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Analysis by Naz
Eliwood (LA) - Devoted Love

Hero Stats

Max Avg Total Stats at Lvl 40
175
HP 47
ATK 38
SPD 32
DEF 29
RES 29

Stat Variations

Level 1 Stat Variation
5★
4★
HP ATK SPD DEF RES
Low 22 9 7 6 6
Middle 23 10 8 7 7
High 24 11 9 8 8

Level 40 Stat Variations
5★
4★
HP ATK SPD DEF RES
Low 44 35 29 25 25
Middle 47 38 32 29 29
High 50 41 35 32 32

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

This unit requires use of Trait Fruits to get access to IVs

Skill Sets

Love and War (Mixed Phase)

Build by Naz
Recommended
Slaying Lance+ (+Def)
Alternate: Slaying Lance+ (+Res)
A Distant Counter
Alternate: Fierce Breath
Swap B Bold Fighter 3
Ignis
Alternate: Glacies
C Armor March 3
Alternate: Goad Armor
IVs

+ATK or +DEF or +RES

SQuickened Pulse

Show Explanation/Analysis
  • Weapon: Slaying Lance+ (+Def/Res)

  • Assist: Swap / Pivot

  • Special: Ignis or Glacies / Bonfire or Iceberg

  • Passive A: Distant CounterBreath Skills

  • Passive B: Bold Fighter

  • Passive C: Armor March / Panic Ploy / Goad Armor / Flexible

  • Sacred Seal: Quickened Pulse / Quick Riposte

This build aims to take advantage of Eliwood’s status as an armored unit in order to make him a powerful combatant during both Player and Enemy Phase. Slaying Lance pairs well with this playstyle, as its cooldown acceleration will allow Eliwood to activate powerful Specials more frequently as well as adding to his overall bulk. Thanks to his perfectly balanced defensive stats, Eliwood can choose whether he wants to invest into his physical or magical bulk, making both Defense and Resistance suitable refinement options for his weapon. With this, both Ignis and Glacies make for strong choices of Special thanks to their consistent damage and activation rate.

The focal point of this build is the choice between Distant Counter or a Breath skill. Distant Counter grants Eliwood massive coverage by allowing him to retaliate against ranged opponents while any choice of Breath skill make him much stronger in handling melee threats thanks to the increased Special cooldown charge as well as the stat boost that they proice. In this case, Bonfire/Iceberg become the Special of choice, as Eliwood will be able to activate them on every single counterattack.

Bold Fighter is essential in giving Eliwood a powerful Player Phase presence. Not only does it guarantee his follow-up attack on initiation, the Special cooldown acceleration it provides allows Eliwood to potentially activate Ignis/Glacies every single round of combat. Eliwood’s exceptional Attack coupled with the sheer power of Ignis/Glacies allows him to blast through just about any opponent he initiates on.

Since armored units are naturally restricted to one-movement, it can sometimes be difficult to get Eliwood into a position in which he can initiate on his opponent. It is highly recommended that he or a teammate run the skill Armor March so that he has the movement to effectively utilize the Player Phase potential of Bold Fighter. Thanks to his high HP, Panic Ploy also makes for a great choice of C skill by providing a massive advantage over teams that like to use Hone/Fortify buffs. Otherwise, the C slot can be replaced as needed to suit the team.

Finally, both the Quick Riposte and Quickened Pulse Sacred Seals are key in maximizing Eliwood’s Enemy Phase potential. Quick Riposte is a strong choice that guarantees Eliwood’s follow-up attack as well as his Special activation when initiated on at the cost of being more susceptible to follow-up attacks. Meanwhile, Quickened Pulse lowers the initial cooldown of Ignis/Glacies to 2. When combined with Steady/Warding Breath, Eliwood can activate these two Specials on his very first counterattack, allowing him to take out opponents in a single hit before they have the chance to double him. In particular, this can be the deciding factor in his matchups against Fallen Hardin and Ephraim.

Bleeding Heart (Defensive Tank)

Build by Naz
Slaying Lance+ (+Def)
Alternate: Berkut’s Lance+ (+Res)
A Distant Counter
Swap B Wrath 3
Glimmer C Panic Ploy 3
IVs

+ATK or +SPD or +DEF or +RES

SDistant Def 3

Show Explanation/Analysis
  • Weapon: Slaying Lance+ (+Def/Res) / Berkut’s Lance+ (+Res)

  • Assist: Swap / Pivot

  • Special: Glimmer / Ignis or Glacies

  • Passive A: Distant Counter

  • Passive B: Wrath / Vengeful Fighter

  • Passive C: Panic Ploy / Atk Smoke / Def Smoke / Goad Armor / Flexible

  • Sacred Seal: Distant Def / Close Def

This build focuses solely on Eliwood’s combat in the Enemy Phase, particularly against ranged units. In addition to Slaying Lance, one can choose to have Eliwood prioritize on tanking magical damage by running a Resistance-refined Berkut’s Lance instead. While this does come at the expense of a higher Special cooldown, it grants him a whopping +11 Resistance when initiated on.  

Thanks to the Special acceleration granted by Slaying Lance, Eliwood can bring the cooldown of Glimmer only 1. This allows him to activate his Special on his counterattack every single time, making it incredibly effective in combating ranged units. In practice, this allows Eliwood to kill tome users such as Nino, Rhajat, and Halloween Henry who may otherwise survive with a sliver of health and potentially take out Eliwood on their follow-up attack. Wrath makes for a fantastic choice of B skill with this playstyle. By gaining an additional +10 damage upon Special activation, Eliwood will be able to swing even more matchups in his favor.

Alternatively, one can choose to run Vengeful Fighter in order to more effectively combat melee opponents. Not only does Vengeful Fighter guarantee Eliwood’s follow-up attack in the Enemy Phase, it also has the additional benefit of Special cooldown acceleration, allowing him to potentially activate Ignis/Glacies every single round of combat.

Once again, Panic Ploy makes for a fantastic choice of C skills due to the massive advantage it provides against opponents that use Hone/Fortify buffs. Smoke kills such as Atk Smoke and Def Smoke are also great choices. Atk Smoke makes Eliwood a better overall tank by reducing the damage of opponents around him after combat while Def Smoke boosts own damage against the affected targets. A good team-synergistic option is Goad Armor, as it allows Eliwood to be a benefactor on an armor-centric team.

Last but not least, both the Close Def and Distant Def Sacred Seals complement this Enemy Phase-oriented playstyle perfectly by reducing damage taken from physical and ranged opponents respectively when initiated on.

Last Minute Present (Brave Lance Budget)

Build by Naz
Brave Lance+ A Death Blow 3
Swap B Lancebreaker 3
Draconic Aura C Goad Armor
IVs

+ATK

SAttack +3

Show Explanation/Analysis
  • Weapon: Brave Lance+

  • Assist: Swap / Pivot

  • Special: Draconic Aura / Luna

  • Passive A: Death Blow / Fire Boost

  • Passive B: Lancebreaker

  • Passive C: Goad Armor / Flexible

  • Sacred Seal: Attack +3 / Armored Boots

For those that aren’t looking to heavily invest, this cheap skill-set aims to make Eliwood a formidable Player Phase unit.

Brave Lance combined with Death Blow or Eliwood’s native Fire Boost grants him a significant boost to the power behind his initiation and allows him to ORKO his opponent much more reliably. For his Special, Draconic Aura makes for a very effective option, as it scales off of Eliwood’s high Attack stat. Luna also makes for a great choice of Special, particularly against bulkier enemies. Since the aforementioned Specials have a cooldown of 3, they synergize extremely well with Brave Lance and will almost always be ready to activate on his second initiation. For his B skill, Lancebreaker grants Eliwood longevity against lance units in both Player and Enemy Phase as well as allowing him to bust through particularly bulky users such as Fallen Hardin and Gwendolyn who Eliwood may have trouble taking out in a single round of combat otherwise.

The C skill can be anything that suits Eliwood’s team, though Armor Buffs such as Goad Armor is preferred if Eliwood is being run on a team alongside other armored units. Moving on to Sacred Seals, Attack +3 is a good choice in order to maximize Eliwood’s damage output with the Brave Lance. Armored Boots also makes for a solid option, as a Brave Lance set requires him to initiate on his opponent which can be tricky due to the low movement of armored units.

Introduction

Despite being an event unit, Eliwood’s seasonal iteration hits it out of the park in terms of strength. In addition to his well-rounded statline, Eliwood’s status as an armored unit grants him access to powerful skills such as Bold Fighter and Vengeful Fighter along with armor-exclusive buffs.

Being currently tied for the highest BST in the game, Eliwood’s loaded statline leans heavily towards Attack and HP. This allows him to deal massive damage with his raw Attack alone as well as making him a fantastic user of HP-reliant skills such as Panic Ploy. Furthermore, his Speed is nothing to scoff at either. At a base value of 32, Eliwood can avoid most follow-up attacks from mid-high tier Speed opponents, greatly reducing the amount of damage he takes. While both his physical and magical bulk is relatively high at 76 thanks to his perfectly balanced defensive stats, most of this bulk comes from his HP. This makes Eliwood less effective in tanking for multiple rounds of combat. Eliwood also suffers from low movement due to his class-type, though this can be remedied through Armor March support.

Overall, Eliwood is an exceptional unit and a strong contender for the blue spot on any armored team thanks to his ability to excel in both Player and Enemy Phase.

Strengths

Excellent Attack

At a base value of 38, Eliwood hits hard with his raw Attack alone. This consistently grants him high damage output in both Player and Enemy Phase.

Solid Speed

Though it may seem rather middling, Eliwood’s base Speed of 32 is a huge benefit to his Enemy Phase by allowing him to avoid most follow-up attacks through a bit of support such as Goad Armor.

High HP

With a refined weapon, Eliwood’s HP hits a total of 53. This allows him to effectively utilize skills such as Panic Ploy in order to better support his team and perform as a standalone unit.

Armored Unit

Being an armored unit comes with several benefits. These include having a much higher BST compared to other class types, access to class-exclusive skills such as Bold Fighter and Vengeful Fighter, and the ability to receive powerful buffs from armored teammates such as Hone Armor and Ward Armor.

Weaknesses

Vulnerable to effective damage

As an armored unit, Eliwood will receive 1.5x damage from armor-effective weapons. Hammer is especially problematic, as it will likely tear through him in only a single hit due to his Weapon Triangle disadvantage.

Poor Mobility

Eliwood’s class type limits his movement to only one tile. This makes him reliant on Assist Skills such as Pivot or team support through the use of Armor March to be able to quickly move across the map.

Lack of IVs and Limited Merges

Eliwood’s potential is severely limited due to his lack of access to IVs and a limited amount of merges. Not only does this hurt his combat potential by not allowing him to capitalize on his strengths through a boon, it also puts him at a major disadvantage in Arena and Arena Assault.

Weapon Skills

Weapons SP Rng. Mt.
Steel Lance
Lance Users Only
100 1 8
Casa Blanca

If foe uses bow, dagger, magic, or staff, neutralizes foe's bonuses (from skills like Fortify, Rally, etc.) during combat.

Learns by default at 4 ★
Lance Users Only
200 1 10
Casa Blanca+

If foe uses bow, dagger, magic, or staff, neutralizes foe's bonuses (from skills like Fortify, Rally, etc.) during combat.

Learns by default at 5 ★
Unlocks at 5 ★
Lance Users Only
300 1 14
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.

1 150
Rally Atk/Def

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

1 300

Passive Skills

Passive Skills SP Slot
Fire Boost 1

If unit has at least 3 more HP than enemy at the start of combat, unit receives Atk+2 during combat.

Inheritable by all units.
50
A
Fire Boost 2

If unit has at least 3 more HP than enemy at the start of combat, unit receives Atk+4 during combat.

Inheritable by all units.
Unlocks at 4 ★
100
A
Fire Boost 3

If unit has at least 3 more HP than enemy at the start of combat, unit receives Atk+6 during combat.

Inheritable by all units.
Unlocks at 5 ★
200
A
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.
100
C
Goad Armor

Grants armored allies within 2 spaces Spd/Atk+4 during combat.

  • Requires Spur Atk 2 or Spur Spd 2.
Only inheritable by armor units.
Unlocks at 4 ★
200
C

Other Info

Origin
Fire Emblem: The Blazing Blade

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