Rolf (pronounced /⁠ɹɑlf⁠/^[key][4]; Japanese:ヨファLofa) is anArcher inFire Emblem: Path of Radiance andFire Emblem: Radiant Dawn, being the younger brother ofOscar andBoyd. He is good friends withMist, who is about the same age, and also is one of the few peopleShinon gets along with. He first is playable in Chapter 9,Gallia, inFire Emblem: Path of Radiance, along withMist. He comes equipped withRolf's Bow in bothFire Emblem: Path of Radiance andFire Emblem: Radiant Dawn.

Fire Emblem: Path of Radiance

Role

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Starting stats and growth rates

Archer Level 1 Attribute Build 4

Recruitment:Chapter 9, automatically from turn 1 StatsGrowth Rates Max HP 18 Speed 6 Strength 5 Luck 4 Magic 0 Defense 6 Skill 8 Resistance 2 Movement 6 Weight 4 Max HP 60% Speed 50% Strength 40% Luck 40% Magic 20% Defense 30% Skill 45% Resistance 25% {{{content3}}} {{{content4}}} {{{content5}}} {{{content6}}} {{{content7}}} {{{content8}}} {{{content9}}} {{{content10}}} {{{content11}}} {{{content12}}} {{{content13}}} {{{content14}}} {{{content15}}} Inventory Skills Rolf's Bow Vulnerary -- Weapon Levels -- -- -- E -- -- -- --

Promotion stat gains

Class	HP	Str	Mag	Skill	Spd	Lck	Def	Res	Con	Mov	Weapon level
Sniper	+3	+3	+2	+2	+2	+0	+2	+2	+1	+1	(x to C)

Analysis

Rolf is the second archer to join the party, and joins at level 1 as a replacement for Shinon. His base stats are poor, he is bow-locked, he has no skills, and he has no mount, so his rate of experience gain is very low since it is difficult for him to get kills. Since he only has an E-rank in bows, he can't use aSteel Bow to compensate. His durability is also not great, though this matters less due to his use of bows. To his credit, he has his own personal weapon,Rolf's Bow, which is only marginally weaker than the Steel Bow, is much lighter and has very good accuracy, high usage and a small crit bonus, alleviating his earlygame. To raise him, he requires a substantial amount of BEXP, which Mist and Marcia (who join in the same chapter) make much better use of.

Rolf's growths are mostly balanced. His only above average growths are skill and speed, everything else is about average. Because of his average strength growth and terrible base, he will often struggle to gain strength and deal any significant damage without forges, making it even harder to train him. In the long run, he's not terrible and may turn into a respectable Sniper and better than Shinon, who is very powerful but rejoins late, but he cannot compensate for an inability to fight during enemy phase nor his bad mobility; his main niche as a bow-user is having extra crit, which does not exist for snipers in the Japanese version of the game, but even then, Astrid joins a few chapters later, and while her bases are similiar to his, she is mounted and has Paragon. He can also participate in the triangle attack with promoted Boyd and Oscar using bows, but this is merely a novelty at best since it requires training all three units, giving Oscar bows instead of axes, and an awkwardly specific setup. He has three bond supports with Oscar, Boyd and Shinon, gaining a crit bonus if he's standing adjacent to them, which helps his offense.

Rolf has no skills at base. He benefits from Adept since it helps compensate for his mediocre long-term power, and he has a good skill base for a level 1 unit and a good growth in it, so he can activate it frequently; however, other units make better use of Adept because Rolf lacks any sort of enemy phase. He can learn Deadeye from an Occult but this is not recommended since his accuracy is already good and putting enemies to sleep is rarely useful.

Rolf has a wind affinity which gives both avoid and accuracy; neither are particularly useful for him, as he wants strength the most. Rhys gives Rolf a slight attack boost, and is another unit who wants to stay with Rolf in the backlines, but Rhys himself does not benefit much from Rolf's support. Marcia benefits from Rolf's boosts and gives Rolf an attack boost of her own, but she is a flier, so it is difficult to keep them together, and she has better options in Kieran and Tanith. Mist has a water support which buffs attack, but she also has better support options and gains a mount after promotion. Shinon and Tauroneo give defense and avoid buffs and are the best partners for Rolf simply because of their bad mobility and lack of other good options.

Fire Emblem: Radiant Dawn

Role

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Starting stats and growth rates

Sniper Level 1 Affinity Constitution 6

Recruitment:Part III, Prologue, automatically from the start StatsGrowth Rates Max HP 32 Speed 19 Strength 17 Luck 13 Magic 3 Defense 13 Skill 20 Resistance 9 Movement 7 Weight 7 Max HP 85% Speed 45% Strength 75% Luck 35% Magic 10% Defense 35% Skill 45% Resistance 20% {{{content3}}} {{{content4}}} {{{content5}}} {{{content6}}} {{{content7}}} {{{content8}}} {{{content9}}} {{{content10}}} {{{content11}}} {{{content12}}} {{{content13}}} {{{content14}}} {{{content15}}} Inventory Skills Rolf's Bow Steel Bow Vulnerary Critical +10 Shove Weapon Levels -- -- -- B -- -- -- -- -- -- -- --

Biorhythm Best Good Normal Bad Worst

Note: The above stats are Rolf's default stats. If aRadiant Dawn game was started via adata transfer fromPath of Radiance and Rolf managed to reach level 20 in his highest possible class in thePath of Radiance save file, any stat Rolf capped inPath of Radiance will result in a boost to his base in the stat in question inRadiant Dawn. The boost is a +5 formax HP, and +2 forstrength,magic,skill,speed,luck,defense orresistance. In addition, Rolf'sweapon level at the end of a transferredPath of Radiance game can result in an boost to hisweapon experience inRadiant Dawn. SeeData transfer §Fire Emblem: Radiant Dawn for more information.

Promotion stat gains

Class	HP	Str	Mag	Skill	Spd	Lck	Def	Res	Con	Mov	Skills	Weapon level
Marksman	+4	+2	+4	+2	+2	+0	+2	+4	+0	+0	Critical +15* Deadeye	(x to A)

Availability

Analysis

Rolf is one of twoSnipers (the other being his mentorShinon) in Ike's group in Part III. He starts at level 1 and has lower base stats than Shinon, so he will struggle todouble attack immediately and do much damage. He has hisown bow which is a respectableaccurate bow with high usage, but it is no longer hispersonal weapon and can be given to Shinon or any other bow user. He can still contribute to the first few chapters of Part III thanks toballista and favorable 2-range situations. However, he will struggle to keep up without significant investment andBEXP, and is generally outclassed by Shinon, due to a combination of better base stats, growths, and level difference. He starts with a Brank in bows, so he cannot useSilver Bows nor theSilencer without another weapon level. Rolf benefits significantly fromPath of Radiance transfers, especially with aspeed transfer, one of his best PoR growths.

Rolf is bowlocked so his only forms of 1-range combat arecrossbows (which lack in power outside of effective damage, and such enemies that are vulnerable to crossbows are very rare in his playable chapters) and theDouble Bow (only available in the endgame), so he is primarily limited to attacking on player phase. Thus, while Rolf can contribute early on and has room to grow with his excellentstrength, when later Part III and IV maps are more rout-heavy, Rolf becomes very limited. He also is not mounted so his mobility is lacking. He gains a powerful niche of extra range when promoted to aMarksman, having 3-range on most bows in the game; however, he starts at level 1, so he cannot promote very quickly. Rolf's strength growth is one of the best in the game, so if trained, he can reliably always do damage. However, while hisskill and speed bases and growths are not bad, they are not high enough to fully compensate, even for his low level, and he may often struggle to double for much of Part III until promotion.

Rolf's primary problem is that he's outclassed by Shinon, who starts out with a fantastic 24 speed (+5 in comparison to Rolf's 19) and an insane 28 skill (while Rolf starts with 20 skill) and 12 levels above him. Shinon's growths are also good enough to ensure he will have very high stats come endgame, so there is really nothing Rolf can do that Shinon cannot; while Shinon's strength growth is significantly lower than Rolf's, his long-term strength can be remedied via proper use of BEXP after capping his skill and speed. While his lower level allows him to grow more and be more on par with Shinon over time, this hinders him. Since he does not possess a personal bow likeLeonardo does, there is no reason to pick him over Shinon for the Tower of Guidance unless Shinon has been killed in battle or has been intentionally benched by the player in favor of other units.

Rolf has a wind affinity which gives accuracy and avoid, neither particularly useful for Rolf. Boyd has a fire affinity and appreciates the extra accuracy, and then gives Rolf extra attack. Mia likewise appreciates the extra avoid and has the same fire affinity.

Fire Emblem Heroes

Role

Rolf was first added to the game in a special Halloween variation as part of theHarvest Party update, and was made available to players in the twentieth edition of theTempest Trials+, "A Child's Wish", which initially ran from October 14, 2019 through October 24, 2019. The aforementioned Halloween variation of Rolf is the only one currently available inHeroes, based on hisPath of Radiance incarnation.

Rolf: Tricky Archer

Starting stats

★★★★★★★★★

Rarity ★★★★ Weapon type Movement type

Initial StatsLevel 40 Stats Maximum HP 16/17/18 Attack 5/6/7 Speed 9/10/11 Defense 4/5/6 Resistance 2/3/4 Maximum HP 34/37/40 Attack 25/28/31 Speed 31/34/37 Defense 22/25/28 Resistance 18/21/24 {{{content3}}} {{{content4}}} {{{content5}}} {{{content6}}} {{{content7}}} {{{content8}}} {{{content9}}} {{{content10}}} {{{content11}}} {{{content12}}} {{{content13}}} {{{content14}}} {{{content15}}} Note: This unit requires the usage ofTrait Fruit to access any flaws and assets.

Skills Candlewax Bow Shove --

Rarity ★★★★★ Weapon type Movement type

Initial StatsLevel 40 Stats Maximum HP 17/18/19 Attack 5/6/7 Speed 9/10/11 Defense 5/6/7 Resistance 3/4/5 Maximum HP 36/40/43 Attack 27/30/33 Speed 33/36/39 Defense 24/28/31 Resistance 20/23/27 {{{content3}}} {{{content4}}} {{{content5}}} {{{content6}}} {{{content7}}} {{{content8}}} {{{content9}}} {{{content10}}} {{{content11}}} {{{content12}}} {{{content13}}} {{{content14}}} {{{content15}}} Note: This unit requires the usage ofTrait Fruit to access any flaws and assets.

Skills Candlewax Bow+ Shove --

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Skill set

Skill set
Skill		Unlock	Auto-unlock	SP cost
	Iron Bow	★★★★	★★★★	50
	Steel Bow	★★★★	★★★★	100
	Candlewax Bow	★★★★	★★★★	200
	Candlewax Bow+	★★★★★	★★★★★	300
	Shove	★★★★	★★★★	150
B	Desperation 1	★★★★	—	50
B	Desperation 2	★★★★	—	100
B	Desperation 3	★★★★★	—	200
C	Odd Spd Wave 1	★★★★	—	60
C	Odd Spd Wave 2	★★★★	—	120
C	Odd Spd Wave 3	★★★★	—	240

Personality

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Supports

Path of Radiance

Main article:Rolf/Supports (Path of Radiance)

Rolf Archer Rhys Priest C: 3 B: 6 A: 9 Shinon Sniper C: 0 B: 2 A: 4 Marcia Pegasus Knight C: 2 B: 5 A: 8 Mist Cleric C: 1 B: 3 A: 7 Tauroneo General C: 1 B: 3 A: 5 [[{{{support6}}}]] [[]][[File:Is gcn {{{affin6}}}affin.png|link={{{affin6}}} (affinity)]] C: {{{c6}}} B: {{{b6}}} A: {{{a6}}} [[{{{support7}}}]] [[]][[File:Is gcn {{{affin7}}}affin.png|link={{{affin7}}} (affinity)]] C: {{{c7}}} B: {{{b7}}} A: {{{a7}}}

Radiant Dawn

Bond supports

Rolf Sniper Default bonds: Oscar Lance Paladin Bonus: 10 Boyd Warrior Bonus: 10 Shinon Sniper Bonus: 5 [[{{{supportd4}}}]] Bishop Bonus: {{{bonusd4}}} Extra bonds:* Tauroneo Lance General Bonus: 5 Marcia Falcon Knight Bonus: 5 Mist Cleric Bonus: 5 Rhys Priest Bonus: 5 [[{{{supporte5}}}]] Bishop Bonus: {{{bonuse5}}}

Endings

Radiant Dawn

Rolf, Faithful Student
Rolf remained with the mercenaries. He was always in demand as a tutor of unrivaled marksmanship.

Quotes

Battle quotes

Death quote

Heroes quotes

Main article:Rolf/Quotes (Heroes)

Other appearances

Fire Emblem Cipher

Rolf is featured on four cards inFire Emblem Cipher.

Fire Emblem Cipher data for Rolf
	Youngest Mercenary Brother, Rolf
		"Killer technique!? That sounds cool, doesn't it!"
		Attack: 50	Support: 20	Range: 2	Deploy Cost: 3
		Class: Sniper		Tier:Advanced	Class Change Cost: 2
		Triangle Attack:[Trigger] [Tap allies "Oscar" and "Boyd"] When this unit attacks, if you pay the cost, until the end of the battle, this unit gains +30 attack, and this unit's attack cannot be evaded. Wingslayer:[Always] While this unit is attacking a, this unit gains +30 attack.
	Card #B03-016HN, B03-016ST • Artist:Mayo
	Vendure Brother, Rolf
		"Don't call me small. I'm, a full-fledged mercenary right?"
		Attack: 30	Support: 20	Range: 1	Deploy Cost: 2
		Class: Archer		Tier:Base	Class Change Cost: --
		Rolf's Bow:[Activate][Once per turn] [] Until the end of this turn, this unit gains +10 attack. Wingslayer:[Always] While this unit is attacking a, this unit gains +30 attack. Attack Emblem:[Support] Until the end of this battle, your attacking unit gains +20 attack.
	Card #B03-017N, B03-017ST • Artist:Maki Hakoda
	Student Sniper, Rolf
		"Now! Triangle attack!!!"
		Attack: 60	Support: 20	Range: 2	Deploy Cost: 4
		Class: Sniper		Tier:Advanced	Class Change Cost: 3
		Handed-Down Marksmanship:[Activate] [] Until the end of the turn, this unit's attacks cannot be evaded except by the Main Character. Three-Bow Triangle Attack:[Always] During your turn, if you have allied "Oscar" and "Boyd", this unit gains +20 attack. Wingslayer:[Always] While this unit is attacking a, this unit gains +30 attack.
	Card #B14-087HN • Artist:Mayo
	Aiming to Join the Battle, Rolf
		"When did I learn to use a bow? Um... I guess I just... sorta... picked it up naturally?"
		Attack: 30	Support: 20	Range: 2	Deploy Cost: 1
		Class: Archer		Tier:Base	Class Change Cost: --
		Secret Bow Training:[Always] During your turn, this unit gains +20 attack. ( comes into effect if a total of 2 or more cards are stacked with this unit.) Wingslayer:[Always] While this unit is attacking a, this unit gains +30 attack. Bullseye Emblem:[Support] Until the end of this combat, non-lord defending units cannot evade.
	Card #B14-088N • Artist:Simadoriru
Some card information translation provided by Serenes Forest. For more detailed strategic information on these cards, seetheir TCG wiki article on Rolf .

Flavor text

Meet some of the Heroes entries

Rolf: Tricky Archer
Hmm? Who's that hiding under a sheet, pretending to be a ghost? Let's see who you really are, sheet-ghost! …Ah-ha, I knew it! It's Rolf!	So during the harvest festival, there's a tradition where kids ask the grown-ups for candy by telling them "trick or treat!" Rolf may be a Hero, but he's still young enough to want a share of the action!	Rolf's wearing a cute ghost outfit for the festival, and after this, he'll be going to "treat" his brothers to a few of his tricks. Do you think he'll manage to scare them?	Well, I'd rather be spooked by a cute ghost than a scary one! I hope Rolf gets a great haul this harvest festival!
Closely Associated Characters
Oscar Boyd {{{Related_name3}}} {{{Related_name4}}} {{{Related_name5}}} A straightforward but accommodating member of the Greil Mercenaries. Has good instincts. He's Rolf's brother. A member of the Greil Mercenaries. Brash and big-hearted, he doesn't care much for details. Oscar is his older brother, while Rolf is his younger brother. {{{Related_blurb3}}} {{{Related_blurb4}}} {{{Related_blurb5}}}

Choose Your Legends placement history

Round	Placement	Character	Votes

CYL 1 (2017)	359	Rolf Path of Radiance	482
	377	Rolf Radiant Dawn	434

CYL 2 (2018)	468	Rolf Path of Radiance	279 (−203)
	521	Rolf Radiant Dawn	218 (−216)

CYL 3 (2019)

391 (+32)

Rolf Path of Radiance Radiant Dawn

427 (−71)

CYL 4 (2020)

497 (+55)

Rolf Radiant Dawn Path of Radiance

195 (−232)

CYL 5 (2021)

476 (−21)

Rolf Path of Radiance Radiant Dawn

148 (−47)

CYL 6 (2022)

511 (+33)

Rolf Path of Radiance Radiant Dawn

130 (−18)

CYL 7 (2023)

566 (+55)

Rolf Radiant Dawn Path of Radiance

75 (−55)

CYL 8 (2024)

544 (−22)

Rolf Path of Radiance Radiant Dawn

81 (+6)

CYL 9 (2025)

561 (+17)

Rolf Path of Radiance Radiant Dawn

64 (−17)

CYL 10 (2026)

489 (−72)

Rolf Path of Radiance Radiant Dawn

58 (−6)

Total results		This character has 12 entries across all Choose Your Legends polls.	2,591

Trivia

• In the English version ofPath of Radiance, Rolf erroneously tells Tauroneo in their C support that his mother died and his father left his family.^[5] InRadiant Dawn, it is shown that Rolf's mother is alive and was the one who left the family while his father was dying.^[6] This error was not present in the Japanese version.
• InRadiant Dawn's base conversation "The Three Brothers", the North American version erroneously implies that Rolf and Boyd are step-brothers and not blood-related.^[7] The officialPath of Radiance Japanese site states that Oscar, Boyd, and Rolf share the same father.^[8] This error was not present in the Japanese version and was fixed in the PAL version.
• According toTellius Recollection, Rolf was designed with an apparent age of 12 inPath of Radiance^[1] and 15 inRadiant Dawn.^[2]

Etymology and other languages

Gallery

Official artwork

• 
  Artwork of Rolf fromPath of Radiance.
• 
  Artwork of Rolf fromRadiant Dawn.

Official artwork

• 
  Portrait of Rolf inPath of Radiance.
• 
  Portrait of Rolf inPath of Radiance.
• 
  Portrait of Rolf inRadiant Dawn.
• 
  Portrait of Rolf inRadiant Dawn.

Screenshots

Path of Radiance

• 
  Rolf activatingDeadeye.
• 
  Rolf activating Deadeye.
• 
  Rolf using aBallista.
• 
  Rolf wielding aBright Bow.
• 
  Rolf wielding aBright Bow.
• 
  Rolf wielding theDouble Bow.
• 
  Rolf wielding aKiller Bow.
• 
  Rolf wielding aLongbow.
• 
  Rolf wieldingRolf's Bow.
• 
  Rolf wielding aSteel Bow.

Radiant Dawn

• 
  Rolf as aMarksman.
• 
  Rolf using anIron Ballista.
• 
  Rolf wielding theDouble Bow.
• 
  Rolf wieldingRolf's Bow.
• 
  Rolf wielding theSilencer.
• 
  Rolf wielding aLongbow.

Heroes artwork

Character artwork

• 
  Artwork of Rolf: Tricky Archer.
• 
  Artwork of Rolf: Tricky Archer.
• 
  Artwork of Rolf: Tricky Archer.
• 
  Artwork of Rolf: Tricky Archer.

Meet some of the Heroes artwork

• 
  Artwork of Rolf: Tricky Archer.
• 
  Artwork of Rolf: Tricky Archer.
• 
  Artwork of Rolf: Tricky Archer.
• 
  Artwork of Rolf: Tricky Archer.
• 
  Rolf in artwork ofOscar: Agile Horseman.
• 
  Rolf in artwork ofShinon: Scathing Archer.

Other artwork

• 
  Artwork of Rolf and several other characters forHeroes's sixth anniversary, drawn byMikuro.
• 
  Artwork featuring Rolf released on the second day ofChoose Your Legends:Round 8.

Cipher artwork

• 
  Artwork of Rolf.
• 
  Artwork of Rolf.
• 
  Artwork ofBoyd, Rolf, andOscar.
• 
  Artwork of Boyd, Rolf, and Oscar.
• 
  Rolf in artwork ofIke.

References

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