Duessel (Japanese:デュッセルDussel), is aGreat Knight who appears inFire Emblem: The Sacred Stones. He is one of Grado's six generals, known as Obsidian. He is very loyal toGrado, but their crimes lead him to follow his own beliefs and betray the nation. He joinsEirika's army inChapter 15, orEphraim's army inChapter 10.

Fire Emblem: The Sacred Stones

Role

As a general of Grado, Duessel appears in many scenes before he joins Eirika or Ephraim's army. Before the war, he had been a teacher in the ways of thelance to Ephraim; however, since the war has started, Ephraim has not seen him. He is known as the Obsidian in the Grado forces.

Duessel first appears inChapter 3, after the battle is over, in a scene set in Grado Keep. He is with the other two generals,Glen andSelena, discussing the war, quietly questioning the emperorVigarde's intentions. Vigarde summons them and give them each a new partner; Duessel is partnered withRiev. These two are ordered to stay in the capital, charged with the responsibility of defense.

Eirika's route

Duessel appears in more scenes with the emperor. InChapter 9, he is ordered to go to Frelia and fight Ephraim. In several other scenes, he is mentioned as one of the Imperial Three.

InChapter 15, Duessel is one of Ephraim's two companions when he arrives to reinforce her, the other beingKnoll. He helps Eirika in her battle, and after the two twins reunite, he fights with them for the rest of the game.

Ephraim's route

In Ephraim's route, Duessel is still ordered to go to Frelia. In this story, he asks the emperor why he has been trying to destroy Renais and the rest of Magvel. However, Vigarde refuses to provide an answer, instead only commanding him to destroy Ephraim's army. After the battle, a soldier tells Ephraim that Duessel has been begging the emperor for answers for days, with no answer in sight. In another scene in the same chapter, Vigarde orders GeneralSelena to find Duessel and kill him, branding him a traitor. She is doubtful, but regardless, she follows his orders out of loyalty.

In the next chapter, Ephraim and his army arrives atBethroen, a seaside town where Dussel and a few troops are stationed. Selena comes to apprehend Duessel; when he wishes to talk to Ephraim, she threatens to execute him for treason. Duessel flees to a corner, and Ephraim spots him, aiming to save him. They meet, and Duessel joins Ephraim's army. After the battle ends, Duessel explains to Ephraim that the emperor has changed. He suggests a possible cause that had happened at the same time – the creation of a strange "Dark Stone" by PrinceLyon and the other royal researchers. After this, he joins Ephraim's army.

Starting stats and growth rates

Stats with two figures separated by a ~ are presented as a range, representing stats that vary due to random growths. The figures to the left and right of the ~ are the stat's minimum and maximum possible values respectively.

Eirika's routeEphraim's route

Great Knight Level 10 Affinity

Recruitment:Chapter 15, automatically on the enemy phase of turn 2 StatsGrowth Rates Max HP 41~43 Luck 8~10 Strength 17~19 Defense 17~19 Skill 12~14 Resistance 9~11 Speed 12~14 Constitution 15 Movement 6 Aid 10 Max HP 85% Luck 20% Strength 55% Defense 45% Skill 40% Resistance 30% Speed 30% {{{content3}}} {{{content4}}} {{{content5}}} {{{content6}}} {{{content7}}} {{{content8}}} {{{content9}}} {{{content10}}} {{{content11}}} {{{content12}}} {{{content13}}} {{{content14}}} {{{content15}}} Inventory Silver Axe Silver Lance Vulnerary Weapon Levels A A A -- -- -- -- --

Great Knight Level 8 Affinity

Recruitment:Chapter 10, talk to withEphraim, or automatically at the end of the chapter if he survived StatsGrowth Rates Max HP 41 Luck 8 Strength 17 Defense 17 Skill 12 Resistance 9 Speed 12 Constitution 15 Movement 6 Aid 10 Max HP 85% Luck 20% Strength 55% Defense 45% Skill 40% Resistance 30% Speed 30% {{{content3}}} {{{content4}}} {{{content5}}} {{{content6}}} {{{content7}}} {{{content8}}} {{{content9}}} {{{content10}}} {{{content11}}} {{{content12}}} {{{content13}}} {{{content14}}} {{{content15}}} Inventory Silver Axe Steel Lance Vulnerary Weapon Levels A A A -- -- -- -- --

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Analysis

Duessel joins as a level 8Great Knight in Chapter 10 ofEphraim's route and as a level 10Great Knight in Chapter 15 ofEirika's route. His base stats are incredible in both routes, outside of occasionally low speed, making Duessel a powerful combat unit.

Duessel joins much earlier in Ephraim's route and will eclipse nearly every other unit in the player's army with his raw stats. His physical bulk is a massive 58, with 17 Defense and 41 HP, making him almost invulnerable to physical enemies. His magical bulk is still very good at 50, with 41 HP and 9 Resistance. As a Great Knight, he has 6 movement and a mount, giving him access toCanto. He also has an A-rank in swords (B-rank in swords in the Japanese version), lances, and axes, letting him use nearly every melee weapon in the game with no investment. This includes 1-2 range weapons likeJavelins andHand Axes, making Duessel a combat powerhouse.

Since Duessel's stats and weapon ranks are incredible, he is a great failsafe for the more difficult maps in Ephraim's route, including Chapter 11 – the dreaded Phantom Ship. Duessel is so durable and deals so much damage that he can solo the map without much trouble. Even in later maps, he remains a powerful contributor, capable of one-rounding most enemies and usually taking little damage in return.

In Eirika's route, Duessel is less dominant. He joins significantly later this time – on turn 3 of Chapter 15, making him stand out less. He also joins during a desert chapter, decreasing his movement a great deal. Finally, regardless of route, Duessel can have trouble doubling faster enemies. Because he is both promoted and with a high base level, he gains experience very slowly, so growths will not solve this problem. A good way to remedy this is to give Duessel aSpeedwing, but he may not double some foes without that.

In comparison toPaladins and evenCavaliers, Duessel's movement is low despite him being mounted. 6 move and Canto is not nearly as good as 7 move or 8 move and Canto, so he can sometimes fall behind. He also really suffers from terrain penalties for that reason. Furthermore, the Great Knight is considered a mounted unit and an armored unit. Both mount-effective and armor-effective weapons wielded by enemies pose a threat to Duessel. His stats are high enough to avoid getting one-shot by them, but the player should keep this in mind.

Regardless of the route, Duessel is so strong that he remains a viable choice for the endgame. Since his base weapon ranks are so high, he can reach S-rank in one of his weapon types and use the respective S-rank weapon in the endgame. Axes are the most common choice for this since very few axe users with a high axe rank are available inThe Sacred Stones.Garm also increases Duessel's Speed by 5. Since Duessel's Speed can sometimes be insufficient to double, having it increased by 5 benefits him greatly and ensures he will double nearly all enemies. If the player intends to have Duessel use Garm, granting him aSpeedwing bonus is no longer necessary. Another unit can receive it instead.

Overall, Duessel is an excellent combat unit in Ephraim's route and a good filler combat unit in Eirika's route. He can sometimes miss doubling thresholds, and moves slower than other cavalry units. Still, he compensates with great weapon ranks and excellent stats all around.

Fire Emblem Heroes

Main article:Duessel/Heroes

There is one variation of Duessel available inHeroes.

Personality

Duessel is a mature, strong man who is loyal to his country ofGrado. However, during the course of the game, this loyalty is shaken by the trials of the war, and he then betrays the country and acts according to his own beliefs. He feels guilty for this, having been branded a traitor.^[1] Otherwise, he is good-willed and kindhearted, shown in acts such as his taking time off from his job as a general to find a female captive's daughter.^[2] He is quite wise and mature, an old man compared to the rest of the army, and very insightful in others' and his own thoughts. Many look up to him, having had a rank as high as former Grado general.Amelia andCormag both admire him as a Grado general, whileEphraim knows him as a former lance teacher.

Duessel is a former general of Grado, known as the Obsidian of the Imperial Three: he,Selena, andGlen. However, after the emperor changes and declares war on Renais, during the game, he is unwilling to keep fighting for Grado and betrays the emperor. He had been a former teacher of the lance to Ephraim, and is famous among soldiers of Grado.

He carriesa cursed lance which causedValter's insanity long ago. During a battle, Valter took the lance after his own broke, and went mad from the power of the lance. In his A support withCormag, Duessel gives the lance to him, believing him to have the courage and righteousness to wield it.^[3]

Supports

Main article:Duessel/Supports

Duessel Great Knight Cormag Wyvern Rider Initial: 10 Per turn:+2 Knoll Shaman Initial: 0 Per turn:+2 [[{{{support5}}}]] [[]] [[File:Is gba {{{affin5}}}affin.png|link={{{affin5}}} (affinity)]] Initial: {{{initialpoints5}}} Per turn:+ [[{{{support7}}}]] [[]] [[File:Is gba {{{affin7}}}affin.png|link={{{affin7}}} (affinity)]] Initial: {{{initialpoints7}}} Per turn:+ [[{{{support9}}}]] [[]] [[File:Is gba {{{affin9}}}affin.png|link={{{affin9}}} (affinity)]] Initial: {{{initialpoints9}}} Per turn:+ Amelia Recruit Initial: 10 Per turn:+3 Ephraim Lord Initial: 30 Per turn:+3 [[{{{support6}}}]] [[]] [[File:Is gba {{{affin6}}}affin.png|link={{{affin6}}} (affinity)]] Initial: {{{initialpoints6}}} Per turn:+ [[{{{support8}}}]] [[]] [[File:Is gba {{{affin8}}}affin.png|link={{{affin8}}} (affinity)]] Initial: {{{initialpoints8}}} Per turn:+ [[{{{support10}}}]] [[]] [[File:Is gba {{{affin10}}}affin.png|link={{{affin10}}} (affinity)]] Initial: {{{initialpoints10}}} Per turn:+

Endings

Duessel, Obsidian General
Following the war, Duessel returned to Grado, where he was instrumental in its rebuilding. He spent his remaining years watching over Grado and sharing his wisdom with other nations as an expert combat instructor.

Duessel and Amelia
Upon their return to Grado, Duessel reunited Amelia with her mother. The two wept with joy, giving thanks to Duessel. Afterward, Amelia became the most trusted companion of the man once known as Obsidian.

Quotes

Death quote

Battle quotes

Heroes quotes

Main article:Duessel/Quotes (Heroes)

Flavor text

Trivia

• Duessel is the only one of Grado's six Generals to become a player unit in the main path (the other five join later in the Creature Campaign).
• In the Official Nintendo Power Guidebook forThe Sacred Stones, Duessel's base stats are mistakenly listed as those from the Japanese version of the game instead of the Western version.^[4]

Etymology and other languages

Gallery

Sprite Gallery
Great Knight Sword Lance Basic axe Ranged axe

Official artwork

• 
  Artwork of Duessel fromThe Sacred Stones.

Heroes artwork

Character artwork

• 
  Artwork of Duessel: Obsidian.
• 
  Artwork of Duessel: Obsidian.
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  Artwork of Duessel: Obsidian.
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  Artwork of Duessel: Obsidian.

Meet some of the Heroes artwork

• 
  Artwork of Duessel: Obsidian.
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  Artwork of Duessel: Obsidian.
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  Artwork of Duessel: Obsidian.
• 
  Duessel in artwork ofAmelia: Blossoming Talent.

Other appearances

• 
  A page of theThe Sacred Stones Comic; Duessel appears in the bottom panel.

References

This article is part ofProject Characters, a project focused on writing articles for every character present in theFire Emblem series.