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Fallen Ninian

Analysis by lordhelpme
Fallen Ninian - Frozen Heart

5

Obtainable as a 5 only

Hero Stats

Max Avg Total Stats at Lvl 40
171
HP 45
ATK 27
SPD 40
DEF 23
RES 36

Stat Variations

Level 1 Stat Variation
5★
HP ATK SPD DEF RES
Low 18 2 9 5 7
Middle 19 3 10 6 8
High 20 4 11 7 9

Level 40 Stat Variations
5★
HP ATK SPD DEF RES
Low 42 24 37 20 33
Middle 45 27 40 23 36
High 48 30 44 26 39

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

a piece of blue glass moon (Support / HP Investment)

Build by lordhelpme
Recommended
Enveloping Breath A B Duel Infantry 4
Alternate: Bracing Stance 3
Call to Flame B Even Pulse Tie 3
Iceberg
Alternate: Escutcheon
C Infantry Pulse 3
Alternate: Cross Spur Atk
IVs

+HP / -ATK or -DEF

SDrive Atk 2
Alternate: Panic Ploy 3

Show Explanation/Analysis

Weapon: Enveloping Breath

Assist: Call to Flame

Special: Iceberg / Defensive Specials / Moonbow / Luna 

Passive A: B Duel Infantry / Stance Skills

Passive B: Even Pulse Tie / Odd Pulse Tie / Sudden Panic / Wings of Mercy

Passive C: Infantry Pulse / Cross Spur Atk / Distant Guard / Drive Skills / Spur Skills / Tactic Skills / Flexible

Sacred Seal: Drive Skills / Panic Ploy / Distant Guard / Spur Skills / Tactic Skills / Flexible

  • Fallen Ninian’s access to Call to Flame and Enveloping Breath make her naturally well-tuned for a supportive role, assisting allies through on-command refreshes and offensive enhancements while simultaneously debilitating allies — all through with a single action. This build seeks to develop these inherent strengths further by combining them with potent HP-based support tools, thus making it vital to stack HP as much as possible to ensure reliable triggers. In the context of Aether Raids Defense, this HP investment also helps Ninian avoid Bridal Fjorm’s Isolation debuff.
  • A +HP IV naturally becomes the prime choice here, and it’s very much recommended to leave Fallen Ninian’s default B Duel Infantry 4 equipped for such purposes as well — even outside of Colosseum modes, its overall stat enhancement outstrips that of any other possible option she has. Any further investment into Ninian’s HP, however, is largely up to personal preference, though it’s likely unnecessary when you incorporate Blessings into the mix considering her base 45 HP.
    • As a bit of a side note, anyone seeking to use Fallen Ninian in Aether Raids Defense may benefit more from considering a fourth-tier Stance skill instead to deter Galeforce strategies, as their default Guard effect helps throw off their ability to fulfill the stringent cooldown reduction requirements — and with the assistance of Mythic Blessings, the loss of B Duel Infantry can be largely offset.
  • For her B skill, Fallen Ninian has quite a few different candidates to choose from, and each of them has its own niche / usage depending on the context as follows:
    • Even Pulse Tie and Odd Pulse Tie are extremely useful for their ability to disable the effects of pre-charged Specials (provided she meets their HP requirement), as they can otherwise be rather difficult enemy mechanics to work around; the growing popularity of Hardy Fighter builds makes this effect quite coveted in most facets, not just AR-O.
      • Even Pulse Tie is generally ideal despite its activation lag relative to Odd Pulse Tie, though it’s specifically because of this delay that Even Pulse Tie is preferred as skills that pre-charge enemy Specials usually trigger on the first Enemy Phase. 
      • Since this comes after your first turn when Odd Pulse Tie comes into play, this means having to wait another turn before actual benefits are reaped. With that said, this distinction only really matters in AR-O applications given the turn limit restrictions — otherwise, it’s not much of a  hassle to simply wait until Turn 3 comes rolling around.
    • Sudden Panic is another HP-based skill that becomes particularly appreciated in modes where enemies commonly run visible buffs, most commonly Arena. However, its utility is somewhat limited compared to the overall utility of either Pulse Tie, and Fallen Ninian does always have the option of simply using the Panic Ploy Sacred Seal if this effect is truly desired.
    • Lastly, Wings of Mercy is a common staple on refreshers for the incredible amount of additional flexibility in positioning it allots, and Fallen Ninian is no exception to these benefits. 
      • Although this is usually a sidegrade to her other B skill options, Wings of Mercy becomes of much greater importance for Galeforce AR-O strategies. This lets her keep pace with the advancing low HP beacon(s) and exploit Call to Flame’s Breath effect to help allies potentially bypass the need for Heavy or Flashing Blade.
  • Both her C and Sacred Seal slots are flexible and open to anything that further synergizes with her team composition. Those that, once again, scale off her high HP pool for a refresher (i.e. Infantry Pulse and Panic Ploy) are especially standout, though any choice of Drive, Tactic, or even Spur may work well if such effects aren’t needed.

Strengths

Call to Flame

Dance and Sing are exceptionally powerful tools at base as the flexibility of gaining an additional action can prove indispensable for a given strategy's success. Fallen Ninian, however, takes it one step further in her exclusive Call to Flame, combining this innate refreshing quality with a bonus +6 Atk and, more importantly, an immediate Breath effect that persists for the remaining Player Phase and subsequent Enemy Phase. 

The benefits of such accelerated cooldown support cannot be understated in terms of her team's build flexibility (as allies who may have once required the strict usage of Heavy Blade or Flashing Blade can opt for other powerful abilities while also no longer needing to worry about passing stat checks) and overall usefulness, as this effect can reap great immense benefits for both offensive and defensive strategies alike. This alone elevates Fallen Ninian's supportive value greatly across all competitive modes, though the fact that Call to Flame also gives a bonus +1 movement to dragon allies brings particular attention to her AR-D utility as she becomes synergistic with the surprising number of breath-wielding Defense Mythics available (most notably, Seiros).

Enveloping Breath

The secondary component to the Frozen Heart's support capacity, Enveloping Breath complements the innate buffing abilities of Call to Flame by applying a simultaneous -7 Atk/Res and Guard debuff on all foes in the cardinal direction of both Ninian and her refreshed ally — akin to Triandra's Frightful Dream, but in weapon format. 

  • Through careful positioning, this allows or complete control of Special activations for the course of the turn as Fallen Ninian can hasten that of her allies while entirely preventing those of her foes, which is especially neat considering she can also equip Even or Odd Pulse Tie to prevent even pre-charged Specials as well. 
  • Although working with the cardinal direction restriction can be a little annoying to work with at times, the potency of Enveloping Breath's debuffs remain well-appreciated when they do come into play, and this is all tied with a nice red (or blue?) bow in the form of a selfish +6/+9 Spd/Res boost for padded bulk.

Fantastic Overall Statline (for Support Purposes)

Fallen Ninian's stat distribution synergizes excellently with her intended use: her high HP and Resistance both allow for streamlined use of neat stat-dependent support skills like Even Pulse Tie and Sabotage Spd, while being sufficient enough to occasionally safeguard the oracle from Bridal Fjorm’s Isolation and Elimine’s False Start debuffs respectively on Aether Raids Defense. Further, her equally impressive Spd helps bolster her practical bulk by avoiding follow-up attacks (and paired with her Res, she becomes surprisingly resilient to magic), and having such low Atk is actually useful when relying on AI control as this minimizes the risk of her doing anything other than dancing.

Weaknesses

Low Defense

While Fallen Ninian's overall physical durability actually isn't too bad by merit of her faculty for avoiding follow-ups and substantial HP, her pitiful base Def of 23 makes it pretty easy for any decently-hitting physical attacker to quickly take her down through continued attacks. Also, this meager base value throws a bit of a wrench when attempting to field her in a Defense team during Light / Dark Season given the presence of Mila and her Turnwheel's Isolation debuff — and while this may be remedied by a Recovery skill, this restricts team flexibility in turn.

Eliwood

Too soon?

Weapon Skills

Weapons SP Rng. Mt.
Fire Breath
Learns by default at 1 ★
Unlocks at 1 ★
Only inheritable by Dragon units.
50 1 6
Fire Breath+
Learns by default at 2 ★
Unlocks at 2 ★
Only inheritable by Dragon units.
100 1 8
Flametongue
Learns by default at 4 ★
Unlocks at 3 ★
Only inheritable by Dragon units.
200 1 11
Enveloping Breath

Grants Res+3. If Sing or Dance is used, inflicts Atk/Res-7 and【Guard】on foes in cardinal directions of unit and target through their next actions. At start of combat, if unit's HP ≥ 25%, grants Spd/Res+6 during combat. If foe's Range = 2, calculates damage using the lower of foe's Def or Res.  【Guard】 Inflicts Special cooldown charge -1 on target per attack during combat through its next action. (Only highest value applied. Does not stack.)

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
Dance

Grants another action to target ally. (Cannot target an ally with Sing or Dance.)

Learns by default at 4 ★
1 150
Call to Flame

Grants another action to target ally and grants Atk+6 and Special cooldown charge +1 per attack during combat to that ally for 1 turn. (Only highest value applied. Does not stack.) Also, if the target ally is a dragon, target can move 1 extra space. (That turn only. Does not stack. Cannot target an ally with Sing or Dance. This skill treated as Sing or Dance.)

1 400

Passive Skills

Passive Skills SP Slot
B Duel Infantry 1

Grants HP+3. If unit is 5★ and level 40 and unit's stats total less than 160, treats unit's stats as 160 in modes like Arena. (Higher-scoring opponents will appear. Stat total calculation excludes any values added by merges and skills.)

Blue Infantry units only
Unlocks at 2 ★
70
A
B Duel Infantry 2

Grants HP+4. If unit is 5★ and level 40 and unit's stats total less than 165, treats unit's stats as 165 in modes like Arena. (Higher-scoring opponents will appear. Stat total calculation excludes any values added by merges and skills.)

Blue Infantry units only
Unlocks at 3 ★
150
A
B Duel Infantry 3

Grants HP+5. If unit is 5★ and level 40 and unit's stats total less than 170, treats unit's stats as 170 in modes like Arena. (Higher-scoring opponents will sppear. Stat total calculation excludes any values added by merges and skills.)

Blue Infantry units only
Unlocks at 4 ★
150
A
B Duel Infantry 4

Grants HP+5, Atk/Spd/Def/Res+2. If unit is 5★, level 40, a Legendary Hero or a Mythic Hero, and unit's stats total less than 175, treats unit's stats as 175 in modes like Arena. If unit is 5★, level 40, not a Legendary Hero or Mythic Hero, and unit's stats total less than 180, treats unit's stats as 180 in modes like Arena. (Higher-scoring opponents will appear. Stat total calculation excludes any values added by merges and skills.)

Blue Infantry units only
Unlocks at 5 ★
300
A
Odd Pulse Tie 1

At start of odd-numbered turns, if any foe's HP+5 ≤ unit's HP and that foe's Special is ready, inflicts Special cooldown count+2 on foe with the lowest HP among those foes. (Cannot exceed the foe's maximum Special cooldown.)

Excludes Armor and Flying units.
Unlocks at 1 ★
60
C
Odd Pulse Tie 2

At start of odd-numbered turns, if any foe's HP+3 ≤ unit's HP and that foe's Special is ready, inflicts Special cooldown count+2 on foe with the lowest HP among those foes. (Cannot exceed the foe's maximum Special cooldown.)

Excludes Armor and Flying units.
Unlocks at 2 ★
120
C
Odd Pulse Tie 3

At start of odd-numbered turns, if any foe's HP+1 ≤ unit's HP and that foe's Special is ready, inflicts Special cooldown count+2 on foe with the lowest HP among those foes. (Cannot exceed the foe's maximum Special cooldown.)

Excludes Armor and Flying units.
Unlocks at 4 ★
240
B
Spur Atk 1

Grants Atk+2 to adjacent allies during combat.

Inheritable by all units.
Unlocks at 2 ★
50
C
Spur Atk 2

Grants Atk+3 to adjacent allies during combat.

Inheritable by all units.
Unlocks at 3 ★
100
C
Spur Atk 3

Grants Atk+4 to adjacent allies during combat.

Inheritable by all units.
Unlocks at 4 ★
200
C
Cross Spur Atk

Grants Atk+5 to allies in cardinal directions of unit during combat.

Inheritable by all units.
Unlocks at 5 ★
300
C

Other Info

Origin
Fire Emblem: The Blazing Blade

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