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Selena (Fates)

Analysis by lordhelpme
Selena (Fates) - Cutting Wit

3-4

Obtainable as a 3 - 4 only

Hero Stats

Max Avg Total Stats at Lvl 40
157
HP 37
ATK 25
SPD 35
DEF 32
RES 28

Stat Variations

Level 1 Stat Variation
5★
4★
3★
HP ATK SPD DEF RES
Low 17 5 8 7 5
Middle 18 6 9 8 6
High 19 7 10 9 7

Level 40 Stat Variations
5★
4★
3★
HP ATK SPD DEF RES
Low 34 22 32 29 24
Middle 37 25 35 32 28
High 41 29 38 35 31

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: Although Selena’s Blade does help lessen the impact of her inherently poor base Attack stat quite a bit, a +ATK IV remains her best choice as her overall damage output still leaves much to be desired (especially outside of Special activations). 

    • Do keep in mind that this may potentially detract from Selena’s ability to consistently maintain her PRF’s base effect active on occasion, however, this really shouldn’t be too much of an issue since her base Attack is low enough that she can generally fulfill its activation requirement even with a +ATK IV’s four-point increase.

  • +SPD: Alternatively, Selena can take a +SPD IV instead to gain a considerable amount of additional offensive and defensive utility, improving her ability to perform follow-up attacks as well as deny them against opposing foes; this can be immensely beneficial regardless of her chosen set.

Neutral

  • DEF RES: Selena’s fairly respectable defensive stats combined with her solid Speed and the potential in-combat boosts she can obtain from her PRF make her surprisingly durable against both physical and magical threats alike, so it’s best to avoid reducing either of them if possible.

Flaws

  • -HP: While this does detract from her physical and magical bulk, a -HP IV is ideal as to preserve all of Selena’s other stats, which she’ll find herself needing much more frequently; the fact that she typically relies more on her actual defensive stats to withstand incoming damage regardless also means that the HP loss should generally prove negligible.

Skill Sets

Secret Dreamer (Defensive Generalist)

Build by
Recommended
Selena's Blade (+Eff) A Distant Counter
Alternate: Atk/Spd Solo 3
Reposition B Null Follow-Up 3
Alternate: Wrath 3
Moonbow
Alternate: Bonfire
C Def Smoke 3
Alternate: Pulse Smoke 3
IVsSQuick Riposte 3

Show Explanation/Analysis

Preferred IV: +ATK or +SPD -HP

This build aims to capitalize on Selena’s fairly balanced overall statline and the unique capabilities of her exclusive weapon to transform her into a competent defensive generalist, a role that she can fulfill quite well under the proper circumstances. A Speed Asset makes for a strong choice of IVs here to build upon Selena’s versatility through an enhanced likelihood of performing and denying follow-up attacks, though an Attack Asset should also be considered to grant her a much-needed boost to her raw damage output and improve her ability to actually ORKO incoming foes. 

Weapon: Selena’s Blade (+Eff)

  • In addition to granting Selena effectiveness against armors (a trait that is exceedingly valuable given her otherwise poor damage output against them due to their high amounts of durability), Selena’s Blade also allows her to benefit from an appreciable +3 overall stat boost provided that she have at least three fewer visible Attack points than her opponent. 

  • Selena’s Blade also possesses a unique weapon refinery option in the form of a +10 damage boost upon Special activations similarly to a Wo Dao, further circumventing the impact of her low base Attack. Assuming she can consistently maintain its base effect active (which should generally be a pretty straightforward task), this combination of effects allows her to make the greatest use of her balanced stat line and tackle a wide variety of different threats, lending itself well to this build’s intended purpose. 

Assist: Reposition / Flexible

Special: Moonbow / Bonfire / Sol / Noontime

  • Since a good portion of Selena’s damage will come from her Special activations, those with relatively cooldowns like Moonbow will be her strongest options as to enable her to make use of the flat +10 Special damage increase from her PRF to its fullest capacity. Ruptured Sky can be considered as well for its elevated performance against dragon foes, but its otherwise unreliable scaling and limited availability make it less preferable than Moonbow. 

    • Both of these aforementioned Specials can be paired with the Quickened Pulse seal or Time’s Pulse to ensure their activation on Selena’s first counterattack in the Enemy Phase. 

  • In exchange for longer cooldown, Bonfire may be taken instead for notably stronger Special activations, scaling quite nicely with Selena’s solid base Defense stat. 

Passive A: Distant Counter / Atk/Spd Solo / Atk/Spd Bond

  • Distant Counter is Selena’s ideal choice of A slot skill to bolster her versatility to even further extents, allowing her to leverage her commendable mixed bulk against the greatest number of foes through the ability to counterattack regardless of range. However, running Distant Counter instead of a standard stat-boosting A slot skill can leave Selena’s offensive might rather lacking, making it imperative that she receives a sufficient amount of support to circumvent this (preferably in the form of in-combat buffs and not field buffs as to not deactivate her PRF). 

  • Solo and Bond skills, such as Atk/Spd Solo and Atk/Spd Bond, make for solid alternatives thanks to their relatively straightforward activation requirements allowing her to benefit from their powerful in-combat boosts with great facility. The fact that these skills are not locked to a specific phase adds to their viability, potentially granting Selena a substantial improvement to her performance both on the offensive and defensive when utilized properly. 

Passive B: Null Follow-Up / Wrath / Lull Spd/Def / Quick Riposte

  • Given Selena’s reliance upon her ability to consistently perform follow-up attacks (as to quickly charge up her Special), Null Follow-Up can definitely demonstrate to be a strong addition to her kit to negate any skills that would otherwise prevent her follow-up attack and subsequently hinder her overall damage output greatly. 

  • For a more aggressive approach to her intended playstyle, Selena can make great use of Wrath to build upon the effect PRF’s special weapon refine and essentially gain a massive +20 damage upon Special activations; this can come an extremely long way in mitigating her typically poor damage output, but will diversely make her quite susceptible to foes equipped with skills like Guard. 

  • Lull Spd/Def should be considered as well to heighten her overall damage output through its negation of any Speed/Defense field buffs that may be affecting her foe, in addition to applying a debilitating -3 Spd/Def in-combat debuff. Depending on the types of foes one most commonly runs into, this skill can nearly match Wrath in terms of raw power as it will essentially grant her (at minimum) an extra 6 damage provided that she attacks twice, but does come at the cost of possessing much less burst potential. 

  • Using Quick Riposte as her chosen B slot skill is a solid alternative course of action should none of the aforementioned options be available, ensuring her follow-up attack in the Enemy Phase; this also serves as a way of breaking through the effects of skills like Sturdy Impact and Wary Fighter without necessarily needing Null Follow-Up. 

Passive C: Def Smoke / Pulse Smoke / Time’s Pulse / Flexible

  • Smoke skills are a standard choice of C slot skill for most defensively oriented builds — and for good reason, as they enable their user to weaken multiple foes simultaneously to easily take them down in subsequent rounds of combat. Of those available to her, Selena greatly appreciates receiving Def Smoke to enhance her damage output, but Pulse Smoke is also a potent option when facing off against enemy team compositions that are centered around the use of fast or instant Special activations. 

    • Do note, however, that Atk Smoke is not recommended due to this skill not behaving synergistically with base effect of Selena’s Blade (which checks for visible Attack). 

  • Time’s Pulse pairs exceptionally well with Wrath and low cooldown Specials like Moonbow; when utilized in tandem, this combination ensures that Selena can frequently (and consistently) benefit from a substantial +20 damage boost upon Special activations throughout the course of a battle. It can be used outside of this aforementioned combination as well, though its effectiveness will consequently be lowered greatly. 

Sacred Seal: Quick Riposte / Distant Def / Close Def / Atk/Spd Bond / Quickened Pulse

  • The Quick Riposte seal is her best option to free up her B slot for other powerful alternatives and ensure her ability to perform follow-up attacks in the Enemy Phase (as any sort of Speed-stacking with Selena should be purely for defensive purposes). 

  • Otherwise, the Distant Def, Close Def, and Atk/Spd Bond seals can also be taken to strengthen Selena’s combat prowess in the Enemy Phase by directly improving upon her base stats for further specialization. The Quickened Pulse seal is another option to accelerate the rate at which she activates her Special.

Walking Inferiority Complex (Defensive Tank)

Build by
Selena's Blade (+Eff) A Steady Breath
Alternate: Steady Stance 4
Reposition B Null Follow-Up 3
Ignis
Alternate: Moonbow
C Spd Smoke 3
Alternate: Def Smoke 3
IVsSQuick Riposte 3

Show Explanation/Analysis

Preferred IV: +ATK or +SPD or +DEF -HP

Despite sharing a similar focus on Selena’s performance in the Enemy Phase similarly to the first build, this set differs in that it’s much more specialized in nature and aims to maximize her ability to comfortably (and consistently) soak hits; this allows her to function as an effective defensive tank against opposing melee threats. That being said, however, an Asset to either one of her offensive stats remains ideal, though a +DEF IV may be considered here for increased durability. 

Weapon: Selena’s Blade (+Eff)

Assist: Reposition / Flexible 

Special: Ignis / Aether / Noontime / Bonfire / Moonbow 

  • Selena’s choice of Special is largely dependent on her choice of A slot skill. If making use of a Breath skill in her A slot, Ignis can make for an extremely powerful option to grant her considerable burst damage potential (especially when taken into consideration alongside the +10 damage boost she already receives from her PRF) and will activate on her second hit. Alternatively, Bonfire can be paired with the Quickened Pulse seal or Time’s Pulse to guarantee that her Special activation occurs on her initial counterattack instead. 

  • Should one favor sustain over raw damage, however, Aether and (with the proper support) Noontime can be taken, though using Aether does come at the cost of occasionally wasting Special charges. If using any other A slot skills, Moonbow will be her best option to make up for the loss of accelerated cooldown. 

Passive A: Steady Breath / Fierce Breath / Steady Stance 4 / Atk/Spd Bond

  • Breath skills are a wonderful choice to bolster Selena’s Enemy Phase prowess by accelerating the rate at which her Special activates, allowing her to make frequent use of her PRF’s unique refinement option with stronger Specials than normally possible. Of those available to her, Fierce Breath and Steady Breath are recommended due to their favorable accompanying in-combat boosts. 

  • In addition to granting her a massive +8 Defense in-combat boost upon being attacked, Steady Stance 4 also provides her with a Guard-like effect of Special deceleration without necessitating that she stay above a certain HP threshold; this combination makes this skill a prime choice of A slot skill to diminish the amount of damage she takes from incoming physical threats to a significant degree. 

  • While not nearly as potent as the aforementioned options, Atk/Spd Bond is a solid alternative to build upon two of Selena’s key stats simultaneously, all the while boasting a relatively simple-to-meet activation requirement given her tendency to stick close to her allies. 

Passive B: Null Follow-Up / Guard / Quick Riposte

  • Null Follow-Up is recommended once again to let Selena quickly shut down opposing foes who are reliant upon the use of skills like Bold Fighter to function properly, negating the effects of such skills entirely in addition to those that may prevent her own follow-up attack. Guard can serve a similar purpose (albeit to considerably lesser extent) and is especially useful when fighting against opponents who rely on fast Special activations to deal meaningful amounts of damage. 

  • Should neither of these skills be available or if aiming to keep her seal slot open for another skill such as Atk/Spd Bond for further stat specialization, Quick Riposte can be used as her chosen B slot skill. 

Passive C: Spd Smoke / Def Smoke / Flexible

  • Selena’s C slot is fairly flexible and open to any skill that best compliments her specific team composition but that being said, Smoke skills are always welcome options with defensively oriented set-ups such as this one to strengthen her ability to tank multiple foes consecutively. 

Sacred Seal: Quick Riposte / Atk/Spd Bond / Atk/Def Bond 

  • The Quick Riposte seal works perfectly here to guarantee Selena’s follow-up attack in the Enemy Phase, though the Atk/Spd Bond and Atk/Def Bond seals may be used instead if Selena is already equipped with Quick Riposte in her B slot.

Introduction

Dedicated retainer to the eldest princess of Nohr (and notorious tsundere), Selena: Cutting Wit enters the fray as an infantry sword user who was commonly considered one of the weakest heroes in the entire game — but for good reason. Combined with her status as a physical damage dealer, Selena’s horrendous base Attack stat of 25 made her almost entirely reliant upon Special activations for her damage output and none of her other stats were strong enough to warrant using her over other sword users with significantly greater utility. 

That being said, the introduction of her own exclusive weapon, Selena’s Blade, has done quite a bit to enhance her previously underwhelming performance; effective damage against armored foes on top of a +10 damage boost upon Special activations when refined compliments Selena’s base statline incredibly well, improving upon her main weakness — her low damage output — to a notable degree. Her PRF’s conditional in-combat boosts can also be maintained rather consistently due to her poor Attack (even when equipped with her PRF), allowing her to capitalize on her overall balanced statline and function as a capable generalist. 

However, Selena is still plagued by numerous weaknesses that limit her overall potential considerably. First and foremost, although her PRF does help strengthen her overall damage output, it remains exceedingly poor outside of Special activations as well as when not fighting against armor units; even with the +3 Attack boost she can gain and its 16 Mt, she can struggle to deal meaningful damage outside of scenarios that allow her to make the greatest use of her strengths. Selena also requires a substantial amount of investment to function properly and can fail to perform up to par without it. Furthermore, even at her best, Selena faces heavy competition from a plethora of other sword users whose more powerful statlines and/or exclusive weapons allow them to easily outstrip the young maiden. 

Overall, while she may not necessarily have become a top contender as far as sword units go, Selena’s performance has definitely seen much improvement as a result of her unique personal weapon, allowing her to be a solid choice for those looking for a competent generalist.

Strengths

Selena’s Blade

Selena’s personal weapon is her most significant strength at her disposal. In addition to granting her an appreciable overall stat boost under the proper conditions and effective damage against armor units (which is quite valuable given their typically high durability and her otherwise low damage output against them), Selena’s Blade can be refined further to gain a +10 damage boost upon Special activations, further improving her damage output. 

Balanced Stat Spread

Aside from her underwhelming base Attack, the rest of Selena’s stats are surprisingly quite solid; her good Speed and respectable amount of mixed bulk provides her with the ability to perform as a markedly capable generalist. 

Infantry 

As an infantry unit, Selena benefits from access to powerful exclusive skills like Null Follow-Up and Steady Breath, which she can utilize to elevate her overall performance considerably.

Weaknesses

Low Attack

Selena’s greatest weakness is her exceedingly poor base Attack stat of 25. Even with significant investment and the power of her PRF, she can struggle to deal significant amounts of damage against bulky foes. 

Reliant on Special Activations

As a direct result of her low Attack, Selena is quite reliant on Special activations for the majority of her damage output, especially when taking her PRF’s unique refinement option into consideration. That means that opponents equipped with skills like Guard and Steady Stance 4 can easily put a stop to her. 

Heavy Investment

Selena requires an ample amount of investment to put her stat spread and personal weapon to good use, which may not be entirely feasible depending on the resources available; being unable to provide this support can lead to a marked decrease to her overall effectiveness. 

Heavy Competition

Although the addition of Selena’s Blade has enabled her to distinguish herself somewhat amongst her direct comparables, Selena still faces an incredible amount of competition from other sword units who can fulfill a similar role while requiring much less team support and/or investment to function properly.

Weapon Skills

Weapons SP Rng. Mt.
Iron Sword
Only Inheritable by Sword Units.
50 1 6
Steel Sword
Learns by default at 3 ★
Only Inheritable by Sword Units.
100 1 8
Armorslayer

Effective against armored units.

Learns by default at 4 ★
Unlocks at 3 ★
Only Inheritable by Sword Units.
200 1 8
Armorslayer+

Effective against armored units.

Learns by default at 5 ★
Unlocks at 5 ★
Only Inheritable by Sword Units.
300 1 12
Selena's Blade

Effective against armored foes. At start of combat, if foe's Atk ≥ unit's Atk+3, grants
Atk/Spd/Def/Res+3 during combat.

Unlocks at 5 ★
Non-Inheritable skill.
400 1 16
Weapon Evolution
Weapon Upgrades
Weapon Upgrades

Support Skills

Support Skills Rng. SP
Reposition

Target ally moves to opposite side of unit.

Learns by default at 4 ★
1 150

Passive Skills

Passive Skills SP Slot
Triangle Adept 1

Gives Atk+10% if weapon-triangle advantage, Atk-10% if disadvantage.

Excludes Colorless Weapon Users.
Unlocks at 3 ★
50
A
Triangle Adept 2

Gives Atk+15% if weapon-triangle advantage, Atk-15% if disadvantage.

Excludes Colorless Weapon Users.
Unlocks at 4 ★
100
A
Triangle Adept 3

Gives Atk+20% if weapon-triangle advantage, Atk-20% if disadvantage.

Excludes Colorless Weapon Users.
Unlocks at 5 ★
200
A
Threaten Spd 1

At start of turn, inflicts Spd-3 on foes within 2 spaces through their next actions.

Inheritable by all units.
50
C
Threaten Spd 2

At start of turn, inflicts Spd-4 on foes within 2 spaces through their next actions.

Inheritable by all units.
Unlocks at 3 ★
100
C
Threaten Spd 3

At start of turn, inflicts Spd-5 on foes within 2 spaces through their next actions.

Inheritable by all units.
Unlocks at 4 ★
200
C

Other Info

Origin
Fire Emblem Fates
Fire Emblem: Awakening

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