- Edelgard Fire Emblem Guide - August 28, 2022
- Sylvain Fire Emblem Guide - August 8, 2022
- Seteth Fire Emblem Guide - August 4, 2022
The right-hand man of the Church of Seiros, Seteth, is a playable character in almost every route of Three Houses. His Crest is the Major Crest of Saint Cichol. As someone who used Setheth actively in almost every playthrough possible, I have had a great experience with him and his younger sister Flayn.
Seteth is an excellent character in the story and a powerful unit that can tear through opposing armies. However, Seteth does have some fundamental weaknesses that players need to be aware of. However, if players can work around those weaknesses successfully, Seteth will be a good low-investment carry. Using characters like Seteth that are strong out of the box lets players put more resources into students who need heavy investment, like Lysithea or Felix.
Seteth is a character with much mystery and intrigue surrounding him, even more than other Three Houses favorites. But, of course, much of this mystery reveals itself later in the game. So I’ll cover all that information in a special spoiler section to keep things safe for viewing. Players who don’t want to see any spoiler information can skip the bolded section and the FAQs, as the review is spoiler-free outside of those.
Seteth in a Nutshell
Not much is known of Seteth when he’s first introduced. Byleth knows he’s the older brother of Flayn and the right-hand man to Rhea, the archbishop of the Church of Seiros. However, it isn’t until later that Byleth learns Seteth’s true story. Seteth is one of the more powerful out-of-the-box characters, so it won’t take many battles to make him a worthy team member. He’s also a fantastic character from a story perspective, so any player would be advised to get to know him.
Who is Seteth?
Seteth is Rhea’s second-in-command and Flayn’s older brother. He begins a bit weary of Byleth, as he is of most characters in the story. However, he has absolute faith in Rhea, who believes in Byleth enough to make them a professor.
After Byleth saves Flayn, Seteth begins to trust the professor on his own instead of merely listening to Rhea. Seteth and Byleth can create an incredible bond from that point forward, even having the potential to be married in nearly every route later on, with the exception of Black Eagles players who side with Edelgarde.
If Black Eagles professors choose the Silver Snow route by not siding with Edelgarde, Seteth will still be recruitable. His role as Byleth’s ally is the biggest in the church-driven Silver Snow route, where he functions as Byleth’s closest advisor. In Silver Snow, Seteth takes on the “retainer” role that Hubert, Dedue, and Hilda fill in other routes. His role in Azure Moon and Verdant Wind is similar, where he’s an ally with little story presence. In the Crimson Flower route, however, Seteth will be an enemy on two different maps.
Personality-wise, Seteth’s main trait is being overprotective of his young sister Flayn. He’s initially completely reluctant to let Flayn take place in the daily activities of the monastery and interact with other students. However, after Flayn’s rescue, Seteth’s faith in Byleth does let him loosen his overprotective grip a bit, and Flayn joins the Gerrag Mach school as an honorary student.
While much of Seteth’s personality is his doting over Flayn, he has other aspects. Seteth’s loyalty to the Church is his most apparent secondary trait, but he does have two hobbies that make the character more relatable and a ton of fun in his supports.
The first of Seteth’s major hobbies is his love of fishing, which he learned from his late wife. Flayn became famous in the community for her obsession with fish, partially due to the same love of fishing. Seteth’s other interesting trait is his desire to become a children’s author. He writes stories as a hobby, originally for Flayn when she was a little girl. If he lives to settle down and retire as a warrior, many of Seteth’s epilogue will say that he decided to become a children’s author full-time. There are also epilogues where the wife he chooses becomes his illustrator, a cute added touch to his story.
Spoiler Info About Seteth
In reality, Flayn isn’t Seteth’s younger sister. She is his daughter, and both are millennia-old dragons. They’re also two of the saint dragons, Saint Cichol and Saint Cethleann. Seteth’s overprotectiveness isn’t just a common paternal concern, either. Flayn’s blood is potent and sought after, putting her at risk.
Seteth’s late wife was another powerful dragon, and the same attack that resulted in her death almost killed Flayn. Following the attack, Flayn hibernated to heal her wounds. It was a sleep that lasted most of her life. This sleep is part of why Flayn seems so sheltered and youthful despite her age and why Seteth still treats her like a child.
Seteth’s Key Info
Seteth joins the party in Chapter 12 as a level 23 Wyvern Rider. Few characters will be as powerful as Seteth immediately upon joining, and players will find him a useful teammate from the get-go. Listed below are his base stats and growth rates:
- HP: 48 (50% growth rate)
- Str: 27 (45% growth rate)
- Mag: 15 (35% growth rate)
- Dex: 20 (50% growth rate)
- Spd: 19 (50% growth rate)
- Lck: 12 (25% growth rate)
- Def: 21 (30% growth rate)
- Res: 8 (25% growth rate)
- Charm: 20 (45% growth rate)
Seteth will be fantastic the second he joins the party due to his impressive base stats. Sadly, an issue with the character is his poor defensive growth rates. For players doing classic playthroughs on higher difficulties, keeping Seteth around for the entire playthrough may be difficult if they aren’t careful. If a melee fighter has poor defensive growth rates, they’ll struggle in the late game to stay alive if they aren’t careful.
However, Seteth has impressive offensive base stats and growth rates to make up for his defense. Seteth’sStrength, Dex and Speed will make him a threat to slay even difficult bosses. He also has a bit of added utility since he has both a high base Charm stat and Charm growth rate for his gambits.
Seteth’s Favorite Foods and Gifts
Seteth has a bit more of a refined pallet than his younger sister Flayn. So while a player can throw Flayn any fish dish and expect it to be successful, they’ll need to be far more discerning when sharing a meal with Seteth. However, if the player does decide to share a meal with Gerrag Mach’s second in command, these are the foods and gifts that he especially enjoys:
Food
- Grilled Herring Vegetable Pasta Salad
- Spicy Fish and Turnip Stew
- Sweet and Salty Whitefish Sauté
- Fruit and Herring Tart
- Cheesy Verona Stew
- Fish Sandwich
- Super-Spicy Fish Dango
- Pickled Seafood and Vegetables
- Daphnel Stew
- Sautéed Pheasant and Eggs
- Bourgeois Pike
- Derdriu-Style Fried Pheasant
- Saghert and Cream
- Peach Sorbet
- Fried Crayfish
Gifts
- Fishing Float
- Dapper Hankerchief
- The History of Fodland
- Owl Feather
- Legends of Chivalry
- Book of Crest Designs
These meals or gifts would be a great way to boost the player’s relationship with Seteth.
Seteth’s Relationships
Seteth has different relationships with the character depending on his supports. The possible characters Seteth can have any support conversations with the following:
- Byleth (S Support is possible with female Byleth)
- Bernadetta
- Felix
- Ingrid
- Hilda
- Leonie
- Flayn
- Hanneman
- Manuela
- Catherine
- Cyril
Most of Seteth’s relationships are completely platonic or familial. He can, however, end up romantically with Female Byleth. Furthermore, if he gets close enough to Manuela, Catherine, Bernadetta, Ingrid, or Hilda, he can have a romantic conclusion in the epilogue. Among these, Manuela and Catherine feel the most age-appropriate matches for Seteth and are some of the more fun supports between adults in Fire Emblem.
Seteth still has plenty of unique non-romantic supports as well. His support with Flayn is as adorable as one would expect, and he acts like a stern father figure to many students in their interactions.
Seteth’s Best Skills
Seteth’s personal skill is Guardian, which allows nearby female allies to do more damage. This skill is helpful with his younger sister Flayn, but it also has two other applications. First, players can position Seteth behind female tanks at the end of the player phase, so they do more counterattack damage. He can also be a partner for any powerful damage-dealing female unit that can sit behind him for protection. Bernadetta is an excellent recommendation for the later strategy, as she’ll often double enemies for 6 extra damage.
The other major starting ability for Seteth is Canto, one of the best abilities in the game for a frail attacker like him. Seteth is fantastic at getting in and out of a battle while killing powerful enemies. Canto also has great synergy with Guardian, allowing him to reposition constantly.
There are a few essential skills that can make Seteth shine. Wyvern Lord will give a powerful skill in Defiant Critical if players want to take the natural path to level Seteth up directly. Wyvern Lord is certainly the class recommended for Setheth in the endgame. However, a few reclassifications along the way can turn Seteth into a monster.
A player looking to construct a perfect Seteth may also want to pick up the somewhat broken Quick Reposte from War Master. Quick Reposte will allow Seteth to survive incoming attacks while doubling up on the enemy, enhancing his evasive playstyle.
Another key skill for Seteth is Death Blow. Players can pick up this highly recommended skill by mastering the Brigand Class. Seteth primarily wants to be a player phase unit, so skills like Quick Riposte that activates when attacked should be a last resort. However, Death Blow gives Seteth a boost every time he initiates combat. This skill fits perfectly with his “hit and run” playstyle that lets him pick off enemies.
Once players level up Brigand or War Master for skills, they should let Seteth end where he started: in the Wyvern Master class tree. If players would rather keep Seteth in the Wyvern Rider tree the entire time, that is also an acceptable strategy. He won’t be as powerful, but Three Houses comes with a ton of units. Seteth is undoubtedly one of the best without lots of training time, so feel free to spend that time on other characters if you please.
Alongside his unique skills, Seteth also has two unique weapons specific to his Major Crest of Cichol. The crest allows him to wield the Spear of Assal and the Ochain Shield. The Spear off Assal is a strong signature weapon stats-wise, and both the spear and shield give HP regeneration every turn. These weapons help partly compensate for Seteth’s poor defensive stats and slippery playstyle, allowing him to heal wounds from counterattacks between rounds.
Seteth as an Enemy
Seteth makes a terrifying enemy, but players will only need to fight him if they side with Edelgard. If they make that decision, they’ll need to face Seteth twice during their adventures. Their first battle in “The Battle of Gerreg Mach” has Seteth as a level 26 Wyvern Rider in Normal difficulty, 27 in Hard, and 33 in Maddening. He will always come equipped with his signature weapons, the Spear of Assal and Ochan Shield. He’ll have the same weapons in the chapter “Protecting Gerrag Mach” but will be a Wyvern Lord at either level 33, 34, or 40 depending on difficulty.
Thanks to canceling super-effective bonuses with his ability Flying Effect Null, slaying the mighty Wyvern Lord won’t be as simple as firing a pair of arrows into him. Seteth’s Spd stat also makes him very difficult to double. With this in mind, a true magic nuker is the best way to deal with Seteth as an enemy. I recommend Lysithea, widely considered the most overpowered of the students outside of the house leaders due to her insane magic damage and access to Warp. However, other less powerful mages like Hubert can also do the trick.
FAQs
Question: How Are Seteth and Flayn Related?
Answer: At the story’s beginning, Seteth and Flayn pose as brother and sister. However, in actuality, Seteth is Flayn’s father.
Question: When do you Recruit Seteth?
Answer: If the player chooses not to side with Edelgard, Seteth will automatically join them in Chapter 12 of all routes.
Question: Is Seteth A Dragon?
Answer: Seteth is a Nabatean, an immortal earth dragon with great power. He is a relative of Sothis herself, hence the green hair.
Question: How Old Is Seteth?
Answer: Seteth may appear to be a man in his 20s or 30s, but he has been around for multiple millennia.
Conclusion
Seteth, despite his exhausting overprotective nature, is a fantastic family member to Flayn, who always does his best to ensure she’s safe. He’s also a loyal second-in-command to Rhea, with a brilliant skillset that earned his place in the Church of Seiros. If a player chooses actually to make Seteth part of their regular party, they’ll get much more than an overprotective older brother. They’ll get a father figure for much of the monastery and a man with many wholesome supports.
Gameplay-wise, Seteth is a powerhouse who can run around the map with Canto while buffing his female allies with his signature ability Guardian. In addition, Setheth’s entire starting kit and stat distribution are one of the best thought out in the franchise so that players can get plenty of use from Seteth right out of the gate.