Forsyth

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

• An Attack Asset maximizes Forsyth’s counter attack damage, and is a Superasset compared to the other options. A Defense or Resistance Asset improves Forsyth’s physical or magical bulk even further. A Speed Flaw is recommended as Forsyth’s Speed is beyond salvaging.

Weapon: Sol Lance

• The Sol Lance will provide solid sustainability to Forsyth whenever he attacks, allowing him to still be able to sustain his HP somewhat even when not running a healing Special.

Assist: Swap / Player Preference

Special: Moonbow / Glimmer / Noontime

• Moonbow or Glimmer are ideal Specials to take with this build, as Forsyth will be able to deliver an immediate Special activation upon taking a hit in the Enemy Phase thanks to Special Fighter’s Special cooldown bonus. Moonbow can help against higher Defense opponents, while Glimmer scales well with Forsyth’s high Attack.

• Noontime can be taken as an alternative Special that focuses purely on Forsyth’s sustainability, but does nothing to boost his damage capability.

Passive A: Distant Counter / Def/Res Bond / Def/Res Solo / Fort. Def/Res

• Distant Counter allows Forsyth to be able to counter attack ranged opponents as well, which is very important for a pure Enemy Phase oriented build.

• Def/Res Bond is Forsyth’s default A Passive, and it is quite usable on a tight budget as it does boost both of Forsyth’s defensive stats so long as he is next to an ally. Def/Res Solo is also strong for a more independent performance from Forsyth, but it prevents him from being next to an ally during combat in order to obtain the boost. Fort. Def/Res does not worry about positioning requirements, but it does drop Forsyth’s Attack a bit.

Passive B: Special Fighter 

• The Special cooldown bonus from Special fighter allows Forsyth to activate two charge Special attacks on his counter attack so long as the opponent is not hampering his ability to charge his Special, while the inbuilt Guard effect will also provide a layer of protection from the Special attacks of his opponents.

Passive C: Armor March / Ward Armor / Joint Hone Def / Player Preference

• Class-specific buffs such as Armor March for mobility purposes or Ward Armor to support the defensive bulk of additional armored allies are perfect options if Forsyth finds himself in an armor team.

• Joint Hone Def is his default C Passive and it is very serviceable out of the gate, providing Forsyth and any allies next to him a buff of 5 Defense at the start of a turn if he starts his turn next to any allies.

Sacred Seal: Quick Riposte / Fierce Stance / Steady Stance / Warding Stance

• The Quick Riposte Sacred Seal helps Forsyth deliver two counter attacks during the Enemy Phase if follow-up attack securing Skills are not being blocked such as through Skills like Null Follow-Up. With Sol Lance’s extra sustain, Forsyth will be able to maintain Quick Riposte fairly well on his own.

• The Fierce Stance, Steady Stance, or Warding Stance Sacred Seals are options that can be taken that improve on one of Forsyth’s strongest stats at the cost of not helping him secure a follow-up attack like the Quick Riposte Seal provides.

Preferred IV: +ATK or +DEF / -SPD

• An Attack Asset is ideal to maximize Forsyth’s damage output as this build is very much focused on dealing as much damage as possible. A Defense Asset is an alternative that can improve Forsyth’s Defense so he takes less damage when trading blows with physical opponents. A Speed Flaw barely hampers Forsyth’s already low Speed.

Weapon: Brave Lance+ / Firesweep Lance+ / Sol Lance

• A Brave Lance allows Forsyth to attack four times during combat with the aid of Bold Fighter, leading to immense damage.

• A Firesweep Lance effectively removes the risk of trading blows with an opponent during Forsyth’s initiation of combat. While Forsyth’s high Defense usually does not make this an issue, the Firesweep Lance lets him attack anti-armor weapon carrying foes safely if they are not running Null C-Disrupt. The Firesweep Lance allows pairs wonderfully with the Armored Boots Sacred Seal, as the lack of a trade of blows means Forsyth can easily maintain full HP.

• Sol Lance actually isn’t all that bad here, as Forsyth will be consistently healing with each attack he delivers. Sol Lance does not provide the raw damage potential of Brave Lance or the safety of Firesweep Lance however, making it less than ideal.

Assist: Swap / Player Preference

Special: Glimmer / Moonbow / Ignis / Bonfire / Galeforce

• Glimmer and Moonbow can be used with the Brave Lance or Firesweep Lance to deliver two Special activations in the Brave Lance’s case, and one in the Firesweep Lance’s case.

• Ignis can be used with the Brave Lance and easily charged for a one round activation thanks to the cooldown bonus from Bold Fighter.

• The Quickened Pulse Seal for the first round of combat will allow for a swift Bonfire activation after Forsyth’s first attack.

• Galeforce can give Forsyth strong mobility options after combat when it activates, the Firesweep Lance alongside the Quickened Pulse Seal will allow Forsyth to activate Galeforce after the first round of combat if he does not OHKO his opponent and they do not hamper his Special cooldown or prevent his follow-up attack.

Passive A: Death Blow (3 or 4)

• Death Blow is the preferred A Passive of choice as this build focuses purely on the Player Phase, as well as maximizing the damage output that Forsyth can achieve. Death Blow 4 is the most ideal to achieve 8 Attack on initiation, but Death Blow 3 functions just fine as well.

Passive B: Bold Fighter

• Bold Fighter enhances Forsyth’s Player Phase potential, securing follow-up attacks on the Player Phase as well as boosting his cooldown charging capabilities and allowing him to abuse frequent low cooldown Specials or even reliably make use of higher cooldown Specials.

Passive C: Armor March / Ward Armor / Joint Hone Def / Player Preference

Sacred Seal: Sturdy Blow / Quickened Pulse / Armored Boots

• The Sturdy Blow Sacred Seal grants 4 Attack/Defense on initiation, improving Forsyth’s damage as well as his physical bulk when his opponent counter attacks.

• The Quickened Pulse opens up more powerful Special options Forsyth’s initial matchup, such as the possibility of a Galeforce activation in a single round of combat.

• The Armored Boots Sacred Seal allows Forsyth to not abide by the restricted movement of armored units so long as he can remain topped off at full HP.

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

• An Attack Asset maximizes the damage that Forsyth can achieve, while a Defense or Resistance Asset improves Forsyth’s bulk. The Speed Flaw is ideal as Forsyth’s Speed is extremely low and not worth investing in.

Weapon: Sol Lance

• Sol Lance’s 10 HP restore when he attacks keeps Forsyth relatively healthy on his own without any kind of support, and allows him to maintain the effect of the Quick Riposte Seal fairly well, and potentially get it back through Bold Fighter initiations.

Assist: Swap / Player Preference

Special: Bonfire / Iceberg

• A three turn Special such as Bonfire is ideal to take for this build, as in most cases this Special will be able to activate in a single round of combat. Bonfire takes advantage of Forsyth’s naturally higher Defense, though Iceberg is totally fine if running a Resistance Asset Forsyth as his Defense and Resistance will be at equal values when using the Sol Lance.

Passive A: Distant Counter / Def/Res Bond / Def/Res Solo / Fortress Def/Res / Atk/Def Bond/ Atk/Def Solo

• Distant Counter improves Forsyth’s versatility, allowing him to Enemy Phase counter attack ranged units.

• Def/Res Bond, Def/Res Solo, and Fortress Def/Res are all ways to further improve upon Forsyth’s defensive stats in the event that he cannot run Distant Counter. Alternatively, Atk/Def Bond or Atk/Def Solo can be used to increase Forsyth’s damage output and Defense.

Passive B: Bold Fighter

• Bold Fighter is Forsyth’s native B Passive and allows him to secure follow-up attacks on the Player Phase so long as his opponent is not blocking a secured follow-up Attack. The additional Special cooldown allows Forsyth to trigger three charge Special attacks such as Bonfire in a single round of combat if he trades blows with an opponent.

Passive C: Armor March / Ward Armor / Joint Hone Def / Player Preference

Sacred Seal: Quick Riposte

• The Quick Riposte Sacred Seal is mandatory so that Forsyth can have a threatening presence in both the Player Phase and the Enemy Phase. Sol Lance can assist in maintaining Quick Riposte’s HP range.