Weapon effectiveness

Weapon effectiveness is a damage modifier associated with certain weapons that grant them the ability to deal bonus damage against units or objects with certain attributes (e.g., armored, flying). The bonus damage formula is different for each game and in some English releases.

Description

In general, attacks with weapon effectiveness are treated as normal hits with increased weapon might. This means that they can miss, activate critical hits, or trigger skills like any regular attack. There is usually no penalty for using weapons with weapon effectiveness against units who lack any relevant attribute.
Exceptions can occur in two games:

• Fire Emblem: Genealogy of the Holy War
• Fire Emblem Fates

Weapon effectiveness does not gain increased damage if the defending unit has more than one attribute that the attacker can exploit, and it does not stack with skills. As a general rule, games will prioritize the damage modifier from weapons over any other factor that an attacking unit may have.

• Consider this example from Fire Emblem: Path of Radiance. An attacking unit, [A], is equipped with a Laguz Bow. The Laguz Bow deals effective damage against flying and Laguz units. The defending unit, [B], is a Bird Laguz. [B] is vulnerable to any weapon that would exploit his flying weakness or his Laguz weakness. When [A] attacks [B], the battle forecast will show an attack strength whose value indicates that only one of [B]'s weaknesses is being exploited. This value will be treated as [A]'s base attack strength for this battle.
• Consider yet another example from Fire Emblem Fates. An attacking unit, [X], has Golembane and is equipped with a Wyrmslayer. Golembane grants [X] the ability to deal effective damage against Stoneborn, Puppets, and Mechanists. The Wyrmslayer deals effective damage against dragon units. The defending unit is a Mechanist Avatar. As a Mechanist, he is vulnerable to Golembane holders. He also possesses the dragon attribute because of his parentage, so he is vulnerable to Wyrmslayer. When [X] attacks the Avatar, the battle forecast will show an attack strength that factors in only the bonus from Wyrmslayer—this value will be treated as [X]'s base attack strength for this battle.

Fire Emblem: Ankoku Ryū to Hikari no Tsurugi

In this game, weapon effectiveness triples the weapon's might.

Here is a table of applicable weapons with their effects:

Fire Emblem Gaiden

In this game, weapon effectiveness triples the weapon's might.

The Falcon Knight class possesses an innate skill that allows its members to deal effective damage with any weapon against monsters.

Here is a table of applicable weapons with their effects:

Fire Emblem: Mystery of the Emblem

In this game, weapon effectiveness triples the weapon's might.

The Iote's Shield negates all of the holder's weaknesses.

Here is a table of applicable weapons with their effects:

Fire Emblem: Genealogy of the Holy War

In this game, rather than having increased weapon might, attacks with weapon effectiveness always score a critical hit (unless the defending unit possesses Nihil). Essentially, this means that weapon effectiveness doubles a weapon’s attack.

Here is a table of applicable weapons with their effects:

Fire Emblem: Thracia 776

In this game, weapon effectiveness doubles the weapon’s attack.

Here is a table of applicable weapons with their effects:

TearRing Saga: Utna Heroes Saga

In this game, weapon effectiveness triples the weapon’s power.

Here is a table of applicable weapons with their effects:

Fire Emblem: Binding Blade

In this game, weapon effectiveness triples a weapon’s might.

The Delphi Shield negates the holder's flying type weaknesses whenever applicable.

Here is a table of applicable weapons with their effects:

Fire Emblem: Rekka no Ken

In the Japanese version of this game, weapon effectiveness triples a weapon’s might.
In the English versions of the game, weapon effectiveness doubles a weapon’s might.

The Delphi Shield negates the holder's flying type weaknesses whenever applicable.

Here is a table of applicable weapons with their effects:

Fire Emblem: The Sacred Stones

In this game, weapon effectiveness generally triples a weapon’s might.
Weapons indicated with an asterisk (*) double in might when they have weapon effectiveness.

The Bishop's Slayer skill allows him/her to deal effective damage against monsters.

The Fili Shield negates the holder's flying type weaknesses whenever applicable.

Here is a table of applicable weapons with their effects:

Fire Emblem: Path of Radiance

In this game, weapon effectiveness doubles a weapon's might.

All weapons that are effective against Laguz only deal effective damage when the Laguz are transformed.

The Full Guard negates all of the holder's weaknesses.
The Beorcguard negates the holder's Laguz weakness. Holders remain vulnerable to weapons that would exploit their Beast Laguz, Dragon Laguz, or flying type weaknesses.

Here is a table of applicable weapons with their effects:

Fire Emblem: Radiant Dawn

In this game, weapon effectiveness triples a weapon's might.

All weapons effective against Laguz only deal effective damage when Laguz are transformed.

The Beastfoe, Birdfoe, and Dragonfoe skills allow the users to deal effective damage against (respectively) Beast, Bird, and Dragon Laguz.

The Nullify skill negates all of its user's weaknesses.

Here is a table of applicable weapons with their effects:

Fire Emblem: Shadow Dragon

In this game, weapon effectiveness triples a weapon's might.

Iote's Shield negates the holder's flying type weakness whenever applicable.

Here is a table of applicable weapons with their effects:

Fire Emblem: Shin Monshō no Nazo ~Hikari to Kage no Eiyū~

In this game, weapon effectiveness triples a weapon's might.

The Iote's Shield negates the holder's flying type weakness whenever applicable.

Here is a table of applicable weapons with their effects:

Fire Emblem Awakening

In this game, weapon effectiveness triples weapon might.

Units with the Taguel base class possess the beast attribute regardless of whatever class they occupy.
Units with the Manakete base class possess the dragon attribute regardless of whatever class they occupy.

The Beastbane skill allows the user to deal effective damage against beast units when s/he is in the Taguel form.
The Wyrmsbane skill allows the user to deal effective damage against beast units when s/he is in the Dragon form.

The Iote's Shield skill negates the holder's flying type weaknesses whenever applicable.
The Conquest skill negates the holder's armored and beast type weaknesses whenever applicable.

Here is a table of applicable weapons with their effects:

Fire Emblem Fates

In this game, weapon effectiveness triples weapon might.
Certain weapons will penalize the user with a 4-point reduction in damage output and a 10-point reduction in hit rate when used against units who lack any relevant attributes. These weapons are indicated with an asterisk (*) in the table below.

The Avatar and any of his/her children possess the dragon attribute regardless of whatever class they occupy.
Units with the Kitsune or Wolfskin base class possess the beast attribute regardless of whatever class they occupy.

The Golembane skill doubles the user's weapon might against Stoneborn, Puppets, or Mechanists.
The Beastbane skill doubles the user's weapon might beast units when s/he is in the beast form.
The Ballista's Fire command or the Ballistician's Cannon command double in weapon might against flying units.

The Wing Shield skill negates the holder's flying type weaknesses whenever applicable.

Here is a table of applicable weapons with their effects:

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