Contents |
Basic Information
Base Stats
Vigor | 36 | Battle Power | +48 | Bonus HP | +72 |
Speed | 30 | Def/M.Def | 42/24 | Bonus MP | +0 |
Magic | 30 | Block/M.Block | 6/6 | Run Chance | Average |
Stamina | 24 |
Edgar's only real statistical deficiencies are in his Stamina (which is pretty much the lowest in the game, given the other two characters with 12 Stamina can raise it with a +2 Esper) and his miserable baseline evasion stats. He has an okay amount of extra HP though, which is a big help in the early stages of the game.
Special Skill - Tools
A skilled engineer and tinkerer, Edgar has an array of useful gizmos and gadgets that allow him to both attack and support... at least in BNW. His support options were a bit less supportive in the base game, but his Tools have been re-tooled (heh) to be much more versatile. His Tools can be purchased or found throughout the game, and include:
Autocrossbow
A decent physical attack that hits all enemies and is long-ranged, allowing Edgar to use it safely from the back row. The earliest Tool available and one of the most potent, it starts to fall off in power as the WoR looms. But take heart, fans of a Vigor-based Edgar: There just might be a way to keep it competitive well into the endgame. Try poking around Figaro Castle and see what turns up...
Noiseblaster
A simple tool that sets Confuse on all enemies. Though it does no damage, the ability to turn enemies against each other can have a ton of utility, especially in tough random battles against larger groups. As enemies in BNW are not generally blanket-immune to statuses, the ability to Confuse foes will be useful all the way through to the endgame. Just don't expect it to work on every foe.
Bio Blaster
A modestly powerful magical attack that hits all enemies and Poisons them. While not all that powerful in the endgame, the Bio Blaster has some incredible utility in the early parts of the WoB, as human enemies are numerous and weak against Poison. The Bio Blaster isn't a move that will see a lot of use in the WoR, but the ability to set Poison reliably on some foes may have more utility than is initially apparent, so don't forget that it can do that.
Drill
A reasonably powerful defense-ignoring physical attack when first acquired, the Drill will be a Vigor-based Edgar's primary attack for quite a while. Its damage becomes a bit disappointing later on, but it sets the coveted Seizure status on foes, so like the Bio Blaster it's worth keeping on hand for status purposes even after it loses its luster as an attack. Note that the Drill does not ignore row penalties and is weaker in the back row.
Flash
A Magic-based Edgar's strongest attack, the Flash does a heap of non-elemental magical damage to all enemies and attempts to Blind them. Blind foes will have trouble hitting accurately and are easier to hit, so the Flash is both an offensive and defensive Tool all in one. While its damage is not the greatest against single targets, the Flash can clear out groups of random foes with ease, making any Edgar a supreme source of multi-target destruction. Though less useful against bosses, the Flash is free on MP or other resource costs, so Edgar can use it whenever he has a spare turn to get some damage in without worries.
Chainsaw
Edgar's most powerful physical attack, the Chainsaw is an extremely potent defense-ignoring Tool that has a 25% chance of instantly killing a foe, even the undead! Unlike regular FF6, the proc will not prevent damage from being done if the enemy is immune to instant death. Like the Drill, this Tool does not ignore row placement, so Edgar will need to be front and center if he wants to maximize the Chainsaw's power.
Defibrillator
A new tool in BNW, replacing the Air Anchor, the Defibrillator is essentially an MP-free Life spell. With a bit of a jolt, Edgar restores an ally to life and heals a portion of their HP that scales with his Magic stat. With enough Magic, this Tool is quite a bit stronger than Life, and even without it it's generally stronger than a Phoenix Down.
Mana Battery
A new tool in BNW, replacing the Debilitator, the Mana Battery is as its name suggests: A way to restore characters' MP. Although the Mana Battery affects only a single target, it can restore quite a bit of MP if Edgar's Magic stat is high enough. Since Tools are free, any amount of MP gained by the Mana Battery is itself free, but it takes a fair bit of investment into Edgar's Magic to make the Mana Battery more efficient than a Tincture. But at decently high stats, the restoration can be enough to crank out multiple high-level spells, preventing Edgar's allies from wasting turns restoring their own MP with items. And since Edgar may well be much faster than them, it's a turn he can easily spare.
Espers
Siren | Magic +1 / Speed +1 | Palidor | Vigor +1 / Speed +1 |
Unicorn | HP +30 / Stamina +1 | ||
Golem | Vigor +1 / HP +15 |
Despite having only four Espers to choose from, Edgar gets a surprisingly great spread of stats, including the coveted ability to raise his Speed and either of his Vigor or Magic stats. Golem offers him the chance to shore up his durability without compromising Vigor gains, but it's inferior in HP returns to Unicorn... but Unicorn offers only Stamina, something Edgar both sorely lacks and has only so much use for.
Spells
Cure 2 | (Unicorn) | Float | (Palidor) |
Remedy | (Unicorn) | Safe | (Unicorn) |
Haste | (Siren) | ||
Mute | (Siren) | ||
Sleep | (Unicorn) | ||
Slow | (Siren/Palidor) | ||
Stop | (Golem) | ||
SlowX | (Palidor) |
Edgar has no offense-oriented Magic whatsoever. The closest thing he has to magical offense from spells is his disabling spells like Mute, Sleep, Slow, and Stop, and of those only Slow is usable on whole groups. Granted, Edgar has plenty of ways to deal damage to both groups and single enemies, just don't expect him to do so via the Magic command.
Although he only possesses a handful of spells that help out party members, the ones Edgar does have are quite nice. Cure 2 is useful for out-of-battle or spot healing, Remedy can cure status effects, and Haste is an excellent buff for anyone to have. Float and Dispel have their uses too, although infrequently.
Equipment
Edgar can claim an equipment loadout nearly as good as Terra and Celes's... but not quite. Still, it's not bad either, with an armor selection that includes Heavy Armor, a few things unique to him and other characters like Sabin and Mog, most Helmets, and all Shields except the Hero Shield. For weapons, Edgar can wield Swords and Spears; the latter can be used two-handed or with a Shield as Edgar chooses. This tends to make Edgar extremely tanky, with great defenses but only average evasion. Expect Edgar to take hits, but also expect that he'll shrug most of them off, particularly if he's in the back row.
Edgar's Relic options are fairly standard, but there are two semi-exclusive ones to look out for. The Dragoon Seal, shared only with Mog and Gogo, allows Edgar to become a Dragoon by replacing his Fight command with the Jump command. Jump is a potent way to do considerable physical damage even from the back row, and with a two-handed Spear it can be even stronger than his Chainsaw, if slower to execute. The other Relic worth looking for is the Nirvana Band, which Edgar shares with Sabin and Cyan. Although all three characters can see great use for it as a booster to all forms of damage, Edgar gets particularly great use of it due to his wide array of Tools and his healing spells. Cure 2 may not be the strongest healing in the game, but when Edgar has a booster and other characters don't it suddenly becomes quite efficient, all the while enhancing his damage output.
Availability
Edgar has some of the best availability of any character in FF6. In the World of Balance he's the third character to join, and he does so very early on. He's available for the entire sequence up to the scenario split, including the critical battle against Ultros. His scenario with Terra is short, but he's available for the Narshe Battle, Zozo sequence, and IMRF raid, as well as the Sealed Gate sequence. He's only taken out of the party for Crescent Island, and he's right back again for the Floating Continent. Edgar would probably have the best WoB availability (tied with his brother Sabin) were Locke not forced for Crescent Island.
In the World of Ruin, meanwhile, Edgar really edges out Locke. He's one of only three characters forced into the party and is the third the player will acquire assuming Sabin is re-recruited at Tzen, joining up for the tricky Tentacles battle and serving the party well in Daryl's Tomb. After that, he's there for the long haul, available for the entire WoR.
Build & Role Options
Physical Bruiser & Dragoon
When it comes to defeating foes, physical damage tends to be Edgar's best bet. His damage-dealing options with Vigor are voluminous, from hitting things with a Spear, Jumping via the Dragoon Seal, whipping out his Autocrossbow against random groups, and wielding the defense-ignoring goodness that is the Drill/Chainsaw. With so many options, Edgar has no problem whatsoever clearing out groups of weak enemies and then reconfiguring himself do to tons of single-target damage to bosses, making him an ideal point man for any long dungeon who can still get stuff done at the end of it.
And Edgar's not the worst at supporting, even with a Vigor build. Most of his spells don't take his Magic into account, other than Cure 2, and with the Nirvana Band he gets a 25% boost to that anyway. The Defibrillator still revives allies better than a Phoenix Down, even with relatively meager Magic.
Does Edgar have a weakness in this role? To some extent, yes. The main issue is that Golem is his only Vigor-boosting Esper in the WoB. Golem will keep his Vigor rising, but Speed is important to Edgar and he can't get it and keep his Vigor up until Palidor. The extra HP from Golem is nice, but it's not huge either. So Edgar has to decide between early game potency or lategame pep. If Golem is invested in heavily, it might be a good idea to look into making Edgar a Dragoon, as his long hangtime means his Speed is coming into play a bit less often. With mostly Palidor levels, he can Chainsaw with a vengeance.
USEFUL ESPERS - Golem / Palidor
With two Espers to raise his Vigor, Edgar's in pretty good shape for his primary stat. The only thing to be wary about is Golem investment. You may not have much choice, but bear in mind that +15 HP is worth less than one point of Speed in most cases, so a level of Golem now costs Edgar a level of Palidor later. Still, that extra durability is by no means undesirable.
USEFUL ESPERS - Unicorn
Although it doesn't raise Vigor or Speed, Unicorn has some value now that Edgar's not necessarily always glued to the back row. A handful of Unicorn levels gives Edgar more HP than Golem would on a per-level basis, and also helps bring his miserable Stamina up to somewhat-less-miserable levels. Since Spears randomly counterattack and boost HP, Unicorn gives better-than-average HP returns while a Spear is equipped and ensure Edgar can take the hit and survive to counter. It's probably not worth taking too much Unicorn, but if Edgar has the levels to spare it's also not the worst option.
Magical Support
While at first glance it seems quite stupid to raise Edgar's Magic over his Vigor - he has only one spell that really uses it in Cure 2 and no Black Magic at all - a look over his Tools tells a slightly different story. The Flash is arguably more potent than the Autocrossbow against random encounters when Edgar's Magic is high, and can clear out some groups that the Autocrossbow might not quite finish off. And the Defibrillator and Mana Battery both run off of Magic, making them far more attractive support options than they might otherwise appear.
Best of all, Edgar's equipment setup highly favors his Magic. If he's primarily utilizing his Magic-based stuff, he has no issues sitting in the back row with a Sword or Spear primarily serving as a stat stick. From there, His Majesty can reign over the support role, healing and buffing/debuffing while occasionally popping a Flash for damage, all completely unconcerned that he could possibly die. Since physical damage will be of minimal threat to him in the back row, he can focus on magical gear like the Force Armor, which will also boost his Magic. The defensive synergy is insane, and it all but guarantees that Edgar will never drop. And if Edgar can't die... well, his Defibrillator is never running out of juice, so the rest of the party won't be staying dead too long either.
The one thing to be said for a Magic Edgar build is that it hamstrings his single-target offense considerably. The Flash is amazing against clusters of regular enemies, but it's a fairly mediocre attack on the average boss (though it will never run into resistance issues). Short of that, the only way Edgar is dealing any magical damage is to break very expensive elemental Rods. He can utilize his Vigor-based attacks, but they'll be much weaker, and most will require he move to the front row. He can do acceptable damage with Jump... but then he's not on the ground drawing fire and supporting the party, which is at odds with his role.
USEFUL ESPERS - Siren
Edgar could get by entirely with Siren, really. Boosts Magic, boost Speed, and that's all he really needs. HP is a much lesser concern when the back row is nice and warm and there's no real need to ever leave it.
USEFUL ESPERS - Unicorn
While it will cut into Magic and Speed, a little HP and Stamina isn't terrible. Remedy runs off Stamina and is a pretty cheap heal, so Edgar could do a lot worse. If it's used, though, Unicorn should be used sparingly at best. Siren is the real star of the show and every level Edgar goes without it weakens his Magic-based Tools a fair bit.
His Royal Hybridness
Most characters in BNW are not served well by trying to hybridize and raise multiple stats at once. Most characters don't really have the options available to even consider doing so, Terra and Celes aside. But Edgar is not most characters. He alone can trivially raise his Vigor and Magic while skyrocketing his Speed, by rotating between Siren and Palidor. Or perhaps more realistically, starting out on Siren in the WoB and transitioning to Palidor in the WoR.
The advantage to this hybrid build is that it lets Edgar serve both roles: He is a physical attacker of some merit, a supportive healer... and he's fast as hell because every level he's taken has given him Speed, which makes up for being slightly weaker in both areas. The Nirvana Band is the final piece to the puzzle, boosting both Edgar's physical attacks and his magical utility all in one Relic slot.
Still, doing a little bit of everything will weaken Edgar at each individual thing he does. His Cure 2s will be better than nothing, but only a little bit. His Autocrossbow and Flash will both be good at clearing random encounters, but neither will be great. And his Chainsaw's damage will be pretty good considering, but nowhere near as competitive as other characters' best attacks. He'll get to do everything every other Edgar does, just not as well. And he'll have to figure out what to do for gear, since he hasn't got access to too many things that boost both Vigor and Magic at once. Force Armor and a Genji Shield (or vice-versa) with the Dragon Helmet can work, but it's hardly ideal.
CRITICAL ESPERS - Siren / Palidor
Siren, Palidor. Start off with Siren and try not to overlevel, then move to Palidor. In general a slightly higher ratio of Palidor to Siren is advisable as it allows Edgar to equip the more defensively synergistic +Magic gear and still keep his stats at rough parity. Just don't go too far overboard, or it's not really worth bothering with Siren levels at all.
USEFUL ESPERS - Nothing, really
Unicorn can be nice for HP as on any Edgar, but a hybrid Edgar needs every last point of Vigor and Magic he can possibly get, and that leaves little room for diversion. If you expect to do everything, you'd better expect to spend a lot of time investing in everything!