Tempest Trials - Invisible Ties

If you include a bonus ally on your team, you can increase your score. If you add multiple bonus allies, only the highest bonus will apply. Bonuses do not stack.

Bonus Allies
+40%
+20%

Event Overview

This special event contains a series of maps you must fight your way through from beginning to end. Losing does not mean game over, as you can retry with a second team. At the end of each round, points are received based on clear speed, survivability and bonus units. Your total points are tallied and used to unlock various rewards, many of which are exclusive to the Tempest Trials. Additionally, there is a player ranking with large feather rewards given to those with the highest scores.

Other Rules

• Bonus allies gain significant stat boosts (HP+10, +4 other stats).
• Bonus allies gain double EXP and SP.
• Your first two runs per day earn triple points.

Notable Rewards

4★ Gerome

• Gerome is a flying axe-wielder with exceptionally high Attack. His statline is similar to his mothers, possessing excellent offenses with weaknesses in his Speed and Resistance. As a 40% Bonus unit, it's highly recommended to use Gerome on your Tempest Trials team. If not, he can be foddered to grant your choice of Rally Atk/Def, Hit and Run, or Fortress Def 3.

Obstruct Seal

• Obstruct is a extremely niche skill, and sees no real use aside from joke builds. In fact, this just might be the worst Tempest Trial reward ever offered!

Res Ploy Seal

• Res Ploy is a debuffing skill that allows a unit to lower the Resistance of enemies. It's great on dragons and mages who can exploit the lowered stats to inflict more damage. However, the user must already have a higher Resistance than the enemy, or the skill will have no effect.

5★ Gerome

• A five star version of Gerome. He comes with the Poleaxe+, a weapon which grants super-effective damage versus enemy Cavalry. With his stellar base Attack of 38, he can carve through an opponent's frontline with ease. He also provides valuable skill inheritance, being the only user of the Poleaxe+ currently in the game. 

Def Tactic Seal

• Def Tactic has a strange condition: It only activates when there are no more than two units with the carrier's unit type. (for instance, if this seal is placed on Titania, only one other Cavalry unit is allowed or else the skill will not work. The +6 bonus granted by this skill is enough to make a large difference in combat, making it a great general-choice seal for mixed teams.

Team Building

Without further ado, let us jump into the team-building part of the guide. Instead of talking about just completed teams, I’ll be talking about the elements that make those teams successful, so that players with varying boxes can construct viable teams. Unless otherwise stated, all units from here on out are assumed to be running their recommended builds. A team with the best chance of success will have the following: 

• As many bonus units as possible, as they receive huge stat boosts.
• Source of healing, such as healing specials or a staff-user.
• Strategy for the final map and boss.
• Weapon Triangle coverage, as the actual units within each map can vary.

Bonus Units

The first units you’ll want to think about using are of course, the bonus units. With their huge stat bonuses (+10 HP, +4 to all other stats) They will punch far above their normal weight. All bonus units receive the same stat boost. Always endevor to have at least one bonus unit on your team, as they increase your score by 20% or 40% respectively. Bonus units do not stack (the score increase is capped at 40%). 

40% Units

• Chrom(E): The new Chrom comes equipped with a handy Falchion for cutting down Grima and has great Attack and Defense. His Sealed Falchion's condition is a lot easier to activate on the Tempest Trials as he can carry damage between maps. He also works great in a full Cavalry team with units like Brave Lyn and Reinhardt.

• Morgan(M): Male Morgan is a hard-hitting mage who comes with the special tome Grima's Truth. With his good Attack and Speed, he's excellent at sweeping through the maps. But despite having a good color matchup vs. Grima, he struggles vs. him due to the latter's Expiration and Vengeful Fighter skills.

• Morgan(F): Female Morgan is a flier, giving her good synergy with Cherche and Gerome. However, she is a poor offensive unit with her basic tome the Blarserpent, and is poor against Grima. She shines brightly with a Blade Tome combined with Flier team buffs however.

• Gerome: Available for free, Gerome will be used by most players who did not pull on the most recent banner. His Attack and Defense are sky-high, but his low Speed and Resistance cost him, especially in this Tempest Trials which has many mages and archers. If you're set on using him, take Iote's Shield as his seal to let him easily tank hits from bows.

20% Units

• Robin(F): The well-rounded mage is available for free and can slay Cavalry easily with her Gronnwolf tome. Robin is more of a defensive mage, but with the bonus unit stat boost she finds her offenses much more passable. Since Gerome appears as a free 40% unit, she may not be the most desirable of choices as they share a color.

• Donnel: Donnel is the pick of the blue units this time around, with his well-rounded statline making him extremely difficult to KO, and lets him plow through foes with his Brave Lance. Donnel is useful even at 4★ and with his basic kit, but giving him some basic skills such as Quick Riposte 2 or a Sapphire Lance will allow him to give a stronger performance.

• Cherche: Unfortunately for Cherche, her son appears as a free 40% unit and shares many characteristics with her. However, she hits hard and even packs a handy Hammer for dealing heavy damage to Grima. She'll do a great job in Gerome's stead if you choose to use her over him.

• Olivia: As a dancer, she offers excellent utility to any team. She can double the impact of anyone, such as a healer or offensive unit. The stat boost she gets from being a bonus unit offsets her dancer stat penalty, meaning she can take a frontline role with minimal support. With an Armorslayer, she can even take on Grima.

Healers

Thanks to the 2.0 update and forging, staff-users are stronger than ever and are highly recommended for all kinds of teams. They are by far the most reliable and powerful healers available, and can also provide strong chip damage to neutralize strong threats.

There are a few types of builds which can be used to heal teams without using a dedicated healer. The first of these is the “Renewal Medic”, a build type which relies on healing from Renewal and the legendary weapon Falchion. Reciprocal Aid is a must-have skill to ensure clean transferral of health to allies. Forging Falchion greatly increases the healing from this type of build. Keep in mind that Chrom(E)'s Sealed Falchion does not provide healing unlike other Falchions, and cannot be forged.

Lastly, there is the "sustain tank" build. With a cooldown -1 weapon such as a Slaying Axe, Steady Breath, Quick Riposte and Aether, a unit can charge and fire off their special every round of combat keeping their health topped up over a long time.

Dancers

These are some of the most potent allies for Tempest Trials, offering both safety and speed to your run. In short, they are great for all the usual reasons, but are affected by their low combat stats, which can hold them back. Due to team limitations, if you choose to field a dancer they must be a respectable combat unit in their own right, with either a full build or something close. Olivia is both freely obtained and a bonus unit, making her the best choice of dancer for these Tempest Trials.

Sweepers

One of the fastest ways to clear the Tempest Trials is with a powerful ranged attacker wielding a Brave bow or Blade tome. Combined with a buffer or dancer, they can destroy most units in the trials with ease once they are under the Desperation threshold. Nino, Linde, Rhajat, Tharja, Katarina, L'Arachel, Ursula, Brave Lyn and Reinhardt are all common choices. Morgan(M) is a stellar offensive unit with his great Attack and Speed. Morgan(F) requires some skill inheritance but can also do well with her great Attack. Chrom(E) does not fit the typical sweeper archetype, but his Sealed Falchion has great synergy with skills such as Desperation and Brash Assault.

Using Autobattle

For those looking to save time, the autobattle feature lets you quickly gain tempest points with minimal effort. When creating an autobattle team, there are a few considerations:

Difficulty

• Hard (5 Battles) is the most suitable difficulty for most players, assuming you can field a full team of five star characters. With enough bonus units or merges, it may be possible to do the lower infernal difficulty.

Team Building

• Team building considerations are mostly the same for manual teams. The AI tends to play recklessly, making tanky units with well-rounded statlines and Distant Counter fare the best.
• A dedicated healer is nearly always better unless you have multiple units with Aether or other healing. If you choose a dedicated healer, don’t forget to un-equip their weapon. Otherwise, the AI will treat them like a ranged attacker, and play aggressively with them.
• Don't forget to pack a bonus unit!
• Flying units tend to be poor choices, unless equipped with Iote's Shield. This is because the AI's reckless playstyle often leaves them in the range of deadly archers.

Examples

• Distant Counter Units: Hector(LA), Nowi, Dorcas, Hector, Ike, Ike(VL), Ryoma, Black Knight, Young Tiki, Zelgius
• Sustain Tanks: Brave Ike, Ike, Ike(VL), Brave Lucina, Raven
• Dedicated Healers: Clarine, Any staff-user!
• Other Healers: Masked Marth/Lucina, Chrom, Arvis, Linde, Performing Olivia, Alm, Marth
• Sweepers: Morgan(M), Morgan(F), Chrom(E), Brave Lyn, Lute, Reinhardt, L'Arachel, Olwen, Nino, Delthea, Celica, Bridal Cordelia

Threats to Autobattling Teams

• Triangle Adept
• Weapon Breaker Skills
• Firesweep Weapons
• Brave Weapons
• Effective Weapons (Such as Armorslayers, Horseslayers and all Bows)
• Wrath/Wo Dao

Defeating Fallen Robin (Grima)

The boss of the Tempest Trials this time is Grima. He has exceptionally high stats as an armored dragon, making him very tough to take down without a specialist unit. As he possesses the skill Vengeful Fighter, many Autobattle teams often have trouble as they will recklessly initiate into him, allowing him to hit twice despite his lower speed. His Distant Counter and ability to hit ranged units on their defense make him a tough customer to handle. Beware extended engagements with him, as with his Ignis charged he promises to KO nearly anyone who dares attack him. However, some units that perform well against him are:

Falchions

• Their dragon-slaying properties make these guys great candidates for slaying Grima. Even Chrom(E) must beware when initiating combat due to Vengeful Fighter. These units tend to have low Resistance, so it's best to let Grima attack and retaliate yourself. Masked Marth is free and has the power to slay Grima: just be sure to refine her Falchion first for a generous boost to her stats.

Anti-Armor Weapons

• Grima is an Armored unit as well as a dragon, so the Armorslayer and Armorsmasher are great choices for fighting him. Cherche is a bonus unit and comes equipped with a Hammer: Which she can deal heavy damage, her Resistance and Speed mean she must be careful when fighting him. Tobin and Selena are strong picks, but Caeda is the best. Her Wing Sword has great damage which she combines with high Speed and Resistance to take him down.

Defense-Ignoring Specials

• Perhaps what is most notable about Grima's stats is his titanic Defense and HP. Specials such as Moonbow and Luna have excellent value since his Defense is so high. Aether is highly recommended, as it provides healing throughout the Tempest Trials as well as great damage against Grima. The Black Knight and Zelgius both have access to Black Luna, an extremely powerful special that nearly completely ignores his massive Defense.