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Fire Emblem 7, otherwise known as The Blazing Blade, has three Lord characters. One of them is the Sacaean swordswoman Lyndis, otherwise known as Lyn.
Unlike fellow Lords Eliwood and Hector, Lyn is a character exclusive to The Blazing Blade with no connections whatsoever to The Binding Blade (The sixth game in the series but the chronological sequel to The Blazing Blade). And over the years, Lyn has become a beloved fan-favorite character. The Blazing Blade was the first Fire Emblem game that international fans could play, and that undoubtedly played a role in Western fans being more attached to FE7’s Lords, including Lyn.
But who is Lyn exactly, and how did she capture the hearts of so many Fire Emblem fans? Let’s find out.
The History of Lyndis
Lyndis was born in the Sacaen Plains near the border of Bern as the daughter of Hassar and Madelyn. Hassar was Chieftain of the Lorca tribe, and Madelyn was the runaway daughter of Caelin Marquess, Lord Hausen. As she grew up, Hassar taught Lyn how to use the sword. Together, they led happy lives as a family in Sacae for 18 years.
Tragedy struck Lyn when the Taliver Bandits from nearby Taliver Mountain moved against the Lorca tribe. After poisoning their water supply, the bandits staged an attack against the Lorca tribes folk in the dark of night. The bandits killed every member of the Lorca tribe, including Hassar and Madelyn, except for Lyn (Who survived the attack through unknown means).
With nearly everyone she knew and loved dead, Lyn swore revenge against the Taliver Bandits. She dedicated herself to improving her swordsmanship so that she may take revenge and developed a deep-seated hatred of all bandits, pirates, and thieves.
Six months have passed since the Lorca tribe tragedy. And with that, the story of The Blazing Blade begins.
Meeting Lyn
In Fire Emblem 7, you take on the role of Mark, a wandering tactician who is effectively the vehicle players use to navigate the story. Lyn finds Mark collapsed outside her abode and brings him inside to nurse him back to health. A couple of bandits soon attack, but Lyn takes them down with Mark providing strategic advice.
The next day, Lyn asks Mark to allow her to accompany him on his travels so that she may improve her skills. Of course, Mark agrees to let Lyn join him. What adventures await this duo?
The Heir To Caelin’s Throne
Lyn and Mark travel to Bulgar, the commercial center of Sacae, to acquire supplies for their journey. Here they run into Sain and Kent, two knights of Caelin. Kent remarks that Lyn looks familiar, but before he can inquire further, Sain turns Lyn off with his overly flirtatious and informal behavior, and she storms off with Mark.
Outside the city, brigands attack Lyn and Mark. Strangely enough, they know Lyndis by name. The head bandit Zugu implies he’s doing this for gold before ordering his men to attack Lyn. Who would put a contract out on Lyn?
Sain and Kent catch up with Mark and Lyn and help them defeat the brigands. After the battle is over, the two Caelin knights reveal the truth of Lyn’s heritage; Lyn is the granddaughter of the Marquess of Caelin. His daughter, Madelyn, ran away to marry a nomad. Enraged by her actions, Marquess Hausen disowned his daughter.
But as the saying goes, distance makes the heart grow fonder. Six months ago, Madelyn sent a letter to her estranged father informing him of the happy life she has been living. Regretting his past actions and wanting to see his daughter again and his granddaughter for the first time (Whom Madelyn named after her mother), Hausen dispatched Sain and Kent to escort Madelyn. Hassar, and Lyndis to Caelin.
Unfortunately, the Taliver bandits killed Lyn’s family several days after Madelyn sent the letter to her father. Having heard of Lyn’s survival, Kent and Sain have been looking for her.
Lyn’s grandfather isn’t the only family she has in Caelin. Hausen’s brother, Lord Lundgren, was previously his heir as Hausen has no other children. But Lyn’s existence makes her the true heir to Caelin, which is something Lundgren has no intention of allowing. Sain and Kent suspect Lundgren hired the bandits to murder Lyn, so she never makes it to Caelin to assume her rightful place. The two knights urge Lyn to come with them back to Caelin, and Lyn, feeling she has no choice, agrees.
Lyn’s Story
From this point on, the objective is to reach Caelin alive. Hausen has fallen ill, and Lundgren now acts as leader of Caelin. He has deemed Sain and Kent traitors and Lyn a false heir. Using the power of Caelin’s army and outside forces seeking to gain his favor, Lundgren does his best to dispose of Lyn.
Lyn and company gather more allies as they make their way to Caelin to free it from her granduncle’s rule. These include Florina, a Pegasus Knight and childhood friend of Lyn, Rath, a fellow Sacaen, Caelin Knight/General Wallace, and even Eliwood (Though he doesn’t stick around). She also runs into two mysterious youths, Nils and Ninian, and agrees to protect them from shadowy foes who are pursuing them.
Throughout the prologue that is Lyn’s story, the game will teach you the basics of Fire Emblem gameplay, like the weapon triangle, magic, archery, and unit promotion. In Chapter 3, after joining up with Kent and Sain, Lyn acquires her signature weapon: the Mani Katti. It gives Lyn +20 Crit Chance and is her best weapon.
After a long and arduous journey, Lyndis’ Legion arrives in Caelin and manages to defeat Lundgren. Poisoned by his brother, Hausen is on his sickbed but alive and meets his granddaughter for the first time.Hausen feels tremendously guilty for what happened to Lyn’s parents. Had he accepted his daughter’s relationship with Hassar, they would be alive and living happily in Caelin. At the very least, he got to see his granddaughter once and can now peacefully pass on.
That is until Lyn encourages him to keep living. His daughter may be gone, but Lyn is here, and they have much to talk about, places to go, and things to see. Reinvigorated by Lyn’s words, Hausen promises to live for Lyn.
And with that, the prologue of The Blazing Blade ends. Lyn’s companions either stay in her service as the rightful Lady of Caelin or return to their past lives. Lyn and Mark share a heartfelt goodbye before Mark departs to continue developing his skills as a tactician.
Lyn’s story, however, is far from over.
One Year Later
Regardless of whether you play Eliwood’s story or Hector Hard Mode, Lyn will reunite with them and Mark a year after the events of the prologue. Eliwood is searching for his father, Lord Elbert, who is missing and rumored dead. Hector soon joins him on his journey, and they soon hear of a mysterious organization called the Black Fang, who appear to be pulling the strings. Darin, the Marquess of Laus, and his son Erik attack Eliwood and company. After defeating Erik, they learn that Darin is leading an attack on Caelin and rush to aid Lyn and her grandfather.
The forces of Caelin are overwhelmed by Laus’ unexpected attack, and Lyn and her retainers have fled to the forests outside Caelin on Hausen’s orders. Hearing of Eliwood’s presence in Laus, Florina volunteers to seek him out and ask for his aid on Lyn’s behalf. With their combined forces, they defeat Darin and retake Castle Caelin. Feeling indebted to them for their assistance, Lyn joins the group in trying to find Eliwood’s father and take down the Black Fang.
How Does Lyn’s Story End?
There are six potential endings for Lyn. Given that she is a character exclusive to The Blazing Blade, there is no clear canonical ending since she doesn’t exist in The Binding Blade.
Lord Hausen passes away at some point after the story, and Lyn abdicates the rule of Caelin to Ostia (In other words, Hector). What happens after that depends on what character Lyn has achieved an A rank in support.
Lyn and Eliwood
Lyn and Eliwood wed, and they eventually have a son named Roy.
Lyn and Hector
Lyn stays in Ostia and marries Hector. They have a daughter named Lilina.
Lyn and Kent
Lyn returns to Sacae with Kent by her side as her lover.
Lyn and Rath
Lyn returns to Sacae and reunites with Rath. They eventually wed and have a daughter named Sue.
Lyn and Florina
Lyn returns to Sacae with Florina. Florina eventually returns to her home nation of Ilia, but she and Lyn remain best friends for life.
If Lyn does not have A support with any of these characters, she returns to Sacae alone.
Is Lyn a Good Character?
You know Lyn’s story, so now let’s get down to how she is as a unit. Is she any good?
Base Stats
Lyn’s Story
Starting Class: lord
Affinity: Wind
Level 1
HP: 16
Strength: 4
Skill: 7
Speed: 9
Luck: 5
Defense: 2
Resistance: 0
Constitution: 5
Movement: 5
Weapon Rank: D Rank in Swords
Starting Items: Iron Sword, Vulnerary, Vulnerary
Eliwood/Hector Story
Starting Class: Lord
Affinity: Wind
Level 4
HP: 18
Strength: 5
Skill: 10
Speed: 11
Luck: 5
Defense: 2
Resistance: 0
Constitution: 5
Movement: 5
Weapon Rank: C Rank in Swords
Starting Item: Mani Katti, Vulnerary, Red/Blue/White Gem*
Lyn will only start with base stats in Eliwood/Hector’s Story if she doesn’t hit at least level 4 in the prologue or if you don’t play the prologue at all. Her starting items remain the same. If you play the prologue, you can get a headstart on gold in Eliwood/Hector’s story, depending on how financially savvy you were in Lyn’s Story.
If you finish the prologue with a funds rating of less than 20,000, Lyn will start with no gem. 20,000 to 30,000, and Lyn will have a Red Gem, and 30,000 to 33,000 ratings give her a Blue Gem. If you complete the prologue with more than 33,000, Lyn will have a White Gem. So long as you don’t boss abuse Lundgren, it’s easy getting above 33,000. Promoted Wallace, Sain, or Kent can effortlessly solo the prologue chapters.
Growth Rates
HP: 70%
Strength/Magic: 40%
Skill: 60%
Speed 60%
Luck: 55%
Defense: 20%
Resistance: 30%
Promotion Gains:
Class: Blade Lord
Stat Gains On Promotion:
+3 HP
+2 Strength
+2 Skill
+0 Speed
+0 Luck
+3 Defense
+5 Resistance
+1 Constitution
+1 Movement
D Rank in Bows
Access to Wo Dao
Performance Breakdown Of Lady Lyndis
Lyndis is nearly identical to the Myrmidon/Swordmaster classes regarding functionality. Her Speed is exceptional, and she will quickly cap out the stat and double almost everything for the entire game. Her Skill and Luck growths are similarly fantastic. She will rarely miss and have high evasion chances in combat. Her HP growth is high, which is good since her Defense is terrible and Resistance below average.
She gets a nice boost to Defense and Resistance upon promotion, but it isn’t enough to save her. How good or bad Lyn turns out will depend entirely on whether RNG favors you when she levels up. There will be times when she only gains Defense or Resistance once or twice by the time she hits level 20. She might have good evasion skills, but as a unit weak to Lances in a game full of Lance-users, Lyn dodge tanking isn’t a viable strat. You need to be very careful using Lyn in combat as it isn’t hard for enemies to kill her.
Like most Myrmidons, Lyn has poor base Strength and a shaky Strength growth. She will struggle to deal damage against tanky units like Generals or Wyvern Lords. And that’s with her signature weapon, the Mani Katti. Due to her poor Constitution, Lyn suffers heavy Speed penalties wielding anything besides Iron Swords, the Mani Katti, or Killing Edge, which eliminates her one offensive advantage of doubling.
The Mani Katti only has 45 uses, and Killing Edge is a limited weapon better off in the hands of virtually every other sword user (Until they become available for purchase). Lyn gains access to Wo Dao just like promoted Swordmasters such as Guy, but she does not have the same Crit potential as a Swordmaster. So again, while it would improve her attack power, there are better options than Lyn. As a result, her offensive capabilities aren’t the best. If she doesn’t gain much Strength when she levels up, she’s pretty much screwed.
But what really makes Lyn problematic as a unit is her prologue. If you opt to skip right to Eliwood or Hector’s Story, Lyn comes painfully underleveled. You will need to baby her constantly to ensure she stays alive (Since, as a Lord, if she dies, it’s game over) and feed her a lot of kills for her to catch up. Using Mani Katti will speed things up but wastes her best weapon in the early game. Alternatively, you can Arena abuse to train her, but given her low HP, that’s very risky. If you skip her prologue, Lyn is borderline a dead unit that you should camp at the start of the map with someone like Marcus guarding her.
So, all that means is make sure you train Lyn in the prologue. Simple, right? Well, not exactly. I recommend getting Lyn to at least level 7 or 8 to give her a good fitting once the second part of the story begins. But you have to keep in mind that feeding Lyn a lot of kills in the prologue means a lot of other characters suffer regarding their growth.
Characters like Kent, Sain, and Erk will be alright if you don’t level them heavily. But Lyn isn’t the only unit that benefits a lot from playing the prologue. Florina and Rath will both come heavily underleveled in Eliwood and Hector’s stories if you skip the prologue, and both are infinitely more useful than Lyn. Florina is almost unplayable if not leveled now, and Rath will have trouble catching up.
There is one potential solution for players who want to level up everyone in the prologue. And that’s the age-old practice of boss abuse. For those new to Fire Emblem, allow me to explain.
Boss abusing is repeatedly battling a boss enemy to grind character levels. Boss characters on thrones or forts will heal HP at the start of their turn. To boss abuse, whack them a bunch of times until they are low on HP, then let them heal back to full. Rinse and repeat until you are satisfied with your results. Both Eagler in Chapter 9 and Lundgren in Chapter 10 can be boss abused. I use this strategy to get Sain or Kent to level 20 before promoting them and Rath to at least level 14-15.
So, if boss abuse is an option, what’s the problem? Well, there are a couple of them. The first one is Lyn’s Strength growth. Lyn will often not be strong enough to hit Lundgren with an Iron Sword. That leaves the Mani Katti, which only has 45 uses. And that means that you will have to refrain from using the Mani Katti until you reach Lundgren. But given that Mani Katti gives Lyn +20 Crit Chance, it isn’t hard to accidentally kill Lundgren. And even if you do avoid that, you only get a max of 45 rounds of training. Lundgren is also extremely dangerous with his Silver Lance, so you’ll have to deplete its’ uses by meat shielding with Wallace, Kent, or Sain (Whoever you promoted with your Knight Crest) before you can even train Lyn.
Another problem you may face is Florina. Florina can use Slim Lances, Iron Lances, and Javelins in the prologue. She likely won’t be able to deal damage to Lundgren with any of them (Unless you get extremely lucky with her Strength growth) and usually can’t boss abuse. But since Florina can become a powerful unit, you want to level her up in the prologue. And that means feeding her more kills which will give Lyn less experience. And it’s honestly no contest prioritizing Florina over Lyn.
Your best option is to give Lyn a moderate amount of levels and pray Lyn gets enough Strength to boss abuse Eagler with Iron Swords.
What About Lyn’s Promotion?
Lyn’s promotion is pretty solid. It gives her some nice stat boosts and gives her access to Bows. Due to her low Strength, it’s not worth giving her Runesword or Light Brand as a ranged Sword attack option. But her low Strength also kills her value as a Bow user, as units like Rath or Geitz are much better. The biggest problem with Lyn is she shares promotional material, the Heaven Seal, with Eliwood and Hector. Hector is an axe user in a game full of Lance users, and Eliwood’s promotion gives him a horse and access to Lances. Lyn needs her promotion the most, benefits from it the most, but is the least deserving of it.
Another issue with Lyn’s promotion is the time you acquire Heaven Seals. The first Heaven Seal is obtainable in Chapter 24 in Eliwood’s Story and Chapter 26 in Hector’s Story. The second shows up in Chapter 26 and Chapter 28, respectively. The only Arena still available by this point is in Chapter 29, but you can only use it for five turns. Hector, Eliwood, and Lyn will all require lots of catching up. And Lyn will always be the one least worth using.
So, is Lyn a good unit? No. But she isn’t terrible either. You can field her if you want but just know she will never be your best unit.
FAQS
Question: Does Lyn ever get revenge on the Taliver bandits?
Answer: No. Not for lack of trying, but because someone got to the bandits first. Should Lyn achieve A support with Wallace (Something almost no one does as it requires fielding Wallace in the first place. Who, unfortunately, sucks as a unit), he will reveal that he wiped out the Taliver bandits. Lyn is angry at first but calms down when Wallace tells her he did it to prevent her from being consumed by revenge. She doesn’t respond but seems to understand the reasoning behind Wallace’s actions.
Question: Does Lynn appear in any other Fire Emblem game?
Answer: Lyn makes a returning appearance as a bonus character in Fire Emblem Awakening. You can obtain a classic version of her for free via SpotPass, and a paid version of Lyn in the Smash Brethren 3 DLC. In Awakening, Lyn is a Swordmaster instead of a Lord. Lyn is also a character featured in Fire Emblem Heroes.
Question: Is Lynn worth using, or should I just camp her at the beginning of every map?
Answer: Lyn has a lot of problems, but she can still do work for you. The +20 Crit Chance she gets from Mani Katti effectively makes her a slightly weaker Myrmidon with a Killing Edge, and crits can be lifesavers. Giving her support with Hector will go a long way toward improving her Crit Chance.
Conclusion
Lyn is something of a rose-tinted glasses character. Many Fire Emblem players might have fond childhood memories of Lyn. But growing up, they realize that she’s average at best as a Lord or overall unit. But that’s okay. Because, as is the case with every unit in Fire Emblem, she is serviceable with enough TLC. She may be lacking a little in combat prowess, but her characterization makes up for it.
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