Super Smash Bros. Ultimate - Challenger Pack 5: Byleth (DLC) (Nintendo Switch)

My first thought watching the Byleth reveal was the same as half the Smash Discord: seriously, another Fire Emblem character? The roster already had seven sword-fighters from that franchise before Byleth showed up as the fifth and final pick in Fighters Pass Vol. 1. That frustration is real, it's documented, and it's worth naming upfront before we talk about what the pack actually delivers. Here's the thing though: once you stop comparing Byleth to the dream picks that didn't happen and judge them on their own terms, the moveset is genuinely interesting. The core concept is that each attack direction maps to a different Hero's Relic weapon. Neutral specials use Failnaught, the bow that charges into a fast arrow beam you cannot cancel once halfway through - a punishing commitment in competitive play. Sideways attacks pull out the Areadbhar lance, which has a sweet-spot tipper similar to Marth's that rewards precise spacing. Downward moves deploy the massive Aymr axe, including a Down Special that charges up super armor and hits like a freight train if it connects. Upward inputs use the whip-form Sword of the Creator, which doubles as a tether recovery to ledges and a devastating meteor smash on airborne opponents above 50% damage. Learning which weapon fires in which direction is the whole game with Byleth, and it makes the character feel like a fundamentals exam in four instruments. The honest downsides are significant for couch-play crowds. Byleth is slow - among the worst mobility in all of Ultimate according to competitive tier analysis - and most of the big damage moves telegraph hard enough that friends who've played for a hundred hours will read you like a book. The grab range is short, throws are not strong, and horizontal recovery is shaky. For casual four-player party matches this character plays differently than it does in a bracket setting: the big swings get punished constantly, which can feel clunky rather than powerful until someone at the table commits to labbing the spacing. Competitive players will note that pro MkLeo famously dominated offline events with Byleth, but the community itself acknowledged his results made up a disproportionate share of the character's entire result pool - so the ceiling is genuinely high, but the floor is genuinely punishing. The bundle content that comes with the pack is solid. There is a Garreg Mach Monastery stage with a rotating roster of locations from Three Houses, a generous music selection including tracks fans of that game will recognize immediately, and a set of spirits from Three Houses, three of which can be enhanced. If you played Three Houses and enjoyed it, this pack rewards that familiarity more than any mechanical novelty does. As a standalone fighter purchase for someone with no FE attachment, the value proposition is narrower. Check first whether the Fighters Pass Vol. 1 bundle offers better value if you are also missing Joker, Hero, Banjo and Kazooie, or Terry - all of whom arrived with more mechanical gimmicks and arguably stronger casual appeal.

Riley · Scout Team

Sports & racing

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