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Analysis by Cecil
Frederick - Polite Knight

3-4

Obtainable as a 3 - 4 only

Hero Stats

Max Avg Total Stats at Lvl 40
153
HP 43
ATK 35
SPD 25
DEF 36
RES 14

Stat Variations

Level 1 Stat Variation
5★
4★
3★
HP ATK SPD DEF RES
Low 18 8 5 7 3
Middle 19 9 6 8 4
High 20 10 7 9 5

Level 40 Stat Variations
5★
4★
3★
HP ATK SPD DEF RES
Low 40 32 22 33 11
Middle 43 35 25 36 14
High 46 38 29 39 18

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

  • +ATK: Frederick is very capable of scoring OHKO’s, and boosting his Attack will only further his ability to do so.

  • +SPD: An asset in Speed gives Frederick a +4 boost, and he is very capable of getting his Speed to a respectable level. A Speed asset is a great help towards his offensive prowess.

Neutral

  • HP: At a respectable base 43, Frederick’s HP is one of his strong points. Lowering it is not recommended.

  • DEF: Frederick is gifted with an enormous base 36 Defense, making him exceptionally sturdy to physical attacks. This is a great boon to him, and should not be reduced.

Flaws

  • -RES: At just base 14, Frederick has abysmal Resistance. It can be improved, but not enough to make usable, and it does not affect his offensive performance. It can be safely reduced.

Skill Sets

PICK A GOD AND PRAY (Offensive Anti-Armor)

Build by
Recommended
Frederick's Axe (+Eff) A Swift Sparrow (2 or 3)
Alternate: Fury (3 or 4)
Reposition
Alternate: Swap
B Lull Spd/Def 3
Alternate: Guard 3
Glimmer
Alternate: Ignis
C Pulse Smoke 3
Alternate: Panic Smoke 3
IVsSDarting Blow 3
Alternate: Chill Def 3

Show Explanation/Analysis

Preferred Asset/Flaw: +ATK or +SPD / -RES

  • A Speed asset is the safest choice, giving Frederick a large boost of +4. It combines with other elements of the build to elevate his Speed to over 40 when attacking.

  • Attack is the next best thing, but is better for slaying armor.

Weapon: Frederick’s Axe +(Eff)

  • Frederick’s Axe gives him an overall damage boost, and lets him easily KO armor with effective damage.

Assist: Reposition / Swap

  • Assist skills such as Reposition and Swap are perfect for Frederick, who can use them to put himself in the front line or support other attackers who are vulnerable.

Special: Glimmer / Ignis / Bonfire

  • Without any Special acceleration, Glimmer is perfect for Frederick due to its short charge time. It scales very well with Frederick’s high damage.

  • Ignis and Bonfire are secondary options that offer nuclear potential, but are much less likely to be activated. In matches where Frederick is only expected to KO one or two enemies, it’s not guaranteed to be useful. 

Passive A: Swift Sparrow / Atk/Spd Solo / Fury

  • Swift Sparrow is picked for its high Attack and Speed boost while attacking.

  • Atk/Spd Solo is almost as good, but grants slightly less Speed and has a more specific condition.

  • Fury is a surprisingly good budget choice, and is great for those who want to make use of Frederick’s defensive potential.

Passive B: Lull Spd/Def / Guard / Chill Spd

  • Lull Spd/Def (or other Lull Skills) are very good on Frederick, allowing him to ignore visible buffs to Speed and Defense, the two stats that matter the most to enemies fighting Frederick.

  • Guard is a good budget choice that is very effective against enemy phase units with skills like Special Fighter or Fierce Breath, who are designed to counter back with extremely powerful Specials.

  • Chill Spd is a third option, being less reliable but giving some support to Frederick’s team. It gives Frederick a big advantage in the Speed wars.

Passive C: Pulse Smoke / Panic Smoke

  • Pulse Smoke is great for Frederick, allowing him to delay enemy Specials and disable enemy units with instant Specials. However, he is still likely to be defeated by most mages even without a Special.

  • Panic Smoke is a great general choice for handling buffed enemies. Unlike Panic Ploy, this skill has no HP requirement making it much easier than Panic Ploy to trigger.

  • Frederick’s C slot skill is flexible, and can be fitted out with buffs dependent on the team he’s fighting on.

Seal: Darting Blow / Chill Spd / Chill Def

  • Darting Blow is the safest option, giving Frederick a significant boost to his Speed when attacking.

  • Chill Spd is also a good option, but is less reliable than Darting Blow.

  • Chill Def is a very good alternative that can let Frederick net more OHKO’s. It’s worth using when Frederick needs to eliminate foes in one hit, or is fighting slow enemies.

Introduction

Frederick is an axe cavalier, and is one of the game’s launch units. Although he’s dedicated his life to defending Chrom and Lissa, he’s much more effective when attacking, and can decimate foes (especially armor) with his titanic Attack.

Base 35 Attack and 36 Defense are Frederick’s main claim to fame. He has stats very typical of an axe user, with low Speed and in particular, Resistance. Although Frederick isn’t good at taking magical damage, he can decimate almost anyone he can initiate combat on.

His personal weapon, Frederick’s Axe, gives him additional Attack and allows him to slay armor with ease. Few offensive axe users boast Frederick’s power and range of movement, making him a solid choice, However, his weaknesses make him risky to use, and he is crushed by magical damage despite his good HP and workable Speed.

Strengths

Great Attack and Defense.

Frederick is gifted with stellar Attack and Defense, allowing him to hit hard and take physical punishment easily. He is capable of OHKO’ing many foes, and does not fear counterattacks. Many of the mages who run Close Counter are also armored, allowing Frederick to smash through them with impunity. His Bonfire and Ignis Specials are nothing short of nuclear, and will annihilate whoever they touch.

Benefits from being a Cavalier.

As an offensive unit, Frederick enjoys the extra range of movement that being a cavalier provides. He can engage his most desirable targets (armor) from outside their movement range. Very few units boast effective weapons against him, and he has enough HP and Defense to soak damage from physical-based effective damage.

Weaknesses

Critically low Resistance.

Frederick’s low Resistance is his key weakness, cursing him to take insane damage from magical sources. Many mages can OHKO him, and almost all have the Speed to get follow-ups on Frederick when attacking. Dragons also cause him problems, as they can counterattack him for lots of damage.

Isn’t very versatile.

Frederick is an axe cavalier who excels at taking down armor. While he is unquestionably good at this role, Frederick is outclassed at almost everything else. Other units can boast a similar ability to knock out armor, but have better Speed, or more Resistance. Frederick’s limited skill pool and subpar stat total disqualify him from more generalised roles.

Weapon Skills

Weapons SP Rng. Mt.
Iron Axe
Learns by default at 1 ★
Unlocks at 1 ★
Inheritable by Axe users only.
50 1 6
Steel Axe
Learns by default at 3 ★
Unlocks at 2 ★
Inheritable by Axe users only.
100 1 8
Hammer

Effective against armored units.

Learns by default at 4 ★
Unlocks at 3 ★
Inheritable by Axe users only.
200 1 8
Hammer+

Effective against armored units.

Learns by default at 5 ★
Unlocks at 5 ★
Inheritable by Axe users only.
300 1 12
Frederick's Axe

Effective against armored foes.

Unlocks at 5 ★
Non-Inheritable skill.
400 1 16
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
Wings of Mercy 1

If an ally's HP ≤ 30%, unit can move to a space adjacent to that ally.

Inheritable by all units.
Unlocks at 3 ★
60
B
Wings of Mercy 2

If an ally's HP ≤ 40%, unit can move to a space adjacent to that ally.

Inheritable by all units.
Unlocks at 4 ★
120
B
Wings of Mercy 3

If an ally's HP ≤ 50%, unit can move to a space adjacent to that ally.

Inheritable by all units.
Unlocks at 5 ★
240
B
Fortify Def 1

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

Inheritable by all units.
Unlocks at 1 ★
50
C
Fortify Def 2

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

Inheritable by all units.
Unlocks at 2 ★
100
C
Fortify Def 3

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

Inheritable by all units.
Unlocks at 4 ★
200
C

Other Info

Origin
Fire Emblem: Awakening

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