Berkut: Debonair Noble (Unit Review)
Available at 5★ (Special Hero)
Lvl 40 Stats (Flaw/Neutral/Asset)
HP: 38/41/44 Atk: 33/36/39 Spd: 20/23/26 Def: 34/37/41 Res: 21/24/28
Neutral BST: 161
Max Dragonflowers: 5
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Skills
Weapon: Verðandi (400 SP)
Mt: 16. Rng: 1. If Sing or Dance is used, grants Atk/Spd/Def/Res+4 to target.
Lance. Cannot be inherited. Cannot be refined.
Assist: Dance (150 SP)
Grants another action to target ally. (Cannot target an ally with Sing or Dance.)
Cannot be inherited.
Special: None
A: B Duel Infantry 3 (300 SP)
Grants HP+5. If unit is 5★ and level 40 and unit's stats total less than 170, treats unit's stats as 170 in modes like Arena. (Higher-scoring opponents will appear. Stat total calculation excludes any values added by merges and skills.)
Can be inherited. Blue, Infantry only.
B: None
C: Distant Guard 3 (240 SP)
Allies within 2 spaces gain: "If foe uses bow, dagger, magic, or staff, grants Def/Res+4 during combat."
Can be inherited.
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Analysis
Like the other new 2019 dancers, despite the dancer BST penalty, thanks to powercreep over the years especially for infantry units, Dancer Berkut is able to pull his own weight in combat with a solid 161 neutral BST and nicely min-maxed stats.
For the most part, D!Berkut fills the standard defensive role of an infantry lance unit. With high Def and respectable Atk, he can reliably withstand physical damage and counterattack with decent damage in return. With the proper kit of skills, D!Berkut will function much the same as other commonly available lances like Lukas, Oboro, and Donnel, but D!Berkut’s ability to refresh his allies on top of this is what really sets him apart.
Unfortunately for him, D!Berkut doesn’t have much of a base kit to speak of in terms of direct influence in battle. His unique weapon is the most influential, allowing him to buff an ally’s stats by +4 all around upon using Dance. This is essentially a stronger version of Azura: Lady of Ballads’s Urðr and Olivia: Sky-High Dancer’s Skuld, both giving only +3. While Verðandi can be kept for a purely supportive role, D!Berkut has much greater potential with other, inheritable weapons that improve his performance in combat. D!Berkut does notably introduce the B Duel Infantry skill to FEH, and while it can be useful for scoring in the Arena, it is of course not a significant help in most modes.
D!Berkut prefers boons/assets in Def (superboon), Res (superboon), and Atk. His preferred bane/flaw is Spd.
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Similar Units
Oboro: Fierce Fighter (40/32/26/35/24)
Berkut: Debonair Noble (+1/+4/-3/+2/+0)
Lukas: Sharp Soldier (45/35/22/38/17)
Berkut: Debonair Noble (-4/+1/+1/-1/+7)
Donnel: Village Hero (43/35/29/32/23)
Berkut: Debonair Noble (-2/+1/-6/+5/+1)
Silas: Loyal Knight (40/35/24/36/21)
Berkut: Debonair Noble (+1/+1/-1/+1/+3)
Berkut: Prideful Prince (43/34/22/31/24)
Berkut: Debonair Noble (-2/+2/+1/+6/+0)
Xander: Dancing Knight (38/35/17/34/16)
Berkut: Debonair Noble (+3/+1/+6/+3/+8)
Azura: Lady of the Lake (36/31/33/21/28)
Berkut: Debonair Noble (+5/+5/-10/+16/-4)
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Builds
Budget/Low Investment:
Berkut doesn’t need much to make use of his statline. By using Steady Stance, he can boost his Def to 43 unbuffed in the enemy phase, and Bonfire gives him bursts of 21 damage scaling with said Def. Quick Riposte allows him to not only attack twice in the enemy phase with his solid Atk but also activate Bonfire every fight assuming he gets doubled, making him a true threat to melee physical units. Of course, in the end, Berkut is a dancer, and while it is helpful to have one that can fend for themselves, Berkut’s mere ability to support his team with refreshing and buffs makes him a valuable asset as it is. Wings of Mercy helps him reach low-HP allies to refresh them regardless of distance.
Enemy Phase:
As with his other two forms, D!Berkut functions fairly well as a mixed tank, focusing on both Def and Res at the same time. Fort. Def/Res 3 helps him do exactly that, and Berkut’s Lance+ and Steady Stance together put Berkut at 49 Def and 45 Res in the enemy phase.
Alternatively, he can also focus purely on Def. The second build combines Vanguard+ and Steady Stance for 59 total Def in the enemy phase, with Quick Riposte and Bonfire allowing him to proc Bonfire every fight for 29 bonus damage. Using Distant Counter lets him tank and fight bow and dagger enemies in addition to melee but can be swapped for another Def-stacking skill like Steady Stance 4.
The third build is more damage-focused, activating Bonfire on every counterattack. Slaying Lance+ reduces Bonfire’s cooldown to 2, being fully charged by a single attack thanks to Steady Breath. With Quick Riposte, Berkut can thus apply Bonfire twice every combat against melee enemies for a total of 48 extra damage, making him an incredibly dangerous target.
The fourth build is specialized for dueling armored units. Because many of them rely on skills and effects to guarantee or deny follow-ups, Null Follow-Up is perfect for maintaining the upper hand against them, with Slaying Spear+ significantly increasing his damage output.
Brave Lance:
Berkut also performs fairly well with Brave Lance+ due to his solid Atk. With both Death Blow 4 and Sturdy Blow 2, Berkut gains +12 Atk in the player phase for 59 total. While this can absolutely tear through frailer enemies, tanks will likely shrug the damage off with ease. He can alternatively use Sturdy Impact for safer initiations, especially to help apply any after-combat effects.
Arena Core:
Considering the fact that Berkut comes with B Duel Infantry, he can make for a solid Arena core option if you intend on investing in him anyway. Most of the skills here are chosen for their high SP values, bar Dance. To maximize his scoring potential, Dance should be swapped for a 400 SP Assist skill such as a Rally+ or Harsh Command+.