Nydine

Nydine's cavalry mobility and three build paths

Nydine specializes in moving through enemy-occupied tiles and reducing terrain movement costs as cavalry. To retain this mobility, favor cavalry: Ornius Rider → Armored Ornius Rider → Bardinger → Great Knight. Low Strength and defensive growths mean he can pass through enemy lines but cannot take much punishment. End his action away from concentrated attacks.

Leave a safe landing spot when passing through enemies#

Barge Through lets cavalry move through tiles occupied by enemies, but does not work when the user is a large unit. At level 20, At a Gallop reduces terrain movement costs by 1; at level 35, At a Gallop+ reduces them by 2, to a minimum of 1. When enemies block the way or forests and other terrain slow movement, these abilities help him reach the target he wants to attack.

Axe, Flying, Riding, and Black Magic are strengths; Gauntlet and Heavy Armor are weaknesses. Flying is easy to train, but switching to a flying class disables his cavalry-only personal ability. The cavalry main route keeps pass-through and terrain mobility active. Strength 40%, Defense 30%, and Resistance 25% limit frontline durability, especially in the Promised One's story, where a large movement range can tempt you too far forward. The overall rating is D: good mobility, but weak damage and durability.

Build Defense from Ornius Rider to Great Knight#

He joins as a level 7 Ornius Rider, already a recommended beginner class. Its reference requirements are level 5, Renown 1, Riding E+, and Axe or Spear D. There is no need to return to Commoner to retrace a tier. Master Offense Basics, then continue along mounted classes.

At level 20 and Renown 4, change to Armored Ornius Rider, which requires Riding D and Axe or Spear C and grants Sense Threat on mastery. Its Speed growth modifier combines with his personal 45% Speed growth to help him pursue follow-up attacks during the intermediate tier. At level 35 and Renown 8, Bardinger is recommended, with Aegis as its mastery reward. This keeps him classified as cavalry and leads naturally into his later mounted classes.

If you have unlocked Cataphract in Theodora's story, you can use it at the advanced tier to train Heavy Armor instead. Otherwise, continue with Bardinger; a route-specific class is not immediately available on all four routes. The level 45 target, Great Knight, also requires Heavy Armor D. Since Heavy Armor is a weakness, set aside training or guidebooks for it, while also meeting the Riding and Axe or Spear requirements. Its HP growth modifier of +20 and Defense modifier of +15 compensate for his personal 30% Defense growth, and mastery grants Fierce Shield. Keep using Bardinger until it unlocks; meeting the level requirement does not replace the class unlock in the Promised One's story.

For a Divine class, The Cavalier requires Riding A, S in Sword, Spear, or Axe, and a Divinium Saddle. It has Golden Ride and grants Divine Dexterity through mastery. This is a separate endgame option beyond Great Knight; account for eligibility, items, and limited army-wide slots.

Raise separate mounts for the intermediate and advanced tiers#

You can start capturing animals in Chapter 5 of Part 1 of Cai's story. Red-Feathered Meganius is recommended for the Armored Ornius Rider stage. At bond level 5, it grants +3 Strength, +1 Dexterity, and +1 Defense, with growth bonuses of 15%, 5%, and 5% respectively. Strength is one of his weaknesses, so these bonuses matter more than the mount's appearance alone.

Bardinger switches him to a horse, then you can replace it with a Ferghanan Horse. The Ornius you raised earlier cannot simply carry over as the same horse. Bond levels also belong to individual animals, so prepare the mount for the next stage in advance. Until you find a rare individual, ordinary wild animals of the same type also provide a total growth bonus of 25% at bond level 5 and are worth using in the meantime. These Part 1 capture and assignment conditions apply only to Cai's story; other stories cannot follow the same schedule unchanged.

Check Strength, Speed, Dexterity, and HP at level 40#

His personal growths are 45% HP, 40% Strength, 30% Magic, 45% Speed, 40% Dexterity, 30% Defense, 25% Resistance, 35% Luck, and 35% Charm, totaling 325. Near level 40 at the end of Part 1, prioritize checking whether his Strength, Speed, Dexterity, and HP exceed the expected values for the recommended path. Strength determines axe damage, Dexterity helps Hit, Speed aids follow-up attacks and Avoid, and HP underpins his ability to take hits.

Slightly below-average Magic, Resistance, Luck, or Charm does not disrupt this physical route. Avoid magic enemies when Resistance is low. Great Knight's growth modifier can gradually improve Defense, but only through later level-ups. If Strength grows poorly, use Merge Causality with the same character trained on another route to take each higher value. This improves stats without suddenly granting untrained weapons or spells to the current class.

Use High Savant against high-Defense enemies#

Another approach goes from Ornius Rider to Brigand to build Strength during the intermediate tier, then returns to Bardinger at the advanced tier before ending at High Savant. The final class retains cavalry mobility and can use swords and his strong Black Magic, letting him switch to spells against high-Defense enemies that resist physical attacks.

Train Sword B, Riding D, and Black Magic D together. Do not level exclusively with axes and leave the secondary requirements until you want to change class. The class unlock also requires completing Smyrnos's request after the second segment of the Promised One's story. Barge Through and At a Gallop+ still depend on cavalry. Check spell learning ranks and casting permissions separately; training White Magic does not automatically mean this class can use Resquia.

Bow cavalry uses pass-through movement to attack from afar#

The third path goes through Ornius Rider, Armored Ornius Rider, and Forest Knight, then ends at Bow Knight. He retains his mounted pass-through movement, and switching to bows lets him find safer attack positions, reducing how often a unit with low Defense and Resistance must fight at close range. Prepare Bow B and Riding D before changing to Forest Knight, then continue toward Bow A. Plan his Axe investment in advance as well.

This build also proposes reaching Axe S, mastering The Eternal for Divine Might, then returning to mounted archery for more Strength. Divine items and mastery cost extra resources, and Divine Might requires completed mastery. For accuracy, briefly master Archer for Crescendo, but its Hit stacks require kills. Do not calculate the first shot at full stacks.

Combat Arts improve Hit and stats in different ways#

For swords, Wrath Strike grants Might +4 and Hit +10; Tiger Slash targets cavalry; Flash Blow has a chance equal to half his Dexterity to add 5 Attack when attacking. For spears, Tempest Spear grants Might +4 and Hit +10; Armored Blow grants Protection +3 after defeating a foe until the next player phase, but cannot make follow-up attacks.

For axes, Spike grants Might +4 and Hit +10; Enrage grants Strength +1 after combat, up to +5 per map; Battleblade Strike grants Dexterity +2 after combat, up to +10; and StrSpike grants Might +12 and Hit +10. Gauntlets also offer the high-Hit Mighty Fist and the armor-effective Crush Armor. A physical main path does not need to train every weapon just to equip every move.

He can also learn Knightly Senses, Read the Winds, Flitting Flier, Defensive Formation, Counter Cavalry, Timely Guard, and Armored Move. Their conditions differ, including spear or bow enemies, initiating as a flier, and armor. Do not count all of them after changing classes. Magic includes 8 uses of Thunder and 15 uses of Laia, but this physical route does not need to switch to mage for them.

Recruitment preparation on all four routes#

Part 1 story	Starting chapter	Support	Renown
Cai	Chapter 3	1	6
Dietrich	Chapter 4	2	5
Theodora	Chapter 5	3	5
Leda	Chapter 4	3	10

Prepare axes for negotiation. Cai and Dietrich routes require two Bronze Axe; Theodora and Leda routes require three Iron Axe according to their route lists. All are sold at the capital armory. Meet the bond and Renown thresholds, then complete negotiation. Reaching the chapter alone is not enough; all conditions must be ready.

Give books and discuss caring for Ornius#

He likes valuing moral principles and caring for Ornius. He especially likes Saraminian Sweets, Strategy Manuscript, and History of a Master; likes Sharp Fishhook, Village Recipes, The Knight's Suitors, Kitten Figurine, Sturdy Rucksack, Training Bracelet, Training Weights, and Wing Fletching; and somewhat likes Garum, Common Coffee, Simple Pastries, and Alecto Garum. These build Support, but you still need to prepare the negotiation weapons separately.

Site guides

Verdict in brief

Take Nydine through Forest Knight and Bow Knight to keep cavalry pass-through and terrain mobility. Find a safe firing tile before moving past units blocking the way.

Her terrain-cost reduction improves at level 35. She excels at taking alternate routes, but low Defense and Resistance mean she still needs a safe destination behind enemy lines.

Training route by stage#

Part 1: train Bow early#

From Ornius Rider to Forest Knight

1. 1
   Use Ornius Rider from her joining state.

   If eligibility is still needed, it requires level 5, Riding E+, Axe or Spear D, and beginner certification. Fight with her existing Axe skill first. Use an available mount the class can ride instead of counting an uncaught rare mount toward her performance.
2. 2
   At level 20, Riding D, and Axe or Spear C, take the Armored Ornius Rider exam.

   Continue the mounted route for her later mobility role. A mount with Strength growth is preferable; compare the bonuses of mounts you already own.
3. 3
   Prepare Bow B early for Forest Knight at level 35.

   Do not train only Axe and reach level 35 short of Bow ranks. Forest Knight requires Bow B, Riding D, and advanced eligibility. It retains mounted movement while bows reduce exposure to melee attacks. A double-hit bow art is a later damage goal; prepare it according to her actual Bow learning progress.

Another approach trains Axe heavily early to improve Strength later. Aim toward Axe S before level 35 while keeping Bow B. Bow B qualifies for Forest Knight; Axe S prepares a Part 3 detour through The Eternal for Divine Might mastery. For accuracy, master Archer for Crescendo before returning to a mount. Its Hit bonus needs kills to build stacks.

Train her current weapon and the bow she will need later first. Add Axe S when you have room.

Part 2: reposition with Forest Knight#

Use Forest Knight once eligible. Otherwise, keep the current mounted class. Train Bow toward A for Bow Knight later. With low Defense and Resistance, go around blocked paths and shoot from a safe flank.

Skill stage	Terrain movement-cost reduction	Restrictions
Level 20	-1, minimum cost 1	Cavalry only
Level 35 upgrade	-2, minimum cost 1	Cavalry only; terrain still costs movement

Barge Through is cavalry-only too. Against chariots or large enemies, check whether the movement range actually passes through them before choosing a destination. Use it to reposition through units in narrow passages, but check movement range for other obstacles.

Part 3: mounted archery or Resquia#

Keep mounted archery as the main route. At level 45, Bow A, and Riding D, take Bow Knight after rebuilding Kalla's temple and finishing its quest in segment 3. If Forest Knight already works well, check whether damage is sufficient before switching. If Axe S is already trained, obtain Scales of Judgement in segment 4 and briefly master The Eternal for Divine Might's Strength +10, then free the slot. Without Axe S, her existing mobility skills still work.

Another option uses Valkyrium for Resquia. Train White Magic to A to learn Resquia first. At level 45, Riding D, and Black or White Magic A, switch to Valkyrium after the Jurah temple quest in segment 3. The extra White Magic training gives her mobile transport for slower allies.

Another approach uses Cai-route Caladrius, then High Savant. Caladrius requires level 35, Black Magic B, Riding D, and Castor's instruction on Cai's route. In Part 3, High Savant requires level 45, Sword B, Black Magic D, Riding D, and the Smyrnos Temple side quest. Develop an Ornius mount early, then switch to a horse later. This is a separate magical cavalry investment. High Savant has no White Magic access, so it cannot retain the rescue job.

Switching to flying loses cavalry-only pass-through and terrain benefits. Neither mounted nor flying units can be assigned Battalions, so calculate benefits for the current route. See Battalion assignment restrictions.

Leave a safe firing tile after passing through#

Find a safe tile after attacking before using pass-through and reduced terrain costs to reach it. Pass allies blocking the way to shoot from another side, or reposition the party with Resquia. Keep the destination clear of enemy groups. On reclassing, check the cavalry tag, current weapon, and White Magic access.

Recruitment#

Give gifts to open Bond first, then prepare axes for the route's Renown and negotiation requirements. Cai and Dietrich require two Bronze Axes; Theodora and Leda require three Iron Axes. See the Nydine recruitment page for details.

Check skill restrictions before reclassing#

• Flying cannot use cavalry pass-through. Check unit-type restrictions before reclassing.
• Low defenses mean avoiding concentrated attacks. Use mobility to find safe destinations.
• Train Bow B early for Forest Knight. Add Axe S if you can spare the training.
• High Savant cannot use Resquia. It lacks White Magic access. Use a mounted Resquia class for rescues.