GamePress

Ascended Hilda

Analysis by lordhelpme
Ascended Hilda - Helping Hand

5

Obtainable as a 5 only

Hero Stats

Max Avg Total Stats at Lvl 40
187
HP 42
ATK 42
SPD 43
DEF 34
RES 26

Stat Variations

Level 1 Stat Variation
5★
HP ATK SPD DEF RES
Low 17 11 12 7 3
Middle 18 12 13 8 4
High 19 13 14 9 5

Level 40 Stat Variations
5★
HP ATK SPD DEF RES
Low 39 39 40 31 22
Middle 42 42 43 34 26
High 45 46 47 37 29

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

Hilda is entitled to a free Ascended Asset of choice as an Ascended Hero

  • +SPD should receive highest priority given its sheer synergy with Hilda's overall approach — it boosts her damage through more frequent follow-up attacks and Fuming Freikugel, enhances her practical survivability, and there is really no such thing as "too much" Spd in her case.
  • If a +SPD IV was acquired naturally, +ATK comes next in priority as she is, first and foremost, an offensive unit and prefers squeezing out as much damage as possible.

Skill Sets

period ahh, period uhh (Offensive Nuke / Special Spam)

Build by lordhelpme
Recommended
Fuming Freikugel A Atk/Spd Solo 4
Alternate: Surge Sparrow
Positional Assist B Velocity 3
Alternate: Special Spiral 3
Vital Astra
Alternate: Luna
C Time's Pulse 3
Alternate: Joint Drive Spd
IVs

+SPD and/or +ATK / -RES

SBlade Session 3

Show Explanation/Analysis

Weapon: Fuming Freikugel

Assist: Positional Assist / Flexible

Special: Vital Astra / Moonbow / Glimmer / Luna / Draconic Aura 

Passive A: Atk/Spd Solo / Atk/Spd Ideal / Surge Sparrow 

Passive B: Velocity / Special Spiral / Null Follow-Up / Spd/Def Tempo

Passive C: Time’s Pulse / Joint Drive Spd / Tempest Skills / Menace Skills / Flexible

Sacred Seal: Blade Session / Quickened Pulse / Swift Sparrow / Atk/Spd Solo 

  • Ascended Hilda innately features tremendous firepower by nature of Fuming Freikugel’s potentially devastating true damage bonus, so this build aims to maximize its effectiveness through an offensive lens. Her free Asset of choice should be prioritized for +SPD if she does not have it already; otherwise, +ATK should be taken.
  • The primary consideration here lies in Hilda’s choice of B skill, as the one taken subsequently affects her preferred Special.
    • Ideally, Hilda should have access to some form of Null Follow-Up through specific allies (e.g. Legendary Byleth (M), Fallen Lilith) or skills (e.g. Inf. Spd Tactic, Inf. Null-Follow). This allows her to freely equip Velocity (or Spd/Def Tempo for some extra safety against enemy acceleration) to bypass Guard effects entirely, maximizing the safety in her approach as she becomes immune to Impacts and her Special activations become guaranteed. 
      • If this is the case, a two-turn Special such as Vital Astra, Moonbow, Glimmer, or Ruptured Sky should be taken. While this only grants true damage equal to 30% of her Spd upon activation, these Specials are likely to activate twice in a given round of combat (or are guaranteed to do so with Time’s Pulse), as both triggers are solidified by the effects of Null Follow-Up and Guard immunity.
        • This lets Hilda deal true damage effectively equal to 60% of her Spd instead — in addition to the base power of her strikes and Special triggers — and thus maximizes her damage output.
    • If external sources Null Follow-Up are not available, it may be better to opt for a more OHKO-oriented by using a three-turn Special and the Special Spiral B skill to avoid being shut down by follow-up negation (as it’s extremely abundant).
      • Together with Fuming Freikugel’s Slaying effect, this combination allows Hilda to constantly loop these Specials following their initial activation for massive damage on her first strike. It’s less overall firepower than the first approach, but it’s still plenty high — she gains true damage equal to 40% of her Spd on top of the greater burst of three-turn Specials.
        • Further, the initial setup needed to get the Special Spiral chain going can be preempted entirely by using Time’s Pulse and the Quickened Pulse Sacred Seal, or potentially outside Infantry Pulse support.
      • Hilda can still attempt to wield two-turn Specials with either Velocity / Spd/Def Tempo or the Null Follow-Up skill on her own, but the lack of both effects simultaneously makes it easier to be stopped by predominant enemy mechanics.
  • Her default Atk/Spd Solo is fantastic and synergizes nicely with the non-adjacency condition built into Fuming Freikugel, but Atk/Spd Ideal may be preferred if seeking to fully push her damage as much as possible. Surge Sparrow is another skill to consider to supplement her firepower with surprisingly high healing capabilities. Her Sacred Seal choice should follow similar suit and boost both Atk and Spd also.
  • Lastly, Time’s Pulse is an excellent C skill that synergizes both with the usage of two-turn and three-turn Specials but if deemed unnecessary, one can consider Tempest skills for greater mobility (which makes it easier to keep her Solo condition) or Joint Drive Spd or Menace skills for pretty much free stats.

what part of “delicate flower” do you not understand? (Defensive Focus / Melee Specialist)

Build by lordhelpme
Recommended
Fuming Freikugel A Atk/Spd Unity
Alternate: Kestrel Stance 3
Positional Assist B Null Follow-Up 3
Alternate: Spd/Def Bulwark 3
Sol
Alternate: Luna
C Joint Drive Spd
Alternate: Atk/Spd Menace
IVs

+SPD and/or +ATK / -RES

SDarting Breath

Show Explanation/Analysis

Weapon: Fuming Freikugel

Assist: Positional Assist / Flexible

Special: Sol / Noontime / Aether / Luna / Draconic Aura

Passive A: Atk/Spd Unity / Kestrel Stance / Finish Skills / Atk/Spd Solo

Passive B: Null Follow-Up / Spd/Def Bulwark / Special Spiral / Spd/Def Tempo / Velocity

Passive C: Joint Drive Spd / Time’s Pulse / Menace Skills / Smoke Skills / Flexible

Sacred Seal: Darting Breath / Atk/Spd Form / Mystic Boost / Atk/Spd Solo

  • Alternatively, Ascended Hilda can adopt a more defensive lean and perform quite well; all of her effects are dual-phase functional, and her true damage enhancement synergizes surprisingly well with the damage-scaling mechanic of healing Specials. 
    • However, please note that this build assumes access to a Far Save ally; her Res may not be the worst, but current magical threats are far too threatening to handle without specialized approaches. It’s best to focus on her melee match-ups instead, and leave the Far Save ally to make up the difference (who will interestingly likely benefit from her 20% damage reduction).
  • The greatest consideration again goes to Hilda’s choice of B skill. Null Follow-Up, in any capacity, is non-negotiable — Fuming Freikugel’s 40% damage reduction only applies to an opponent’s first strike, so negating automatic doubles is vital for her longevity, and she needs both of her own doubles for her damage. It should be ideally outsourced from forms of team support, but otherwise, it should be equipped as her B skill.
    • If it can be provided from an outside source, her options become more varied.
      • Spd/Def Bulwark is the optimal choice for these tanking purposes, as the fact remains that Hilda is an infantry melee specialist and cannot prevent foes from attacking her backline without Bulwark’s enhanced Obstruct effect. Its supplemental combat debuffs and healing are appreciated also.
      • Special Spiral can be considered, again, for a strictly OHKO-dependent playstyle, though this is genuinely quite powerful in Hilda’s case. The idea is to pair Special Spiral with Aether and the Darting Breath Sacred Seal, allowing Aether to activate on her first counterattack each combat. 
        • This not only enables access to Aether’s powerful combination of increased damage and healing, but also makes it so Fuming Freikugel grants a whopping 60% of Hilda’s Spd as true damage immediately. 
      • Lastly, Velocity or Spd/Def Tempo are solid candidates for consistency, as it enables immunity to Guard effects to ensure her Special triggers. The choice between Velocity and Tempo boils down to which is more of a priority for you: damage reduction, which may prove notably useful if Null Follow-Up in any format is unavailable to gain some safety against a second hit, or shutting down enemy cooldown acceleration.
  • For her Special, those with a three-turn cooldown are Hilda’s default if she has access to a Breath effect, either from her Sacred Seal or support; otherwise, use two-turn cooldown options. Whether a damage-dealing or healing Special should be taken again comes to personal preference. That being said, Hilda should have sustain somewhere in her kit so if a healing Special isn’t taken, Spd/Def Bulwark and/or the Mystic Boost Sacred Seal become more of a priority.
  • Atk/Spd Unity is a potent A skill for its effective reversal of any penalties affecting said stats, carrying the greatest ceiling in the sheer amount of stat enhancements it can provide. For a more defensive lean, one can equip Hilda with Kestrel Stance to prevent foes from accessing their Special through permanent Enemy Phase Guard (and should receive much more priority if Null Follow-Up is inaccessible). If neither are available, something like Atk/Spd Solo is perfectly usable.

i thought of something you can do for me~ ♡ (Support Emphasis / Hybrid)

Build by lordhelpme
Recommended
Fuming Freikugel A Life and Death (3 or 4)
Alternate: Atk/Spd Solo 4
Positional Assist B Chill Def/Res 3
Alternate: Velocity 3
Moonbow C Inf. Null Follow 3
Alternate: Joint Drive Spd
IVs

+SPD and/or +ATK / -RES

SDrive Spd 2

Show Explanation/Analysis

Weapon: Fuming Freikugel

Assist: Positional Assist / Flexible

Special: Moonbow / Ruptured Sky / Glimmer / Luna

Passive A: Life and Death / Atk/Spd Solo / G Duel Infantry

Passive B: Chill Skills / Velocity / Even Pulse Tie / Ruse Skills / Link Skills / Sudden Panic

Passive C: Inf. Null-Follow / Joint Drive Spd / Distant Guard / Tactic Skills / Flexible

Sacred Seal: Drive Skills / Tactic Skills / Chill Skills 

  • While Ascended Hilda’s buffs should ideally be seen as more of a bonus rather than a centralizing aspect of her kit, fully fleshing out her utility with specific consideration to Freikugel’s support value isn’t a bad option at all — after all, 20% damage reduction and Spectrum +3 makes for a pretty nice starting point.
  • Life and Death works as an interesting A skill in that it that essentially brings the best of both worlds for Hilda due to Fuming Freikugel’s check relying on visible Def: the deduction to her Def/Res actually works in her favor since it allows allies to more reliably receive her Drive buffs, and the cut to her actual bulk is largely offset by her weapon’s damage reduction. 
    • Meanwhile, the offensive enhancement naturally lends itself to greater damage — in addition to letting her act as a lightning rod for Chill Atk, Chill Spd, and other similar debuffs away from other allies.
    • In a similar vein, try to stay away from Fury since it makes it a little more difficult to maintain lower visible Def than her allies — a check she needs to pass to maintain her support effect active while still regularly engaging in combat, during which she can trigger her combat bonuses by keeping non-adjacency.
  • Chill skills are decent B slot options that benefit both Hilda and her allies by debilitating opposing foes, though their inability to be targeted may make Ruse skills a better option if you’re okay with relying on her Assist — if visible buffs are preferred, the same goes for Link skills as well. Those seeking to keep more of Hilda’s combat ability intact can also consider just keeping her defaut Velocity.
    • For full support, though, those okay with more or less neutering her offensive prowess can consider opting for the powerful Even Pulse Tie skill to further aid ally survivability by delaying enemy Specials; this is particularly appreciated against enemies that fully charge them quickly and pairs nicely with her damage reduction. 
    • The amount of HP investment required to regularly trigger Even Pulse Tie does mean sacrificing a good portion of Hilda’s combat ability — but for players who really like her Drive damage reduction effect, it’s hard to go wrong with it. As far as HP-dependent skills go, there’s also Sudden Panic but it’s weaker.
  • Joint Drive skills are excellent to build on the offense/support hybrid of this build and are going to be active most of the time anyway since Hilda’s support range is locked to two spaces as well. While it doesn’t reap benefits for herself, it may be worth considering Inf. Null Follow for maximum support while among infantry-centric compositions as well. Otherwise, standard choices Drive or Tactic skill will work perfectly fine here, and the same applies for her Sacred Seal.

Finally Got to Play Uno (Damage Reduction Stacking)

Build by lordhelpme
Fuming Freikugel A Atk/Spd Solo 4
Alternate: Distant Dart
Positional Assist B Velocity 3
Vital Astra
Alternate: Moonbow
C Time's Pulse 3
Alternate: Spd Smoke 4
IVs

+SPD and/or +ATK / -RES

SAtk/Spd Form 3
Alternate: Atk/Spd Solo 3

Show Explanation/Analysis

Weapon: Fuming Freikugel

Assist: Positional Assist / Flexible

Special: Vital Astra / Luna / Moonbow / Glimmer

Passive A: Atk/Spd Solo / Distant Dart / Atk/Spd Unity / Kestrel Stance

Passive B: Velocity 

Passive C: Time’s Pulse / Spd Smoke 4 / Joint Drive Spd

Sacred Seal: Atk/Spd Form / Kestrel Stance / Atk/Spd Solo / Spd/Res Solo

  • This is realistically more of a purely “for fun” build option considering that stacking damage reduction generally offers diminishing returns, as these effects combine multiplicatively and not additively. Still, Ascended Hilda can go for it and lean entirely into the damage mitigation aspect of Fuming Freikugel given how easy it is for her to stack Spd, and how much she benefits from it damage-wise thanks to her PRF mechanic. 
  • Thankfully, she already comes with one of the more expensive considerations — that being her default Velocity, which grants 4% damage reduction for every point of Spd she is faster than a foe up to a maximum of 40%. Other B skills offer such effects, but Velocity is the best and most synergistic one for Hilda so there’s no need to switch it. Under the proper circumstances, this brings Hilda up to 64% damage reduction from her foe’s first attack and 40% on any others. 
  • To push it further, she can consider the Vital Astra Special, which offers another potential 30% damage reduction for a total of 74% damage reduction from her foe’s first attack and 64% on any others. This is the point where the lack of efficacy starts to show its bearings, but the Special does come with the bonus effect of dealing bonus damage based on Hilda’s Spd for greater burst. Otherwise, just use a normal Special.
  • The final potential mix of damage reduction comes from Spd Smoke 4, though it’s difficult to leverage with Vital Astra given that the latter requires Time’s Pulse for consistent benefits — and again, the benefits are not quite equivalent to the sheer cost of the skill. 
  • For the purposes of actual usage, it’s generally best to aid Hilda with a Far Save ally and use a standard stat-boosting A skill to focus on melee matchups, as the increased frequency of Deadeye and other forms of reduction negation among ranged threats makes omni-tanking rather dubious in competitive modes. However, those dead set on leveraging Hilda as a catch-all tank can utilize Distant Dart for its +5 Spd boost, or good ol’ Distant Counter if unavailable.

Strengths

Stellar Damage Output

Ascended Hilda’s baseline Atk/Spd of 42/43 is pretty standard fare for modern offense-oriented Heroes, but it’s still very much impressive and easily facilitates strong firepower and practical durability by avoiding follow-up attacks — especially considering her ability to potentially wield both of her four-point Assets in these stats without needing a Floret per her Ascended status. 

However, Hilda’s sheer damage output becomes highlighted further through the selfish benefits of Fuming Freikugel: a Spd-based version of Brave Eirika’s Moonlight Bangle, with which she gains unlimited access to bonus damage on each Special activation based on its cooldown. Even the lowest cooldown options available like Moonbow still grant supplemental damage equal to 30% of her Spd — which, through her weapon alone, ensures a minimum of spammable +15 damage that moreover cannot be reduced, regardless of enemy defenses. 

This boost only has room to grow higher through varying Special options, skills, outside support, and merges, all of which lead to Hilda’s sheer burst potential potentially quite insane. Her performance isn’t quite as explosive as Hatari Karla (whose Dryblade Lance carries a similar effect) as Hilda is more support-dependent and can’t couple her true damage with AoE Specials, but she compensates in other ways…

Great Versatility via Supportive Value

…Specifically, Ascended Hilda proves rather unique through her ability to feature such striking damage output while simultaneously carrying actual utility: a neatly packaged Spectrum +3 and 20% damage reduction to allies within two spaces. These buffs aren’t overwhelmingly powerful on their own by any means, but they work in Hilda’s favor for two primary reasons:

  • First and foremost, she’s able to wield both the supportive and selfish effects of Fuming Freikugel simultaneously due to the weapon’s conditions for triggering them. It’s essentially the same as her base version (post-refinement, thankfully), in that:
    • She can reap her offensive strengths by maintaining a simple Solo condition
    • Her ally bonuses remain permanently active as long as she has not entered combat during the current phase
    • And, most importantly, Fuming Freikugel also has a Defense-comparing mechanic to ensure Hilda can exploit both even if she engages in combat (which would otherwise shut down her buffs) or if she maintains adjacency 
  • Secondly, she is not meant to purely support — her primary role will always be dealing damage, and having the bonus effect of rounding out ally durability adds some flavor to an otherwise boring unit. The 20% damage reduction she gives, in particular, also doesn’t lag too far behind similar Drive effects and can certainly come in clutch in keeping the tanks protecting her alive.

Surprising Durability

It’s also worth mentioning that despite Hilda’s hyper-offensive lean (especially in Fuming Freikugel’s true damage mechanic), she actually proves surprisingly tough in taking hits. Her effective physical and magical bulk totals out to 76/68, which isn’t terrible on its own — however, it becomes better once you account for Freikugel’s 40% damage reduction on her foe’s first attack, and her high Spd and Null Follow-Up access to ensure the second strike doesn’t land. 

Infantry Benefits

Last, but certainly not least, all of the many points brought up above are underscored by the plentiful skill access enabled by Hilda’s infantry status. Her default Velocity and the Tempo line of abilities are especially noteworthy in her case as it makes her Special activations even more deadly by preventing them from stopping, though natural mention goes to Null Follow-Up, Spd/Def Bulwark, and Special Spiral among others in helping expand her playstyle options.

Weaknesses

Unimpressive Resistance

Although her practical bulk isn’t bad, the fact that her initial Res value starts at a base 26 makes it difficult for Hilda to continuously engage in combat against magic foes in extended rounds of combat; the absence of a Far Save ally to handle these threats, dragons aside, makes it much more difficult for her to operate during the Enemy Phase if left in range. Additionally, regardless of enemy type, Fuming Freikugel’s 40% damage reduction isn’t infallible and spells trouble against enemies wielding reduction-nullification effects like Legendary Nanna’s Lands Sword or Brave effects.

Offense / Support Split Trade-Off

The same that could be said of her base version also applies here to Ascended Hilda in that while the hybrid nature of Fuming Freikugel presents an interesting concept, having this split comes at the cost of Hilda’s performance — in both offensive and supportive applications — falling shy from the best of her class. 

For instance, while her damage output is undeniably fantastic, the inclusion of her 20% damage reduction and Spectrum +3 to nearby allies prevented access to other useful selfish effects she would have greatly appreciated to boost her standing. Something like partial Null Follow-Up, Guard nullification, bonus Special charge manipulation, or even the AoE Special synergy of Hatari Karla built into her weapon instead would have pushed her from great to an undeniable powerhouse. The same applies to the resources invested into Freikugel’s supportive capacity — but, again, there’s no denying that there is ultimately merit in her flexibility.

Weapon Skills

Weapons SP Rng. Mt.
Iron Axe
Learns by default at 1 ★
Unlocks at 1 ★
Inheritable by Axe users only.
50 1 6
Steel Axe
Learns by default at 2 ★
Unlocks at 2 ★
Inheritable by Axe users only.
100 1 8
Silver Axe
Learns by default at 4 ★
Unlocks at 3 ★
Inheritable by Axe users only.
200 1 11
Fuming Freikugel

Accelerates Special trigger (cooldown count-1). At start of combat for allies within 2 spaces of unit, if the ally has Def > unit's Def or if unit has not entered combat during the current phase, grants Atk/Spd/Def/Res+3 and "reduces damage from foe's first attack by 20%" to those allies during combat. At start of unit's combat, if unit is not within 2 spaces of any allies with Def > unit's Def or if unit is not adjacent to an ally, grants Atk/Spd+6 to unit during combat, reduces damage from foe's first attack by 40% during combat, and deals damage = X% of unit's Spd when Special triggers (X = unit's max Special cooldown count value × 10, + 20; excludes area-of-effect Specials).

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

Special Skills

Special Skills SP Turns
New Moon

Treats foe's Def/Res as if reduced by 30% during combat.

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

Treats foe's Def/Res as if reduced by 50% during combat.

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

Passive Skills

Passive Skills SP Slot
Atk/Spd Solo 1

If unit is not adjacent to an ally, grants Atk/Spd+2 during combat.

Unlocks at 2 ★
60
A
Atk/Spd Solo 2

If unit is not adjacent to an ally, grants Atk/Spd+4 during combat.

Unlocks at 3 ★
120
A
Atk/Spd Solo 3

If unit is not adjacent to an ally, grants Atk/Spd+6 during combat.

Inheritable by all units.
Unlocks at 4 ★
240
A
Atk/Spd Solo 4

If unit is not adjacent to an ally, grants Atk/Spd +7 during combat.

Inheritable by all units.
Unlocks at 5 ★
300
A
Velocity 1

If unit's Spd > foe's Spd, reduces damage from attacks during combat and from area-of-effect Specials (excluding Røkkr area-of-effect Specials) by percentage = difference between stats × 2 (max 20%). Neutralizes effects that inflict "Special cooldown charge -X" on unit.

Only inheritable by Melee Infantry units
Unlocks at 1 ★
60
B
Velocity 2

If unit's Spd > foe's Spd, reduces damage from attacks during combat and from area-of-effect Specials (excluding Røkkr area-of-effect Specials) by percentage = difference between stats × 3 (max 30%). Neutralizes effects that inflict "Special cooldown charge -X" on unit.

Only inheritable by Melee Infantry units
Unlocks at 2 ★
120
B
Velocity 3

If unit's Spd > foe's Spd, reduces damage from attacks during combat and from area-of-effect Specials (excluding Røkkr area-of-effect Specials) by percentage = difference between stats × 4 (max 40%). Neutralizes effects that inflict "Special cooldown charge -X" on unit.

Only inheritable by Melee Infantry units
Unlocks at 4 ★
240
B
Spur Spd 1

Grants Spd+2 to adjacent allies during combat.

Inheritable by all units.
Unlocks at 2 ★
50
C
Drive Spd 1

Grants Spd+2 to allies within 2 spaces during combat.

Inheritable by all units.
Unlocks at 3 ★
120
C
Drive Spd 2

Grants Spd+3 to allies within 2 spaces during combat.

Inheritable by all units.
Unlocks at 4 ★
240
C
Joint Drive Spd

Grants Spd+4 to allies within 2 spaces during combat. If unit is within 2 spaces of an ally, grants Spd+4 to unit during combat.

Inheritable by all units.
Unlocks at 5 ★
300
C

Other Info

Origin
Fire Emblem: Three Houses

Banners Featured In