—Alm to Celica in Shadows of Valentia
Alm is one of the two protagonists from Fire Emblem Gaiden and its remake, Fire Emblem Echoes: Shadows of Valentia.
Profile[]
Born in the year 384 in the Valentian calendar and year 590 in the Archanean calendar, Alm was raised in Ram Village by his grandfather, Mycen. Alm grew up alongside a group of other Ram Village children, Gray, Tobin, Kliff, and Faye, all of whom were trained in the art of combat by Mycen. Alm also grew up with Celica, a young girl who Mycen was taking care of, whom he was particularly close to. Alm and Celica even had a similar brand on their left and right hands respectively. Their time together was cut short when Slayde, an enforcer to Desaix, wanders into Ram Village and takes interest in Celica due to the special mark on her hand. Mycen enigmatically takes Celica away for her safety, leaving Alm heartbroken. Alm vowed to Celica as she left that they will one day meet again.
Zofia's Deliverance[]
Until the age of 17, Alm spent his years further honing his skills in combat and war under Mycen's tutelage. Feeling confident that he could now leave the village, he attempts to persuade Mycen, but his grandfather denies his request as he is too green to leave yet. Shortly afterward, Lukas arrives at Ram Village, seeking Mycen to aid with the Deliverance, a Zofian resistance force dedicated to overthrowing Desaix. With Mycen nowhere to be found in the village, Alm steps up and joins the Deliverance in his grandfather's stead with his childhood friends accompanying him on his journey. Alm quickly becomes a huge asset to the Deliverance, quickly gaining the trust and confidence of Lukas and Clair.
On the way to the Deliverance's base, Alm hears of a Novis cleric who was captured by thieves. Alm immediately heads to the Thieves' Shrine and rescues the captured cleric, Silque. As thanks for her rescue, she entrusts the Mila's Turnwheel she was sent to deliver to Alm. Alm's eventually reaches the Deliverance's base where he meets the leader, Clive who is impressed by Alm's conviction and potential, as well as for rescuing his sister. Knowing that Deliverance would need a person of humble origins to lead them rather than a noble like him, he names Alm as the new leader of the deliverance, causing a falling out between Clive and his lieutenant, Fernand. Alm and the Deliverance lay siege on Desaix's Fortress, rescuing fellow Deliverance member Mathilda and killing Desaix in the process, thus liberating Zofia from his clutches. Inside the fortress, the Deliverance discover the Royal Sword locked in a chest. Legend claims that the sword can only be wielded by royalty. When Tobin attempts to claim the blade, it is far too heavy to pick up. Alm attempts to do so, finding it light in his hands and thinks that Tobin was merely jesting. Intrigued by the legend and Alm's ability to wield it, Lukas encourages Alm to keep it as it has deemed him worthy to wield it. With Desaix's Forces routed, Alm and the Deliverance arrive at Zofia Castle where he is greeted by Mycen and the Zofia populace who hail Alm as their liberator.
By pure coincidence, Celica arrives at Zofia Castle as she is en route to the Temple of Mila and the two reunite. As the two attempt to rekindle their relationship, Alm tells Celica that he plans on attacking Rigel to stop Emperor Rudolf's attempt at conquest. Celica asks Alm to consider a peaceful resolution to the conflict, expressing that she does not believe Emperor Rudolf to be as evil as others claim. Alm rebukes that this is irrelevant, since his army had already invaded Zofia, and remains resolute to begin an assault on Rigel in order to drive back the invasion. When he points out that the late king is responsible for provoking the empire, Celica accuses him of vying the throne. Alm is insulted by this, and says he only wishes to protect Zofia, and if the missing Zofian princess took his place, he would return to Ram at a moment's notice alongside her. Celica, who is frustrated that Alm does not wish to negotiate, claims there is no such thing as a lost princess and leaves in order to prepare to head for the Temple of Mila. The two go their separate ways and a sudden rockslide prevents the two from meeting again for the time being.
On the way to the border, Alm arrives at a Forest Village, where Luthier asks him to help save his sister Delthea who's been captured, learning of Rigel's blockage of the sluice in order to flood Zofia. When another villager informs them of Mathilda's impending execution by Desaix, though, they decide to attack his fortress in order to rescue her. Leading the Deliverance to the fortress, Alm brings down the despot and Mathilda is rescued. Inside the Fortress, Alm's group finds the Royal Sword, a powerful blade that is rumored to be wielded only by those of royal lineage. Tobin attempts to pick it, but finds that it is too heavy to lift. Alm, who effortlessly picks it up, believes that Tobin was jesting, though he vehemently denies it. Lukas is shocked by this fact and question the implications of this, but Alm dismisses it as an exaggeration of the myth. Lukas agrees to the possibility, but determines that Alm is the rightful wielder of the blade regardless.
Arriving at the sluice, Alm and his army confront and slay Tatarrah, freeing Delthea from his mind control. The sluice is opened by him after the corresponding floodgate at the Temple of Mila is opened first, deducing Celica to be the one responsible, as well as her status as the missing princess.
Assault on Rigel[]
Now in Rigel, the Zofian assault begins, with Alm leading the charge. Upon entering, the Deliverance is immediately confronted by Berkut and Fernand. Despite only two and a third cavalry enemy unit against Alm's collective army, the battle goes almost evenly with Alm barely defeating Berkut. In his defeat, Berkut shatters a mirror he was given by Nuibaba, causing a curse to befall upon the Deliverance. However, an intervention by Celica dispels the curse and saves the army.
Before heading to Rigel Castle, Alm hears of a Witch situated on Fear Mountain who has been kidnapping Rigelian women to sacrifice for her god. Alm takes the Deliverance on a detour to end the machinations of Nuibaba who also sought out Alm with the intention of sacrificing him to her god Medusa for everlasting beauty and life. Alm's onslaught on her abode succeeds with him killing the witch. Inside, Alm frees Tatiana, a Rigelian saint who asks to join his army to reunite with her beloved Zeke. Alm leads the Deliverance towards Rigel Castle and eventually encounters Zeke working alongside Jerome. Upon seeing Tatiana among Alm's forces, Zeke immediately turns on Jerome and kills the corrupt knight. After the battle, Alm asks Zeke to join his army. Though thankful for rescuing his beloved, Zeke declines as he remains faithful to Emperor Rudolf for the kindness he gave to him after suffering amnesia. However, Zeke notices Alm's brand and immediately joins his army as Emperor Rudolf himself told him to follow a man who bore that brand on his hand, even if it means fighting against Rudolf himself. He explains that the mark would be a sign of the end of the influences of Duma and Mila on Valentia and that Alm would be one of the heroes who would lead this end.
As the Deliverance rounds Rigel Castle, Celica suddenly appears before Alm through an astral projection thanks to the Sage Halcyon. The two reconcile for their earlier fight at Castle Zofia. Celica admits to Alm that she is indeed the long lost princess Anthiese. While the two must remain apart for a little while longer, she promises to reunite once her journey is done. As a parting gift, she has Halcyon unlock Alm's true potential, allowing him to become a true Hero when he is ready to use this blessing.
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Eventually, Alm reaches Rigel Castle and confronts Emperor Rudolf. Though the two engage, Rudolf does not attack Alm and is brought down. On his death throes, Rudolf reveals that Alm is Albein Alm Rudolf, Rudolf's only son. Alm is shocked by the sudden revelation and begs Rudolf to explain more, but the king hushes him in order to explain his final request. With his final breaths, he pleads his son to embrace his destiny by claiming the Falchion being stored in the Duma Temple and use its power to end the age of gods. Alm is left in shock as he comes to terms with the fact that he just killed his father.
With the death of the king and named heir apparent, Alm is fully recognized as the prince of Rigel and is lead into the castle. Inside the castle, Mycen appears, and explains the truth behind his past. Duma had begun to fall into madness and Rudolf was among the first to recognize the Divine Dragon's degeneration. Coincidentally, his newborn son bore a Brand that was told in a prophecy to be a key individual who would end the madness of Valentia's gods. In order to forge Alm into the true Hero of legend and prevent his capture by the Duma faithful, Rudolf ordered Mycen, his closest friend, to take Alm away and raise him to become the hero foretold. To all but Rudolf and Mycen, Alm's identity was completely kept secret. In a Memory Prism, prior to sending Alm away with Mycen, he told Mycen that a newborn Zofian princess was also born with a Brand. Rudolf would then spend the next 17 years enacting his plan, becoming a conqueror in order to spur Alm's growth into becoming a hero. With Rudolf's plan ultimately successful and now fully understanding his role in the world, Alm embraces his role as the hero of Valentia and heads down in to the basement of Duma tower to reclaim Falchion and slay Duma.
End of the Age of Gods[]
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In the temple, Alm discovers Celica being imprisoned by Jedah who intends of sacrificing her to Duma. Despite the fact that Alm was instructed by Rudolf's dying words to slay Duma, Celica tries to talk him out of it, fearing that Rigel will be even more barren than it already is, and thinking that nothing can slay Duma due to Falchion being sealed by Mila herself. After Celica confesses to Alm that her only desire in life is to not want Alm or anyone else to be hurt or killed, and tells him that she wishes that things could have turned out different and that she could have gone back with Alm and lived with him at Ram Village, she runs off to accept her demise at the hands of Duma. Despite all of this, Alm decides to still try to take down Duma and save Celica, not wanting to lose anyone else to Duma.
In Echoes, Alm travels further into the Temple and encounters Berkut, driven into madness by his consecutive defeats and the revelation of Alm as heir apparent. Alm fights his cousin and eventually defeats him. On his death throes, Berkut places his faith in Alm to end the age of gods, but also adding another regret of killing yet another family member he just recently discovered.
Upon reaching the deepest catacombs of the Temple, Alm is forced to brave the final chambers alone in order to claim Falchion. In the final chamber, Alm is greeted by Celica, but is shocked to find out that her soul was taken by Duma and has become a mindless Witch. As the two fight, Celica telepathically pleads to Alm to kill her before her controlled body kills him. Alm hesitates, causing Celica to disarm him of the Royal Sword. Mila calls to Alm to take Falchion and drives the blade into Celica, expelling Duma's influence over her, but also killing her in the process. As Alm mourns for Celica, Mila uses her remaining power in Falchion to restore Celica back to life. Before fading away, Mila's soul instructs Alm to use Falchion to stop Duma and free him from the depths of his pain. Celica apologizes to Alm for the way she had treated him before. The two reconcile and use their respective Mila's Turnwheels to open the gate leading to Duma's domain. Both Alm and Celica's armies join forces and kill Jedah and his daughters Hestia and Marla, allowing them to finally face Duma. With Celica supporting him, Alm is able to drive Falchion into Duma's head, putting the Divine Dragon to rest and ending their age over Valentia.
With the influence of the gods upon the land gone, Zofia and Rigel are united into the One Kingdom of Valentia, with Alm ascending the throne and becoming its first king. Together alongside Celica, now wed to each other, the two usher an era of peace. Alm became famous throughout the history of Valentia as the man who established the grand empire and used his power to slay the oppressive gods who had ruled the land, later being known as the Saint-King Alm I.
Awakening[]
Alm's legacy would endure even past the schism of the unified kingdom a thousand years later, as one of Alm's successors would rename both the Kingdom and the continent as a whole Valm in his honor.
Personality[]
Alm is kind-hearted yet naïve with a strong sense of justice and subtly idealistic morals. He has a strong sense of obligation, wanting to leave Ram Village to help the people of Zofia when he heard about the outbreak of thieves, famine, and the aggression of the Rigelian Empire for the past few years. His sense of justice is rather black-and-white, as he is quick to blame individuals for a number of follies in situations he does not necessarily have the full context to. He has a vaguely puerile sense of humor, as he loves to make puns, and is a terrible dancer.
Alm is able to acknowledge his own naïveté and unfamiliarity with the world outside of his village, and is very attentive in general to compensate for said naïveté. He wears his heart on his sleeve and is very sensitive and emotionally expressive, often verbally communicating his insecurities and not holding back tears in melancholy situations.
Due in part to his humble background, Alm is better able to appeal to the mass of the Deliverance and later the forces of Zofia during their battle against Rigel, having relatable experiences to many who joined the cause. Alm is initially unsure of his role as leader, especially since his sole credential is being Mycen's grandson in the beginning. However over the course of the war, Alm grows more confident and assured of his abilities to lead and inspire others to his cause.
Celica's influence on his life in their childhood gave Alm the introspective accounts on the outside world, fueling his desire to find his place in it. Likewise, Alm gave Celica unconditional love and kindness that allowed her to avoid feeling alone in a world that seemed dead-set on making her suffer. Their reunion years later was filled with nothing short of pure happiness and a rekindling of their mutual affection. While the encounter ended on a bitter note, Alm still felt concern for her and easily forgave her when they later reconciled. Celica's benevolence imprinted heavily on Alm, as he never turns down an opportunity to help others once informed, no matter how extraneous the effort would be. While others such as Lukas or Clive often advise him not to take detours from their cause, Alm firmly believes that if he can help anyone in need, he will do all that he can to do so, leading to several people joining his cause out of gratitude, including Luthier, Delthea, Tatiana, and Zeke. Likewise, Alm is very forgiving even against those who spite him for the greater cause, as he offered Fernand the opportunity to rejoin the Deliverance despite defecting to Rigel.
Alm has a deep longing for a family, as he's said to have grown up lonely in said village, even getting deeply disturbed when an elder said that Mycen had no children. Thus, he ends up projecting his desire onto other party members, especially his Ram Village friends, often idealizing them as his family by treating them as such in order to counterbalance his loneliness.
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His longing for familial bonds is further emphasized later in the story, as he is shocked and angered over killing his father Rudolf, crying after hearing about his father's plan to become a destroyer to save Valentia, and also getting extremely distraught with his cousin Berkut's death, lamenting that he wanted to hear stories about his father and form a familial bond with Berkut that he has never had, nor ever will experience.
In-Game[]
Fire Emblem Gaiden[]
Base Stats[]
Starting Class | ||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Fighter | ||||||||
Level | HP | Str | Skl | Spd | Lck | Def | Res | Mov |
1 | 28 | 10 | 7 | 6 | 7 | 6 | 4 | 5 |
Magic | Starting Items | |||||||
- | - |
Growth Rates[]
HP | Str | Skl | Spd | Lck | Def | Res |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
50% | 35% | 40% | 30% | 20% | 30% | 0% |
Overall[]
Subjective: The following part of this article is based upon the editor's personal experiences and opinions, and therefore may not be applicable for all readers.
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As the main Lord character of Gaiden, Alm has very good stats for a Level 1 unit. Though his growths may seem low compared to future games, his growths in Gaiden are considered very strong as Gaiden has brutally low growth rates. He will likely end up with very high HP, Strength and Skill and relatively high Speed and Defense by endgame, so he can be used as a shield or offense type unit as you wish. His lowest growth is Luck, which is merely average.
When he promotes, he gets even more potential as he can use Bows, which are deadly in this game as they have a natural range of 3 that can be increased to a range of 5 with a Bow weapon equipped. The Falchion can only be wielded by Alm in Gaiden and is a necessity to defeat the final boss as he is immune to all damage inflicted on him once he reaches 52 HP (aside from a Nosferatu tome). Alm should be given as much training as possible as not only is he key for the final boss, but his offensive strength for the army can prove to be very rewarding in the long run (As a bonus, during the final fight he can also perform a confirm critical hit if he is one square next to Celica, which should make beating Duma way quicker).
Alm is easily one of the strongest characters in Gaiden. He has strong base stats, some of the best growths in the game, can equip a huge variety of Swords (two of which can only be equipped by him) and Bows, and he is the protagonist in the start of the game (beside Celica). His only real weakness is that he can only Promote once, and his Promotion requires you to find an optional hidden village in the Lost Woods that can be easy to miss.
Fire Emblem Awakening[]
Base Stats[]
Starting Class | |||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Hero | |||||||||
Level | HP | Str | Mag | Skl | Spd | Lck | Def | Res | Mov |
20 | 73 | 41 | 3 | 38 | 33 | 27 | 34 | 12 | 6 |
Skills | Weapon | Starting Items | |||||||
HP +5 Aegis | Sword - A Axe - C | Alm's Blade* |
Fire Emblem Echoes: Shadows of Valentia[]
Base Stats[]
Class Sets[]
Class Sets | |||
---|---|---|---|
First Tier | Second Tier | Third Tier | Overclass |
Fighter | Hero | - | Conqueror* |
*DLC class; access with the Altar of the King.
Growth Rates[]
HP | Atk | Skl | Spd | Lck | Def | Res |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
60% | 50% | 55% | 45% | 35% | 50% | 3% |
Max Stats[]
HP | Atk | Skl | Spd | Lck | Def | Res |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
52 | 41 | 41 | 39 | 39 | 41 | 40 |
Supports[]
- See also: Alm/Supports
Passive Supports
Overall[]
Subjective: The following part of this article is based upon the editor's personal experiences and opinions, and therefore may not be applicable for all readers.
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Much like Gaiden, Alm is the strongest member of his team when he first joins, and also possesses some of the highest growth rates in the entire game that will allow his combat performance to remain exceptional even despite his very late promotion. In act 3 he acquires his unique Royal Sword, which has exceptional combat statistics and gives him access to several useful weapon arts, most notable among them being his Double Lions art, which allows him to strike consecutively while increasing the power and accuracy of his attacks. When he promotes in act 4, he also gains access to bows, which he can equip at will using the convoy whenever he requires the extra range. Upon gaining the Falchion in lategame, he gains an effective weapon against terrors and can damage the final boss when he drops below 52 health, which no other physical fighters can do.
Alm's scarce weaknesses do little to hold back his performance. His speed can fall short of double attacking the faster enemies in the game unless he uses his Double Lion skill. His resistance is also quite low, though this is a weakness many others in the game share. His five movement also starts off as above average when the player only has access to villagers and Lukas, but as the player acquires more units, he may find his mobility leaving him behind promoted Cavaliers and Pegasus Knights, as well as dread fighters. Most of all, Alm can only promote during act 4, after Celica has visited the Sage's Hamlet in the lost woods, which means Alm has no stat bonuses to rely on except for his growths rates and whatever statues the player has given him up until then.
Fire Emblem Engage[]
Bond Ring[]
- Hero from beyond Elyos and the savior of the land of Valentia. The brand on his left hand proved that he was chosen by prophecy. He worked with Celica in her final battle against the wicked god Duma.
C Rank | Str +1 | |
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B Rank | Str +1 Dex +1 | |
World | A Rank | Str +1 Dex +1 Def+1 |
Caring Princess | S Rank | Str +2 Dex +1 Def+1 Windsweep |
Fire Emblem Heroes[]
- Hero of Prophecy
- A brave but kind, young warrior, raised by the hero Mycen in Ram Village. His left hand is marked with the Brand. Appears in Fire Emblem Echoes: Shadows of Valentia.
Base Stats[]
Title | |||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Hero of Prophecy | |||||
Group | |||||
Infantry | |||||
Level | HP | Atk | Spd | Def | Res |
1 40 | 20/21/22 42/45/48 | 8/9/10 30/33/36 | 5/6/7 27/30/33 | 5/6/7 24/28/31 | 4/5/6 19/22/25 |
Skills | Weapon | ||||
Falchion Dragon Gaze | Sword |
Skills[]
Type | Name | Prerequisite | Default | Unlocked |
---|---|---|---|---|
Iron Sword | - | - | - | |
Steel Sword | - | - | - | |
Silver Sword | - | - | - | |
Falchion | - | - | ||
Dragon Gaze | - | - | - | |
Draconic Aura | Dragon Gaze | - | ||
A | Attack +1 | - | - | |
Attack +2 | Attack +1 | - | ||
Attack +3 | Attack +2 | |||
B | Windsweep 1 | - | - | |
Windsweep 2 | Windsweep 1 | - | ||
Windsweep 3 | Windsweep 2 |
Overall[]
Subjective: The following part of this article is based upon the editor's personal experiences and opinions, and therefore may not be applicable for all readers.
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Base Set[]
Alm upon release was a very lackluster Falchion user mainly due to his statline emphasizing raw neutral 33 Atk and high 45 HP. His 30 Spd and 28 Def are all good for a Book I unit, but in comparison to his fellow Falchion users, Marth and Lucina have better base offensive stats and Chrom has better physical bulk. His low 22 Res is a sore spot for him as most mages can annihilate him. While he failed to stand out initially, Alm later received a significant boost and became one of the strongest, if not outright strongest normal Falchion user. Thanks also in part to his Resplendent form, Alm still can be used viably in the modern meta.
Alm's Falchion retained the same effects of all Falchion users prior, having effectiveness against Dragon units and has a Renewal 2 effect, giving him 10 HP every three turns. What set Alm apart from his fellow Falchion users was his unique refine for his Valentian Falchion, giving him the ability to attack twice if he is at 100% HP at the start of combat that he initiates, essentially giving him a Brave weapon without the Spd penalty. Though he takes 5 non-lethal damage after using this effect, the Renewal effect is promoted to third tier, healing him 10 HP every two turns instead, meaning that he has decent self-sustain to maintain its effect. As a result, Alm's offense significantly increases and he became the strongest dragonslayer at the time and even in modern times can still pull his weight with some investments.
Draconic Aura deals solid damage off of his 49 Atk with his weapon equipped. Attack +3 gives him a flat +3 increase to his Atk, but is mostly lackluster in comparison to much stronger skills. Windsweep allows Alm to safely attack a decent range of units without fear of retaliation so long as his Spd is higher than theirs.
Counters[]
Alm for the most part can deal with most units, but he is heavily countered by any sort of Blue Bulky unit or Mage. Effie in particularly checks him hard thanks to Wary Fighter which removes his ability to Follow Up and her bulk soaks up any damage he can attempt to deal to her, even if his brave effect is still on. Other units like Tana and Ephraim can also deal with him effectively. Strong Blue mages like Reinhardt and Delthea also dispose of him easily. He can also be dispatched by fast and strong red units like Ayra and Mia, though he can mitigate this with Swordbreaker if willing to run that.
Skill Inheritance Options[]
To capitalize on Alm's Falchion refinement, Death Blow is the best Skill A as it has strong synergy with it, especially in its fourth tier. Defense Smoke debilitates his foe's physical bulk for more damage or either version of Attack Wave will give him a boost as well to fill his empty C slot. Reposition works well with a standard infantry unit like him, however Ardent Sacrifice can be used to let him be a Falchion Healer like he once was, but doing so also takes away his Brave Effect until he recovers. If not concerned with Windsweep taking away an opponent's ability to counterattack, Renewal can be inherited as it will stack on Falchion's effect to give him more health back in case he's facing opponents with a lot of damage output. As mentioned above, running Swordbreaker helps to mitigate the threat of common sword units. Due to his strong offenses thanks to the Brave effect, Luna allows him to further ignore some his foe's bulk, allowing him to dispatch some high bulk enemies when necessary.
Among Alm's more expensive but effective options are Mystic Boost, which completely nullifies the after-damage effect of Falchion's refine, letting him immediately go after another foe without the need of a healer, and Joint Hone Attack, which allows Alm access to a boost in Atk without needing to bring a dedicated holder of skills like Hone Atk or Atk Tactics. Galeforce will let Alm take another action once it has been charged, and though Alm loses potential Special damage his two attacks can usually be enough to take out the enemy by themselves.
Meet Some of the Heroes[]
Hero of Prophecy Alm | |||
---|---|---|---|
Alm is a warrior from Ram Village, located in the southernmost part of Zofia. He's a brave but kind young man who was raised by his grandfather Mycen, the hero of the village! | |||
Alm's modest origins hid a secret. His left hand bore the Brand, the mark of the heroes who would save Valentia! | |||
After witnessing the injustices of the invading Rigelian Empire, Alm and his friends from the village joined the Deliverance, an army raised to free Zofia. There, he blossomed as a leader and soon became the Deliverance's commander! | |||
At the same time, Alm's childhood friend Celica had set out on her own journey to find the cause behind the strange disturbances occurring throughout the land. Their battles would shape the future of all Valentia! | |||
Closely Associated Characters | |||
Celica | The princess of Zofia; trained as a priestess. Caring toward others, and dislikes fighting. Bears the Brand on her right hand. A childhood friend of Alm's who was raised alongside him in Ram Village. | ||
Mycen | Alm's grandfather who raised Alm to be a great warrior in Ram Village. He was revered as a great knight in Zofia. | ||
Rudolf | The stern, commanding Emperor of Rigel. He shares a significant bond with Alm. |
- Saint-King
- The Rigelian prince who defeated Duma and became the first king of the One Kingdom of Valentia. Later generations remember him fondly as a wise ruler. Appears in Fire Emblem Echoes: Shadows of Valentia.
Base Stats[]
Rarity: ✯✯✯✯✯
Title | |||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Saint-King | |||||
Group | |||||
Infantry | |||||
Level | HP | Atk | Spd | Def | Res |
1 40 | 17/18/19 36/40/43 | 10/11/12 34/37/40 | 10/11/12 34/37/40 | 3/4/5 22/26/29 | 2/3/4 19/22/26 |
Skills | Weapon | ||||
Luna Arc New Moon | Bow |
Skills[]
Overall[]
Subjective: The following part of this article is based upon the editor's personal experiences and opinions, and therefore may not be applicable for all readers.
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Base Set[]
Legendary Alm storms the battlefield with some of the best offensive stats for any ranged unit out there, reaching a minimum 48 Atk and 37 Spd with a bane in either when using his personal weapon, thus reducing the sting of taking a bane if either if such an event occurs as he will still be offensively potent otherwise. He trades his defensive stats as result, but these are inconsequential if he is able to fell his opponent before they can hit him.
Luna Arc grants the standard Bow effect of destroying flying units and innately boosts his Spd by 3 to reach his 37 Spd bane minimum. It also innately ignores 25% of foe's Def, further reducing his enemy's ability to survive his onslaught. His refine of Lunar Arc changes the activation requirements to either initiating combat or being within two spaces of an ally and also tacks on Atk/Spd+5 alongside 25% Def ignoring effect. Its unique new refine effect also gives him another Atk/Spd+5 if he has at least 25% HP at the start of combat and neutralizes any special slowing skill effects. Finally, if faces any unit that has a physical damaging weapon and his Spd is greater than his foes, they cannot counterattack.
Alm's exclusive skill is Lunar Flash, which ignores 20% of his enemy's Def, though this effect is more for Alm when he is wielding any weapon aside from Lunar Arc. It's most beneficial effect is the bonus damage based on 20% of his spd, leading to a minimum 7 added damage or potentially as much as 11 if Alm receives buffs. In its second tier, it adds an effect that any skill on his foes that mitigates damage such as Spurn. It does not affect skills like Sacred Cowl.
Legendary Alm enjoys spd buffs of any sort as a result of his special and his Skill A of Darting Blow 4 perfectly embodies this as it grants his a massive +9 to spd when initiating, not only pushing his Spd to 46 minimum, but further increasing Lunar Flash's damage. Null Follow-Up stops enemies from using follow-up related skills including Desperation, Quick Riposte, Wary Fighter, and Bowbreaker in the case of Alm, destroying any wall or reducing the impact on enemies who rely on follow-ups, though only the few that can reach over Alm's massive Spd stat. His original skill C is Odd Attack Wave as a self buff skill for a Skill C, just to makes sure Alm has as much Atk as possible. Upon his Legendary Remix, he received Time's Pulse, giving him a solid Special acceleration effect to keep his Lunar Flash II constantly in effect.
Counters[]
As a ranged unit without much bulk or damage reduction for damage dealt to him, Legendary Alm suffers from taking any solid hits at close range. His conditional Windsweep is easy to maintain, but Null C-Disrupt can put a wrench in that safety net if his foe has enough bulk to survive his attacks and retaliate in full. Finally the advent of Far Save armors can lead to some inconsistent match-ups that are tricky for him to solidly dispatch his targeted foe if they have those armor units to swoop in and take the hit.
Skill Inheritance Options[]
With the improvement of his kit due to the Legendary Remix, Legendary Alm's only missing skill is his Assist skill, which is easily filled with skills like Reposition and Draw Back for their general utility or any Rally+ skill for Arena Scoring. His base kit otherwise is solid enough to not need replacing unless building a specific niche. Any sort of Atk/Spd boosting skill works wonders on improving both his raw damage and increasing his Spd for his skill thresholds, which Legendary Alm needs very few extra points of the latter stats to reap the full benefits against most foes. Watersweep is a tech choice to replace Null Follow-Up in order to give him omni-coverage against magic based units, which his weapon does not cover.
Meet Some of the Heroes[]
Saint-King Alm | |||
---|---|---|---|
Alm grew up in Ram Village, in the Kingdom of Zofia. There's a little secret behind his unassuming childhood, though—he is in fact Albein Alm Rudolf, the prince of the Rigelian Empire! | |||
Not even Alm knew of his origins growing up, and when Zofia was invaded by Rigel, he quickly joined the liberation army, the Deliverance. | |||
After defeating his father, Emperor Rudolf, Alm learns of his true heritage and then embarks on a new quest to defeat the fell god Duma—the true source of the strife plaguing the realm. | |||
Following the climactic battle, Alm establishes a united Valentian kingdom, bringing peace as its founder-king. And now, he's helping us out as a Legendary Hero, equipped with a fabled bow! | |||
Closely Associated Characters | |||
Celica | A priestess of the Novis Priory. She is in fact the princess of Zofia, and joins Alm, her childhood friend, in sealing away the fell god Duma. |
- Imperial Ascent
- Son of Rudolf, the Rigelian Emperor. Dons special armor that has been passed down for generations. Appears in Fire Emblem Echoes: Shadows of Valentia.
Base Stats[]
Rarity: ✯✯✯✯✯
Title | |||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Imperial Ascent | |||||
Group | |||||
Infantry | |||||
Level | HP | Atk | Spd | Def | Res |
1 40 | 17/18/19 39/42/45 | 7/8/9 35/38/42 | 8/9/10 32/35/38 | 10/11/12 34/37/40 | 4/5/6 17/20/23 |
Skills | Weapon | ||||
Dracofalchion Dragon Gaze | Sword |
Skills[]
Type | Name | Prerequisite | Default | Unlocked |
---|---|---|---|---|
Iron Sword | - | - | - | |
Steel Sword | - | - | - | |
Silver Sword | - | - | - | |
Dracofalchion | - | - | ||
Dragon Gaze | - | - | - | |
Draconic Aura | Dragon Gaze | - | ||
A | Scendscale | - | ||
B | Chill Def 1 | - | ||
Chill Def 2 | Chill Def 1 | |||
Chill Def 3 | Chill Def 2 | |||
C | Threaten Atk 1 | - | ||
Threat Atk/Spd 1 | Threaten Atk 1 | |||
Threat Atk/Spd 2 | Threat Atk/Spd 1 | |||
Threat Atk/Spd 3 | Threat Atk/Spd 2 |
Overall[]
Subjective: The following part of this article is based upon the editor's personal experiences and opinions, and therefore may not be applicable for all readers.
|
Base Set[]
As the male winner of the Choose Your Legends 3 event, Brave Alm comes ready to impress an make an impact in the already saturated Sword Infantry pool. Fantastic Atk and Spd for powerful offense and great physical bulk allows him to charge forward as a potent frontline attacker. Unfortunately, all this comes at the cost of his Res at an abysmal 20 neutral. While a minor hindrance in the grand scheme of his abilities, it still must be taken into consideration when sending him forward into battle. He was an impressively strong unit from the gate, but his refine a year later and further introductions of various skills makes Brave Alm an incredibly potent unit that maintains a top spot within the growing roster of Heroes.
Dracofalchion retains its ability to deal effective damage against Dragon units and also boosts his already high Atk by an additional 3 for good measure. If the number of enemies within two spaces exceed the number of allies within two spaces, Alm gains an additional +5 boost to his four core stats, further increasing his potency. Its later refine first gives him one extra space of movement, meaning that he has a 3 tile movement range and unlike most movement increase skills, it will happen at the start of his turn without needing to fill any requirement other than he needs to be on the map. The activation requirements changes to Brave Alm either initiating combat or not being adjacent to an ally in order to receive his +5 to his core stats during combat. The full effect addition also tacks on an additional +5 to his four core stats so long as he initiates combat with at least 25% HP at the start. If he has a Spd advantage over his foe and they use physical damage dealing weapons, he gains a self-Null Follow-Up effect and Windsweep to boot.
His Brave skill, Scendscale adds 25% of his Atk as true damage, thus about 15 additional damage at the cost of seven damage if he attacks. Alm can easily achieve an impressive damage ceiling with the proper allies and buffs, allowing him to utterly decimate his foes with a single powerful strike, and that is before considering that his special that he can equip has not been taken into account yet.
Draconic Aura tacks on an additional 30% of his Atk as extra true damage to his enemies, thus an additional 20 for good measure. With 35 base true damage without accounting for his actual damage from his attack, Brave Alm easily can destroy all of his enemies under the right conditions. To ensure maximum damage, Chill Defense inflicts a -7 Def debuff to the enemy with the highest Def and Threaten Attack Speed inflicts Atk/Spd -5 on enemies within two spaces of himself while boosting his own Atk/Spd by 5.
Counters[]
Brave Alm is at his strongest during his turn and baiting him is ill advised as he is surprisingly robust enough to even smash into bulky blue units without much fear of retaliation and wear them down assuming he has proper support to back him up. Drawing him in and initiating on him with hard hitting mages are the best approach to safely dispose of him without fear of his strong offense otherwise. Dragons can be a tricky counter to put in front of him as his refine effect does not activate against them, but his weapon still does effective damage against them otherwise, making them something of a counter, if not without inherent high risks involved.
Skill Inheritance[]
Reposition is a must for Brave Alm to give him superior ally positioning abilities as a support skill. His base kit otherwise is already solid enough to work as is. Luna will give him more power to ignore parts of his foe's Def to deal more damage. An Atk/Spd boosting skill will give him more benefits in maintaining his weapon's effects than Scendscale's raw Atk increase. Lull Atk/Spd or Lull Spd/Def for more stat reductions to better give his weapon a chance to activate against his foes.
Meet Some of the Heroes[]
Imperial Ascent Alm | |||
---|---|---|---|
Alm was the central figure of the Deliverance, the Zofian liberation army that fought against the Rigelian Empire. But it was when Alm defeated Emperor Rudolf that he discovered a shocking truth. | |||
It turned out that Alm was in fact Rudolf's only son, making him the heir to the Rigelian throne! Duma's Brand on Alm's left hand proved his birthright. | |||
With his dying breath, Rudolf made a final request of Alm: to seal away Duma, the erstwhile protector of the Empire who had become a fell god. | |||
To grant his father's last wishes, Alm donned the ancient armor of the Rigelian Empire—transforming him into a true warrior-king! | |||
Closely Associated Characters | |||
Celica | The princess of Zofia; trained as a priestess. Caring towards others, and dislikes fighting. She bears Mila's Brand on her right hand, while Alm bears Duma's Brand on his left hand. | ||
Duma | God of Strength and brother of the goddess Mila. He and Mila fought over the continent of Valentia and split it in twain. Rigel, the north of Valentia, is his domain. To Alm, he is a foe who must be sealed away once more. |
- Lovebird Duo
- Prince of Rigel and princess of Zofia. Ended the strife between their countries and founded the One Kingdom of Valentia. Appears in Fire Emblem Echoes: Shadows of Valentia.
Base Stats[]
Rarity: ✯✯✯✯✯
Title | |||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Lovebird Duo | |||||
Group | |||||
Infantry | |||||
Level | HP | Atk | Spd | Def | Res |
1 40 | 17/18/19 36/40/43 | 10/11/12 32/35/38 | 9/10/11 37/40/44 | 5/6/7 29/32/35 | 5/6/7 22/25/29 |
Skills | Weapon | ||||
Scepter of Love New Moon | Axe |
Skills[]
Duo Skill[]
Duo Skill | Standard Effect |
---|---|
Neutralizes any【Penalty】, restores 30 HP, and grants Atk/Spd+6 to unit and allies within 5 rows and 5 columns centered on unit for 1 turn.
【Penalty】 All effects that last "on foe through its next action." Includes penalties inflicted by a skill like Panic or Threaten and negative status effects (preventing counterattacks, restricting movement, or the effects of a skill like Triangle Adept or Guard). (Duo Skills can be used once per map by tapping the Duo button. Duo Skills cannot be used by units deployed using Pair Up.) |
If unit is 5★ and level 40 and unit's stats total less than 185, treats unit's stats as 185 in modes like Arena. (Higher-scoring opponents will appear. Stat total calculation excludes any values added by merges and skills.) |
Overall[]
Subjective: The following part of this article is based upon the editor's personal experiences and opinions, and therefore may not be applicable for all readers.
|
Base Set[]
Valentine Alm tags along with Celica and provides one of the most potent Duo Heroes to date with fantastic offensive stats and workable defensive bulk. As usual, he is vulnerable to magic attacks thanks to mediocre Res, but that does not detract from his overall performance. As a duo unit, his unique skill grants himself and all allies within five spaces of himself an additional +6 Atk/Spd, heals 30 HP, and neutralizes any existing penalties. This overall provides a pinch heal and buff for himself and his allies while also helping to activate his weapon.
Scepter of Love grants an additional +3 Spd to solidify his offensive stats. It also has an additional effect that activates either if he has a visible buff on himself, such as through a Hone skill or his own Duo skill, or if he is at least over 70. With these conditions met, he will buff his Atk by 25% of his foes Def while penalizing his enemy's Atk by 25% of their Res. This leads to rather awkward results that are interchangeable depending on the enemy, but the overall boost and penalty benefits him and helps him to better duel enemies.
Valentines Alm keeps his Legendary special skill Lunar Flash, ignoring 20% of his opponent's Def and deals 20% of his Spd as extra damage. Bonus Doubler will double the current buffs he has on him. Lull Attack Speed neutralizes his enemy's Atk/Spd buffs and then inflict -3 to both stats during combat. Finally Rouse Speed Resistance grants Spd/Res +4 if he is not starting his turn next to an ally.
Counters[]
As a duo unit, the threat of Valentines Alm is partially due to his Duo skill, which an enemy AI cannot activate. He is vulnerable to Ploy skills and such units, especially Katarina, ensures that he does not get his scepters abilities if she is running her quad ploy skill set. His magical bulk makes an excellent target for countering him thus having red mages or strong green mages can easily dispatch him. Dazzling Staff/Wrathful Staff units can also poke him out easily, especially since Distant Counter is an option for his Skill A and may show up on occasion when facing him in the Arenas/Aether Raids.
Skill Inheritance[]
Reposition offers excellent position abilities for Alm to get his allies out of danger when needed. Distant Counter is an excellent Skill A option to ensure that he can duel all allies when needed and makes engaging him with mages a little more unsafe if the enemy is not careful. Skill B is flexible, but most considerations are premium at best with skills like Close Call, Repel, or Null Follow-Up. Skill C is also flexible, but with far more budget options like Smoke skills and Wave skills.
Meet Some of the Heroes[]
Lovebird Duo Alm | |||
---|---|---|---|
Alm and Celica fought alongside each other to put an end to the conflict in Valentia. They share a bond deeper than any other, and now they're here to take part in the Day of Devotion festivities! | |||
Both Alm and Celica come from noble backgrounds, and it shows in their elegant outfits. The flower they're both wearing is the phlox, which is known as a symbol of harmony and good partnerships! | |||
In fact, I hear these very outfits were made after they saved the continent of Valentia. Does anything about them look familiar? | |||
Alm and Celica supported each other to overcome fate itself. They know the value of love better than anyone else, so I'm sure that together, they'll pour their hearts into celebrating the Day of Devotion! | |||
Closely Associated Characters | |||
Rudolf | The stern, commanding Emperor of Rigel. Father of Alm and the uncle of Berkut. | ||
Conrad | A mysterious knight who rushes to Celica's aid whenever she is in danger. When he wears his mask, his personality changes entirely. He calls Celica by her true name, Anthiese. |
Quotes[]
Gaiden[]
—Alm's death quote
Echoes: Shadows of Valentia[]
Heroes[]
Endings[]
Gaiden[]
- In ages to come, this is what was passed down:
- He who sundered the evil chains of the gods
- And established this thousand-year reign
- Must never be forgotten: Our Exalted King, Alm the First!
Echoes: Shadows of Valentia[]
- As first king of the One Kingdom of Valentia, Alm spent his life restoring the land to glory. He would be remembered fondly by later generations as Saint-King Alm I, who cast off the gods' oppressive yoke and founded a dynasty that would last a thousand years.
Non-Canon Appearances[]
Super Smash Bros. Ultimate[]
Spirit Info[]
No. | Name | Image | Type | Class | Slots | Effect |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
637 | Alm & Celica (Young) | Primary (Neutral) | ★☆☆☆ (Novice) | 1 | Can Be Enhanced at Lv. 99 | |
638 | Alm & Celica | Primary (Neutral) | ★★★☆ (Ace) | 3 | Back Shield Equipped |
Spirit Battle[]
Fire Emblem 0 (Cipher)[]
Alm is illustrated in the trading card game with the following cards:
Choose Your Legends Placement History[]
Round | Placement | Character Version | Votes |
---|
CYL1 | 145 | Gaiden |
907 |
CYL2 | 9 ↑136 |
Gaiden/Echoes: Shadows of Valentia |
18,716 ↑17,809 |
CYL3 | Winner 1 ↑8 |
Gaiden/Echoes: Shadows of Valentia |
62,216 ↑43,500 |
CYL4 onward | Ineligible |
Etymology[]
Alm's name has many possible origins. Alm takes its reference from the alpine pasture of the same name; this is further supported in his full name in the Japanese version, Alpine Alm Rudolf. Alm is ostensibly derived from the Old Norse word "álmr", meaning "elm tree". In modern Swedish, Alm still means "elm tree". Alm could also be a reference to giving alms, or an act of charity.
Alm's first name in the English versions, Albein, is possibly derived from the name Albin.
The pronunciation of Alm's Japanese name Arumu also vaguely sounds like aurum, the Latin word for "gold."
Trivia[]
- As with many characters in Gaiden, Alm's hair color differs in various art assets. It is green in the manual and cover art, but blue in game. In the manga adaptation of Fire Emblem Gaiden, Alm has green hair as well. In Fire Emblem Awakening, Alm has green hair but the very tips are blue, effectively combining both hair colors. In Echoes: Shadows of Valentia, his hair is consistently green in both official art and in the game itself.
- He is one of the few main characters to have a specified last name, the others being Sigurd, Seliph, Leif, Elincia, Jill, and Sanaki, as well as the vast majority of the playable cast in Fire Emblem: Three Houses.
- Alm's artwork for both the original Gaiden and Shadows of Valentia depicts him wielding the Royal Sword. His Awakening artwork depicts him wielding Alm's Blade, which is visually based on the Royal Sword, while his Heroes artwork depicts him with the Valentian Falchion.
- His artwork in Gaiden, Shadows of Valentia and Heroes depicts him in the Fighter Class, while his DLC artwork in Awakening depicts him in the Dread Fighter Class.
- Alm was originally right-handed in Gaiden and all subsequent materials. However, Shadows of Valentia depicts Alm as left-handed, both in his promotional art and in-game appearances. This is further shown in Fire Emblem Heroes where he has different animations compared to most sword users.
- This makes him the first known character and Lord character who is left-handed.
- The reasons for the change, according to the developers, were that the motion team said that many new poses and patterns can be made if the character was simply left handed, as well as to make Alm better resemble a hero with the strength to overcome any enemy, such as Alexander the Great, who was also said to be left handed, while also serving as a contrast to Celica’s brand.
- Alm's Brave Hero Fire Emblem Heroes variant is based on his appearance on the box art for Fire Emblem Gaiden as redrawn by Shadows of Valentia character artist Hidari. Hidari similarly based Celica's Brave Hero variant design on her Gaiden box art appearance when he drew her the previous year.
- In Shadows of Valentia, Alm is the only playable character without a spell list, as he does not learn magic naturally and cannot use a Pitchfork.
- In Shadows of Valentia, Alm has a special animation whenever player phase starts; however, as a Hero, this animation depicts him holding his sword in his right hand.
- In the raw Japanese script of Gaiden, aside from his use of "boku" as a personal pronoun, Alm tends to use rather feminine speech mannerisms.
- As implied from the flavor text in Shadows of Valentia, Alm has a taste for landscape paintings and, like Celica, is quite fond of cats.
- Alm's English voice actor also voices Soren in Heroes and the Gatekeeper in Three Houses.
- As a Hero, Alm was the first main character able to naturally use bows.
Gallery[]
- See main article: Alm/Gallery.