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Brave Eliwood

Analysis by lordhelpme
Brave Eliwood - Marquess of Pherae

5

Obtainable as a 5 only

Hero Stats

Max Avg Total Stats at Lvl 40
162
HP 40
ATK 37
SPD 35
DEF 32
RES 18

Stat Variations

Level 1 Stat Variation
5★
HP ATK SPD DEF RES
Low 17 8 8 5 4
Middle 18 9 9 6 5
High 19 10 10 7 6

Level 40 Stat Variations
5★
HP ATK SPD DEF RES
Low 36 34 32 29 14
Middle 40 37 35 32 18
High 43 40 38 35 21

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

the outfit is for his marriage to Ninian (Damage Focus)

Build by lordhelpme
Recommended
Ninis's Ice Lance (+Eff) A Swift Sparrow 3
Alternate: Atk/Spd Catch 4
Positional Assist
Alternate: Assistless
B Windsweep 3
Glimmer
Alternate: Moonbow
C Def Smoke 3
Alternate: Fatal Smoke 3
IVs

+SPD or +ATK / -RES

SSwift Sparrow 2

Show Explanation/Analysis

Weapon: Ninis’s Ice Lance (+EFF)

Assist: Positional Assist / Assistless / Flexible

Special: Glimmer / Moonbow / Luna 

Passive A: Swift Sparrow / Surge Sparrow / Atk/Spd Catch / Atk/Spd Push / Atk/Spd Solo / AR-D Atk/Spd 

Passive B: Windsweep 

Passive C: Def Smoke /Fatal Smoke / Joint Drive Skills / Cavalry Buffs / Flexible

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

  • Brave Eliwood’s offensive prowess is simply spectacular by merit of his many, many strengths, such as access to damage reduction, the inability to be impeded by follow-up negation, and an effective +10 Atk/Spd/Def/Res boost — all of which he benefits from for basically just existing. An Asset to either his Attack or Speed is recommended to enhance his damage potential. 
    • While he can shine as a source of damage in any facet of the game, the sheer difficulty foes may have in enduring his attacks and taking him down does make him a particularly compelling choice for Aether Raids Defense when coupled with his cavalry movement. 
  • His choice of Assist doesn’t really matter for general gameplay, but the slot merits greater consideration if using him in Aether Raids Defense since it becomes necessary to account for how the AI prioritizes turn order. Generally, though, it’s best to just not equip an Assist at all to avoid complications or mishaps, instead employing a standard movement overload.
  • As for the Special, Brave Eliwood’s damage output is high enough to get great mileage from Glimmer (especially against dragon and beast foes who trigger his effective damage), but Moonbow is also helpful to burst down physically bulkier opponents. Luna may be considered if a higher ceiling is preferred over more frequent activations. 
  • Any A skill that augments both Attack and Speed will work perfectly for boosts to his raw damage and doubling consistency. His base Swift Sparrow is fine for most purposes, though it may be worth replacing depending on personal preference and available resources. Other options include:
    • Surge Sparrow to make Eliwood even more difficult to take down through supplemental healing upon Special activations.
    • AR-D Atk/Spd if purely aiming to maximize his performance within a Defense team, offering the highest possible enhancements to his Attack and Speed as long as enough structures remain standing.
    • One’s choice between Atk/Spd Catch, Atk/Spd Push 4, and Atk/Spd Solo if their slightly higher boosts or different activation requirements better suit your personal tastes; all of these also have the benefit of being active during the Enemy Phase as well, whereas Swift Sparrow is only active in the Player Phase.
  • Windsweep works phenomenally with Brave Eliwood’s refined Ninis’s Ice Lance to further punish opponents who attempt to tank his attacks, ensuring he can leverage Windsweep’s counterattack-negating property while still being able to perform doubles — and, in case an opponent can still counterattack due to being ranged or having Null C-Disrupt active, he still has his damage reduction to rely on for survivability. 
  • Brave Eliwood’s C skill is flexible, but Smoke skills are standouts for general gameplay and Aether Raids Defense to debilitate opposing forces to more easily sweep through subsequent matchups. Besides standard stat-debuffing Smokes, Fatal Smoke and Panic Smoke shine if enemy healing or buffs are a particular concern respectively. Joint Drive skills are also options for mutual buffing utility, or class-exclusive buffs within cavalry settings. 
  • Any Sacred Seal that enhances his offensive stats should be taken to assist his capacity for dealing damage, though the Quickened Pulse Sacred Seal may also be useful to hasten his first Special activation for a bigger initial burst.

my beloved <3 (Galeforce)

Build by lordhelpme
Recommended
Ninis's Ice Lance (+Eff) A Heavy Blade 4
Alternate: Swift Sparrow 3
Positional Assist B A/D Near Trace 3
Alternate: Wings of Mercy 3
Galeforce C Joint Drive Atk
Alternate: Atk Smoke 3
IVs

+ATK or +SPD / -RES

SQuickened Pulse

Show Explanation/Analysis

Weapon: Ninis’s Ice Lance (+EFF)

Assist: Positional Assist / Flexible

Special: Galeforce

Passive A: Heavy Blade / Swift Sparrow

Passive B: A/D Near Trace / Wings of Mercy 

Passive C: Joint Drive Atk / Smoke Skills / Savage Blow / Flexible

Sacred Seal: Quickened Pulse / Heavy Blade

  • Brave Eliwood’s offensive capabilities can also be applied within the context of Aether Raids Offense for Galeforce-centric strategies, particularly thanks to his extended mobility and access to Canto via skills like A/D Near Trace. Although increasing either Attack or Speed will ultimately help him out, a +ATK IV should take priority here if possible to ensure his Heavy Blade activation. 
  • Galeforce is the centerpiece of this build; its unique self-refreshing quality allows for multiple initiations in quick succession to sweep through the enemy forces alongside their allies when paired with a complementary team composition. 
  • In exchange for such utility, however, Galeforce comes with a rather stringent five-turn initial cooldown, though this can be mitigated by utilizing Heavy Blade as an A skill + the Quickened Pulse Sacred Seal; this reduces the minimum amount of attacks required to activate Galeforce down to two without relying on an enemy counterattack, assuming Heavy Blade triggers and that his initial foe is not equipped with Guard effect.
    • Note that this recommendation is geared primarily for usage in Aether Raids Offense, given that it is imperative that Brave Eliwood quickly activate Galeforce to ensure that he and his allies can defeat most of the opposing team in one phase. 
    • For general gameplay, it’s perfectly valid to keep his base Swift Sparrow and just use the Heavy Blade seal for maximum damage — do keep in mind some version of Heavy Blade is needed even then, though, since Galeforce’s cooldown really is too long otherwise.
  • A/D Near Trace pairs fantastically with the mobility-oriented nature of this build, further extending Brave Eliwood’s reach through yet another action; Canto only allows for movement and not attacks or the use of Assists, but this alone imparts welcome flexibility for potential hit-and-run strategies. Alternatively, if using him with a low HP beacon like Ninja Lyn or Eir, Wings of Mercy is another B skill to get within close proximity of enemies with ease. 
  • Joint Drive skills are always good options, but shine especially bright here since Brave Eliwood is certain to be close to nearby allies once in the Galeforce chain; thus, these skills essentially grants him stats for free in addition to buffing any allies who may be participating. Smoke skills may also work well for improved subsequent matchups after the first, with Savage Blow operating similarly but perhaps not being as effective if using the Bolt Tower already.

they had us in the first half, not gonna lie (High-Investment Speed Tank)

Build by lordhelpme
Ninis's Ice Lance (+Eff) A Distant Counter
Positional Assist B Lull Atk/Spd 3
Alternate: Mystic Boost 3
Noontime
Alternate: Glimmer
C Joint Drive Spd
Alternate: Pulse Smoke 3
IVs

+SPD

SSpd/Res Solo 3

Show Explanation/Analysis

Weapon: Ninis’s Ice Lance (+EFF)

Assist: Positional Assist / Flexible

Special: Noontime / Glimmer / Sol / Moonbow

Passive A: Distant Counter / Distant Pressure 

Passive B: Lull Atk/Spd / Lull Atk/Def / Mystic Boost / A/D Near Trace

Passive C: Joint Drive Spd / Pulse Smoke / Spd Smoke / Flexible

Sacred Seal: Spd/Res Solo / Mystic Boost / Atk/Spd Solo

  • This build centers itself around maximizing the Speed-based damage reduction (up to a staggering 40%) of his Ninis’s Ice Lance to have him adopt a primarily defensive role — something now possible thanks to his refined PRF letting him retain its numerous in-combat bonuses during the Enemy Phase, provided he maintains proximity to an ally. 
  • Accompanied by his ability to bypass follow-up negation, effective damage, and high stat steroids, Brave Eliwood can mitigate a surprising amount of damage while acting as a check to a wide breadth of foes akin to other Dodge tanks like Freyja, especially with a +SPD IV and complementary support. To that end, it’s vital to equip a skill that enables counterattacks regardless of range for maximum versatility. 
    • Of those available, good ol’ Distant Counter remains king as it lets Eliwood attack against ranged without any additional caveats. Those with high budgets may find Distant Pressure a lucrative option here as well since it also augments his Speed, but the chip damage it applies may be counteractive to his tanking focus unless equipped with something like Mystic Boost
  • Healing Specials are nice inclusions here to further solidify Brave Eliwood’s longevity, complementing his weapon’s damage reduction with sustain. Noontime is preferred if Brave Lucina, Summer Hilda, or New Year Velouria support is available for instant activations on each counterattack; otherwise, Sol should be considered. If deemed unnecessary (typically if using Mystic Boost somewhere in his build), he’s always free to use standard damage-dealing Specials with low cooldowns like Glimmer.
  • Brave Eliwood has a few options as far as B skills go. Lull and Trace skills are noteworthy for their appreciable in-combat debuff to his opponent’s stats, with the choice between the two being down whether one prefers visible bonus negation or more aggressive options via a Canto effect. Mystic Boost is a more strictly defensive choice that does improve Eliwood’s tanking capacity quite a bit through constant post-combat healing and negation of Wrathful Staff effects. 
  • Any C skill that supports Eliwood’s tanking is more than welcome; this includes options that assist in maintaining higher Speed than his opponent like Joint Drive Spd and Spd Smoke, or something like Pulse Smoke that helps against certain archetypes that may otherwise be difficult to handle. Ultimately, this is pretty flexible. 
  • Lastly, he appreciates receiving any Sacred Seal that enhances his Speed even more — ideally, though, this should be a Solo skill since they provide excellent values and feature functionality in both Phases for extra wiggle room. Mystic Boost alternatively brings the benefits of healing and Wrathful Staff immunity as previously mentioned, and this latter may be particularly lucrative in Eliwood’s case since he can’t equip Null C-Disrupt to otherwise have a safety net against staff wielders.

Strengths

Ninis’s Ice Lance

Brave Eliwood’s exclusive Ninis’s Ice Lance received a massive power upgrade through its unique refinement option, greatly building upon his overall potential.

  • The addition of partial Null Follow-Up (i.e. negating any effects that would otherwise prevent him from attacking twice) and Speed-based damage reduction are particularly notable for the sheer consistency they provide to his performance. Slower opponents will face particular difficulty in both tanking and retaliating against the Marquess of Pharae, especially should he be equipped with further compatible skills like Windsweep or Fatal Smoke
  • Its refinement also improves upon the base weapon’s in-combat boosts to now grant an effective +10 increase across the board (on top of the innate Speed +3 it possesses); this helps Eliwood keep pace with modern additions like Brave Eirika and Ingrid from a statline viewpoint despite his age and make maximum use out of his weapon’s effects.
  • As another neat bonus, his refinement expanded the weapon’s original conditions; rather than being functional solely upon initiation, Ninis’s Ice Lance can now potentially reap benefits for Brave Eliwood in either phase as long as he has an ally within two spaces. This lends itself well to offensive builds as it ensures he isn’t completely dead in the water if left in enemy range, while also opening up otherwise inaccessible venues such as acting as a defensive tank.

This is all while retaining his signature dual dragon and beast effectiveness — which, while somewhat niche, does make him a particularly compelling counterpick when combined with his half Null Follow-Up access if certain enemies are a problem for your team. (Looking at you, Fallen Edelgard). Altogether, the new capabilities of Ninis’s Ice Lance cements Brave Eliwood’s position as a shining example of what it means to be a powerful offensive lance cavalier. 

Good Offensive Statline & Physical Bulk

Brave Eliwood’s innate Attack/Speed combination of 37/35 stands as an excellent starting point for dealing damage and performing follow-up attacks, synergizing well with the various offensive benefits provided by his Ice Lance. His physical bulk fortunately does not suffer from his statline’s investment into his offenses either; with 40 HP and 32 Defense, his durability against opposing physical threats is pretty respectable and gets even better when supplemented by his refined PRF’s damage reduction.

Cavalry Benefits

While Ninis’s Ice Lance does now boast dual-phase functionality as previously mentioned, Brave Eliwood’s Player Phase combat stands out especially thanks to his cavalry status; his three-tile movement helps him place pressure on the opposing team with incredible ease, and access to Canto via Near Trace skills does much to further build on his overall mobility.

It’s worth noting that Brave Eliwood also doesn’t really face the typical issues that ail other cavaliers when it comes to skill availability, as his weapon already packs the infantry-exclusive effects he would have wanted anyway.

Weaknesses

Unimpressive Resistance

For all his many gifts, Brave Eliwood is unfortunately quite lacking when it comes to his Resistance. His refined PRF’s +10 Resistance boost and conditional damage mitigation does do quite a bit to offset the impact of this, but it’s still worth being cautious of opponents who both deal magical damage and have high Speed. Such foes may partially or totally break through Ninis’s Ice Lance reduction then — and with only a meager base value of 18 to rely on, this will immediately spell trouble for the Marquess.

Weapon Skills

Weapons SP Rng. Mt.
Iron Lance
Learns by default at 1 ★
Unlocks at 1 ★
Lance Users Only
50 1 6
Steel Lance
Learns by default at 3 ★
Unlocks at 2 ★
Lance Users Only
100 1 8
Silver Lance
Learns by default at 4 ★
Unlocks at 3 ★
Lance Users Only
200 1 11
Ninis's Ice Lance

Effective against dragon and beast foes. Grants Spd+3. If unit initiates combat, grants Atk/Spd/Def/Res+4 during combat.

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

Support Skills

Support Skills Rng. SP
Rally Attack

Grants Atk+4 to an adjacent ally until the end of the turn.

Learns by default at 4 ★
1 150
Rally Atk/Def

Grants Atk/Def+3 to an adjacent ally until the end of the turn.

1 300
Rally Atk/Def+

Grants Atk/Def+6 to target ally for 1 turn.

1 400

Passive Skills

Passive Skills SP Slot
Death Blow 1

If unit initiates combat, grants Atk+2 during combat.

Non-inheritable by Staff-wielding units.
Unlocks at 2 ★
50
A
Swift Sparrow 1

If unit initiates combat, unit granted Atk/Spd+2 during battle.

Non-inheritable by Staff-wielding units.
Unlocks at 3 ★
120
A
Swift Sparrow 2

If unit initiates combat, unit granted Atk/Spd+4 during battle.

Non-inheritable by Staff-wielding units.
Unlocks at 4 ★
240
A
Swift Sparrow 3

If unit initiates combat, grants Atk+6, Spd+7 during Combat

Non-inheritable by Staff-wielding units.
Unlocks at 5 ★
300
A
Atk/Spd Ruse 1

If a Rally Assist skill is used by unit or targets unit, inflicts Atk/Spd-1 and【Guard】on foes in cardinal directions of unit and target through their next actions.

【Guard】
Inflicts Special cooldown charge -1 on target per attack during combat through its next action. (Only highest value applied. Does not stack.)

Excludes Armor, Flying and Staff Units
Unlocks at 3 ★
60
B
Atk/Spd Ruse 2

If a Rally Assist skill is used by unit or targets unit, inflicts Atk/Spd-3 and【Guard】on foes in cardinal directions of unit and target through their next actions.

【Guard】
Inflicts Special cooldown charge -1 on target per attack during combat through its next action. (Only highest value applied. Does not stack.)

Excludes Armor, Flying and Staff Units
Unlocks at 4 ★
120
B
Atk/Spd Ruse 3

If a Rally Assist skill is used by unit or targets unit, inflicts Atk/Spd-5 and【Guard】on foes in cardinal directions of unit and target through their next actions.

【Guard】
Inflicts Special cooldown charge -1 on target per attack during combat through its next action. (Only highest value applied. Does not stack.)

Excludes Armor, Flying and Staff Units
Unlocks at 5 ★
240
B
Spd Opening 1

At start of turn, grants Spd+2 to ally with the highest Spd for 1 turn. (Excludes unit.)

Inheritable by all units.
Unlocks at 1 ★
60
C
Spd Opening 2

At start of turn, grants Spd+4 to ally with the highest Spd for 1 turn. (Excludes unit.)

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

At start of turn, grants Spd+6 to ally with the highest Spd for 1 turn. (Excludes unit.)

Inheritable by all units.
Unlocks at 4 ★
240
C

Other Info

Origin
Fire Emblem: The Blazing Blade

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