Saber

"Enough with the chit-chat. Reason and logic are wasted on sea dogs like him."

- Saber in Fire Emblem Echoes: Shadows of Valentia.

Saber (セーバー Sēbā, Savor in the Japanese version) is a playable character in Fire Emblem Gaiden and its remake Fire Emblem Echoes: Shadows of Valentia. He is 34 years old.

Profile
A former member of the Rigelian army, Saber is a Mercenary that Celica hires to protect her group during their seaborne journey. Ever since his employment, Saber more or less acts as Celica's advisor, albeit an unconventional one. After the war, he marries an unknown woman and joins Jesse's kingdom.

Personality
Saber is a coarse seaman with a dry sense of humor. He acts very fatherly towards Celica and is very blunt and brutally honest with his speech mannerisms.

Recruitment
In Chapter 2, talk to him at the Novis Greatport.

Growth Rates

 * 50%
 * 20%
 * 15%
 * 15%
 * 10%
 * 40%
 * 0%
 * }

Overall
Saber is a character that fills an important early role in Celica's route. He is the first melee unit that Celica can recruit, and will need to act as the group's protector for a while as he is the most agile and durable of the group at that point. Once Valbar is recruited, he becomes more of a backup tank since Valbar essentially can't be hurt by Physical attacks. Saber will be Double Attacking most enemies since he starts with a great level 1 Speed stat of 10, but his low Speed and Strength growth means he must rely on Promotions to remain relevant to your party.

In Celica's route, she gains access to three Mercenary units: Saber, Kamui and Jesse. When considering the three Mercenary units that Celica can obtain, they can generally be simplified into 3 types. Saber is the durable, defensive Mercenary, Kamui is the all-rounder Mercenary with even stats, and Jesse is the late recruit with the best base stats and growths making him the most dangerous. An optional, Pre-Promoted Sword Fighter, Deen, is also available to recruit. Deen is best described as fragile and aggressive.

Saber's weakness is that not only are there major redundancy issues with so many Mercenary recruits, but Mercenary units are generally offensively oriented, and the main stats he excels at are defensive. His defensive stats aren't so impressive that the other, more offensively capable Mercenary units cannot compete with him in a defensive role. They make up for the lower Defense and Resistance with their superior Speed and Evasion. On the flip side, he winds up struggling to deal comparable damage to the rest of the Mercenary units later in the game and is not as threatening.

Overall, Saber is important early in the game, but he loses out to his Mercenary companions later in the game.

Base Stats
* Due to equippped Golden Dagger

Growth Rates

 * 60%
 * 35%
 * 30%
 * 35%
 * 25%
 * 45%
 * 0%
 * }

Overall
Saber's growths have been improved significantly, having much better growths in the 3DS remake than in the original NES game. Like in the original, Saber is the first recruitable melee unit in Celica's route, and with his solid HP and defense growth rates, he can, with a couple of levels, quickly become an important defensive unit early in the game. However, due to his improved growths in this game, when more melee characters are recruited, Saber's growth are high enough that he can stand out easier, especially since he can be a couple of levels higher by the time the next Mercenary, Kamui, is recruited.

In Hard Mode at least, Saber's biggest competition is Deen; while Kamui exists as legitimate competition, Saber's better defense growth and base resistance make him easier not only to train but also to use, and his strength, skill, and speed tend to be average for a Mercenary, meaning they are usually sufficient for Saber in terms of combat. Jesse joins rather late at a time when Saber may be several levels above him or even promoted to Myrmidon. Statwise, Deen will have better offenses, but Saber is around for longer and has more time to build his defense stat; however, being both of the Mercenary line, both characters have considerable offensive potential, moreso than a number of characters recruitable in Celica's route.

Gaiden
"Keh, the hell..."

- Saber's death quote in Gaiden.

Level Up

 * "Hm? The hell was that?" (1 stat up)
 * "Am I sharp today or what?"
 * "Ha! Leave the heavy lifting to me."

First Turn Selection

 * "All right, I'll handle this."
 * "I'll take care of it." (low health)

Enemy does only one damage

 * "Saw that coming a mile away!"
 * "You've got a lot to learn."

Enemy Misses

 * "You got a lot to learn."

Being Healed

 * "Hey! Thanks."
 * "I owe ya one."

Critical Attack

 * "You can't win."
 * "Get a load of this!"
 * "Move."

Finishing Blow

 * "Where you going?"
 * "How's that!"

Enemy Defeated

 * "That was an easy one."
 * *groans* "Gonna be sore tomorrow."
 * "Oof. Tough luck."
 * "That's another one down."
 * *sighs*
 * "Hmph, tough luck."
 * "About what you'd expect."

Summary Screen

 * "Eh, a win's a win."

Death Quotes
"Well, hell... You'd think I'd...know better... Still, it was fun while it lasted..."

- Saber's death quote (classic mode)

Fire Emblem Gaiden
He joined the establishment of Jesse's kingdom. Meanwhile, he gets to cuddle with a lovely wife.
 * (If Jesse is alive)

Together with his lovely wife, he works towards the restoration of the Kingdom of Valentia.
 * (If Jesse is dead)

Fire Emblem Echoes: Shadows of Valentia
"Along with Jesse, Saber helped build the foundation for a new kingdom of, and for, mercenaries. He continued working as a sellsword for years to come and aided the One Kingdom on many occasions—always with his stunning bride by his side." "Along with his stunning bride, Saber toiled to rebuild Valentia. Though he never officially enlisted as a knight, he put his mercenary skills and experience to work traveling the land and mediating local struggles—either with a fist of steel or a pint of ale."
 * (If Jesse is alive)
 * (If Jesse is dead)

Trivia

 * Saber is the only male character in Gaiden who can use the Seraphim spell.
 * Saber shares his Japanese VA, Takehito Koyasu, with Awakening's Lon'qu and Validar, and Fates' Niles.
 * In Echoes, Saber has a special quote if Celica dies.
 * Saber has an unnamed sister whom he has lost contact with. He states that Celica reminds him of said sister.