Desperation 3

This skill lets a unit perform follow up attacks in immediate succession, giving them an instant double attack as if they had a Brave weapon equipped. Like Brave weapons, Desperation is a powerful ability which can be used to circumvent annoying skills such as Distant Counter and Quick Riposte. There are two requirements for this skill: The user must be under 3/4 HP, and have enough speed to execute a follow-up attack naturally.

This skill is only useful on characters with high speed, as single attacks will not trigger this skill’s effects. High speed characters such as Linde, Nino and Setsuna are great candidates for the skill. Wielders of Blade tomes are excellent users, thanks to their high speed after buffs. Having a low max HP makes it easier to reach the activation threshold. Pairing up Desperation with Ardent Sacrifice or Reciprocal Aid can let the skill user reach the threshold without having to take damage themselves. This skill enables glass cannon melee units such as Hana to destroy foes without fear of retaliation. Desperation can be used to circumvent the negative effects from Life and Death, as it prevents the foe from counterattacking. Lastly, any skills that can help your unit score double attacks, such as Darting Blow and Threaten Spd, synergise well with Desperation. Make sure your team’s speed buffer is not the one using Desperation, as they will want the buff themselves.

Desperation has one main weakness: The health requirement, which can be tricky to activate during a battle. Desperation is good on glass cannons, who in turn can be KO’d easily thanks to their poor defenses. Having a user with Reciprocal Aid allows for another unit on your team (such as a tank) to fight, take damage and transfer that damage to the Desperation user. This also means that the skill is not ready to be used at the beginning of fights. When fighting a unit with this skill, remember that the AI will play around it poorly, often sending the unit to attack without thought for the skill’s activation. Enemies using the skill should be quickly eliminated with a powerful ranged attacker, or lured to a unit with Distant Counter before they reach the HP threshold. And lastly, skills such as Seal Spd and Threaten Spd can prevent them from double attacking entirely. A strong enough unit with Vantage is a good way to avoid the effects of Desperation.