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Consensus on best weapon/equipment choices?


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I've been looking through the forging upgrades for weapons in preparation for post-game content and it seems as though it would be better to know about which things are more worth getting ahead of time, since gold/skills take a while to farm/grind. Of course it's best to go for variety, but what are the "must-haves" for this game for various types of units? Also, I personally went with rings and shields instead of weapons for healers and armored units, does that seem like a good strat, or maybe just confirmation bias?

I made a small list of (imo) some of the best choices. I don't think I'm missing anything, though I haven't done as much research as others have, probably.
[Spoiler: Weapon names listed below]

Spoiler

 

Swords: Astra, Mercurius, Ilwoon.

Lances: Gradivus, Sol, Duma’s Lance, Emperor Lance, Kriemhild, Rhomphaia.

Bows: Luna, Parthia, Mila’s Bow, Killer Bow.

Shields: Dracoshield, Hexlock Shield, Duma’s Shield, Sage’s Shield.

Rings: Animus Ring, Keepsake Ring.

 

 

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The Zweihandler is a much better choice than the Ilwoon, if you ask me. Good Might, reasonable Weight, natural crit, decent Hit, and access to two really good Arts: Sunder and Tigerstance. The Mercurius is pretty much 100% worse than the Zweihandler, since it only gives 5 HP regen and no Arts or natural crit.

How do you even get the Kriemhild? I thought it's enemy only?

For Bows, Killer Bow and Parthia are all you really need. Parthia for safe chipping, Killer Bow for the OP Hunter Volley.

I'm pretty sure the Animus Ring is also not obtainable. The Mage Ring and Speed Rings are quite good, though. Keepsake Ring is really just a slightly better Coral Ring, since Skl isn't that useful for magic users, and Luck is... Well, Luck.

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Astra, Luna and Sol are post-game, and late post-game at that. To the point where they're only useful for making the optional boss easier on consecutive fights and for messing around.

Mercurius is great and all, but using up 8 Gold Marks (iirc) in order to forge a Blessed Sword (Which is an absolutely great weapon for Celica's path) into one is pretty much only achievable with DLC in normal circumstances, or unless you're specifically going for it. Gradivus is very good, but still has the same problem as Mercurius in being very tough to forge. Getting a free one is great for the final battle and Thabes though, and it's probably the best of the Akaneian Regalia in SoV. The Parthia is the same as the Mercurius really, but it does have a pretty cool skill at least.

The Ilwoon has great might, but it's weight and low hit makes the Brave Sword a much better weapon than it. It also lacks any notable skills besides Death Blow (Which the Steel Lance has a better version of and magic does a better job for). The Zweihänder has the amazing Tigerstance skill, and is about the same cost to forge.

Duma's Lance is great, the Emperor's Lance is DLC only but is very good, Kriemhild is enemy only, and the Rhomphaia is literally the worst thing ever, since it means giving up the valuable single Ridersbane (outside of DLC), which Alm's side really wants to have.

Mila's Bow is Amiibo only (iirc) and meh from what I've used of it, but the Killer Bow is great. Hunter's Volley ORKOs most enemies with at least 1 crit.

Dracoshield is tough to obtain without some serious dedication, but it is possible to get. Very good if time is put into getting one.

Hexlock Shield is great, Duma's Shield is Amiibo only (iirc), but it's good (high weight though), and Sage's Shield is mid Post-game, although it's pretty good too.

Animus Ring is enemy only, and Keepsake ring is late-game, and doesn't really provide much.

 

My list:

Swords: Royal Sword (Alm only, but it's the best thing he can ever use), Zweihänder, Brave Sword, Ladyblade (0 Weight and 20 mt when fully forged is great for Celica, plus a magic version of Double Lions)

Lances: Gradivus, Duma's Lance

Bows: Give everyone who can use one a Killer Bow

Shields: Dracoshield, Royal Shield (Low buff to both defenses, but also low weight), Sage's Shield (Better Royal shield with less availability and Pavise)

RIngs: Mage Ring, Speed Ring

Edited by Emerson
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The only evolution forges you really care about are The Zweihänder/Killer bow/Parthia (Postgame only and is exclusively for cheesing the final postend boss, unless you're using BK Kliff, then yeah Parthia is value).

The keepsake ring is 3 free gold marks.

The steel lance is legit better than the silver lance and is a useable postgame weapon if you're not about saccing the ridersbane/have 4 lance users.

You can just spam triangle attack on Jedah for a free dracoshield in the swamp.

Anyone who does not need a weapon to do damage prefers rings/shields unless it's maingame Ceilica who can on-the-fly swap to lady sword/blessed sword.

Edited by joshcja
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I consider the Zweihander to be superior the to Steel Sword, but Steel Lances and Steel Bows work pretty well if in mid-game and does not have access to the cool endgame equipment.

Here is my list, using maxed Forge stats, if applicable. Also, I'm not counting Alm and Celica's unique swords. (This is taking way longer than I originally anticipated...)

Swords
1. Astra (MT 10, Hit 100, Crit 50, WT 2 || Astral Blade) // AN: A superior Brave Sword in my opinion, with an awesome weapon art. Thing is, it is only available late into the postgame.
2. Ladyblade (Mt 10, Hit 95, Crit 10, WT 0 || Hexblade, Flamberge) // AN: Imagine Alm's Royal Sword catering to females and is more magic oriented. It is a shame it can only be used on the Priestess class [unless you really want to run Villager], so one has to choose between the Ladyblade or one of the Rings. That, and Priestesses are not really front-line fighters unless built for the role, or one does not want to use the Beloved Zofia for Celica.
3A. Zweihander (MT 13, Hit 85, Crit 15, WT 2 || Sunder, Penetrate, Tigerstance) // AN: Beats Brave Sword if focused on the player phase and using skills instead of doubling foes. Always use the Zweihander over a Steel Sword.
3B. Brave Sword (MT 9, Hit 90, Crit 40, WT 0 || Penetrate, Grounder) // AN: An excellent weapon is focused on the enemy phase and having enemies come to the player.
4. Rapier (Mt 6, Hit 100, Crit 15, WT 0 || Anti-Cavalry, Anti-Armor, Subdue, Shadow Gambit, Destreza) // AN: One of the best weapons if on Alm's route and when facing down hordes of Armors and Cavalry. Otherwise, while having nice skills, it pales compared to general weapons like the Brave Sword or Zweihander.
5. Silver Sword (Mt 12, Hit 100, Crit 5, WT 1 || Duelist Sword, Roundhouse) // AN: Can be used as a "budget Zweihander" that is also focused on increasing Avoid for skills. Also, Roundhouse is practically the "Luna" skill from the general FE games.

Shadow Sword - Fun for the novelty, but the low Hit rate and the chance to backfire makes it useless to me.
Mercurius - Fun for the novelty - its only saving grace is the fact it has Recovery. If the player is using healers (as they should be), then any other weapon is straight out superior to the Mercurius  due to better stats and combat arts.
Ilwoon - While better than the Shadow Sword and it has some Combat Arts, the low Hit Rate makes it an undesirable weapon.

Lances
1A. Sol (MT15, Hit 80, Crit 0, WT 4 || Solar Thrust) // AN: Another late post-game weapon, it's main appeal is the high burst damage one can obtain when utilizing Solar Thrust. Other than that though, save for the high MT, I would prefer using other weapons.
1B. Gradivus (MT 13, Hit 110, Crit 5, Wt 4 || Recovery, 1-2 Range) // AN: A fun weapon to use since it has ranged capability, but since Echoes has plenty of enemies that have more than 2 range, it's usefulness is somewhat lessened. Still, it is a fairly solid weapon if one does not mind sacrificing combat arts. Remember that you can get a free Gradivus in the final dungeon!
2A. Steel Lance (MT 11, Hit 90, Critical 10, WT 1 || Armorcrush, Tempest Lance) // AN: A solid mid-game weapon in handling Armors as well as high value targets due to the Tempest Lance. Steel Lances merely lose 1 MT and 10 HIT compared to a forged Silver Lance, but have much better arts and +5 Crit.
2B. Rhomphaia (MT 11, Hit 90, Critical 20, WT 2 || Armorcrush, Knightkneeler, Dragonhaze) // AN: While not desirable in the main game since there is only one Ridersbane without DLC, Rhomphaia has more value in the late game since its users can take advantage of Dragonhaze, which is the SPD equivalent to the Zweihander's SKL art. Consider this weapon to be a better version of the Steel Lance, much how the Zweihander is better than the Steel Sword.
3A. Ridersbane (MT 9, Hit 85, Crit 20, WT 1 || Anti-Cavalry) // AN: One of the best weapons on Alm's route during the story due to the overwhelming presence of horse units. It does lose some of its luster outside of story mode though
3B. Blessed Lance (Mt 5, Hit 95, Crit 15, WT 0 || Anti-Terrors, Recovery) // AN: One of the best weapons on Celica's route during the story due to the overwhelming presence of Terror units. It is best paired up with a Falco Knight so one can take advantage of the Anti-Terror effectiveness alongside Banish. Unlike the Ridersbane, the Blessed Lance still has some usage post-game since Terrors are still common enough to warrant using the Blessed Lance.
4. Saunion (MT 10, Hit 80, Crit 5, WT 3 || Swap, Defensive, Archballista, Range 2-3) // AN: A fun little weapon to use for Lance Users who want to pretend they are Archers. Specifically, it is probably best used on Falco Knights due to their maneuverability. Aside from that, however, I find other weapons to be better suited for Lance users, and I rather use an Archer than a flier with Saunion.

Duma's Lance - Personally, I find little value in Duma's Lance and its Vengance-like combat art, but it can be a decent weapon when fully upgraded. I suppose it just depends if one likes having the weapon around.
Emperor's Lance - I don't have the DLC, so I can't really comment on this weapon. However, Lionine Poise sounds fun to use when placed on an Armor character.
Kriemhild - This is an Enemy Only weapon, not even obtainable by DLC. Makes sense considering how powerful it is, but it would have been fun to mess around with...

Bows
1A. Killer Bow (MT 9, Hit 90, Crit 30, WT 2 || Anti-Fliers, Hunter's Volley) // AN: This weapon will make Archers go places one will not believe. Hunter's Volley is extremely useful at all stages of the game, especially if the Archer can't normally double the target. Get one as soon as possible, you will not regret it!
1B. Parthia (MT 9, Hit 85, Crit 0, WT 4 || Anti-Fliers, Recovery, Trance Shot) // AN: Perhaps a subpar bow on the surface that has Recovery, but Parthia makes up for its shortcomings due to Trance Shot. What was once 5 Range now becomes 8, even if it is just a one-shot wonder. However, if one does not care for the extra range of Trance Shot, it is best to look elsewhere.
2. Luna (MT 10, Hit 85, Crit 0, WT 5 || Anti-Fliers, Lunar Flash) // AN: Lunar Flash will always hit and deal some extra damage, but besides that it has little value as a weapon. I personally rather be running a Killer Bow than the "postgame weapon" of Luna. Consider this to be a slightly better weapon to the Steel Bow.
3. Steel Bow (Mt 8, Hit 75, Crit 10, WT 3 || Anti-Fliers, Heavy Draw) // AN: A solid early to mid-game weapon where +8 MT is fairly significant. However, I recommend getting the Killer Bow as soon as possible as it absolutely annihilates its competition. Still, a Forged Steel Bow can go places, I used it on my characters before learning how great the Killer Bow is.

Radiant Bow - Just use a mage. Really, just use a mage.

Bonus
Speed Ring - Speed Ring Best Ring. The extra movement and SPD helps a lot, especially when put on Healers.
Mage Ring - The extra range the Mage Ring provides is a blessing from Mila. Now magic users can also pretend they are artillery! (Best used on Sages since they innately have a Hit buff to their Black Magic, but it helps on Priestesses too.)
Coral Ring - A good ring to use when not using the Speed or Mage Rings, especially when using your magic users to bait enemy Arcanists or Witches. You could just use the Hexlock Shield, but I find Recovery to be extremely useful on magic classes.
Animus Ring - Boss Only item, so don't expect to be using this!

Steel Shield - Do not underestimate the Steel Shield, especially when using Defensive. -10 Physical Damage is pretty good for a WT of 2!
Dracoshield - If you absolutely, positively, must have a wall, then use the Dracoshield. I find that being faster than enemies, dodge tanking, and killing foes is better than using a meatshield.

Edited by Sire
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The Ridersbane, the Levin Sword, and the Rapier are the legendary weapons of Alm's route. Like 77% of Alm's Route is cavalry or armors, which can be reaped like wheat with these weapons, and the rest of the enemies on Alm's side are some rando Arcanists and Witches which have piss for defense, anyway.

As for Celica's Route, Saber with his Prf weapon, the Brave Sword you pried from Deen's hands on your quest for Sonya's boobs, can deal with Cantors very nicely. I'd say that the weapon I've gotten the second most milage out of is the Javelin, it's just really useful all-around. Honorable mention to the Blessed Weapons, the only problem is that they become sorta obsolete once you get the Whitewings on terror patrol, but they are still nice to pick off stragglers and they have very little weight.

 

Oh, I forgot to mention the Mage Ring. Hooooooly shit, it is glorious when your best mage is suddenly an Archer.

Edited by Wayward Alchemist
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For maingame in Alm's route, the Rapier, Ridersbane, Royal Sword, Steel Lance, and Levin Sword stand out. With a +3 Ridersbane, 24 Atk, and 26 Spd, you can even ORKO one of the bulkiest, fastest endgame bosses which is no mean feat. Royal Sword fixes Alm's combat near-instantly once he learns Double Lion. Steel Lance offers an early source of armor effectiveness and even a single-hit burst option in Tempest Lance. Rapier is, as previously mentioned, an effective 18 Mt weapon throughout Alm's route at max forge, and my Gray took it up and remained a force to be reckoned with long after Levin fell off.

For Celica, all of the blessed weapons, including the blessed lance, shield, and bow from Alm's side, are incredibly useful especially in tandem with Falcon Knights and their innate banish. Her route is nearly all terrors so your units work with effectively tripled might, which makes ORKO'ing even the bulkier bonewalkers early on a simple errand. Other than that, only the Brave Sword really stands out for its moderate Mt and high crit rate, and Saber won't have any other reason to take another weapon once it's his.

 

In postgame, only the Zweihänder, Killer Bow, and Parthia really matter; lances besides Gradivus--which lacks a combat art--got shafted here for the lack of varied and effective options that don't completely tank your Spd which is disappointing. Parthia offers an absurd amount of range to work with, even for your infantry, while the Killer Bow is essentially a 10 Mt Royal Sword at max forge with an inflated crit rate that anyone with a bow can have access to. Lastly, the Zweihänder is easily the best sword assuming max stats, hands down, since adding as much as 40-41 extra damage on top of 49-51 Atk straight up OHKOs so many units in postgame, and frequently hits the damage cap of 120 on a critical. Having an easy delete button for dragons removes the necessity for effective weaponry and on the whole trivializes Thabes if you have even just one or two units maxed with Tigerstance.

 

Oh, and equipment? Mage Ring for 4-range Aura and Seraphim, Speed Ring for extra Mov, and Rion / Duma Shield for extra Warp range are neat. In postgame, Demon Ring offers even more Warp range, though there isn't really anything left to use it on after finishing Thabes.

Edited by MrSmokestack
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I think the Saunion is being underrated a bit here. It seems to be Player Phase only, but it also lets a Falcon Knight (Catria or Est) effectively deal with Mire, Thunder and even Death Arcanists/Cantors/Priestesses. It's also especially valuable in Thabes, especially without extreme grinding, as enemy AS and Atk are so high that Catria cannot engage up close at all, while Palla is prone to getting doubled, such that only a fully trained Est can hope to safely enter direct combat.

15 hours ago, Sire said:

Duma's Lance - Personally, I find little value in Duma's Lance and its Vengance-like combat art, but it can be a decent weapon when fully upgraded. I suppose it just depends if one likes having the weapon around.

Vendetta is kinda pointless aside from the accuracy boost overcoming terrain, but at max forge, 10 Might and natural crit are pretty great, especially for Mathilda, I find.

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When reading comments about archers the general consensus was that the Killer Bow was the best weapon for archers, and since Tobin and Leon were my best archers-turned-Bow-Knights in their routes, when I gave them Killer Bows they both became two of my best units... more so than they already were.

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Keepsake ring I didn't find to be particularly useful. +5/+5/+5 looks sexy--but the stats that it buffs don't really help you that much.

The Mage Ring is stupid-good. 

And I will absolutely agree with the poster who said Saunion is being underrated. 3-range on a lance wielder is so nice.  

Edited by Shoblongoo
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