Zephiel Builds and Best IVs

This is a ranking page for the hero Zephiel - The Liberator from the game Fire Emblem Heroes (FEH). Read on to learn the best IVs (Individual Values), best builds (Inherit Skill), weapon refinement, stats at Lv 40, and more for Zephiel.

Heroes With the Same Name
Zephiel	Winter Zephiel

Zephiel Rating and Basic Information

Overall Rating	8.0/10
Reroll Ranking (excluding Inherit Skill)	N/A (▶Reroll Ranking)
Ranking (including Inherit Skill)	C (▶FEH Tier List)

Zephiel - The Liberator: Basic Information

Color / Weapon Type / Move Type	Red / Sword / Armored
Rarity	4 Star 3 Star
What Kind of Character Are They?	・Can only be obtained as a reward from a Grand Hero Battle ・Boost-type passive skills are very synergistic with this unit ・Wary Fighter prevents both him and the foe from gaining a follow-up attack

Zephiel Skills at 5★

Eckesachs Might: 16　 Range: 1 Inflicts Def -4 on foes within 2 spaces through their next actions at the start of each turn.

Reprisal Cooldown Count = 2 Boosts damage dealt to foe by 30% of damage dealt to unit.

Life and Death 3 Grants Atk/Spd +5. Inflicts Def/Res -5.

Wary Fighter 3 If unit's HP ≥ 50%, unit and foe cannot make a follow-up attack.

Zephiel Best IVs

Recommended IVs

Stat	Superboon/Superbane	IV Recommendation
HP (25)		★★★☆☆
Atk (20)		★★★★★
Spd (3)		★★☆☆☆
Def (12)		★★★☆☆
Res (5)		★★★★☆

◯ = Stat gains +4 with a superboon, ✕= Stat goes down by -4 with a superbane, - = No assets or flaws

See the IV Checker for All Units

Trait Fruits—How to Change IVs

When using an Ascendant Floret, we recommend getting the next superboon if it fits the hero. If not, consider what stat your hero needs most.

Neutral IVs by default!

As a hero obtainable only through Grand Hero Battle, Zephiel will always have neutral IVs by default. The only way to access IVs for this unit is through using Trait Fruits.

+Atk/-Spd

The best IVs for Zephiel are+Atk and -Spd. This IV maximizes the damage Zephiel can deal. His Spd is of less importance because of Wary Fighter disabling his and his foe's ability to score follow-up attacks on each other.

+Atk for a +10 Merge

We recommend a +Atk IV when merging Zephiel to 10. This is for the same reasons as above. If you prefer Zephiel to specialize in the enemy phase and possess Distant Counter, you can go for a +Res IV instead. This is to maximize his defenses and since his Res is a superboon, you should take advantage of it as much as possible.

Zephiel Best Builds

Near Save Zephiel

HOT
： Eckesachs ： Swap ： Bonfire ： -	： Sturdy Stance 3 ： Slick Fighter 3 ： A/D Near Save 3 ： Steady Breath ： -

How to Use, Explanation

This build maximizes Atk and Def to ensure Zephiel keeps his allies alive with Near Save.

Arcane Zephiel

HOT
： Arcane Éljúðnir ： Swap ： Pavise ： -	： Atk/Def Unity ： Hardy Fighter 3 ： A/D Near Save 3 ： Atk/Def Form 3 ： -

How to Use, Explanation

Arcane Éljúðnir breathes new life into Zephiel, turning him into a red Brave Hector that restores armor weakness and gains Guard. This makes him a formidable Near Save unit capable of tanking physical attacks for the team. Penalties aren't neutralized, thus we use Atk/Def Unity to reverse them instead.

Source Heroes for All Skills

Zephiel Best Weapon Refine

Effect of Zephiel's Refined Weapon

Exclusive Weapon Effect from Refining (Special Effect Type)
Eckesachs	SP: 400
Might: 16　Range: 1　HP: +3 At start of turn, inflicts Def-6 on foes (excluding dragons) within 2 spaces through their next actions. If foe initiates combat and uses bow, dagger, magic, or staff, grants Def/Res+6 during combat. ：500　：200

We recommend the Special Effect Refine for Eckesachs

The special Eckesachs basically gives Zephiel a built-in Distant Def 3 which Zephiel can very well make use of especially when going for tanky builds. We recommend getting this upgrade whenever you can if you are planning to utilize Zephiel in the long run.

Weapon Refinery Tier List

About the Weapon Refinery

Zephiel Stats

Stat Rankings

Neutral Stats at Lv. 40 (5★)
168
HP	55	Rank: 2/1089
Atk	35	Rank: 549/1089
Spd	16	Rank: 961/1089
Def	38	Rank: 85/1089
Res	24	Rank: 626/1089

Stat Values

Lv 40+10 Stats (5★)

	HP	Atk	Spd	Def	Res	Total
+10 Merges W/ Skill Bonuses	60	61	25	38	23	207
Lv.40 +10	60	40	20	43	28	191

Stats at Lv 40

	HP	Atk	Spd	Def	Res	Total
5★- Adjusted for Skills	55	56	21	33	19	184
5★ Lv.40	55	35	16	38	24	168
4★ Lv.40	52	33	14	36	22	157
3★ Lv.40	51	31	13	34	21	150

Initial Stats (with Skills)

	HP	Atk	Spd	Def	Res	Total
5★ Lv.1	25	20	3	12	5	65
4★ Lv.1	24	20	2	12	4	62
3★ Lv.1	24	16	2	11	4	57

Stat Comparison of Similar Heroes

Hero	HP	Atk	Spd	Def	Res	Total
Winter Byleth (M)	47	46	18	45	46	202
Halloween Kellam	48	46	31	48	27	200
Valentine's Hana	40	42	46	41	27	196
Winter Manuela	42	37	42	38	31	190
Summer Edelgard	46	45	17	43	39	190
Halloween Hector	47	41	26	39	27	180
Winter Zephiel	48	38	19	38	36	179
Zelgius	46	36	33	38	21	174
Valentine's Ike	45	37	38	35	19	174
Black Knight	48	34	34	35	18	169
Arden	60	36	16	41	16	169
Draug	50	30	32	39	18	169
Zephiel	55	35	16	38	24	168

Note: Stats bonuses from skills are not taken into account.

Zephiel Roles, Strengths, and Weaknesses

Zephiel Roles

Zephiel - The Liberator Roles
Close-Physical	Ranged-Physical	Close-Magic	Ranged-Magic
Physical Wall	Magic Wall	Effective Weapon	Movement Assist
Exclusive Skill	All-Range Counter	Recovery	Refresher
Legendary	Mythic	Duo / Harmonized	Resplendent

Zephiel is a close physical attacker (range = 1). Therefore, when not accounting for the Weapon Triangle, the amount of damage he deals will be equivalent to his Atk minus the foe's Def stat.

Zephiel Strengths

High Defenses and access to Wary Fighter

On top of his naturally high defenses, Zephiel has access to Wary Fighter 3. Wary Fighter 3 prevents Zephiel and his foe from executing follow-up attacks if his HP ≥ 50%. Zephiel benefits greatly from this, as he does not rely on follow-up attacks to deal damage anyway. Even if you inherit Brave Sword+ onto Zephiel, the extra attack does not count as a follow-up attack. This means that Zephiel will still be able to utilize the effects of Brave Sword+.

Eckesachs is a powerful weapon

At default, Eckesachs inflicts -4 Def on foes within 2 spaces of Zephiel at the start of each turn. Once upgraded, it gets raised to -6, but it loses the effect against dragonstone users. The other effect of the specially refined Eckesachs grants Zephiel +6 Def/Res in combat if he is attacked by ranged foes. This means that he is a good match-up against foes who use daggers, bows, tomes and staves. If you are able to take out dragonstone users early one, Zephiel's presence in the battlefield will terrorize many line-ups if he has at least decent investment.

Zephiel Weaknesses

Life and Death is Counter-Synergistic

Life and Death does not mesh well into Zephiel's kit as he needs to stay alive as much as possible to boost his allies damage using his weapon skill. Wary Fighter also requires him to be at least 50% HP to trigger and weakening his defenses makes this harder to meet. We strongly recommend replacing his A skill with something else. Click here to see our recommended builds for Zephiel!

Very Weak to Dragonstone Users

Once specially refined, Eckesachs would not be able to lower the defense of dragonstone users. Since dragonstone users are melee, they are also not affected by the built-in Distant Def effect of the weapon. All these on top of his low Res screams that he should stay away from dragonstone users.

Should you Unlock Potential?

Should You Unlock Potential for this Hero?

We Recommend Unlocking Potential for Zephiel - The Liberator!

We recommend that you use Unlock Potential to bring Zephiel - The Liberator from 4 Stars to 5 Stars. Zephiel - The Liberator is very useful as a anti armor, so you may find using Unlock Potential on Zephiel - The Liberator helpful if your team lacks a party member with this role.

Unlock Potential Tier List

Zephiel - List of Skills

Weapons

Skill Name	Might	Range	Effect	Learned At
Iron Sword	6	1	No Effect	3★
Steel Sword	8	1	No Effect	3★
Silver Sword	11	1	No Effect	3★
Eckesachs	16	1	Inflicts Def -4 on foes within 2 spaces through their next actions at the start of each turn.	5★

Assists

This Hero has no Assist skills that can be learned.

Specials

Skill Name	Effect	Learned At
Retribution	(Cooldown Count = 3) Boosts damage dealt to foe by 30% of damage dealt to unit.	3★
Reprisal	(Cooldown Count = 2) Boosts damage dealt to foe by 30% of damage dealt to unit.	4★

Passives

Skill Name	Effect	Learned At
Life and Death 1	Grants Atk/Spd +3. Inflicts Def/Res -3.	3★
Life and Death 2	Grants Atk/Spd +4. Inflicts Def/Res -4.	4★
Life and Death 3	Grants Atk/Spd +5. Inflicts Def/Res -5.	5★
Wary Fighter 1	If unit's HP ≥ 90%, unit and foe cannot make a follow-up attack.	3★
Wary Fighter 2	If unit's HP ≥ 70%, unit and foe cannot make a follow-up attack.	3★
Wary Fighter 3	If unit's HP ≥ 50%, unit and foe cannot make a follow-up attack.	4★

Zephiel as a Source Hero

Value of Skills	★★☆☆☆

Inheriting Wary Fighter 3

Zephiel can be used to inherit the skill Wary Fighter 3. However, you can only acquire Summer Rhys from Grand Hero Battles or from using Heroic Grails, so think carefully before foddering him off.

• List of Source Heroes
• The Best Fodder Units

How to Get Zephiel / Illustrations / Voice Actor / Quotes

How to Get Zephiel

Obtain through a Grand Hero Battle

Zephiel is a Hero who, for a limited time, can be obtained through completing a Grand Hero Battle for the first time. They do not appear in regular summons. After the event has ended, they can be obtained by using Heroic Grails.

Voice Actor and Illustrator Information

Voice Actor (English)	Taylor Henry
Illustrator	Yamada Akihiro (山田章博)
Appears In	Fire Emblem: The Binding Blade

Illustration

Quotes: Special Triggered

Special Triggered Quotes are voice lines that play upon activating a Special attack.

Lv 40 5★ Dialogue

Lv 40 5★ Dialogue become available when a hero attains Lv. 40 at 5★ rarity.

FEH: Related Guides

See All Red Heroes

▶︎Return to the Red Heroes Page

All Types of Red Weapons

Close-Range	Ranged
Sword	Red Tome
Red Breath	Red Dagger
Red Beast	Red Bow