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Analysis by Lunare
Edelgard - The Future

5

Obtainable as a 5 only

Hero Stats

Max Avg Total Stats at Lvl 40
168
HP 41
ATK 39
SPD 30
DEF 37
RES 21

Stat Variations

Level 1 Stat Variation
5★
HP ATK SPD DEF RES
Low 16 8 7 8 5
Middle 17 9 8 9 6
High 18 10 9 10 7

Level 40 Stat Variations
5★
HP ATK SPD DEF RES
Low 38 36 26 34 18
Middle 41 39 30 37 21
High 44 43 33 40 24

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

Assets

  • +ATK: Edelgard’s most important Asset is Attack, without a doubt. With the Victorious Axe in hand, Edelgard can negate her middling Speed stat to deliver powerful follow-up attacks. In addition, +ATK grants Edelgard her only possible 4-point Asset, making it the clear winner. 

Neutral

  • SPD: Edelgard’s Speed has value in preventing enemy follow-up attacks, but that’s where its usefulness ends. Nevertheless, this stat is best left neutral whenever possible, as Edelgard’s 4-point Flaw will damage her survivability.

  • DEF: Defense is a valuable stat for Edelgard, as it improves her durability versus physical attackers and offers more damage from Bonfire or Ignis Specials. Though this is likely her second best Asset, +ATK remains the superior choice.

  • RES: Edelgard suffers from pretty poor Resistance, with a neutral base value of 21. Though this can be a passable Flaw, Edelgard still values this stat to improve her combat ability against dragons.

Flaws

  • -HP: HP is the ideal Flaw for Edelgard, as she can make up for this deficit through other means. The decrease to her HP will also have less of an impact on her combat ability than a drop to her Defense or Resistance.

Skill Sets

Black Wings (Galeforce Offensive)

Build by
Recommended
Victorious Axe A Atk/Def Solo 3
Smite B Null Follow-Up 3
Alternate: Desperation 3
Galeforce C Rouse Atk/Def 3
Alternate: Atk Smoke 3
IVsSHeavy Blade 3
Alternate: Brazen Atk/Def 3

Show Explanation/Analysis

Preferred IV: +ATK / -HP

  • +ATK is Edelgard’s ideal Asset, and remains the best choice for this build. The bonus Attack will widen the range of enemies that Edelgard can KO and improves the effectiveness of Heavy Blade, though Defense can be a passable alternative. -HP is Edelgard’s preferred Flaw.

Weapon: Victorious Axe

  • The Victorious Axe is crucial to this set: this axe allows Edelgard to make follow-up attacks with ease once she engages a group of enemies, synergising exceptionally well with refresher heroes and Galeforce. The Victorious Axe makes it more difficult to buff Edelgard, but this axe molds her into a fearsome offensive powerhouse.

Assist: Smite / Flexible

  • Smite is a cheap Assist skill that can be used to keep allies away from Edelgard to ensure she benefits from Victorious Axe. However, other alternative skills may be more appealing so this should be determined by what may benefit Edelgard’s teammates.

Special: Galeforce

  • With the Victorious Axe and with the Heavy Blade Sacred Seal, Edelgard is a fantastic user of Galeforce. This Special complements Edelgard’s playstyle perfectly, as it allows her to charge a group of enemies and secure multiple KOs.

Passive A: Atk/Def Solo / Sturdy Impact

  • Atk/Def Solo offers an easy to acquire bonus to Edelgard’s Attack and Defense, greatly improving her combat results against other physical heroes. Atk/Def Solo grants Edelgard combat bonuses in both Player Phase and Enemy Phase, making it a versatile skill if Edelgard finds herself defending against enemy attackers.
  • Sturdy Impact offers a great boost to Attack and Defense when initiating combat and protects Edelgard from enemy follow-up attacks. This improves her combat ability against fast opponents who would otherwise deal two attacks against her.

Passive B: Null Follow-up / Chill Def / Desperation / Wings of Mercy / Hit and Run

  • Null Follow-up ensures that Edelgard can make her follow-up attack granted by the Victorious Axe, allowing her to overcome heroes that would otherwise counter this strategy. Without this skill, Edelgard may struggle to operate effectively if any enemy heroes can deny her follow-up.
  • Chill Def is another choice to improve Edelgard’s damage output, compared to her other possible B slot skills that offer utility. Though the target of Chill Def cannot be specified, Galeforce improves the odds that Edelgard can engage the chilled enemy.
  • Desperation is a budget skill that can improve Edelgard’s survivability and allow her to combat dragon heroes more capably. This skill is a great choice for PvE gamemodes such as Tempest Trials, but can be passable in more competitive modes as well.
  • Wings of Mercy is a strong choice to improve Edelgard’s mobility, especially in Aether Raids on a Defense team, though it may conflict with Victorious Axe if there are few enemies around Edelgard’s destination.
  • Hit and Run, as well as Drag Back, can be other budget skills that perform well in Aether Raids to improve Edelgard’s mobility without risking any conflict with the Victorious Axe.

Passive C: Atk/Def Rouse / Atk Smoke

  • Atk/Def Rouse offers a powerful boost to Edelgard’s key stats, and the solo requirement should be easy for her to achieve after the first turn. Atk/Def Rouse is also accessible in her base kit.
  • Atk Smoke can improve Edelgard’s survivability by debuffing enemy heroes nearby her foe, and offers an alternative that cannot be countered by Panic effects.

Sacred Seal: Heavy Blade / Brazen Atk/Def

  • Heavy Blade capitalizes on Edelgard’s immense Attack stat to charge Galeforce more quickly. This seal is essential to ensure that Edelgard can charge Galeforce within a single engagement.
  • If repeated Galeforce triggers are not a priority and Edelgard’s teammates can charge her initial Special charge, Brazen Atk/Def is Edelgard’s best alternative.

Eagle's Talons (Offensive Player Phase)

Build by
Victorious Axe A Atk/Def Solo 3
Smite B Special Spiral 3
Alternate: Desperation 3
Ignis
Alternate: Bonfire
C Rouse Atk/Def 3
Alternate: Atk Smoke 3
IVsSBrazen Atk/Def 3
Alternate: Heavy Blade 3

Show Explanation/Analysis

Preferred IV: +ATK / -HP

  • +ATK is Edelgard’s ideal Asset, and remains the best choice for this build. Conversely, -HP is Edelgard’s preferred Flaw.

Weapon: Victorious Axe

  • The Victorious Axe circumvents Edelgard’s mediocre Speed stat, allowing her to deal follow-up attacks against heroes with superior Speed. This greatly improves Edelgard’s offensive power.

Assist: Smite / Flexible

  • Smite is a cheap Assist skill that can be used to keep allies away from Edelgard to ensure she benefits from Victorious Axe. However, other alternative skills may be more appealing so this should be determined by what may benefit Edelgard’s teammates.

Special: Ignis / Bonfire / Moonbow

  • Ignis is an incredibly powerful Special in Edelgard’s hands, capable of dealing well over 35 damage after accounting for Edelgard’s bonus Defense. Though the charge time is longer than other damage Specials, the bonus damage ensures that Edelgard can defeat even the strongest heroes that may otherwise pose a problem.
  • Bonfire is an alternative to Ignis that offers less damage in exchange for a shorter cooldown. Bonfire may offer more mileage against less bulky heroes.
  • Moonbow offers the least damage of these Specials, but will be fully charged after Special Spiral. This may be an appealing choice if Edelgard can KO a weak opponent and target another foe with a charged Special after being refreshed by an ally.

Passive A: Atk/Def Solo / Sturdy Impact

  • Atk/Def Solo offers an easy to acquire bonus to Edelgard’s Attack and Defense, greatly improving her combat results against other physical heroes. Atk/Def Solo grants Edelgard combat bonuses in both Player Phase and Enemy Phase, making it a versatile skill if Edelgard finds herself defending against enemy attackers.
  • Sturdy Impact offers a great boost to Attack and Defense when initiating combat and protects Edelgard from enemy follow-up attacks. This improves her combat ability against fast opponents who would otherwise deal two attacks against her. In addition, the bonus Defense will improve the damage output of Edelgard’s Specials if she opts for Ignis or Bonfire.

Passive B: Special Spiral / Null C-Disrupt / Null Follow-up / Desperation

  • Special Spiral allows Edelgard to charge her Special after every engagement, allowing her to use powerful Specials more often. Special Spiral vastly improves the effectiveness of skills like Ignis.
  • Null C-Disrupt ensures that Edelgard can retaliate against heroes who would otherwise disable her attack, including heroes with Firesweep weapons or Windsweep.
  • Null Follow-up ensures that enemy heroes cannot prevent Edelgard’s follow-up granted by Victorious Axe. Without this skill, Edelgard may struggle to operate effectively if any enemy heroes can deny her follow-up.
  • If none of the other options are available, Desperation makes a fine choice to ensure that Edelgard can attack safely. This is especially significant against dragon heroes who pose a great threat to Edelgard.

Passive C: Atk/Def Rouse / Atk Smoke

  • Atk/Def Rouse offers a powerful boost to Edelgard’s key stats, and the solo requirement should be easy for her to achieve after the first turn. Atk/Def Rouse is also accessible in her base kit.
  • Atk Smoke can improve Edelgard’s survivability by debuffing enemy heroes nearby her foe, and offers an alternative that cannot be countered by Panic effects.

Sacred Seal: Brazen Atk/Def / Heavy Blade

  • Brazen Atk/Def offers a massive boost to Edelgard’s Attack and Defense, greatly improving her attack power and the damage output of her Special skills. 
  • Heavy Blade is also a powerful option, but offers little advantage if Edelgard is running Special Spiral. If she opts for one of the other skills, Heavy Blade is a fantastic choice.

Adrestian Bulwark (Enemy Phase)

Build by
Victorious Axe A Distant Counter
Smite B Null C-Disrupt 3
Alternate: Vantage 3
Aether
Alternate: Noontime
C Pulse Smoke 3
Alternate: Atk Smoke 3
IVsSDistant Def 3
Alternate: Close Def 3

Show Explanation/Analysis

Preferred IV: +ATK, +DEF or +RES / -HP

  • +ATK is Edelgard’s ideal Asset, and remains the best choice for this build. With that said, +DEF or +RES can be fair replacements to maximise her defensive stats.

Weapon: Victorious Axe

  • The Victorious Axe circumvents Edelgard’s mediocre Speed stat, allowing her to deal follow-up attacks against heroes with superior Speed. Though the positioning requirement lends this effect to Player Phase moreso than Enemy Phase, Edelgard can still receive all of its benefits when defending.

Assist: Smite / Flexible

  • Smite is a cheap Assist skill that can be used to keep allies away from Edelgard to ensure she benefits from Victorious Axe. However, other alternative skills may be more appealing so this should be determined by what may benefit Edelgard’s teammates.

Special: Aether / Noontime

  • Aether offers both bonus damage and healing to ensure that increase Edelgard’s longevity over multiple engagements. Though this skill has a long cooldown, this is somewhat mitigated by the -1 from Victorious Axe.
  • Alternatively, Noontime offers a lesser amount of healing in exchange for a vastly reduced cooldown: after accounting for the -1 from Victorious Axe, Noontime has a cooldown of 1 compared to Aether’s 4. This skill is a great pickup if Edelgard wants to prioritize healing.

Passive A: Distant Counter

  • Distant Counter ensures that Edelgard can retaliate against ranged opponents. Though her poor Resistance will still leave her vulnerable to mages, Distant Counter allows Edelgard to defeat enemy archers while defending.

Passive B: Null C-Disrupt / Vantage

  • Null C-Disrupt ensures that Edelgard can retaliate against heroes who would otherwise disable her attack, including heroes with Firesweep weapons or Windsweep. This is more significant with Distant Counter, as archers who frequently wield Firesweep Bow lose their biggest advantage.
  • If Null C-Disrupt is unavailable, Vantage is a fair alternative to counter mages equipped with Area of Effect Specials such as Ophelia. With this skill, Edelgard can deal additional damage against enemy attackers and potentially secure KOs against weaker opponents.

Passive C: Pulse Smoke / Atk Smoke / Atk/Def Rouse

  • Pulse Smoke weakens the Special charge of enemy heroes nearby Edelgard’s target, improving her survivability on Enemy Phase when defending against afflicted heroes.
  • Alternatively, Atk Smoke covers a similar function to Pulse Smoke by improving Edelgard’s survivability on Enemy Phase, and offers an alternative to Atk/Def Rouse that cannot be countered by Panic effects.
  • As Edelgard will likely be away from her allies to trigger the Victorious Axe, Atk/Def Rouse is another viable skill. The bonus Attack and Defense greatly improve her physical combat prowess.

Sacred Seal: Distant Def / Close Defense / Atk Smoke

  • Distant Def improves Edelgard’s bulk against ranged attackers, particularly mages who could threaten a KO. Combined with Noontime, Distant Def can create more windows for Edelgard to heal with Noontime and make her a more durable defender. 
  • Alternatively, Close Defense is another good choice that improves her bulk against melee attackers instead. Though Edelgard’s Defense keeps her pretty safe against the majority of melee opponents, this skill can be helpful in improving Edelgard’s dragon matchup.
  • If Atk Smoke isn’t taken in the C slot, this is another opportunity to equip this skill. Combined with Pulse Smoke or Atk/Def Rouse in the C slot, these skills can cripple enemy heroes and vastly improve Edelgard’s survivability.

Introduction

Edelgard is a powerful axe infantry hero with an aggressive playstyle where she excels in the heat of battle away from other allied heroes. Her key skill is her unique weapon, the Victorious Axe, which improves her Special charge and allows Edelgard to deal follow-up attacks more reliably than with her middling Speed. This is dependent on Edelgard’s positioning however: the number of nearby enemies must exceed the number of allies, meaning that Edelgard can take great advantage from additional actions granted by Galeforce or refresher heroes to distance herself from teammates.

Edelgard’s base stats suit this role nicely: with an overwhelming Attack stat and respectable Defense and HP, Edelgard is a durable frontline fighter who can deliver powerful attacks in addition to resisting enemy attacks. Her Speed leaves her somewhat vulnerable to enemy follow-up attacks, but her greatest weakness is her poor Resistance. Edelgard must avoid heroes who can deal magical damage, as these opponents pose the largest threat.

Overall, Edelgard is a formidable fighter. Though she depends on keeping her distance from other allied fighters, her sheer offensive power, impressive Defense and access to powerful skills sculpts Edelgard into a powerful physical hero.

“We have no choice but to eliminate those who cling to unreasonable ideas of justice.”

Edelgard, Fire Emblem: Three Houses

Strengths

Fantastic Attack and Defense

Edelgard’s playstyle revolves around two key stats: Attack and Defense. Fortunately she boasts impressive base 39 Attack and 37 Defense, allowing Edelgard to perform admirably as a frontline bruiser. With complementary skills to further improve these stats, Edelgard can deal immense damage with her fantastic Attack stat and powerful Defense-based Specials, while shrugging off physical attacks. 

Victorious Axe

The Victorious Axe allows Edelgard to make follow-up attacks without relying on her middling base Speed. This effect depends on Edelgard’s position in relation to her allies and enemy heroes and ensuring that Edelgard meets this requirement is a must.

Weaknesses

Awful Resistance

Edelgard’s major weakness is her poor base Resistance of 21. As Edelgard is unlikely to improve this value with her skills, Edelgard should be wary of picking fights against dragon heroes, and ensure she remains out of the attack range of enemy mages.

Difficult to Support

As the Victorious Axe demands Edelgard stay away from her allies, she can be a difficult hero to buff with any skills that require adjacency. Though Edelgard can excel with refresher support, skills like Hone, Fortify or Wave will not aid her, and may impede her combat ability and skills like Atk/Def Rouse.

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
Silver Axe
Learns by default at 4 ★
Unlocks at 3 ★
Inheritable by Axe users only.
200 1 11
Victorious Axe

Accelerates Special trigger (cooldown count-1). If the number of foes within 2 spaces (excluding target) ≥ the number of allies within 2 spaces (excluding unit), unit makes a guaranteed follow-up attack.

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/Def Solo 1

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

Inheritable by all units.
Unlocks at 3 ★
60
A
Atk/Def Solo 2

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

Inheritable by all units.
Unlocks at 4 ★
120
A
Atk/Def Solo 3

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

Inheritable by all units.
Unlocks at 5 ★
240
A
Dull Close 1

At start of combat, if unit's HP = 100% and foe uses sword, lance, axe, dragonstone, or beast damage, neutralizes foe's bonuses (from skills like Fortify, Rally, etc.) during combat.

Inheritable by all units.
Unlocks at 1 ★
60
B
Dull Close 2

At start of combat, if unit's HP ≥ 50% and foe uses sword, lance, axe, dragonstone, or beast damage, neutralizes foe's bonuses (from skills like Fortify, Rally, etc.) during combat.

Inheritable by all units.
Unlocks at 2 ★
120
B
Dull Close 3

If foe uses sword, lance, axe, dragonstone, or beast damage, neutralizes foe's bonuses (from skills like Fortify, Rally, etc.) during combat.

Inheritable by all units.
Unlocks at 4 ★
240
B
Rouse Atk/Def 1

At start of turn, if unit is not adjacent to an ally, grants Atk/Def+2 to unit for 1 turn.

Excludes Armor and Flying units.
Unlocks at 3 ★
60
C
Rouse Atk/Def 2

At start of turn, if unit is not adjacent to an ally, grants Atk/Def+4 to unit for 1 turn.

Excludes Armor and Flying units.
Unlocks at 4 ★
120
C
Rouse Atk/Def 3

At start of turn, if unit is not adjacent to an ally, grants Atk/Def+6 to unit for 1 turn.

Excludes Armor and Flying units.
Unlocks at 5 ★
240
C

Other Info

Origin
Fire Emblem: Three Houses

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