H5 Character Ranking Topic

Now with 20% more hilarity?

K, bored. Let's try this shall we? +/- .5 Margin of Error, also taking into consideration of efficiency and such. I have up to Jeigan done, and there is the GFAQs one that I set up over there.

To find the character, click on he/she in the OVERVIEW OF ALL CHARACTERS. So if you're looking for Zagaro, simply click on him and it'll redirect you to the post that has him. Some are shared (Wolf | Zag, Jake | Beck, Cain | Abel).

I'm cool with people arguing against or for my rankings. I try to slightly adjust with the tier list.

THE OVERVIEW OF ALL CHARACTERS

10 - Wolf, Zagaro (Sedgar)
9.5 - Barts (Barst), Marich (Merric), Maji (Cord)
9 - Cain (Kain), Abel, Doga (Draug), Chainey (Xane)
8.5 - Shiida (Caeda), Hardain (Hardin)
8 - Marth, Oguma (Ogma), Wendell
7.5 - Darros, Athena
7 - Saji (Bord), Kashim (Castor), Roger, Jake, Beck, Horus (Horace)
6.5 - Nabarl (Navarre), Caesar
6 - Jeigan (Jagen)Julian, Rena (Lena), Biraku (Vyland), Minerva,
5.5 - Katua (Catria), Nagi, Gato (Gotoh)
5 - Jeorge (George), Dolph (Tomth)
4.5 - Machis (Matthis), Paola (Palla)
4 - Gordon (Gordin) Riff (Wrys), Hymir (Ymir)
3.5 - Boa (Boah), Etzel, Tiki
3 - Bantu, Maria, Linda (Linde)
2.5 - Radd, Elice
2 - Roshea (Roshe), Ricardo (Rickard), Mishalen (Macellan), Thomas (Tomas), Midia, Astoria (Astram), Samson
1.5 - Alan (Arran), Lawrence (Lorenz)
1 (aka Nino) - Est
0 - Berserker!Etzel

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RECOMMENDED ROUTES


Abel / Cain: Cavalier -> DracoKnight - Sniper - Paladin

Any of these work really. Paladin is only mentioned due to the higher Spd cap and using the ranks built up from before.

Doga: Hunter -> General or Fighter -> Berserker (Hero)

You either get a well-rounded General with some doubling capabilities or a doubling machine with innate crit.

Shiida: Mage -> Sage or Pegasus Knight -> Paladin

The latter is only for Wing Spear utility.

Jeigan: DracoKnight -> Sage / Bishop

Paladin for earlygame obviously. DracoKnight before starting C4 since flying utility and Jeigan's durability gets a small jump. Sage and Bishop are nothing more than longevity options.

Gordin: Curate

Pretty much earlygame archer, then Curate if you "want to do something".

Wrys: Curate

Earlygame healing, can extend his use since he is practically the only Class A aside from Lena and lolElice that gets a start on Staff rank (and is unpromoted).

Oguma: Mercenary -> Hero

Self-explainatory. Fighter if you're RNG lucky with Spd.

Cord / Barst: Fighter -> Hero or Hunter -> General

Fighter -> Hero gets the higher preference, but Hunter -> General also works for them. Some Mercenary work is also appreciated and easily flexible (C6X, C8, C9 for examples).

Bord: Armor Knight -> General or Hunter -> General

Whichever floats your boat really.

Darros: Armor Knight -> General or Hunter -> General

Mini-Zag / Wolf anyone?

Castor / Kashim: Hunter -> General or AK -> General

Early promo this guy if you can, but otherwise isn't 100% necessary. AK -> General if you're dead worried about Def.

Lena: Curate

Don't bother promoting her. Just keep her for Hammerne.

Navarre: Cavalier -> DracoKnight

Semi-tanky helps his case.

Marich: Curate -> Sage

Dear God can't dispute this. Cavalier -> DracoKnight for lulz 18 Def by 20/1.

Matthis: Curate -> Sniper

Meh setup, but the only other options aren't very practical.

Wendell: Sage

DracoKnight gives him doubling progress and a little durability. Swordmaster for wtfSpeed and lol5 Str.

Hardin: Cavalier -> DracoKnight - Sniper - Paladin

Pretty self-explainatory. Go B Lances!

Roshea: Curate -> Swordmaster

The guy desperately needs Speed. Need I say more?

Vyland: Cavalier -> Sniper

Just stick with this. He needs all the help he can get, but works fine otherwise.

Zagaro / Wolf: General or Hero

I put more emphasis on General despite what BBlade says about Hero!Zag working because General has a slightly more "uber" period.

Athena: Pegasus Knight -> DracoKnight or Myrmidion -> Swordmaster

Think Navarre with some more levels and slightly higher Str.

Caesar: Hunter -> General

His best route IMO. Fighter -> Hero works okay but it's a rather iffy set-up.

Radd: Cleric -> Sniper

Works alright, but he comes kind of late.

Roger: Fighter -> Hero

If you're willing to give him C10's Speedwing, he can double right away.

George: Sniper

Not bad with the A Rank in bows. Sucks he's mediocre otherwise.

Minerva: Sniper or DracoKnight

Sniper is pretty much her earlygame while DracoKnight lets her tank a little bit or abuse her A Axes.

Maria: Cleric

Pretty much a filler. Go Sage if you want, but don't expect much.

Linde: Curate -> Sage

If you really want to use her, her best option is here. Mage gives her some Aura utility.

Macellan: Hunter -> General

Yeah, except his Def scores aren't so hot.

Dolph: Hunter -> General

But this guy is. Slap an early promotion on him and watch him roll.

Midia: Sniper

Better hope she gets some level ups.

Boah: Sage

BOAHBOAHBOAHBOAHBOAH.

Thomas: Cleric -> Sniper

If you're really, REALLY wanting Archer -> Sniper... but this route is simply faster.

Horace: General

I'd slip into Hero for C15 if you can. Tossing him a DracoShield gives him usage past C19.

Astram: Hero

Because any other option makes him REALLY bad.

Katua (Catria) / Paola (Palla): Pegasus Knight -> Sniper - Paladin

I'd put more emphasis on Sniper with Paola, probably the same with Katua since Sniper is simply a great class with her high Spd growth.

Samson: Hero

Think Astram except with a better weapon rank and less RNG-screwable. Don't expect him to last long though.

Arran: Halb- I mean Sniper

Nephenee was here. Devdan is a loser! OR is it Danved?

Etzel: Sorcerer

Self-explainatory. Go Berserker for 100% HP growth!!!

Est: Curate -> Sniper

Patience, my child. Or go Pegasus Knight if you miraculously have all three sisters.

Lorenz: General

Because any other reclass route is suicide.

Ymir: Hero

He needs a statbooster (Speedwing or two) but he can function alright. Sucks his Axe Rank becomes a goddamn C and a half.

Elice: Curate

A Staves. W00t! Go Myrmidion for h4x capabilities!

Marth*

Overview

It seems easy to explain that Marth is essential to the game. Otherwise, how else could you access the Convoy, visit villages, or even clear the maps? Not without Marth, that is.

Marth comes as a Lord and, in comparison to everyone else, isn't terrible by any standards. He's a unit that's not quite solid, but he does have some advantages. Not promoting helps his case a bit, as that means he doesn't have to wait for the Master Seals, which are lacking in the first place. His growths aren't exactly lacking and his bases are around the same as his buddies when he joins. Rapier usage helps his case a lot, meaning he has exclusives for it to be forged and help severely wound Cavalry and Armor Knights. There's also him supporting everyone, meaning that he helps the team in many ways.

So, now we hit the bad news. Marth is in a game that is quite Lance-heavy, and unfortunately he's locked into Swords. Granted it's not "terrible" by any standards, but it is a disadvantage on his part. Of course, him dying means "Game Over", thus being a detriment because he can't play a whole lot of the risks that some other units can. I mean, if Minerva dies, the game goes on. If Marth dies, it's done. Also, his late-game seems to be lacking a bit; he's highly dependant on that forged Rapier to do good damage, and his Prf Weapon Falchion doesn't come until C23 at the earliest or as late as... 24X. He'll need something such as Silver Swords that are forged or Mercurius to keep afloat with his offense.

Conclusion

Marth doesn't strike as a bad character. He's essential, and he's at least pulling his weight for the most part. Unfortunately, there's just things that don't work well with him in general, and at times he needs help. He only falters in late-game, but otherwise is someone that isn't useless. Of course, what Lords not named Leaf and Roy are useless? Well, at least the latter's isn't bad earlygame.

Official Rating: 8/10

Cain* | Abel*

Overview

Nothing bad can really be said about the two Cavaliers. They're great in almost any class that they enter. Even Swordmasters they're pretty useful thanks to their good Str growth and stable HP / Def growths. Simply choose where you'd like to take either of them, then stick with that route.

Abel and Cain have a lot of use right from the get-go. Abel's access to Javelin's may seem to overshadow Cain's inability to use them; however, Cain can also whip out a Steel Sword and obtain the WTA agains the mass exodus of Pirates. By C3, it shouldn't matter since it doesn't take a whole lot to boost your Lance rank up (E to D requites 15 hits).

Cavalier is practically the best route to take, though Kain may not mind a little Myrmidion level ups to get his Spd up (it's not hard with D Swords and chapters where Sword-users are okay). Once promotion comes into play that is when you should consider your options. Paladin has slightly better caps than DracoKnight, and Sniper has the better caps in certain areas as well as the awesome base stats.

Their utility otherwise is what you'd expect out of H5: getting 2-3RKOed at times while packing enough power to 1-2RKO after some build-up. WTA helps them out a lot, then there's the Sniper class handing them some free Crit. Speaking of Criticals, they support each other, more the reason to use them as a pair.

Conclusion

There's not a whole lot of negatives to say about them. They're awesome in almost every class and are easy to train. There's no real weakness for these guys, except maybe the Finesee class lacking in some areas (spread out on growths like the Brute class). You won't be dissapointed when using either one of them, so don't be afraid to use them as a pair.

Official Rating: 9/10

Shiida* / Caeda*

Overview

The queen of doubling. Well, once she can get up there. Her insane Spd and Luck growth would've helped if the Avoid formula was like in the older games, but I digress. Anyway, Shiida is useful as a Pegasus Knight because she can reach anywhere and rain down Javelins. On her joining chapter, given that she can gain +1 in Spd in a level up, she can even double the Pirates with a Javelin. She's at least helping us out from the beginning by doing a good job of doubling sometimes when it is sparse.

Around C4, assuming you got +1 in Str somewhere, quickly head to Mage and get working on that Mag stat. Assuming she gets around 12 AS and 1 Str, she SHOULD double just about everything with a Fire tome. While you're at it, add a little Mt to the tome too. That's one advantage of her doubling skills: she takes a full advantage with forges. If she didn't gain that +1 Str yet, she should by C5. And with C4, you can still stay as a Pegasus Knight and rain Javelins from a distance, then charge and finish a stray Cav with the Wing Spear. Just make sure that someone is around you to trade with her, otherwise she WiLL die. Supports also help her case. Like Marth, she has a vast number of units that gain bonuses from her, meaning that she's helping the team in more than one way.

After, she should be doubling consistenlty as a Mage, and targetting the Res stat and having a decent Mag growth helps her out a lot. After promotion, you gain +3 in Str, meaning with the 1 Str you gained before allows Bolganone to be used without AS loss. That's pretty cool. On top of that, you gain Staves, which are easy for her to build in ranks.

There is her utility with the Wing Spear, which can't be ignored. The early Ridersbane may not have major competition, but the Wing Spear does have the capability of nuking a Cavalier, Horseman, or Armor Knight. Feel free to plop some more Mt on the Wing Spear if felt like more power is needed. After you think Shiida isn't doing so hot and you think her utility isn't necessary anymore, feel free to drop her. She can keep going as a Paladin since the Spd cap is a decent 25, and chances are you're going to reach it. That, and your Str growth increase a bit.

Unfortunately she does have that durability problem. She's likely to survive only one hit, and once Braves roll around she's likely to die in a single shot. There's also the issue with her not ORKOing often unless she gets a forge beforehand, and once enemies promote she has to deal with enemies ranging from 3-7 Res, meaning her Mag has to cut through quite a bit in order to ORKO. She can 2RKO safely otherwise, but Paladins with 50 HP / 6 Res takes 28 Atk in order to ORKO. Bolganone has about 12 Mt, then assuming +2 Atk from the weapon bonus, she needs 14 Mag in order to ORKO. She just can't obtain this. So, be prepared to pour a Spirit Dust or two to help her out.

Conclusion

She's a queen of doubling, but durability is a different story. Targeting Res helps her a lot in offense, and her doubling potential helps her make use of forges. She's unlikely to ORKO without pouring Spirit Dusts or Forges onto her, but otherwise she does great chip damage on any enemy. Just be sure to keep her protected at times, and all should be fine. There's also her Wing Spear utility, which cannot be forgotten.

Overall Rating: 8.5/10

Jeigan* / Jagen*

Overview

Jeigan is a promoted unit. Cool beans, right? Well... not really. Jeigan is definitely useful, that is out of the question. Having access to Silver Lances already makes him difficult to match in power, and his stats are "just good enough" to prevent him from being doubled except by oddball units *cough*Hymann*cough"*.

His promoted status is what helps his longevity. Promoted classes have good bases, and Paladin plays the weaker in some areas. It's just that there isn't a whole lot to improve on. His growths, to say the least, are pretty terrible. But it's not all terrible from there: he's got pretty solid weapon ranks in his favor. Fire is the only tome available with Heal. In the DracoKnight class there's his solid Lance rank and consideration of an Axe rank on top of durability improvement. Raining Javelins from hard-to-reach places allows him to damage enemies safely. Sniper has Bow rank, which is cool. Swordmaster lacks on some things, but at least it isn't very far from Silver Swords in the first place.

His shortcomings are easy to point out though: lack of base stats and growths hurt him. Promoted status only helps accomodate the former, and it takes vigorous class changes in order to improve on the latter. He'll be outclassed once everyone else is built up, so if you were expecting a FE7 Marcus / Seth / Titania, well... I'm sorry to dissapoint you.

Conclusion

Having your own arch-type is cool and all, but it's an arch-type that's easy to determine how long you'll last. Jeigan is, to sum it up, a utility unit. He can do just about anything, which helps the team in different ways. To say the least, he isn't deadweight early on, but like many prepromotes that come early he'll falter later on. Once Jeigan dies, don't forget to give him a proper burial since he's done everything but harm the team early on.

Overall Rating: 6/10

Gordon* / Gordin*

Overview

In all FE games, there's got to be one crappy archer. Well, most of the time, anyway. Captain Gordon was once a humble man. He hunted criminals off the streets and worked with Batman and Harvey Dent to eliminate crime. But, like the wans that he was, he "died" and rose form the grave somehow. Of course, Harvey Dent dies, but it seems the aftermath of the Joker took a lot of Gordon's potential as he travels back in time...

Gordon is only good in the beginning because his two range is the most accurate. Dead... serious. He's got a D Rank, so Steel Bows work in his favor. Too bad his failure Str will weigh him down. Them's the brakes, I guess. Anyway, his ranged combat in C1 seems pretty necessary. Then all of a sudden C2 comes and...

...Well, let's say he just doesn't recover his failure self. First off, he becomes outclassed by Kashim who will arrive later in the game. His ranged combat doesn't seem as awesome because he's in danger of being destroyed by Pirates and then Barst and Bord have Hand Axe utility. And it simply doesn't get much better in C3. C4, if you've gotten that +1 in Spd, you MIGHT be able to get a little potential in Cavalier, but let's just say that the boosted growths in Str and Def won't help Gordon much. Even nearing level 20, he averages with 9 Str and Spd, which is pretty bad Hitting DracoKnight is his saving grace though. It's a class that plays to his strengths: a slight boost in offense with +1 Atk and Axes, boost on his decent Def, and a little bit of a Spd growth to help him out from being quadrupled. E Rank in Axes really, REALLY sucks though so be prepared to save the Arms Scroll, or start building the rank ASAP.

Main reason to keep him around is as a Curate: healers aren't exactly in high demand after a while, but he can make use of it like everyone else. Promoting him isn't that great of an accomplishment, but it's an option if you want some extra chip damage.

Conclusion

To sum it all up: Gordon doesn't have a whole lot to brag about. If anything, he's pretty mediocre as a unit and his growths and bases don't help whatsoever. For offense, you're going to need Silver weapons ASAP, and keep that Ridersbane handy once in a while once you see a C Rank in Lances. Otherwise, Gordon is a unit that's okay to use in the earlygame, but using him past that is highly questioning your logic of units (and possibly your brain).

Overall Rating: 4/10

Riff* / Wrys*

Overview

Wrys here comes as the only healer in C2 (not counting C1). He's at least the only healer, so he's not entirely useless. Sucks how his Heal staff runs out rather quickly, though he should have access to Mends by the time it runs out, so seek a WiFi shop if you need to. By the time Lena arrives though, you know Wrys is practically done. Granted, he can stay alive for a bit longer like Gordon as a healer, but name a time you need that many Curate / Clerics on your team. Merric comes by C5 and Wendell is a Sage, so it makes Wrys useful for earlygame and that's about it.

Not a whole lot more can be said. If you decide to keep Wrys, he can use some of the good staves early on. Technically he starts with a Staff level advantage over any of his "Curate pals", so he can grap Warp and Physic before most of them. Don't expect much out of promotion, but moreso being useful as a Staff user.

Conclusion

Short but to the point, Wrys's only use is being a temporary healer. Once your main Sages are going, he isn't as useful. Even those that are generics can easily take his place since they come with free gold (well weapons but you get the point). Wrys is helpful for the short time that he's likely around, but when Merric and Wendell arrive his job is likely done.

Overall Rating: 4/10

Doga* / Draug*

Overview

You get Doga in C1 and man does he seem awesome. Yeah man, I gotta use Doga because he is the best Armor Knight evar because he's 4RKOed!!! ...Well, hate to break your heart but that isn't going to cut it. Come C2 and all of a sudden Doga is already at risk of being ORKOed at his status. He's got Javelins to compensate for it, and at times he might not be ORKOed, but it's the point: it hurts. C3 certainly does him no favors either.

So comes C4, and hopefully you got +1 Spd and Def. Hunter is honestly the best approach with Draug. His Spd stat suddenly jumps near Shiida's level and, unlike Shiida, his Str growth is existant. It isn't out of the question to permenantly use Hunter and then go to General; however, early promotion is never a bad choice. With it Draug obtains an advantage of gaining Def. Meanwhile, his Spd growth is quite stable (40%) and all Draug needs is about 17 Spd (obtained normally on average by 20/1) to be good. There's other options if you're not entirely interested in Hunter. Fighter gives Draug an opportunity to become a powerhouse and promotion-wise stay in the Berserker class thanks to his insane Spd growth. Dark Mage doesn't have a major penalty of use either as Draug has a good Mag growth and his low Spd stat is made up with the high Spd growth. Overall, Draug has many options here.

Continue down the road and Draug has many options up his sleeve. Hunter can give him opportunities in the General or Warrior class, though General is preffered here. Fighter opens up to Berserker, Hero, and Warrior classes which give an opportunity to build a Sword rank or a Bow rank. Dark Mage is rather limited to Sorcerer but in response Draug gets staves to be versatile. In any case, expect Draug to be really good.

Conclusion

Draug has a lot of advantages, all thanks to his high innate Spd growth. Draug is a unit that joins early on and is awesome from the beginning to the end. Not being a major Str man is a slight issue; however, his class options and Spd stat more than make up for it. Hunter -> General is usually regarded as the best setup, but don't be afraid to experiment or attempt to put Draug in a class that is needed for the team.

Interesting fact. Draug is "Guard" backwards. His translated Japanese name, Doga, is "A God!" backwards. Is IS trying to tell us something here?

Overall Rating: 9/10

Oguma* / Ogma*

Overview

It appears that Oguma is pretty good when he joins. He can double the Pirates with that Iron Sword of his, and when he can't there's the Steel Sword waiting for him. His earlygame is perhaps the best in comparison to the options you have here. Come C4, you're staying as a Mercenary for quite a while. Maybe if you're high on AS, you can try going to Fighter if you feel a rank could be built out of it, but keep in mind that, average-wise, Oguma is borderline on his Spd.

Mid-Game when he hits promotion he gets Axes, which is a good improvement. If you were lucky, you could have access to Hand Axes. If not... there's still the Arms Scroll. Your Sword rank is pretty set anyway, so why does it matter? And as soon as C Rank is hit, there's Poleaxes to consider, thus making game-destruction easier.

Lategame Oguma doesn't stand as well as he did in his former times. Braves hurt a lot, and even Hero bases and WTA don't guarantee him slipping out of 2RKOes. Still, his offense is nothing to scoff at. Supports help his Avoid game though: Shiida and Nabarl will boost him up a bit on top of Marth, then he gives support bonuses to Barst, Cord, Bord, and Nabarl. Definitely another good reason to use Oguma.

Conclusion

What happened Oguma? IS sure screwed you over tenfold in some situations, but otherwise Oguma is still pretty solid. Keep a Speedwing or Arms Scroll handy, as it makes Hero class much easier to use. For the time being, he's one of the few units that can swing a Silver Sword, so his chip damage is pretty great when he's doubling. Oguma won't let you down most of the time, but if you go to Fighter to get some Hand Axe early on watch carefully on his Speed. Not much to explain, but it's obvious that Oguma is pretty good at what he does.

Overall Rating: 8/10

Barst* / Barts*

Overview

Barst here has blue hair. That's one way to differentiate between him, Saji (Bord) , and Maji (Cord). Barst is probably the best of the three. First off, he has Cord's AS ono top of much greater Str. This can only mean Barst here is pretty effective. He's also got access to Hand Axe, Steel Axe, and soon the Devil Axe, so this makes his offense never lacking at all. He's key to finishing Hyman in C4 after Oguma or Nabarl struck a critical on him. Come C4, and there's options aplenty. Staying in Fighter has no real strings attatched, so stick with it. He's one of the three units that can sometimes be 3RKOed this early, so it's worth using him here. Even as an Armor Knight or Hunter, he isn't lacking anywhere. To say the least: Barst is pretty durable and boasts a lot of power.

Come Midgame, and his slight issue as a Fighter could be AS. Granted, it's nothing that can be said as "terrible" anyway, but it's slightly noticable. Still, once promotion hits that problem is over. On top of that, you'll have a lot of Str and the opportunity to rack up on a Sword rank afterward. Stick with Hunter and you get a C Rank in Axes and Silver Bows on top of it. Or as a General you can have 24 Def and laugh at Braves in two levels. It's madness, I tell you.

Let's just not speak of Lategame. He's destroying everything in his path, to say the least. As of note, he supports Cord and Bord while obtaining a support back from them as well as Oguma. It's possible to have about 30 extra Avoid on top of Marth's 10, so you can tell that bashing Brave hits down is pretty awesome.

Conclusion

Being the second best by C2 onward and ending as the fourth best is a testamant to how good Barst is. Being able to slap him into 3 different classes without too many major penalties (Armor Knight has some) is something that is difficult for others to do. Rest assured, your team will do excellent with Barst on your team.

Overall Rating: 9.5/10

Maji* / Cord*

Overview

Oh boy. Cord is pretty good at the beginning. Wait, who is he? He's the one with brown hair and the badass look on his face (Bord definitely doesn't look like that). Cord's only problem is building up his Axe rank and his Hit rates. He's got quite a while in order to do so. Stick with Fighter for a while, even if you're going to Hunter. After a little bit of Fighter, decide between Hero and Berserker or Warrior. If you're choosing the former two, stick with Fighter class altogether. If you're doing the latter, switch to Hunter. Either way, Cord here is going to rock the house in those classes.

Hit Mid-Game, and there is a rarity that Cord won't double... or even ORKO sometimes. Cord here is pretty powerful in both of his classes. Then on promotion, it's just ensuring that he's demolishing everything in his path. Bragging more than enough AS in the Hero class and Spd that doesn't falter much in the Hunter -> Warrior set-up makes him powerful. Then there's Berserker which should have enough AS for a while to double and smash things to bits. Tack on some extra critical, and you got a character that has no issues killing even in single hits. His support options consist of his brother, Bord, and his subordinates Barst and Oguma. With Marth, Berserker Cord with a Killer Axe can have something like 50-ish crit on him.

Main problem that bites his ass, like many of his brute friends, is his durability is left in the dust. He seems to be 2RKOed almost all the time, but that shouldn't matter when Hand Axes are tearing Cavaliers a new one. In the beginning his Hit rates seem less than stellar, but not everyone around him is doing a lot better. Otherwise, good thing he has a lot of power to make up for these disadvantages.

Conclusion

Undeniably a powerful character once trained, there's yet to be a moment Cord will let you down offensively. In the beginning he's a little rough due to WEXP and accuracy, but otherwise he's likely to be one of your first units to take some things down on his own. If Zagaro and Wolf didn't stand in his way, he'd probably be the best character in the game.

Overall Rating: 9.5/10

Saji* / Bord*

Overview

There's not a whole lot of good to say about Bord here. He's got a bad Def growth and a bad Spd growth. Not a good combination here. During the little time that he's probably here, he has some use. He's a bit more accurate than Barst and Cord are with the Hand Axe, and he comes pre-equipped with a Hammer which is used in C4.

Recommended is to jump toward Armor Knight and reap with the HP and Def growths. He's actually decent in these ares: 70% HP at least matches Darros's growth, though the 40% is a tad bit lacking. The good news is he starts with about 14 Def when reclassed, so it's not that bad. He could take an early promotion like Darros and become a pretty good mid-game tank and, provided you give him some CEXP, be a good Endgame unit. Do be careful because like Darros he'll be doubled almost all the time, though his durability has taken a jump with promotion: +10 HP and +4 Def is no joke.

As long as you keep at it, Bord can turn out alright. Like all of his Armor Knight buddies, he's pretty good. Unlike some of them though, they have good options other than this. With Darros's case, he is always Bord's superior despite the slight loss in Def at that point. Bord does have some cool support options with his brother Cord and his two buddies Oguma and Barst, but otherwise he can't take much advantage of it even by lategame.

Conclusion

Bord's not bad while he's temporary as a Fighter, then he suddenly goes into Armor Knight and... is alright. Once he promotes he'll be doing great in the durability department, but do keep in mind that Bord has to stay away from every single Mage in existance. Armor Knight Bord is the way to go: Hunter -> Hero offers some AS, but he can't even approach 20 AS on average until 20/20, so simply stick to the better route that offers him something like durability.

Overall Rating: 7/10

Darros*

Overview

For a Pirate, he seems to be a lightweight. For now, that is. He's maining a Hand Axe on the Player Phase and hopefully getting an Iron Axe on the Enemy Phase. If he wields that Hand Axe or Steel Axe, he's going to get doubled. C4 is where he reclasses as an Armor Knight, and remembering how bad Doga was, you'll see that Darros isn't doing much better here. And yeah, he'll improve over time with his 70% HP growth and 60% Def growth, but otherwise he's being tossed pretty easily here. He has a slight durability lead when it comes to Archers, Hunters, and Horseman, but otherwise it's because he's doubled by everything (even Mages!!!) that makes his durability craptastic.

Once he promotes, he'll be doing much better. Sure he'll get doubled, but that extra HP and Def obtained from promotion help him a whole lot. He also obtains Bows, which if trained helps him smack things when DracoKnights come around. All seems pretty decent, and lategame he's got immunity to Braves.

However, there are some consequences here. First off, by the time Darros here promotes, the demand for a thick wall has been recieved by three different units: Zagaro, Wolf, and Horace by 12X. The one time he's needed the most, and he's not doing much better than everyone else is. In fact, there are times where he's worse than everyone else. Armorslayers, Magic... it all hurts. Even by promotion, an Armorslayer is going to do hefty damage because it's forged, and then chapters such as the Desert and Helltower make him cower in fear. There's Manaketes that do a lot of damage, but the good news is he can whip a DragonPike and dent them pretty hard in return.

Conclusion

I know a lot of bad has been said about Darros, but it's his crappiness early on that makes it hard to face. He's definitely one of the best non-Zagaro / Wolf Generals, but he's not really claiming this title until he promotes to a General. It doesn't help that his job is also easy to replace by other units like Kashim, Oguma, and Barst. Though a lot has been said about Darros, he's sturdy as hell once he gets going to promotion. Seeing "No Damage" on the screen when Braves show their ugly faces makes Darros cry for joy. Just remember to have a 10-foot Lance ready when he's near Mages and Armorslayers because trust me: they will hurt.

Overall Rating: 7.5/10

Kashim* / Castor*

Overview

Not much is needed to be said about Kashim. When he joins, he should likely replace Gordon as far as being an archer goes. He can't take a whole lot of hits up close, but that's just expected of him. Come C4, make the decision of Armor Knight or staying as a Hunter. After, continue Kashim's path toward glory. He'll have the rocky start like Darros does, but a nice finish once he promotes (Armor Knight -> General). As a Hunter, it's all about good chip damage and decent WEXP. In fact, he's probably Jeorge's only competition for Parthia and the Silver Bow once Kashim gets going.

And really, he's not bad. He's got good growths and averages quite well. General Kashim maintains his Bow rank and now is pretty durable as hell. His Lance rank is already built from the Armor Knight set-up, so there shouldn't be issues there. If he went with Hunter | General route, all the better for his Bow rank and bragging ease of building up his Lance rank. He doesn't support anyone, but Shiida at least offers him a good Avoid boost which helps when Braves come around and he's built up.

Guess one problem with Kashim here is his mediocre start and maybe his slightly rocky midgame if he got screwed a little. His non-existant bases are the main thing to blame, but the growths, over time, will make up for it. Being quadrupled tarnishes his durability slightly, but the high HP / Def figures in both setups should make up for it.

Conclusion

Kashim has nothing to be dissapointed of once he's built up. He's got a pretty good spread in growths and even sports an existing Def growth. HP is a minor issue, but it's the class (Hunter) that is the major problem. Despite that, his class is quite useful when Pegasi and DracoKnights are really annoying and no one around him has a good Bow rank. He might need a little help upon promotion, but otherwise he's not bad for being part of the starting cast. Keep in mind when using Kashim that he'll need help from certain areas though whether it be a forge to help OHKO Pegasi / DracoKnights or building up as a General with the lack of a Lance rank (though thankfully it's D). Can't say his Armor Knight set-up is too great, but at least it ends on a good note. In reality Hunter | General Kashim is superior most of the time to Armor Knight | General Kashim due to the slightly better start. If he gets up there in levels as a General, watch him take Brave shots well. Consider a Dracoshield if possible to help patch his Def more.

Overall Rating: 7/10

Rena* / Lena*

Overview

So Lena looks pretty good when she comes in, I guess. She's a Healer, which is nice because we seem to be lacking them at the moment. C Rank in Staves means auto-Warp, so she's definitely helping out the team in many instances. Warp is so broken in this game just because it has no range and it makes the last chapters a breeze to get through. The lack of a rescue feature makes Warp-usage a lot more useful, meaning that a mistake can at least be fixed. She's likely your main healer next to Merric and short-term Wendell.

Now there's some problems, and you'll notice that her base stats here suck pretty bad. Then there's her growths, which simply can't make up for it. It's just irritating when you seem to get such a solid unit, and you find there's a lot of problems on them. Lena here has the issue of simply sucking as a Sage. It doesn't help that her base stats aren't great and neither is the class (why IS?). Targetting Res helps her case in this class, but it's almost not worth it altogether. She's likely being kept for one reason: Hammerne. Oh yes, the broken staff that repairs weapons and has a lot of uses (12 compared to 3 in most games), so keeping her alive is worth it. She gives support to Julian and Jake, but only recieves supports from Julian and Matthis.

And speaking of keeping her alive, remember my argument on how she just isn't stellar as a Sage. Good news is you can still A Rank while Lena is in her unpromoted status and, besides, she can still use Hammerne as a Cleric. Freeing up a Master Seal is doing a big favor for your team, since there's a major shortage of them when she's about ready to promote.

Conclusion

Lena has a lot of cool things that come with her. C Rank in staves helps her heal with Mends and easy access to Physic and Fortify when they come, then there's Warp which has a lot of uses. Hammerne and Warp are the major reasons to use her, but promoting her probably isn't the best of ideas. Keep her away from combat if you choose this as she's definitely being ORKOed unpromoted. If you do opt for Sage Lena, she's attacking from a distance all the time, but at least the low Res makes up for her "eh" Magic stat. Good news is that Bolganone and Thoron are only a C Rank, meaning it doesn't take too long for her to use these. Being a 12-use Starsphere (if you want to consider it like that) is the main reason to keep her alive.

Overall Rating: 6/10

Julian*

Overview

Julian comes as a Level 3 Thief. Not bad otherwise, but the E Rank in Swords hurts a lot. Usually, Thieves are pretty good because they're pretty dodgy and can steal a lot of stuff. Well... Julian is not doing much of the former, but blame mechanics for that one (AS + Luck/2 + Support Bonus = Dodge? WTF!?!). Then stealing... well, he's not doing much of that either. Yeah, he's picklocking chests, doors, and bridges, but otherwise that's all he's doing. It sucks to be a Thief in this game.

Julian does have a back up. He's not a bad combat unit since he doesn't require a Master Seal for promotion and has 29 Levels to clean himself up. Checking his awesome Str and Spd growth of 50%, then for durability we have 80% for HP and 30% for Def. You'll notice Julian's major problem though is lack of good base stats. On average, he'll end up alright if he hits near his max level. Being locked onto Swords sucks, but he's a good user of the Devil Sword due to a rather high Luck stat and growth (7 with an 80% growth). At least if he's trained he won't be ORKOed, so that alone is his saving grace on top of his okay combat. He's got a decent dodge game against Braves, and has support bonuses from Lena help make up for being under the weapon triangle when facing DracoKnights and Paladins with Lances. He gives support to Rickard, his other Thief buddy, but using two thieves on one team is a bit too much.

Conclusion

Julian here needs time and energy to build, but he can end up as a pretty good combat unit despite being locked into a class as well as Swords. Devil Sword help makes up for his lack of Atk, and usually facing under the weapon triangle makes it a nice welcome. Thieving utility here seems more like a boon rather than something that can be said as "useful", but it does give him another reason to use him.

Overall Rating: 6/10

Nabarl* / Navarre*

Overview

Nabarl looks like a badass, but it's because he's his own arch-type (weird huh?). Nabarl looks pretty good, even as a Myrmidion since his Str is better than a lot of reclassed Myrmidions. There's also his Sword rank to consider giving him a Killing Edge and, soon enough, Silver Sword. And the latter weapon makes staying as a Myrmidion a little less painful. His Spd growth is pretty good despite the bad start, so he'll improve on this stat over time. After you've built up as a Myrmidion (or have plans to use it in other places like 6X), feel free to switch to Cavalier. All that needs to be built is a Lance rank, but at least the access to Silver Sword helps make this class easier to pull through.

Midgame it's all about using DracoKnight. As a DracoKnight, prepare to be buckled by building an Axe rank, but at least the Lance rank that was built helps ease the pain a little. Myrmidion | Sniper route is similair to Oguma's route, but Sniper has awesome bases to make up for his lack of them. Since he usually caps Spd before promotion, he only loses a small amount of Spd on the trade while obtaining C Rank in Bows and better Str. Support-wise, Nabarl and Oguma both support each other, and Nabarl also gains a support from Shiida.

Weakness? Perhaps his lack of a Spd stat, or a little underwhelming Str growth. Granted neither are bad once built up, but it just can make him likely to get a little screwed. He shouldn't turn for the worse otherwise, but he does require a little bit of luck. Perhaps his set-up is a little rigid too since it needs some Myrmidion to patch his Spd and maybe a little DracoKnight or Sniper to help keep that in place, but the latter class at least is pretty good and is easy to master. Even DracoKnight isn't terribly difficult to master either... if it wasn't for the crappy E Rank in Axes. DracoKnight is durable while the Sniper route has a good chance of doubling with nice chip damage.

Conclusion

Nabarl seems to remind me of Lowen. Not a bad character, but not so great either. He's got a lot of options on his plate, but it requires either full-fledged Cavalier or full-fledged Myrmidion. He has the option of swapping around Cavalier and Myrmidion if he's going DracoKnight, but just make sure that you're making progress on the Lance rank. Offensively he shouldn't lack much thanks to the Silver Sword access and soon Lances. At least his plus side is he is he isn't high-maitenance and at has one rank to help accomodate building the other. Nabarl isn't a bad option for your team especially when lategame DracoKnight is able to take potshots against Braves.

Overall Rating: 6.5/10

Machis* / Matthis*

Overview

Matthis seems to be a man down on his luck. He starts as a Cavalier, and he's likely to be doubled if he doesn't clean up quickly. Unfortunatley, he can't even do this with his terrible 20% Spd growth and a base stat of 6. It seems to be bad news for our friend here, so he needs some help. Though the question is where to put him. Archers really suck at this point because of their appalling base Spd, so that's a scratchout. Not that 5 Mov and a movement type equivalent to Armor Knights wasn't bad enough. He doesn't have an innate Sword rank, so Myrmidion is out of the question. Only a handful of people make it out of the Mage class, so it seems Matthis's last hope is the Curate class.

He retains a Str growth: 10%. Obviously not going to help you much, but it could give a small boost here and there. Matthis also retains another thing: a good HP growth. As in, he gains about 70% when most gain a hell of a lot less than that. At least here he'll be benefiting the team more than hurting it, so what are the results? Sage is pretty bad to go to despite the Staff rank because of his underwhelming Speed, DracoKnight is still kind of slow and needs a lot of ranks built (well at least he's close to Horseslayers), Paladin is probably considering suicide at this point but I guess it's an option to fall back on, and Swordmasters commonly face WTD. That leaves Sniper as his sole class. Here, he gains a nice Spd base and some other goodies. Only takes a short time to gain Silvers, and by then his loss of Str will have an accomodation. Supports? He only supports Lena and recieves one from her.

Conclusion

If it wasn't for this game having vigorous requirements and lack of good classes, Matthis might've been alright. Still, when you're forced to choke a class that has a near non-existant Str growth to make up for Spd, it's a sad day for Matthis. The problem still lies that the damage has been done. By promotion, Matthis here is averaging 9 Str and a 35% growth. He can improve slightly in the Str department, but by the time it comes par everyone else is being a killface. His Spd is pretty good though: averaging 14 with a 40% growth on top of it. Still, a lot of issues take a hold of Matthis here. It's either he lacks Str or he lacks Spd, and he desperately needs the latter, but is requiring some of the former. Archer would've been the ultimate solution, but it's crappiness overall shoots him (and technically everyone) from choosing it. The world is unkind to Matthis, which probably explains the expression on his face.

Overall Rating: 4.5/10

Marich* / Merric*

Overview

Allow me to tell you that other than Shiida, Ceaser, and Doga, Merric is probably one of the few characters that are successful in the Sage / Sorcerer class. Curate helps patch his decent Spd, as a little help doesn't hurt. Curate builds a bit faster on EXP and frees up another unit that hogs up CEXP. If Merric ever feels that he needs to do some damage, feel free to re-explore Mage. He can easily alternate between the two thanks to Excalibur. Even so, he has a D Rank in tomes so it only takes a short amount of time to reach Bolganone.

He's pretty good once built up. Pretty quick on top of ranks that don't need a lot of help (assuming you've used Curate a lot) really makes Merric a great character to use. Targetting Res and being able to double most of the time is simply the treat that can't be beat. Even with Sage's crappy base stats, Merric makes good use of them. That alone should be telling you something. His Excalibur has likely been used up, but he still has Elfire for no AS loss and Bolganone when he needs to chip a powerful hit. Come C14 there's Thoron, C19 offers Starsphere, and finally C20 offers Hammerne. There's a lot of ways to get around that, and his access to such a powerful tome early in the game (and later) helps him a lot. He gains benefits, support-wise, from a slightly faster Marth support and Wendell. As for him supporting others, it's toward Wendell and Linde, so all's well that ends well.

There's little to say about a con. He'll grow levels pretty quickly as a Sage too since it's likely he's doing some healing. He actually has pretty good durability for a Sage too. Two things that he might think about though: a Speedwing or Spirit Dust to help him out. Otherwise, Merric is pretty set.

Conclusion

Is there really a con to using Merric? Maybe if you're NOT using Merric. He's one of the best Sages in the game since he starts well and ends on a good note too. Curate is for a small help in a Staff rank and a slight boost to Spd. He can easily alternate between the two classes and help the team as they wish. Flexible and useful, Merric is overall an excellent unit.

Overall Rating: 9.5/10

Hardain* / Hardin*

Overview

Hardin here joins with a bunch of wimps (well, right now) and he seems to be in trouble. He needs some rescuing, so feel free to warp someone to help Hardin out. Oh, by the way, throw that Silver Sword on him... NOT. Unfortunately he doesn't have the weapon rank for it, but he does have the weapon rank for Silver Lances. Glory falls to him. He's pretty good for a Cavalier with the base stats. Growths are pretty good too: 55% Spd as a Cavalier with a base stat of 8? Pretty crazy. Stick with this class though since it's got the right growths in the right places.

Hit promotion, and do what you feel seems fit. He can master any of the classes listed easily. DracoKnight might seem the most appealing due to Axes; just keep in mind the small penalty using them. Then there's Sniper which is pretty easy to master. He's already got weapon ranks from Cavalier, so Paladin is always a good consideration. I don't think I need to outline his good midgame and lategame, so the only other thing to mention is his supports. For recieving his blessings, it's none other than the buddies that surround him: Vyland, Roshea, Wolf, and Zagaro. As for where he gets a benefit... just a slightly faster Marth.

Problems? Eh... none really stick out. Maybe his slight HP growth can cut him his durability. Even DracoKnight (20/1) averages with 33 HP / 14 Def with a 40% growth and a 15% growth, respectively. Def growth would fall into that durability trap. There isn't a whole lot, but there are some "minor" inconsistencies with him otherwise.

Conclusion

For a traitor (well, not really) he's pretty good. Hardin doesn't really lack in a lot of aspects, and he's pretty intimidating once built up. Even his earlygame is pretty damn good thanks to the Silver Lance access and only necessary mastery is either Swords or Axes (promotion). There's Bow if you're becoming a Sniper, but I don't think one would turn down DracoKnight or Paladin very easily. Hardin is a solid unit and is great for a H5 team.

Overall Rating: 8.5/10

Wolf* | Zagaro* / Sedgar*

Overview

Little really needs to be said about these two gods. They may not seem like powerhouses at first, but simply look at their growths and watch you fly back in your seat. CEXP gain is the only real issue to these guys and their sucky base stats, and it's pretty minor since they gain ~7 CEXP per hit anyway. That's it. No, dead serious. Beyond that, these two will make the best Generals in the game. Their growths almost make up for them being promoted and lack of level-ups, and they're the perfect walls that the team has been looking for. Our Generals-in-training are barely more durable than our usual cast, and these guys simply look like killfaces. Even at this point when they've reclassed they seem to be a lot more durable than everyone else. Low damage output has the excuse of simply being there as a wall.

Weapon ranks aren't too difficult to build up on either. Auto-Javelins and Steel Lances will do for now. Iron Bow sucks, but over time they'll improve. It seems awkward for a General to use a Bow until you realize their usefulness against the annoying flying units in this game. It's almost a blessing from above. Still wish for Axes instead, but what can be done? Leveling up is a slight issue, nothing too big really. CEXP, as I've said, is only slow and stealing kills makes it bad. Keep in mind though that their durability is the main reason why it's easier: they can frontline like no one else can.

Midgame and lategame standards they still hold a lot of use. Even if we bothered with units like Darros and Armor Knight Barst, Kashim, Oguma, etc, they'd still seem like lightweights in comparison to these two armored gods. They can easily step into other classes and make use of them too. Hero, as suggested, is their second best class due to the second best durability in the brute class and its use of Axes to bend the weapon triangle. Supports? Pfeh, they only recieve from Hardin, but that's about it.

Only difference between the two is Sedgar will have a slightly better Def growth and Wolf might be able to escape the being doubled rut first. Oh, and Sedgar can pull off Hero very well thanks to said better Def growth.

Conclusion

What can I say? They're the best units in the game. Generals are an excellent class to be in, and these two show why. When your Armor Knights are still building up to get near promotion, these guys are almost laughing at everything thrown at them. Only a slightly rocky start, but once that's cleared you have two units that you can rely on again and again.

Overall Rating: 10/10

Roshe* / Roshea*

Overview

...

Ever seen a sluggish Lion? I haven't in my entire life, even at the zoo except the one named Roshe. Roshe here just has some major flaws: key one being his horrid Spd growth. There's only two solutions to this set-up. Option A - use Curate. Here, he still maintains a little bit of a Str growth on top of an okay Spd growth. It's a fairly quick set-up and by promotion Roshe can end up alright. He won't double at all (well anything that's promoted), but otherwise it can end alright.

The second option is a bit more tedious. The end result is slightly similair, but you'll have a better chance of obtaining Spd and Str. A lot of caution is needed though because Archers are very slow and are quite vulnerable to being doubled. They're so slow, they can't even double Armor Knights! As for supports, all he has is Hardin supporting him.

Conclusion

Nothing good can really be said about Roshe. He's got an "okay" start until you notice that he'll never gain Speed. All he has is offense and maybe being destroyed if he isn't careful. Roshe just barely avoids being a total failure with a setup that almost works for everyone. Just remember that using Roshe in H5 is almost a joke... almost.

Overall Rating: 2/10

Biraku* / Vyland*

Overview

Vyland, for being one of the units that need more work than other, is probably the best of the bunch. Other than Paola and Julian, for that matter. Vyland here has a rougher start than most units, but the good news is his Spd growth is passable, even for a Cavalier. For all things needed to be said, he can double Archers and Cavaliers nearing the end of his unpromoted career. Otherwise, it's what happens after promotion that makes him acceptable.

Here, I'd recommend going to Sniper. Even so, if you don't want to use it permenantly, I'd see to using it due to the ease of access. It's something that can make Vyland useful in certain chapters, and if you're relying on Paladin in the background, might as well get a second class mastered and some Spd. DracoKnight would be the second recommended, though it'd be permenant if possible. Vyland can't afford too much on screwing around with his Spd unless he goes to Sniper. Paladin is the least recommended, but with Sniper helping Spd and Paladin helping everything else, Vyland can end alright. Supports? Only one he gains is Hardin.

Conclusion

Major problem is his shaky earlygame, and being a little under par mid to lategame. He's passable, but barely. Finesse's lack of good class options before promotion and less-than-stellar after promotion just hurts Vyland a touch since he's not as awesome compared to that of Kain, Abel, and Hardin. If built, he can do fine otherwise, but don't piddle around with things. Stick to Sniper for the Spd altogether, though don't feel too bad switching to Paladin with it. Just remember that Vyland needs a bit more favoritism than a lot of the units above him, but less than those that are below him.

Overall Rating: 6/10

Wendell*

Overview

Wendell is an interesting fellow. He has quite a bit of Spd despite being a Sage on top of decent Str, which is odd for an old man. He can wield tomes such as Elfire on down without AS loss and everything else weighs him down by 1 Spd. There's also Excalibur use, making the loss of Mage Merric less of a blow. Mend is also cool for Wendell to brag upon since most of our healers barring Lena are locked onto Heal still.

Wendell's earlygame is the main reason to use him. He alone help out a lot of units stay alive. Having great chip damage and not dying in one round is a saving grace for Wendell here. There's really nothing bad to say about Wendell earlygame. Even midgame, he can hold his own as a utility unit. Come lategame he crumbles really bad. He can't survive a Brave assualt and simply looks inferior to other built up Sages. Merric and Shiida simply outdo him in the Sage department, and units such as Doga and Caesar beat him as Sorcerers. He's simply inferior at that point, and these guys can at least survive some assualts and double often. He supports with Merric, so for the short time that he's there he'll help Merric out.

Conclusion

Wendell is a pretty good Sage despite joining so early. He can easily level up with the staves and use magic if necessary. No one except Bishop / Sage Jeigan can brag such a thing. Once everyone promotes, he seems to be getting in rough shape and lord doesn't want to talk about his pretty bad lategame. Wendell helps the team for the time he's around and stay stable, which makes Wendell a good candidate as a utility unit.

Overall Rating: 8/10

Rikard* / Rickard*

Overview

He's a Thief. Oh, I wish that was all I could say and just give him his doomsday ranking, but boy are there a lot of flaws to Rickard here. He's not doing anything special first off. Julian here was our Thief beforehand and though he didn't steal anything, he gains something Rickard doesn't: combat. Rickard's problem? He's not even close to being durable. Neither is Julian, but at least he can survive a shot from a Silver. Good luck with Rickard. Then hit near Braves, and Rickard here is in deep trouble. The one rule for being a close combat unit: suriviving more than one round of combat. Rickard fails to do this even at Level 30. There's little good to say about him otherwise other than the rest of his growths barring the durability and Luck being on par with Julian's. Seems to me that Thieving utility is the one thing that saves him from being down there with Est and Lorenz as the worst character in the game.

Conclusion

Again, keep in mind that Rickard's thieving utility is the only thing saving his score from being an utter failure. He's got nothing but that to offer, and it isn't even needed that much. Granted he saves us a Master Seal and cash on keys, but the payoff simply isn't worth it in comparison to Julian's. Don't use Rickard as he'll only get you into more trouble than what he's worth.

Overall Rating: 2/10

Athena*

Overview

Vun voman (or should I say "vun vomen") is pretty good. She comes at a very high level, which means she doesn't need a ton of training to catch up with the team. Her bases are great with the exception of Speed. Granted, Pegasus Knight has a 50% growth, but let's say that it'll take a little luck in order for her to double before promotion, or should I say earlier than level 20. Build up on a Lance rank, and Athena here is all set. She's weak to bows, but aside from that she's doing alright.

Promotion, she should consider one of the three choices above. Higher weight goes to DracoKnight while Sniper isn't a bad secondary class. I wouldn't advise combining both, but it's only useful if you use the Arms Scroll on the Axe rank. If it's pure DracoKnight, there isn't much to worry about. Paladin's problem is it'll allow a little bit of Sniper in order to stay afloat on AS, but otherwise it isn't a terrible option since it's low maintenance with the Sword rank. Auto Armorslayer helps when Hammers take a while for her to obtain.

Main problem is AS is rather shaky. It's at least fixable with a Speedwing, but it's pendant on what class you're sticking with. Paladin will need to retreat to Sniper for the better chance of Spd. DracoKnight here has the least of flaws, though Sniper isn't far behind.

Conclusion

Being a unit that comes at a high level means Athena is helping with efficiency. she has some slight issues with AS sometimes, but otherwise she isn't lacking in Str and Spd can be fixed with a little Sniper afterward. As a DracoKnight, prepare to see some durability once Braves show around. As a Sniper, watch her double pretty easily for the most part and whip out Longbows for extended range. As a Paladin... well, at least you got ranks. Athena is a low resource unit, which makes her pretty good in general.

Overall Rating: 7.5/10

Bantu*

Overview

Alright, for being a Mamkute, why must he suck so much? I mean come on, he's a freaking Dragon yet he's even weaker than your well-trained units. What is wrong with that? On top of that, his growths are, to say the least, absolute crap. There's almost nothing GOOD to say about him in general. His weapon, the Dragonstone, has 30 uses. Seems fine correct? Wait until you figure out each time you're attacked or counterattacked you lose 1 use. Even if you don't retaliate, you're inclined to take one use of the thing. Stupid game mechanics always screw around with a class, don't they? Still, not like Bantu was bragging much. The stone is very limited. In fact, there are only two within the game and the second one doesn't show up until C17, which is quite a jump in chapters to make use of a weapon that has 30 uses. It's just ridiculous. Even if he were marginally useful, the mechanics alone would screw him over ten-fold.

There's only one reason to keep him. This is because he is the only unit that can recruit Tiki, which that alone doesn't justify keeping him for such a long period of time. That's one more slot that could've been used for a generic and rack in some extra cash or a dummy to send upfront and get killed. In response to his crappiness, he does okay in the beginning, but he'll quickly deteriorate.

Conclusion

If mechanics weren't bad enough, so are his stats. Nothing can really be said about Bantu that is any good. Other than Tiki and marginal time of use, he's useless.

Overall Rating: 3/10

Raddy* / Radd*

Overview

This seems familiar... like Matthis-esque kind of setup. Indeed, it is. Though you have to realize here Raddy is just not as rad as he once was. In this game, he's locked into a crappy class and a crappy selection of classes that don't pick up until after promotion. I mean seriously IS, why the hell did you nerf finesse so freaking much? Anyway, we all know Radd is a pretty bad unit from a lot of perspectives. Failure Spd stat but a decent growth. A decent Str growth but good luck trying to use the Archer class if you want both Str and Spd. There's just so much wrong with Radd here that there's little to talk about. This set-up is usually intended for units like Radd to at least pass.

By promotion Radd might improve, but looking at a comparison to other units, it simply doesn't seem to be worth it. I won't lie: his growths are very awesome on paper. As one said though, growths are not everything. This easily sums up Radd here.

Conclusion

Ugh, more pile of fail. Radd just can't seem to pull anything off well, and his base stats are to blame. In H5, base stats are of slight higher importance than growths. This doesn't mean that bases are everything either, but they help their start stay pretty strong and the growths keep them chugging. This, unfortunately, works to Radd's disadvantage. Perhaps if he was a Mercenary still and stuck with the brute class, he might've been alright. Wishful thinking is all there is left for him. Well, and being a bit better than Roshe at least by promotion.

Overall Rating: 2.5/10

Berserker!Etzel

Overview

This question is not by me by the way. I don't know who asked this.

THE ULTAMITE QUEST OF THE CENTURY

When you find out who would win out of Myrmidon!Elice, Berserker!Etzel, Cavalier!Wrys, and Horseman!Lorenz, let me know.

I'm going to let Chainey (FE3 Player) take this away:

We know Swordfighter!Elice fails instantly, so let's just skip past that.

Let's look at Social Knight Wrys.

Worse than Roshe. No surprise here. The same fail speed but now without Roshe's Str & HP. When Roshe is winning something, you're terribad in that class.

Horseman Lawrence's stats resemble that of Social Knight/Paladin!Wrys. He likely doesn't have enough time to level up to surpass said stats either. The thing is, Lawrence has existing bow rank, so he's probably better because of this alone because you didn't have to train him to become this sort of fail, you simply gave him a Silver Bow. Ch. 22 is full of flyers.

Unfortunately chapter 23 Bishops can one hit KO him, so he can't even exploit low Def enemies here since I think he two rounds them.

Beserker Etzel... I'm not going to hype him or anything but he's probably the best of this lot of fail, which isn't saying much because by the time he's doubling social knights he's going to get doubled by endgame enemies, which puts his durability pretty crappy just like everyone else in this thread. I put him around Social Knight Wrys' level, having a period of not getting doubled then fails.

Overall

If you considering the biggest joke of a unit, definitely consider Berserker!Etzel. He won't fail you at all. EVER!

Overall Rating: 11/10 for the post, 0/10 for Berserker!Etzel

Caesar*

Overview

Julius Caesar rules with an iron fist. No wait, that's Teddy Roosevelt, but he isn't in this game! Jokes aside, Caesar just has a slightly rougher start than a lot of his mid-joining pals, but he improves the quickest of the bunch. Notice all those class options for Caesar. Those weren't joke ones either: he ends well on most, if not all of them. For damn's sake, if you don't care about losing a bow rank as a Hunter, there's a freaking Berserker opportunity here as well. Granted your AS drops by one, but it's not like he's lacking in the growth either. Pending on what you need for the team, the Kaiser here can fill most of them. What's even more hilarious is that he can go to the rather insane routes such as Hunter | General or Armor Knight | General and statistically end up alright, but I don't highly recommend it.

So a lot of good things have to be said about Caesar here, but what's the bad? He joins a bit later than most units, but at least he joins at a time where training him isn't terribly difficult. He has risks in certain classes where he could be doubled, but otherwise he can get out of the rut quickly. Hero and Horseman routes have the benefit of using Mercenary at no cost, so use it in that situation if possible. Otherwise, he has a support with Radd, but who's going to field Mark Anthony and Caesar when you have a powerful emperor on your side?

Conclusion

Statistically he's a bit below Roger for his rockier start, but being able to land in just about any class is pretty good in my opinion. A jack-of-all trades but master of none seems to be the statement to sum up Caesar well. Don't worry about using him, but keep in mind that he might be slightly a hog of CEXP. Though his lower level helps him gain that quickly.

Overall Rating: 6.5/10

TAGGING THIS BECAUSE I NEED TO DOUBLE CHECK IF GENERAL > HERO ROUTES

Roger*

Overview

Roger is a man that is hilarious. He likes the army's woman (Shiida) and he has pink hair. On top of that, he has my favorite color of armor: blue. How does that not define epicness? Okay, let's try to stray away from me being a Roger fan. Roger has some nice bases, especially that high Spd stat: 5. Now, that alone makes him slamming into many classes easy to use. Fighter's growth is a bit slow, but he can gain 14 AS pretty quickly when you consider that he starts at a lower level and gains CEXP like mad. On top of that, he has Hunter to gain the ability to whip out a bow and kill some flying units. His Spd growth is a lot better in the latter, but the former isn't really struggling in the Spd department. Though Fighter starts with 12 Spd at base, a Speedwing obtained from C10 can already get him doubling.

Upon promotion Roger seems to be awesome. High Luck means D Swords and D Axes seem a bit less frightening. Being able to whip out Devil weapons with the slightly less chance of a backfire is surely in his favor. The secondary ranks (Axes for Hero and Bows for Warrior) are pretty solid, so building up on the other ranks isn't difficult. Steady pace of AS in the former and only needing something like a Speedwing for the other seems to work in our pink-haired friend's favor. Don't forget about Shiida, his support, which helps his dodge game a lot come lategame where he can see around 40% hit rates with WTA and a decent level. Hunter piled up with General actually makes Roger somewhat durable. He'll need as many General level ups as possible, but at least he's possible to use.

Only flaw is he came a bit late. Not to worry; Roger is doing fine once he arrives, and he improves quickly. Out of the mid-joining units he's probably the best of the bunch with Caesar not far behind. Maybe a bit lacking in AS here and there, though the Speedwing or Bows (with Warrior) should accomodate it. Early promotion might help him out, so feel free to find a reasonable time frame. Fighter should seek some of its high Str growth, so hold off a little on that. For General, promote ASAP.

Conclusion

Roger is the epitone of a badass mid-joining character. A unit that can clean up so quickly due to great base stats makes using Roger easy. Sure he's got competition with Caesar and Dolph for unit that improves the fastest, but he has a lot of solid reasons to use him. A flaw here and there (as well as joining time), but otherwise Roger is a great addition to your team.

Overall Rating: 7/10

George* / Jeorge*

Overview

The patriotic Sniper returns, and damn is his ranking in the Bows high. Just look how close it is to an A rank. A true master of archery, Jeorge here won't let you down for the sake of utility. Major chip damage and a decent chance to double should suffice for him, though doubling might be a little while. 40% Spd growth isn't bad, but looking at everywhere else makes you almost want to puke. Well, the Str growth, anyway. 20% and a base of 7 Str simply isn't doing Jeorge any favors. Then again, raising Jeorge seriously shouldn't be your goal. If to make note of it, he can do... alright, in the lategame. He requires full use of Parthia though, and unfortunately he cannot double Paladins even at --/20 on the average. He's at least close, but only hand grenades and horseshoes count for close.

So let's just name out how he's a good utility unit. First off, his chip damage is pretty good considering he can wield powerful bows. C10, his bow utility seems to be a blessing from above. Notice that the map has quite a few flying units; some of them even DracoKnights. No worries with Jeorge here, he can easily chip major damage on those things and weaken them if you want. From there, it's a matter of his decent chip damage and being a low resource unit that makes him good to use. If you have access to WiFi, feel free to slap a LongBow on him while buying a Silver Bow if applicable.

Lategame, as said, shouldn't be considered seriously. He needs to be near max level in order to maintain marginal use, and he's not as useful in comparison to reclassed Snipers at this point. Despite that, he's good for the time that he's around if you need something that can chip a unit pretty hard.

Conclusion

As a serious combatant Jeorge shouldn't be considered. Utility-wise, he's a solid unit. Being low resource and needing little to train for a good weapon rank are advantages for Jeorge here. I find him a bit underrated to be honest, but in comparison to people usually above him on the tier list he's usually inferior to some of them that are trained up-to-par. Despite that, Jeorge isn't killing the team in any sort of way in the short term, and he has marginal use in the long term provided that you give him a little help. Otherwise, consider the Patriotic Sniper a unit that can bolster the team's offense.

Overall Rating: 5/10

Minerva*

Overview

Minerva is inbetween the likes of Zagaro and Jeigan: useful, but still outclassed by many. Despite that, Minerva can be a good unit to train up. She's easy to make use of thanks to the high ranks in both classes (A Rank Axes and C Rank Bows), meaning there's little work needed to bolster those. Her Spd is the slight issue, but in response one could plop a Speedwing and make use of it. Like Jeorge, she's a good utility unit that needs little done to stay afloat. If you're not considering her for a permenant combatant, she gets the job done. If, however, you do plan on using her seriously, consider using a Speedwing and possibly a DracoShield or Seraph Robe to stay afloat.

The Sniper route should be considered due to the capability of doubling. It's not bad since her chip damage increases a bit. As a DracoKnight, her durability peaks a bit thanks to the A Rank in Axes. Auto-access to Hauteclere as well as Silver Axes is a big deal for her. Despite the D Rank in Lances, it only takes a C Rank to obtain the one weapon she needs: Ridersbane. Well, DragonPike too, but that isn't necessary until later. WiFi access appreciates both LongBow and possibly Poleaxe if you plan to use DracoKnight earlier than C17X.

Her lategame should consist swapping around both classes in certain chapters. DracoKnight is a fine assumption for the short time due to bending Brave's #RKOes down a bit while Sniper in C21 and C22 should have some fun downing DracoKnights as well as Pegasi that fly about. From there, DracoKnight is the better option due to access of weapons, but sticking as a Sniper is fine. Support-wise, she gains a boost from a faster Marth as well as her sister Maria. She offers support to Jake and the Whitewings Palla, Catria, and Est.

Conclusion

Seems to me that Minerva is a utility unit that can last a bit longer than many of her utility pals. Being a prepromote has its advantages, and that A rank in Axes is definitely one of them. If trained properly, watch her do some hefty damage with class effective weapons while rarely facing 2RKOes. Being able to master two classes easily helps maintain her lategame. Even if she is used temporarily, she isn't hurting the team.

Overall Rating: 6/10

Maria*

Overview

Well, this is Maria. She doesn't have a whole lot going for her. Auto-Mend is cool and all, but when you look closely at her growths and such, it appears the world is doom and gloom for her. She joins late, loses two levels of having a chance in hades to catch up in Spd, and boy, that Spd S.U.C.K.S. Mag growth is good and all, but with no Spd growth whatsoever it's almost pointless. Oh, by the way, I hope that she enjoys a 15% growth in HP too so that just emphasizes her suck even more. It appears that nothing does Maria any favors in this game and she's bound to suck. Only thing that saves her from doom and gloom is that she's a healer, so if she doesn't promote she can at least do something for the team. Oh, and she's close to Warp which isn't all that bad. Really there's nothing that's good to say about Maria. Her support is Minerva, but Minerva would almost prefer going solo than having to drag her kid sister to only drag down the team.

Conclusion

Sorry that a lot of bad was said, but it's true: Maria is no good aside from Staff utility. No Spd and no durability hurt her in general. Her Mag growth is okay, but good luck attempting to make use of it when you have no AS whatsoever. Supposedly Mage | Sage Maria can at least brag 12 Mag with a 30% growth, but then again her Spd is bound to fail forever. So, if she ever becomes a Sage, she can have chip damage with a Mage train-up, but you have to put up with a lot of issues, hence why Cleric w/no promotion is much better than wasting a seal.

Overall Rating: 3/10

Linda* / Linde*

Overview

There's not much to go in-depth with Linde. She joins as a Level 1 Mage and... really needs the Curate route to salvage her AS. Not a problem really. Sticking with the Curate route she should be gaining levels at a rapid pace thanks to the major level gap between her and other units. For the most part, attempt to get her to 20/1 as fast as you can so she can get a lot of Sage level ups in.

Promotion, and we have some good Spd. It's at least enough to double the unpromoted units and possibly lategame Generals. Her Mag should be enough to put heavy dents into the opponent with Elfire. If Aura is still intact, feel free to use it, though I would recommend saving it until lategame. The reason? While she has a decent chance of doubling units such as Paladins, there is the margin that she might miss out on this opportunity. With a Speedwing, it's a bit more of a safe assumption, but don't expect her to double a whole lot more (DracoKnights and Pegasi have about 20 AS by C22).

Her main problems involve needing a lot of cramming in levels, but the problem is you don't get the best of units in return. Not speedy like Shiida nor durable as Merric, it just makes her a bit under mediocre by then.

Conclusion

Needs a lot of leveling and doesn't turn out as well as you thought she would sums up Linde. She just barely makes the cut for the team, but then you realize all the time and energy poured into her could've went to someone else. Suffice to say, Linde is okay, but don't expect a whole lot out of her. Toss her a Speedwing and she should be alright.

Overall Rating: 3/10

Jake* | Beck*

Overview

Alright, both Jake and Beck are Ballisticians who join in C11 and C13, respectively. Both use their own special weapons which usually need little to no explaination. The Arrowspatte is your best friend against flying units in general. The Thunderbolt is a nice anti-Ballistae weapon that does effective damage on them. Add a small forge onto this for further effectiveness. The Hoistflamme and Stonehoist have some differences, but a forged Stonehoist is usually superior to a forged Hoistflamme. Though it seems odd due to the difference in Hit rates being quite astounding, the Stonehoist has more uses in general (double to the amount of Hoistflamme). Finally by C20 the Pachyderm is the Ballistician's most powerful weapon.

In reality both units are nothing more but spare chip damage. Nice chip damage that hurts enemies from a distance, but they do require some protection. They lack the ability to counterattack, so most of their damage is being done on the Player Phase. They're nice to have when eliminating threats from a distance (think Swarm Bishops for example). Their movement is a little low (4), so consider a Boot thrown onto them if you feel like using one permenantly. If possible, there are some options. A single ballistician is fine as it won't cut into the resources too much and if necessary to have a second one Chainey can easily fill the shoes. Double ballistae is great for eliminating things and being able to work together, though the slight issue is sharing weapons. Consider Starsphere (and Hammerne) use if possible.

The differences are between Beck's slightly better base stats and Jake's slightly better growths. Jake is usually superior when grown, but Beck is useful right out of the box. It's up to you who to use, though personally I'd stick with Jake since his supports give him +Hit, making Stonehedge forging a little less costly (or you can even invest in more Mt!). Beck certainly isn't a bad option though.

Conclusion

Ballisticians are simply good chip damage that makes eliminating things from a distance much easier. Jake and Beck easily brag this with their own monopoly of weapons. What's shocking is how effective most of them are with little work needed, though I highly recommend forges on some of those weapons. In particular, Arrowspatte, Thunderbolt, and the Stonehoist should see to getting a forge boost. With these kept into mind, Beck and Jake are great on the Player Phase. The problems just go back to their low Movement and inability to counterattack. That set aside, using one, both, or one paired with Chainey on the team is perfectly reasonable whether it's for the short term or long term taken into account.

Overall Rating: 7/10

Tomth* / Dolph*

Overview

Dolph is pretty cool IMO, and he reminds me of Mr. Clean: his awesomeness is measured by his baldness. He's one of those units that doesn't really care about taking the later Master Seal and performs fine until then. Like Roger he has an insane base Spd of 5 and the growth there is more than acceptable. For an Armor Knight he looks eerily similair to our armored friend in C8; however, he has a C Rank in Lances. Unfortunately he doesn't excel well as an Armor Knight, so for C12 he might be chipping other units at best and maybe taking a kill. C12X is exactly the time to reclass to Fighter or Hunter with Dark Mage being an "okay" option. Hunter setup is slightly better due to the actual weapon ranks existing upon promotion as well as General being a pretty good class. With Fighter, D Rank in Axes will get us the capability of 1-2 range and, eventually doubling a tad bit earlier than, say, Hunter!Dolph. Dark Mage will double eventually but definitely takes some time and energy to do so. Dark Mage would require a bit too much in general, which is why I would avoid it.

One advantage to Hunter->General!Dolph is the ease of access to Armor Knight. Take C13 for instance: it's a Ballistae-filled chapter, and one requirement to have is Defense. If he can sprout some levels even as a Hunter, he could go toward Armor Knight and still prevent himself from being a detriment. With Fighter, Hunter is probably the only other secondary option to consider and due to the Bow rank being nonexistant it's an iffy option. Being underleveled helps him gear toward leveling a bit faster, so the more the merrier.

Lategame it's all about staying on par with the team, and Dolph does that well. As a General, he can take some hefty damage with the setup of Hunter pre-promotion. Hero!Dolph with the Fighter backing it up is pretty speedy and durably... is alright. He isn't pulling miracles, but he isn't terrible either. If Hero caps Spd, simply swap to the Berserker class and continue on with the Spd. In general, Dolph is pretty good with the Hunter or Fighter setups. Sorcerer is iffy because it's a bit dependant on cramming a lot of Staff EXP down his throat which would make an earlier promotion a bit more desirable. Stick with General or Hero <-> Berserker and Dolph should be good to go.

Only real flaws is the obvious weapon rank beforehand due to class swapping and probably joining that much later. In reality, joining late isn't so much of a bad thing for Dolph since it makes the late Master Seal that much less of detriment to the rest of the team. This makes Dolph a nice unit to squeeze onto the team if you want an extra unit with little penalty (just some training). He does have an issue early on but once he builds up he should be doing alright. If you're willing to wait for promotion, fell free. You can get a better result via early promotion (Level 10 as a Hunter then going General) so consider that if you're using Dolph. Supports are a bit on the shallow side: Macellan, Boah, Thomas, and Midia though they only go up to a B at best and don't kick in until around C22. Pitiful.

Conclusion

Dolph has no real reason to be shafted away. He's got some nice perks that make him useful throughout the rest of the game and isn't really denting the team CEXP wise by letting him join. Taking the C19 Master Seal makes him that much easier to use since others are likely waiting unitl then, but he doesn't mind having an earlier seal either. Hunter and Fighter is the way to go with Dolph since he becomes a doubling machine rather quickly and thanks to being underleveld it won't be very long. Dolph isn't stellar early on (that much is true), but he at least can make up for it over time. Give Dolph a fighting chance and you won't be disappointed.

Overall Rating: 5/10

Mishalen* / Macellan*

Overview

One could look up glass cannon in the dictionary and the third definition would probably either Cord or a built-up Macellan. His durability growth is kind of nonexistant. While he does have an upper hand in HP like Roger, similairly he doesn't have much to speak of in the Def department. Going toward the Fighter class is his best option since it's perfect for him: 1-2 range, high powered weapons, etc. He can double before promotion so his Spd isn't even that bad. In fact, it's at least starting with a 3 Base and a decent growth to accomodate it. The HP will be the thing that saves him from being ORKOed in all honesty, but it isn't so much of a bad thing. He's not bad in all honesty with some build-up.

The thing with Fighter Macellan is keeping himself away from dangerous situations, hence the Hand Axes. When necessary, he could pull a Steel Axe and, eventually, Silver Axe and pull some major chip damage. Every other setup than Fighter leaves him mediocre or... close to being a generic. Even the General setup is pretty meh: it gets him 2RKOed by high end Brave attacks quite often with the Hunter setup. The only good news is that he isn't quadrupled often... though he might need to keep building the Spd to prevent that. Dark Mage is rather meh of a class to begin with and all he can hope for is an early promotion and abuse Staves to death. Fighter->Hero!Macellan is pretty much one option for him since it gives Macellan a sizable offense and still prevent him from being ORKOed by Brave shots.

For something that's... close to durability you can try Hunter -> General. Don't expect anything spectacular, but it could be argued as a slightly easier route than Fighter -> Hero Macellan.

Major weaknesses include his durability and, I guess, not measuring up to Dolph's awesomeness. Granted that Macellan isn't terrible beyond any means, it simply takes a lot more work to get him up-to-par. He's definitely superior to many units such as Radd and Roshea IMO, though others might speak differently. Like Dolph, Macellan does have support options but seeing more than none of them is unlikely (well Dolph usually is coming along). Like Dolph his availability is made up slightly by being able to take the later Master Seal and work alright.

Conclusion

Macellan is a lot better of a combat unit in comparison to those that are quite underwhelming, but he simply isn't up-to-snuff in most regards. He's not pulling as awesome of a start like Dolph is and his Spd growth needs to kick in ASAP so he can double. Macellan can at least build offense that isn't easy to match with, but durability parameters might as well be ignored. Not bad, but I wouldn't say he's that good either. A tad bit below average would be how to sum up Macellan.

Overall Rating: 2/10

Thomas* / Tomas*

Overview

Well let's see what we have. A unit that is kind of under par and has okay growths. Seems pretty high in levels but the bases are... almost disgusting. Good news is he can attack from a distance and with minimal setup he could be useful. He's pretty close to a Silver Bow so he can pull some chip damage for your team... not that it's extremely useful. He could eat up a Master Seal and pull off a mini-Jeorge; however, that's kind of a waste of a seal when we have said Jeorge in the first place. Tomas can probably promote by C16 and do alright in the Sniper class thanks to the boosted bases; however, by lategame don't expect him to double much without major buildup. Str is really under par though; 20/1 averages 12 Str which is JUST enough to wield Parthia and rock DracoKnight's worlds in C21 and C22.

I don't think I need to state his issues because he has a lot of them. Crappy availability, bad start, decent weapon rank, turns out alright if you grind him some levels but still will be somewhat underwhelming. Seems to sum up Tomas pretty well. His support options are the same as Mr. Clean (Dolph) and Macellan but I think one should know the issue with that as well.

Conclusion

Tomas isn't that great and honestly doesn't turn out great. He's below average for the most part, but being low resource for the most part isn't bad in some ways. Perhaps if he joined at a lower level or even earlier in the game he wouldn't be so bad (Gordon and him trade places? Hehehe); however, that is not possible. Tomas being close to Silver Bow helps his case and an early promotion can throw him close to being a utility unit, but that's about all the good that can be said about Tomas.

Overall Rating: 2/10

Midia*

Overview

Midia seems to be a unit with potential. She has a decent Spd growth though everything else is mediocre. Not needing a Master Seal gives her a low maitenance position. One could sum it up as pulling a mini-Jeigan, except not as useful at this point of the game. Sniper is the best option here due to the superior bases and, inevitably, the higher Spd growth. Her offense isn't bad when given such an option and in a later date she can double sometimes. She isn't bad in many cases with Sniper itself. DracoKnight and Paladin are probably her weaker classes but they both work off her decent Lance rank.

Problems are also in the obvious position. Her durability is "meh" for the most part and she needs some leveling to be good. To be fair, she isn't terrible (think Tomas with more Spd and a bit less of a hassle) and she does maintain minor utility while she's around. Support-wise she has everyone like Tomas and co.; however, add her lover Astram into the mix.

Conclusion

Honestly there isn't a whole lot of shine when using her, but the mud isn't thick enough to not make her useful. She can be alright with some leveling or pull off utility which is alright. In all honesty you're better off using units like Jeorge and co. over her, but at least she isn't to the point where the word "terrible" can be flung at her 1,000 times.

Overall Rating: 2/10

Boa* / Boah*

Overview

There are two types of Boahs. The first is aptly named TyraniBOAH, an awesome moveset for a Pokemon that consists of using Substitute as its main strategy and fires off heartbreaking Focus Punches and attempts to break through walls. The second Boah is some old guy who has a C Rank in Staves. Oh... joy. The good news is he can use Warp, which isn't necessarily a bad thing. He's a pinch healer of sorts in case Wendell is dead or something really random happens. Problem is he has Jeigan-like growths: 10% in HP and just about 20% in everything else. His bases aren't that great for a Bishop (or Sage) and we can obviously guess it won't get much better for him. Stick to healing and Warp spamming and Boah should be alright.

As said, main problems consist of almost anyone can be a healer; generics especially. It doesn't mean that he's beyond terrible since he can be a staff user and minor chip damage, but that's about all he can really do. Poor guy is just too little too late. Supports are also there: obviously Dolph and co, but as said 1,000 times it's a rarity to see more than one on the team.

Conclusion

Boah can heal and can chip opponents. Granted he isn't going to devestate the field. At least he isn't slow like some Sages and Bishops since admittidely he has 10 Spd plopped onto him though lack of improvement keeps him barred from getting very far. Boah is an emergency healer or Warp staff user, and that just about sums him up. It's probably his saving grace since he can't really amount to anything and at least has minor utility.

Overall Rating: 3.5/10

Horus* / Horace*

Overview

Horace is an odd character. Cool, but odd. While he strikes as a powerful General (good ranks, decent bases) the one thing that kills is the thing that keeps him from being higher: growths. Notice that the highest growth he has is HP at 60, but the next two stats that tie are Skill and Defense. While the former is "whatever", the latter is very important. Generals need super-thick Def in order to function in the lategame. This is especially true when you're being quadrupled by powerful opponents such as Paladins. Though, not everything is about lategame performance, so let's actually talk about the portion that he joins.

Horace joins in C13 and it seems like a miracle. Ballisticians are dangerous foes; sporting 23-24 Atk or 26-27. These will HURT and it's unlikely that a unit can dodge them constantly. With Horace's 32 HP | 17 Def he is 5-6RKOed by the low end Atks and 4RKOed by the high end Atks. It seems like a blessing from heaven! Then factor that the guy has 29 Atk with a Silver Lance and we're 2RKOing all over the place, minus Level 3 Shooters with 35 HP | 12 Def. He's monstrous. Then C14 is coming abound. Horace has enough Spd to prevent being doubled by Cavaliers and Archers, which helps heighten his Def figures. Being 6RKOed by Archers seems like the biggest joke ever on top of being 4RKOed by Cavaliers if the weapon triangle is neutral. The Sniper will give you a rude awakening though: 26 Atk that doubles 2RKOes him, doing 18 damage to be specific. Still, 18/32 HP allows him to swallow 2-3 more rounds of combat before hitting the dust. Offensively, the Ridersbanes aren't around yet so he's probably using Silvers. Like it matters though, since he's practically 2RKOing the Cavs and Archers despite not doubling. Hell, on low end AS Armors he chips 34/37 HP, which is pretty impressive for not being an Axe user in general. Pegasi reinforcements aren't even much of a problem. They 3RKO him and he can at least 2RKO with a Steel Bow, not bad at all. C15... has Mages. Switching to Hero is probably the best solution despite lacking Hand Axes. Doubling with 20 Atk is sufficient enough to ORKO the Mages. Even Bishops feel his wrath.

C16 is where Horace gets slightly on the iffy side... base anyway. Many units are promoted at this point, which means Horace's durability drops a little. Paladins will practically be the bane of Horace's career since they plop 24 damage (assuming WTN) already, which pretty much hurts. He's still decent offensively thanks to Ridersbanes and the Steel Bow / Silver Lance / Javelins being there for him. The trend sort of continues in C17 except it's a bit more Mage-populated, though he can use the DragonPike and severely wound Mamkutes (finish them off I mean). C17X is lolgaiden, so pass on that.

C18 has Cavs and Paladins galore... and this is where his durability isn't looking so hot. Paladins scrounging up to 26 damage is not funny at all. Even the Cavs are fairly fast enough to double Horace, so they're going to hurt a lot as well. It seems all doom and gloom for Horace... then C19 has all those Mercenaries and Heroes. These guys lose about 4 Atk thanks to WTA and A Lances, so that's just enough to curb some into 3RKO range. Then C20 hits and Horace is practically in the dust. Not only does he lack the Def to be a General, but he also lacks the Spd to prevent being quadrupled. To give you an idea, he's ORKOed. All. The. Time. The only exception is if he obtains WTA, in which he can be 2RKOed.

Now this is base Horace, mind you. Obviously he has the opportunity to level up. Saying that he gains a level per chapter (let's also include C15 as a Hero), he has a grand total of 8 chapters to improve. So since he starts at Level 3, let's say he's --/11 with a single Hero level-up. This is his "average", btw:

36.8 HP | 16.3 Str | 14.9 Skl | 9.0 Spd | 8.2 Luck | 19.6 Def | 3.0 Res

Though a General is designed for tanking, this isn't half bad. The Def will probably round up, so he's good to go there. Paladins with neutral coverage (26-27 Atk) prop up 24 or 28 damage per round, which is a 2RKO... but it's not a ORKO. Considering the average durability is about 2-3RKOed, this is pretty good. Paladins are the fiercer units. Now let's say he gets his Def point and C21 arrives. Pegasi tink him and DracoKnights do about 8 damage with Braves. Not bad in all honesty. Then, considering that he has Bow rank built up, he could plop Silver potshots on the DracoKnights and Pegasi; making him an efficient killer. Further proof that Horace is at least capable of being decent lategame assuming that you can pour some levels onto him.

So the problems. First off, his utility won't last long if he doesn't get some level ups. Then, it comes back double since his utility gets sort of shafted when he needs levels in order to function. Keep in mind, though, this is lategame we're talking about. If we're using him from C13-C20 (as when C20 he dies), then he's doing alright. If we're considering longevity... this could be a different story. Again, though, he'll need levels in this way. Another good choice is tossing him a Dracoshield. Why, you may ask? Take the example that he has 20 Def. With 22 Def, Paladins do 16 damage now minimum (assuming no weapon triangle bending). This 3RKOes him. Of course it puts him in doomsday when the 27 Atk Paladin charges at you (though if the HP rounds up... he can survive), but in all honesty not that bad. Keep these thoughts in mind when using Horace.

Conclusion

Pretty lengthy on the description of the character, but it's because he can function in two different ways. Utility-wise, he's pretty good for his 8 chapters of fame. It's a lot more than utility characters like Samson and co. have to speak of. If anything, Horace is the best "utility" character of the bunch thanks to his class option. Even when trained he's not half bad of a unit, though he may falter behind in comparison to other General setups that the game offers. Horace is a great unit that has little strings attatched, and it isn't entirely dissapointing to use him lategame. I'd recommend a DracoShield if you must see to it that Horace makes it further on, but of course that is your call.

Overall Rating: 7.5/10

Astoria* / Astram*

Overview

Alright, so many bash Astram because he's useless. Well... he is. He's not terrible to a fault like his girlfriend, but he has issues. Let's begin with the minor things. First off, Astram has decent Str growth to make up for his poor stat. Unfortunately, he can't fix his Spd stat so easily. A 20% growth and 14 base can only do so much to a unit. Unlike Roger, he doesn't have much time to work on it nor a promotion helping him. Though, let's just review for the sake of it. His joining chapter he's not terrible to a fault. 2RKOed like the rest of the team in his joining chapter so I can't really call him out on durability. Offensively, Silver Sword nets him 22 Atk, so he's not looking too shabby in front of the Ballistae since he's 2RKOing. So then we look at C14 and we notice a couple of things. First off, the AS for Archers and Cavaliers fluctuate. This is BAD for Astram because he can't reliably double them. Then, let's factor in his 8 Str. Injury to the insult, he can't wield a Steel Axe. So he's locked to Hand Axes at best if he wants offense, and he desperately needs every bit of it. Luckily his Silver Sword gives him +1 Atk over the Steel Axe, so the injury is not all that bad. He can tackle Armor Knights with an Armorslayer, but with 7 Mt and facing WTD it's 2RKOing unless we forge it. With Silver Sword, Astram is barely pulling a 2RKO if he doubles. To show how close he is, he barely ORKOes a 36 HP | 10 Def Cavalier. C15 is a Magefest so it's a mixed blessing. Hand Axe sports 16 Atk, and unfortunately Mages can sport 24-26 HP | 3-4 Def. When a unit barely ORKOes Mages (misses out on some too) you know something is wrong. C16 is nightmare since everyone has 11 AS or over now. Only the Generals and Armor Knights are seeing lower than that. Even with a level per chapter, we're seeing a 40% chance of not doubling these buffoons. Oh well, at least he can almost wield a Steel Axe with no AS loss now.

Everything seems to get worse and worse after that, so I'll just stop there. You can easily spot the problems with Astram as early as C14. Not a good sign. He has support with Midia and Boah, but seeing this guy longer than C16 is pretty doubtful.

Conclusion

At best, Astram has minor utility. That's about it for him. He might level up and... do okay, but he's certainly not keeping up with the team. It's better to use him for a marginal amount of time and just get rid of him. If you seriously plan to use Astram past C15, hope to God that you get +1 Spd.

Overall Rating: 2/10

Paola* / Palla*

Overview

So let's go over some of Palla's strengths. B Lances, 55% Str growth, and a decent class. Then there are the bads such as her 25% Spd growth and 13 base. Oh, not to mention a 7 base Str stat which certainly isn't doing favors. So let's look at C15... a Mage infestation! YES! Paola with a Javelin has about 15 Atk which... isn't enough to ORKO, but it can yield her better CEXP against Mages. The desert tells her "the sky is the limit" and boy will you attempt to take advantage of it. Then we hit the reality button... C16. She practically benefits from an early promotion, so let's say she's 10/1. Her average Atk | AS are 20 Atk | 15.5 AS. This isn't too bad considering that she's at least doubling a bit more reliably. Granted it won't be long, but the Sniper class has its benefits. C17 she has Mages to pick from and C17X we have the Longbow and easy enemies to take advantage of. She should nab Silver Bows soon enough, so her offense should spike a little. Consider that the Str growth kicked in and her Atk will rise over time. In C20 though, we reach another dilemna. Notice how the Paladins have 16-17 AS. It would almost take 13! levels to obtain 20 AS. That's not very good. So while she has one chapter where she's mediocre, there's the next few chapters. C21 and C22 have a lot of flying units so whip out that Silver Bow and crush everything on wings. C23 has Mages which makes the Longbow an awesome combat weapon. C24 has the thick Mamkutes so chip damage is always appreciated.

She's not terrible, to a fault. She needs levels and a Master Seal, but the good news is her starting period isn't total suck. She's got a form of offense and the early promotion grants her doubling. Might not be a bad idea to forge the Steel Bow to keep her offense afloat, and then it's never a bad idea to forge Longbows. She has some decent support options too. Minerva and Catria are the main ones to point out because, well, lolEst.

Conclusion

Palla has a few perks. Early weapon rank makes her offense up-to-par and an early promotion can give her ease of doubling opportunities. Needing levels and a Master Seal isn't all that bad, and of course if wanted she can wait a little bit. Make sure to promote her as early as possible though so her combat doesn't stay underwhelming. While a rather crude setup, it's better than sucking. Palla has her perks, but downsides as well. Keep these in mind when raising her (maybe hand her a Speedwing), and you have Palla the decent.

Overall Rating: 4.5/10

Katua* / Catria*

Overview

Catria isn't terrible like her sister. Actually, her only period of suck is earlygame. She has a bit of time before things get super serious, but I guess she isn't being a total detriment. She's iffy on the first few chapters. Once her growths and levels kick in, she'll do alright. It's a matter of keep on building her up. There are some minor things to think about though. First off, she can't reliably double with Ridersbane until Level 10, which isn't exactly a good thing. It's a temporary thing though, and it's better to consider the early promotion anyway. If you want to drag her Pegasus Knight performance due to the lack of seals or wanting the extra WEXP on Lances, feel free to do so. When her Spd caps especially promote ASAP since that will be the key to her performance. After that, it's practically building her up. Decent Str growth keeps her afloat and weapon choices should help her 1-2RKO reliably later on. For example, a 20/1 Sniper!Catria averages 15-16 Str. So of course the promotion would nab her about 29 Atk with the Silver Bow. Overall, not bad. She's a doubling machine as well which could actually spell trouble for the DracoKnights. Even if you don't consider Sniper, Paladin has a good Spd base to take advantage of so she can escape the cap that DracoKnight would have.

Catria is a flip-flop version of Palla. Starts a bit rougher, but ends a lot buffer. The major flaws come back to training and requiring a Master Seal, but again all possible. Supports are the same as Palla's, though it's only a minor note anyhow.

Conclusion

Catria doesn't strike as a terrible unit later on. Like Dolph, she just has a harder start. She's ORKOed by Mages early on without Pure Water, so make sure to pack those along. With build-up Catria is quite the monster of a woman. Like Dolph, if you're considering a lategame unit due to the amount of Master Seals, consider Catria if you want. Otherwise, stay away if you're hellbent on raising another unit.

Overall Rating: 5.5/10

Arran* / Alan*

Overview

If you've ever played FE3 Book 2, Arran contracted a disease and, because of it, his growths were literally trash. Well... I think in H5 he somehow contracted that disease earlier than Book 2. Though it didn't apply to his growths so much, moreso to his crappy bases. Arran's bases are so pathetic for a Level 10 unit. 2 HP | 1 Str | 3 Skl | 4 Spd | 4 Luck | 2 Def for absolute bases. Wait, 2 HP? Talk about lack of durability whatsoever... hell he can't wield a Ridersbane without AS loss. Things look pretty pathetic for Arran in his base class since the Paladin's base stats aren't much better. Sniper's 9 Spd doesn't even save him since he'd still need almost 4 levels to attempt to double Cavaliers on top of... 8 Str. His only hope? Well, Bishop perhaps. Bishop would solidfy that Arran COULD build a Staff rank, though don't expect much out of him otherwise. It's pretty much Bishop or nothing, and hopefully you'll just choose Samson if you want someone with minimal combat.

Overall

You know IS, I don't mind their being a bad prepromo here and there, but why so late in the game and WHY AT LEVEL 10? Seriously, give the poor man some bases. The lesson to learn, kids, is to not contract AIDs... or is it Swine Flu? Otherwise, you'll end up like Arran the Halb- I mean failure.

Overall Rating: 1.5/10

Samson*

Overview

I don't get it, why would you choose Arran just for some stupid Killer Lance? At least SAMSON THE HERO has some combat in him. Check it out: 16 AS and access to Silver Axes. You can't tell me that's total failure now. Add onto Poleaxes and Hand Axes and he's alright. Samson isn't anything special, but he does prove that he can be carried for a short period of time as a utility unit. Silver Axe Samson shouldn't KO anything significant and Poleaxe can always be used if in dire need to KO the Cavaliers in C18. It also severely dents C17X and C18's Paladins, so do keep that in mind. Chapter 19 he shouldn't be doubled, so thank Ashera for that. Though you notice something creepy about C20 and his durability issues... A Level 14 Samson (27 HP | 10 Def) vs. a 26 Atk Paladin... well, cya around Samson. As you can see Samson is not going to last past C19 unfortunately. Aside from that Samson at least has something over Arran called "combat".

Conclusion

Even though Samson isn't definite as a God in armor, Samson at least makes his appearance with a purpose. He doesn't have a whole lot to look up to, but with his chip damage and possible finishing attacks with a Poleaxe within a certain chapter, Samson does alright. Having the capability of wielding the Silver Axe helps a lot with his mediocre Str, so remember if you're choosing Arran vs. Samson at least think Samson if you're looking for a pinch combat unit.

Overall Rating: 2/10

Chainey* / Xane*

Overview

Chainey is a pseudo-version of a dancer. The major difference is instead of making any character move twice in a single turn, Chainey becomes a second of that unit. So the statement "What's better than one Zagaro? TWO ZAGAROS!" applies here. Your dreams can come true with Chainey. Two Zagaros, two Merrics, two Arran the Halber- I mean Paladin, and two Rogers. The best of both worlds all happen with Chainey. There are a few downsides, but not to the point where he's insignificant. First off, the transformation only lasts for 5 turns, so he'll untransform after that. The good news is Chainey untransforms on the Player Phase, so he is in no danger of untransforming at the wrong time. The second bad news is when he transforms his HP becomes, say, 18/48 if he coppies Zagaro. So when he transforms his HP doesn't actually "copy" with the stat, so he requires a heal if you plan on him to go through the frontlines. Chainey also cannot transform into Mamkutes but... who cares about that?

Overall

Chainey is a nice filler character since he practically becomes a copy of any character that you wish. Copying the ranks helps as well, so there's no worries about Chainey not being able to wield a Ridersbane or something awkward like that. Chainey is a good unit to slip onto the team if you like trivializing the game with a second Zagaro | Merric | Jake | Arran.

Overall Rating: 9/10

Etzel*

Overview

"My hips don't lie", literally. Etzel the Spell Slinger isn't too bad... uh, if you know how to use him. True he can't survive well in combat (he gets doubled by a bit); however, he does have auto-Excalibur and D rank in Staves. His Mag stat of 11 isn't bad either, and he even has the growth to accomodate it. Whoamygod someone call the presses. He has no durability to speak of, but at least you could consider him a glass cannon with other purposes. Staves can do you favors in the lategame. Mend w/5 extra HP to heal helps keep units like Zagaro in tiptop shape. Once C Staves are obtained Etzel can Warp people around. B Staves offers Physic while A offers Recover. Too bad his hips don't qualify him as a princess, otherwise he could use the Aum Staff. Excalibur use in C21 and C22 is great while C23 he can equip Starlight to tackle Gharnef or just use the Barrier staff to help others increase their durability. Fire Mamkutes are hard to tackle on C24, but at least he can hit them for some damage to help those that have Wyrmslayer | Dragon Lance equipped finish them off. The things to keep in mind with Etzel is to use his magic chip damage when it's safe and focus on Staff utility. Do this, and Etzel can be a good unit.

Overall

From a personal standpoint, I wish Etzel came earlier in the game. He isn't a bad unit by any means when you consider most Brute units suck in the Sorcerer class. His Spd and durability aren't great, but focusing away from that Etzel can function on the team. Remember that a good Etzel player will focus more on his Staves and only use Magic when it's necessary or safe. Having capabilities of wielding Excalibur is also nice for flying-heavy chapters with Starlight being useful vs. Gharnef.

Overall Rating: 3.5/10

Est*

Overview

Est fanboys beware! Just when you thought I wasn't big into Katua fanboys drooling all over the place (but hey, I like Katua) I had to point at Arran's girlfriend. A total failure at that, but who knows how to save our dear heroine. Nay, do I hear Curate? Well, that's about all she can really do to show that she belongs somewhere. There really isn't much more to say so I'm just going to joke around. I'm curious to see what EstXArran's kid would look like.

Overall

...What, did you expect something huge? Nah, the problems should be obvious here. Est joins WAY TOO LATE in order to do anything. She gets doubled despite wielding the Ridersbane (...lol) and her only saving graces is playing the triangle attack (gogo waste of 3 slots perhaps?) or I guess Curate. If you're seriously considering Est in a H5 runthrough, I wish thee luck.

Overall Rating: Nino/10