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This analysis was written by FlashingFire.

Despite his late join time, Seteth boasts impressive viability both immediately upon joining your army and all throughout the rest of the game.

To start, let's summarize his first impression. Seteth joins your army after Chapter 11 as a level 23 Wyvern Rider, which is already a good sign. He begins at D+ Swords, B Lances, B Axes, C Flying, and a standout B Authority. Generally one of the main weaknesses of late recruits is that they start out well behind most of your team in terms of the Authority skill, but Seteth suffers no such detriment. He will be able to command almost every potent flying battalion immediately, and with his Authority boon the A-rank squads aren't too far off.

Statistically, Seteth is competitive with other units with similar growth rate spreads. Comparing him to a Ferdinand, Sylvain and Hilda who have taken a Noble -> Fighter -> Brigand -> Wyvern Rider progression, Seteth will actually have slightly better stats on average with the notable exception of speed

He is on the durable side and has a very high base strength, but it is likely that your main fighters will still out-damage him initially thanks to class mastery abilities, learned combat arts, and other factors.

This base viability is most important in the SIlver Snow route, where Seteth will be one of two starting units during Chapter 13, alongside Byleth. Before taking on Chapter 12 and then hurling yourself headlong into this test of mettle, you may want to spend a few quest/auxiliary battles grinding up class mastery abilities. Base Seteth can certify into Brigand and any physical Beginner class, so Death Blow, a slight stat boost, and a positional combat art are all within reach. He also comes with Rally Defense and Swordbreaker, both of which are appreciated. The more patient among you may even be comfortable grinding up his Lance rank to A in order to unlock the coveted Swift Strikes. It's Chapter 13, do what you have to.

Remember how Seteth's speed is a bit subpar? Swift Strikes bypasses that entirely during the player phase. This combat art is one of the primary reasons Seteth can claim to be worth the investment necessary to catch him up to your main party. It feeds off of his high strength and also has a 75% chance to nullify an enemy's counterattack thanks to the Major Crest of Cichol (assuming both strikes hit). The fact that Seteth joins as a flier with Canto means that he is especially suited to double-tapping foes and then dancing back out of range. He has a Linked Attack Boost with Flayn, so consider equipping her as an attack adjutant (she can certify as a Pegasus Knight at base) for up to 6 extra damage on Swift Strikes.

Seteth has a few other qualities that distinguish him from his peers. His personal ability, Guardian, is the complement to Hilda's Advocate, granting 3 extra damage to adjacent female allies instead. Canto access means he is well-equipped to provide this boost where necessary, even after attacking. His support pool is also quite nice for a faculty recruit. He can form bonds with valuable units such as Bernadetta, Felix, Ingrid, Hilda, Leonie, and Catherine. Most of these units also happen to benefit from Guardian. Finally, Seteth's skill proficiencies are excellent. He has a boon in every skill that starts above E rank, so even though he may not start as far along his skill goals as earlier recruits, he can reach requirements for Swift Strikes and Wyvern Lord efficiently.

If it seems like I have assumed Seteth is going to remain in a wyvern class, it's because I have. There is little reason to change course when Wyvern Rider and Wyvern Lord come with so many advantages and Seteth misses out on all of the time Part 1 allowed for building skill ranks. You could perhaps spend some extra time grabbing more class mastery skills like Hit +20 and Defiant Strength, but in most contexts Seteth can simply move forward from his ample starting position.

All in all, Seteth is a solid combat unit with a toolkit that might as well be custom-made to abuse Swift Strikes. He makes up for lost time with relatively little investment and synergizes well with many of this game's other powerful characters.

Seteth can build support with the following characters.

Seteth will automatically join the player's party at the end of Chapter 12. He is not available in the Crimson Flower route.