The Blacksmith (鍛冶 Kaji) is a combat physical class introduced in Fire Emblem Fates. One of the possible promotions of the Oni Savage class, Blacksmiths wield Clubs and Katana as their weapons of choice and are treated as a Hoshidan class.
Overview
Combat
Coming from the Oni Savages, the Blacksmiths bring several differences in tow from their counterpart, the Oni Chieftain. In stark contrast to the Oni Savages and Oni Chieftains, Blacksmiths have decent Skill on par with fellow Axe-proficient Berserker and slightly above average Speed, but they will have to give up on improving upon whatever Magic that they might have obtained before promotion. Their Strength, Defense, and Resistance are all inferior to the Oni Chieftain's in terms of both stat cap and growth, including a non-existent Magic growth and bottom stat in that area, but the aforementioned increased Skill as well as the increased HP and Luck caps are welcome replacements. These stats and weapon choice mark them as the Hoshidan equivalent of the Nohrian Hero, but are more experienced with Axes instead of Swords and exchange varying degrees of Skill, Speed, and Luck for additional HP, Strength, and Defense.
Blacksmiths are the third-strongest non-DLC swordsmen in battle, falling behind both Heroes and Master of Arms. While their B rank proficiency with swords prevents them from using weapons like the Brave Sword and Venge Katana, they are still able to utilize most swords without difficulty. Their A rank proficiency with axes allows them to use the Brave Axe in battle. Thanks to their secondary weapon type, Blacksmiths are able to deal with enemy axe and bow users without having to use an inversed axe to flip the combat triangle. Their relatively high Skill also means that they can hit and land critical hits more frequently compared to the Oni Chieftain, though they will lack the physical damage that they could do.
The only issue with Blacksmiths are their astoundingly low Resistance like the Oni Savage, making them more vulnerable to magical attacks compared to the Oni Chieftain. They are also weak to ranged units, and as physical units they are forced to use thrown weapons to retaliate back against distant enemies which usually causes a plethora of additional weaknesses which can be further exploited. They do not have any special traits which often leads to them being abandoned quickly.
Blacksmiths can learn both Salvage Blow and Lancebreaker at level 5 at 15 respectively. Salvage Blow is somewhat redundant due to its lack of use, as it is triggered based on their Luck and it only yields iron Hoshidan weapons when triggered, which are relatively cheap from the Armory. Lancebreaker allows Blacksmiths to shut down any lance-wielding units easily. If reclassing is not an issue, they may obtain Death Blow and Counter from the Oni Chieftain class to further boost their physical prowess, especially against lance users.
All in all, the Blacksmith is quite the viable physical class, especially for an axeman/clubsman, but just like the Oni Chieftain and Hero they must be very wary of the Magic users abound due to the lack of an effective counter. While not as vulnerable compared to the Oni Chieftain in terms of accuracy, evasion, and dodging, they are not as effective when serving as shields for allies unless their HP is sufficiently high enough to make up for the difference in Defense and Resistance. As an Oni Savage derivative, it has the ability to deal high amounts of damage and withstand a number of hits if only less effective than the Oni Chieftain, trading magical competency and higher physical stats to hit more and dodge more.
Uniform
The Blacksmith class can be seen wearing the basic Oni Savage class's outfit underneath their new outfit additions (sans the previous oni mask, arm guards, and prayer beads). The new additions are the long sleeveless jackets leaving the torso exposed, rectangular armor plating on their shoulders and much larger armor plating completely covering the forearm and the back of the hand, a pair of katana kept tied up on the back of the Blacksmith's outfit, and a metal forging mask with a visor, small horns similar to an oni's, and fabric draping from the sides of the mask likely to prevent burning/heating.
In-Game
Base Stats
| HP | Str | Mag | Skl | Spd | Lck | Def | Res | Mov | Con | Wt | Wlv | Cha | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| FE14 | 21 | 8 | 0 | 9 | 8 | 3 | 8 | 2 | 6 | - | - |  E  E |
Maximum Stats
| HP | Str | Mag | Skl | Spd | Lck | Def | Res | Mov | Con | Wt | Wlv | Cha | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| FE14 | 65 | 33 | 25 | 32 | 31 | 30 | 32 | 27 | 6 | - | - | B A |
Growth Rates
| HP | Str | Mag | Skl | Spd | Lck | Def | Res | Mov | Con | Wt | Wlv | Cha | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| FE14 | 20% | 15% | 0% | 15% | 10% | 5% | 15% | 0% | - | - | - | - |
Class Skills
| Skill | Requirements | |
|---|---|---|
| FE14 |  Salvage Blow Lancebreaker | Learnt at Level 5 and above. Learnt at Level 15 and above. |
Promotion
| Base Class | Promotion Method | Promoted Class | |
|---|---|---|---|
| FE14 |  Oni Savage | Use a  Master Seal on a Level 10+ Oni Savage. |  Blacksmith |
Notable Blacksmiths
Fates
- Possible promotion for: Rinkah
Trivia
- Blacksmiths are the only Hoshidan class that can learn a weaponbreaker skill; the other weaponbreaker skills (sword, axe, bow, shuriken and tome) are learned by Wyvern Lords, Heroes, Sorcerers, Bow Knights and Maids/Butlers respectively, all them being Nohrian classes.
Gallery
