Winter Hilda (Three Houses)

Weapon: Flowing Lance+ (+SPD/RES) / Slaying Lance (+SPD/RES) / Harmonic Lance (+DEF/RES) / Gilt Fork+ (+SPD/RES) / Candy Cane+ (+SPD/RES)

Assist: Positional Assist / Flexible

Special: Noontime / Sol

Passive A: Distant Counter / Fort. Def/Res / Stance Skill

Passive B: Special Fighter / Slick Fighter 

Passive C: Pulse Smoke / Smoke Skills / Flexible

Sacred Seal: Spd/Res Solo / Atk/Def Solo / Swift Stance / Fierce Stance / Mirror Stance / Quick Riposte

• Winter Hilda excels at defensive play by merit of her exceptionally well-balanced statline and access to several, powerful skill options, in terms of both her B slot and weaponry. Taking her four-point +ATK IV provides a notable boost to her damage output (and somewhat improves her healing ability), but +SPD and +RES are equally worthwhile to enhance her ability to deny follow-ups or directly pad her magical resilience.
• She has several options for her weapon, depending on personal preference:
  • Flowing Lance is excellent to augment both her damage and survivability, as well as break through enemy bonuses; this essentially operates as a significantly stronger Lull Atk/Def. 
  • Alternatively, Slaying Lance may be taken to use Specials with longer cooldowns. Both of these weapons boast great general applicability and work well, regardless of the rest of her set.
  • The following are more dependent on Hilda’s specific B slot or support:
    • Harmonic Lance pairs well with an OHKO-focused playstyle if using Special Fighter or providing Brave Lucina’s Geirskögul support to instantly activate Noontime on each counterattack. 
    • Gilt Fork is a solid substitute if Slick Fighter is unavailable to provide Hilda some immunity to debuffs, though only those targeting her Attack and Defense.
    • Lastly, her base Candy Cane should only be used if equipped with Slick Fighter as its Guard effect will be redundant with Special Fighter.
• Distant Counter aids Hilda’s success at tanking damage from all enemy types through the crucial ability to counterattack regardless of range. Should you favor raw tanking ability over versatility, Fort. Def/Res or a Stance 4 skill (if not using Special or Crafty Fighter) become potential candidates.
• Special Fighter is a powerful B slot choice to hasten her Special activations without needing outside support. Pairing this with Noontime (or Sol when using Slaying Lance) allows Hilda to obtain solid sustain. However, Slick Fighter is an equally valid option to bypass the ubiquity of debuffs in Aether Raids; it also guarantees her follow-up in the Enemy Phase, allowing Hilda to focus more on her Attack and bulk over Speed. 
• Smoke skills inherently go well with this defensive playstyle, with Pulse Smoke being Hilda’s C slot to delay otherwise deadly Special activations and shut down Infantry Pulse setups in AR-O. Otherwise, normal stat-debuffing Smoke skills like Atk Smoke work well too.
• Sacred Seals that enhance Hilda’s key stats are ideal here, including Spd/Res Solo, Atk/Def Solo, and Stance skills. Although her Speed is sufficiently high enough to double opponents given the adequate support / investment, Quick Riposte is a reasonable choice to break through Impact skills when using Special Fighter.

Weapon: Slaying Lance (+ATK/SPD) / Flowing Lance (+SPD/DEF) / Lofty Blossoms (+SPD)

Assist: Positional Assist / Flexible

Special: Galeforce / Bonfire / Ignis 

Passive A: Swift Sparrow / Death Blow / Atk/Spd Solo / Atk/Spd Push

Passive B: Special Fighter / Bold Fighter 

Passive C: Armored Stride / Armor March / Smoke Skills / Flexible

Sacred Seal: Offensive Blow Skills / Quickened Pulse 

• Hilda’s outstanding Attack and Speed combination (with base values of 39 and 38 respectively) alongside her Fighter skill access provides a great foundation for offensive play as well. Taking a +ATK IV is preferred if using Bold Fighter to maximize damage—otherwise, +SPD should be taken as her follow-ups won’t be guaranteed.
• Slaying Lance is a great generalist choice for consistent Special activations; this lends itself especially well for Galeforce strategies. For a pure damage focus, Flowing Lance (or Lofty Blossoms, specifically for Special Fighter sets) work well as alternatives. These can work with Galeforce as well, but require the Quickened Pulse seal to ensure its activation without requiring an enemy counterattack. Bonfire and Ignis are solid damage-based Special choices if using Galeforce isn't preferred.
• The Holiday Layabout’s A slot will largely depend on whether she is utilizing Special Fighter or Bold Fighter. If the former, skills that boost both Hilda’s Attack and Speed are ideal (i.e. Swift Sparrow, Atk/Spd Solo, etc.) but if the latter, Death Blow 4 is ideal to frontload as much damage as possible. 
• Armored Stride and Armor March are both excellent to bypass Hilda’s otherwise poor mobility and allow her to more easily narrow the gap between her and her opponents. Should her mobility either not be an issue or already be addressed through outside support, Smoke skills serve as solid C slot options that improve her subsequent matchups when using Galeforce or provided refresher support. 
• Given this build’s aggressive nature, Sacred Seals that supplement Hilda’s key stats during the Player Phase—namely Blow skills, such as Swift Sparrow, Death Blow, and Sturdy Blow—are ideal, though some Solo Sacred Seals like Atk/Def Solo may work as well.