Part 1 character tiers: How range, sustain, and recruitment timing change team valueMajor spoilers

Original video: Fortune's Weave Part 1 character tier list; English-language gaming channel Jay Dunna.

Prioritize safe damage and reliable healing in Hard Part 1: Cai's mobility, Dietrich's follow-ups, and Sofia's healing Range directly solve battlefield problems. Support units gain different value as the team expands.

What matters on Hard in Part 1#

I have finished the first two parts with all four protagonists and am working through Part 3. This ranking mainly covers Part 1 on Hard, considering personal abilities, growths, spells, and recruitment timing. The growth rates on the stat screen already include the current class modifiers and change when you switch classes. You cannot count all of them as personal growths.

The same character can also perform very differently across runs. My Guzran was weak in one run and one of my strongest units in another. What I want to explain is which problems each character solves for the team, where they excel, and what holds them back.

Cai uses mobility to deliver mixed damage#

Cai's extra movement is excellent. Add a mount that increases movement, and you have far more freedom in choosing targets and where to stop afterward. I tried Armored Ornius Rider, cavalry, and Dragoon, and ended up really liking the Dragoon playstyle.

Unlike a pure Strength attacker, he benefits from both Strength and Magic. Use weapons against ordinary enemies, then Blaze Arts for magical damage against heavy armor. Area fire softens up a group before a chariot charges through to finish them, making for smooth teamwork.

He also has good black and white magic if you want a spellcasting route. First check which spells the class can cast, though. Caladrius can use black magic; that does not give it access to his white magic too. With mobility, mixed damage, and several class options, I give Cai S.

Cai's starting team attacks from safe range#

Peter gains 1 range when using bow Combat Arts. That is his biggest asset. Attacking from outside counterattack range is especially reassuring on Hard. His Strength is not great, but Dexterity and accuracy are reliable, and he handles fliers well. I give him high A in Part 1. His damage shortage becomes clearer later.

Tialla has Physic for support from the rear. Extra range on Combat Arts targeting allies also suits a Dancer build. The problem is her frailty: mine had 9 Defense at level 37 this run, so she needs protection. She can heal, but cannot casually take hits. B.

Ultand can heal adjacent allies after they fight and learns anti-undead white magic fairly early. Positioning her to use adjacent healing is more interesting than treating her only as a back-line mage. I initially placed her in B, then wanted to move her a little higher as I looked further ahead.

Guzran's random Hit, Avoid, or critical bonus is powerful, and sword classes can build further on critical hits. But mine had very low Resistance this run and was in danger against magic, putting him around B. Noctula suits Pugilist and an evasive off-tank role. Move into grass and make use of the post-combat Avoid bonus. That gives Cai an early frontliner. B.

Fast characters still need enough damage#

Alexandra has good Speed and Resistance and can fly over to pick off mages, but low Strength can mean two hits for zero damage each. Levin Sword lets her deal magical damage instead. She still needs to avoid enemies that can kill her in one hit. I put her in C.

Majide has very high Strength, but is slow and has low Resistance. His attack bonus when initiating also costs a large amount of Avoid, making mages very dangerous. Strength alone is not enough to make him a priority pick for me. D.

Nuzzuo concentrates more of his growths in Strength, Speed, and Dexterity, the stats he needs for damage, and effective attacks bring further bonuses. Recruit him early and invest seriously, and he is much stronger than I first expected. Nydine can pass through enemy positions and reposition more easily with a movement-boosting mount, but she still needs damage to turn that positioning into kills.

Jasmine's enemy-phase accuracy and counterattacking tools are useful. But for an armored role, I prefer Esmeralda's higher Strength, so she goes in D.

Leda grants extra actions and group buffs#

Leda does not have to deal the most damage herself. Surrounded by armored enemies? Give a mage another action. Fliers coming in? Give it to an archer. That is what makes a Dancer strong: whoever you need most right now gets to do more.

Her songs can also buff and heal multiple allies, while summons draw attacks and help the team retreat. By Part 3, one song can give a large group extra damage against undead. Add up all that extra damage, and it may exceed any one character's round of attacks. Cai delivers more immediately in Part 1, but Leda's contribution keeps growing as the team gets larger.

Leda's allies bring spells and sustain#

Buccar has damage reduction and armored movement, putting him in B. The real surprises on this team were Sirocco and Olympia.

Sirocco heals himself after combat, gains Avoid, and has good key stats apart from Strength. I prefer using him as a mage: he deals damage, handles fliers, and has Resquia and Warp in his white magic list. Dodge an attack, heal afterward, and his offense, defense, and support form one effective package. An easy S.

Olympia gains critical rate from equipping magic, with dedicated attack and critical bonuses stacking on top when she uses life-draining spells. She also learns Physic and has long-range attacks. I like Troubadour's mobility for easier positioning. S in Part 1. By Part 3, physical enemies can still kill her in one hit. Life drain only helps if she survives that hit first.

Mu needs care early, but becomes a strong fighter with training. A Pugilist build offers Strength and Avoid, often doubles, and rarely takes hits. I give high A. Catania turns an Attack Speed advantage into Hit, attack, and Avoid, offering a more complete package than Speed alone. B.

Midgame recruits face setup costs and competition#

Inyoni is the Strength-based archer I like. Equipping a bow provides Strength, and bow Combat Arts add more attack and critical rate. She hurts more than fliers: ordinary mages can also fall to one arrow. A.

Dante has support for nearby allies and Bolting, fitting a support mage role well. I like recruiting her every run, but the support bonuses are less reliable than I expected, keeping her below the strongest mages. Io's abilities require riding, yet the payoff is not distinctive enough. There are better options for the same role. Low D.

Loretta gains Avoid under an HP condition and extra damage at full HP, but lacks Strength and joins late. D. Fianna has a chance to conserve healing uses and restore extra HP. That sounds good, but when planning healing, I already choose a spell strong enough to cover the missing HP. I do not plan around an extra proc. C.

Zarcone hits reliably but lacks the damage an axe user should have. Low C. Kiroc gains attack and critical rate against enemies with status ailments, but I still lack a reliable way to apply them. Also C. Seteth can strike first on enemy phase and has fairly balanced stats, making him a more dependable frontliner later on.

Dietrich's team divides its roles clearly#

For the strongest pure damage dealer in Part 1, I choose Dietrich. His Strength, Speed, and Dexterity all work together, giving him frequent follow-ups and critical hits, and he can teleport. Repeatedly using his movement Blaze Art helps him find targets and gives healers HP to restore.

I prefer Esmeralda in an armored Pilum build. Reduced equipment weight makes Attack Speed easier to maintain. Armored movement helps her mobility, while Pilum adds Hit and attack, so she does not have to rely solely on close-range counters. High A.

Fabio's high Magic and three-tile black magic are excellent for attacking from outside counterattack range. I give him A. Let the early recruit Yang Jie handle healing with Physic, and Fabio can keep focusing on damage. Yang Jie brings clear sustain to this route, earning B above Mikaela. Mikaela also gets B for her close-range Hit and damage advantages.

Halvin can accumulate Hit attack by attack, but still lacks damage. Low B. Goliath has excellent Strength and Defense, but very low Speed and Resistance. More mages later on make him vulnerable, also putting him in low B. Benditz suits chariots, but his own damage is lacking. Chariots cannot evade. I would rather put Peter on one and use the extra tile of range to avoid counters, so Benditz gets low C.

Theodora's team supports while absorbing hits#

Theodora's greatest value is her durability. HP, Defense, and Resistance are all covered, and she has a chance to reduce damage further. She stays standing through hits that might kill someone else. Long-range throws give her more than melee attacks, and lining enemies up lets her hit multiple targets at once.

Bonaventure deals good spell damage himself, and adjacent Dexterity and Hit support helps his allies. When there is nothing else to do, Torch can build experience and provide vision on fog maps. A. Tobias hits very hard, especially later, but needs accuracy support. Equip him and position teammates to help with that so he can put his Strength to use. Also A.

Lilian gains extra damage once her Hit meets the requirement. B. Compared with Peter, she lacks the distinctive value of extra range. Lysander's stacking Speed on kills is powerful, but mine lacked Strength this run, leaving even follow-ups short on damage. B.

Ninae gains Hit and Avoid against magic and can help adjacent allies too. Her white magic includes Physic, and Guardian lets her heal while taking some hits. B in Part 1. Her support becomes easier to use later, when you have more units grouped together.

Sofia heals safely from farther away#

Nezha has a chance to gain damage when initiating and good Speed and Dexterity, but mine fell behind on damage later this run. B. Peppe needs enemies to be injured before some of his abilities work, and his Strength is lacking. C.

I give Sofia S. Extra healing is good, but healing range is what makes her hard to replace. Even ordinary healing works from farther away, and Physic becomes more convenient too. Protect her in the rear and your frontliners can still receive steady healing. As Hard progresses, safely restoring HP matters more and more. She can also keep leveling through healing alone.

Dadao gains attack when neither side makes a follow-up, so you need to build around that condition. B. Ursula's storage access is convenient, but her damage did not grow alongside her accuracy and Speed. I rank her below Lilian. Diego's chance to protect adjacent allies is too low, and mine also lacked Strength this run. C.

Late recruitment changes what the team needs#

Simon gains Luck after kills, working with his survival ability, but you cannot count on that survival effect triggering every time. B. Sha Lan can pull an ally back and then continue using support magic, and can give adjacent allies Speed. There are not that many situations where you need the pullback, though. C.

Jester arrives late, and mine lacked Strength and defenses this run, making him easy to lose in story battles. Ludia links initiating Attack Speed with follow-up evasion more smoothly, but her Strength is still low. B. Gaitz is awkward to recruit, and I have not used him enough yet. Hong Hua and Troy go around A, while Eshmel gets S.