GamePress
Analysis by MackerelPye
Barst - The Hatchet

3-4

Obtainable as a 3 - 4 only

Hero Stats

Max Avg Total Stats at Lvl 40
158
HP 46
ATK 33
SPD 32
DEF 30
RES 17

Stat Variations

Level 1 Stat Variation
5★
4★
3★
HP ATK SPD DEF RES
Low 19 8 7 5 3
Middle 20 9 8 6 4
High 21 10 9 7 5

Level 40 Stat Variations
5★
4★
3★
HP ATK SPD DEF RES
Low 43 30 29 27 13
Middle 46 33 32 30 17
High 49 36 35 33 20

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

That Other Progenitor God (Double Wrath)

Build by MackerelPye
Recommended
Devil Axe (+Eff) A Fury (3 or 4)
Alternate: Fierce Breath
Reposition B Wrath 3
Bonfire
Alternate: Moonbow
C Time's Pulse 3
Alternate: Infantry Pulse 3
IVs

+ATK or +SPD / -RES or -HP

SBrazen Atk/Spd 3
Alternate: Quickened Pulse

Show Explanation/Analysis

Weapon: Devil Axe (+Eff)

Assist: Reposition

Special: Ruptured Sky / Bonfire / Luna / Moonbow / Glimmer / Ignis

Passive A: Fury (3 or 4) / Fierce Breath / Steady Breath / Brazen Atk/Def

Passive B: Wrath 3

Passive C: Time's Pulse / Infantry Pulse / Flexible

Sacred Seal: Brazen Atk/Spd / Quickened Pulse / Brazen Atk/Def / Sturdy Blow

  • This build doubles down on the refined effect of Devil's Axe. By having Wrath doubly applied in both Barst's weapon and the B slot, Barst is able to:
    • Passively charge his Special twice as fast as the average Wrath unit, meaning 2-3 CD can be instantly charged depending on the rest of this build's setup.
    • Gain an additional 20 true damage on top of whatever his Special is already doing on activation! This alone allows Barst to overcome many otherwise impossible matchups.
    • However, due to the "wait-and-see" approach of this build, Barst relies on the power of one-shots and typically must wait a turn after every successful match for his Special to charge.
  • The Special in question depends on preferences and whether you're able to provide Time's Pulse in the C slot or not.
    • 2 CD Specials like Moonbow, Glimmer, or Ruptured Sky (you can get it from Female Byleth while inheriting Wrath or Fury 4 or both) are fair game on Time's Pulse-less builds as they instantly charge per turn from double Wrath.
    • Builds utilizing Time's Pulse can instantly have Luna and Bonfire ready after every safe turn, as double Wrath plus Time's Pulse equates to an instant 3 cooldown charged.
    • Ignis is a neat option to consider no matter the presence of Time's Pulse. Here are some combinations to consider and why:
      • Time's Pulse + Ignis: does not require Barst to have a Breath-type A-slot skill or Infantry Rush support, as Ignis can proc in one counterattack after double Wrath charging + the CD reduction of Time's Pulse.
      • Steady Breath / Fierce Breath + Ignis: After double Wrath charging and with a Breath skill, Barst can proc Ignis on any enemy counterattack without the CD reduction of Time's Pulse.
  • Though running Fury and Devil's Axe together seems like a recipe for disaster due to doubly placing a timer on Barst's survivability, this is actually beneficial as it helps Barst get to Wrath range (and Brazen skill range if used) even quicker after initial combat. Otherwise, Brazen skills (they activate more often than not from Devil Axe's recoil alone) or Breath skills (their benefits are mentioned when discussing Specials).
  • Seals that further complement Wrath (Brazens being recommended) or simply help out Barst's offensive stats top the list of Seals.
    • Furthermore, one may consider Quickened Pulse for more instant Special charging, especially in combination with Time's Pulse.

The Oldest Xbox Known to Talyssian Seas (Standard Offensive)

Build by MackerelPye
Recommended
Devil Axe (+Eff) A Fury (3 or 4)
Alternate: Swift Sparrow (2 or 3)
Reposition B Desperation 3
Alternate: Escape Route 3
Bonfire
Alternate: Moonbow
C Even Spd Wave 3
Alternate: Infantry Pulse 3
IVs

+SPD / -RES or -HP

SBrazen Atk/Spd 3
Alternate: Swift Sparrow 2

Show Explanation/Analysis

Weapon: Devil Axe (+Eff)

Assist: Reposition

Special: Moonbow / Luna / Bonfire / Glimmer

Passive A: Fury (3 or 4) / Swift Sparrow (2 or 3) / Brazen Atk/Spd (3 or 4) / Life and Death (3 or 4)

Passive B: Desperation / Escape Route / Null Follow-Up / Lull skills

Passive C: Even Spd Wave /  Flexible

Sacred Seal: Brazen Atk/Spd / Swift Sparrow / Flashing Blade / Heavy Blade

  • Here it is: the oldest art known to all offensive units, otherwise known as Fury-Desperation. This build is variant of the previous Wrath build, except it focuses further on developing Barst's combat skills without waiting passively for Special-charged one-shots. In particular, it also allows Barst to exercise his excellent resulting stats, especially his Speed (which typically never factors in one-shot Wrath builds).
  • Change occurs particularly in his B slot.
    • Desperation is cheap, effective, and ultimately safe as it enables Barst to make any follow-up attacks immediately mostly without putting himself in danger of killing hits. It also combos well with the Wrath effect of Devil Axe due to being able to activate powered up Special in quick succession.
    • Escape Route is easy to activate thanks to Devil Axe and maximizes Barst's movement options after he gets into range. It is a useful option in timed modes such as Aether Raids, Rival Domains, and Grand Conquests.
    • Null Follow-Up and Lull skills (especially Lull Atk/Spd, Spd/Def, and Atk/Def) are more luxurious options that ease matchups with follow-up disruptive skills or stat-rich enemies, respectively.
  • The rest of the build has mostly standard offensive options.
    • Honor is given to Swift Sparrow for the A slot and seal as Barst is less reliant on getting into low health.
    • The defense drops suffered from Life and Death are cushioned by the stats provided by Devil Axe (and Barst's Resistance is nothing to write home about anyway).
    • The C slot is flexible as always depending on your ability to provide certain forms of ally support to Barst. Speed-increasing Wave skills in particular are an easy way to increase Barst's offensive potential self-sufficiently.

Better Cup Size Than Edelgard (Galeforce)

Build by MackerelPye
Devil Axe (+Spd)
Alternate: Devil Axe
A Fury (3 or 4)
Alternate: Swift Sparrow (2 or 3)
Reposition B Desperation 3
Alternate: Wings of Mercy 3
Galeforce C Time's Pulse 3
Alternate: Savage Blow 3
IVs

+SPD / -HP or -RES

SFlashing Blade 3
Alternate: Heavy Blade 3

Show Explanation/Analysis

Weapon: Devil Axe (+Spd) / Devil Axe 

Assist: Reposition

Special: Galeforce

Passive A: Fury (3 or 4)

Passive B: Desperation / Wings of Mercy / Null Follow-Up

Passive C: Time's Pulse / Atk Smoke / Spd Smoke / Savage Blow

Sacred Seal: Flashing Blade / Heavy Blade

  • Galeforce is the main point of concentration on this build; it gives Barst an additional action after activation, allowing him a number of follow-up options including escaping enemy range or going for another kill.
  • Since Galeforce does not deal combat damage, it follows that the standard Wrath refinery effect of Devil's Axe is nearly useless here.
    • Therefore, a Speed refine is preferred for a direct increase in Speed as well as +5 HP.
    • If you do not want to waste Divine Dew or increase Barst's HP more than necessary (this is important for Wings of Mercy chains in modes like Aether Raids, in which Barst must reach ≤50 as soon as possible), simply using the base Devil Axe alone will suffice as it still provides a potent offensive boost by its lonesome.
  • Fury is recommended above other options in the A slot as it enables Barst to become a teleportation beacon for other allies using Wings of Mercy, which is a potent Aether Raids Offense and Defense strategy.
    • Other standard offensive A-slot skills like Swift Sparrow do the job if one cares less about this and more about pure performance. However, this may end up making Barst a rather generic Galeforce pick compared to others.
  • In the B slot:
    • Desperation is easily the safest choice as Galeforce enables Barst to engage in multiple subsequent fights, meaning he becomes more susceptible to killing hits after a while. Desperation lowers the chances of losing to a killing hit should Barst be able to make a follow-up attack.
    • Wings of Mercy can be used with the help of other allies that can get into low health on their own, creating a chain of fighters that can teleport and use Galeforce anywhere on the map.
    • Null Follow-Up decreases the risk of having a Galeforce sweep ruined by follow-up manipulation skills, such as Wary Fighter, Great Flame, and armors attempting to one-round KO Barst with Bold Fighter.
  • Time's Pulse is generally the best choice in the C slot as it helps Barst charge Galeforce on units that can't counterattack; without it, Barst can fall short of 1 CD from completing the charge. Those that are confident in their chances, however, can otherwise run Smoke-type skills to debilitate nearby enemy groups, especially Aether Raid Defense setups.
  • A Blade-type skill as the Sacred Seal is pretty much necessary on this build to help Barst consistently activate Galeforce in one round. Otherwise, Barst is forced to deal with its long disruptive cooldown every time he needs to get into the thick of things. The Seal you choose depends on whether you feel more confident in manipulating or relying on Attack or Speed comparisons.

Strengths

Devil Axe

Barst's main tool of distinction, fame, and good competitive performance, Devil Axe provides additional well-needed offensive and defensive stats on Barst's behalf as its primary effect. The trade-off for this is 4 damage after every successful battle. However, this actually synergizes fantastically well with a variety of skills, including Desperation, Brazen skills, and, most importantly of all, the full Wrath effect provided by refining Devil Axe further.

The Ability to Doubly Run Fury and Wrath

This is a very fortunate side-effect of using Devil Axe. With both the effects of Wrath and Fury (or Fallen Delthea's Death tome if you want to be anally technical) in tow, Barst is able to run their B- and A-slot versions and double their effects. This means: 1) Fury can put Barst in range of low HP skills (such as Wrath, Desperation, Brazen skills, and Wings of Mercy from allies) more easily, and 2) doubly-applied Wrath passively charges Barst's Special twice as fast while also increasing its additional +10 damage twice. This results in a potent and unique offensive niche for Barst that definitely differentiates him from other similar Axe infantry.

Nicely Aged Stats

By itself, Barst's statline is quite modest by modern melee infantry standard. However, Devil Axe's in-combat stat boosts strengthen it quite nicely across all categories, and the statline itself is pretty optimized: nicely distributed Attack, Speed, HP, and decent Defense at the cost of minimizing Barst's Resistance. 

Infantry Perks

Barst's status as an infantry melee unit offers a nearly unfair advantage over other forms of competition as he is able to benefit from exclusive skills on himself and other allies, especially Wrath, Breath skills, Null Follow-Up, Time's Pulse, Infantry Rush, Infantry Flash, and more. Like others with similar high HP values, Barst is even able to provide Infantry Pulse support should his team setup call for it.

Weaknesses

Exploitable Resistance

Barst's neatly distributed statline comes at the cost of his Resistance, which only sits at 21 (counting Devil Axe stat boosts). Tome and dragonstone users are therefore expected to take Barst down few notches badly if they manage to get a stray hit in.

Playstyle Weaknesses

Many of Barst's practical builds are reliant on him achieving a low amount of HP, meaning he is sometimes susceptible to stray hits ending his life if improperly positioned. His double Wrath build is particularly reliant on waiting between turns and kills to charge his Special passively; there are times where users simply don't have the luxury of stopping and waiting.

Green Axe Competition

Among newer competition with naturally competitive statlines (Edelgard, Gerik, Valentines Alm) as well as older entries with considerable refined weapons of their own (Raven, Linus, Arthur, Hawkeye), Barst may have some trouble contributing if you already invested in them prior.

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 3 ★
Unlocks at 2 ★
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
Devil Axe

Grants Atk/Spd/Def/Res+4 during combat, but if unit attacked, deals 4 damage to unit after combat.

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

Support Skills

Support Skills Rng. SP
Reposition

Target ally moves to opposite side of unit.

Learns by default at 4 ★
1 150

Passive Skills

Passive Skills SP Slot
Knock Back

If unit initiates attack, foe is moved 1 space away after combat

Restricted to melee units.
Unlocks at 3 ★
150
B
Spur Atk 1

Grants Atk+2 to adjacent allies during combat.

Inheritable by all units.
50
C
Spur Atk 2

Grants Atk+3 to adjacent allies during combat.

Inheritable by all units.
Unlocks at 3 ★
100
C
Spur Atk 3

Grants Atk+4 to adjacent allies during combat.

Inheritable by all units.
Unlocks at 4 ★
200
C

Other Info

Origin
Fire Emblem: Mystery of the Emblem
Fire Emblem: New Mystery of the Emblem
Fire Emblem: Shadow Dragon
Fire Emblem: Shadow Dragon and the Blade of Light

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Official Hero Artwork