Does anyone really do castle defense as a challenge, or is it relevant only for the skills? I'm in the home stretch of my NG Conquest Luna run and for Rev I was planning on making a team for actual challenge but I feel like it would be a waste if no one would play it.
Speaking of which, what are peoples thoughts on a Kana that recovers 100% HP each turn when seated on the throne? She would have Even Better, Better Odds, Renewal, Grisly Wound, and Wary Fighter, and be in a tome wielding class for both Horse Spirit and 1-2 range. EB/BO + Renewal recovers 70%, and the throne the other 30%. GW makes the need for offense irrelevant bc 20% HP reduction upon engagement, and Wary Fighter helps with bulk.
Tank Kana is very solid, personally I ran Sol / Renewal / Wary Fighter / Good Fortune / Hoshidan Unity in my Birthright file, and she just wouldn't die.
OK, something I copied from Game FAQs during Awakening, let's discuss pairings, starting with Sophie. As one of the 4 kids you can always get, I thought I'd start with her. We are judging these pairings in a vacuum, so how it affects other possible children is irrelevant. Looking at mods, stats and classes. We're ignoring Corrin as (s)he can pass anything.
S Rank - The best pairings, Corrin notwithstanding
A Rank - Excellent pairing, can't go wrong
B Rank - Good pairing, viable but you can do better
C Rank - Not a bad pair, but not especially good either
D Rank - Cripples the kid, or is totally useless
Sophie's base classes
Base Classes: Cavalier, Great Knight, Paladin, Mercenary, Hero, Bow Knight
Base Skills: Elbow Room, Shelter, Luna, Armoured Blow, Defender, Aegis, Good Fortune, Strong Riposte, Sol, Axebreaker, Rally Skill, Shurikenbreaker
Azura!Sophie
Mods: +2 Str, +1 Mag, +4 Skl & Spe, -2 Def
New Classes: Sky Knight, Kinshi Knight, Falcon Knight
New Skills: Darting Blow, Camaraderie, Air Superiority, Amaterasu, Rally Speed, Warding Blow
Special Inheritance: Luck +4, Inspiring Song, Voice of Peace, Foreign Princess
Sophie can jump right into Sky Knight since she's already C Rank in Lances. Very nice skill and speed, and good strength too. Defence takes a hit, but Armoured Blow can mitigate that somewhat. She also gets some useful AoE skills in Voice of Peace and Amaterasu. Oh, and she can also use Dragon Veins.
A Rank
Felicia!Sophie
Mods: +3 Mag & Skl, +2 Spe, +1 Res
New Classes: Troubadour, Strategist, Butler
New Skills: Resistance +2, Demoiselle, Rally Resistance, Inspiration, Live to Serve, Tomebreaker
Talk about square peg in round hole. Felicia's magic based mods clash badly with Silas's physical ones, and Sophie would rather be attacking than Healing. Having to start from E Rank in Staves, Tomes and Hidden Weapons doesn't help either. The best skill you get from this pairing is Tomebreaker. Pretty medicore pairing tbh.
C Rank
Mozu!Sophie
Mods: +2 Str & Spe, +1 Mag, Lck & Def, +4 Skl, -2 Def
New Classes: Villager, Master of Arms, Merchant
New Skills: Aptitude, Underdog, Seal Strength, Life and Death, Profiteer, Spendthrift
Special Inheritance: Skill +2, Quick Draw, Certain Blow, Bowfaire, Air Superiority, Amaterasu
Oh yeah, now we're talking! Good mods all round (apart from defence) and some great skills to boot. Sophie's just fine in Villager since she has C Rank in Lances already, and with Aptitude she can quickly become very powerful. Master of Arms is a solid class for her, as she's already C rank in 2 out of the 3 weapons it uses. Seal Strength combos nicely with her unique skill. Life and Death is risky, especially without Vantage, although Armoured Blow can negate it. The Merchant class isn't really worth it. Mozu can even pass Bowfaire, which Sophie can use as a Bow Knight.
S Rank easily
Hinoka!Sophie
Mods: +3 Str, +2 Spe, Skl & Res
New Classes: Sky Knight, Kinshi Knight, Falcon Knight
New Skills: Darting Blow, Camaraderie, Air Superiority, Amaterasu, Rally Speed, Warding Blow
Special Inheritance: Seal Defence, Swap, Seal Speed, Lancefaire, Rend Heaven, Quixotic
No negative mods, although none of them are especially good. She passes Sky Knight like Azura, but the main thing Hinoka has is the Spear Fighter skills. Lancefaire is the best one, she can use it in 4 out of 6 of her final classes. If you don't want to put her in a Lance using class, Quixotic's also a solid option to boost the activation rate of her natural Aegis, Sol and Luna. She can use Dragon Veins as well.
S Rank
Sakura!Sophie
Mods: +2 Str, Skl & Spe, +3 Mag
New Classes: Shrine Maiden, Priestess, Onmyoji
New Skills: Miracle, Rally Luck, Renewal, Counter Magic, Rally Magic, Tomefaire
Special Inheritance: Darting Blow, Camaraderie, Air Superiority, Amaterasu, Rally Speed, Warding Blow
An odd pairing, but better than you might think. No Negative mods, but no standout ones either. Sophie can make a surprisingly good Priestess, as she can use Bolt Naginata's right off the bat. Miracle could save her life in a pinch, while Renewal's useful to keep her alive longer. She can also inherit Amaterasu to be a great supporter who can still dish out good damage. She also gets Rally Speed, Skill, Luck and Magic, so she can be a Rallybot if you want. This pairing also lets you use Dragon Veins.
B Rank.