H5 Character Rating

[Colonel M]

Now with 20% more hilarity?

LINK TO THE POST THAT HAS THE ACTUAL RATINGS!

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. Bah... Imma copy Mekkah's searching.

To find anything on here, simply search for the character (Ctrl + F), type in the person's name, then put an asterik behind the name.

I.E. Roger*

This is to find them in the link Here, which contains all of the ratings

I'm cool with people arguing against or for my rankings; however, this is a solo project. No collaboration, sorry!

THE OVERVIEW OF ALL CHARACTERS

10 - Wolf, Zagaro (Sedgar)

9.5 - Barts (Barst), Maji (Cord), Chainey (Xane)

9 - Cain, Abel, Doga (Draug), Marich (Merric)

8.5 - Shiida (Caeda), Hardain (Hardin)

8 - Marth, Oguma (Ogma), Wendell

7.5 - Darros, Kashim (Castor), Athena

7 - Saji (Bord), Roger, Jake, Beck, Horus (Horace)

6.5 - Nabarl (Navarre), Caesar

6 - Jeigan (Jagen), Julian, Rena (Lena), Minerva

5.5 - Machis (Matthis), George (Jeorge)

5 - Nagi, Gato (Gotoh)

4.5 - Tomth (Dolph), Katua (Catria), Paola (Palla)

4 - Gordon (Gordin), Biraku (Vyland), Riff (Wrys)

3.5 - Linda (Linde), Mishalen (Macellan), Etzel, Tiki

3 - Boa (Boah), Bantu, Elice

2.5 - Roshe (Roshea), Radd

2 - Ricardo (Rickard), Maria, Thomas (Tomas), Astoria (Astram), Samson

1.5 - 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

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: Hunter -> 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

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 / Paola: 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!

Edited November 8, 2009 by Colonel M

[Dat Nick]

Agh, I was gonna do this but my gfaqs account is taking forever to be reinstated :/

[Mekkah]

Forging a Fire tome to fix Shiida's Str issue isn't going to work, since Fire already weighs 1 and you can't forge something to weigh less than that.

[Colonel M]

Unfortunately I've reached the limit. This post will be dedicated to the rest of the units (well as much as I can fit).

Midia*

Class Options

In all honesty, this will come as a surprise to you, but it's similair to Jeigan. Any offensive class barring Swordmaster and anything to do with magic is probably alright for Midia to use. DracoKnight has iffy Def but works alright for her since she does have a C Rank in Lances, Sniper should be fairly obvious; however, she can actually double quite a bit if she's trained. Paladin is a wonky class for her but it isn't terrible if given some building time, I guess.

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

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Boa* / Boah*

Class Options

Bishop | Sage

Only real reason to use the former over the latter is Warp staves, otherwise Sage is superior in every way possible.

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: 3/10

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Horus* / Horace*

Class Options

General

Horace's "prime" set-up. If it ain't broke, don't fix it.

Hero

The main selling point are the bases. Unfortunately, this isn't a real longevity route; however, having a decent Spd base makes him a doubling machine. Working on the Axe rank is the only difficult part.

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

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Astoria* / Astram*

Class Options

Hero

Yeah, you're looking at his practical option. There isn't much more to speak of. Unfortunately.

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

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Paola* / Palla*

Class Options

Pegasus Knight | Sniper

Probably the recommended setup. She has marginal doubling power for a while and a low level to help her get some levels to improve it... but she's barely making the cut. Sniper can't double Paladins, though the good news is the DracoKnight | Pegasus Knight infestation will help make Sniper livable.

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

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Katua* / Catria*

Class Options

Pegasus Knight | Sniper

The best option. Fairly quick, easy class to slip into. Early promotion isn't that much detrimental since we obtain +3 Str and +2 Spd.

DracoKnight | Paladin

More like ease of access classes due to Lance rank. Paladin is better later on due to doubling potential.

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: 4.5/10

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Edited September 18, 2009 by Colonel M

[Dr. Tarrasque]

WT can't go down to 0. Personally, I'd recommend a few level ups or so before changing to Mage. This way, she has a better shot at getting the SPD to double once reclassed, the MAG she's losing isn't much to cry about and if she happens to get +1 STR, that solves the AS loss with Fire >_>. I doesn't even take "abuse" to level her up as a Peg since Wing Spear laughs at cavs and her damage is equivalent to Jagen with Silver Lance in the first few chapters.

[Colonel M]

Glancing it over, I didn't mention forging Fire tomes for Wt anyway. I mentioned you at least need the +1 in Str to wield the tome, but I mentioned her taking advantage of tomes for Mt.

The reason I meant a little abuse is because, with 3 Level ups, she has .6 Str, which can likely round up to +1. 4 gives .8, and the fifth level should be +1. If she can't get +1 Str within 5 Level ups, then... yeah. 4 Levels is fine too if C4 you want to use that Wing Spear to finish something off.

[Dat Nick]

Would it even make much of a difference? onoes 1 AS loss on a unit with wtfhax spd.

[Colonel M]

Would it even make much of a difference? onoes 1 AS loss on a unit with wtfhax spd.

Only in the beginning or when she caps Spd and has 0 Str.

Good example was this last run-through. Maxed Spd out but forgot the Str point. I couldn't double DracoKnights with a Fire tome when I could've with that Str point (hint: they sit at 16 AS). As for the beginning, if she can get ~12 Spd, that allows her to double just about everything on C4 barring the Fighters.

[OrangeCrush980]

I'm cool with people arguing against or for my rankings; however, this is a solo project. No collaboration, sorry!

Huh? You're supposed to say "this isn't the American education system since this isn't flawed" and "these are facts, not just my opinions" here instead.

[Colonel M]

Gordon* / Gordin*

Class Options

Archer

Well... his non-existant bases and growths aside, this is probably his best class until C4 at least.

Curate / Sage

Don't expect a whole lot from this, but otherwise it's Gordon's best route.

Cavalier / DracoKnight

If you got +1 in Spd from the Archer level ups, guess you can go as a Cavalier and... do something. He's going to be pretty much bad on the Str and Spd side of the spectrum, but his Def and HP won't be so bad. DracoKnight you're going to have to train Axes all freaking day, then hopefully you can have at least some durability.

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

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Riff* / Wrys*

Class Options

Cleric

Weird to consider him like a generic with a portrait, but the rank here is to blame. Well, at least he has a small monopoly.

Sage

Like Gordon, Rena, and every other "temporary healer", Wrys here shouldn't promote. Though, this is likely his best option anyway.

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 promote into a Sage. Granted, he isn't terrible since he's targetting on the Res end of things... but he isn't doubling, which makes him only useful for chip damage. Healing too, but we're likely set in that department by then. He gains a support from Shiida at least (...creepy...).

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

Edited June 17, 2009 by Colonel M

[Colonel M]

Actually... what IS the Curate route for Gordon? Curate -> Sniper, Swordmaster, or Sage?

[Dr. Tarrasque]

Actually... what IS the Curate route for Gordon? Curate -> Sniper, Swordmaster, or Sage?

... You're kidding right? Obviously Sage. He's shit no matter what physical class you give him and you're going to turn him into a Sniper after he went with a class that gained no STR... because?

Swordmaster would be for Levin Sword and that thing is limited, not to mention he's losing his healing utility.

[Colonel M]

Just double checking with all the Grandjackal hybrid-stuff. >_>; Low Tier characters = not my forte.

Edited June 13, 2009 by Colonel M

[grandjackal]

Matthis becomes better with this set-up, Roshea becomes better with this set-up (I should say more useful), but...Gordon's problems are crappy growths and bases. He might as well just go priest-sage to try to pull off being a hard-ass sage. Really, the only thing saving Gordon from bottom or even Low is his earlygame utility. I can't really imagine anyone using him seriously afterwards. His main problem is he just has no offense, and thanks to his base speed, he has no defense either. Everything about him is just post promotion.

[Dr. Tarrasque]

Matthis becomes better with this set-up, Roshea becomes better with this set-up (I should say more useful), but...Gordon's problems are crappy growths and bases. He might as well just go priest-sage to try to pull off being a hard-ass sage. Really, the only thing saving Gordon from bottom or even Low is his earlygame utility. I can't really imagine anyone using him seriously afterwards. His main problem is he just has no offense, and thanks to his base speed, he has no defense either. Everything about him is just post promotion.

Which still isn't much and is heavily damaged by his shitty earlygame.

[grandjackal]

Which still isn't much and is heavily damaged by his shitty earlygame.

My point exactly. Only reason he isn't in bottom is because it's hard as fuck to get through the first chapter in the game without him. I suppose it's possible (As Sirius likes to show me...x.x), but it's still annoying as fuck.

[Dr. Tarrasque]

My point exactly. Only reason he isn't in bottom is because it's hard as fuck to get through the first chapter in the game without him. I suppose it's possible (As Sirius likes to show me...x.x), but it's still annoying as fuck.

It's possible and it isn't even that hard. I've shown that you can do it without Jagen. Doing so without Gordin, just replace Gordin with Jagen and there you go, it's even easier than doing it without Jagen. The only problem would be that you'd obviously take quite a while with the boss due to every1's hit being shit against him. Funny how the game's AVO results in freaking high rates and yet there's still room for 30% hit rates on your end >_>.

(As Sirius likes to show me...x.x)

You mean as YOU like to be shown. I don't think it'd be far fetched to say you're somewhat of a "debate masochist"

Edited June 13, 2009 by Sirius

[grandjackal]

It's possible and it isn't even that hard. I've shown that you can do it without Jagen. Doing so without Gordin, just replace Gordin with Jagen and there you go, it's even easier than doing it without Jagen. The only problem would be that you'd obviously take quite a while with the boss due to every1's hit being shit against him. Funny how the game's AVO results in freaking high rates and yet there's still room for 30% hit rates on your end >_>.

Well I blame the throne, it's fucking hax compared to the rest of the terrain.

You mean as YOU like to be shown. I don't think it'd be far fetched to say you're somewhat of a "debate masochist"

I'm not a masochist!

I just...tend to make challenges that are sometimes out of my scope on accident on occasions...

[Colonel M]

Military haircut, anyone?

Doga* / Draug*

Class Options

Armor Knight

Funny how he gets a higher Spd growth than a Def growth. Anyway, this class is only good earlygame.

Fighter / Pirate | Berserker / Hero

His best route. When his AS hits about 15 and his Str is up-to-par, feel free to hit up Pirate when it has its advantages. Or, if you cannot double much and waterwalk would be more useful. After promotion, prepare to be devestating as a Berserker with 19 Spd and enough Str to ORKO with a Silver Axe. If you think he needs an extra edge on doubling, hit up Hero for a whopping 24 Spd.

Dark Mage | Sorcerer

Think Shiida but a slightly slower version at first. Won't really get doubled, and the high Spd growth will kick in soon enough. 30% Magic for a brute isn't bad either, especially since it's permenant (unlike Mages jump from 30 -> 20).

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!!! ...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. Switch to Fighter, and watch your AS jump around Cord's! Except it's backed by crappy Str stat of 6-7. Bah, no matter. He's not doing a whole lot, but not dying sure helps! Once he gets built up and his Str catches up, watch Doga double pretty early and crush with decent stats. He can 2RKO once doubling is intact, and by the time there's a C Rank Hammers assume their position.

And boy oh boy, once he hits promotion he crushes everything to shreds. Averaging 16 Str and 19 AS as a Berserker? Check. +10 innate Crit and more? Check. Rank? Check. Everything seems excellent for our friend midgame. He can even bend things to 3RKO him from time to time, so you can see that Doga here is being awesome.

Braves show up, and his Def pales a bit, but his ORKO potential sure doesn't. He has a chance of doubling DracoKnights pretty early in his career since it takes 22 AS in order to double them. Pegasi are a problem, but there's still Killer Axes and innate Crit + Marth helping that out. Hammer and Poleaxe do wonders for him until then.

Conclusion

Don't feel Doga is doing a whole lot of bad just because his C2 and 3 game sucks. It's his class, and playing as a Fighter offers the cushioning of his "meh" base Str growth and awesome Spd growth. Berserker plays well into Doga's advantages, and if you think that Hero Doga helps at times, hey, it's there. Lose 2 Str but gain so much AS is pretty useful. Doga is doing a whole lot, so don't expect him to falter once he gets the chance of building up. He gets a slightly rough earlygame, but past that he's doing very well.

And some funny stuff. Draug is backwards for "Guard". But Doga is much better. It's backwards for "A God!"

Overall Rating: 7.5 / 10.

---

Also bumping Jeigan's score down to a 6 due to stuff on GFAQs (though I call some of it BS but w/e).

---

Oguma* / Ogma*

Class Options

Mercenary

Best class to stick with. A minor note is if you're going Hero and got lucky on the Spd end, feel free to hit up a little Fighter to get a rank going for Hero.

Hero I swear it's like FE1 & FE3 all over again. Badassery stands alone here to explain Oguma in this class.

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

Edited June 18, 2009 by Colonel M

[Colonel M]

Barst* / Barts*

Class Options

Fighter | Hero

One word to describe this set-up: Devastation. Can nearly double everything beforehand and is doubling a lot after promotion. Never a dull moment in this set-up.

Hunter | Warrior

Trade a little Str for some Spd and a Bow rank. You could easily land on a C Rank in Axes, then hitting with good AS. Then, the lack of Str gets picked up a bit thanks to the reclassed option. You can use Fighter for C2 and 3, but after I'd consider hitting here.

Armor Knight | General

Can cap Def pretty fast and has steady growths on top of it. Once promoted, Braves tickle him. It's just hilarious to see this result.

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*

Class Options

Fighter | Hero / Berserker

And if you thought Barst was great, wait until he gets about Level 10 as a Fighter and doubles quite often. Then he slams into Hero and usually has enough AS to double just about everything. Berserker trades a little Spd for some Str and innate Crit. What more could you ask for?

Hunter | Warrior

If you want... use a little bit of Fighter before switching to here. Str will be a little lacking, but his Spd sure won't!

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

Edited June 16, 2009 by Colonel M

[Don Draper]

Your list of rankings incorrectly calls Maji/Cord "Saji"

Oh Cord. I remember back when I seemed to be the only guy who liked him and saw his potential (This was after Dark Mage Cord was proven to be a bad idea). But I stuck with him, and now he's seen as one of the best characters in the game. Just remember Cord, I believed in you back before anybody else did!

[Colonel M]

Hah, I remember using Mercenary Cord in NM and destroying everything. Cord's probably one of my favorite units next to Roger.

Wait... I called him the failure Saji!?! I feel ashamed of myself. Anyway, fixed it.

EDIT: It feels creepy that no one is really judging against my ratings. Is it because they don't care or I'm doing an expected job at it? I'm scared now.

Edited June 16, 2009 by Colonel M

[Colonel M]

Saji* / Bord*

Class Options

Fighter

He starts as one, with a C Rank in Axes. Auto-hammer anyone? Anyway, you're probably going to escape this class if you're going to have Bord amount to anything.

Hunter

Nice Str, and it helps his bad Spd growth. Works on a Bow rank too.

Warrior

Only if you think you can make the Bow rank work for you. Don't expect a whole lot of AS though.

Hero

Even with most Hunter -> Hero you land with 16 AS on average. Good news is you have an auto-C Rank in Axes!

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. By that point though, it's probably best to hit up Hunter and amount to something. He's not very bad in this class either since his Str is pretty good and the Hunter Spd base makes up for his crappy Spd base.

Hitting Midgame you'll see why Bord here isn't that great. In comparison to other units, they're likely doubling before Bord here ever will, and it only gets worse and worse. As a Warrior you have two great weapon ranks to make use of, but you'll be relying on pure Str to get anywhere. He's likely being doubled since he averages 13 AS fresh into Warrior. Hero seems to be his only saving grace, and that isn't even effective for him. Best thing he can double is unpromoted Cavs and such, and then escape being doubled (or in lategame's case quadrupled).

There's nothing really saving him. He's pretty awful in a lot of areas, and the best he can amount to is chipping damage, which everyone here can do. He supports with Cord, Barst, and Oguma, but even so it's not worth a whole lot.

Conclusion

Bord has nothing on his plate barring a little use earlygame and some chip damage as a Hunter. Once midgame hits, he's about as useless as Gordon, and lategame it's even worse. Gordon at least had the option of going Curate -> Sage to escape the mass "sucking", but Bord doesn't really have that option. Nothing good comes out of Bord, but I guess him being useful until midgame when everyone's promoting helps him a bit.

Overall Rating: 3.5/10

---

Darros*

Class Options

Pirate

Lol, he doesn't have a whole lot of Str. He can't even wield a Hand Axe without AS loss for damn's sake.

Armor Knight | General

Probably the best of routes. He'll have some issues here, but he has two payoffs: early promotion capability once he caps Def and being invincible once Braves come around. One of the few Generals not named Zagaro and Wolf that can possibly survive Medeus in one round.

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

---

Now for two things. First off, I'd like to know if anyone is actually reading these and taking them seriously. I have this doubt in the back of my head that I'm doing this for no reason... just want to know. Second, why is no one arguing against my ratings? Am I pretty accurate otherwise, or is it the "not caring" factoid?

Edited June 17, 2009 by Colonel M

[Colonel M]

I'm just going to finish all the pre-C4 Characters in this post.

Kashim* / Castor*

Class Options

Hunter

Starts with this, and can usually stick with it for a while.

Warrior

Pure Hunter -> Warrior averages about 15 AS upon promotion as well as D Rank in Axes. Get working on those, and you have a pretty solid unit.

Armor Knight | General

Don't believe me? Same HP / Def growth as Barst, but with slightly lower base stats. Speed really sucks here, but it'll grow (a little).

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. Warrior has a good amount of AS and building an Axe rank is pretty easy when Bows are intact. Shooting down DracoKnights is just icing on the cake for Warrior Kashim. 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. 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. Another is shaky doubling, which I guess isn't very easy to fix either.

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 Warrior with a forged Steel Axe. Can't say his Armor Knight set-up is too great, but at least it ends on a good note. He's an above average character, which would easily sum up Kashim's weaknesses too.

Overall Rating: 6.5/10

---

Rena* / Lena*

Class Options

Cleric

This is probably her best option... or should I say, only option. Good staff rank though, which helps her case a lot.

Sage

I'd only recommend this if you know the slight consequences of it. First off, she's not going to be the best of Sages. She'll be severely outclassed by a well-trained Shiida / Merric; however, if you don't want her to be completely deadweight, it's not a terrible option. It's probably better to give the Master Seal to someone else. Why? I'll explain below.

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: 5.5/10

---

Nabarl* / Navarre*

Class Options

Myrmidion / Cavalier

Starts as one, and not bad with his Str stat. Good Spd growth, and actually has a decent Str growth too. Use this class for a little while to help boost Nabarl's lack of Spd. Once you feel comfortable with Nabarl's Spd, go ahead and seek a Cavalier career. Having access to Silver Sword (hopefully) is pretty good when you consider that building Lance rank isn't terribly difficult. Once Nabarl has access to Javelins, he's only improving from there.

DracoKnight | Paladin

Reason I mention both of them (like Cavalier / Myrmidion) is DracoKnight has a slightly better Spd growth than Paladin, and he could use a small boost here. If you'd like, stick purely with DracoKnight. You sacrifice your Sword rank, but gain the opportunity to build up on an Axe rank. Paladin is still a pretty good choice since it's nearly set on WEXP.

Sniper

Makes up for having a rather lackluster Spd stat and might help him if he's a little Str-screwed. C Rank in Bows can only mean a short time for Silver Bows. Feel free to use this as a secondary class and swap between this and Paladin, as it helps him master two classes for different purposes. Also retains the DracoKnight's Spd growth, making DracoKnight a lot less necessary.

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 Paladin, DracoKnight, or both. Pure Paladin is pretty set on ranks, and most he probably requires is either a DracoShield or Speedwing, which isn't that bad really. 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. If you feel like it, alternate between the two as the higher Spd growth from DracoKnight can help Paladin Nabarl while the higher Def growth can help DracoKnight Nabarl. That, or if you feel that flight is needed a bit more than a horse. Sniper can easily take DracoKnight's place if you like using a Bow better than Axes, and it's an easy class to use and master. 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.

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 a lot of vigorous usage of a class that often falls under the weapon triangle as well as using other classes to keep his Spd up-to-par. Offensively he shouldn't lack much, but I guess he could get a little screwed if you're not careful, though it should unlikely happen. At least his plus side is he is he isn't high-maitenance and at least has one rank pretty much set. Nabarl isn't a bad option for your team, but just beware of the need of some extra Spd growth that Myrmidion, his starting class at least, offers.

Overall Rating: 6.5/10

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I forgot Wrys, and I will merge him with Gordon's post. Here is Wrys (just scroll down a little).

I'm thinking of dropping Rena, Jeigan, and Julian down .5, but I'm pondering it. Maybe Julian can rise to a 6 instead because he's not all that bad.

Edited June 19, 2009 by Colonel M

[Colonel M]

Machis* / Matthis*

Class Options

Curate | Sniper

Well, you lose out on Str. A lot. In return, you obtian something Matthis desperately needs: Spd.

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: 5/10

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Marich* / Merric*

Class Options

Curate / Mage | Sage

Curate is awesome for power levels and building upon his Staff rank. If, however, you feel that you need someone that can destroy with Excalibur, Merric is your man to go to. He can alternate between the classes if needed, as he appreciates the slight boost in Mag growth that Mage offers him. By promotion, he should be all set.

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: 9/10

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Hardain* / Hardin*

Class Options

Cavalier

Stick to this class. Great weapon ranks, great base stats, and exceptional growths are the main reason to keep him here.

Paladin

Again, great weapon ranks complement his base stats. Only thing that this class might want is a DracoShield or a Seraph Robe.

DracoKnight

Dropping the Sword rank for an Axe rank seems pretty simple. Could use an Arms Scroll to get going on the Axe rank, but a nice class to use since his durability isn't too bad. Slight improvement on the Spd growth too, not that it mattered a whole lot.

Sniper

Not very surprising either. Again, fairly quick and good Str makes it a nice class to use if you need one of these.

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: 9/10

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Wolf* | Zagaro* / Sedgar*

Class Options

General

This, my friends, is one reason why these two are so broken. The other will simply be outlined in the Overview.

Hero

Only use this class if being a General is bad (6X, 9, 15, and 23 spring to mind). Otherwise, stick to the former.

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. 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.

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

Edited June 20, 2009 by Colonel M