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Analysis by lordhelpme
Nils - Bright Bard

5

Obtainable as a 5 only

Hero Stats

Max Avg Total Stats at Lvl 40
162
HP 45
ATK 31
SPD 35
DEF 26
RES 25

Stat Variations

Level 1 Stat Variation
5★
HP ATK SPD DEF RES
Low 16 6 8 3 5
Middle 17 7 9 4 6
High 18 8 10 5 7

Level 40 Stat Variations
5★
HP ATK SPD DEF RES
Low 42 28 32 22 22
Middle 45 31 35 26 25
High 48 34 38 29 29

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

Ballad of the Blue Yonder (Full Support)

Build by lordhelpme
Recommended
Frost Breath A HP/Spd 2
Alternate: HP/Def 2
Play B Even Pulse Tie 3
Alternate: Sudden Panic 3
Moonbow
Alternate: Luna
C Infantry Pulse 3
IVs

+SPD or +HP

SDrive Atk 2

Show Explanation/Analysis

Weapon: Frost Breath

Assist: Play

Special: Moonbow / Iceberg / Luna

Passive A: HP/Spd 2 / B Duel Infantry / Fury / HP Def 2

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

Passive C: Infantry Pulse / Panic Ploy / Infantry Rush / Infantry Breath / Flexible

Sacred Seal: Drive Atk / Tactic Skills / HP/Spd 2 / HP +5

  • Nils shines as a supportive ally, and this build focuses on maximizing his effectiveness in such a role. A +SPD IV helps boost his defensive Speed for improved survival, though a +HP IV may be preferred to leverage skills like Infantry Pulse with greater ease. 

  • His choice of Special is largely inconsequential here as his combat prowess is a secondary concern, but Moonbow remains a good choice nonetheless for its short cooldown. For greater burst, Iceberg and Luna should be considered instead. 

  • If using HP-scaling skills like Even Pulse Tie and Infantry Pulse, A slots that increase Nils’ HP are ideal; B Duel Infantry is particularly attractive if aiming to maximize his scoring potential in Colosseum modes. Otherwise, Fury is a good generalist option that helps in a pinch. 

  • His B and C slots are both flexible and can be filled by anything that complements his team composition; those that scale off of his high HP pool for a refresher or that take advantage of his infantry status (e.g. Infantry Rush and Infantry Breath) are especially standout. Note that stat debuffs are redundant on Nils due to Frost Breath. 

  • Aside from seals that increase his HP, Drive and Tactic seals are also recommended to provide his allies with additional support on top of his refreshing and debuffing. 

Even if the Stars Betray (Offensive Support)

Build by lordhelpme
Frost Breath A Swift Sparrow (2 or 3)
Alternate: Fury (3 or 4)
Play B Desperation 3
Moonbow
Alternate: Luna
C Infantry Pulse 3
IVs

+ATK or +SPD

SSwift Sparrow 2

Show Explanation/Analysis

Weapon: Frost Breath

Assist: Play

Special: Moonbow / Luna / Iceberg

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

Passive B: Desperation / Wings of Mercy / Even Pulse Tie

Passive C: Infantry Pulse / Odd Atk Wave / Flexible

Sacred Seal: Swift Sparrow / Sturdy Blow / Darting Blow 

  • Thanks to his surprisingly solid offensive statline (for a refresher), Nils can perform adequately when built with a focus on enhancing his combat prowess. An Asset to either one of his offensive stats is accordingly ideal here. 

  • Moonbow is a good Special option for its frequent activation rather, but Luna or Iceberg are also potential choices for greater burst damage in exchange for their longer cooldowns. 

  • Any standard offensive A slot skills will work here (such as Swift Sparrow, Atk/Spd Solo, and Fury) to boost Nils’ damage output. His B slot should similarly share an offensive focus (with Desperation and Null Follow-Up both being strong candidates), but can be occupied by something like his native Even Pulse Tie to retain more of his support. 

  • Seals that supplement Nils’ key offensive stats like Swift Sparrow, Sturdy Blow, and Darting Blow are highly recommended here.

Strengths

Play

Through the ability to grant an ally another action, Play offers Nils immense value as a support unit, as this skill can easily shift the tide of the battle in his team’s favor with proper use. 

Frost Breath

Nils’ exclusive weapon, Frost Breath, is simple but highly effective in its intended purpose and further bolsters his innate supportive capabilities with its debuffing attribute. Frost Breath’s wide four-space radius combined with its ability to activate multiple times throughout the course of a turn allows him to quickly debilitate numerous foes without much difficulty. 

Solid Generalist Statline

Although it may not be as specialized as some of his refreshing contemporaries, Nils’ evenly distributed statline makes him quite versatile; his reasonable base Attack allows him to deal solid damage if desired, his Speed lets him to deny enemy follow-up attacks relatively frequently, and his overall bulk provides him with a good amount of raw survivability. 

Good HP Pool

His other stats aside, Nils’ HP pool is notable for being one of the highest amongst all refreshers currently available and offers him a distinct advantage through the ability to wield HP-based skills (e.g. Panic Ploy, Sudden Panic, and Infantry Pulse) with marked consistency. 

Fantastic Base Kit

The Bright Bard has the good fortune of coming packed with a fully-loaded and synergistic kit that complements his unique strengths, making him a rather cost-friendly investment.

Weaknesses

Effective Damage

Due to being a dragon, Nils suffers from a debilitating weakness to any kind of dragon-effective damage and will quickly lose large sums of health if targeted by it; this makes it imperative to keep him out of reach from sources of such damage.

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 3 ★
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
Frost Breath

Grants Res+3.

At start of turn or when Play is used, inflicts Atk/Spd/Def/Res -4 on closest foe within 4 spaces of unit through their next action.

If foe's Range = 2, calculates damage using the lower of foe's Def or Res.

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
Play

Grants another action to target ally. 

(That turn only. Does not stack. Cannot target an ally with Sing or Dance. This skill treated as Sing or Dance.)
 

Learns by default at 4 ★
1

Passive Skills

Passive Skills SP Slot
HP +3

Grants +3 to max HP.

Inheritable by all units.
Unlocks at 1 ★
40
A
HP/Def 1

Grants HP+3, Def+1.

Inheritable by all units.
Unlocks at 2 ★
100
A
HP/Def 2

Grants HP+4, Def+2.

Inheritable by all units.
Unlocks at 4 ★
200
A
Even Pulse Tie 1

At start of even-number turns, if foe with the lowest HP has its Special ready and unit's HP ≥ that foe's HP+5, inflicts Special cooldown count+2 on that foe. (Cannot exceed the foe's maximum Special cooldown.)

Excludes Armor and Flying units.
Unlocks at 3 ★
60
B
Even Pulse Tie 2

At start of even-number turns, if foe with the lowest HP has its Special ready and unit's HP ≥ that foe's HP+3, inflicts Special cooldown count+2 on that foe. (Cannot exceed the foe's maximum Special cooldown.)

Excludes Armor and Flying units.
Unlocks at 4 ★
120
B
Even Pulse Tie 3

At start of even-number turns, if foe with the lowest HP has its Special ready and unit's HP ≥ that foe's HP+1, inflicts Special cooldown count+2 on that foe. (Cannot exceed the foe's maximum Special cooldown.)

Excludes Armor and Flying units.
Unlocks at 5 ★
240
B
Infantry Pulse 1

At the start of turn 1, grants Special cooldown count-1 to all infantry allies on team with HP ≤ unit’s HP-5. (Stacks with similar skills.)

Infantry Units Only
Unlocks at 3 ★
60
C
Infantry Pulse 2

At the start of turn 1, grants Special cooldown count-1 to all infantry allies on team with HP ≤ unit’s HP-3. (Stacks with similar skills.)

Infantry Units Only
Unlocks at 4 ★
120
C
Infantry Pulse 3

At the start of turn 1, grants Special cooldown count-1 to all infantry allies on team with HP < unit’s HP. (Stacks with similar skills.)

Infantry Units Only
Unlocks at 5 ★
240
C

Other Info

Origin
Fire Emblem: The Blazing Blade

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