Nintendo
A new summoning banner for Fire Emblem Heroes was released today, offering heroes with the Threaten Defense skill. The skill reduces the defense of enemies withing two spaces of the user at the start of the turn, making it very effective for strong physical attackers. While you can have other heroes inherit the skill, the heroes in this summoning focus are capable fighters in their own right. Here’s how to use them to their very best.
Peri
Despite her adorable facade, Peri is a capable fighter. She has very respectable stats for attack and speed (both at 33), making her effective no matter if you keep her killer lance or have her inherit a brave lance. Being a cavalry unit, she can also accept powerful buffs from other cavalry units. Her resistance is also pretty good. However, her defense is a little on the low side making her vulnerable to high attack green units as well as units with weapons that do extra damage against cavalry. She also faces a lot of competition from Abel, who has very similar stats and comes standard with a brave lance. Never the less, she’s a good fighter that already has a strong base kit.
Peri works best with a positive IV in attack or speed and can live with a negative IV in defense or resistance.
If you decide to keep the killer lance, you can keep Glimmer or have Peri inherit Luna. Luna is preferred as it ignores the defense of opponents, driving you through tanks. Either way, you’ll be able to activate the skills sooner thanks to the effect of killer lance. Quick Riposte will allow you to always make a follow up attack if attacked at over 70 percent HP, meaning you’ll always activate Luna or Glimmer on the counterattack’s follow up. Then give her Fury to boost her bulk as well as her attack power as well as Reposition to give teammates a hand with mobility. Close Def is also a good option as it adds even more defense to Peri allowing her to soak up damage easier. A HP +3 sacred seal is best for this set as you’re going to be counterattacked often.
By inheriting a brave lance, you can easily strike opponents four times with cavalry boosts. Inherit Luna as well as Fury or Death Blow to boost her attack. Drag Back drags the enemy towards your team should Peri fail to take it down. Then add Attack +1 sacred seal and you should be good to go.
Pair Peri with a sword-wielding cavalry unit to boost Peri and take down green units that Peri can’t touch.
Ephraim
Prince Ephraim is a fantastic infantry lance unit thanks to his high attack and bulk. His weapon Siegmund adds attack +3 to adjacent allies though their next turn (essentially Hone Attack 2), making him effective not only as an attacker but as a supporter as well. He also comes standard with Moonbow which is one of the best special skills in the game. However, his low speed and resistance ensures that he’ll struggle against mage units, especially green ones. He also faces competition from Catria, Sharena, and Brave Lucina who fill similar roles. Still, you can’t go wrong with him.
Make sure he has a positive IV in attack or speed as well as a negative IV in resistance.
Since his main role will be to buff teammates, give him Rally Defense and Hone Speed so he can boost defense and speed as well as attack. Then give him Triangle Adept to make him stronger against sword units and Lancebreaker to make him stronger against faster lance units.
Pair him with strong attackers who appreciate his buffs. Also pair him with high resistance units that can take down mages.
Raven
The brooding mercenary Raven makes great use of his brave axe thanks to his high attack and speed. While his low defense and resistance makes him vulnerable to attack, his speed prevents opponents from making follow-up attacks giving him some survivability.
Raven works best with a positive IV in attack or speed and a negative IV in resistance.
Give him Life and Death to boost his already great attack and speed so he can strike four times with his brave axe. Since he’ll often be at low health, give him Desperation so he can fire off his four attacks without retaliation. Keep Threaten Defense to soften up opponents. Complete the set with Luna and Reposition.
Pair Raven with bulkier blue units like Ephraim who can not only counter red units but can buff Raven.
Conclusion
While the heroes in the Threaten Def summoning banner aren’t the strongest heroes in the game, they still can be effective if properly invested in and used correctly. Try to especially go after Ephraim and Raven by summoning from blue and green orbs. Just be sure to have teammates to back them up.
If you want to get the heroes just so you can have other heroes inherit Threaten Defense, be sure to have a strong physical attacker inherit the skill. Great candidates include Alfonse, Lyn, Lucina, Takumi, Effie, Ryoma, and Xander.
