FIRE EMBLEM: GENEALOGY OF THE HOLY WAR
FAQ/Walkthrough and Character Guide (Double feature!)
by: Binta
email address: nekketsu_vince@yahoo.com
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What is this about?
This contains a "Q&A" form of a walkthrough. While it does contain a few hints
and strategies, it focuses more on the less obvious things that a preoccupied
player might not notice. It does contain some spoilers, but it does not provide
a full plot analysis, nor is it an instruction manual. This FAQ also contains a
brief character guide for both generations, as well as a basic pairing guide.
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Copyright
I, Binta, have made this FAQ. You can print it, use it freely, or post it. Do
NOT, however, plagiarize my stuff, sell it, or ruin it in some way. In short:
don't steal or defame my work in any way.
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Thanks to:
-GameFAQs, for accepting this FAQ
-www.serenesforest.net/fe4, for providing me useful information on this game
-Myself, for my hard work
-Nintendo, for great games like this
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Version History
1.0 - (December 25, 2011) Initial release. Includes a basic FAQ/Walkthrough, a
brief character guide, and the basics of the game's Pairing System. The
character guide only covers playable characters, not other ones who are
significant to the story.
1.1 - (March 21, 2012) Corrected some spelling and gramatical errors. Added more
details to a few pairings, and comments for Ethlin. Also included Charisma
in the skills section.
1.2 - (August 22, 2014) Revised a few things to minimize spoilers.
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TABLE OF CONTENTS:
Of course, if you want to find things quickly, the first third of this FAQ is
the FAQ/Walkthrough portion, second third is the character guide, and the last
third is the pairing guide.
1. Using this guide
2. FAQ/Walkthrough
-- Prologue
-- Chapter 1
-- Chapter 2
-- Chapter 3
-- Chapter 4
-- Chapter 5
-- Chapter 6
-- Chapter 7
-- Chapter 8
-- Chapter 9
-- Chapter 10
-- Epilogue
3. Character Guide (First Generation)
-- Sigurd
-- Noish
-- Alec
-- Ardan
-- Lex
-- Azel
-- Cuan
-- Ethlin
-- Fin
-- Midir
-- Aideen
-- Dew
-- Aira
-- Jamka
-- Deirdre
-- Holyn
-- Lachesis
-- Levin
-- Sylvia
-- Beowulf
-- Fury
-- Claude
-- Tiltyu
-- Brigid
4. Character Guide (Second Generation, static characters) note: * = Substitutes
-- Celice
-- Radnay *
-- Rodolban *
-- Mana *
-- Oifaye
-- Dimna *
-- Tristan *
-- Julia
-- Femina *
-- Amid *
-- Johan
-- Johalva
-- Leaf
-- Fin
-- Janne *
-- Shanan
-- Daisy *
-- Aless
-- Laylea *
-- Linda *
-- Asaello *
-- Sharlow *
-- Hannibal
-- Altenna
5. Pairing Guide (Mechanics)
-- Building Relationship Points
-- General Information
-- Inventory and Equipment
-- The Fathers
-- Skills
6. Pairing Guide (Pairings)
-- Aideen (Lester/Lana)
-- Aira (Lakche/Skasaha)
-- Lachesis (Delmud/Nanna)
-- Sylvia (Leen/Corple)
-- Fury (Fee/Sety)
-- Tiltyu (Arthur/Tinny)
-- Brigid (Faval/Patty)
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1. USING THIS GUIDE
The FAQ/Walkthrough section is not a full-detail walkthrough, but a list of
common topics in each chapter, in Q&A form. This way, you can get basic tips and
pointers without getting too much help, or if you just need a quick reference.
There are a few things that a clueless person might not understand. You might
see two names with no spaces and an exclamation mark in between. The first is
who the father is, the second is the character. For example, if you see
Fin!Tinny, that means Tinny with Fin as her father.
Stats are abbreviated as follows:
HMP (Max HP) - How much damage a character can take before dying
STR (Strength) - How hard you can hit with physical attacks
MGC (Magic) - How hard you can hit with magical attacks and how much you can
heal with healing magic. Also determines success with status-ailments
SKI (Skill) - Determines accuracy, and success with Critical and sword skills
SPD (Speed) - Determines evasion, and success with Pursuit, Continue, and Charge
LUC (Luck) - Improves accuracy and evasion
DEF (Defense) - Reduces damage taken from physical attacks
RES (Resistance) - Reduces damage taken from magical attacks. If your RES is
higher than the MGC of someone casting a status-ailment spell, the spell
will not afflict you. Some people also refer to this as MDF (Magic Defense)
Skills as passed down by potential parents. Sigurd, Deidre, Cuan, and Ethlin are
not mentioned in this section because they always have the same pairing.
Pursuit (Alec, Azel, Midir, Fin, Beowulf, Fury): If your attack speed is higher
than the enemy's, you will attack a second time.
Continue (Jamka, Levin, Sylvia): There's a chance a given attack's number of
hits multiplies by 2, same effect as a "Hero" weapon. Does not complement
"Hero" weapons.
Nihil (Alec, Aira): Prevents Critical, Wrath, Moonlight, Meteor, and Solar.
Critical (Noish, Levin): Doubles attack power (not to be mistaken with double
overall damage).
Charge (Noish, Midir, Jamka, Beowulf): Small chance of dragging on a battle for
another round. A double-edged sword.
Ambush (Ardan, Lex): Attack first when below 50% HP.
Elite (Lex): Doubles EXP gained. Not just for fighting, but magic, thief giving
gold, and dancing.
Meteor (Aira): Multiplies any given attack's number of hits by 5! With Continue
or a Hero Sword, you could conceivably attack up to 20 times in one fight!
Prayer (Fin, Sylvia): Improves dodging when HP is 10 or below.
Bargain (Dew): Halves cost of purchasing or repairing items.
Solar (Dew): Leeches HP. Sword skill, so it's exclusive to non-mounted sword
users.
Charisma (Lachesis): Allies within 3 spaces range of a unit with Charisma gets
an additional 10% for their evade and accuracy.
Moonlight (Holyn): Nullifies defense. Sword skill, exclusive to non-mounted
sword users.
Wrath (Tiltyu): Instant critical when below 50% HP.
Steal (class): Take all of victim's gold. Natural skill of Thieves only.
Dance (class): Give adjacent units an extra turn. Dancer only.
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2. FAQ/WALKTHROUGH
................................FIRST GENERATION....,...........................
Before you even begin, there are some general strategies that should help you
throughout the game.
[Weapons Triangle]
It's like rock paper scissors. Sword beats axe, axe beats lance, lance beats
sword. If you select the right weapon, you'll have an evade and accuracy
advantage. Magic works similarly. Fire beats wind, wind beats thunder, thunder
beats fire. Light and dark magic have an advantage over all other spells. Bows
don't suffer from any superiority or inferiority, but they can't be used as a
melee weapon.
[Save often!]
Unlike most war/strategy games where you have to play start to finish (having
interuption saves at best), you can save at the start of ANY turn if you haven't
moved any units at the start. Keep this in mind, because the chapters are large
and you probably will spend a few hours on each one. You might consider having
a backup file, in case you get in a jam where one or more of your characters
are doomed and need to go back to an earlier time.
[Manipulating the arena]
Unlike most FE games, the RNG [random number generator] for battle outcomes and
levelups are static until you make an action (cast a spell, win or lose an arena
fight, attack an enemy,). With a little trial and error, you can maximize your
stat gains on levelups and/or win fights you most likely wouldn't win. You can
even switch weapons in the middle of an arena fight, and that can sometimes make
the difference between winning and losing an arena fight.
[Boss AI]
When bosses run very low on health and/or you defeat all but 1 or 2 of their
soldiers, they will often try to retreat back to their home garrison to pick up
recruits. Retreating bosses won't attack even if you're blocking their escape.
Sometimes you can intentionally let bosses get reinforcements to help build
levels.
[Counter to a counter]
This trick only works with an emulator, not the actual cartridge. Even if you
reset, the game keeps track of the number of times you die, but you can counter
this by having a backup of your save file, and copying/pasting it to replace.
................................................................................
...................................PROLOGUE.....................................
Q: Is it possible for Midir to hold out long enough for me to help him?
A: No, but don't worry because he recovers when you recruit him.
Q: Who would you recommend save the village far south to get the Speed Ring?
A: Fin. Sigurd and Alec are usually fast enough, Azel's movement doesn't let him
see a lot of fighting anyway, and the others probably won't need it. It also
helps Fin's evade since the majority of the early-game enemies are axe-users,
which puts lances at a disadvantage.
................................................................................
...................................CHAPTER 1....................................
Q: How do I get the Return Staff?
A: Have Aideen talk to Ethlin.
Q: Does it make a difference if Azel or Midir talks to Aideen?
A: Depends who you want more to pair up with her, as whoever of the two will
build their relationship points with Aideen.
Q: How do I get the Warp Staff?
A: After taking Genoa Castle, have Dew talk to Aideen.
Q: Crap!! Elliot and his men are advancing to my castle and I can't get there
in time. Should I have kept someone at the home garrison?
A: Don't sweat it. Eltshan and his men will appear and trash Elliot's crew.
I've never seen them reach Evans Castle, and I've never seen Eltshan's Cross
Knights fail. At worst I've only seen one die.
Q: How do I recruit Aira?
A: You'll probably need to distract her while Sigurd sneaks his way in to rescue
Shanan in Genoa. Aira might suicide onto Cuan or Sigurd if she attacks them,
so you'll want Alec to come into play. He has Nihil, so at full health you
don't have to worry about her Meteor Slash. If worst comes to worst and she
pursues Aideen/Dew, have Dew get in the way. He'll still have to worry about
Meteor Slash, but his high SPD means he won't have to worry about Pursuit,
and his dodging rate is a bit better than most.
Q: How do I recruit Jamka?
A: Have Aideen talk to him. He won't attack her, but his troops might so you'll
have to be careful. Make certain Jamka doesn't attack anyone, because he can
easily kill even Cuan or Sigurd, so make sure to stay out of his range.
Q: Where is the Hero Axe?
A: You see that peninsula that extends to the center of the map? Carrying an
Iron Axe, send Lex to the tip of that peninsula.
Q: Sandima's magic is too strong. How do I handle him?
A: Use Deirdre's Silence Staff, then attack as you normally would.
................................................................................
...................................CHAPTER 2....................................
Q: Who should I use to defeat Holyn in the Arena?
A: Holyn is much easier to defeat than Keimos is, so you might want to
manipulate the arena so one of your weaker characters can fight him.
Q: How do I get the Light Sword?
A: Have Deirdre talk to Ethlin.
Q: How do I get the Thief Sword?
A: After helping Lachesis, have Dew talk to her.
Q: How do I get the Knight Bracelet?
A: Complete the chapter without any of the three Nodion Paladins dying. This
isn't too hard if you keep Lachesis and her knights out of range, although
you might not get to use her to her fullest.
Q: How do I get the Bargain Ring?
A: In order to have enough time to free the village that has the Bargain Ring,
you'll need to conquer Heirhein Castle within 10 turns. Tricky. Your best
bet is to reach Nodion and have your more basic units like Lex, Fin, or Midir
clear the soldiers. There might be one guy in front of Elliot who you might
need Cuan to kill with a Javelin. Have Sigurd attack Elliot and he should
lose enough health where he retreats. Keep moving forward; don't have Sigurd
fall back and talk to Lachesis even if he's in range.
Q: How do I get the Pursuit Ring?
A: If Ardan doesn't have a lover, send him to the peninsula on the western half
of the map.
Q: How do I get the Hero Lance?
A: After taking Heirhein, have Cuan talk to Fin.
Q: Anyone can pay Beowulf 10000 gold to recruit him. Who do you recommend?
A: Anyone with a surplus of gold or someone who won't be spending much. Most
likely, that will be Cuan or Fin. Not only do they usually have a surplus of
money, but they are less likely to get killed if any enemies remain.
................................................................................
...................................CHAPTER 3....................................
Q: How do I get the Hero Sword?
A: This only works if Aira doesn't have a lover. If Lex and/or Holyn aren't
paired up with anyone, have one of them talk to her. It IS possible to get
the Hero Sword without pairing Aira with Lex or Holyn, and it's also possible
to pair Lex or Holyn with some other woman.
Q: Is it possible to prevent Deirdre from leaving the castle?
A: Unfortunately, you can't. A running gag among players is to station a bunch
of troops just before she leaves, and they all just sit there, doing nothing
to prevent her from getting abducted.
Q: How do I get past the awesome power of Eltshan and his Mistoltin?
A: The pen is mightier than the sword here. While keeping out of Eltshan's
range, slowly take out his Cross Knights as Lachesis works her way to talk to
him. This can be difficult, as the remaining Cross Knights might kill one of
your weaker units in the process, so keep trying until you get it right.
Q: I'm feeling daring. What if I wanted to fight Eltshan instead?
A: A lot of luck goes along the way. Eltshan's Mistoltin gives him the ability
to critical. Most characters aren't strong enough to survive a regular hit
from Eltshan, so needless to say, if he lands a critical hit you WILL die.
Your only (already slim) chance of survival is to have Sigurd or Cuan with
Ethlin's support hurt him a bit, and pray Eltshan doesn't critical. If Aira
has enough HP and DEF, she might be able to take Eltshan because she has
Nihil (she won't be in danger of criticals) and hope Meteor Slash works.
Q: How do I get the Wind Sword?
A: Send Dew to the Blaggi Tower.
Q: Cuan, Ethlin, and Fin leave when you complete the chapter. What items should
they have?
A: Sell everything Ethlin has except her Light Sword. Sell everything Cuan has,
but you might consider keeping a Return Bracelet on him. As for Fin, if he's
paired just sell everything he has. If he's not paired, keep a Javelin and a
Silver Lance for sure, and maybe even a Slim Lance.
................................................................................
...................................CHAPTER 4....................................
Q: How do I get the Hero Bow?
A: If Aideen was paired with Midir or Jamka by chapter 3, have her talk to
whoever she was paired with.
Q: How do I get the Rescue Staff?
A: See above, but replace "Midir or Jamka" with "Azel".
Q: What's with Sylvia and Fury's argument when I place them near each other?
A: This only happens if BOTH of them and Levin are not paired up with anyone.
It increases Sylvia's relationship points with Levin by 100, and Fury's with
Levin by 50.
Q: How do I get the Defense Sword?
A: Have Sylvia liberate the second-to-last village.
Q: They raised the drawbridge! Now what?
A: Dew can open it up again by standing where it used to be. It's easy to
distinguish, since the path leads up to it.
Q: Is it possible to help Mahnya or prevent Silesia from being overrun?
A: No, but you need Silesia to get overrun in order for those yellow/neutral
units to get out of the way.
Q: Who do you prefer to use to save the Civilians?
A: Tiltyu, because she comes in late and at a low level. If I plan on pairing
Azel with anyone, I make sure to save a few for him as well.
Q: How do I get Holsety?
A: After reclaiming Silesia Castle, have Levin enter.
................................................................................
...................................CHAPTER 5....................................
Q: How do I get the Rescue Staff?
A: If Aideen and Claude are lovers, Claude can give Aideen a Rescue Staff.
Q: I want to use the Tyrfing but the repair cost is outrageous!
A: Ignore the arena for Sigurd at the moment. Buy the Knight Bracelet, Leg Ring,
and Elite Bracelet if Sigurd doesn't already have those. If he has any other
items, keep them in storage until you get the Tyrfing. Sell the smaller items
you won't be needing until you have about 10000-15000 gold. You can partially
repair the Tyrfing so it has 10-15 uses, which SHOULD be enough for the rest
of the chapter. Make sure it remains unbroken by the end of the chapter!
Q: How do I get that +5 SKI boost for Ardan?
A: He has to be paired up. You see that cliff with one lone village? Send him to
the end there, and he'll find a book.
Q: How do I keep Cuan and Ethlin alive?
A: Unfortunately, you can't. But if you powered them up before they left, Cuan
and Ethlin should be able to make your job a little easier when the Thracian
Dragon Knights come after you.
Q: What items should I keep on Sigurd for Celice to use?
A: Knight Bracelet, Elite Ring, and Leg Ring. Make sure Celice has a good
weapon, be it Hero Sword, Silver Sword, or Silver Blade. Once you've got that
covered, buy any stat-boosting rings as you please.
Q: The Battle of Barhara...
Radnay's twin brother. There's little difference between him and his "real"
character Skasaha; unlike his sister he is calm and controlled, preferring a
more rational approach to situations.
Rodolban's stats and overall usefulness are mediocre. He can hold his own
sufficiently enough, but no better than that. He'll never be on Skasaha's level.
Rodolban suffers the same problem as Radnay.
................................................................................
.....Mana (Lana's substitute)...................................................
Mana is Dimna's younger sister and childhood friend to Celice. Sweet and caring,
though a bit stubborn. She has an obvious crush on Celice, but unlike Lana
(Aideen's daughter) she is self-consciencious about her feelings due to her
commoner status and his royalty.
Being a healer, Mana is consistently helpful, although she's clearly inferior to
Lana. Not just because of stats or skills, but inheritance.
................................................................................
.....Oifaye.....................................................................
Remember Sigurd's cousin Oifaye? That little kid who served as Sigurd's advisor?
He's all grown up now, and ready to rumble. He serves as a mentor to Celice and
his pals, having trained them in martial arts.
While there aren't really any Jeigans in this FE game, this guy is probably the
closest you'll get to one. Oifaye starts out with amazingly high stats, but
because he only has 15 levels to gain and moderate growth rates, he'll start to
outlive his usefulness by Chapter 10. He'll probably be one of your lesser units
by the end of the game (unless you made some bad pairings), but he's still very
much usable.
................................................................................
.....Dimna (Lester's substitute)................................................
Dimna is the replacement character for Lester, and he is Mana's older brother.
He has a significant change in his personality compared to Lester's. Most of
Lester's lines are generic, although he shows a playful side toward Patty. Dimna
is a sweet and caring individual who's rather low on self-esteem.
Dimna's pretty good actually. He has Pursuit naturally, and his growths are
reasonable and that exclusive +5 STR he gets from Isaac Castle makes him much
better than a crappy Lester, although not as good as an optimal Lester.
................................................................................
.....Tristan (Delmud's substitute)..............................................
Tristan doesn't really have a background story, other than he's searching for
his long-lost sister. He seems to have more of a personality than Delmud. From
what can be noted, he is somewhat stoic and doesn't get along too well with
Rodolban. I haven't played Thracia 776 and I hear Delmud makes a return in that
game. I wonder if he actually has a personality in FE5?
Tristan's pathetic until he promotes, and then he becomes above-average. You'll
be somewhat hard-pressed to get him there. Other than an awesome HP his stats
aren't overwhelming and he only has Critical for a skill. Better give him the
Hero Sword or he'll be worthless. You might want him to liberate the village in
chapter 6 so the Skill Ring helps him critical more often. But the point of a
character being good is that you're making as few corrections as possible. He
looks kick-ass, however.
................................................................................
.....Julia......................................................................
Julia is an amnesic girl Levin found and protected. She is sweet, timid, and a
little insecure. She is really Celice's sister. As neither of them are aware of
that, they share a mutual attraction. That's right, this game features incest.
Lots of it.
Julia is very important. She can heal and she can fight. If she gets the Resire
tome, she'll be very powerful against anyone who can't 1-hit KO her. Make sure
you train her well, because she inherits Narga which is crucial to the final
battle against Julius.
................................................................................
.....Femina (Fee's substitute)..................................................
Femina is a trainee pegasus knight from Silesia. Somewhat like how Fin was at
the start of the game, Femina is a little skeptical on her talents and how much
she'd be able to help out. Fee, on the other hand, is cheerful and carefree.
Femina's saving grace is that she can fly. Her stats aren't bad at all, but
Continue is somewhat redundant as her promoted class gets it anyways, and
you're probably going to let her use the Hero Lance. She'll struggle a bit
because she doesn't have Pursuit, but don't ignore her either because she's one
of your only flying units.
................................................................................
.....Amid (Arthur's substitute).................................................
Amid was separated from his mother and sister and is currently searching for
them. He tags along with Fee/Femina. He has a soft spot for that pegasus knight.
He is also very protective over his sister.
Don't underestimate this guy. While he only has Continue as a skill, Wind magic
has such light weight it'll activate quite often. His stats are all solid. Not
as good as an optimal Arthur, but much better than the crappy Arthurs.
................................................................................
.....Johan......................................................................
Johan is the second of Dannan's three sons. He is a narcissist and comes up with
his own poetry for Lakche and any possible death. He is obsessed with Lakche.
You can only choose Johan or Johalva. Johan has better movement and is mounted
while Johalva has better stats and can use bows on promotion.
................................................................................
.....Johalva....................................................................
Johan's younger brother is gruff and aggressive. Like his brother Johan, he has
a strong sense of justice, although he fights with Johan over Lakche.
See above (Johan) for comments. It doesn't really matter much. Both are pretty
good at first but get overshadowed by the end of the game.
................................................................................
.....Leaf.......................................................................
Prince Leaf is the son of Cuan and Ethlin. Having been sheltered by Fin, they
are continuously on the run from their enemies of Thracia. He is enthusiastic
and passionate.
Leaf takes awhile to get going, but when he does he's easily one of your most
versatile units. After promotion he can use ANY weapon or spell (sans Holy
Weapons), and he develops some of the best stats you'll ever see. You might need
to baby him a bit, but you'll be glad you did.
................................................................................
.....Fin........................................................................
17 years have passed between the two generations. During this time, he kept Leaf
safe from harm and is like a secondary father figure to him.
He's back, and just as good as before. Whatever stats he had at the end of
chapter 3, he keeps. He also keeps any items unless he was paired, which leaves
him with an Iron Lance. He's essential to protecting Leaf and Nanna, and will
remain a decent character. He does seem outclassed in the second generation, but
this is more a result of the second generation characters being so overpowered,
not that he falls behind or can't keep up with the enemies.
................................................................................
.....Janne (Nanna's substitute).................................................
Nanna's replacement is Janne. The long-lost sister of Tristan, both who were the
children of one of Eltshan's Cross Knights. When their father was killed in
battle, she was taken care of by a merchant, and when he too died, Fin came and
raised her as his own. She's smart and has a lot of insight, bringing up good
points the others may not have noticed.
As a fighter, Janne's horrible. Her stats aren't too bad, but she can't use many
strong weapons and she has NO skills. But that's okay, she's a mounted healer so
she's consistently useful. Still, Nanna's always better. Janne does, however,
have 20% growths in MGC and RES, which is quite uncommon for anyone who isn't
Claude's child.
................................................................................
.....Shanan.....................................................................
Aira's nephew is all grown up now and the Prince of Isaac. He helped look after
Celice and his childhood friends, and is like an older brother to them. He is
a strong and disciplined individual, and a charismatic man who numerous women
are attracted to.
Shanan is one of the best characters in the game. The Balmung not only gives him
a high attack power, but the speed bonus it grants gives him insane dodging
abilities. His high stats just continue to get better. He even has Pursuit,
Continue, and Meteor, so you can expect him to score 2-20 hits per round, while
emerging unscathed most of the time!
................................................................................
.....Daisy (Patty's substitute).................................................
Daisy, like Patty, is a noble thief who steals from the Empire and gives to an
orphanage. She is childlike and carefree. She has an obvious crush on Shanan.
Daisy is hopeless as a fighter. You'd think she'd be pretty good because she has
Prayer and high SPD, but even then she'll never rise out of the pits of
uselessness. All she's good for is stealing gold from enemies who can't fight
back, or enemies who were weakened to 1 HP.
................................................................................
.....Linda (Tinny's substitute).................................................
Linda is the daugher of Ethnia and Amid's younger sister. Her mother was
tortured to death by Hilda, and having lost her mother at an early age she is
indecisive, shy, and insecure, but she is sweet-natured to those she meets.
Now here's an awesome substitute character. Her MGC, SKI, and SPD all rise
impressively, but her LUC and DEF are lousy. Unlike Tinny, she is a Thunder Mage
so she can use Tron at the get-go. Wrath and Elite makes her very easy to train.
................................................................................
.....Aless......................................................................
Aless is the son of Eltshan. When his parents died, he was taken in and raised
by Jabarro, a mercenary. At first, he resents Celice, believing Sigurd to be
Eltshan's cause of death, but learns to put aside his differences as he finds
out what really happened.
Didn't you just wish Eltshan could join your army? And didn't you come close to
shitting your pants when you had to face up against his awesome Mistoltin? Aless
joins you, and he is extremely powerful! His stats all rise nicely, even his
magic defense. His skillsets are wonderful. On top of this, he gets the
Mistoltin, making him one of the best units in the game.
................................................................................
.....Laylea (Leen's substitute).................................................
Laylea is a dancer who likes Aless. She isn't afraid to speak her mind. On the
other hand, she is surprisingly mature and level-headed, especially compared to
Sylvia.
Laylea is a dancer, so you know she's going to be consistently useful. It's
often debated whether she is better than Leen, the character she replaces. She
does have Charisma as a skill and can find a Barrier Sword, but she won't do
anything in the Arena and Leen can inherit things.
................................................................................
.....Asaello (Faval's substitute)...............................................
Asaello is Daisy's older brother. He earns money from arena fights and mercenary
work to help fund an orphanage. Although he's stoic and emotionally-repressed,
he is sensitive and kind-hearted. He doesn't have such a positive outlook on
life, having been an orphan himself, and being a commoner with little
opportunity in life. This is vastly different than Faval's personality, who has
a more generic personality, other than scolding his sister Patty for stealing.
Unfortunately, he sucks. Not because he'll never get the Ichival, but his
growths simply aren't high enough to cut it. Useful for picking off Thracian
Dragon Knights, but that's it.
................................................................................
.....Hawk (Sety's substitute)...................................................
Hawk is Femina's older brother. He is very selfless and noble, offering to
protect civilians against grim odds.
This guy is great. Not as good as Levin!Sety (but then again, who is?) or
Claude!Sety, but he's up there. Comparable to Azel!Sety and much better than a
lesser Sety.
................................................................................
.....Sharlow (Corple's substsitute).............................................
Sharlow is General Hannibal's adoptive son. There are no differences in
Sharlow's and Corple's personalities, but they are basically just kids who want
what's best for their father. Being just a child, it's natural that he's rather
naive.
Here's a character with a good chance of surpassing the "real" character.
Although he can't use rank-A staffs until promotion (Corple can, thanks to
Minor Blaggi), he has Elite and his growth rates are more relevant. He also has
an exclusive event where Hannibal gives him a Berserk Staff, so Sharlow might
not be limited exclusively to a healbot like how Corple usually is.
................................................................................
.....Hannibal...................................................................
Hannibal is one of Thracia's top generals and nicknamed "The Shield of Thracia".
He is the adoptive father of Sharlow/Corple, and does whatever is best for his
son. He reluctantly fights for Trabant because his adoptive son is being held
against his wishes.
Hannibal isn't exactly the most useful character. With his poor movement and
the fact that he's completely overshadowed by those already established in your
army, he'll probably just guard the home garrison and that's it.
................................................................................
.....Altenna....................................................................
Altenna is the daughter of Cuan and Ethlin. She was abducted by Trabant at the
age of 3 and raised to use the Gae Bolg in his favor. She is compassionate and
refuses to harm civilians at any cost. She seems attracted to her step-brother
Arion (as if this game didn't have enough incest...).
Altenna is one of the strongest characters physically, chiefly due to the Gae
Bolg. She has excellent stats and an excellent skillset, which includes Pursuit
when she promotes. A great character because she also flies, but watch out for
arrows and magic.
................................................................................
================================================================================
5. PAIRING GUIDE (MECHANICS)
...........................BUILDING RELATIONSHIP POINTS.........................
The pairing system is what makes this so different from the other Fire Emblem
games. Long story short: male and female characters build relationship points
by staying next to each other, and they have situational events that build the
points rapidly. The points naturally rise on their own, but alone it might not
be fast enough so you should keep units next to each other. Once the points
reach 500, they are paired up.
................................................................................
...............................GENERAL INFORMATION..............................
Your first playthrough will be more exciting if you choose pairings on your own
without having others select for you. If you don't want too much help, just
refer to these basic guidelines:
AIDEEN (Arch Knight Lester / Priest Lana)
Ideally, you should look for someone who passes down good STR and Pursuit.
All the better if he can use Bows. If you make the wrong pairing, Lester
severely gets messed up, but he kicks ass if you make a good pairing. Lana is a
healer so you shouldn't worry too much about her. Because of this, Lester takes
priority in Aideen pairings.
AIRA (Sword Fighter Lakche / Sword Fighter Skasaha)
Truth is, they turn out well no matter what. Might as well maximize their
potential by giving them a father who's either an offensive powerhouse or a
defensive tank.
LACHESIS (Free Knight Delmud / Troubador Nanna)
As long as they get Pursuit they should be fine. If you're having trouble
passing down class A swords, you should let Delmud's father kill Shagaal and
don't sell the Silver Blade he earns. In the case you'll be missing Pursuit,
at least let Delmud get the Pursuit Ring.
SYLVIA (Dancer Leen / Priest Corple)
Both are non-combat units, so stats are irrelevant and so are skills to a
degree. There's little you can do to improve Sylvia's kids, and when you do,
the benefit is only marginal at best. Do whatever you like, just don't waste a
guy you'd rather pair with someone else.
FURY (Sage Sety / Pegasus Knight Fee)
They get most of what they need from their mother. Fee can fly and has
Pursuit. Sety has Pursuit, Continue (since he's a Sage), and great base stats,
so you can't really screw Fee/Sety up. But you can greatly influence their
overall quality, and why not make them good?
TILTYU (Mage Arthur / Mage Tinny)
The most effective pairings are all radically different from each other, so
it's pretty hard to give general guidelines.
BRIGID (Bow Fighter Faval / Thief Patty)
Just about any physical fighter will do. Anybody who can use swords can pass
the Wind Sword down to Patty just like that, so she'd be off at a better start.
Give Brigid's husband a Return Ring for Patty to inherit.
................................................................................
..............................INVENTORY AND EQUIPMENT...........................
Anyone can inherit rings and bracelets, but weapons and magic can only be
inherited if the character can use it. Boys inherit their father's items and
girls inherit their mother's inventory. The exceptions are Cuan/Ethlin and
Brigid/whoever, where it's the other way around.
---MOTHER--- ---SON'S EQUIPMENT--- ---DAUGHTER'S EQUIPMENT---
Ethlin Swords (any) Spears (any), Swords (up to class A)
Aideen Bows (any) Staffs (up to class B)
Aira Swords (any) Swords (any)
Lachesis Swords (any) Swords (any), Staffs (up to class C)
Sylvia Staffs (any) Swords (up to class C)
Fury Staffs, magic (up to rank B) Swords, Spears (up to class B)
Tiltyu Wind (up to rank B) Fire,Wind (class C), Thunder (B)
Brigid Bows (any) Swords (up to class B)
If a potential father picks up a weapon or staff in a village and he cannot
use it, but his child can, you can technically pass down said items by keeping
the items on the father without selling them. For example, if you want to pair
Fin with Lachesis and you have him finish of Shagaal in chapter 3, Fin will get
a Silver Blade that he cannot use, but if he keeps the sword without selling it
Delmud will inherit it.
Tip: Whoever you pair Brigid with, make sure he has the Return Bracelet. You'll
want Patty to escape deadly situations just like that.
Only Sety, Corple, and Arthur can inherit Holsety, and only Corple and Sety
can inherit the Valkyrie Wand.
Increase the weapon/magic/staff class ranking from C -> B -> A if the father
passes down corresponding crusader blood.
Holyn increases Sword ranking
Azel increases Fire Magic ranking
Lex increases Axe ranking (redundant, none of the Children are axe users)
Levin increases Wind Magic (star level for Arthur, Sety, and Corple)
Claude increases Staffs (star level for Sety and Corple)
................................................................................
...................................THE FATHERS..................................
Let's take a look at what each father has to offer. You might notice I didn't
list the weapons for some fathers, like Lex's axes or Noish's spears. This is
because none of their sons can start out with those weapon types, and you can
pass down weapons you acquire as long as the child can use it.
Key for reading stats:
--- = Poor
- = Inferior
blank = Typical
+ = Improved
+++ = Premium
*-FATHER-*--MHP--STR--MGC--SKI--SPD--LUC--DEF--MDF--*---------Skillset---------*
|Noish | + + - - + |Critical, Charge |
|Alec | + |Pursuit, Nihil |
|Ardan | +++ +++ - --- - --- +++ |Ambush |
|Azel | --- +++ - +++ - - + |Pursuit |
|Lex | +++ + - - - +++ |Ambush, Elite |
|Fin | + +++ |Pursuit, Prayer |
|Midir | - - + - |Prayer, Charge |
|Dew | - + + + + + + + |Bargain, Solar |
|Jamka | +++ +++ --- + |Continue, Charge |
|Holyn | +++ +++ - |Moonlight |
|Levin | +++ --- +++ +++ - - + |Continue, Critical |
|Beowulf | + + - + - |Pursuit, Charge |
|Claude | --- +++ - + +++ - +++ | |
*--------*------------------------------------------*--------------------------*
Basic comments about each father:
[Noish] Noish goes great with anyone who gets Pursuit or at least a Pursuit
Ring. Critical, Charge, and his stats go great with multi-hitting. Without
Pursuit or the Pursuit Ring, he's a little more questionable.
[Alec] Alec can safely be paired with anyone, since he offers Pursuit and
reasonable growths. While he's typically not optimal for pairing, his kids
are definitely useable because they don't get screwed up (other than
Arthur). Nihil is purely situational.
[Ardan] Most people shy away from Ardan pairings, mostly because he's ugly, and
especially because of Lex being all like "anything you can do I can do
better". In some cases he isn't bad if you want something new or uncommon.
[Azel] Azel's advantages and disadvantages pretty much equal out. He does pass
down Pursuit and his SPD lets you double reliably, but the weak spots can
really show with some characters.
[Lex] Elite and the stats are the main selling points. The only real flaws, if
any, are Lex's lack of Pursuit and he has trouble passing down weapons.
Great for anyone who needs to build levels fast or wants to be a tank.
[Fin] Fin can be paired with anyone because he offers good growths and Pursuit.
Just be warned it's difficult to pair Fin since he leaves early, and
pairing him leaves him with an Iron Lance in chapter 7. Regardless, if he
is the father of Lana, Lakche, or Nanna, they'll gain a +5 stat bonus in
one category from him in chapter 7 (MGC for Lana, SKI for Lakche, and SPD
for Nanna).
[Midir] Not the best stats, but the skillsets can create offensive powerhouses.
[Dew] Dew offers great growths, but a poor skillset. Pair him the same way you
would Holyn.
[Jamka] See comments for Noish. Continue and Charge, if added with Pursuit,
usually results in some good damage! But since he doesn't pass down
Pursuit naturally and focuses on physical stats, some of his children can
be a little lopsided. He ruins mages, so watch out for mage children.
[Holyn] Holyn pairings are very specific. There are only a few children who
benefit from him being their father, and boy do they turn out great.
Unfortunately he really messes everyone else up, so be careful.
[Levin] If it wasn't for the low STR and DEF I'd say he could actually be good
for physical fighters because of good stats otherwise and his skillset.
Still, they can't use Holsety, so he's best off with someone who can. Note
that Fee, Leen, and Tinny can gain +5 in one stat in Chapter 9 (STR for
Fee, DEF for Leen, and MGC for Tinny).
[Beowulf] Similar to Midir, but passes down swords instead of bows, and give or
take a little in each stat. I'd say Beowulf is better overall. He goes
good with just about any physical fighter, but beware of mages as mage
children get screwed up by him.
[Claude] Be careful when pairing Claude. He absolutely ruins physical fighters
and mages are a little iffy. His stats might go great for mages, but no
skills is a bad thing. Only major advantage is high RES.
................................................................................
.....................................SKILLS.....................................
Skills as passed down by potential parents; not a complete list as some skills
can never be acquired by the children characters. Sigurd, Deidre, Cuan, and
Ethlin are not mentioned in this section because they always have the same
pairing, while the others can be customized.
Pursuit (Alec, Azel, Midir, Fin, Beowulf, Fury): If your attack speed is higher
than the enemy's, you will attack a second time.
Continue (Jamka, Levin, Sylvia): There's a chance a given attack's number of
hits multiplies by 2, same effect as a "Hero" weapon. Does not complement
"Hero" weapons.
Nihil (Alec, Aira): Prevents Critical, Wrath, Moonlight, Meteor, and Solar.
Critical (Noish, Levin): Doubles attack power (not to be mistaken with double
overall damage).
Charge (Noish, Midir, Jamka, Beowulf): Small chance of dragging on a battle for
another round. A double-edged sword with weaker units like Patty, but it
seems to work best with ranged attacks.
Ambush (Ardan, Lex): Attack first when below 50% HP.
Elite (Lex): Doubles EXP gained. Not just for fighting, but magic, thief giving
gold, and dancing.
Meteor (Aira): Multiplies any given attack's number of hits by 5! With Continue
or a Hero Sword, you could conceivably attack up to 20 times in one fight!
Prayer (Fin, Sylvia): Improves dodging when HP is 10 or below.
Bargain (Dew): Halves cost of purchasing or repairing items.
Solar (Dew): Leeches HP. Sword skill, so it's exclusive to non-mounted sword
users.
Moonlight (Holyn): Nullifies defense. Sword skill, exclusive to non-mounted
sword users.
Charisma (Lachesis): Allies within 3 spaces range of a unit with Charisma gets
an additional 10% for their evade and accuracy.
Wrath (Tiltyu): Instant critical when below 50% HP.
Steal (class): Take all of victim's gold. Natural skill of Thieves only.
Dance (class): Give adjacent units an extra turn. Dancer only.
It should be noted that some skills say "soldier" and others say "civilian".
"Soldier" skills mean the character's class has it naturally, so they cannot be
passed down to children. Dew has Steal because he's a thief. Sylvia has Dance
because she's a dancer. Jamka and Holyn have Pursuit because of their class.
Lachesis and Dew gain Pursuit on promotion. Aira, Tiltyu, and Fury gain Continue
on promotion. Because these skills don't get passed down to children, that's why
I didn't include those characters in with the above lists.
................................................................................
================================================================================
6. PAIRING GUIDE (PAIRINGS)
This is where the game gets fun, and why it has infinite replay value. These are
just comments and recommendations on pairings, but that's probably why you came
here. To date, I have tried all but the following pairs. The untested ones I
think I have a pretty good idea about, but they need to be checked for accuracy.
Aideen with: Dew, Claude, Holyn
Aira with: Azel
Lachesis with: Jamka, Holyn
Sylvia with: Fin, Jamka
Fury with: Fin, Midir, Beowulf
Tiltyu with: Noish, Dew, Jamka, Holyn
Brigid with: (none, I tried them all out!)
.....................................Aideen.....................................
Depending who you pair Aideen up with, Lester either becomes extremely helpful
or completely worthless. You can't exactly screw up Lana, since she's a healer
and stats and skills usually aren't necessary for her. Because of this, Lester
takes priority in Aideen pairings.
Ideally, you should look for someone who gives Lester good Strength and Pursuit
as a skill. All the better if he can use bows.
[Midir] If you're new to this game or want Lester to be useful without much of
a hassle, go with this one. This is one of the two pairings that allow
Lester to inherit the Hero's Bow, which is the selling point. Balanced
growths and Pursuit are wonderful, and Charge is most beneficial with
ranged attacks.
[Jamka] People debate whether Midir or Jamka produces the best Lester. Jamka
gives Lester better stats and makes him stronger, but Midir has Pursuit
whereas Jamka has Continue. If you can't think of anyone else who will
benefit from the Pursuit Ring, you might want to go with this pairing.
Jamka!Lester also makes better use of the Killer Bow than Midir!Lester,
so if you prefer the Killer Bow over the Hero Bow for any reason, this is
worth considering.
[Beowulf] This one is pretty good actually. Lester will have to make due early
on without the Hero Bow, but once he gets it in chapter 9 he'll start to
dominate as he would with Midir or Jamka as his father.
[Ardan] Good, but only if you promote Ardan. You could conceivably pass down a
Killer Bow and maybe even a Steel Bow for Lester. With the Pursuit Ring
Lester becomes pretty powerful as he can hit quite hard, and both kids will
have great survivability. Another minor advantage, with Ardan you can just
keep the Pursuit Ring on him; you don't have to worry about raising the
funds to re-purchase it.
[Fin] Also a good pairing. Lester won't be a powerhouse, but he gets Pursuit
and good STR, both which are critical for him. Lana also benefits from this
pairing since she can gain +5 MGC by talking to Fin in chapter 7. Prayer is
only mildly helpful for archers and healers, if helpful at all. Still, a
decent enough pairing because both children benefit.
[Noish] Not as bad as it sounds. Lester needs the Pursuit Ring to truly be
useful, but Charge and Critical work together quite nicely. Lester develops
some pretty strong stats, and Charge works great with bow-users.
[Alec] Average. Stats will never be spectacular, but they are reasonable. Lester
does get Pursuit and decent STR, both which are critical for him. Nihil is
purely situational, so it probably won't come into use often, if at all.
Nihil can help Lana contribute a bit in the final confrontation with
Julius, since she won't have to worry about Wrath.
[Unpaired] You get Dimna and Mana instead of Lester and Lana. Mana is a healer
and can always help out, though clearly inferior to Lana. Dimna gets
Pursuit and reasonable growths. If he enters Isaac Castle, he gets +5 STR
so he's off at a good start. They're pretty decent, especially by
substitute standards.
[Levin] A bad pairing for Lester, but EXCELLENT for Lana. Lana's MGC, SKI, and
SPD should max out with no problem, and her HP will be great as well. She
can also use Elwind on promotion, thanks to Minor Holsety. Unfortunately,
Lester gets screwed over, as he'll be pretty weak and lacking Pursuit.
Hero Bow cancels out Continue and Killer Bow cancels out Critical, so while
the skillsets are good at first, late-game Lester's use is quite limited.
Quite possibly Lana's best father, but definitely one of Lester's worst.
And since you'll lose Holsety, you should look for something else...
[Azel] Lester may get Pursuit, but his stats are pretty bad and an Iron Bow with
this won't be getting him anywhere. Azel results in a wonderful Lana, as
her stats at level 10 rival that of a promoted Lana with Midir as her
father, and she can now use Elfire.
[Lex] This one's a little iffy. You do get a strong Lester and Elite greatly
benefits Lana (if you spam staffs, you could get her promoted by chapter 8)
but since Aideen's kids often keep out of range, the added durability isn't
really needed. On top of this, Lester's offense isn't enhanced by anything,
so he won't be very good at all.
[Dew] The kids do get pretty good stats and Bargain would help Lana quite a bit,
but if you have Aideen pick up the Bargain Bracelet in chapter 2 you should
have no need for this. No combat skills or inheritance hurts Lester quite a
bit, so he suffers the same problem as Lex!Lester.
[Claude] If you make this pairing, Lester is hopeless. He's very weak physically
and NO skills renders him almost unusable. The only consolation prize is
you can sell Claude's Reserve Staff and have Aideen buy it so she can pass
it down to Lana, but the problem is Rescue and Reserve aren't really
necessary for the early bits of the second generation, and Lana uses
class-A staffs when she promotes so it isn't going to make a difference.
[Holyn] No. Don't even try this one out of curiousity, it's that bad. NO skills
again, and Holyn doesn't even offer anything that would improve Lana.
Lester does get better stats than he would with Claude, but he's useless
this way.
................................................................................
......................................Aira......................................
Pairing Aira is a must! Her kids end up some of the best characters in most
incarnates, and they still manage to be good with Aira's worst pairings.
[Noish] Some may agree or disagree with me, but this is one of my favorite
pairings in the game. The kids, while not tanks, are still strong enough
and Critical added to the insane multi-hitting just wrecks havoc.
[Lex] The kids become TANKS! Add that to Aira's already insane abilities and
they're powerful both offensively and defensively. Elite just makes them
skyrocket to being some of the best characters in the game!
[Holyn] One of the most popular pairings, and for a good reason. This is the
only pairing where both kids can use Holyn's Moonlight Slash. The stats
also go wonderfully and Skasaha has no problem inheriting his father's
equipment. Even though two sword skills cannot activate at the same time,
you get two chances, so if Starlight fails to activate, you have a second
chance in which the other skill activates. Highly recommended if you can
easily accumulate 50-kill weapons for Lakche and Skasaha!
[Levin] Holy cow, this pairing is incredible. The STR/DEF isn't low enough where
it shows, and the skillsets is one of the best I can imagine. With Continue
you don't need the Hero Sword, and the kids score critical hits like crazy!
If you don't mind not being able to use Holsety, I strongly suggest giving
this one a try!!
[Jamka] This one is underrated. Not that Aira has low STR, but the kids will
benefit from Jamka's insane STR. The kids won't need a Hero Sword, since
Continue should activate enough. This lets you free the Hero Sword for
someone who needs it.
[Dew] Another pairing a lot of people like. Like anyone inheriting Dew's
growths, the kids will have great stats. Both kids can also make use of
Solar Slash, enabling them to hold out the front lines for a long time.
[Ardan] Pretty similar to Lex, with slightly lower stats overall and minus the
Elite skill. It's still a good pairing because Ardan's DEF covers where
Aira may be lacking. High STR also helps.
[Beowulf] Charge goes great with the multi-hitting and the stats are very
good. Noish and Jamka offer that and much more. Now I'm not saying it's a
bad pairing (no such thing as Aira's kids sucking!), just saying it's
nothing compared to the above.
[Fin] Prayer, when combined with Aira's SPD and the relatively light weight of
most swords, enables the kids to dodge most attacks. Lakche also gains +5
SKI from Fin in chapter 7, but chances are her SKI is almost maxed out,
so it isn't going to help much, if at all.
[Midir] Same as Beowulf, give or take a few points in each stat. Since he
can't pass down swords and his stats seem worse overall, this one isn't
all too worthwhile.
[Claude] Claude, along with Azel and Alec, offer no new skills for Aira. Alec
may have more balanced stats, but Claude's MDF can help out enough. If you
really want, you can pair Skasaha with Julia, as he can safely give Julia
the Lover's Support when fighting Julius, thanks to Aira's Nihil and
Claude's RES. She can usually take out Julius on her own, and you won't be
getting any critical hits, but if you just want to speed up the fight with
added hit/evade...
[Alec] No new skills, and no standout stats. Better than nothing, but not
recommended either.
[Azel] Aira's "worst" suitor, for the lack of a better word. Similar to Claude,
with a marginally higher SPD and significantly lower MDF.
[Unpaired] Radnay and Rodolban appear if Lakche/Skasaha don't. They can hold
their own sufficiently enough with their decent stats and satisfactory
skills, but they can never compete with Lakche/Skasaha.
................................................................................
.....................................Lachesis...................................
This is another critical pairing. Like Lester, Delmud is one of the kids you
can screw up the worst. Nanna is consistently useful because she's a mounted
healer. As long as they get Pursuit they should be fine. If not, make sure
Delmud gets the Pursuit Ring.
[Fin] This one makes Nanna her best as a fighter, and Delmud's at his second-
best. Prayer helps keep the two a bit safer, and she gets that +5 SPD from
Fin in chapter 7, which is very nice. Arguably the best overall Lachesis
pairing.
[Beowulf] Beowulf, Fin, and Azel all tie for the best Lachesis pairing, each in
their own ways. Beowulf results in the best Beowulf and Nanna is a pretty
good fighter, though I prefer Fin for Nanna.
[Azel] The superior MGC makes Nanna her best as a healer. Both kids can fight
reasonably well, due to their Minor Hezul blood and Pursuit as a skill.
DEF leaves a little to be desired, but it's at least enough.
[Lex] A great pairing if you can't think of anybody else who needs the Pursuit
Ring. The kids become TANKS, letting them stay on the front line not only
to inflict some damage, but keep up with Charisma. Delmud will need a
Pursuit Ring, but when you do give it to him he'll be pretty powerful.
Nanna will mostly be sticking to healing and staffs. The only problem is
that it will be a pain to get swords for Delmud, since Lex uses axes and
will be at a disadvantage against Shagaal. If you don't want to bother
with that, have Lex pick up the Armor Cutter in chapter 2 and keep it.
[Alec] Good, but not great. Pursuit is the main point here, and Nihil enables
Nanna to help out in the final battle not only to heal, but for Charisma
as well.
[Midir] Like Beowulf, but stats aren't as great and lesser inheritance. At
least the skillsets kick ass, to make up for that. A decent enough
pairing.
[Noish] Delmud gets some pretty good stats and a great skillset. A great
pairing for Delmud if you give him the Pursuit Ring. Nanna is kind
of lame, so you'll probably resign her to healing and Charisma.
[Dew] Great stats for both kids, but that's mostly it. Bargain might help
Nanna with the Earth Sword or staff repairs, but Bargain doesn't really
help Delmud, who won't be able to fight well without the Pursuit Ring.
At least you get a hilarious conversation in chapter 5 if you pair Dew
with Lachesis. Not a very good pairing, but it isn't TOO bad either.
[Levin] A little lopsided. The kids will be missing Pursuit and Holsety goes
to waste. Nanna has her moments in the Arena and Delmud needs the Pursuit
Ring. Good for Nanna, but not good enough to make up for the loss of
Holsety.
[Jamka] Jamka's Strength doesn't help much since it's already high enough with
Minor Hezul. Continue and Charge can come in handy, but Delmud learns
Continue on promotion, and he'll need the Pursuit Ring.
[Ardan] Pretty dull, and the only major advantages for Delmud is great HP and
possibible inheritance. Nanna will be pretty bad, and she'll have
difficulty building levels.
[Claude] Delmud is doomed. Since Claude comes after you kill Shagaal, Delmud
will be stuck with a crappy Iron Sword. Nanna gets to use class B
staffs. Not worth it, since most of the class B staffs are better in
other characters' hands, and Nanna will be a terrible fighter. Delmud
won't be that strong and lacks any good skills, so your only hope of
making him useful is to give him a 50-kill Hero Sword if you can.
[Holyn] The kids will have incredible HP and SKI, but nothing worth noting is
offered. No skills mean they're pretty much limited ot just Charisma, and
they'll be of little help in combat. Minor Odo's +1 Sword Mastery does
nothing when Lachesis's Minor Hezul does the same. About the only good
thing is Delmud has no trouble inheriting weapons.
[Unpaired] Tristan and Janne replace Delmud and Nanna respectively. Tristan is
pathetic until he promotes, and then he becomes above-average. You'll be
hard-pressed to get him there, as he only has Critical and average stats
(save high HP). Better give him the Hero Sword, or he'll be worthless. You
might want him to liberate the village in chapter 6 so the Skill Ring gives
him more of a chance to critical. But the point of a character being good
is that you're making as few corrections as possible. He looks kick-ass,
however. Janne's only saving grace is that she's a mounted healer.
................................................................................
......................................Sylvia....................................
Sylvia's kids are pretty irrelevant. Neither healers or dancers are used for
combat, so skills and stats don't matter much. Do whatever you like, just don't
waste a guy you'd rather pair with someone else. There's very little you can do
to help Sylvia's kids, and when you do, the benefit is only marginal at most.
[Lex] Both kids really like that Elite skill, since they often have trouble
building EXP. The extra HP and DEF also makes Leen quite survivable, even
though she typically stays out of range anyways.
[Dew] Bargain helps both kids greatly, since they usually have a harder time
making money. Corple gets surprisingly good stats. Theoretically, Solar can
mess up Leen's Prayer, but realistically that's not going to happen when it
doesn't activate very often, and when it does it restores miniscule amounts
of HP.
[Levin] This one is not so recommended. Corple does get Holsety, but he can't
use it until he's promoted. In all likelihood, you'll be so close to
finishing the game by the time Corple's ready you'll have missed out on
most of the moments Holsety would've come in handy.
[Alec] Not many people recommend this one, but it's actually pretty good.
Pursuit helps Leen's arena, and with Nihil you might be able to take a
chance and have her Dance during the final confrontation against Julius.
[Claude] One of the only two pairings where Claude's son can use the Valkyrie
Staff. Also since netiher are fighters, you might want to go with this one
on your first playthrough in case you need to revive somebody.
[Noish] Critical is actually more helpful than you might imagine. Although it
will not activate as often as you might like, it certainly helps reduce
Leen's repair costs, since she completely breaks her weapons in the Arena.
[Unpaired] Some people argue the replacement characters Laylea and Sharlow are
actually better than Leen and Corple. Indeed, Layela does get Charisma and
the exclusive Barrier Sword, and Sharlow gets Elite and a Berserk Staff.
Sharlow's stats seem more relevant than most Corples, so here are two
substitute characters who have a good chance of being better than the real
characters! Problem is Laylea won't be doing anything in the Arena.
[Holyn] This allows Leen to use class B swords... but since you can't just trade
items and have to sell/buy to do that, she probably won't be using the Hero
Sword as much as you might like. Still, it's at least worth noting.
[Midir] Pursuit can help Leen in the Arena, and so can the decent SPD. Charge
doesn't make an impact in the Arena and you'll want to keep her out of
combat anyways.
[Beowulf] Literally the same as Midir, since the stat differences will be so
miniscule.
[Azel] I thought at first Leen would be good with a magic sword, but those
swords become physical weapons in the Arena so the extra MGC won't help.
Pursuit does, though. Good stats for Corple though.
[Ardan] Nothing worth mentioning, but the same could be said of most Sylvia
pairings.
[Jamka] Continue is wasted and Charge isn't helping Leen in any way. Stats mean
nothing so this is one of Sylvia's worst pairings.
[Fin] More trouble than it's worth. Fin's Prayer is wasted and there are other
guys who pass down Pursuit and more. Since this one is damn near impossible
to make happen and it leaves Fin with just an Iron Lance, ignore this one.
................................................................................
.......................................Fury.....................................
Fury gives birth to Pegasus Knight Fee and Sage Sety. They get most of what they
need from their mother (Pursuit for both, flight for Fee) and Sety always starts
out good. You can influence their overall quality quite a bit, but they're
always useful.
[Levin] The ultimate pairing. Sety becomes so overpowered it's almost sickening.
Levin's stats, skills, and Holsety were just made for Sety. Fee gets good
stats (other than a marginally lower STR/DEF) and both kids make excellent
use of Levin's skillsets.
[Lex] Arguably one of the best incarnates of Fee, because she gets some of her
best stats and Lex's skills. Sety will do pretty good considering the
skillset. His MGC won't rise much, but it's at least enough. He becomes
more of a "tanky" mage rather than a powerful one.
[Noish] A great pairing for Fee. Unlike Levin's Continue which is nullified
when using Hero weapons, Noish's Charge can still activate. They both
offer Critical, and Noish's stats will put fee off at a better start.
Sety will do fine, if only because of the skills and not the stats.
[Claude] Another great pairing for Sety. His stats will be great and this is
one of the only two pairings that can give the Valkyrie Wand. Fee can also
use class B staffs upon promotion. The only problem is Fee will have a
fairly average STR. Since it's easy to accumulate 50 kills with the Hero
Lance, the lack of Levin's skills is nullified. With an impressive RES,
Fee becomes invaluable for scouting ahead in the epilogue to eliminate
those 5 Sleep Staff guys up on the hill.
[Holyn] Fee can use rank-A swords now, but since she typically sticks to the
Hero Spear, it probably isn't going to help at all. Only time it would is
if you want Fin to use the Hero Spear. The stats are pretty good though, to
make up for the lack of new skills. Fee gets more criticals with a 50-kill
Hero Spear, and Sety gets great base stats since Holyn is easy to build.
[Dew] This gives some of the best stats for Fee, and Sety should be good as
well. Skillset isn't overly helpful, as Sety and especially Fee have an
easy enough time making money in the arena (and Fee being able to fly to
villages quickly), so they're probably the ones who benefit from Bargain
the least.
[Alec] Nihil does prevent critical hits from Arrows that hit Fee. It's alright,
but the benefit is only marginal at best, and there are better pairings.
Nihil comes in most handy for Fee at the start and end of chapter 8.
More for novelty than anything.
[Fin] Prayer can come in handy, since Fee and Sety are pretty fast. They'll be
pretty good at dodging, but nothing new is offered offensively. At least
they get balanced stats. Still, considering how difficult it is to get
this pairing and how there's better ones, it isn't worth leaving Fin with
an Iron Lance by pairing him with Fury.
[Azel] A bad pairing for Fee, but pretty good for Sety. While Fee is always
useful since she flies and gets Pursuit from her mother, her stats become
lackluster and no new skills are added for her. Sety gets great stats and
can use Volcannon, but considering the weight and availability, you'll
probably stick to his original Lightning Tome.
[Jamka] A pairing that favors Fee. She gets very good growths, but Continue is
most likely useless because Fee typically uses the Hero Lance, and she
gets Continue on promotion anyways. Unfortunately, this is one of the
worst incarnates of Sety. Jamka's STR is useless for mages, and his
weaknesses really show with Sety. Since Sety's class gives him Continue
naturally, Jamka's Continue is wasted.
[Beowulf] Good stats for Fee, but bad for Sety. Charge isn't enough to make up
for it.
[Midir] See above, but Fee is a little worse and Sety is a little better.
[Ardan] Doesn't do much for Fee. She'll be strong, but not noticably so. Sety
gets such horrible growths, he's more or less another Oifaye. One of Fury's
least impressive pairings.
[Unpaired] Femina is Fee's replacement, and Hawk is Sety's replacement. Femina's
stats aren't too bad, but she's missing Pursuit so she's off at a bad
start. Hawk is great, comparable to Azel!Sety.
................................................................................
.....................................Tiltyu.....................................
Tiltyu has the mages Arthur and Tinny. The top pairings are all radically
different from each other, so it's pretty difficult to provide general
guidelines here. Arthur and (to a lesser extent) Tinny can either do really
good if you make a good pairing, or end up sucking completely if you make a bad
pairing.
[Levin] Early game Holsety for Arthur? Makes the game a breeze. Sety may be more
powerful, but Arthur becomes mounted when he promotes. He's powerful
enough with just Holsety, but you might want to give him the Pursuit Ring
to maximize his firepower. Tinny might be at a bit of a loss, but she's
sufficient and it's worth it when Arthur becomes so versatile.
[Lex] Love it or hate it, I thought the kids were fantastic, especially after
Tinny promoted. Wrath and Ambush always activate together and result in a
deadly combo. It's just the lowish MGC and lack of Pursuit that turn some
people off. I wouldn't recommend this one to beginners, but definitely
give it a try when you've beaten the game at least once!
[Fin] I liked this one. People thought I was in for a disappointment because of
the MGC, but I thought the overall results were decent enough. Even
though Wrath activates with 1-50% HP and Prayer 1-10 POINTS HP, most hits
send Arthur/Tinny into Prayer's range so they can blast their enemies
more safely. MGC may be a little more problematic, but since it's so
easy to clear the arena with Pursuit+Wrath+Prayer, you can alleviate this
with RNG abuse.
[Unpaired] If Tiltyu doesn't have children, you'll get Amid and Linda instead
of Arthur and Tinny. Amid gets some pretty impressive stats, and Continue
is great with light-weight Wind Magics. He's much better than crappy
Arthurs, I can tell you that. Linda has very good stats where it matters
and she gets Wrath and Elite for her skills. She also starts as a Thunder
Mage, so unlike Tinny she can use Tron at first opportunity. Linda is one
of the better substitute characters, and arguably better than most
versions of Tinny.
[Midir] Decent. No stat is going to dazzle you and there aren't any skills that
complement Wrath's range, but Pursuit and Charge can result in some
multi-hitting. So you get Pursuit/Charge at high health, Pursuit/Wrath at
low health. Not bad.
[Azel] I don't know... most people consider this the optimal "tried and true"
pairing. I did it on my first playthrough and wasn't pleased. I thought
this was due to my inexperience so I tried it on a later playthrough and
still wasn't pleased. Try it if you like, not sure what to say though.
[Claude] Not such a bad pairing but not a very good one either. Solid stats, but
only Wrath gets inherited. Tinny can use rank-A staffs on promotion.
Because she has slightly better movement than Corple or Lana and can clear
the arena easily, she just might be the best candidate for the Reserve
Staff. Arthur will NEED the Pursuit Ring or he won't be all too great.
[Ardan] Definitely a step down from Tiltyu+Lex. The one stat Ardan does better
(STR) is moot since Tiltyu's kids are mages and don't need it. And they'll
never get Elite. Tinny's decent enough and becomes fairly good after
promotion. Arthur, on the other hand, is just hopeless.
[Beowulf] A step down from Midir. Tinny's not too bad and she gets a good
skillset, but Arthur's stats are pathetic. Don't expect him to be overly
helpful.
[Alec] Arthur sucks the same way Azel!Lester does. Even with Wrath and Pursuit,
he isn't getting anywhere. Tinny doesn't get it so bad, since she has more
of her mother's stats instead.
[Dew] This one is not recommended at all. Tinny doesn't acquire Dew's Solar even
when she's promoted, and the MGC is just slightly better than most, but it
just isn't enough with nothing else added to their offensive capabilities.
[Noish] Pretty much pointless. Why Critical when you have Wrath? The stats don't
go good with Mages either, and the kids will be lacking any true forms of
multi-hitting.
[Jamka] Continue, but that's it. At least Amid has solid stats to back it up,
but Arthur will be pathetic. Tinny will be poor too.
[Holyn] Tinny doesn't inherit sword skills when promoted, so the kids only have
Tiltyu's Wrath skill. Holyn's stats aren't such a good match for mages,
either. When promoted, Arthur can use class A swords and Tinny can use
class B swords, but this is so not worth it.
................................................................................
.....................................Brigid.....................................
Brigid yields the bow fighter Faval and thief Patty. Faval inherits the Ichival
and his class always gives him Pursuit, so he gets most of what he needs from
his mother. He'll range from average to awesome. Patty doesn't get what she
needs from her mother, so try to alleviate this the best you can.
[Lex] I think Lex is the best suitor for Brigid. Since they often start at a
somewhat low level, Patty and Faval will make best use of Lex's Elite
skill (Faval is locked to bows, every little bit helps Patty). The added
durability certainly helps Patty. Faval also becomes quite strong. Ambush
helps Patty maximize her Sleep Sword in the arena.
[Beowulf] A very good pairing. Faval should become quite strong with his stats
and Charge added to his skillset. Patty also benefits from Pursuit, the
stats are better than you might think, and she can inherit swords.
[Fin] You might consider this one if you're focusing on alleviating Patty's
weakness. Pursuit helps her offense enough, and she's generally frail
enough where one hit will send her into Prayer's range. Faval doesn't
really get much other than decent stats; Pursuit is wasted and Prayer
doesn't really help ranged fighters.
[Jamka] An excellent pairing for Faval, but kind of bad for Patty. If you
thought Jamka kicked ass in the first generation, he's back, his name is
Faval, and now he can use the Ichival! Probably Faval's best father.
[Levin] A very good pairing because it considers both kids rather than favoring
one or the other. DEF isn't neccessary and if you're concerned about
Faval's STR, that's what he has the Ichival for. Levin's skillsets are
excellent with Faval's class. And you'd be surprised at what Patty can do
with a Skill Ring! I still say Jamka produces the best Faval and Fin or
Lex produce the best Patty, but like I said, this pairing doesn't favor
one or the other. Still... are you willing to give up Holsety? It's viable.
[Dew] Dew is a good choice here. Patty can use Dew's Solar Slash, but that's not
what makes this one of the most effective Brigid pairings. The stats all
rise nicely for both kids and both kids really appreciate that Bargain
skill. Faval can repair the Ichival cheaply and rely on it entirely. Patty
can minimize costs and allow her to give more gold.
[Holyn] This one is quite popular among people. Holyn does allow Patty to use
Moonlight and rank-B swords, enabling her to use the Hero Sword and almost
be combat-viable. Faval doesn't get any new skills and has to rely on
his class's Pursuit Skill, but he should be fine with his stats.
[Alec] Good, but not great. Patty gets Pursuit and can inherit the Wind Sword.
Because Faval and his Ichival are strong enough and he has Nihil, he
..can.. fight Julius, but he'll still have to worry about Julius' Charge
skill, where he'd be in danger of getting hit more than once, and he
likely won't survive that. Still, a safe enough pairing worth trying
even if you don't send Faval to fight Julius.
[Midir] Charge for Faval, but other than that nothing too worthwhile for him.
At least Patty's SPD can help and she gets Pursuit. Not great, not crap.
[Noish] Not as potent as I predicted. I thought at first Ichival+Critical would
be devastating, but sadly it doesn't activate often in Faval's case (must
have been my bad luck). At least Charge helps him become somewhat of a
multi-hitter and he's fairly strong. Nothing too worthwhile for Patty, but
other than being able to inherit the Wind Sword.
[Ardan] This one isn't bad. Faval should be quite strong this way and Patty can
inherit the Wind Sword, so she's off at a better start. Not the best
pairing, but it's at least safe. Ambush helps Patty use her Sleep Sword to
its most.
[Azel] No skills for Faval and his stats aren't so good either. Patty gets
Pursuit, but that's about it. I wouldn't recommend this one.
[Claude] No skills, stats don't go well in either kid's case, and Valkyrie is
wasted. While Faval doesn't "suck", he's definitely lackluster compared to
all his other incarnates.
[Unpaired] Asaello and Daisy replace Faval and Patty respectively. Asaello
sucks. Not because he'll never get the Ichival, but his growths just aren't
enough to keep up with the standards against your enemies. Daisy might have
Prayer, but unlike Fin!Patty she's strictly limited to stealing money from
enemies with 1 HP left or those who can't fight back.
................................................................................
================================================================================
BOTTOM LINE
It isn't worth pairing Fin with Aira, Sylvia, or Fury. HOWEVER Lachesis, Tiltyu,
Aideen, and Brigid are more viable.
If you don't want to think too hard about what pairings to make, here are some
optimal combinations.
"Common" Optimal - If you ask most FE4 veterans, they'll suggest these:
[Aideen + Midir]
[Aira + Lex]
[Lachesis + Beowulf]
[Sylvia + Claude]
[Fury + Levin]
[Tiltyu + Azel]
[Brigid + Holyn]
"My" Optimal - These seem more effective if you're already familiar:
[Aideen + Midir]
[Aira + Noish]*
[Lachesis + Fin]
[Sylvia + Dew]
[Fury + Claude]
[Tiltyu + Levin]
[Brigid + Lex]
*If you accumulate and keep 50-kill weapons on Lakche/Skasaha, you can
substitute Noish with Holyn. Fin is not easy to pair, but well worth the effort
with Lachesis. Claude gives a strong Sety and Fee has high RES, and frees Levin
for Tiltyu. Levin is better than most potential suitors for Tiltyu. Patty and
Faval make best use of Elite, while Leen and Corple make best use of Bargain. I
can universally agree with Aideen+Midir.