Halloween Jakob

• Preferred IVs: +ATK / -SPD
• Weapon: Brave Bow+ / Firesweep Bow+
• Assist: Swap
• Special: Ignis / Bonfire / Aether / Moonbow
• Passive A: Death Blow / Sturdy Blow
• Passive B: Bold Fighter
• Passive C: Def Ploy / Armor March / Varies with Team
• Sacred Seal: Attack +3 / Quickened Pulse / Def Ploy / Armored Boots

This is the set that turns Halloween Jakob into a complete monster, no pun intended. Thanks to the power of Bold Fighter, Jakob has guaranteed access to quad strikes whenever he attacks. Combine this with his high Attack and the increased Special charge, and the result is a build that very few units will be able to survive.

Brave Bow is the weapon of choice for maximum damage, due to the guaranteed quad strike granting massive damage output on top of Special activations. However, Firesweep Bow is an acceptable option to negate any chance of Jakob dying should the enemy manage to survive the first two attacks.

Ignis is standard for this set; it will activate on Jakob’s third attack, and is incredibly hard to survive due to the massive damage output it entails. Bonfire is a strong alternative option, particularly if paired with the Quickened Pulse seal and Brave Bow for an instant Bonfire activation on the second hit. Bonfire has the additional benefit of allowing Jakob to break through enemies with Guard. Aether is generally an inferior option to Ignis and Bonfire, but the added healing can help Jakob sustain if he’s fighting a series of particularly tanky enemies. Moonbow will allow Jakob to activate his Special every other attack; while this is devastatingly strong, it does lack the superior burst capabilities of Ignis or Bonfire.

Death Blow is better than Sturdy Blow for raw damage output, but Sturdy Blow helps increase Jakob’s tankiness as he attacks. The damage loss isn’t particularly extreme, as Ignis or Bonfire’s damage will also increase from the extra Defense.

As a ranged armor unit, Jakob isn’t nearly as reliant on Armor March in order to engage enemies. The debuff from Def Ploy results in a significant damage increase, as it is effectively +5 additional damage per hit - up to +20 damage on a quad strike. Jakob’s good Resistance stat makes him a strong user of Def Ploy; however, his C skill can be replaced as needed to fit the team composition.

• Preferred IVs: +ATK / -SPD
• Weapon: Slaying Bow+ (+Def) or (+Res)
• Assist:Swap
• Special: Ignis / Glimmer / Moonbow
• Passive A: Close Counter / Atk/Def Bond / Atk/Res Bond
• Passive B: Bold Fighter
• Passive C: Def Ploy / Armor March / Varies with team
• Sacred Seal: Quick Riposte

For a more balanced approach, this build offers Jakob the ability to be devastatingly powerful on both phases. The combination of Bold Fighter and Quick Riposte, exclusive to armored units, allows them to guarantee doubles on both phases regardless of Speed.

Slaying Bow reduces the cooldown on Ignis to 3, allowing Jakob to activate it on his second attack on either phase. The choice of refine is mostly up to preference; +Def will result in better physical bulk and improved Ignis damage, while +Res will result in better magical bulk and improved Ploy capabilities.

Glimmer or Moonbow are good alternative options to Ignis if favoring consistent damage output over big bursts of damage. Although they will unfortunately result in the increased Special charges from Bold Fighter being wasted, running Glimmer or Moonbow will allow Jakob to retaliate with a Special activation twice when initiated on.

Close Counter is very useful to maximize Jakob’s ability to deal with any and all enemies; his strong mixed bulk allows him to easily take on melee threats as well as ranged. Alternatively, both Atk/Def Bond and Atk/Res Bond can be useful by improving his stats on both phases. The choice between the two Bond skills is up to also up to preference, with the same reasoning as the choice of refine on the Slaying Bow.

• Preferred IV: +ATK or +DEF or +RES / -SPD
• Weapon: Guard Bow+ (+Def) or (+Res) / Monstrous Bow (+Def) or (+Res)
• Assist: Swap
• Special: Ignis / Glacies / Bonfire / Iceberg
• Passive A: Close Counter / Distant Def / Svalinn Shield
• Passive B: Vengeful Fighter / Wary Fighter / Guard
• Passive C: Atk Ploy / Def Ploy / Varies with team
• Sacred Seal: Close Def / Distant Def / Quick Riposte

As an armored unit with good mixed defenses, Jakob can run a variety of different builds to function as a tank. This set can range anywhere from budget to extremely high investment, with varying degrees of effectiveness.

Guard Bow’s Distant Def effect results in Jakob’s defenses getting exceptionally high against ranged threats. However, his base Monstrous Bow is functional for a tank setup. In either case, the choice of refine is mostly up to preference between +Def or +Res; the main difference is that +Def increases physical bulk and increases Bonfire damage, while +Res increases magical bulk, Iceberg damage, and Jakob’s ability to land Ploys. The choice between Ignis and Glacies (or Bonfire and Iceberg) is just a matter of picking the one that corresponds to which of Jakob’s Defense or Resistance is higher once accounting for all stat bonuses. If running Vengeful Fighter, then the 4 charge Specials (Ignis and Glacies) should be taken, otherwise the 3 charge specials (Bonfire and Iceberg) should be taken.

Close Counter may seem counterintuitive with a Guard Bow, but pairing them with the Close Def seal grants Jakob strong coverage against all types of damage. If preferred, Jakob can elect for Distant Def in his A slot and Sacred Seal, for a total of +18 Defense and Resistance against ranged attacks, making him incredibly resilient against them. Taking Svalinn Shield will prevent Jakob from countering against melee units, but will prevent them from being able to obliterate him with effective damage; this will allow him to tank them for extended periods of time, which can be very useful for protecting other armored teammates. It also has the added benefit of keeping him safe from Micaiah, whose ranged anti-armor tome is otherwise very dangerous.

Vengeful Fighter is a direct upgrade from  Quick Riposte, giving Jakob a larger HP threshold to maintain his ability to double, while also allowing him to run higher damage Specials thanks to the increased Special charge. On a budget, Wary Fighter will make Jakob even tankier by removing enemies’ ability to double him, at the cost of also significantly reducing Jakob’s damage output by also preventing him from doubling. Guard is an alternative option that can be paired with the Quick Riposte seal to deny enemy Specials - this can be a highly potent option when considering enemy armor units that may be running Bold Fighter.

Atk Ploy helps add to Jakob’s defensive capabilities, as debuffing enemies’ Attack will result in lower damage coming his way. Alternatively, Def Ploy will increase the damage output of Jakob and any other physical teammates. Both are good support options that make use of Jakob’s strong Resistance stat, but they can be replaced as needed to suit the team.

For seals, Close Def synergizes well with Close Counter to give Jakob very high defenses against all types of attacks, while Distant Def doubles down on his tankiness against ranged threats. The Quick Riposte seal should really only be considered if running Guard as Jakob’s B skill.