Yggdra Union Speed Run!

[eclipse]

Seems like this would be the place to fangirl over one of my favorite games, and log my attempt at a speed run of this game.

Yggdra Union is much like Fire Emblem, in the fact that it has some semblance of a weapon triangle, random recruitment, wacky clothes, and a little girl that has no business being in an army. I could probably write an essay regarding all the mechanics of this game, but I think I'd put everyone to sleep. Here's the basics:

1. Each phase counts as a turn, so your turn is turn 1, your enemy's turn is turn 2, etc. If there's more than one enemy commander on the field, each enemy commander gets his/her/its own turn.

2. At the beginning of each turn, you pick a card, and that card is good until your next turn. Cards govern what special ability your units (hopefully) get, how much you can move your units per turn, how much damage you inflict on the enemy when you win, and a few other detailed mechanics that I might explain during my run if I feel it's important.

3. Instead of each unit having a fixed amount of movement (for example, Paladins in Shadow Dragon get 10 MOV, while Heroes get 8), the amount you can move ALL units is tied to your card.

4. Positioning your units is vital, because it's your formation vs. your enemy's formation. Males have their own formation, females have their own formation, and it's not negotiable.

5. Stat gains from level-ups are fixed.

6. Items are acquired/drop throughout the game, which may increase/decrease stats.

7. At the end of every map, assuming you got into a fight, the person who inflicted the most hurt gets the MVP award, which is a boost in a random, non-maxed stat. There's a normal MVP, but completing the map under a certain set turn count offers a bigger MVP bonus. Manipulating these bonuses can turn a mediocre unit into a godly one.

8. Perma-death doesn't exist for 99% of the game, unless you're a main character, because then it's Game Over.

9. There's elements, weakness to elements, and elemental resistance, which I won't go into until I start logging.

10. Each stat has its own purpose, so I'll be ragging on certain characters to gain certain stats.

---

Speed run rules:

1. If it's not necessary, or will not help me to save turns, I'm skipping it. I'm going for lowest possible turn count.

2. I'm skipping Cruz, Mistel, and Pamela.

3. I probably won't reset for stats (exception: Kalinka Berry).

4. I will use whoever gets the job done.

5. This run will have Roswell on Normal. I'll consider Hard, Rosary, and/or the three optional characters later.

---

BF1

Turn 1: Chose Mind Change. Flunky beats up Bandit. Milanor moves next to Assassin.

Turn 2: Assassin does not see Milanor's invisible INVINCIBLE status, so she dies.

Turn 3: Chose Mirage. Flunky picks up Hair Band, Milanor moves next to Valkyrie. INVINCIBLE kicks in, and Milanor wins.

Turn 4: Valkyrie ends the map on Milanor's axe.

MVP: Milanor (duh), +2 LUK (I really wanted this in anything but LUK).

Future runs won't be quite this detailed. This is the absolute lowest turn count for this battle.

BF2

Had Milanor swing by the lone village for the Fur, while Yggdra slowly worked her way north. Managed to park Milanor by Inzaghi on turn 3, and somehow won. Hacked out Mirage on turn 5 (high power, low movement, which means more meter to work with), and sent Inzaghi packing. Used Steal on turn 7 to GTFO.

MVP: Milanor, +2 ATK (this is good)

I think this is the absolute lowest turn count on this map.

[Elieson]

I'm willing to give this a try with ya (not the Speed run of course, since I don't have any experience with the game).

Mind hooking me up with the information on the game? (I.e. Console, Rom/cartridge, etc)

[eclipse]

I'm using the PSP version of this game, and am dealing with the wonders that is UMD. Thus, no screenshots.

You can try the GBA version, but several of the skills were tweaked in the PSP version, a couple of characters were added, and damage calculations were modified.

BF3

Here's the first map where a little bit of luck is necessary.

Part 1: Durant may randomly die to the guys attacking him, and that will severely hinder this run. Luckily, that didn't happen. Milanor took out the stray Knight, Yggdra challenged the northern Fencer, Milanor then pulled a critical to OHKO the Knight on the village for my first Medallion, then Durant went and beat up the scrub Fencer that attacked him. XD

Part 2 (start on turn 16?): This part is where the luck kicks in, because if Eudy doesn't leave the bridge, it seriously screws with the turn count. I made sure the leader of the first group always faced Milanor, so I'd win. Once he went down, Durant sat on that bridge for one turn, then made a mad dash for the western bridge on the next turn. Milanor and Yggdra kinda tagged behind, since Durant was busy mowing enemies by himself.

Part 3 (not sure when this started): Aegina's retinue was no match for Durant. That is all.

Missed the drops, but got the Fur Coat and Kokorinut. I will need both later.

Total turns: 27

MVP: Durant, +2 TEC (perfect)

BF4

Part 1: Yggdra attempts to gain some experience, while Durant does most of the work. Two Fencers die on the enemy phase, so I have Milanor run down to the captain, link up with Durant, and pound his face in. Picked up my Imperial Warfare, moved Yggdra as close to the next section as I could (because I played this too much), then grabbed the Medallion and captured the fort.

Part 2 (turn 8): Yggdra picked up her Clover on the way to the fort, then had fun smacking around Bandits. On the next turn, Milanor ran next to the boss, but I miscalculated and couldn't move Durant in position. After that, I parked Yggdra on a Fort tile (so she wouldn't be insta-pwned by the captain), had Milanor charge with everyone else as backup. . .and realized I should've used Revolution instead of Mirage so I'd have enough movement to capture. Got another Imperial Warfare, and moved Yggdra and Milanor closer to the next part of the map.

Part 3 (turn 13): Immediately set up a nice union with Milanor, Yggdra, and Durant to challenge the captain and his buddy. Yggdra lost some Morale (game's equivalent to HP) on the enemy phase, but it didn't matter, because the captain went down on his turn (and when the leader dies, all his/her/its lackeys go, too). Used Steal to get the Goat Milk, the final Imperial Warfare, and a turn 15 finish. Durant's bookshelf will be happy.

Probably could've pulled this one off a little faster, if I didn't screw up Part 2.

Turns: 15

MVP: Durant, +2 GEN (the LAST stat he needs a boost in)

BF5

Equipped Durant with the Fur Coat, for I hate Embellia.

Milanor immediately attacked the easternmost Undine, and I managed to score a little bit of damage on Ishiene. Once Ishiene moved out of the water (where she and all other Undines become dangerous), it was a matter of chipping with Durant (elemental resistance yay) and Milanor (Milanor's axe beats an Undine's lance. . .sound familiar?) Milanor landed the final blow, so I got the Ice Javelin, which someone will thank me for later.

It might be possible to do this a little faster, but I'm not about to try until I get this down to 5 turns.

Turns: 7

MVP: Milanor, +2 GEN (unlike his buddy Durant, Milanor appreciates the extra GEN)

BF6

Walked Yggdra and Milanor up to challenge the Assassins first, while Durant headed south and east to get Nietzsche ASAP. While Yggdra and Durant kept Ortega occupied, Nietzsche snagged the Healing Herb, while Durant made his way back to the main group. Nietzsche in water is a force to be reckoned with, as the enemies soon found out. Chased Ortega off the map, then an Undine came and snagged his gear. The turn count for the first portion of this map is as high as it is because Milanor ate two criticals, one from J Random Bandit.

The second part of this map was over very quickly. The enemies decided Nietzsche was the best attack target. By the time I had my first turn, Elena was ready to fall over, and Durant was able to form a really sweet union with Nietzsche to weaken everyone else. Had to wait for my turn again, because I'm not quite at the stage where I can win against Zilva when she attacks me at night. Got the Lightning Bow, missed Steel Persona, don't feel like resetting for it.

Turns: 17

MVP: Yggdra, +2 LUK (the faster her LUK goes up, the sooner I can give her the Kokorinut)

BF7

Yay, skills are usable!

Milanor used Steal, and jacked EVERYTHING from Ishiene and Co. Moved Durant to the lone land tile on the right side of the screen before capturing the fort (and wasting a turn in the process).

After the bridge was lowered, ran Durant and Nietzsche to beat up Emelone, since both had Ice immunity, and the Undine's card. . .yeah, useless. Shield Barrier and Sanctuary put a HUGE dent in Her Highness' Morale (the former made it so the Undines did very little damage to my units). Yggdra and Milanor slowly backed away from Mizer (he is a waste of time, and I only need two pairs of boots from him). I managed to snag Aquarius and the Elemina Mint (the latter which I'll need as a stat booster), but poor planning caused me to miss Gungnir. . .not that Nietzsche needs it!

The next map can go to hell.

If I thought this through a little more, I could probably do this in slightly less turns.

Turns: 18

MVP: Durant, +2 TEC (not sure how this happened, but okay! Time to start gunning for LUK and ATK!)

Edited November 3, 2010 by eclipse

[Life]

I can't fucking play this game. I've tried and I can't do it.

[eclipse]

I can't fucking play this game. I've tried and I can't do it.

Hmm? What happened when you tried?

BF8

I think this is a good time to break and explain how stats work.

Stats are represented by big stars and little stars. When the little star gauge fills up, it becomes a big star. Each time a big star is formed, the little star gauge decreases by two. The maximum big stars allowed is 6. Big stars are used to calculate things like how much damage (if any) your elemental cards do, whether your defeated foe will drop his/her/its item, how royally screwed you are if you eat a critical (the higher your GEN, the more screwed you are), etc.

Stat boosters will cause your stat to jump to the next big star, so it is ideal to use them with minimal little stars in a stat. With that out of the way. . .

Gave Yggdra the Elemina Mint, because she just hit 2 TEC.

Turn 1 was a massive rush with Steal to block the golem headed for Celim Magic School, and deal some damage to it in the process. After that, it was Bloody Claw for the finish, so Durant could move and help Yggdra out with the southern golem. I ignored Mizer, because he is a waste of cards. Once both golems were destroyed, the second half of the map began (and I got all my cards back). The enemies got their turn while I had Ace Guard active, so I essentially had a free turn of counter damage. First, chose Shield, and had Yggdra and Durant thin their ranks, while picking up the ever-important Mage Ring. Chose Steal again, had Durant walk up to Russell, got Nietzsche in position, and got the Astral Fencer off the map, obtaining Zantetsuken in the process.

Turn: 18 (screw you, Mizer)

MVP: Durant, +2 GEN (I got Zantetsuken and the Mage Ring, and didn't bother saving beforehand. . .oh well!)

[Aquilae]

Yggdra Union is fun, I played the GBA version. I heard the difficulty in PSP got toned down, since in the original GBA you don't get more Morale after you beat enemies. Still, Gulcasa is a royal pain, and I normally select Rosary because of him (Roswell's teleport at night is irksome as well). Milanor and Durant are the best characters in my experience, but oddly I find Milanor gets MVP far more than Durant.

[eclipse]

Yggdra Union is fun, I played the GBA version. I heard the difficulty in PSP got toned down, since in the original GBA you don't get more Morale after you beat enemies.

You only gain Morale if a character sits out, you level, you use Refreshment, or if you're High, and this is on Normal. If you're on Hard, I think only the last two apply. About the only place where the game is ever-so-slightly easier is BF43, but why you'd complain about that High status after all that is beyond me!

Still, Gulcasa is a royal pain, and I normally select Rosary because of him (Roswell's teleport at night is irksome as well).

I select Roswell because he teleports. It makes the escape missions shorter. As much fun as Rosary's Fire immunity is, I can't go aggressive on Gulcasa, and that irritates me. If I could get her ATK way up, it might not be such a problem!

Milanor and Durant are the best characters in my experience, but oddly I find Milanor gets MVP far more than Durant.

That's because Milanor's weapon is effective against two of the five Dragon Generals, and he aces Steal (woohoo, free items) and Gravity Chaos (arguably the best elemental card of the bunch, and makes him effective against Aegina, too). He also gets the most maps out of the entire cast.

The best character is whoever you feel like dumping the most effort into. :)

[BEST TRYNDAMERE PLAYER]

I just found out about this game through this thread. Maybe I should try it. I saw some videos and it looks alright.

[eclipse]

I just found out about this game through this thread. Maybe I should try it. I saw some videos and it looks alright.

Sure! The more, the merrier!

BF9

Gave Yggdra Imperial Warfare 1, so she'd have a little more LUK and a lot more TEC (this jacks her to 4 TEC, which is so very wrong and right!)

Not sure if I said this before, but I'll say it again: SCREW YOU, MIZER! I had to get that off my chest!

I needed to accomplish a lot of things, and I didn't have much time to do it all. Here's what I needed to do:

1. Get Mizer's boots.

2. Jack the Gargoyle Rod.

3. Defeat Mizer for Thunderbolt (I need to dump some power into it to make a future map MUCH easier).

4. Defeat Roswell for Necro Gate (not accomplishing this one was grounds for redoing the entire map).

5. Drop Phalanx.

6. Not die in the process.

This meant I was forced to keep Mizer alive for a turn (if he gets too low on Morale, he leaves, and I don't get Thunderbolt), which messed with my counts. So. . .turn 1 was dedicated to beating up the skeletons on the left, while positioning Nietzsche in the water, and Yggdra in such a way where she'd form a union. One of the skeleton on the right suicided into the ladies on its turn, and the second skeleton on the right blocked Milanor. I weakened that thing on my next turn using something generic, then Mizer showed up. Mizer's AI will move him towards Yggdra, constantly. His lackey will attack first, if he's closer. . .so by exploiting that, I got Mizer and Roswell into position for Milanor to Steal both their items. After that, I used my overpowered Shield Barrier (~1750) to wipe Mizer off the map, for Thunderbolt. I managed to put a small dent in Roswell's Morale in the process.

Once Rosary's golems did their thing, Leon and his stupid retinue showed up. Due to the AI, the generic Knights move first, followed by the Assassins, followed by Leon. Because of that, it means killing Roswell is trickier than it should be. I took out Shield Barrier again, kicked a Knight out of the way with Knight-B-Gone (better known as Milanor), then set up the largest union possible, with Yggdra acing against Roswell (this also meant Nietzsche was in the water, where she belongs). Then. . .suspend.

I had to suspend because Milanor or Durant kept eating criticals. Eventually, I got Roswell to attack me four times in a row without getting WTFpwned, which meant that he died on his turn. That left the way open for the Assassins to march in, which meant that stupid Leon was against Knight-B-Gone on Shield Barrier (tee-hee). The resulting massacre was enough such that Leon was in really bad shape during my next turn. One Ace Guard later, and I had Phalanx.

Total turns: 22 (grrr. . .)

MVP: Milanor, +1 GEN (he still likes GEN)

BF10

Gave Milanor the Brave Ring, to jack his GEN and ATK up to 4 apiece. Gave Durant Phalanx to boost his TEC to 3, and gave Nietzsche the Goat Milk, because her TEC is that bad. . .and I need the bottle.

First-turn Sanctuary, followed by Generic Second Turn, followed by nighttime Banish was enough to get rid of Ortega (but I missed fighting Inzaghi). Because Nietzsche had downed the Goat Milk earlier, I was able to have her go against Ortega with Banish active, and have her win easily. I had just enough move after defeating Ortega at night to move Milanor onto Marvel City. After that, I had Nietzsche dash over to get the Rune Crystal, while Yggdra walked up to a golem. Ending your turn next to an enemy unit counts as an attack, which sucks. I managed to take out the golem furthest east without it using Earthquake, which meant that I was free to cross the western bridge. Yggdra walked up to Rosary, wielding nothing but Revolution (at ~2200). She won against everyone on her turn, then won against everyone when Rosary attacked her. Next up was Banish, with Nietzsche and Durant giving her a hand. This was enough to get rid of all of Rosary's lackeys, leaving the doomed Witch all alone once I was done on my turn. I then hacked out Sanctuary, got Milanor to join the party, and missed the Frilly Lace. Oh well.

Turns: 22

MVP: Yggdra, +2 LUK (I couldn't have asked for a better stat).

[eclipse]

Didn't have time to do much, but if I don't record this, I'm gonna forget!

BF11, Black Rose Domain

It's possible to snag the Crystal Rod with Yggdra and get to Roswell in 21 Move (that's how much Necro Gate and Revolution have). Saved Mr. Necromancer on turn 7, then kept Yggdra where she was, while Durant moved north, plowing whatever got in his way. Zilva was nice enough to include herself in a union when she showed up, so I made one massive union of my own to get her off the map (missed Elena and Zilva's item. . .but both suck). From there, Durant led, and Milanor cleaned up against Leon's guards, who committed suicide against them. Afterwards, did one short push north, and made sure Roswell could warp to the manor.

Turns: 15

MVP: Milanor, +2 TEC (if I can get his TEC to 4 naturally by the end of BF17, I will be delighted)

BF12

Had Roswell charge forward, and Flame the southern Bandit that formed a union with his leader. Said leader then took himself off the map on his turn. On the next turn, I had Yggdra run very far to the east, while Nietzsche picked up the Upola statue (hopefully, I won't need it) and Milanor began challenging Ortega's group. Once night (and Mizer) hit, had Roswell warp himself in front of Ortega, while Yggdra and Milanor played catch-up. After Roswell put a small dent in Ortega's Morale (how he pulled this off, I don't know), I placed Yggdra, Roswell, and Milanor in one large Sanctuary formation. Ortega (barely) died on his turn.

Turns: 10

MVP: Milanor, +2 GEN (still not complaining!)

BF13

Rigging the MVP for this map is trivial, unless you're dead-set on having Nietzsche or Durant get it.

I need Roswell to get the MVP, and it needs to be in ATK (for a future map). Because Roswell warps, it's extremely easy to get the +2 MVP. Have everyone follow in each other's footsteps, and don't stop for the villages/items, and the map should be over in no time.

Turns: 33

MVP: Roswell, +2 ATK (he'll need to pull this off on the next map, too)

BF14

Another short map whose MVP is easy to rig.

Roswell needed another ATK MVP. . .but this time, he got it naturally. I managed to OHKO the second wave of messengers, because they got in the way of Milanor, two catapults, and Roswell (in that order).

Turns: 7

MVP: Roswell, +2 ATK (now he's at 3 big stars, which should hold him for a while)

BF15

I hate this map.

Had Nietzsche run to the water next to the bridge, and catch up on some sorely-needed levels. Milanor followed, to give her a hand. Roswell moved just enough so I could Warp him across the map once night came. Once Yggdra was close enough (she moved in during the night), hacked out Shield and set Inzaghi packing.

Immediately sent Nietzsche next to the bridge again (my, does this sound familiar). Nietzsche + water = very hard to kill, and even if she does lose, she loses very little Morale. She held off Aegina's troops, while everyone else scrambled into place. Used Shield Barrier to finish the level (this was intentional).

Turns: 12

MVP: Nietzsche, +2 GEN (it was either this or ATK, so I'm happy)

Edited November 9, 2010 by eclipse

[eclipse]

Oh heck, forgot to include the items!

BF15 - Nietzsche got the Iron Choker, and Yggdra got the Kokorinut (to give her 3 LUK, which is plenty).

BF16 - Milanor gets the Leather Hat, so he'll be immune to all status effects on this map.

I'm attempting to do BF16, but I am NOT happy with the turn count. I'm not leaving without my Griffon Grill, either.

[themastersays]

i remeber the first play though i had of this game, lol. I had no idea wat i was doing and some how Milanor got all the MVP and kind of soloed with entire game. yaggdra unison fails, don't bother trying it out. infact, the rom size is so small, it can be mistaken for a large GBA game.

[eclipse]

i remeber the first play though i had of this game, lol. I had no idea wat i was doing and some how Milanor got all the MVP and kind of soloed with entire game. yaggdra unison fails, don't bother trying it out. infact, the rom size is so small, it can be mistaken for a large GBA game.

Ummm. . .what? This was originally a GBA game, then the PSP version came along and tweaked things so I'd have more to worry about when some witch named Eudy Flamed my party.

I think it's already been established that Milanor is in Kickass tier.

[Aquilae]

Well, considering that the PSP version's Hard Mode is actually the difficulty of the GBA version, you'd have less to worry. Back when I played it, Eudy's cannon really hurt because I couldn't recover that morale, only way to do it was to spam Medallions.

Edited November 12, 2010 by Aquilae

[eclipse]

Well, considering that the PSP version's Hard Mode is actually the difficulty of the GBA version, you'd have less to worry. Back when I played it, Eudy's cannon really hurt because I couldn't recover that morale, only way to do it was to spam Medallions.

. . .or use the bajillion items the game throws at you.

I'd say the PSP Hard version is more difficult, due to the status effects Thunderbolt, Flame, and (to a lesser extent) Rockfall gained. Paralysis makes doing a speed run much more difficult, especially since Mizer shows up a couple of times where it's impossible to Refresh yourself. Burn eats at your Morale, and Eudy and Co. are so very good at inflicting it. Slowing is more of a nuisance, but it appears on the same map as Mizer. . .

[eclipse]

After much trial and tribulations, found yet another PSP change.

BF16

Gave Milanor the Leather Hat so he'd have enough GEN to resist. . .well, everything.

Because I ended the previous map with Shield Barrier (at ~2800), I got to use that as my starting card. This helped immensely against Emilia, since the computer put her against Roswell (even if Gravity Chaos does no damage, he'll still be Cursed). Used Shield Barrier a second time to wipe Emilia off the map, and get her teddy bear. After that, had Roswell, Nietzsche, and Yggdra run into range of the cannon, to start the next part. Used Blizzard to help thin out the witches, then used Steal to put Milanor next to the Heavy Knights (it's possible to win against them in the PSP version, but you can't wipe them off the map just yet). Yggdra ran due south, while Roswell and Nietzsche mopped up the remaining witches. I had just enough time to finish the witches with Thunderbolt (to power up the card), grab the Sweetberry, and have Yggdra move as close as possible to Soron City.

Once Kylier showed up, used Shield Barrier to majorly damage Eudy on my turn, and finish her on her turn (Lady Coat saved me, because she was supposed to critical Kylier). Meanwhile, rearranged Milanor, Roswell, and Nietzsche so that my overworked Undine was front and center (she makes better unions). After that. . .I slowly chewed my way through Leon's troops, while bringing Kylier into the formation whenever possible. Leon eventually went down to Shield Barrier (now it's over 3000. . .and don't even think about that stupid meme).

Turns: 25 (in the GBA version, you'll need to do this map in 21 turns or less for the larger MVP bonus. . .but the conditions to trigger Kylier are different, so I'd say it evens out)

MVP: Roswell, +2 TEC (I have no idea how this happened, but I'll take it!)

[eclipse]

EDIT: Man, I'm stupid. Figured out how to get what I want AND get the +2 MVP (actually did it a couple turns faster than the turn limit, too!)

BF17

There's one very important item on this map, one I was willing to sacrifice my MVP bonus for - Rainbow Arc. However, the only way to get this is to either kill Elena with the Four-Leaf Clover, abuse LUK MVPs on someone, or Steal it. I chose the final option. . .but that can wait.

With Gravity Chaos and Shield Barrier at my disposal, it's time to walk all over Bronquia. Used my newest acquisition to slow down as many of Baldus' underlings as possible. Got lucky, and had Roswell land a critical on Baldus, thus dropping Old and Wrinkly's Morale to ~1100. A single Shield Barrier courtesy of Milanor was enough to end things on my second turn. Had Kylier pick up the Cat's Eye before landing the final blow.

It took me about an hour before I realized that if Kylier's on the southernmost square, I can form quite a few unions. The AI will move Elena first, and Elena never attacks (unlike Zilva, who always wants a piece of me). I chose Steal, had Yggdra move directly south of Kylier (and pick up Ipponki in the process), then parked Milanor to Kylier's left, with Roswell and Durant in secondary unions. I got my Rainbow Arc, kept Elena alive by the skin of her teeth, then did a little creative rearranging to kill both ladies with Ace Guard.

As soon as Gulcasa could move, he ran straight into a very large union headed by Yggdra with Ace Guard. Aegina headed this, which meant that Yggdra had a lot of time to trigger Ace Guard, which in turn allowed me to beat the living daylights out of the Redshirts. This left Aegina, Gulcasa, and some hapless Knight in a very odd formation.

Hacked out Gravity Chaos, and had Milanor move next to the knight. Yggdra challenged Aegina, Roswell challenged Gulcasa, and Durant got whoever was left. I had Milanor wipe the generic off the map, then made sure to trigger Gravity Chaos when Yggdra was all alone (which triggered Zolfy and defeat). This emptied the enemy's gauge, so Roswell had time to curse Gulcasa. Durant did NOT get Zolfy (stupid LUK), and Gulcasa went bye-bye to Shield Barrier (and got Early Drive in the process).

BTW, I hate the next map with a passion.

Turns: 15

MVP: Roswell, +2 LUK (I thought Milanor was the broken one. . .)

BF18

Gave Milanor the Soldier Bandanna, to bump his TEC up to 4. I want Etherion!

Story battle, story battle, boring. . .ah, finally! Milanor got really lucky, and scored a critical on Nessiah, which made stealing Etherion a breeze. In turn, some generic Knight made Milanor eat a critical. . .but Milanor won anyway. After more story stuff, it's back to the castle! Gah, WHY?!

Turns: 21

MVP: Milanor, +2 LUK (his stats were such that it didn't really matter what he got)

---

Before I run off to my favorite part of the game, it's time to break down stats and cards. For the latter, I'm listing my 5 strongest, NOT counting things that are their default POW.

Character stats will not count the stat changes from whatever item they're wearing. The stat notation will be Big Stars/Small Stars (so 3/4 means three big stars and four small stars). Yggdra's stats will be recorded later.

Character stats:

Name        Lv.   GEN   ATK   TEC   LUK   Item
Milanor     10    4/0   4/0   3/5   4/0   Soldier's Bandanna
Durant       9    4/2   3/2   3/0   1/8   ---
Nietzsche    8    2/6   2/7   3/1   3/4   ---
Roswell      9    3/2   3/1   3/3   3/2   ---

Cards:

Name              POW
Shield Barrier    3304
Gravity Chaos     2477
Revolution        2452
Ace Guard         2105
Bloody Claw       1977

Shield Barrier and Gravity Chaos do not need an explanation. Revolution was my default movement card for a long time. Ace Guard got a massive power boost in the last map (~350 or so). Bloody Claw is as high as it is for a later map. I need to jack up the power of Blizzard and Thunderbolt (1547 and 1749, respectively).

---

On to the next chapter!

BF19

I had until night to kick Inzaghi's face in. Used Steal at night to move everyone as close as possible to the guards, then stole Inzaghi's stupid hat. Roswell's warping meant I could get him into the castle using only 2 MOV. Used Sanctuary to start the massacre, then finished with Flame (since Roswell was leading off). Milanor ran past the battle to finish the map.

Turns: 14

MVP: Durant, +2 LUK (how did this happen?)

BF20

Durant gets Catastrophe, because it's funny.

Screw the bonus, I went for the Platinum Ornament. Gravity Chaos + Catastrophe = INSTA-WIN. I like winning.

Turns: 10

MVP: Durant, +1 ATK (cool)

BF21

Durant got the Sweetberry, so his LUK no longer stinks.

The extra couple of turns in the previous map paid off beautifully here. If I had a super-strong Durant, I could probably beat this turn count. Otherwise. . .

Got Russell, am happy.

Turns: 10

MVP: Milanor, +2 TEC (COOL)

Edited November 17, 2010 by eclipse

[eclipse]

New day, new chapter!

BF22

There's a certain point that will trigger the Assassin/Archer swarm, and I passed it in the evening. Due to that stupid calculation error (and the fact that my team was attacked while I had a super-weak Necro Gate out), I had to use Shield Barrier a turn early to get rid of everything that had a bow, and to lower Aegina's Morale to acceptable levels. The next day, I used Steal to kill off Aegina, move Roswell as far north as I dared, and end the first part of the map.

I had Roswell eat two early ATK MVPs so I could get a low turn count on this level. Positioned Roswell so he'd be able to warp into the castle proper at night, with Nietzsche attempting to make a union out of it. Once night fell, used Revolution to put Roswell right next to Gulcasa, and start beating up his retainers. The two Fencers fell quickly, and I managed to get most of the knights. The next day, used Sanctuary to hilarious effect, then finished with something that didn't suck (as Gulcasa was at 777 after Sanctuary abuse).

Gulcasa is pathetic. He got a head-only critical on Roswell, filled his Rage meter, used Genocide, and still lost. If it wasn't for that critical, he probably would've died on his turn (which would shorten my turn count by 1. . .but I'm not complaining!)

Turns: 26

MVP: Roswell, +2 GEN (for now, it doesn't matter what he gains).

[eclipse]

BF23

I really wanted Fortune and a MVP for this map, so I beat up Pamela. Nietzsche is funny.

Otherwise, this was your normal run through the forest (hitting the extension would end this chapter earlier, but it would involve another map. . .which isn't the point of this run).

Turns: 13

MVP: Nietzsche, +2 ATK (as long as it isn't LUK)

BF24

I am not happy if a map doesn't have a MVP, so. . .

Beat up Pamela again. Looks like I'm stuck with her.

Turns: 13

MVP: Nietzsche, +2 TEC (WOOHOO!)

BF25

Took along the resident Undine and snarkmaster. The former got the Ice Javelin, and the latter got the Winged Sandals (to boost his TEC and LUK to 4).

Used Sanctuary on my first turn to kill off the two axe guys and put a serious dent in the Knight dude. Used Blizzard to finish Knight dude. Once I got my units back, used Necro Gate to move Nietzsche and Roswell to the right (but not enough to trigger the next scene), while Milanor stayed in a very convenient spot not far from the Knight dude. Used Ace Guard to trigger reinforcements.

Nietzsche usually doesn't have a snowball's chance in hell against Emilia (unless I set things up very well), and this time was no exception. Since I knew I was probably going to lose, I had Nietzsche Ace Guard, so that the rest of Emilia's union would fall (Nietzsche + Ice Javelin + generic Griffons + full unit = win). Hacked out Sanctuary, and made sure Roswell won against Emilia, while everyone else went bye-bye. On Leon's turn, Emilia went after Nietzsche. I managed to eke out a victory against Emilia with Nietzsche courtesy of a well-timed Sanctuary. Roswell was able to win, which meant that Emilia fled, and dropped something for my trouble.

After the NEXT scene change, Milanor was standing in the perfect spot to ensure that my guest didn't take too much damage. Chose Gravity Chaos, had Kylier move down next to a random Shadow, had Milanor AND Kylier beat the living snot outta Zilva's unit, and moved Milanor so that he'd end that part of the chapter.

Re-chose Gravity Chaos, made Zilva drop her goodies, then moved everyone to the exit, while picking up Knight Killer.

Turns: 16

MVP: Nietzsche, +2 TEC (WOOHOO again!)

BF26

There's only one item here that mattered - the Griffon Grill that I couldn't get on BF16. This time, I made sure to get it (by having Roswell challenge the Assassin with Flame, and having a union of three).

Since I had Roswell handy, I also had him Warp for Dragon Killer. Durant walked over everyone to beat up the Hunter to get rid of the second group. Got to the towns, then got the hell out of there.

Turns: 15

MVP: Roswell, +2 ATK (still cool in my books!)

BF27

Beat Elena to within an inch of her life (thanks to some really janky planning). Had to hack out Shield Barrier as soon as the second part started, to kill off everyone not named Emilia. Moved Kylier next to Emilia, with Nietzsche and Milanor behind her, so she'd die on her turn. After that, chose something generic to get the Mana Stone and cluster everyone near the fort.

On the next turn, accidentally chose Shield Barrier, and wiped out half of Leon's forces. Chose Necro Gate to position everyone, while the remainder of Leon's army gave me experience. Had Kylier lead off with Gravity Chaos to finish Leon.

Turns: 16

MVP: Kylier, +2 TEC (I said I was going for speed, and she's the most efficient way of doing it)

BF28

Had Roswell take out the initial axe dude, then had Roswell and Nietzsche advance towards the Garrison Guard. Used Shield Barrier to send him and his unit to the hereafter, then had Roswell go one way while Nietzsche carefully picked around Yggdra. Used Blizzard to place Nietzsche on Yggdra's right, while Roswell continued his retreat.

As soon as the next portion started, had fun with Nietzsche + Ice Javelin + Blizzard. Withdrew like mad, while picking up the Medallion and Rope. When Aegina showed up, I had everyone close enough to Shield Barrier her army, with Nietzsche in the lead. I couldn't kill Aegina, but I could wipe out her buddies, which I did. When the final character showed up, used Steal to warp Roswell just past Aegina, while I ended that portion of the map. From there, it didn't take long for everyone to exit stage whatever. Made sure to pick up the Lost Material.

Turns: 23

MVP: Nietzsche, +2 GEN (it's not LUK, so I'm happy)

Since I've got Yggdra back, now would be a good time to do a stat dump. Characters who haven't leveled will NOT be listed.

Name        Lv.   GEN   ATK   TEC   LUK   Item
Yggdra      11    3/2   3/4   3/4   3/1   ---
Milanor     11    4/1   4/1   4/1   4/1   ---
Durant      10    4/3   3/3   3/1   3/0   ---
Nietzsche   12    3/2   4/2   4/3   4/0   Ice Javelin
Roswell     12    4/0   3/5   3/4   3/4   ---

Cards:

Name              POW
Shield Barrier    4612
Gravity Chaos     3353
Sanctuary         2721
Revolution        2628
Ace Guard         2176

Shield Barrier is insane, and that's how I like it.

Edited November 20, 2010 by eclipse

[eclipse]

The above is getting way too long, so I'll continue rambling here.

BF29

UGH!

Hacked out Nietzsche (Stardust) and Elena (get rid of Meteor). Yggdra trucked it down to Mizer, with Elena in tow. Nietzsche inched forward when she could. Once I got to Mizer, used Refreshment to gain Morale, then Shield Barrier to wipe him off my game. Had Nietzsche collect Stardust, while Yggdra triggered the next scene.

Yggdra made her way down the road alone. Milanor and Elena formed a nice union with Nietzsche. After the scene change, had Yggdra attempt to hold her own with Refreshment (not too good). After Kylier showed up, used Sanctuary to clear out everyone next to Dort. Due to the AI, Griffons will immediately attack Nietzsche, other movement be damned. Thus, Dort was all alone on my next turn, which meant that one well-placed Banish ended that section. Used Steal to collect the Hammer, Yarde Horn, and end the map.

Turns: 17

MVP: Yggdra, +2 LUK (YAY!)

BF30

Chose Elena and Pamela, because both have garbage for REP.

Had Yggdra and Milanor make their way across the road, while Kylier went item hunting. Made sure Yggdra challenged an Assassin at night, so she'd lose. Murdered everything with Sanctuary before ending the map.

This is a speed run, so I don't want the extension.

Turns: 9

MVP: Yggdra, +2 LUK (YAY!!)

BF31

Stupidly long chapter is stupidly long.

Moved everyone as fast as I could towards Gordon, who was doing a fine job getting his butt handed to him by Zilva. Once I took her out (lolBanish on Sand), immediately had him run to the church, with Kylier leading, and everyone else clustering near the left side of the map. Kylier got two criticals (not that it mattered), inflicted Great Self-Serving Justice on Emilia, and had enough MOV to rejoin the main group while Gordon sat on the church. Once the third part of the map opened up, picked up the Twilight Veil, 7-Star Sword, and Lacan's Medicine. Beat up Meriants, then used the next morning to pick up the most vital item on the map - Marchen Wings. LOLBanished Mardym to end the map.

Turns: 39

MVP: Kylier, +2 GEN (oh well)

BF32

. . .scratch that, THIS chapter is stupidly long.

Yggdra go the Gauntlet (to put her at 4 for everything), Nietzsche got the Cardinal Cloak (in case I screw up), Roswell got the Jewel Rod (5 GEN is awesome), and Milanor doesn't need equips.

Part 1: Took out Mardym indirectly (that's what Nietzsche is for), then slowly moved everyone not named Gordon towards Juvelon. Kylier picked up the Kalinka Berry and Banango. Used Shield Barrier to murder everything between me and Juvelon, then had Milanor walk next to him so he'd attack during the enemy's turn. Used a massive Blizzard union to kill Juvelon. I don't care about the Meria Bible.

Part 2: Since I ended with Blizzard, it meant Gordon was able to use Blizzard on his turn, which meant he only lost to Gulcasa. Dragged Gulcasa's army towards me, while baiting with Gordon. Put Nietzsche in the water next to the bridge nearest me. GOT MY DRAGON STEAK! Inched everyone close to Nietzsche, but not enough to form a union with her.

Part 3: Lead-off Gravity Chaos. 'Nuff said.

Turns: 38

MVP: Nietzsche, +2 GEN (Yipee!)

BF33

Gave Yggdra the World Tree Leaf as a precaution. She didn't need it.

This chapter is boring. Got all the items, and took out Rosary with one Revolution and half a Banish.

Turns: 9

MVP: Yggdra, +2 TEC (WHEE!)

BF34

Hello tutorial.

Turns: 2

MVP: Yggdra, +2 ATK (time to kick some butt)

Stat dump! Looks like I messed up Nietzsche's stats last time. It should be correct this time.

Name        Lv.   GEN   ATK   TEC   LUK   Item
Yggdra      14    4/1   4/3   6/0   6/0   ---
Milanor     12    4/1   4/2   4/2   4/2   ---
Durant      11    4/3   3/4   3/2   3/0   ---
Nietzsche   14    4/1   4/1   4/2   4/1   Cardinal Cloak
Roswell     13    4/1   4/0   3/5   3/4   Jewel Rod

Cards:

Name              POW
Shield Barrier    5063
Gravity Chaos     3673
Crusade           3420
Sanctuary         3209
Dragon Killer     2840

Sixth is Fortune at 2805. I think we can see where this is going.

Edited November 21, 2010 by eclipse

[Barrylocke]

Gotta say I love this game, even though I'm not the best at it. I'm stuck in BF 17, stubbornly trying to use Nietzsche and Roswell. I feel like Nietzche has the potential to be great, if only she can get a few more little stars, but unfortunately I didn't use her as much as I probably should have for her to get MVP's and such.

[Kriemhild]

Attempting to explain the game mechanics in the OP is kinda pointless, since I doubt anyone would understand it unless they played the game themselves. That plus, you missed a lot of stuff. And thank you for getting Russell <3 because you could have finished Ch 20 faster otherwise.

Yggdra Union is fun, I played the GBA version. I heard the difficulty in PSP got toned down, since in the original GBA you don't get more Morale after you beat enemies. Still, Gulcasa is a royal pain, and I normally select Rosary because of him (Roswell's teleport at night is irksome as well). Milanor and Durant are the best characters in my experience, but oddly I find Milanor gets MVP far more than Durant.

I don't think the PSP version makes you gain morale from killing enemies either...

And selecting Rosary to kill Gulcasa actually seems like a bad idea, since Roswell can equip stuff like Cardinal Cloak to become immune to Fire, while still being able to go Aggressive on Gulcasa. Oh, and he has existant ATK. There's also Aegina's Viod All But Dark equipment (unless you hate Russell) and I'm pretty sure there was another item that negates Fire damage, allowing you to easily kill Gulcasa whenever he's high (otherwise, use Gravity Chaos).

Also, @eclipse, you WILL have to sacrifice at least one member if you want to get that MVP on the chapter where you send Milanor and Elena while the rest of the squad distracts the Guardian Knights (around BF36 iirc)

[eclipse]

Gotta say I love this game, even though I'm not the best at it. I'm stuck in BF 17, stubbornly trying to use Nietzsche and Roswell. I feel like Nietzche has the potential to be great, if only she can get a few more little stars, but unfortunately I didn't use her as much as I probably should have for her to get MVP's and such.

The best thing to do with Nietzsche is jack her TEC the minute you get her (via Goat Milk or Elemina Mint). After that, make sure her MVP bonuses go towards GEN or ATK (the occasional TEC is good, too). Feed her a GEN item when appropriate (meaning, once she hits 3 big stars). Have her abuse the Ice Javelin against Emilia and the like, and your Undine will kick lots of butt.

Attempting to explain the game mechanics in the OP is kinda pointless, since I doubt anyone would understand it unless they played the game themselves. That plus, you missed a lot of stuff. And thank you for getting Russell <3 because you could have finished Ch 20 faster otherwise.

Maybe, maybe not. Limited movement + specific card triggering conditions means I can't abuse Milanor the way an efficient run uses FE10 Haar. Instead, I need to use everyone's abilities intelligently (whether it be Kylier's ability to fly, Nietzsche's ridiculousness in water, or Roswell's happy warp time).

A lot of the stuff I missed requires extra turns and/or ridiculous luck. As much as I like the Element Staff, it would mean uncovering the enemy troops AND having Roswell go down and forge the thing. I'm not interested in doing either in a speed run.

I saved a lot more turns recruiting Russell rather than killing him (2 extra turns in the previous chapter vs. who-knows-how-many in Amatorium Square), and I like the Platinum Ornament!

Also, @eclipse, you WILL have to sacrifice at least one member if you want to get that MVP on the chapter where you send Milanor and Elena while the rest of the squad distracts the Guardian Knights (around BF36 iirc)

Please don't hate me (at least he's literate).

I'll get around to the next run soon!

[eclipse]

After the events of the past two maps, Yggdra's stats have changed. . .for the better. She's got maxed TEC and LUK, with GEN and ATK not far behind.

BF35

Sorry Proto.

Gave Elena the Walnut Bread, because her GEN is that bad.

Part 1 consisted of a string of losses, with Russell being my sacrifice (he's a sword dude that doesn't do well against Baldus). Once the second half of the map opened, Yggdra ran down and declared jihad on the lead Ambusher, which got them off the map. After that, it was a mad dash to the regroup point.

Turns: 19

MVP: Yggdra, +2 ATK (stuff's gonna die).

BF36

Gave Elena the Kalinka Berry for GEN (silly vegetarian. . .)

While I'm certain there's a better way of doing this (namely, kill off everyone that's not required), I wanted Elena to get the MVP. Thus, my turn count.

Turns: 45

MVP: Elena, +1 LUK

BF37

Gave Elena the Forbidden Fruit and Milanor Burning Sun (shut up!)

After the story part, caught up to Zilva, and introduced her troops to Gravity Chaos. One Shadow wasn't cursed; this was a good thing, because she moved out of formation. Used Shield Barrier to finish Zilva for good. Poor Kylier was so confused when she showed up!

I got everyone on the flags (barely) by using Steal and Crusade.

The final part was Milanor's Gravity Chaos special, followed by Shield Barrier. Got the Mountain Grapes with Kylier before ending the map.

Turns: 13

MVP: Milanor, +2 LUK (um, okay)

[Kriemhild]

The best thing to do with Nietzsche is jack her TEC the minute you get her (via Goat Milk or Elemina Mint). After that, make sure her MVP bonuses go towards GEN or ATK (the occasional TEC is good, too). Feed her a GEN item when appropriate (meaning, once she hits 3 big stars). Have her abuse the Ice Javelin against Emilia and the like, and your Undine will kick lots of butt.

To all players: use the Elemina Mint. DO NOT SAVE IT FOR LATER, USE IT UP ASAP!

Maybe, maybe not. Limited movement + specific card triggering conditions means I can't abuse Milanor the way an efficient run uses FE10 Haar. Instead, I need to use everyone's abilities intelligently (whether it be Kylier's ability to fly, Nietzsche's ridiculousness in water, or Roswell's happy warp time).

A lot of the stuff I missed requires extra turns and/or ridiculous luck. As much as I like the Element Staff, it would mean uncovering the enemy troops AND having Roswell go down and forge the thing. I'm not interested in doing either in a speed run.

I saved a lot more turns recruiting Russell rather than killing him (2 extra turns in the previous chapter vs. who-knows-how-many in Amatorium Square), and I like the Platinum Ornament!

Uh, by "missed a lot of stuff", I was talking about you explaining the game mechanics to the new players. You HAVE to miss billions of items in a speed run for any game.

Please don't hate me (at least he's literate).

I'll get around to the next run soon!

Nah, Russell would have been your best choice anyway.

After the events of the past two maps, Yggdra's stats have changed. . .for the better. She's got maxed TEC and LUK, with GEN and ATK not far behind.

BF35

Sorry Proto.

Gave Elena the Walnut Bread, because her GEN is that bad.

Part 1 consisted of a string of losses, with Russell being my sacrifice (he's a sword dude that doesn't do well against Baldus). Once the second half of the map opened, Yggdra ran down and declared jihad on the lead Ambusher, which got them off the map. After that, it was a mad dash to the regroup point.

Turns: 19

MVP: Yggdra, +2 ATK (stuff's gonna die).

lol, I like the way you said that Yggdra Crusade abused everyone.

BF36

Gave Elena the Kalinka Berry for GEN (silly vegetarian. . .)

While I'm certain there's a better way of doing this (namely, kill off everyone that's not required), I wanted Elena to get the MVP. Thus, my turn count.

Turns: 45

MVP: Elena, +1 LUK

You could have finished this a whole lot faster (less than 30 turns, no joke) but eh, I guess Elena's stats are more important.

BF37

Gave Elena the Forbidden Fruit and Milanor Burning Sun (shut up!)

After the story part, caught up to Zilva, and introduced her troops to Gravity Chaos. One Shadow wasn't cursed; this was a good thing, because she moved out of formation. Used Shield Barrier to finish Zilva for good. Poor Kylier was so confused when she showed up!

I got everyone on the flags (barely) by using Steal and Crusade.

The final part was Milanor's Gravity Chaos special, followed by Shield Barrier. Got the Mountain Grapes with Kylier before ending the map.

Turns: 13

MVP: Milanor, +2 LUK (um, okay)

I'm confused as to why you gave Milanor the Burning Sun here. Also, aren't the Assassins immune to Dark? Or did you use Gravity Chaos solely for the Curse status?

lolkylier. Even if Elena is at her base level, she can take on all the Assassins except Zilva. And you'd have to be really really mean to Milanor to make Zilva troublesome enough to reqruie Kylier's assistance.