- Default
- Attack
- Special
- Injured




Arden - Strong and Tough |
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Hero Stats
Stat Variations
HP | ATK | SPD | DEF | RES | |
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Low | 24 | 9 | 2 | 12 | 2 |
Middle | 25 | 10 | 3 | 13 | 3 |
High | 26 | 11 | 4 | 14 | 4 |
HP | ATK | SPD | DEF | RES | |
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Low | 57 | 33 | 12 | 38 | 12 |
Middle | 60 | 36 | 16 | 41 | 16 |
High | 63 | 39 | 19 | 44 | 19 |
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 |
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This unit requires use of the Trait Fruits to get access to IVs
Skill Sets
STRONG AND TOUGH (Enemy Phase)
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Arden's Blade (+Eff) | A | Atk/Def Unity Alternate: Atk/Def Form 3 |
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Positional Assist | B | Follow-Up Ring |
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Ignis | C | A/D Near Save 3 |
IVs | +ATK or +DEF / -SPD | S | Steady Breath |
Weapon: Arden’s Blade (+Eff)
Assist: Positional Assist
Special: Ignis
A Passive: Atk/Def Unity / Atk/Def Form
B Passive: Follow-Up Ring
C Passive: A/D Near Save
Sacred Seal: Steady Breath
- With the addition of Save skills and the Steady Breath Sacred Seal, one of the few units that came out on top of these additions was Arden. Arden initially got a solid refine, but struggled to make the most of it since it was during the omni-tanking era full of Hardy Bearing. However, with recent meta shifts, Arden was able to adapt to a significant degree. Thanks to his Dual-Phase Brave weapon, as well as Near Save and the Steady Breath Sacred Seal, Arden was able to carve out his niche as an Ignis spammer since he can trigger Ignis on every second hit in the enemy phase, provided that there aren’t any Guard effects present. Moreover, he is able to do so without having to go up against every kind of foe. He can simply prioritize foes that he mostly triumphs against. And this set is here to highlight that role specifically.
- Any A Passive that increases Arden’s overall Atk and Def will be the go-to option for him. One notable option is Atk/Def Unity since it can reverse any penalties that he gets to those specific stats and, in turn, can allow him to deal even more damage and tank more physical hits. Of course, given that it is rather expensive, he can also opt for Atk/Def Form since it synergizes fairly well with Near Save as the skill benefits from being near several allies.
- His PRF B, Follow-Up Ring, allows Arden to make a guaranteed follow-up attack in both phases. That, combined with Arden’s Blade, will allow him to quad in both phases fairly consistently so long as he doesn’t fall below 50% HP. This can allow him to deal with tougher foes that survive a BIGNIS (strong-hitting Ignis) in the enemy phase with Steady Breath support and if there happens to be Guard present, he’ll still be able to trigger Ignis once since he’ll be able to quad and charge up his Special. There are other Fighter skills that he could use, but given that his PRF has innate Guard and one of the recommended skills is Atk/Def Unity, there aren’t really any other notable Fighter skills that he can run in place of it.
- Near Save is very important to this set since it’ll allow Arden to prioritize matchups against one-ranged foes. And given that most one-ranged foes target Def, Arden can prioritize his best stats and still come out on top in most cases. As such, he’ll want to run Near Save, and preferably the A/D variant for this set specifically.
- The Steady Breath Sacred Seal is going to be Arden’s best option since it allows him to trigger Ignis on every second hit if there aren’t any Guard effects present, which is vital for taking out his foes and minimizing the amount of damage he takes in. That being said, since he’s going to be stacking his Atk and Def quite significantly, the only types of foes that can really make a dent in him are Dragons. Even so, Ignis should take care of them :)
Dragons Fear Him… Somewhat (Totally Not Copium)
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Arden's Blade (+Eff) | A | Close Def (3 or 4) |
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Positional Assist | B | Slick Fighter 3 |
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Ignis | C | D/R Near Save 3 Alternate: A/D Near Save 3 |
IVs | +ATK / -SPD | S | Steady Breath |
Weapon: Arden’s Blade (+Eff)
Assist: Positional Assist
Special: Ignis
A Passive: Close Def (3 or 4)
B Passive: Slick Fighter
C Passive: D/R Near Save / A/D Near Save
Sacred Seal: Steady Breath
- This set is essentially an alternative to the previously mentioned one. Despite having a Dual-Phase Brave weapon, Arden is limited to a specific niche due to his status as an Armor, which isn’t exactly the worst given that he is one of the best Near Save armor units in the game. The idea with this set is to help remedy his low Res stat so that he can go up against more Dragon foes. The skills recommended will also increase his performance against foes that target his Def, so there’s no real opportunity cost. In any case, most of what you’ll see in this set is essentially the same, but with a few modifications.
- As we’ll be attempting to patch up Arden’s Res stat, the only notable A Passive option for him would be Close Def. Close Def is able to grant 6-8 Def/Res, depending on the variant, as well as remove any visible buffs on the foe, if it’s Close Def 4. This, in turn, can inflate Arden’s overall defensive prowess and can allow him to take on many more foes in the process. The only potential concern may be losing out on Atk, but if he’s able to trigger Ignis on his second hit, then chances are he won’t struggle to take out his foes.
- Since Arden will be functioning in the enemy phase for most, if not all, of his combats, he can swap out his Follow-Up Ring for Slick Fighter as not only does he still get the guaranteed follow-up attack, but, unlike Follow-Up Ring, can ignore any penalties to himself. This can increase Arden’s longevity in general.
- Near Save is essentially Arden’s only C Passive option as it is the skill that allows him to perform to the best of his abilities, despite being rather expensive. Even so, having the ability to step in for an ally’s combat against a one-ranged foe is extremely strong since it can allow Arden to prioritize his best matchups. You can go with either D/R Near Save or A/D Near Save since they both do the same thing, but since we want to patch up Arden’s Res stat as much as possible, D/R Near Save is the priority.
- Steady Breath is the only Sacred Seal I can recommend to him as it allows Arden to trigger Ignis on every second attack in the enemy phase, provided that there aren’t any Guard effects present. You could swap it out with a Sacred Seal that increases his overall Atk, Def, or Res if you would rather run a support unit such as Brave Lucina or Thorr in Astra. However, that comes with a bit of an opportunity cost, but it’s an option nonetheless.
Strengths
Arden’s Blade
Arden’s Blade is a Dual-Phase Brave weapon, meaning he can attack twice regardless of the combat phase, which also grants Guard and an additional +4 Atk and +6 Def if his HP is above or equal to 50%. Having the ability to attack twice no matter what is arguably one of the strongest effects a unit can have as not only do both attacks come out at once, but it also allows a unit to function in both phases and essentially bypass Impact effects as there’ll always be two attacks present. Likewise, the additional Atk and Def it grants can help Arden deal with foes more quickly in the enemy phase with a Steady Breath Ignis set as he’ll be able to trigger Ignis before the foe can land a second attack, provided that they can double, and even if he doesn’t kill with Ignis, the Guard effect that is present in his weapon can prevent more damage from being taken in the process as most foes will not be able to trigger a Special.
Armor
If it were not for the fact that Near Save exists, I struggle to imagine where Arden would be in today’s meta. Near Save, quite literally, saved Arden. Having access to an ability that allows a unit to step in for another during combat is extremely potent as he doesn’t have to throw himself in the frontlines where magical threats may exist. This, in turn, can allow him to prioritize matchups that benefit him. That, on top of having access to a Dual-Phase Brave weapon, all the Fighter skills, Follow-Up Ring, and Steady Breath, Arden is what can be considered every one-ranged foes’ nightmare as he can Quad in both phases with Follow-Up Ring, activate Ignis on every second hit in the enemy phase with Steady Breath, provided that there aren’t any Guard effects, and can increase his overall longevity by slowing the foes’ cooldown with Arden’s Blade.
High Defense
Starting out with a base Def stat of 41, chances are most Def-targeting foes are going to struggle to dent the lad. Combined with his obnoxiously high HP stat, Arden is rarely going to struggle against said foes.
High HP
Arden still reigns as the king of HP with a base HP stat of 60. This is before his refine effect, merges, Dragonflowers, and blessing buffs come into play, all of which can inflate his HP stat, even more, especially blessing buffs. This, in turn, can inflate his defensive prowess to the point where he doesn’t have to fear falling out of the Arden’s Blade HP condition and can allow him to take on the occasional Dragon or two.
Weaknesses
Low Resistance
Arden is the definition of being a min-maxed unit when all of his stats are allocated to his HP, Atk, and Def while leaving his Spd and Res to rot. Arden’s low Res stat can be a problem for him as a Near Save unit if he has to go up against Dragon foes. This can be somewhat patched with proper investment, albeit to a certain extent. Moreover, if you play Aether Raids, his magical bulk can be inflated thanks to blessing buffs. This, in turn, can make up for his lackluster Res stat.
Slow
For the most part, Arden being min-maxed is great since he can focus on his most important stats. However, there is always the concern of Firesweep effects, mainly Windsweep, which can cut down on his ability to perform as a Near Save unit. Units such as Brave Alm and Ingrid are notable examples that come to mind. That being said, if he can survive against said Windsweep foes, then it shouldn’t be difficult to take them out on the following turn.
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Barrier Blade+ (+Res) | A | Warding Breath |
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Swap | B | Follow-Up Ring |
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Ignis | C | Odd Res Wave 3 |
S | Deflect Magic 3 |
This is a build focused on making Arden viable against mages and dragons while being viable against melee units. Due to items being focused on resistance, Arden gains the bonus from his weapon, warding breath, and either res wave c skills. Crazily enough, with all the buffs with summoner support of 'S', Arden has survived a hit from a +6 blue Micaiah with an attack boon. For dragons, as they are melee-based, use Deflect Melee, to reduce the damage taken, but Deflect Magic still can be used if you are fine with Arden with 20-30 hp. Even without buffs for his bulk, Arden can go against some enemies with armorsmashers/slayers with little problems.
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Barrier Blade+ (+Res) | A | Water Boost 3 |
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Swap | B | Vengeful Fighter 3 |
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Ignis | C | Atk Smoke 3 |
S | Water Boost 3 |
This build is an enemy phase Arden that maximizes his mixed bulk, leaving him at 41 defense and 38 Resistance unmerged. Barrier blade adds 7 resistance in the enemy phase and with a res refine, gives a total of 10 res. Water boost takes advantage of his massive HP to add 6 more resistance in the A slot and Seal Slot bumping his in combat resistance up by 12 more. Alternatively, you could use the more budget option and use Warding Stance or go with the premium Warding Breath, but you will forgo the player phase buff with Water boost if Arden must attack a close counter mage or a dragon in the player phase. Arden’s B slot could be vengeful fighter for a stronger enemy phase, follow up ring for mixed phase doubling, wary fighter to prevent doubles, or renewal for constant healing. Finally, his C slot with attack smoke could rebuff all enemies’ attack or be a support skill.
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Safeguard+ (+Def) | A | Steady Stance 4 |
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Pivot | B | Follow-Up Ring |
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Ignis | C | Odd Def Wave 3 |
S | Even Def Wave 3 |
A high-Defense build I made, with Ignis. Safeguard, Steady Stance, Odd Def Wave and Even Def Wave helps boost the power of Ignis. The Follow-Up Ring is just so Arden counterattack, with his incredibly low Speed. Odd and Even Def Wave are so Arden's Defense goes up EVERY turn, instead of odds or evens. Pivot is an ideal Support Skill, but you can use Swap as an alternative. When the foe initiates combat, Arden's Defense goes up to a VERY high 59, on odd and even turns. That's not all you can do to raise his Defense, though! You can use dragonflowers, merges, etc to raise his base Defense! You can also give him support from the rest of the team (Close/Distant Guard, Fortify Armor, Ally/Summoner Support, etc) to raise his Defense up to an EXTREMELY high amount!
"I'm strong and you're toast!"
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Safeguard+ (+Def) | A | Steady Stance 4 |
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Reposition | B | Vengeful Fighter 3 |
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Ignis | C | Even Def Wave 3 |
S | Close Def 3 |
Build Name: Ardenator {Lv.40+10}
Introducing the ultimate physical-weapon-killer! No sword, axe, bow or lance can kill this boy! Shiver in fear, for he gets 71 points of defense upon fighting a melee unit, and they try to approach him! As an extra bonus, his skills allow him to negate any cool down charge the enemy had, and gives him +2 for every attack. Translation: +56 Special dmg every time an enemy tries to strike him! Well, if they attack twice, that is. Which is easy since all they need is 25 spd or more.
Granted, he still dies from magic. Like, easily.
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Slaying Edge+ (+Atk) | A | Steady Breath |
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Ardent Sacrifice | B | Wings of Mercy 3 |
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Aether | C | Breath of Life 3 |
S | Breath of Life 3 |
There's a reason why Ardent Sacrifice has Arden in its name!
Slaying Edge and Steady Breath are used in order to pull off Aether faster, though Steady Breath can be replaced by Heavy Blade. Though refining Slaying Edge and increasing its attack helps in dealing more damage, you could alternatively refine it to increase Arden's defense or HP.
Ardent Sacrifice is key to this build, but can be swapped out for Reciprocal Aid.
Aether is used to restore Arden's own HP whilst dealing damage, and can be replaced with Sol or Noontime.
Wings of Mercy allows Arden to quickly travel to an ally in need of healing and either use Ardent Sacrifice/Reciprocal Aid to heal them, or take on nearby enemies and rely on Breath of Life to do the healing for him.
This build overall makes Arden a mixed phase armoured healer. He's still the strong and tough knight we know and love him as, and his speed... well... that armour doesn't exactly help with it.
Weapon Skills
Weapons | SP | Rng. | Mt. |
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![]() Only Inheritable by Sword Units.
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50 | 1 | 6 |
![]() Only Inheritable by Sword Units.
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100 | 1 | 8 |
![]() Learns by default at 4 ★ Only Inheritable by Sword Units.
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200 | 1 | 5 |
![]() Learns by default at 5 ★ Unlocks at 5 ★ Only Inheritable by Sword Units.
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300 | 1 | 8 |
Special Skills
Passive Skills
Passive Skills | SP | Slot |
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![]() Non-Inheritable skill.
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200 | B |
![]() Inheritable by all units.
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50 | C |
![]() Inheritable by all units.
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120 | C |
![]() Inheritable by all units.
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240 | C |
Other Info
Origin |
Fire Emblem: Genealogy of the Holy War
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Banners Featured In
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