The Barbarian (蛮族 or ばんぞく Banzoku, also known as Savages in TearRing Saga: Utna Heroes Saga) is a combat physical class of uncivilized Axe-wielders that recurrently appear across the Fire Emblem Series.
History in the Series
In their original inception in Mystery of the Emblem, Barbarians are an enemy-only class that is the stronger version of the axe using classes such as Brigands, serving the purpose as powerful enemies with high Strength, HP, and Defense. Barbarians are in the criminal class category, and take extra damage from the Lady Sword. They exclusively reside in desolate locations where dragons live.
The Barbarian class returns in Genealogy of the Holy War and TearRing Saga: Utna Heroes Saga, where they continue as criminal axe using infantry units. Unlike Mystery of the Emblem, Barbarians are encountered in the game's beginning, and are easily defeated due to possessing low stats outside of HP. From this point onward, the Barbarian class's high defense is absent for the rest of the series.
Barbarian is renamed Savage for TearRing Saga: Utna Heroes Saga. Like in Mystery of the Emblem, Savages are rarely encountered axe using foes, and are in the criminal category. Savages are strong units, surpassing the earlier Brigand, and Pirate enemies, but ultimately do not match the power of the Warrior class.
The Sand Brigand class in TearRing Saga: Berwick Saga is a renamed version of the Barbarian class. Like Barbarians, Sand Brigands are criminal axe users who live in desolate areas.
The Barbarian class is absent for much of the rest of the series, returning formally in New Mystery of the Emblem. In this installment, Barbarians replace Brigands in earlier sections of the game and are replaced by Berserkers in the last few chapters. While not playable, Barbarians have their own player growths, and promote to Berserker within the game's data. The latter data is used offscreen on hard difficulties where the enemy Barbarians are replaced by Berserkers.
In Awakening, Barbarians completely replace Brigands altogether as the main enemy grunt class for much of the first half of the game. While no playable characters start out as Barbarians, the class is playable nevertheless, but can only be accessed by means of reclassing. This title is the first, and thus far, only game in the series within which the Barbarian class is playable.
In-Game
Base Stats
| HP | Str | Mag | Skl | Spd | Lck | Def | Res | Mov | Con | Wt | Wlv | Cha | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| FE3 | 30 | 8 | - | 0 | 4 | 0 | 8 | 0 | 6 | - | - | Axe 5 | |
| FE4 | 35 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 6 | - | - |  B | |
| TS | 30 | 7 | 0 | 2 | 5 | 0 | 4 | - | 5 | - | - |  1 | |
| FE12 | 18 | 7 | 0 | 1 | 8 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 6 | - | - |  E | |
| FE13 | 22 | 8 | 0 | 3 | 8 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 5 | - | - |  E |
Maximum Stats
| HP | Str | Mag | Skl | Spd | Lck | Def | Res | Mov | Con | Wt | Wlv | Cha | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| FE3 | 52 | 20 | - | 20 | 20 | 20 | 20 | 20 | 6 | - | - | Axe 20 | |
| FE4 | 80 | 20 | 15 | 15 | 22 | 30 | 20 | 15 | 6 | - | - | A | |
| TS | 60 | 22 | 15 | 17 | 20 | 30 | 19 | - | 12 | - | - | 16 | |
| FE12 | 60 | 30 | 30 | 30 | 30 | 30 | 30 | 30 | 6 | - | - | A | |
| FE13 | 60 | 30 | 20 | 23 | 27 | 30 | 22 | 20 | 5 | - | - | A |
Growth Rates
| HP | Str | Mag | Skl | Spd | Lck | Def | Res | Mov | Con | Wt | Wlv | Cha | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| FE3 | 90% | 50% | - | 10% | 20% | 0% | 50% | 0% | - | - | - | - | |
| FE4 | 100% | 30% | 0% | 30% | 30% | 0% | 30% | 10% | - | - | - | - | |
| FE12 | 70/90% | 40/50% | -20/0% | 15/25% | 20/15% | 0% | 0/50% | -15/5% | - | - | - | - | |
| FE13 | 50% | 25% | 0% | 15% | 20% | 0% | 5% | 5% | - | - | - | - |
Class Skills
| Skill | Requirements | |
|---|---|---|
| TS | Frontier Fighter | Base skill of Barbarians. |
| FE13 |  Despoil Gamble | Learnt at Level 1. Learnt at Level 10. |
Promotion
| Base Class | Promotion Method | Promoted Class | |
|---|---|---|---|
| FE12 |  Barbarian | Use a  Master Seal ona a Level 10+ Barbarian. |  Berserker |
| FE13 |  Barbarian | Use a  Master Seal on a Level 10+ Barbarian. |  Berserker Warrior |
Notable Barbarians
Awakening
- Garrick - Leads the Plegian Bandits attacking the Southtown in Ylisse.
- Roddick - Leader of a small group of bandits who laid siege in The Farfort.
Trivia
- In New Mystery of the Emblem, the Barbarian class' stat cap is 30 in every category but level (20) and HP (60). This can make them dangerous to unpromoted units in the arena.
- The one prime distinction between Barbarians and Brigands is that the former is more likely to be treated as a threat and appear outside of the early chapters.
- Vaike and Basilio are the only playable characters to utilize the bulky model as Barbarians in Awakening.
- In Awakening, no character is recruited as a Barbarian or the Barbarian-only Berserker promotion, though several units may reclass into the set. It is the only standard class not represented amongst recruitable characters, likely due to its longtime association with villainy and criminal behavior much like the related Brigand class.
Gallery
