Fire Emblem: Fates – Boons, Banes, and Talents Guide

Hello everyone, RR-sama here! Fire Emblem: Fates is out now, and everyone’s out to create their very first avatar. However, I realized that there isn’t much coverage of the most important feature for the character customizer: Boon, Bane, and Talent.

While these two options won’t make the earlier parts of the game particularly hellish, it will affect how your Avatar performs in the late game. As such, I’ve collected information on each one and compiled it into this short list so you don’t have to! 

Let’s start, shall we?

Stat Changing Traits

Boon

The first stat-altering trait is Boon. Boon affects which one of your stats will have higher chances of gains upon level up, as well as which one will be your highest base stat. Unlike Fire Emblem: Awakening, the boon is described with a trait rather than the actual stat for reasons unknown. They are as follows:

• Robust – Health Points: Increases your maximum health.
• Strong – Strength: Increases your physical damage output.
• Clever – Magic: Increases your magic damage output.
• Sturdy – Defense: Reduces the physical damage you take.
• Calm – Resistance: Reduces the magic damage you take.
• Deft – Skill: Increases hit rate, critical hit rate, and the activation chance for some offensive skills.
• Lucky – Luck: Increases hit rate, and evasion; reduces enemy critical hit rate.
• Quick – Speed: Increases evasion, and double hit chance.

Bane

Bane is the second stat-altering trait. Bane, as the name suggests, affects which stat will have the lowest chance of gaining a point on level up, as well as which stat will be the lowest base stat. The bane traits are as follows:

• Sickly – Health Points: Decreases your maximum health.
• Weak – Strength: Decreases your physical damage output.
• Dull – Magic: Decreases your magic damage output.
• Fragile – Defense: Increases the physical damage you take.
• Excitable – Resistance: Increases the magic damage you take.
• Clumsy – Skill: Decreases hit rate, critical rate, and the activation chance for some offensive skills.
• Unlucky – Luck: Decreases hit rate, and evasion; increases enemy critical hit rate.
• Slow – Speed: Decreases evasion, and double hit chance.

Strategy

For newer players, I recommend the Calm and Dull combo. This allows you to withstand magic damage easily (which is a big factor in this game), and lets you make the most of the Avatar’s base class. As such, I also generally recommend avoiding the Sickly or Excitable traits if possible, only because Magic damage is a serious pain in Fates, and having low HP isn’t exactly fun either. They are, however, recommendable if you want to make a glass cannon character, or want to make the game more difficult.

Talent

The Talent options are base classes from either Nohr or Hoshido. While they aren’t particularly important, they do affect small details in the game. For starters, the player can use a Heart Seal to change to one of these classes. Also, any character who achieves an A+ or S Rank with the player can use a Friendship or Partner seal to change into this class. Lastly, the Avatar’s children can also change into this class using a Heart Seal, provided that Nohr Noble is not their base class.

The classes available are as follows:

• Archer
• Dragon (Wyvern Rider)
• Ninja
• Apothecary
• Mage
• Troubadour
• Cavalier
• Knight
• Fighter
• Mercenary
• Outlaw
• Samurai
• Oni Savage
• Lancer (Spear Fighter)
• Diviner
• Priestess
• Sky Knight (Pegasus Knight)

Strategy

On a premeditated run, I would suggest picking a class that you want your spouse or child to have. This helps create more variety in strategies and ability options. This also affects your A+ support character as well, so be sure to take that into consideration if you want your units to have faction-exclusive units.

Other Guides

This is all you need to know about character customization for now! Be sure to check out my other Fire Emblem: Fates guides for more tips, tricks, and strategies, including:

Other Guides:

• Basic Strategy
• Advanced Strategy and Tips
• Support, Marriage, and Children
• Boons, Banes, and Talents
• Weapons and Smithing