Armor (Guardsman → Dragoon)

The heavily-armored tank with excellent stats who, tragically, moves so slowly that battles end before they arrive.

Rating: 1/10 (WORST CLASS IN GAME)

Table of contents

1. Overview
2. Class Progression
   1. Advancement Levels
3. Available Characters
4. Statistics
   1. Stat Distribution
5. Why Armor is 1/10 (Worst Class)
   1. The Movement Catastrophe
   2. The “Useless Stats” Paradox
6. Why Not Just “Walk Faster”?
   1. You Can’t Fix The Movement Problem
7. What Happens In Practice
   1. Typical Battle With Armor Unit
8. The Late-Game Disaster
   1. Enemy Mages Make It Even Worse
   2. The “Babysitting” Problem
9. Comparison: Armor vs Knight
10. Strategic Analysis (Or Lack Thereof)
    1. No Valid Strategy Exists
11. The Only “Benefit”
    1. Challenge Runs
12. Common “Defenses” of Armor (Debunked)
    1. “But High DEF Means Tanky!”
    2. “High ATK Means Strong!”
    3. “I’ll Use Them In Long Battles!”
    4. “But Dragoon Sounds Cool!”
13. Equipment (That You’ll Never Use)
    1. Weapon Progression
    2. Armor Progression
14. FAQ Authors’ Consensus (Universal Condemnation)
    1. Jeff Chan (Atom Edge)
    2. Syonyx
    3. All FAQ Authors
15. Final Verdict
16. The “Never Armor” Commitment
    1. At Level 10, You Choose
17. Next Steps
18. Epilogue: Why Does This Class Exist?
    1. Game Design Perspective

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Overview

“To be quite frank, this is, in my opinion, the worse class in the entire game. You will never get to use either trait. Ever.” - Jeff Chan

The Armor class is universally rated 1/10 by FAQ authors - the worst class in Vandal Hearts. Despite having phenomenal ATK and DEF stats, Armor units have such pathetically low movement that they never reach combat before battles end. By the time they arrive, your Mages and Archers have already won.

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Class Progression

Level 1-9          Level 10-19        Level 20+
═══════════════════════════════════════════════════
Soldier ──────────> Guardsman ─────> Dragoon

Advancement Levels

Level	Class	Key “Improvements”
1-9	Soldier	Normal movement (3-4 tiles)
10-19	Guardsman	MOVEMENT DROPS TO 2 TILES (disaster!)
20+	Dragoon	Still only 2 tiles movement (useless)

CRITICAL: At Level 10, choosing Guardsman permanently cripples the character with 2-tile movement. NEVER CHOOSE THIS PATH!

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Available Characters

Character	Starting Level	When Joins	SHOULD Become Armor?
Clint Picard	5	Starting character	NO! Knight instead!
Grog Drinkwater	11	Chapter 2, Section 7	NO! Knight instead!
Dolan	12	Chapter 2, Section 6	NO! Knight instead!

RECOMMENDATION: Make ZERO Armor units. Keep ALL THREE as Knights (6/10, far superior).

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Statistics

Stat Distribution

Stat	Rating	Reality
ATK	Very High	Excellent (never gets to use it)
DEF	Very High	Phenomenal (never gets to use it)
AGL	Low	Poor evasion
MAG DEF	Low	Terrible vs magic
MOVE	LOW	2 TILES (completely crippling)

Strengths: Strong against Archers (if they could reach them)

Weaknesses: Vulnerable to magic, pathetically slow

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Why Armor is 1/10 (Worst Class)

The Movement Catastrophe

“Range can only be described as utterly pathetic. By time it gets halfway toward enemy, battle would have long been over.” - Jeff Chan

The Fundamental Problem:

• Armor Movement: 2 tiles per turn
• Normal Movement: 3-4 tiles per turn
• Typical Battle Length: 10-15 turns
• Typical Map Size: 20-30 tiles from start to enemy

The Math:

• Armor total distance in 10 turns: 20 tiles
• Normal unit distance in 10 turns: 30-40 tiles
• Result: Armor halfway to enemy when battle ends

What Actually Happens:

Turn 1:  [Armor] ← 25 tiles → [Enemy Army]
Turn 2:  [Armor] ← 23 tiles → [Enemy Army]
Turn 3:  [Armor] ← 21 tiles → [Enemy Army]
Turn 4:  [Armor] ← 19 tiles → [Enemy Army]
         Meanwhile: Your Mages cast Phase Shift
Turn 5:  [Armor] ← 17 tiles → [Half-dead enemies]
Turn 6:  [Armor] ← 15 tiles → [Few enemies remaining]
Turn 7:  [Armor] ← 13 tiles → [Battle almost over]
Turn 8:  [Armor] ← 11 tiles → [Last enemy dies]
         BATTLE ENDS
         Armor never reached combat

Armor units literally do not participate in battles. They walk slowly toward enemies while everyone else wins.

The “Useless Stats” Paradox

What Armor Has:

• Very High ATK - Could deal 80-100 damage per hit!
• Very High DEF - Could survive 10-15 hits!
• Excellent tanking - Could absorb entire enemy army!

The Cruel Reality:

• Can’t use ATK - Never reaches enemies to attack
• Can’t use DEF - Never gets hit (too far away)
• Can’t tank - Enemies never encounter Armor unit

“Sports rather high attack power and phenomenal defense (actually useful traits). You will never get to use either trait. Ever.” - Jeff Chan

It’s Like:

• Buying fastest sports car in world
• But it has no wheels
• Stats are amazing
• But fundamentally unusable

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Why Not Just “Walk Faster”?

You Can’t Fix The Movement Problem

Player Solutions That Don’t Work:

“I’ll start Armor in front!”

• Armor starts 2 tiles ahead of party
• Normal units catch up in 1-2 turns (move 3-4 vs 2)
• Still arrive late
• Doesn’t fix problem

“I’ll only move Armor!”

• Skip moving other units?
• Then enemies kill your unprotected Mages
• Game Over
• Terrible strategy

“Battles will last longer!”

• Battles last 8-15 turns typically
• Armor needs 15-20 turns to reach back-line enemies
• Math doesn’t work out

“I’ll position Armor better!”

• Movement is 2 tiles regardless of positioning
• Can’t position your way out of fundamental flaw
• Physics don’t lie

There is NO solution. 2-tile movement is permanently crippling.

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What Happens In Practice

Typical Battle With Armor Unit

Your Party:

• Clint (Armor) + 11 other characters

Round 1:

• Everyone: Advance toward enemy
• Clint (Armor): Moves 2 tiles (now 23 tiles from enemy)

Round 2-5:

• Archers: Shoot enemies (4-6 tiles range, already shooting)
• Mages: Cast Phase Shift (5 enemies take 60 damage each)
• Clint (Armor): Moves 2 tiles per turn (now 15 tiles from enemy)

Round 6-8:

• Knights: Engage enemy front line (melee combat)
• Priests: Heal wounded allies
• Clint (Armor): Moves 2 tiles per turn (now 9 tiles from enemy)

Round 9:

• Mages: Cast Phase Shift again (remaining enemies dead)
• Archers: Shoot last survivors
• BATTLE ENDS - Victory!

Clint (Armor): Never reached combat

• Walked slowly toward enemy for 9 turns
• Never attacked
• Never got attacked
• Never contributed
• Completely useless

Experience Gained:

• Everyone else: 40-80 exp (participated in combat)
• Clint (Armor): 10 exp (participation bonus only)
• Falls behind in levels

“By time it gets halfway toward enemy, battle would have long been over. Ended by characters of actually useful class.” - Jeff Chan

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The Late-Game Disaster

Enemy Mages Make It Even Worse

“More and more mage type enemies. Fully capable of wasting Armor class character with one spell.” - Jeff Chan

Chapter 4-6:

• Many enemy Mages appear
• Enemy Mages cast Phase Shift
• Armor has LOW MAG DEF

What Happens:

• Enemy Mage casts Phase Shift on your party
• Hits everyone in 3x3 to 4x4 area
• Mages/Archers: Take 40-50 damage (have high MAG DEF)
• Armor unit: Takes 80-100 damage (low MAG DEF)
• Armor unit dies instantly

The Irony:

• Armor has highest physical DEF (survives physical attacks)
• Armor has lowest MAG DEF (dies to magic)
• Enemy Mages counter Armor completely

Armor units are more vulnerable than normal units because low MAG DEF + can’t reach enemy mages to stop them.

The “Babysitting” Problem

What You Must Do:

• Position Armor unit away from enemy Mages
• Spend turns moving Armor to safety
• “Protect” Armor from magic damage
• Waste turns on useless unit

Jeff Chan’s Assessment:

“Must devote precious turns keeping Armor characters away from enemy mages. Turns essentially wasted.”

The Absurdity:

• Armor supposed to be tank (protect others)
• Reality: YOU must protect Armor (from magic)
• Complete role reversal
• Fundamentally broken

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Comparison: Armor vs Knight

Armor (1/10) vs Knight (6/10):

Aspect	Armor (1/10)	Knight (6/10)
ATK	Very High (90)	High (70)
DEF	Very High (60)	High (45)
MOVE	2 tiles (crippling)	3-4 tiles (normal)
Reaches Combat?	NO (too slow)	YES (arrives on time)
Contributes to battles?	NO (useless)	YES (tanks front)
Vulnerable to magic?	YES (low MAG DEF)	Moderate (average MAG DEF)
Viable?	NO	Yes (serviceable)

The Verdict:

• Armor stats: Better
• Armor performance: Infinitely worse
• Movement matters more than stats

Knight is 6x better than Armor (6/10 vs 1/10). Always choose Knight!

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Strategic Analysis (Or Lack Thereof)

No Valid Strategy Exists

Attempted Strategies:

Strategy 1: “Armor as Defensive Anchor”

• Idea: Armor holds position, enemies come to them
• Reality: Enemies don’t reach Armor (Mages kill first)
• Fails

Strategy 2: “Slow Advance Together”

• Idea: Entire party moves at Armor’s pace (2 tiles/turn)
• Reality: Enemy wipes your immobile party with Phase Shift
• Game Over

Strategy 3: “Send Armor Ahead Early”

• Idea: Armor advances while party waits
• Reality: Armor reaches enemy alone, surrounded, dies
• Loses valuable unit

Strategy 4: “Use Armor vs Archers”

• Idea: Armor counters archers (type advantage)
• Reality: Your Archers kill enemy archers before Armor arrives
• Unnecessary

Conclusion:

• Every strategy fails
• No way to make Armor useful
• Better to not have Armor at all

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The Only “Benefit”

Challenge Runs

If You Want Hard Mode:

• Make one or more Armor units
• Deliberately handicap yourself
• Play with effectively 11 characters instead of 12
• Armor walks slowly, never contributes
• Self-imposed challenge

Valid Reasons:

• You’ve beaten game optimally
• You want extra difficulty
• You enjoy handicapped runs
• You understand it makes game harder

This is the ONLY valid reason to make Armor - intentionally choosing hard mode.

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Common “Defenses” of Armor (Debunked)

“But High DEF Means Tanky!”

The Logic:

• Armor has very high DEF
• Can survive many hits
• Best tank in game?

Why It’s Wrong:

• Tanks must reach enemies to tank
• Armor never reaches enemies (too slow)
• High DEF useless if never getting hit
• Can’t tank from 15 tiles away

“High ATK Means Strong!”

The Logic:

• Armor deals 80-100 damage per hit
• More than Knights (70 damage)
• Better damage dealer?

Why It’s Wrong:

• Must reach enemies to deal damage
• Armor never reaches enemies (too slow)
• 0 attacks × 100 damage = 0 total damage
• Knight at 70 damage × 10 attacks = 700 total damage
• Armor deals ZERO damage (never attacks)

“I’ll Use Them In Long Battles!”

The Logic:

• Some battles are longer (20+ turns)
• Armor will reach eventually
• Worth it for long battles?

Why It’s Wrong:

• Even 20-turn battles end before Armor arrives
• Armor needs 15 turns to reach back-line
• Your Mages end battle in 8-12 turns
• “Long” isn’t long enough

“But Dragoon Sounds Cool!”

The Logic:

• Dragoon is cool name
• Sounds powerful
• Want to use Dragoons!

Why It’s Wrong:

• Name doesn’t matter if unit is useless
• Dragoon still has 2-tile movement (crippled)
• Cool name ≠ viable class
• Rule of cool doesn’t override physics

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Equipment (That You’ll Never Use)

Weapon Progression

Chapter	Weapon	ATK	Cost/Source
Ch. 2	Iron Axe	+12	550G
Ch. 3-5	Battle Axe	+22	2,200G
Ch. 5-6	Great Axe	+27	8,140G
Ch. 6.2	Ragnarok	+39	Secret chest

Don’t buy these. Your Armor unit will never attack anyone.

Armor Progression

Chapter	Armor	DEF	Cost/Source
Ch. 1	Padded Leather	+7	110G
Ch. 2	Chain Mail	+17	450G
Ch. 3-5	Scale Mail	+26	1,800G
Ch. 5-6	Kevlar	+39	6,660G
Ch. 5.1	Plate Armor	+32	Secret chest

Don’t buy these either. Your Armor unit will never get hit.

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FAQ Authors’ Consensus (Universal Condemnation)

Jeff Chan (Atom Edge)

Rating: 1/10 Quote: “To be quite frank, this is, in my opinion, the worse class in the entire game.” Critical Issue: “By time it gets halfway toward enemy, battle would have long been over” Recommendation: “Never use this class path.”

Syonyx

Rating: Worst tier Focus: Heavy armor, very slow Strengths: Strong against archers (if they could reach them) Weaknesses: Vulnerable to magic, catastrophically low movement Recommendation: Avoid completely

All FAQ Authors

Consensus: NEVER MAKE ARMOR Unanimous: Worst class in game Agreement: 2-tile movement is unrecoverable flaw

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Final Verdict

NEVER USE THIS CLASS

Why Armor is 1/10:

• 2-tile movement = never reaches combat
• High stats = useless (never gets to use them)
• Low MAG DEF = dies to enemy mages
• Takes experience from useful characters
• Essentially playing with 11 characters instead of 12

The Fundamental Flaw:

• Movement is everything in strategy games
• Armor has worst movement (2 tiles)
• Unusable regardless of other stats

What To Do Instead:

• Choose Knight at Level 10 (6/10, vastly superior)
• Knights have 3-4 tile movement (normal)
• Knights reach combat (actually contribute)
• Knights are serviceable frontline units

If you make Armor, you are voluntarily choosing to handicap yourself. There is NO scenario where Armor is better than Knight!

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The “Never Armor” Commitment

At Level 10, You Choose

When Clint/Grog/Dolan reach Level 10:

Option A: Swordsman (Knight path)

• Rating: 6/10
• Serviceable frontline fighter
• Normal movement (3-4 tiles)
• Contributes to battles
• CHOOSE THIS

Option B: Guardsman (Armor path)

• Rating: 1/10
• Worst class in game
• Crippled movement (2 tiles)
• Never contributes
• NEVER CHOOSE THIS

The choice is obvious: Knight (6/10) » Armor (1/10). Always choose Knight. Always.

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Next Steps

• DO: Make all Soldiers into Knights (Swordsman → Duelist)
• DON’T: Ever make Armor (Guardsman → Dragoon)
• Review Knight Class Guide for proper frontline class (6/10)
• Review Job Classes Overview for optimal party composition

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“The walking statue that never arrives.”

Armor - The Worst Class In Vandal Hearts

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Epilogue: Why Does This Class Exist?

Game Design Perspective

Theory:

• Developers wanted “tank” archetype
• High DEF + low MOVE = defensive specialist
• Intended for defensive playstyles?

Reality:

• Vandal Hearts battles are offensive (attack enemy)
• Maps require reaching enemy position
• Defensive specialist doesn’t fit game design
• Class doesn’t match game’s structure

Lesson:

• Stats don’t matter if can’t participate
• Movement > everything else
• Armor is proof that mobility is king

Armor class is unintentional proof that movement is the most important stat in strategy games. No amount of ATK/DEF compensates for inability to reach combat.