Exalted Chrom

• Preferred IV: +ATK / -RES or -SPD

• Weapon: Brave Sword+
• Assist: Reposition / Reciprocal Aid
• Special: Moonbow / Luna / Draconic Aura / Dragon Fang / Aether / Galeforce

• Passive A: Death Blow 3 / Fury 3 / Heavy Blade 3
• Passive B: Chill Def 3 / Drag Back / Desperation 3
• Passive C: Cavalry Buff / Threaten Atk 3
• Sacred Seal: Heavy Blade 3 / Brash Assault 3 / Quickened Pulse

Aiming to maximize his player phase potential, Chrome tosses aside his signature Sealed Falchion in favor of the Brave Sword. Currently boasting the highest base attack out of any cavalry unit, Chrome makes good use out of the weapon, reaching an impressive 48 Atk. When paired with horse buffs and the right skills, it is possible for him to reach an astounding 60 Atk on initiation, turning him into one of the most fearsome Brave Sword users in the game.

An ATK boon is optimal and is what makes this build so strong. In general, it’s the best boon for any brave build, effectively granting you 6 extra damage on initiation. A RES bane is preferred to preserve Chrome’s overall physical bulk but a SPD boon is also workable, since the -5 Spd penalty from the Brave Sword ensures he isn’t going to quad and will get doubled way more often. If you choose to run a Brash Assault / Desperation build, then Spd is definitely not needed and can be lowered with little consequence.

Reposition is just an all around good skill to have, however the player may choose whichever skill fits their playstyle best. Reciprocal Aid is not a bad option, allowing Chrome to more easily reach Brash Assault / Desperation Range.

For the Special Skill, Moonbow is run due to its synergy with Heavy Blade, being a two charge special that can instantly proc on any initiation which Heavy Blade activates on. Luna, Draconic Aura or Dragon Fang can be run for a more potent damage boost, and Galeforce may also be considered running if using Heavy Blade and/or Quickened Pulse. If no other option is available, Aether works just fine.

For Chrome’s A slot, Death Blow is the best choice, giving him the highest odds at activating the Heavy Blade Sacred Seal and overall improving his damage output. Fury is still good as a budget A skill and helps him to survive and potentially reach Brash Assault / Desperation range. If you happen to have an Ike in reserve, then giving Chrome Heavy Blade in the A slot leaves room for other Sacred Seals.

In the B slot, his default Chill Def is actually very strong, giving him an effective 14 extra damage against the enemy unit with the highest Def. That difference in damage can mean the difference between life and death - for both player and enemy. This is especially true when Chrome is pitted against high Def enemy phase units, who are capable of surviving and retaliating with even heavier damage. If the player chooses to run another skill, Drag Back is recommended to help Chrome get out of harms way after an initiation, or as mentioned before, Desperation can be run in tandem with Brash Assault for absolute annihilation.

The C slot is flexible, dependant on whatever works best for the player. Cavalry Buffs on cavalry teams are much enjoyed by Chrome, particularly Hone Buffs as it gives him a massive spike in damage. Threaten Atk is used on regular emblem teams to help Chrome survive and more easily activate Heavy Blade.

Finally, for the Sacred Seal slot, Heavy Blade is the best choice as it is has great synergy with Death Blow and helps charge Special Skills quickly thanks to Brave Sword. Again, Brash Assault is run instead to do the quad combo, and if running Heavy Blade in the A Slot, Quickened Pulse is run to work with stronger special skills such as Luna or Galeforce.

I just realized how devastating this setup could be assuming an IV that isn't -Atk or -Spd. 65/40 in Atk and Spd without seals and buffs at 75% is very, very scary, even destroying the bulky units. Reciprocal Aid is there just in case Chrome can trade HP to hit Desperation range right away.

Preffered IV Spreaded: +atk +def/ -res-spd

- Weapon: Sealed Falchion

- Assist: Reposition / Draw back

-Special: Aether / Ignis /Bonfire

-Passive A: Distant Counter/ Fury 3

-Passive B: Quick Riposte/ Renewal

-Passive C: Varies on team

This build basically makes him a tank for any team. With distance counter, QR and heavy blade to trigger his special faster which will you get back into 100% HP threshold so he can maximise the strength of Sealed Falchion. If you don't want to use QR you can use renewal which won't be as effective as QR but instead you can run fury 3 or even death blow 3.

As for assists skills you can use reciprocal aid, to get into the 100% threshold or vantage range. If you like run a movement one such as reposition and draw back. For specials aether being the best when paired with heavy blade seal but you can also run something like bonfire which can open up your seal slot to QR and your B skill to renewal or vantage.

* Preferred IV: +ATK or +Def / -Res
* Weapon: Sealed Falchion
* Assist: Swap / Reposition
* Special: Aether / Bonfire
* Passive A: Fury
* Passive B: Quick Riposte / Chill Defense
* Passive C: Hone Cavalry / Various
* Sacred Seal: Close Defense / Quick Riposte / Heavy Blade

The build aims to capitalize on Chrom's exceptional offensive and defense prowess, and shines when used in a Cavalry Emblem team where he can stack buffs.

For his weapon, Sealed Falchion is an excellent Legendary Weapon, and the +5 to all stats when below 100% HP is part of what pushes his offense and defense so high. It's also easy to activate since Fury causes after combat damage. Your first hit may not be fully buffed, but you can be assured that future hits are.

Reposition and Swap are standard movement options, though you can also use other Assists like Draw Back or Pivot.

Aether is the Special of choice. It provides extra damage and the heal helps him tank longer. It doesn't matter if Aether fully heals him either, since Fury will damage him after combat, allowing him to keep his Sealed Falchion buff. Bonfire also works well since Exalted Chrom has a solid base Defense of 34, and can be boosted through Fortify Cavalry and his Sealed Falchion.

Fury is what keeps his Sealed Falchion active, with the after combat damage preventing him from reaching full health. Brazen Attack/Defense is another option since it will further boost his bulk, while Heavy Blade works to increase his offense through a faster charging Aether. Still, Fury will be the best option for the always active boost to stats and the after combat chip damage.

Quick Riposte is chosen because Exalted Chrom isn't the fastest at base. Fury, Hone Cavalry, and Sealed Falchion will boost it up to 42 with a neutral IV, and while it may allow him to avoid doubles from fast units like Ayra and Mia depending on their build, he wouldn't be able to double them himself without Quick Riposte on the enemy phase. If using Quick Riposte as a Seal, then Chill Defense is still a great skill, and can aid Exalted Chrom in dealing with tanky Dragon comps.

C should be a Cavalry buff if you want to use him a Cavalry team, or you could run with a Tactic skill if using a mixed team comp. Threaten Skills are also good options.

Close Defense Seal is chosen because it further increases his tankiness, and reinforces the idea of Exalted Chrom being an enemy phase tank by boosting his Defense to 54 with Fury, Sealed Falchion, and Fortify Cavalry. The extra Resistance provided by the Seal will also help him take a hit from a Dragon, especially when paired with Fury, Sealed Falchion, and Fortify Cavalry buffs, reaching 33 Resistance with a -Res IV. If planning on running a more offensive build, consider using Quick Riposte as your Seal and keeping Chill Defense as your B, or go with Chill Defense and Heavy Blade for more Aether procs.

This build capitalizes on Chrom's unique Sealed Falchion, and its buffing properties when below a certain health threshold. With this set, the magic number here is getting him below 75% HP. From there, he reaches 68 attack and 40 speed with no buffs, which on its own is extremely scary, enough to damage even some of the bulkiest units, and to at the very least avoid doubles from most arena units as well. Desperation makes use of his massive new speed buff, and allows him to strike twice. The Heavy Blade seal is used to speed along Draconic Aura, which further makes use of his brutally high attack stat. Speed Smokes gives him easy double hit capability, even against swift attacks like Ayra.