Armads (Japanese:アルマーズAlmaze), also known as theThunder Axe orthunder hammer (Japanese:天雷の斧Thunder Axe), is anaxe introduced inFire Emblem: The Binding Blade. It is one of the eightlegendary weapons of the continentElibe, forged to combatdragons inthe Scouring and originally wielded byDurban theBerserker of theEight Legends.

History

At the height of the Scouring, Armads was forged alongside the other Elibean legendary weapons, and was entrusted to Durban; its immense size prevented ordinary warriors from being able to wield it.^[1] During his time wielding it, Durban came to identify strongly with Armads, considering himself and the axe to be one and the same and adopting Armads's name as his own.^[2] At the conclusion of the Scouring, Durban enshrined Armads in a cavern in theWestern Isles, near what would later become the capital Juteaux, whereupon it was sealed byBramimond; after his death, Durban's spirit came to be bound to the axe's resting place, and the ghosts of soldiers once loyal to Durban occupied the cave as guards. Durban believed that the immense power of Armads would doom any who wield it to a violent death in combat.^[3]

980 years after the Scouring, on the advice of Durban's comradeAthos,Hector ofOstia sought Armads to assist in the conflict againstNergal. Upon clearing the cave of its guards, he was granted access to Armads by Durban, considering Durban's warnings of a violent doom to be a risk worth taking if it meant aidingEliwood. FollowingNinian's demise, Hector was reluctant to wield Armads until the final confrontation at the Dragon's Gate, in which he resumed its use. Following Nergal's defeat, Hector returned Armads to its shrine, but even a year later he claimed that he could still feel the axe's power within himself.^[4] Durban's prophecy would later come true, as Hector ultimately died in battle atAraphen in theDisturbance of Bern, fightingBrunnya andNarcian.

Twenty years later in theDisturbance of Bern, Armads was sought by theLycian commanderRoy during his campaign in the Western Isles, who had to confront a bandit group which had been tasked by theBern army with destroying the cave and preventing Roy from accessing the axe.

Stats

In the mainFire Emblem series

Game	Icon	Level	Might	Weight	Hit	Crit	Range	Uses	Worth	WEXP	Other effects and notes
The Binding Blade		S	18	13	75	0	1	20	Cannot be sold	1	+5defense when equipped. Dealsbonus damage todragon units.
The Blazing Blade		Prf*	18	18	85	0	1	25	Cannot be sold	1	+5defense when equipped. Dealsbonus damage todragon units.
Awakening		A	17	--	80	10	1	25	0	2	+5defense when equipped.
Engage		D	22	18	85	0	1	--	100	--	+5defense when equipped. Dealsbonus damage todragon units.

In otherFire Emblem series titles

ArmadsBerserk ArmadsThunder Armads

Game	Icon	Type	Might	Range	SP cost	Refine cost	Prerequisites	Unusable by	Inheritable	Other effects and notes
Heroes (Armads)			16	1	400	--	Silver Axe	--	✗	If user'sHP ≥ 80% and foe initiates combat, user makes guaranteedfollow-up attack.

Game	Icon	Type	Might	Range	SP cost	Refine cost	Prerequisites	Unusable by	Inheritable	Other effects and notes
Heroes (Berserk Armads; refine: Unrefined)			16	1	400	--	Silver Axe	--	✗	Grants −1 special cooldown count. If user'sHP ≥ 75% at start of turn and user's attack can trigger their special, grants −1 special cooldown count and user deals +10 damage when special triggers.
Heroes (Berserk Armads; refine: +Effect)			16	1	400	500 200	--	--	✗	Grants −1 special cooldown count. If user'sHP ≥ 75% at start of turn and user's attack can trigger their special, grants −1 special cooldown count and user deals +10 damage when special triggers. Grants +3 HP. If foe initiates combat or foe's HP = 100% at start of combat, inflicts −5 each to foe'sattack and defense during combat, and if user deals damage to foe using special (including 0 damage), restores 30% of user's maximum HP after combat.
Heroes (Berserk Armads; refine: +Atk)			18	1	400	500 200	--	--	✗	Grants −1 special cooldown count. If user'sHP ≥ 75% at start of turn and user's attack can trigger their special, grants −1 special cooldown count and user deals +10 damage when special triggers. Grants +5 HP.
Heroes (Berserk Armads; refine: +Spd)			16	1	400	500 200	--	--	✗	Grants −1 special cooldown count. If user'sHP ≥ 75% at start of turn and user's attack can trigger their special, grants −1 special cooldown count and user deals +10 damage when special triggers. Grants +5 HP and +3 speed.
Heroes (Berserk Armads; refine: +Def)			16	1	400	500 200	--	--	✗	Grants −1 special cooldown count. If user'sHP ≥ 75% at start of turn and user's attack can trigger their special, grants −1 special cooldown count and user deals +10 damage when special triggers. Grants +5 HP and +4 defense.
Heroes (Berserk Armads; refine: +Res)			16	1	400	500 200	--	--	✗	Grants −1 special cooldown count. If user'sHP ≥ 75% at start of turn and user's attack can trigger their special, grants −1 special cooldown count and user deals +10 damage when special triggers. Grants +5 HP and +4 resistance.

Game	Icon	Type	Might	Range	SP cost	Refine cost	Prerequisites	Unusable by	Inheritable	Other effects and notes
Heroes (Thunder Armads; refine: Unrefined)			16	1	400	--	Silver Axe	--	✗	Grants +3 defense. If number of allies within 2 spaces of user > number of enemies within 2 spaces of user (excluding foe), foe cannot make afollow-up attack.
Heroes (Thunder Armads; refine: +Effect)			16	1	400	500 200	--	--	✗	Grants +3 defense. If user is within 3 spaces of an ally, inflicts −5 each to foe'sattack and defense during combat and foe cannot make afollow-up attack. Grants +3 HP. If foe initiates combat or foe's HP ≥ 75% at start of combat, inflicts −5 each to foe's attack and defense during combat and foe's first attack deals −40% damage.
Heroes (Thunder Armads; refine: +Atk)			18	1	400	500 200	--	--	✗	Grants +3 defense. If user is within 3 spaces of an ally, inflicts −5 each to foe'sattack and defense during combat and foe cannot make afollow-up attack. Grants +5 HP.
Heroes (Thunder Armads; refine: +Spd)			16	1	400	500 200	--	--	✗	Grants +3 defense. If user is within 3 spaces of an ally, inflicts −5 each to foe'sattack and defense during combat and foe cannot make afollow-up attack. Grants +5 HP and +3 speed.
Heroes (Thunder Armads; refine: +Def)			16	1	400	500 200	--	--	✗	Grants +3 defense. If user is within 3 spaces of an ally, inflicts −5 each to foe'sattack and defense during combat and foe cannot make afollow-up attack. Grants +5 HP and +4 defense.
Heroes (Thunder Armads; refine: +Res)			16	1	400	500 200	--	--	✗	Grants +3 defense. If user is within 3 spaces of an ally, inflicts −5 each to foe'sattack and defense during combat and foe cannot make afollow-up attack. Grants +5 HP and +4 resistance.

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Locations

The Binding Blade

The Blazing Blade

Awakening

Engage

Heroes

Armads

Berserk Armads

Method	Data
Unit (★★★★★)	Hector: Just Here to Fight
Forge	Armads (375, 150)

Thunder Armads

Flavor text

Trivia

• Like many legacy weapons appearing inAwakening, Armads experienced a significant redesign; whereas its original design was a conventional axe, itsAwakening incarnation bears a stronger resemblance to a scythe.
• Armads is the only one of the Elibean legendary weapons to appear inAwakening; although theSol Katti appears too, it is not actually part of the group of eight Scouring weapons.

Etymology and other languages

Berserk Armads

Thunder Armads

Gallery

Official artwork

• 
  Artwork of Armads fromThe Blazing Blade.
• 
  Graphic of Armads fromThe Blazing Blade's title screen.

Screenshots

• 
  Hector wielding Armads inThe Blazing Blade.
• 
  Basilio wielding Armads inAwakening.
• 
  Panette wielding Armads inEngage.

Heroes artwork

• 
  Armads as it appears inHeroes.
• 
  Artwork ofHector: General of Ostia with Armads.
• 
  Artwork of Resplendent Hector: General of Ostia with Armads.
• 
  Artwork ofHector: Just Here to Fight with Berserk Armads.
• 
  Artwork ofHector: Marquess of Ostia with Thunder Armads.
• 
  Thunder Armads in artwork forHeroes's second anniversary.

Cipher artwork

• 
  Artwork ofLilina with Armads.
• 
  Artwork of Lilina with Armads.
• 
  Armads in artwork of characters fromThe Binding Blade.
• 
  Artwork ofHector with Armads.
• 
  Artwork of Hector with Armads.
• 
  Artwork of Hector with Armads.
• 
  Armads in artwork ofEliwood.

References