Engaging Fire Emblem: Hortensia’s best designs

Throughout the Fire Emblem series, there have been many attempts by developers to allow healers to do more. Healers usually start with a class that is limited to healing sticks, and then eventually can branch out with their upgraded class. Usually, this promotion involves unlocking tomes and in a few cases axes, swords, and spears. Fire Emblem: Engage takes another approach to the Martial Monk-class healers, but even those outside of the new class bring something new to the table.

Related: Fire Emblem Engagement: The best skills to inherit

Hortensia uses the typical combo of sticks and binders but brings her personal skills and class skills to shake things up. Joining your team in Chapter 14, Hortensia is the healing-focused counterpart of her sister Ivy. As one of the later recruits, Princess Elusia II needs to bring something unique to compete with your existing team members, so here’s why you should consider her right away.

Growth rates

Hortensia’s stats are strange. Her stellar resistance is somewhat nullified by the game’s lowest HP growth, and her incredible speed forces her to use only her average magic. However, Hortensia’s unique traits make it worth using regardless of its odd stat distribution. Since she will focus on healing, her speed and magic are more than enough to dispatch the occasional low resistance target, while her size, while shaky, is more than enough to outrun most witches thanks to her high speed. Finally, while her skill isn’t chart-topping, it’s more than enough to take advantage of her personal skill in class.

Related: Fire Emblem Engage: The best personal skills

The best seasons

Like many of the Engage royals, Hortensia’s personal class is powerful enough to not even consider the other classes. Sleipnir Rider’s skill is the World Tree, a skill that sometimes allows the user to not consume a durability point when using a staff. Combined with her great Personal skill, which provides +1 range when wielding sticks, this makes Hortensia the ideal candidate for all types of sticks.

Furthermore, Sleipnir Rider grants Hortensia an S proficiency in sticks, giving her access to sticks unavailable to any other class. All of these attributes combine to create an extremely versatile unit with access to unparalleled utility options, all while blasting in and out with 6 moves and accessing terrain that is only for flight.

The best weapons

While Hortensia stuck with a laughably low 5 build, she rarely feels any downsides from this. Since the sticks have no weight stat, and their attacking targets will consist primarily of low-speed shields, they can utilize their impressive speed stats without worry. Other than a Fire or Wind Tome to attack, Hortensia will want to fill its inventory with sticks that best suit your strategy and situation.

If you enjoy playing hard, the rescue crew will allow it to tow your unit to safety. If you prefer to take it slow, the Obstruct can block the movement of enemies for a turn. By the time you recruit Hortensia, you’ll have access to plenty of these tools, so take the opportunity to experiment with strategies and find the best use, along with healing, for Hortensia in making your squad.

Related: Fire Emblem Melee: Tips and Tricks for Fighting

Best logo rings

When discussing the healing power of wands, the most important episode to mention is Micah. Not only does it provide access to Staff Mastery and Healing Light skills, but for the participating buffs it also helps create the most powerful wizard the Fire Emblem series has ever seen. When dealing with Micaiah, Hortensia has +6 range and +1 AOE on sticks. This makes Fortify heal every ally 11 places, Physic becomes AOE group 11, and so on.

AOE also applies to sticks like Obstruct, which creates 5 swaths of ice instead of the usual 1. As if all that wasn’t enough, Micaiah’s engaging skill, great sacrifice, completely heals all allies on the map in exchange for bringing the user up to 1 HP. Since Hortensia already had a low HP state, she would be able to quickly heal herself with Healing Light. If you’re already using Micaiah on another unit, Hortensia can greatly benefit from Byleth or Corrin’s support skills, but you should prioritize using Micaiah.

best skills

Hortensia will want to prioritize support and safety when choosing her skills, and when she joins more than mid-game, budget skills are valued. Quality’s time allows passive healing without using up the staff’s durability, and a change of position allows her to keep her allies safe. Canter is especially useful on a weak unit like Hortensia, allowing it to move in and out of range of threatening enemies without fear.

Next up: Fire Emblem Engage: Best Alear Builds