Ignatz, or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and go War Master

Check the description for extra commentary, music, and video clip sources!
Oh man, this one was fun. The DLC has opened up a ton of new interesting early game builds, and Ignatz’s free hit+20 is so great to mess around with that it can define his entire playstyle if you’re going for an early crit build. He falls off compared to being a sniper in the lategame because he doesn’t have the free doubling from Hunter’s Volley, but the sheer accuracy and amount of crit he can attain are insane. Not mentioned in the video is Helm Splitter, which gives Ignatz even more oomph and lets him absolutely annihilate early armored knights with the Steel Axe and the Devil Axe, sometimes even one-shotting them. Not many physical units can claim to do that consistently.
Anyway, I hope you enjoyed this one! I got pretty sidetracked by Ghost of Tsushima, which is an amazing game, so maybe keep an eye out for some GoT content coming up in the future!
Music:
Mario Kart Wii OST: Sherbert Land
Flamingosis: Football Head
Bignatz video from the ending:
• IGNATZ x RAPHAEL. (BIG...

[@Rengor1997]

Just so you know, the number you provided for Goal WEXP is for Normal mode. On maddening, a Neutral skill is 20 WEXP, 30 when solo focused. So at max motivation and assuming a spread of 1 perfect 2 great 2 good we're looking at (20 x 1.5) x 2 + 4 x 2 + 4 x 1.5 x 2 + 4 x 2 = 60 + 28 = 88, leaving you at 12 additional required which either requires: -6 battles with an axe in the practice battle -the seminar, which sacrifices getting Rally Str on Raphael by ch 2.

[@IntrusiveThot420]

Rengor1997 I see, yeah missing out on that big authority bump early is pretty annoying. I kinda hate using Serenes for research because it's wrong so often. I like your site a lot better.

[@Ed_man_talking9]

why do you look like Huberts dad?

[@mikeboehl5260]

Holy shit, that Ignatz/Raf hybrid is the stuff of nightmares lmao

[@IntrusiveThot420]

Bignatz is adorable >:(

[@mikeboehl5260]

@@IntrusiveThot420 lol....Bignatz

[@sylverflores3433]

would still bang tbh

[@IntrusiveThot420]

@@sylverflores3433 you could say you'd like to [puts on sunglasses] smash

[@deathbyautoyt171]

reminds me of Machio-san hahaha

[@ef8295]

Inspired by your video, I tried this on my first Maddening no-NG+ run. Ignatz was awesome from start to finish. By the end of the game he had an 100% crit chance on almost everything, and he ended up being the one to take down Nemesis. Thanks for the build idea! :)

[@IntrusiveThot420]

Yooo awesome! Glad you enjoyed it! Ignatz more like best boy!

[@yeollierancher]

I’ve made him a Sniper, an Assassin, and now a Mage and he’s always been one of my most reliable units after Felix and Sylmixedtankvain. Excited to try this in my next run!

[@IntrusiveThot420]

"Male unit is good in War Master, news at 11" But seriously, axes are probably the best crit weapons in the game thanks to the killer axe and Smash. Any male can use this build, but Ignatz is particularly good at it, and his early niche with the Devil Axe means it can be worth it to use axes on him for the whole game.

[@josephhuang1163]

This

[@shiny9690]

Smash really is absurdly OP for what it is, a beginner Combat Art, especially because it comes early AND the fact that it holds up through the entire game. Can't kill something with a regular hit? Tap that Smash button and BOOM, instant 20 crit rate boost. You can even mix it with armor effective weapons or the Bolt Axe/Crusher to adapt to armor or high DEF units.

[@899233566]

I made him a grappler my last playthrough because I thought he would look funny as one. Good gods he was a beast.

[@alexanderharrison7421]

Still running Smash on most of my Axe Units even in Post-Timeskip because it's that useful

[@IntrusiveThot420]

Snash stronk 😤

[@alexanderharrison7421]

@@IntrusiveThot420 Crest of Goneril Procing at useless times go brrrr

[@jedimasterpickle3]

Very interesting build. Personally I saw Ignatz's low strength and used him as a support unit until he came into his own. Rally speed was VERY helpful early on. As was Break Shot.

[@LAZERAK47V2]

*Swordmasters hate him!* Click here to see how this absolute chad class renders the Speed stat completely irrelevant

[@Mernusify]

This is a good path for him! Ironically, I was thinking the same thing! Here's what my Ignatz looks like (currently): Lvl 25 Viking (around 26 strength, death blow included in his abilities) Brave Axe: 60 Hit Personal Skill: +20 Hit Hit + 20 from archer: +20 Hit Axe Prowess Lvl 4: + 16 Hit Dex = +27 Hit Edmund Troops Lvl 5: +40 Hit Accuracy Ring: +10 Hit Total: 193 Hit He is strong enough to ORKO ANY enemy (except fortress knights)! Even samurais, mercenaries, and heroes' axebreaker+ skill doesn't do JACKS***, since Ignatz is hitting them 100%! It's pretty hilarious to see Ignatz casually two-shot any enemy (bar fortress knights, and maybe paladins). IIRC, enemy swordies by the end of the run usually average around 61 AS and 81 Avo. By the time Ignatz gets there, enough, he's certain to have at least 34 dex. Add an A rank adjutant and a rally dex from someone else and he gets to around 218 total hit, bypassing samurai and heroes' axebreaker+ completely! Then if they decide to hide in a forest, just using spartan's strike CA is enough to offset the +30 Avo they get from the forest.

[@IntrusiveThot420]

Wait, is this an Ignatz in Heroes? I don't recognize a lot of those class names :)

[@Mernusify]

@@IntrusiveThot420 Pardon me, I have come up with nicknames of the classes and have used it so often I forget that some people may not know what I'm talking about. For reference: Samurai = swordmaster Viking = warrior Spartan = war master

[@IntrusiveThot420]

@@Mernusify Ahhhh it all makes sense now.

[@klutzkoady4996]

Haven't tested this yet so this is only theory crafting but consider: Axefair and vantage from Hero class. Swordfair, Sword Mastery, Hit +20, Defiant strength, and defiant crit/wrath. Cursed ashiya sword/wo dao for weapon and chalice of beginnings for accessory. Fraldarious solders or one of the battalions you recommended. I think that should be the most reliable vantage build in the game, and sounds super fun to use, but I haven't gotten around to using it yet.

[@IntrusiveThot420]

Yeah! You can definitely make that work. I actually ended up running Ignatz with just his regular Battalion Vantage and casting Retribution on him for a similar effect though.

[@jeremystarling8677]

You are going over the exact information in the exact way I needed it. Thank you so much

[@IntrusiveThot420]

Glad you like it! I tried to make it really straightforward, a lot of other videos either go way too far in depth or not far enough.

[@q-tip9962]

I just raised his sword skill and boom I got a pretty decent Assassin that could hold his own.

[@starkeeper_youtube]

Glad to see Best Boi being given the respect he deserves :D

[@michaelwbell442]

I just kinda laughed when you started talking about crit-boosting abilities for Ignatz. In my playthrough, Ignatz was critting over 1/3 of the time even in early game, when I was giving all of my characters basic weapons and his crit rate was only supposed to be around 15%. At the end of the game it was rare for him NOT to crit, and he had Lifetaker to boot!

[@JaredTVW]

The biff Ignatz at the end took me by surprise.

[@IntrusiveThot420]

Bignatz bestnatz

[@survivorofthecurse717]

One other thing that I did was make him go Myrmidon, Thief, Assassin, and then Mortal savant. His sword and bow are quite useful, especially with things like the Wo Dao, Rapier, killer bow, and longbow. Also, he'll have a strong dexterity to boost both that and his magic, which his spells naturally have good crit. He also has good speed overall to help with him to defeat anyone that isn't a swordmaster (lol rotf) Also, he has a few rallies to pick and choose from. All in all, he was extremely useful to me

[@kuramochiyouichi1448]

Bignatz supremacy…. I just played this game and running hard deer on 3h (no dlc) … i was nervous at first when i saw him cuz he look weak and frail and ugly ass vegetable harry potter so i decided to make him buffier… no nerdy looks, more muscles… trained him with axe and brawl, then i get him focus more on brawl and authority though, becuz i like thinking about my Ignatz as a teen delinquent leader (very manly) … now he is my strongest unit, more promising than my claude and byleth … he could solo almost anything … lysithea used to insult him pre time skip now lysithea is in love with him becUse he is BIGNATZ… everybody fears him… he’s like that image of brocolli in the sauna… sigma male tier BIGNATZ

[@Art-qf9ue]

you should do more of this content, man!

[@drparadox7833]

Ignatz is awesome. I trained him in archery and authority. By mid-game he rivaled Claude and was my most effective avoider. I have no idea how but dude dodged half the projectiles sent his way

[@ferdinandvonaegir9013]

Only people who don’t play madding look past ingnatz

[@jonunciate7018]

Wow, a use for the Devil Axe.

[@IntrusiveThot420]

IKR 😂

[@minty380]

@@IntrusiveThot420where do you get it

[@minty380]

if dlc is the only way that’s lame

[@supervolcanobladerharris131]

@@minty380 It's best to look these kinds of things up but just so you know there is a brigand in Dorothea and Ingrid's paralogue that drops one as well.

[@minty380]

@@supervolcanobladerharris131 thanks a lot i tried looking it up and it said only in dlc on some game website

[@youtubedeletedmyaccountlma2263]

You not training Lysithea or Hilda triggers me lmao

[@IntrusiveThot420]

Hilda gets turned into a backpack for Claude at lv10 and lysithea is boring T_T

[@allenearl1514]

This is why I don't think I'll ever go into Maddening. Despite knowing that Ignatz is a crit machine, I'm too lazy to do all of the research to understand how to min-max for more difficult runs. That being said, he was one of my best units in my first run, since he could use swords and magic to attack whatever enemies come his way and crit them down, be they physically tanky or magically tanky. I don't remember what all skills I had on him, but he was also really good at dodging all but the most accurate attacks.

[@jaden149]

this would be something i would do with Ignatz if i ever do new game maddening with the deer but since i already have the slightly different title screen i have no reason not to cheat with newgame+

[@IntrusiveThot420]

You should give it a try :) I find maddening NG to be the most fun way to play.

[@Aquilenne]

I'm pretty sure that this doesn't work in NG maddening. You can't get the Devil Axe until much later than chapter 2 anyway if you aren't cheating with NG+. Edit: Nevermind, reached the end. I assumed the renown shop was the NG+ thing.

[@parkerbartell5189]

i’m building a dancer ignatz lmaooo, i wanted to try something new because he has some good spells and physic and i could give him a magic bow but warmaster might be worth a try too!

[@Ninjaananas]

I was also planning on doing a War Master Ignatz. Solely because of his high crit which I wanted to take to the extreme. Though I want to focus him on brawling. Also, does Ignatz even need plus 20 hit from Archer?

[@IntrusiveThot420]

The +20 lets him bully axebreaker Hero enemies :D

[@crystalarm0r]

nice video

[@user-iz9bt7gz4r]

Running this build on a crimson flower/black eaggles run rn. Recruited Iggy at ch4 and got him the devil axe at the pagan altar asap, buffed up his axe skill, and when available i got him the crit ring. Since cyrils batallion might not be available- i never recruited cyril…. which one should i use? I am also curious about when this ignatz falls off. Would it be a good idea to maybe reclass him into something like wyvern lord so he stays consistently good? I could like level lances and flying for him in the background while i focus on getting him into war master, then reclass when he falls off… i think that will help with the doubling problem. Idk what do you think? Im also on hard mode but idk if that meajs anything. I am enjoying using ignatz unconventionally and seeing him get mvp frequently also i plan on s ranking him this run ^^ hes so cute post time skip i cant help it!!!! Im thinking for future runs i might try some other weird ass builds on him too. I know its stupid but i might try to make paladin/dark knight work just for the lolz i love weird builds in this game so much XD

[@user-iz9bt7gz4r]

Oh btw im on hard. Not quite ready for maddening yet >_< my skill is still quite limited.

[@IntrusiveThot420]

@@user-iz9bt7gz4r brigid mercenaries and leicester mercenaries are both Black Eagles ground battalions with good hit and good crit. You totally can make ignatz a flier, but the crit+20 from being in Warmaster is really good. This build is good for the whole game assuming you can handle being a ground unit with 6 mobility :D On doubling: you don't really need to double, since crits do triple damage all at once. Whenever you bump up the difficulty to Maddening, you'll find that doubling is very rarely a usable strategy, and instead you'll rely on heavy hitting offensive weapon arts or spells, brave combat arts (swift strikes, hunter's volley), or crits to kill enemies efficiently without taking their big return fire hits.

[@user-iz9bt7gz4r]

@@IntrusiveThot420 Ahh I see thanks :3 the +20 crit is def way too good to give up. I am so stoked to see how Ignatz turns out this run! Will def use one of those battalions.

[@loka7783]

Just a minor suggestion for Ignaz: continue with brawling until Rank B for Healing Focus. That way you won't need to keep a healer nearby at all times.

[@IntrusiveThot420]

It's up to you! Personally I don't find Healing Focus useful with all the types of healing floating around. I like to spend that extra rime on Authority or something.

[@loka7783]

I'm curious to know how you offset the 10 points of damage per combat then? I suppose you could grind his reason to a point where you could become a dark bishop for Lifetaker. Downside is that it is only useful on your turn. If a lot of enemies attack you in a turn you could be in trouble. :)

[@IntrusiveThot420]

@@loka7783 you shouldn't realllly be getting hit on Maddening because enemy offense scales to such a silly level that you need dedicated builds to handle enemy aggro. Plus you ditch the Devil Axe pretty quickly for the Killer Axe+.

[@kylegrefe4399]

How does one get the devil axe? I don't think I've ever seen it in 3h

[@IntrusiveThot420]

You need the Cindered Shadows dlc; after you beat Chapter 1 of the dlc, you can play the regular campaign and have access to the Abyss area. If you fix up the Pagan Altar in the Abyss, you can buy things from it for renown. One of these is the Devil Axe 👍

[@kylegrefe4399]

@@IntrusiveThot420 Ah, I never bought the dlc

[@minty380]

how do you get the devil axe brhh

[@samthomas7253]

was wondering where the hell you get a devil axe before chapter 2 - then realised it was dlc. Ye, no. Sniper it is

[@takeyourheart3030]

The DLC is totally worth the money just saying. I use Yuri in every single one of my playthroughs and I make all my former Gremorys (Lysithea , Dorothea) into Dark Fliers or Valkyries for the movement. Going from 4 or 5 to 7 or 8 is not a small increase. Plus the altar in Abyss is broken with how it lets you get infinite money and Renown in NG+

[@AshenDust_]

@@takeyourheart3030making the game easier isn’t a great use of my money…

[@Aeivious]

I really like all the interesting stuff you can do in three houses, but maddening no NG+ is just frustrating with chapter 4 i think, there are a lot of things that can go wrong mostly involving the death knight moving without anyone being in range and it just makes the map unplayable

[@IntrusiveThot420]

Usually I just nuke him with either Vengeance Dedue or Vengeance Bernadetta, I don't think I've ever seen him move on maddening.

[@marcoasturias8520]

When do you get the devil axe without dlcs?

[@IntrusiveThot420]

I think dorothea + ingrid's paralogue, it's a bit late to be useful.

[@zacharyclaudio6238]

Why not try to do Anna? No one really talks about her

[@zacharyclaudio6238]

Or War Monk Lorenz

[@youtubedeletedmyaccountlma2263]

Anna stats are like everything average XD Defence or resistance, magic or physical attack, they keep getting around the same growth lmao

[@armorbearer9702]

Have you ever heard of Mangs? He posts a lot of Advance Wars and Fire Emblem content. You should do a collab with him.

[@IntrusiveThot420]

Haha, I have! Mangs is cool but i'm not a big enough channel for that 😅 if we get a new FE game though, hopefully I can get in on the ground floor!

[@GrassPokeKing]

​@@IntrusiveThot420 👀

[@IntrusiveThot420]

@@GrassPokeKing i'll be *totally* honest I did NOT like engage. Yeah it has good combat but the skill system is so much less deep than 3H's. I think it actually has much better maps and missions, but for some reason it just didn't hook me. Maybe i'll go back to it and try it some more, or I could join the endless legion of people cranking out helldivers 2 content LMAO

[@GrassPokeKing]

@@IntrusiveThot420 I mean, you'd just be doing your DEMOCRATIC DUTY, I don't think anybody would blame you

[@samishahin9642]

9:12 😳

[@IntrusiveThot420]

Bignatz

[@Werkzeug-100]

Needing a devil axe for chapter 2 is a good reason ignatz isn't a good unit

[@IntrusiveThot420]

Conversely nobody else has the hit rates to use the thing, granting him a headstart and maxing an axe/axe crit build viable all game on him, even when you're starved for strong units in the first few chapters.

[@heathersmith4042]

he doesn't need the devil axe in chapter two lol, this is just one possible build for him. i've never made him a war master and he still is super helpful, even on maddening

[@Ex.zed.]

Ignatz is only good as a bench warmer.

[@IntrusiveThot420]

ExZed looooooool

[@ResurgentRaven]

Pretty much the same thing I said about Ashe.

[@IntrusiveThot420]

Ashe lacks hit+20 though. That's what makes him so bad compared to ignatz, and he has basically a useless personal to go with his otherwise quite bad stats.

[@ResurgentRaven]

@@IntrusiveThot420 Not going off of Maddening though. Just 3H in general. Both lack strength, so War Master is needed to amplify their weak points.

[@idkdk569]

seems a shame not to mention battalion vantage which ignatz gets and let's him also kill stuff in enemy phase, and prob better than S+ axes on a neutrality which ignatz prob isnt getting, and fraldarius soldiers (from felix's para) which gives 20 crit, the highest in the game i think doing this with swords is also worthwhile, ignatz has a boon in it and wo dao+ is prob more accurate than axes (at least in enemy phase, since smash's hit boost prob negates the hit difference)

[@IntrusiveThot420]

Yeah I think I talked about that in the comments somewhere :D i actually ran bat vantage when i did this fight. For the 2nd part of your comment though, 3H maddening is so player phase focused that the early devil axe strat is the crux of the build, so I just kept going with the idea of turning him into an axe crit monster.