FE9 0% growths LTC

[aku chi]

Ena is Demi Banded, so Laguz Lance!Tanith does double her. Tauroneo is also likely to be not too far away if needed. Ferrying Stefan over... not sure how that would go, or if there's a need. Facing the Generals must be a huge pain in the arse without him using Armorslayer/Silver Blade and proccing crits and Astras.

Tauroneo can wreck the Generals, get into Resolve range, and ORKO Ena with the Laguz Lance.

Chapter 20 cannot be 1-turned even with growths on Normal Mode. 2-turning in 0% growths is dubious but I'll try and see what I can do. You need to arrive so two fliers (Tanith and Jill probably) or one flier and unit capable of ORKOing Shiharam are needed (Tanith + Stefan).

I think you can clear this in 2 turns. Tanith and Calill (Meteor) kill Shiharam and Janaff (or Jill) arrives. All on turn 2. Getting Tanith and Janaff/Jill to survive the Wyvern Riders on turn 1 enemy phase will be a challenge, perhaps.

Schaeffer needs to be attacked at 2-range unless you take the extra turn to shove a Priest out of the way (I think). No idea how that one will go. Spear!Tanith + Meteor Calill sounds like one solution just theorycrafting.

A 1-turn clear will be tough here. If some subset of {Stefan, Muarim, Lethe, Titania, Kieran, and Jill} can clear a path to Schaeffer, Tanith and Calill (Meteor/Bolting) might just be able to finish the job.

Edit: Very impressive C14. I didn't know you could recruit Makalov on turn 2.

Edited February 23, 2013 by aku chi

[Espinosa]

MOAR coming

Chapter 15 cleared in 3 turns, with all the BEXP, Stefan and all treasure besides the Coin. Seriously lucky with the latter.

About the importance of speed when it comes to mook-fighting: rout maps like chapter 25 might be completed faster if a mobile flier with 1-2 range like Haar can reliably ORKO the enemies, but I don't know if that's the case.

[XeKr]

Tanith is probably over there to ferry Ike, so she and Tauroneo with Laguz Lance, maybe some Siege, should be enough against Ena.

Schaeffer has just 8 luck, so you could Meteor crit if dedicated enough. Bolting crit is marginally easier and iirc you get one that chapter.

Re: Arms Scrolls: Vague Katti has low Mt, I think forged Silver is better overall, particularly for Stefan. It's something that would likely matter most on bosses, who have high Def. Could look into Bolting for Ilyana or Meteor for Tormod, but hit rate issues, etc. Or Bolting for Bastian since he has C Thunder. Maybe Silver Lances for Tanith.

Edited February 23, 2013 by XeKr

[Refa]

Since Tanith does double, she can 2RKO the boss by herself. No need for Taureneo's help there.

Also Calill and Bastian can use all of the seige tomes and base, concidentially just when they start popping up (you may be able to steal some earlier on, but I'm pretty sure Calill comes with the first one obtained otherwise). Not sure why you'd need to promote Soren/Illyana for that...

Edited February 23, 2013 by Refa

[Espinosa]

I'm not sure if I'll have a Bolting for chapter 22 since I couldn't possibly get the one in my 5-turn clear of chapter 16. You get one in the same chapter but you'll have to pass it to your Sage for use so might as well attack the boss in other ways in a 2-turn or whatever. Even if a 1-turn is possible.

I can't steal the Sage's bolting in chapter 18 because Volke only has 12 strength.

You only need C rank tomes for sieging in this game, so Tormod can help Calill with Meteor at base, and he has respectable 24 atk with Bolting, if promoted, so he can hurt some bosses quite a bit if another sieger is needed.

Bastian doesn't need any AS, but Haar might want one for Silver Axe forges and Geoffrey for Shinon's Brave Bow. Tanith should get to A lances easily enough by chapter 23 since she seems like she's my entire frontline right now - not so much due to any durability (32HP/15 def is only a little better than Jill's) but because most enemies only have, like, 30 displayed hit on her without any supports in range.

Vague Katti is the strongest weapon with good crit in the game, so it could be useful if you need a flier with 11 move to rig a crit on something. I'd rather use forged stuff in most other cases, though.

[Florete]

Chapter 15 cleared in 3 turns...

Wow. I can tell that took a lot of resets by how well you had memorized all the movements you needed to make.

[Espinosa]

Wow. I can tell that took a lot of resets by how well you had memorized all the movements you needed to make.

It's not so bad normally, as long as you've figured out everybody's starting positions and understood clearly what everybody is doing and why. The desert doesn't look like a chapter where the map design gives you much of clue as to where you should stop not to enter the attack range of more than one enemy (bad news for most folks). It's a lot worse if you're doing an OCD LTC run in one of the GBA games and actually have to memorise the order of actions for everybody to make the right attacks hit/miss and the good characters to get good level-ups; here reliability matters a lot more because the RN resets with the game.

It's generally more frustrating when the map is heavy on rescuedropping and shove chains, and ones where you really screw up if you do these actions in the wrong order. The next map, chapter 16, is easily the most infrastructure-reliant chapter I've played on this run so far.

[Chiki]

I believe a Sage in Chapter 22 drops Bolting.

[ZemZem]

Aeine's right, but it'd probably sacrifice C22's one turn. (Could be wrong.)

Edited February 23, 2013 by ZeeEmm456

[Ema Skye]

Yeah, the Sage behind Tomenami drops Bolting in Ch.22. You can use it against the boss too with trading.

You can probably 1-turn that map if you give Calill the Ch.14 Spirit Dust, a C-rank Tormod support (since Nephenee doesn't give +Atk for C-rank) and said Bolting. She'll do 26 damage a hit to Scaeffer, a 2HKO. Tormod's own usefulness in 0% should definitely be questionable, so I don't know if he'll be able to hit the support (needs to be fielded in Ch.20 and Ch.21 to hit the support rank).

At least assuming if my math is right.

19 Base Magic +2 from Spirit Dust +1 from Tormod support +13 Mt from Bolting = 35 Mt. Boss has 9 Res (so 26 Atk) and 51 HP (26x2 = 52).

Edited February 23, 2013 by Doofina

[Chiki]

Just Canto the Bolting back to you.

[PKL]

You could have Shinon Longbow crit the Bolting Sage if u lack enough shovers then trade it and do your thing.

[Chiki]

I think Boots Tanith can take Bolting, come back. Then Calill trades, attacks and prays for an Adept. Retain Cantos so Calill can do it again.

I wouldn't bother and just go for a crit personally, right away.

[PKL]

I think Boots Tanith can take Bolting, come back. Then Calill trades, attacks and prays for an Adept. Retain Cantos so Calill can do it again.

I wouldn't bother and just go for a crit personally, right away.

I had Adept Calill in mind, but there's better recipients of that skill. Like Tanith.

Edited February 24, 2013 by CordeliaxFrederick

[Chiki]

I meant Adept Calill, though you're right to suggest that.

[shadykid]

I had Adept Calill in mind, but there's better recipients of that skill. Like Tanith.

ironically, if this were Maniac mode Calill with Vantage (and a glitched Thunder tome) would carry the game on her own

[Espinosa]

Adept would be good on Tanith, but that means no Reinforce. The reinforcements are actually more competent at fighting than most of my units, except I can't pass any forges to them (the Falcoknights are highly proficient especially). Adept!Calill is better than Nihil!Calill if I want to shave off a turn by resetting a few times (should still be a lot more reliable than chapters like 14 and 15).

No Adept on Ena would mean a harder (or less reliable) Endgame. I don't know if Ena is of any use in the penultimate chapter. She normally isn't, but that's because you have an impenetrable flier and a killer Ike, which I don't (I guess Tanith and Haar aren't bad enough, but Haar falls victim to status staves too easily while Tanith doesn't take hits from those accurate Laguz very well).

The 2HKO idea should work, and Tormod can Shove Reyson in the two maps before that so he can't be entirely useless. There's the question of Calill getting the first Spirit Dust however, which means less Rescue range in case it ever makes a critical difference. I could always get the Bolting, but do 2x Calill Meteor, 1x Tormod Meteor, I guess, and keep Bolting for future bosses.

I guess some mixed strat of Tanith rushing it to attack the boss at 2-range (with Spear/forged Javelin/Sonic Sword) and Calill sieging once is possible, but there are a bit too many enemies in the way and they are a bit too far away.

[Espinosa]

Chapter 16 in 5 turns. I recruit Devdan and open 4/6 chests (no Bolting). Not sure if I could get more treasure by giving somebody Boots - probably not worth it as Titania isn't very dependable later into the game (Marcia and Jill even less).

and lol @ Ike levelling up twice on his way to seize.

[Chiki]

Won't Reinforce compromise your ability to clear chapters in less turns? It isn't like they can help you kill bosses (maybe they could, but I wouldn't count on it).

[Espinosa]

I definitely don't see as being detrimental. If Tanith has better things to do than summon the reinforcements (e.g. attacking stuff), then I don't use her turn to activate Reinforce - there's really nobody forcing me to use it.

I doubt they'll compromise any low-turn completions, but they're sure to lend a hand with dealing damage (the Falcoknight in particular is as good as Tanith, even better in some stats, and Tanith is essentially my best unit) and they could also distract enemies functioning as bait. Fighting mooks isn't so smooth-sailing when your bases simply aren't enough to have your mounted units ORKO everything with Javelins and Hand Axes (though I think Tanith can ORKO most of chapter 18 with a Javelin forge, but she won't grow unless I find Energy Ring on her a good allocation idea).

[aku chi]

Chapter 16 in 5 turns.

Epic last turn!

[Espinosa]

17-1 in 3 turns.

My 2nd Killer Lance, and tbh I don't think I've ever used any killer weapons besides chapter 12 to secure the 5-turn. Forges offer better damage at more reliable hit rates. I do think I would've liked a killer weapon somewhere during the first 10 chapters, though, but they just don't come soon enough.

[Espinosa]

Just made another chapter 18 attempt, this time opening all three chests and doing the crap to recruit Shinon. I got the 7-turn pretty easily.

However, I'm not liking the fact it's a 7-turn. On turn 7 enemy phase, most of the Ravens transform and suicide into Tanith (who took the Boots but didn't exactly use her full move at all times, and was Canto'd just once by Reison). As for whether the rest of my party is available to help out with the Ravens, well... Let's just say that most of them don't fly, and those who do have underwhelming combat. Transformed Ravens can also be ORKO'd by Tanith and Stefan only.

Much of infrastructure is also wasted into recruiting Shinon, and not being able to kill Shinon also slows me down quite a bit. I'll play through the chapter more attentively and see if anything indicates the possibility of a 6-turn. So far I haven't come up with such a strat.

Did a quick attempt at chapter 19 without saving, and it's an easy 1-turn without using up an Energy Ring on Tanith. I don't think the Knight Ring is worth the extra two turns spent on the map... unless a 2-turn with the Knight Ring acquired is possible.

[aku chi]

Just made another chapter 18 attempt, this time opening all three chests and doing the crap to recruit Shinon. I got the 7-turn pretty easily.

However, I'm not liking the fact it's a 7-turn. On turn 7 enemy phase, most of the Ravens transform and suicide into Tanith (who took the Boots but didn't exactly use her full move at all times, and was Canto'd just once by Reison). As for whether the rest of my party is available to help out with the Ravens, well... Let's just say that most of them don't fly, and those who do have underwhelming combat. Transformed Ravens can also be ORKO'd by Tanith and Stefan only.

Much of infrastructure is also wasted into recruiting Shinon, and not being able to kill Shinon also slows me down quite a bit. I'll play through the chapter more attentively and see if anything indicates the possibility of a 6-turn. So far I haven't come up with such a strat.

Have you tried using a Laguz Stone to tranform Reyson? Have your 4 best mounted units (Tanith, Titania, Kieran, and Jill?) do the following each turn after the first:

• Advance with all four mounted units, killing enemies along the way. End in a diamond arrangement that Reyson can vigor.
  
• Vigor all four with Reyson.
  
• Have two mounted units advance as far as possible and kill enemies.
  
• Have the other two rescue/take/drop Reyson as far as possible whilst forming a wall.
  

Recruiting Shinon is an added complication, to be sure. You'll need to somehow ferry Rolf and Ike to Shinon before Shinon can get a shot at Reyson. But with transformed Reyson, I still suspect that a 6-turn clear is possible.

[Espinosa]

Haven't tried stoning Reyson yet, but I've considered having Tanith carry Reyson since she's not involved in any fighting for a couple turns and doesn't mind the AS penalty (12 AS still doubles the siege tome users) so that she can get an extra turn a little bit later.

I don't know if this is the best occasion to use a Laguz Stone, as the map is nothing difficult as annoying as Shinon's recruitment may be. If it shaves off a turn, then it's probably worth it. However, it doesn't look like the other mounted units (Titania, Kieran, Jill) would be very helpful against the untransformed Ravens, not doubling and missing 2-4 HP when whacking untransformed Ravens with the Laguz Axe. They should at least be helpful with helping Tanith push forward, and Vigour on Tanith using 9/11 move each turn should help me progress faster than just having Tanith using 11 move (and sometimes not even that due to the enemies blocking the way) after a turn 1 Canto (which might as well be replaced with 3 Shoves and 1 Smite).

Meanwhile, here's chapter 17-2 in 3 turns, lowest without Boots on Marcia.

Edited March 3, 2013 by Espinosa