Etrian Odyssey IV comes out in less than a week, but I know I’m prepared.  Why?  Well, I haven’t been able to put the demo down.  After I maxed my first party, I decided to make a second to experiment with different character builds.  I then combined the best units into one efficient team.  They survive as soldiers of fortune. If you have a problem – if no one else can help – and if you can find their QR codes, then maybe you can hire the A-Team:

Front Row

Mai — Landsknecht
Key equip: Blinding Piercer
Skills: Sonic Raid, Blazing Link, Power Boost

My Landsknecht is specked to be a heavy hitter, with 7 points in Power Boost, which raises her physical attack power.  Sonic Raid (level 3) is relatively cheap, at 4 TP and it allows her to always go first — think Quick Attack from Pokémon.  For that reason, it’s a great attack to spam against stronger or faster enemies.  I tossed a point into Blazing Link in the event that my Runemaster happens to activate Fire Rune, for some bonus elemental damage.  Her weapon is a Blinding Piercer which can blind enemies, though it happens quite rarely.

Lili — Fortress
Key equip: Jester’s Mask
Skills: Holy Smite, Taunt, Iron Wall

Originally I went with a defensive Fortress.  I found that in the longrun, her lack of offenses drew battles out for far too long which was dangerous for other units.  So for my second Fortress I decided to shake things up.  She still draws hate with Taunt and Auto-Taunt, and converts said hate into TP with her Proficiency skill.  With a steady stream of TP, she is able to spam Holy Smite, which not only does damage but heals her in the process.  With the added defense from Iron Wall, the damage sustained from most enemies is less than how much she recovers.  This combination results in a highly sustainable and way more interesting build.

Tiva — Dancer
Key Equip: Acupuncture Pin
Skills: Counter Samba, Chase Samba, Fan Dance

When I first saw the Dancer class, I assumed it was a unit destined for the back row to stay out of harm’s way and support from afar.  However, most of her dances only affect the row she’s in.  The back row just doesn’t need the support, since they rarely become a target with Lili giving the bad guys the stink eye.  That meant the front row would be where her dances could be most beneficial.  To keep her alive, however, Fan Dance was a necessity.  This support skill raises her evasion, but seems to only work best against low level creatures.  Counter Samba makes her counter attack any enemy that hits a unit in her line.  This works really well combined with Lili drawing hate, and even better with a big group of enemies.  Chase Samba causes the dancer to follow up any attack from her row to add on a bit of additional damage with the surprisingly powerful Acupuncture Pin.

Back Row

Nina — Sniper
Key Equip: Driftwood Dragon
Skills: Leg Snipe, Arm Snipe, Lock On

My Sniper is all about binding the enemy and inflicting decent damage through critical hits.  Binds can prevent enemies from acting, which is a huge advantage against harder hitting foes.  Her TP is on the low side however, so a Driftwood Dragon (TP +10, all stats +1) allows for more Arm and Leg Snipes before needing to stay at an Inn.  Lock On increases the chance for criticals for five turns, and the Sniper’s Proficiency skill increases the damage dealt from critical hits.  This combination results in nice damage when not focusing on binding.

Rem — Runemaster (Just rested her so she’s only level eight…)
Key Equip: Healing Wand
Skills: Fire Rune, Fireball Rune, Runic Gleam, TP Boost, Healing

Here’s one of my favorite units.  She’s essentially  a medic/mage hybrid.  Her Healing Wand makes her about as effective as a Medic, but with way better damage potential.  If my Fortress runs low on TP,  my Runemaster can assist with keeping her healthy.  When not patching up allies, she can increase her magical attack with Runic Gleam.  This ability also sets her on the path to learn the Runemaster’s ultimate skill: Origin Rune.  Finally, weakening an enemy’s Fire defenses with Fire Rune boosts the damage of Fireball Rune.

And so this is my A-Team.  We’ve been through a lot together, but I’m looking forward to next Tuesday when Etrian Odyssey IV is released and we can experience the full game!  Feel free to share any units you’ve been having luck with, I’m eager to try as many builds and combos as I can!