- Default
- Attack
- Special
- Injured




Xander - Paragon Knight |
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Related Heroes
Hero Stats
Stat Variations
HP | ATK | SPD | DEF | RES | |
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Low | 19 | 7 | 4 | 8 | 3 |
Middle | 20 | 8 | 5 | 9 | 4 |
High | 21 | 9 | 6 | 10 | 5 |
HP | ATK | SPD | DEF | RES | |
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Low | 41 | 29 | 21 | 34 | 13 |
Middle | 44 | 32 | 24 | 37 | 17 |
High | 47 | 35 | 28 | 40 | 20 |
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. |
HP | ATK | SPD | DEF | RES |
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This unit requires use of Trait Fruits to get access to IVs
Skill Sets
Don't IgNohr Me! (Defensive Tank)
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Siegfried Alternate: Slaying Edge+ (+Def) |
A | Steady Stance (3 or 4) Alternate: Warding Stance (3 or 4) |
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Reposition Alternate: Rally Def/Res |
B | Lull Atk/Def 3 Alternate: Atk/Spd Ruse 3 |
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Bonfire Alternate: Ignis |
C | Atk Smoke 3 Alternate: Hone Cavalry |
IVs | +ATK or +DEF / -SPD | S | Quick Riposte 3 Alternate: Distant Def 3 |
Weapon: Siegfried / Slaying Edge+ (+Def) / Safeguard+ (+Def)
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Siegfried is taken to give Xander access to Distant Counter. He may struggle against mages and staves with his lower end Resistance, but he should be able to shrug off most bows and daggers with his high Defense.
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Slaying Edge is an alternative choice that removes Xander’s Distant Counter in exchange for enhancing his performance as a close range physical tank. Slaying Edge ensures that Specials can be activated more frequently.
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Safeguard is another alternative for the pure close range Xander that provides a large boost of 7 Defense during Enemy Phase at the cost of not helping Xander’s Special uptime like Slaying Edge does.
Assist: Reposition / Rally Def/Res / Player Preference
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Reposition is a generally useful movement Assist that can be used to help Xander retreat, or help his allies move in with ease.
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A Rally such as Rally Def/Res is to be taken if running a Ruse skill on Xander, as the Ruse requires either Xander to be rallied or for Xander himself to rally an ally.
Special: Bonfire / Ignis / Moonbow
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Bonfire is one of Xander’s best specials as it scales off his high Defense stat and can activate within a reasonable timeframe.
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Ignis activates less frequently than Bonfire, but hits much harder to compensate. It is best used with Slaying Edge for more frequency.
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Moonbow is even more consistent than Ignis with Slaying Edge equipped, as every hit Xander takes in Enemy Phase will allow him to immediately retaliate with Moonbow.
Passive A: Steady Stance (3 or 4) / Warding Stance (3 or 4) / Distant Def (3 or 4) / Close Def
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Steady Stance 4 provides Xander with a strong 8 Defense boost as well as a Guard effect during Enemy Phase. If Steady Stance 4 is unable to be obtained, then Steady Stance 3 can function well enough on budget at the cost of not having the Guard effect and possessing only a 6 Defense boost compared to 8.
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Warding Stance can be a useful tool to try and salvage Xander’s poor Resistance somewhat, increasing his effectiveness at tanking hits from mages. It is best paired with a Sacred Seal that also grants a Resistance boost.
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Distant Def 4 can nullify ranged buffs, allowing for much easier ranged tanking than before. Distant Def 3 does not possess the ability to nullify buffs but it is easier to obtain by comparison.
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Close Def is an alternative option if Xander is expected to handle close range tanking more than ranged tanking.
Passive B: Lull Atk/Def / Atk/Spd Ruse / Quick Riposte / Guard
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Lull Atk/Def provides immense utility for Xander and is one of the very few skills that cavalry units have access to. Not only will Xander inflict -3 Attack/Defense to his opponent during combat, but his opponent’s displayed buffs to their Attack and Defense will be ignored.
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Atk/Spd Ruse, when used correctly, can inflict -5 Attack/Speed to whoever Xander is able to affect, as well as hit them with a Guard debuff. These debuffs help to make Xander much safer during combat, though it does force him to run a Rally Assist skill just to make it more consistently available.
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Quick Riposte is very mandatory to Xander’s performance as a slow tank, as he is not fast enough to secure his own natural follow-up attacks. If Quick Riposte is not being used in the Sacred Seal, it should be used in the B Passive.
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Guard makes a fine B Passive option for those that cannot have access to Steady Stance 4 or Warding Stance 4, as it can provide Xander with an immediate Guard effect.
Passive C: Atk Smoke / Hone Cavalry / Player Preference
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Atk Smoke helps Xander’s to survive if he is to take on more than one opponent during the Enemy Phase. The -7 Attack debuff will greatly enhance Xander’s survivability.
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A class-exclusive buff such as Hone Cavalry is a skill that will benefit Xander’s allies if he is on a team with other cavalry units.
Sacred Seal: Quick Riposte / Distant Def / Close Def / Steady Stance / Warding Stance
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If Quick Riposte is not being run in the B Passive, Quick Riposte finds its home within the Sacred Seal slot as Xander requires additional aid to secure follow-up attacks.
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Distant Def and Close Def are solid Sacred Seals to run that can enhance Xander’s survivability when taking on a specific attack range.
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Steady Stance and Warding Stance are options for the Sacred Seal slot that work against both ranged and melee opponents compared to Distant Def and Close Def.
Oh Nohr You Didn't (Vantage Build)
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Siegfried | A | Fierce Stance 3 Alternate: Brazen Atk/Def 3 |
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Reposition | B | Vantage 3 |
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Glimmer Alternate: Bonfire |
C | Def Smoke 3 |
IVs | +ATK / -SPD | S | Fierce Stance 3 Alternate: Brazen Atk/Def 3 |
Weapon: Siegfried
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Siegfried is a crucial part of this build, as it ensures that Xander is able to activate Vantage against even ranged opponents that try to attack him.
Assist: Reposition / Player Preference
Special: Glimmer / Bonfire
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Glimmer can vary in effectiveness depending on the matchup that Xander finds himself in. Either it helps Xander get a OHKO easily thanks to the high attack potential of this set, or it barely helps at all as the opponent has too much Defense to make Glimmer worth it. Glimmer does have a 2 charge cooldown however, making it quite frequent in terms of activations.
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Bonfire is somewhat less frequent than Glimmer in terms of uptime, but it is much more useful damage wise as it is dependent on Xander’s own high Defense stat.
Passive A: Fierce Stance / Brazen Atk/Def
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Fierce Stance grants Xander with 6 Attack during the Enemy Phase. Vantage builds are dependent on delivering a powerful strike during Enemy Phase so that a OHKO can potentially be claimed, so Fierce Stance proves to be a very consistent way of bolstering Xander’s Attack.
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Brazen Atk/Def requires that Xander be reduced to 80% HP or lower in order for the skill to activate, but it does grant Xander a large boost of 7 Attack/Defense during combat. Brazen Atk/Def will always be active once Xander has set up Vantage.
Passive B: Vantage
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Vantage is the key component to this build, as Xander will be able to retaliate before his opponent has a chance to hit him once he has dropped to 75% HP or lower. Be on the lookout for opponents that possess Hardy Bearing, whether it be through the Sacred Seal or a weapon such as Dawn Suzu. These types of effects completely bypass skills such as Vantage, making them a direct counter to this build.
Passive C: Def Smoke / Player Preference
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Def Smoke is exceptionally beneficial to Xander if he finds himself having to activate Vantage on more than one opponent. If additional enemies get hit by the -7 Defense debuff, Xander gets an effective 7 more Attack to work with that can greatly enhance what he can OHKO with Vantage.
Sacred Seal: Fierce Stance / Brazen Atk/Def
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The Fierce Stance Sacred Seal when paired with Fierce Stance in the A Passive will grant Xander a consistently large 12 Attack during the Enemy Phase. It can also be used with Brazen Atk/Def A Passive in order to make up for the fact that Brazen Atk/Def will not be ready before Xander is at 80% HP or less.
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The Brazen Atk/Def Seal will be exceptionally strong when Xander has lost the HP needed to activate it, but do be wary of the dangers of running both this Sacred Seal and the Brazen Atk/Def A Passive together. Xander’s performance before reaching 80% HP or less will be drastically weakened.
Nohr More Funds (Budget Arena Assault)
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Siegfried | A | Triangle Adept 3 Alternate: Fury 3 |
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Reposition | B | Swordbreaker 3 Alternate: Axebreaker 3 |
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Moonbow Alternate: Bonfire |
C | Hone Cavalry Alternate: Spur Def 3 |
IVs | +ATK or +DEF / -SPD | S | Attack +3 |
Weapon: Siegfried
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Siegfried is Xander’s default weapon. This makes it the cheapest weapon for Xander to use as no inheritance is required.
Assist: Reposition / Player Preference
Special: Moonbow / Bonfire
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Moonbow is a special that activates very frequently and is necessary if Xander wants to push the most out of Swordbreaker.
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Bonfire uses Xander’s high Defense stat for a burst of damage, but it does not activate in one round of combat if Xander is running a breaker skill.
Passive A: Triangle Adept / Fury
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Triangle Adept is a very accessible A Passive that seeks to enhance Xander’s matchups against green units. Even if Xander is not able to secure a kill against these opponents, he should at the very least be able to wall them off with ease.
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Fury is another accessible A Passive that gives Xander an all around stat boost. The chip damage from Fury can eventually prove to be an issue, but if Xander does not partake in multiple rounds of combat this should not be an issue.
Passive B: Swordbreaker / Axebreaker / G Tomebreaker / Quick Riposte
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Swordbreaker gives Xander some coverage in terms of what opponents he can try to take on. Moonbow, when run with Swordbreaker, will activate in one round of combat. This can help to somewhat bypass Xander’s middling Attack stat.
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Axebreaker or G Tomebreaker can be used if the player requires Xander to specifically hard counter these types of units. They are less flexible than Swordbreaker, but will push matchups against these types of units heavily in Xander’s favor when combined with Triangle Adept.
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Quick Riposte does not prevent specific opponents from landing follow-up attacks against Xander, but it does ensure that he can follow-up attack on more than just one weapon type.
Passive C: Hone Cavalry / Spur Def / Player Preference
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Hone Cavalry is a simple C Passive that allows Xander to buff his fellow cavalry allies that he may be deployed alongside.
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In the event that a C Passive is not to be inherited, Xander’s default Spur Def is fine to keep on this build.
Sacred Seal: Attack +3 / Player Preference
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Due to the fact that the Quick Riposte Sacred Seal is likely taken by another unit during a player’s Arena Assault run, a simple Attack +3 Sacred Seal can be fine enough to squeeze a bit more damage out of Xander during his instances of combat.
Strengths
Siegfried
Xander wields Siegfried, a Distant Counter weapon. His low end Resistance does hurt Siegfried’s usage against magical damage, but Siegfried allows Xander to be able to check most physical ranged units with relative ease so long as he is able to counter attack them.
Strong Physical Bulk
Xander sports 44 HP and 37 Defense, which gives him a strong presence as a physical wall. His Speed can hamper this role somewhat, but by stacking enough Defense he may not have to fear this as much as his low Speed can be beneficial in retaliating with a powerful Special.
Three Movement
Xander is able to move three spaces as opposed to the usual two. While trenches may slow Xander down, for the most part he has a strong positioning game. He is able to come in quickly and efficiently to shield allies, or make a retreat if things are not looking favorable for him.
Extremely Accessible
Xander is not only obtainable via completing his Grand Hero Battle which is part of the daily Grand Hero Battle rotation maps, but an additional four star copy and even a five star copy can be earned via the Heroes' Path quests. This ensures that every player should have easy access to a Xander of their own. While Xander cannot be summoned, additional copies can be earned via the usage of Grails. If players were around for all of Xander’s original runs, it is not too far fetched to claim that one could have a relatively high merged Xander if they wanted to.
Weaknesses
Poor Speed
Xander has little to no chance of avoiding follow-up attacks due to his Speed stat of 24. A Hone Cavalry buff applied on him can push his Speed to a middling 30, but even this is not enough to avoid follow-up attacks from faster heroes. Xander’s Speed makes him heavily reliant on running Quick Riposte just to ensure he can follow-up attack, and this can be shut down by skills such as Null Follow-Up or weapons such as Creator Sword.
Awful Resistance
Xander’s extremely low Resistance of 17 can be easily exploited by the likes of strong blue mages such as Reinhardt, Ophelia, Ishtar, Tailtiu, and Micaiah. Even physically frail green mages that were able to preemptively set up Desperation will find themselves able to defeat Xander as his Speed ensures that he will more often than not be hit twice in one round of combat.
Cavalry Skill Limitations
Cavalry units are locked out of different options that could have greatly benefitted Xander. For example, Xander as a physically defensive wall could have appreciated Steady Breath as he could use more powerful Specials consistently, which could aid his matchups. Cavalry may seem to be getting new Skill options lately such as Lulls and Ruses and this may continue in the future, but as of right now Xander’s limited Skill options hurt his performance compared to Distant Counter weapon carriers of other movement types.
Accessibility Comes at Costs
Xander may be an extremely accessible Distant Counter sword carrier, but this has its fair share of problems. Xander’s niche as a Distant Counter cavalry sword, while he may not require players to inherit Distant Counter, units such as Sword Reinhardt and Ares are able to outclass Xander in the role once given access to the Distant Counter A Passive. Even Hríd naturally has Distant Counter in his base kit. Finally, Xander is not the only accessible Distant Counter sword unit, as Legendary Ike is given to players for free as a result of the A Hero Rises event. These costs greatly hampers Xander’s value as a unit, even for Free to Play users.
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Siegfried | A | Steady Posture 3 |
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Draw Back | B | Lull Atk/Spd 3 |
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Bonfire | C | Hone Cavalry |
S | Steady Posture 2 |
With the new Trait Fruits, Xander can finally get a desperately needed boon and drop off some of his worthless resistance. Speed is a superboon, and when fully merged he can become blisteringly fast.
This set takes Xander from being a mediocre unit to becoming one of the best physical tanks in the entire game and completely circumvents his normally bad speed stat (and can allow him to end up naturally doubling many units). Merge Xander to +10 for the best results as the bonus he receives to each stat is crucial.
Siegfried is an amazing weapon coming with a built in distant counter allowing Xander to demolish Bow/Dagger units and retaliate against mages and potentially kill off the ones that fail to OHKO him.
Now for what really pushes this set from mediocre to downright insane. Steady Posture 3 gives Xander a massive boost to his defense and speed and blocking the enemies' specials which lets him take far less damage. (With this A skill, the B skill, and the Seal, Xander will have 42 speed upon initiation when he is fully merged, meaning only the fastest units can double him)
Lull Atk/Spd 3 gives Xander a natural Def/Res/Spd +3 effectively and nullifies attack and speed buffs that an opponent will have, allowing Xander to take far less damage and make doubling him extremely hard
The C skill can really be anything. If used on a cavalry team, Hone Cavalry is a good option to have. Any smoke skill will also be nice to have. Rouse Def/Spd 3 is also a nice skill to have if Xander is not being used on Cavalry. Panic Ploy is also a nice skill since Xander has a high HP stat. A smoke skill can also be sufficient here, though Xander's C skill is really just whatever you want.
The Seal for this set is Steady Posture 2 just to make Xander even faster and physically bulkier.
As far as specials go, Bonfire is an easy to use skill that lets Xander decimate other tanks. Aether and Noontime can also be used, though Xander really just wants the extra damage output from Bonfire.
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Siegfried | A | Fort. Def/Res 3 |
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Reposition | B | Guard 3 |
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Aether | C | Odd Def Wave 3 |
S | Quick Riposte 3 |
I've always liked Xander, so I've opted to use more premium-ish skills to bring his bulk to new heights to try and make him more of a threat. His defense is insane, but his resistance... well, I'm working on that. For now, he's really just a hard counter to anything that does physical damage.
Can't wait for him to get a refine.
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Siegfried | A | Fort. Def/Res 3 |
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Swap | B | Quick Riposte 3 |
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Bonfire | C | Odd Def Wave 3 |
S | Even Def Wave 3 |
It’s all about defence babey!!!!!!
Enemy phase build -
Fortress Def/Res 3 for extra tank,,
QR3 helps with his abysmal speed as he’ll double when attacked, Swap will help to protect squishier units from direct melee attacks and he works really well as archer bait with his swords inbuilt distant counter. Both Odd and Even Def wave 3 to consistently buff his defence up as much as possible as well as buffing allies.
Tissue paper to a mage but otherwise you got yourself a fairly indestructible melee tank.
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Siegfried | A | Steady Stance 4 |
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Swap | B | Quick Riposte 3 |
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Ignis | C | Panic Ploy 3 |
S | Fierce Stance 3 |
(Note my Xander is +7 and summoner supported so your stats may vary)
This Xander build is a MONSTER at any physical attack you throw at him. Even most blues will parish at his hands. This is obviously an enemy phase build so don’t get rash with your attacks. Play smart and he will serve you well. I recommend running him on a team that can support him with stat buffs to maximize his efficiency. The two buffers I run with mine are hone and ward calvery skills. Oh and keep him out of rang from mages, he probably can tank a green mage simply from health but I wouldn’t risk it.
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Siegfried | A | Steady Stance 4 |
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Reposition | B | Quick Riposte 3 |
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Ignis | C | Hone Cavalry |
S | Close Def 3 |
The best build of Xander...
Mine is +5 and summoner support, he is now the best unite in the game.
You can change Ignis for Bonfire or Aether, Hone for Fortify Cavalry or Att Smoke and Close Def for Distant Def
Weapon Skills
Weapons | SP | Rng. | Mt. |
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![]() Only Inheritable by Sword Units.
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50 | 1 | 6 |
![]() Learns by default at 3 ★ Only Inheritable by Sword Units.
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100 | 1 | 8 |
![]() Learns by default at 4 ★ Unlocks at 3 ★ Only Inheritable by Sword Units.
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200 | 1 | 11 |
![]() Unlocks at 5 ★ Non-Inheritable skill.
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400 | 1 | 16 |
Special Skills
Special Skills | SP | Turns |
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![]() Learns by default at 4 ★ Unlocks at 3 ★ Non-inheritable by Staff-wielding units.
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150 | 4 |
![]() Unlocks at 4 ★ Non-inheritable by Staff-wielding units.
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300 | 4 |
Passive Skills
Passive Skills | SP | Slot |
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![]() Non-inheritable by Staff-wielding units.
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50 | A |
![]() Non-inheritable by Staff-wielding units.
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100 | A |
![]() Non-inheritable by Staff-wielding units.
Unlocks at 5 ★ |
200 | A |
![]() Inheritable by all units.
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50 | C |
![]() Inheritable by all units.
Unlocks at 4 ★ |
100 | C |
![]() Inheritable by all units.
Unlocks at 5 ★ |
200 | C |
Other Info
Origin |
Fire Emblem Fates
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