Elkian’s personal views on FE Units:
Chrom: Especially considering what I’ve seen in other Fire Emblem LPs, Chrom is a pretty decent unit! He’s accurate, critty, decently strong and fast; for a unit that has to be on every single story map, he’s quite good and has never been a liability. His characterization and limited supports make me not very personally fond of him (not bad, just too cheesy for me to connect with). Reclass: Cavalier, then to Paladin (for some reason I thought Paladins had really good Res, not sure why). He’s probably a good Great Knight, but he’s usually a Great Lord or Paladin at the endgame (those Axe weapon ranks aren’t going anywhere without the Dread Scroll after all). I suppose he’d be a decent Bow Knight, and the skill and all from the Archer classes is cool, but I reclassed him to archer once and decided to never do it again.
Lissa: As a unit, Lissa hasn’t really left an impression on me - mostly, I remember training her up for Galeforce (which might be part of the problem, since physical power ain’t her forte). Characterization-wise, she’s fun, but I think they kind of went inoffensive with her and Chrom? I just really don’t remember most of her supports except Chrom’s, Maribelle’s, and Lon’qu’s (I have a thing for bodyguard crushes okay >>).
Reclass: Once I’ve gotten Galeforce out of her, Lissa is a decent Valkyrie, or Sage, or even Falcon Knight (though really, you want her to be using magic on the offensive). She’s usually an adequate unit who has a 50/50 shot of seeing the endgame.
Frederick: He’s really great to have in the early game - on easier difficulties, I’ve gotten him Luna by the end of the first stage - but he is a little difficult to train. Also I distinctly remember his “No knight fears the slow but steady road.” level quote because he gets it all the time. He’s not terrible but he tends to be more work than I really want to put in by the time he’s maxed out Great Knight. Rarely sees the endgame, except sometimes as a meat shield.
Reclass: DON’T MAKE FREDERICK A GENERAL OKAY. It takes forever and a half to level him up, what with the EXP cut from being a prepromote and having 5 Move during the Valm Campaign, which is usually when he’s gotten enough EXP to merit reclassing. He’s not bad in the Wyvern promotion line. I don’t really have a preference because, again, I hardly use him.
Sully: AW YISSS. Sully lands in the lucky spot of an unpromoted Cavalier, who you get just in time to snag her some levels. Said levels tend to vary - I’ve gotten 2-6 most of the time, averaging into pretty decent. Plus she’s just such a cool character. I dunno, there’s a sort of novelty there that I love.
Reclass: I often make Sully a Myrmidon because Speed and Vantage, I guess. She does well in basically any class, though. Sully’s usually good enough to take to the endgame (even if I leave her behind in favor of magical units).
See also: Stahl
Virion: I didn’t like him, or Archers as a class at least, but he’s grown on me. It helps that Virion has some decent reclasses. Tends to be a bit of a glass cannon. Plus, his intro is hilarious and his supports are pretty fun.
Reclass: Virion will almost always spend most of the game as a Mage; both Sage and Dark Knight tend to follow. The Wyvern line isn’t bad in terms of survivability, though - the downside to Mage!Virion is that he tends to be on the squishy side. I hardly ever put Virion into an Archer promotion.
Vaike: Vaike is an odd one. He tends to have really high skill and decent speed for a Fighter, which dovetails nicely into my obsession with the Thief line and his reclass thereof. He’s surprisingly easy to kill (slow and low defenses) early on, but he can be pretty good with some work. Also, his supports are pretty good.
Reclass: As mentioned, Vaike is a somewhat hilarious thief. I’ve made him a Trickster more times than I really should, but he’s a pretty decent Assassin - that weirdly high Skill translates to a very high Lethality rate, though at that point I’ve ground up so much he’s killing everything anyways. >>
Stahl: Hooookay, Stahl. The thing about Stahl is... he’s boring. He’s cute enough, but he’s so, so bland. His gimmicks aren’t very interesting and his supports are passably adequate, keeping in his theme of averageness. Know where he’s not average? STATS. I have never, ever had a Stahl turn out, even when pumping EXP into him. Sully is usually ahead of him at the same level - either overall, in the important stats, or both - and I tend to get him KOed on the Northroad. He joins at a rough point - Sully’s gotten just enough EXP in her to realize her utility, and Frederick is still relevant. There’s just never been a time I NEEDED Stahl for... anything.
Reclass: Stahl also suffers from lacking good class lines (Ricken has somewhat related issues) - he’s usually still underdeveloped by the time I make him a Myrmidon that I can’t level him well, because I can’t trust him to counter-kill things without getting whacked. Archer is even worse for the same reason - being only able to counter at range is a goddamn death sentence. I’ve put the work in to make Stahl a swordmaster, but the fact of the matter is? You’ve already got several units in the same classes that are better from the get-go. He’s Frederick except less so.
Miriel: Miriel, like Lissa, demands use by being the first and only mage you have for some time (the Avatar isn’t always/often a dedicated magic user). She’s very, very fragile, but she sees a lot of use, especially since the second map you have her for is rife with Knights (provided you don’t get her murdered) and Archers that she can counter-kill. I love the range of tomes, too, so Miriel at least sees a little use before she can be replaced.
Reclass: I’m a bit jaded towards the fragility of Troubadours, but Miriel is great as a Dark Mage - it gives her a little more survivability while amping up her tome ranks and power. From there, Sorcerer and eventually Valkyrie are the most likely course (Miriel is one of those characters whose class lines work for her - they’re all magic-dedicated while having limited promotion overlap; it’s easy to see what Miriel is meant to do).
Sumia: I’ll be honest - as a character, I didn’t, and somewhat still don’t, like Sumia. She’s bland and one-dimensional, her lack of Supports exacerbate that (by reducing her moments of characterization), and the default romance with Chrom just kind of upsets me because it shouldn’t cute down her other options, dammit. Also, on my first few runs, Sumia was absolutely outclassed by a lower-level Cordelia. Eventually, though, she grew on me - she starts weak and fragile, but she can become unreasonably strong. That speed is nothing to laugh at, either. All in all, she’s not a bad unit.
Reclass: If I reclass an unpromoted Sumia, it’s usually to Cleric; Knight is just not a good class for reclassing, because of the low mobility combined with the reduced EXP makes it a goddamn slog. One thing I just now noticed is that her promotions all have interlocking weapon ranks, which is always great. I also might just straight up promote her to Dark Flier first chance I get.
Kellam: Again, I’m biased, because I’ve come to love Kellam as a character - his gimmick is well-orchestrated and a recipe for hilarity (most of the time). But I love him as a unit, too. His class lines are similar to Sumia - Knight and Priest - along with my favorite class, Thief (Someone on the wiki pointed out that Kellam’s reclasses are all support roles, ie something that’s supposed to go unnoticed. Poor Kellam.). Kellam is one of the characters that will see a full reclassing under me, and fast. He’s not a bad endgame unit, although the kids will probably overshadow him.
Reclass: Kellam is also one of the few units I don’t always drive up to 20 before changing; I’ll send him from 10+ Knight to Priest, then 10+ Priest to Thief, then promote him to Trickster. He’ll already have Staff ranks, Acrobat is a good skill (and Lucky 7 makes him even more untouchable), and his nonexistant Axe and Tome ranks make Priest promotions unappealing. It’s not unusual for me to end the game with a level 20 Trickster Kellam. I do wish he had another Tome class, though I suppose I could always make him a Dread Fighter.
Lon’qu: I liked Lon’qu as a character (though his Avatar S Support is... pretty mediocre) and he’s a decent unit. You probably won’t have any other myrmidons at this point, so just stick Vaike into him for survivability and let loose. He IS a little ill-suited for his first map - dark mages galore - but he’s usually a decent unit for me. I won’t lie, I have had him get RNG-screwed a few times, at which point I usually don’t bother trying to push him more.
Reclass: Thief, obviously, though the Wyvern Line is pretty good too, especially with that defense. Thief makes use of what he already has, though, and it suits his overall build. Though Lon’qu with Mov+1 AND Deliverer can be pretty fun (see also: Panne’s reclasses).
Maribelle: I don’t know why, but Maribelle tends to be a really great unit (not to mention a fun as all heck character). She’s ludicrously fragile when recruited, but with a little TLC she can become a nightmare in drill curls.
Reclass: Aside from the whole “obviously grab Galeforce” bit, I tend to reclass Maribelle into Mage - she and Lissa usually start capping levels right before I get Libra, and I have ABSOLUTELY had Maribelle fry Gangrel with an E-Rank tome (he hit her but couldn’t do any damage). Where Lissa becomes an okay unit, Maribelle becomes a magical bruiser. She’s good in the Peg Knight line but I LOVE Valkyrie Mariebelle, and the Valkyrie class in general. You can’t go wrong with some Mari power.
Ricken: If you can’t go wrong with Maribelle, it’s hard to go right with Ricken. Not only is his single character trait grating as all hell, but his class lines are... confusing. I also tend to get him killed in chapter 7, like, every goddamn time. I don’t know, it just keeps happening.
Reclass: If I gotta use Ricken, he’ll be seeing the Cavalier class sooner than later (do not, for the love of God, make him an Archer. Go back up to why I won’t make Stahl an Archer, and then apply that to a unit with single-digit defense). Ricken can be a decent Paladin (might be where I got the high-Res thing) and Great Knight (except WEAPON LEVELS SIGH), and can even be a good unit with some work, but it just never feels worth it. He’s a passable healbot Sage and... that’s about it. Come to think of it, Ricken might be the prime candidate for a Dread Scroll.
Donnel: HOOOBOY, DONNEL. Donnel is hard to go wrong with, due to his most notable trait: The Aptitude skill, which adds a flat motherfucking 20% to every one of his growths. He starts out fragile and weak on a map full of axe-users and archers, but he is well worth the trouble to recruit. I have never not had Donnel father a child, for obvious reasons.
Reclass: I sincerely hate Donnel’s reclass ‘options’, because Villager is treated as a class line despite having no promotion and awful stat caps (honestly, even Underdog usually isn’t worth the trouble). I always switch him to Mercenary first, for Armsthrift, and Fighter for an HP injection ain’t bad (honestly, I wish he’d gotten Barbarian instead, so he could have 4 promotions). The problem is that Villager is his only class, DLC included, that uses Lance weapon ranks, and then his reclasses - Mercenary and Fighter - share a promotion, Hero, so he has a total of 3 promotion options. Barbarian gives him the Warrior promotion (Fighter’s other option) AND Berserker, and while I’ve made little use of the Barbarian line, for the sake of Donnel getting more classes, I’ll risk it.
Panne: Awww yisss. Panne and Lon’qu share the same alternate class lines, but her original class is amazing (fun fact: I thought Pane was a masculine character the first time I played FE13, and had to check the roster). Despite its lack of distance attack, Taguel is a GREAT class - a base class with 6 Move is always good in my book, Panne tends to start out fast, strong, and tough, and only gets better. Her growths are fucking amazing, and it’s 50/50 if I take her to the last fight.
Reclass: Panne might well see level 30 Taguel before I even think of reclassing her, and her reclasses are the movement-gifted lines, so that shoudl tell you something. She’ll almost always see some time as Thief, and snagging Deliverer from Griffin Rider isn’t a bad idea. I love Tricksters, so even with her low low magic she’ll probably spend some time there too (come to think of it, in terms of weapon ranks, the Bride class might actually be good for her). It’s absolutely possible that, after seeing all the promoted/whatever lines? I’ll reclass her back into Taguel. If only her forest-traversing skill carried over to other classes, but that’s what Acrobat is for.
Gaius: I love his as a character, for one thing (fun fact 2.0: I both mistook Gaius for a feminine character and got him killed my first run, because FE13 is my first Fire Emblem game and I had no idea I could recruit my enemies. Every run after that has been fine, though; not sure why people have a problem getting him). Gaius is similar to Lon’qu and Vaike, class-wise, and there’s nothing not to like about speed in FE. He sometimes does get RNG-screwed, though.
Reclass: I’ll sometimes throw him into Myrmidon and Swordmaster for kicks and a little more power (the Myrmidon skills don’t hurt). I don’t often make him a Fighter, but he might spend some time in the Fighter promotions. But at some point, in some way, I will have Trickster Gaius.
Cordelia: Cordeedsy is an odd one. When I first started playing, she tended to outclass a higher-level Sumia, and she tends to get pretty decent levels. Usually. Cordelia is one of the few female characters who might be RNG-screwed (which is odd in itself, because I think they’re given a higher utility so kids and kid-making supports can be wrought). I like her, though, and usually make more use of her than Sumia (though they tend to get used in tandem with a Peg Knight!Lissa in the next few maps). At the very least you can grab Galeforce before benching her.
Reclass: I used to go for Dark Mage to grab weapon ranks, but a fair warning: IT IS A TRAP. Cordelia’s magic tends to suck really, really bad - I’ve had her, much like priest!Kellam, get maybe two points of Magic by level 20. Make her a Mercenary to save on weapon uses (and she’s not bad as a Hero, with that Skill for Sol activation). Oh, and Bow Knight for Bow Breaker can be... a bit of a slog, but worth having her and her kid(s) immune to arrows.
Nowi: Her design makes me deeply uncomfortable, but Nowi is just too good not to use... when you’re finally able to buy dragonstones. I’ve noticed she tends to be on the slow side, but she’s so dang strong AND has 1-2 range, so yeah, Nowi will see some use.
Reclass: Nowi either gets reclassed into Mage or Griffin Rider when I play her. Like Panne, she may get classed back into Manakete as well, but she’s decent in basically any class - I just choose the two with the least weapons to learn. I like Sage for healbotting, but she’s a pretty decent Dark Knight, too. Plus, Manakete growths are as ridiculous as, if not more than, Taguel growths.
Gregor: is on job! Gregor was a novelty to me, as a really durable sword user. He’s not as tough as I first thought, but he’s decently balanced and hard to get killed without some serious mistakes (which I have made >>). Plus he’s a fun character, and his Supports are consistently well-written.
Reclass: Again, I just flat out don’t make much use of the Barbarian line. If he has a daughter, Gregor might be seeing the Warrior class for Counter, but most of the time he’s either becoming a Myrmidon or a Hero. Gregor’s classes suit him pretty well, compounding on his strengths. He’s not the most versatile unit, but he’s pretty good and will see use at least up to the end game most of the time.
Libra: I really loved Libra from the start, so I’m a little biased. Libra is a HEALER who can FIGHT, and that was a novelty at the time, so I really enjoyed using him (fun fact: the fun factening: I did not misgender Libra OR Marth at any point). His Defense leaves a little to be desired, but he’s usable straight from the start.
Reclass: Libra basically has the magic version of Donnel’s class lines - Mage and Dark Mage give him Sorcerer, Dark Knight, and Sage in addition to War Monk. Honestly, there was basically no point giving him the Mage reclass - I’m not gonna waste time and EXP reclassing him back into Tier 1 for some skills that can be made up for with a few levels in, like, Sorcerer. Libra’s usually sent to Sage for Tomefaire and healbotting, then to Sorcerer - it’s really too bad he can’t use Staves as a Sorcerer, or I would keep him there permanently. Dark Knight is an okay option, and its Skills give him even more survivability, but Sorcerer is really the way to go. I’ll be keeping Libra around for the end game.
Tharja: My introduction to Dark Mages... Tharja is ready to kill from the start, and is on a good map for it (though most of the opposition is dead by the time you can recruit her). As a unit, Tharja can be VERY good, or at least the high side of average.
Reclass: Her class lines are the EXP-hungry ones - Knight and Archer. I’ve gotten used to straight up promoting Tharja the second she hits 20 - because she is a fucking terrifying Sorcerer. Dark Knight’s a little more survivable, but her Strength is gonna be on the low side at that point, and some chucklefuck programmed Dark Knights promoted from Dark Mages not to be able to use Dark Tomes. DK is an okay reclass after she caps Sorcerer, and the mobility doesn’t hurt. Really, any promoted class is fine after she hits Sorcerer 20.
Olivia: Olivia is recruited at a really awkward time of the game - she’s way too fragile to be on the field in chapter 11, and the Thief going for the chests, combined with the reinforcements from the forts means, you can’t just advance tile by tile as she refreshes people for marginal EXP. The next few chapters aren’t great for her either - Olivia is VERY difficult to use if you aren’t grinding. With work, she can become a fantastic endgame option, but it’s going to be a LOT of work.
Reclass: Myrmidon skills give her a lot more survivability (and honestly, she doesn’t need Special Dance, so you can reclass her immediately at 10), but you really want her to be a Dark Flier ASAP. This makes things a little difficult, since it means either hitting L 30 Dancer (God, no) or reclassing her from a Myrmidon promotion, or reclassing her to Peg Knight and then promoting her (either taking more time because Dancer+Myrmidon drained the EXP gains, or skipping Myrmidon and risking some serious hurt). The good news is that her reclasses mesh with her natural stats and growths, so with some training she can get there.
Cherche: Cherche follows a weird convention in FE13 of joining AFTER the fight starts. It’s one thing with Donnel (not recruited yet) or Panne (already equipped perfectly+story reasons) or even Olivia, but pretty much the first thing I do is run her over to Chrom and dig into the chromvoy for some better (cheaper) equipment. You can’t just set her loose in the first few stages, but she’ll soon be up to snuff.
Reclass: Cherche has some weird-ass reclasses, rather the reverse of Ricken - she’s a character with good physical growths, so both of her alt lines are.... fragile healers. She MIGHT spend some time as a Cleric or Troubadour, and War Cleric/Valkyrie aren’t bad for her, but it’s honestly hard for me to figure out a good reclass pattern for her. If nothing else, the Wyvern promotions await.
Henry: Henry is a little fragile for his recruitment stage (chapter 13 is honestly VERY difficult for me most of the time), but he’ll usually turn out into a pretty decent Dark Mage. He’s also a fun character, and even his 1-point level comment is cute enough to ignore the lack of stats sometimes (he rarely gets two bad levels in a row).
Reclass: Henry is another one of those with weird class lines - Thief and Fighter to complement his Dark Mage start. Thief is of course my favorite, with his high-ish Magic making him a decent Trickster, and Bow ranks from Assassin translate to Warrior if you decide to go there. Honestly, though, by the time he’s got all his spouse/child supports, he’s nearly maxed out Trickster and is falling behind other units. He’s not bad, but he doesn’t really have staying power.
Say’ri: Her lack of supports makes her hard to connect with, character-wise. As a unit, Say’ri is okay, but when you recruit her only the Avatar can even support her in battle, so it’s hard to get some use out of her. I usually leave her in the dust, honestly.
Reclass: It should say a lot that I was surprised, during some recent research, to find that Say’ri could class into the Peg and Wyvern Rider lines. I think I’ve made her an Assassin a few times, but honestly I usually bench her immediately.
Tiki: It’s Nowi on steroids with 75% less creepiness. And she has some supports (though not with Nowi, which she really should). Tiki is a pretty decent character and unit, and might see some serious use.
Reclass: Honestly, she’s best as a Manakete, but sometimes I make her a Sage too.
Anna: She’s a Trickster that I can get before chapter 11. The problem is that her lack of supports edges her out so I can train up units that will eventually be better than her, and by the time I get Tiki she’s been made obsolete. The upside is that she’s the only promoted unit except for the boss on her recruitment map, and it takes some effort to get her killed there.
Reclass: Anna can reclass into the Archer and Mage lines, and might see some use as a Sage. She usually won’t get used so often that she’ll need to be reclassed after that.
