GamePress
Analysis by Adonyx
Raven - Peerless Fighter

3-4

Obtainable as a 3 - 4 only

Hero Stats

Max Avg Total Stats at Lvl 40
157
HP 41
ATK 34
SPD 35
DEF 25
RES 22

Stat Variations

Level 1 Stat Variation
5★
4★
3★
HP ATK SPD DEF RES
Low 18 7 8 5 4
Middle 19 8 9 6 5
High 20 9 10 7 6

Level 40 Stat Variations
5★
4★
3★
HP ATK SPD DEF RES
Low 37 31 32 22 19
Middle 41 34 35 25 22
High 44 37 38 29 25

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

Boon

  • +SPD: This makes Raven incredibly fast, particularly if he has access to his new weapon's refine option; he'll be fast enough to keep up with the fastest units in the game (43 before accounting for skills).
  • +ATK: This is particularly beneficial if running the Heavy Blade Seal or a Brave Axe build, but is otherwise not quite as good as +SPD.

Bane

  • -RES: This is Raven's best bane for non-Distant Counter builds, since he wants to avoid being hit by mages whenever possible. He has just enough magical bulk (60 with -RES bane, or 63 with Fury) to survive a hit from most dragons, though this can be risky against the likes of Tiki (Adult) and Myrrh.
  • -DEF: This is a bit riskier than -RES for non-Distant Counter builds, as Raven is primarily fighting physical damage threats. However, he still has 61 physical bulk with bane (64 with Fury), which is enough to survive a single hit from the vast majority of non-reds.
  • -HP: This is the riskiest bane of all, as it impacts both Raven's physical and magical bulk (especially considering it is a superbane, meaning -4 HP). However, it lowers Raven's HP to an even 40 with a +Eff refined Basilikos, allowing easy access to many HP thresholds.

Skill Sets

Enraged Mercenary (Offensive Generalist)

Build by
Recommended
Basilikos (+Eff) A Fury 3
Reposition B Wrath 3
Moonbow
Alternate: Dragon Fang
C Def Smoke 3
Alternate: Threaten Def 3
IVsSQuickened Pulse

Show Explanation/Analysis
  • Preferred IV: +SPD or +ATK / -RES or -DEF or -HP
  • Weapon: Basilikos (+Eff)
  • Assist: Reposition
  • Special: Moonbow / Dragon Fang / Draconic Aura / Galeforce
  • Passive A: Fury / Distant Counter
  • Passive B: Wrath / Desperation
  • Passive C: Def Smoke / Threaten Def / Flexible
  • Sacred Seal: Quickened Pulse / Heavy Blade / Flashing Blade

This is a standard offensive set that Raven runs exceptionally well. The combination of the Life and Death effect of Basilikos and Fury as an A skill gives Raven an insane 58/43 offensive spread before accounting for IVs and team support. Thanks to the extra stats from Fury offsetting the defensive penalty from Basilikos' effect, Raven has 62 physical and 61 magical bulk before accounting for IVs. Distant Counter is an option if Raven has access to team support and/or merges; without either, he will struggle without access to the extra stats from Fury.

Paring Moonbow with the Quickened Pulse Seal will allow Raven to activate his Special twice in one combat, assuming that he can double. Combining this with Wrath will allow him to have a Wrath-powered Special active at the start of each turn. This setup works excellently if running Distant Counter, as Raven will then function as a great mixed phase unit. Dragon Fang can be used instead of Moonbow for a massive nuke if using the Heavy Blade or Flashing Blade seal, but will result in Raven losing the ability to activate his Special twice in one combat. If not using Wrath, then Moonbow can activate every combat while Draconic Aura can if using the Heavy Blade or Flashing Blade Seals. Galeforce is a good option for a Desperation setup if running the Heavy Blade or Flashing Blade Seals since Raven can activate it every round.

Def Smoke is a pretty high investment skill that works exceptionally well with this build, particularly if Raven is running Galeforce. The debuff is strong enough that it can swing a lot of matchups in his favor. Raven's base Threaten Def works just fine on a budget, however, and can easily be replaced for any other C skill to suit the team's needs.

Vengeful Mercenary (Wrath Special)

Build by
Basilikos (+Eff) A Steady Breath
Alternate: Fury 3
Reposition B Wrath 3
Dragon Fang
Alternate: Draconic Aura
C Threaten Def 3
IVsSQuickened Pulse

Show Explanation/Analysis
  • Preferred IV: +ATK / -HP or -DEF or -RES
  • Weapon: Basilikos (+Eff)
  • Assist: Reposition
  • Special: Dragon Fang / Draconic Aura
  • Passive A: Steady Breath / Warding Breath / Fierce Stance / Flexible
  • Passive B: Wrath
  • Passive C: Threaten Def / Flexible
  • Sacred Seal: Quickened Pulse / Quick Riposte / Heavy Blade / Flashing Blade

This is a high investment set that revolves around utilizing Wrath to maximize Raven's damage capabilities. Combining Steady/Warding Breath with a high cooldown Special, Basilikos, and the Quickened Pulse Seal results in Raven being able to unleash a potentially Wrath-powered Special on his first counterattack.

The choice between Steady Breath and Warding Breath is mainly up to preference and availability, as Raven's defenses with his refined Basilikos will be low enough that pretty much any Attack will be able to place him in the HP threshold for Wrath. If neither are available, then there are a variety of other A skills that can replace them: Fierce Stance is excellent as it will massively boost Raven’s Attack. Some other good A skills include Atk/Spd Bond, Fury, and Sturdy Stance.

For Seals, the Quickened Pulse is very strong due to it allowing Raven to utilize a higher cooldown Special - it synergizes well with Wrath due to Wrath mimicking the -1 cooldown effect once in the HP threshold. Otherwise, Quick Riposte is ideal to secure doubles against faster units, in case they manage to survive the first Wrath-boosted Special activation. If running an A skill other than Steady/Warding Breath, then Heavy Blade or Flashing Blade are good choices to allow Raven to activate high cooldown Specials outside of Wrath’s HP threshold.

Introduction

Thanks to his new unique weapon, Basilikos, Raven has gotten significantly stronger than he was before. The combination of built-in Life and Death 3 as well as the -1 Special cooldown effect give him some desperately needed versatility and options in his kit. Since the refine grants +3 HP along with the Life and Death 3 effect, Raven's bulk isn't actually impacted quite as much as it may initially appear; it's only a net -2 to both physical and magical bulk.

The massive boost to Raven's offenses with Basilikos allows him to function as the axe equivalent of many powerful myrmidons. He can even run a strong Galeforce set, due to not strictly needing the additional damage from Special activations due to his raw Attack power. However, Raven is held back by his status as an infantry unit; while this does offer him the advantage of access to Infantry Pulse, he lacks the superior mobility that cavalry and fliers have, making his offensive might difficult to utilize in comparison.

Overall, Raven is a powerful and versatile unit that can fit into a team that needs a strong, offensive green unit. As an offensive unit, he needs team support to be able to function at maximum potential; while this can limit team building, he is powerful enough given the proper team support that he will be a solid addition.

Strengths

Basilikos

Raven's new weapon grants him an insane boost to his offensive power - built-in Life and Death 3 and -1 Special cooldown allow him to output tremendous amounts of damage. The additional +3 HP helps offset the defensive penalty of Life and Death 3 to the point that he's not making a significant sacrifice to gain the benefits.

Strong offenses

With 34/35 Attack/Speed, Raven is already quite a solid unit offensively. The +5/+5 boost from Basilikos pushes this completely over the top, making Raven one of the most powerful offensive forces in the game.

Just enough bulk

Thanks mainly to his decent HP pool, Raven has just enough bulk to be able to survive a single hit from most enemies. This means that he can output huge damage without being at severe risk of dying.

Versatile

Thanks to the massive boost in power from Basilikos, Raven has significantly more options in terms of builds. For example, he has so much Attack that he doesn't even need a damage Special to be able to secure kills, meaning he can be a good user of Galeforce (thanks to the Heavy Blade Seal and -1 cooldown from Basilikos).

Weaknesses

Low Defense and Resistance

While Raven generally has enough bulk to be able to survive a single hit, his low Defense and Resistance leave him very vulnerable to units with Brave weapons, or who can otherwise bypass his high Speed.

Infantry

While being an infantry unit allows Raven to benefit from Infantry Pulse (particularly useful for Wrath builds), it makes it difficult for him to make the most of his offenses. Fliers and cavalry have superior mobility that let them abuse offensive builds to their max potential; in comparison, infantry will struggle to keep up.

Support reliant

As an offensive unit, Raven is reliant on his team to support him. While he can be a decent unit on his own (thanks to his absurd offenses with Basilikos), he much, much stronger with support.

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
Brave Axe

Spd-5. Attack twice when initiating combat.

Learns by default at 4 ★
Unlocks at 3 ★
Inheritable by Axe users only.
200 1 5
Brave Axe+

Spd-5. Attack twice when initiating combat.

Learns by default at 5 ★
Unlocks at 5 ★
Inheritable by Axe users only.
300 1 8
Basilikos

Accelerates Special trigger (cooldown count-1).

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

Special Skills

Special Skills SP Turns
Daylight

Restores HP = 30% of damage dealt.

Learns by default at 4 ★
Unlocks at 3 ★
Non-inheritable by Staff-wielding units.
100 3
Sol

Restores HP = 50% of damage dealt.

Unlocks at 4 ★
Non-inheritable by Staff-wielding units.
200 3

Passive Skills

Passive Skills SP Slot
Defiant Spd 1

Grants Spd+3 at start of turn if unit's HP ≤ 50%.

Inheritable by all units.
40
A
Defiant Spd 2

Grants Spd+5 at start of turn if unit's HP ≤ 50%.

Inheritable by all units.
Unlocks at 3 ★
80
A
Defiant Spd 3

Grants Spd+7 at start of turn if unit's HP ≤ 50%.

Inheritable by all units.
Unlocks at 4 ★
160
A
Threaten Def 1

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

Inheritable by all units.
Unlocks at 3 ★
50
C
Threaten Def 2

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

Inheritable by all units.
Unlocks at 4 ★
100
C
Threaten Def 3

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

Inheritable by all units.
Unlocks at 5 ★
200
C

Other Info

Origin
Fire Emblem: The Blazing Blade

Banners Featured In

Official Hero Artwork