Hawkeye

Default
Attack
Special
Injured

Green Axe

Analysis by Cecil

Hawkeye - Desert Guardian
3-4 Obtainable as a 3 - 4 only

Hero Stats

Max Avg Total Stats at Lvl 40

158

HP 45

ATK 33

SPD 22

DEF 28

RES 30

Stat Variations

Level 1 Stat Variation

Weapon

5★

4★

3★

	HP	ATK	SPD	DEF	RES
Low	20 20 22 22	8 19 10 21	4 4 6 6	5 5 7 7	5 5 7 7
Middle	21 21 23 23	9 20 11 22	5 5 7 7	6 6 8 8	6 6 8 8
High	22 22 24 24	10 21 12 23	6 6 8 8	7 7 9 9	7 7 9 9

	HP	ATK	SPD	DEF	RES
Low	19 19 21 21	8 15 10 17	3 3 5 5	5 5 7 7	4 4 6 6
Middle	20 20 22 22	9 16 11 9	4 4 6 2	6 6 8 8	5 5 7 7
High	21 21 23 23	10 17 12 19	5 5 7 7	7 7 9 9	6 6 8 8

	HP	ATK	SPD	DEF	RES
Low	19 19 21 21	7 15 9 17	3 3 5 5	4 4 6 6	4 4 6 6
Middle	20 20 22 22	8 16 10 18	4 4 6 6	5 5 7 7	5 5 7 7
High	21 21 23 23	9 17 11 19	5 5 7 7	6 6 8 8	6 6 8 8

Level 40 Stat Variations

Weapon

5★

4★

3★

	HP	ATK	SPD	DEF	RES
Low	42 42 44 44	30 41 32 43	19 19 21 21	24 24 26 26	27 27 29 29
Middle	45 45 47 47	33 44 35 46	22 22 24 24	28 28 30 30	30 30 32 32
High	48 48 50 50	36 47 38 49	25 25 27 27	31 31 33 33	33 33 35 35

	HP	ATK	SPD	DEF	RES
Low	39 39 41 41	28 35 30 37	17 17 19 19	23 23 25 25	24 24 26 26
Middle	42 42 44 44	31 38 33 40	20 20 22 22	26 26 28 28	27 27 29 29
High	45 45 47 47	34 41 36 43	23 23 25 25	29 29 31 31	30 30 32 32

	HP	ATK	SPD	DEF	RES
Low	38 38 40 40	26 34 28 36	16 16 18 18	21 21 23 23	23 23 25 25
Middle	41 41 43 43	29 37 31 39	19 19 21 21	24 24 26 26	26 26 28 28
High	44 44 46 46	32 40 34 42	22 22 24 24	27 27 29 29	29 29 31 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.

HP	ATK	SPD	DEF	RES
Average	Best	Worst	Average	Average

Assets

+ATK: Hawkeye is by no means weak, but he can struggle to KO sturdy foes if he runs Sol or Noontime.

Neutral

HP: Hawkeye has plenty of HP, but as a tank, he would much rather keep it as high as possible.
DEF: At base 28, Hawkeye’s Defense isn’t the greatest, but he relies upon it to block damage from physical attackers. A flaw in Defense also gives a -4 reduction.
RES: Hawkeye is one of the few infantry to be blessed with good Defense and Resistance. He excels at tanking mages, so Resistance should not be taken as a flaw.

Flaws

-SPD: Hawkeye’s statline is solid in all areas except Speed. There is not too much he can do about this, instead relying on his HP, Defense, and Resistance to mitigate damage. A flaw in Speed is the least impactful overall for Hawkeye.

Skill Sets

Endless Sunset (Sustainer Tank)

Build by

Recommended

	Guardian's Axe (+Eff)	A	Distant Counter
	Reposition Alternate: Swap	B	Null Follow-Up 3 Alternate: Guard 3
	Aether Alternate: Noontime	C	Pulse Smoke 3 Alternate: Atk Smoke 3
IVs		S	Quick Riposte 3 Alternate: Fierce Stance 3

Show Explanation/Analysis

Preferred Asset/Flaw: +ATK / -SPD

No surprises here, Hawkeye wants to maximise his Attack to boost his damage output. Speed is his least valuable stat, so it’s the best candidate for a flaw.

Weapon: Guardian’s Axe (+Eff)

The Special acceleration greatly helps Hawkeye charge Specials, while the refine gives him Lull Atk/Def 3. Hawkeye is one of the few units who can ignore buffs while using a B slot skill.

Assist: Reposition / Swap

Hawkeye is likely to be your team’s frontliner, so Reposition and Swap are recommended.
Reposition is better if you’re running Hawkeye alongside a ranged attacker, as he can throw offensive units behind him.
Swap can allow Hawkeye to move an extra space, and is a strong general choice.

Special: Aether / Noontime / Moonbow

Aether is the general Special of choice, as Hawkeye sometimes needs the extra damage over healing.
Noontime is better if Hawkeye has significant buffs, or an ally such as Halloween Hector is used to lower enemy HP. It provides more healing (less per activation, but more activations), but no additional damage.
If Hawkeye has a healer ally, Moonbow becomes incredibly effective. This is recommended in modes where Hawkeye can have reliable external healing support.

Passive A: Distant Counter

Hawkeye needs to be able to counterattack at a distance, in order to handle the myriad of mages and archers that he exists to tank.

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

Null Follow-Up is the general pick, allowing Hawkeye to ignore guaranteed follow-up attacks. This neutralizes skills like Bold Fighter, Wary Fighter, Axebreaker, and Quick Riposte.
Null C-Disrupt is specifically for countering Firesweep, Windsweep and Dazzling Staff users.
Guard is a surprisingly good budget option, and is the best against Special Fighter users.
Quick Riposte is again a great budget option which frees up Hawkeye’s Seal slot.

Passive C: Pulse Smoke / Atk Smoke

Pulse Smoke is incredible in Aether Raid Offense, allowing Hawkeye to disable mages who are built to initiate with powerful Specials instantly charged.
Atk Smoke is a budget choice, but is still effective. However, it can have poor synergy with Chill Skills, which are common, effective choices.

Seal: Quick Riposte / Fierce Stance / Atk/Def Bond

Quick Riposte is required on Hawkeye to guarantee he gets follow-up attacks, since his Speed is far to slow to do so naturally.
Fierce Stance is an option if Quick Riposte is chosen in the B slot. It gives Hawkeye a lot of upfront power when defending, and is great for casual modes.
Atk/Def Bond is another option if Quick Riposte is chosen in the B slot. It’s great, but comes with the condition of having one unit directly adjacent, which may be difficult to achieve in Aether Raids.

A Song of Ice and Fire (Spiral Nuker)

Build by

	Guardian's Axe (+Eff)	A	Distant Counter
	Reposition Alternate: Swap	B	Special Spiral 3
	Glacies	C	Pulse Smoke 3 Alternate: Atk Smoke 3
IVs		S	Quick Riposte 3 Alternate: Fierce Stance 3

Show Explanation/Analysis

Preferred Asset/Flaw: +ATK / -SPD

No surprises here, Hawkeye wants to maximise his Attack to boost his damage output. Speed is his least valuable stat, so it’s the best candidate for a flaw.

Weapon: Guardian’s Axe (+Eff)

The Special acceleration greatly helps Hawkeye charge Specials, while the refine gives him Lull Atk/Def 3. Since this build is all about charging Specials, it’s the best choice for him.

Assist: Reposition / Swap

Hawkeye is likely to be your team’s frontliner, so Reposition and Swap are recommended.
Reposition is better if you’re running Hawkeye alongside a ranged attacker, as he can throw offensive units behind him.
Swap can allow Hawkeye to move an extra space, and is a strong general choice.

Special: Glacies

Glacies is the best bang for your buck, dealing an incredible amount of damage off Hawkeye’s Resistance.
Sol is a decent alternative, allowing this build to function more similarly to a sustain tank. However, it’s a bit slower to start due to the nature of Special Spiral.

Passive A: Distant Counter

Hawkeye needs to be able to counterattack at a distance, in order to handle the myriad of mages and archers that he exists to tank.

Passive B: Special Spiral

Special Spiral is a very important skill on this set, allowing Hawkeye to significantly reduce the charge time of his Specials.

Passive C: Pulse Smoke / Atk Smoke

Pulse Smoke is incredible in Aether Raid Offense, allowing Hawkeye to disable mages who are built to initiate with powerful Specials instantly charged.
Atk Smoke is a budget choice, but is still effective. However, it can have poor synergy with Chill Skills, which are common, effective choices.

Seal: Quick Riposte / Fierce Stance / Chill Def

Quick Riposte isn’t as important on this set, but it’s a great backup if Glacies fails to KO the opponent.
Fierce Stance powers up his Glacies, making it a very strong option for Hawkeye.
Chill Def is an alternative to Fierce Stance, being less reliable but potentially useful for Hawkeye’s allies. It also works when Hawkeye initiates combat, strengthening his weak offense.

Introduction

Hawkeye: Desert Guardian is an axe infantry, and was one of the units available from day one. Although he spends his days watching over Sophia, the two share more than friendship: They have similar statlines, and are some of the few infantry who can boast decent Defense and Resistance.

Compared to most other axe users, Hawkeye is an oddity. His base 30 Resistance stands out amongst his peers, who are often lumped with low Resistance or have very lopsided defenses. His proficiency as a mixed tank make him one of the better axe infantry for Aether Raids Offense, although he still trails Brave Ike in that regard.

Hawkeye also wields a personal weapon, the Guardian Axe. It provides him the effects of a Slaying Axe and Lull Atk/Def 3 combined. Notably, this allows Hawkeye to ignore enemy buffs while running a B slot skill. This gives Hawkeye some unique skill combos, and helps him maintain relevance amongst units with superior stats.

Strengths

Stellar mixed defenses.

Hawkeye’s original claim to fame (before he got his great personal weapon) was his combination of 28 base Defense and 30 base Resistance. Combined with his excellent base HP of 45, he is very difficult to OHKO, and can take at least one hit from almost all units.

Has a solid niche as a tank thanks to his Guardian’s Axe.

Hawkeye can effectively use Lull Atk/Def at the same time as another B slot skill, giving him some great niche choices. He can choose between Null Follow-up and Null C-Disrupt, or opt for more offense choices such as Special Spiral, which synergises well with the -1 Special cooldown from Guardian’s Axe. Being able to ignore Bold and Wary Fighter whilst stripping foes of their buffs is one great niche that Guardian’s Axe provides.

Weaknesses

Low Speed

Hawkeye really only has one weakness, his low base Speed. Unfortunately, it is enough to cripple him in some important areas and keeps him out of the highest tiers. Hawkeye can ignore guaranteed follow-ups with Null Follow-Up, most foes are fast enough to get follow-ups naturally on him.

It also makes him weak when attacking, and he can’t run Galeforce like Amelia or Picnic Felicia. Hawkeye isn’t strong enough to reliably get OHKO’s without an offensive Special, but does rely on healing Specials to keep himself topped up.

Weapon Skills

Weapons	SP	Rng.	Mt.
Iron Axe Inheritable by Axe users only.	50	1	6
Steel Axe Learns by default at 3 ★ Inheritable by Axe users only.	100	1	8
Killer Axe Accelerates Special trigger (cooldown count-1). Learns by default at 4 ★ Unlocks at 3 ★ Inheritable by Axe users only.	200	1	7
Killer Axe+ Accelerates Special trigger (cooldown count-1). Learns by default at 5 ★ Unlocks at 5 ★ Inheritable by Axe users only.	300	1	11
Guardian's Axe Accelerates Special trigger (cooldown count-1). Unlocks at 5 ★ Non-Inheritable skill.	400	1	16

Available Rearmed Weapons
Arcane Þrima
Arcane Downfall (+Def)
Arcane Downfall (+Res)
Arcane Downfall (+Atk)
Arcane Downfall (+Spd)
Arcane Downfall

Weapon Evolution

Weapons	SP	Rng.	Mt.
Slaying Axe+	300	1	14

Weapon Upgrades

Weapons	HP	SP	Rng.	Mt.
Guardian's Axe (+Eff) Accelerates Special trigger (cooldown count-1). Inflicts Atk/Def-3 on foe and neutralizes foe's bonuses to Atk/Def (from skills like Fortify, Rally, etc.) during combat.	+3	400	1	16
Guardian's Axe (+Atk) Accelerates Special trigger (cooldown count-1).	+5	400	1	18
Guardian's Axe (+Spd) +3Accelerates Special trigger (cooldown count-1).	+5	400	1	16
Guardian's Axe (+Def) +4 Accelerates Special trigger (cooldown count-1).	+5	400	1	16
Guardian's Axe (+Res) +4 Accelerates Special trigger (cooldown count-1).	+5	400	1	16

Weapons	HP	SP	Rng.	Mt.
Slaying Axe+ (+Atk) Accelerates Special trigger (cooldown count-1).	+5	350	1	16
Slaying Axe+ (+Spd) +3Accelerates Special trigger (cooldown count-1).	+5	350	1	14
Slaying Axe+ (+Def) +4 Accelerates Special trigger (cooldown count-1).	+5	350	1	14
Slaying Axe+ (+Res) +4 Accelerates Special trigger (cooldown count-1).	+5	350	1	14

Special Skills

Special Skills	SP	Turns
Rising Light Before combat this unit initiates, foes in an area near target take damage equal to (unit's Atk minus foe's Def or Res). Learns by default at 4 ★ Unlocks at 3 ★ Non-inheritable by Staff-wielding units.	150	4
Growing Light Before combat this unit initiates, foes in a wide area around target take damage equal to (unit's Atk minus foe's Def or Res). Unlocks at 4 ★ Non-inheritable by Staff-wielding units.	300	4

Passive Skills

Passive Skills	SP	Slot
Death Blow 1 If unit initiates combat, grants Atk+2 during combat. Non-inheritable by Staff-wielding units. Unlocks at 3 ★	50	A
Death Blow 2 If unit initiates combat, grants Atk+4 during combat. Non-inheritable by Staff-wielding units. Unlocks at 4 ★	100	A
Death Blow 3 If unit initiates combat, grants Atk+6 during combat. Non-inheritable by Staff-wielding units. Unlocks at 5 ★	200	A
Threaten Atk 1 At start of turn, inflicts Atk-3 on foes within 2 spaces through their next actions. Inheritable by all units.	50	C
Threaten Atk 2 At start of turn, inflicts Atk-4 on foes within 2 spaces through their next actions. Inheritable by all units. Unlocks at 3 ★	100	C
Threaten Atk 3 At start of turn, inflicts Atk-5 on foes within 2 spaces through their next actions. Inheritable by all units. Unlocks at 4 ★	200	C