Brave Claude

Weapon: Wind Parthia

• Claude’s personal weapon is what makes this unorthodox tank build possible. Upon hitting the foe with any damage-dealing Special, Claude will recover 50% of his maximum HP. 

Assist: Reposition

Special: Moonbow / Luna 

• Thanks to Wind Parthia’s Special cooldown acceleration, Claude will be able to frequently activate Specials such as Moonbow and Luna to quickly heal back his HP as well as deal consistent damage. Moonbow will always be ready to activate on Claude’s first counterattack while Luna may require the support of Brave Lucina. 

Passive A: Close Foil/Counter / Mirror or Kestral Stance 3 / Atk/Spd or Atk/Res solo 3/4   

• Close Foil makes for a fantastic Enemy Phase option by allowing Claude to retaliate against a much wider range of opponents as well as granting a significant boost to Atk/Def during combat. In exchange for the stat boost, one can also choose to run Close Counter to be able to counterattack against dragon units,
• Both Stance skills and Solo skills that boost Claude’s key stats have their advantages. Stance skills are exclusive to Enemy Phase but come with the added benefit of the Guard effect while Solo skills can be active regardless of who initiates combat but demand that Claude is not adjacent to any allies. 

Passive B: Mystic Boost / Spd/Def Snag / Vantage / Quick Riposte /  Dull Ranged / Guard

• It’s no mystery that fliers have a limited amount of options when it comes to B skill selection but of the skills that they can have, Mystic Boost is a suitable option for Claude by nullifying the effects of Wrathful Staff and dragon adaptive damage as well as granting additional healing after combat.
• Did you forget that Snag skills were a thing? I sure did, but it’s a skill that fits Claude’s scheming nature by debuffing foes within four spaces when a movement assist such as Reposition is used. 
• Vantage can act as a good safety net for Claude in case he doesn’t heal back enough HP from his weapon.
• Quick Riposte might seem counterproductive given Claude’s exceptional base Speed but it served a purpose in breaking Speed ties and Impact skills. 
• We’re scraping the bottom of the barrel now. Dull Ranged neutralizes the field buffs of ranged foes while Guard prevent opponents from activating their Special.
  • Note: Guard is unneeded if already running a tier 4 Stance skill

Passive C: Smoke Skills / Atk/Spd Rein / Flexible

• Smoke skills such as Pulse Smoke are very effective when taking on multiple opponents. Pulse Smoke is particularly effective in reducing the damage of opponents around the target after combat by slowing down the activation of their Special.
• Rein skills such as Claude’s Atk/Spd Rein are almost universally good, as the “debuffing does within two spaces” is essentially free stats for Claude and any nearby allies. 
• The C skill can otherwise be replaced as needed to suit the team. 

Sacred Seal: Iote's Shield / Spd/Res Solo / Stance Skills 

• If you plan to use Claude at all against teams that contain archers, Iote’s Shield is essential in order to neutralize flier effective damage. 
• Spd/Res Solo or any Stance skill that boosts Claude’s key stats also makes for an effective Sacred Seal option.

Weapon: Wind Parthia / Firesweep Bow

• Wind Parthia makes for an effective Player Phase option as well by granting Claude a significant stat boost when initiating combat.
• Alternatively, one can swap to a Firesweep Bow in order to simply make use of Claude’s strong offensive statline while preventing most counterattacks. 

Assist: Reposition

Special: Luna / Moonbow

• Luna makes for a strong damage-dealing option while Moonbow can make it more difficult for opponents attacking Claude to take him out by immediately countering with 50% HP healing (when using Wind Parthia).

Passive A: Impact Skills / Atk/Spd Push or Solo / Swift Sparrow / Fury

• Impact skills such as Sturdy Impact are incredibly strong options for a defense team by granting Claude a significant boost to his firepower and bulk as well as preventing opponents from doubling him in return.
• For more general content or simply for a purely offensive approach, any skill that greatly boosts Claude’s offensive stats such as Atk/Spd Push or Swift Sparrow makes for a good choice. 

Passive B: Movement Skills / Desperation / Poison Strike

• Skills such as Flier Formation on a class-based team or Aerobatics on a mixed team open up additional movement options for Claude.
• The tried and true Desperation allows Claude to double his opponent before they can retaliate when he is under 75% HP. However, the timing of this can be offset by the healing factor of Wind Parthia. 
• Primarily for the purpose of a Firesweep build on defense, Poison Strike allows Claude to deal additional damage after combat.

Passive C: Atk/Spd Rein / Movement Skills / Flexible 

Sacred Seal: Swift Sparrow / Death Blow / Sturdy Blow / Heavy Blade / Poison Strike

• Any Seal that further boosts Claude’s offensive power when initiating makes for a great option.
• Similarly, Heavy Blade can be used to have Claude activate stronger Specials more frequently.
• Poison Strike can be stacked in the Sacred Seal slot for even more damage against the foe after combat.