Xander

"Little prince/princess... The sad truth is that justice is an illusion. A child's fairy tale. There is no light path that always leads to good, nor dark path that leads to evil. To believe that—to see the world in black and white—is missing half the picture. All that matters are the choices we make—especially the hard ones."

- Xander to the Avatar, Conquest: Chapter 24

Xander (, Marks in the Japanese version) is a major playable character from Fire Emblem Fates on the Conquest and Revelation routes. The eldest of the Nohrian royal siblings, Xander is the crown prince of the country, commanding the loyalty of Laslow and Peri as his personal retainers. If Xander achieves an S support, he will bear a son named Siegbert with his spouse.

Profile
Xander is the eldest son and the eldest child of five in the Nohrian royal family and the son of king Garon and the first queen, Katerina. When the Avatar was adopted into the family during their childhood, he personally supervised their combat training.

Xander is known to have been born with no exceptional talents. Physically weak and adopting an introverted personality in his youth, Xander had to meticulously apply himself to his training in order to earn the right to wield the legendary Siegfried. He has also revealed that whenever he was overly pressured in making a public speech, he would pretend that he was speaking in front of a group of rabbits (carrots in the Japanese version) in order to calm himself. Xander was also known to be a shy child, a fact that he divulges to Sakura through their supports. He eventually overcame his shyness by forcing himself to talk to his father, whom he considered to be the most frightening person he had ever known.

According to the supports shared between Elise and her retainer Arthur, Xander used to be a much more doting brother and happier person during her adolescence, and was even known to have enjoyed joking and playing with her. This same support also reveals that due to Garon being cold and ruthless even in his treatment of her, Xander used to act as a surrogate father figure towards her, providing her with the care and support that she needed. However, his change in personality and demeanor due to the stress of warfare have since caused her to step away from him, as she feels that it is more important for her brother to devote his fullest attention to his duties instead of indulging her.

Xander had two different retainers prior to Laslow and Peri. During a battle with Hoshido, Xander's forces were overwhelmed and the two sent Xander away, fending off the enemy so he could retreat; as a result, both were killed in battle. While retainer-less for some time, he eventually found two new ones. The first was Peri, whom Xander had discovered at a noble's combat tournament. Despite placing third, her character and potential had impressed Xander enough to name her as his retainer. Later, Garon assigned a mysterious mercenary to him. Initially suspicious, Xander dueled his second retainer, barely winning and was greatly impressed with his skill.

Prior to the events of Fates, Xander arrested Hans for unknown charges. Even though Garon eventually released Hans for supposedly good behavior, Xander continued to remain suspicious of Hans.

Prologue
Xander makes his first formal appearance in Chapter 1, where he, under the orders of King Garon, tests the Avatar's strength through a mock duel in the Northern Fortress. During the duel, Xander urges the Avatar to attack at him with no hesitation, informing them that their reward for landing at least one blow on him is the opportunity to leave the Northern Fortress. After inflicting a substantial amount of damage on the Avatar, he unveils a Dragon Vein spot on the rooftop, ordering them to use it and recover before coming at him again. With determination, the Avatar bests Xander in battle. Happy that he has completed Garon's orders, Xander, alongside the rest of his siblings, takes the Avatar to Castle Krakenburg in order to seek an audience with Garon.

Upon reaching the throne room of Castle Krakenburg in Chapter 2, Xander and his siblings look on as Garon presents the cursed blade of Ganglari to the Avatar. They are then compelled to watch from the sidelines as the Avatar is pitted against a number of Hoshidan prisoners, comprising of Kaze, Rinkah and a number of other generic soldiers. After the battle, when the Avatar refuses to kill the defeated Kaze and Rinkah, Garon orders Xander to kill them instead. Although reluctant, Xander prepares to comply with his orders but is stopped by the Avatar's adamant struggle to spare the prisoners from coming under further harm. To diffuse the situation, Leo swiftly steps in and appears to kill Kaze and Rinkah with Brynhildr. After Garon departs from the throne room, Leo indirectly reveals the truth of what he has done, and Xander thereafter issues orders to the nearby guards to bring the prisoners' "corpses" to his private quarters. Kaze and Rinkah are later brought outside the castle, where Xander curtly informs them that they have been spared because of the Avatar's kindness. He then orders them to make their escape before Garon is alerted to their status.

When Garon later orders the Avatar to check a supposedly abandoned Hoshidan fort near the Bottomless Canyon in Chapter 3, Garon offers the assistance of Hans for their mission. Xander, suspicious of Hans, warns the Avatar not to let their guard down near him. Feeling uneasy about the situation, Xander leads the rest of his siblings to follow the Avatar to the Bottomless Canyon, arriving in the nick of time to save them from being slain by Saizo, a Ninja hailing from Hoshido. Ordering the Avatar to depart with Gunter first, Xander does not see them again until the onset of Chapter 6, when the forces of Hoshido and Nohr clash at the Plains of Hoshido.

Birthright
If the Avatar chooses to side with Hoshido, Xander desperately attempts to change their mind to no avail. When the Avatar accuses Garon of being evil, Xander changes his stance and turns hostile, striking them mercilessly with his blade. As he is about to perform the finishing blow, Ryoma intervenes by deflecting his blow, threatening to cut him down if he continues attempting to attack the Avatar. The Nohrian army is defeated shortly after this, and they are thereafter forced to make their retreat.

Xander makes his next appearance again in Chapter 12, where he appears at the Opera House in Cyrkensia. Seeing the Avatar daring to point their blade at Garon, he coldly brands them a traitor and, alongside Laslow and Peri, closes in on them with the intention of slaying them. Xander fails to succeed in this attempt as the Avatar, with Azura's timely assistance, manages to flee the Opera House through a secret passageway, though Xander manages to catch up with the Avatar, and as he attempts to kill them for treason, Elise intervenes and shields them, giving them the opportunity to make their escape. Xander warns them that he will find them and they will have to fight soon.

Xander next appears in front of the doors leading into the throne room of Castle Krakenburg in Chapter 21, where he spots Elise eavesdropping on Garon's monologue. Initially warning her that she could be executed for treason if she is caught, Xander softens his stance when she begins to cry, lamenting over the fact that the war is ruining her beloved family. He then promises to end the war and bring them back together.

Xander appears in the training grounds of Castle Krakenburg in Chapter 26, where he, prior to the entry of the Avatar's army, urges Laslow and Peri to flee, as he bears no wish for them to be killed in battle. He then departs and enters the main combat hall, where he meets up with the Avatar and challenges them to a one-on-one duel. Despite Elise's objections, Xander proceeds with the attack. As he prepares to deliver the finishing blow to slay the Avatar, Elise runs in and intercepts it, taking the full brunt of the blow. Seized with shock and grief, Xander rushes to cradle his sister in his arms, whereupon she, in her death throes, pleads with him to end the war not just through his strength, but also his own kindness and love. Elise perishes shortly after.

In spite of her death, Xander demands the Avatar to continue their duel, much to their incredulous outrage. At this point, Laslow and Peri enter the training grounds, and upon seeing Elise's corpse, they immediately attribute her death to the Avatar and promptly summon Nohrian troops to attack the Hoshidan army. Although Xander objects to their interference, the two choose to defy him, asserting that they would rather fight instead of watching him die without taking any action. Xander's duel with the Avatar eventually concludes with the Avatar emerging victorious. As he lays dying, he reveals that he had not fought at his full strength and that he had done what he did simply because of his position as the crown prince of Nohr. After lamenting over the possibility of fighting alongside the Avatar in an alternate world, Xander succumbs to his wounds.

Xander appears one final time in the Endgame, where he, alongside Elise, Lilith and Flora, manifests in the Avatar's dream and provides them with warm encouragement and support to aid them in their struggle against the draconic Garon.

Conquest
If the Avatar chooses to side with Nohr, Ryoma, horrified at their decision, demands to know the rationale behind their decision. After a brief exchange of words where Xander is alerted to the explosion of Ganglari in Hoshido, Ryoma attempts to attack the Avatar, only to have his blows deflected by Xander. The Hoshidan army is eventually defeated by the Avatar and their siblings, and they are thereafter forced to make their retreat.

After the battle, Xander and his siblings head to the throne room of Castle Krakenburg in Chapter 7, where Garon praises Xander for his battle exploits. A brief discourse between Garon and the Nohrian siblings sees him ordering Xander to kill the Avatar after they question him on the explosion of Ganglari. Garon only reconsiders when the Avatar offers to kill themselves by their own hand before conducting a seance with an effigy of Anankos on the ceiling. He then makes the decision to allow the Avatar to return to Nohr, but only on the condition that they suppress a rebellion in the Ice Tribe. Xander, relieved at these new tidings, immediately offers to aid the Avatar with his best troops, only for Garon to order the Avatar to complete the task alone. After the rest of the Nohrian siblings vacate the throne room, Xander remains in front of the closed doors, where he overhears Garon monologuing his malicious intent to subject the Avatar to true despair. This prompts Xander to send Elise, her retainers and the Avatar's childhood friend, Silas, to reinforce the Avatar.

Shortly after the Avatar's return to Castle Krakenburg in Chapter 12, Iago sends them to Palace Macarath under the guise of allowing them to relax, when he, in actuality, intends for them to be ambushed by Ryoma's forces. Xander's retainers, Laslow and Peri, appear before the ensuing battle, revealing that they had refused orders from their liege to bolster the Avatar's forces.

Xander does not appear again until Chapter 16, where he attacks the Avatar to test their reflexes just before they board a ship that is en route to Hoshido. Reunited with his siblings and the rest of the Avatar's army, Xander proceeds to board the ship with them. Shortly after the Nohrian army boards the ship, a Nohrian soldier informs them that hostiles have boarded the ship, and Xander deduces them to be Hoshidan ninja due to the complexity of their heist. Upon discovering the leader of the supposed ninjas, Xander is surprised and slightly shocked that a Nohrian was using Hoshidan tactics.

After the battle, the leader introduces himself as Shura and states that he was the one who kidnapped Azura from the castle when she was young, having been hired by Yukimura. Camilla and Leo try to convince the Avatar to execute him, but Xander silences them, stating that it is their decision to decide Shura's fate. If spared, Xander is slightly surprised with their decision but promises to keep this incident a secret from Garon. If killed, Xander is pleased with their decision and sends a messenger to inform Garon of it.

When Xander and his siblings enter Izumo in Chapter 18 with the intention of relaxing from the chaos of warfare, they stumble upon the Hoshidan siblings. Xander immediately launches into a heated exchange of hostilities with Ryoma, and both crown princes then attempt to engage in a duel, only to be stopped by Izana, the duke of Izumo. Izana then proceeds to confiscate the weapons of both parties, and Ryoma later seeks an audience with the Avatar while they are in the midst of speaking with Xander. Before Ryoma is able to properly start a conversation, Izana emerges with two soldiers and proceeds to apprehend him. Izana then unveils himself to be but a guise used by the deceptive Zola to kidnap the Hoshidan royals. Xander, not wanting to fight a dishonest war, decides to free the Hoshidan royals with the Avatar and their army assisting him. Following the end of the ensuing battle, Xander and his siblings join the Hoshidans in a feast. Despite the fact that they are still at war, they uphold Izumo's pact of neutrality.

Later in Chapter 22, after the Nohrian army succeeds in breaking through the defence of Fort Jinya staged by Sakura, they take the surviving Hoshidans prisoner, with Xander personally promising to keep them safe. However, Hans and Iago enter the scene at this point, whereupon Hans embarks on a killing spree. Xander, enraged by their insolence, orders for them to desist, only for Garon to enter the scene and overwrite his order, curtly stating that he will kill him if he dares disobey. With much reluctance, Xander is forced to comply with Garon's order.

Following the capture of Castle Shirasagi in Chapter 25, Xander and his siblings are left waiting outside the throne room with Hans and Iago after Garon marches inside in a wave of triumph in Chapter 26. While Xander is in the midst of conversing with his siblings, Iago makes a failed attempt to assassinate the Avatar. Much to Iago's horror, Xander steps before the Avatar and chooses to take their side before challenging him to a duel, asserting his displeasure with his cruel ways. He is quickly joined by the rest of his siblings, and together, they manage to defeat both Hans and Iago, with Leo personally executing the treacherous sorcerer. Following the conclusion of the battle, the Avatar, much to Xander's incredulity and disbelief, reveals that the war is not yet over, as Garon still has yet to be slain.

Later in Chapter 27, the Avatar leads Xander and the rest of their siblings into the throne room, where they manage to prove the truth of their words when Garon, seated upon the throne of truth, is revealed to be a slimy monstrosity in actuality. Initially stunned into inaction, Xander and his siblings are prompted to aid the Avatar in slaying Garon when he attempts to behead them. During the course of the ensuing battle, Xander's Siegfried reacts with the Avatar's Grim Yato, causing it to transform into the Shadow Yato, granting them additional leverage against the fight against Garon. Shortly after Garon is killed, the Nohrian siblings have barely any time to process their grief and shock before they are caught off guard by a sudden attack launched by Takumi. As the Avatar walks towards Takumi with the intent of letting him kill them, they are struck when their Grim Yato fails to deflect an attack launched by a single arrow shot with Skadi, causing them to slip into a state of unconsciousness.

As Xander and the rest of his siblings struggle to fight against Takumi in the Endgame, the Avatar regains consciousness and aids them in ending Takumi's rampage once and for all.

With the defeat of both Hoshido and Garon, Xander is, shortly after the final battle, coronated as the new king of Nohr.

Revelation
Due to having formed a deep emotional attachment with both families, the Avatar refuses to pick a side to align themselves with. Despite the Avatar's desperate protests, Xander and Ryoma cross blades with each other in an attempt to sway them into choosing a side. In a bid to prevent both armies from battling each other and retreat from the Plains of Hoshido, the Avatar takes down their frontline commanders, resulting in both sides labeling the Avatar as a traitor.

Xander returns later in Chapter 13, where he and the Nohrian army arrive in the ruined streets of Cyrkensia, accusing the Hoshidans of invading and destroying the neutral nation. Like Ryoma and the Hoshidan army, he is unaware that invisible soldiers from Valla are responsible for destroying the town.

After the battle, Xander and Ryoma continue to maintain their exchange of hostile blows. Azura intervenes by singing a melody to calm their enraged minds. As Xander prepares to leave the scene thereafter, he is stopped by the Avatar, who urges him to go to the suspension bridge above the Bottomless Canyon on the day that the skies above Nohr and Hoshido change, promising to reveal the truth of their cause to him. He responds by brushing their words off as nothing more than those of a traitor before leaving.

Xander later appears in Chapter 14, where he is greeted by Iago at the grand staircase of Castle Krakenburg. Commenting that Iago's greeting is uncommon, he then heads to the throne room, where he is joined by Leo. Here, Leo attempts to inform him that Garon's crazed condition has gotten worse, only for him to attempt to attribute this to the stress of warfare. When Leo directs his attention to the throne and he witnesses Garon gleefully contemplating the destruction of both Hoshido and Nohr, Xander is forced to admit that something is wrong with his father. As Leo presses on to divulge his suspicion that their father is being controlled by the "true enemy" that the Avatar has talked about, Xander cuts him off before indicating his intention to ready his best troops to meet the Avatar at the Bottomless Canyon.

Xander next appears in Chapter 17, where he and Leo enter the vicinity of the Bottomless Canyon to reinforce the Avatar's army with their retainers just as they are preparing to fend against a battalion of Nohrian forces led by Iago after they had just defeated Hans and his forces. He apologizes to the Avatar for having taken so long to realize the truth, and battles the immediately enemy in front of them.

Xander subsequently aids the Avatar's effort to put an end to Anankos' machinations. As soon as the heroes finally enters Valla, but shortly around the same time of Scarlet’s death while protecting the Avatar from Anankos’ hidden spy assassin, in Chapter 19, Leo and Xander finds a similar statue which Garon use to worship on his throne at Nohr, they soon realize that the Avatar was right, and the Garon they saw now had been nothing more than one of Anankos’ undead servants all along, thus vowing to avenge their father’s honor for what Anankos had tarnish.

After Anankos is killed, Xander and Ryoma create a new bond between their countries and forge new ties with the newly-reinstated kingdom of Valla led by the Avatar. Xander also becomes the new king of Nohr.

After the war, while his more radical policies as king were unpopular by the majority of the population, future scholars would admit they were necessary for laying the foundation for a new era of peace and prosperity for the kingdom.

Paralogue
In Paralogue 15, Xander, accompanied by Leo, heads to a swamp in the Deeprealms to reunite with his son Siegbert. Upon meeting with Siegbert, Xander immediately engages him in conversation, during which his son excitedly updates him on the diligence he has practiced in applying himself to various fields of study. Midway through their conversation, they are interrupted when a pair of invisible enemies manifest in the vicinity, signalling the arrival of an enemy invasion. This prompts Siegbert to get up and engage the enemy in a hurry. Xander then leads the Avatar's army in a battle to purge the surrounding forests of Siegbert's Deeprealm of the invading invisible troops. Following the conclusion of the battle, Xander, out of concern for Siegbert, demands to know why his son had chosen not to inform him of the frequent invasions of the invisible soldiers. Upon learning that this is entirely due to Siegbert desiring to live up to his father's title by shouldering some of his burdens, Xander commends him for his courage. He then apologizes to Siegbert for not having executed his duties of a father well, prompting his son to request to join him on his travels. Although he initially tries to dissuade Siegbert, Xander eventually agrees to allow him to join the Avatar's army and fight alongside him.

Personality
As the direct successor to the throne of Nohr, Xander was raised to wear the crown. As such, he expresses complete patriotism to his country, cutting down all who stand in the way of Nohr's prosperity and well-being. Any order of King Garon given to him is completed with utmost perfection, even when Xander may not completely agree with its intentions, believing that all are done for the sake of bringing glory to Nohr. He does not tolerate any traitors from Nohr, and is willing to kill them, including the Avatar, and his half-sister Camilla in the Revelation Route. This devotion of Xander's is double-layered, however; beneath his apparent belief that Garon's involvement in the war is for the sake of Nohr's future, he also holds a stalwart belief that the king will revert to being the loving father he once was once the war ends in his favor. So strong is this belief of his, Xander has thus proven to be obstinate and intractable in having his opinion swayed, insisting that solid evidence must be presented to prove that Garon's change is permanent.

This naive belief of Xander's in turn suggests at a tender side that he is defined by, especially one that is displayed to both his siblings and his own sons. Despite appearing too busy to get to know his siblings well, he shows Camilla how much he knows about his four siblings in their support together including a surprising wealth of small tidbits of their habits. His love for his siblings often provides the catalyst to disobey his father's orders, such as sending the Avatar help on their mission in Conquest to quell the Ice Tribe rebellion despite the fact that Garon had ordered them to complete it alone. However, at other times his sense of duty may overrule his own familial sentiments, as he tearfully continued his duel with the Avatar in Birthright even though he had just accidentally killed Elise moments before. Despite knowing that the Avatar is not his true sibling, he nevertheless has always seen them as such, usually and affectionately calling them "Little Prince/Princess." This tender side is usually kept under tight wraps, as Xander considers open displays of affection to be unbecoming of his position as the crown prince, as shown in Felicia's supports, where Xander himself comments on how his title and responsibilities have come to define him so much that even when in private he cannot shed the mantle, while Nyx's highlights that he put loyalty to his kingdom over his personal feelings for so long that doing so is reflexive at this point.

Like his younger half-siblings Camilla and Leo, Xander does care very much for his step-sister, Azura and wanted to spend more time with her.

Xander dislikes and distrusts his father's retainers Iago, Hans and Zola for their actions as much as his younger half-siblings does. He arrested Hans and sentenced him to prison until Garon liberated him for his own "good". Despite it, Xander still remained suspicious on Hans. He also threatens to kill Iago if he and Hans didn't stop killing the surrendered Hoshidan solders, before being cut off by Garon. When Iago attempts to kill the Avatar for sparing Hinoka, Xander steps in and, along with the Nohrian royals, vows to kill Iago and be rid of him for his cruel, disgraceful, and cowardly ways, and shows no hesitation when Leo executes Iago.

Xander has also been depicted multiple times in supports as a humble person who delights in bringing happiness to others without inviting any attention to himself. This fact extends to situations when it is blatantly obvious that he is responsible for the happiness experienced by others, where he will take the pains to stage arguments in order to conceal his involvement. In this regard, he is known to have gone so far as to outright deny claims that he has provided aid to others.

In spite of the fact that Xander has been vastly portrayed as a battle-worn individual whose skill with the blade is seemingly unrivaled, his supports with Nyx reveal that contrary to that portrayal, he detests killing and feels immense guilt for having killed so many people, even harboring suicidal thoughts as a result of his actions, leading him to believe justice is an illusion not worth chasing in this world.

As a result, while he has some sense of honor, and believes in a concept of right and wrong, Xander does not seem to think there is any such thing as a truly evil person; just evil acts and whether or not the person is forgivable. This is something reflected in how he trusts Peri with his life just because he has seen her good side, despite her violent mental instability, but is disgusted by Zola's actions in Chapter 18 of Conquest, where he refuses to win the war by killing the Hoshidan royals while they are unarmed.

The bond of trust between Xander and his retainers is one that evidently transcends the classic master-servant relationship, where he instead regards them as dear companions. This fact is best evidenced through Chapter 26 on the Birthright route, where he becomes fraught with worry and agitation when his retainers outright disobey his orders to save themselves from needless sacrifice.

Xander is said to have the best handwriting out of everyone in the army. His birthday is October 27.

Base Stats

 * -|Conquest Chapter 6=


 * -|Conquest Chapter 16/Revelation Chapter 17=

As an Enemy

 * -|All Difficulties=

Birthright Chapter 6 - In the White Light

 * -|Normal=


 * -|Hard=


 * -|Lunatic=

Birthright Chapter 12 - Dark Reunion

 * -|Normal=


 * -|Hard=


 * -|Lunatic=

Birthright Chapter 26 - Xander

 * -|Normal=


 * -|Hard=


 * -|Lunatic=

Revelation Chapter 6 - Into The Ground

 * -|Normal=


 * -|Hard=


 * -|Lunatic=

Revelation Chapter 13 - A Lost Peace

 * -|Normal=


 * -|Hard=


 * -|Lunatic=

Xenologue 2 - Beach Brawl

 * -|Normal=


 * -|Hard=


 * -|Lunatic=


 * In Guard Stance with Laslow

Xenologue 20 - End: Lost in the Waves

 * -|Normal=


 * -|Hard=


 * -|Lunatic=

Growth Rates

 * 55%
 * 65%
 * 5%
 * 50%
 * 45%
 * 75%
 * 50%
 * 25%
 * }

Max Stat Modifiers

 * +2
 * -1
 * -1
 * -1
 * +2
 * +1
 * -2
 * }

Supports
Romantic Supports Other Supports
 * The Avatar (Female)
 * Azura
 * Effie
 * Peri
 * Beruka
 * Mozu
 * Selena
 * Nyx
 * Charlotte
 * Felicia
 * Sakura (Revelation only)
 * Hinoka (Revelation only)
 * The Avatar (Male)
 * Leo
 * Camilla
 * Elise
 * Laslow
 * Kaze
 * Ryoma (Revelation only)
 * Siegbert
 * Shigure (If Xander is his father)
 * Kana (if Xander is his father)

Standard Sets

 * }

Friendship Sets

 * -|All Routes=


 * }
 * -|Conquest/Revelation=


 * }
 * -|Revelation=


 * }

Partner Sets

 * -|All Routes=


 * }
 * -|Conquest/Revelation=


 * }
 * -|Revelation=


 * }

Special Classes

 * }

Base Class Set
Despite being a pre-promoted unit, Xander stands as one of the strongest combat units Fates has to offer. Right from the moment he is recruited, Xander is already an impressive offensive force in the army, given his 8 movement range and near-perfect mastery of Swords. This fact is further complemented by his personal weapon Siegfried, boasting an impressive Might of 11, increasing his Dodge by 10 and his Defense by 4, alongside allowing him to attack enemies at a range. Aside from his poor Resistance growth, Xander's growths in other stat departments are quite decent, allowing him to be moulded into a well-rounded unit. Starting out as a Paladin, he already has access to the basic Cavalier skills, with Elbow Room being particularly ideal for use in the open areas that define most of the late-game maps in Conquest and Revelation. As a Paladin, Xander stands to learn Defender, a skill that helps support his growing stats when paired up with another character. He will also learn Aegis, which will help him tank against attacks inflicted with Bows, Shuriken and magic. This skill is best utilised when fending against magic-wielding units, as it offsets Xander's poor Resistance.

As part of the Cavalier class set, Xander can also access the Great Knight class, one that offers the Luna and Armored Blow skills. Luna increases Xander's offense by ignoring the Defense of foes, and is especially useful in late-game sequences where high-Defense targets appear more often. Armored Blow further increases Xander's impressive Defense, permitting him to take little or no damage when he initiates attacks.

Secondary Class Set
Xander's secondary class set is the Wyvern Rider, entailing the Wyvern Lord and Malig Knight promotions. While this class set has much to offer to further boost Xander's combat prowess, it is recommended to wait until he has learnt Aegis to offset his poor Resistance. The first two skills that he learns in this class set are Strength +2 and Lunge. Strength +2 is only useful when Xander is still in the midst of building up his Strength, and will lose its effectiveness over time. Lunge, conversely, is slightly more useful, allowing Xander to pull foes into the midst of the player's troops in order to effectively defeat them.

As a Wyvern Lord, Xander can learn Rally Defense and Swordbreaker. Rally Defense is not necessarily needed, as he works best as an offence unit instead of a support one. Swordbreaker, on the other hand, is far more useful, allowing him to fend against Sword-wielding foes like Swordmasters, Heroes and Master Ninjas, all of whom are renowned for their high Skill.

As a Malig Knight, Xander stands to learn Savage Blow and Trample, both of which are very useful in boosting his combat prowess. Savage Blow allows Xander to inflict damage on clumped enemies near him, while Trample allows him to deal more damage against non-mounted units. Since the player is most likely to face a good number of unmounted enemies, this skill allows him to stack extra damage on them.

Friendship Class Sets

 * Kaze - Kaze gives Xander access to the Ninja class set, entailing the Master Ninja and Mechanist promotions. From the Ninja class, the most useful skill for Xander to learn is Poison Strike, which takes off 20% of the target's HP if he is unable to kill them. Since Xander has access to the Wyvern Rider base set, his access to the Malig Knight class for Savage Blow allows him to stack 40% instead of 20% against any hostile unit located close to him. The Master Ninja class offers Lethality, which is one of the few Hoshidan skills that Conquest players can access without the need to purchase it off another player. Xander also stands to learn Shurikenfaire, although this skill is not needed unless he is kept in a class that arms Shuriken and Daggers. As a Mechanist, Xander can learn Golembane, which is not very useful due to the lack of Stoneborn and puppet-based foes in the game. He can also learn Replicate, which allows him to operate in two different sections of any given battlefield at any one time.
 * Laslow - Laslow gives Xander access to the Mercenary class set, entailing the Hero and Bow Knight promotions. From the Mercenary skill sets, Good Fortune replenishes HP with a Luck% of occurring. This benefits Xander due to his very high luck growth. Strong Riposte increases the strength of Xander's attacks minimally only when he is under siege. As a Hero, however, Xander gains access to Sol, a very useful skill that allows him to replenish HP in battle, and Axebreaker, allowing him to fare better when facing Axe and Club-wielding foes in battle. As a Bow Knight, the only useful skill that he stands to learn is Shurikenbreaker, a skill that helps him to offset the proficiency of Shuriken-wielding foes accurately inflicting attacks and dodging hostile blows.
 * Leo - Leo gives Xander access to the Dark Mage class set, entailing the Sorcerer and Dark Knight promotions. There is not much for Xander to learn in this set due to his lackluster Magic, although there are a few skills that he stands to greatly benefit from. As a Sorcerer, Xander can learn Vengeance to stack more damage as his HP falls and Bowbreaker to deal with enemy Snipers who have high hit rates. As a Dark Knight, Xander can continue using Siegfried to learn Lifetaker, a skill that permits him to restore his own HP when he defeats foes in battles that he initiates.
 * Ryoma - Ryoma grants Xander access to the Samurai class set, entailing the Swordmaster and Master of Arms promotions. Of the three classes in this set, the Swordmaster class gives Xander the most benefits overall. For one, it allows him to learn the powerful Astra skill, one that allows him to stack incremental damage against his foes. In addition to this, Xander also stands to learn Swordfaire, a skill that boosts his natural proficiency in Swords by increasing his damage output with them equipped. The other two classes in the set are not without their benefits, however; the Samurai's Vantage skill, for one, complements his devastating damage output well by permitting him to strike first and possibly take out potentially dangerous foes when he is low on HP. The Master of Arms class, on the other hand, provides Seal Strength to cripple heavy-hitting enemies and Life and Death for a more-risk-for-more-reward style of play with Xander.

Marriage Options

 * Female Avatar - the Avatar has the unique ability to give Xander classes he otherwise would not have access to, most notably from the Hoshidan side. Oni Savage is an interesting choice - Xander will be right at home as a Blacksmith, with his tanky growths while still retaining access to Siegfried. Lancebreaker from that class also lets him take down Lance wielders more easily. While he will be stuck with E rank Axes for a time, Oni Chieftain is worth considering too - Death Blow gives him an easier time landing critical hits, while Counter works well with his high Defense. Samurai is also useful in the Conquest route, although in Revelation he can gain this class by Friendship Sealing with Ryoma.
 * Azura/Hinoka - Both Azura and Hinoka provide the Sky Knight class set to Xander, entailing the Falcon Knight and Kinshi Knight promotions. From Sky Knight, Darting Blow can patch up his semi-lacklustre Speed growths, and Camaraderie can benefit him if there are a lack of healers near him by recovering a small amount of health; from Falcon Knight, Xander can get Rally Speed and Warding Blow. Rally Speed is rarely useful, as Xander fits a better attacking role than a support role; however, Warding Blow is extremely efficient due to his low Resistance growths, leading him to take less magical damage, which can stack with Aegis if it triggers. Finally, from Kinshi Knight, Xander gets access to Air Superiority and Amaterasu; Air Superiority can make him a lot more effective against flying units, who typically have high Speed, by making them easier to hit and dodge attacks from. Amaterasu can be utilised to heal those around him as a passive support skill, but preferably can be swapped out for a more offensive skill that benefits his well-rounded attacking role.
 * Felicia - Felicia provides the Troubadour class set to Xander, entailing the Strategist and Butler promotions. This class set is borderline-useless to Xander; Gentilhomme, Rally Resistance, and Inspiration all play to a supporting role instead of Xander's preferred offensive role, while Live to Serve can never be utilized at the same time as Xander's trademark sword Siegfried. Resistance +2 and Tomebreaker can help patch up Xander's poor Resistance, but as a general rule of thumb this is a very poor marriage option for Xander.
 * Mozu - Mozu provides the Archer class set to Xander, entailing the Sniper and Kinshi Knight promotions. There is little of use for Xander in this line: his Skill is already high enough to the point where Skill+2 and Certain Blow will be unneeded, and Bowfaire is only helpful if you wish to reclass him as a Bow Knight.
 * Effie - Effie provides the Knight class set to Xander, entailing the General and Great Knight promotions. He already has access to Great Knight from Cavalier, so it only offers the General promotion. Defense+2 is largely unnecessary, as his Defense is already high enough as is. Natural Cover can be used in tandem with Elbow Room to allow Xander to benefit from most terrains. While Wary Fighter prevents him doubling, his middling Speed growths rarely give him the opportunity for doubling anyway. Pavise helps reduce physical damage, which he should activate often due to his high Skill. He can use this in tandem with Aegis to become extremely durable.
 * Peri/Nyx - Both Peri and Nyx provide the Dark Mage class set to Xander, entailing the Sorcerer and Dark Knight promotions. The benefits of these three classes are explained in the friendship section, with Leo.
 * Charlotte - Charlotte provides the Fighter class set to Xander, entailing the Berserker and Hero promotions. HP+5 makes Xander a bit more durable, while Gamble increases his critical hit rate at the cost of a slight loss in accuracy. The Berserker class can largely be ignored - Rally Strength is better used on support units, while Axefaire is only useful if you wish to reclass him as a Hero.
 * Selena - Selena provides the Mercenary class set to Xander, entailing the Hero and Bow Knight promotions. The benefits of these three classes are explained in the friendship section, with Laslow.
 * Sakura - Sakura provides the Monk class set to Xander, entailing the Great Master and Onmyoji promotions. From Monk, he gains Miracle, which can turn his solid Luck into a viable boost to his survivability. The Monk's Rally Luck and the Onmyoji's Rally Magic are both worthless to the offense-minded Xander, while the Onmyoji's Tomefaire is only useful if the player makes Leo his A+ support to create a gimmicky Dark Knight build. The Great Master gives Xander Renewal, whose 30% HP regeneration is never a bad thing, and Countermagic, a risky way to turn Xander's low Resistance into an offensive advantage.

Heroes
Xander appears and serves as a boss in Chapter 2 and Chapter 9. While most Heroes were forced to fight the player's army due to their contract with the Embla Empire, Xander is the only character to serve Veronica, the princess and leader of Embla's army, of his own volition and out of sympathy for her.

At the end of Chapter 4 of Book II, Xander disagrees with Surtr's desire to destroy an Askr town as the player's army has already fled, yielding no benefit. When Surtr shows signs of dismantling their alliance, Xander, aware of Surtr's immense power, is willing to fight him until Loki informs them that the town was already evacuated by Prince Alfonse.

Description

 * Paragon Knight
 * Nohrian prince respected for his military prowess. Wields the divine blade Siegfried. Appears in Fire Emblem Fates.

Base Stats
Rarity:

Specials
Recommended: Bonfire

Passive
Recommended A-Skill: Fury or Fort Defense

Recommended B-Skill: Brash Assault or Quick Riposte

Description

 * Spring Prince
 * Nohrian Prince who normally wields the divine blade Siegfried but left it behind for the festival. Appears in Fire Emblem Fates.

Base Stats
✯✯✯✯✯

Passive
Recommended A-Skill: Fury or Fort Defense

Recommended B-Skill: Brash Assault or Quick Riposte

Description

 * Student Swimmer
 * A Nohrian prince who wields the divine sword Siegfried but can't swim. Clings to his Lilith water toy. Appears in Fire Emblem Fates.

Recommended IVs: +HP/ATK/DEF -RES/SPD
====Skills=====

Refinery
Recommended: Mt+2 or DEF+4

Assists
No assists

Passive
Recommended B-Skill: Brash Assault (Bartre fully unlocks that at 4*) or Quick Riposte (fully unlocked at 5* by Deirdre, Dorcas, Klein, Leo, Subaki)

Recommended Seal: HP+3

Base Stats
Personal skill: Aegis - Reduces damage of bows, tomes and stones. Increases with luck. Max Stats (Level 130)

Optimal Build
Luna - Lowers enemy's defensive values on a hit. Increases with luck. Can be obtained by A-supporting Chrom. -> Due to Xanders high base luck, this will result in an increase of damage by 43.9%. This can be increased to 55% by combining the skill with Luck+20. (at Level 110)

Lone Wolf - Grants All Statsx1.5 when not Paired Up - Obtained by A-supporting Navarre. -> If you pair up a lot or do not have access to the Shadow Dragon DLC, use Trample (Damage against foot soldiers x 1.1. Can be obtained by A-supporting Camilla) instead.

Armored Blow - Prevents enemy attacks from interrupting your attack. Can be obtained by A-supporting Tiki.

Astra - Increases the attack speed. Can be obtained by A-supporting Ryoma.

Luck+20 - Increases Luck by 20. Can be obtained by A-supporting Celica.

Lethality - Procs with a chance of Luck/2 after landing a critical hit or during combos. Can be obtained by A-supporting Niles (Fates-DLC exclusive skill). -> If you are not in possession of the Fates-DLC-Pack, Awakening may be a worthy replacement as it increases damage during Awakening Mode.

Only use the skill Paragon if Xander is the unit you mainly use. The Training Grounds are a more than sufficient place for obtaining levels, especially since Gold can be easily obtained during Gold Rush missions.

Optimal playstyle
"Fights with an elegant sword technique perfected for mounted combat. Strong Attack I doesn't interrupt a sprint, allowing for a truly mobile battle."

Thus, Xander is the optimal candidate for modes like Gold Rush, Timed Onslaught and Timed Attack since he can attack and move at the same time without losing speed if only Strong I is used. He is suboptimal for Arena battels though since he there gets outclassed by units such as Ryoma and Camilla who have optimal stats for this mode.

Furthermore, Xander is also very useful on big maps since those postulate the slaughter of 2000 enemies for an S-Rank, a task usually easily overcome by spamming his Strong Attack I.

Weapon
Siegfried - Base Mt:80 - Mt after fully unlocking the Scroll: 240 - Mt after fully unlocking the Opus: 720

Recommended Skills: Rainstorm, Fury Builder (if you do rarely pair him up, use Crit+ otherwise), Dragon- and Mountslayer (any Slayer skill will work, but these are the one applying to the majority of the enemy units), Lancebreaker, Armor Strike

Unlocking the Scroll
Location: Space-Time-Distortion on "The Dark Pontifex" Map

Type: Fort Siege Lvl 62

Boss: Xander

Other heroes: CorrinF

Enemy classes appearing: Mercenary, Archer, Wyvern Rider, Hero

Allies: Lissa, Allied Axe Fighter, 4 controllable Heroes

Recommended: a unit with Dracoslayer, a Lance-unit, a unit with Beastslayer, a healer

S-rank requirements: clear within 15mins, 2000 KOs, 80% damage

Let your lance unit take over the Upstream Fort and eliminate the mini-boss close to your base with them. Your Dracoslayer-unit of choice can slaughter a path through Bank Fort and everything south of that alon with Corrin who awaits you at W Field Fort. Have one more unit either crush the enemy lines by taking the eastern part of the map or take on the myrmidons stationed at the west. Those can also be taken down by either your lance unit or Dracoslayer unit.

If you entertain low-level units on this map, a healer protecting the base is mandatory.

Beware of the archer heading towards the Allied Base at the very beginning.

After stopping his advance, another archer emerging from the direction of Boulder Fort will start adavncing to your base.

Those advances may continue should the map not be cleared early enough.

Several heroes emerging from the Enemy Base will start advancing once all marked Forts have been taken.

Save Enemy Outposts in case you lure out the boss before acquiring 2000 KOs.

After clearing the map on S-Rank:

Unlock Weapon Rank A as well as the Mastery Crest for the scroll in the third sub-menu of Crest Market

Cost: Myrmidons Head Guard x 10, Myrmidons Breechcloth x20, Siegfried's Scroll

The Weapon Skill will unlock after defeating 10 000 enemies.

An excellent grinding point for both the 10 000 enemies as well as the required materials is the Timed Onslaught at the throne on the "Dark Pontifex" map. To maximize material gain use a Rare Material blessing, this should allow a fast grind. Also, the required kills can be achieved after approximately 3 times of clearing the mission and are not required to unlock the DLC-locked Siegfried's Opus.

Unlocking the Opus
Location:Space-Time-Distortion on "Cold Reception" DLC Map

Type: Timed Onslaught Lvl 82 (Time available: 5 Minutes)

Enemy Heroes: Tiki, Anna, Caeda

Enemy classes appearing: Archers, Manaketes

Allies: 2 controllable Heroes

Recommended: Dracoslayer, Wingslayer, at least one unit with high move

Recommended units: Camilla, Xander, Lyn, Tiki, Minerva, Navarre

S-Rank Requirements: 2000 KOs, 80% Damage

Let one of the heroes remain in the corridors where they start, they other shall advance to the central plaza and switch locations to one of the 3 other side-rooms if nessercary. While letting them switch to those, switch to the other hero to maximize KOs.

Transporters will spawn in the corridors and on the main plaza.

The Manakete in the North-Eastern Fort will let Enemy morale drop and two heroes spawn upon defeat.

Defeat either Tiki (recommended, spawns at the South-Eastern Fort) or Anna (Spawns at the Main Plaza) to let more reinforcements spawn.

Tiki will start moving towards the Main Plaza upon spawning.

Upon defeating one of the heroes, Caeda will spawn at the location of defeat.

Her death will let new reinforcments spawn.

If you are using Camilla/Minerva, spam her Dash (hold B for a short period of time) + X.

If you are using Xander, spam his Strong I (X).

If you are using Lyn/Navarre, do not forget to put Astra on her/him.

If you are using Tiki, try to remain in Awakening mode as long as possible. She can refill the gauge by pressing X. The move that can kill most enemies at once is her Dash+X, just like Camilla and Minerva.

Otherwise do not use Awakening unless you are playing an Awakening + Spd+10 + Qucik Wit build since the animations take up precious time.

A fter S-ranking

You can unlock the weapon skill Divine Favor by unlocking the Sanctuary Crest in the third sub-menu of Crest Market.

Cost: Siegfried's Opus, Xander's Shield x10, Xander's Plate Armor x5

Requires Siegfried's Scroll

For grinding up the needed materials, Chapter 20 of Story mode is recommended, as two Shadows of each deployed hero (except the one starting from the dark blue square) will spawn, making grinding up less taxing. Furthermore, in Story Mode, there is a Save State option available (Pause Game -> Menu -> Save Game), allowing you to save before defeating Xander and restart at this exact same point if he does not drop the material you need.

Supports

 * Rowan
 * Frederick
 * Takumi
 * Corrin
 * Robin
 * Marth
 * Lissa
 * Lyn
 * Celica
 * Azura

Fates

 * Xander/Fates Quotes

Heroes

 * Xander/Heroes Quotes

Warriors

 * Xander/Warriors Quotes

Smash Bros. Series
Xander appears in Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS as a collectable Trophy and was released on February 3, 2016 alongside the release of Corrin. His trophy features him wielding Siegfried.

Possible Endings

 * Xander - Paragon Knight
 * King Xander helped usher in a new era of peace. While he ruled justly, his radical policies were unpopular with much of the population. Scholars admit this was necessary for the era of growth that followed.


 * Xander and the Avatar (Conquest)
 * As King of Nohr, Xander laid the foundation for a new era of peace and prosperity for the kingdom. Avatar was hailed as a hero, working alongside her spouse to spread peace worldwide.


 * Xander and the Avatar (Revelation)
 * The two spent the rest of their lives together, Avatar ruling as the wise Queen of Valla. Xander, her beloved husband, was crowned King of Nohr. Together, they united Nohr and Valla.


 * Xander and Azura
 * As King of Nohr, Xander laid the foundation for a new era of peace and prosperity for the kingdom. There are few records of Azura beyond her marriage. She remains a historical mystery.


 * Xander and Beruka
 * As King of Nohr, Xander laid the foundation for a new era of peace and prosperity for the kingdom. Beruka was torn about leaving Camilla but enjoyed having enough emotions for them to conflict.


 * Xander and Charlotte
 * As King of Nohr, Xander laid the foundation for a new era of peace and prosperity for the kingdom. Records show his wife, Charlotte, was a caring wife and mother, and they had a happy family life.


 * Xander and Effie
 * As King of Nohr, Xander laid the foundation for a new era of peace and prosperity for the kingdom. Effie retired after getting married, but she and Elise remained best friends for the rest of their lives.


 * Xander and Felicia
 * As King of Nohr, Xander laid the foundation for a new era of peace and prosperity for the kingdom. Felicia gave up her career in the service industry for the military, ultimately becoming a commander.


 * Xander and Hinoka
 * As King of Nohr, Xander laid the foundation for a new era of peace and prosperity for the kingdom. His wife, Hinoka, became general of the Hoshidan royal army and the two remained together always.


 * Xander and Mozu
 * As King of Nohr, Xander laid the foundation for a new era of peace and prosperity for the kingdom. His wife, Mozu, meanwhile, was a constant source of support and a humanitarian in her own right.


 * Xander and Nyx
 * As King of Nohr, Xander laid the foundation for a new era of peace and prosperity for the kingdom. His wife, Nyx, was indispensable with her vast experience and magic abilities.


 * Xander and Peri
 * As King of Nohr, Xander laid the foundation for a new era of peace and prosperity for the kingdom. Peri eventually learned the difference between right and wrong. It took a while.


 * Xander and Sakura
 * As King of Nohr, Xander laid the foundation of peace and prosperity for the kingdom. Sakura, dedicated herself to helping the underprivileged, and the two worked happily together.


 * Xander and Selena
 * As King of Nohr, Xander laid the foundation for a new era of peace and prosperity for the kingdom. After marrying, he and his wife, Selena, disappeared from records. They likely lived happily ever after.

Fire Emblem 0 (Cipher)
Xander alongside Sigurd appears in the sixth series as its representatives. Xander is illustrated in the trading card game with the following cards:



Etymology
Xander is derived from Alexander, which in turn is derived from Alexandros, which is Greek for "defender of the people".

Trivia

 * Xander's official artwork depicts him wielding Siegfried.
 * Xander shares his English voice actor, David Stanbra, with Kaze, Shura, Siegbert, Kilma, Sumeragi and the Rainbow Sage.
 * Xander shares his Japanese voice actor, Katsuyuki Konishi, with Randal from Fire Emblem Echoes: Shadows of Valentia.


 * Xander is the only Nohr Royal Sibling to not have his base class used as a secondary class for any of his siblings.
 * Xander was the 2nd most popular male character in the official character popularity poll held on the game's official site.
 * Xander came 3rd in the character popularity poll and came 4th in the spouse poll, both were issued by Famitsu.
 * Xander placed 4th in the character popularity poll issued by Nintendo Dream.
 * Xander came in 22nd place for males in the first Fire Emblem Heroes Choose Your Legends popularity poll. He had 7,511 votes.
 * In the second CYL poll he made an overall 35th place and 16th for males.
 * Despite the fact that other Fire Emblem Trophies in Super Smash Bros. who feature a mount unit have their mounts featured, Xander is the only mount character to not have his mount featured in his trophy.
 * Xander's circlet was given to him by Garon, according to one of his Private Quarters lines in the Japanese version.
 * Xander has displayed actions and characteristics that could make him be categorized as a character of the Camus archetype. For instance, Xander saying that even though he knew what he was doing was wrong, him being the Crown Prince of Nohr gave him no choice in the matter resembles Camus, who could not side with Marth because he was a knight of Grust.
 * Xander has more resemblances and loose connections to Camus in more ways beyond the similarity of their role within the two respective stories. Appearance wise, they have blond, wavy hair, brown eyes, and are dressed in black attires. Gameplay wise, they have their base class as Paladin and wield a legendary weapon. Moreover, the “Sieg” part in the name of Xander’s sword Siegfried and his son’s name Siegbert share the same katakana spelling with Zeke, Camus’s alias in Fire Emblem Gaiden.
 * There is a continuity error between Xander and Leo's B support and Peri and Laslow's conversation in Beach Brawl. In the Beach Brawl, Peri states that Xander cannot swim, not even a dog paddle. However, Leo states that Xander excels in everything he tries, where then he names swimming as an example. However, this is just a mistake on the localization team's part, as Leo mentioned no such thing in the Japanese version.
 * Alternatively, since the characters you control in Beach Brawl are separate from the ones in the main story, this could potentially be a different Xander that is unable to swim.
 * Xander being unable to swim is once again mentioned during his costume conversation with Anna in the Nohrian Festival of Bonds DLC. This time it is confessed by Xander himself
 * In Nohrian Summer Paralogue in Fire Emblem Heroes, Xander being unable to swim is also once again mentioned by Xander himself when he and Leo were forced to swim all the way to the shore to meet up with the Avatar and Elise.
 * His critical hit quote also confirms that he cannot swim.
 * Xander shares his critical quote "You're right where I want you" with his retainers Peri and Laslow.
 * His critical hit quote "No mercy" is a mistranslation of the original "On your knees".
 * Xander shares the same battle animations with the Mercenary class when he is shown fighting dismounted.
 * Xander is the only character in Heroes whose holiday event-exclusive variation became available before the regular variation.
 * Xander is the second most recurring named enemy in the series, appearing as an enemy in six different chapters. Takumi has the most with being fought in seven different chapters.
 * In Heroes, Xander is the first Grand Hero to appear in the main story chapters and paralogues.
 * In Heroes, Xander's Grand Hero Battle map is based on Fates: Conquest Chapter 12.
 * In Warriors, Xander's promotion to Crown Prince is a reference to his Cipher class, Nohrian King.
 * Xander's underwear in his Warriors Broken Armor Model features the Nohrian Emblem on its back, similar to his Beach skin where the Emblem is featured on the sides of the pants.
 * Xander's birthday is exactly one day after the the national day of Austria.