Building a Refresher Unit for Arena and Aether Raids

This will explain how you can build dancer or refresher units to excel in their roles in Fire Emblem Heroes (FEH). To learn how refresher units can be built to fulfill multiple roles in your team, read on!

What are Refresher Units?

A refresher unit is a hero with an assist that can refresh another unit's turn in a single phase.

The most common refresher assist is Dance, but there are more refresher assists in the game ranging from functionally identical skills like Sing and Play, to exclusive assists that do more than just refresh turns like Gentle Dream and Gray Waves.

Refresher units are usually placed on teams to grant additional turns to key heroes in the team. However, they can be more than just refresh bots. Built properly, refresher units can fulfill multiple roles on a team and offer solutions that aren't possible otherwise!

Who are the Refresher Units?

Best Refresher Units
Masquerade Sigurd	Plegian Dorothea	Legendary Azura	New Year Peony
Peony	Triandra	Plumeria	Mirabilis

List of All Refresher Units

What are the Different Refresher Assists?

As of July 2021, there are 8 different refresher assists in the game.

Skill Name	SP	Range	Effect	Rating
Sing	150	1	Enables target to take another action. Cannot be used on units with Sing or Dance	9.5
Dance	150	1	Enables target to take another action. Cannot be used on units with Sing or Dance.	9.5
Play	150	1	Grants another action to target ally. (That turn only. Does not stack. Cannot target an ally with Sing or Dance. This skill treated as Sing or Dance).	9.5
Gentle Dream	400	1	Grants another action to target ally. Grants Atk/Spd/Def/Res+3 and the following status to target ally and allies in cardinal directions of unit and target (excluding unit): "Unit can move to a space adjacent to any ally within 2 spaces." (That turn only. Cannot target an ally with Sing or Dance. This skill treated as Sing or Dance.)	9.9
Gray Waves	400	1	Grants another action to target ally, and if target is an infantry or flying ally, target can move 1 extra space. (That turn only. Does not stack. Cannot target an ally with Sing or Dance. This skill treated as Sing or Dance.)	9.9
Whimsical Dream	400	1	Grants another action to target ally. Grants Atk +5 to target ally and allies within 2 spaces of target (excluding unit) for 1 turn. Inflicts Atk -5 on nearest foes within 4 spaces of target ally and any foe within 2 spaces of those foes through their next actions. (Cannot target an ally with Sing or Dance. This skill treated as Sing or Dance.)	9.5
Sweet Dreams	400	1	Grants another action to target ally and grants Atk/Spd/Def/Res +3 to target ally for 1 turn. Inflicts Atk/Spd/Def/Res -4 on nearest foes within 4 spaces of target ally through foes' next actions. (Cannot target an ally with Sing or Dance. This skill is treated as Sing or Dance.)	9.9
Frightful Dream	400	1	Grants another action to target ally. Inflicts Atk/Spd/Def/Res-3 and 【Guard】 on foes in cardinal directions of unit and target through their next actions. (Cannot target an ally with Sing or Dance. This skill treated as Sing or Dance.) 【Guard】 Inflicts Special cooldown charge -1 on target per attack during combat through its next action. (Only highest value applied. Does not stack.)	9.0
Gray Waves II	400	1	Grants another action to target ally, and if target is an infantry or flying ally, grants 【Null Panic】 to target and target can move 1 extra space. (That turn only. Does not stack. Cannot target an ally with Sing or Dance. This skill is treated as Sing or Dance.) 【Null Panic】 If unit is inflicted with Panic (bonuses converted into penalties), neutralizes the "converts bonuses on target into penalties" effect for 1 turn. (Even though the effect is neutralized, the Panic status remains, and is treated as a Penalty status.)	9.5
Gentle Dream+	400	1	Grants another action to target ally. Grants Atk/Spd/Def/Res+4 and the following statuses to target ally and allies in cardinal directions of unit and target (excluding unit): "unit can move to a space adjacent to any ally within 2 spaces" and "neutralizes penalties." (That turn only. Cannot target an ally with Sing or Dance. This skill is treated as Sing or Dance.)	9.9
Whimsical Dream+	400	1	Grants another action to target ally. Grants Atk+6 and "neutralizes foe's bonuses during combat" to target ally and allies within 2 spaces of target ally (excluding unit) for 1 turn. Inflicts Atk-6 on nearest foes within 5 spaces of target ally and any foe within 2 spaces of those foes through their next actions. (Cannot target an ally with Sing or Dance. This skill treated as Sing or Dance.)	9.5
Sweet Dreams+	400	1	Grants another action to target ally and grants Atk/Spd/Def/Res+5, "if unit initiates combat, unit makes a guaranteed follow-up attack," and 【Hexblade】to target ally for 1 turn. Inflicts Atk/Spd/Def/Res-5 on nearest foes within 5 spaces of target ally through their next actions. (Cannot target an ally with Sing or Dance. This skill treated as Sing or Dance.) 【Hexblade】 Calculates damage using the lower of foe's Def or Res during combat for 1 turn (including damage dealt by Specials before combat).	9.5
Frightful Dream+	400	1	Grants another action to target ally. Inflicts Atk/Spd/Def/Res-5, 【Guard】 , and 【Discord】 on foes in cardinal directions of unit and target ally through their next actions. (Cannot target an ally with Sing or Dance. This skill treated as Sing or Dance.)	9.5

How Should I Build Refresher Units?

Building Refresher Units for Player Control

Player-controlled refresher units should be able to fulfill multiple roles.

The roles vary from team to team, but they should be able to assist the team in ways that aren't just choosing the refresh assist and targeting an ally.

Galeforce Refresher

A fully invested +10 Resplendent Azura built for Galeforce teams in Aether Raids Offense.

A Galeforce refresher unit has the special Galeforce equipped along with various ways to lower its cooldown.

The main purpose of a Galeforce refresher is to attack first to either damage or eliminate a foe, trigger Galeforce to receive another turn, and then refresh a key ally's turn to completely sweep enemy teams.

In the example above, Azura has neutral traits and is merged up to +10, given 15 dragonflowers, has Resplendent bonus stats, and boosted with Light Blessing bonuses from Eir, Peony, Mila, and Dagr.

It's Curtains...+ and Quickened Pulse lower Galeforce's cooldown to 2, and with Flashing Blade 3, one attack from Azura is enough to trigger Galeforce assuming the foe she attacks has lower Spd.

Infantry Pulse 3 provides team support by lowering the special cooldown of Azura's infantry allies, and with 71 HP, she has the highest HP stat on the team to ensure that Infantry Pulse is activated properly.

Finally, Wings of Mercy 3 allows Azura to warp adjacent to an ally whose HP is below 50%. With proper positioning, she can warp in, attack an enemy to trigger Galeforce, and then refresh her adjacent ally's turn!

Bonus Providing Refresher Units

A fully invested +10 Legendary Azura built for maximum scoring in Arena.

Refresher units act as support heroes for your team, and as such, should be equipped with skills to either support the team's weaknesses or provide bonuses for teammates to help them win engagements.

In the example above, Legendary Azura is equipped with her unique skills Prayer Wheel and Gray Waves to maximize the bonuses an ally is given whenever she refreshes their turns.

Hone Atk 4 is equipped to provide an Atk+7 bonus to adjacent allies. Torrent Dance 3 is equipped to provide a Res+5 bonus to allies that are targeted by refresher assists.

Once Legendary Azura refreshes an ally's turn with Gray Waves, the effect of Prayer Wheel will trigger and provide Atk/Spd/Def/Res+7 to the target if they were given the Atk+7 bonus from Hone Atk 4 at the start of the turn.

If they weren't in range to receive the Hone Atk 4 bonus, Legendary Azura will provide Atk/Spd/Def/Res+5 instead through a unique interaction with her Prayer Wheel and Torrent Dance 3.

No matter the situation, one use of Gray Waves will provide bonuses to all the stats of an ally!

Aerobatics 3 is equipped to allow Legendary Azura extended movement, increasing the number of spaces from which she can refresh an ally's turn and provide them with the bonuses above.

B Duel Flying 4 and Aether provide the maximum score for Arena, and are equipped solely for that purpose.

As a refresher unit, Legendary Azura should not be engaging in combat with enemies. As such, the choice of special skill is not as relevant as it is for your other heroes.

Building Refresher Units for AI Control

AI-controlled refresher units are usually built to surprise unsuspecting players whenever they face your Arena or Aether Raids defense teams. Their primary purpose is to create situations where they refresh allies from unexpected situations and obtain surprise kills.

They can also be built to fulfill other roles by covering certain weaknesses that the team may have, but they should still be able to fulfill their primary purpose no matter what.

Choosing a specific refresher unit for a team depends on the team composition, weaknesses, and expected AI action patterns.

Flying Refresher Units

An invested +2 Mirabilis with Odd Tempest built to reach cavalry heroes in Aether Raids Defense.

Flying refresher units have an advantage over infantry refresher units, being able to equip various flier exclusive skills like Aerobatics, Guidance and Ground Orders to extend the movement range of either themselves or their allies.

In the example above, Mirabilis is equipped with three skills aimed at extending her movement range to maximize the probability of the AI using Whimsical Dream on an ally.

Wings of Mercy 3 allows Mirabilis to warp adjacent to an ally whose HP is below 50%.

This is a staple skill for refresher units, enabling strategies that would otherwise leave wounded allies in the battlefield. An unexpected refresh would lead into defeating an unsuspecting backline unit.

The Aerobatics 3 Sacred Seal extends Mirabilis' movement to enable her to reach certain positions on the map that she otherwise wouldn't be able to.

Finally, Odd Tempest 3 is equipped to provide additional movement to Mirabilis on odd numbered turns.

With 3 movement, Mirabilis is able to follow cavalry allies and refresh their turns after they attack. An unaware opponent will be caught off guard as the extended movement range only appears during enemy phase, and by the time they realize it, it would already be too late.

Masquerade Eldigan

An invested +4 Masquerade Eldigan built to be Isolation-proof in Aether Raids Defense.

Masquerade Eldigan has a unique niche above all other refresher units with his high HP and Def stats.

His high Def stat allows him to potentially bypass the Isolation effect of Mila's Turnwheel, negating the main advantage of using Mila on an offense team.

In the example above, Masquerade Eldigan is merged up to +4 and given 2 dragonflowers. He is also receiving the Dark Blessing bonuses provided by 2 copies of Nott and a Triandra.

Masquerade Eldigan is equipped with various Def boosting skills such as Fort. Def/Res 3 and the Fortress Def 3 seal to increase his Def stat by 11.

With the investment above, Masquerade Eldigan reaches 66 Def.

A fully invested +10 Mila with a Def boon, maximum dragonflowers, and premium Def boosting skills only reaches 64 Def. This means Eldigan cannot be affected by Mila's Turnwheel, and is safe from Isolation!

Take note that Mila can reach 68 Def with full investment during her bonus week. To counter this, increase Masquerade Eldigan's Def to 68 through either adding more merges or using Trait Fruits to give him a Def boon.

Masquerade Sigurd

A lightly invested Masquerade Sigurd built for Cavline teams in Aether Raids Defense.

Masquerade Sigurd has the unique distinction of being the only cavalry refresher unit in the game (as of July 2021).

Having 3 movement on a refresher unit is a huge boon in teambuilding as it enables them to follow other cavalry allies and refresh their turns, allowing them to take advantage of their own 3 movement and attack enemy backline units.

Masquerade Sigurd is also a mage in addition to his cavalry status. This gives him an effective attack range of 5 spaces away.

In conjunction with Dark/Anima Mythic heroes that enable the 7th unit slot in Aether Raids defense, if the defense map is built properly, Sigurd can abuse his cavalry mage status and move forward to refresh the turn of the ally in the 7th slot and extend the danger area.

This is more commonly referred to as a Dance Trap and is one of the more oppressive strategies you can face in Aether Raids.

The sample Masquerade Sigurd build above is lightly invested, with zero merges and dragonflowers. He is receiving the Anima Blessing bonuses from Seiros and Mirabilis, but other than that, he isn't invested with anything premium.

Goad Cavalry and the Drive Atk 2 Sacred Seal allow him to passively aid his allies with additional stats during combat.

Infantry Pulse Refresher

A fully invested +10 Silvia built for Infantry Pulse teams in Aether Raids Defense.

An Infantry Pulse refresher is a refresher unit that has a high HP stat and is equipped with the C skill Infantry Pulse 3 to lower the special cooldown of his/her infantry allies.

These units are typically found in defense teams based around Infantry Pulse, creating chains where multiple units have their Special cooldowns reduced completely and are ready to attack with pre-charged Special skills.

In the example above, Silvia is merged up to +10, given 11 dragonflowers, and is receiving the Dark Blessing bonuses from Bramimond and Triandra.

She is also equipped with HP/Atk 2 in both her A slot and her Sacred Seal slot. Combined, these give Silvia a total of 70 HP, more than enough to activate Infantry Pulse 3 and reduce the special cooldown of all of her infantry allies.

Silvia is also equipped with an Atk refined Armorsmasher+. This gives her a secondary role on the team to either soften up enemy armored units, or finish them off should they survive a round of pre-charged special skills from her allies.

An Atk boon, +4 Atk from the dual HP/Atk 2 skills, and a low cooldown special skill in Moonbow further aid her in her secondary role.

The 5 Damage Rule

One of the most common questions regarding refresher units in AI control is why they attack instead of refreshing an ally's turn.

The answer to this question is often because they meet the 5 damage rule.

To explain the 5 damage rule in simple terms, if a unit can deal 5 damage or more during combat, they will opt to attack instead of using their assist skills such as rallies or refreshes.

There are ways to prevent your refresher units from attacking, ensuring that they use their refresher skills instead.

Reduce Their Atk

A Bridal Ninian with minimized Atk for Aether Raids defense.

You can reduce the probability of your refresher unit attacking enemies by lowering their Atk stat. This can be achieved in multiple ways:

Equipping skills and/or seals that lower Atk

This includes skills such as Fortress Def 3, Fortress Res 3, and Fort. Def/Res 3.

Equipping weaker weapons with lower Mt

This can be the weaker non-upgraded variants of weapons like Wagasa or Love Candelabra, or even the lowest Mt weapons like Iron Sword or Iron Lance if you want to take it further.

Using unmerged units with Atk banes, lower rarity units, or even lower level units

Be careful when going this route, as lower rarity or lower level units typically have low HP stats, which may leave them vulnerable to effects that check HP like Tactics Room, Loki's Thökk, or Bridal Fjorm's Gjallarbrú.

In the example above, Bridal Ninian has an Atk bane, Fortress Res 3, and only Flora Guide equipped as opposed to the upgraded Flora Guide+. She is also receiving the Dark Blessing bonuses provided by 2 copies of Nott and a Triandra.

Together, these give her a very low 29 Atk, which should be enough for her to prioritize using Dance over attacking.

Unequip Their Weapon

A Masquerade Sigurd without his weapon for Aether Raids defense.

You can also force your AI-controlled refresher units to use their refresh assists instead of attacking by unequipping their weapons altogether.

After all, without a weapon, they cannot attack at all!

This does come with some drawbacks, however. Some weapons carry supportive effects that greatly help either the refresher units or his/her teammates, such as Legendary Azura's Prayer Wheel or Mirabilis' Flower of Ease.

Weaponless units are also prime targets to leave alive in modes like Aether Raids.

Once all of their allies are eliminated, they are sitting ducks, waiting in place as the enemy team collects aether by breaking the Aether Fountain and the Aether Amphorae.

A refresher unit with a weak weapon and/or a lower level will attack an enemy and lose if no other options are available, putting your opponent under pressure to collect aether quickly before the battle ends.

Conclusion

Refresher units can be built in different ways. They can either excel at their primary role, or be given secondary roles to help the team function.

It all depends on how you build your team and the goals you have in mind, so don't be afraid to experiment!

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