DriftingWaterBottle

5 / 10 on Hard The good: Excellent Spd & Chm growth and good HP growth. Interesting Faith spell list, notably having access Warp and Silence, although sadly no Physic, which limits her flexibility as a utility unit. Proficiency in Faith and joining with B rank, which help to certify Bishop and don't take too long to learn Warp. Proficiency in Flying and joining with D Flying and C+ Sword help with Peg/Falcon class progression, which sync with her Spd & Chm growth for a good dodge tank potential. Personal ability that grants Crit Avo +10 to adjacent units, which is situationally useful to manipulate enemy Crit, although not something to actively plan around. Rally Charm at Authority D, useful to manipulate gambit dmg/hit/avo. Up to +3 Mt with Dorothea, useful on the field or as adjutant. The mixed: Learns Bolting at Reason A rank, which can be used to snipe across the map or as a utility unit with a linked attack bonus. Unfortunately she joins with an E rank during Ch8 and has a bane in Reason, thus needs some serious investment to be able to take advantage of it. Otherwise she only has Thunder and Bolganone in her Reason spell list. Learns Hexblade, which unfortunately sync better with a high Mag unit than a low Mag/high Spd unit like her or Ingrid. The not-so-good: Unimpressive base stats as a Ch8 recruit. Lacklustre Mag & Str growth, which limits her offensive potential and Warp range, although the former is partially mitigated by her doubling more often than most mages. Authority E when joining at Ch8, thus needs to catch up with in-house members. Only has Priest unlocked and no Axe, Bow or Reason rank, thus takes more time to catch up with her class masteries. Her Reason bane is also annoying for most offensive magic class certifications. No crest, thus penalty when using Thyrsus or other relics.

5.5 / 10 on Hard The good: Solid Mag base for a Ch8 recruit and good Mag growth for a magic-oriented unit. Interesting Reason spell list, including Meteor, 3-range Thoron, high Mt Ragnarok, and accurate wind spells. Proficiency in Reason and Riding, and joins with B rank in Reason and Mage class unlocked, which help with Warlock and Dark Knight certification. Minor crest of Indech, thus no penalty using Thyrsus. The activation rate of occasionally double attacking with a magic weapon is too low to rely on. Rally Magic as personal ability, situationally useful to help his mage teammates. Learns Schism Shot and Ward Arrow as personal combat arts, can debuff Res or Silence enemies at distance. The mixed: Can do Magic Bow Sniper build (or Bow Knight on Hard) thanks to his high Mag growth, proficiency in Bow and joining with C+ rank at base, but no magic Bow combat art and the limited availability of arcane crystals and Magic Bow before Ch16 can be annoying, assuming no DLC. Unexceptional Faith spell list, with basic Heal/Nosferatu/Recover and Ward being situationally useful, no Physic or other noteworthy utility spells. The not-so-good: Low Spd even among mages. Only learns Battalion Desperation which doesn’t sync with his Spd at all. Needs to catch up with his class masteries compared to in-house members. Authority D when joining at Ch8, still needs to catch up with in-house members.

5.5 / 10 on Hard The good: Good Mag, Res & Chm growth for a magic-oriented unit. An accurate, although somewhat unexceptional 2-range Reason spell list including Excalibur for Flying effective damage. An interesting Faith list with utility spells like Restore, Rescue and Fortify, although sadly no Physic. Proficiency in Faith, budding talent in Reason, and joins with C+ Faith, which help with certifying Bishop and Gremory. Major crest of Cethleann to occasionally raise Mt when healing, and no penalty using Thyrsus or other relics. Personal ability that “grants” more bulk to all adjacent units, which is situationally useful entering mid-game. Up to +3 Mt with Byleth and Seteth. Therefore she can at least always be useful as adjutant and can immediately fly thanks to her joining with Pegasus Knight effectively unlocked. The mixed: Learns Frozen Lance which sync well with her good Mag growth and mitigates her unimpressive Spd. Peg Knight unlocked at base also helps with accessing Falcon. However, she learns it at A Lance and joins with C+ rank, which will still take some time even with her proficiency in Lance. Moreover, since there’s no flying mage class in base game, she can’t contribute much on the field as a Peg Knight before learning Frozen Lance, and her damage output is limited by the lack of flying +Mag battalion in base game. The not-so-good: Riding bane and joins with E rank, which makes it more difficult for her to access Dark Knight if one wants to take full advantage of Rescue and mitigate her lack of Physic, or Paladin if one wants to maximise her Frozen Lance damage with grounded +Mag battalions (RIP no Dark Flier or Nuvelle Flier co in base game). Effectively joins at Ch7 with an unimpressive base and E rank Authority, thus needs to catch up with in-house members. Also needs to grind Monk and Mage. Unimpressive Spd growth, although it can be partially mitigated by grinding Peg Knight as an adjutant. Only learns Battalion Renewal and Rally Luck. The latter can be used to manipulate Crit Avo, but personally I still think it’s too niche compared to some of the other Rally abilities.

7 / 10 on Hard The good: Solid stats, especially good Str as a Ch6 recruited canon archer, also joins with Archer and Sniper unlocked, the latter of which is a pretty good end game class. Proficiency in Bow and joins with A rank, can get Bow Crit and Bowfaire relatively early if staying in Sniper for end game class and mostly focusing on training Bow. Up to +3 Mt with Catherine on non-CF routes Joins with at least Lance C+ rank and proficiency in Lance, can help with Bow Knight or Falcon certification if desired. Bow Knight works pretty well on Hard; Falcon is OK but doesn’t stand out among other candidates because of her unexceptional Spd growth and no noteworthy niche. The mixed: Personal ability that grants +4 bonus on Str, Mag, Spd & Dex if she secures a kill during player phase. Her enemy phase is not outstanding because of her just ok Spd growth especially if not in Falcon, and no Battalion Vantage or Wrath skill to help either, but with a Dancer support it’s still exploitable during PP as Bow Knight or Sniper. Situationally useful Combat Arts: Monster Blaster can break barriers when needed and is available at base. Heavy Draw is situationally useful to do more damage when unable to double and before mastering Sniper. Hit & Run and Lance Jab generally sync better with a higher Spd growth than her. D rank Authority at Ch6, still needs to catch up compared to some of the in-house members, but not too far behind and the burden of investment can be partially mitigated if staying in Sniper for end game class. The not-so-good: No Axe rank when joining, thus needs to catch up to certify Brigand compared to in-house members. Unexceptional Str & Spd growth for a physical unit, but not particularly problematic on Hard, especially after mastering Sniper. Needs to go back to master Fighter and Archer if one wants to improve her flexibility and reliability. No crest, thus penalty when using relic, although it’s not that relevant if she primarily uses a bow. Only learns Battalion Desperation which doesn’t sync particularly well with her Spd growth.

6.5 / 10 on Hard AM/VW The good: Very good base Str & Spd and class as a Ch4 & 5 recruit, although some planning around her support level might be needed. Good Str & Spd growth for a melee unit. Major crest of Charon with high activation rate to raise Mt with combat arts, and no penalty using relics. Personal ability that gives more bulk when not equipping a battalion, situationally useful in early game. Joins with Sword A and Axebreaker, can bait Axe enemies relatively safely in early game if needed. Bane of Monsters is also situationally useful for monsters. Battalion Vantage at Authority C, situationally useful if stacking Crit. Up to +3 Mt with Shamir The mixed: Learns interesting Brawling Combat Arts - Nimbo Combo and Bombard, which sync well with her Crest and she has proficiency and good base rank (at least C) in Brawling, but the only optimal Brawling class available for female units is in DLC, which limits her potential in base game. The not-so-good: No Axe, Bow, Lance or Flying base rank when joining, thus needs to catch up for Brigand, Archer or Pegasus certification compared to in-house members. No proficiency in skills that help to access Canto classes or other strong end game classes, although Swordmaster or Assassin are still pretty ok on Hard.

8 / 10 on Hard AM/VW The good: Good HP and Excellent Spd growth when factoring in Aptitude Joins with at least C rank for Axe and Bow: guaranteed certification for Brigand and Archer, and very close to learn Point-Blank Volley. Proficiency in Lance, Axe, Bow, Riding and Flying: can access Wyvern, Paladin or Bow Knight relatively quickly. Interesting personal combat arts: Point-Blank Volley for automatic double, and can learn it earlier than other doubling art users. Vengeance for one hit big damage, although he learns it later than Bernie and Dedue. Monster Breaker situationally useful to break barriers The mixed: No crest, thus penalty when using relics, but can be beneficial for Vengeance build The not-so-good: Underwhelming base as a Ch5 recruit, although he can soon get rolling if rushing for PBV. Effectively no personal ability to boost combat performance on the field. 40% Str growth when factoring in Aptitude, not ideal for a physical unit, but not too problematic on Hard. Missing Authority ranks compared to in-house members, although it's partially mitigated by his relevant proficiencies and base skill ranks.

I think Dorothea only gives a Goddess ring with her paralogue (not counting rewards associated with Ingrid)? The opera dancing battalion is given by Dorothea or Manuela when either one of them gets near the opera house on the Enbarr map and triggers the special dialogue, if I'm not mistaken. (I agree with the larger point that paralogues provide valuable resources.)

7.5 / 10 on Hard The good: Solid stat and class for a physical unit recruited at Ch12, with respectable growth of HP, Str, Spd and Chm. Proficiencies in Lance, Axe, Authority and Flying, and at good ranks when joining: relatively close to learn Swift Strikes, can immediately certify Brigand and equip strong battalions, and not too difficult to certify Wyvern Lord later on. Interesting personal Combat Arts: Swift Strikes for automatic consecutive double attack Monster Piercer which is situationally useful to break barriers Major crest of Cichol, sync well with Swift Strikes for a solid chance to prevent enemy counter attack, and free to use relics. Personal ability that grants +3 Mt to adjacent female units, and a special bond with Flayn that grants up to +3 Mt to each other. Learns Battalion Wrath which could work with a dodge tank build, but I’ve never tried it. Probably not as efficient as Petra. The not-so-good: While he’s immediately useable when joining, to reach his full potential, he still needs a few aux battles or mission battles to master at least Brigand, as well as Archer and Soldier if one wants to improve his reliability and flexibility. Bane in Riding and joins at E rank. Even though he already has Cavalier class unlocked, he still needs some investment to access Paladin if one wants to maximise his Swift Strikes damage output.

9 / 10 on Hard The good: A good early game physical unit, thanks to her solid Str, excellent Spd & Def, and Tempest Lance at base. Rivalry to further improve her offense and defence when adjacent to a male unit, especially handy in early game. Solid Def and exceptional Spd growth for a physical unit. The later can also contribute to a good dodge tank potential if flying. Proficiency in Lance, Bow & Riding, and no other bane: help with accessing Archer, Bow Knight, Peg/Falcon line and Mov+1, and not too difficult to go Wyvern. Interesting personal Combat Arts: Point-Blank Volley for automatic double, which allows her to use a Canto class as an archer. Lance Jab scaling off Spd, which sync with her Spd growth especially in a Falcon class progression. Break Shot at C+ Bow, can debuff at distance when needed and can be accessed relatively early. Monster Piercer, situationally useful to break monster barriers. Up to +3Mt with Alois, useful on the field or as adjutant. The mixed: Only learns Battalion Desperation, which can mimic PBV to avoid eating a counter attack as long as she can double, but it's less relevant if she's primarily using a bow. The not-so-good: No crest, thus penalty when using relics, although she doesn't rely on them that much if her build focuses on Bow. 40% Str growth. Not ideal for a physical unit, but on Hard it's not problematic.

I agree with previous commenters that the fake smile is to show that Claude is always putting up a friendly facade. Because of his biracial background, he's mistrusted in both sides of the mountain, which makes him feel very lonely despite the lack of physical isolation. In return he also doesn't trust anyone at the beginning of the game, since he'd never experienced being trusted himself. A friendly exterior helps with his self-preservation and later to manipulate others to advance his own ambition. As a result, he's also very conscious of the importance of one's image, which is reflected in his strategic thinking, like rallying around Byleth and the Church instead of himself and Leicester, bringing Almyran forces as a reinforcement to improve their reputation, or capitalising on Edelgard's war to boost his own influence in Fodlan despite him understanding that they share a similar goal. As for why his fake smile is noted in the prologue, I think it's to remind players of his friendly mask, as well as to foreshadow his arc of gradually placing his trust first on Byleth then on others. Kind of similar with Edelgard's "constantly evaluating" Byleth to foreshadow her later opening up to Byleth with her secrets/ambitions and reaching out to them as an ally, as well as Dimitri's "something dark underneath" for his descent in madness in the story. As for why Hilda noted it in their support, I think it's because Hilda is one of the most emotionally astute characters in the game, so she can look through his pretence. This can also be contrasted with the absence of other characters noticing his fake smile, to show that he's really good at his party guy persona and most people would genuinely think he's friendly, unless they have specific reasons to suspect his motive like Lorenz.

I agree with OP to a certain degree. I think Faerghus will likely declare war on Adrestia, if Dimitri manages to find the evidence that links Arundel to the Tragedy of Duscur. But for Faerghus to actively ally with the Church during the war between Adrestia and the Church, it's not a scenario that benefits Edelgard and TWSITD’s respective goals, hence Cornelia’s coup. In a hypothetical scenario, in which Dimitri successfully traced the Tragedy of Duscur back to Arundel without ever discovering Flame Emperor’s identity via the dagger (thus not clouded by his mixed emotion towards Edelgard), I think he would attempt to reveal this information publicly, as well as demand Adrestia to formally hand Arundel over to Faerghus for punishment. My reasoning is that, he’s generally very concerned about the concept of justice, and one of his primary goals at this point of the game is to clear Duscur’s name for the apparent regicide. He wasn’t able to do it before, because he lacked the authority at the time, and more importantly, he lacked the evidence. Now with the hypothetical evidence in hand, I think he’ll be determined enough to use his political power, which he had mostly left untouched at the beginning of the game. As for the reaction from Adrestia, I think they’ll refuse to hand over Arundel. Since Ionius had already been stripped off his power by Aegir & Co., and Aegir as the Prime Minister was shown to be easily manipulated, the real authority thus resides within Arundel as the regent of Adrestia. Assuming Edelgard hasn’t yet secured Hevring and Bergliez’s support to ascend the throne, Arundel really has no reason and no obligation to surrender to Faerghus. Even if Edelgard manages to secure her political power within Adrestia, Arundel and TWSITD are still valuable tools for her planned conflict with the Church, so I don’t think she’d hand him over either. Then we reach a stalemate between Adrestia and Faerghus. Personally, I think Faerghus is very susceptible of declaring war on Adrestia for being responsible of the regicide, as evidenced by the Duscur genocide during Rufus’ regency. Even if Dimitri manages to secure the throne from Rufus, his preference to retributive justice before his redemption arc, informed by Faerghus’ culture heavily emphasising on honouring and appeasing the dead, will make the war more likely than not. Edit: (I also think that the Church will likely sit it out until there is a more clear winner or benefit between these two, as shown by the Church’s behaviour during Faerghus’ independence war and the Church’s non intervention during the Duscur genocide. I initially thought the Church would sit it out like in the initial war of the eagle and the lion, but the reasoning @omegaxis1 provided for the Church to choose side is very convincing. So yes, the Church will probably ally with Faerghus if Dimitri declares war on Adrestia with the evidence that links Arundel to the regicide.) For Adrestia, I actually think they’re less likely to declare war on Faerghus in this case. Because for both Edelgard and Arundel/Thales, Rhea and the Church are their primary target. Weakening Adrestian forces before engaging with Rhea and the Church doesn’t seem a sensible choice, at least to me. If Adrestia declares the war, I think it’ll still be against the Church and they’ll more or less proceed like in the game. This will prompt Faerghus to ally with the Church to fight a common enemy in this hypothetical scenario, and will push Adrestia into a less favourable position militarily speaking, evidenced by the contrasting outlook after time skip in CF and non-CF routes. As a result, Cornelia’s presence and her planned coup in Faerghus is vital to prevent this inconvenient alliance between the Kingdom and the Church by further destabilising the former. If she ever catches wind of Dimitri finding the evidence and attempting to go public with it, I think she’ll enact the coup as soon as possible.

7.5 / 10 on Hard The good: Okay Str & Spd base for a melee unit and access to Tempest Lance to contribute to early game. Exceptional Spd growth and access to Darting Blow: good dodge tank potential and easy double on Hard. Good Res growth: less danger to bait enemy mages. Personal ability with +Hit & + Mt to gambit: good candidate for offensive gambit. Good Charm growth: sync well with her personal ability and less susceptible of enemy gambit as dodge tank. Proficiency in Sword, Lance, Riding & Flying, with D at base for the later two: easier access to Peg & Falcon line which sync well with mage killer/dodge tank build, or Mov+1 & Sword Prowess for a dodgy Dancer. Easy access to Paladin too, but she doesn’t have any tool that makes her excel at it. Minor Daphnel crest to occasionally boost Mt for combat arts: a nice bonus, although arguably doesn’t sync that well dodge tank build. No penalty when using various relics is handy. Battalion Desperation at Authority C : situationally useful to mimic brave combat arts as long as she’s capable of doubling. Rally Magic at Authority D : situationally useful to help her mage teammates. Up to +3 Mt with 2 in-house members, useful on the field or as adjutant. The mixed: Interesting Reason & Faith spell list, with high Crit Blizzard & Fimbulvetr, 3-range Thoron, as well as Physic and Seraphim. Neutral in Reason & Faith is not optimal, although she has other proficiencies required by Dark Knight. Low Mag growth is also not ideal, but on Hard she can double more often than other mages when I tried it a bit during mid-game. I don’t know how she fares for late game though, as I had already planned for the endgame team for story reasons during that run. Situationally useful personal Combat Arts: Burning Quake has good bonus, is effective to Dragon and scales off her Spd, but is limited by relic durability. Hit & Run with +Avo sync with her generally high Avo, although the repositioning is less relevant on a Canto class and it’s less powerful than Tempest Lance. Hexblade and Frozen Lance can be useful on armoured enemies, but the damage is still limited by her low Mag growth. Even if she goes through a magic class progression, because these combat arts don’t allow double attack, they still work better on a high Mag unit than a low Mag & high SPD unit like Ingrid. The not-so-good: Relatively low Str growth for a melee unit, might need some setup to improve her damage output. No brave combat art and no Battalion Wrath, thus more reliant on RNG than other units with similar growth like Leonie and Petra.

6.5 / 10 on Hard The good: Good Mag base and growth for a magic-oriented unit. Proficiency in Reason & Authority: ideal to learn spells more quickly and certify Warlock or Gremory, as well as easier access to strong battalions. Minor crest of Dominic: no penalty using Thyrsus, and very occasionally conserving a spell usage is a nice bonus. Rally Strength from personal ability and Speed at Authority C+: very useful to boost her teammates’ combat performance. An accurate, although unexceptional 2-range Reason list including Excalibur for effective flying damage (although overshadowed by relatively easy access to Bow). Up to +3 Mt with Mercedes and Gilbert, useful on the field or as adjutant. The mixed: Can go magic Axe build thanks to proficiency in Axe, Lightning Axe combat art at C+ Axe and good Mag growth, but each build has its pro & con, and magic axes’ relatively low accuracy may also require some attention to improve their reliability (Accuracy ring, prioritising high Hit battalions, or even a detour to Archer without DLC, etc). Wyvern has Axefaire and Flying Canto starting from Lv.20, but no access to spells, no available magic flying battalion assuming no DLC, limited Hit bonus from flying battalions, and Mercedes or Gilbert needs to fly if assigned as her adjutant. Dark Knight can potentially do more damage than Wyvern thanks to Mag+2 class boost and access to grounded magic battalions, as well as more Hit bonus from battalions, access to guard adjutant and retain her spell usage, but mobility will be a bit more limited than Wyvern, and she’ll need to raise Reason, Riding and Lance in addition to Axe and Authority, and there’s no mounted magic class before Lv.30 in vanilla base game. The not-so-good: A lacklustre Faith spell list, no Physic or other noteworthy utility-oriented spells. Low Spd growth among mages, thus lower potential to double some of the non-armour enemies on Hard.

6.5 / 10 on Hard: The good: A Faith spell list that looks like a first aid kit, with Physic, Restore and Fortify. A reliable, although somewhat unexceptional 2-range Reason list, with Thunder and most fire spells including high Mt Ragnarok. Good Mag & Res base and growth for a magic-oriented unit, can bait mages on Hard if needed. Proficiency in Reason & Faith: ideal for a female mage to learn spells quickly and to certify Bishop and Gremory. Learns Waning Shot from unlocking budding talent in Bow, can debuff enemy Str at range. Minor crest of Lamine: no penalty using Thyrsus is handy, and very occasionally conserves a heal usage is a nice surprise. Live to Serve: situationally useful to regain HP when healing others, although generally she sees fewer direct combats as a ranged magic or utility unit. Up to +3 Mt with Annette, useful to boost each other's combat performance on the field or as adjutant. The mixed: Can go Magic Bow Sniper thanks to budding talent in Bow and good Mag growth, which offers more range than her spells and guaranteed double once mastered the class (or Bow Knight on Hard if willing to work with her Riding neutral and Lance bane). But the availability of arcane crystal can be a concern before a free drop of Magic Bow in Ch14 and Dark Merchant starting from Ch16, assuming no DLC or excessive save scum. Going through Archer also limits her combat and utility performance before accessing Magic Bow, and the lack of Bow magic combat art in the game doesn't help either. The not-so-good: D rank Faith at base: takes a bit longer to learn Physic than similar units who start with D+, less ideal for early game. No utility spell that offers advantage on movement or debuff, thus can feel a bit one dimensional when considered as a utility-oriented unit. No naturally learnt personal Combat Art, and only learns Battalion Renewal from Authority, thus less option to boost combat performance of herself and her teammates.

Thank you for the correction for the minor Gautier activation rate. I have updated my post to correct it. I was not very careful with my word choice. I’ll try to formulate them more carefully next time.