For this iteration of Hall of Forms, we have another batch of summer units. Our options include two Tome Fliers, one Blue and one Green, as well as an Infantry Sword and a Colorless Cavalry Dagger, none of which are accessible via Heroic Grails. Players have the chance to build up and possibly add the following units to their roster permanently by spending a Forma Soul:
- Summer Laegjarn: Burning Sun
- Summer Helbindi: Seaside Scourge
- Summer Gunnthrá: Beaming Smile
- Summer Laevatein: Bonfire's Blaze
We will briefly display optimal inheritance options for each unit and the advantages/disadvantages of spending your Forma Soul on them. As Forma Souls take a considerable amount of resources to acquire, it is important to get the most out of your Forma units before purchasing.
General Considerations
Forma Unit Rules
- Any Forma unit you purchase will come with their base skills already. Therefore, there is little need to inherit these base skills during Hall of Forms unless you need to save refinery costs (especially PRF weapons needing Divine Dew) or simply don’t care for hyper-optimal inheritance.
- Formas are acquired completely neutral with no Assets and Flaws. If you desire a certain Asset/Flaw combination, you will have to utilize Trait Fruits. Since you cannot merge Forma units into existing copies, this may pose an issue on resource spending if you already have the same unit with an ideal Asset.
Skill Considerations
- When rolling skills from the current Forma skill pool, unique PRF skills are often prioritized over inheritables. It's a good idea to take PRF skills first to improve your chances at finding good inheritable alternatives; Hall of Forms will pretty much constantly hound you to take the PRF skills if you don't take them otherwise.
- Due to their extreme rarity and superior SP value over most other Special skills, Ruptured Sky (typically available only on Byleth and their variations) and Blue Flame (available only on Owain) will vastly be preferred as a final Special choice. For bow-using units, this extends to the bow-exclusive Deadeye, and for dagger-using units, this extends to the dagger-exclusive Lethality.
- For the same reason as above, high-tier Assist skills like Rally+'s and Harsh Command+ are preferred on a potential purchased Forma to increase the unit's Arena scoring slightly as well as their overall value.
- These, too, are also not necessarily optimal as positional Assists like Reposition are vastly preferred in most situations, and those can easily be inherited from lower rarity units like Norne or Barst.
- Inheriting rally skills or Harsh Command+ too early in your Hall of Forms run can also inhibit your unit's ability to support other Forma allies and escape enemy range as well, increasing the likelihood of wasted Torches (the stamina currency for Hall of Forms) and thus wasted opportunities to get better skills.
- Though optimal C Passive skills exist on a case-to-case basis, Joint Drives are essentially the most universal there is as they boost the stats of the unit as well as surrounding allies. Go for these (especially Joint Drive Atk) if available and there aren't better C slot options for your unit in particular. Likewise, Time's Pulse has fantastic overall value on infantry units due to the importance of frequent Special triggers in combat.
Summer Laegjarn
Summary:
Summer Laegjarn could be a worthwhile unit to spend a Forma Soul on if you want to bank on her refine being good. As she comes with an innate PRF, she is due for a refine sooner or later, unlike the rest of the three units in this batch as they lack personal weapons to call their own. However, as it stands, Summer Laegjarn’s performance could use some work.
Worldsea Wave is still a relatively decent weapon as it allows Summer Laegjarn to attack consecutively so long as she is able to naturally double. However, it does get held back by her lack of B Passive accessibility, so if there are units that have any form of Impact effect present, she’ll only be able to attack once even if she can double naturally. That being said, there are plenty of other weapons that she can take advantage of as well as A Passives and C Passives that can allow her to find another sort of performance niche. So, if any of this sounds compelling, consider the following skills and recommended builds before you decide to pursue building her up.
Recommended Skills:
Weapons: Worldsea Wave / Spooky Censor+ (+Spd) / Flora Guide+ (+Spd)
Assist: Any Rally+ / Harsh Command+
Special: Ruptured Sky / Blue Flame / Moonbow
A-Passive: Swift Sparrow 3 / Atk/Spd Catch 4 / Heavy Blade 4 / Fury 4
B-Passive: S/R Far Trace / A/S Far Trace / A/R Far Trace / Desperation
C-Passive: Spd/Res Rein / Atk/Spd Rein / Atk/Res Rein / Atk/Res Menace / Atk/Spd Menace
Since Formas come with their base kit no matter what, there’s no real incentive to go for their PRF. As such, it’s more worthwhile to go for other inheritable weapons, and in Summer Laegjarn’s case, Spooky Censor+ or Flora Guide+. With these weapons in mind, she can either run a triple Fury Spooky Censor+ or stack up her offensive pressure with Flora Guide+ as it debuffs Spd and Res on the foe during combat. Of course, she can always stick with her PRF, Worldsea Wave, since it’s still a relatively decent weapon all things considered.
Regardless of the weapon being used, she’ll want skills that increase her offensive prowess as her lack of HP, Def, and Res aren’t salvageable enough to be used. For the most part, any A Passive that increases her Atk and Spd are good options. Atk/Spd Catch 4 is a worthwhile option when paired with a Menace skill. Meanwhile, as previously mentioned, Fury 4 with Spooky Censor+ is good for falling into the Desperation range as well as getting into the Wings of Mercy range. Another option includes Heavy Blade 4 which can be worthwhile if you’re looking to trigger two-cooldown Specials each combat.
Summer Laegjarn’s B Passive options are not as open given that Ranged Fliers don’t have access to many competitive options. The only skills that are worth going for are Trace skills as they provide the ability to make Heavy Blade checks and doubling much easier, depending on the variant. Likewise, it’s not worth going for Desperation, even if you’re using Spooky Censor+, as it’s an easily accessible skill in the summoning pool.
Thankfully, Summer Laegjarn has plenty of options when it comes to her C Passive. She can take on a number of Rein skills as well as Menaces. Similar to Traces, the Rein of choice will depend on the set being used. Debuffing the Atk stat can be good for securing Heavy Blade checks while debuffing the Spd and Res stat can be good for securing kills in general. The same logic applies to Menace skills, only instead it pairs well with Catch skills.
Summer Helbindi
Summary:
Summer Helbindi is a very min-maxed Sword Infantry which definitely has its own sets of benefits and drawbacks. The fact that his Atk, Def, and Res are as high as it is, for his class type, means that he can act as a relatively decent mixed tank. However, due to his low Spd and class archetype, his only means of doubling comes from Quick Riposte, which can be negated with skills such as Null Follow-Up and Impact.
In general, Summer Helbindi’s catalog of inheritable skills is rather limited, which is ironic considering his Infantry status, simply due to the fact that low Spd Infantry units can’t take advantage of skills as well as their speedier counterparts. The same can also be said for his inheritable weapon options, but for what it’s worth, the ones that he can take advantage of are more than enough. Even so, Summer Helbindi’s performance is going to deter based on his ability to maintain a suitable HP threshold. So, if any of this sounds compelling, consider the following skills and recommended builds before you decide to pursue building him up.
Recommended Skills:
Weapons: Unbound Blade+ (+Def) / Winter Rapier+ (+Def)
Assist: Any Rally+ / Harsh Command+
Special: Ruptured Sky / Blue Flame / Ignis / Bonfire
A-Passive: Distant Stance / Atk/Def Unity / Sturdy Stance 3
B-Passive: Special Spiral / Null C-Disrupt / Lull Atk/Def / Quick Riposte (Lol)
C-Passive: Joint Drive Atk / Joint Drive Def / Atk/Def Menace
Because Summer Helbindi is extremely min-maxed, he can only take advantage of two inheritable swords as the rest of the available options rely on speedier units: Unbound Blade+ and Winter Rapier+. Unbound Blade+ works similarly to Flora Guide+ in the sense that it debuffs stats during combat. However, Unbound Blade+ requires the unit to be solo and it debuffs Atk and Def instead, so this can bolster Summer Helbindi’s ability to tank in general. Meanwhile, Winter Rapier+ can allow Summer Helbindi to act as a relatively decent Melee Specialist, especially when paired with Atk/Def Unity.
Since Summer Helbindi is a mixed tank, he can run skills Distant Counter skills so he can reliably take down foes in the Enemy Phase. Distant Stance is the most preferable option as it increases his Res stat during combat, allowing him to take on more foes that target his Res. This also pairs well with Unbound Blade+ as it’ll artificially increase his mixed bulk. Of course, it’s not his only option. As previously mentioned, he can run Atk/Def Unity with Winter Rapier+ and act as a Melee Specialist. It’ll allow him to take on more Def-targeting foes in general and can work well when paired with Far Save support. For consistency, Sturdy Stance 3 is a good option since there’s no guarantee he’ll be debuffed in the first place.
Summer Helbindi’s B Passive options are surprisingly limited due to his stat allocation. However, the skills he can take advantage of allow him to perform fairly well for the role he’s given. Special Spiral can be fun for Bonfire/Ignis retaliations, provided that it’s already set up. Meanwhile, Null C-Disrupt can allow him to take on foes that prevent counterattacks and Lull Atk/Def can allow him to tank more in general. His other option is Quick Riposte which, while preferable as a Sacred Seal, can still be used for his B Passive.
For Summer Helbindi’s C Passive, he can opt for the ever-so amazing Joint Drive Atk. Joint Drive Def is also an option for Melee tanking, so he can opt for that if the option becomes available. There is also Atk/Def Menace, which is great for increasing his damage output and tanking prowess as the Atk debuff on the foe equates to more Def and Res during combat.
Summer Gunnthrá
Summary:
Summer Gunnthrá, at the time of this article, may be the best option of the four despite lacking a PRF. Due to her weapon type alone, she has plenty of inheritable options that not only allow her to perform suitably in combat but also allow her to use other Passives that she wouldn’t be able to take advantage of normally. Likewise, her movement type can allow her to take advantage of Hit and Run strategies with Trace skills. Granted, her visible bulk isn’t the best, and she’s more prone to OHKOs than the rest of the lineup, but she has means of getting around it, whether that’s by running Courtly Fan+ with Windsweep or Watersweep or running a Menace skill. It should be worth noting that Summer Gunnthrá is not scheduled to get a refine anytime soon, meaning that if you could only use one Forma Soul, Summer Laegjarn may end up aging better as she is closer to getting a refine. Even so, it’s not guaranteed that it’ll be any good, so if you’re looking for someone in the present that provides suitable combat prowess, consider going for Summer Gunnthrá. Likewise, if any of this sounds compelling, consider the following skills and recommended builds before you decide to pursue building her up.
Recommended Skills:
Weapons: Courtly Fan+ (+Spd) / Barb Shuriken+ (+Atk) / Pumpkin-a-Box+ (+Spd)
Assist: Any Rally+ / Harsh Command+
Special: Lethality / Ruptured Sky / Blue Flame
A-Passive: Life and Death 4 / Atk/Spd Solo 4 / Atk/Spd Catch 4 / Fury 4
B-Passive: Windsweep / Watersweep / A/D Far Trace / A/S Far Trace / Lull Atk/Def / Desperation
C-Passive: Fatal Smoke / Atk/Spd Menace / Atk/Def Menace
Summer Gunnthrá has a lot of options available to her, both in weaponry and in skill access. Courtly Fan+ can allow her to run Windsweep and Watersweep, which in turn increases her sustain as she’ll be preventing counterattacks. Meanwhile, she can run Barb Shuriken+ for a Lethality set. I would only recommend running Lethality with the Barb Shuriken+ set as it is the most consistent way of triggering it in each combat. Even so, she can run it with Courtly Fan+ and Windsweep so she can securely charge it up. Lastly, there’s Pumpkin-a-Box+. I recommended this earlier with Summer Laegjarn and Spooky Censor+, but the same logic applies here. Stack up Fury skills and call it a day.
And similarly to Summer Laegjarn, her best A Passives will be options that mainly focus on her Atk and Spd as the rest of her statline is relatively low. Life and Death 4 can work well with a Courtly Fan+ set since she’ll be preventing counterattacks, depending on the variant B Passive being used. Atk/Spd Solo 4 can be good if you don’t want to diminish what little bulk she has or Atk/Spd Catch 4 for maximizing her damage output. There’s also Fury 4, which pairs well with Pumpkin-a-Box+.
Summer Gunnthrá has a lot of B Passive options available to her thanks to the inheritable daggers she has access to. As previously mentioned, she can take advantage of Windsweep and Watersweep when running Courtly Fan+. Meanwhile, she can run a Trace skill fairly effectively for Hit and Run strategies as well as charging up Heavy Blade for maximizing Lethality triggers. Other options include Lulls and Desperation.
For Summer Gunnthrá’s C Passive, she can either opt for Fatal Smoke or a Menace skill. Fatal Smoke is mainly an Aether Raids Defense skill, so unless you plan to use her there, it may not be worth getting. Meanwhile, a Menace skill can pair really well with Heavy Blade as it’ll create a massive Atk swing and, depending on the variant, can allow her to take a hit or double more often.
Summer Laevatein
Summary:
Summer Laevatein may be the most interesting pick of the four. Despite being locked in one of the worst class archetypes, Enemy Phase Ranged Flier, Summer Laevatein does have a surprising amount of options available to her. Inheritable Green Tomes do have a lot to work with, whether that’s Amity Blooms+, which inflicts debuffs on foes during combat and heals the user per unit’s attack, Plegian Torch+, which can substantially increase the user’s damage output and tanking prowess, and Snow Globe+, which reverses any debuffs the user receives to Atk and Res and can be stacked with Atk/Def Unity.
That being said, it doesn’t minimize the issues she currently faces. Being a slow Ranged Flier means she not only has limited Passive accessibility, but even with the Passives she has access to, she can only take advantage of a limited amount of them because her statline holds her back. Likewise, as an Enemy Phase Ranged Flier, she still faces issues with Bows, so, depending on the build, she’ll have to patch it out with Iote’s Shield. And at the end of the day, newer units are only getting stronger, so her mixed bulk will only hold up so much. Still, she can be a fun unit to mess around with if you can get the right skills. So, if any of this sounds compelling, which I can’t imagine it does, consider the following skills and recommended builds before you decide to pursue building her up.
Recommended Skills:
Weapons: Amity Blooms+ (+Res) / Plegian Torch+ (+Res) / Snow Globe+ (+Res)
Assist: Any Rally+ / Harsh Command+
Special: Ruptured Sky / Blue Flame / Moonbow / Bonfire
A-Passive: Close Reversal / Atk/Def Unity / Distant Def 4 / Def/Res Catch 4
B-Passive: A/R Far Trace / Quick Riposte
C-Passive: Atk/Res Rein / Atk/Res Menace / Def/Res Menace
Despite being locked into a difficult combat archetype, Summer Laevatein does have access to plenty of inheritable options that can leverage her ability to perform in combat. Amity Blooms+ provides sustainability and inflicts Atk and Res penalties during combat if she’s within two spaces of an ally, so that can help for tanking in general. Meanwhile, Plegian Torch+ provides a much larger statswing, but requires debuffs on the foe and being solo. There’s also Snow Globe+ which can be good for tanking mages, and, when paired with Atk/Def Unity, tanking in general.
Depending on the role you want Summer Laevatein to perform, she can opt for Close Reversal, Atk/Def Unity, Distant Def 4, or Def/Res Catch 4. Close Reversal will mainly be for general tanking and can pair well with Amity Blooms+ as that’ll essentially provide +10 to her Def and +5 to her Res. Meanwhile, Atk/Def Unity pairs well with Snow Globe+, but heavily relies on her getting debuffed, so it would mainly be for Aether Raids purposes. Distant Def 4 is good for Ranged tanking and Def/Res Catch 4 is great for tanking in general. Distant Def 4 is much more consistent and provides a flat +8 Def/Res against Ranged foes. Meanwhile, Def/Res Catch 4 can provide up to +9 Def/Res if both conditions are met and applies to all enemies. However, tanking will only go far as she won’t be able to counter against Melee foes.
Summer Laevatein’s B Passive options are extremely limited as she is a slow Ranged Flier. Atk/Res Trace is only her due to the fact that it debuffs the foe for their Atk and Res during combat, but don’t expect to take advantage of the movement aspect all too much. Meanwhile, Quick Riposte will be essential for her to take down foes more consistently. However, this can be used as her Sacred Seal, but, debatably, there are more competitive options for her Sacred Seal.
Summer Laevatein can also opt for a Rein skill or one of two Menace skills. Atk/Res Rein is great for general tanking and damage output. Meanwhile, Atk/Res Menace and Def/Res Menace are good for general tanking but rely on proximity. Likewise, as it only targets the nearest foe, if she ends up entering more than one combat in the Enemy Phase, it can end up being more difficult to tank. So, unless you’re running a Catch skill, she’ll prefer Atk/Res Rein.
