#unit review

Lvl 40 Stats (Flaw/Neutral/Asset)

HP: 42/45/48

Atk: 27/30/33

Spd: 34/37/40

Def: 23/26/30

Res: 20/23/26

Neutral BST: 161

Max Dragonflowers: 5

Skills

Weapon: Rogue Dagger+ (300 SP)

Mt: 8. Rng: 1. After combat, if unit attacked, inflicts Def/Res -5 on foe through their next action and grants Def/Res +5 to unit for 1 turn.

Colorless Dagger. Can be inherited. Can be refined.

Assist: Draw Back (150 SP)

Unit moves one space away from target ally. Ally then moves back into unit’s former position.

Can be inherited. Cannot use: Staff.

Special: None

A: None

B: Escape Route 3 (240 SP)

If unit’s HP ≤ 50%, unit can warp to any adjacent space next to an ally.

Can be inherited.

C: Spd Smoke 3 (240 SP)

After combat, inflicts Spd -7 on enemies within two spaces of foe for the duration of their next actions.

Can be inherited. Cannot use: Staff.

Analysis

Chad arrives alongside formidable allies as a F2P friendly colorless dagger in the 3-4* summoning pool. While his skills are nothing new his stat line does leave him with interesting options when it comes to how he should be built.

At first glance it seems that Chad fills in the role of so many daggers before him as a fast, supportive ranged unit. His offenses start at 30/37 Atk/Spd allowing Chad to double opponents easily with investment. His defenses on the other hand leave him with enough to tank a hit (but not much more than that) starting at 26/23 Def/Res. Looks can be deceiving however as much of Chad’s weaknesses are addressed in his base kit. Rogue Dagger will, after attacking or being attacked, grant Def/Res+6 to Chad and any nearby allies while ploying his opponent and any enemies within 2 spaces for -6 Def/Res. Stack this on top of his default Spd Smoke and Chad will essentially ploy three different stats on his enemies while giving his team the advantage. In order for this to come into play however Chad will have to initiate against his opponents. Picking his battles will no doubt be the number one thing to consider when using Chad. His native Escape Route gives him some options when it comes to buffing his allies or picking his enemies but this skill will not activate until he’s at 50% of his base HP or less. At that level of health it’s doubtful that Chad will survive any combat he gets himself into without help.

Whether used to support his team or as an offensive unit himself Chad will prove his worth so long as he picks his battles carefully.

Similar Units

Matthew: Faithful Spy (41/25/34/30/18)

Chad: Lycian Wildcat (+4/+5/+3/-4/+5)

Note: Matthew has access to uninheritable skills and is thus not directly comparable.

Saizo: Angry Ninja (36/29/34/30/18)

Chad: Lycian Wildcat (+9/+1/+3/-4/+5)

Note: Saizo has access to uninheritable skills and is thus not directly comparable.

Legault: The Hurricane (39/31/38/24/19)

Chad: Lycian Wildcat (+6/-1/-1/+2/+4)

Builds

Budget:

Chad can suffice with some minimal investment. For the most part however it is best to forgo his native B skill for a different one.

The set on the left kits Chad out to be a sure counter against sword opponents. Swordbreaker will ensure that Chad can safely take fights against powerful sword opponents. Should his sword wielding foe be faster than him Swordbreaker will negate that speed difference and grant Chad the advantage. After combat he will then ploy any opponents within 2 spaces for Atk/Spd -7 and Def/Res -6 for the duration of their next actions. These ploys could easily prove to be the difference between winning a fight and losing one. Swift Sparrow will grant him a boost when initiating combat pushing his offenses to 47/41 Atk/Spd without any further buffs.

The set on the right opts for a similar goal but instead improves Chad’s own stats. Darting Blow grants +6 Spd while Sturdy Blow grants Atk/Def +4 if Chad initiates a fight. This pushes his stats up to 47/43/30 Atk/Spd/Def while in combat with no further buffs. Then, after combat, he gains a buff of Def/Res +6 to his defenses making him deceptively tankier than one would believe and smokes his opponents for -7 Spd. He may then be escorted back to safety by an ally or danced to make use of his newly acquired buffs. Because of his high Spd we can afford to use Desperation to allow Chad to make his follow-up attack before his opponent can counterattack.

Chad’s seal options include but aren’t limited to: Atk+3, Spd+3, Atk/Spd 2, Blow skills, Bond skills, Brazen skills, Smoke skills, Flashing Blade, Quickened Pulse and Phantom Spd.

Offensive:

Chad is a very capable offensive dagger and can improve on his role as a support unit.

The set on the left kits him out to be a tried and true offensive dagger. He runs a fairly standard Life and Death/Desperation setup in combination with his default C skill and Darting Blow. Reaching an incredibly 51 Spd with no further buffs, Chad will prove dangerous to bait if the opponent fails to kill him in one shot as he will activate Moonbow on retaliation. To further prevent this from happening we run The Cleaner+, which will grant a bonus to Chad’s Atk based on the foe’s bonuses in combat. So, for example, if Chad’s opponent is buffed for +6 Atk, Chad adds +6 to his Atk while in combat. Think of it like a Blade tome buff that is based on his opponent’s buffs versus his own.

The set on the right on the other hand leans into his supportive role. Seeing as how Chad is an incredibly fast dagger unit, we use this fact in our favor to not only ploy opponents of their stats but to also get some chip damage in. The key here is the use of Windsweep. So long as Chad has 1 more Spd than his sword, lance, axe, beast, dagger or bow opponent he will essentially get a free hit against them. Darting Blow will help us in this task pushing his Spd up to 48 with no further buffs. This makes it difficult if not impossible to avoid this free hit which will result in Chad’s opponent and enemies within two spaces being ployed for -6 Atk/Spd/Def/Res. The enemies within two spaces will then also take 14 damage due to the build displayed running double Savage Blow. Since we aren’t inherently worried about doing as much damage as possible we can afford to run higher cooldown specials such as Luna to help chip the defenses of bulkier opponents. Windsweep may also be swapped for Watersweep if countering Dragons/Magic users is a higher priority than melee opponents.

High Investment:

Chad can serve multiple roles on a team and is not necessarily confined to a single phase. This is especially proven true in terms of high investment. The following sets are best intended for those who plan on fully investing in Chad.

We take advantage of Chad’s Def superboon in the set on the left to run an enemy phase setup. Goodie Boot will boost Chad’s Def/Res x2 based on how many allies are near him for a max total of +6 Def/Res while in-combat. Because we’ll want to be close to allies we can run ally-reliant skills. Atk/Res Bond will grant Atk/Res +5 to Chad if he is adjacent to an ally while Joint Hone Def will grant Def+5 if next to an ally at the start of his turn. This is then further combined with Blue Flame, which will deal 25 pure damage to an opponent if Chad is again next to an ally when it activates. Null Follow-Up meanwhile protects him from skills such as Bold Fighter, Desperation, and Daggerbreaker. With all of his skills active, Chad reaches 51/41/46/42 Atk/Spd/Def/Res while in-combat.

Lvl 40 Stats (Flaw/Neutral/Asset)

Note: As a Grand Hero Battle reward, Conrad does not have access to boons/assets and banes/flaws.

HP: 36/40/43 

Atk: 28/31/34

Spd: 19/22/25

Def: 31/34/37 

Res: 32/35/38 

Neutral BST: 162

Max Dragonflowers: 5

Skills

Weapon: Barrier Lance+ (300 SP)

Mt: 14. Rng: 1. If foe initiates combat, grants Res+7 during combat.

Lance. Can be inherited. Can be refined.

Assist: None

Special: Glacies (200 SP)

Boosts damage dealt by 80% of unit’s Res.

Can be inherited. Cannot use: Staff.

A: Bracing Stance 2 (240 SP)

If foe initiates combat, grants Def/Res +4 during combat.

Can be inherited.

B: Chill Atk 3 (240 SP)

At the start of turn, inflicts Atk -7 on foe with highest Atk for the duration of their next action.

Can be inherited.

C: None

Analysis

Conrad arrives alongside his Valentia allies as the latest in a long line of lance cavaliers. Committing to the recent trend of lance cavalry GHB units he possesses great mixed defenses at the cost of his offenses. While his base kit helps cover his bases, without a solid PRF like Death Knight he fails to stand out against his competition.

Conrad’s statline truly delves into his defenses versus his offenses. Possessing 34/35 Def/Res he makes for a stellar tank that is only increased with skills in his base kit. Sadly this heavy stat distribution leaves barely anything for his offensive stats. Possessing 31/22 Atk/Spd he will be heavily restricted to enemy phase setups. With his low Spd he is subject to being doubled by the majority of units in game. His subpar Atk leaves him reliant on specials to do any noteworthy damage. While his special, Glacies, does provide a high amount of damage its cooldown is much too high to take advantage of for the most part. His A skill, Bracing Stance, combines with his Barrier Lance nicely granting him +4/+11 Def/Res if attacked pushing both stats to 38/46 Def/Res. His B skill, Chill Atk, while debuffing harder hitting foes is best swapped out for another skill to help him either follow-up his attacks or to help sustain him.

Conrad’s defenses are great for a cavalry unit. Few cavalry units have stats highly catered to their tanking potential. Keep in mind however that in order to help Conrad shine as a unit he will require a heavy amount of investment - perhaps more investment than the average player is willing to make.

On his first merge, Conrad will gain +2 HP/Res and +1 Def.

Reasons to Invest in Conrad

You like Conrad and intend to use him in a core team, whether it be for Arena, Aether Raids, or a Cavalry team

You’re interested in building Conrad due to his great mixed defenses 

You have obtained all or most previous copies made available and do not mind the grail cost

Reasons NOT to Invest in Conrad

You don’t intend on using him as a core on any team or in any PVE game modes such as Rival Domains or Grand Conquest

You don’t play Aether Raids and have no interest in obtaining grails

You consider Conrad’s playstyle and base kit uninteresting and would rather fodder his skills off to other heroes you use

You already have an invested lance unit that you already use on your core Arena & or Aether Raids team

Similar Units

Note: As a Grand Hero Battle reward Conrad does not have access to boons/assets or banes/flaws and therefore is not directly comparable to any summonable units. 

Berkut: Prideful Prince (43/34/22/31/24)

Conrad: Masked Knight (-3/-3/+0/+3/+11)

Death Knight: The Reaper (40/35/25/30/27)

Conrad: Masked Knight (+0/-4/-3/+4/+8)

Note: Death Knight has access to uninheritable skills and is thus not directly comparable.

Builds

Budget:

While Conrad will have to heavily lean into his enemy phase, his base kit makes it easy for him to do so. He can make do with minimal investment as needed.

The first set on the left utilizes the majority of his base kit with the only additions being his C skill, a new special and seal. Quick Riposte will allow him multiple follow-up attacks when attacked allowing him to activate Iceberg reliably. A def refined Barrier Lance is taken to increase his defensive bulk in combination with Bracing Stance. Odd Res Wave will meanwhile grant him Res+6 on odd numbered turns already adding to his great resistance. With both his lance, A and C skill active,Conrad will have 42/52 Def/Res while in combat. 

The set on the right opts to increase both his defenses and Atk side by side. We use a Res refined lance here due to the fact that here we run Odd Def Wave instead of Odd Res Wave. The effect is more or less the same as it would be with the set on the left as he achieves a max of 44/50 Def/Res in combat. For budget purposes we run Quick Riposte 2, which will allow him to make multiple follow-ups until he falls below 80% of his base HP. Fierce Stance is taken for its synergy with his multiple stance skills and to patch up his otherwise lackluster Atk pushing it to a decent 51 when attacked.

Conrad’s seal options include but aren’t limited to: Atk+3, Def+3, Res+3, Atk/Def 2, Atk/Res 2, Stance skills, Bond skills, Quick Riposte, Renewal and Quickened Pulse.

Enemy Phase:

Due to his statline Conrad will want to focus on his enemy phase more than anything.

The set on the left swaps out his Barrier Lance with Vanguard, which provides +7 Def if attacked. We also swap from Stance skills to Bond skills. Doing so will allow Conrad to play closer to his allies and as such, be closer to their buffs be it from Drive skills or Dual Spur skills. We stack his Atk and Defenses to reach similar levels as he would with the budget setups. Atk Smoke is taken to ploy foes after combat for -7 Atk making it possible for him to engage in multiple encounters safely. Quick Riposte is taken to allow Conrad multiple follow-up attacks and thus activate his special Bonfire. With both his lance and skills activate, Conrad reaches 55/50/40 Atk/Def/Res during combat.

The set on the right sets to focus on bringing his otherwise middling Atk to a more respectable level. Reprisal Lance will grant Conrad +6 Atk when attacked. We can then further push this with the help of Sturdy Stance for an additional +4 Atk/Def. Finally, once he falls below or at 80% of his base HP Brazen Atk/Def will activate granting him Atk/Def +7 regardless of the phase. With all 3 skills active, Conrad reaches 62/45 Atk/Def while in combat. Quick Riposte is again taken to allow Conrad multiple follow-up attacks and the ability to activate Bonfire in those fights. High Investment:

Being a lance unit, Conrad has access to a powerful collection of lances that can be used to either support his team or himself. The following sets are best intended for players who plan on fully merging Conrad.

The set on the left utilizes him more as a support unit than a fighter. Wagasa+ has Chill Def 3 built into it, ploy the foe with the highest Def for -7 Def. With the addition of Chill skills as seals and with Conrad carrying a Chill skill in his base kit we can thus run 3 chills at once. We then can ploy a max of 3 units on the enemy team or ploy a unit for multiple stats. This makes it difficult for the enemy team to face off against both Conrad and his allies since, if they want to get rid of the ploys, they’ll either have to take out Conrad first, waste an action to be danced, or have a unit with Harsh Command or Restore. Fort Def/Res is taken to increase Conrad’s already great defenses while Joint Hone Atk is used to patch his lackluster Atk. 

Lvl 40 Stats (Flaw/Neutral/Asset)

Note: As a Tempest Trials+ reward, Eir does not have access to boons/assets and banes/flaws.

HP: 35/39/42

Atk: 27/31/34

Spd: 33/36/39

Def: 18/21/24

Res: 31/34/37

Neutral BST: 161

Max Dragonflowers: 5

Skills

Weapon: Temari+ (300 SP)

Mt: 12. Rng: 2.

At the start of turn, if any foe’s Res ≤ unit’s Res -3 and foe is adjacent to another foe, inflicts Atk/Spd -5 on both foes for the duration of their next actions.

After combat, if attacked, inflicts Def/Res -7 on target and foes within 2 spaces for the duration of their next actions.

Red Dagger. Can be inherited. Can be refined.

Assist: Shove (150 SP)

Shove adjacent ally one space away.

Can be inherited.

Special: None

A: Brazen Atk/Res 3 (240 SP)

If unit’s HP ≤ 80%, grants Atk/Res+7 during combat.

Can be inherited.

B: None

C: Spd Tactic 3 (240 SP)

At the start of turn, grants Spd+6 to allies within 2 spaces. Granted only if the number of that ally’s movement type on current team ≤ 2.

Can be inherited. 

Similar Units

Note: As a Tempest Trials+ reward Eir does not have access to boons/assets or banes/flaws and therefore is not directly comparable to any summonable units.

Spring Palla: Eldest Bun-Bun (38/37/34/17/29)

Eir: Renewed Life (+1/-6/+2/+4/+5)

Eir: Merciful Death (35/32/37/14/31)

Eir: Renewed Life (+4/-1/-1/+7/+3)

Note: NY!Eir is a colored dagger while her original counterpart is a colorless dagger. Thus, they are not directly comparable.

 Hostile Springs Camilla: Steamy Secrets (38/33/35/17/28)

Eir: Renewed Life (+1/-2/+1/+4/+6)

Note: Eir is a colored dagger while Camilla is a colorless dagger. Thus, they are not directly comparable.

Builds

Budget/Low Investment:

With her default dagger Temari+ equipped Eir will ploy opponents for Atk/Spd -5 if they are adjacent to each other at the start of her turn and if she has 3 more Res than both opponents. For this reason we’ll want to boost her Res as high as possible to both weaken her opponents and to soften hits against her.

The set on the left keeps the majority of her base kit but adds to her Res thanks to a refined dagger and seal. Attack/Res 2 is taken for its Res boost and to bolster her lackluster attack - albeit slightly. This helps stacks up the odds in Eir’s favor as she’ll want to soften her targets up before she attacks. Once she falls below or at 80% of her base HP she’ll fall into Brazen Atk/Res range adding an additional +7 Atk/Res while in combat. Desperation will then ensure that once Eir falls below or at 75% of her base HP she’ll be able to make follow-up attacks before her opponents. It’s important that players manage her HP carefully so she can stay on the offense.

The set on the right follows a similar logic as the previous build but heavily boosts her offenses with the use of Fury. Fury grants Atk/Spd/Def/Res+3 in exchange for dealing 6 damage after combat. This damage will help Eir land in Desperation range faster. Because Fury also grants an additional 3 Res, we can give Eir a Spd refine to boost her speed to higher levels. Spd/Res 2 is taken to boost both her Spd/Res but can be swapped with a Brazen seal if one wants her to deal more damage.

Eir’s seal options include but aren’t limited to: Atk+3, Spd+3, Res+3, Atk/Spd 2, HP/Res 2, Tactic skills, Brazen skills, Aerobatics, Flier Formation, Guidance, and Blow skills.

Offensive:

Eir can be kitted out to be a powerful offensive dagger if desired.

With the addition of the new Swift Sparrow Seal, it is now possible to run Double Swift Sparrow in a kit. Doing so grants Atk/Spd +8 when initiating combat and immensely helps boost her offenses to new heights. Odd Spd Wave helps boost her Spd by +6 on odd numbered turns. Desperation will allow her to make follow-up attacks before her opponents if she doubles which she’ll most likely take up due to her high Spd. Rather than focus on her Res, we swap out her dagger for an Atk refined Barb Shuriken+ for its additional cooldown charge of -1. This turns specials such as Luna into 2 turn cooldown specials. 

With all her skills active, Eir reaches 51/51 Atk/Spd during combat.

Support:

Temari+ allows Eir to function as a stellar support unit. 

As stated before, when using Temari+ the goal will be to get Eir to have a higher Res stat than her opponents by 3 or more. As such, we use both a Res refined dagger and Res+3 as her A skill to boost this stat. Optionally Fortress Res 3 may also be used as her A skill but note that it will take away from her attack. 

Lvl 40 Stats (Flaw/Neutral/Asset)

HP: 34/38/41 Atk: 23/27/30 Spd: 32/35/38 Def: 20/23/27 Res: 31/34/37

Neutral BST: 157

Max Dragonflowers: 5

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Skills

Weapon: The Cleaner+ (300 SP)

Mt: 12. Range: 2. Grants bonus to unit’s Atk = total bonuses on foe during combat. After combat, if unit attacked, inflicts Def/Res-7 on target and foes within 2 spaces of target through their next actions.

Can be inherited. Can be refined.

Assist: Dance (150 SP)

Range: 1. Grants another action to target ally. (Cannot target an ally with Sing or Dance.)

Cannot be inherited.

Special: None

A: Spd/Res Bond 3 (240 SP)

If unit is adjacent to an ally, grants Spd/Res+5 during combat.

Can be inherited.

B: None

C: Dagger Exp 3 (120 SP)

While unit lives, all dagger allies on team get 2x EXP. (Only highest value applied. Does not stack.)

Can be inherited.

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Analysis

Tethys is a colorless dagger dancer with a lacking kit but excellent utility. With her high resistance, she makes a great debuffing unit as well as a more than adequate mage tank.

Tethys’s strongest stats are in her resistance and speed. With only 35 base speed and 34 base resistance, she'll need some buffs in order to maximize her potential. This is where her A skill, Spd/Def Bond, comes into play. As long as she is next to an ally, Tethys will receive +5 to both her speed and resistance, making her a more than adequate mage tank. Since she is a dancer, she will be next to another unit more often than not, and she'll get great use out of her A skill. However, because the bonus only counts in combat, she will only be able to effectively use Sabotage or Ploy skills if her resistance is boosted with other skills. With her weapon needing bonuses to be active on her foe in order to do more damage, these skills are not necessary unless you plan on changing her native weapon, The Cleaner, to something else. It's exceptionally good at dealing with blade tomes, and with her high resistance and speed, she has great potential to tank hits from units like Nino and Taltiu, who are often spotted using blade tomes. With her low attack, only 27 at base, she will most likely not be able to retaliate with much force. Providing her with a special such as Iceberg, which will capitalize on her high resistance, she can do adequate damage. Her C skill, Daggee Exp, is completely useless in combat unless you are solely using her in order to grind experience on other units.

Tethys prefers boons in speed and resistance. Her prefered bane is in HP. She has a superboon in defense and superbanes in HP and attack.

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Similar Units

Kaze: Easygoing Ninja (34/30/36/17/34)

Tethys: Beloved Dancer (+4/-3/-1/+6/+0)

Olivia: Festival Dancer (34/28/34/16/28)

Tethys: Beloved Dancer (+4/-1/+1/+7/+8)

Sakura: Gentle Nekomata (33/32/34/14/34)

Tethys: Beloved Dancer (+5/-5/+1/+9/+0)

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Builds

Budget

Unfortunately, with a useless C skill and a lack of a special, any Tethys build will require a little more investment than with other units. 

The build on the left keeps her A skill intact and builds on her role as a dancer. Wings of Mercy gives her increased mobility, letting her use Dance on allies who might be out of range otherwise. It can also be used to put her next to an ally, activating Spd/Res Bond, and letting her do more damage with her special, Iceberg. It also lets her tank more magical hits and prevent doubles with the increased speed and resistance. Her seal, Spd/Res 2, is there to give a greater boost to those two stats. In addition, it has no conditions to be activated, giving her a small, but much needed, boost when she is not next to an ally. With both her seal and A skill, Tethys will do a total of 20 damage with Iceberg without buffs, letting her more reliably land KOs when needed. Since The Cleaner does damage based on the number of buffs her foe has, Tethys is not equipped with any debuffing moves. The C skill used here is Drive Spd, which will see a lot of utility due to her role as a dancer and her tendency to be within close proximity to her allies. However, any buffing move will do. If you want to maximize Tethys’s damage input, then try to shy away from debuffing skills on your other units as well.

The build on the right gives Tethys more offensive capabilities by replacing her A skill with Fury. With Fury’s HP penalty, Brazen Atk/Res can give Tethys a huge boost to both her attack and resistance, giving her more kill power. While she won’t necessarily need it as a dancer, it lets her retaliate if a foe ever initiates combat with her. With a resistance refined weapon and Brazen active, Tethys can do 23 damage with Iceberg unbuffed. Wings of Mercy has the same function as in her first budget build, but since Tethys will most likely be taking damage from her A skill, Escape Route could also be used. 

High Investment

With Tethys’s high resistance, she can become an extremely effective dragon slayer, as shown in her first high investment build. Splashy Bucket+ gives her the added bonus of doing extra damage against dragon units. It also negates any skill that allows for adaptive damage. Since breaths do magical damage by default, Tethys become a near impenetrable dragon tank. Fort Def/Res builds up the necessary bulk for her to run both Sabotage and Ploy, as well as tank several magical hits - both melee and ranged. With her low attack and mediocre speed, Sabotage Def and Spd Ploy are both there to help her and her allies secure more KOs. Her seal Atk/Spd 2, is to make up for the attack lost to Fort Def/Res while also giving a small boost to her speed.

Lvl 40 Stats (Flaw/Neutral/Asset)

Note: As a Grand Hero Battle reward, Kempf does not have access to boons/assets and banes/flaws.

HP: 39/42/45

Atk: 30/33/36

Spd: 30/33/36

Def: 24/27/31

Res: 23/26/30

Neutral BST: 161

Max Dragonflowers: 5

Skills

Weapon: Venin Edge (400 SP)

Mt: 16. Rng: 1. Grants Def +3. After combat, if unit attacked, deals 10 damage to target and foes within 2 spaces of target and inflicts follow status effect on foes: Foe cannot counterattack through their next actions.

Cannot be inherited. Cannot be refined.

Assist: None

Special: Aegis (200 SP)

Reduces damage inflicted by attacks by foes 2 spaces away by 50%.

Can be inherited. Melee units only.

A: Fortress Res 3 (240 SP)

Inflicts Atk -3. Grants Res +5.

Can be inherited.

B: None

C: Savage Blow 3 (200 SP)

If unit initiates attack, foes within 2 spaces of target take 7 damage after combat.

Can be inherited.

Analysis

Kempf arrives alongside other Thracia characters as the latest sword cavalry in game. His stat line is rather mixed granting him multiple strengths but no immediate niche. His base kit is rather jumbled, tossing around skills with no solid cohesion. His new sword Venin Edge however is a powerful tool and makes Kempf arguably one of the strongest chip damage users in game.

Kempf’s stat line doesn’t really lean him towards a specific strength. He boasts decent defenses starting at 27/26 Def/Res allowing him to tank a few hits. HIs offenses, both starting at 33 Atk/Spd, grant him some offensive prowess. Without a high enough speed stat to avoid doubles however Kempf will find himself doubled often. His base kit does, in a way, address this issue. To protect himself better from magic ranged assaults he carries Fortress Res as his A skill and Aegis as his special. Fortress Res will raise his Res by 5 in exchange for -3 Atk. Aegis, when activated, will reduce damage from a ranged hit by up to 50%. This means that if Kempf were to originally take 30 damage from an attack, he would only take 15 instead with Aegis ready. Aegis is, however, a long turn cooldown special. With no way to increase this cooldown reliably and with the presence of cavalry effective magic, this skill is much better swapped out for another special.

Where Kempf shines however, is his unique sword. After Kempf has attacked, Venin Edge will deal 10 damage to both his foe and enemies within two spaces of said foe. On top of this chip damage Savage Blow will deal another 7 damage to enemy foes within range. These foes will then be inflicted with a status effect that will not allow them to counterattack for the duration of their next action. This effect is similar to status effects the staves Candlelight+ and Flash+ give. This additional effect protects him from Vantage setups and removes the need for him to run Hardy Bearing. The end result of all of this is a potent support and sweeper unit who can effectively chip away at a team’s defenses.

On his first merge, Kempf will gain +2 HP/Def and +1 Atk.

Reasons to Invest in Kempf

You like Kempf and intend to use him in a core team, whether it be for Arena, Aether Raids, or a Cavalry team

You’re interested in building Kempf due to his interesting playstyle and his powerful PRF

You have obtained all or most previous copies made available and do not mind the grail cost

Reasons NOT to Invest in Kempf

You don’t intend on using him as a core on any team or in any PVE game modes such as Rival Domains or Grand Conquest

You don’t play Aether Raids and have no interest in obtaining grails

You consider Kempf’s playstyle and base kit uninteresting and would rather fodder his skills off to other heroes you use

You already have an invested sword unit that you already use on your core Arena & or Aether Raids team

Similar Units

Note: As a Grand Hero Battle reward Kempf does not have access to boons/assets or banes/flaws and therefore is not directly comparable to any summonable units.

Cain: The Bull (42/32/32/27/21)

Kempf: Conniving General (+0/+1/+1/+0/+5)

Note: Cain and Kempf have access to uninheritable skills and are thus not directly comparable.

Roy: Brave Lion (38/32/34/26/24)

Kempf: Conniving General (+4/+1/-1/+1/+2)

Note: Roy and Kempf have access to uninheritable skills and are thus not directly comparable.

Builds

Budget:

While his base kit does provide him with the tools to be a powerful sweeper, his mediocre speed does provide a bit of an obstacle. In the following budget sets we’ll look at ways to address this problem.

The set on the left focuses on making him a sword counter by utilizing Swordbreaker. Swordbreaker allows Kempf to deny sword units multiple follow-up attacks while granting him a guaranteed two attacks. This expands Kempf’s list of targets in a safe manner. Death Blow is taken for its synergy with Savage Blow while Darting Blow is taken to not only boost his Spd but to also break ties with other Swordbreaker users. Venin Edge and Savage Blow will work hand in hand to then chip away at his opponents with relative ease. With all his skills active Kempf reaches 55/39 Atk/Spd while in combat.

The set on the right focuses on making him an axe counter via Axebreaker. Instead of focusing on his damage however we’ll be leaning into his chip damage potential. Double Savage Blow plus Venin Edge allows Kempf to deal a max of 24 chip damage to his foes after combat. This effect can easily break teams and open his allies up to opportunities of attack. Axebreaker meanwhile allows Kempf to serve as a sure counter against axe opponents. Darting Blow will push Kempf’s speed up to 39 allowing him to safely avoid doubles when initiating against other opponents and may help in breaking tiebreakers against opponents.

Kempf’s seal options include: Attack+3, Speed+3, Atk/Spd 2, Spd/Def 2, Blow skills, Brazen skills, Heavy Blade, Renewal, Poison Strike and Savage Blow.

Galeforce:

A Galeforce set compliments Kempf’s goal of sweeping his opponents. The chip damage he deals in addition to the status effect inflicted allows him to make easy work of vulnerable opponents.

The set on the left has Kempf running a simple Life and Death/Desperation setup. Life and Death will grant Atk/Spd+5 in exchange for -5 Def/Res and helps push Kempf’s offenses substantially. Odd Spd Wave is given to help bolster his speed up to a respectable level. The key element here is the use of Heavy Blade. Provided that Kempf can double and has higher attack than his opponent, Kempf will proc Galeforce after a single round of combat, allowing him to then retreat to safety, finish off his opponent or position an ally to strike against his foes. What separates Kempf from other Galeforce users however is Venin Edge’s dual effects. Along with providing chip damage, his target nor opponents within 2 spaces will not be able to counterattack. This allows Kempf to sweep multiple opponents in combat with little to no worry about repercussions. 

The set on the right meanwhile runs Swift Sparrow/Desperation and focuses primarily on making Kempf faster than his opponents, granting him the chance to do as much damage as possible. Swift Sparrow will also not require Kempf to sacrifice his decent defenses allowing him to tank more hits than he normally would be able to. Otherwise the goal is the same as the build on the left: activate Galeforce, then sweep another opponent or retreat to safety. If he initiates combat, Kempf reaches 53/42 Atk/Spd in combat.

High Investment:

Kempf is not confined to using his default sword. With heavy investment, he’lll find success in both player and enemy phase sets. The following builds are best intended for players who plan on fully merging the Conniving General.

The set on the left operates on a similar mindset as the previous Galeforce setups but instead focuses on quad attacking his opponents rather than pure chip damage. With the newly released Life and Death 4 skill, Kempf can gain +7 Atk/Spd in exchange of -5 Def/Res. With an incredibly high boost to his offenses he can afford to use Brave Sword. Brave Sword will allow a unit to attack twice before a foe can counterattack. If the wielder doubles their opponent naturally, they will be able to quad their opponent. Thus the goal with this set is to quad foes, activating Galeforce in the carnage and dealing as much damage as possible. Joint Hone Spd is taken to bolster his speed and increase his chances of doubling. Brazen Atk/Spd will activate once Kempf falls below or at 80% of his base HP - more or less around the same HP that Desperation will come into play. With all of his skills active, Kempf will reach 60/51 Atk/Spd while in combat.

Lvl 40 Stats (Flaw/Neutral/Asset)

Note: As a Tempest Trials+ reward, Rinea does not have access to boons/assets and banes/flaws.

HP: 34/38/41 

Atk: 27/30/33

Spd: 30/33/36

Def: 20/23/27 

Res: 24/28/31 

Neutral BST: 152

Max Dragonflowers: 5

Skills

Weapon: Silver Goblet+ (400 SP)

Mt: 12. Rng: 2. Grants Def/Res+4 to allies within two spaces during combat against bow, dagger, staff or magic.

Blue Tome. Can be inherited. Can be refined.

Assist: Dance (150 SP)

Enables target to take another action. Cannot be used on units that use sing or dance.

Cannot be inherited. Learned by default.

Special: None

A: Bracing Blow 2 (240 SP)

If unit initiates combat, grants Def/Res +4 during combat.

Can be inherited. Cannot use: Staff.

B: Fireflood Dance 2 (240 SP)

If Sing or Dance is used, grants Atk+3 and Res+4 to target. 

Can be inherited. Cannot use: Staff.

C: None

Analysis

Rinea makes her debut as a playable unit in FEH alongside her companions as a blue tome dancer. Unfortunately for our belle her stat distribution and base kit fail to help her stand out from her dancer competition. 

Her stat distribution is reminiscent of early FEH units: balanced but without any niche to fall back on. Her offenses are lackluster starting at 30/33 Atk/Spd. Her defenses are similarly mediocre starting at 23/28 Def/Res. Her limited availability and lack of a PRF weapon or uniquely powerful skill places her at a stark disadvantage when compared to other dancers. As a stand alone unit Rinea struggles to cement herself in any particular niche. 

Where her strength lies however is as a utility unit. As a dancer she can refresh allies granting them one more turn. This can be further paired with Wings of Mercy to help rescue an ally or to help continue a Galeforce chain. She works well as a defensive dancer as her tome, Silver Goblet+, has the skill Distant Guard 3 built into it. This can be stacked further with buffing or spur skills. While Bracing Blow 2, her default A skill, is doing her no favors and should be swapped out for a different skill, her B skill Fireflood Dance 2 can be utilized to buff her allies once she dances them removing the need for her to run other buffing skills.

On her first merge, Rinea will gain +2 HP/Spd and +1 Atk.

Reasons to Invest in Rinea

You like Rinea and intend to use her in a core team, whether it be for Arena, Aether Raids, or an Infantry team

You’re interested in building Rinea because she is given to all players as a free dancer and may be used in future F2P guides

You have obtained all or most previous copies made available and do not mind the grail cost

Reasons NOT to Invest in Rinea

You don’t intend on using her as a core on any team or in any PVE game modes such as Rival Domains or Grand Conquest

You don’t play Aether Raids and have no interest in obtaining grails

You believe Rinea requires too much investment and would rather fodder off her skills than keep her

You already a dancer (or multiple dancers) that you already use on your core Arena & or Aether Raids team

Similar Units

Note: As a Tempest Trials+ reward Rinea does not have access to boons/assets or banes/flaws and therefore is not directly comparable to any summonable units. 

Performing Shigure: Dark Sky Singer (34/31/29/21/24)

Rinea: Reminiscent Belle (+4/-1/+4/+2/+4)

(Young) Azura: Young Songstress (36/33/29/17/25)

Rinea: Reminiscent Belle (+2/-3/+4/+6/+3)

Note: Azura has access to uninheritable skills and is thus not directly comparable. Rinea and Azura are also of different weapon triangle types.

Builds

Budget/Low Investment:

As a refresher unit Rinea’s primary role should be that as a support unit. This makes minimal investment simple as she will rarely see combat. 

The set on the left focuses on her supportive role buffing her allies as much as possible. Since Fireflood Dance 2 will buff for +3 Atk and +4 Res on a danced ally she’ll run Spd and Def buffing skills in her C and Seal slots. Mirror Stance will provide her with some extra Atk/Res which may help her survive a hit if necessary. A spd refined Goblet will boost her speed to help avoid doubles from some opponents. 

The set on the right helps Rinea stand on her own a bit. She keeps her dance skills while also adding on Spd/Res Bond and Darting Blow as her seal. When adjacent to an ally and initiating combat she will receive +11 Spd and +5 Res while in combat. This places both stats at 46/33 Spd/Res. Due to her mediocre Atk we run Moonbow to help strip foes of their defenses.

Rinea’s seal options include but aren’t limited to: Atk+3, Spd+3, Spd/Res 2, Dance skills, Bond skills, and Stance skills.

Wings of Mercy:

Much like her competition Rinea can utilize Wings of Mercy to come to the aid of her allies even when they’re across the map from her. 

Both sets displayed use Wings of Mercy for its high mobility. Once an ally falls below or at 50% of their base HP Rinea will be able to warp directly next to them and can then either grant them another turn or attack a nearby foe herself. She can run Fury to boost her raw stats by +3 or can run Triangle Adept to give her an advantage against red opponents.  Her seal and C skill slots are flexible. She can either run a dance skill as displayed on the left or run spurring skills to help boost her allies’ bulk as shown on the right with Distant Guard.

High Investment:

Rinea only has room to grow. With a high amount of investment she will more than happily prove her worth. The following sets are best intended for players who plan on fully merging Rinea.

The build on the left takes her utility as a support unit to another level. With the help of a Res refined tome and Fort. Def/Res Rinea can reach a high enough Res level to run both ploys and Sabotage Skills. Here we run Sabotage Atk to weaken opponents adjacent to each other with lower Res than Rinea by -7 Atk. We stack the Distant Guard effect to grant allies +8 Def/Res when against ranged foes increasing their bulk and making them in turn difficult to shoot down. HP/Spd 2 is taken to increase her bulk but can be substituted in for another skill if desired.