GamePress
Analysis by ZeShado
Groom Zelot - Avowed Groom

Hero Stats

Max Avg Total Stats at Lvl 40
167
HP 41
ATK 37
SPD 25
DEF 39
RES 25

Stat Variations

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

Level 40 Stat Variations
5★
4★
HP ATK SPD DEF RES
Low 37 34 22 36 22
Middle 41 37 25 39 25
High 44 40 29 43 29

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

Skill Sets

Budget Lex… If Lex Was a 5* Locked Unit OMEGALUL (Aether Raids Defense)

Build by ZeShado
Recommended
Brave Axe+ A AR-D Atk/Def 3
Alternate: Fort. Def/Res 3
Positional Assist B Lunge
Alternate: Lull Atk/Def 3
Escutcheon C Panic Smoke 3
Alternate: Def Smoke 3
IVs

+DEF / -SPD

SDeflect Melee 3

Show Explanation/Analysis

Weapon: Brave Axe+

Assist: Positional Assist

Special: Escutcheon

A Passive: AR-D Atk/Def / Fort. Def/Res / Fortress Def / Sturdy Blow

B Passive: Lunge / Lull Atk/Def

C Passive: Panic Smoke / Def Smoke / Res Smoke

Sacred Seal: Deflect Melee

  • Despite coming with a supportive weapon, Groom Zelot has a really solid Atk stat, at a base of 37, that he can make of. However, his Spd stat is left to be desired as it sits at a base of 25. As such, the best weapon at his disposal for an Aether Raids role would have to be Brave Axe+ as it can combo with the other skills listed below.
     
  • Because both attacks from Brave Axe+ come out all at once, Groom Zelot is able to charge up Escutcheon and tank the first hit of anything that retaliates back at him. This is especially helpful against units that have a high Atk stat as it will minimize the chances of ORKOs.
     
  • Likewise, it would be in your best interest to further bolster his Def stat. Since this set is meant for him to act as a frontline unit, having a bunch of Def is arguably going to be his most important aspect. As such, you can raise it further with skills such as AR-D Atk/Def and Fortress Def. It should be noted that he can still output a lot of damage, even with a Brave Axe+, since his base Atk is relatively high. So, if you want the best of both worlds, you can prioritize AR-D Atk/Def or even run Sturdy Blow for budget purposes.
     
  • Since Groom Zelot’s priority is to survive his first combat, he’ll want his allies to sweep up for him. As such, it would be in his best interest to run Lunge. Most units that will attempt to enemy phase Groom Zelot are more than likely the carry unit. So, Lunge will make sure that they are able to be separated from their allies and then defeated by the backline units. However, if you would rather have Zelot be a more threatening frontliner, you can run Lull Atk/Def to help secure more kills. However, you should still be wary as they might have Damage Reduction skills or naturally high defensive stats. So, it still might be in your best interest to run Lunge.
     
  • To help your backline units secure even more kills, you can run Panic Smoke as that will reverse any buffs that were applied to them and chances are they will be receiving visible buffs, depending if they choose to run Peony on Light or Plumeria on Astra respectively. If Panic Smoke isn’t an option, you can run Def Smoke or Res Smoke depending on the types of units you have on your Aether Raids Defense team.
     
  • Deflect Melee is going to be the best option as a seal as it pairs extremely well with Escutcheon and Brave Axe+. The idea is to have Brave Axe+ charge up Escutcheon, and if the foe happens to retaliate with two attacks, the first attack will trigger Escutcheon and, depending on the weapon type of the foe, will then trigger Deflect Melee. Thus, allowing Groom Zelot to not only increase his survivability but also allow him to secure his Lunge.
     
  • And despite how well this combination is, due to the current state of Aether Raids, Armors, and Dragons alike, there are going to be instances where this set ultimately fails. Near Save Armors can disable the lunge effect if they are in range, thus already one instance where this set won’t work. Likewise, because Groom Zelot has a pitiful resistance stat, any Dragon that baits him out will be able to take him down with little to no effort. Beyond that though, if neither of those things happen to come across your Aether Raids Defense, then it will work relatively well.

Green Berkut (Enemy Phase Tank)

Build by ZeShado
Deck Swabber+ (+Res)
Alternate: Barrier Axe+ (+Res)
A Distant Counter
Alternate: Sturdy Stance 3
Positional Assist B Quick Riposte 3
Alternate: Lull Atk/Def 3
Bonfire
Alternate: Noontime
C Atk Smoke 3
Alternate: Def Smoke 3
IVs

+ATK or +RES / -SPD

SAtk/Def Solo 3
Alternate: Mirror Stance 2

Show Explanation/Analysis

Weapon: Deck Swabber+ (+Res) / Barrier Axe+ (+Res)

Assist: Positional Assist

Special: Bonfire / Noontime / Moonbow

A Passive: Distant Counter / Sturdy Stance 3 / Steady Stance (3 or 4)

B Passive: Quick Riposte / Lull Atk/Def 

C Passive: Atk Smoke / Def Smoke / Pulse Smoke

Sacred Seal: Atk/Def Solo / Mirror Stance / Mystic Boost / Quick Riposte

  • Because Groom Zelot’s Res stat isn’t necessarily the best, you’ll want to replace Love Candelabra+ with a weapon that can bolster his defensive stats such as with Deck Swabber+ or Barrier Axe+. The former is arguably better as it not only increases his Def and Res stat but also increases his damage output and comes with a built-in Lull effect, which means Groom Zelot can afford to run a different B Passive. However, if you don’t want to spend any grails for a Pirate Darros, you can always run Barrier Axe+ instead.
     
  • Depending on the types of support he has, he’ll either want to run Bonfire or Noontime. Bonfire is rather nice to have since his Def stat is really high at a base of 39, and a 43 with a boon. However, this is only worth running if you have some method of restoring his HP. This can either be in the form of Mystic Boost or running a healer as support. Likewise, if you have a Brave Lucina, you can afford to run Noontime as he’ll be able to heal back HP on every hit. This can be especially nice since his base Atk is really high, meaning he’ll heal more per hit.
     
  • If you want Groom Zelot to take on foes that are both melees and ranged, your best option is to give him Distant Counter. His Res stat may not seem up for the task, but with Deck Swabber+ (+Res), he should have an easier time taking on magical foes. However, if you feel that he isn’t up to the task, you can always give him Sturdy Stance 3 and make him into a dedicated melee tank. You’ll still run into Dragons every so often, so the weapon of choice is still rather nice to have equipped.
     
  • Because Groom Zelot has lackluster Spd, one would want to gravitate towards Quick Riposte for his B Passive for more secure doubles. However, depending on the weapon being used, you can alternatively run Lull Atk/Def instead and run Quick Riposte as his Sacred Seal. Lull Atk/Def isn’t a bad option by any means when combined with Barrier Axe+, but would come off as redundant when running Deck Swabber+. In any case, the choice will really boil down to preference at the end of the day, but both options are good nonetheless.
     
  • For his C Passive, you can either go for more damage output with Def Smoke or more tanking prowess with Atk Smoke. Def Smoke will allow Groom Zelot to hit harder and heal more with Noontime. Likewise, it’ll allow him to secure more kills in the enemy phase. However, if you are worried about him falling out of the Quick Riposte range, you can run Atk Smoke instead. Atk Smoke will allow Groom Zelot to further bolster his role as an enemy phase tank, and if his defensive stats are already proving serviceable, he can afford to run Bonfire instead of Noontime and secure more kills that way. There’s also Pulse Smoke, but that’s more so for Aether Raids purposes than anything else. Again, it’ll all boil down to preference, so feel free to experiment with what you like more.
     
  • His Sacred Seal is also relatively flexible when it comes to deciding what’s best for him. If you want to bolster his ability to tank in the enemy phase, you can either give him Atk/Def Solo or Mirror Stance. Atk/Def Solo will make his already high Def even higher, thus making it harder for foes to penetrate him via physical damage. Likewise, if you want to patch up his Res stat, you can run Mirror Stance as that will not only increase his tanking prowess, but also his damage output. However, if you don’t have Quick Riposte as his B Passive, it would be best advised to run that as his Sacred Seal instead since he wants to have the ability to double. Another option that can be considered is Mystic Boost as he’ll want to have the ability to stay within the Quick Riposte range. However, this can be mitigated with a Staff ally. So, make sure to distribute your Passives accordingly.

Strengths

High Atk Stat

    With a base Atk stat of 37 and a boon pushing it up to 40, Groom Zelot is able to dish out a lot of damage. This can be paired with Atk/Def Lull to further bolster his ability to output damage and make Heavy Blade checks easier to trigger. Likewise, he can afford to run a low MT weapon such as Brave Axe+ as his naturally high Atk stat will mitigate the loss.

Doesn’t Have a Similar Statline to Plegian Kris / Spring Saleh

    At least he has that going for him…

Weaknesses

Lackluster Spd and Res

    Despite his amazing Atk stat, his lack of Spd means he’s rarely going to be doubling and more often than not, will be doubled. Likewise, a lackluster Res stat means any mage or dragon that enters combat against Zelot will take him out with very little effort.

Middling Support/Combat Prowess

    Because Zelot has low Spd, his damage output is going to suffer as he won’t be able to double naturally. This can be mitigated with a Brave Axe and/or Breaker skill for player phase purposes, or Quick Riposte for enemy phase purposes, but it will come at the cost of a stronger weapon and/or his B Passive. Likewise, Love Candelabra+ not being an exclusive weapon means his role as a support unit can be replicated by any axe in the game, especially by classes that can get access to more support skills such as Infantry and Fliers.

Competition & Cost

    Even with a generally unique statline when compared to other grail axe cavalry such as Plegian Kris and Spring Saleh, Groom Zelot still struggles to find any investment justification, especially when Lex exists who is not only a 3* and 4* summonable unit, meaning it won’t cost any grails, but also has a competitive PRF in the form of Goddess Axe. 

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
Love Candelabra

Grants Atk/Def+4 to allies within 2 spaces during combat. If unit is within 2 spaces of an ally, grants Atk/Def+4 to unit during combat.

Learns by default at 4 ★
Unlocks at 3 ★
Inheritable by Axe users only.
200 1 10
Love Candelabra+

Grants Atk/Def+4 to allies within 2 spaces during combat. If unit is within 2 spaces of an ally, grants Atk/Def+4 to unit during combat.

Learns by default at 5 ★
Unlocks at 5 ★
Inheritable by Axe users only.
300 1 14
Weapon Evolution
Weapon Upgrades
Weapon Upgrades

Special Skills

Special Skills SP Turns
Glowing Ember

Boosts damage dealt by 50% of unit's Def.

Learns by default at 4 ★
Unlocks at 3 ★
Non-inheritable by Staff-wielding units.
100 4
Ignis

Boosts damage dealt by 80% of unit's Def.

Unlocks at 4 ★
Non-inheritable by Staff-wielding units.
200 4

Passive Skills

Passive Skills SP Slot
Atk/Def Form 1

If unit is within 2 spaces of an ally, grants Atk/Def+X to unit during combat (X = number of allies within 2 spaces; max 3).

Inheritable by all units.
Unlocks at 1 ★
60
A
Atk/Def Form 2

If unit is within 2 spaces of an ally, grants Atk/Def+X to unit during combat (X = number of allies within 2 spaces + 2; max 5).

Inheritable by all units.
Unlocks at 2 ★
120
A
Atk/Def Form 3

If unit is within 2 spaces of an ally, grants Atk/Def+X to unit during combat (X = 2 × number of allies within 2 spaces, + 1; max 7).

Inheritable by all units.
Unlocks at 4 ★
240
A
Spur Atk 1

Grants Atk+2 to adjacent allies during combat.

Inheritable by all units.
Unlocks at 3 ★
50
C
Drive Atk 1

Grants Atk+2 to allies within 2 spaces during combat.

Inheritable by all units.
Unlocks at 4 ★
120
C
Drive Atk 2

Grants Atk+3 to allies within 2 spaces during combat.

Inheritable by all units.
Unlocks at 5 ★
240
C

Other Info

Origin
Fire Emblem: The Binding Blade

Banners Featured In

None