GamePress
Analysis by UmbraCorvus
Jakob - Devoted Servant

3-4

Obtainable as a 3 - 4 only

Hero Stats

Max Avg Total Stats at Lvl 40
148
HP 39
ATK 29
SPD 31
DEF 25
RES 24

Stat Variations

Level 1 Stat Variation
5★
4★
3★
HP ATK SPD DEF RES
Low 16 6 8 5 4
Middle 17 7 9 6 5
High 18 8 10 7 6

Level 40 Stat Variations
5★
4★
3★
HP ATK SPD DEF RES
Low 35 25 27 22 21
Middle 39 29 31 25 24
High 42 32 34 29 28

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

Time to Take out the Trash (Jakob's Tray Offense)

Build by UmbraCorvus
Recommended
Jakob's Tray (+Eff) A Swift Sparrow (2 or 3)
Alternate: Sturdy Impact
Reposition
Alternate: Draw Back
B Desperation 3
Alternate: Lull Atk/Def 3
Luna
Alternate: Moonbow
C Time's Pulse 3
Alternate: Savage Blow 3
IVs

+SPD / -DEF or -RES

SFlashing Blade 3
Alternate: Swift Sparrow 2

Show Explanation/Analysis

Weapon: Jakob’s Tray (+Eff)

Assist: Reposition / Player Preference

Special: Luna / Moonbow

Passive A: Swift Sparrow (2 or 3) / Sturdy Impact / Mirror Impact

Passive B: Desperation / Lull Atk/Def / Lull Spd/Def / Lull Atk/Spd

Passive C: Time’s Pulse / Savage Blow / Player Preference

Sacred Seal: Flashing Blade / Swift Sparrow

  • As Jakob’s Tray’s first effect involves applying in combat debuffs during the Player Phase on the target, this build focuses on enhancing Jakob’s ability to perform as a Player Phase offense unit.

  • While an Attack Asset can be taken, Jakob’s middling Speed stat appreciates a Speed Asset in order to secure as many follow-up attacks as he can. A Defense or Resistance Flaw is to be taken and is up to preference on which to drop.

  • An Attack and Speed boosting A Passive such as Swift Sparrow are excellent when trying to ensure follow-up attacks and running the Flashing Blade Sacred Seal and Desperation. Sturdy Impact or Mirror Impact can be taken as alternative options that improve Jakob’s physical or magical bulk when he initiates combat alongside denying the opponent from follow-up attacking if they are faster than him.

  • While Desperation is a simple way to get Jakob to avoid having to trade blows often, Lull Skills can be considered to inflict more in combat debuffs on the opponent while also being able to bypass certain displayed bonuses they may have applied on them.

  • Time’s Pulse is highly recommended as it will allow Jakob’s first round of combat at the start of a turn to utilize a higher cooldown Special sooner than before, greatly enhancing what kind of KOs he can attempt to score. Otherwise the C Passive is very flexible depending on the team’s needs.

  • If a cooldown enhancing Sacred Seal such as Flashing Blade is not an option, a consistent boost to Attack and Speed like the Swift Sparrow Sacred Seal is a worthy alternative.

Matthew's Career and Name Change (Broadleaf Vantage)

Build by UmbraCorvus
Broadleaf Fan+ (+Atk)
Alternate: Broadleaf Fan+ (+Spd)
A Close Counter
Reposition
Alternate: Draw Back
B Vantage 3
Moonbow
Alternate: Miracle
C Atk Smoke 3
Alternate: Spd Smoke 3
IVs

+ATK / -DEF or -RES
 

SSpd Smoke 3
Alternate: Atk Smoke 3

Show Explanation/Analysis

Weapon: Broadleaf Fan+ (+Atk) / Broadleaf Fan+ (+Spd) / Broadleaf Fan+ (+Def) / Broadleaf Fan+ (+Res)

Assist: Reposition / Player Preference

Special: Moonbow / Miracle

Passive A: Close Counter

Passive B: Vantage

Passive C: Atk Smoke / Spd Smoke

Sacred Seal: Spd Smoke / Atk Smoke / Fierce Stance / Brazen Atk/Spd

  • Jakob may not have the best stats around to justify Broadleaf Fan, but his well rounded stats do make it an option that can be considered even if he cannot use it all too well compared to other dagger units.

  • An Attack Asset is recommended to push Jakob’s damage output up as much as possible, while the choice of which stat refine to take on the Broadleaf Fan is entirely up to preference. An Attack refine can result in a bit more damage that can make a difference, a Speed Asset can help Jakob be a little safer or even land some follow-up attacks of his own, while a Defense or Resistance refine can patch up his middling defenses so that he can have an easier time taking a hit.

  • Close Counter and Vantage allow Jakob to counter attack against melee opponents, and once he is in Vantage range he can attempt to score OHKOs on debuffed targets. Thanks to the high Attack stacking potential of the Broadleaf Fan, Jakob’s middling Attack stat can become stronger than it would initially seem to be.

  • Moonbow is taken as the Special thanks to its short cooldown resulting in frequent Special activations. Miracle can be considered as an alternative that can save Jakob’s life one time in the event that he might take heavy damage in a weakened state.

  • Atk Smoke and Spd Smoke are recommended to be taken in the C Passive and Sacred Seal Slot as they are the only stat debuffs that Broadleaf Fan does not naturally possess.

  • The Fierce Stance Sacred Seal can be considered as an alternative to one of the Smoke Skills if another method of applying debuffs is on the team. Fierce Stance gives a consistent bonus of 6 Attack during the Enemy Phase, making it very reliable. The Brazen Atk/Spd Sacred Seal can be considered instead so that once Jakob has lost some HP, his Attack and Speed get a large bonus.

The Butler Did It! (Wings of Mercy Support)

Build by UmbraCorvus
Jakob's Tray (+Eff) A Atk/Spd Bond 4
Alternate: Atk/Spd Bond 3
Reposition
Alternate: Draw Back
B Wings of Mercy 3
Moonbow C Panic Smoke 3
Alternate: Pulse Smoke 3
IVs

+ATK or +SPD / -DEF or -RES

SAtk/Spd Bond 3
Alternate: Swift Sparrow 2

Show Explanation/Analysis

Weapon: Jakob’s Tray (+Eff)

Assist: Reposition / Player Preference

Special: Moonbow

Passive A: Atk/Spd Bond (3 or 4)

Passive B: Wings of Mercy

Passive C: Panic Smoke / Pulse Smoke / Atk Smoke / Spd Smoke / Savage Blow

Sacred Seal: Atk/Spd Bond / Swift Sparrow

  • Jakob’s Tray grants Jakob with stat bonuses provided he is near an ally that is not at full HP. With that in mind, why not turn Jakob into a low HP saviour to his allies in need? This build focuses on Wings of Mercy and Bond Skills in order to get Jakob to jump to his weakened friends and retaliate with strong stat bonuses.

  • This build particularly can find potency in Aether Raids Defense in the event that some of your units are not quite able to be dealt with, as Jakob can warp in and completely disrupt an attacker that was not expecting him to come in.

  • An Attack or Speed Asset is taken to boost Jakob’s offensive capabilities, while either one of Defense or Resistance can be dropped as the Flaw stat.

  • Stacking Atk/Spd Bond in the A Passive and Sacred Seal Slot is recommended to make sure Jakob can secure a follow-up attack as well as hit hard, though Swift Sparrow in the Sacred Seal can be a worthwhile alternative that is slightly weaker but not forced to fully commit to the adjacency requirement.

  • The C Passive taken should be a C Passive that further adds to the disruptive nature of this build. Smoke Skills or Savage Blow being excellent options that can greatly weaken nearby targets.

Strengths

Jakob’s Tray

Jakob’s Tray is the attempt given to give Jakob some form of identity over other daggers, and it proves to be a relatively decent weapon to improve Jakob’s potential offensive capability. By default, it inflicts -4 Attack/Speed/Defense/Resistance on the target during combat if Jakob is the one to initiate, but if Jakob is within three spaces or less from an ally that has less than 100% HP, Jakob will gain 4 Attack/Speed/Defense/Resistance during combat. With these combined in combat buffs and debuffs, Jakob is able to effectively add a bonus of 8 to his stats during combat, allowing his mediocre statline to look much less pathetic than before thanks to the increases across the board.

Versatility of Builds

Being a dagger unit with rounded stats, Jakob is able to run an assortment of different builds that involve either his own unique weapon or diverge into inheritable dagger setups such as with Broadleaf Fan or Barb Shuriken.

Weaknesses

Overall Flat Statline

Jakob’s statline has never had an identity of its own, having stats across the board that don’t particularly reach any sky high levels without the aid of Skills, weapons, or support in order to bulk up. Neither hard hitting, fast, or tanky on his own, Jakob is often forced to pick a role he wants to work on and commit to it so that every bit of investment can go towards improving on the necessary stats he needs to accomplish a task.

No True Niche of his Own

Adding further to Jakob’s identity crisis, because his unique weapon simply just gives him raw stat increases in the Player Phase on top of his already extremely middling stats, Jakob finds himself being stuck as a Jack of All Trades but a Master of None. Jakob’s Tray allows him to be a fairly respectable Player Phase unit who can not only deal damage but also trade blows fairly well, but there is nothing stopping more specialized offensive daggers like Kagero from reaching and surpassing what Jakob can accomplish. Jakob can step away from his unique weapon to start looking for new daggers to mess around with, but his average stats will be his downfall as while Jakob can run Broadleaf Fan well, a unit such as Sothe can utilize it much better thanks to Sothe’s massive Attack stat.

Weapon Skills

Weapons SP Rng. Mt.
Iron Dagger

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

Learns by default at 1 ★
Unlocks at 1 ★
Dagger users only.
50 2 3
Steel Dagger

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

Learns by default at 3 ★
Unlocks at 2 ★
Dagger users only.
100 2 5
Silver Dagger

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

Learns by default at 4 ★
Unlocks at 3 ★
Dagger users only.
200 2 7
Silver Dagger+

After combat, if unit attacked, inflicts Def/Res-7 on foe through its next action.

Learns by default at 5 ★
Unlocks at 5 ★
Dagger users only.
300 2 10
Jakob's Tray

If unit initiates combat, inflicts Atk/Spd/Def/Res-4 on foe during combat. Effect:【Dagger 7】  【Dagger 7】 After combat, if unit attacked, inflicts Def/Res-7 on target and foes within 2 spaces of target through their next actions.

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

Support Skills

Support Skills Rng. SP
Rally Resistance

Grants Res+4 to target ally for 1 turn.

Learns by default at 4 ★
1 150

Passive Skills

Passive Skills SP Slot
Defense +1

Grants Def+1.

Inheritable by all units.
30
A
Defense +2

Grants Def+2.

Inheritable by all units.
Unlocks at 3 ★
60
A
Defense +3

Grants Def+3.

Inheritable by all units.
Unlocks at 4 ★
120
A
Renewal 1

At the start of every fourth turn, restores 10 HP.

Inheritable by all units.
Unlocks at 3 ★
60
B
Renewal 2

At the start of every third turn, restores 10 HP.

Inheritable by all units.
Unlocks at 4 ★
120
B
Renewal 3

At the start of every second turn, restores 10 HP.

Inheritable by all units.
Unlocks at 5 ★
240
B

Other Info

Origin
Fire Emblem Fates

Banners Featured In

None

Official Hero Artwork