Seeking advice for a rather unusual character build concept

[Topaz Light]

So, Awakening save editing is becoming more and more of a thing now, with an already-pretty-cool easy-to-use save editor currently underway, and this allows me to do something that I've wanted to do for a while now.

And that is, distribute Avatars of unusual classes via StreetPass.

The main one I had in mind was to make one that was a Soldier, since most other unique classes either don't interest me much (Revenants/Entombed look weird but are functionally just about as generic as you can get, and cheating the final boss class- in this case, Grima- onto one's team is rather overdone) or actually are obtainable, just not for the Avatar (Lord, Dancer, Villager, Manakete, Taguel, Lodestar). Besides, I've always had a soft spot for the Soldier class for no readily-explicable reason. I guess they're kind of a neat novelty to me in most games.

Anyway, none of this is really the main point of this inquiry.

What I wanted to ask for was advice on making a decent Asset+Flaw and Skill build for a Soldier-class character. Soldiers have only 5 movement, but I'm willing to bump it up to 7 with Boots, since this file will be created solely to facilitate this character being spread via StreetPass.
The Pair Up bonuses attributed to the Soldier class are Strength, Luck, and Defense +2, and like most single-tier classes, Soldiers' levels cap at 30 rather than 20, although this doesn't really matter since the character can be Second Sealed back down to a level 1 Soldier from level 30. I have verified all three of these tidbits in-game myself, so they're accurate.

For those who don't want to head over to the main site to look it up, the Soldier class's caps are:

• HP: 80
• Luck: 45
• Everything else: 30

...Which are actually pretty respectable for a tier-1 class, but definitely hold the character back from competing with tier-2 units, unless they have Limit Breaker while the tier-2 units don't.

Note that I'm not looking for a build that will make the character an asset for taking down Apotheosis or anything; I'm well aware there's really no way to do that short of loading them up with Lunatic+ skills, which I don't want to do. I just want something that will allow the character to hold their own and be reasonably useful for the main plot on Normal and Hard difficulty, as well as DLC chapters up to the difficulty level of, say, Smash Brethren. I'm completely aware that a playable Soldier, with no modifications to the class as it is in the game currently, will ultimately amount to nothing more than a novelty in most players' rosters, but I do want to give them an Asset+Flaw and Skill setup that will make them better than just a "vanilla" or haphazardly-set-up Soldier.

As for Skills, I'm using a save file editor, so they can have quite literally any combination of five skills that can be conceived, including DLC and Lunatic+ skills... even multiples of the same skill, although I'm not sure why you'd do that. My only real "rule" here is that I don't want to give them Lunatic+ skills, more because it apparently will prevent them from being sent via StreetPass (an Outrealm Order will get sent instead; "impossible" classes don't trip this for some reason apparently) than anything else. Aside from "No Lunatic+ skills", though, anything goes in terms of Skill setups.

I realize this is a strange goal and request, but I'm not really super versed on what does and doesn't constitute a good or useful skill setup, and since a lot of people here are, I thought it would be a good place to ask for help.

[Czar_Yoshi]

For non-DLC utility in general, try using:

-A mobility skill (Deliverer/Galeforce/Pass)

-A defensive skill (PavGis/Breaker)

-A self-healing skill (Sol/Lifetaker/Renewal)

-A support skill/Aura (Solidarity/Anathema/Charm/Rally) or a second mobility/defensive skill

-A money skill (AT/Despoil)

[vonretic]

For asset/flaw I would go with: Asset:strength or speed, Flaw: luck.

Skills: Galeforce, Limit Breaker, Aegis, Sol/Lifetaker, Ignis/Vantage.

Use Sol with Vantage (RNG goddesses be with you son) , or Ignis with Lifetaker (recommend).

You can also throw if you want a Weaponfaire of choice or a Rally skill.

Edited September 28, 2015 by vonretic

[Czar_Yoshi]

You didn't specified if you want female MU or male MU.

That's because it doesn't matter, he has access to everything.

Vantage/Sol is pretty bad, by the way. It leaves your fate in the hands of the RNG, which is something you should never do if you can avoid it.

Edited September 28, 2015 by Czar_Yoshi

[vonretic]

That's because it doesn't matter, he has access to everything.

Vantage/Sol is pretty bad, by the way. It leaves your fate in the hands of the RNG, which is something you should never do if you can avoid it.

Yeah I thought as much that Vantage and Sol doesn't really go well without the RNG goddesses but I gave a possible combination that can be used. Given the fact that he/she wants to play on Normal or Hard mode.

[Zoran]

Does Galeforce/Limit Breaker/Limit Breaker/Limit Breaker/Limit Breaker work?

[Melissa]

Here you go:

Delivever or Galeforce/Axebreaker/Lifetaker or Renewal/Armsthrfit/Limit Breaker

[vonretic]

Does Galeforce/Limit Breaker/Limit Breaker/Limit Breaker/Limit Breaker work?

Sure. This can be done by either hacking the game or if you have an AR for your 3DS use the codes from here.

[Czar_Yoshi]

Does Galeforce/Limit Breaker/Limit Breaker/Limit Breaker/Limit Breaker work?

You can put them on, but it won't do what you're hoping.

[Kuroi Tsubasa Tenshi]

I'm not really up and up on the save hacking, but isn't there a DLC version the Soldier with better caps that shows up in Apotheosis? Is there anything stopping you from using that one?

Aside from what's already been said, consider Dual Support+ or even Dual Strike+ to help offset the lack of support options.

Alternatively, maybe something to mimic the feel of the Radiant Dawn Sentinels? Something like: Astra, Discipline (assuming the Soldier won't be A-rank in everything), Gamble (or Zeal), Pavise, Dual Support+?

[Zoran]

You can put them on, but it won't do what you're hoping.

Yeah, that's what I was getting at. I was just curious.

[Rxmonste]

Does Galeforce/Limit Breaker/Limit Breaker/Limit Breaker/Limit Breaker work?

Not really, it's hard-coded that skills don't stack.

[Topaz Light]

I'm not really up and up on the save hacking, but isn't there a DLC version the Soldier with better caps that shows up in Apotheosis? Is there anything stopping you from using that one?

Aside from what's already been said, consider Dual Support+ or even Dual Strike+ to help offset the lack of support options.

Alternatively, maybe something to mimic the feel of the Radiant Dawn Sentinels? Something like: Astra, Discipline (assuming the Soldier won't be A-rank in everything), Gamble (or Zeal), Pavise, Dual Support+?

The Super Soldier, you mean?

I sincerely doubt that's actually a different class. I think the character data used for the enemy has absurdly massive cap modifiers and that's why the caps on that enemy are so high.

The idea is that the character will be designed to be essentially as good as the Soldier class as it exists in Awakening can be made to be. Because I'm pretty sure that only the five equipped skills get transferred over when StreetPassing, I don't want to use up a slot on something the usefulness of which is transient (Aptitude, Underdog, Discipline, etc.), because once the character is all maxed-out it'll be effectively an empty skill slot.

And yeah, I kinda figured skills would essentially work on a "has this skill/doesn't have this skill" binary, so it's pointless to stack them.

Anyway, thanks to everyone for the advice! It's really been quite helpful!

[Czar_Yoshi]

Not really, it's hard-coded that skills don't stack.

Technically, it's not coded for them to stack. It would take a lot more work to check each of a character's five skillslots and apply the skill effect that many times than it does to merely check if the skill is present at all and turn its effect on.

I sincerely doubt that's actually a different class. I think the character data used for the enemy has absurdly massive cap modifiers and that's why the caps on that enemy are so high.

Well, there are some dudes with 99 HP, and I don't think there's an HP mod, so something's up there (it's probably not a boolean flag that sets HP to 99, either, because Hard Grima has 88 HP).

[Thor Odinson]

I mean there could be functionalities for an hp mod, just nobody on the player side gets it

[Rxmonste]

Technically, it's not coded for them to stack. It would take a lot more work to check each of a character's five skillslots and apply the skill effect that many times than it does to merely check if the skill is present at all and turn its effect on.

Hmm...yes. So if I'm getting this right, you're saying that they're using If statements to check the Array and if the skill is present within that Array, then it applies the effect.

That's actually a smart way to avoid skill stacking. And it's indeed easier than the former method you mentioned.

[Czar_Yoshi]

I imagine it's a little more complicated than that, but that's the general idea, yes.