Shanty Pete's 1st Mate

Ahoy, one and all! ‘Tis I, Shanty Pete’s First Mate! In all me time ‘round the seven seas, I’ve dug up many a treasure. But in the process, I’ve discovered the greatest treasure of all. Is it love? Or friendship? Neither, ye silly livers – it’s legendary weapons! Tools of extraordinary value and immense power… those are the Captain’s favorite. Even though he can’t always make use of them… But what, exactly, makes a weapon “legendary”? What traits does it need to fulfill? Does its narrative function matter more, or should we only look at gameplay? And how can I avoid spending a boatload of gold on “Missiletainn” – how was I supposed to know it wasn’t “Mystletainn”?!? The Captain had me hide for that one, and I’m lookin’ to get back into his good graces. There are, essentially, two ways to do this. One is to look at all the “legendary” weapons, and see what traits they have in common. The other is to define a bunch of “legendary” traits, and see which weapons fulfill them. I don’t think it’s possible to strictly do one, or the other. If I do the former, then an easy objection is “wait, [weapon X] isn’t legendary!”, or “why didn’t you count [weapon Y]?” If the latter, then it’s “that trait doesn’t make sense, since it doesn’t include [weapon Z]!” As such, my approach will be to first take a look at a handful of “consensus” legendary weapons – that is, those that ninety-nine percent of players would probably call “legendary”. From there, we can identify shared traits, and use them to evaluate “edge cases”. Let’s start at the start. Exhibit A: Falchion (Archanea) This sword was forged from the fang of the great dragon, Naga, roughly a millennium before Marth embarked on his original adventure. It was used by the hero Anri, who would go on to found the Kingdom of Altea, to slay the Earth Dragon, Medeus. A century later, however, the sorcerer Gharnef revived Medeus, and took Falchion as his own. However, Marth would reclaim the sword, and use it to finish off Medeus for good. …Until three years later, when Marth had to do the same stuff all over again. Why am I so confident calling Falchion a “legendary weapon”, right out the gate? Simple, really – it’s in the lore. Falchion is divine in origin, with a storied history of defeating a fearsome foe of great power. In the original title, Shadow Dragon and the Blade of Light, it’s the “Blade of Light”. If Falchion can’t be called legendary prima facie, then I may as well pack my bags and ship right on out. Between its four Archanean appearances, the Falchion differs somewhat in stats, although other traits stay the same. On the S/NES, it has 10 Might, but this increases to 12 Might on the DS titles. Its Weight also fluctuates. However, certain traits remain the same for it – it has 100 Hit, 0 Crit, and infinite durability. It can only be used at 1-range, and Marth is its only user. It doesn’t become available to him until the second- or third-to-last mainline chapter in any game. While it has no explicit value, it cannot be sold to the shop. Even in games with forging, it cannot be forged to become stronger. At first blush, this may not seem so impressive. The Silver Sword has 12 Might and 100 Hit in all the Archanea games (well, 90 Hit in Old Mystery). And while it demands a high weapon rank, it can be used by any Sword-wielding class. So, is Falchion just a Marth-exclusive Silver Sword, with infinite durability? By no means! Here’s where we get into the special effects. In all of its appearances, the Falchion does bonus damage against the final boss, Medeus – and in all games beyond the first, this extends to all enemy Manaketes as well. What’s more, in the first game, it can seal certain physical attacks from the enemy. Finally, in all games but Old Mystery, Marth can use it to restore his own HP, whenever he feels like it. There are plenty of traits here that may grab the eyes – infinite durability, limited accessibility, and effectiveness against the final boss, to name a few. But are any of these conditions necessary, or even sufficient, for a legendary weapon? Let’s not be satisfied with a sample size of one here! Exhibit J: Book of Forseti This is a tome of wind magic, originally crafted (written?) by the dragon who shares its name. It was gifted to the Crusader, Sety (using this name to distinguish him from Erinys’ son), with whom he made a blood pact, in the Miracle of Dahna. Sety then used the tome, alongside his similarly empowered allies, to turn the tide of war against the Loptyrian Empire. Together, they were able to defeat Emperor Galle XII, and his benefactor, the dark dragon Loptyr. After Sety founded the Kingdom of Silesse in northern Jugdral, the Book of Forseti became its national treasure. Centuries later, Queen Rahna would bestow it upon her son, Prince Lewyn, who used it to reclaim his homeland and aid his ally, Sigurd. In one possible future, it is inherited by his son Ced, who joins Prince Leif in liberating the Munster District from the Grannvalean Empire and the Loptous Cult. In gameplay, the Book of Forseti is a Wind Tome with a * ranking. This means that it can only be used by individuals with Major Forseti blood. In the first generation of Genealogy of the Holy War, this is Lewyn. In the second generation, this is Lewyn’s son. However, among Lewyn’s possible sons, the only ones who can ever wield wind magic – and therefore, Forseti – are Arthur, Coirpre, and Ced. The last case is what Thracia 776 goes with – in that title, Forseti is effectively Ced’s personal weapon. In either game, it’s a powerful weapon, with high Might (30 in FE4, 20 in FE5), 90 Hit, low Weight (5 in FE4, 6 in FE5), and 50 uses. As with most magical spells, it can hit at 1-2 range. Most substantial, however, are the stat boosts that it provides. In FE4, that’s +10 Skill and a whopping +20 Speed. In FE5, it’s +20 to both Skill and Speed, alongside 30 base Crit rate, and effective damage against enemy fliers. As for its availability – well, that depends. In generation I of Genealogy, the Book of Forseti cannot be acquired until after Castle Silesse is liberated. At that point, there’s just one more castle to go in chapter 4, as well as the whole of chapter 5. In generation II, it comes with his son. So, if Arthur is Lewyn’s son, it will be usable as soon as chapter 6. But if Coirpre is his son, then it won’t be available until chapter 9, and won’t be usable until his son promotes. With Ced as his son, it comes late in chapter 8. As for Thracia 776, while green unit Ced will use it in chapter 4x, playable Ced won’t come around until chapter 23. That is, with just two or three chapters left to go in the game. One more thing – much like Falchion, the Book of Forseti cannot be sold in either appearance. However, while its uses may appear limited in both games, that’s not entirely true. In Genealogy, the Tome can be repaired at any castle – I assume the blacksmith has a store of fresh ink. However, it comes at a cost – 1000 Gold per use! For comparison, the Tornado, an A-rank wind tome, has a cost of 240 Gold per use. In fact, this price is shared with all other usable * rank weapons, excluding the Valkyrie Staff. Exhibit E: Armads Armads, the Thunder Axe, was forged by mankind during the Scouring, about a millenium before the events of FE6. It was used by the Berserker, Durban. As one of the Eight Legends, he fought against Dragonkind, and claimed Elibe for humanity. After the war, he stowed the weapon in a cavern in the Western Isles. There, it lay undisturbed, until the Lycian lordling Hector took it up as his own. He used it to defeat Nergal and the Fire Dragon, saving the continent from war… for about two decades. Returned to its original hiding place, it was taken up again by one of Roy’s comrades, to rescue Elibe from King Zephiel’s nihilistic machinations. Armads is a weapon of high Might – 18 in both appearances – but it’s offset by its high Weight (13 in FE6, 18 in FE7). It’s also relatively accurate for an Axe (75 Hit in FE6, 85 Hit in FE7). Its durability is limited, however, with 20 uses in FE6 and 25 in FE7. That said, it does provide effective damage against enemy dragons, alongside a welcome +5 Defense to the wielder. It cannot be sold, in any case. Speaking of which, who can wield Armads? In FE6, it’s an S-rank Axe. Ergo, any unit who has reached S-rank in Axes can equip it, be they named Dieck or Douglas, Barth or Bartre. The same does not hold in FE7 – in that game, the Thunder Axe is exclusive to Hector. While it comes relatively early in FE6 (chapter 12x, roughly halfway through the game), it isn’t usable in FE7 until the very last chapter. One more trait of note – in FE6, Armads is necessary for achieving the “true end”. It must not only be acquired, but also have at least 1 use remaining on it, in order for the player to progress beyond chapter 22. The same is true of Durandal, Forblaze, Aureola, Mulagir, Maltet, Apocalypse, and the Binding Blade. Exhibit T: Alondite The mighty sword, Alondite, is a weapon blessed by the Goddess Ashera. It was used by the Beorc heroine, Altina, along with its sister blade, Ragnell. In tandem with the Laguz Kings, Dheginsea and Soan, she fought to seal the Goddess of Chaos, Yune. From this point, Altina founded the Kingdom of Begnion, and Alondite became one of its national treasures. Fast forward a few centuries, and Alondite has become the personal weapon of the enigmatic Black Knight. Strange… why would a general of Daein be wielding Begnion’s national treasure? The Black Knight uses Alondite to defeat the hero Greil in single combat, but Ike would return the favor three years later, using its twin blade Ragnell (or a Hammer LOL). From there, Yune may bless Alondite, to make it a useful tool against the remaining Disciples of Order – not to mention, Ashera herself. Alondite is a powerful weapon in both appearances, with 18 Might, 80 Hit, and 1-2 range. It also comes with a massive 20 Weight, but with a minor 5 Crit, alongside infinite durability. It also grants +5 Defense to the user. While it is enemy-exclusive in Path of Radiance, it becomes available to the player during the Endgame of Radiant Dawn. While its sister blade, Ragnell, is exclusive to Ike, Alondite can be used by any unit with SS rank in Swords. Unlike Ragnell, it cannot be used to deal the final blow on Ashera. Exhibit F: The Lance of Ruin The Lance of Ruin is a Hero’s Relic, associated with House Gautier of the Kingdom. Within the story’s narrative, it was stolen by Miklan, the elder son of Margrave Gautier. Regardless of which house they choose to lead, Teach will travel north to the Tower of Black Winds, to reclaim the Hero’s Relic. However, Miklan, who lacks a Crest, finds himself transformed into a hideous Black Beast. Once the Black Beast is defeated, Teach will give the Lance to Rhea – or Sylvain will interject, asking to take the Lance of Ruin for himself. While the Archbishop is disturbed by the request, she relents, instructing Sylvain not to let anyone else use the Hero’s Relic. Teach is free to disregard this directive with little-to-no penalty. But where does the Lance of Ruin come from? As a Hero’s Relic, it’s a gift from the Goddess, originally provided to Gautier, one of the Ten Elites. Don’t mind all the twitching, it’s true! …From a certain point of view. Now, it should come as no surprise that the Lance of Ruin is another powerful weapon. It has a shocking 22 Might, alongside 20 Crit, and a rather low Weight of 9. However, its hit rate is just 65, which could be problematic. Moreover, it has a meager 20 uses, but it can be repaired using the rare ore, Umbral Steel. However, it cannot be forged into a stronger form. The Lance of Ruin can be acquired right after chapter 5 (with Sylvain on the player’s team), or otherwise, once Sylvain’s paralogue has been completed. Strangely enough, the Lance of Ruin can be used by… anyone? Really? That’s right, it’s an E-rank Lance. And since literally any class can use Lances, there’s no unit who can’t equip it. However, some do so better than others. If a unit doesn’t have a Crest, they will take up to 10 (non-lethal) damage after every phase of combat. Units who have a Crest take no penalty, but they receive no benefit otherwise. With one exception, in the Crest of Gautier. Any unit with the Crest of Gautier (Sylvain in NG, anyone with the Crest Stone in NG+) can use the exclusive combat art, Ruined Sky. This grants a stellar +13 Might, as well as +10 each to Hit, Crit, Avoid, and Dodge. Moreover, this art deals bonus damage against flying and draconic enemies. One more thing – while Three Houses does not give weapons exclusive icons, there are differences among them. While most Lances have Bronze icon, the Lance of Ruin has a Golden icon. The same applies to other Hero’s Relics, including the “artificial” ones, like Aymr. Other weapons, such as the Spear of Assal or the Axe of Ukonvasara, have a Silver Icon. Finally, a black icon is exclusive to the Scythe of Sariel, the Death Knight’s signature weapon. Well, with all these cases assembled, I’m all ready to… to… honestly, I’m done. I had already planned this to be a multi-part series, but Part I is ending sooner than I had anticipated. Obviously, I’m not going to do a “rundown” of every legendary weapon – no matter what the Captain tells you, I’m not a masochist. However, using these cases, it should be possible to analyze what traits are shared among the weapons, and where differences emerge. This should help to interpret the “legendary” status of other weapons, and in particular, should provide a template for analyzing “edge cases”. Beyond this point, I’d like to talk about what I view as the positives and negatives of legendary weapons, and how I’d like to see them handled in future games. Thanks for reading, and let me know what you think in the comments below! If I've made any mistakes, please let me know, and I'll correct them. If you'd like to bring attention to any other legendary weapon, feel free to do so.

Sol is almost always better. Think about enemy phase: Sol can only help, by restoring the user's HP, improving their survivability. While Luna can only hurt, by killing more enemies, and giving the user more chances to take damage. One substantial exception, I will say, is in Genealogy. Dew is the only unit with Sol by default, and his combat is... bad. He'll do very little damage, and against most enemy types, he'll get two-shot. Restoring a couple points of HP isn't saving him. Likewise for Dew!Patty. And Dew!Leen is actively hurt by this skill, since it sabotages her Miracle strats in the Arena. Compare with Luna, which comes on Chulainn. It can help him achieve surprising one-rounds in the field, or "punch above his weight" in the Arena. Sure, it's weaker than a crit in this game, but it can stack with a crit - or with effective damage. And any of the kids can benefit - even just in the Arena, more Luna means fewer durability points to repair.

Huh? HGSS came out as part of Gen IV, before BW. They had already remade Johto. Admittedly, they were probably working on both games simultaneously. And Gen V deserves credit for, if notjing else, introducing the most Pokemon at once. Sure, a lot of them were derivative of templates that had been around since Gen I. But there were plenty of creative winners in the bunch.

Huh, TIL I learned that Ultimate's Japanese name is Super Smash Bros SP.

Ace Attorney "have a third case that's actually good" challenge Yeah, I haven't played AAI2, but I've heard really good things about it. Of course, every review is anecdotal on some level, so it's hard to evaluate its "objective" quality. My own "gut feeling" is that it was more of a timing issue. It was very weird for me, coming of age in the GBC/A era, to see another "generation" on the same console. Admittedly, though, RBY came out (internationally) super late in the Game Boy's lifecycle, while the Color and Advance had relatively short reigns. The DS went 7 years strong, and it probably could've lasted another year. Admittedly, Pokemon has always been late to the party. The original RG came out in 1996, while RB made it out of Japan in 1998. On a console that came out in 1989/90. Months before the Game Boy Color was due out. RS took about 18 months, while Diamond & Pearl came out about 30 months after the DS in North America. Likewise for X & Y. Game Freak probably don't want to get out in front of any unproven console.

The thing is, New Mystery came out in July 2010 in Japan. So, it would've made it to other territories in late 2010, early 2011. Just a few months before the 3DS was due out. Nintendo probably figured that it was too late in the system's lifespan to localize it. Capcom did the same thing with Ace Attorney Investigations 2, which was February 2011 in Japan. Who's getting excited for a new game on yesterday's system? Pokemon fans notwithstanding... Looking at this site, it seems to be the case that Shadow Dragon did roughly as well as each Tellius game (outside Japan), while surpassing the Tellius games inside Japan. So, perhaps New Mystery would've come out if the ratio for Shadow Dragon were more internationally-skewed. Still, it's impossible to ignore the timing within the handheld's lifespan. To pay homage to this, Nintendo will remake and rerelease Thracia 776, but only to players who have accumulated (and are willing to spend) 10,000 Platinum coins on their "My Nintendo" account.

Huh? Most sales data I can find indicates that Shadow Dragon sold better than either Path of Radiance or Radiant Dawn. It didn't "save" the series, but it somewhat reversed the "low point" of marketability in the Tellius era. ...Well you've got me there. Ochward.

I quite like the design! Has a very "femme fatale" vibe. It'd be especially cool to see this sort of "Evil Peach" if they ever revive the Wario Land series.

The only good romance in Fire Emblem is in Sacred Stones. Between Orson and Monica. He was really willing to do anything for his "darling". I understood. I was just joking about Sleuf getting M-preg'd by the Ghost of Claud. Anyway, I'm fine with ghosts hanging around, since Genealogy's secret scene, in chapter 10, featured the ghosts of Sigurd and Dierdre.

Oh, boy. Maybe Sleuf can have Claud's babies instead? Hm... perhaps they could've given Rudolf and Berkut a "Conqueror" class? That is, 8-move Cavalry with both Swords and Lances. That way, Rudolf would be able to use Falchion in battle, while Berkut could use whichever Sword he feels like. The "radical" play would be to give Alm access to the class - either right after defearing Rudolf, or solely in the postgame. As for "playable Berkut", it might've been cool when we didn't know much about him. Same with Rinea. That said, given his personality and arc, I'm rather glad he's not playable. He's an awful person who crosses the moral event horizon at the end, and the "redemption" he receives is already morally insulting. In a just world, Rinea would've dumped his ass long beforehand. That could work, I suppose. Maybe hide him in the Bragi Tower, given Orgahill's remoteness. Still seems a little morbid, making him a "vegetable-dad" of sorts. Ah, that kinda matches the previous idea. It's interesting, that it's simultaneously "Word of God", but also a kind of "headcanon". Since the player's choices can dictate who marries whom, thus making this outcome easily contradictible.

I would contend that Berkut is intended to be the Camus, whereas Rudolf is the Hardin. Of course, neither becomes playable (thankfully), so it's really a wash. Here's hoping that Reinhardt isn't, either. Well, characters like Sylvia have to survive, because their children haven't been born yet. And whoever her husband is has to survive, because Coirpre, at the very least, hasn't been conceived yet. In fact, Ayra is the only mother who definitively gives birth before the battle, and thus the only one who could die in it (assuming she's paired up and lives to see it). Depending on the player's choices, as many as 13 characters (out of 20 playable at that point) would necessarily survive the ambush - assuming none of the other kids have been born yet. Actually... this creates a contradiction. Claud foresees his own death at Belhalla. But if you pair him with Sylvia, then he must be the father of Leen and Coirpre. But in Gen II, twenty years later... I mean, maybe Leen is old enough, but Coirpre? No way. He barely looks like he's passed puberty. He couldn't have been conceived before Belhalla. The only reasonable assumption? Claud's ghost gets Sylvia pregnant the second time. Maybe have a map with "green unit Ishtar" defending a bunch of child NPCs? And you need to clear the map before she - or any of the kids - get killed or captured, for the maximum reward? Could be a cool way for her to function. Not as cool as making her playable, but slightly less dissonant wuth the fact that you eventually have to kill her.

I read this as though "Nights Before Mario" were a game title... any potential for this crossover?

This class barely exists. Which should make for a quick rundown! I'll only be counting those games that I've played to completion, wherein there's a playable, infantry (non-Armored), Lance-oriented final promotion. So, not stuff like Recruit Amelia in Sacred Stones. From worst to best: That's what I think, at least. Not many to talk about here, really. It's been a great series, though! Big thanks to @Whisky for kicking it off, and @Zapp Branniglenn for closing it out.

She doesn't look particularly "evil" or "mischievious", outside of a darker outfit. Maybe the "horns" were supposed to be devil horns? But they look kinda like cat ears, which are innatelly cutesy. I do like the "goth"-ness of her outfit, at least. I feel like they could've done more to make her look "weird". Like, Wario is chubby with a wide pink nose, while Waluigi is lanky with a pointy pink nose. Perhaps Wapeach could've been given a drooping nose, a la Squidward, in the same bright pink shade? Maybe an upside-down crown (flat on the top, pointy on the bottom) too, as a counterpart to Peach. Actually, a stylized fez could work to that end. And if they don't want to give her a mustache, at the very least, she could be rocking a unibrow. As for the name, "Wapeach" isn't the worst... bit perhaps they could do something more localized? Like, Peach is a fruit, so her counterpart should be named for a vegetable. In light of her purple outfit, how about Princess Eggplant?

Oh, I see it now. That's weird. Maybe a glitch? I definitely had meant to quote your text. Truthfully, I'm not opposed to this sort of Jeigan. I'd wanted a "Bishop Jeigan" for a while, which we kinda sorta got in Fates. In terms of Gaiden/SoV, I think it'd be alright... if they have some kind of Achilles Heel. Like a low Luck stat, or a personal skill where their spells are more accurate, but cost them more HP.Something to make them not "strictly superior" to the other units joining at the same time.