Roc

Neither were particularly interesting characters on their own. They're both plot devices, first and foremost. They exist to elicit rare emotional responses from stoic, unemotional main characters. The most impactful thing either of them do is die. I could quibble about details - Greil had a better death sequence, while Jeralt was marginally more interesting while he was alive, mostly due to the better cast of characters around him in 3H - but honestly I don't see the point in picking one over the other. They both serve their purpose.

I finished Blue Lions, and I just passed timeskip in Black Eagles. Loved Blue Lions. Good story, great cast of characters. I thought chapter 17 (I think it was 17? It was the one with the Gronder Field rematch) was a weak point, but that was a small spot on an otherwise amazing experience. Obviously I have a lot left to do, but this route will be a tough bar for the other routes to clear. I'm enjoying Black Eagles, but there are more problems with it. Contrary to a lot of the chatter, I don't think Edelgard is a problem at all. She's a very good character IMO. My problem is that staying by her side basically requires Byleth to be stupid in a way that is uncomfortably reminiscent of Corrin in Fates. Even if Byleth weighs her transgressions against her ideals and ultimately decides to follow her, I feel that a lot of the things in which she is at least partially complicit - Flayn's abduction, Remire's destruction, Jeralt's death - should have been addressed with her, and they weren't. She gets a free pass for all of the knives she put in Byleth's back, and all of the times she manipulated him.

I went with Flayn in BL and I just picked Dorothea in BE . For Flayn, it was the only way she was getting on the team during any given battle. As a combat unit she's pretty bad, and she was also outshined by Mercedes as a healer. But she helped out as a dancer, particularly by helping Annette and Dedue keep up with the fight. I don't really plan to use the class in BE. Nobody even wants the sword avo boost because nobody is using swords except Byleth, who is ineligible. I gave it to Dorothea for canon. I don't know what class she'll end up in (she doesn't fit anything particularly well, though she's gotten very good mag growths thus far so at least there's that), but it definitely isn't Dancer.

Mercedes grew on me over the course of the game. I found her mildly annoying in the first half of the BL route, but her unshakable positivity and kindness never wavered, even in the darkest moments of the second half. She became a much-needed breath of fresh air. As it is, Cyril is the only character who I still don't like. In a game where every playable character has depth and a place in the world, he stands as an exception.

The following are comments on the Blue Lions. No particular order; ranking them proved an irritating task (how the hell do you rank a character like Ingrid, who was the worst character for half of the run and then arguably the best character for the other half?) so I didn’t bother. Hard/Classic difficulty. Never used stat-boosters because I’m an idiot. Byleth (Myrmidon>Mercenary>Enlightened One): Strong early, monstrous right after his promotion, then he faded somewhat as his speed lagged. Still a good unit anyway. Dimitri (Soldier>Cavalier>Paladin>High Lord>Great Lord): Monster throughout the game. Best overall character in the BL route. Dedue (Fighter>Armored Knight>Fortress Knight>War Master): Switched to War Master very late; would switch much sooner if I did this again. Never got to Quick Riposte, which would have helped him tremendously. Terrific up until the timeskip, but then he’s unavailable for a while. Practically invulnerable to physical damage through the entire game. Good strength, but not enough to OHKO. Many glaring weaknesses (mobility, speed, resistance) but his defensive ability was an asset throughout the run. Annette (Monk>Mage>Warlock): Good early, then she struggled for several chapters. Emerged as a OHKO machine when she picked up Fiendish Blow and Black Tomefaire. Very few enemies could survive a hit from her, and she never missed. Mobility was an issue (though the Caduceus Staff helped somewhat) and she could never take a hit, but her firepower was an asset even at the end of the run. Would make her a Dark Knight if I did it over again. Mercedes (Monk>Priest>Bishop): Her ability to heal tons of HP from across the map was essential. Few mages could scratch her. Never had the speed or the spell list to be a great offensive unit, but one of the most important characters of the run, nonetheless. Ingrid (Soldier>Pegasus Knight>Falcoknight): Sucked for about 12 chapters until she suddenly became unhittable when all of her avo bonuses came online at once. Tough character to rate. Felix (Myrmidon>Mercenary>Swordmaster): Realized too late that his personal ability is fool’s gold and he still needs to pump authority like everybody else. That said, he tracked somewhat like Annette: Good early, struggled for a while, then performed well when he reached his final class. Sylvain (Soldier>Cavalier>Paladin): Consistently useful throughout, never a liability, but also never dominant. No real weaknesses. Ashe (Fighter>Archer>Sniper>Bow Knight): Proof that even a mediocre bow user is still useful. Dexterity was his only standout stat, but his ability to hit reliably from 5+ tiles away was unique and helpful. Flayn (Priest>Dancer): Bad until I was able to change her class. Helpful afterwards. Utility character: could refresh, heal, tank mages, and ORKO most fortress knights. Worst combat unit on the roster, but still useful. Seteth (Wyvern Rider>Wyvern Lord): Showed up late-ish, and only really saw use when I could field 11 units, but he required no real effort to bring up to speed and was excellent when I did use him. Will attempt to use him more in a future playthrough, because he seems very good. Obviously personal experience factors heavily into this commentary. For instance, I got more out of Annette than most, it appears. Maybe that’s because I wasn’t trying to LTC. I was just playing the game.

Felix has a personal ability that gives him extra power for having no battalion. In addition to this, he has a deficiency in authority growth. This is not an excuse to ignore battalions for Felix. I didn't realize until about 10 chapters into the game that some of these battalions are NUTS and far outstrip his damage bonus. His personal ability is a nice boost for the super-early game, but it doesn't age well. Same goes for Catherine too.

Hey all. I just got back into the game after about a year away, and I'm looking for some advice on pairings. I remember in a very general sense which father was good for which kid, but I don't remember all of the details (and I'm sure opinions have changed since I last played). Difficulty is Hard Classic. Going for a magic-using MaMU with +Magic, -Strength, though I'm still early enough in the playthrough that I can change this. The initial plan was to go Shadowgift Morgan because why not, but now I think I'm just going to go 3rd gen, probably with either Lucina or Cynthia as the mother. So if a different asset/flaw is better, I'm willing to switch. Hoping for advice for postgame, including an eventual encounter with Apo. Sumia x Chrom Tharja x Gaius Cherche x Henry Lissa x Ricken Sully x Donnel Olivia x Frederick Nowi x Vaike Panne x Stahl Miriel x Gregor Cordelia x Lon'qu Maribelle x Virion MaMU x Lucina/Cynthia Kellam and Libra are bachelors. I think most of this is fairly standard. Maribelle's pairing gave me the most grief... couldn't decide between Libra or Virion for Brady. Libra gives Sorc and a small boost to magic, while Virion gives 2 speed, Hit +20 and some nice skills from the Wyvern Rider paths. There's also Kellam for Luna/Pavise, but the hit to speed seemed like a bad idea. Suggestions/Corrections to any of this? Admittedly I haven't given a ton of thought to the kids' ultimate class and pairings yet, so advice in that direction would help me a lot too. Thanks!

True, but not in the same way. One gets you in trouble. The other helps you when you're already in trouble.

The lack of ballistae, reaver weapons, and interesting staves (sleep, silence, berserk, etc.) Relatively bland level design. No marriage options for Say'ri aside from MU. Walhart's story arc felt rushed and shoehorned in. I consider all of these to be trivial disappointments, since I still loved the game and consider it to be my favorite in the franchise.

How does Vaike!Severa have access to all of the -breaker skills? Bow, axe and tome I see, but she doesn't get the Wyvern Rider class to give her sword and lance. Did I miss something? As for the topic, I'd take Wrath. Rally skills are best reserved for Spotpass/DLC characters, Counter requires her to get hit which you'd rather avoid if possible, and Axefaire isn't as useful as Wrath. Obviously it's best with Vantage, but it's still plenty useful on its own.