Recruitable Characters

Byleth

• Byleth
• Professors Guidance
• Professors Guidance+

Byleth is available from the beginning of the game and must be deployed on most story maps. ⁠

On the whole, Byleth is a perfectly service·able character. ⁠ None of their stat growths are what one would call particularly good, but they aren¦t bad either. ⁠ In any given playthru, there will almost certainly be some·one with more Str, some·one with more Mag, some·one with more Spd, some·one with more Def, some·one with more Res… ⁠ This aside, Byleth will always be able to contribute at least some damage. ⁠

This is true, in part, because their moderate growths are offset by having extremely good starting stats, including 13 Str. ⁠ While strong physical characters have growth rates which will allow them to challenge this, it will take tens of levels in some cases for them to catch up. ⁠ The same is unfortunately not true for Mag, meaning Byleth will never be a top‐tier magical unit. ⁠ However, they serve well in support roles that can wield some magic, either for healing or the occasional offensive attack. ⁠

Byleth¦s personal ability, Professors Guidance, starts out only minorly useful: ⁠ +20% experience gain to adjacent units seems handy at face value, but taking advantage of it requires precise positioning. ⁠ These kinds of benefits usually wind up mostly a wash in Maddening, as the sharp falloff of the experience gain formula will probably cap all of your units to the same few levels regardless. ⁠ However, during the story mission at the end of Chapter 10, the ability is upgraded to Professors Guidance+. ⁠ This upgraded version also increases Atk by 2, helping to compensate for Byleth¦s lower offensive stats. ⁠

Gauntlets are a default choice for Byleth and a good one; if they can hit four times, they will greatly magnify the impact of Professors Guidance+. ⁠ While Byleth simply does not have the Spd growth to keep up with the fastest enemies in the game, even the guaranteed two hits of gauntlets provides a compelling alternative to a Sword build. ⁠ {The argument for Brawling grows stronger if you have Byleth master War Monk or War Cleric for Brawl Avo +20.}[D·L·C only] ⁠

Even if Byleth primarily uses gauntlets, it is still worth investing in Sword to gain access to the combat art Windsweep. This combat art is extremely handy to pull out in a pinch, especially against monsters, and Byleth¦s ready access to the Convoy means a sword is always within reach.

Byleth is granted Enlightened One as a Unique class; this class follows the general trend of being decent at everything and stellar at nothing. ⁠ Its Terrain Resistance ability can be handy on later maps with damaging terrain. ⁠ On Class Mastery, it provides Sacred Power, which is rather technical to use effectively, but offers useful boosts to Atk for adjacent allies and reductions to Atk for any enemy units that fight them. ⁠

Unfortunately, as Enlightened One provides only Swordfaire, not Fistfaire, it isn¦t ideal for a brawling Byleth. ⁠ {War Monk & War Cleric retain Byleth¦s ability to use magic and offer Fistfaire, so they may be preferable for a Brawling build.}[D·L·C only] ⁠

{Yuri}[D·L·C only]

• Honorable Spirit
• Yuri

Yuri can be recruited starting in Chapter 2, assuming Chapter 6 of Cindered Shadows has been completed. ⁠ He has no other recruitment requirements. ⁠

Yuri is the fastest character in the game and his best builds are designed to take advantage of that ability. ⁠ With Sword Avo +20 or Brawl Avo +20 he becomes nearly impossible to hit, especially when this is stacked with the corresponding high‐level Prowess ability. ⁠ Of the two, swords are more useful because Axebreaker comes into play much more frequently than Magebreaker; however, it is almost overkill on Yuri and the Dancer certification may be desired on another unit. ⁠

Yuri¦s Str and Mag growths are both mediocre and his damage output will consequently not be enormous. ⁠ Accepting that, he can serve either a physical or magical role. ⁠ He is welsuited for hybrid classes, such as Dancer, Mortal Savant, or War Monk that give him ranged magical options in situations where high Avo is not necessary. ⁠

Yuri is not a great candidate for Assassin or Trickster in general, because his high Avo means he has almost no use for the Stealth ability they offer. ⁠ But he should still get a certification in Assassin after mastering Thief, because it provides the highest Spd modifiers and thus enables Yuri to more easily Steal items. ⁠ Even so, and taking advantage of Speed +2 from mastering Myrmidon (also recommended), he will likely need additional stat boosts to have enough Spd to steal from the likes of Claude late in the game. ⁠

The fact that Yuri will often hit four times with gauntlets and Brave weapons makes Crit based builds tempting, for example War Master with its Crit +20. ⁠

As with Byleth, learning the Windsweep combat art is recommended regardless of what weapons Yuri winds up using; it is useful against monsters and can be contextually equipped on maps where you need to deal with them. ⁠

{Balthus}[D·L·C only]

• Balthus
• King of Grappling

Balthus can be recruited starting in Chapter 2, assuming Chapter 4 of Cindered Shadows has been completed. ⁠ He has no other recruitment requirements. ⁠

Balthus¦s strengths are in Str and Max H·P, and he has decent Def to help with his survivability. ⁠ His personal ability, King of Grappling, further increases his Str and Def when he is below half health. ⁠ This has great synergy with other abilities that trigger on low health, and Balthus is consequently one of the few really good candidates for Hero, which provides Vantage as a class ability. ⁠ This frees up more slots for Wrath and Defiant abilities to boost his low‐H·P performance further. ⁠ Balthus is unfortunately not a good candidate for Desperation, as his low Spd means he is unlikely to hit twice. ⁠ He will also likely depend almost entirely on his Def to survive at low health, as male units are unable to obtain Defiant Avo. ⁠

Other paths for Balthus are available: ⁠ His high Max H·P makes him an equally good candidate for Renewal, which combines well with a strong defensive class like Fortress Knight. ⁠ Altho Balthus is not particularly good at magic, his strength in Faith makes training him up to Bishop straightforward, and Renewal is consequently easy to acquire. ⁠ This is a very low‐effort path for a very strong defensive unit. ⁠

If one is attempting to make Balthus a unit which thrives in low‐H·P conditions, it is important to keep him in classes with a Max H·P growth of at least 30 for most of the game. ⁠ This will lead him to gain a point of Max H·P in 80% of his Level Ups. ⁠

{Constance}[D·L·C only]

• Circadian Beat
• Constance

Constance can be recruited starting in Chapter 2, assuming Chapter 2 of Cindered Shadows has been completed. ⁠ She has no other recruitment requirements. ⁠

Constance is tied with Lysithea for the best Mag growth in the game; unfortunately, she lacks Lysithea¦s Dex or Spd and has no real other strengths to offer. ⁠ This said, it is hard to compare them directly as they have entirely different sets of offensive magic; Constance¦s list is extremely strong and gives her good offensive potential, if you can ignore her lack of every other stat. ⁠

Due to her abysmal Def, Constance works best in a ranged, supportive role; the Trickster class, with its Stealth ability, seems made for her. ⁠ Swords make a good fit for Constance in general because of her access to the Soulblade combat art, which allows her to take advantage of her high Mag without depleting a spell and without the Spd penalty of a Levin Sword. ⁠ Tricksters are also one of a small number of classes that can use both magic and gauntlets; Constance¦s Brawling Budding Talent unlocks Mystic Blow which is similarly beneficial and less likely to suffer from weapon triangle issues. ⁠ Mastering Trickster gives Constance access to Duelists Blow, which greatly boosts her Avo when she attacks; this can make her a little safer to use. ⁠

The downside to a Trickster Constance is that it really only shores up her weaknesses rather than develop her strengths. ⁠ A different option would be to give her Sword Avo +20 from the Dancer certification and Alert Stance+; combined with Sword Prowess this is a full +70 Avo on turns where she equips a sword and does nothing but wait. ⁠ This can then be combined with Warlock, Mortal Savant, Gremory, or any number of other classes. ⁠ An equivalent build is possible with Brawl Avo +20 from War Cleric; in this case, Mortal Savant or War Cleric are really the only options. ⁠

The problem with these latter builds is that they rely on Constance having expensive magical weaponry equipped whenever she is in danger—or else giving up on the idea of dealing much damage in the enemy phase—and only using her spells when she is under no risk of attack. ⁠ This is throwing away arguably her greatest assets, altho one could argue her high Mag is itself a great asset which should be capitalized on. ⁠

A third option for dealing with Constance¦s low survivability is to simply extend the range of her magic and try to keep her outside of enemy ranges at all times. ⁠ Valkyrie offers Black Magic Range +1 and Canto to make this feasible. ⁠

Altho she has a weakness in both Axe and Heavy Armour, training her up to at least C+ in the former and B in the latter by Lv 20 is almost a requirement, as it lets her certify in Fortress Knight and substantially improve her Def and Max H·P. ⁠ Once she gains access to Armoured Knight, classing into it and setting her as the adjutant to a high‐combat unit is a good way to build up the Skill Exp. ⁠

{Hapi}[D·L·C only]

• Hapi
• Monstrous Appeal

Hapi can be recruited starting in Chapter 2, assuming Chapter 5 of Cindered Shadows has been completed. ⁠ She has no other recruitment requirements. ⁠

From a stat perspective, Hapi lacks any particular strengths, having weak Def and acceptable but not stellar levels in most everything else. ⁠ However, she compensates for this by having one of the best spell lists in the game. ⁠ This effectively restricts her to dedicated magic classes, and her low Def encourages Valkyrie in particular, which offers Black Magic Range +1. ⁠ Being a ranged unit, she is a good candidate for Seal abilities as she can use them to inflict debuffs from afar. ⁠ It is beneficial to give her an inexpensive ranged option (bows, Javelins, Hand Axes) to conserve spell uses when applying debuffs. ⁠

Hapi¦s personal ability, Monstrous Appeal, makes her invaluable in monster battles regardless of class or build. ⁠ Her Budding Talent in Axe, Exhaustive Strike, is not often useful (due to its short range) but can occasionally make a difference. ⁠

Edelgard

• Edelgard
• Imperial Lineage
• Imperial Lineage+

Edelgard is available from the beginning of the game, but she leaves after the Prolouge unless Byleth chooses the Black Eagles house. ⁠ She cannot be recruited. ⁠ She becomes permanently unavailable on the White Snow route. ⁠

Edelgard is a very balanced unit in terms of her growths, for the most part resembling a stronger version of Byleth, and with Cha and Str as standout stats. ⁠ Like Byleth, she has phenomenal starting stats, enabling her to begin contributing early. ⁠

Altho she will never compete with the best of mages (of whom the Black Eagles house has plenty), Edelgard has a strong offensive and defensive spell list as well as the bulk to survive where other mages might not. ⁠ {Because of this, she functions surprisingly well as a Dark Flier, perhaps using Alert Stance+ and Sword Prowess to compensate the lower defences of that class with dodging.}[D·L·C only] ⁠ With swords, Edelgard can use Hexblade to deal magical damage, and she can master Lord for Subdue, which keeps enemies alive to save Exp for another unit. ⁠

The more traditional option, though, is to leave her with axes and use either the Emperor class or Wyvern Lord (if you find the low Mv of Emperor unbearable). ⁠ Wielding axes, Edelgard can still use Lightning Axe to deal magical damage when needed. And the axe Amyr, when used by Edelgard, provides access to the unique combat art Raging Storm, which is exceptionally useful in the final battle. ⁠

Hubert

• Hubert
• Officer Duty

Hubert is automatically recruited for Chapter 1 if Byleth chooses the Black Eagles house. ⁠ He is unavailable otherwise. ⁠ He becomes permanently unavailable on the White Snow route. ⁠

Hubert is an offensively strong magical unit and his dark magic spell list and male gender make him a natural fit for Dark Mage and Dark Bishop. ⁠ His comparatively lower Spd and Def mean he is best kept at range, and giving him a Magic Bow to save on spell Use makes sense as soon as they are available. ⁠ With Poison Strike and Schism Shot, he can deal debuff and chip damage as a ranged unit even with ordinary bows. ⁠

There is no reason not to class Hubert into Dark Knight as soon as he is able, as it is simply the best class for him in the lategame. ⁠

Hubert¦s low Str and Spd makes lances a poor choice in general, but his budding talent, Frozen Lance, makes them viable during the player phase as a finishing blow. ⁠ Hubert¦s paralogue gives access to the Arrow of Indra—the only magical lance in the game—which he can use to great effect. ⁠

Dorothea

• Dorothea
• Songstress

Dorothea is automatically recruited for Chapter 1 if Byleth chooses the Black Eagles house. ⁠ Otherwise, she can be recruited starting in Chapter 2 when Byleth has 25 Cha and Authority B. ⁠

In terms of stats, Dorothea is a mediocre unit, but she compensates for this with a particularly strong offensive spell list. ⁠ She is a competent mage so long as she can avoid being hit. ⁠ While a high‐Avo approach might be tempting, either thru a Dancer certification and Sword Prowess and Sword Avo +20 (perhaps ultimately settling into a Mortal Savant role) {or as a War Cleric with Brawling Prowess and Brawl Avo +20}[D·L·C only], Dorothea isn¦t really fast enough to make maximal use of these classes. ⁠ Additionally, weapon‐based Avo penalizes using her spell list, which is her greatest strength. ⁠

{The simplest option for Dorothea is for her to just rely on Stealth as a Trickster to avoid targets.}[D·L·C only] ⁠

If none of the above approaches are desired, Dorothea can simply be kept at range, using Levin Swords to save spell slots as necessary. ⁠ In this last case, Gremory is her ideal final class, {unless the added Mv and Rng provided by Valkyrie is deemed preferable}[D·L·C only]. ⁠

Regardless of class, Dorothea¦s Rally Luck ability, available early, is easily the best Rally ability in the game, and provides a good reason to deploy her. ⁠ Her Budding Talent in Faith unlocks White Magic Avo +20, which can be used as a Gremory to avoid hits when she is playing a supportive role, but isn¦t particularly helpful otherwise (as Nosferatu is her only offensive white magic spell). ⁠

Finally, and importantly, Dorothea¦s personal ability, Songstress, allows you to convert turns into healing, which is an absolute godsend in early chapters when white magic is limited and Vulneraries are rare. ⁠ It may be worth requesting her help early on on other routes solely to take advantage of her ability to save healing resources. ⁠

Ferdinand

• Confidence
• Ferdinand

Ferdinand is automatically recruited for Chapter 1 if Byleth chooses the Black Eagles house. ⁠ Otherwise, he can be recruited starting in Chapter 2 when Byleth has 10 Dex and Heavy Armour C. ⁠

Ferdinand has good Max H·P growth and only suffers in Mag, making him a competent if not stellar physical attacker. ⁠ His Budding Talent in Heavy Armour, Seal Speed, is quite useful, and as an axe‐wielding Armoured unit, his combat art Armoured Strike can be leveraged to deal quite a bit of damage. ⁠ Alternatively, the Lance combat art Shatter Slash can be used to emphasize his debuffing capabilities. ⁠

Ferdinand¦s personal ability, Confidence, grants +15 Avo when he is at full health. ⁠ This is enough to make a high‐Avo build possible, altho the best option in this case is to gain Sword Avo +20 from a Dancer certification. ⁠

As a more interesting alternative, Confidence can be used offensively to boost his Hit Rate at long distances with bows, ideally in combination with Hit +20 and Bow Prowess. ⁠ While this may not be the most damaging strategy, it will enable him to apply debuffs at range more easily without exposing himself to danger. ⁠ Poison Strike can make this strategy more effective at the cost of needing a Dark Seal to obtain, and Renewal can keep Confidence active more often. ⁠ And, of course, more debuffs can be stacked, such as Seal Defence from Wyvern Rider. ⁠ This approach almost certainly ends with Ferdinand as a Bow Knight for its Bowrange +2. ⁠

Wyvern Lord provides a less drastic and more straightforwardly offensive option; using lances, it boasts modest Avo and Prt while striking from 1 or 2 tiles away, and unlike a Bow build it still allows use of some of Ferdinand¦s best weapons and combat arts. ⁠

Bernadetta

• Bernadetta
• Persecution Complex

Bernadetta is automatically recruited for Chapter 1 if Byleth chooses the Black Eagles house. ⁠ Otherwise, she can be recruited starting in Chapter 2 when Byleth has 20 Str and Bow C. ⁠

At face value, Bernadetta has probably the worst stats in the Black Eagles, so one could be forgiven for thinking she is not very useful. ⁠ But her low stats are countered by the fact that her personal ability, Persecution Complex, increases her Atk by 5 if her H·P and Max H·P are unequal. ⁠ This turns a bad Str into a good one, and makes her into a surprisingly heavy hitter, especially early in the game. ⁠

Bernadetta¦s damage output can be increased further by use of Vengeance, a combat art she learns at Lance C+. ⁠ Vengeance increases Bernadetta¦s Atk by difference between her H·P and Max H·P, so she becomes increasingly dangerous as her health drops. ⁠ Devil weapons can facilitate a loss of H·P, and guard adjutants can aid in dropping it all the way down to 1 for maximal damage. ⁠

Of course, at 1 H·P Bernadetta is easy to kill, so a class with Stealth (like Assassin {or Trickster}[D·L·C only]) may be preferred. {Bernadetta has terrible Mag, but a good spell list, so a lance‐wielding Trickster build could be quite versatile.}[D·L·C only] Bernadetta also has access to Defiant Avo as a female unit, which can help to keep her alive. ⁠

At Bow A, Bernadetta learns the incredibly useful combat art Encloser, so it is worth giving her substantial Bow training even if she primarily uses other weapons. ⁠ The Bowrange +2 of Bow Knights can be used to keep her out of danger at the cost of fewer opportunities for Vengeance. ⁠ Taking advantage of Canto, she will still have some opportunities to charge in with her lance. ⁠

Caspar

• Born Fighter
• Caspar

Caspar is automatically recruited for Chapter 1 if Byleth chooses the Black Eagles house. ⁠ Otherwise, he can be recruited starting in Chapter 2 when Byleth has 10 Str and Brawling C. ⁠

Caspar has a bad reputation in the fandom on account of lacking any standout stats and having abysmal Cha. ⁠ But he has a wide variety of physically damaging combat arts, and his personal ability compensates for the low Hit that axes usually provide. ⁠ His high H·P growth favours acquiring Renewal, altho he should stay out of magical classes {aside from War Monk}[D·L·C only] otherwise as they offer very low H·P growths themselves. ⁠ Renewal pairs well with War Master¦s Quick Riposte ability to improve his damage output on the enemy phase.

Caspar¦s Spd growth isn¦t great, but it is good enough to not hold him back from an Avo‐oriented build with Brawling Prowess, Alert Stance+, and {Brawl Avo +20}[D·L·C only]. ⁠ While Ferdinand competes for this build, and is better at avoiding enemy attacks thanks to his personal ability, Caspar has better Brawling combat arts. ⁠

Emphasizing Avo with gauntlets has the downside of leaving Caspar¦s damage output low, especially considering gauntlets are stronger in the player phase but Alert Stance+ locks you into enemy phase combat. ⁠ One can try to rectify this with critical hits, for example by stacking War Master¦s Crit +20 with Battalion Wrath, but the downsides are still glaring, especially considering the lack of a ranged option. ⁠

An Axe build takes better advantage of Caspar¦s personal ability, and uses the high Mt of axes to compensate for his lower Str. ⁠ Caspar can definitely deal more damage taking this approach, but his low Def becomes a liability here. ⁠ His survivability can be improved by making him a Fortress Knight, which paired with Quick Riposte can fix the Spd issues that would otherwise result. ⁠ This is, of course, a very high‐investment build. ⁠

Petra

• Hunters Boon
• Petra

Petra is automatically recruited for Chapter 1 if Byleth chooses the Black Eagles house. ⁠ Otherwise, she can be recruited starting in Chapter 2 when Byleth has 10 Dex and Riding C. ⁠

Petra is fast, and she is mostly interchange·able with other fast characters in the game. ⁠ This means that she should learn Steal and certify in Assassin for thievery purposes, and that she can synergize well with Sword Avo +20 (from Dancer) {and Brawl Avo +20 (from War Cleric)}[D·L·C only] to become nearly unhittable. ⁠ Her Avo can be improved further by classing her into Falcon Knight or Wyvern Lord (giving her Avo +10) and by obtaining Alert Stance+; however, it is not possible to use gauntlets while mounted, so this strategy is most convenient for a Sword build. ⁠ If you aren¦t willing to spend the Dancer certification for Sword Avo +20 {and aren¦t giving her Brawl Avo +20 either}[D·L·C only], Flying classes are a good idea and play to her strengths. ⁠

When using gauntlets or Brave weapons, her high Spd and Dex may make Lethality viable; it will activate around 25% of the time per four hits near the end of the game. ⁠ Otherwise, Petra may find it difficult to kill enemies due to her low Str. ⁠ Her personal ability, Hunters Boon, can compensate for this with high Crit Rate assuming an enemy is already at least halfway dead, but in practice this is mostly only helpful against monsters. ⁠ While an Axe build can help boost her damage output, it will come at the cost of some of her A·S. ⁠

When putting Petra in a Flying class, Aegis not a bad investment as it can help shore up her defences against bows and magic. ⁠

Linhardt

• Catnap
• Linhardt

Linhardt is automatically recruited for Chapter 1 if Byleth chooses the Black Eagles house. ⁠ Otherwise, he can be recruited starting in Chapter 2 when Byleth has 10 Mag and Reason C. ⁠

Linhardt is the tankiest of the Black Eagles magic units, not counting Edelgard. ⁠ He has a great spell list, both offensively and defensively, with his offensive spells prioritizing speed and accuracy over damage. ⁠ As a male unit, he can¦t access the benefits of Gremory or Valkyrie, but he can access Poison Strike and Lifetaker from Dark Mage and Dark Bishop. ⁠ The former enhances his ability to deal chip damage, while the latter makes him more survivable. ⁠ Still, from an offensive perspective, the major advantage Linhardt has over Hubert is the fact that he is more durable. ⁠ His white magic is also much better than Hubert¦s, and Linhardt has a lot of potential as a support unit. ⁠

Linhardt lacks any unique combat arts and consequently physical weapons offer little to him. ⁠ When using him to apply debuffs or chip damage, some Bow training can help. ⁠

Dimitri

• Dimitri
• Royal Lineage
• Royal Lineage+

Dimitri is available from the beginning of the game, but he leaves after the Prolouge unless Byleth chooses the Blue Lions house. ⁠ He cannot be recruited. ⁠

Dimitri is an exceptional unit and probably the strongest in the game. ⁠ His stats are excellent, and he learns both Battalion Vantage and Battalion Wrath, which can turn him into a menace during the enemy phase. ⁠

Dimitri has high speed growths and his personal ability, once upgraded, gives him +20 Avo when his H·P is equal to his Max H·P. ⁠ Renewal can help make this automatic, and there are plenty of ways to increase his Avo further, altho they are almost overkill considering his high H·P and Def. ⁠

Dimitri should learn Windsweep at Sword A because it is useful against monsters, but his strengths lie with lances otherwise. ⁠ Conventional wisdom is to steer him towards a cavalry class for the Mv it offers; his Budding Talent in Riding offers Seal Movement. ⁠ Dimitri isn¦t usually the type for setting up debuffs, but it can still be handy to have. ⁠

For plot reasons, if you want Dimitri to train in Flying, you should raise his levels at least high enough for a Wyvern Rider certification before Chapter 12. ⁠ Wyvern Lord is not a terrible idea, as it provides Avoid +10, but it comes at the cost of losing Lancefaire. ⁠

Dedue

• Dedue
• Staunch Shield

Dedue is automatically recruited for Chapter 1 if Byleth chooses the Blue Lions house. ⁠ He is unavailable otherwise. ⁠

Dedue is a classic Fire Emblem tank, having phenomenal Def and Max H·P, good Str, and abysmal Spd and Res. ⁠ His Spd issues can be patched over with Quick Riposte, which combined with a class like Fortress Knight leaves him taking very little damage and dealing quite a lot. ⁠ Dedue learns the combat art Armoured Strike at Axe A, which boosts his damage with his Def. ⁠

An alternative approach leverages his high Max H·P by having him lose some of it, perhaps intentionally using a Heroes Relic or Devil Axe. ⁠ Dedue learns the Vengeance combat art at Lance C+, which deals more damage the less H·P he has. ⁠ This synergizes well with Defiant abilities, Vantage, and Wrath. ⁠ Hero is actually a decent class option in this case, as it gives Vantage for free. ⁠ Unfortunately, most Defiant abilities are only available from Master classes, and as Dedue is absent for several chapters his opportunities for grinding them are narrower than other units. ⁠

With either approach, and thanks to his personal ability, Dedue is primarily an enemy phase attacker. ⁠

Felix

• Felix
• Lone Wolf

Felix is automatically recruited for Chapter 1 if Byleth chooses the Blue Lions house. ⁠ Otherwise, he can be recruited starting in Chapter 2 when Byleth has 15 Spd and Sword B+. ⁠

Felix is a surprisingly strong—and versatile—unit, considering his lone‐wolf swordsman archetype. ⁠ Activating his personal ability, Lone Wolf, is worse than the alternative of just using good battalions once they are available, but his crest is more useful than most and activates surprisingly often. ⁠

Felix¦s biggest weakness is his low Def, but a high‐Avo build is easily achievable using Sword Avo +20 from a Dancer certification. ⁠ Felix has okay Mag growth and Black Magic Crit +10 as a Budding Talent, enabling him to take advantage of the magical capabilities of the likes of Dancer and Mortal Savant and notably giving him a ranged option when specializing in swords. ⁠ A Brawling build is also attractive, as Felix is set up well to take advantage of gauntlets and learns the combat art Mystic Blow; {with Brawl Avo +20 from War Monk, he can have just as much Avo with·out depending on the Dancer certification}[D·L·C only]. ⁠ The inherent Crit +20 of War Master is tempting with gauntlets, as more strikes means more reliable critical hits. ⁠

Assassin and {Trickster}[D·L·C only] provide an alternative approach, leveraging Stealth rather than Avo for survivability. ⁠ {In this case especially, Duelists Blow is likely a good investment.}[D·L·C only] ⁠

Mercedes

• Live to Serve
• Mercedes

Mercedes is automatically recruited for Chapter 1 if Byleth chooses the Blue Lions house. ⁠ Otherwise, she can be recruited starting in Chapter 2 when Byleth has 15 Mag and Bow C. ⁠

Aside from Mag and Res, Mercedes¦s stats are mediocre, and while her white magic spell list is amazing, her offensive options are a bit lacking. ⁠ This firmly locks her into a role of ranged healing and debuffing far from the front lines. ⁠ For this, either Bishop or Gremory is a suitable final class; arguably Bishop is the better of the two, as it emphasizes her healing. ⁠

When she isn¦t healing, Mercedes can be given bows. ⁠ Her Bow Budding Talent, Waning Shot, drops Str by 5, often resulting in a minor reduction in A·S as consequence. ⁠ Seal Def and Seal Res can be equipped for more debuffing capabilities, and Magic Bows can be used for more damage. ⁠ Unfortunately, Mercedes lacks a truly longrange option with bows, lacking any combat arts with a Rng greater than 3. ⁠ {As a female unit, Mercedes does have access to Fiendish Blow, which can be used to fix any accuracy issues bows provide.}[D·L·C only] ⁠

Ashe

• Ashe
• Lockpick

Ashe is automatically recruited for Chapter 1 if Byleth chooses the Blue Lions house. ⁠ Otherwise, he can be recruited starting in Chapter 2 when Byleth has 15 Cha and Lance C. ⁠

Ashe is a character with high Spd and Dex but low offensive and defensive capabilities; this essentially locks him into a supporting or debuffing role, as even though Pavise and Aegis will trigger often for him, his defenses are probably too low to make this matter. ⁠ Because he is fast, a high‐Avo build using Sword Avo +20 {or Brawl Avo +20}[D·L·C only] is possible, but even so his low damage output will remain an issue. ⁠ Lethality can help give him a shot at kills, but is only really worthwhile if he is using a weapon which strikes four times, and the Mt of gauntlets may be too low for him to deal any damage. ⁠

As a supporting character, Ashe can benefit from Poison Strike and Seal Defence, and he learns the combat art Waning Shot. ⁠ With Deadeye, he can hit units from quite far away, but even with his high Dex he will probably struggle with accuracy at long distances. ⁠ The major downside to using Ashe to apply debuffs from range is it completely ignores his high Spd, and other characters can just as easily fill a debuffing role (including Mercedes, who can also heal). ⁠

A more interesting option is to class Ashe into Assassin and rely on Stealth to improve his survivability. ⁠ If he isn¦t getting targets, Ashe can take great advantage of abilities like Wrath or even Defiant Str, and wield low‐Hit, high Mt swords like the Devil Sword or Cursed Ashiya Sword. ⁠ {Duelists Blow, combined with his high Spd, is very helpful in keeping Ashe alive in the player phase.}[D·L·C only] ⁠

Annette

• Annette
• Perseverance

Annette is automatically recruited for Chapter 1 if Byleth chooses the Blue Lions house. ⁠ Otherwise, she can be recruited starting in Chapter 2 when Byleth has 10 Mag and Faith B. ⁠

Annette makes for a very useful as a support unit thanks to her excellent Rally abilities (including her personal ability, Perseverance). ⁠ Conversely, despite high Mag and a reasonably good offensive spell list, she is difficult to use in combat because of her low Spd and Def. ⁠ {Trickster can mitigate some of these concerns, thanks to Stealth, greatly improving her offensive potential.}[D·L·C only] ⁠ Alternatively, she can simply be kept at range. ⁠

Sylvain

• Philanderer
• Sylvain

Sylvain is automatically recruited for Chapter 1 if Byleth chooses the Blue Lions house. ⁠ Otherwise, he can be recruited starting in Chapter 2 when Byleth has 25 Cha and Reason C. ⁠ If Byleth is female, the above requirements are waived. ⁠

Sylvain is a very welrounded and flexible unit, having reasonably good growths in most of the most important stats, altho his Str is a bit lacking and he has no Res. ⁠ On the flipside, he has enough Mag and enough of a spell list to let him dip into magic when it is advantageous. ⁠ Sylvain¦s personal ability, Philanderer, boosts his Atk and reduces enemy Dmg when he is next to a female ally; this makes up for some of his weakness relative to other units, especially early in the game. ⁠

Sylvain has a Budding Talent in Reason which grants Black Magic Avo +20; this gives him the interesting and unique option of being an offensive magical unit with high Avo. ⁠ This is countered by the fact that spells cannot be used with combat arts, and Sylvain does not have good enough Mag to deal the same level of damage as other magical units. ⁠ Still, as Sylvain¦s Str is not stellar either, the opportunity cost of focusing on magic is not too high. ⁠

Thanks to his decent Spd, Sylvain can serve just as easily in more traditional high‐Avo builds if a magical build is not desired. ⁠

Ingrid

• Ingrid
• Lady Knight

Ingrid is automatically recruited for Chapter 1 if Byleth chooses the Blue Lions house. ⁠ Otherwise, she can be recruited starting in Chapter 2 when Byleth has 15 Dex and Flying D. ⁠

Ingrid is fast, and notable among fast characters in that her Mag growths are just as good as her Str—a trait she shares with Manuela. ⁠ How·ever, it is more that her growths are equally bad, as neither are particularly strong. ⁠ When recruiting her from a different house, this is offset by her benefiting from the amazing enemy Pegasus Knight growth rates, but this obviously does not apply on Azure Moon playthrus. ⁠

High Spd favours Avo‐based builds, such as those which take advantage of Sword Avo +20 {or Brawl Avo +20}[D·L·C only]; barring this, Ingrid functions well in a Flying class that offers Avo +10. ⁠ Ingrid has a decent spell list she can dip into as needed, or she can rely on combat arts like Hexblade and Frozen Lance to offer a magical option in classes with no access to spells. ⁠

Claude

• Claude
• Leicester Lineage
• Leicester Lineage+

Claude is available from the beginning of the game, but he leaves after the Prolouge unless Byleth chooses the Golden Deer house. ⁠ He cannot be recruited. ⁠

With high Spd and Dex, Claude is set up well to avoid enemy attacks and reliably deal damage. ⁠

Claude¦s high Dex pairs well with abilities which depend on it, such as Pavise and Aegis. ⁠ It also pairs well with Finesse Blade, a combat art Claude learns at Sword A—and with swords in general. ⁠ Making Claude a Dancer is potentially wasting his offensive capabilities, but with Sword Avo +20, he will become very difficult to hit. ⁠ Even with a lesser Avo +10 from Wyvern Lord, he will be in a good position to evade enemy attacks, especially if you give him Alert Stance+. ⁠ Alternatively, one can emphasize Claude¦s Crit Rate with Swordmaster or War Master, which also benefit from the enhanced Leicester Lineage+. ⁠

A ranged build with Claude is certainly possible, taking advantage of his high Dex to hit with bows from afar. ⁠ In this case, his unique class Barbarossa is worth consideration. ⁠ Unfortunately, Claude doesn¦t have great debuffing potential—altho as a male unit he does have access to Poison Strike. ⁠ Whether you pursue bows primarily or not, it is good to bring him to Bow A for Encloser, which is useful to have even if you primarily use a different weapon. ⁠ Weight −5 can help with the heavy Wt that bows typically have. ⁠

Claude is unfortunately held back by his gender; he has no access to Darting Blow, which would help to keep his A·S competitive with the fastest enemies in the game. ⁠

Lorenz

• Distinguished House
• Lorenz

Lorenz is automatically recruited for Chapter 1 if Byleth chooses the Golden Deer house. ⁠ Otherwise, he can be recruited starting in Chapter 2 when Byleth has 20 Cha and Reason C. ⁠

Lorenz is an offensively versatile unit that suffers a bit on defence. ⁠ While neither his Str nor Mag are what one would call strong, he is reasonably good at both and can consequently switch between physical and magical damage as the situation requires. ⁠ His personal ability effectively provides a flat +2 to Atk, which definitely helps. ⁠

Lorenz has reasonably high Max H·P, and consequently can make use of Renewal to help with his survivability between turns. ⁠ Combined with his Mag, this opens the possibility for a rare offensive Bishop build, leveraging Quick Riposte to deal with Spd issues and using Nosferatu to heal back any damage taken. ⁠ {War Monk should be used instead when the Use of Nosferatu is not a concern, as it offers significantly better Max H·P growth.}[D·L·C only] ⁠

Hilda

• Advocate
• Hilda

Hilda is automatically recruited for Chapter 1 if Byleth chooses the Golden Deer house. ⁠ If Byleth chooses the Blue Lions house, she can be recruited starting in Chapter 2 when Byleth has 30 Cha and Axe C. ⁠ If Byleth chooses the Black Eagles, she can only be recruited in Chapter 12 on the Silver Snow route, with the same requirements as above. ⁠ On the Crimson Flower route, she cannot be recruited at all. ⁠

Hilda is a relatively fast, relatively strong unit with unfortunately low Dex and defensive capabilities. ⁠ As a female unit, she has access to Uncanny Blow and Darting Blow, which can boost her player‐phase potential, and she can class into Falcon Knight, the class which takes best advantage of her Spd. ⁠ Hilda may struggle with accuracy issues with axes, but lances should serve her just fine.

Hilda¦s Budding Talent in Heavy Armour, Seal Speed, is handy, but low Dex prevents Hilda from being particularly reliable as a ranged debuffer. ⁠ If one does want to commit to a ranged debuffing route, she does learn Thoron, but she will never be a strong magic user. ⁠ A better option is to have her fly in and out with Canto; {Duelists Blow can help with survivability in this case}[D·L·C only]. ⁠

Hilda does have high Max H·P, and a build which takes advantage of this with Defiant Avo is definitely possible. ⁠

Raphael

• Goody Basket
• Raphael

Raphael is automatically recruited for Chapter 1 if Byleth chooses the Golden Deer house. ⁠ Otherwise, he can be recruited starting in Chapter 2 when Byleth has 20 Str and Heavy Armour C. ⁠

Raphael is an extreme tank, with strong Str, Def, and Max H·P but little in the way of anything else. ⁠ His low Spd means he will get doubled by virtually every enemy unless he acquires Quick Riposte; conversely, his good defences mean he has a shot at surviving these blows. ⁠

Gauntlets are a good fit for Raphael, as they allow him to strike twice during the player phase and are accurate enough to not mind his low Dex. ⁠ With them he makes a fine Grappler or War Master, or you can lean into his durability with Fortress Knight at the cost of Fistfaire. ⁠

Raphael is a good candidate for Renewal to boost his survivability. ⁠

Lysithea

• Lysithea
• Mastermind

Lysithea is automatically recruited for Chapter 1 if Byleth chooses the Golden Deer house. ⁠ Otherwise, she can be recruited starting in Chapter 2 when Byleth has 15 Mag and Faith B. ⁠ In Crimson Flower, she can also be recruited in Chapter 14 upon her defeat. ⁠

Lysithea is a glass cannon mage, with high Mag, Dex, and Spd and incredibly low other stats. ⁠ She also has a great spell list, making her one of the highest damage output units in the game. ⁠

Because she has high Spd, Lysithea is actually a good choice for Dancer, and Sword Avo +20 synergizes well with Soulblade, her Sword Budding Talent. ⁠ Increasing Avo makes Lysithea more survivable, but of course the dependency on having a sword equipped makes her spell list less usable. ⁠ {Trickster provides an alternative option, using Stealth to avoid enemy targets.}[D·L·C only] ⁠

The downside to improving Lysithea¦s defences is that it comes at the expense of spell Use and practicality—and her spells are very good. ⁠ Gremory {and Valkyrie}[D·L·C only] are the best offensive options for Lysithea, but they require that she always stay safely out of range. ⁠

Despite her weakness in both Axe and Heavy Armour, it may be worth training Lysithea in both: ⁠ The certification Stat Bonus from Fortress Knight will profoundly boost her survivability. ⁠

Ignatz

• Ignatz
• Watchful Eye

Ignatz is automatically recruited for Chapter 1 if Byleth chooses the Golden Deer house. ⁠ Otherwise, he can be recruited starting in Chapter 2 when Byleth has 10 Dex and Authority B. ⁠

Ignatz¦s personal ability and high Dex make him easily the best ranged debuffer in the game. ⁠ Stacked with Hit +20 and Bow Prowess, Ignatz can mostly overcome the steep penalties to using bows at range and consequently is one of the best options for Bow Knight with its Bowrange +2. ⁠

Ignatz¦s Reason Budding Talent, Seal Strength, can pair with Seal Defence, Seal Resistance, or Poison Strike to greatly weaken the foes he hits even when doing chip damage. ⁠ To save an ability slot, Ignatz learns Break Shot at Bow C+, which can be used in place of Seal Defence at 2–3 Rng. ⁠

Alternatively, Ignatz¦s personal ability can be ignored and he can be made into a surprisingly competent magical unit, thanks to a good spell list. ⁠ As a magic user, Ignatz relies on crits to do substantial damage, but he can dish out debuffs just as easily as a magical user as he can as a Bow Knight, assuming he has the equipment or abilities to extend the Rng of his spells. ⁠ Dark Bishop is a good choice for a magical Ignatz as it gives him Fiendish Blow as a class ability—saving his ability slots for Seal skills—and gives him 10 Use of Miasma Δ. ⁠ Fiendish Blow also boosts the Dmg of Magic Bows, which a magical Ignatz will probably still dip into for the combat arts. ⁠ For more damage, he can freely use Bolt Axes with·out fear of their low accuracy. ⁠

Marianne

• Animal Friend
• Marianne

Marianne is automatically recruited for Chapter 1 if Byleth chooses the Golden Deer house. ⁠ Otherwise, she can be recruited starting in Chapter 2 when Byleth has 10 Mag and Riding C. ⁠

Marianne is a strong magical unit with weak Def. ⁠ There are a few approaches to compensating for this: ⁠ She can be kept at range {(for which Valkyrie is best)}[D·L·C only], she can be given high Avo (for which Dancer {and War Cleric}[D·L·C only] are good), she can make use of Stealth {(for which Trickster is best)}[D·L·C only], or she can just use Canto to retreat after attacking. ⁠ While using Canto in lieu of a better defensive strategy is definitely a bit fraught, it does greatly aid in positioning Marianne to take advantage of her personal ability. ⁠

Thanks to Soulblade, a combat art Marianne learns at Sword C+, she can do okay as a Dancer with Sword Avo +20. ⁠ But emphasizing swords too much does run the risk of overshadowing her very good spell list. ⁠ Nevertheless, equipping one of Soulblade or Frozen Lance (her Lance Budding Talent) is advised, as these have higher damage potential in many cases. ⁠

Leonie

• Leonie
• Rivalry

Leonie is automatically recruited for Chapter 1 if Byleth chooses the Golden Deer house. ⁠ Otherwise, she can be recruited starting in Chapter 2 when Byleth has 15 Str and Riding C. ⁠

Leonie is an astonishingly strong unit, having both the highest Spd growth in the Golden Deer and nearly the highest Def, yet still having competitively good Str and Dex as well. ⁠ Because she learns great Bow combat arts, the traditional approach is to class her into Bow Knight or Sniper and use her mostly at a distance. ⁠

{A more interesting option is to make Leonie a War Cleric. Gauntlets mesh well with her high Dex and Spd, and Brawl Avo +20 will give her a fair bit of survivability. ⁠ Leonie probably won¦t benefit much from offensive magic, but she has good healing spells she can use in a pinch. ⁠ Unfortunately, Leonie cannot learn Tomebreaker, which is only available to male units.}[D·L·C only] ⁠

Falcon Knight is an even stronger class with Leonie than it is with Hilda, thanks to her higher Spd; Lance Jab, a combat art Leonie learns at Lance A, leans into this. ⁠ Conversely, Fortress Knight negates Leonie¦s Spd but makes the most of her good Def. ⁠

Seteth

• Guardian
• Seteth

Seteth is automatically recruited in Chapter 12 in all routes except Crimson Flower. ⁠

Seteth is a strong unit—easily the strongest of the late recruitments available on the routes he participates in. ⁠ He has good, if not excellent, Max H·P and Str, and his remaining stats are generally serviceable. ⁠ He also learns Swift Strikes as a combat art at Lance A, which can help him deal large amounts of damage even against very fast enemies. ⁠

To make Seteth useful, you will need to spend some time securing for him important abilities like Death Blow and Hit +20 from class masteries. ⁠ Once this is out of the way, he does fine following the obvious traditional path of Wyvern Lord, or he can pursue Paladin or Great Knight for its Lancefaire. ⁠

Because Seteth is not obtainable until Chapter 12, it will be an uphill climb to get him enough Reason to certify in Warlock—but it is worth doing so, as it provides a substantial Stat Bonus to his Res and a slight one to his Mag. ⁠ Seteth has a decent offensive spell list and can perform well in hybrid classes that have a magical option, but his damage output will usually be higher with physical attacks. ⁠

Flayn

• Flayn
• Lilys Poise

Flayn is automatically recruited in Chapter 7. ⁠ She permanently leaves your party in Chapter 12 of Crimson Flower. ⁠

Flayn has good Mag growth as well as good offensive and defensive spell lists, but lacks longrange options in either while suffering in Max H·P, Spd, and Def. ⁠ This means she benefits from classes with higher movement and Canto, as well as items and abilities which boost the Rng of her spells. ⁠ {Valkyrie is probably her best class, as it merges all of these factors and enables her to safely operate from afar. ⁠ Dark Flier also seems made for her, but she will be a little less survivable in that class.}[D·L·C only] ⁠

Both of Flayn¦s Lance combat arts, Hit and Run and Frozen Lance, are good and they recommend a dedicated Lance build. ⁠ Unfortunately, the Arrow of Indra, the only magical lance in the game, is only obtainable by Flayn on the final chapter of Verdant Wind, so outside of Frozen Lance, Flayn will not be able to deal much damage with lances. ⁠

Hanneman

• Crest Scholar
• Hanneman

Hanneman may be recruited from Chapter 8 when Byleth is Lv 15 or higher. ⁠

Hanneman is a strong magical unit in the sense that he has fairly high Mag and little else. ⁠ His offensive spell list is good, and he can reliably deal large amounts of damage, but he has terrible defences and typically cannot survive a round of combat. ⁠ Consequently, he is best kept at range. ⁠

Hanneman has some skill with bows and is capable of attaining Poison Strike, so he can be used to deal chip damage and debuffs from afar. ⁠ His Bow combat arts, Schism Shot and Ward Arrow, boost this capacity. ⁠ With Magic Bows, Hanneman can deal a great deal of damage without using a spell slot, including effective damage against flying units. ⁠

The most damaging option for Hanneman is to end in an offensive magical class like Warlock or Dark Knight and simply stay out of enemy ranges. ⁠ {For less damage, but more survivability, he can be classed into Trickster for its Stealth.}[D·L·C only] ⁠