Valentine's Gustav Builds and Best IVs

This is a ranking page for the hero Gustav - Majestic Love 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 Valentine's Gustav.

Heroes With the Same Name
Valentine's Gustav	Fallen Gustav

Special Heroes - Love of a King Featured Heroes
Valentine's Henriette [9.0/10]	Valentine's Líf [9.0/10]	Valentine's Gustav [9.0/10]	Valentine's Alfonse [8.0/10]

Valentine's Gustav Rating and Basic Information

Overall Rating	9.0/10
Reroll Ranking (excluding Inherit Skill)	S (▶Reroll Ranking)
Ranking (including Inherit Skill)	S (▶FEH Tier List)

Gustav - Majestic Love: Basic Information

Color / Weapon Type / Move Type	Green / Axe / Armored
Rarity	5 Star
What Kind of Character Are They?	・Can take attacks in place of an allied unit ・Has great bulk and is very good in the enemy phase ・Inflicts debuffs on foe and reduces damage taken from follow-up attacks

Valentine's Gustav Skills at 5★

Loyalist Axe Might: 16　 Range: 1 Accelerates Special trigger (cooldown count-1). If foe initiates combat or it foe’s HP ≥ 75% at start of combat, inflicts Atk/Def-6 on foe during combat, and also, if foe can make a follow-up attack, reduces damage from foe’s first attack by 75%.

Ignis Cooldown Count = 4 Boosts damage dealt by 80% of unit’s Def.

Close Def 4 If foe initiates combat and uses sword, lance, axe, dragonstone or beast damage, grants Def/Res+8 and neutralizes foe's bonuses (from skills like Fortify, Rally, etc.) during combat.

Crafty Fighter 3 If unit's HP ≥ 25% and foe initiates combat, unit makes a guaranteed follow-up attack and inflicts Special cooldown charge -1 on foe per attack. (Only highest value applied. Does not stack.)

D/R Near Save 3 If a foe uses sword, lance, axe, breath, or beast damage & initiates combat against an ally with 2 spaces of unit, triggers【Savior】on unit. If Savior triggers, grants Def/Res+4 during combat. 【Savior】 Unit takes ally’s space, enters combat in ally’s place, and receives all after-combat effects. Doesn't trigger if ally is on terrain that unit can't move to or if multiple units are able to use Savior during the same combat. If Savior triggers, after-combat movement effects don't occur.

Valentine's Gustav Best IVs and Stats at Lv. 40

Stat Rankings

Neutral Stats at Lv. 40 (5★)
185
HP	49	Rank: 16/1088
Atk	41	Rank: 173/1088
Spd	18	Rank: 924/1088
Def	46	Rank: 4/1088
Res	31	Rank: 258/1088

Stat Values

Lv 40+10 Stats (5★)

	HP	Atk	Spd	Def	Res	Total
+10 Merges W/ Skill Bonuses	45	66	22	41	45	219
Lv.40 +10	45	47	22	41	45	200

Stats at Lv 40

	HP	Atk	Spd	Def	Res	Total
5★- Adjusted for Skills	49	57	18	46	31	201
5★ Lv.40	49	41	18	46	31	185

Initial Stats (with Skills)

	HP	Atk	Spd	Def	Res	Total
5★ Lv.1	21	27	5	13	7	73

Recommended IVs

Stat	Superboon/Superbane	IV Recommendation
HP (21)		★★★☆☆
Atk (27)		★★★★★
Spd (5)		★☆☆☆☆
Def (13)		★★★★☆
Res (7)		★★★★☆

◯ = 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.

+Atk/-Spd

The best IVs for Valentine's Gustav are +Res and -Spd.

Because of his weapon effect and B skill, Gustav has potential to deal large amounts of damage so Atk as a boon is very ideal. This is discussed further in the Strengths and Weaknesses section.

His Spd is very low and his kit does not rely on it so it is safe to take as a bane. He can score follow ups with Crafty Fighter, so scoring doubles shouldn't be a problem.

+Atk for a +10 Merge

Since Valentine's Gustav's atk is already very high, we recommend having it as his boon when merging him.

This puts him up to 65 atk at max merges, giving him even more potential to one-shot enemy units.

Stat Comparison of Similar Heroes

Hero	HP	Atk	Spd	Def	Res	Total
Valentine's Vigarde	51	45	26	47	31	200
Young Hector	47	45	16	47	41	196
Murdock	47	45	23	45	35	195
Dedue	50	45	17	45	28	185
Valentine's Gustav	49	41	18	46	31	185
Brave Edelgard	46	45	16	43	35	185
Mamori	43	37	24	42	33	179
Surtr	50	39	17	40	33	179
Legendary Edelgard	45	42	17	39	36	179
Flame Emperor	50	40	25	37	26	178
Winter Chrom	51	40	19	35	29	174
Legendary Hector	47	40	23	38	26	174
Valentine's Greil	47	41	18	38	30	174
Valentine's Hector	50	38	21	40	24	173
Hector	52	36	24	37	19	168

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

Valentine's Gustav Best Builds

Budget Valentine's Gustav

： Loyalist Axe ： Swap ： Bonfire ： -

： Close Def 4 ： Crafty Fighter 3 ： D/R Near Save 3 ： Steady Breath ： -

How to Use, Explanation

This is Valentine's Gustav's base kit. Since his kit already works well by itself, you can add any positional assist and Steady Breath as a Sacred Seal to immediately trigger Bonfire.

Premium Near Save Valentine's Gustav

HOT
： Loyalist Axe ： Swap ： Pavise ： -	： Bracing Stance 3 ： Hardy Fighter 3 ： D/R Near Save 3 ： Steady Breath ： -

How to Use, Explanation

This build utilizes Hardy Fighter and Steady Breath to consistently trigger Pavise, making Gustav into a formidable tank unit capable of protecting his allies from melee attacks over and over again. Bracing Stance 3 is used over Close Def 4 to provide a Guard effect.

Source Heroes for All Skills

Valentine's Gustav Best Weapon Refine

Valentine's Gustav's Weapon Cannot Be Refined!

Valentine's Gustav's weapon cannot currently be refined. This section will be updated if it becomes refineable in the future!

About the Weapon Refinery

Valentine's Gustav Roles, Strengths, and Weaknesses

Valentine's Gustav Roles

Gustav - Majestic Love 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

Valentine's Gustav 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.

Valentine's Gustav Strengths

Loyalist Axe synergizes with his kit

Gustav's Special acceleration and the guaranteed follow-up attack reflects in this battle against a red sword cavalier.

Valentine's Gustav's kit revolves around boosting himself and debuffing his opponent whenever he is attacked.

His weapon not only accelerates his Special, it inflicts Atk/Def -6 on enemies during combat and reduces their damage if they are able to double him.

Possesses a unique defensive mechanic in A/R Near Save

This red sword cavalry was about to attack Alfonse but you can see Gustav moving to save him!

【Savior】 is a never-before-seen mechanic that allows Valentine's Gustav to take an attack in place of an ally. It occurs when a melee foe attacks a unit within 2 spaces and when this happens, he is granted +4 Def/Res.

This is very helpful as Valentine's Gustav is very strong in the enemy phase. He can cover for allies that are not great at receiving attacks.

Powerful enemy phase skills that synergize with A/R Near Save

Valentine's Gustav's kit revolves around boosting himself and debuffing his opponent whenever he is attacked.

His other skills make the mechanic more viable as they increase his ability to take attacks in the enemy phase:

• Close Def 4 grants +8 Def/Res when a melee foe initiates combat on him.
• Crafty Fighter inflicts Special Cooldown charge -1 on enemy units and grants him a guaranteed follow-up attack when they initiate combat.

In most situations, attacking Gustav's allies is a punishment to the attacking unit and 【Savior】 forces enemies to attack him instead of his allies.

This gimmick makes him a great cornerstone as your team's protector.

He carries a ton of strategic value even at base merges so think carefully before foddering him off. He just might be that one niche unit that will propel your teams to the next level!

Valentine's Gustav Weaknesses

No Distant Counter and Armor Unit

As an armored unit, Valentine's Gustav is restricted by his movement, but this could be remedied if paired with a team using Armor March 3.

Alternatively, you can always give him the Armored Boots Sacred Seal.

Without Distant Counter built into his kit, he has no way to retaliate against enemy units who can just chip away at his HP by kiting him.

If his A skill is replaced with Distant Counter, he will be losing some of the bonus bulk from Close Def 4, along with taking the full brunt of an enemy's attack if they carry buffs.

Weak to Armor Effective Weapons

Valentine's Gustav takes 1.5x damage from armor-effective weapons like Armorslayer+ or Hammer+.

Make sure you know what weapons you are up against before hopping too far into the line of battle!

Heroes with Effective Skills

Should you Unlock Potential for Valentine's Gustav?

Should You Unlock Potential for this Hero?	Cannot Unlock Potential

Gustav - Majestic Love Only Appears as a 5 Star Hero!

Gustav - Majestic Love only appears as a 5 Star Hero. We will include whether or not you should Unlock Potential for Gustav - Majestic Love if a 4 Star version is released!

Unlock Potential Tier List

Valentine's Gustav - List of Skills

Weapons

Skill Name	Might	Range	Effect	Learned At
Iron Axe	6	1	No Effect	5★
Iron Axe	6	1	No Effect	5★
Steel Axe	8	1	No Effect	5★
Steel Axe	8	1	No Effect	5★
Silver Axe	11	1	No Effect	5★
Silver Axe+	15	1	No Effect	5★
Loyalist Axe	16	1	Accelerates Special trigger (cooldown count-1). If foe initiates combat or it foe’s HP ≥ 75% at start of combat, inflicts Atk/Def-6 on foe during combat, and also, if foe can make a follow-up attack, reduces damage from foe’s first attack by 75%.	5★

Assists

This Hero has no Assist skills that can be learned.

Specials

Skill Name	Effect	Learned At
Glowing Ember	(Cooldown Count = 4) Boosts damage dealt by 50% of unit’s Def.	5★
Ignis	(Cooldown Count = 4) Boosts damage dealt by 80% of unit’s Def.	5★

Passives

Skill Name	Effect	Learned At
Close Def 1	If foe initiates combat and uses sword, lance, axe, dragonstone, or beast damage, grants Def/Res+2 during combat.	5★
Close Def 2	If foe initiates combat and uses sword, lance, axe, dragonstone, or beast damage, grants Def/Res+4 during combat.	5★
Close Def 3	If foe initiates combat and uses sword, lance, axe, dragonstone, or beast damage, grants Def/Res+6 during combat.	5★
Close Def 4	If foe initiates combat and uses sword, lance, axe, dragonstone or beast damage, grants Def/Res+8 and neutralizes foe's bonuses (from skills like Fortify, Rally, etc.) during combat.	5★
Crafty Fighter 1	If unit's HP ≥ 75% and foe initiates combat, unit makes a guaranteed follow-up attack and inflicts Special cooldown charge -1 on foe per attack. (Only highest value applied. Does not stack.)	5★
Crafty Fighter 2	If unit's HP ≥ 50% and foe initiates combat, unit makes a guaranteed follow-up attack and inflicts Special cooldown charge -1 on foe per attack. (Only highest value applied. Does not stack.)	5★
Crafty Fighter 3	If unit's HP ≥ 25% and foe initiates combat, unit makes a guaranteed follow-up attack and inflicts Special cooldown charge -1 on foe per attack. (Only highest value applied. Does not stack.)	5★
D/R Near Save 1	If a foe uses sword, lance, axe, dragonstone, or beast damage & initiates combat against an ally adjacent to unit, triggers【Savior】on unit. If Savior triggers, grants Def/Res+2 during combat. 【Savior】 Unit takes ally’s space, enters combat in ally’s place, and receives all after-combat effects. Doesn't trigger if ally is on terrain that unit can't move to or if multiple units are able to use Savior during the same combat. If Savior triggers, after-combat movement effects don't occur.	5★
D/R Near Save 2	If a foe uses sword, lance, axe, breath, or beast damage & initiates combat against an ally with 2 spaces of unit, triggers【Savior】on unit. If Savior triggers, grants Def/Res+2 during combat. 【Savior】 Unit takes ally’s space, enters combat in ally’s place, and receives all after-combat effects. Doesn't trigger if ally is on terrain that unit can't move to or if multiple units are able to use Savior during the same combat. If Savior triggers, after-combat movement effects don't occur.	5★
D/R Near Save 3	If a foe uses sword, lance, axe, breath, or beast damage & initiates combat against an ally with 2 spaces of unit, triggers【Savior】on unit. If Savior triggers, grants Def/Res+4 during combat. 【Savior】 Unit takes ally’s space, enters combat in ally’s place, and receives all after-combat effects. Doesn't trigger if ally is on terrain that unit can't move to or if multiple units are able to use Savior during the same combat. If Savior triggers, after-combat movement effects don't occur.	5★

Valentine's Gustav as a Source Hero

Value of Skills	★★★★★

Inheriting Close Def 4, Crafty Fighter 3, or D/R Near Save 3

Valentine's Gustav can be used to inherit Close Def 4, Crafty Fighter 3, and D/R Near Save 3.

However, it would seem like these skills are also useful to Valentine's Gustav, so think carefully before foddering him off.

You can also get Ignis from him, though many other units also have this skill.

• List of Source Heroes
• The Best Fodder Units

How to Get Valentine's Gustav / Illustrations / Voice Actor / Quotes

How to Get Valentine's Gustav

Obtained through a Special Summoning Event!

Valentine's Gustav is a limited time Hero who can be pulled from a Special Heroes Summoning Event. They do not appear in regular summons.

Note: Not currently a featured hero in any Summon events.

Current Focuses and Which You Should Pull From

Voice Actor and Illustrator Information

Voice Actor (English)	Edward Bosco
Illustrator	Daisuke Izuka
Appears In	Fire Emblem Heroes

Illustration

FEH: Related Guides

Special Heroes: Love of a King

Heroes from Special Heroes - Love of a King
Valentine's Henriette [9.0/10]	Valentine's Líf [9.0/10]	Valentine's Gustav [9.0/10]	Valentine's Alfonse [8.0/10]

See All Green Heroes

▶︎Return to the Green Heroes Page

All Types of Green Weapons

Close-Range	Ranged
Axe	Green Tome
Green Breath	Green Dagger
Green Beast	Green Bow