—Gerik in a support conversation with Ross
Gerik is a playable character in Fire Emblem: The Sacred Stones. He is the leader of a small group of mercenaries. Gerik is known to be kinder and more concerned about his men than most mercenary leaders, which is why Tethys and Marisa harbor feelings for him. He hails from Jehanna and is a very experienced and skilled swordsman. He is better known as the Desert Tiger. Gerik is good friends with Saleh and Joshua.
Quick Answers
Why is Gerik known as the Desert Tiger in Fire Emblem?
What makes Gerik a unique mercenary leader in The Sacred Stones?
How does Gerik's leadership style affect his mercenary group?
What is the significance of Gerik's friendship with Saleh and Joshua?
Why do Tethys and Marisa have feelings for Gerik in Fire Emblem?
Personality[]
From his childhood and throughout his career as a mercenary, Gerik had always detested violence, although he had a strong conviction to protect those he loved dearly. His need to protect his friends started his career as a mercenary and spurred him on when his friend was killed, the need shifting to his new friends made from his career. It is revealed in his A support with Saleh that he is responsible for the death of Gerik's friend, Zabba, but Gerik forgives him.
Gerik is also observant and guileful, shown when he sees through Joshua's cheating when he duels him and when he stays with Innes after tricking the sniper when he tried to dismiss Gerik, accidentally firing the mercenary and making him unable to order Gerik and Tethys to leave his service. Despite his resentment towards fighting, he also shows the fighter Garcia admiration for his prowess in combat.
Gerik's scar, according to his and Tethys' supports, was acquired during a duel. When younger, Gerik had become haughty and arrogant in combat, and so he challenged a much more experienced knight. He lost soundly, but his opponent spared him, leaving the scar on his face. He learned from the experience, becoming a wise leader in the process. In Gerik's supports with Ross, he mentions that he had been on the opposite side of a battlefield of Ross' father Garcia who was then a knight. Between Tethys' and Ross' supports, it can be inferred that Garcia is the man who left the wound on Gerik's face.
In-Game[]
Base Stats[]
| Starting Class | Affinity | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 Mercenary |  Thunder | ||||||||
| Level | HP | Str | Skl | Spd | Lck | Def | Res | Con | Mov |
| 10 | 32 | 14 | 13 | 13 | 8 | 10 | 4 | 13* | 5 |
| Weapon | Starting Items | ||||||||
 Sword - C |  Steel Blade Hero Crest Vulnerary | ||||||||
*11 in the Japanese version
Growth Rates[]
| HP | S/M | Skl | Spd | Lck | Def | Res |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 90% | 45% | 40% | 30% | 30% | 35% | 25% |
Promotion Gains[]
| Item Required | Promoted Class | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Hero Crest or  Master Seal
|
 Hero
| |||||||
| 1 | +4 | +1 | +2 | +2 | +2 | +2 | +2 | +1 |
| Weapon Levels | ||||||||
+40  D
| ||||||||
| Item Required | Promoted Class | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hero Crest or Master Seal
|
 Ranger
| |||||||
| 1 | +3 | +2 | +1 | +1 | +3 | +3 | +0 | +2 |
| Weapon Levels | ||||||||
 D
| ||||||||
Supports[]
- See also: Gerik/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.
|
Gerik is a very useful unit, with very high bases all around, passable growths, and two good potential promotions, Hero and Ranger. His decent speed base enables him to double most units throughout the game even with his low growth. His high Skill and decent Luck also complements his immense strength, allowing him to usually hit all but the most agile of enemies reliably. He comes with a Hero Crest, and whether it is used immediately or saved for later, Gerik will have no issues defeating enemies for the entire game.
Both the Hero and Ranger classes have benefits and negatives for him. Hero gives him axe access and a reliable 1-2 range option. Ranger gives him the less impressive bows, but also increases his movement to allow him to keep up with mounted units and fliers. Hero also gives Gerik an astounding fifteen constitution, which does allow him to use some of the heaviest weapons without speed loss, but makes him too heavy to be rescued and transported around by any of the game's fliers, which he does not have to deal with as a Ranger. Both have their positives and negatives, and are equally useful depending on playstyle.
He has a myriad of useful supports, as he will often be fighting in the front lines along with Joshua, Marisa, or Ross, all three having the same movement in the same tiers.
Fire Emblem Engage[]
Bond Ring[]
- Hero from beyond Elyos who founded Gerik's Mercenaries. A powerful and renowned veteran, he is known as the "Desert Tiger." He is a compassionate man of honor who has earned the trust of his allies.
| ||
 C Rank
|
HP +2 | |
|---|---|---|
 B Rank
|
HP +2 Str +1 | |
| World |  A Rank
|
HP +2 Str +1 Dex +1 |
 Azure Twins
|
 S Rank
|
HP +5 Str +1 Dex +1 |
Fire Emblem Heroes[]
- Desert Tiger
- A veteran soldier who leads his own mercenary band, Gerik's Mercenaries. He's the commander of Tethys, Ewan, Marisa, and others. Appears in Fire Emblem: The Sacred Stones.
Base Stats[]
Rarity: ✯✯✯✯✯
 | Title | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Desert Tiger | |||||
| Group | |||||
 Infantry | |||||
| Level | HP | Atk | Spd | Def | Res |
| 1 40 | 18/19/20 44/47/50 | 10/11/12 34/37/40 | 9/10/11 33/36/39 | 7/8/9 26/30/33 | 2/3/4 19/22/26 |
| Skills | Weapon | ||||
 Firesweep Axe+ New Moon |  Axe | ||||
Skills[]
| Type | Name | Prerequisite | Default | Unlocked |
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | Iron Axe | - | - | - |
| Steel Axe | - |  | - | |
| Firesweep Axe | Steel Axe |  | | |
| Firesweep Axe+ | Firesweep Axe |  | | |
| Desert-Tiger Axe | - | - | | |
 | New Moon | - | | |
| Moonbow | New Moon | - | | |
| A |  Darting Blow 1 | - | - | |
 Darting Blow 2 | Darting Blow 1 | - | ||
 Darting Blow 3 | Darting Blow 2 | - | ||
 Darting Blow 4 | Darting Blow 3 | | ||
| B |  Sudden Panic 1 | - | - | |
 Sudden Panic 2 | Sudden Panic 1 | - | ||
 Sudden Panic 3 | Sudden Panic 2 | | ||
| C |  Infantry Pulse 1 | - | - | |
 Infantry Pulse 2 | Infantry Pulse 1 | - | ||
 Infantry Pulse 3 | Infantry Pulse 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[]
Counters[]
Skill Inheritance[]
Meet Some of the Heroes[]
| Desert Tiger Gerik | |||
|---|---|---|---|
|
The mercenary trade thrives in the Kingdom of Jehanna, but few are more capable than the band led by Gerik, the Desert Tiger! | ||
|
Despite his skills, Gerik doesn't care much about fame or riches. In fact, he started working as a mercenary to keep an eye on a childhood friend of his who wanted to become the greatest mercenary on the continent—and sadly died with his ambitions unfulfilled. | ||
|
Though Gerik had lost his reason to fight as a mercenary, he realized that he had gained other loyal friends through shared battles. He couldn't bear to abandon them, and so he decided to start his own band of mercenaries and keep his friends close until the end. | ||
|
Gerik is compassionate, and will never abandon an ally under any circumstances. That devotion, along with his wealth of experience, make him a natural leader, and a useful comrade on the battlefield! | ||
| Closely Associated Characters | |||
| Marisa | An aloof swordfighter in a mercenary group led by Gerik. Her nom de guerre, Crimson Flash, strikes fear in others. | ||
| Tethys | A bewitching dancer who belongs to Gerik's band of mercenaries. She and Ewan were abandoned by their parents, and she worked hard to raise her young brother alone. | ||
| Ewan | A former member of Gerik's band of mercenaries who went to study magic under the tutelage of the sage Saleh. Tethys's younger brother. | ||
Quotes[]
—Gerik's death quote
—Gerik's final chapter quote
Heroes[]
Possible Endings[]
- Gerik, the Desert Tiger (砂漠の虎, Sabaku no tora)
- Gerik continued as a mercenary. Over the year, his reputation grew so great that he had more job offers than he could handle. One day, without warning, he left, never to return.
- Gerik and Tethys
- Gerik and Tethys remained bound to no nation and beholden to no authority. They bought themselves a leisurely retirement. Gerik taught fencing to city youths, and Tethys found many stages on which to dance.
- Gerik and Joshua
- After the war, Joshua challenged Gerik to a duel in hopes of pressing him to move to Jehanna. The match ended in a tie, but Gerik was impressed by Joshua's swagger. From that day forward, Gerik never left Joshua's side.
- Gerik and Marisa
- Gerik remained a mercenary, and Marisa became his company's fencing instructor. Gerik returned the affection she gave him, although he was troubled to learn she was clumsy at everything but fighting.
Non-Canon Appearances[]
Fire Emblem 0 (Cipher)[]
Gerik is illustrated in the trading card game Fire Emblem Cipher with the following cards:
Choose Your Legends Placement History[]
| Round | Placement | Character Version | Votes |
|---|
| CYL1 | 179 |  The Sacred Stones |
1,489 |
| CYL2 | 200 ↓21 |
The Sacred Stones |
1,274 ↓215 |
| CYL3 | 141 ↑69 |
The Sacred Stones |
1,889 ↑615 |
| CYL4 | 386 ↓245 |
The Sacred Stones |
251 ↓1,638 |
| CYL5 | 385 ↑1 |
The Sacred Stones |
128 ↓123 |
| CYL6 | 355 ↑30 |
The Sacred Stones |
176 ↑48 |
| CYL7 | 304 ↑51 |
The Sacred Stones |
130 ↓46 |
| CYL8 | 333 ↓29 |
The Sacred Stones |
109 ↓21 |
Etymology[]
'Gerik' is probably a variation of the name "Garrick", which comes from the Germanic name elements 'gar' (spear) and 'ric' (kingdom).
His Japanese name, 'Xyst' may come from the Latin word 'xyst, xystum,' which refers to a tree-lined walk or road. 'Xysticus' is a genus of crab-spiders.
Trivia[]
- In the Japanese version of his solo ending, it details that Gerik decided to go on a carefree vacation journey, which is why he disappeared from mercenary work.
Gallery[]
- See main article: Gerik/Gallery.