Archer

Archer
Claude as an Archer in Three Houses.
First Seen	Fire Emblem: Shadow Dragon and the Blade of Light
Promotes From	Villager (FE2 and FE15 only)
Promotes To	Sniper Ranger (FE8 only) Bow Knight (FE13 only) Kinshi Knight (FE14 only)
Usable Weapon Types	Bow Sword(FE16 only)
Class Skills	Shove, Skill +2, Prescience (FE13), Quick Draw (FE14)
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The Archer (アーチャー Āchā) is a physical combat class that recurrently appears across the Fire Emblem Series. Archers are foot soldiers carrying Bows to launch assaults on their foes at a range without fear of counterattacks. This is, however, offset by the fact that Archers are unable to attack from one space away under normal circumstances, making them vulnerable on Enemy Phases. While low on HP and defense, owing to their ability to strike from afar, Archers will prove to be assets to the player so long as they are properly guarded before the Player Phase is ended.

History in the Series

In their original inception in Shadow Dragon and the Blade of Light, the Archer class promotes into the more powerful Sniper class, enhancing their strengths and often rounding out their weak points (such as low HP and defense).

In Gaiden and its remake, Archers act as one of the promoted forms of the Villager class, and can later be further promoted into the Sniper class and later the Bow Knight class.

In Genealogy of the Holy War, the Archer class is temporarily retired, with its role taken up by the Bow Fighter class instead.

Both Thracia 776 and TearRing Saga: Utna Heroes Saga feature the Archer class as an enemy-exclusive class. The playable version, like in Genealogy of the Holy War, takes the form of the Bow Fighter class.

In TearRing Saga: Berwick Saga, the Archer class is once again an enemy-exclusive class. Interestingly, there are two variations of this class: with one used by units affiliated with an army and one used by units affiliated with criminals. The version used by the former is virtually identical to a dismounted Sherlock in function. The criminal variant has worse stats across the board but possesses the same movement type as Thieves and a completely different set of sprites. Both of them can only equip bows.

The Archer class formally returns to the series as a playable unit in The Binding Blade, where it yet again promotes into the Sniper class.

In The Sacred Stones, Archers are further given the option to promote into Rangers alongside Snipers, a mounted class that possesses balanced stats and can engage in close-range melee combat with Swords.

In Radiant Dawn, the Archer (弓兵アーチャー Āchā) promotes into Sniper and thereafter into Marksman when the necessary requirements are met.

This trait resurfaces in Awakening, where Archers are further given the option to promote into Bow Knights alongside Snipers.

In Fates, the Archer class is known as the Bow User (弓使い Yumi tsukai) in the Japanese version, where it is treated as a Hoshidan class. Considered the counterpart to the Nohrian Outlaw class, Archers are able to promote into Kinshi Knights alongside Snipers, the first flying Bow-wielding class to appear in the series.

In Warriors, a version of Archer similar to the Fates's archer serves as Takumi's base class.

In Three Houses, The Archer Class is an optional promoted class of the Commoner or Noble class if the unit passes the Certification Exam at Lv. 10 with a Bow Skill Level of C or higher and an Intermediate Seal.

Overview

Combat

While Archers are capable of attacking most Sword, Lance, or Axe users without being counterattacked, any enemy in range can easily move in and fearlessly launch attacks on them; not being able to counterattack at melee range is an inherent downside of the class. This thus necessitates proper cover and support to be ceded to them. In this regard, any type of ground unit, preferably one with at least moderate Defense, will fill the role rather well.

Archers are also strong against flying units such as Pegasus Knights, and drawing these enemies into their firing range will, therefore, save the player plenty of trouble in the later stages of any given battle that they are engaging. In Gaiden and its remake, Archers are able to attack enemies from three spaces away, as well as being able to counterattack melee fighters, as opposed to the usual two.

In-Game

Base Stats

	HP	Str	Mag	Skl	Spd	Lck	Def	Res	Mov	Con	Wt	Wlv	Cha
FE1	16	4	-	1	4	0	5	0	5	-	-	Bow 9
FE2	24	9	-	1	2	0	3	0	4	-	-	Bow -
FE3	16	5	-	3	4	0	6	0	5	-	-	Bow ?
FE5	20	3	0	0	0	0	1	-	-	-	-	E
TS	20	4	0	1	1	0	2	-	4	-	-	2
FE6	18/17	4/3	-	3	3/4	0	3	0	5	6/5	-	D
FE7	18/17	4/3	-	3	3/4	0	3	0	5	7/5	-	D
FE8	18/17	4/3	-	3	3/4	0	3	0	5	7/5	-	D
FE9	18	3	0	6	3	0	4	0	6	9	9	D
FE10	19	9	0	10	8	0	5	1	6	10	10	D
FE11	16	5	0	3	4	0	6	0	5	-	-	E
FE12	16	5	0	3	4	0	6	0	5	-	-	E
FE13	16	5	0	8	6	0	5	0	5	-	-	E
FE14	17	5	0	7	5	2	4	1	5	-	-	E
FE15	24	9	-	1	2	0	3	0	4	-	-	-

Maximum Stats

	HP	Str	Mag	Skl	Spd	Lck	Def	Res	Mov	Con	Wt	Wlv	Cha
FE1	52	20	-	20	20	20	20	20	5	-	-	Bow 20
FE2	52	40	-	40	40	40	40	40	4	-	-	Bow -
FE3	52	20	-	20	20	20	20	20	5	-	-	Bow 20
FE5	80	20	20	20	20	20	20	-	20	20	-	A
TS	60	19	15	16	16	30	17	-	12	-	-	17
FE6	60	20	-	20	20	30	20	20	15	20	-	A
FE7	60	20	-	20	20	30	20	20	15	20	-	A
FE8	60	20	-	20	20	30	20	20	15	20	-	A
FE9	40	20	15	20	20	40	20	20	6	9	9	A
FE10	40	20	10	20	20	30	20	10	6	10	10	A
FE11	60	20	20	20	20	20	20	20	5	-	-	A
FE12	60	20	20	20	20	20	20	20	5	-	-	A
FE13	60	26	20	29	25	30	25	21	5	-	-	A
FE14	40	21	15	23	21	20	20	17	5	-	-	B

Growth Rates

	HP	Str	Mag	Skl	Spd	Lck	Def	Res	Mov	Con	Wt	Wlv	Cha
FE2	150%	50%	-	50%	50%	-	50%	0%	-	-	-	-
FE3	80%	20%	-	30%	30%	0%	20%	0%	-	-	-	-
FE6	70%	35%	-	40%	32%	35%	15%	10%	-	-	-	-
FE7	70%	35%	-	40%	32%	35%	15%	10%	-	-	-	-
FE8	70%	35%	-	40%	32%	35%	15%	10%	-	-	-	-
FE9	60%	40%	10%	60%	55%	30%	40%	40%	-	-	-	-
FE10	65%	55%	10%	45%	50%	30%	45%	35%	-	-	-	-
FE11	40/80%	10/20%	-10/0%	20/30%	30%	0%	10/20%	-10/10%	-	-	-	-
FE12	40/80%	10/20%	-10/0%	20/30%	30%	0%	10/20%	-10/10%	-	-	-	-
FE13	45%	15%	0%	30%	15%	0%	10%	5%	-	-	-	-
FE14	10%	15%	0%	15%	15%	5%	10%	0%	-	-	-	-
FE15	120%	50%	-	50%	50%	0%	50%	0%	-	-	-	-

Class Skills

	Skill	Requirements
FE10	Shove	Base skill of all foot units.
FE13	Skill +2 Prescience	Learnt at Level 1. Learnt at Level 10.
FE14	Skill +2 Quick Draw	Learnt at Level 1 and above. Learnt at Level 10 and above.
FE15	Bowrange +1	Class skill of the Archer class.

Promotions

	Base Class	Promotion Method	Promoted Class
FE1	Archer	Use Orion's Bolt on a Level 10+ Archer.	Sniper
FE2	Villager	Visit Shrine after reaching Level 3.	Archer
FE2	Archer	Visit Shrine after reaching Level 7.	Sniper
FE3	Archer	Use Orion's Bolt on a Level 10+ Archer.	Sniper
FE6	Archer	Use Orion's Bolt on a Level 10+ Archer.	Sniper
FE7	Archer	Use Orion's Bolt on a Level 10+ Archer.	Sniper
FE8	Archer	Use Orion's Bolt on a Level 10+ Archer.	Sniper Ranger
FE9	Archer	Use a Master Seal on a Level 10+ Archer.	Sniper
FE10	Archer	Use a Master Seal on a Level 10+ Archer or train an Archer to Level 21.	Sniper
FE11	Archer	Use a Master Seal on a Level 10+ Archer.	Sniper
FE12	Archer	Use a Master Seal on a Level 10+ Archer.	Sniper
FE13	Archer	Use a Master Seal on a Level 10+ Archer.	Sniper Bow Knight
FE14	Archer	Use a Master Seal on a Level 10+ Archer.	Sniper Kinshi Knight
FE15	Villager	Visit Shrine after reaching Level 3.	Archer
FE15	Archer	Visit Shrine after reaching Level 7.	Sniper
FE16		Take Certification Exam with a Level 10 character, chances of passing are guaranteed with a Bow Proficiency of C or higher	Sniper
FEW	Archer	Use a Master Seal on Takumi.	Sniper

Notable Archers

Shadow Dragon and the Blade of Light/Shadow Dragon

• Gordin - A masterful Altean archer who looks younger than he actually is.
• Tomas - Member of the Archanea Knights, who was captured and imprisoned in the palace.
• Norne - An archer and volunteer soldier who took up arms in the struggle that consumed her homeland and aided Marth's escape.

Gaiden/Echoes: Shadows of Valentia

• Python - An archer with the Deliverance whose nonchalant exterior belies a serious character that cares deeply for his allies.
• Leon - A handsome but narcissistic Zofian archer who adores his friend Valbar.

Mystery of the Emblem

• Ryan - Gordin's younger brother.

The Binding Blade

• Wolt - An archer serving Pherae. Roy's milk-brother.
• Dorothy - A girl from Etruria serving the Elimine church.

The Blazing Blade

• Wil - A youth from Pherae, in the Lycian League. Very social.
• Rebecca - A kind and sociable girl who lives in a remote Pheraen village and spends her time hunting.

The Sacred Stones

• Neimi - A childhood friend of Colm who hails from Renais. She cries a lot.

Path of Radiance

• Rolf - Member of the Greil Mercenaries and the youngest brother of Oscar and Boyd. He is a gentle and bright boy.

Radiant Dawn

• Leonardo - An archer of noble birth, whose family was destroyed by war. His personality rarely shows, since he is quiet and rarely talks. A serious and thoughtful person. He regularly nags his daydreaming partner, Edward.

Awakening

• Virion - The rightful ruler of Rosanne in Valm who has a tendency for wit and puffery.
• Noire - Tharja's daughter from the future. A timid girl with violent mood swings as a result of being her mother's guinea pig for her curses during her childhood.

Fates

• Takumi - The sometimes prickly prince of Hoshido who wields the divine bow Fujin Yumi.
• Kiragi - Takumi's son and a prince of Hoshido. A skilled archer with a passion and knack for hunting.
• Setsuna - A Hoshidan archer and one of Hinoka's retainers who is either fearless or daydreaming.

Trivia

• The Archer class is unused in Fire Emblem: Genealogy of the Holy War. It can be seen if cheats or hacking are used. The class has a C rank in Bows so it can be assumed that it was going to be a lesser version of the Bow Fighter class. If the class is brought into battle, the game will freeze.

Gallery

Concept artwork of Archers from Radiant Dawn.

Concept artwork of the female variant of the Archer class from Awakening.

Concept artwork of the male variant of the Archer class from Awakening.

Concept art of a female archer from Fates

Concept art of a male archer from Fates

A Level 10 generic Archer, as he appears in the fourth series of the TCG.

Another Level 10 generic Archer, as he appears in the fifth series of the TCG.

Generic portrait of a military-affiliated Archer in TearRing Saga: Berwick Saga.

Generic portrait of a military-affiliated Archer in TearRing Saga: Berwick Saga.

Generic portrait of a military-affiliated Archer in TearRing Saga: Berwick Saga.

Generic portrait of a military-affiliated Archer in TearRing Saga: Berwick Saga.

Generic portrait of a criminal Archer in TearRing Saga: Berwick Saga.

Generic portrait of a criminal Archer in TearRing Saga: Berwick Saga.

Generic portrait of a criminal Archer in TearRing Saga: Berwick Saga.

Unique portrait given to a generic Archer in the map Bridge Destruction from Berwick Saga.

Unique portrait given to a generic Archer in the map Bridge Destruction from Berwick Saga.

Generic CG portrait of the Archer class from the DS titles.

Generic portrait of the Archer class from Awakening.

Generic class portrait of an Archer from Fates.

Generic class portrait of an Archer from Echoes: Shadows of Valentia.

Battle model of the Archer class from Fire Emblem: Shadow Dragon and the Blade of Light.

Battle model of the Archer class from Gaiden.

Animation featuring Wil, an Archer from The Blazing Blade, performing a normal attack.

Animation featuring Wil, an Archer from The Blazing Blade, performing a critical.

Rolf as an Archer in Path of Radiance.

Leonardo as an Archer in Radiant Dawn.

Noire a female Archer in Awakening.

Virion a male Archer in Awakening.

An Archer from Fire Emblem Echoes: Shadows of Valentia.

Battle model of a generic enemy Archer from Echoes: Shadows of Valentia.

Map sprite of the Archer class from Fire Emblem: Shadow Dragon and the Blade of Light.

Map sprite of the Archer class from Gaiden.

Map sprite of the Archer class from Fire Emblem: Mystery of the Emblem.

Map sprite of the Archer class from TearRing Saga: Utna Heroes Saga.

Map sprite of the male variant of the Archer class from the GBA titles.

Map sprite of the female variant of the Archer class from the GBA titles.

Map sprite of the male variant of the Archer class from the DS titles.

Map sprite of the female variant of the Archer class from the DS titles.

Map sprite of Virion as an Archer in Awakening.

Map sprite of Takumi as an Archer in Fates.

Village sprite of an Archer in Echoes: Shadows of Valentia.

See also

• Bow
• Hunter
• Ranger
• Sniper
• Marksman
• Bow Knight
• Bow Fighter