Fire Emblem Fates guide to PvP


=============================
Table of Contents           
=============================
1. Introduction
2. Version History
3. The Basics
  3a. Stats
  3b. Classes
  3c. Skills
  3d. Maps
4. Class Analysis
5. Common Strategies and Tips
6. Team Building
7. Credits, etc.

=============================
1. Introduction
=============================
This is a guide for Fire Emblem Fates wireless battling, otherwise known as 
“Wi-Fi” or “PvP”.  With this guide, I make a few assumptions about you, the 
reader: 
1.	 That you are interested in learning how to win in the PvP format. 
2.	 That you know the basics of how to play strategy RPGs (SRPGs) and can 
handle the single player mode yourself.  
3.	 That you are playing Fire Emblem Fates: Revelations path as it has the 
most available characters, stat-boosting statues, and every S rank weapon 
along with many other goodies.  
4.	 That you are not averse to purchasing DLC (apart from the Revelations 
path, DLC which allows you to get skills/classes that you couldn’t get 
otherwise).  
Making a competitive team will require hours of commitment.  If you don’t 
have hours to sink into unit-building, this guide may be able to help you out 
anyway (see the bottom of the Team Building section).  
About me, I enjoy competitive video games (ranging from Mario Kart, Smash 
Bros., Call of Duty, Bomberman, etc.) and am the type of guy to try and 
“solve” a multiplayer game to the best possible scenarios.  I bring this 
mindset to Fire Emblem Fates as well.  
Fire Emblem Fates is the latest in the Fire Emblem franchise, and is a bit 
of a culmination of many traits and features found in the older games.  The 
ability to field a small army and fight vs another player is not common, 
however (only seen in the West for Shadow Dragon (FE11) which is widely 
regarded as the least impressive of the localized games).  Also, 
www.serenesforest.net is a great resource; much of the data / formulas / 
info will come from that site, and is definitely worth checking out as you 
build your team. 
On to the guide!

=============================
2. Version History
=============================
-1.0: Guide finished; not much to say here yet…
-1.1: Added stats section, expanded on class analysis, skills, characters, 
common strategies, etc.
-1.2: After some testing, some of the data in here was factually incorrect; 
I have corrected this and tweaked the ratings of some of the classes.
-1.3: Thanks to GameFAQs user Paraclox, who pointed out some minor errors 
which have now been corrected.  

=============================
3. The Basics
=============================
PvP is a different beast altogether than the single-player campaign.  While 
the AI is fairly predictable in how they’ll act, a human player is capable 
of anything.  Bait tactics rarely work against a human capable of seeing 
your plan, and a human player can do things that the AI cannot, such as run 
away from you, trade items, etc..  Beware the human player.  
In a PvP battle, you have the option to vote on a map or have one chosen at 
random (the Quick Prep option right before battle starts).  The blue player 
always goes first; this appears to be randomly assigned and you might end up 
as either blue or red.  
Before that, however, you will need to create a team.  All 5 of your units 
will need to come from a single file of your single player campaign; you 
need not beat the game first, but doing so typically allows for stronger 
units.  To get these units ready, open up your single player file, outfit 
your chosen 5 with all the inventory / stat boosts / etc. that they’ll need, 
and save the game.  
Back on the main screen, you will select “Extras” then “Wireless Battle”.  
Create a new team (note that you can save up to 5 teams) and pick the units 
you set up out of the file.  
You will also need to choose between Standard Battle and Limited Mode.  
Standard is no holds barred, anything allowable in the game goes in here.  
NOTE: You can and will get shadow-banned for having things not allowable 
through non-cheating means, such as a Hoshido Noble Azura, or a unit with 
the currently unreleased Point Blank skill.  That said, I have seen such 
nonsense as a Sumeragi with 99 HP and a +7 Hagakure Blade (which is 
impossible to obtain), so who knows how good their hack checkers are...  
Limited Mode is the same as Standard with the following restrictions: 
1.	 Eternal Seals (which allow you to level up your units past 20/20) won’t 
apply here, and your units will all have the same stats that they would 
have at 20/20 regardless of what level they are.  However, if your unit 
is below 20/20 it will remain at its level.  
2.	 Any stat-boosting items used on your units (Energy Drop, etc.; this 
includes Boots) won’t apply.  Hopefully you got some good level ups!
3.	 The boosts to your stat caps from your statues in My Castle will still 
apply.  However, this won’t matter much if you require the stat-boosting 
items to reach them (see point #2 above). 
4.	 Any items that you have forged will be reverted to +0 for this battle.  
Kind of a relief seeing as how forging most items requires lots of 
grinding.  
5.	 Arms scrolls DO apply in limited mode, even if applied after your unit 
hits level 20.  This also applies to weapon ranks obtained naturally 
after level 20. 
6.	 Skills learned by your units after level 20 DO apply in limited mode 
(whether it be from DLC, other players’ MyCastles, or the old fashioned 
way of leveling up after level 20 in a different class). 
You may also choose a “Friendly Battle”, which links you to an opponent of 
your choosing (friend codes will be needed.  However, Fates is kind enough to 
go through your 3DS friend list and list off all your current friends, which 
means you won’t have to look up a new friend code if they are already saved).  
After choosing your battle type, team and stage, what happens is all up to 
you and your opponent. You move your units and the opponent moves theirs, and 
you battle it out until only 1 army is left standing.  There is a timer for 
each turn, but if you are actively moving your units it likely won’t be a 
problem.  


====================
3a. Stats
====================
In order to maximize your characters’ potential, you will first have to know 
what you are aiming for.  Each encounter boils down to 4 aspects: 
Damage: How many hit points you are aiming to shave off the enemy.  If this 
is higher than the amount they currently have, they drop dead.   
Accuracy: This is the chance that your attack will actually connect.  A 0% 
chance essentially means you won’t be able to damage them at all (except for 
certain skills).  
Critical Hit Chance: This is the chance that your hit (should it connect) 
will be a critical hit (hereafter known as “Crit”) and do extra damage.  Note 
that even if this chance is larger than your hit rate, the game calculates 
hit rate first so there will never be an instance of you getting a crit on a 
hit you weren’t going to hit anyway. 
Speed difference: If the attacker or defender has a speed rating difference 
of at least 4 points, this will cause the faster unit to get in an extra hit.  
If the attacker is faster, the defender will get their one hit in between the 
attacker’s two hits.  If the defender is faster, the attacker will hit first 
and the defender will get two hits.  
While I’m not going to bore you with the exact formulas (also because there 
are many versions floating out there and I’d rather not post a formula that 
forgets one aspect of battle), here is all you really need to know about 
stats: 
HP: How many points of damage you take before your unit dies.
Strength: Affects physical damage dealt by the unit (1 strength = 1 extra 
point of damage).
Magic: Affects magical damage dealt by the unit (1 magic = 1 extra point of 
magical damage).
Skill: Affects hit rate (1 skill = 1.5 extra hit), crit rate (1 skill = 1/2 
extra crit chance, rounded down iirc), and most skill activation rates 
(hereafter known as proc rate)
Speed: Affects whether or not you get double attacked (or do the doubling 
yourself), as well as your ability to dodge attacks (1 speed = 1.5 avoid). A 
unit needs +5 or more speed over another unit to double it. 
Luck: Affects Hit Rate, Avoid Rate, and Crit Avoid rate (all to a smaller 
degree than the above stats) in addition to the proc rate of a handful of 
skills.  
Defense: Affects physical damage received by the unit (1 defense = 1 less 
point of physical damage taken). 
Resistance: Affects magical damage received by the unit (1 resistance = 1 
less point of magical damage taken).   

====================
3b. Classes
====================
Classes determine what type of unit each of your playable characters is.  
There are several distinctions to make here: 
1.	 Each character has an innate class set available to them using the 
Heart Seal.  Mozu, for example, will always be able to select Villager 
and Archer, as well as the corresponding promotions to these (Master of 
Arms and Merchant for Villager, and Sniper and Kinshi Knight for 
Archer).  
2.	 DLC classes can be obtained by paying for the available maps.  When 
these are used on a character (Mozu, for example), these are permanent 
additions and can be switched out of and into using a Heart Seal.  
These are currently as follows: 
-	 Dark Falcon (Ebon Wing item)
-	 Dread Fighter (Dread Scroll item)
-	 Lodestar (Hero Brand item; MALE ONLY)
-	 Great Lord (Exalt Brand item; FEMALE ONLY)
-	 Vanguard (Vanguard Brand item; MALE ONLY)
-	 Grandmaster (Fell Brand item; MALE ONLY)
-	 Witch (Witch’s Mark item; FEMALE ONLY)
-	 Ballistician (Sighting Lens item; MALE ONLY)
3.	 Your characters can also marry each other (obtaining the S support 
level) and in addition to producing children units most of the time, 
they can now access the base class of their S support partner using the 
Partner Seal.  This only allows for one class from them; the base 
class.  So for instance, if I have my unit S-support with Hinata, I can 
only use the Partner Seal to access the Samurai class (and its 
corresponding promoted classes).  I don’t have access to the Oni Savage 
classes, though, even though it’s Hinata’s alternate innate class. 
4.	 In addition, characters can get an A+ support with members of the same 
gender, and using the same rules above (with a Friendship Seal) can 
access the base classes of their A+ partner.  
5.	 There are some exceptions to Friendship and Partner Seals, however.  
The classes Songstress, Villager, Nohr Prince(ss), Wolfskin and Kitsune 
cannot be passed on this way.  
6.	 Child units (2nd gen), besides their default class, can use a Heart 
Seal to access the base classes of their parents.  For example, if 
Camilla gets an S-support with Ryoma, their resulting kid Shiro gets 
access to Spear Fighter (default), Wyvern Rider (Camilla) and Samurai 
(Ryoma) classes by way of Heart Seal.  
NOTE: This class inheritance also allows parents to pass on the Nohr 
Prince(ss), Wolfskin and Kitsune classes.  Still no Villager/Songstress 
though…

====================
3c. Skills
====================
Each character has 6 skill slots; one that is unchangeable (called the 
personal skill, which is unique to each character) and 5 obtainable class 
skills obtained by leveling up in different classes.  For a list of 
obtainable classes, please refer to www.serenesforest.net/fire-emblem-fates/

However, besides being bound by class, there are several other ways to get 
skills onto characters: 
1.	 2nd gen units will inherit the bottom-most skill slot for each parent.  
Any skill in the game (except DLC-class skills) can be obtained this 
way.  Personal skills will never transfer this way, even if it is the 
only skill on the parent.  
2.	 By going online and visiting other My Castles, you can defeat the 
opponent in a skirmish and buy skills from their units (except DLC 
skills).  
3.	 Any unit in your logbook can have their skills bought by your current 
characters (except DLC skills).  You can, however, recruit a unit using 
methods #2 or #3 and the recruit will keep any DLC skills currently on 
them.  
4.	 Certain DLC skills are available by way of scrolls you receive from 
enemies; these can be taught to any character as long as they meet the 
level requirement (no class restrictions at all for these).  
The My Castle method allows for great variety in skill sets, including many 
skills that wouldn’t otherwise be available.  These won’t get you banned or 
disciplined online, so be creative!

====================
3d. Maps
====================
 Just before you begin your battle, you get to choose to turn on Handicap 
(will enter more info on this later once it’s clear what it does; all I can 
say is that it helps “level” the playing field between the two opponents but 
I’m not sure to what effect).  Aside from that you can vote on a map (with 2 
players, there is a 50% chance that your map is picked) or if you don’t care, 
you can select “Quick Prep” which picks one at random.  
However, the map you play on could change the game drastically, to the point 
where it determines who wins and who loses.  Let’s take a look: 
-	My Castle: Yes, the very same castle in your save file (based off of 
the save file you chose your team from).  Beware, as if you crowded 
your castle with too many buildings and a poor layout, this will be 
a terrible battle.  By the same token, a barren castle could result 
in minimal defenses against a rush strategy.  Plan your castle ahead 
of time and use it to your advantage.  You will always start near 
the throne area, and yes, camping the throne does still give you 
beastly terrain bonuses.  And no, Dwyer’s personal skill apparently 
WILL NOT work at all in PvP.  NOTE: A vote for My Castle on the 
stage select screen counts as a vote for Enemy Castle on the 
opponent, and vice versa. 

-	Enemy Castle:  See above, only it’s the castle of the enemy.  You 
have no way of knowing what awaits you, but can at least see the 
style of castle they chose by looking at the map outline on the 
select screen.   You will always start at the bottom most gate. 

-	Valley Settlement: Snow and forests, with a mountain area near the 
middle.  There are Dragon Vein points accessible by any royal 
characters which burn down a chunk of mountain / forest for easier 
movement, but since Warp and flying units exist you may not care 
that much.  Both players start far enough away to where they can set 
up on turn 1, and neither of them has an advantage over the other 
(unless you carry a bunch of flying units).  

-	Palace Macarath: The one with the pots.  Most of the pots will appear 
in the top section, and since both players start in the bottom area 
(with the garden, minimal pots) the only reason anyone would go to 
the top area is to run away from the other player.  Each pot is 
either a Medicine pot (small healing effect) or a Poison pot (small 
debuff effect); by hovering over each pot you can see which one is 
which.  Breaking a pot affects all units within 2 spaces of the pot, 
friend or foe.  There is also a Dragon Vein spot here that allows 
you to break all the pots at once (that are still on the map), but 
this affects you and your foe equally and is located far enough away 
that there would be no real reason to go out of your way to activate 
it.  Neither side has much of an advantage here as the map is fairly 
symmetrical and each side has an alcove they can hide in, if they so 
choose.  

-	Opera House: Very narrow passageways and obstacles inhibit movement 
greatly.  However, there are Dragon Vein points that allow you to 
freeze the water which helps out non-fliers a lot.  Neither team 
really has an advantage here since it’ll be at least 2 turns before 
anyone sees any sort of fighting; however, flying units will 
definitely give you the edge as you are not restrained to the narrow 
paths that most units are locked to (not counting any frozen water).   

-	Fort Dragonfall: This is probably the worst map of the bunch in terms 
of balance.  You both start inside the Fort, but one team (the blue 
team going first) will start in a boxed off area on the top, while 
the other team starts approx. 16-17 tiles away in a more open space.  
The boxed off team is forced to either run away towards the entrance 
of the fort on the left, or break the bottom block and allow the 
other team to engage you at their own pace.  There is also a Dragon 
Vein point that lets you call acid rain down on a square of tiles, 
which the bottom team can access far more easily.  

-	Destroyed Town: This map is much like Palace Macarath, with both 
teams starting closer to the bottom section, and a whole top section 
that rarely sees any use except if one team runs away.  There is a 
Dragon Vein point that allows you to drain the water on the top 
section (allowing non-fliers to move more freely) but this is 
typically pointless since most of the battle will occur in the 
bottom section.  While both teams start in fairly secluded areas, 
the team on the right has an area of the map that lends itself more 
to camping and the team on the left will typically advance towards 
the opponent more quickly.  Neither team really has much of an 
advantage here, as both teams can engage the opponent at their own 
pace if they position themselves correctly.  


=============================
4. Class Analysis
=============================
This is really the meat of this FAQ.  I will address the usability of these 
classes in a PvP setting only; I won’t concern you with how good these 
classes may or may not be during the single player game as often times PvP 
will be vastly different.  I will also assume maxed stats for all of these 
classes (doable with stat-up items, eternal seals, etc.) and while I will 
mention ideal characters for each class as I see fit, I won’t be including 
Corrin/Kana (as you can tailor some crazy stat caps to these units depending 
on how you plan their boon/bane, innate secondary classes, etc.).  The 
format I will use is as follows: 

Class Name	(promoted classes only)		
Rating: 1-10 out of 10 stars, 10 being essential and 1 being useless.
Skills: Notable desired skills available.  Skills rarely are factored into 
the class rating, however, as many are available to all characters anyway 
with MyCastle. 
Class Bonuses (if they exist)
Notable Characters that do well in this class (that aren’t Corrin/Kana)
Comments: Insert Comments here.

Hoshido Noble
Rating: 6/10
Skills: Hoshidan Unity (added 10% proc rate to all battle-skills for 
character)
        Dragon Fang (Extra 50% damage, proc rate = Skill x 0.75)
Comments: This class is a good all-around class; it doesn’t really excel in 
anything but can provide solid support.  Swords aren’t the best weapon 
available but they can be made to work, and staff support is always nice.  
This class can also use Dragonstones (which run off of your magic stat) but 
with the inability to double-attack you won’t want to be stuck with one 
equipped too often.  However, dragonstones do help you damage foes with the 
Swordbreaker skill, so that’s something at least.  If there was ever a 
magical-based general, it would be this class.  
Hoshidan Unity is by far the best skill from this class, as it is a free 10% 
to all battle-skills in your arsenal.  There really is no downside to this 
skill unless you have no battle-skills (skills that rely on a % chance to 
activate; think Astra, Luna, etc.).  Dragon Fang is also a reliable damage 
boosting skill; not much else to note. 
All in all, there are worse classes than Hoshido Noble but also much better 
ones, as we will see…

Nohr Noble
Rating: 8/10
Skills: Draconic Hex (After any enemy encounter, all enemy stats -4)
        Nohrian Trust (Unit has access to support unit’s battle skills) 
        Dragon Fang (Extra 50% damage, proc rate = Skill x 0.75)
Comments: The counterpart to the Hoshido Noble class, Nohr Noble is more 
attack oriented, forgoing staff usage in favor of tomes.  While this doesn’t 
help anyone in terms of Weapon Triangle Advantage (WTA) since swords and 
tomes are in the same group, tomes provide a 1-2 range option that is 
greatly appreciated.  This class is typically more magic oriented so 
dragonstones will be more effective here, but most of the time you will find 
yourself equipped with tomes.  
Draconic Hex is one of the best passive skills in the game, as it is -4 to 
all stats for any enemy that encounters you.  This will often mean the 
difference between life and death in PvP.  Nohrian Trust can allow for some 
crazy builds, as it essentially gives you up to 5 battle-skills for free (on 
the support unit), and Dragon Fang is Dragon Fang (see Hoshido Noble)
Also of note is that this class has a pretty good speed cap (not quite on 
the level of swordmasters / master ninjas, but certainly usable in PvP) and 
all around good stats otherwise, so that alone is worth the extra points 
over Hoshido Noble.  

Swordmaster
Rating: 8/10
Skills: Vantage (If unit is under 1/2 health, will always attack first)
        Astra (Can hit 5 times for 1/2 damage, proc rate = Skill x 0.5)
        Swordfaire (+5 damage boost if unit is equipped with a sword)
Class Bonuses: Crit +10, Avoid +10
Notable Characters: Ryoma
Comments: These units have the need for speed, with the highest speed cap 
available (tied with a few other classes).  Their other stats are decent all 
around, and they get a handy Crit +10 and Avoid +10 bonus.  Also, being able 
to rank S in swords, they get the highest weapon rank bonus possible with 
swords (a plus for any class with an S rank in weapons, really).  
However, the main drawbacks are being weapon-locked to one type of weapon 
(which means you will need a dual-katana to not lose to lances/shuriken, and 
you will always be at a disadvantage to units with the Swordbreaker skill).  
Still, these units are always a good one to have on hand.  
The skills are also handy for PvP: Vantage allows you to go first in battle 
even if attacked (1/2 HP or below), Astra lets you hit 5 times at half 
strength (crits can be activated for each hit, letting you devastate the 
opponent) and Swordfaire is a free +5 damage when a sword is equipped, which 
for a Swordmaster will be always).  
A special mention goes to Ryoma, who has exclusive access to the Raijinto 
weapon (+5 strength, 1-2 range and no drawbacks).  Ryoma as a swordmaster is 
worthy of a 9/10 rating, and if you are considering a swordmaster for your 
team, you should really consider Ryoma for the Raijinto.  

Master of Arms
Rating: 4/10
Skills: Vantage (If unit is under 1/2 health, will always attack first)
        Life or Death (+10 to damage dealt AND received)
       (Underdog) (Hit/Avoid +15 if user’s level is lower than enemy)
Comments: Having mastery of the weapon triangle doesn’t mean much in PvP if 
you can only access A rank for one weapon type (swords).  You are also 
limited in inventory, and will often find yourself leaning towards swords 
anyway (Brave Sword is really the best weapon you can use anyway).  
Life or Death does get a special mention as a class-exclusive skill, as it 
is a +10 boost to damage at the expense of +10 damage taken.  Still, if it 
allows you to one-shot a unit thanks to the boost and if you can keep your 
unit relatively safe, this can stack with other skills to turn you into a 
damage-dealing monster.  Great skill to add when you class-change into 
something else. 
Underdog also gets a special mention as this is one of the two classes that 
Mozu can promote into from Villager.  Underdog gives you a +15 to hit and 
avoid, which isn’t exactly game-breaking but isn’t useless either.  

Oni Chieftain
Rating: 3/10
Skills: Death Blow (+20 to crit chance if initiating battle)
        Counter (deals damage to enemy equal to physical damage dealt)
Comments: This class is overall inferior to the Malig Knight (cannot fly, 
same weapon types, more limited access), though it does have higher strength 
and defense.  
The skills, though, are very useful to many classes (Death Blow is a free 
20% crit chance when you initiate battle, and Counter equally damages any 
opponent who deals physical damage to you, great for squishy units with low 
defense).  Grab these skills and move on.

Blacksmith
Rating: 3/10
Skills: Lancebreaker (+50 hit/avoid if enemy is equipped with a lance)
Comments: See above except instead of being strictly outclassed, these units 
just don’t stand out in any aspect.  With only 5 units available to field 
and many more classes to choose from, chances are you can do better than 
Blacksmith.  
Lancebreaker is a plus, though (+50 hit rate and avoid vs. a unit w/ lances 
equipped), and in PvP the Songstress and Falcon Knights that are seen 
everywhere will have lances equipped.  These units aren’t exactly hard to 
kill otherwise though, so Lancebreaker isn’t exactly vital..

Spear Master
Rating: 7/10
Skills: Lancefaire (+5 damage boost if unit is equipped with a lance)
Class Bonuses: Crit +10, Crit Avoid +10
Comments: Spear Master is the go-to class for your lance-wielding needs.  
With an S in lances and a handy +10 crit / crit evade class bonus, these are 
solid units to bring and have little drawbacks.  Also the only class capable 
of wielding the Waterwheel lance, which boosts crit evade by another 20 with 
+5 def/res.  Solid.  
Lancefaire is the only useful skill that this class offers, but seeing as 
how lances are the only weapons you can equip, this is a handy +5 damage at 
all times.  

Basara
Rating: 6/10
Skills: Rend Heaven (Add 1/2 of enemy’s str/mag to your damage; proc rate = 
Skill x 1.5)
        Quixotic (+30 hit and +15% skill proc rate for unit AND enemy)
Notable Characters: Midori, Siegbert
Comments: Basaras aren’t really anything to write home about; as a mixed 
class their offenses don’t really shine in either spectrum.  Good growths 
all around make this a good class to level up as, with good skills to boot.  
However, a special mention is made for Miracle Midori, as this class is tied 
for the highest Luck cap (critical to Midori’s success) and also provides 
the highest Luck pair-up bonus (for Midori’s support unit; typically 
Siegbert due to his attack boosting personal skill).  Access to tomes also 
allows Midori to not be countered by 2-range attackers.  
Skill-wise, Rend Heaven is a reliable boost since PvP teams consist of units 
with high/maxed stats most of the time (attack boost runs off of your 
enemy’s attack stats) and with such a high proc rate, you will find yourself 
activating this skill very often (100% activation rate is fairly feasible 
with the correct setup).  Quixotic is a high-risk, high-reward boost to your 
skill activation rate and accuracy (which also applies to your opponent!)  
The class itself, though, isn’t one you would want to bring into battle 
unless you run Miracle Midori.  

Onmyoji
Rating: 6/10
Skills: Tomefaire (+5 damage boost if unit is equipped with a tome)
        Rally Magic (Use Rally to grant units within 2 spaces +4 magic)
Comments: The sage class of the game, able to use most spells (A rank) and 
most staves (B rank).  For a magic attacker there are better classes, but 
you can’t really go wrong with bringing an Onmyoji if you need powerful 
spells and staff access.  
Tomefaire is a +5 to damage if a tome is equipped, which is always for an 
Onmyoji.  Many other magic classes would like this as well, but you can 
learn it and reclass to something else. Rally Magic, while probably the 
least useful of the rally skills, is still a rally skill and deserves 
mention here.

Great Master
Rating: 4/10
Skills: Miracle (Chance of surviving lethal hit, proc rate = luck stat.  
Does not work if 1 HP remains)
        Rally Luck (Use Rally to grant units within 2 spaces +8 luck)
        Renewal (Auto-recover 30% HP at start of unit’s turn)
        Countermagic (deals damage to enemy equal to magical damage dealt)
Comments: The class itself is a worse Falcon Knight (can’t fly, B rank 
lances only).  Grab the skills and move on. 
The skills though, are all useful.  Miracle is a chance to live through an 
otherwise fatal attack (high-fives Midori), Rally Luck is a +8 to luck (!) 
for units within 2 spaces, Renewal is a free 30% heal at the start of turn, 
and Countermagic is like Counter for magic attacks (useful for your low-
resistance units). 

Priestess
Rating: 5/10
Skills: Miracle (Chance of surviving lethal hit, proc rate = luck stat.  
Does not work if 1 HP remains)
        Rally Luck (Use Rally to grant units within 2 spaces +8 luck)
        Renewal (Auto-recover 30% HP at start of unit’s turn)
        Countermagic (deals damage to enemy equal to magical damage dealt)
Comments: See above; these get an extra point since the Shining Bow is the 
only bow you would want to use anyway, so having a B rank isn’t that big of 
a deal.  
Same skills as Great Master, and all of them are still great.

Falcon Knight
Rating: 10/10
Skills: Darting Blow (+5 effective speed when initiating battle) 
        Rally Speed (Use Rally to grant units within 2 spaces +4 speed)
Notable Characters: Laslow
Comments: You would be hard pressed to find a more prevalent unit in PvP 
than Falcon Knight.  While not exactly tailored to attacking, they can 
protect themselves with Brave Lances (or the Bolt Naginata, if your magic is 
high enough since you will rarely have battle-skills anyway).  However, 
their ability to fly coupled with staff access (unique to this class) means 
that they are the ultimate support unit.  Makes the best rallybot due to 
flying, and it’s not uncommon to carry 4-5 staves on this class.  Don’t make 
your PvP team without at least strongly considering this class. 
Skill-wise, Darting Blow gives you +5 effective speed when attacking, which 
is helpful if your speed is tied with your foe since it’ll let you double 
them now, and Rally Speed is a rally skill (super useful on this class, as 
are all rally skills).  
Laslow gets a special mention due to his personal skill, which is an extra 
+1 str/speed per rally making him the ultimate rallybot.

Kinshi Knight
Rating: 9/10
Skills: Darting Blow (+5 effective speed when initiating battle)
        Air Superiority (Hit/Avoid +30 when fighting flying enemies)
        Amaterasu (allies within 2 tiles get 20% HP recovered per turn)
        Quick Draw (+4 damage if initiating battle)
Comments: Flying units are never bad in PvP, and Kinshi Knight with its 
access to bows and Air Superiority allows you to dominate the skies.  Since 
almost all PvP teams will have fliers, there will rarely be an instance 
where this unit is useless.  Slap on some –breaker skills and you can pick 
off troublesome units with ease (especially with access to Spy Yumi for 3-
range shenanigans and the largest effective attack range in the game, works 
great with Lunge).  
Skillwise, Darting Blow is a nice boost, Air Superiority boosts hit/avoid vs 
other fliers (RIP w/ Crescent Bow), Amaterasu is a nice aura-boost (best 
used on other classes though) and Quick Draw is a +4 damage boost when you 
initiate battle.  This is one of those classes you can always find a use for 
if you can’t decide otherwise.  

Sniper
Rating: 10/10
Skills: Quick Draw (+4 damage if initiating battle)
        Certain Blow (+40 to hit chance if initiating battle)
        Bowfaire (+5 damage boost if unit is equipped with a bow)
Class Bonuses: Hit +10, Crit +10
Notable Characters: Takumi
Comments: The ultimate bow-users, with a Hit and Crit innate +10 boost, the 
highest skill cap in the game, and capable of equipping any bow in the game 
(including the Pursuer, which comes with a free Darting-Blow boost of +5 
eff. Speed).  Teach them the Point Blank skill via DLC scroll so they can 
attack with 1-2 range at all times, and there is nothing that stands in 
their way except for units with Bowbreaker.  
Bowfaire is always useful for +5 damage, Quick Draw is great (see above), 
and Certain Blow is a +40 to hit rate when initiating attack (Snipers have 
naturally high hit already, but other classes like Berserkers would die for 
this skill).  
Takumi gets a special mention due to his special weapon the Fujin Bow 
(ignores terrain effects), but this does not allow him to cross water, and 
you will often find yourself doing more damage with a Crescent Bow / Pursuer 
anyway.
Master Ninja
Rating: 9/10
Skills: Lethality (Instantly Kos enemy, must be able to do >1 damage.  Proc 
rate = Skill x 0.25)
        Shurikenfaire (+5 damage boost if unit is equipped with a shuriken)
Class Bonuses: Hit, Crit, Avoid and Crit Avoid all +5
Comments: Another excellent class.  S-rank in shuriken and a B-rank in 
swords (to combat axe and bow users), and a +5 boost to hit, crit, avoid and 
crit avoid?  Yes please!  Tied for the highest skill in the game (with 
Snipers) and highest speed (w/ Swordmasters) along with sky-high resistance; 
is there any reason not to use a ninja?  
Well, their strength is a little lacking, and Shuriken don’t have the innate 
high-might that bow units do (not to mention Snipers have a higher attack 
cap).  Still, Master Ninjas have exclusive access to the Chakram (kinda 
weak, but gives you a +5 effective speed and a nasty debuff of -6 to 
enemies’ strength/mag/def/res.  Stack this with Draconic Hex and you can set 
any unit up for destruction by another unit.  Excellent class all around.  
Lethality will OHKO your enemy, but has a low proc rate of 25% of skill (you 
can get your skill into the 60’s with modding and tonics/rally, and 
Lethality will still activate less than one-fifth of the time) and Shuriken-
faire provides a needed damage boost w/ shuriken equipped.  Fine skills, if 
you ask me. 

Mechanist
Rating: 4/10
Skills: Replicate (creates carbon copy of character that shares everything 
with original, including inventory, hit points, and death!)
Comments: Mechanists don’t particularly excel in anything stat-wise, and 
while shuriken/bow access is nice, you would be hard-pressed to use one over 
a Sniper or Master Ninja.  
However, their skill Replicate is among the best skills in the game.  It 
creates a carbon copy of your unit that shares everything (inventory, 
health, etc.).  While it doesn’t act as a “second-life”, the possibilities 
are endless.  You can pair-up with yourself, double your attacking presence, 
or even keep your replicant on the other side of the map to heal/tonic up 
while your unit does the fighting.  The possibilities are endless!  Grab 
this skill for your attacking units and ditch this class otherwise.  

Merchant
Rating: 5/10
Skills: Spendthrift (Use a Gold Bar in inventory for +10/-10 damage 
dealt/received, one turn only when initiating battle)
        Quick Salve (User can take another action after consuming 
tonics/healing items)
       (Underdog) (Hit/Avoid +15 if user’s level is lower than enemy)
Comments: Again, this class doesn’t really stick out for anything, and while 
it has decent stats all around, there isn’t really a clear advantage this 
class would provide.  
Spendthrift is a fantastic skill though; in exchange for one Gold Bar per 
attack (automatic use), you add +10 to attack/defense for that round, which 
stacks with your other attack boost skills.  Having Gold Bars in your 
inventory just for this skill is a hassle though.  Quick Salve has a niche 
use in letting you use tonics / healing items and acting again immediately, 
but doesn’t exactly rank among the best skills in the game otherwise.  And 
as with Master of Arms, this is the other Villager promotion class which 
allows Mozu to bring her Underdog skill (+15 to hit/avoid when the foe is 
higher level). 

Nine-Tails
Rating: 8/10
Skills: Grisly Wound (-20% HP for enemy after every encounter)
        Even Handed (+4 damage on even numbered turns)
        Beastbane (super effective damage against beasts)
Class Bonuses: Crit +5, Avoid +10, Crit Avoid +10
Notable Characters: Selkie
Comments: With high skill, speed, luck and resistance, this unit is the 
ultimate mage-killer.  Having an S-rank weapon is always good; in this case, 
while beast stones have no S-rank stone, there is no beast-breaker which is 
a nice niche for these units.  (Beastbane is almost never seen in PvP, which 
would otherwise maim this class).  
Grisly Wound is a great passive skill that chips 20% of enemy health after 
each encounter, and Even-Handed is a +4 damage boost on even-numbered turns 
(since you will rarely encounter an enemy on turn 1, you can plan on 
encountering the enemy on turns 2/4/6 etc.).  Beastbane is useful on other 
beast units and most notably Falcon Knights / Horse-riding units as well, so 
it does have a niche but ultimately isn’t a must-have skill.  
Selkie gets a special mention as the Nine-Tails with the most possible speed 
(apart from potential daughter Kana) which, if equipped with 5 –breaker 
skills along with her class bonus, turns her into a dodging fiend that is 
immune to other breakers.  Definitely a pain to face if built correctly.

Songstress
Rating: 10/10
Skills: Inspiring Song (+3 skill/speed/luck to unit who receives song)
        Voice of Peace (enemies within 2 tiles deal 2 less damage)
        Foreign Princess (“foreign” units within 2 tiles deal/receive -2/+2 
damage)
Comments: There is no other class that does what Azura (the only Songstress) 
does.  With the Sing command you can refresh a unit and give them a full 
extra turn; the possibilities are endless.  Coupled with Warp, you can 
instantly traverse the map and refresh any unit you choose, which is 
potentially game-breaking.  
As an attack unit, this unit is nothing special (it gets a C in lances, 
which is good enough for Bolt Naginata (for range) and Killer Lance (for 
crits).  However, its skills greatly help in battle.  
Inspiring Song is a free skill/speed/luck +3 when you sing for a unit, and 
Voice of Peace / Foreign Princess provide passive debuffs for the enemy 
which stack great with Inspiration from the Strategist class.  An Azura with 
Inspiring Song, Warp, Amaterasu (to pair with her personal for a free 30% 
health to allies within 2 spaces), Voice of Peace and Inspiration makes for 
one of the best support units possible in PvP.  

Paladin
Rating: 7/10
Skills: Aegis (1/2 damage from bow/tome/shuriken/dragonstone attacks, proc 
rate = skill stat)
Comments: High movement and solid defenses, along with an A rank for swords 
and lances make the Paladin a solid unit all around.  While there are 
classes that do all of these things better, the Paladin is a total package 
that can help take a hit or deal some damage in a pinch.  
Aegis halves any indirect attack (bow/shuriken/magic) skill% of the time, 
and pairs well with Pavise for direct attack coverage.  This class also has 
solid growths all around (except for Magic), and is a great class to level 
up in.  

Great Knight
Rating: 6/10
Skills: Luna (Ignore 1/2 of enemy’s def/res stat, proc rate = skill%)
Comments: This class trades some of the General’s excellent stats in 
exchange for 3 extra move spaces and access to swords.  However, by being 
more of a jack of all trades, this class is a master of none as it is weaker 
and frailer than Generals, and not as versatile as Paladins.  Additionally, 
it carries a mounted unit weakness AND an armor weakness.  You should stick 
to either Paladin (for high-movement and decent tanking) or the General (for 
great tanking).  
Luna, however, is an excellent skill that ignores half of the enemy’s 
defenses (works with magic and resistance as well), and is essentially a 
1.5x boost to your damage that round.  It’s hard to go wrong with a skill 
like that.  

General
Rating: 7/10
Skills: Wary Fighter (Unit cannot double-attack or be doubled)
        Pavise (1/2 damage from sword/lance/axe/beaststone attacks, proc 
rate = skill stat)

Comments: With sky-high strength, defense and HP stats, this class defines 
tank.  However, tanks are not exactly a good class in PvP when units are 
equipped with all sorts of ways to OHKO you regardless of your defense.  
Additionally, with very low movement and less-than-stellar resistance, these 
units are easy for a skilled enemy to work around.  Still, for soaking 
physical hits there is no better unit in the game.  
Wary Fighter works well with the General’s low speed as it prevents anyone 
getting doubled during attacks, and Pavise halves any direct attack 
(sword/lance/axe/beaststone) skill% of the time.  Great skills that have 
uses on other classes too, but work especially well with the General.  

Berserker
Rating: 10/10
Skills: Axefaire (+5 damage dealt when user is equipped with an axe)
        Gamble (-10 Hit, +10 Crit rate)
        Rally Strength (Use Rally to grant all allies within 2 spaces +4 
Strength)
Class Bonuses: Crit +20, Crit Avoid -5
Comments: The highest HP / strength in the game with decent speed, a +20 
crit bonus (!!) and S-rank in axes all adds up to one of the most dangerous 
units in PvP.  Aurgelmir (the S-rank axe) is insanely powerful, and with the 
ability to equip Brave Axes and Great Clubs (+55 crit chance at the expense 
of a lot of accuracy), this unit lends itself well to killing off the enemy 
quickly.  Strangely, Axebreaker is one of the least-seen breakers in PvP, 
but it nonetheless is a strong preventative measure.  Still among the best 
units to bring into battle.  
Axefaire is a +5 when axes are equipped (as if you needed more damage 
dealt), while Rally Strength is a rally skill and is therefore useful for 
rallybots.  Gamble sacrifices 10 hit for 10 crit, and when coupled with 
Death Blow / Certain Blow (to negate hit reduction) as well as the innate 
+20 crit for the berserker class and a high crit axe, you will start to see 
your crit chances in the 70-80% range which is insane.  

Hero
Rating: 4/10
Skills: Gamble (-10 Hit, +10 Crit rate)
        Sol (recover 1/2 damage dealt to enemy, proc rate = skill stat)
        Axebreaker (+50 Hit/Avoid rate vs units equipped with an axe)
Comments: While the Hero doesn’t have the insane attacking prowess of 
Berserkers, it is nonetheless an OK class with A-rank swords and B-rank axes 
(no Brave Axe, sadly).  It’s not really a support unit (in the same vein as 
staff users or ninjas w/ debuffs) and not really an all-out attacker (see 
berserkers / snipers), and as such the Hero finds itself outclassed by many 
other classes.  
Gamble is good for the Hero class as it has the highest skill in the game 
(tied w/ Snipers) to offset the accuracy drop and boost crit chance.  Sol 
heals you half of your normal attack damage (nothing to write home about, 
but it does have its uses) and Axebreaker is a –breaker skill which is 
always useful (equip this with a Brave Sword on a Swordmaster for the best 
Berserker counter possible).  

Bow Knight
Rating: 7/10
Skills: Movement +1 (Gets to move an extra tile each turn)
        Rally Skill (Use Rally to grant all allies within 2 spaces +4 Skill)
        Shurikenbreaker (+50 Hit/Avoid rate vs units equipped with a 
shuriken)
Comments: If you took a Paladin, traded bows for lances, and exchanged some 
defense for speed, you would have the Bow Knight.  Bows are overall better 
for PvP than lances due to the range advantage, while Swords are a good 
melee alternative.  They have high movement and access to the Crescent Bow 
and Spy Yumi for some interesting ranged possibilities…
They can also get the Movement +1 (if the unit’s base class is Outlaw), 
which can be useful for extra movement (obviously).  Rally Skill is a good 
rally skill (lol) and Shurikenbreaker is a –breaker skill, which is always 
useful (especially if you cannot handle ninjas otherwise).  

Adventurer
Rating: 5/10
Skills: Movement +1 (Gets to move an extra tile each turn)
        Lucky Seven (Hit/Avoid +20 for first 7 turns)
        Pass (User can pass through tiles occupied by enemy units)
Comments: This is a good utility class, with access to all manner of bows 
(up to A rank) and access to many useful staves.  While there are better 
attackers and better staff users to choose from, this class does have a 
niche in being able to use staves and bows (only shared with Priestess, 
which only gets a B in bows and is female-exclusive).  
The skills, however, are definitely worth nabbing for your characters if you 
can manage it.  Movement +1 is self-explanatory, and in a metagame where 
movement ability is an important factor in your PvP team’s success, it will 
certainly help.  Lucky Seven gives you Hit and Avoid +20 for the first 7 
turns (and let’s face it, these battles will very rarely last more than 7 
turns).  Finally, Pass isn’t all that useful in PvP as there are only 5 
units (10, if factoring Replicate) that would ever block you and it’d be 
more beneficial most of the time to just kill those units rather than 
passing through them.  

Wyvern Lord
Rating: 7/10
Skills: Lunge (swaps places with the enemy regardless of if your hit 
connects, as long as attacker survives combat) 
        Rally Defense (Use Rally to grant all allies within 2 spaces +4 
Defense)
        Swordbreaker (+50 Hit/Avoid rate vs units equipped with a sword)

Comments: A staple in Fire Emblem, the Wyvern Lord trades some of the 
strength and defenses of the General in exchange for 3 extra movement and 
the ability to fly.  Like the General, however, your speed and resistance 
will be lacking, and rather than a weakness to armorslayer-type or beast-
slayer weapons, you will be weak to Wyrmslayers and Dragon Spirits, which is 
worse as these are seen more frequently thanks to Corrin/Kana.  Still, it’s 
hard to say no to a flying dragon..
Skill-wise, it gets a Rally skill and a –breaker (probably the best breaker 
available since swords are everywhere).  However, Lunge gets a special 
mention as it can allow for very interesting setups and attack possibilities 
(used in conjunction with Warp on other units, you can engage the enemy from 
whatever angle you want).  

Malig Knight
Rating: 6/10
Skills: Savage Blow (-20% HP to all enemies within 2 tiles after initiating 
battle)
        Trample (+5 damage to units not on a mount)
Comments: It’s even harder to say no to a zombie dragon that flies, but the 
Malig Knight has several factors working against it.  It’s weaker in both 
strength and defense than the Wyvern Lord, and somehow has lower speed.  
While it does have higher magic / resistance, it only gets a B in tomes and 
you aren’t going to want to find yourself equipped with the Bolt Axe very 
often.  If you need a flying magic user, Dark Falcons are the way to go.
Savage Blow shaves off 20% of any enemies within 2 tiles if you initiate a 
battle, which stacks with Grisly Wound, Poison Strike and other personal 
skills for up to 80% health off if the conditions are right (which won’t be 
often, and can’t kill anyone unfortunately).  Trample, however, offers you 
+5 damage to anyone not on a mount, and as the most common classes are 
unmounted except for Falcon Knights, this is a fairly reliable damage boost.  

Sorcerer
Rating: 5/10
Skills: Vengeance (add extra damage of [1/2 (max HP – current HP)], proc 
rate = Skill x 1.5)
        Bowbreaker (+50 Hit/Avoid rate vs units equipped with a bow)
Class Bonuses: Hit +5, Crit +10, Crit Avoid +5
Comments: Sorcerers are meant to be the dedicated magic users of the game 
but find themselves outclassed by Witches due to lower stat caps and 
inferior skills.  So why aren’t they completely obsolete?  2 reasons really: 
1.	 Male units cannot access the Witch class
2.	 Sorcerers can use dark magic (which as of now is only Nosferatu) without 
eating up a skill slot. 
If neither of these matter to you, then skip this class.
However, there are a couple of skills that may be worth your while.  
Vengeance provides added damage based on how much damage you’ve sustained 
(which isn’t exactly reliable since you will likely either be at full health 
or dead at any given moment).  Bowbreaker is another –breaker skill, and 
given the dominance of bows coupled with the Point Blank skill, this –
breaker is definitely worth considering. 

Dark Knight
Rating: 7/10
Skills: Lifetaker (Recovers 1/2 total health when killing an enemy)
Comments: This class is what the Malig Knight should have been.  Defenses 
that even a Wyvern Lord or Paladin can respect, mixed offenses a stat point 
higher than the Malig Knight, and an A in tomes with swords as backup (as 
tomes will likely be your default attack option due to 1-2 range).  Pity 
about that speed though..
The only skill worth noting in this class is Lifetaker, but the ability to 
heal half your health based on killing an enemy (regardless of how much 
damage you actually do) is definitely worth considering on your defense-
minded units.  

Strategist
Rating: 7/10
Skills: Rally Resistance (Use Rally to grant all allies within 2 spaces +4 
Resistance)
        Inspiration (Allies within 2 spaces deal +2 damage and receive -2 
damage)
Comments: Ah, the mounted magic user, another staple of Fire Emblem.  
Strategists are overall a good class, and high movement coupled with staff 
access and good magical attack power and resistance is always a plus.  Keep 
these away from high-strength units though, as their defense is pitiful. 
Rally Resistance is probably not the best rally skill out there, and 
Inspiration is a nice aura effect with the downside of forcing your 
Strategist to hang out near the front lines, where it doesn’t really want to 
be.  Still, fine skills to pass on to other classes..

Maid/Butler
Rating: 5/10
Skills: Live to Serve (User is healed for same amount when healing others)
        Tomebreaker (+50 Hit/Avoid rate vs units equipped with a tome)
Comments: Ultimately, a support class that is outclassed by the Strategist 
(and also Falcon Knight, like most other support classes are).  S-rank in 
staves is useless as the only staves in the game above B rank are 
Fortify/Great Festal (1 use in PvP matches, and you will rarely have many 
units all in need of healing at once) and the S ranked Bifrost (which </pre><pre id="faqspan-2">
doesn’t even work in PvP, what a bummer)..  I guess it does use the Flame 
Shuriken better than any other class due to high magic, so that counts for 
something (I guess?)
Live to Serve heals your unit as it heals others (nifty) and Tomebreaker is 
a –breaker skill, which can always be put to some sort of use.

Wolfssegner
Rating: 6/10
Skills: Grisly Wound (-20% HP for enemy after every encounter)
        Odd Shaped (+4 damage on odd numbered turns)
        Beastbane (super effective damage against beasts)
Class Bonuses: Hit +10, Crit +5, Crit Avoid +10
Comments: The other beast class in the game, Wolfssegners focus on higher 
attack and defense.  However, they lose out to Nine-Tails in speed and 
resistance, and the speed disadvantage alone is enough to skip this class in 
PvP for the Nine-Tails, which will double more often and ultimately cause 
more damage as a result.  Still, being a Beast unit helps you avoid all the 
–breaker skills, and these guys can take a physical hit far better than most 
other units in the game..
Skills are the same as the Nine-Tails classes (Odd Shaped provides a +4 
damage boost on odd turns rather than even), and are all still practical in 
the right situations.

Dread Fighter (DLC)
Rating: 6/10
Skills: Aggressor (+7 damage when initiating battle)
Comments: Take the Master of Arms class, trade out lances for shuriken, and 
give it a point of extra speed and more resistance in exchange for less of 
the other stats, and finally add in a cool, ninja-looking graphic and you 
have this class.  So why the extra 2 points in rating over Master of Arms?  
This class can be accessed by anyone in the game at any time (and doesn’t 
require supports or anything, as long as you have purchased a 2nd path or 
the Royal Royale DLC) and shuriken is more useful than lance access, even if 
it does go up to B.  
And while the other skills are crap in an online setting, Aggressor is 
highly recommended on any attacker as it is a +7 boost to damage when you 
initiate battle.  Stack this with Life or Death, Spendthrift (with gold 
bar), a –faire skill and Trample and you have a +37 boost to damage, not 
counting your own stats and weapon strength.  With a Brave Sword, it’s hard 
for any unit to live through an attack with +74 extra damage behind it 
(assuming you connect with each hit).  

Dark Falcon (DLC)
Rating: 8/10
Skills: Galeforce (extra full turn if you kill an enemy w/o supports)
        Rally Movement (Use Rally to grant all units within 2 spaces +1 
movement)
Comments: A flying magic nuke that has high speed?  Where do I sign?  
Seriously though, like the Dread Fighter it can be accessed by anyone at any 
time (requires Royal Royale DLC or for you to purchase all 3 paths) and it 
flies!  However, flying and attacking w/ magic are about all it does well, 
since its defenses are crummy (high resistance is offset by terrible HP) and 
its skill is laughable.  Still, it flies!
Rally Movement gives your rallybot the ability to boost move on your units 
by +1, and it’s hard to say no to that.  However, Galeforce is one of the 
best skills in the game, allowing you a full extra turn if you manage to 
kill a unit without any support (Guard Stance or Attack Stance).  Slap on 
some other skills to help you kill some units, and this becomes one of the 
best skills possible in PvP.  

Ballistician (DLC)
Rating: 5/10
Skills: Survey (Hit +10 if ballistician)
        Opportunity Shot (Auto-attacks at start of turn w/ turret, proc rate 
= skill stat)
        Rifled Barrel (+1 to turret range, no splash damage)
        Surefooted (+1 move, ignore terrain if ballistician)
Comments: This turns your unit into a tank (literally, not figuratively 
since the defenses are terrible in this class).  You also only have a B in 
bows, so no Crescent Bow shenanigans here.  However, the ability to attack 
at far range can certainly be useful if you know how to use it (definitely 
helps with killing Miracle Midori, for instance).  And that strength coupled 
with decent skill allows for some reliable extra damage from afar.  This 
class is male only though, but it is accessible for free (once using the 
Anna’s Gift DLC, or if you want to pay for the Ballistician Blitz DLC you 
can get as many as you want).  
The skills here are unique in that they only apply if your character is a 
ballistician.  That said, if you are bringing one into battle you should 
highly consider all these skills (Hit +10, a potential extra attack before 
your turn even begins, an option to have extra range at the cost of splash 
damage, and Surefooted which gives you +1 move and lets you ignore terrain).  

Witch (DLC)
Rating: 10/10
Skills: Warp (Warps adjacent to any allied unit, can take extra action)
        Toxic Brew (Freezes enemy with Avoid -20, proc rate = Skill x 1.5)
Class Bonuses: Crit +10, Avoid +10
Comments: The ultimate magic-users in PvP, these units get better innate 
class boost as Sorcerers (Crit and Avoid +10), an S rank in tomes, and have 
very high speed and magic caps (at the expense of literally everything 
else).  This class is female only (sorry men) and can be accessed once using 
the Anna’s Gift DLC, or if you want to pay for the Witches Trial DLC you can 
get as many as you want.
Toxic Brew is a useful skill that freezes a unit in place and cuts their 
Avoid by 20 for a turn, so any unit you don’t kill won’t be doing much back 
to the next unit.  However, Warp is the single most broken skill in PvP.  It 
allows you to warp instantly to another of your units and take another turn 
(attacking, pairing up, singing, etc.).  While this doesn’t synergize well 
with Galeforce (since you will always be attacking units in Attack Stance), 
it allows you to pull off strategies such as flying one unit over to the 
enemy and using it as a conduit to Warp in your entire team and attacking 
everything.  This skill breaks PvP wide open and many communities have even 
taken to banning it, it’s just that good.  (/rant)
And if you thought it may be mitigated by the class being female only, the 
Witches Trial DLC also provides a Warp Scroll, so that even your male units 
can get in on the Warping fun!

Lodestar (DLC)
Rating: 8/10
Skills: Dancing Blade (+3 speed, -1 defense)
        Speedtaker (+2 speed after each enemy kill, cannot exceed +10)
Class Bonuses: Hit +10, Crit +5, Avoid +10
Notable Characters: Xander
Comments: A good alternative to the Swordmaster, the Lodestar (Marth’s 
class) also has an S rank in swords and comes with an innate Hit and Avoid 
+10 and Crit +5 (Swordmaster has Hit and Crit +10).  While it has slightly 
lower speed and strength, it compensates with higher defenses and sky-high 
luck.  
Dancing Blade and Speedtaker also mitigate the speed disadvantage, as 
Dancing Blade provides +3 speed (at the cost of -1 Defense, which nobody 
cares about with this class), and Speedtaker boosts your speed by +2 every 
time you kill an enemy.  If you can live with 5 less crit chance and your 
unit is male, this class is great for units who don’t naturally have 
Swordmaster access.
Xander, while he can access swordmaster by getting A+ with Ryoma, is overall 
a better fit with this class as his sword boosts defense, and this class 
lends itself towards patching up Xander’s crummy speed with its skills.  

Great Lord (DLC)
Rating: 6/10
Skills: Aether (Sol hit followed up by Luna hit, proc rate = Skill x 0.5)
        Awakening (Hit/Crit/Avoid/Crit Avoid +30 if under 1/2 health)
       Dual Striker (+3 damage if you are the support unit in attack stance)
Comments: The Lucina class (with female-only access), the Great Lord is a 
decent attacking class if for some reason you find yourself short.  However, 
while it does have access to swords and lances and has good stat caps, they 
aren’t great at any specific thing.  As a result, you may find yourself 
skipping over this class for other, more dedicated attackers (reminding 
yourself that you can only field 5 units at a time).  The skills, though are 
another story…
Dual Striker is a useful +3 damage boost if you are the support unit in 
attack stance, which synergizes well with other units Warping to you and 
attacking as you would then find yourself in this position often.  Aether is 
a chance to activate a free Sol + Luna hit in one (though one or both of 
these can miss, one or both can also crit); however, the Vanguard Dawn DLC 
does provide Aether scrolls for any unit to access.  Awakening is the best 
skill of the bunch here, providing Hit, Crit, Avoid and Crit Avoid +30 (!!) 
if you are under half health.  Couple this with Vantage (letting you strike 
first under half health) and you have a real monster on your hands.  

Vanguard (DLC)
Rating: 5/10
Skills: Aether (Sol hit followed up by Luna hit, proc rate = Skill x 0.5)
        Heavy Blade (Strength +3, Speed -1)
        Veteran Intuition (Crit Avoid +15)
        Strengthtaker (+2 strength after an enemy kill, cannot exceed +10)
Comments: The Ike class (male-only access).  This is basically a Hero on 
steroids, trading some speed and skill for a lot more attack.  However, 
while it is overall less versatile than the Hero due to the lower stats in 
general, it does get ranked higher as the access to this class is more 
widespread, and since even a Hero gets outsped often, the extra strength 
does come in handy.  
Aether is amazing as seen above, but all the other skills get a mention 
here.  Heavy Blade trades 1 speed for +3 added strength (add with Dancing 
Blade for a total of +3 strength and +2 speed for -1 defense), and Veteran 
Intuition provides Crit Evade of +15 (handy if you have a free skill slot, I 
guess).  Strengthtaker works like Speedtaker, providing instead +2 strength 
every time you kill someone (overall less useful than speed, but still can 
come in handy for other classes like Ninjas or Nine-Tailed Foxes that are 
naturally fast but lacking in strength).  

Grandmaster (DLC)
Rating: 5/10
Skills: Ignis (add half your attacking stat to damage dealt, proc rate = 
skill stat)
        Rally Spectrum (Use Rally to grant all allies within 4 spaces +2 to 
all stats)
        Solidarity (Adjacent Allies get Avoid / Crit Avoid +10)
Comments: The Robin class, male only (for some unknown reason, since Robin 
could be either male or female)…  Overall reminiscent of the Basara (trading 
lances for swords), as a decent mixed attacking class that doesn’t really 
excel at anything, but has some stellar skills.  Doesn’t make a good final 
class (and is rated a point lower than the Basara as there is no equivalent 
to Miracle Midori) but definitely worth stopping by for some skills..
Rally Spectrum provides +2 to all stats and has a range of 4 tiles from your 
rallybot, which makes this the best Rally skill in the game.  Solidarity 
provides adjacent units with Avoid and Crit Avoid +10, which can be useful 
but typically not worthy of a skill slot.  However, Ignis is essentially a 
better version of Rend Heaven, relying on your own stats for added damage 
rather than the enemy’s stats (and also supporting the constant comparison 
to Basara).  


=============================
5. Common Strategies and Tips
=============================

There are several team archetypes and strategies that you will encounter 
during battles.  While some are more effective than others, this is by no 
means an exhaustive list: the metagame will continue to advance long after 
this guide and counters to what was seemingly broken before will emerge.   

That said, here are 3 things that you should prepare for when building your 
team: 

-	Flyer Rushdown
Comments: This team archetype involves a team comprised of mostly or 
entirely flying units (typically will have at least 2 Falcon Knights 
for Rescue support and rallies, at least 1 Kinshi Knight for bow 
access; other flying units include Wyvern Lords for axe access and 
defense tanking and Dark Falcons for tome access and resistance 
tanking).  The aim of this team is to close the gap as quickly as 
possible and overwhelm the opponent with attackers, while outranging 
as much as possible and running out of their reach (or using the 
Rescue staff to retrieve your units after attacking) if need be.  

-	Azura + Warp
Comments: Much like the team above, the goal is to close the gap on 
your own terms.  However, rather than flying over directly, this 
team will utilize a Falcon Knight with Rescue, and attackers with 
Warp that boost themselves at a safe position.  When the moment is 
right, they will move in their attacker, warp Azura next to them so 
she can refresh their turn, and move in directly.  After the 
attacker takes a turn (usually with Galeforce equipped), it acts as 
a conduit for the rest of your team to warp in and finish the 
battle.   

-	Miracle Midori
Comments: Miracle Midori + a support unit (usually Siegbert for his 
+2 attack personal equipped with Miracle, or Kaze for his free 
Miracle personal).  With proper teambuilding, Midori can reach 100% 
Miracle activation (through her Lucky Charm personal, Hoshidan 
Unity, Quixotic and Luck +4), while also having Vantage and Nohrian 
Trust.  The support unit will have 5 skills abusable by Nohrian 
Trust, chosen to replenish Midori’s health as much as possible so 
Miracle can activate again (Sol, Aether) or prevent the unit from 
attacking you at all in conjunction with Vantage (Astra for filling 
up shield gage, or Lethality to off the unit altogether).  Very 
annoying to take down; your options are limited to multi-hit attacks 
to trigger Miracle and kill before Midori gets to act (Astra, Brave 
weapons, etc.) or using 3-range weapons to whittle down health 
without retaliation.  Midori’s other 3 teammates are designed to 
counter her weaknesses and otherwise support Midori, who is the 
centerpiece of this type of team.  

-	Master Ninja spam
Comments: Using multiple master ninjas (at least 2-3) to severely 
debuff any unit and put them in range to kill with bruiser units 
(think berserkers, snipers, etc.).  Very hard to deal with if they 
can gain a positioning advantage, and probably the main reason 
Kinshi Knights are a good unit in PvP (outranges Ninjas with extra 
movement and has WTA with bows; or it can also take advantage of the 
debuffs to kill any unit in the game).  

-	“Josephine” (or dodge-tanking in general)
Comments: “Josephine” is a popular Corrin build that has Corrin as 
Swordmaster, equipped with Hagakure Blade (for +20 Avoid), Omega 
Yato in the inventory for those stat boosts, and skills including 
Replicate and 4 breakers (sword, lance, shuriken and tome, due to 
the natural WTA against axes / bows).  This Josephine unit can be 
added to your team for free by visiting the MyCastle that is highest 
ranked in VP, and if you are short on suitable units, Josephine is 
never a liability.  

A variation of this is to replace Replicate with Nohrian Trust, and 
add in a Pair-Up Bot of Jakob with an S support (or A if male 
Corrin), typically classed as Master Ninja with battle-skills 
designed to prevent you from dying (Aegis/Pavise/Aether/Lethality 
work well here), and a personal skill that boosts Corrin’s avoid 
even further.  With maxed stats, tonics, etc. your Corrin will reach 
higher than 70 speed, which means it will be very difficult to hit 
this unit, let alone kill it.  Add a Nine-Tails Selkie w/ 5 more 
breaker skills for all sorts of dodging shenanigans.

These are common strategies but there are more out there.  You may also run 
into a mix of the cases above, or something different altogether.  Be 
prepared!

=============================
6. Team Building
=============================
When building a team, there are several questions you should ask yourself 
before starting so that you can tailor the team to your strategy: 
-	What classes should I make my units once they are ready?
-	What skills will I want these units to have?
-	Will this team be for Standard mode or Limited mode?
-	How vital are supports for this team?
-	What weapons / items can I bring to cover any weaknesses?
 Overall, this will determine how the team is built and should be thought of 
before a team is constructed.  This way, you can plan out your stat-boosters 
accordingly (unless you are planning for Limited mode, in which case each 
level up matters greatly for your final stats instead), your supports, class-
change options, skill learning / inheritance, etc..  Some things to keep in 
mind here: 
-	2nd gen units can be customized to a much higher degree than 1st gen 
units, in terms of class sets, stat mods and skill inheritance.
-	Certain classes will have great skills available, but might be 
terrible to bring into battle (a great example is the Merchant with 
Spendthrift skill).  You can either plan your supports and class 
inheritance so that the unit can learn the skill when leveling up, 
or (for non-DLC skills) just buy them off of other MyCastles online. 
-	Certain units may have very limited access to some classes.  Laslow, 
for instance, can only ever access Falcon Knight by either marrying 
Azura, Selena, or a female Corrin with Sky Knight talent.  If these 
units are married off, your Laslow cannot be a Falcon Knight.  
-	If planning for Limited mode, you must also consider class and 
character growths since you won’t be able to patch up weak spots 
with stat-boosters.  Boots also can’t be used, so take into 
consideration the total movement of each class.  
 Also of note is that if you have no desire to create your own units, you can 
go online and use the My Castle feature to visit other people’s bases.  If 
you challenge another user to a no-handicap battle and manage to seize the 
throne, you are able to recruit one of their units for free!  There are 
enough easy-seize castles with units that have maxed stats so that you can 
“borrow” a unit to test and otherwise patch up any holes your PvP team may 
have.  Pay close attention to the skills, though, as those are the skills you 
are stuck with when you recruit the unit (even other skills that unit may 
have learned do not come with them, only what you see on recruitment).  Also, 
these units (along with amiibo units) cannot support with others, so no 
support bonus will ever apply unlike the units from your main file.  
Keep all this in mind and you will be able to enjoy PvP as a fun multiplayer 
mode.  

=============================
7.	Credits, etc.
=============================
Scorpioman12: for writing this guide
www.serenesforest.com for tons of info and some of my lists
Copyright 2016 scorpioman12
You may host this guide at your site if proper credit is given.