PAIRINGS The Pairing Thread

[Vascela]

The problem with PavGis is that they only help you if you're intentionally risking death. They only show value if you bank on that % to live (otherwise why did you need them in the first place). There's a line you draw in the sand on how much do you want to gamble (for me, I don't gamble at all). But nobody should advise someone on putting themselves in those situations where PavGis can save you.

Now, there are scenarios where it's a great boon. For example, Chiki's 3 unit clear for Apo relied on PavGis and dual guards. No 3 man clear is impervious to RNG, so it's something only PavGis can do that others can't.

[MewMewExorcist]

Mmm, considering I don't even have that DLC (yet) I guess Fred!Gerome isn't the best choice, then. Would Vaike!Gerome be the next best choice for a generic heavy hitter?

[Ebony]

If I'm to have Stahl!Owain, what class would he be best to end up in? Still trying to figure out ways to get Henry!Owain but that means I'd have to bench Nah probably with Stahl!Nah since i doubt it's good....

[Vascela]

I remember my first Apo run used Stahl!Nah. Twas one of the reasons why I love Snipers to this day; was an mvp. Although, that's not really something exclusive to Stahl!Nah.

[Radiant head]

If I'm to have Stahl!Owain, what class would he be best to end up in? Still trying to figure out ways to get Henry!Owain but that means I'd have to bench Nah probably with Stahl!Nah since i doubt it's good....

The whole point of Stahl!Owain is to give him positive str and mag modifiers so he can be a mag/phys hybrid for dread fighter. The only drawback for me is the lack of access to dark knight, but that's a personal preference thing.

FWIW Libra!Owain is basically the same thing as Henry!Owain, but with a lesser in demand father. Barbarian also overlaps for Owain.

[Ebony]

The whole point of Stahl!Owain is to give him positive str and mag modifiers so he can be a mag/phys hybrid for dread fighter. The only drawback for me is the lack of access to dark knight, but that's a personal preference thing.

FWIW Libra!Owain is basically the same thing as Henry!Owain, but with a lesser in demand father. Barbarian also overlaps for Owain.

You had me at Dread Fighter. My favorite class. If it makes Owain to be a good one then it'll be entirely worth it.

[TheSilentChloey]

For the record, in my last playthrough Libra!Inigo made a pretty great sorcerer and had pretty much anything I could ever want on a character. On the other hand, I don't go for a lot of physical classes for my most-used characters, so there's that. I pretty much put him on par with the Avatar kids in that particular playthrough, and he's the only character I trusted to solo Rogues and Redeemers 3 with Chrom (and obviously no support levels) before he had mostly capped stats with Vantage/Vengeance (and occasionally a bit of Aversa's Night, yay Armsthrift). As a disclaimer, I did use him in Normal Mode with Limit Breaker, and I was weird enough to put him in a magical class, and Libra mostly just gives a well-rounded Magical Kid Starter Kit to whichever kid gets him as a father. So if you're looking for min/maxing of stats or a lot of useful skills for a physical Inigo to add to the ones he's already got, I'm not sure if Libra's the one to go for; if you don't want Inigo in a magical class you're probably not going to get a ton out of the pairing (though it won't hurt him either). Not that Inigo really needs much in my personal opinion; but I've got my own ideas of what I like as far as available skills and class sets, and Inigo - especially Libra!Inigo - just happens to fit the bill.

That sounds similar to what I do I tend to run characters through all of their reclassing options to make sure that they are more likely to cap stats. So they do spend some time as a physical unit. I like to attack at a distance it seems

[NobodyInWonderland]

I'd like to get some opinions on pairings for the following kids, since I'm having a hard time deciding what to do with them.

The kids I'm unsure about: Severa, Gerome, Yarne

The available fathers: Stahl, Kellam, Frederick, Virion

What I'm looking for: Good offensive skills to compliment each of the kids, and somewhat decent stats though I can compensate for a few bad ones with Limit Breaker. I'm playing in Normal Mode and optimizing for game-breaking during the main storyline, so defensive skills are less of a concern. Gerome is going to have Wyvern Lord as an ending class, and Yarne will likely end as a Taguel. Severa can do whatever her father gives her the right stats for, really; suggestions are good. Getting hair colors that look nice is not the biggest priority, but given that the reason I'm not automatically going with Stahl Severa is the hair color... well, it's taken into consideration.

@TheSilentChloey, I tend to run characters through all the classes that I can get useful skills from. If that doesn't cap their stats, then they're usually pretty close, and a few runs through Lost Bloodlines 3 while I conveniently farm Paragons tends to do the trick.

Edited November 21, 2015 by NobodyInWonderland

[MewMewExorcist]

I believe Stahl!Severa makes for a good physical Severa. But if you don't like the hair color... Kellam!Severa would probably make her more defensive. I used Virion!Yarne once but I don't remember why.

[TheSilentChloey]

I'd like to get some opinions on pairings for the following kids, since I'm having a hard time deciding what to do with them.

The kids I'm unsure about: Severa, Gerome, Yarne

The available fathers: Stahl, Kellam, Frederick, Virion

What I'm looking for: Good offensive skills to compliment each of the kids, and somewhat decent stats though I can compensate for a few bad ones with Limit Breaker. I'm playing in Normal Mode and optimizing for game-breaking during the main storyline, so defensive skills are less of a concern. Gerome is going to have Wyvern Lord as an ending class, and Yarne will likely end as a Taguel. Severa can do whatever her father gives her the right stats for, really; suggestions are good. Getting hair colors that look nice is not the biggest priority, but given that the reason I'm not automatically going with Stahl Severa is the hair color... well, it's taken into consideration.

@TheSilentChloey, I tend to run characters through all the classes that I can get useful skills from. If that doesn't cap their stats, then they're usually pretty close, and a few runs through Lost Bloodlines 3 while I conveniently farm Paragons tends to do the trick.

I'd go Virion!Gerome for bowbreaker and hit +20 if you're ending him as a wyvern lord. That is what I would do at any rate.

Frederick!Yarne maybe? Yarne will want lancebreaker (especially since he is a taguel). Or Luna. Luna is fun

Severa is not so easy. I haven't worked out what to do with her myself yet.

[Ebony]

I'd like to get some opinions on pairings for the following kids, since I'm having a hard time deciding what to do with them.

The kids I'm unsure about: Severa, Gerome, Yarne

The available fathers: Stahl, Kellam, Frederick, Virion

What I'm looking for: Good offensive skills to compliment each of the kids, and somewhat decent stats though I can compensate for a few bad ones with Limit Breaker. I'm playing in Normal Mode and optimizing for game-breaking during the main storyline, so defensive skills are less of a concern. Gerome is going to have Wyvern Lord as an ending class, and Yarne will likely end as a Taguel. Severa can do whatever her father gives her the right stats for, really; suggestions are good. Getting hair colors that look nice is not the biggest priority, but given that the reason I'm not automatically going with Stahl Severa is the hair color... well, it's taken into consideration.

@TheSilentChloey, I tend to run characters through all the classes that I can get useful skills from. If that doesn't cap their stats, then they're usually pretty close, and a few runs through Lost Bloodlines 3 while I conveniently farm Paragons tends to do the trick.

For Severa, the only options I can see her wanting are either Stahl or Virion. I highly recommend Stahl though. Like, it makes Severa insane.

[Czar_Yoshi]

I'd like to get some opinions on pairings for the following kids, since I'm having a hard time deciding what to do with them.

The kids I'm unsure about: Severa, Gerome, Yarne

The available fathers: Stahl, Kellam, Frederick, Virion

If Yarne's a Taguel, he's doomed to mediocrity no matter who his dad is, so give him Fred. That leaves Virion for Severa (very good, use Wyvern Lord or Dark Flier) and Stahl for Gerome (not bad, use Bowfaire Warrior).

Normally I'd suggest throwing Gerome under the bus and giving Stahl to Yarne, but this works too.

[NobodyInWonderland]

I hadn't thought of Frederick Yarne, but looking at some of the stuff that Frederick gives him... he actually looks decent. He's got some good options if I decide to stay with the taguel class, and also good options if I decide to permanently reclass the kid (which is not out of the question; I really like the killer bunny thing but... yeah). And his speed isn't nearly as hurt by the pairing as some kids I could name. Okay, Frederick Yarne it is.

So that means it's up to Virion, Kellam, or Stahl for Gerome and Severa. And, looking at what Kellam and Virion do for Gerome... I don't think I'd like either one. I like Kellam's classes but he gives the worst speed possible; and I never really worry about weakness to bows or being hit with things during Normal mode with capped stats, so I probably wouldn't use any of Virion's hit/avoid skills which are his only offerings in this case (mage tree is useless here). Stahl Gerome is actually pretty fantastic from the looks of it, mainly because Stahl is a great father for physical stuff. I guess it really has to be Stahl Gerome with the choices I have, because I can't throw the resident Batman under the bus.

So, how's Kellam Severa? I mean, obviously she's not the best Severa, but I like Kellam's class sets better than Virion's. I've got enough wyverns and I'd much rather have Thief tree than Archer tree. Also Luna. I just don't want to unintentionally ruin her by missing some major problem with Kellam as her father, because she already has Galeforce and Armsthrift and I'd feel pretty awful if I managed to mess that up.

Edited November 22, 2015 by NobodyInWonderland

[ckc22]

So, how's Kellam Severa? I mean, obviously she's not the best Severa, but I like Kellam's class sets better than Virion's. I've got enough wyverns and I'd much rather have Thief tree than Archer tree. Also Luna. I just don't want to unintentionally ruin her by missing some major problem with Kellam as her father, because she already has Galeforce and Armsthrift and I'd feel pretty awful if I managed to mess that up.

IMO: bad. Kellam is best off married to the bench in virtually every optimizing scenario - he has a weak class selection and mods that don't favor the meta. For Severa in particular he wrecks one of her biggest assets - her speed. My personal favorite father for her is Lonqu. Virion, Stahl, and Vaike can also make good options for her.

I believe Stahl!Severa makes for a good physical Severa. But if you don't like the hair color... Kellam!Severa would probably make her more defensive. I used Virion!Yarne once but I don't remember why.

Virion!Yarne is one of his best options.

Great mods, shove him in the back as a berserker running lb/as2/hit20/axefaire/agg.

Edited November 22, 2015 by ckc22

[NobodyInWonderland]

So, if I choose Virion for Severa, exactly what sort of skillset/class would she use? I mean, I suppose she gets Tomefaire for Dark Flier or Sorcerer, and I do kind of like Deliverer as a utility skill, but I don't usually need the breakers or better hit skills for this sort of playthrough (Normal, a ton of grinding, and Limit Breaker on everyone), and Sol means Lifetaker isn't helpful. I don't use archers at all, so that class wouldn't be utilized. As far as stats, she doesn't get an especially great amount of either magic or strength; she gets some pretty good skill, but she barely has the procs to really abuse it - Vengeance is risky without Vantage and tends to conflict with Sol, and both are only good when she's taking damage, which tends to be pretty rare once she has Limit Breaker. I do like the wyverns/griffons as ending classes for physically-oriented characters with good movement, but with the Pegasus classes it's not really necessary for Severa in particular.

So basically, the only thing I see Virion offering Severa is a really good speed stat. I feel like I'm missing something here as to what else she can really get out of him that she can't get out of Kellam, but better, besides the speed, which isn't a dealbreaker since I'm not optimizing for Apotheosis and have Limit Breaker. She still gets Tomefaire, along with Lethality and Luna. Lucky Seven is better than Hit +20 in most battles, since it also helps with avoid. She gets a bit more strength and defense, and only one point less skill which means she'll still have pretty great skill activation - with stuff to actually activate. I'd use Assassin over archer classes any day, if I'm going to use bows.

What am I missing?

Edited November 22, 2015 by NobodyInWonderland

[Czar_Yoshi]

So, if I choose Virion for Severa, exactly what sort of skillset/class would she use? I mean, I suppose she gets Tomefaire for Dark Flier or Sorcerer, and I do kind of like Deliverer as a utility skill, but I don't usually need the breakers or better hit skills for this sort of playthrough (Normal, a ton of grinding, and Limit Breaker on everyone), and Sol means Lifetaker isn't helpful. I don't use archers at all, so that class wouldn't be utilized. As far as stats, she doesn't get an especially great amount of either magic or strength; she gets some pretty good skill, but she barely has the procs to really abuse it - Vengeance is risky without Vantage and tends to conflict with Sol, and both are only good when she's taking damage, which tends to be pretty rare once she has Limit Breaker. I do like the wyverns/griffons as ending classes for physically-oriented characters with good movement, but with the Pegasus classes it's not really necessary for Severa in particular.

So basically, the only thing I see Virion offering Severa is a really good speed stat. I feel like I'm missing something here as to what else she can really get out of him that she can't get out of Kellam, but better, besides the speed, which isn't a dealbreaker since I'm not optimizing for Apotheosis and have Limit Breaker. She still gets Tomefaire, along with Lethality, Luna, and even Pavise as a replacement for the lost Lancebreaker. Lucky Seven is better than Hit +20 in most battles, since it also helps with avoid. She gets a bit more strength and defense, and only one point less skill which means she'll still have pretty great skill activation - with stuff to actually activate.

What am I missing?

The idea with Wyvern Severa is that she has enough Spd to double everything anyway, so she'll turn out just like a slower Falco Severa except with a ton more Str/Def- Wyverns offer the highest flying physical offense in the game by quite a large margin. Her Sniper and DF are good too, but Wyvern is the main focus.

Vengeance is a lot riskier with Vantage than without, because it tends to coax bad players into putting themselves in positions where the RNG can kill you. Vengeance without Vantage is much less tempting to misuse, while still very strong and reliable (and a little bit easier to do calcs for, as well).

Of course, given the situation you're playing under, very little actually matters in pairings, so you have much more freedom to do what you want. +Mov will still be noticeable, though, and Virion does give more of that than Kellam.

[ckc22]

So, if I choose Virion for Severa, exactly what sort of skillset/class would she use? I mean, I suppose she gets Tomefaire for Dark Flier or Sorcerer, and I do kind of like Deliverer as a utility skill, but I don't usually need the breakers or better hit skills for this sort of playthrough (Normal, a ton of grinding, and Limit Breaker on everyone), and Sol means Lifetaker isn't helpful. I don't use archers at all, so that class wouldn't be utilized. As far as stats, she doesn't get an especially great amount of either magic or strength; she gets some pretty good skill, but she barely has the procs to really abuse it - Vengeance is risky without Vantage and tends to conflict with Sol, and both are only good when she's taking damage, which tends to be pretty rare once she has Limit Breaker. I do like the wyverns/griffons as ending classes for physically-oriented characters with good movement, but with the Pegasus classes it's not really necessary for Severa in particular.

So basically, the only thing I see Virion offering Severa is a really good speed stat. I feel like I'm missing something here as to what else she can really get out of him that she can't get out of Kellam, but better, besides the speed, which isn't a dealbreaker since I'm not optimizing for Apotheosis and have Limit Breaker. She still gets Tomefaire, along with Lethality and Luna. Lucky Seven is better than Hit +20 in most battles, since it also helps with avoid. She gets a bit more strength and defense, and only one point less skill which means she'll still have pretty great skill activation - with stuff to actually activate. I'd use Assassin over archer classes any day, if I'm going to use bows.

What am I missing?

Severa already has pretty much everything she needs - faires/endclass options/mods are all she really stands to gain from her father.

In general, if you're not optimizing for Apotheosis then it doesn't really matter what you do to be honest. I'm not trying to be rude - it's just that if you have so many non optimized preferences then no one can really help you set up what you want except yourself.

[NobodyInWonderland]

The idea with Wyvern Severa is that she has enough Spd to double everything anyway, so she'll turn out just like a slower Falco Severa except with a ton more Str/Def- Wyverns offer the highest flying physical offense in the game by quite a large margin. Her Sniper and DF are good too, but Wyvern is the main focus.

Vengeance is a lot riskier with Vantage than without, because it tends to coax bad players into putting themselves in positions where the RNG can kill you. Vengeance without Vantage is much less tempting to misuse, while still very strong and reliable (and a little bit easier to do calcs for, as well).

Of course, given the situation you're playing under, very little actually matters in pairings, so you have much more freedom to do what you want. +Mov will still be noticeable, though, and Virion does give more of that than Kellam.

Hmm, that does make a lot of sense. Wyvern Severa is under consideration, then.

Severa already has pretty much everything she needs - faires/endclass options/mods are all she really stands to gain from her father.

In general, if you're not optimizing for Apotheosis then it doesn't really matter what you do to be honest. I'm not trying to be rude - it's just that if you have so many non optimized preferences then no one can really help you set up what you want except yourself.

Eh, I guess I probably came off as a little too excited about the whole deal, and I tend to overexplain things. I was worried that I was missing how Virion helped Severa since so many people recommended him. And I was, actually - thanks to the above explanation, though, I think I get it. I'm happier taking a non-optimized pairing with full understanding of what I'm giving up, rather than realizing later that I missed something. I'd rather feel like an idiot for not seeing some obvious advantage in this thread than once I've gone through with the actual S-support, even if it doesn't make that much of a difference. And I tend to ramble when I'm running on little sleep, so I suppose I was getting a bit off-topic with making stuff so specific to my own playthrough. Sorry about cluttering up the thread, will stop now.

Edited November 22, 2015 by NobodyInWonderland

[TheSilentChloey]

Ricken!Severa help needed. Is she better as a physical unit or a magical one?

[Ebony]

Ricken!Severa help needed. Is she better as a physical unit or a magical one?

Yes.

Translation: I believe she can serve well as either one depending on what you want her to do.

[Admiral "Bull" Halsey]

Ricken!Severa help needed. Is she better as a physical unit or a magical one?

Yes, and she would be better off as a magic unit, physical Ricken!Severa makes her almost similar to Chrom!Inigo in terms of mod-wise, which is sorta redundant IMO.

Edited November 22, 2015 by Formerly Colm

[TheSilentChloey]

Yes, and she would be better off as a magic unit, physical Ricken!Severa makes her almost similar to Chrom!Inigo mod-wise.

So that leaves Dark Flier, Sage or Sorcerer...I think...

[Admiral "Bull" Halsey]

Either Sage or Dark Fliers would do, Sorcerers are slow but thats just me.

[TheSilentChloey]

Either Sage or Dark Fliers would do, Sorcerers are slow but thats just me.

I think I'd want her to have tomebreaker and bowbreaker then. Both would keep her reasonably safe from wind wielders and bows if she's going to be a Dark Flier. Heck I'm certain that she'll outshine Cordy nicely

[Admiral "Bull" Halsey]

For Dark Flier you could try maybe DLC Iote's Shield...? I'm just saying.

Edited November 22, 2015 by Formerly Colm