Yet another FE4 pairing question

[ZemZem]

Considering Dew passes down his swords and gives her some good growths? Not really, and there's always sleep sword abuse in the arena for Patty. Just give her the elite ring and sell it back, because she'll have Bargain, too.

Statistically and growths-wise, Dew!Skasaha is better. Not to mention Dew, once again, passes down his swords. Lex/Ayra passes down better skills and defenses, yes, but there are better kids Lex can inherit his goods to, IMO.

Dew does take time to train, yes, but you could always send him into a group of axe users as much as possible (his joining chapter is full of them), feed him the kids in Chapter 4, and if you're not playing LTC and need be, boss abuse.

Cath? The thief girl who's made obsolete because Chad and Astol are already doing her job? Better than Dew? Odd.

Edited January 13, 2013 by ZeeEmm456

[Shin]

Dew is pure trash and a terrible father. Let him rot. 50% hp growth? no thanks. 85% hp growth on a 2nd gen char is pathetic. Can't think of anyone who actually wants bargain aside from Ares and Shanan. Solar sword is pretty lame also.

It takes a little thinking to use him, but Dew makes a fine father for the swordkids. The HP is a little low, but Bargain allows them to borrow any item they want. If you're clever, you can promote them by chapter 8 with the Elite Ring. Sol comes in handy when you put them in a herd of enemies, and his growths mean that their avoid can be pretty high. It's not even that hard to train him, he does well against anything using an axe and the Light Sword lets him fight the Cross Knights.

Lex is good, but Ambush is situational. The HP and defense are nice though.

[Luftwaffe]

Sleep Sword abuse, you mean reset over and over again so she can kill actually something? We're not talking about LTC, the issue is that's an unreasonable and horribly stupid idea, hardly worth the effort. Bargain's good for the elite ring but I'd much rather have Luna. Still, it's the only Dew pairing that isn't terrible.

Statistically and growth wise, he's hardly better. In fact, 90 / 40 / 20 / 50 is higher than 50 / 40 / 40 / 40, so statistically Lex is better still. The extra speed growth is negligible since he already doubles because of swords and Ayra's spd growth.

Dew has 3 str, 5 mov and is at level 1. It takes, what, 10 hits for him to kill a bandit. He doesn't even have pursuit. Who cares about LTC, you will be on your ass training this pedobait for little reward. Holyn and Ayra will always be better fighters, unless they get RNG screwed.

Dew isn't needed for anything other than the C4 bridge. You don't even need to train him. Of course, my statement about Cath was rhetorical. In any case, Dew is the worst thief for the same reason Ardan is the worst armour. He's liability (as in moving those little shits every turn) to YOU, not necessarily the army.

It's not even that hard to train him, he does well against anything using an axe and the Light Sword lets him fight the Cross Knights.

Sorry, but LOL. Be honest, how long did it take you to get him to that level? Once again, sorry but it looks like you just gave him all the resources and then boss abused him to that point. There's no way something like that would occur in an ordinary playthrough.

[General Horace]

Sorry, but LOL. Be honest, how long did it take you to get him to that level? Once again, sorry but it looks like you just gave him all the resources and then boss abused him to that point. There's no way something like that would occur in an ordinary playthrough.

you can throw him at the cross knights at like level 5, they have poor hit on him due to his high luck and speed stats, which will all increase since he'll level up pretty quickly. He can heal himself if he's fourtunate with Sol from the light sword at range too. Levin does the job much better, but Levin does most things better than gen 1 units anyway.

Another minor nitpick, he has 6 move, and Daisy is definately worse than Dew.

Not saying he's better than Lex though, because he isn't.

[Shin]

Sorry, but LOL. Be honest, how long did it take you to get him to that level? Once again, sorry but it looks like you just gave him all the resources and then boss abused him to that point. There's no way something like that would occur in an ordinary playthrough.

I'm afraid you're sorely mistaken, this is all done within a draft - where there is no boss abuse. Most of his levelling can be done in chapter 3, whilst clearing the entire map in about 16 turns. Even Ardan can be useful if you use him right, it's all about using your noggin.

[Luftwaffe]

I'm afraid you're sorely mistaken, this is all done within a draft - where there is no boss abuse. Most of his levelling can be done in chapter 3, whilst clearing the entire map in about 16 turns. Even Ardan can be useful if you use him right, it's all about using your noggin.

If you're doing a draft then OF COURSE you're left with no choice to give Dew all the exp. A draft has restrictions whereas a normal playthrough does not, ok? How about you use your noggin for a change? Your anecdotes are completely useless if they're based on your draft playthroughs. Also, I didn't claim that any character was useless. I simply stated they were more trouble than they're worth (trash).

you can throw him at the cross knights at like level 5, they have poor hit on him due to his high luck and speed stats, which will all increase since he'll level up pretty quickly. He can heal himself if he's fourtunate with Sol from the light sword at range too. Levin does the job much better, but Levin does most things better than gen 1 units anyway.

Another minor nitpick, he has 6 move, and Daisy is definately worse than Dew.

Come on, 40% is not that high. Not to mention this is FE4, where level ups are notoriously unreliable. There's also the chance that Elto is in range to give the Cross Knights more hit, but since I recall that he usually moves last, I guess it's not likely. I think he also gets WTD, though I'm not sure since the Light Sword does turn into the Lightning spell. What's the point of sending him in to kill the Cross Knights anyway? It's not like he has pursuit and it's unlikely that the LS has 50+ kills, so why the hell would you use Dew, of all people, to take on the Cross Knights?

Who else is better suited to take on the Cross Knights besides Levin? Sigurd, Cuan, Fin, Midir, Jamka, Holyn, Ayra, hell, even Lex with that godawful hand axe could probably do better.

Fair enough, my mistake. For most players, Daisy won't even exist. She's meant to be a bad character anyway, unlike this holy shota you folks seem to love.

[MacLovin]

If you're doing a draft then OF COURSE you're left with no choice to give Dew all the exp. A draft has restrictions whereas a normal playthrough does not, ok? How about you use your noggin for a change? Your anecdotes are completely useless if they're based on your draft playthroughs. Also, I didn't claim that any character was useless. I simply stated they were more trouble than they're worth (trash).

Come on, 40% is not that high. Not to mention this is FE4, where level ups are notoriously unreliable. There's also the chance that Elto is in range to give the Cross Knights more hit, but since I recall that he usually moves last, I guess it's not likely. I think he also gets WTD, though I'm not sure since the Light Sword does turn into the Lightning spell. What's the point of sending him in to kill the Cross Knights anyway? It's not like he has pursuit and it's unlikely that the LS has 50+ kills, so why the hell would you use Dew, of all people, to take on the Cross Knights?

Who else is better suited to take on the Cross Knights besides Levin? Sigurd, Cuan, Fin, Midir, Jamka, Holyn, Ayra, hell, even Lex with that godawful hand axe could probably do better.

Fair enough, my mistake. For most players, Daisy won't even exist. She's meant to be a bad character anyway, unlike this holy shota you folks seem to love.

Why are we complaining about an HP growth that's still good.

It's just that gen 2 has 100%+ HP growths for the kids that 85% seems measly?

And besides, Shin has done this with Dew many times to the point it's nothing hard for him.

And, Daisy is meant to be a money bank with a magic sword or something, or she can have Lex as a dad and try for decent combat on promotion.

[Shin]

If you're doing a draft then OF COURSE you're left with no choice to give Dew all the exp. A draft has restrictions whereas a normal playthrough does not, ok? How about you use your noggin for a change? Your anecdotes are completely useless if they're based on your draft playthroughs. Also, I didn't claim that any character was useless. I simply stated they were more trouble than they're worth (trash).

Trash generally implies uselessness :P. Just because it happens in a draft doesn't make it useless, I've done it plenty of times casually too. Both myself and Horace have used him effectively without too much hassle, I'm sure others have as well.

Come on, 40% is not that high. Not to mention this is FE4, where level ups are notoriously unreliable. There's also the chance that Elto is in range to give the Cross Knights more hit, but since I recall that he usually moves last, I guess it's not likely. I think he also gets WTD, though I'm not sure since the Light Sword does turn into the Lightning spell. What's the point of sending him in to kill the Cross Knights anyway? It's not like he has pursuit and it's unlikely that the LS has 50+ kills, so why the hell would you use Dew, of all people, to take on the Cross Knights?

Who else is better suited to take on the Cross Knights besides Levin? Sigurd, Cuan, Fin, Midir, Jamka, Holyn, Ayra, hell, even Lex with that godawful hand axe could probably do better.

Fair enough, my mistake. For most players, Daisy won't even exist. She's meant to be a bad character anyway, unlike this holy shota you folks seem to love.

Level ups are not unreliable in FE4, it's the fact that 1st gen growths are generally lower. Dew can get some decent XP, which makes chapter 4 a lot easier. He doesn't even need to get that many kills from the Cross Knights, even if he's buddied up with someone like Levin, he can still get a fair amount of XP. Mind you, most people want to fight the Cross Knights in the forest. Holyn and Ayra don't have the avoid, although they do fight better, they'll just use their swords on Lex and Midir is afraid of swords too.

[Luftwaffe]

Woah. A bit off topic but props for not losing your shit against me. I seem to bring out the very worst in people, so I was expecting some slinging of faeces.

Trash generally implies uselessness :P. Just because it happens in a draft doesn't make it useless, I've done it plenty of times casually too. Both myself and Horace have used him effectively without too much hassle, I'm sure others have as well.

Well, because it's far too different from the typical playthrough, it should not be considered. I hope 'casual' means a reasonably efficient playthrough (not LTC) and not turtling around and raising everyone to ridiculously high levels. From my experience and the raw numbers, Dew is a terrible character who is outclassed by almost everyone. You two may have had some good luck with him but whenever I use him he gets KO'd by everything and can't damage anything in return.

Level ups are not unreliable in FE4, it's the fact that 1st gen growths are generally lower. Dew can get some decent XP, which makes chapter 4 a lot easier. He doesn't even need to get that many kills from the Cross Knights, even if he's buddied up with someone like Levin, he can still get a fair amount of XP. Mind you, most people want to fight the Cross Knights in the forest. Holyn and Ayra don't have the avoid, although they do fight better, they'll just use their swords on Lex and Midir is afraid of swords too.

Oh really? Growths are generally lower in gen 1, hence they are unreliable. There's also the issue of arena level ups screwing up and ignoring your 100%+ growths. I've also personally experienced Sigurd and Holyn not getting HP on the freaking map.

Hardly. He's a mediocre fighter even when promoted. Then again, every extra helping hand counts, so the same can be said for Ardan and Azel. I'm curious, how does he get exp? He doesn't have pursuit, no elite, bad strength, C swords and weak defences. I honestly don't believe that it's possible for Dew to grow alongside the better characters without affecting their growth. I guess you could say that the gen 1 enemies are pushovers, so they don't need the extra point or two in str. Still, Alec, Noish and Beowulf are much better candidates to give the extra exp. I guess I should mention Midir, too, since everybody seems to harp on about how bad he is despite being a competent unit.

Holyn and Ayra don't have the avoid? Dew will not have a significant lead on them at this stage in the game, unless you've babied him 10-15 levels. They also have actual bulk and will actually kill the Cross Knights instead of hitting them for whatever paltry damage Dew dishes out.

The AI is pretty damn stupid and will attack with javelins most of the time, but couldn't you simply move Lex and Midir into the range of the javelins? Unless the almighty and exalted Dew has reserved that space.

[MacLovin]

Woah. A bit off topic but props for not losing your shit against me. I seem to bring out the very worst in people, so I was expecting some slinging of faeces.

Well, because it's far too different from the typical playthrough, it should not be considered. I hope 'casual' means a reasonably efficient playthrough (not LTC) and not turtling around and raising everyone to ridiculously high levels. From my experience and the raw numbers, Dew is a terrible character who is outclassed by almost everyone. You two may have had some good luck with him but whenever I use him he gets KO'd by everything and can't damage anything in return.

Oh really? Growths are generally lower in gen 1, hence they are unreliable. There's also the issue of arena level ups screwing up and ignoring your 100%+ growths. I've also personally experienced Sigurd and Holyn not getting HP on the freaking map.

Hardly. He's a mediocre fighter even when promoted. Then again, every extra helping hand counts, so the same can be said for Ardan and Azel. I'm curious, how does he get exp? He doesn't have pursuit, no elite, bad strength, C swords and weak defences. I honestly don't believe that it's possible for Dew to grow alongside the better characters without affecting their growth. I guess you could say that the gen 1 enemies are pushovers, so they don't need the extra point or two in str. Still, Alec, Noish and Beowulf are much better candidates to give the extra exp. I guess I should mention Midir, too, since everybody seems to harp on about how bad he is despite being a competent unit.

Holyn and Ayra don't have the avoid? Dew will not have a significant lead on them at this stage in the game, unless you've babied him 10-15 levels. They also have actual bulk and will actually kill the Cross Knights instead of hitting them for whatever paltry damage Dew dishes out.

The AI is pretty damn stupid and will attack with javelins most of the time, but couldn't you simply move Lex and Midir into the range of the javelins? Unless the almighty and exalted Dew has reserved that space.

Light Sword, Elite Ring.

Also, before you say "money issues", remember that he can get a bit in his starting chapter and beyond by chipping.

Oh and bargain.

[Luftwaffe]

Are you responding to this question? Since you quoted my entire post.

I'm curious, how does he get exp?

Why should Dew get both the LS and Elite Ring over Lachesis, Beowulf etc.? You're depriving better units of their equipment to raise a weak-ass character into a mediocre fighter.

Doesn't the bandit bosss chasing Dew in C1 have ~20 hit on him? I remember losing him there when I was trying to get him some exp and money.

[MacLovin]

Are you responding to this question? Since you quoted my entire post.

Why should Dew get both the LS and Elite Ring over Lachesis, Beowulf etc.? You're depriving better units of their equipment to raise a weak-ass character into a mediocre fighter.

Doesn't the bandit bosss chasing Dew in C1 have ~20 hit on him? I remember losing him there when I was trying to get him some exp and money.

LAchesis can staff spam to promo, Beowulf is fine without it since he doesn't worry about decent combat prior to promo like Dew does.

Also, pemn.

[Shin]

Are you responding to this question? Since you quoted my entire post.

Why should Dew get both the LS and Elite Ring over Lachesis, Beowulf etc.? You're depriving better units of their equipment to raise a weak-ass character into a mediocre fighter.

Doesn't the bandit bosss chasing Dew in C1 have ~20 hit on him? I remember losing him there when I was trying to get him some exp and money.

Lachesis can indeed staff-spam, and Beo's combat isn't too shabby. The boss actually has 6% hit on Dew when he's on a town or forest tile. Dew makes a good diversion, keeping them from chasing Aideen.

Admittedly, Dew's earlygame consists of chipping and dodging, but a promoted Dew in chapter 4 is very handy. It's doable, here are his stats.

That gives him about 70 natural avoid, which translates to about 44 or so when using a sword against lances. That's not shabby. Of course the likes of Beo and Holyn have better damage output, but Dew's pretty good at fighting the pegs. He's also got roughly a one in five chance of healing himself too, which makes opening the bridge easier. He does better than the likes of Noish and Azel. It requires a little effort and clever planning, but Dew can actually be worthwhile, unlike the trainees from FE8 :P.

[General Horace]

You mentioned Ayra and Holyn as well, their avoid is actually worse because of their abysmal luck stat.

[Luftwaffe]

LAchesis can staff spam to promo, Beowulf is fine without it since he doesn't worry about decent combat prior to promo like Dew does.

Also, pemn.

Live and Relive give her ~20 exp per use. Return gives 50, I think. That's slow as hell. How much fun is abusing a slow mechanic like this when you could give her the Elite Ring and have her level up twice as fast. Dew sucks even with the LS and Elite Ring. Beowulf will become a competent unit with high stats and movement if he's given the Elite Ring.

Do you even know what that means? Don't talk shit. That phrase is used when somebody comes along and says their char far exceeded its average stats, and that's their reasoning as to why the char is good. Dew NEEDS to gain exp asap if you want to use him, and the best way is to have him fight the bandits chasing him. The fact that he CAN be hit and die (other bandits block his exits and he's too weak to make an opening) means that there is a legitimate risk. There's a difference between getting good level ups and being at risk of getting killed. Otherwise, I could say PEMN when FE12 Michalis gets crit'd and dies. That's not the case because he has low luck and is likely to die from a crit.

Admittedly, Dew's earlygame consists of chipping and dodging, but a promoted Dew in chapter 4 is very handy. It's doable, here are his stats.

Posted Image

That gives him about 70 natural avoid, which translates to about 44 or so when using a sword against lances. That's not shabby. Of course the likes of Beo and Holyn have better damage output, but Dew's pretty good at fighting the pegs. He's also got roughly a one in five chance of healing himself too, which makes opening the bridge easier. He does better than the likes of Noish and Azel. It requires a little effort and clever planning, but Dew can actually be worthwhile, unlike the trainees from FE8 :P.

First of all, those stats blow for a promoted character. Base Ayra and Holyn have better combat, mostly due to sword skills. Unless you give him a 50 kill weapon or the Hero Sword, he's not killing anything. So while it can be useful to have him around to chip, you're better off pouring your resources into characters with greater potential. Dew's problem is that his bases suck, and his growths are not up to par with the typical standard for Julians. He's the definition of mediocrity, so my point that he's more trouble than he's worth stands.

OK, so he's got good avoid. You went through all that just to have an extra pair of arms to do some chip damage. Beowulf and Azel can actually kill things. In Noish and Alec's case, they can either do significant chip or kill unreliably. He's a perpetually bad combat unit unless you give him a 50 kill hero sword.

The bridge is already easy to open. Since he's on foot, by the time he reaches the bridge, you'll have a bunch of mounted fighters to protect him. I've never gotten Dew promoted legitimately, he opens up that bridge without any issue every time.

You mentioned Ayra and Holyn as well, their avoid is actually worse because of their abysmal luck stat.

That's true, but I doubt he has a significant lead on them. Unlike Dew, they have high hp which means there's no dice rolling. They are reliable, Dew is not.

[ZemZem]

50 EXP with Return? A level every two turns. It really isn't that slow. Plus, while everyone rushes in Chapter 2, Lachesis can stay back and staff spam, since she's not really gonna get in on the action.

Beowulf, IIRC, joins at level 10. I don't think he'll need the elite ring too much until like, Chapter 4. Even then, Chapter 3 is axe heavy, and he should be seeing use there.

[CT075]

i think the problem here is not that dew is really bad and more that the enemies are about the same level with him so it pales in comparison to, say, sigurd or anybody with a holy weapon ever who will jsut stomp them

the comparison between dew and, like, midir or even beowulf is more apt since iirc he actually wins more than a few stats but the difference is negligible

[BBM]

The thing is, if you have a competent Dew for Chapter 4, 9 move Dew (Leg Ring) and 9 move Sigurd is quicker than 6 move Dew and 12 move Sigurd (Leg Ring), since Sigurd getting there early just means you have to wait for Dew to catch up. Plus, an untrained Dew can't even fullmove every turn because he gets OHKOd by siege tomes and the stray Peg that your mounts might leave behind.

Nobody is saying Dew is amazing, but training him has a purpose and having him chip the Cross Knights doesn't slow you down in any way. You can give those kills to someone else, sure, but your really good mounts (Sigurd, Cuan, Lex, Fin) will have no need of those kills and your average mounts and other foot units (Noish, Alec, Beo, Midir, Holyn, Ayra) don't do much with them. Giving them that EXP isn't that useful since Sigurd can roflstomp most stuff by himself. And plus, since it's not a draft playthrough, we are more likely to be using the aforementioned good mounts.

[Jave]

Funny how my suggestion to use Dew as a Father for the Swordtwins led into this, since I never even suggested to train Dew. He makes a great father even without training.

[Luftwaffe]

What do you mean, "led to this". Are you implying that it was just some massive, unproductive shitstorm? I learned some new things, and hopefully other people did too.

Did you even read anything? Dew doesn't pass down any good swords unless he's promoted. You NEED to train him in order to be a decent father, but it's more trouble than it's worth because Lex, Noish and Holyn are better fathers. And Lex passes down elite, which makes up for the lack of inheritance.

50 EXP with Return? A level every two turns. It really isn't that slow. Plus, while everyone rushes in Chapter 2, Lachesis can stay back and staff spam, since she's not really gonna get in on the action.

Beowulf, IIRC, joins at level 10. I don't think he'll need the elite ring too much until like, Chapter 4. Even then, Chapter 3 is axe heavy, and he should be seeing use there.

If you're using the live and relive staves, then it's going to be slow as hell. She can't get too close to the combat or her pallies will suicide and steal exp. So the only way to spam healing staves is to get ardan or dew or anyone who can't clear the arena to die repeatidly so they can be healed. Tedious and boring as hell.

I'm not too sure about the exp but I recall it being 40 to 50. Both the return and warp staves have 10 uses. If by spamming these staves she gains 5 levels per staff, it would be 10 levels with the elite ring. You'll have a Master Knight running around by C3.

Dew's stats suck for a level 20 promoted unit, so it'd be better if he just gave all his money to Lachesis. So I acknowledge that he does have some use and could be given a few levels, but to try and raise him to be combat unit is just dumb. He's not Est.

i think the problem here is not that dew is really bad and more that the enemies are about the same level with him so it pales in comparison to, say, sigurd or anybody with a holy weapon ever who will jsut stomp them

the comparison between dew and, like, midir or even beowulf is more apt since iirc he actually wins more than a few stats but the difference is negligible

Dew has the weakest combat out of everyone, even Ethlin (critical). Everyone outdamages him.

Midir is really underrated. His growths are decent. Until he gets the Hero Bow, he won't kill much outside of a Killer Bow crit, but his chip damage is significant and he's never a liability. Canto and his high movement help him keep up and escape danger. Maybe all the hate comes from looking like a chick, which doesn't make much sense to me. He looks like an ordinary anime teenage male to me. Maybe FE fans should reevaluate what masculinity is.

Beo's got good growths and workable base stats. He's not a great unit but he has real potential, unlike Dew. Did you see those stats Shin posted? 14.6 str as a level 20 promoted unit? Hah.

The thing is, if you have a competent Dew for Chapter 4, 9 move Dew (Leg Ring) and 9 move Sigurd is quicker than 6 move Dew and 12 move Sigurd (Leg Ring), since Sigurd getting there early just means you have to wait for Dew to catch up. Plus, an untrained Dew can't even fullmove every turn because he gets OHKOd by siege tomes and the stray Peg that your mounts might leave behind.

Nobody is saying Dew is amazing, but training him has a purpose and having him chip the Cross Knights doesn't slow you down in any way. You can give those kills to someone else, sure, but your really good mounts (Sigurd, Cuan, Lex, Fin) will have no need of those kills and your average mounts and other foot units (Noish, Alec, Beo, Midir, Holyn, Ayra) don't do much with them. Giving them that EXP isn't that useful since Sigurd can roflstomp most stuff by himself. And plus, since it's not a draft playthrough, we are more likely to be using the aforementioned good mounts.

I've never lost Dew on that chapter, and he was always around level 6-11. The siege tome mages come in groups of 3, and are easily KO'd by Fury and Sigurd. I guess you could give him the leg ring to avoid the wait at the broken bridge but he does not need a single point of exp to perform his duty.

"Great" implies something above amazing. Training him has a purpose, I will concede that, but it is not to be a combat unit or a father (in most cases). What is Dew supposed to do with the Cross Knights, hit them for 16 damage and not double? Why bother?

What do you mean by the others 'don't do much with them'. What does Dew do with the extra exp?

Yeah, we all know Sigurd is the best unit in all of FE. He still appreciates help from naturally good fighters.

[BBM]

Leg Ring Dew with 9 movement but no training cannot move fully every turn because other than just the siege tomes, the Pegs and mages and stuff can hurt him. So training helps him get to that bridge quicker. I don't know exactly how many turns this saves, but it's at least 3-4 I think.

And yeah, Sigurd needs help. But he's got peeps like Cuan, Lex, Fin, and Lachesis. Guys like Midir and Beo are decent but superfluous. On the other hand, Dew has unique utility in C4 that can't be replicated by anyone. Again, I'm not saying Dew is amazing, just that he has a use.

And also, remember why Dew was being recommended for a father. Look at the OP. The TC is specifically going to pair Lex with someone else. No one disputes that Lex is the best husband for Ayra, but without him, people were just trying to recommend some alternate fun pairings. Compare Dew!Skasaha to Noish!Skasaha and Holyn!Skasaha.

Holyn!Skasaha has large leads in HP and SKL but the SKL one is kind of useless because Forrest cap is only 27 and Dew gives a base of 14 and a growth of 85%, which is plenty sufficient considering Skasaha starts at level 1. Dew gives a slight edge in SPD which is actually slightly relevant because Holyn!Skasaha actually falls short of capping SPD on average by a couple points. Dew also gives a small edge in STR, which Holyn!Skasaha also fails to cap. Holyn's large HP growth is important, admittedly, but Dew gives Sol, which makes up for it partly because that boosts survivability a bit. On the other hand, Holyn gives Luna, which while nice, is unnecessary because they have overkill offence with Astra as it is. Dew also gives Bargain, which is not amazing but is still nice. So they're all in all pretty even.

As far as Noish goes, he gives inferior or equal growths everywhere except HP, but again, Dew has Sol to make up for it, and the HP lead isn't as large this time. And again, the skills Noish gives are offensive, while Dew gives a defensive skill, which is more useful.

[Jave]

I merely suggested Dew/Ayra since the OP is asking for different pairing choices. Lex/Ayra is out (OP is pairing Lex with Briggid) and Noish/Ayra is also out because OP specifically said so. This leaves Holyn and Dew as the next best picks, but since OP states he's beaten the game at least twice, I can assume he knows how the game rolls, so I suggest Dew/Ayra since OP can take extra challenge it poses over Holyn/Ayra, which isn't THAT big, as it has been stated many times, it's really hard to fully screw up the Swordtwins. They're definitely still usable with unpromoted Dew as father.

I'd argue that if OP is still undecided on using Sylvia, he could consider Dew/Sylvia since it's actually a decent pairing. Corple makes good use of Bargain, and Sol doesn't go entirely to waste on Leen.

[MacLovin]

Not to mention that Lex pairs well with EVERYONE.

Even Sylvia, according to Shin.

Also, stats aren't everything and being at max level just gives a few +1 point boosts to kiddie bases.