Io

Io and his steed: a spear cavalry build

Io joins as a Light Cavalry. The most direct route is to keep training his strengths in Spear and Riding, then advance through Bardinger → Orichaldia → The Cavalier. His beloved steed joins with him and remains available outside Cai's route. Focus on improving Strength and Speed so his initiation bonuses produce meaningful damage, rather than treating him solely as a cavalry tank.

Light Cavalry leads straight into spear cavalry#

Class	Recommended point and requirements	What you gain at this stage
Light Cavalry	Joins at level 20; the table lists Renown 4, Riding D, and Sword or Spear C	Keep training Spear while mounted; master Bolster Health.
Bardinger	Recommended at level 35, Renown 8; Riding C, and Sword or Spear B	Comes with mounting/dismounting and Combat Arts +2; master Aegis.
Orichaldia	Recommended at level 45; Riding B, and Sword or Spear A	Combat Arts +3; master the combat art Fierce Spear.
The Cavalier	Riding A, and S in Axe, Spear, or Sword	Combat Arts +3 and Golden Ride; master Divine Dexterity.

There is no beginner leveling stage you need to add: he already joins in the intermediate Light Cavalry, so continue from his current class. Focusing on Spear meets the weapon requirement throughout the route, while Riding needs to progress from D toward A. Axe is another strength, but if you commit to spear cavalry, you do not need to spread training across every weapon he is good at.

Keep building your bond with Rocinan#

Io joins alongside his beloved steed Rocinan. Keeping them assigned together takes less work than replacing it with an ordinary horse. At friendship 5, his steed provides a total growth-rate bonus of 30%, above the 25% an ordinary captured animal gives at maximum friendship. This personal mount can also be used outside Cai's route. The priority is to develop friendship between Io and this mount; simply obtaining the horse does not give you its maximum benefits.

Ordinary animal capture unlocks in Chapter 5 of Cai's route. Before you find rare animals, wild animals of the same species also give a total growth bonus of 25% at maximum friendship. Since Io already has his own steed, there is even more reason to align Spear, Riding, and the rider's bond in one training plan.

Check damage and follow-ups around level 40#

Around the end of Part 1, at roughly level 40, the ideal result is for Strength, Speed, Dexterity, and HP to exceed the expected values for the recommended route. His personal growth rates of 40% Strength and 35% Speed are unremarkable in the two key stats for physical damage: Strength determines damage per hit, Speed determines whether he can follow up, Dexterity supports Hit and Crit, and HP gives him room to take a counterattack when initiating.

Magic and Charm do not need to be training targets for this spear cavalry build. Low Luck alone is no reason to start over, since With My Steed provides 30 Dodge when he initiates as cavalry. That bonus only applies to combat he initiates under the required conditions, however; it does not protect him in every enemy-phase encounter. With only 25% Resistance growth, the most direct solution is to stay outside enemy mages' ranges instead of asking his low Resistance to do a job it cannot handle.

If his Strength growth disappoints, you can train another Io on a different route and use Merge Causality to retain the higher value in each stat. This can repair individual weaknesses, but it does not add the two Strength values together. Nor do you need to discard other well-developed stats just because one stat turned out poorly.

His initiation bonuses require cavalry#

His personal growth rates are HP 45%, Strength 40%, Magic 25%, Dexterity 45%, Speed 35%, Luck 35%, Defense 40%, Resistance 25%, and Charm 35%, totaling 325%. He excels in Axe, Spear, and Riding, and struggles with White Magic and Flying. His cavalry qualifications use exactly those strengths.

With My Steed gives Protection +3 and Dodge +30 only when he initiates as cavalry. Mounted Push+ adds Hit +10 and Attack +3 under the same cavalry initiation condition. Actively choosing suitable targets therefore makes better use of the full skill set than waiting for enemies to attack him in turn. Decent Defense growth does not make him durable against magic.

His overall rating is D. That does not mean he is unusable: the issue is that weaknesses in Strength, Speed, and Resistance all come together, making consistent results harder from the latter half of Part 1 onward. His skills also tie him to cavalry. If you keep developing him, accept that he needs growth support from his steed and training. A defensive bonus on an initiation skill is no reason to ignore follow-ups or enemy mages.

Separate cavalry skills from armored skills#

Each skill below requires its own training; he does not know them all when recruited. Flying and armored restrictions still apply after a skill is learned, rather than becoming effective in every current class.

Skill	Effect
Mounted Push+	Hit +10 and Attack +3 when initiating as cavalry.
Knightly Senses	Avoid +10 against enemies using spears.
Knight’s Vanguard	Protection +2 when initiating as cavalry.
Cavalry Move	Terrain movement cost -1 for cavalry, to a minimum of 1.
Read the Winds	Avoid +10 against enemies using bows.
Flitting Flier	Attack Speed +2 when initiating as a flying unit.
Threaten	Adjacent enemies have Crit -5.
Attack Formation+	Adjacent allies gain Attack +2.
Counter Cavalry	Enemy cavalry within two spaces have Hit and Avoid -5.
Spearblock	Protection +5 when fighting spear users as an armored unit.
Armored Move	Movement +1 for armored units.

Spear arts balance accuracy and durability#

Combat art	Durability / Might / Hit / Range	Additional effect
Wrath Strike	2／+4／+10／1	Improves Hit with swords.
Crosswise Cut	4／+5／0／1	Dexterity +2 after combat, up to +10 on this map.
Tempest Spear	2／+4／+10／1	Improves Hit.
Guardian Thrust	4／+3／0／1	Protection +3 during this combat.
Protective Storm	6／+5／0／1	Protection +7 during this combat.
Raging Tempest	8／+12／+20／1	Improves both Might and Hit.
Spike	2／+4／+10／1	Improves Hit with axes.
Enrage	4／0／0／1	Strength +1 after combat, up to +5 on this map.
Protective Spike	6／+7／0／1	Protection +10 during this combat.

These are learnable combat arts, not arts you equip all at once. When choosing between accuracy, damage, and reduced counterattack pressure, compare durability costs too, rather than looking only at the highest Might value.

Set aside gold for recruitment negotiations#

Protagonist route	First appearance	Bond / Renown
Cai's route	Part 1, Chapter 3	3／10
Dietrich's route	Part 1, Chapter 4	2／3
Theodora's route	Part 1, Chapter 5	3／10
Leda's route	Part 1, Chapter 4	1／6

All four routes require negotiation. Once you meet the Bond and Renown requirements, pay the gold he requests during recruitment.

Coffee and kittens suit his tastes#

He likes chivalry, self-discipline, and his steed Rocinan. Gifts are grouped below:

Reaction	Gifts
Loves	Select Coffee、Kitten Figurine、Dagda Beard Grass
Likes	Arrowhead Gem、Board-Game Tactics、Common Coffee、Crimson Ghosh、Horse-Grooming Kit、Joint-Relief Gloves、Mane Ornament、Protection Figurine、Spirit Board Game、Sturdy Rucksack、Training Pillar、Training Weights
Somewhat likes	Garum、Saraminian Sweets

In Pale Raven conversations, choose Threaten when he asks the bird to chase away the poisonous spider behind him. When he says helping friends and the weak takes courage, choose Sing bravely. Choose Tilt your head when he asks whether he should be friendlier or worries that he talks too much about the kingdom. Choose Spread your wings when he wants to discuss the ideal leader.

Supports and Japanese voice actor#

His support partners are the Promised One, Tialla, and Diego. His Japanese voice actor is Hideyuki Kobayashi, whose roles include Jiro Kirisaki in Tokyo Debunker, Kiriya Hidaka in Handsome Young Master Kiriya, and Susa in Comet Alnadia.

Site guides

Io should start around his own horse. If stats are lacking, branch from Light Cavalry into Charioteer, then choose standard spear cavalry after catching up. His personal bonuses require cavalry initiation, suiting mobile attacks and finishing blows. Early recruitment exploits his existing level, while long-term readiness depends on mount bonds and actual damage. Initiation protection does not erase low Speed; enemy phase still needs care.

Training route by stage#

Part 1: keep his horse and prepare Bow for Charioteer#

After early Dietrich-route recruitment, use his existing Light Cavalry and level advantage to lead. The character table's level 20 is a template; inspect actual stats when recruited at other times. If planning Charioteer, train his weak Bow early, rather than focusing only on Spear.

Charioteer requires level 20, Renown 4, Bow C, and Riding D. This uses his own horse's growth benefits. Charioteer is not exclusive to Cai's route: a specific Dietrich-route approach also switches using his starting horse. Train exam odds to an acceptable level before switching; there is no need to wait for a different rare horse.

Start with Rocinan, checking its bond with Io first. Cai's route can capture and reassign other mounts. Giving his favorite horse to someone else requires rebuilding the rider–mount bond; Io's established relationship does not transfer. Charioteer can use mount growth.

Another approach uses Brigand for Strength before returning to cavalry. This applies after early recruitment on Leda's route. Infantry stages lose cavalry-only personal bonuses and need extra Axe or Sword training; it is not free training that retains every benefit.

Part 2: stay in Charioteer for growth or return to spear cavalry#

Level 35 does not force him out of Charioteer. One approach stays for stats; another returns to conventional cavalry in the War arc for easier ordinary weapon combat. If maps often allow two chariots to finish targets in sequence, treat them as a team assignment rather than making Io clear everything alone.

For spear cavalry, Bardinger requires level 35, Renown 8, Riding C, and Spear or Sword B. Continue the existing horse and trained weapon. Aegis mastery offers extra insurance, but only a 20% chance to halve magic damage.

With chariot bows, use learned arts such as Vital Shot to secure kills. Mini Bow is one suggestion for close-range coverage. Arrange that role after acquiring it instead of halting development for a random weapon.On the spear route, Spear B enables Protective Storm's Protection benefit; still check whether the enemy doubles him this fight.

Part 3: standard spear cavalry is straightforward; special endpoints depend on resources#

Conventional cavalry can take Orichaldia at level 45, Riding B, and Spear or Sword A after the first segment. Keep existing weapons and Riding rather than adding unfamiliar subjects just to reclass. If Charioteer still works, there is no mandatory deadline to leave it.

Another option is Great Knight. It requires level 45, Heavy Armor D, Riding D, Axe or Spear A, and the Credna Temple unlock. Riding and armored movement skills can improve mobility, but Io's own learning ranks and all conditions for 8 Movement remain unverified. Calculate from actually learned skills; reclassing alone does not remove terrain costs.

There are also Light Cavalry → Charioteer → Elephant Rider approaches and later The Cavalier builds. These are alternative endpoints, not classes to take all in sequence. Specific skills, divine-resource allocation, and complete equipment are unverified, so do not invent a complete arrow chain. A fixed main-route Blessings/Battalion loadout is likewise unverified. Mounted classes cannot receive Battalions. See Battalion assignment restrictions.

Compare current routes in the simulator. Charioteer is not Cai-exclusive, and level 35 is not a forced reclass point.

Finish enemies on player phase and remain under teammate protection#

Initiate, finish quickly, and end where teammates can protect him. With My Steed grants +3 protection and +30 Dodge when initiating as cavalry. He also gains +10 initiation Hit at level 20 and another +3 Attack from the level 35 upgrade. Confirm these conditions before deciding whether he can safely take a counter.

The +30 Dodge prevents enemy critical hits; it is not +30 ordinary Avoid. Initiation protection does not automatically persist into enemy-phase durability. Taking little damage during one attack is no reason to leave him among several enemies. Finishing weakened targets and filling movement gaps better match existing uses than being the only main attacker or tank.

Recruitment#

All four Part 1 routes offer recruitment, with different timing and requirements. For Charioteer, budget recruitment timing and Bow catch-up together. Cai's late recruitment cannot copy Dietrich's early schedule. See Io recruitment details.

Train Bow before Charioteer and rebuild bonds when changing riders#

• Training only Spear and deciding on Charioteer at level 20. It also needs Bow C. Bow is a weakness for Io, so allocate training early.
• Assuming a gifted horse transfers full bond. Bonds belong to specific rider–mount pairs and must be rebuilt for a new rider.
• Forcing a switch at level 35. Staying in Charioteer is documented. Decide by current damage, map, and growth goals.
• Treating initiation bonuses as permanent on enemy phase. In particular, Dodge is not Avoid. Low-Speed doubles remain dangerous.
• Assuming standard spear cavalry fixes Strength. Let current Strength determine whether more growth training is needed.