Siskan

I think my issue is that I find Hard too easy, so I'm trying to say away from unnecessary battles which just make everyone overleveled. Doing them in order to get powerful weapons would just make them even more overpowered. I'd be interested to try it out if they implement Lunatic later on though.

^About outfits.

Byleth getting an S support will obviously lead to some kind of event and possibly affect the story etc. Basically it matters during the game. Maybe the others' A supports can then work like in the GBA games, meaning some of them will become couples after the story ends. I know this has been suggested already, but I'm just saying it would make sense having different ranks for that reason. If it's true that you can have multiple A supports, this may speak against it. Though there could be just one canon partner and you need to unlock that particular support to unlock the ending, while other A supports are of the friendly kind. I actually don't believe this is how it's going to be, but it could. I've always liked data transfer between games, having my actions in one game matter in another. So what I'd be interested in would be supports having an effect in a potential sequel. I wouldn't bet on this either though, but we did have something similar between FE9 and FE10. But I just haven't seen data transfer being utilized between any games for a long time.

Unless you can change it at the preparation screen or you start the same way you ended the last battle, that's going to get very annoying after a while. Not to mention you'll lose a turn doing so.

Yes. As much as I like challenge, these can feel a bit unfair and just force you to be overly cautious rather than thinking strategically. Or check guides for reinforcement turns. I'm fine with it if there's a good enough hint though, such as a comment from the boss. Then I can least move far away so that they cannot reach my units within the first turn. I can't remember whether Awakening had that, but some of the earlier games did anyway.

I like to have as much variety as possible, so I'm also a bit disappointed we're supposed to have most of them mounted in the end. I'm at least happy that for the most part they don't look ridiculous. But I'm not too happy about the shoulder pads of Great Knights. Mortal Savants and Dark Knights also look a little bit out of place. These will all feel like downgrades in terms of looks, but not terribly so.

If going by my earlier suggestion and actually lending the game, it'd be wise to suggest to do HM (but probably NM for the following route). Which is possible since you've already unlocked it. That's actually something I tried once and it worked out. However, I think it's more common to see people looking at Fire Emblem and thinking it looks way to hard. But yes, it's basically individual. I have another solution: Be my friend and I'll play Fire Emblem 9/10 times you ask me to.

This is the sad truth. It''s almost impossible to convince those gamers there's anything else you can get enjoyment out of. @Smfthegeek Now if the friends in question aren't like that, explaining that such fan art isn't representative of the actual game content would be the first step, actually I think they know and just want to tease you, but still. It might also be a good idea to pitch one of the earlier games with less fanservice first. Also explain what you like about those games and try to find similarities to the games they play. If they're close friends you might even want to lend them a game. The threshold for them to try will be greatly reduced that way.

That's good. : ) Though it saddens me if we're reaching a point where anime is considered good just because they did something by hand... But yes, CG really stands out when they do it no matter how much they try to conceal it.

They look fine, but they're nothing spectacular. I've been more impressed with 3D cutscenes in some of the earlier games (even though I prefer 2D at its best), though I'm not complaining. I agree that it isn't necessary to make a good FE. Neither of my favorites in the series had it.

There are 2D anime-like cutscenes as well in this game. So that's another reason. They are basically TV quality though, at least from what I've seen so far. So I'd probably sacrifice them for character creation unless they are very well directed. As for male vs female, the female outfit is absolutely terrible. But other than that I think they're equally good.

Do you remember anyone specific? Although it'd probably be rare, you could in theory unlock all intermediate classes for all characters if so.

I feel the same. I hope I won't lose any important gambits due to making that choice. I'm also a bit worried about class requirements.

Not on purpose I'd think. Maybe some paths will become harder due to the choices you make during the storyline however.

I believe he means 60 hours each. He also said 200 hours for all three routes will likely be true for the reader.

While I also love Yuzo Koshiro's work, I always thought Mieko Ishikawa outdid him with her soundtrack for Ys III. The best version of which can be found on the PC-Engine version of the game.

Oh Golden Sun, the only thing I didn't love about those games was transferring the save data between the first two games using the code method. I hope the DS game won't be the last we'll ever see... I like those other series too by the way. I think this is the first time I've heard someone starting out with Shadow Dragon by the way, that's interesting. I think it's the only game in the series I haven't returned to actually, not that I disliked it though. I can totally relate to being slow at drawing... Do you post anything online? Welcome!

I also agree that you shouldn't feel pressured to play Classic. But I'll explain why I like it. It applies to the whole battles, but especially bosses. When the stakes aren't too high you might end up playing very sloppily. At least in my mind that becomes boring as you don't need to pay too much attention and make an effort. Now think about bosses, I mean you will likely have most of your units left at the end of each battle playing casual anyway. So now that you're facing the boss with a bunch of your units left and don't have to worry about them getting defeated, you can just send them in for a hit and if they lose you send the next unit essentially kamikaze style until the boss gets down to 0HP. This completely eradicates all challenge a boss offers, as I see it. I also agree with everything Ayra said. There are ways to balance the challenge Classic provides if you find it too harsh. But if you prefer Casual for whatever reason, go for it! If that's how you get the most enjoyment out of the game, there's absolutely no other option regardless what other people think or how many they are. : ) I only provided my view on Casual in case you were wondering why some people prefer Classic. I imagine that if you feel pressured it's likely because people are too busy trying to tell you that you aren't doing it right. I think the Supor Robot Taisen series does a much better job at making your moves matter despite lacking Permadeath by the way.

Hard. As for Casual vs Classic, I believe my profile should answer that. Though I'm not sure how I feel about Hard missing out on the free battles. As long as it's once a week and not unlimited, I'd like to have them. I prefer the difficulty level to only affect enemy levels/stats, amount, classes and weapons etc. Not gameplay.

Yes, I imagined something like that as well! Or a Fortress (with their low movement) desperately fleeing from someone with the resources to use an armor breaking weapon and Helm Splitter combined.

There will be situations where you only have access to either the weapon or combat art and I think it's good that the weapons are included despite the arts. Also, could there be a possibility that the effects would stack when using both the weapon and art?

My guess is that the war phase will work like most other games in the series, with traditional recruitment during battles. But I obviously don't have any proof. It'd be a bit disappointing if that wasn't the case though.

Thank you LSM, I appreciate this as well as your previous contributions. Leonie has also been seen used as example of the brigand class on the official site. Maybe a hidden axe talent? Felix on the other hand was pictured as a cavalier, so maybe lances in his case. I think the rest of the classes shown have been pictured with characters with corresponding strengths in weapons associated with them. Though I didn't double check all of them. Edit: Actually it seems we already know Felix doesn't have a strength in or hidden talent for lances, but we haven't seen whether he's good at riding. If he is that could be the reason. If not, I guess these examples don't have much meaning and it might not mean anything for Leonie either. Swords are at least associated with the cavalier class, but not required.

I don't like leaks for several reasons and prefer official reveals. Thad said I still want more information on skill strengths and weaknesses. I also hope things won't turn into a minefield of spoilers.