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Analysis by lordhelpme
Freyja - Lady of Nightmare

5

Obtainable as a 5 only

Hero Stats

Max Avg Total Stats at Lvl 40
168
HP 40
ATK 38
SPD 44
DEF 24
RES 22

Stat Variations

Level 1 Stat Variation
5★
HP ATK SPD DEF RES
Low 15 9 10 4 6
Middle 16 10 11 5 7
High 17 11 12 6 8

Level 40 Stat Variations
5★
HP ATK SPD DEF RES
Low 37 35 40 21 19
Middle 40 38 44 24 22
High 43 41 47 28 25

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

Petals of Twisted Love (Defensive Tank)

Build by lordhelpme
Recommended
Nightmare Horn A Atk/Spd Solo 4
Alternate: Kestrel Stance 3
Positional Assist B Binding Necklace
Noontime
Alternate: Sol
C Pulse Smoke 3
Alternate: Joint Drive Spd
IVs

+SPD / -DEF

SSpd/Res Solo 3
Alternate: Quick Riposte 3

Show Explanation/Analysis

Weapon: Nightmare Horn

Assist: Positional Assist / Flexible

Special: Noontime / Sol

Passive A: Atk/Spd Solo / Kestrel Stance 

Passive B: Binding Necklace

Passive C: Pulse Smoke / Joint Drive Skills / Flexible

Sacred Seal: Spd/Res Solo / Swift Stance / Quick Riposte

  • Freyja excels at performing a defensive role—particularly in Aether Raids—thanks to the powerful effects of her exclusive Nightmare Horn, combining both Distant Counter and Speed-based damage reduction (up to a massive 40%) into a single weapon; this mitigates a significant damage while allowing her to check a wide breadth of foes. A +SPD IV is thus her ideal choice here as maintaining high Speed is crucial to her success, though +ATK and +RES are decent alternatives.
  • It should be noted before going further that although potential alterations can be made, the majority of this set retains her base kit—simply equipping her with a seal can complete her build. That being said, Freyja’s default Luna should be swapped out in favor of a healing Special to supplement her tanking capabilities with consistent sustain. If Brave Lucina support is available, use Noontime; otherwise, Sol is preferred.
  • Since Nightmare Horn comes packed with Distant Counter, Freyja is free to use other A slot skills. Her base Atk/Spd Solo is especially powerful for its mixed-phase utility and compatibility with Binding Necklace, though it can be replaced by Kestrel Stance should a more defensive lean be favored; its Guard effect is especially useful against foes with built-in doubles since she can’t equip Null Follow-Up to counter such threats. 
  • Binding Necklace operates as a significantly better Lull, not only rendering her opponent’s visible buffs useless but also stealing them for herself—and even if there are no such buffs to benefit from, Binding Necklace still provides Freyja with an effective +4 stat advantage at base for improved combat prowess. Attached to an easily-satisfied condition, this skill should rarely be replaced here.
  • The Lady of Nightmare’s base Pulse Smoke is a natural fit for an Aether Raids Offense tank build to dismantle teams centered around instant Special activations, such as Infantry Pulse setups. For other modes where it may not be as necessary, her C slot is open to pretty much anything; standouts include Joint Drive Spd and Spd Smoke.
  • Lastly, the Spd/Res Solo and Swift Stance Sacred Seals are among Freyja’s best options to further supplement her key stats. Although she will usually be fast enough to outspeed most opponents, the Quick Riposte seal may be a worthwhile candidate to breakthrough Impact effects that would otherwise negate her follow-up.

Requiem for a Dream (Galeforce)

Build by lordhelpme
Recommended
Nightmare Horn A Heavy Blade 4
Alternate: Atk/Spd Solo 4
Positional Assist B Binding Necklace
Alternate: Wings of Mercy 3
Galeforce C Def Smoke 3
Alternate: Pulse Smoke 3
IVs

+ATK or +SPD / -DEF or -RES

SQuickened Pulse
Alternate: Heavy Blade 3

Show Explanation/Analysis

Weapon: Nightmare Horn

Assist: Positional Assist / Flexible

Special: Galeforce

Passive A: Heavy Blade / Atk/Spd Solo 

Passive B: Binding Necklace / Wings of Mercy 

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

Sacred Seal: Quickened Pulse / Heavy Blade 

  • Although her base kit places a heavy emphasis on Freyja’s tanking capabilities, the Lady of Nightmare can instead opt for a much more aggressive approach thanks to the flexibility of her PRF skills, excellent offenses, and extended mobility. This set is geared for Galeforce-centered strategies in Aether Raids Offense, though it can see good use elsewhere too. An Asset to either of her offensive stats will work perfectly fine here. 
  • Galeforce comprises the bulk of Freyja’s functionality with this set, allowing her to make multiple initiations in a single turn to quickly pinpoint and sweep through the enemy forces alongside her allies through its self-refreshing effect. Unlike most other Galeforce units, though, Freyja is unique in that she can simultaneously act as a pseudo-tank due to having innate damage reduction and Distant Counter.
  • Specifically for AR-O, it’s recommended to equip Freyja with Heavy Blade 4 + Quickened Pulse; this is desired to perform the team’s Galeforce chain without delay. Together, this combination allows Freyja to activate the Special against any opponent as long as she doubles, Heavy Blade triggers, and her foe doesn’t have a Guard effect. However, outside of AR-O, Freyja can safely keep her default Atk/Spd Solo and equip the Heavy Blade Sacred Seal instead.
    • Regardless of the specific mode, though, keeping Freyja transformed consistently will prove crucial to ensure her ability to activate Heavy Blade without resistance.
  • Freyja’s exclusive Binding Necklace once again remains one of her best B slot options, as the stat advantage it provides is greatly appreciated to cement her damage output, doubling consistency, and Heavy Blade activations. Although Wings of Mercy tends to be a staple among Galeforce units within the context of AR-O, Freyja’s base cavalry mobility may prove sufficient in most cases—though equipping Wings of Mercy is always an option nonetheless.
  • Smoke skills work excellently with Galeforce builds such as this one, aiding Freyja’s subsequent matchups following her first initiation through the debuffs they apply. Those that apply stat debuffs are generally preferred, but Freyja’s ability to serve as a tank at the same time does make her base Pulse Smoke a potential candidate too. Other options include Joint Drives (to mutually buff herself and her allies in Galeforce chains) and Savage Blow.

Glowing Embers of Twilight (Aether Raids Defense)

Build by lordhelpme
Nightmare Horn A Atk/Spd Push 4
Alternate: Swift Sparrow 3
Positional Assist B Binding Necklace
Moonbow
Alternate: Galeforce
C Panic Smoke 3
Alternate: Distant Guard 3
IVs

+ATK or +SPD / -DEF or -RES

SSwift Sparrow 2
Alternate: Hardy Bearing 3

Show Explanation/Analysis

Weapon: Nightmare Horn

Assist: No Assist / Positional Assist 

Special: Moonbow / Galeforce

Passive A: Atk/Spd Push / Swift Sparrow / Fury

Passive B: Binding Necklace

Passive C: Panic Smoke / Joint Drive Skills / Distant Guard / Flexible

Sacred Seal: Swift Sparrow / Hardy Bearing / Sturdy Blow / Death Blow / Heavy Blade

  • Despite her status as an offensive Mythical Hero, Freyja’s various strengths lend themselves perfectly—almost a little too well—to the realm of Aether Raids Defense and can potentially be built for such an environment. Once more, a +ATK or +SPD IV will be ideal, though +ATK may be slightly more preferable to frontload as much damage as possible.
  • Freyja’s Special choices are somewhat varied, but her best options are those with low cooldowns. Among them, Moonbow is exceptional to punish high Defense foes, dealing a good amount of burst damage against them. Using Galeforce + Heavy Blade is a potential alternative to catch challengers off guard, but this may not always be consistent. 
  • Although Atk/Spd Solo is a fantastic A slot skill choice in most other settings, using it while Freyja is on a Defense team can be unwieldy given how she will typically be packed closely next to her allies. For this reason, Atk/Spd Push 4 is recommended instead for its similar dual phase functionality and lack of positioning requirement. Other skills include Swift Sparrow and Fury.
  • Binding Necklace shines here especially brightly due to the ubiquitous nature of visible buffs among challenging teams, thus enabling Freyja to exploit that for her own benefit. This may discourage opponents from actually applying buffs on their units, but that itself is an advantage to her team’s favor and she still benefits from a +4 stat advantage regardless as long she’s not adjacent to an ally (which she shouldn’t be if she’s baited into attacking). 
  • Panic Smoke works similarly in that it also serves to deter foes from using buffs and punish them if they do so anyway, except this time her allies can benefit from a combat boost as well against the debuffed foes. This is rather cost-intensive, though, so if nothing else, skills that provide in-combat boosts are always good choices; some of the best in this category include Joint Drives and Distant Guard
  • Freyja’s Sacred Seal slot is flexible and remains open to any option that complements her offensive stats, such as Swift Sparrow, Sturdy Blow, and Death Blow. Hardy Bearing may be worthwhile if there are no other checks to Vantage units or if more are desired.

Strengths

Nightmare Horn

Freyja’s exclusive Nightmare Horn combines Distant Counter and Speed-based damage reduction—effects that are already quite strong and coveted individually—into a single weapon. This alone places the fairy queen in an incredibly good position in the current meta; boasting immense flexibility and a great deal of deceptive bulkiness, Nightmare Horn allows Freyja’s combat performance to shine as one of the best in her class. 

Binding Necklace

As if Nightmare Horn wasn’t enough, Freyja comes with another PRF skill in the form of a B slot: Binding Necklace. Operating as an improved variation of a Lull skill, Binding Necklace comes with a unique “buff steal” mechanic: for every visible stat boost an opponent has, Freyja will benefit from an in-combat boost equal to that amount while that foe will be afflicted by an in-combat debuff equal to that amount, thus having their boosts effectively stolen. 

This itself is quite powerful and allows for a potentially massive stat-swing in Freyja’s favor but even against foes who aren’t buffed, Binding Necklace still grants her a +4 stat advantage at base as long as it’s active. 

Just a big ol’ ball of stats. 

Exceptional Offensive Statline

True to her name, the Lady of Nightmare raises the bar for the current high Speed h̶e̶l̶l̶ meta with her own staggering base Speed of 44—increased further to 47 with Nightmare Horn’s passive boost and yet again by Binding Necklace to upwards of 51. This provides an exemplary foundation with which to exploit her weapon’s damage reduction, as well as lets her avoid and perform doubles with ease. Freyja’s Attack isn’t too far behind either; at a base value of 38, her damage output is fairly consistent.

Light Mythical Hero

Freyja’s status as a Light Mythical Hero comes with a few other advantages as well.

  • By simply being on one’s Aether Raids Offense team during her respective season, Freyja directly improves one’s potential Lift gain by a notable degree, making it much easier to accumulate higher scores and climb through tiers, and also grants special stat boosts to any Light-Blessed allies for every copy of her present.
  • The fairy queen can be seen as a direct parallel to Astra Season’s Altina. While she lacks any real supportive value to bring to the rest of her team, Freyja makes up for it in sheer combat capability and can instead act as the main carry, or at the very least one of them—a useful quality to free up team slots for other support units or bonus allies.
  • Combined with her nearly perfect base kit and innately well-rounded array of strengths, Freyja proves to be an especially great roster addition for newer players with limited resources.

Cavalry Beast Benefits

Being a cavalry beast comes with several strengths: innate access to two separate sets of class-exclusive buffs, expansive range, and the ability to transform. Upon transformation, Freyja benefits from +2 Attack but more importantly a mini Sturdy Impact effect, offering her strong mixed-phase utility given the primarily defensive nature of her weapon.

Weaknesses

Heavy Competition

Although Freyja’s combat prowess is certainly nothing less than impressive, this unfortunately comes at the cost of her ability to support her allies being pretty much nonexistent. In contrast, the other Light Mythical Heroes pack a ton of utility—Eir has her Resistance boost and a unique place in Galeforce teams, Peony is one of the best dancers in the game, Mila’s Turnwheel makes AR-Offense a cakewalk—and puts the queen at a striking disadvantage from such a standpoint. 

Combined with the fact that she can’t be blessed to benefit from stat boosts and her scarce availability, if one has already heavily invested into other units who can be blessed, Freyja’s value as a combat unit quickly falls off—and with no real way of supporting her allies either, it can be difficult to justify slotting Freyja into an Aether Raids Offense team at all under such circumstances. If she had been a defensive Mythical Hero instead, though, it would be a much different story given how well her skills lend themselves to such a setting.

Cavalry Drawbacks

Although a strength, Freyja’s cavalry status comes with a few attached detriments as well. On top of an overbearing weakness to cavalry-effective damage (it should be noted that beast-effective damage does exist but it’s very rare), Freyja’s mobility is impeded greatly by certain terrain like forests when present. Furthermore, she is locked out of using a few skills that would have otherwise been greatly useful to her—most notably Flashing Blade and Null Follow-Up—but the fact that her own skills are so strong already lessens the impact of this.

Weapon Skills

Weapons SP Rng. Mt.
Whelp (Cavalry)

At start of turn, if unit is adjacent to only beast or dragon allies or if unit is not adjacent to any ally, unit transforms (otherwise, unit reverts). If unit transforms, grants Atk+2, and if unit initiates combat, inflicts Atk/Def-4 on foe during combat and foe cannot make a follow-up attack.

Learns by default at 1 ★
Unlocks at 1 ★
Beast (Cavalry Only)
50 1 4
Yearling (Cavalry)

At start of turn, if unit is adjacent to only beast or dragon allies or if unit is not adjacent to any ally, unit transforms (otherwise, unit reverts). If unit transforms, grants Atk+2, and if unit initiates combat, inflicts Atk/Def-4 on foe during combat and foe cannot make a follow-up attack.

Learns by default at 3 ★
Unlocks at 2 ★
Beast (Cavalry Only)
100 1 6
Adult (Cavalry)

At start of turn, if unit is adjacent to only beast or dragon allies or if unit is not adjacent to any ally, unit transforms (otherwise, unit reverts). If unit transforms, grants Atk+2, and if unit initiates combat, inflicts Atk/Def-4 on foe during combat and foe cannot make a follow-up attack.

Learns by default at 4 ★
Unlocks at 3 ★
Beast (Cavalry Only)
200 1 9
Nightmare Horn

Grants Spd+3. Unit can counterattack regardless of foe's range. If unit's Spd > foe's Spd, reduces damage from attacks during combat and from area-of-effect Specials (excluding Røkkr area-of-effect Specials) by percentage = difference between stats × 4 (max 40%).  

At start of turn, if unit is adjacent to only beast or dragon allies or if unit is not adjacent to any ally, unit transforms (otherwise, unit reverts). If unit transforms, grants Atk+2, and if unit initiates combat, inflicts Atk/Def-4 on foe during combat and foe cannot make a follow-up attack.

Learns by default at 5 ★
Unlocks at 5 ★
Non-Inheritable skill.
400 1 14
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/Spd Solo 1

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

Unlocks at 2 ★
60
A
Atk/Spd Solo 2

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

Unlocks at 3 ★
120
A
Atk/Spd Solo 3

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

Inheritable by all units.
Unlocks at 4 ★
240
A
Atk/Spd Solo 4

If unit is not adjacent to an ally, grants Atk/Spd +7 during combat.

Inheritable by all units.
Unlocks at 5 ★
300
A
Binding Necklace

If unit is not adjacent to an ally, grants Atk/Spd/Def/Res+2 to unit and inflicts Atk/Spd/Def/Res-2 on foe during combat, and also, if foe has bonuses, grants bonus to unit's Atk/Spd/Def/Res and inflicts penalty on foe's Atk/Spd/Def/Res during combat = current bonus on each of foe's stats. Calculates each stat bonus independently.

Non-Inheritable skill.
Unlocks at 5 ★
300
B
Binding Necklace+

Removes the condition to transform. If a skill compares unit's Spd to a foe's or ally's Spd, treats unit's Spd as if granted +7. If foe initiates combat or number of allies adjacent to unit ≤ 1, grants Atk/Spd/Def/Res+3 to unit, inflicts Atk/Spd/Def/Res-3 on foe, and neutralizes effects that inflict "Special cooldown charge -X" on unit during combat, and also, if foe has bonuses, grants bonus to unit's Atk/Spd/Def/Res and inflicts penalty on foe's Atk/Spd/Def/Res during combat = current bonus on each of foe's stats. Calculates each stat bonus independently.

Non-Inheritable skill.
Unlocks at 5 ★
300
B
Pulse Smoke 1

If unit initiates combat, inflicts Special cooldown count+1 on target and foes within 1 space of target after combat. (No effect on Special cooldown counts already at maximum.)

Non-inheritable by Staff-wielding units.
Unlocks at 1 ★
60
C
Pulse Smoke 2

If unit initiates combat, inflicts Special cooldown count+1 on target and foes within 2 spaces of target after combat. (No effect on Special cooldown counts already at maximum.)

Non-inheritable by Staff-wielding units.
Unlocks at 2 ★
120
C
Pulse Smoke 3

Inflicts Special cooldown count+1 on target and foes within 2 spaces of target after combat. (No effects on Special cooldown counts already at maximum.)

Non-inheritable by Staff-wielding units.
Unlocks at 4 ★
240
C
Spd Smoke 1

Inflicts Spd-3 on foes within 2 spaces of target through their next actions after combat.

Non-inheritable by Staff-wielding units.
Unlocks at 2 ★
60
C
Spd Smoke 2

Inflicts Spd-5 on foes within 2 spaces of target through their next actions after combat.

Non-inheritable by Staff-wielding units.
Unlocks at 3 ★
120
C
Spd Smoke 3

Inflicts Spd-7 on foes within 2 spaces of target through their next actions after combat.

Non-inheritable by Staff-wielding units.
Unlocks at 4 ★
240
C
Spd Smoke 4

After combat, inflicts Spd-7 on target and foes within 2 spaces of target through their next actions, and grants Spd+6 and【Dodge】 to unit for 1 turn. 

【Dodge】

If unit's Spd > foe's Spd, reduces damage from attacks during combat and from area-of-effect Specials (excluding Røkkr area-of-effect Specials) by percentage = difference between stats × 4 (max 40%).

Non-inheritable by Staff-wielding units.
Unlocks at 5 ★
300
C

Other Info

Origin
Fire Emblem Heroes

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