Choosing the Best Class for Azura (Week One)

[Riku]

It's just as the title says! For the first week, we're going to start out simple and vote on the best class for our deuteragonist Azura.

I'm pretty sure many people are attached to the notion of keeping Azura as a Singer, but I'd suggest considering the other choices as well! Due to Azura's sheer number of potential partners, she does have an extensive list of possible classes.

The following spoiler tags will mostly contain information regarding Azura. As there's quite a bit of information, I wouldn't suggest reading all of it, but only looking through what you deem necessary. I'd advocate the use of Ctrl+F to target specific information. If you already know the necessary information, there's no need to go through it; this information is here simply for your convenience.

(Also, I'm only human. If there are any mistakes in the information, please tell me so that I may correct it.)

Without further ado: which is the best class for Azura?

[spoiler=Information Regarding the Marriage/Buddy Seals]I’m not actually going to go over the really general information, since I’m pretty sure most of you know about it already. But if you have no idea what these seals are, check out the items page or this post. Anyhow...

• Nishiki, Flannel, Azura, and Mozume provide access to their secondary class trees, as their starting class trees are unique to them (and in some cases, their children).

(The credit for the following bullet points go to Astrophys, who I copied the wording from, and the other SF members on the Marriage Seals post that clarified this issue.)

• If there is no class overlap between the characters, the simplest case scenario plays out: they both get each other’s primary class trees.

• If the characters share each other’s primary class trees, they get each other’s secondary class trees.

• If a spouse’s (or buddy’s) primary class tree is the same as the character’s secondary class tree, the character does not receive any class tree.

• There are certain exceptions to the last rule, but they mainly concern the Avatar.

If you’re still confused, let me use Hinoka as an example to try and clarify matters!

• Let’s say Hinoka marries Nishiki. Nishiki’s secondary class tree is Spellcaster, so Hinoka would receive the Spellcaster class tree.

• Let’s say Hinoka marries Subaki. Both of these characters’ primary class tree is Pegasus Warrior. Thus, Hinoka would receive Subaki’s secondary class tree-- Samurai. (The vice versa would apply, in which Subaki would receive the Lance Fighter class tree.)

• Let’s say Azura marries Subaki. Azura’s secondary class tree is Pegasus Warrior, and Subaki’s primary class tree is Pegasus Warrior. Although Subaki also has the Samurai class tree, Azura does not receive this; she receives no new class trees from Subaki.

If you have any questions, I would prefer that you either PM me or create a reply on the original post, as I don’t want to clog up a character post with general questions. The Marriage Seals post did a pretty good job of explaining the complexities, so feel free to check out that thread if you’re still confused.

[spoiler=Rules/Notices + Clarifications]I don’t like rules, so I’ll simply have two for now:

• Please be respectful! This is a huge given, but I still see people break it all the time. Don’t be arrogant-- your opinion is important, but hardly the end-all-- and please don’t be a troll.

• I don’t want these polls to be only for people who have played the game. Therefore, please be careful with spoilers. As we’re discussing classes, I’m assuming most people are fine with gameplay spoilers. However, this does not mean that people are fine with story spoilers, so if you must bring them up, make sure to tag them as spoilers.

• On a side note, don’t leave story spoilers under the spoiler tag without any explanation. Many people may assume you just tagged it because it was a long post, or because it was a gameplay related spoiler. Clarify what exactly you’re tagging-- it doesn’t take that many words.

• If you’re confused as to what this post is all about, refer to the original post.

• Just to clarify: we are discussing the end class for Azura. You are free to consider reclassing options along the way (just make sure to factor in the cost of reclassing for the Practicality polls), but your vote should be based on your predicted end class.

• We’re ignoring DLC classes; those are OP on any character.

• We’re also ignoring any class options the Avatar may give to Azura. It introduces too many new variables.

• There will not be Practicality polls for the Third Route. This is simply because there is no space for it; while there may be an extra poll for Azura, when we get to two characters, we won’t have that luxury. Nevertheless, I’d more than welcome discussions regarding the Third Path; just make sure to keep certain details under the spoiler tag.

• I limited the Optimization/Practicality poll options to the promoted classes (and Singer). I figured that in order to use Azura efficiently, she should be at a promoted class than at a base class. She has a total of 35 classes, and it seems a bit crazy to list all of them four times.

[spoiler=Possible Classes]

• Classes in red are ones Azura can only achieve through the Hoshido campaign.

• Classes in black are ones Azura can only achieve through the Nohr campaign.

• Classes in blue are ones Azura can achieve in either campaign (or in the Third Path).

Base Classes

• Bowman

• Cavalier

• Dark Mage

• Fighter

• Knight

• Mercenary

• Outlaw

• Ninja

• Pegasus Warrior

• Priestess

• Rod Knight

• Samurai

• Singer*

• Spellcaster

*Singer isn’t exactly a Base Class, but I felt that it fit this category better. This was more for my own classification than anything else, so you don’t have to agree with me; feel free to refer to it as a Promoted Class.

Promoted Classes

• Adventurer

• Basara

• Berserker

• Bow Knight

• Brave Hero

• Dark Knight

• Elite Ninja

• Exorcist

• Falcon Warrior

• General

• Golden-Kite Warrior

• Great Knight

• Holy Bowman

• Maid

• Paladin

• Puppeteer

• Sorcerer

• Strategist

• Trueblade

• War Priestess

• Weapon Master

[spoiler=Expansion of Possible Classes]Primary Base Class: Singer

Secondary Base Class: Pegasus Warrior

Secondary Promoted Classes: Falcon Warrior, Golden-Kite Warrior

Marriage Seal Classes: These are organized alphabetically based on the characters. I listed the Hoshido characters first, the Nohr characters second, and the shared characters last. (If new localized names are released, I will edit the order accordingly.)

• Asama: Priestess -> Exorcist, War Priestess

• Hinata: Samurai -> Trueblade, Weapon Master

• Nishiki: Spellcaster -> Basara, Exorcist

• Ryoma: Samurai -> Trueblade, Weapon Master

• Saizou: Ninja -> Elite Ninja, Puppeteer

• Subaki: n/a

• Takumi: Bowman -> Golden-Kite Warrior, Holy Bowman

• Tsukuyomi: Spellcaster -> Basara, Exorcist

• Arthur: Fighter -> Berserker, Brave Hero

• Benoit: Knight -> General, Great Knight

• Flannel: Fighter -> Berserker, Brave Hero

• Lazward: Mercenary -> Bow Knight, Brave Hero

• Leo: Dark Mage -> Dark Knight, Sorcerer

• Odin: Dark Mage -> Dark Knight, Sorcerer

• Xander: Cavalier -> Great Knight, Paladin

• Zero: Outlaw -> Adventurer, Bow Knight

• Jakob: Rod Knight -> Maid, Strategist

• Kaze: Ninja -> Elite Ninja, Puppeteer

• Silas: Cavalier -> Great Knight, Paladin

Buddy Seal Classes: These are organized alphabetically based on the characters. I listed the Hoshido characters first, and the Nohr characters second. (If new localized names are released, I will edit the order accordingly.)

• Hinoka: n/a

• Sakura: Priestess -> Exorcist, War Priestess

• Elise: Rod Knight -> Maid, Strategist

[spoiler=Basic Information (inc. Profile, Recruitment Conditions, Base Stats)]Profile

Azura is a princess of Nohr who was raised by the Hoshidans. Similarly to the Avatar’s plight, she was also taken from Nohr at an early age. Although she can get slightly emotional, she is kindhearted and knowledgable. During battles, she sings to help allies. She was born on March 3rd, and has the worst bed hair.

Recruitment Conditions

• On the Hoshido campaign, Azura joins in Chapter 6.

• On the Nohr campaign, Azura joins in Chapter 9.

• On the Third Path, Azura joins in Chapter 6.

Base Stats

As you can see, this is simply from the base stats page.

[spoiler=Maximum Stats]As I figured you only need this data for Optimization/Practicality polls, I only calculated the values for the promoted classes. The blue boxes represent the highest stat, while the red boxes indicate the lowest. For classes that had more than one highest/lowest stat (e.g. Golden-Kite Warrior with 34-34-34), I didn’t color the boxes.

Azura adds +1 Skl, +3 Spd, and -3 Def to the class Maximum Stats.

(Apologies for the split attachments! I was afraid the text would be difficult to decipher had it been kept as one. The attachments are best viewed at 100% Zoom.)

[spoiler=Growth Rates]

As you can see, this is simply from the growth rates page.

As I figured you only need this data for Optimization/Practicality polls, I only calculated the values for the promoted classes. The blue boxes represent the highest GR, while the red boxes indicate the lowest. For classes that had more than one highest/lowest GR (e.g. Basara with 70-70, Paladin with 25-25), I didn’t color the boxes.

(Apologies for the split attachments! I was afraid the text would be difficult to decipher had it been kept as one. The attachments are best viewed at 100% Zoom.)

[spoiler=Possible Skills](Credit goes to the SF staff, as all of this was taken from the main website.)

Personal Skill: Healing Voice: Allies within a 2-tile radius recover 10% HP at the start of the user’s turn

Skills are organized alphabetically based on the classes. Within the classes, skills are listed in the order of achievement (e.g. a GK earns Luna at Lvl. 5 and Diamond Strike at Lvl. 15, so Luna is listed before Diamond Strike).

Base class skills are listed before promoted class skills. Descriptions of skills Azura can acquire through her primary and secondary classes are listed below.

Description of all the skills are located on the skills pages.

• Skills in red are ones Azura can only achieve through the Hoshido campaign.

• Skills in black are ones Azura can only achieve through the Nohr campaign.

• Skills in blue are ones Azura can achieve in either campaign (or in the Third Path).

Base Class Skills

• Bowman: Skill +2, Prescient Victory

• Cavalier: Open Assault, Rescue

• Dark Mage: Bind, Devilish Wind

• Fighter: HP +5, Roundhouse

• Knight: Defence +2, Confined Defence

• Mercenary: Stubbornness, Patient Assurance

• Outlaw: Locktouch, Movement +1

• Ninja: Locktouch, Snake Venom

• Pegasus Warrior: Swallow Strike, Eastern Heart

• Priestess: Miracle, Rally Luck

• Rod Knight: Resistance +2, Demoiselle

• Samurai: Flowing Strike, Vantage

• Singer: Luck +4, Special Song, Voice of Peace, Foreign Princess

• Spellcaster: Magic +2, Fortune

Promoted Class Skills

• Adventurer: Lucky Seven, Pass

• Basara: Breaking Sky, Flamboyant

• Berserker: Rally Strength, Axefaire

• Bow Knight: Rally Skill, Kunaibreaker

• Brave Hero: Sol, Axebreaker

• Dark Knight: Magic Seal, Lifetaker

• Elite Ninja: Lethality, Kunaifaire

• Exorcist: Rally Magic, Tomefaire

• Falcon Warrior: Rally Speed, Mirror Strike

• General: Defensive Formation, Pavise

• Golden-Kite Warrior: Soar, Sun God

• Great Knight: Luna, Diamond Strike

• Holy Bowman: Raven Strike, Bowfaire

• Maid: Servant’s Joy, Tomebreaker

• Paladin: Defender, Aegis

• Puppeteer: Puppet Break, Copycat Puppet*

• Sorcerer: Vengeance, Bowbreaker

• Strategist: Rally Resistance, Battle Command

• Trueblade: Astra, Swordfaire

• War Priestess: Magic Counter, Renewal

• Weapon Master: Strength Seal, Line of Death

*I just wanted to point this skill out, as many people seem to consider it exceptional.

Luck +4: Luck +4

Special Song: Skill, Speed, and Luck +3 for one turn for the unit who receives the user's song

Voice of Peace: Enemies within a 2-tile radius deal 2 less damage

Foreign Princess: Foreign Army enemies within a 2-tile radius deal 2 less damage and receive 2 extra damage

Swallow Strike: When user triggers the battle, double attack threshold +5

Eastern Heart: The user recovers 10% HP at the start of the user’s turn if there are allies within a 2-tile radius

Rally Speed: Speed +4 to all allies within a 2-tile radius for one turn when the Rally command is used

Mirror Strike: When user triggers the battle, magical damage received -20

Soar: Hit Rate and Avoid +30 when facing flying enemies

Sun God: Allies within a 2-tile radius recover 20% HP at the start of the user’s turn

[spoiler=Summary]

To be honest, there isn’t much to conclude, as most of the forum agreed that Azura’s best class was a Singer in all three types of polls. Nevertheless, here are the results:

Optimal Class

1. Singer (66.67%)

2. Unknown (15.56%)

3. Golden-Kite Warrior (4.44%)

Most Practical Class (Hoshido)

1. Singer (80.00%)

2. Falcon Warrior (6.67%)

3. Unavailable (4.44%)

Most Practical Class (Nohr)

1. Singer (82.22%)

2. Falcon Warrior (4.44%)

The third place was a tie among multiple classes, but that was only because it took only one vote for the position.

Preferred Class

1. Singer (80.00%)

2. Unavailable (6.67%)

The third place was a tie among multiple classes, but that was only because it took only one vote for the position.

Upcoming Character

1. Silas (26.67%)

2. Felicia (13.33%)

3. Ryoma (8.89%)

(The choice “I don’t really care.” was not taken into consideration, as it simply indicates that people are fine with whichever character.)

With this, the next character we are going to be discussing will be Silas! I haven’t really seen much discussion involving Silas (or my lurking skills could have failed me), so I’m actually a bit curious on what the forum will say.

Characters that did not get a single vote on the optional poll will not be included in the roster for next week’s optional poll. In this scenario, that would be Takumi and Jakob. (Huh, I thought they were fairly popular characters.) However, characters that placed second or third will “receive” extra votes (three and one respectively). So next week, if Ryoma places first but Felicia places behind in second by only one vote, Felicia will be voted on the following week instead of Ryoma.

Forum Discussion

• Basara Azura

  • Azura has high stats in this class. (Granted, Basara has high stats in general.)

  • Early access to Spellcaster’s Fortune would help Azura rapidly level up and surpass other units.

    Azura doesn’t have the highest Lck growth (40%), but this still grants her a ⅖ chance of gaining double experience.

  • Azura can only achieve the Spellcaster tree from Nishiki or Tsukuyomi, so she’ll have to forgo the skill Copycat Puppet if she chooses this class.

• Falcon Warrior Azura

  • Azura has a fairly high Mag growth that allows for staffwork.

  • Azura’s biggest asset is Spd, and Falcon Warrior is the best way to capitalize on it.

  • If Azura marries a Ninja and gets Copycat Puppet, she’d be doubling most enemies twice.

• Singer Azura

  • Singer is unique to Azura, and should thus be delegated to her. Singing is an invaluable tool.

  • Azura can grab a variety of support skills, which helps her be an efficient support unit.

  • Azura can get “free” EXP through singing. This is valuable in the Nohr campaign where EXP is limited.

  • A drawback to this class is its low HP cap and a meager weapon rank cap of C in Lances.

  • Copycat Puppet is not as valuable a skill for Singer Azura, for puppets cannot sing.

  • The value of singing can vary among different players. Singing may be useful only during early to mid game for some players, while others may find it invaluable throughout the whole game.

• War Priestess Azura

  • Azura has a fairly high Mag growth that allows for staffwork.

  • Azura’s high growths in Str, Skl, and Spd carry her through, and War Priestess gives her added Lck.

  • War Priestess adds onto HP and Res growth, which makes her a brutal mage counter. The weapon, yumi, allows her to keep her distance from melee attacks.

• Azura has very low Def (and HP) but high Spd/Skl, so she should rely on dodging rather than tanking. Her RES (growth of 35%), however, is decent, so she can face mages.

  • However, she does not seem like a solid magic tank.

  • Given her vulnerability, it may be a risky move for her to use Copycat Puppet.

• Although the rules state that DLC classes should not be taken into consideration, I found it interesting that someone brought up the possibility of warping Azura right next to a unit and singing.

Builds/Routes

Builds are more or less copied and pasted from their creators, although I did take a bit liberty with changing the format. The credit obviously goes to them, and while it’s easy enough to scroll down the page to find them, I thought it might be a bit more convenient to have them here with the rest of the information. If you have a problem with me using your builds, just send me a PM or leave a response of this post.

[spoiler=Singer Azura (Hoshido)]

Singer Azura (Hoshido) <Credit goes to Sire.>

Marriage Seal: Jakob

Buddy Seal: Any

Class: Singer

Main Weapon 1: Guard Naginata (grants +5 Def and Res)

Skills:

*Healing Voice*

Allies within a 2-tile radius recover 10% HP at the start of the user’s turn

Special Song (Singer, Azura Base)

Skill, Speed, and Luck +3 for one turn for the unit who receives the user’s song

Demoiselle (Rod Knight, Elise Buddy Seal)

Male allies within a 2-tile radius receive 2 less damage during battles

Battle Command (Strategist, Elise Buddy Seal)

Allies within a 2-tile radius deal 2 extra damage and receive 2 less damage during battles

Sun God (Golden-Kite Warrior, Azura Reclass)

Allies within a 2-tile radius recover 20% HP at the start of the user’s turn

Optional Skill

Throw a skill of your choice here!

Optional Skills:

Voice of Peace (Singer, Azura Base)

Enemies within a 2-tile radius deal 2 less damage

• A/N: Azura should be playing a support role, and while she should be near the front lines, she should not be exposed to danger. However, given the somewhat poor synergy available for the Singer class and its skills, Voice of Peace can be used to give Azura a small Defence and Resistance boost. The benefit to her allies is just the icing on the cake.

Foreign Princess (Singer, Azura Base)

Foreign Army enemies within a 2-tile radius deal 2 less damage and receive 2 extra damage

• A/N: Swap this one in if you happen to be facing Foreign Army enemies. Otherwise, have something else.

Soar (Golden-Kite Warrior, Azura Reclass)

Hit Rate and Avoid +30 when facing flying enemies

• A/N: This is an optional skill to take advantage of the Avoid +30 for survivability. Even if Azura is properly protected, she still may be exposed to fliers, and this ability helps keep Azura alive.

Reasoning

I am giving Azura a defensive weapon as she is not meant to be a front line attacker; instead, I am electing to let her sing and allow her allies do the work.

As for skills, as Azura is aiming to remain as a Singer, it can be rather obvious to keep the Special Song skill which improves her singing ability. For the rest, I focused on auras so that Azura can continue to support her allies. I also focused on skills that would help Azura survive easier, given her low HP cap and penalties to Def.

[spoiler=Singer Azura (Nohr)]

Singer Azura (Nohr) <Credit goes to Sire.>

Marriage Seal: Any

Buddy Seal: Elise

Class: Singer

Main Weapon 1: Guard Naginata (grants +5 Def and Res) [if possible to obtain on Nohr]

Main Weapon 2: Magic Seal Lance (has an abysmal Mt, but grants +8 Res)

Skills:

*Healing Voice*

Allies within a 2-tile radius recover 10% HP at the start of the user’s turn

Special Song (Singer, Azura Base)

Skill, Speed, and Luck +3 for one turn for the unit who receives the user’s song

Demoiselle (Rod Knight, Elise Buddy Seal)

Male allies within a 2-tile radius receive 2 less damage during battles

Battle Command (Strategist, Elise Buddy Seal)

Allies within a 2-tile radius deal 2 extra damage and receive 2 less damage during battles

Sun God (Golden-Kite Warrior, Azura Reclass)

Allies within a 2-tile radius recover 20% HP at the start of the user’s turn

Optional Skill

Throw a skill of your choice here!

Optional Skills:

Voice of Peace (Singer, Azura Base)

Enemies within a 2-tile radius deal 2 less damage

• A/N: Azura should be playing a support role, and while she should be near the front lines, she should not be exposed to danger. However, given the somewhat poor synergy available for the Singer class and its skills, Voice of Peace can be used to give Azura a small Defence and Resistance boost. The benefit to her allies is just the icing on the cake.

Foreign Princess (Singer, Azura Base)

Foreign Army enemies within a 2-tile radius deal 2 less damage and receive 2 extra damage

• A/N: Swap this one in if you happen to be facing Foreign Army enemies. Otherwise, have something else.

Soar (Golden-Kite Warrior, Azura Reclass)

Hit Rate and Avoid +30 when facing flying enemies

• A/N: This is an optional skill to take advantage of the Avoid +30 for survivability. Even if Azura is properly protected, she still may be exposed to fliers, and this ability helps keep Azura alive.

Reasoning

I am giving Azura a defensive weapon as she is not meant to be a front line attacker; instead, I am electing to let her sing and allow her allies do the work.

As for skills, as Azura is aiming to remain as a Singer, it can be rather obvious to keep the Special Song skill which improves her singing ability. For the rest, I focused on auras so that Azura can continue to support her allies. I also focused on skills that would help Azura survive easier, given her low HP cap and penalties to Def.

[spoiler=Brave Hero Azura (Nohr)]

Brave Hero Azura (Nohr) <Credit goes to Sire.>

Marriage Seal: Lazward

Buddy Seal: Elise

Class: Hero

Main Weapon: Varies

Skills:

*Healing Voice*

Allies within a 2-tile radius recover 10% HP at the start of the user’s turn

Sol (Hero, Lazward Marriage Seal)

Skill% chance of restoring half the damage deal to the enemy

Voice of Peace (Singer, Azura Base)

Enemies within a 2-tile radius deal 2 less damage

Battle Command (Strategist, Elise Buddy Seal)

Allies within a 2-tile radius deal 2 extra damage and receive 2 less damage during battles

Sun God (Golden-Kite Warrior, Azura Reclass)

Allies within a 2-tile radius recover 20% HP at the start of the user’s turn

Optional Skill

Throw a skill of your choice here!

Optional Skills:

Demoiselle (Rod Knight, Elise Buddy Seal)

Male allies within a 2-tile radius receive 2 less damage during battles

• A/N: If you happen to be fielding a lot of male frontline units, then Demoiselle can be a good choice to use to increase their defenses.

Foreign Princess (Singer, Azura Base)

Foreign Army enemies within a 2-tile radius deal 2 less damage and receive 2 extra damage

• A/N: Swap this one in if you happen to be facing Foreign Army enemies. Otherwise, have something else.

Axebreaker or Kunaibreaker (Hero or Bow Knight, Lazward Marriage Seal)

Hit Rate and Avoid +50 when the enemy is equipped with an (Axe or Kunai)

• A/N: If you are a fan of -breaker skills, Azura can equip these two thanks to the marriage seal from Lazward. These skills can help Azura a little with offense and survivability. Personally, I would probably choose Kunaibreaker due to the weapons’ 1-2 range, and would have Azura wield a sword, which beats axes (and bows) but is weak to kunai (and lances).

Reasoning

Sharing many of the skills from my Nohr Singer build, this set allows Azura to be on the frontlines while supporting her allies more directly with auras and DPS instead of singing. Special Song is replaced with Sol for survivability (and she will not be singing as a Hero anyway). Battle Command and Sun God return to serve as auras, and now since Azura is a frontline unit, Voice of Peace is also a good additiona to her skillset over Demoiselle.

This build requires a lot more investment than the previous one due to the scattered skillsets, and the effort to transform Azura into a frontline fighter instead of a support unit. However, it’s probably still a fun build to use when messing around during “postgame.”

[spoiler=Falcon Warrior Azura (Either)]

Falcon Warrior Azura (Either) <Credit goes to Tamarsamar>

Marriage Seal: Kaze (Either)/Saizou (Hoshido)

Class: Falcon Warrior

Singer 25 -> Elite Ninja 13 (Lethality, Ninja base skills) -> Puppeteer 15 (Copycat Puppet) -> Golden-Kite Warrior 19 -> Falcon Warrior

Edited July 18, 2015 by Riku

[Luninareph]

I definitely do support Singer!Azura most of all, purely because she is the only person who can become a Singer, and if we were considering reclassing via Kamui then Great Merchant would be a shoo-in for the 20% HP, 15% LUC, and 10% DEF. However, if for the sake of argument you really want to put her in a class that isn't Singer and Kamui isn't being considered (as per these rules,) I think Azura does quite well as a War Priestess. She has 25% MAG growth, which is quite high comparatively - definitely high enough for some fancy staffwork, with the War Priestess' +10% - and Azura has such high growths in STR, SKL, and SPD that she doesn't need a whole lot of help there. On the other hand, her LUC falls a bit behind those others, so War Priestess' +15% LUC is appreciated. War Priestess doesn't give her any DEF, which is bad, but it does give her 10% HP, which she NEEDS, and 20% RES, making her a brutal mage counter, especially with bows, which also give her some much-needed distance and protection from melee attacks. Granted, Hoshido already has a lot of staff-users and I tend to overload on them (overload, what overload, there's nothing wrong with having nine staff users in FE6,) so take my advice with a grain of salt. However, considering Azura's fragility relative to, say, Sakura's or Asama's, I'd rather stick her in the back with the healing and change them into more combat-oriented classes to compensate instead of leaving Azura charging in with that phenomenal 25% HP and 15% DEF.

[capmalachi]

I went with singer for everything. For any other class you might want there are other options to choose from, but Azura is the only character in the game who can sing so it makes sense to focus on that. She has access to a decent number of support skills like sun god and battle command too, so I think the best place for her is as a singer supporting your front line fighters.

Also, I noticed you pointed out in the skills section about how copycat puppet is a great skill, so I just wanted to add that Azura might be the only character I'd actively recommend against taking that skill on. I'm fairly sure that her puppet can't sing so all you'd be doing is adding a weak fighter who might get your singer killed because they share HP. Normally it's a great skill but Azura is something of a special case. You could use it to stack/spread out her support skills, but it's a risk that isn't really worth it.

well those are my 8:30 in the morning thoughts on the matter anyway

[Kyan Surr]

I think A+ with Hinoka would let Azura get the secondary class of her: Lancer, because they already share Pegassus Warrior! :)

[Tamarsamar]

Singer is absolutely her optimal class for early-to-mid-game, when your focus is still on training up the units you want to focus on. She effectively accelerates exp gain while still effectively gaining a steady amount on her own--not just for singing but also for being a potentially clutch support unit for Attack Stance, if you decide you don't want to neglect her combat training (which I wouldn't). I would definitely level her up to at least level 25 for access to the Voice of Peace skill (as well as to need one fewer Master Seal).

All that being said, though, this poll is measuring end classes, so as you might suspect Singer is not what I chose for that. Just looking at the stats, I have reason to believe that Basara is the best ending class in the game (never mind that early access to Spellcaster for Fortune is also pretty absurd for anybody), so I will basically be choosing that invariably for the "optimal" question. However, practically speaking, Copycat Puppet is indeed a real thing, so Avatar aside she is probably best marrying a Ninja and instead end up as the second-best ending class in the game: Falcon Warrior, something she awesomely has native access to. She'd essentially be flying around, doubling all the things . . . twice. Who would pass up something like that on their ending team? . . . apart from everybody who just voted "Singer" in every poll? To me, it's clear as day which is more valuable.

ADD:

I think A+ with Hinoka would let Azura get the secondary class of her: Lancer, because they already share Pegassus Warrior! :)

Peg Warrior is Azura's secondary class tree. Therefore she inherits nothing from buddying Hinoka.

Edited July 11, 2015 by Tamarsamar

[Sire]

Character – Azura

Disclaimer: I am working on purely theory and have no idea on how everything will actually play out as I have not played Fates or have sufficient knowledge of gameplay mechanics and its difficulty. These ideas are meant for end-game play with maxed out stats and skills. DLC classes are not taken into account for these builds.

For the most part, Azura’s class choice will mainly depend on the player’s judgement on how important the Dance skill is. That, and trying to stick with more “canon” or “character-like” classes, it can be somewhat difficult to find a different class for Azura to use.

The base class, Singer, can be argued to be easily outclassed by almost every other option. The main two drawbacks are the low HP (45 is the lowest HP cap), as well as a sad weapon rank cap of C in Lances. However, the class makes up in utility with the almighty Dance ability, so that command alone will practically make or break Azura’s class selection, especially considering that Azura is the only dancer available in Fates. In addition, with the weapons changes in Fates, Azura may not need a higher rank weapon, especially if she will mainly be regulated to dance duty.

Now, it is possible to turn Azura into a frontline support unit instead. When Azura reclasses into something a little more formidable, her personal skill will help the frontline fighters stay alive for longer. In addition, Azura’s access to various other auras can also be a boon, so she can hold her own and support her allies more directly with auras instead of dancing just behind the front lines.

Azura – Nohr Dancer Build

[spoiler=Detailed Information]Marriage Seal – Any

Buddy Seal – Elise

Class: Singer

Main Weapon 1: Guard Naginata (Grants +5 Def and Res) [if possible to obtain on Nohr]

Main Weapon 2: Magic Seal Lance (Abysmal Attack, but +8 Res)

Skills:

*Healing Voice*

- Allies within a 2 tile radius recover 10% HP at the start of the user’s Turn

Special Song (Singer – Azura Base)

- Skill, Speed and Luck +3 for one Turn for the unit who receives the user’s song

Demoiselle (Rod Knight – Elise Buddy Seal)

- Male allies within a 2 tile radius receive 2 less damage during battles

Battle Command (Strategist – Elise Buddy Seal)

- Allies within a 2 tile radius deal 2 extra damage and receive 2 less damage during battles.

Sun God (Golden Kite Warrior – Azura Reclass)

- Allies within a 2 tile radius recover 20% HP at the start of the user’s Turn

Optional Skill

- Throw a skill of your choice here!

Optional Skills:

Voice of Peace (Singer – Azura Base)

- Enemies within a 2 tile radius deal 2 less damage.

-- AN: Azura should be playing support and while near the front lines, and not exposed to danger. However, given somewhat poor synergy available for the Dancer Class and skills, Voice of Peace can be used to give Azura a small defense and resistance boost. The benefit to her allies is just the icing on the cake.

Foreign Princess (Singer – Azura Base)

-“Foreign Army” enemies within a 2 tile radius deal 2 less damage and receive 2 extra damage

-- AN: Swap this one in if you happen to be facing Foreign Army enemies, otherwise have something else.

Soar (Singer – Azura Base)

- Hit rate and Avoid +30 when facing Flying enemies

-- AN: An optional skill to take advantage of the Avoid +30 for survivability. If Azura is properly protected, she may still be exposed to fliers, and this ability helps to keep Azura alive.

Reasoning

I am giving Aqua a defensive weapon as she is not meant to be a front line attacker, instead electing to dance and let her allies do the work.

As for skills, as Azura is remaining to be the Singer class, it can be rather obvious to keep the Special Song skill which improves her singing ability. The rest I focused on auras so Azura can continue to support her allies as well as skills that will help Azura survive easier (especially considering Azura’s low HP cap and penalties to DEF).

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

Azura – Nohr Hero “The Paladin” Build

[spoiler=Detailed Information]Marriage Seal – Lazwad

Buddy Seal – Elise

Class: Hero

Main Weapon: Varies

Skills:

*Healing Voice*

- Allies within a 2 tile radius recover 10% HP at the start of the user’s Turn

Sol (Hero – Lazward Marriage Seal)

- Skill% chance of restoring half the damage dealt to the enemy

Voice of Peace (Singer – Azura Base)

- Enemies within a 2 tile radius deal 2 less damage

Battle Command (Strategist – Elise Buddy Seal)

- Allies within a 2 tile radius deal 2 extra damage and receive 2 less damage during battles.

Sun God (Golden Kite Warrior – Azura Reclass)

- Allies within a 2 tile radius recover 20% HP at the start of the user’s Turn

Optional Skill

- Throw a skill of your choice here!

Optional Skills:

Demoiselle (Rod Knight – Elise Buddy Seal)

- Male allies within a 2 tile radius receive 2 less damage during battles

-- AN: If you happen to be fielding a lot of male frontline units, then Demoiselle can be a good choice to use to increase their defenses.

Foreign Princess (Singer – Azura Base)

-“Foreign Army” enemies within a 2 tile radius deal 2 less damage and receive 2 extra damage

-- AN: Swap this one in if you happen to be facing Foreign Army enemies, otherwise have something else.

Axebreaker or Kunaibreaker (Hero or Bow Knight – Lazward Marriage Seal)

- Hit rate and Avoid +50 when the enemy is equipped with an (Axe or Kunai).

-- AN: If you are a fan of breaker skills, Azura can equip these two thanks to the marriage seal from Lazward. These skills can help Azura a little with offense and survivability. Personally, I would probably choose Kunaibreaker due to their 1-2 range and would probably have Azura wield a sword, which beats axes (and bows) but is weak to Kunai (and lances).

Reasoning

Sharing many of the skills from my Nohr Dancer (or Singer) build, this set allows Azura to be on the frontlines supporting her allies more directly with auras and DPS instead of singing. Special Song is replaced with Sol for survivability (and she will not be singing as a Hero anyway). Battle Command and Sun God return to serve as auras, and now since Azura is a frontline unit, Voice of Peace is also a good addition to her skillset over Demoiselle.

However, this build requires a lot more investment than the previous due to scattered skillsets and trying to transform Aqua into a frontline fighter instead of a support unit. However, it’s probably still a fun build to use when messing around in “postgame”.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

Azura – Hoshido Singer Build

[spoiler=Detailed information]

Marriage Seal – Jakob

Buddy Seal – Any

Class: Singer

Main Weapon 1: Guard Naginata (Grants +5 Def and Res)

Skills:

*Healing Voice*

- Allies within a 2 tile radius recover 10% HP at the start of the user’s Turn

Special Song (Singer – Azura Base)

- Skill, Speed and Luck +3 for one Turn for the unit who receives the user’s song

Demoiselle (Rod Knight – Jakob Marriage Seal)

- Male allies within a 2 tile radius receive 2 less damage during battles

Battle Command (Strategist – Jakob Marriage Seal)

- Allies within a 2 tile radius deal 2 extra damage and receive 2 less damage during battles.

Sun God (Golden Kite Warrior – Azura Reclass)

- Allies within a 2 tile radius recover 20% HP at the start of the user’s Turn

Optional Skill

- Throw a skill of your choice here!

Optional Skills:

Voice of Peace (Singer – Azura Base)

- Enemies within a 2 tile radius deal 2 less damage.

-- AN: Azura should be playing support and while near the front lines, and not exposed to danger. However, given somewhat poor synergy available for the Dancer Class and skills, Voice of Peace can be used to give Azura a small defense and resistance boost. The benefit to her allies is just the icing on the cake.

Foreign Princess (Singer – Azura Base)

-“Foreign Army” enemies within a 2 tile radius deal 2 less damage and receive 2 extra damage

-- AN: Swap this one in if you happen to be facing Foreign Army enemies, otherwise have something else.

Soar (Singer – Azura Base)

- Hit rate and Avoid +30 when facing Flying enemies

-- AN: An optional skill to take advantage of the Avoid +30 for survivability. If Azura is properly protected, she may still be exposed to fliers, and this ability helps to keep Azura alive.

Reasoning

This build is practically identical to the Nohr singer build, but instead of using a Buddy Seal on Elise, Azura marries Jakob and uses a Marriage Seal. The following information is a copy-paste from the counterpart’s build.

“I am giving Aqua a defensive weapon as she is not meant to be a front line attacker, instead electing to dance and let her allies do the work.

As for skills, as Azura is remaining to be the Singer class, it can be rather obvious to keep the Special Song skill which improves her singing ability. The rest I focused on auras so Azura can continue to support her allies as well as skills that will help Azura survive easier (especially considering Azura’s low HP cap and penalties to DEF).”

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

There are probably more builds for Azura (It seems Pupeteer is fairly popular for the Copycat Puppet skill, but the Pupeteer class does not really appeal to me), but I’ll let other users post their ideas and discussion regarding the heroine of Fates.

As for what is the best class for Azura, I have to go with the majority and say Singer for practically everything. Even at endgame, if one can overlook Azura’s low HP and Weapon Rank, her other stats are somewhat competitive with other Tier 2 promotions, leaning more toward the “agile support” instead of a frontline fighter.

Edited July 11, 2015 by Sire

[DRTJR]

For Hoshido you can go Hog Wild with the amount of gained EXP, but for Nohr you are limited in EXP so her value rises exponentially which makes her great at getting her "Free" EXP. So her best roll is support bar none.

[bugmaniacbob]

From the site:

"Warp - Select the “Warp” command to instantly move adjacent to an ally and perform another action"

If I'm interpreting this correctly and the Witch class works as advertised, I cannot see any possible reason to forgo the opportunity to use a Dancer that can also instantly warp to wherever the recipient is irrespective of their starting position. Opportunity costs being what they are, I don't see Azura having any other role of even vaguely comparative utility, especially as her base class sets are so restricted and arguably don't come with any decent offensive skills as-is.

Edited July 11, 2015 by bugmaniacbob

[Sire]

I updated my original post, but as for new builds, its just how to get the Nohr Singer working for Hoshido as well as a similar Hero build for Nohr.

As for what "endgame class" is "best" for Azura, I have to agree with the majority on Azura being a Singer. If one can accept her low HP and Weapon Rank, her other stats are somewhat competitive against other Tier 2 classes, and Azura being a Singer allows the precious ability for units to make another move.

[Riku]

Also, I noticed you pointed out in the skills section about how copycat puppet is a great skill, so I just wanted to add that Azura might be the only character I'd actively recommend against taking that skill on. I'm fairly sure that her puppet can't sing so all you'd be doing is adding a weak fighter who might get your singer killed because they share HP. Normally it's a great skill but Azura is something of a special case. You could use it to stack/spread out her support skills, but it's a risk that isn't really worth it.

Ah, I wasn't aware that puppets couldn't sing. The skill description says that the puppet has the same abilities as the user, so I thought commands such as singing or dancing fell under that category. I guess a puppet that can't sing isn't quite as valuable, although I'm inclined to believe that it can still be very useful. If you're worried about the puppet sapping out HP, maybe you can station the puppet near the utmost back of the troops to make sure that it doesn't get hurt? Admittedly, the puppet can't do too much from the very back, so maybe another character would be better off marrying a ninja in that scenario then, haha.

Singer is absolutely her optimal class for early-to-mid-game, when your focus is still on training up the units you want to focus on. She effectively accelerates exp gain while still effectively gaining a steady amount on her own--not just for singing but also for being a potentially clutch support unit for Attack Stance, if you decide you don't want to neglect her combat training (which I wouldn't). I would definitely level her up to at least level 25 for access to the Voice of Peace skill (as well as to need one fewer Master Seal).

This is personally my own stance on singers as well, which is why I considered other classes for Azura. In Awakening, I used Olivia's dancing nearly every turn, but as the story went on, I found that the units didn't need that extra turn anymore. The only time I really needed dancing after mid-game was for Apotheosis.

Of course, Fates is clearly different from Awakening (especially since the latter had accessible Galeforce), so I can't fully comment on the utility of singers. I do find it interesting that the forum seems to slightly believe that Azura is more valuable as a singer in the Nohr campaign than in the Hoshido campaign. Do you guys find that utility units are more useful on harder difficulties?

I updated my original post, but as for new builds, its just how to get the Nohr Singer working for Hoshido as well as a similar Hero build for Nohr.

As for what "endgame class" is "best" for Azura, I have to agree with the majority on Azura being a Singer. If one can accept her low HP and Weapon Rank, her other stats are somewhat competitive against other Tier 2 classes, and Azura being a Singer allows the precious ability for units to make another move.

Wow, I really like your builds! To be honest, I didn't even consider Brave Hero as an option for Azura, as I thought she was much too fragile for that. On a separate note, what do you mean by saying that "her other stats are somewhat competitive against other Tier 2 classes"?

Edited July 11, 2015 by Riku

[Sire]

@ Riku

[spoiler=Condensed Max Stat Chart - With Totals, No Modifiers]

Name HP Str Mag Skl Spd Lck Def Res Total (No HP)

Singer 45 28 27 31 31 35 27 28 207

Falcon Warrior 55 28 27 30 34 35 27 35 216

Golden-kite Warrior 50 27 26 33 31 34 25 31 207

-Brave Hero 60 32 25 35 32 31 30 27 212

--Dark Blood 60 32 31 28 32 27 29 32 211

--White Blood 60 34 28 29 30 33 31 28 213

When I mean "her other stats are somewhat competitive against other Tier 2 classes", when...

1: One ignores HP and Weapon Rank

2: Takes in account the Singer's ability to allow allies to "move again"

3: Focuses mainly on Azura's default reclass options (Falcon Warrior and Golden-Kite Warrior)

If one looks at pure stats (including HP) and weapon ranks, Azura as a Singer is not as powerful as her alternatives (especially compared to Falcon Warrior). The player will have to assign a value on the Singer's ability to make allies have another turn and determine if having access to that is worth sacrificing Weapon Rank and HP.

Personally, I would prefer if Azura can be somewhere near the action to take advantage of her Personal Skill, Healing Voice (Allies within a 2 tile radius recover 10% HP at the start of the user’s Turn). Regarding Azura's max stat modifiers, while Azura does suffer from -3 DEF, she gains +3 SPD and +1 SKL, so Azura will have to rely on dodging instead of tanking physical hits (Alternatively, just send Azura to handle magic-based foes instead). Reclassing Azura will, almost every time, increase her survivability and also help her with offense at the cost of losing the "Sing" ability.

Basically, at endgame, it all boils down to the value of granting allies an additional turn. If the player values this ability, they would want to keep Azura as a Singer. However, if moving again is not worth as much to that player, then reclassing Azura to something else (or fielding a different unit entirely) is the better option. Regarding normal campaign play, it's almost a no brainer to keep Azura as a Singer. The player has other characters that can fulfill a variety of roles, but only Azura can sing.

Again, though, this is all just theorycraft and may actually be different in terms of actual implementation and gameplay. My ideas are for endgame / postgame content and may not actually be viable for non-grinding campaign playthroughs.

[Tamarsamar]

There are probably more builds for Azura (It seems Pupeteer is fairly popular for the Copycat Puppet skill, but the Pupeteer class does not really appeal to me), but I’ll let other users post their ideas and discussion regarding the heroine of Fates.

CCP can (and should!) be used outside the Puppeteer class. The way I see it, if you're willing to spare the extra Parallel Seal, she could reclass to Elite Ninja at Singer 25 (to get the Ninja base skills out of the way, snag Lethality, and skill up Kunai), Puppeteer at Elite Ninja 13, and finish as Falcon Warrior at Puppeteer 15. (Alternate route: Singer 25 -> Puppeteer 15 -> Golden-kite Warrior 19 -> Falcon Warrior. Skill-hogging route: Singer 25 -> Elite Ninja 13 -> Puppeteer 15 -> Golden-kite Warrior 19 -> Falcon Warrior.)

Much like you I can only theorycraft for the time being, but outside of extreme situations maybe (like Apotheosis), being able to take two productive actions of your own will usually outclass giving your one action to another unit. Much like Olivia is at her personal best as a Falcon Knight with Galeforce, Azura will be at her own best as a Falcon Warrior with Copycat Puppet.

[Riku]

I know this thread died a while ago, but I just wanted to say that I've posted the Summary, and that the next polls will be posted tomorrow.

If you already participated in the discussion, I wouldn't really recommend reading the Summary, as you won't find new information besides small bits of input from me.

Thanks to everyone who participated in the polls and in the discussion! You're free to continue voting/discussing if you want, but this wraps up Week One.

[Luninareph]

Nice summary! Looking forward to the Silas poll :)

[Argyll]

Azura is tough for classing. She needs Oni Savage (from Corrin for example) to compensate for her poor HP and Defense growth. Once level capped, Oni Chieftain is barely a viable class for Azura with still meagre bulk. Having to use Tomes/Scrolls at B-rank proficiency wastes Azura's impressive Strength. She needs a class that offers a natural ranged physical weapon.

Between the two physical range weapon, bow and hidden, a bow is best for utilizing her impressive 3S growth. Therefore Sniper can make a lot of sense. It is probably the best final class for Azura. Mechanist can be an ok compromise.

But the dilemma is still that she can only obtain either Oni Savage or anything else really through Marriage. Maybe one can make do with her poor bulk from Archer/Sniper growth. I am not sure.