATK: With a solid base Attack of 34, Attack is arguably Niles’ best Asset to increase his damage output. His Speed is already absurdly high, which means he should have no trouble performing a follow-up attack (especially with Speed buffs), so his lower but still good Attack should be invested in to take advantage of it.
  • +SPD: A Speed Asset, which boosts Niles’ Speed from 39 to a lightning-fast 42, allows Niles to perform a follow-up attack against some of the fastest units in the game with only a small amount of support or buffs. Because of Bold Fighter, this isn’t as valuable as an Attack Asset, but still very beneficial for Niles and lets him break through high-Speed enemies with skills that cancel Bold Fighter.

Neutral

  • HP: Niles sacrifices some of his bulk in exchange for fantastic offenses, sitting at 61 physical and 65 magical bulk. An HP Flaw works well, since it doesn’t decrease his bulk to worrisome values. Niles can however, in rare circumstances, be prone to OHKOs if his bulk is lowered.
  • DEF: Niles’ physical bulk is unusually low for an armored unit, sitting at 61. While Defense is definitely the go-to Flaw for offensive sets, he needs all the help he can get if running a defensive set, meaning a Defense Asset can work just fine.
  • RES: 29 Resistance, while not fantastic, is enough to utilize Ploys decently with some investment in Resistance via weapon refines or +RES. This isn’t as useful as +ATK or +SPD since they increase damage output, and -RES can be acceptable since decreasing magical bulk from 65 to 61 is fairly negligible.

Skill Sets

Flaming Hot Philanderer (Brave Bow)

Build by
Recommended
Brave Bow+ A Death Blow 4
Alternate: Swift Sparrow 3
Swap B Bold Fighter 3
Alternate: Special Fighter 3
Moonbow
Alternate: Luna
C Def Smoke 3
Alternate: Armor March 3
IVsSSturdy Blow 2
Alternate: Darting Blow 3

Show Explanation/Analysis

Preferred IV: +ATK or +SPD / -DEF

  • Like with nearly any other offensive set, +ATK and +SPD are great Assets to help Niles’ damage output. If using Bold Fighter, +ATK should be chosen since Niles’ Speed becomes obsolete. -DEF is chosen because his physical bulk of 58 is usually good enough to avoid being OHKO’d.

Weapon: Brave Bow+ 

  • This set focuses on utilizing Brave Bow, Bold Fighter, and Death Blow 4 to guarantee 2-4 consecutive attacks in one combat, so Brave Bow is the only option.

Assist: Swap / Flexible

Special: Moonbow / Luna / Iceberg

  • With Bold Fighter, Niles can activate Moonbow every other attack if his enemy has no Guard effect. Moonbow can help Niles tear through high-Defense units that he may be unable to defeat otherwise.

  • If the player expects Niles to come across units with Guard effects, Luna and Iceberg can be used instead, as Niles will still activate them in one combat assuming he quadruples.

Passive A: Death Blow 4 / Swift Sparrow 3 / Atk/Spd Push 4

  • Since Bold Fighter almost always guarantees Niles will quadruple, Death Blow 4 is chosen to ramp up the damage dealt in each of those 4 hits. 

  • If the player wishes to rely on Niles’ Speed to quadruple instead of Bold Fighter, Swift Sparrow 3 and Atk/Spd Push 4 are great choices to help ensure he not only quadruples, but also dishes out lots of damage.

Passive B: Bold Fighter / Special Fighter

  • Bold Fighter helps secure 4 attacks, since it guarantees a follow-up attack if Niles initiates. The +1 special charge per hit allows Niles to make great use of 2-cooldown skills such as Moonbow, as it’ll be activated every other hit. It’s also great with  3-cooldown specials such as Iceberg and Luna, as they will still be activated in one combat even if the enemy has a Guard effect.

  • If relying on Niles’ Speed to quadruple, Special Fighter is a fantastic alternative that allows Niles to practically steal cooldown charges from his opponent and give them to himself instead. Note that Special Fighter only works if Niles’ HP is ≥ 50%, which can be troubling due to Niles’ low bulk.

Passive C: Def Smoke / Armor March / Flexible

  • Def Smoke is chosen to help Niles and his allies pierce through high-Defense enemies. In conjunction with Specials like Moonbow and Luna, Niles can take down almost any enemy in his way.

  • Armor March is a great alternative that alleviates his usual 1-movement. Of course, Niles’ C slot is pretty flexible, so it can be changed depending on his allies.

Sacred Seal: Sturdy Blow / Darting Blow

  • To maximize his Player Phase damage output, Sturdy Blow is chosen, as it grants Niles +4 Attack and Defense if he initiates. The Defense buff can also be beneficial, allowing Niles to survive more physical counterattacks.

  • If relying on Niles’ Speed to quadruple, Darting Blow can be chosen instead to ensure he has enough Speed to quadruple.

Neither Elegant Nohr Gallant (General Offense)

Build by
Slaying Bow+ (+Spd) A Swift Sparrow 3
Alternate: Death Blow 4
Swap B Special Fighter 3
Luna
Alternate: Aether
C Def Smoke 3
Alternate: Spd Smoke 3
IVsSSturdy Blow 2
Alternate: Darting Blow 3

Show Explanation/Analysis

Preferred IV: +ATK or +SPD / -DEF

  • As with any offensive set, +ATK and +SPD are the best Assets because they increase Niles’ damage output. -DEF is chosen because it will negligently impact Niles’ ability to tank physical hits.

Weapon: Slaying Bow+ (+SPD)

  • Combined with 3 or 5 cooldown specials such as Luna and Aether respectively, Niles can activate his special every combat with Slaying Bow. This is extremely valuable for increasing his damage output. +SPD is the chosen refine to help secure a follow-up attack.

Assist: Swap / Flexible

Special: Luna / Aether  

  • If Niles’ enemy does not counter and has no skills with a Guard effect, he will be able to activate Luna on his second hit, helping him to score KOs on high-Defense units. 

  • Alternatively, if Niles’ enemy does counter but has no skills with a Guard effect, he will be able to activate Aether on his second hit, which boosts both his ability to overcome physical walls and his sustainability.

Passive A: Swift Sparrow 3 / Death Blow 4 / Atk/Spd Push 4

  • Since Bold Fighter is not being used, Niles wants all the Speed he can get so he can perform a follow-up attack with greater ease and take full advantage of Special Fighter. Swift Sparrow 3 grants +6 Attack and +7 Speed, greatly increasing his ability to perform a follow-up attack along with increasing his damage output. 

  • Atk/Spd Push 4 is a strong alternative that grants 1 more Attack than Swift Sparrow 3, but the recoil damage after combat can easily push Niles below 50% HP, thus rendering Special Fighter useless. This is primarily a strong option only if Niles has access to healing.

  • Niles’ Speed already sits at an amazing value of 39, so if the player is already confident in his ability to double with only one or two Speed buffs, Death Blow 4 can be used instead.

Passive B: Special Fighter 

  • Niles is one of the few Armored units that can take full advantage of Special Fighter, with his sky-high 39 Speed allowing him to sacrifice Bold Fighter or Vengeful Fighter since he doesn’t rely on them to double. Granting him +1 special cooldown and the enemy -1 special cooldown per attack, Niles can increase his damage output and activate his specials more consistently while slowing his enemy’s special cooldown (which also increases his sustainability).

Passive C: Def Smoke / Spd Smoke / Armor March / Flexible

  • Def Smoke and Spd Smoke both help Niles’ damage output, with the former allowing him to kill physical walls more frequently and the latter allowing him to perform a follow-up attack even more often. Spd Smoke can be doubly helpful since doubling an enemy lets Niles activate Special Fighter one more time.

  • Armor March helps Niles’ mobility and ability to reach and retreat from opponents. Good alternatives for a C slot are dependent on Niles’ allies.

Sacred Seal: Sturdy Blow / Darting Blow

  • With an already fantastic Speed stat that can be buffed to staggeringly high values, Sturdy Blow is chosen to increase Niles’ damage output and ability to take counterattacks.

  • If Niles is unable to receive any Speed buffs outside of his base kit, Darting Blow can be used so he’ll more easily perform a follow-up attack.

Dancing with the Devil (Defensive)

Build by
Slaying Bow+ (+Spd)
Alternate: Slaying Bow+ (+Def)
A Close Counter
Pivot B Special Fighter 3
Aether
Alternate: Glacies
C Fortify Armor
Alternate: Atk Ploy 3
IVsSQuick Riposte 3

Show Explanation/Analysis

Preferred IV: +SPD or +DEF / -HP

  • With a defensive set, Niles can choose a Speed or Defense Asset. +SPD helps secure a follow-up attack on both Player and Enemy Phase (if not using Quick Riposte), while +DEF increases Niles’ mediocre physical bulk to higher levels.

Weapon: Slaying Bow+ (+SPD or +DEF or +RES)

  • While this set is defensive, it focuses on the synergy between a Slaying effect, Aether, Special Fighter, and Quick Riposte to provide Niles a lot of much-needed sustainability. +SPD refine helps to ensure a follow-up attack, while +DEF or +RES help Niles take hits.

Assist: Swap / Flexible

Special: Aether / Luna 

  • If Niles performs a follow-up attack, Special Fighter is active, and his special cooldown is not being slowed, Aether will activate Niles’ second attack. This not only helps Niles’ damage output since it ignores 50% of the enemy’s Defense, but also provides Niles some sustainability and healing that he’ll definitely appreciate.

  • Luna is a cheaper and still solid alternative that can usually be activated in one combat if Niles performs a follow-up attack on Player Phase and doesn’t receive a counter.

Passive A: Close Counter

  • Niles usually lacks the ability to counterattack against melee units, which drastically hurts his Enemy Phase damage output and sustainability (due to Aether not activating as often), but Close Counter completely alleviates that. This allows Niles to activate Aether and counterattack against a wider range of units, increasing both his damage output and sustainability.

Passive B: Special Fighter

  • When combined with Aether and a follow-up attack, Niles can have surprisingly solid sustainability, since he’ll be activating Aether every combat. Slowing his enemy’s special cooldown also benefits his tanking ability, since he won’t have to worry about taking burst or true damage as often.

Passive C: Atk Smoke / Atk Ploy / Armor March / Flexible

  • Debuffing the Attack of all enemies within 2 spaces of the original target by 7 greatly boosts Niles’ sustainability and lets him stay in Quick Riposte and Special Fighter activation range for longer. Atk Ploy is a decent alternative, although 29 Resistance can be a bit shaky for activating Ploys.

  • As usual, Armor March helps with Niles’ flexibility and mobility. The C slot is flexible, of course, so it can be changed depending on his allies.

Sacred Seal: Quick Riposte / Close Def

  • Since this set primarily focuses on building up Niles’ mediocre defenses, he may struggle to perform a follow-up attack even with multiple buffs. Quick Riposte guarantees that Niles will perform a follow-up attack and, in combination with Special Fighter, almost always guarantees that Aether will be activated. Note that Niles needs to have ≥ 70% HP to activate Quick Riposte, so bringing an ally that can heal him is suggested.

  • If the player isn’t worried about Niles’ ability to double, Close Def can be chosen instead so Niles can tank melee units better.

Introduction

Making a dramatic entrance in a fabulously devilish costume, Halloween Niles joins Heroes as the game’s first blue Armored Archer, sporting one of the highest Speed of all Armored units at an absurd 39 and a decent 34 Attack to boot. These offenses alone allow for fantastic damage output, but with Armor-exclusive skills such as Bold and Special Fighter, Niles can take his offensive capabilities to sky-high levels. Note that while Niles’ 1-movement holds him back a bit, skills like Armor March, Armored Boots, Guidance, and Ground Orders can be used to get Niles wherever he needs to be. With great offenses and an arsenal of Armor-exclusive skills to have some fun with, Niles is incredibly versatile and can efficiently use a variety of different builds.

Of course, offenses that good come at a price at defenses, as Niles has 61 physical bulk and 67 magical bulk. While they’re not bad by any means, they hurt his Enemy Phase capabilities and ability to take counterattacks when necessary, and he may occasionally be at risk of being OHKO’d. Due to his blue coloring, he may struggle to survive and deal consistent damage against green units, though this comes at a trade-off of performing excellently against red units.

Overall, while Niles can struggle due to his low 1 movement and blue coloring, he more than makes up for this with fantastic offenses and access to Armor-exclusive skills that greatly increase his versatility and damage output. He’ll be a valuable source of damage output on nearly any team, though you should ensure he doesn’t wave his tongue at the wrong people.

Strengths

Fantastic Offenses

A 34/39 offensive statline is spectacular, allowing Niles to dish out massive damage that is taken even further by skills such as Bold and Special Fighter.

Armor-exclusive Skills

Bold Fighter, Vengeful Fighter, and Special Fighter are just some of the powerful skills Niles can use to increase his damage output via guaranteed follow-up attacks or increased special charge. He can also use Armor March or Armored Boots to alleviate his 1-movement.

Versatile

Thanks to Niles’ fantastic offensive statline, passable defensive statline, and access to Armor-exclusive skills, he can function well with a wide variety of offensive and defensive sets.

Weaknesses

Mediocre Defenses

While not terrible, Niles’ physical and magical bulk of 61 and 67 respectively hurt his ability to use Enemy Phase sets.

Armor Shortcomings

With only 1 movement to work with without Armor March, Armored Boots, or allies’ skills such as Guidance and Ground Orders, Niles can struggle to reach his opponents and retreat when necessary. Armor-effective weapons also cripple Niles, usually OHKOing him regardless of whether the weapon is physical or magical.

Weapon Skills

Weapons SP Rng. Mt.
Iron Bow

Effective against flying units.

Only Inheritable by Bow users.
50 2 4
Steel Bow

Effective against flying units.

Only Inheritable by Bow users.
100 2 6
Devilish Bow

Effective against flying foes. Inflicts Special cooldown charge -1 on foe per attack during combat. (Only highest value applied. Does not stack.)

Only Inheritable by Bow users.
200 2 8
Devilish Bow+

Effective against flying foes. Inflicts Special cooldown charge -1 on foe per attack during combat. (Only highest value applied. Does not stack.)

Learns by default at 5 ★
Only Inheritable by Bow users.
300 2 12
Weapon Evolution
Weapon Upgrades
Weapon Upgrades

Support Skills

Support Skills Rng. SP
Smite

Push adjacent ally 2 spaces farther away.

Learns by default at 5 ★
1 150

Passive Skills

Passive Skills SP Slot
Darting Blow 1

If unit initiates combat, grants Spd+2 during combat.

Non-inheritable by Staff-wielding units.
50
A
Swift Sparrow 1

If unit initiates combat, unit granted Atk/Spd+2 during battle.

Non-inheritable by Staff-wielding units.
120
A
Swift Sparrow 2

If unit initiates combat, unit granted Atk/Spd+4 during battle.

Non-inheritable by Staff-wielding units.
Unlocks at 5 ★
240
A
Atk/Spd Link 1

If a movement Assist skill (like Reposition, Shove, Pivot, etc.) is used by unit or targets unit, grants Atk/Spd+2 to unit and target ally or unit and targeting ally for 1 turn.

Non-inheritable by Staff-wielding units.
60
B
Atk/Spd Link 2

If a movement Assist skill (like Reposition, Shove, Pivot, etc.) is used by unit or targets unit, grants Atk/Spd+4 to unit and target ally or unit and targeting ally for 1 turn.

Non-inheritable by Staff-wielding units.
120
B
Atk/Spd Link 3

If a movement Assist skill (like Reposition, Shove, Pivot, etc.) is used by unit or targets unit, grants Atk/Spd+6 to unit and target ally or unit and targeting ally for 1 turn.

Non-inheritable by Staff-wielding units.
Unlocks at 5 ★
240
B
Fortify Res 1

Grants adajacent allies Res+2 through their next actions at the start of each turn.

Inheritable by all units.
50
C
Fortify Res 2

Grants adajacent allies Res+3 through their next actions at the start of each turn.

Inheritable by all units.
100
C
Fortify Armor

Grants adjacent armored allies Def/Res+6 through their next actions at the start of each turn.

  • Requires Fortify Def 2 or Fortify Res 2.
Only inheritable by armor units.
Unlocks at 5 ★
200
C

Other Info

Origin
Fire Emblem Fates

Banners Featured In