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Analysis by Chibi_Chu
Nyx - Rulebreaker Mage

5

Obtainable as a 5 only

Hero Stats

Max Avg Total Stats at Lvl 40
165
HP 36
ATK 42
SPD 40
DEF 19
RES 28

Stat Variations

Level 1 Stat Variation
5★
HP ATK SPD DEF RES
Low 16 11 9 3 5
Middle 17 12 10 4 6
High 18 13 11 5 7

Level 40 Stat Variations
5★
HP ATK SPD DEF RES
Low 33 39 37 16 24
Middle 36 42 40 19 28
High 40 46 44 22 31

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

Waiting for something to happen? (Aether Raids Defense)

Build by Chibi_Chu
Recommended
Ginnungagap A Atk/Spd Boosting A Slot
Alternate: AR-D Spd/Def 3
Assistless
Alternate: Rally Assist
B Null Follow-Up 3
Ruptured Sky
Alternate: Miracle
C Time's Pulse 3
Alternate: Fatal Smoke 3
IVs

Flexible; generally +Atk or +Spd

SBlade Session 3
Alternate: Atk/Def Solo 3

Show Explanation/Analysis

Weapon: Ginnungagap 

Assist: No Assist / Rally Assist / Positional Assist 

Special: Ruptured Sky / Miracle / Moonbow

Passive A: Atk/Spd Boosting A Slot / AR-D Spd/Def

Passive B: Null Follow-Up

Passive C: Time’s Pulse / Fatal Smoke

Sacred Seal: Blade Session / Atk/Def Solo

  • Thanks to Ginnungagap, Nyx is one of the strongest Aether Raids Defense units in the game.
    • In addition to granting +3 flat Speed, Nyx also gains an additional +6 Atk/Spd during combat if her HP is ≥ 25%, significantly increasing her damage and follow-up consistency.
    • Ginnungagap’s “counter” effect is what makes it so powerful: if Nyx initiates combat or a Tome/Staff user initiates combat against her, she takes 40% less damage from the enemy’s first attack and boosts the damage of her next attack by the amount of damage reduced. For example, if the enemy is supposed to deal 40 damage to Nyx, she will only receive 24 and the damage of her next attack will be increased by 16. Note that the increased damage resets at the end of combat, so Nyx must perform an attack after the enemy attacks in order to benefit from the increased damage.
    • Given Nyx’s frailty, 40% damage reduction is greatly appreciated, as she can survive and even win matchups that she would normally get OHKO’d in. Depending on investment on both sides, these matchups can even include Far Save Brave Hector, Far Save Fallen Edelgard, Far Save Valentine’s Faye, New Year’s Alfonse, and Guinivere.
  • Nyx is a particularly interesting unit in that her preferred Asset can change depending on if players want her to perform well against specific units:
    • +Atk/+Spd: Generally the best choices, as they increase her damage output. +Speed is particularly welcome because Nyx can more consistently perform follow-up attacks, allowing her to make more frequent use of Ginnungagap.
    • +Def/+HP: While Ginnungagap’s 40% damage reduction is plenty for surviving nearly all low-investment units, as investment increases, she may struggle to survive against units with particularly high effective Attack or Dual-Phase Brave Weapons such as the aforementioned Far Save Brave Hector, Fallen Edelgard, and Valentine’s Faye. A +Def or +HP IV may give Nyx just enough physical bulk to avoid being OHKO’d by their Special activations.
    • +Res/+HP: While there are fewer magical units that threaten to OHKO Nyx with damage reduction thanks to her substantially higher Resistance, she can still make good use of a +Res or +HP IV to ensure survival against units like Guinivere and New Year’s Alfonse.
  • Depending on which role Nyx fills on the Defense team, she can use no Assist, a Rally Assist, or a Positional Assist. No Assist typically makes the AI prioritize her move over units with Assists, allowing her to be refreshed or allies to use Positional Assists on her. Nyx can use a Rally Assist to teleport to a space adjacent to an ally within 2 spaces (with Ground Orders from a Flier ally), then receive a refresh to extend her threat range beyond what it was at the start of her turn. A Positional Assist makes her less likely to be the target of refreshes or allies’ Assists, but lets her bring allies back to safety and prevent them from overextending with Assists such as Draw Back and Reposition.
  • Ruptured Sky and Moonbow’s low 2 cooldown makes them ideal choices for Nyx’s Special; assuming no Guard effect is active and she receives a counterattack (almost always), Nyx can activate them on her follow-up attack. Alternatively, Time’s Pulse reduces their cooldown to 1, meaning Nyx can have it ready on turn 1 if she receives -1 Special cooldown from an ally (Infantry Pulse, Grandscratcher, etc.). Given the extremely high Attack stats Aether Raids Offense units can hit, Ruptured Sky is generally preferred since it adds bonus damage equal to 20% of the enemy’s Attack (40% if the enemy is a Dragon or Beast).
    • Nyx can also utilize Miracle, a Special that allows her to survive a lethal attack if her HP before receiving the attack was > 1. Depending on how many Special cooldown reductions she receives, she can completely secure survival on her first initiation or can use her first initiation to charge Miracle, then expend it on her second initiation.
  • Atk/Spd boosting A slots such as Atk/Spd Push 4 and Swift Sparrow bolster Nyx’s offensive potency, making them premier choices. She can also use AR-D Spd/Def, which increases her Spd/Def during combat based on the number of intact Aether Raids Defense structures (up to +10 if ≥ 5 are intact); this increases her follow-up consistency and physical bulk to survive against top-damage physical enemies. Similar logic applies to her Sacred Seal; she can use Blade Session, Atk/Spd Solo, or Swift Sparrow to boost her damage output and follow-up consistency, or she can use Atk/Def Solo, Spd/Def Solo, Sturdy Blow, or Steady Blow to boost her physical bulk at the cost of some offensive pressure.
  • Nyx’s base Null Follow-Up is crucial, as it neutralizes effects that prevent her follow-up attack or guarantees the enemy’s follow-up attack.
    • If Nyx’s follow-up attack is mitigated, she loses even more damage than any other unit would because she is reliant on it to make use of Ginnungagap’s damage reduction.
    • If the enemy’s follow-up attack is guaranteed, Nyx will very likely be KO’d, as Ginnungagap’s damage reduction only applies to the enemy’s first attack. Even if it applied to both attacks, she would probably be KO’d anyway.

Stardust Diving (Player Phase)

Build by Chibi_Chu
Recommended
Ginnungagap A Atk/Spd Boosting A Slot
Alternate: Steady Impact
Positional Assist B Null Follow-Up 3
Moonbow
Alternate: Noontime
C Atk/Spd Menace
Alternate: Savage Blow 3
IVs

Flexible; generally +Atk or +Spd / -Def or -Res

SBlade Session 3
Alternate: Atk/Def Solo 3

Show Explanation/Analysis

Weapon: Ginnungagap 

Assist: Positional Assist 

Special: Moonbow / Noontime

Passive A: No-Recoil Atk/Spd Boosting A Slots / Steady Impact 

Passive B: Null Follow-Up

Passive C: Atk/Spd Menace / Savage Blow

Sacred Seal: Blade Session / Atk/Def Solo 

  • Ginnungagap grants Nyx +3 flat Speed, +6 Atk/Spd if her HP is ≥ 25% at the start of combat, 40% damage reduction on the enemy’s first attack if she initiates combat or a Tome/Staff enemy initiates combat against her, and extra damage on her first attack immediately after receiving the enemy’s first attack equal to the amount of damage reduced, making it fantastic for a very powerful offensive set that may not need any healing for survival.
  • Typically, +Atk and +Spd IVs are the strongest choices for offensive sets, as they increase the unit’s offensive potency. However, other IVs can work as well, especially if players seek for Nyx to have a higher chance of winning very particular matchups that she may lose even with Ginnungagap’s damage reduction (such as Far Save Brave Hector).
  • The only enemies Nyx will struggle ORKOing are enemies with particularly high Resistance, making Moonbow a great choice to ensure she can score KOs against them. However, Noontime is a nice alternative that allows Nyx to fall back on healing if she finds that her damage reduction is consistently falling shy of surviving multiple combats.
  • Atk/Spd Boosting A slots and Sacred Seals are Nyx’s go-to choices; Swift Sparrow 3 in her A slot and Blade Session, Atk/Spd Solo, or Swift Sparrow in her Sacred Seal are perhaps her best choices, as Nyx should not run Skills that deal recoil damage (such as Atk/Spd Push 4 and Fury). Alternatively, Steady Impact in her A slot and Atk/Def Solo or Spd/Def Solo in her Sacred Seal can ensure survival against strong physical nukes or physical enemies in subsequent combats.
  • Because of Ginnungagap’s 40% damage reduction, Nyx does not need Desperation to immediately perform her follow-up attack to circumvent her poor bulk; as such, her best Null Follow-Up is by far her strongest choice, as it ensures that she will perform a follow-up attack if her Speed is 5+ higher than the enemy’s. This is especially important because if she receives a counterattack, she needs to perform a follow-up attack in order to take advantage of Ginnungagap converting her damage reduction into extra damage.
  • Atk/Spd Menace greatly boosts Nyx’s offenses and bulk, as it grants +6 Atk/Spd to Nyx and inflicts -6 Atk/Spd on the nearest enemy/enemies within 4 spaces (assuming there is an enemy within 4 spaces). Savage Blow works as an alternative, inflicting 7 damage on enemies within 2 spaces of the target after initiation to secure KOs.

Clean Slate (Enemy Phase)

Build by Chibi_Chu
Ginnungagap A Atk/Spd Boosting A Slot
Positional Assist B Special Spiral 3
Alternate: Null C-Disrupt 3
Sol
Alternate: Noontime
C Joint Drive Atk
IVs

+Atk / -Def

SFierce Stance 3
Alternate: Atk/Spd Solo 3

Show Explanation/Analysis

Weapon: Ginnungagap 

Assist: Positional Assist 

Special: Sol / Noontime

Passive A: No-Recoil Atk/Spd Boosting A Slot

Passive B: Special Spiral / Null C-Disrupt / Null Follow-Up

Passive C: Joint Drive Atk

Sacred Seal: Fierce Stance / Atk/Spd Solo

  • If a Tome or Staff unit initiates combat against Nyx, she receives 40% less damage on their first attack and deals additional damage equal to that damage reduction on her counterattack thanks to Ginnungagap. Because of this, she can be an excellent Enemy Phase unit focused on OHKOing magical enemies.
  • While Nyx’s damage reduction nearly guarantees that she will survive at least one magical attack, she may struggle to survive multiple, especially if one of the enemies are particularly powerful (such as Sacred Stones Selena and Ophelia). As such, Sol and Noontime are great choices, as they provide healing when activated. The former is better with Special Spiral since after Nyx scores a KO on Sol activation, her cooldown will be decreased from 3 to 1 after combat; after receiving another attack, she will be able to activate Sol again, and the cycle repeats. Noontime is better if Nyx can gain Special acceleration from an ally; New Year Velouria’s Renewed Fang grants +1 Special acceleration to her support ally within 2 spaces, making her a great partner.
  • An A slot that increases Nyx’s Atk/Spd is best, as higher Attack increases her chances of OHKOing while higher Speed serves as a safety net; in case she fails to OHKO, she can simply perform a follow-up attack to 2HKO. Skills that inflict recoil such as Atk/Spd Push 4 and Fury are less desirable for Enemy Phase since they decrease Nyx’s survivability. Because of Nyx’s potentially inconsistent OHKO ability, Null Follow-Up is a strong B slot option to ensure she will not be 2HKO’d in one combat and she can KO whoever she is fighting. Null C-Disrupt is arguably a better B slot for a dedicated magical tank, however, due to the ubiquity of Dazzling Staff, which prevents enemies from counterattacking.
  • Joint Drive Atk and Fierce Stance further boost Nyx’s Attack (the latter only on Enemy Phase), making them great choices to secure OHKOs (and 2HKOs if necessary). Atk/Spd Solo is a premier alternative since it not only works on both phases, but also grants Nyx +6 Speed to ensure follow-up attacks when needed.

Strengths

Terrifying offenses

Nyx’s 42 Attack and 40 Speed land her in the game’s top echelon of offenses, making her a damage-dealing powerhouse.

Ginnungagap; relevant niche

What was originally somewhat of a pushover weapon in Fates is now Nyx’s incredibly powerful personal weapon in Heroes.

  • For starters, it grants Nyx +3 flat Speed, effectively increasing her offenses to 42/43.
  • If Nyx’s HP is ≥ 25%, Nyx gains +6 Atk/Spd during combat.
  • While the former effects are nice, the star of the show by far is Ginnungagap’s last effects. If Nyx initiates combat or a Tome/Staff enemy initiates combat against Nyx, she receives 40% less damage from the enemy’s first attack and converts the reduced damage into additional damage on her attack immediately following receiving damage. For example, if an enemy would have dealt 40 damage, Nyx receives 24 damage (40% of 40 is 16 and 40 - 16 = 24), then adds 16 damage to her attack immediately following receiving that 24 damage.

The combination of gaining +6 Attack, +9 Speed, damage reduction, and increased damage based on that damage reduction makes Nyx an incredibly potent offensive and sometimes even defensive force. She can almost always survive at least one combat as long as she initiates, making her one of the most consistent units for both PvE and Aether Raids purposes; for the latter, she can frequently tank and deal good damage to (if not KO) some of the strongest superunits and Far Save tanks including Legendary Ryoma, Mareeta, Female Kris, New Year's Alfonse, Guinivere, and Far Save Armored units such as Brave Hector, Valentine’s Faye, and Plegian Raphael. If necessary, Nyx also has the flexibility to use her IVs and/or A and/or Sacred Seal slots to increase her defenses to avoid being OHKO’d by enemies when they activate their Specials.

Infantry advantages

Access to Skills such as Impact Skills, Null Follow-Up, Special Spiral, Null C-Disrupt, and Time's Pulse ensures that Nyx will be able to fulfill whatever role players wish for her to fulfill with extreme efficiency.

Weaknesses

May struggle with multiple combats

While the combination of Ginnungagap and Null Follow-Up practically ensures that Nyx will survive at least her first initiation, she may struggle to survive subsequent combats even with Ginnungagap’s damage reduction due to her incredibly low physical bulk and shaky magical bulk.

However, it is worth mentioning that sometimes, one initiation is all Nyx needs to make major contributions to her team, whether it be through KOing an enemy, inflicting status effects with Skills such as Fatal Smoke and Panic Smoke, and/or falling to ≤ 50% HP for allies with Wings of Mercy to teleport adjacent to her.

Dual-Phase Brave Weapons

Because Ginnungagap only reduces damage from the enemy’s first attack, dual-phase Brave Weapon users such as Altina, Winter Altina, and Laslow can quickly put Nyx out of commission.

Weapon Skills

Weapons SP Rng. Mt.
Flux
Learns by default at 1 ★
Unlocks at 1 ★
Red Tome Users Only
50 2 4
Ruin
Learns by default at 3 ★
Unlocks at 2 ★
Red Tome Users Only
100 2 6
Fenrir
Learns by default at 4 ★
Unlocks at 3 ★
Red Tome Users Only
200 2 9
Ginnungagap

Grants Spd+3. At start of combat, if unit's HP ≥ 25%, grants Atk/Spd+6 to unit during combat, and also, if unit initiates combat or foe initiates combat and uses magic or staff, reduces damage from foe's first attack by 40% and boosts unit's next attack by total damage reduced (by any source, including other skills). Resets at end of combat.

Learns by default at 5 ★
Unlocks at 5 ★
Non-Inheritable skill.
400 2 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
Spd/Res Solo 1

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

Inheritable by all units.
Unlocks at 2 ★
60
A
Spd/Res Solo 2

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

Inheritable by all units.
Unlocks at 3 ★
120
A
Spd/Res Solo 3

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

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

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

Inheritable by all units.
Unlocks at 5 ★
300
A
Null Follow-Up 1

At start of combat, if unit's HP = 100%, neutralizes effects that guarantee foe's follow-up attacks and effects that prevent unit's follow-up attacks during combat.

Infantry Units Only
Unlocks at 1 ★
60
B
Null Follow-Up 2

At start of combat, if unit's HP ≥ 50%, neutralizes effects that guarantee foe's follow-up attacks and effects that prevent unit's follow-up attacks during combat.

Infantry Units Only
Unlocks at 2 ★
120
B
Null Follow-Up 3

Neutralizes effects that guarantee foe's follow-up attacks and effects that prevent unit's follow-up attacks during combat.

Infantry Units Only
Unlocks at 4 ★
240
B

Other Info

Origin
Fire Emblem Fates

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