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The Great Knight is a horse-mounted combat physical class that recurrently appears across the Fire Emblem Series, beginning from Fire Emblem: Genealogy of the Holy War.

History in the Series[]

Introduced as the promoted form of the Axe Knight class, the Great Knight has also been instituted as one of the possible promotions for the Cavalier and Knight classes. The Non-Armored incarnation wields Axes as their sole weapon of choice, while the Armored incarnation are known to be able to wield Swords and Lances in addition to Axes.

In its original inception in Fire Emblem: Genealogy of the Holy War, the Great Knight class is established as the promoted form of the Axe Knight class, focusing on strength, and wielding Axes as its sole weapon of choice.

In Thracia 776, the Great Knight class is again the promoted form of the Axe Knight class, but this iteration can dismount, and is forced to do so for indoor chapters. When dismounted, Great Knights are entirely unable to use axes, and must arm themselves with Swords.

While TearRing Saga: Utna Heroes Saga does not feature Great Knight, the Iron Knight class is retroactively similar to the Armored Great Knight incarnation introduced in the Sacred Stones, though it predates it. Like all armored units in the game, Iron Knight uses Swords exclusively.

The Great Knight class is absent until the onset of Fire Emblem: The Sacred Stones, where it is one of the promoted forms of both the Cavalier and Knight classes. This version of the class is able to wield Swords, Lance, as well Axes as its weapons of choice. Additionally, Great Knights are classified as Armored units, and have lower move than the other mounted classes.

In Fire Emblem: Radiant Dawn, the class is renamed as the Axe Paladin in localized versions of the game to make them thematically similar to Lance Paladins and Sword Paladins. Radiant Dawn reverted the Great Knight class to the original unarmored, and axe specializing version of the class. Axe Paladins further promotes into the Gold Knight class when the necessary requirements are fulfilled.

The armored version of Great Knight appeared again in Fire Emblem Awakening. The Great Knight possesses the Luna, and Dual Guard+ class skills. Great Knight wielded all three melee weapons like in Sacred Stones, and due to Generals losing swords, they are the only class with this weapon combination.

In Fire Emblem Fates, the Great Knight class is treated as a Nohrian class, and is again an armored class with one of the promoted forms of both the Cavalier and Knight classes. While Great Knight can still use all three melee weapons, unlike other appearances, Lances are the Great Knight's main weapon as it is their highest weapon rank.

In Fire Emblem: Three Houses, the Great Knight class a optional promotion for the Noble and Commoner class. Great Knight is part of the Master Class curriculum, requiring qualifiable units to reach Level 30 to be able to take the Certification Exam for the class, requiring an A in Heavy Armor, as well as B+'s in Axes and Riding.

In the spinoff, Fire Emblem Warriors, the class does not feature the ability to use Lances or Swords for simplification, as well as being the base class of Frederick, though their ability to use Lances and Swords are referenced within Frederick's Awakening Special. Additionally, Great Knights can pop up under the Hoshidan flag unlike how it was in Fates, where they are called Steel Knights. Here, Great Knights can promote into Guardian Knights. The class is playable for all units in Fire Emblem Warriors: Three Hopes, as the Master class promotion of the Fortress Knight class.

In Vestaria Saga I, the Great Knight is known as the Axe Lion. This incarnation of the class is very similar to it's Jugdral and Tellius incarnations, being non-armored and exclusively wielding Axes.

Overview[]

Combat[]

The Great Knight is a powerful horseback-mounted class that has higher Strength and Defense as compared to other physical damage-oriented mounted classes.

The Axe Cavalry variation of Great Knights that appears in Genealogy of the Holy War, Thracia 776 and Radiant Dawn is locked to Axes exclusively, but aside from this, it should, in most situations, be treated much as one would Paladins. Their high Strength at the cost of Skill means that they should have little difficulty with dispatching defensive units wielding lances or axes, but they will face more difficulties when dealing with faster Sword-using classes such as Swordmasters.

The armored variation of Great Knights can use Swords, Axes and Lances, giving them a better selection of weaponry compared to Paladins. However, they have poor Skill and Resistance caps (somewhat akin to that of Generals), which means they will miss more often and be more susceptible to magic attacks. They also have a Movement of 7 as a mounted unit, compared to other mounted units which have a movement of 8, which can cause problems when retreating. 

In The Sacred Stones and Awakening, Great Knights are considered to be both an armored and a horseback-mounted unit. Because of this, both armor and horse "slayer" weapons (such as Armorslayer and Halberd) are effective against Great Knights, but weapons effective against armored and mounted foes, such as the Rapier, only inflict normal bonus damage (x3 weapon might instead of x9).

In Awakening, Great Knights learn two different skills. Luna, for one, causes the opponent's Defense/Resistance to be cut in half (Defense for all physical weapons such as axes, Resistance for all magical weapons such as Levin Swords and Tomes) when activated. This skill is excellent when facing units with high Defense or Resistance as it will allow them to deal greater damage to their foes. Dual Guard+, on the other hand, increases the chances for Dual Guard to activate by 10%, which can be helpful when facing strong enemies or protecting weakened units.

In Fates, Great Knights remain arguably parallel to their Awakening incarnation, but their Lance rank caps at A while Swords and Axes cap at B. Their Skill is also reasonably higher from what it was in Awakening in comparison to other classes, making them more likely to trigger Luna whenever needed. Their Dual Guard+ skill has been replaced by the outstanding Armored Blow, a very useful skill that allows them to push through most physical attacks, provided that they initiate battle (nothing they should have much issue with, given their wide range of Movement), matching their exceptional Defense perfectly. It is also possible to further improve their assets by making them spend time as a General in order to obtain the Wary Fighter skill, ridding them of any concerns of being double attacked due to their poor Speed, essentially turning them into wide-reaching, versatile and impenetrable physical walls.

In Three Houses, Great Knights are considered both Armored and Cavalry, taking bonus damage from attacks against either of those types. They innately have Canto, Axefaire, and Lancefaire, but lose 1 Movement compared to the Paladin. Stat-wise, they are also somewhat slower than Paladins, while not being as durable as Fortress Knights, and still being highly vulnerable to magic. As such, experienced players tend to view the Great Knight as an unfavorable class in Three Houses, given that Paladin is more mobile and not as slow, while War Master is a better choice for Axes thanks to its innate critical hit bonus. Wyvern Lord is also favored more due to better stats, flight capability, and better growth rates. If one intends to use an armored unit, however, it is still far better than Fortress Knight as it exceeds that class in every way besides 10% defense growth and 2 class bonus, arguably negligible as by level 30 the armor unit should have massively inflated Def anyway.

In-Game[]

★ - SP Class

Base Stats[]

HPStrMagSklSpdLckDefResMovConWtWlvCha
FE4401207701039--FE4 Axe A-
FE5245/416/56/405/4-9/69-FE5 Sword Icon E FE5 Axe Icon D-
FE821/208/6-4/66/7011/93613/10-Sword E Lance D Axe D-
FE1033/3518/115/116/616/8015/1010/3911/836/33FE10 Axe C-
FE10 3820718180171291136FE10 Axe A-
FE13261106501417--SwordIconFE13 E LanceIconFE13 E AxeIconFE13 E-
FE14211006631027--FE14 Sword E FE14 Lance E FE14 Axe E-
FE1634181014101217107--FE16 axe icon B+ FE16 heavy armor icon A FE16 riding icon B+-
FE17269285313268-FE17 Sword B^ FE17 Lance B^ FE17 Axe B^-

Maximum Stats[]

HPStrMagSklSpdLckDefResMovConWtWlvCha
FE480271522223025189--FE4 Axe A-
FE580202020202020-2020-FE5 Sword Icon A FE5 Axe Icon A-
FE86028/26-24/2624/253029/2825/261520-Sword S Lance S Axe S-
FE104526152523/253024/2216911/836/33FE10 Axe S-
FE10 583417332930282291136FE10 Axe SS-
FE1380482034374548307--SwordIconFE13 A LanceIconFE13 A AxeIconFE13 A-
FE1465352529272837287--FE14 Sword B FE14 Lance A FE14 Axe B-
FE177542194325305122820-FE17 Sword B^ FE17 Lance B^ FE17 Axe B^-

Growth Rates[]

HPStrMagSklSpdLckDefResMovConWtWlvCha
FE4100%30%10%30%30%0%30%10%-----
FE570%30%5%30%20%20%30%------
FE870%30%-20/25%15/20%20%21%20/22%-----
FE1055/60%30/60%40/25%35/40%25/40%55/30%35/40%20/35%-----
FE10 105%75%55%80%60%80%60%55%-----
FE1350%/95%25%/45%0%/0%15%/30%15%/30%0%/40%15%/35%5%/15%-----
FE1420%20%0%10%5%5%20%0%-----
FE1630/50%10/22%0%0%-10/-20%0%5/55%-5/-10%---FE16 lance icon +3 FE16 axe icon +3 FE16 heavy armor icon +35%
FE1720%15%0%15%0%5%25%10%-5%---
FEW3H30%20%0%0%0%0%35%0%----10%

Class Modifiers[]

HPStrMagSklSpdLckDefResMovConWtWlvCha
FE165100-4/-208/603/0---0
FEW3H800200-6/-3012/907/1---0

Class Skills[]

SkillRequirements
FE4RemoveRe-MoveHidden base skill of all flying and mounted units.
FE10CantoCantoBase skill of all flying and mounted units.
FE13Luna (FE13)Luna
DualGuardPlusDual Guard+
Learnt at Level 5.
Learnt at Level 15.
FE14Luna (FE14)Luna
Diamond Strike (Skill)Armored Blow
Learnt at Level 5 and above.
Learnt at Level 15 and above.
FE16Canto FE16Canto
Axefaire FE16Axefaire
Lancefaire FE16Lancefaire
Defiant Def FE16Defiant Defense
Class Ability of Great Knights.
Class Ability of Great Knights.
Class Ability of Great Knights.
Mastery Ability of Great Knights
FE17FE17 Allied Defense IconAllied Defense
FE17 Warding Stance IconWarding Stance
Class Skill of Great Knights.
Maddening mode skill.
FEW3HImpregnable Impregnable
Lance Buster Lv 4 Lance Buster Lv 4
Axefaire FE16 Armored Cavalry's Ploy
Axefaire FE16 Armored Cavalry's Wisdom
Icon Combat Art FE16 Axe Armored Strike
Icon Combat Art FE16 Axe Armor Smasher
Lancebreaker FE16 Lancebreaker
Defense 2 FE16 Def +10
FEW3H Staunch Shield Knucklebreaker
FEW3H Luna Luna
Defiant Def FE16 Defiant Def
Armored Effect Null FE16 Nullify Armored Effect
Armored Blow FE16 Stalwart Stance
Confidence skill Inspiring Agility
FEW3H Staunch Shield Ironclad
Class ability.
Class ability.
1-star Class Mastery for certain units.
1-star Class Mastery for certain units.
1-star Class Mastery for certain units.
1-star Class Mastery for certain units.
2-star Class Mastery for Dedue.
2-star Class Mastery for certain units.
2-star Class Mastery for certain units.
2-star Class Mastery for certain units.
3-star Class Mastery for certain units.
3-star Class Mastery for certain units.
3-star Class Mastery for certain units.
Innate Ability for certain units.
Innate Ability for certain units.

Promotions[]

Base ClassPromotion MethodPromoted Class
FE4FE4 Axe Knight SpriteAxe KnightChoose the "Class Change" option in the Home Castle when the relevant unit reaches Level 20.FE4 Great Knight SpriteGreat Knight
FE5FE5 Axe knightAxe KnightUse a Knight Proof (FE5)Knight Proof on a Level 10+ Axe Knight.FE5 Great knightGreat Knight
FE8FE8 Cavalier Map SpriteCavalierUse a KnightcrestKnight Crest on a Level 10+ CavalierFE8 Great Knight Map SpriteGreat Knight
FE8 FE8 Knight Map SpriteKnightUse a KnightcrestKnight Crest on a Level 10+ KnightFE8 Great Knight Map SpriteGreat Knight
FE10Axe KnightUse a FE10mastersealMaster Seal on a Level 10+ Axe Knight or train an Axe Knight to Level 21.FE10 Kieran Axe Paladin Sprite
Axe Paladin
FE10 FE10 Kieran Axe Paladin Sprite
Axe Paladin
Use a FE10mastercrownMaster Crown on a Level 10+ Axe Paladin or train an Axe Paladin to Level 21.FE10 Kieran Gold Knight Sprite
Gold Knight
FE13FE13 Generic Cavalier Map SpriteCavalierUse a Master Seal FE13 IconMaster Seal on a Level 10+ Cavalier.FE13 Generic Great Knight Map SpriteGreat Knight
FE13 FE13 Generic Knight Map SpriteKnightUse a Master Seal FE13 IconMaster Seal on a Level 10+ Knight.FE13 Generic Great Knight Map SpriteGreat Knight
FE14FE14 Generic Cavalier Map SpriteCavalierUse a Master Seal FE13 IconMaster Seal on a Level 10+ Cavalier.FE14 Generic Great Knight Map SpriteGreat Knight
FE14 FE14 Generic Knight Map SpriteKnightUse a Master Seal FE13 IconMaster Seal on a Level 10+ Knight.FE14 Generic Great Knight Map SpriteGreat Knight
FE16Any classUse a FE16 Seal IconMaster Seal on a Level 30+ unit and pass the Great Knight Certification Exam.FE16 Great Knight IconGreat Knight
FE17 FE17SwordArmorSpriteSword ArmorUse FE17MasterSealSpriteMaster Seal on Level 10+ Sword Armor with FE17 LanceLance or FE17 AxeAxe Proficiency.BunetFE17SpriteGreat Knight
FE17 LouisFE17SpriteLance ArmorUse FE17MasterSealSpriteMaster Seal on Level 10+ Lance Armor with FE17 SwordSword or FE17 AxeAxe Proficiency.BunetFE17SpriteGreat Knight
FE17 JadeFE17SpriteAxe ArmorUse FE17MasterSealSpriteMaster Seal on Level 10+ Axe Armor with FE17 SwordSword or FE17 LanceLance Proficiency.BunetFE17SpriteGreat Knight
FEWWarriors Frederick Sprite
Great Knight
Use a Master Seal FE13 IconMaster Seal on Frederick.Warriors Frederick Sprite
Guardian Knight
FEW3HFE16 Fortress Knight Icon Fortress KnightUse a FE16 Seal Icon Master Seal on a unit that has mastered the Fortress Knight class.FE16 Great Knight Icon Great Knight

Notable Great Knights[]

Genealogy of the Holy War[]

Thracia 776[]

The Sacred Stones[]

Radiant Dawn[]

Awakening[]

Fates[]

Three Houses[]

Engage[]

Vestaria Saga I[]

  • Jamulan - A capable Axe Knight and the Ordom Clan's greatest warrior.

Trivia[]

  • In Genealogy of the Holy War, all default and potential Great Knights hail from the duchy of Dozel. Additionally Dozel's squadron of knights, Grauen Ritter was composed mostly of Great Knights.
  • In Awakening, the Great Knight's Magic cap is the lowest of all promoted classes, while it is tied with many unpromoted classes for said stat.
    • The Great Knight's Skill cap is also the lowest of all promoted classes available.
  • The Great Knight, Bride, Conqueror, and Dread Fighter classes are the only ones to be able to use 3 different types of equipment with ranks in Awakening.
  • The helmet worn by generic Great Knights in Fates, with minor differences, uses the same design as the helmet for the unused female variant of the generic Great Knight from Awakening.

Gallery[]

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