Valkyrie Profile: Lennethfeatures a whopping 25 different characters, and with one of your main goals in the game being to send the most pious and honorable of these up to assist in the war against Loki, knowing which characters to hang onto and which would be better off serving Odin can be a weighty task. After all, you want to fulfill your quest to send Einherjar to Asgard, but you don’t want to make boss battles in Midgard harder by losing your best warriors.
RELATED:Valkyrie Profile: Lenneth - Which Character You Should Transfer In Each Chapter?
Fortunately, it’s pretty easy to stack-rank in Valkyrie Profile using a handful of critical metrics—that way, you know which characters to hang onto for as long as possible and ensure you don’t limit your own party’s potential for the sake of a war that happens off-screen. We’ll specifically be looking at melee characters here, as all mages are more or less the same.
10Jun
Junlooksa lot cooler than he actually is. Upon first seeing him, you might get pretty excited at the prospect ofslicing through Norse mythology as a samurai. But while Jun doesn’t quite break into the top tier of Einherjar, he does have some quirky benefits that make him a worthwhile addition to your party.
Despite Jun’s mediocre Purification buildup in both his standard combo set and his Blade Art special, the fact that “Senko-Jin” hits so many times (more than any other character except Brahms and, in some cases, Llewelyn) means that your combat multiplier will skyrocket, and any subsequent special attacks will be tremendously boosted. Always use Jun’s special first in a Purification phase to ensure maximum benefit.
9Lawfer
Lawfer is a great character when you track him down in Chapter 2, but he will be overshadowed by other characters later in the game. Also, since the Sacred Phase during Chapter 2 specifically requests you send up a ‘warrior’, and Lawfer fits that bill, you might be tempted to send him up to Asgard not long after you recruit him, but there are a few reasons to keep him around for a bit longer.
Lawfer has the fastest Purification meter buildup rate of any Einherjar, and, in fact, Lawfer can trigger a Purification sequence on his own with just his combo set, assuming none of his attacks are guarded against. Unfortunately, on the flip side, Lawfer’s powerful special, “Justice Stream,” is so inefficient at building meter, it will always end a Purification sequence instantly, meaning you’ll need three other characters with solid specials to get a full sequence.
8Llewelyn
Llewelyn is probably one of the most overlooked characters in Valkyrie Profile. He does not seem particularly impressive when you recruit him, and his starting Hero Value is exceptionally low. That said, Llewelyn has some tricks up his sleeve that makes him a sleeper hit in the hands of the right player.
First off, Llewelyn’s “Aiming Wisp” attack instantly breaks enemy guard, so if you lead a combat round with Llewelyn, and, specifically, that attack, you’ll be guaranteed a full combo barrage against your foe along with a Purification sequence. Additionally, if you’re fighting a larger enemy or manipulating an enemy’s battlefield position using characters like Jun or Suo, Llewelyn’s special, “Layer Storm,” can be the longest and most multiplier-boosting attack in the game.
7Lenneth (Sword)
Lenneth is the only character in Valkyrie Profile with two different move sets depending on whether you equip her with a melee or ranged weapon. Taking the default approach with Lenneth is by no means a mistake, and she will be a pleasant—albeit mandatory—component of your party throughout the game as a typical sword user.
RELATED:Valkyrie Profile: Lenneth - Hardest Bosses
In particular, a sword-wielding Lenneth has a much faster Purification build rate than her ranged counterpart. Her “Moment Slide” attack is a great technique to catch falling enemies and keep a juggle-combo going before they hit the ground. The melee version of “Niblung Valesti,” however, is nowhere near as effective as the version she performs with a bow.
6Kashell
Kashell isn’tfantasticat anything he does, but while most characters are completely lopsided by either having high Purification charge rates or powerful specials, Kashell performs fairly well in both fields. This jack-of-all-trades approach makes Kashell one of the most well-rounded characters in the game.
Although his combo set is a little awkward at first due to how it manipulates enemy positions, the moves showcased in that set are pretty good at building meter. In addition to that, Kashell’s Finishing Strike special, “Flashing Blade,” is almost guaranteed to refill the meter, allowing you to chain into other specials. The only downside is, at only three hits, Kashell’s special doesn’t contribute a lot to your damage multiplier, so it’s best used as the second or third special in a sequence.
5Grey
Grey has a poor reputation in traditional Valkyrie Profile tier rankings due to his mediocre stats, somewhat unconventional moveset, and not particularly damaging special, “Icicle Disaster.” However, Grey can be leveraged in the right hands to completely invalidate enemy defenses.
Grey’s combo attack, “Energy Cannon,” is the key to utilizing him as a late-game boss-breaker. This move doesn’t just guard break—it is completely unblockable, and using this move first in a combat round will guarantee that you’ll lock any enemy into a full Purification sequence if you play your cards right.
4Arngrim
Literally the first character you acquire in the game, and with an extremely long road to becoming a hero in the eyes of the Gods, Arngrim will likely be in your party for most of the game. So with that said, it’s a good thing that he’s a really solid and reliable performer in combat.
Arngrim’s standard combo isn’tamazing, but it gets the job done. With the right weapon, he can carve off some nice chunks of health—especially by exploiting elemental weaknesses with some of theArtifact weapons available later on. But where Arngrim really shines is in his Finishing Strike special, “Final Blast,” which works great wherever you place it in a Purification sequence. Arngrim also snags some extra cool points by beingclearly inspired by Guts from Kentaro Miura’s legendary ‘Berserk’ series.
3Lenneth (Bow)
Your introduction to Lenneth will be as asword-wielding maiden of the battlefield, and in that role, she functions quite admirably. But if you truly want to unlock Lenneth’s power, hand her a bow capable of all three combo attacks, take her out of the front row, and watch the devastation ensue.
RELATED:Valkyrie Profile: Lenneth - Best Weapons
While Lenneth’s standard combo with the bow isn’t quite as potent as the one she executes with a sword, the version of her Divine Assault special, “Niblung Valesti,” is not only more damaging but, apart from specific situations with Llewelyn, it has the highest Purification gauge fill rate out of any special in the game.
2Lucian
Although he doesn’t appear to be a particularly ferocious warrior at a glance, Lucian is not only a powerhouse, but he is also the best character to use for farming crystals, as his legendary “Shining Bolt” attack not only breaks through an enemy’s guard, but it also does up to 24 hits—more than enough to fill your Purification gaugeandjuggle an enemy for up to two dozen bonus XP shards.
Lucian isn’t quite perfect, however. His special, “Round-Rip Saber,” leaves a lot to be desired—neither dealing a lot of damage nor contributing a lot to your Purification sequence. That said, this is a small price to pay for all the benefits Lucian brings to a combat party.
1Janus
This choice will likely come as a shock to most, but wise players know not to sleep on Janus’s incredible skills. Right out of the gate, Janus is the only character in the game who can cause a status ailment without the assistance of special equipment: his “Diseased Needle” attack has a 100% chance of poisoning any enemy that isn’t outright immune.
Rounding out his combo capability, Janus’s attacks do a decent job filling your Purification meter. And then there’s his special, “Guilty Break,” which does a hefty nine hits, giving you a huge boost to your multiplier,andnearly refills the gauge every time. Janus does have a somewhat low DME, however, making him the quintessential glass cannon.
NEXT:Valkyrie Profile: Lenneth - Difficulty Guide And Why You Should Play On Hard Mode
