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Performing Inigo

Analysis by MackerelPye
Performing Inigo - Indigo Dancer

5

Obtainable as a 5 only

Hero Stats

Max Avg Total Stats at Lvl 40
140
HP 37
ATK 28
SPD 33
DEF 22
RES 20

Stat Variations

Level 1 Stat Variation
5★
HP ATK SPD DEF RES
Low 14 5 6 4 2
Middle 15 6 7 5 3
High 16 7 8 6 4

Level 40 Stat Variations
5★
HP ATK SPD DEF RES
Low 33 24 30 19 17
Middle 37 28 33 22 20
High 40 31 36 25 23

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

Assets

  • +Spd: Inigo enjoys a surge in defensive speed as all dancers do. At a base of 33, his Speed isn't exactly impressive, so an Asset here allows enemy follow-ups to occur less frequently. 

Neutral

  • Atk: Attack is a superflaw, bringing Inigo's already-low Attack down to a paltry 24. As such, a flaw here should be avoided. An Attack Asset, though slightly beneficial for damage, is generally less useful and not preferred to Speed. 

  • HP: Inigo's HP is also a superflaw, bringing him down from 37 to a significantly less serviceable 33. Unmerged, this brings Inigo to a paltry 55 physical and 53 magical bulk, which doesn't bode well for one-shot survivability. As an Asset, this stat is decent as it allows the acceptable use of HP-based support skills such as Sudden Panic and Infantry Pulse. 

Flaws

  • -Res: A Flaw can be taken here if you value physical matchups over magical, which is relevant especially for Gronnraven + Triangle Adept builds. 

  • -Def: Although Resistance wins out for a Flaw by a margin, Defense is far from the worse alternative as it only slightly affects the few physical matchups Inigo maintains.

Skill Sets

Featherdance (Standard Gronnraven Build / Arena Assault Specific)

Build by
Recommended
Gronnraven+ A Triangle Adept 3
Dance B Bowbreaker 3
Alternate: Wings of Mercy 3
Moonbow
Alternate: Luna
C Infantry Rush 3
Alternate: Atk Tactic 3
IVsSChill Spd 3
Alternate: Chill Atk 3

Show Explanation/Analysis

Preferred IV: +SPD / -RES

  • Most of Inigo's actual combat will take place in the enemy phase, so having a boost in defensive speed will certainly do him some small but handy favors. HP and Defense Assets are also slightly admissible for slightly better tanking.

  • The build is specialized against colorless bows and daggers rather than blue magic, which Inigo doesn't tank exceptionally well even with Triangle Adept. A Flaw in Resistance is therefore preferred, though HP and Def are nearly as acceptable.

Weapon: Gronnraven+ 

  • Gronnraven provides general weapon triangle effectiveness against colorless opponents, especially most bow units not named Legendary Alm (Please. Don't try to push it.).

Assist: Dance

Special: Moonbow / Luna

  • Inigo's low base stats and limited combat usage basically limit him to short Specials that rely mainly on opponent stats, which basically boils down to Moonbow. In most fights with a weapon breaker skill versus non-Null Follow-Up targets, Inigo can activate Moonbow in a single round. 

  • Luna is marginally acceptable for better burst damage at a higher cooldown; in practice, Inigo can handle at least one successful round of combat and save his Luna-charged attack for other foes or a particularly persistent target.  

Passive A: Triangle Adept

  • The other half of the Triangle Adept + Raven tome combination, this is used to magnify Gronnraven's effectiveness against colorless and blue foes. Inigo should not, however, invest full faithfulness of it against extremely powerful attacks (such as Dire Thunder or Ophelia’s Missiletainn).

Passive B: Bowbreaker / Wings of Mercy / Daggerbreaker / Null C-Disrupt

  • Bowbreaker specializes Inigo against colorless bow units by granting a follow-up attack while limiting these foes to only one attack per round. This helps make up for Inigo's otherwise lack of offense; otherwise, he is usually only able to perform one attack against most competently fast archers.

  • Wings of Mercy is a basic yet widely recommended skill on most dancers, and Inigo is no exception as he gains the ability to Dance any badly damaged teammate from afar. 

  • Due to a surge of weapon refinery options (i.e. Kagero) and new, competitively viable dagger units (i.e. Summer Ursula and Sothe), Inigo can use Daggerbreaker instead if it suits the needs of your barracks or team.

  • Null C-Disrupt is a mostly Aether Raids-specific option against staff units who utilize Dazzling Staff in any form, as well as bow units using Firesweep Bow. Using it allows Inigo to soft-check Veronica, Lyn, and other similar units without needing to use said skill on your usual carry units. The skill, however, is very expensive and rare to come by, and Inigo loses the precious utility of other B slots like Wings of Mercy. 

Passive C: Infantry Rush / Infantry Flash / Atk Tactic / Player Preference

  • Infantry Rush is an affordable but handy skill that allows fellow infantry units within two spaces to essentially gain Heavy Blade without needing to use that in their A or seal slot. This is also likely to free up the teammates' seal, giving them an opportunity to use conventional options such as Brazen Atk/Spd 3. 

  • Infantry Flash can be used in the same vein as Rush, though it is significantly rarer as Rush can be acquired from Brady who is in the general pool, while Flash is limited to Legendary Marth at this time of writing.

  • Atk Tactic combines both budget and power by offering a hefty +6 Attack boost to teammates, so as long as Tactic conditions are fulfilled.

  • The C skill slot is otherwise up to player preference; recommendations include other Tactics or Hone skills. 

Sacred Seal: Any Chill Skill / Any Tactic skill / Distant Def / Quick Riposte / Player Preference

  • A Chill skill seal of choice can be used to debilitate any opponent from afar with the highest respective stat. It can potentially benefit Inigo himself if the debuff hits his usual opponents.

  • Likewise, a Tactic seal of choice can be used especially with Atk Tactic to further support a mixed movement team passively. 

  • Distant Def and Quick Riposte get honorable mentions for improving Inigo's combat prowess. Quick Riposte, in particular, can be used with Null C-Disrupt to close in kills on colorless units that may otherwise survive a fight with him (due to a lack of weapon breaker). It can also expand Inigo's index of targets outside of his chosen weapon breaker. 

  • The seal is otherwise open for player preferences.

I Can't Believe It's Not +10 Performing Azura! (High Investment)

Build by
Gronnblade+
Alternate: Spectral Tome+ (+Spd)
A Fury (3 or 4)
Alternate: G Duel Infantry 3
Dance B Wings of Mercy 3
Alternate: Windsweep 3
Moonbow
Alternate: Ruptured Sky
C Joint Hone Spd
Alternate: Hone Atk 4
IVsSChill Atk 3
Alternate: Atk/Spd Bond 3

Show Explanation/Analysis

Preferred IV: +SPD or +ATK or +HP / -RES

  • Inigo's reliance on defensive speed holds true even at higher investment and merges. An Asset here therefore benefits in most practical cases.

  • Inigo's Attack still isn't anything special, though damage-based tomes such as Gronnblade and Keen Gronnwolf benefit slightly from an Asset.

  • HP can be considered as an Asset for specific HP-based skills and team setups.

Weapon: Gronnblade+ / Spectral Tome+ (+Spd) / Keen Gronnwolf+ (+Spd)

  • Gronnblade is the best power-oriented weapon Inigo can use as it offers huge potential damage output. Though it seems counterproductive to use a support-reliant weapon on a dancer, there are plenty of skills (such as Joint Hone Spd) and methods for both Inigo's teammates and himself to benefit. 

  • Spectral Tome is one of the better refinable supportive tomes Inigo can access; since many high-investment teams will rely on visible stat-boosting to apply pressure, the tome's Panic effect will turn the tables nearly instantly. However, it is seasonally limited by an armored unit you may be hard-pressed to fodder.

  • Keen Gronnwolf is a more accessible alternative that hits an entire movement class effectively, giving Inigo a slightly more offensive presence. In Aether Raids, it can be used for emergency kills on the likes of Brave Veronica, Reinhardt, Brave Lyn, Brave Eliwood, etc. It sees limited use in Arena as Inigo should not be KOing enemies instead of a bonus unit in the first place.

  • For scoring purposes, Inigo should use a refinable tome (most are fine besides the listed ones) in favor of Gronnblade as refined weapons like the former have a higher SP cost than the latter. Gronnblade also increases Inigo's risk of accidentally stealing kills from bonus units. 

Assist: Dance

  • Dance is still as useful as ever, even moreso in high-investment Colisseum modes, where scoring requirements impose stricter movesets and positioning caveats on Inigo's teammates.

Special: Moonbow / Ruptured Sky / Blue Flame

  • Even at high investment, Inigo's basic stats still hold him back from using anything other than opponent stats-reliant specials. Moonbow is basic but best as it ignores Inigo's otherwise middling power output at a low cooldown.

  • Blue Flame and Ruptured Sky aren't exactly improvements compared to the more accessible and equally useful Moonbow. Their main use, rather, is to bolster Inigo's scoring potential with their high SP costs. 

  • Notably, players inheriting Ruptured Sky from Female Byleth can also acquire Fury 4, another optimal skill.

Passive A: Fury (3 or 4) G Duel Infantry / Bonus Doubler / Any HP skill

  • Fury offers Inigo the best value of all A-slots as it directly adds much-needed defensive and offensive stats to Inigo's poor base statline. The recoil should not be much of a concern as Inigo will likely be minimally involved in direct combat.

  • G Duel Infantry's main use is significantly increasing Inigo's Arena scoring, though the additional +5 HP comes in handy for certain HP-based skills and setups. 

  • The best accompaniment for Gronnblade, Bonus Doubler bolsters any visible buffs Inigo has acquired and eliminates most worries of middling damage output. It makes him even more teammate-reliant than ever, however. Those using it should keep in mind Inigo should be providing his share of support.

  • HP-based builds not used in Arena should instead use the basic HP +5, or any of its two-stat variants.

Passive B: Wings of Mercy / Windsweep / Any Chill Skill / Sudden Panic / Player Preference

  • Wings of Mercy contains a ton of movement utility as Inigo can help badly damaged teammates from afar, while being one of his higher scoring options.

  • Windsweep (or Watersweep if preferred) prevents counterattacks from slower units with Distant Counter, enabling him to fire off a single free hit. This can translate to a game-changing widespread Panic effect from Spectral Tome, or a simple strong attack from Gronnblade. 

  • A Chill skill of choice can be used to help Inigo provide more support passively by inflicting debuffs on particularly tough units.

  • Sudden Panic is yet another passive option Inigo can utilize by inflicting mass Panic on foes that are adjacent to each other. However, it requires a specific A slot and Seal setup to use properly.

  • Player preferences yet again rule above all else, though other honorable mentions include Desperation, Null C-Disrupt, and Dance skills.

Passive C: Joint Hone Spd / Hone Atk 4 / Any infantry perk skill / Player Preference

  • Joint Hone Spd benefits both Inigo and adjacent teammates by providing a meaty +5 Speed at the start of their turn. It is particularly beneficial with Gronnblade as it can be difficult for Inigo to acquire stat bonuses for himself without alienating his teammates' own C or seal slot skills. 

  • Hone Atk 4 is the best Atk bonus Inigo can passively offer to his teammates.

  • The player can take advantage of Inigo's vast array of Infantry-based C slots—including Infantry Rush, Infantry Breath, and Infantry Pulse—to manipulate his fellow infantry teammates' cooldown and free up their skill slots.

Sacred Seal: Chill Spd / Chill Atk / Atk/Spd Bond / HP/Spd 2 / Player Preference

  • As with the B slot, Inigo can use a Chill skill seal of choice to debilitate superunits without needing to initiate directly himself.

  • Atk/Spd Bond directly increases Inigo's offensive stats when adjacent to a teammate, and is further enabled by accompanying skills such as Wings of Mercy or Infantry Breath.

  • HP/Spd 2 and other similar seals should be used in HP-based setups.

  • The vast library of seals Inigo can run is ultimately up to the player.

Introduction

"Bare" is one word that accurately describes Performing Inigo, and it's not just referring to that lacy outfit. With Dance at his disposal, Inigo at least performs as well as any refresher unit is expected: he simply comes in and uses Dance to grant finished teammates another action. Much like his fellow performers, this fact alone makes him worth working with. When it comes to competitive performance compared to others with Sing, Dance, or Gray Waves, however, Inigo is left to brag only of a few shared traits and an admittedly dashing figure. 

As an infantry tome dancer, Inigo must deal with an exceptionally low base stat total, which translates to only a modest distribution across all of his stats. At a base value of 33, his Speed can only be called sufficiently decent, while his base Attack of 28 barely allows him to make an impact on all but specific opponents. His below-average defensive stats, while not unexpected of refresher units, are an inherent hindrance to his contributions outside of dancing. 

The existence of newer units and threats also does no favors. Null Follow-Up and the general preference for Legendary Alm (who can blow past the standard Gronnraven build) as a colorless bow hero in the metagame stings, especially seeing as Inigo's bulk was barely enough to tank the like of Brave Lyn and Reinhardt previously. Additionally, the introduction of Adrift Azura as a directly competitive unit—that can be summoned anytime via Heroic Grails, no less—does Inigo's seasonal availability no favors. Reyson and Leanne puts Inigo's base weapon to shame by passively healing with no initiation needed, while also offering three-space movement under correct conditions. Finally, Azura's legendary form is more widely used due to rotating availability and an overbearing variety of supportive perks outside of singing, which almost kicks most of her competition, Inigo included, out of showbiz.

Despite the odds being stacked against him, however, Performing Inigo struts as confidently as ever. To say nothing of his ability to refresh units, Inigo's status as an infantry ranged unit gives him several options that other dancers can't have or don't have room for. Though his list of useful green tomes is limited, the few he regularly uses are just enough to get his side jobs out of the way. His low fodderability (aside from a largely unused dance skill and weapon) also makes it easy to keep at least one copy of him, thus making him minimally available for Arena Assault modes and other game modes.

Strengths

Dance

The main reason to use this lech, Dance at minimum provides a ton of utility by granting teammates with an additional turn to act. 

Infantry Perks

Inigo's access to a variety of infantry-based skills, including Infantry Pulse, Infantry Breath, Infantry Rush, Null C-Disrupt, and others, keeps him fresh, competitive, and helpful despite several other dancers also having access to these.

Serviceable Speed

33 Speed isn't as flashy as Inigo's ribbony looks, but it is enough to protect Inigo from a few natural doubles in relevant matchups. With weapon refinery, proper A slot skill investment, and minimal teammate support, this fact only becomes stronger.

Weaknesses

Low Raw Defenses

Frailty is expected of refresher units, but Inigo's balanced raw physical 59 and magical 57 bulk can only be described as barely sufficient. Without bandaid investment in his HP or using specialized tomes against certain units, he will typically only take a stray hit (if any) and nothing more. 

Average Offense and Weapon Use

A base Attack of 28 isn't exactly helping Inigo contribute much outside of dancing and targeting specific foes with the proper tome. Inigo's repertoire of weapons he can actually use well is also rather low due to his limiting stats and a relative lack of variety in green tomes. 

Seasonally Limited

Inigo is not only limited to a single seasonal banner a year, but also shares green coloring with Performing Azura, who is considered the better unit of the two and the banner entirely. Meanwhile, a variety of arguably more useful refresher units can be obtained year-round or have frequently reoccurring summoning events. Adrift Azura, in particular, can be obtained at any time through Heroic Grail summoning while having a unique preferred weapon of her own. 

Overbearing Competition

This is probably Inigo's most limiting factor. Compared to other refresher units with better stats and superior amount utility outside of dancing (see: Hoshidan Festival Micaiah and Legendary Azura), Inigo simply doesn't offer enough. His usual niche as a Gronnraven user is also very specific and sees restrained usage versus specific units in Arena Assault.

Weapon Skills

Weapons SP Rng. Mt.
Wind
Green Tome Users Only
50 2 4
Elwind
Green Tome Users Only
100 2 6
Dancer's Ring

If unit initiates attack, adjacent allies recover 7 HP after combat.

Green Tome Users Only
200 2 8
Dancer's Ring+

If unit initiates combat, restores 7 HP to adjacent allies after combat.

Learns by default at 5 ★
Green Tome Users Only
300 2 12
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 5 ★
1 150

Passive Skills

Passive Skills SP Slot
Gale Dance 1

If Sing or Dance is used, grants Spd+2 to target.

Non-inheritable by Staff-wielding units.
50
B
Gale Dance 2

If Sing or Dance is used, grants Spd+3 to target.

Non-inheritable by Staff-wielding units.
100
B
Gale Dance 3

If Sing or Dance is used, grants Spd+4 to target.

Non-inheritable by Staff-wielding units.
Unlocks at 5 ★
200
B
Hone Atk 1

Grants adjacent allies Atk+2 through their next actions at the start of each turn.

Inheritable by all units.
50
C
Hone Atk 2

Grants adjacent allies Atk+3 through their next actions at the start of each turn.

Inheritable by all units.
100
C
Hone Atk 3

Grants adjacent allies Atk+4 through their next actions at the start of each turn.

Inheritable by all units.
Unlocks at 5 ★
200
C

Other Info

Origin
Fire Emblem: Awakening

Banners Featured In

Official Hero Artwork