Gharnef

• Weapon: Imhullu
• Assist: Reposition
• Special: Bonfire / Iceberg / Moonbow
• Passive A: Fort Def/Res /Fury / Mirror Stance
• Passive B: Chill Atk
• Passive C: Spd Ploy / Flexible
• Sacred Seal: Quick Riposte / Res Ploy / Distant Def

Gharnef’s unique tome, Imhullu, has an interesting effect in that it doesn’t really do much outside of a specific turn (turn 3). As a result, Gharnef is best delegated to a support role while wielding it as his combat performance isn’t particularly impressive otherwise.

Gharnef’s choice of Special is dependent on player choice. Bonfire and Iceberg will do nearly the same amount of damage due to Gharnef’s defenses being nearly identical while wielding Imhullu. They are best utilized if using the Quick Riposte Seal in order to ensure that Gharnef will be able to double. However, if Gharnef is able to avoid getting doubled then Bonfire/Iceberg will not activate. This is more likely to happen if Gharnef is able to land Spd Ploy and/or receives buff support from his team; in this case, Moonbow is the best choice.

Fort Def/Res is a high-investment choice that capitalizes on Gharnef’s decent bulk while also boosting his Resistance high enough that he can be a suitable candidate to use Ploys. If Fort Def/Res is unavailable, then Fury is a good budget option since it also increases his Resistance for Ploys. Otherwise, Gharnef’s base Mirror Stance is acceptable, though it makes him a poor user of Ploys; it’s best to use a different C skill (and possibly Seal) in this case.

Chill Atk and Spd Ploy are both fantastic debuffs that can both increase Gharnef’s own combat capabilities as well as offer team support. Spd Ploy can easily be swapped out for any other C skill to suit the team, however. For Seals, Quick Riposte is excellent for ensuring that Gharnef can double if he ever gets into combat; otherwise, a Ploy like Res Ploy is a good option. If Ploys are not being used, then Distant Def is a good choice to make Gharnef even more tanky against ranged threats.

• Weapon: Rauðrblade+
• Assist: Reposition / Ardent Sacrifice
• Special: Glimmer / Draconic Aura
• Passive A: Atk/Spd Solo / Fury / Swift Sparrow / Life and Death / Brazen Atk/Spd
• Passive B: Desperation / Swordbreaker / Chill Atk
• Passive C: Odd Spd Wave / Flexible
• Sacred Seal: Speed +3 / Heavy Blade / Flashing Blade

Statwise, Gharnef is fairly similar to Tharja; he has slightly less Attack and no access to IVs, but does have slightly higher bulk. This means that he can run a standard Blade tome set for maximum damage output. Any Assist skill will work, but Ardent Sacrifice may be worth considering to more safely drop Gharnef’s HP to reach thresholds for skills like Brazen Atk/Spd or Desperation.

Glimmer is an excellent Special for Blade tome users due to its damage scaling off the bonus damage gained from buffs. Alternatively, Draconic Aura is a bit more reliable at the cost of having a higher cooldown; it’s best paired with either the Heavy Blade or Flashing Blade Seals to help mitigate this.

Gharnef’s A skill is very important source of stats for a Blade tome build. Atk/Spd Solo is generally the best option for offensive units due to offering a strong +6/+6 boost to Attack and Speed with little downside - the lack of adjacency requirement is easy to meet for an offensive unit. Fury is a good budget option that also works well with Gharnef’s decent bulk by bolstering it further. Swift Sparrow is a decent option if available since Gharnef doesn’t really need the extra bulk from Fury to survive a single hit from most non-blue enemies. Life and Death or Brazen Atk/Spd are both aggressive options that are best combined with Ardent Sacrifice in order to safely circumvent their downsides, both of which make it significantly more dangerous for Gharnef during his first combat.

Desperation is the standard B skill for Blade tome sets to maximize offensive power. Alternative options include Swordbreaker to help ensure doubles against speedy sword units (watch out for units with instant Specials like Ayra or Zelgius as they can easily KO Gharnef in one hit) or Gharnef’s base Chill Atk for a bit more utility.

Gharnef’s C skill is entirely up to preference, but the Wave skills such as Odd Spd Wave are fantastic for ensuring that he has access to buffs to fuel his Blade tome.

For Seals, Speed +3 is always a good choice as most of Gharnef’s damage output depends on him being able to double his opponents. Heavy Blade or Flashing Blade are both decent options if wanting to run a higher cooldown Special like Draconic Aura.