Brave Hector

Weapon: Maltet (+Eff)

Assist: Swap

Special: Bonfire / Pavise / Aether 

Passive A: Ostian Counter / Close Def 4 / Sturdy Stance 3

Passive B: Special Fighter / Hardy Fighter / Special Spiral / Crafty Fighter / Wily Fighter

Passive C: A/D Near Save / A/R Near Save / D/R Near Save

Sacred Seal: Mystic Boost / Close Def / Sturdy Stance / Steady Breath / Atk/Def Form

• This build utilizes the defensive strengths of Maltet and your chosen Near Save skill (it doesn't really matter which, as long as you have any to offer) to sub in for nearby allies in melee combat. Due to the many skills and variations of this that exist, though, several cohesive builds and short summaries of each are as follows:
  1. Bonfire + [Special Fighter OR Special Spiral] + Mystic Boost: The classic offensive Special Fighter build, ensuring that Hector retaliates with a fully-charged Bonfire every time an enemy initiates into him. Mystic Boost here is used as a form of sustain to heal slightly after combat, helping Hector maintain the working HP requirements of Special Fighter and Maltet. Special Spiral can be run over Special Fighter if you're unable to access Fighter for any reason, or prefer the reliability of Spiral's post-combat Special charging in addition to not needing Hector's HP to be maintained. Either way, a short-charged Bonfire comboed with Maltet's guaranteed Follow-up also makes this build a certified Fallen Edelgard (and similar armors for that matter) popper. 
  2. Pavise + Hardy Fighter + Steady Breath: A trending new favorite among Hector users, the combination of Hardy Fighter and Pavise allows Hector to drastically reduce the power of incoming melee hits by 75% in addition to taking off another five damage. Hardy Fighter also prevents Hector from being overwhelmed by guaranteed follow-up effects, an increasingly common and dangerous tool on some enemy units. An overall fair trade of survivability over burst.
  3. Aether + Special Spiral + Steady Breath: Provides both sustain and burst damage in one package. Steady Breath and Special Spiral enable Aether to fire off every counterattack after its first activation. Because Aether is 4 CD after Maltet's CD -1, though, it requires a little setup (one enemy and one player action, in optimal conditions) to get fully charged on its first trigger.
  4. Bonfire/Aether + [Crafty OR Wily Fighter] + Steady Breath: Though redundant with Maltet's guaranteed follow-up effect, having Crafty Fighter equipped means that Hector can overcome follow-up prevention effects such as Impact skills. Not a recommended choice outside avoiding this matchup as it compromises an effect slot.
• Hector's chosen A-slot skill comes down to preference and slight optimization tweaks across all listed builds. Be mindful about possible redundant skill effects.
  • You can still run Hector's default Ostian Counter as a catch-all option, making him more independent from having a Far Save companion while still having some neat additional Atk/Def.
  • Close Def provides one of the highest defensive boosts possible for melee-only combat, which this build is precisely catered to. Notably, its Res boost makes Hector more impervious versus Dragonstone enemies. It also provides enemy bonus negation, a neat effect that is otherwise never present on Hector unless he runs Wily Fighter.
  • Sturdy Stance 3 provides heightened boosts in Atk and Def while more importantly providing Special denial (enemy Special cooldown +1), helping Hector avoid close calls from high-damage Special triggers. 
• Note that all skills listed that provide Special cooldown acceleration (i.e. Steady Breath, Special Fighter, etc.) can be substituted by running this effect outsourced, such as Thórr's Worldbreaker or Brave Lucina's Geirskögul. With the now-free skill slot, you can run other skills and Seals in their place, such as an additional Close Def.

Weapon: Maltet (+Eff)

Assist: Swap

Special: Aegis / Bonfire / Aether

Passive A: Ostian Counter / Distant Def 4 / Mirror Stance 3 / Bracing Stance 3 / Distant Stance 

Passive B: Hardy Fighter / Special Fighter / Special Spiral

Passive C: A/R Far Save / D/R Far Save / A/D Far Save

Sacred Seal: Deflect Magic / Mystic Boost / Distant Def / Atk/Res Form 

• This build utilizes the defensive strengths of Maltet and your chosen Far Save skill (Res-based ones are preferred, but any will do) to sub in for nearby allies in distant combat. Due to the many skills and variations of this that exist, though, several cohesive builds and short summaries of each are as follows:
  1. Aegis + Hardy Fighter + [Deflect Magic OR additional stat seal]: Due to Hector's rather shaky magical bulk at times, especially in high-scoring environments in Aether Raids and Summoner Duels, Hardy Fighter + Aegis is often considered the most reliable build. Specifically, it prioritizes survivability through 75% ranged damage reduction and continued Aegis triggers. While additional stats through a Sacred Seal will do in most circumstances, Deflect Magic provides even more insurance against the increasing amount of brave tome users — Ninja Corrin and Winter Lysithea being enemies number one here.
     • Thie build is distinct from other builds in that it does not require a Distant Counter-type A-slot; Hector can simply opt to absorb all combat with little fear of being taken down thanks to additional stat skills and the damage reduction of Aegis and/or Deflect Magic. 
     • In the mentioned case, you should consider running Distant Def 4 or any Res-based Stance in the A-slot to maximize Hector's raw tanking capabilities as far as possible.
  2. Distant Countering A-Slot Skill + Bonfire + [Special Fighter OR Special Spiral] + Mystic Boost: The Classic Hector Build strikes once again with upmost simplicity: bait an attack, strike back with a ready-charged and powerful Bonfire, and heal a bit back afterwards. Due to emphasis on retaliation and damage, distant countering A-slots are required here.
  3. Distant Countering A-Slot Skill + Aether + Special Spiral + Steady Breath:  Provides both sustain and burst damage in one package. Steady Breath and Special Spiral enable Aether to fire off every counterattack after its first activation. Because Aether is 4 CD after Maltet's CD -1, though, it requires a little setup (one enemy and one player action, in optimal conditions) to get fully charged on its first trigger. Due to emphasis on retaliation and damage, distant countering A-slots are required here.
• All builds that plan on retaliating against ranged foes have a choice between Hector's default Ostian Counter or Distant Stance. In most cases, Ostian Counter's Atk/Def +4 will do in most scenarios and is literally given free, though Distant Stance's fairly beefy Res +5 helps to maximize Hector's magical tanking instead.
• If the Sacred Seal slot is free, Hector should absolutely aim to fortify his damage and bulk with stat seals such as Atk/Res Form, Distant Def, and so forth.