Builds and training techniques

Choose a build for your progress and party gaps

If stuck, catch up lagging units first. For intensive training, prepare classes and mounts before leveling.

You do not need level 99 before progressing. For one unit to hold enemies, consider Avoid, criticals, or armor. For smoother party actions, consider Dancer. Plan training around your current protagonist route and story part instead of working backward from an endgame setup.

Training builds#

Build	Core idea	Available route/part	First preparation
Ferghanan Horse Charioteer	Bond horses first, then amplify mount growth with two Charioteer horses	Main training in Cai’s Parts 1 and 2, change roles in Part 3; Io offers a starting-horse branch on other routes	Bow C/Riding D, Renown 4, bonds between the intended rider and individual horses; other routes cannot copy capture and feeding access directly
Dodge tank	Dodge attacks and kill on counterattacks	Depends on recruitable characters; Catania on Leda’s route is the example, with level-35 conditions especially important	Build Strength and Speed together; check actual Attack Speed gaps and range for each enemy. Flying does not directly receive terrain Avoid
Critical-hit lifesteal	A sword user who can kill heals through critical damage/kills	Obtain mastery on Dietrich’s route; use an ordinary sword setup in Part 2 until the gem is ready, whose timing is not fixed here	Myrmidon/Shido mastery; add Brigand/Warrior for low Strength and keep healing support until the gem is available
Dancer extra actions	Give your action to the most useful unit this turn	Leda’s Chapter 9 side quest in Part 1; no ordinary first-part Dancer on other routes; can change holders in Part 3	Sword/Bow foundation and eligibility; choose a safe destination first. One refresh gives two actions, two refreshes give three
Queen’s stone throws	Throw stones at range while healing restores HP	Theodora’s Parts 1 and 2; change to extra damage, mobility, or White Magic support in Part 3	Chapter 1 Earthen Throw, current healing uses, and Blaze Gauge; separate strengthened arts from Burst penalties
Armored Eshmel	Armored counterattacks can heal, backed by reliable damage reduction	Separate Part 3 training; no need to pretrain another unit for him in Part 1	Check starting proficiency, train Heavy Armor/Riding and Spear/Axe eligibility, then obtain Intercept from Castle Knight
Armored dodge tank	Build Speed in the first two parts, then combine Avoid and Defense in Part 3	Leda’s Dancer or Lysander’s early route, then Great Knight in Part 3	High investment; keep the current class if requirements are short

General training techniques#

Guide	What to do first	Before and after the setup is ready
Level catch-up and fixed EXP	Give weaker units Linked Attacks and finishing blows; unfinished Cai instruction allows leaving enemies alive and retreating	Dietrich’s level-20 immobilization plus healing; catch-up also works in Part 3. Level 99 is not required to clear the game
Level-up previewing and level-up rigging	Keep a save, preview at the inn, reload, then take certification	Improve one stat on one character first. Cloud recovery after an accidental save is separate; certification is not an actual level-up
Borrowed skills and proficiency	Distinguish the three EXP tracks and choose the class to borrow from	Manually test survival and enemy endurance, then retreat after 15 rounds; return to the original class and equip mastery
Merge Causality	Use two routes to fill one weakness first; replaying is not necessary for a tiny gain	Complete Part 2 to update each record, then preview in Part 3. Free same-route replay updates are explained separately
Teaching Hidden Arts	Have Dietrich learn the art through its challenge before visiting the teaching temple	Smyrnos access in Chapter 7; recipient upgrades cost extra materials; teaching remains available in Part 3

Battalions, Gambits, and adjacent supports complement your current tactics. See Battalion assignment and dispatch and Gambit formations and adjacent supports.

Challenge runs#

The small-party Salvation challenge includes final-battle spoilers. Try it after learning the maps.