Is there a recurring class tree worse than Archers/Bow Fighters/Whatever and Snipers?

[Nicolas]

iono, I don't think they had it that bad relative to archers. Dark mages, OTOH? Not so much. Not sure about FE5. In FE6, Niime was serviceable enough with an Angelic Robe or two, but Raigh and especially Sophia are a pain to work with. At least Nosferatu was light. Canas in FE7 was also pretty good, and while Nosferatu was nerfed by more than doubling the weight, at least there was Luna. FE8 nerfed Luna - the ONE thing dark magic had going for it in FE7 - to being near useless, on top of having the one dark mage, and the potential dark mage as well, join late. Dark magic went MIA in FE9 before returning in FE10... as a new game+ only thing, to say nothing of the fact that the only dark magic users joined very late in the game, with the first being underleveled and the other needing you to undergo that one sidequest to recruit, in addition to being available for only one part of endgame (and even then, you had to bring the other guy to endgame if you wanted him to be able to do anything with it, to say nothing of Balberith sucking ass). Amazing. Shadow Dragon? Outside of Etzel, you had to reclass to get a dark mage, and even then, no one in the game would be good as a reclassed dark mage. Wonderful. New Mystery? I'm not sure, but I think it's more of the same. Which leaves Awakening as the one game where they aren't all that bad.

In FE5 you have only one Dark Mage...

AND HE IS SO DAMN BROKEN!

Absolutely Top Tier unit, and there are not much other guys over him.

Edited December 13, 2013 by Nicolas

[Icon of Sin]

He's not broken because he can use dark magic though.

[Shadow Mir]

He's not broken because he can use dark magic though.

I suppose staff access is the recipe to being broken in Thracia.

[Nicolas]

I suppose staff access is the recipe to being broken in Thracia.

His high staff rank is only one reason to be really good.

This guy is just customizable, because he joins pretty early and at this point of game you have every important scroll for magic user (heim, hezul, dain, sety). You can make him as you only wish. He got access to every anima type (in difference to Linoan, Sara and Bromeros, who need promo to get best magic type - wind) and dark magic (crap, don't use, unless you know what are you doing). and C staves, what mean, he will get wexp much faster than Asvel, or Nanna. He can just get Knight Proof unlike Linoan (she is 5move locked until ch 21) and his promo gain is good (little worser than sages, though).

In other hand he is really helpful in chapter after joining. If you are doing easier way he will just helling, but if you go harder way IIRC Salem+ M up ORKO those amour with wind. Ballista is aiming at you? Not huge problem, since he can survive one shoot in chest at base, or something. He has also physic at start.

So it's noet enough for you? You want something more powerful? GIVE HIM MANUL! Wrath and ambush makes his combat better (both makes Yotsmungand at least usable). Elite gives him promo even quicker, while Sol gives him even more durability. He is excellent choice for every of them.

And at last he gets more HP than Sara and Linoan even get. He won't be fatigued often and hitting 40 hp in lategame ti's not problem for him, even without hezul.

Just make him beast:

4HKOed or 3HKOed by berserker in final chapter.