Brave Ike

• Preferred IV: +ATK or +SPD or +DEF / -RES or -HP
• Weapon: Urvan
• Assist: Reposition
• Special: Aether
• Passive A: Steady Breath
• Passive B: Quick Riposte / Guard / Beorc's Blessing
• Passive C: Threaten Def / Varies
• Sacred Seal: Close Def / Quick Riposte

This build changes very little of Brave Ike's base kit, and for good reason: it's incredibly effective. With the simple addition of Quick Riposte, Ike becomes an incredibly resilient KO machine.

The main reason Brave Ike is so resilient is his unique weapon, Urvan. 80% damage reduction on consecutive hits means that not only are brave weapons completely negated as a threat, but also that ranged damage dealers have a very difficult time killing him. Keep in mind that Urvan is not foolproof; if Ike takes too much damage from the first hit, it's possible that he'll either be KO'd from the second hit (even through the 80% reduction), or simply be KO'd in one hit (such as if he's hit by a high Attack red mage such as Sanaki or Lilina, particularly if they have Triangle Adept).

Steady Breath is the other reason that Brave Ike is so deceptively bulky. In addition to the +4 Defense, he also gains an additional Special charge for each attack (the enemy's as well as his own) when initiated on. This means that when combined with Quick Riposte, Ike will always be able to activate Aether, even if he is not getting doubled (this is why +SPD IV is good). It also contributes to Ike completely shutting down all melee Brave weapon users; when a melee Brave weapon user initiates onto him, he gets 80% damage reduction on the second hit, and instantly charges Aether (even at full cooldown) thanks to the additional charges from Steady Breath.

Ike's B slot is based mostly on preference. No matter what, he needs Quick Riposte, as his Speed is too low to reliably double otherwise; if it isn't run in his B slot, then it must be run as his sacred seal. If running the Quick Riposte seal, then choose between Guard and Beorc's Blessing. Guard significantly improves Ike's matchups versus units that rely on Special activations for their damage, such as units running Moonbow or Bold Fighter armor units. Keep in mind that even with Guard, Ike will have issues fighting strong red units such as Ayra and Zelgius, as Weapon Triangle Advantage will allow them to power through even without a Special activation. Beorc's Blessing is Brave Ike's native B skill, and is useful for keeping fliers and cavalry in check by preventing them from abusing their synergistic buffs. However, he can struggle to make effective use of it due to the strongest cavalry units being ranged (such as Reinhardt and Brave Lyn), while the strongest fliers tend to utilize Firesweep weapons (such as Cordelia, Tana, and New Year Camilla).

Threaten Def is a solid skill that can garner Ike some extra KOs on bulky units with the proper positioning. However, it is easily the least critical skill in this build, and can freely be swapped out for another skill that suits the team.

For seals, Close Def works very well if running Quick Riposte in Ike's B slot, as it significantly improves his bulk versus the melee units he is specialized in handling. However, if not running Quick Riposte in Ike's B slot, then it will need to be run it as his seal.

• Preferred IV: +ATK / -HP or -RES
• Weapon: Urvan
• Assist: Reposition
• Special: Aether / Ignis / Bonfire
• Passive A: Steady Breath
• Passive B: Wrath
• Passive C: Threaten Def / Varies
• Sacred Seal: Quick Riposte / Quickened Pulse

Although this is a defensive build in that it functions as an Enemy Phase oriented build, it is significantly more aggressive than the first build. This build is based around maximizing the potential of Brave Ike's Special activations.

The choice of Aether, Ignis, and Bonfire is dependent on the amount of team support Ike has available. With Aether, he is going to want -2 cooldown, meaning that either the team must include two allies with Infantry Pulse, or Brave Ike must run the Quickened Pulse seal along with one ally with Infantry Pulse. He only needs -1 cooldown for Ignis, so either a single ally with Infantry Pulse or just the Quickened Pulse seal will suffice. Ike does not require any support if running Bonfire. The difference between the three specials is that Aether provides healing on top of the damage, Ignis deals maximum damage, and Bonfire deals the most consistent damage (it will stay at 2 cooldown even after the first activation, allowing the combo to be done multiple times, or even activate Bonfire multiple times in a single combat).

The reason that Aether and Ignis require cooldown reduction is that ideally, Brave Ike's Special cooldown will be two at the start of combat, so that when he gets initiated on, he will instantly activate his Special thanks to Steady Breath. When combined with Wrath, this can be an incredibly devastating combo, as the +10 bonus damage leads to him often outright KOing most units in a single hit.

Wrath is the centerpiece of this build, as the +10 bonus damage on Special activations significantly increases Ike's damage output to the point that he can often KO enemies in a single hit with a Special. -HP is a particularly good bane for this build, as the lower HP makes it easier to enter Wrath range in the first place.

Ike's seal is dependent upon the chosen Special and the level of Infantry Pulse support he receives from his allies. If he doesn't need the Quickened Pulse seal to hit 2 cooldown on his chosen special, then Quick Riposte is the best choice as it allows Ike to still have a strong damage-dealing presence even without his Specials. Aether has particularly good synergy with Wrath and Quick Riposte; the extra damage from Wrath results in more potential healing, which can result in Ike re-entering Quick Riposte range. The downside is that two allies must provide Infantry Pulse support, which is a hefty cost for team-building considerations.