Gilliam (Japanese:ギリアムGilliam) is a character inFire Emblem: The Sacred Stones, an armored knight ofFrelia. He is a vassal of KingHayden and first appears in Chapter 1 to help Eirika. He is a pridefulknight who fights with steadfast loyalty.

Fire Emblem: The Sacred Stones

Role

Gilliam appears on the second turn of Chapter 1 along withFranz with the intention of rescuing PrincessTana from the castle. He joinsEirika's side and goes into the player's control. At the end of the chapter, Hayden orders him to travel with Eirika, along withMoulder andVanessa; he then officially joins her army and is with them for the rest of the game.

Starting stats and growth rates

Knight Level 4 Affinity

Recruitment:Chapter 1, automatically on turn 2 StatsGrowth Rates Max HP 25 Luck 3 Strength 9 Defense 9 Skill 6 Resistance 3 Speed 3 Constitution 14 Movement 4 Aid 13 Max HP 90% Luck 30% Strength 45% Defense 55% Skill 35% Resistance 20% Speed 30% {{{content3}}} {{{content4}}} {{{content5}}} {{{content6}}} {{{content7}}} {{{content8}}} {{{content9}}} {{{content10}}} {{{content11}}} {{{content12}}} {{{content13}}} {{{content14}}} {{{content15}}} Inventory Iron Lance Weapon Levels -- C -- -- -- -- -- --

Promotion stat gains

Class	HP	Str	Skill	Spd	Lck	Def	Res	Con	Mov	Skills	Weapon level
General	+4	+2	+2	+3	+0	+2	+3	+2	+1	Great Shield	E, +40, E
Great Knight	+3	+2	+1	+2	+0	+2	+1	+0	+2	--	E, D

Analysis

Gilliam's early-game is quite good; while he cannot double enemies due to low speed, his strength, defense, and HP are high, allowing him to tank enemies and fight them decently well. Enemy units in the early game will not have enough speed to double him. Gilliam can also useJavelins—andHand Axes after promotion—which allows him to retaliate against a greater number of enemies on the enemy phase.

When other units start doubling, Gilliam will start to fall off, as his speed deficit will prevent him from doubling most enemies. While he will still have fairly good defenses and consistent access to 1-2 range, his inability to double hurts his damage output. Furthermore, his movement is low, even as a Great Knight (as it takes heavy terrain penalties). Other units will gain enough bulk to withstand enemy attacks, limiting the need for a unit dedicated to the task. Since he has no utility outside of combat, most players will find many other units more useful than Gilliam after the early-game.

If Gilliam is to be used long-term, he should be promoted to aGreat Knight. Great Knight is the superior option overGeneral because of its higher movement andCanto, despite slightly worse stats in other areas. When promoted to Great Knight, Gilliam will find it much easier to contribute, as he will not fall behind the front line as much as he would as a Knight or General; however, he will still fall behind other mounted units, as well as infantry units when in rough terrain. General's main advantage over Great Knight is the skillGreat Shield, but its activation rate is determined by theenemy's level, so outside of theCreature Campaign and theLink Arena, it only reliably activates against high-level unpromoted units, who are usually non-threatening either way outside of magic users that can candouble attack him. With either promotion, Gilliam will gain access to axes, allowing more control over the weapon triangle and granting and the usage of Hand Axes; neither promotion, however, will increase his speed to the point where he can reliably double most enemies.

One problem with promoting Gilliam is that he uses aKnight Crest to promote - a competitive promotion item. Many good units need it to promote, includingFranz,Kyle, andForde. While promoting Gilliam is a significant benefit to him because of the movement increase, promoting aCavalier provides an arguably better return on the investment.

Fire Emblem Heroes

Role

One variation of Gilliam is present inHeroes, and was made first available to summon from March 17, 2023 to April 7, 2023.

Gilliam: Wall of Silence

Starting stats

Gilliam: Wall of Silence is only available at 5★ rarity.

Rarity ★★★★★ Weapon type Movement type

Initial StatsLevel 40 Stats Maximum HP 20/21/22 Attack 13/14/15 Speed 3/4/5 Defense 12/13/14 Resistance 6/7/8 Maximum HP 44/47/50 Attack 41/44/48 Speed 18/21/24 Defense 45/48/51 Resistance 32/35/38 {{{content3}}} {{{content4}}} {{{content5}}} {{{content6}}} {{{content7}}} {{{content8}}} {{{content9}}} {{{content10}}} {{{content11}}} {{{content12}}} {{{content13}}} {{{content14}}} {{{content15}}}

Skills Frelian Lance -- Glowing Ember

Skill set

Skill set
Skill		Unlock	Auto-unlock	SP cost
	Iron Lance	★★★★★	★★★★★	50
	Steel Lance	★★★★★	★★★★★	100
	Silver Lance	★★★★★	★★★★★	200
	Frelian Lance	★★★★★	★★★★★	400
	Glowing Ember	★★★★★	★★★★★	100
	Bonfire	★★★★★	—	200
A	Steady Stance 1	★★★★★	—	50
A	Sturdy Stance 1	★★★★★	—	120
A	Sturdy Stance 2	★★★★★	—	240
A	Sturdy Stance 3	★★★★★	—	300
B	Vengeful Fighter 1	★★★★★	—	60
B	Vengeful Fighter 2	★★★★★	—	120
B	Vengeful Fighter 3	★★★★★	—	240
B	Vengeful Fighter 4	★★★★★	—	300
C	A/D Near Save 1	★★★★★	—	100
C	A/D Near Save 2	★★★★★	—	200
C	A/D Near Save 3	★★★★★	—	300

Personality

Gilliam is a brave knight. He is loyal to Frelia and is very prideful in his country. He serves his duty with determination and effort. To others, Gilliam is polite and is not afraid to ask for help, such as when he asks Franz about Renais muscle relaxation exercise or when he asks Neimi about improving vision. However, he admits that he is not good with women to Garcia, shown when he awkwardly proposes to Syrene. Additionally, his serious countenance, intended to intimidate enemies, also scares his allies. Still, he is a dependable character who takes pride in his accomplishments. His armor has many scratches, but he explains to Neimi that each is from an important battle he is proud of.

Little is known about Gilliam's past. He has been friends with Moulder for a "decade and a half". Additionally, he was present at King Hayden's coronation ceremony when he was a fresh new recruit. According to their A support conversation, Moulder had been nervously holding the crown when Gilliam shouted out to him "Get ahold of yourself, man!" and Moulder nearly dropped the crown; the two met on the next day. This means that Gilliam has been serving Frelia for fifteen years.

Supports

Main article:Gilliam/Supports

Gilliam Knight Garcia Fighter Initial: 0 Per turn:+2 Syrene Falcoknight Initial: 20 Per turn:+3 Neimi Archer Initial: 0 Per turn:+2 [[{{{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:+ Franz Cavalier Initial: 10 Per turn:+2 Moulder Priest Initial: 10 Per turn:+2 [[{{{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

Silent Gilliam
Gilliam returned to his home of Frelia, where he continued to serve the crown as a faithful knight. His imposing countenance was said to strike fear in the hearts of even the most arrogant and brash of Frelia's new recruits.

Gilliam and Syrene
Gilliam and Syrene returned to Frelia, where they were married. All agreed they were a perfect match, and their union was blessed by the crown and the order of knights. The two continued their unwavering service together.

Quotes

Death quote

Battle quotes

Heroes quotes

Main article:Gilliam/Quotes (Heroes)

Other appearances

Fire Emblem Cipher

Gilliam is featured on one card inFire Emblem Cipher.

Fire Emblem Cipher data for Gilliam
	The Silent, Gilliam
		"We men of the Eastern Watch will see Princess Tana to safety."
		Attack: 40	Support: 10	Range: 1	Deploy Cost: 2
		Class: Knight		Tier:Base	Class Change Cost: --
		Armor Expertise:[Always] If this unit is being attacked by a non-, this unit gains +20 attack. Heavy Viridian Wall:[Support] [] You may pay the cost and if you do: Until the end of this combat, your defending unit gains +30 attack.
	Card #B18-080N • Artist:Cherokee
Some card information translation provided by Serenes Forest. For more detailed strategic information on these cards, seetheir TCG wiki article on Gilliam .

Flavor text

Meet some of the Heroes entries

Gilliam: Wall of Silence
Gilliam is an armored knight who serves Frelia, a kingdom on the continent of Magvel. There, he leads the knights who defend the kingdom's eastern border.	He's a hard worker who trains rigorously to improve his strength. Some consider him the strongest knight in all of Frelia!	The king of Frelia deeply trusts Gilliam, and entrusted him with protecting Eirika, the princess of Renais, who escaped the invasion by the Grado Empire.	The younger knights look up to Gilliam and often approach him for advice. He could very well end up being a guiding figure for the Order of Heroes too!
Closely Associated Characters
Eirika Syrene {{{Related_name3}}} {{{Related_name4}}} {{{Related_name5}}} Princess of Renais. Ephraim's twin. Cares dearly for her brother. Her kindness has sometimes put her in danger. Gilliam is entrusted with her protection. Famed commander of Frelia's third battalion of pegasus knights, as well as Princess Tana's bodyguard. A junior knight to Gilliam who counts on his strength. {{{Related_blurb3}}} {{{Related_blurb4}}} {{{Related_blurb5}}}

Choose Your Legends placement history

Round	Placement	Character	Votes

CYL 1 (2017)

215

Gilliam The Sacred Stones

1,142

CYL 2 (2018)

254

Gilliam The Sacred Stones

918 (−224)

CYL 3 (2019)

266 (+19)

Gilliam The Sacred Stones

848 (−70)

CYL 4 (2020)

233 (−42)

Gilliam The Sacred Stones

693 (−155)

CYL 5 (2021)

183 (−50)

Gilliam The Sacred Stones

554 (−139)

CYL 6 (2022)

166 (−18)

Gilliam The Sacred Stones

607 (+53)

CYL 7 (2023)

146 (−20)

Gilliam The Sacred Stones

426 (−181)

CYL 8 (2024)

493 (+347)

Gilliam The Sacred Stones

94 (−332)

CYL 9 (2025)

556 (+63)

Gilliam The Sacred Stones

65 (−29)

CYL 10 (2026)

447 (−109)

Gilliam The Sacred Stones

68 (+3)

Total results		This character has 10 entries across all Choose Your Legends polls.	5,415

Trivia

• Gilliam is one of the few characters in theFire Emblem series explicitly stated to be left-handed.^[1] Other left-handed characters appearing in theFire Emblem Series includeMarisa, who is also fromThe Sacred Stones andAlm in hisEchoes: Shadows of Valentia-related appearances. Despite this, the animation for any of his potential classes, as well as his official artwork, shows him holding his weapon in his right hand.

Etymology and other languages

Gallery

Sprite Gallery
Knight Great Knight General Lance Sword Lance Basic axe Ranged axe Sword Lance Basic axe Ranged axe

Official artwork

• 
  Artwork of Gilliam fromThe Sacred Stones.

Battle animations

• 
  Gilliam attacking with asword as aGeneral inThe Sacred Stones.
• 
  Gilliam performing acritical hit with a sword as a General inThe Sacred Stones.
• 
  Gilliam attacking with alance as a General inThe Sacred Stones.
• 
  Gilliam performing a critical hit with a lance as a General inThe Sacred Stones.
• 
  Gilliam attacking with anaxe as a General inThe Sacred Stones.
• 
  Gilliam performing a critical hit with an axe as a General inThe Sacred Stones.
• 
  Gilliam attacking with aranged axe as a General inThe Sacred Stones.
• 
  Gilliam performing a critical hit with a ranged axe as a General inThe Sacred Stones.
• 
  Gilliam attacking with a sword as aGreat Knight inThe Sacred Stones.
• 
  Gilliam performing a critical hit with a sword as a Great Knight inThe Sacred Stones.
• 
  Gilliam attacking with a lance as a Great Knight inThe Sacred Stones.
• 
  Gilliam performing a critical hit with a lance as a Great Knight inThe Sacred Stones.
• 
  Gilliam attacking with an axe as a Great Knight inThe Sacred Stones.
• 
  Gilliam performing a critical hit with an axe as a Great Knight inThe Sacred Stones.

Portraits

• 
  Portrait of Gilliam fromThe Sacred Stones prototype.

Heroes artwork

Character artwork

• 
  Artwork of Gilliam: Wall of Silence.
• 
  Artwork of Gilliam: Wall of Silence.
• 
  Artwork of Gilliam: Wall of Silence.
• 
  Artwork of Gilliam: Wall of Silence.

Meet some of the Heroes artwork

• 
  Artwork of Gilliam: Wall of Silence.
• 
  Artwork of Gilliam: Wall of Silence.
• 
  Artwork of Gilliam: Wall of Silence.
• 
  Artwork of Gilliam: Wall of Silence.

Cipher artwork

• 
  Artwork of Gilliam.

References

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