Landsknecht

Masters of sword and axe,

Landsknechts can bear a wide range of weapons and armor in close combat.

—Landskecht description, Etrian Odyssey

The jack-of-all-trades, sword wielding warriors!

The Landsknecht, known simply as Swordsman in Japan, is a recurring class featured in Etrian Odyssey 1, 2, and 4. Their weapon of choice is usually the sword; however they are also capable of wielding Axes (EO1/2) and Rapiers (EO4). They are often a Jack-of-All-Trades melee class, opting for well-balanced stats instead of a specific focus. For example, they have lower HP and DEF than a Protector, and lower ATK and SPD than a Bushi, but are well-rounded in all of those stats, making them very reliable in a wide variety of situations, rather than filling an extremely niche role.

Profile

• EO1
• EOU
• EO2
• EO2U
• EO4
• EON

Description	Powerhouses who can deal damage when you need it most, landsknechts aren't afraid to rush into any situation and get their hands dirty, no matter how dangerous. Their physical strength comes at the cost of defense, and if you're willing to take a gamble, some of their skills can tilt the balance even further toward raw power by abandoning defense entirely. A few elemental skills make sure they can pitch in even in fights against magical enemies.
Strengths	High offenses, good durability.
Weaknesses	Subpar TP growth, Chaser skills need cooperation to execute.

Description	Landsknechts have a slight skill tree overhaul from the first game. Their elemental attacks are no longer restricted to swords now, though this also means they have to invest partially into mastery for both weapons to be able to unlock said abilities. The formerly useless Arm Heal upgrades into Recover which now removes all the Landsknecht's binds and raises their max HP accordingly. They also receive new attack skills in both the Sword and Axe trees, and a handy Charge skill to allow their supporting ailments to connect. However, in the transition to Untold, their Agility growth plummets, putting them as the second slowest class in the game, with only the Protectors being slower.
Strengths	High offenses, good durability.
Weaknesses	Subpar TP and Agility growth, Chaser skills need cooperation to execute.

Description	Though Landsknechts still tend to specialize in either swords or axes - swords for multiple hits, axes for single, powerful blows - they've learned to use either weapon for their elemental strikes. They can still abandon all defenses to improve their offense, but now if the enemy should take advantage of this to weaken them, they have new abilities to become even stronger when critically injured.
Strengths	High offenses, good durability.
Weaknesses	Subpar TP growth, Chaser skills need cooperation to execute.
Force Skill	All Out: A powerful berserker charge that slashes every enemy.

Description	Landsknechts have been improved as their skills have been rearranged. No longer do their elemental Chasers require mastery in both weapons, so a Landsknecht can fully focus on either swords or axes without losing out on elemental damage. Both their sword and axe skill trees gain new skills as well, and they gain several passives that put a focus on delivering critical hits when they don't need to expend their TP.
Strengths	Good all-rounder stats for a frontline physical attacker, and great support skills to pass through Grimoire Stones.
Weaknesses	No good source of elemental damage outside of Chaser skills, middling Luck results in dependence on Triple Charge for ailments.
Force Boost	Full Charge: Guarantees critical hits for 3 turns.
Force Break	Full Gain: Powerful melee cut attack to 1 enemy.

Description	Landsknechts take a different approach to their job in Etrian Odyssey IV. This time, they have a more clearly defined role in the party, designed to get the first hit in and with every skill in their repertoire synergizing with this theme. Their signature Vanguard buff grants them priority and increased attack at the cost of defense. Their Chaser skills have been switched to Link skills, which do elemental damage on their own but also deliver additional hits whenever other party members attack the same target afterwards. Landsknechts are also proficient in Swords, Rapiers and Shields, offering them a wider variety of attack skills when attacking groups of enemies or when Link skills take too long to set up.
Strengths	Great attack and reasonable defense, high speed with Vanguard.
Weaknesses	Link skills require setup with Vanguard and Improved Link, subpar Luck growth, small TP pool with no means of regenerating it.

Description	The Landsknechts of Tharsis have joined the great party. Maintaining their main skill set of initiative and Links, their function has not changed much as they take the charge, striking the enemy first and following up on every other companion attacking it. They have discarded their more defensive assets to further refine their skills, allowing their Links to hit even harder or support their party by debuffing with their shields.
Strengths	Good all-rounder stats for a frontline physical attacker. Incredibly strong with Vanguard.
Weaknesses	Link skills require setup with Vanguard and Improved Link, subpar Luck growth, small TP pool.
Force Boost	Trinity: Increases attack, accuracy, and action speed for 3 turns.
Force Break	Full Charge: Becomes immune to all hostile actions for this turn. Increases attack and action speed until next turn.

Gameplay

Etrian Odyssey

The Landsknecht fills the role of balanced frontline attacker, with above-average ATK and HP, and the second-best DEF growth. Their movepool consists of physical attacks against one or many enemies, attack buffs, and supporting elemental skills. However, their style of combat is strictly focused around their weapon of choice, and their low TP forces the player to save combat skills for bigger battles, which can limit the Landsknecht in random encounters.

Sword skills like Tornado and Allslash hit multiple enemies at once, which coupled with this class' high ATK makes them ideal for crowded battles, while Cleaver serves as the high-damaging (though not very impressive) single-target skill. On the other hand, Axe skills give them greater damage against single enemies - a max level Crush is one of the most devastating attacks in the game, while Stunner and Silencer have a decent chance at stunning or binding the heads of enemies, respectively. Chaser skills like Blazer, Freezer and Shocker will follow up any respective elemental attack with an elemental slash, but if no other party members execute an elemental attack (either by not acting or getting stunned/bound/killed) the turn and TP will be wasted.

This class also has War Cry and Hell Cry, which increase ATK in exchange for DEF and HP; these skills usually require a Protector in the team to mitigate the acquired fragility, but a Troubadour with Bravery can render them almost useless. Arm Heal is mostly situational, in cases where the Medic is unable to heal, while Flee works if one needs to escape from a floor but doesn't want to waste a Warp Wire.

The skill point limit usually forces players to chose only one style of combat; however, a mixed Landsknecht is possible with 72 SP and a little planning. For example, rest, level to Lv70 and allocate the points in the following manner:

Skill	Points
HP Up	5
TP Up	10
ATK Up	10
DEF Up	1
Axes	10
Swords	10
2-hit	3
Allslash	10
Blazer	1
Freezer	1
Shocker	1
Crush	10

This way you can give your Landsknecht a sword for map exploration, and an axe for fighting bosses and FOE, while also retaining elemental skills.

While it's possible for the Landsknecht to have less raw damage potential than the Protector (with Smite) or the Survivalist, they also have more variety and less TP cost than the former, and more durability than the latter.

Stat Progression

• EOU
• EO2U
• EO4
• EON

Level	HP	TP	STR	TEC	VIT	AGI	LUC
1	36	17	10	4	9	6	6
30	146	73	24	11	23	14	21
70	353	170	47	23	45	28	45
99	543	255	66	32	63	39	65

Level	HP	TP	STR	TEC	VIT	AGI	LUC
1	36	20	10	4	9	6	6
30	147	112	25	13	23	17	15
70	359	264	48	27	45	37	31
99	556	351	68	39	63	52	43

Level	HP	TP	STR	TEC	VIT	AGI	LUC
1	48	26	9	5	8	6	4
35	240	92	37	22	33	28	17
70	438	160	64	39	59	50	31
99	583	190	81	53	76	68	42

Level	HP	TP	STR	INT	VIT	WIS	AGI	LUC
1	56	40	16	13	16	14	14	10
30	110	82	34	28	35	30	21	22
70	223	170	72	61	74	65	66	46
99	332	254	108	92	112	98	100	72

Skills

Note: Skills are listed in the same order that is used in the game and do not necessarily unlock one after another. See the "Requires" column to see how to unlock a skill. If that column has dashes in it the skill is accessible at level one; no other skill is needed to unlock it. Skills are maxed at level 10.

• Stat Increases and Passive Skills are passive benefits that grant bonuses without being activated.
• Search Skills are out-of-battle skills, mostly for gathering materials or controlling monster behaviour.
• Sword and Axe Skills are the Landsknechts' fighting abilities, allowing the use of those weapons for major damage.
• Extra shows skill detail or any special bonuses that are gained at certain levels.

Etrian Odyssey I

• EO1
• EOU

Skill	Description	Type	Requires	Extra
HP Up	Increase maximum HP.	Stat Increase	-----
TP Up	Increase maximum TP.	Stat Increase	-----
ATK Up	Increase physical damage.	Stat Increase	-----
DEF Up	Increase physical defense.	Stat Increase	-----
Axes	Increase damage dealt with axes.	Stat Increase	-----
Swords	Increase damage dealt with swords.	Stat Increase	-----
2-Hit	Normal weapon attacks have a chance of hitting twice.	Passive Skill	Axes Lv5 Swords Lv5
War Cry	Increase attack power at the expense of defense.	Enhancement Skill	ATK Up Lv3
Hell Cry	Abandon defense and stamina for greatly strengthened attack.		ATK Up Lv10
Arm Heal	Regain the use of bound arms.	Healing Skill	DEF Up Lv1
Flee	Sacrifice HP to escape from battle to the previous floor.	Escape Skill	DEF Up Lv5
Cleaver	A rushing sword slash.	Sword Skill	Swords Lv1
Tornado	A whirling sword skill that strikes adjacent enemies.		Swords Lv5
Allslash	A sword skill that hits a group of enemies 2-4 times.		Swords Lv5 2-Hit Lv3
Blazer	Sword skill that follows fire magic with a flaming slash.		Swords Lv7 TP Up Lv3
Freezer	Sword skill that follows ice magic with a freezing slash.
Shocker	Sword skill that follows volt magic with a shocking slash.
Crush	A charging axe strike.	Axe Skill	Axes Lv1
Stunner	An axe attack that puts the enemy off-balance.		Axes Lv3
Silencer	An axe skill with a chance of binding the enemy's head.		Axes Lv7
Mine	Mine for materials at item points.	Search Skill	-----

Skill	Description	Type	Prerequisites	Extra
Sword Mastery	Enables Sword skills and raises damage dealt with swords.	Mastery	None
Raging Edge	Melee cut attack to 1 enemy.	Sword	Sword Mastery Lv1
Tornado	Melee cut attack to 1 enemy with splash effect.	Sword	Sword Mastery Lv3
Blinding Slap	Melee cut attack, sacrificing accuracy for power. Missing blinds all enemies.	Sword	Sword Mastery Lv5	Lv5 and 10 increase blind rate.
Falcon Slash	Melee cut attack to multiple random enemies. Will not hit the same enemy more than once.	Sword	Sword Mastery Lv10	Lv5 and 10 increase maximum number of enemies hit.
Axe Mastery	Enables Axe skills and raises damage dealt with axes.	Mastery	None	Can be augmented with Grimoire Stones.
Boomerang Axe	Ranged bash attack to 1 enemy.	Axe	Axe Mastery Lv1
Head Bash	Melee bash attack to 1 enemy, may bind head.	Axe	Axe Mastery Lv3	Lv5 and 10 raise bind rate.
Stunning Smash	Melee bash attack to 1 enemy. Quick to activate, may stun.	Axe	Axe Mastery Lv5	Lv5 and 10 raise stun rate.
Power Crush	Melee line-piercing bash attack.	Axe	Axe Mastery Lv10
Double Strike	Regular attacks have a chance to hit twice.	Passive	Blinding Slap Lv3 Head Bash Lv3
Fire Chaser	Performs a follow-up attack on an enemy hit by a fire attack this turn.	Sword/Axe	Tornado Lv5 Stunning Smash Lv5	Lv5 and 10 increase maximum number of follow-ups.
Ice Chaser	Performs a follow-up attack on an enemy hit by an ice attack this turn.
Volt Chaser	Performs a follow-up attack on an enemy hit by a volt attack this turn.
DEF Up	Raises physical defense.	Stat Up	None
Recover	Removes binds from self and raises maximum HP.	Healing	DEF Up Lv3	Lv5 and 10 increase number of binds removed.
Savage Cry	Draws enemy attacks for 3 turns while decreasing all enemies' defense.	Buff	Recovery Lv3	Lv5 and 10 increase duration.
HP Up	Raises maximum HP.	Stat Up	None
TP Up	Raises maximum TP.	Stat Up	None
Triple Charge	Next turn, raises offenses, accuracy, and ailment success rate.	Battle	HP UpLv2 TP Up Lv2	Lv5 and 10 increase damage bonus.
ATK Up	Raises physical attack.	Stat Up	None
War Cry	Raises ATK/lowers DEF for allies on your line for 3 turns. Consumes their HP.	Buff	ATK Up Lv3	Lv5 and 10 increase duration, defense penalty and HP cost.
Strike Chaser	Multiple allies will attack the user's target(s) next turn. Allies with matching weapon damage types are more likely to follow-up; allies with differing damage types will do more follow-up damage.	Battle	Triple Charge Lv3 War Cry Lv5	Lv5 and 10 increase follow-up rate. Triggers on each attack performed by the user.
Mine	Allows the user to find more resources while mining.	Field	None	Can be augmented with Grimoire Stones.

Etrian Odyssey II

• EO2
• EO2U

Skill	Description	Type	Requires	Extra
HP Up	Increases maximum HP.	Stat Increase	-----
TP Up	Increases maximum TP.	Stat Increase	-----
STR Up	Increases strength.	Stat Increase	-----
TEC Up	Increases technique.	Stat Increase	-----
VIT Up	Increases vitality.	Stat Increase	-----
AGI Up	Increases agility.	Stat Increase	-----
LUC Up	Increases luck.	Stat Increase	-----
Esc Up	Increase chances of successfully escaping from battle.	Stat Increase	-----
Swords	Needed to learn sword skills.	Mastery Skill	-----
Axes	Needed to learn axe skills.	Mastery Skill	-----
Counter	Counter physical attacks from enemies.	Counter Skill	Swords Lv8 Axes Lv8
2-Hit	Normal weapon attacks have a chance of hitting twice.	Passive Skill	Swords Lv5 Axes Lv5
Cleaver	A rushing sword slash.	Sword Skill	Swords Lv1
Tornado	A whirling sword skill that slashes adjacent enemies.		Swords Lv3
Allslash	A sword slash that hits a group of enemie 2 - 4 times.		Swords Lv5
Hypercut	An extremely quick sword slash.		Swords Lv5 AGI Lv1
Risk Cut	Sword slash that gains strength as the landsknecht loses HP.		Swords Lv7
Deathaxe	A charging axe strike.	Axe Skill	Axes Lv1
Silencer	An axe strike with a chance of binding the enemy's head.		Axes Lv3
Brawn	Slow-yet-powerful crushing blow with an axe.		Axes Lv5 STR Up Lv1
Life Axe	Axe strike whose power correlates to the landsknecht's current HP.		Axes Lv5
Stunner	An axe strike that puts the enemy off-balance.		Axes Lv7
Blazer	Follows fire magic with a flaming sword or axe slash.	Sword/Axe Skill	Swords Lv5 Axes Lv5
Freezer	Follows ice magic with a freezing sword or axe slash.
Shocker	Follows volt magic with a shocking sword or axe slash.
War Cry	Increase attack power at the expense of defense.	Support Skill	STR Up Lv1
Unbound	Removes bindings from one party member.	Healing Skill	-----
Mine	Mine for minerals at item points.	Search Skill	-----

Skill	Description	Type	Used Stats	Requires	Extra
Sword Mastery	Enables Sword skills and raises damage dealt with swords.	Mastery		None
Raging Edge	Melee cut attack to 1 enemy.	Sword	Arm, STR	Sword Mastery Lv1
Tornado	Melee cut attack with splash damage.	Sword	Arm, STR	Sword Mastery Lv3
Blinding Slash	Strong melee cut attack with low accuracy. Missing may blind all enemies.	Sword	Arm, STR/LUC	Sword Mastery Lv5	Lv5 and 10 raise blind chance and reduce accuracy.
Falcon Slash	Melee cut attack to multiple random enemies.	Sword	Leg, STR	Sword Mastery Lv10	Lv5 and 10 raise number of hits.
Hurricane	6 melee cut attacks to all enemies randomly. Disables skill usage afterwards.	Sword	Arm, STR	Tornado Lv5 Falcon Slash Lv5
Axe Mastery	Enables Axe skills and raises damage dealt with axes.	Mastery		None
Boomerang Axe	Ranged bash attack to 1 enemy.	Axe	Arm, STR	Axe Mastery Lv1
Head Bash	Melee bash attack to 1 enemy, may bind head.	Axe	Arm, STR/LUC	Axe Mastery Lv3	Lv. 5 and 10 raise head bind chance.
Stunning Smash	Quick melee bash attack to 1 enemy, may stun.	Axe	Arm, STR/LUC	Axe Mastery Lv5	Lv. 5 and 10 raise stun rate and skill speed.
Charge Smash	Slow, powerful melee bash attack to 1 enemy.	Axe	Arm, STR	Axe Mastery Lv10
Heavy Smash	Melee bash attack to 1 enemy. Each use raises the skill's damage and cost. Count is reset if Landsknecht dies.	Axe	Arm, STR	Head Bash Lv5 Charge Smash Lv5	Bonus caps at +100% damage.
HP Up	Increases max HP.	Stat Up		None
War Cry	Raises offenses and lowers defenses for allies on user's line for 3 turns.	Support	Head	HP Up Lv3	Lv5 and 10 increase duration but increase defense penalty.
TP Up	Increases max TP.	Stat Up		None
Triple Charge	Raises damage, accuracy, and bind/ailment success rate next turn.	Charge	Head	TP Up Lv3	Lv5 and 10 increase damage boost.
Fire Chaser	Performs a follow up attack on an enemy hit with a fire attack this turn.	Sword/Axe	Leg, STR	War Cry Lv3 Triple Charge Lv3	Lv5 and 10 increase maximum number of hits.
Ice Chaser	Performs a follow up attack on an enemy hit with an ice attack this turn.
Volt Chaser	Performs a follow up attack on an enemy hit with a volt attack this turn.
Phys ATK Up	Increases physical ATK.	Stat Up		None
Fencer	Increases critical rate and critical damage.	Passive		Phys ATK Up Lv5	Lv10 raises critical damage.
Double Strike	Regular attacks have a chance to execute twice.	Passive		Fencer Lv5
Phys DEF Up	Increases physical DEF.	Stat Up		None
Swordbreaker	Attack 1 enemy, lowering their physical ATK for this turn.	Attack	Arm, STR	Phys DEF Up Lv5	Lv5 and 10 increase attack debuff strength.
Mine	Allows the user to find more resources while mining.	Gather		None

Etrian Odyssey IV

• Novice
• Veteran
• Master

Skill	Description	Type	Prerequisites	Extra
Proficiency	Enemies you hit suffer defense and evasion penalties.	Class	-----
Sonic Raid	A close-range attack against 1 enemy at the turn's start.	Sword/Rapier	-----
Blazing Link	Melee fire attack to 1 enemy. Adds fire attack to next ally's strike.	Sword/Rapier	Sonic Raid Lv3	Lv5 and 10 also increase follow-up strength.
Freezing Link	Melee ice attack to 1 enemy. Adds ice attack to next ally's strike.
Electric Link	Melee volt attack to 1 enemy. Adds volt attack to next ally's strike.
Power Break	Melee bash attack to 1 enemy. Lowers its physical damage for 3 turns.	Shield	-----
Mind Break	Melee bash attack to 1 enemy. Lowers its elemental damage for 3 turns.	Shield	Power Break Lv3
Power Boost	Increases your physical attack power.	Passive	-----
Vanguard	Lower your defense for 5 turns while acting first and increasing attack.	Support	-----
Mineralogy	Greater chance of finding extra ore when mining.	Passive Skill	-----
Bandage	Heals 1 ally's HP while navigating a dungeon.	Dungeon	-----

Skill	Description	Type	Prerequisites	Extra
Expertise	Enemies you hit suffer greater defense and evasion penalties.	Class	Proficiency
Double Strike	Attack an enemy twice with your equipped weapon.	Sword/Rapier	-----
Spiral Slice	Melee cut attack that splashes from the targeted enemy.	Sword	Double Strike Lv3
Penetrate	Melee stab attack that pierces across the enemy lines.	Rapier
Iron Wall	Increases your defense against physical attacks.	Passive	-----
Swordbreaker	Chance of halving physical attack damage to allies on your line.	Passive	-----
Improved Link	For 3 turns, more allies gain added attacks from Link skills.	Support	-----	Lv2 to 4 and Lv8 increase follow-ups. Lv5 to 7 decrease cost instead.
Initiative	When attacking before all enemies, your damage and accuracy increases.	Passive	Vanguard Lv2
Muscular Chef	Increases STR gains from cooked food.	Sky	-----

Skill	Description	Type	Prerequisites	Extra
Enlightenment	Enemies you hit suffer greater defense and evasion penalties.	Class	Expertise
Sword Tempest	Slow but powerful melee cut attack to 1 enemy.	Sword	Spiral Slice Lv3
Swift Stab	Flurry of random, but slightly inaccurate, melee stab attacks to a line of enemies. Quick to activate.	Rapier	Penetrate Lv3	Lv4 and 8 increase number of hits.
Weapon Parry	Increases physical defense when two weapons are equipped.	Passive	Swordbreaker Lv3
Link Mastery	Increases added attack's damage with each successive added attack.	Passive	Improved Link Lv3

Etrian Odyssey Nexus

• Novice
• Veteran
• Master

Skill	Description	Type	Uses	Requires	Extra
Trinity	For 3 turns, increases the all ATK, hit rate, and act speed.	Force Boost	--	--
Full Charge	Nulls attacks on user and increases all ATK/act speed until end of next turn.	Force Break	Arm
Proficiency	After attacking, raises allies' ATK/hit rate for hitting the same enemy that turn.	Passive	--	None
Falcon Slash	At start of turn, attacks 1 enemy with equipped weapon.	Sword/Rapier	Arm, STR	None
Blazing Link	Melee/fire attack to 1 enemy, then follows up if an ally hits same target.	Sword/Rapier	Arm, STR	None	Lv5 and 10 increase follow-up rate. Max 4 follow-ups in a turn.
Freezing Link	Melee/ice attack to 1 enemy, then follows up if an ally hits same target.
Electric Link	Melee/volt attack to 1 enemy, then follows up if an ally hits same target.
Vanguard	Lowers user's DEF for 5 turns to increase physical ATK and act speed.	Buff	Head	None
Power Break	Melee bash damage to 1 enemy. Lowers enemy ATK for 3 turns.	Shield	Arm, STR	None
Mine	Increases material yield from mining in the labyrinth.	Gather	--	None
Phys DEF Up	Increases physical defense.	Stat Up	--	None

Skill	Description	Type	Uses	Requires	Extra
Double Strike	2 attacks to 1 enemy with equipped weapon.	Sword/Rapier	Arm, STR	Falcon Slash Lv2
Spiral Slice	Melee cut attack to an enemy. Deals splash damage to adjacent targets.	Sword	Arm, STR	Double Strike Lv3
Penetrate	Melee stab attack that pierces enemy lines.	Rapier
Improved Link	For 3 turns, user's Links follow up more actions and with greater success rate.	Buff	Head	Burning Link Lv3 Freezing Link Lv3 Electric Link Lv3
Smash Link	May cause Link skills' follow-up attacks to become critical hits.	Passive	--	Improved Link Lv1
Guard Break	Melee bash attack to 1 enemy. Lowers enemy DEF for 3 turns.	Shield	Arm, STR	Power Break Lv2
Speed Break	Melee bash attack to 1 enemy. Lowers enemy evasion/act speed for 3 turns.			Guard Break Lv2
Initiative	When attacking before all enemies, user's damage and accuracy increases.	Passive	--	None
Status DEF Up	Increases bind/ailment resistance.	Stat Up	--	None

Skill	Description	Type	Uses	Requires	Extra
Sword Tempest	Slow but powerful melee cut to 1 enemy.	Sword	Arm, STR	Spiral Slice Lv2
Swift Stab	2-3 random melee stab attacks to an enemy line.	Rapier	Arm, STR	Penetrate Lv2	Lv4 and 8 increase number of hits.
Link Mastery	Effect of Link skills' follow-up attacks increases per activation.	Passive	--	Smash Link Lv2
Link Finale	Melee attack to 1 enemy. The more Link follow-ups last turn, the stronger it is.	Sword/Rapier	Arm, STR	Link Mastery Lv2
Full Break	Melee bash attack to 1 enemy. Power increases if target is debuffed from at least 1 Break skill.	Shield	Arm, STR	Speed Break Lv2
Single Devotion	The fewer attack types associated with a hit, the greater the damage.	Passive	--	None

Grimoire Stones

The Millennium Girl

Skills to generate and pass:

• Triple Charge: Synergizes with ailment-inducing attacks, like Beheading Cut and Head Pierce.
• Tornado, Falcon Slash: For Sword-wielding Dark Hunters and Protectors to grant them the ability to hit multiple enemies.
• Double Strike: For party members that use their normal attack a lot.
• Recover: Allows a party member to nearly completely unbind themselves.

Skills best used on a Landsknecht:

• Limitless (Highlander): Allows a Landsknecht to utilize either Sword or Axe skills for the situation.
• Crit Up/High Caliber (Ronin/Gunner): Land more and stronger critical hits while Double Striking.

The Fafnir Knight

Skills to generate and pass:

• Fencer: Passive boosts to criticals are incredibly helpful on physical attackers when traversing floors with a need to save on TP.
• Triple Charge: Bind/ailment accuracy boost works incredibly well with the ailment-inflicting skills of Dark Hunters and Hexers.
• Swordbreaker: Doesn't require any weapons, so any class can utilize this skill as a support option against phys-oriented enemies.
• Tornado, Falcon Slash: Easily given to War Magi, Dark Hunters, and Protectors for greater offensive area attacks.

Skills best used on a Landsknecht:

• Elemental Sabres (Fafnir): For Sword Landsknechts, these are a good way to bestow elemental damage without investment in Chasers.
• Resonance (Fafnir): Can hit incredibly hard at max power, and can be further boosted through their Force Boost.
• Parry (Protector): Have the Landsknecht occasionally use their shield for defending their allies.
• Drain Bite (Dark Hunter): Allows the Landsknecht to steal life.
• Shield Rush (Protector): Decent source of multi-hitting Bash damage for Sword-wielding Landsknechts.

Subclassing

• EO4
• EON

In Etrian Odyssey 4: Legends of the Titan, Landsknecht can opt for subclassing. They have a lot of options thanks to their flexibility and variety in skills, allowing them to make most subclassing options viable in order to further suit your needs.

Subclasses for Landsknecht

• Nightseeker: Subclassing them to Landsknecht further improves their offense thanks to Blade Flurry and Follow Trace, which when combined with the Landsknecht's innate Weapon Parry skill allows the Landsknecht to hit hard and take hits well. The Throw skills are not as potent due to the Landsknecht's low Luck stat, but access to Speed Boost will greatly aid the Landsknecht in doing damage during random encounters without needing to spend a turn setting up Vanguard.
• Fortress: Landsknechts come in second place when it comes to durability, right behind the Fortress, so giving a Landsknecht a Fortress subclass allows them to double as a party tank while also boasting incredible Strength and good speed. Be mindful that without the Fortress class skills, the Landsknecht's shielding ability can be limited by their small TP pool. The need to shield other party members can also divide the Landsknecht's attention and require them to dedicate fewer turns to attacking, making Link combos difficult to exploit to their fullest.
• Medic: Surprisingly, they can become pretty good emergency-healers thanks to Vanguard along with Full Heal/Revive. If you don't want to subclass Landsknecht to Medics, you can do it the other way and still obtain nice benefits - just beware of their TP which can become inconvenient when trying to use Medic skills. Stardrop works splendidly with Vanguard, Initiative, and the Landsknecht's class skills, greatly boosting the damage the rest of the party does to the target.
• Runemaster: Runemasters possess Runic Flare and Runic Guidance to amplify the Link skills of the Landsknecht, and Free Energy and TP Boost to give them increased battle stamina to offset their otherwise small TP pool. Runic Shield also works alongside Landsknechts' Swordbreaker to offer more frontline defenses. Recommended for Link Landsknechts.
• Bushi: One of the best options when it comes to raw damage, their Blood Surge and Charge along with Defiance increase your damage output to ridiculous levels, where even "Link" skills are affected. Deep Breath is also a staple for TP recovery during a protracted battle, and Endure gives Landsknechts an extra life. Very recommended if you're going for the most offensive approach.
• Imperial: Bear in mind that Vanguard bypasses the slow speed of Drive skills, allowing the Landsknecht to land a powerful strike without worry of lowered defenses. Landsknechts with this subclass have two options to choose from - utilize the entire Link skill tree while being supplemented by a stacking Power Boost and Element Boost, or focus on Drive and Edge skills to speed cooldown along while also being greatly augmented by their own class skills. Either way, should a Landsknecht opt to take up the Drive Blade, they lose on Weapon Parry but can have an extra equipment slot for shields.

Landsknecht as Subclass

Landsknechts are just as flexible when being a subclass option, largely due to their Vanguard buff allowing a unit to bypass their otherwise low speed of their skills, access to shields, and several passives like Power Boost and Swordbreaker to raise the strength and durability for physically-oriented classes.

• Medics, combat or support, appreciate the speed granted by Vanguard to grant timely healing and revival to party members. Combat Medics can even strengthen their attack skills which greatly benefit from going first.
• Fortresses not only get to bypass their mediocre speed, but also get to turn their shields into support weaponry via Power Break and Mind Break to help the party last longer against stronger enemies. Swordbreaker is also a handy passive that allows a Fortress to reduce incoming damage to their allies without needing a buff.
• Dual-wielding Nightseekers and Bushi take up the class to gain access to Weapon Parry and Iron Wall to raise their defenses that are otherwise lowered due to wielding two weapons. The high speed of Nightseekers also let them exploit Initiative and establish Links without spending time to set up Vanguard.
• Imperials gain access to Spiral Slice to do area damage to mobs. Vanguard also offsets the low speed of Drive Blade skills, letting them strike without worry of their lowered defenses.

Subclasses are also a feature of Nexus to vary the adventurer's skillset.

Subclasses for Landsknecht

• Protectors may clash with the Landsknecht's offensive methods, but they do have some good offensive shield options. Shield Bash is a great area attack skill that offers another attack debuff that will stack with Power Break. HP Up and Elem DEF Up can also help extend a Landsknecht's lifespan on the battlefield, letting them be tankier even with Vanguard's defense penalty in place. Landsknechts taking this would often also eschew the Link tree; in which case their skill points can be devoted to Single Devotion for better damage output.
• Heroes complement Landsknechts with a variety of offensive options. Physical Shield, Elemental Shield and Guard Rush are excellent offensive shield options that come with damage reduction to help the party survive dangerous attacks. Wide Bravery operates excellently with Vanguard and Initiative for crowd control, and every other Sword skill used by the Hero lets a Landsknecht have access to elemental damage without needing to invest in Links. Encourage also lets the Landsknecht offer passive healing to the party before enemies can finish off low-health stragglers.
• Imperials are for Link-focused Landsknechts. Elem ATK Up is definitely a must, and Absorber establishes TP regeneration when using an effective Link, contributing to stamina in drawn-out battles. The Drive Blade skills may look tempting, but they are better off used for an Imperial main.

Landsknecht as Subclass

Although Landsknechts no longer have their defensive passives from Legends of the Titan, their Vanguard, Proficiency and Initiative skills are still valued for the tremendous speed bonus and physical attack boosts.

• Ronin are already starved for skill points with their extensive skill tree, but Proficiency and Initiative work excellently in tandem with their high base Agility. In the right stance they will reap the benefits of those passives without any further input on their part. Ronin who focus on their stance's ultimate skills can also find value in Single Devotion to further amplify their damage.
• Survivalists have incredible base Agility to immediately reap the benefits of Proficiency and Initiative without further setup, and to offset their low base damage. A lot of Survivalist attack skills are purely stab damage so they can benefit off Single Devotion easily, and Phys DEF Up and Status DEF Up will aid their resilience.
• Gunners can abuse Vanguard with their Charge Shot skills to deal immense damage to enemies without compromising their defenses. Initiative also works well to offset their innate poor accuracy.
• Imperials also can use Vanguard to launch powerful Drive skills without compromising defenses. Since Drive Blades can also be used for Sword skills, they gain several other offensive options in between Drive attacks. Falcon Slash in particular is great for finishing off low-health enemies, and Sword Tempest's speed penalty is irrelevant on the class with the lowest Agility. Access to shields will also improve their resilience in the front lines.
• Heroes can also benefit greatly off the Landsknecht's own skills. Vanguard works well with their Wide Bravery, getting the jump on the enemy also works well with Act Breaker. Alternative sword skills exist as well, like Spiral Slice and Sword Tempest if the other Hero skills are not to your liking.

External Links

• Team Building Guide by KholdStare88 for Etrian Odyssey 1

Gallery

Featured in Sekaiju no Omocha Bako's cover.

Landsknecht Skill Tree