—Duessel to Vigarde
Duessel (Duenell in the German version) is a playable character in Fire Emblem: The Sacred Stones.
Contents
Profile[edit | edit source]
Known as the "Obsidian", Duessel is one of Grado's Six Generals. Along with Selena and Glen, Duessel is one of the Imperial Three, the three original Generals before the invasion of Renais.
During the invasion, Duessel asks the Emperor for the point of the war, as Grado is simply leaving Renais to ruin rather than occupying it. He continually protests against the war, causing the Emperor to send Selena to kill him for treachery.
At Bethroen, Duessel meets Selena and learns from her that a Frelian force led by Ephraim is headed their way. Selena attempts to mobilize the troops, but Duessel stops her, as he wishes to speak with Ephraim first. Selena sees this as an act of treason and attempts to execute Duessel and three of his Cavaliers who side with him. However, she is quickly recalled to the capital by the Emperor as Valter states that he is suspicious of her because she is "too slow", and has Beran take his place.
Duessel later meets Ephraim, and reluctantly joins his forces after some persuasion. If Duessel encounters Cormag, he will persuade him to join Ephraim's forces, which the wyvern rider does. After the battle, Duessel accompanies Ephraim to the capital so that he may speak with the Emperor again. Should all of Duessel's cavaliers survive the battle, they will hand him a Knight Crest as a sign of gratitude.
If Eirika's path is taken, Duessel is seen with Knoll and Ephraim.
Personality[edit | edit source]
Duessel is characterized by his martial prowess, honor, and his will to fight for the greater good. He trained Ephraim at one point, and the two of them are good friends.
Through his support conversations with Cormag, it is revealed that Duessel possess two significant lances; a small one from the famed blacksmith Gavaleus, and another that contains dark magic. Duessel states that he will never use the small lance unless it would be his final hour, refusing to stain it with blood or dirt. The other, cursed lance, is one that a member of his family must carry but never use unless madness rules the world. Valter got his hands on this lance, which caused him to go insane. Duessel trusts Cormag greatly, as he sees that he has a "discerning eye" towards the lances, even entrusting them to him after the war as he has no heirs to inherit them.
It is also revealed that Duessel knows where Amelia's lost mother Melina is. Some years after the raids that deprived Amelia from both of her parents, he and his squad fought some bandits that kept Melina as their prisoner. She had lost her memories due to trauma, so Duessel took her to a peaceful village where she was welcomed and given a home. Melina recovered rather steadily, but remained amnesiac for years; only a few months before the events of the game, she managed to remember that she was a widow from Silva and had a daughter. Duessel then went to Silva, but by then Amelia had already joined the army. When he met Amelia herself, he noticed the extreme physical similarity between the girl and "someone he knew", but only by the time their A support rolled in he remembered everything. Their common ending says that after the war, Duessel made sure mother and daughter were reunited, and in gratitude Amelia became his number two.
Duessel's supports with Knoll, additionally, are among the ones giving more insight into Lyon's research and experiments. Knoll is reluctant at first, but Duessel insists on knowing the truth; then Knoll explains in all detail the process leading to Lyon's seer powers, attempts to prevent the disasters that would befall Grado in the future and revival of his father, and possession by the Dark Lord.
Throughout the game, Duessel had been questioning the Emperor's actions, such as making Riev, Caellach, and Valter generals, and the war itself. This indicates that he has high moral values.
In Game[edit | edit source]
Base Stats[edit | edit source]
| Starting Class | Affinity | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 Great Knight |  Anima | ||||||||
| Level | HP | Str | Skl | Spd | Lck | Def | Res | Con | Mov |
| 10* | 42 | 17 | 12 | 12 | 8 | 17 | 10 | 15 | 6 |
| Weapon | Starting Items | ||||||||
 Sword - A** Lance - A Axe - A |  Silver Axe Steel Lance*** Silver Lance**** Vulnerary | ||||||||
* Level 8 in Ephraim's route
** Rank B in the Japanese version
*** In Ephraim's route
**** In Eirika's route
Growth Rates[edit | edit source]
| HP | S/M | Skl | Spd | Lck | Def | Res |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 85% | 55% | 40% | 30% | 20% | 45% | 30% |
Supports[edit | edit source]
- See also: Duessel/Supports
Overall[edit | edit source]
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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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Duessel's HP, Strength, Resistance, and Defense bases are altogether unmatched for his join time, and his Skill and Speed, while low, are high enough that he will not have significant issue with them. He is exceptionally useful in some of the most difficult maps, such as Phantom Ship, where his high survivability against all manner of attacks types make him one of the best characters available.
Because Duessel has very high A ranks in all weapon types, the player may choose whichever one they wish to S rank for him. In particular, he is one of the best users of Grado's axe Garm, which fixes his shaky Speed with its +5 bonus and leaves him in top shape for endgame. He can also choose to go with Audhulma to improve his already impressive Resistance, or Vidofnir to make him even more physically durable.
Duessel's weaknesses are his mediocre Speed, which will not allow him to double the few faster enemies, and his low movement. Despite being mounted, Great Knight has the same movement as most promoted foot classes, only with greater terrain penalties. His constitution, while allowing him to use even brave weaponry with little speed loss, also makes him difficult, if not impossible to rescue, which makes his low movement all the worse.
Overall, Duessel's incredible durability and decent stats all around make him one of the strongest characters in Ephraim's route. Even with his minor Speed issues, he has no problem keeping up the entire game and doing heavy work even in the lategame.
Quotes[edit | edit source]
—Death Quote
—Final Chapter Quote in The Sacred Stones
Endings[edit | edit source]
- Duessel, Obsidian General (不滅の黒曜石 Fumetsu no kokuyōseki)
- "Following the war, Duessel returned to Grado, where he was instrumental in its rebuilding. He spent his remaining years watching over Grado and sharing his wisdom with other nations as an expert combat instructor."
- A Support with Amelia
- "Upon their return to Grado, Duessel reunited Amelia with her mother. The two wept with joy, giving thanks to Duessel. Afterward, Amelia became the most trusted companion of the man once known as Obsidian."
Etymology[edit | edit source]
The Düssel is a river in Germany, a tributary of the Rhine on which is located in Düsseldorf. It flows through the Neander Valley, where the first fossils of Neanderthals were found. However, if you play the game in German, his name will be switched to "Duenell", probably because it sounds similar to "Dussel", which is German for "fool".
Trivia[edit | edit source]
- Duessel is the only one of Grado's Six Generals that become a player unit in the main path (the other five join later in the Creature Campaign).
