This page contains the following information.

This analysis was written by FlashingFire.

In a game where magic-based units are more often defined by their spell lists than their stats, Annette does not immediately stand out as particularly powerful or versatile. Her Reason spells are Wind, Cutting Gale, Sagittae, and Excalibur, all of which lack the extra range, secondary effects, or one-shot potential of more impressive spell lists. Still, these spells boast high accuracy, which is at a premium in Maddening mode, and Excalibur is very adept at reliably dealing huge damage to evasive Falcon Knight enemies.

Her Faith spell list consists of Heal, Nosferatu, Recover, and Abraxas, which is a decent lineup. Recover is the standout item here, and Annette has the magic stat to top off the HP of most injured units with it. Offensive Faith magic tends not to be worth the investment, so you're more likely to want Faith experience for a Gremory certification than for Abraxas. While Annette performs acceptably as a magical attacker and pinch healer with all of the typical strengths and weaknesses, she finds her stride through other avenues.

The most obvious and easily accessible avenue is her Rally abilities. An inherent Rally Strength (Perseverance) is a fantastic support option, especially in the early game where small damage gaps are the difference between success and failure. She gains Rally Resistance at D Authority, which finds a surprisingly helpful niche in Chapters 4, 5 and 6 especially, when fast Mages are plentiful and your army lacks many efficient means of dealing with them. Rally Speed comes at C+ Authority, and 4 extra strength and speed is an incredibly valuable boon for units that would otherwise be unable to ORKO key enemies. Rally abilities lose some of their luster as the game progresses and the vast Three Houses toolkit opens up, and an over-reliance on rallies can leave Annette underlevelled, but their usefulness in key scenarios cannot be denied. They also function as a way to more quickly increase her Support level with Byleth if you need to recruit her.

The other major advantage Annette has going for her is the Lightning Axe combat art. Properly using this tool will optimize her damage output, and the best way to compliment this focus on direct combat is by getting her airborne. Wyvern Lord and the DLC Dark Flier class are both effective means of letting Annette get close enough to swing and then letting her dip back out of enemy range with Canto. You could focus on Lightning Axe without opting for a flying class, but this is an inferior option in most respects. The trait that makes flying Annette so good is her ability to move in and out of enemy range, and classes like Warrior and Warlock lack this flexibility.

Assuming your wallet isn't the deciding factor, both wyvern and pegasus routes are comparable in terms of how well they let Annette dish out Lightning Axe. It is always advisable for Annette to master Monk and Mage for Magic +2 and Fiendish Blow, respectively, and neither Wyvern Rider nor Dark Flier progressions are inhibited by those choices (the former being helped by Annette's axe boon). Dark Flier offers Annette the ability to maintain access to her spell list, and a lot of flexibility with it. Wyvern classes will likely give many of Annette's weaker stats a significant boost, and Axefaire makes up for the slight hit to her magic stat. Wyvern Annette may be capable of actually taking a hit if the situation demands it, but she's rather squishy either way thanks to her low HP. The final major consideration is that Wyvern Lord receives 8 movement compared to the Dark Flier's 7.

Regardless of your choice, Lightning Axe allows Annette to one-shot many Maddening mode enemies. Between her high magic stat, the aforementioned mastery abilities, the combat art itself, the high base might of axes, and potentially Axefaire, the Nuvelle Fliers Corps (DLC) and an Attack Adjutant (Mercedes or Gilbert), the durability of most enemies just cannot keep up. A Bolt Axe+ gives her more attack range than her spell list does (without equippable staves), and on Azure Moon she can obtain Crusher and use its absolute nuke of a combat art, Dust. Just be wary of accuracy dips when using the latter two weapons; an Accuracy Ring might be worth equipping. When reliability is key, a forged Iron Axe will probably net you the most bang for your buck, as even this basic weapon can one-shot many enemies with the power of Lightning Axe behind it.

Finally, while Lightning Axe has received the bulk of the attention here, don't be discouraged from picking Warlock or Gremory and focusing on Reason, Faith, and Authority. These are still classes that make efficient investments and supply Annette with extra spell uses, most notably 4 additional Excaliburs. They also place vastly fewer restrictions on what kinds of battalions will compliment your goals.

In summary, while Annette is not the most straightforward magical powerhouse, she makes up for it with outstanding Rally support and a frighteningly strong combat art, both of which yield rare and fun tactical opportunities.

Annette can build support with the following characters.

Annette will automatically be recruited if the player selects to teach the Blue Lions house.

Annette can be recruited once Byleth has achieved a stat of Mag 10 and Skill Rank B in Faith. These requirements can be lowered if Byleth builds support with Annette, as shown in the below table.