About to dip into PoR for the 1st time

[Moishe Oofnik]

There being better units doesn't change Ike's capability to solo.

Though yeah, Marcia is basically in this game what Haar is in RD, except no speed issue. Tier 2 Oscar is also a god.

false marcia starts weak haar starts god

Marcia needs a BEXP dump to become god

then she is haar+1 speed wing

[omglmaowtf]

As BrightBow said, that's unlucky with his 60% Str growth. Mm...

He could be salvaged via BEXP abuse or he might pick himself back up eventually.

If you don't feel like keeping Boyd, there's another axe alternative not too far off. He's another mounted unit. If you want a Warrior though, you're out of luck since Boyd's the only Fighter/Warrior.

Please rate this Level 7 Boyd

HP:35

Str:NINE

Skill:FIVE

Spd:8

Lck:6

Def:7

Res:Zero

Which chapter do I get this mounted axe alternative? More importantly, does he already have good enough bases that RNG-screwage cannot perma-ruin him?

[Irysa]

33.75 10 0.25 6.5 8.25 5.75 6.25 1.25

Average stats for Boyd at level 7. Looks alright. Lighten up, enemy units don't really get much stronger in this game so someone like Boyd will eventually just outgrow them and become very much self sufficient.

They do; I mean the whole point is that you have to train your characters for them to payoff. Titania and Shinon are prepromtes, and you don't want to be relying on them. Especially not Shinon.

Compared to Titania, Oscar has more room to level up so that by the time he's a Paladin, he'll have much better bases. Titania has better growths though, but she'll be slow on exp gain for a long time.

lol

Shinon is mediocre but Titania is definitely the best unit in the game, with Marcia and Jill not far behind. There is no shame whatsoever in having Titania do all of the heavy lifting early on, especially since letting her wallop will improve your turncounts, which simulteanously gives you more BEXP to dump into units of your choosing in a controlled environment where you can easily rig stats if you want. Oscar is a good unit, but he is honestly not particularly strong in the early maps. After some BEXP allocation he'll become formidable. Boyd is decent, but again doesn't really shine in the early maps. That's basically just pure Titania territory.

Edited March 16, 2015 by Irysa

[BrightBow]

Btw, if the Game Script suggests you do a certain thing that is not vital to the mission and doesn't net any obvious reward, you will probably get Bonus EXP for it.

Unfortunately, for whatever reason, somebody decided that you have to play through the game once before you are allowed to activate a function in the settings that allows you to actually display the BEXP rewards that you get at the end of a chapter.

Edited March 16, 2015 by BrightBow

[omglmaowtf]

Shinon is mediocre but Titania is definitely the best unit in the game, with Marcia and Jill not far behind. There is no shame whatsoever in having Titania do all of the heavy lifting early on, especially since letting her wallop will improve your turncounts, which simulteanously gives you more BEXP to dump into units of your choosing in a controlled environment where you can easily rig stats if you want.

Now that I've seen

http://serenesforest.net/fe9/bonus_exp.htm

I find it makes sense to early Titania abuse for turncounts then level the party with bexp? Is unfortunate I didn't see this 5 chapters ago

[Radiant head]

The fuck you doing, Boyd

As BrightBow said, that's unlucky with his 60% Str growth. Mm...

He could be salvaged via BEXP abuse or he might pick himself back up eventually.

If you don't feel like keeping Boyd, there's another axe alternative not too far off. He's another mounted unit. If you want a Warrior though, you're out of luck since Boyd's the only Fighter/Warrior.

Largo is close enough, no? He's a latecomer though.

Edited March 16, 2015 by Radiant head

[Dual Dragons]

Your Boyd's not as bad as I was thinking. At least he's been getting enough doses of the Speed.

The axe alternative in question, you see him in Chapter 10 but officially get him in Chapter 11. You have to do something you'll know what to do if you pay attention to the game's script. You might have to forego the big BEXP bonus there though to get him and a couple other units as well as one treasure.

Now that I've seen

http://serenesforest.net/fe9/bonus_exp.htm

I find it makes sense to early Titania abuse for turncounts then level the party with bexp? Is unfortunate I didn't see this 5 chapters ago

Some use of Titania is good to get the early BEXP, yeah, but I wouldn't fret so much on the first playthrough. You're still learning how the chapters work. I don't know how many playthroughs you intend to do but I'd just say go at a decent pace. You'll get enough even if you don't get the max BEXP for a chapter.

Largo is close enough, no? He's a latecomer though.

Just as a foot axe-user, they can be close enough, I suppose.

[omglmaowtf]

The axe alternative in question, you see him in Chapter 10 but officially get him in Chapter 11. You have to do something you'll know what to do if you pay attention to the game's script. You might have to forego the big BEXP bonus there though to get him and a couple other units as well as one treasure.

As long as he has good/high bases instead if reliant on RNG-growths. I have learned that when playing FE games ALWAYS assume the playthrough is a 0% growths hack.

[Eselred]

Oscar is amazing once he gets going. As others have said, he's mounted plus he has an awesome Earth affinity. He can support with Ike early on for a nice boost, then he can support with Kieran to make the Dynamic Horse Duo. At the beginning, just have him tag along and clean up any units Titania doesn't finish off. Don't feel bad about leaning on Titania early on; she's like Seth in the regard that she is amazing at the beginning and still quite respectable at the end. The only thing I don't like about Titania is that she doesn't support with the other mounted units, but then again, it's hardly necessary.

In regards to Boyd, I'm not really a big fan of him in PoR because the quickest and easiest way to win is mount spam. Boyd is a foot unit and has a shaky start, so I prefer not to bother raising him when there are so many other great units. I use him when he is forced but then send him to the bench. But that's just my preference; the game isn't hard enough that you must mount spam, it just makes everything go much faster.

As for Ike, he is amazing. I mean seriously look up his growths. It's obscene, which is why they had to nerf him somewhat in RD. He laughs at the weapon triangle with his ridiculous growths. Additionally, if you give him the Boots and Knight Ring, he can keep up with Oscar for that sweet Earth support. Aether and Ragnell are just the icing on the cake. He promotes kind of late in the game, but not as late as other lords (cough ROY cough).

I'm still on Chapter 15 (ugh desert), and Oscar, Kieran, Marcia and Jill are already promoted. Ike is 18 and Soren is 15, Rhys was promoted at level 10, and I don't use the rest of the units. The laguz make for fine stand-in units, but I wouldn't recommend using them long-term. Getting Marcia and Kieran marks the turning point in the game to when you can begin the mounted domination. Jill is awesome if (like Marcia and Kieran) you pump some BEXP into her to get her up to speed. Astrid and Makalov are great as well because they are mounted, but I find that they come at an awkward time in the game when I've already burned a ton of BEXP on Marcia, Kieran and Jill.

PS - Once you beat the game, you have the option of using Fixed growths on your subsequent games, which makes your units grow at a more predictable pace. You also get Bands which increase your growths while equipped.

[Radiant head]

The only thing I don't like about Titania is that she doesn't support with the other mounted units, but then again, it's hardly necessary.

Mist.

[Irysa]

putting mist in the middle of combat where titania thrives is generally a pretty bad idea

[Radiant head]

Mist always does fine for me in the middle of combat. She can dodge most hits because PoR enemy units are a joke, and her water affinity boosts her defense when she supports Titania, Jill, and maybe Boyd. At worst, she needs a Seraph robe.

Edited March 16, 2015 by Radiant head

[Eselred]

Mist isn't really worth the investment in my opinion. She requires a BEXP dump to even get decent, and then Valkyries in this game use swords instead of tomes (ugh). Honestly, your mounted units are sturdy enough that you don't really need to put Mist in harm's way to heal them, nor spend the resources getting her up to speed.

However, as has been said many times before, PoR is generally easy enough that you can use Mist and do just fine. It's just not very efficient, but whatever is fun for you, go for it.

[Radiant head]

She requires a Bexp dump because she can't do combat, but once she promotes, she's pretty worth it. And it's not like Bexp is scarce in this game. If you promote her vey early in the game, then her strength/defense will be on par with enemy units, and she can use a steel forge until her weapon level is high enough to use the Sonic and Rune swords. Then at that point, she's OHKO'ing enemies and it's beautiful. Especially since she can heal while keeping a sword equipped.

Not to mention a well trained Mist is kind of handy to kill Black Knight's reinforcements.

If nothing else, she's way more useful than Rhys.

Edited March 16, 2015 by Radiant head

[Eselred]

She's a much better investment than Rhys.

Rhys starts at level 5, has a higher staff rank and bases, joins earlier, and can get to 10 early and easily by just healing. I had him promoted to Bishop by the time I got my first Master Seal without any extra work. He requires zero investment, and also gets a tome rank equal to his staff rank. Mist is level 1, has worse bases, lower staff rank, joins later and falls over to a gentle breeze. She also requires additional training and forges if you actually want her to use swords.

Edited March 16, 2015 by Eselred

[Radiant head]

Magic Swords >>>> FE9 Light Magic.

Higher bases are really irrelevant in a game where you have nigh-infinite Bexp.

But I mean it's whatever. The point I wanted to make is that Mist can work out fine (yes in combat), and she can support Titania. PoR is easy enough and gives you enough resources to where anyone can work.

Edited March 16, 2015 by Radiant head

[Dual Dragons]

Mist isn't really worth the investment in my opinion. She requires a BEXP dump to even get decent, and then Valkyries in this game use swords instead of tomes (ugh).

But my niche magic sword Mist!

Dump a Arms Scroll or two onto Mist and then spam the magic swords. How I play, I pretty much never use the Arms Scrolls (I could even get Jill to S Axes just by her using Steel Axes for the rest of the game), so Mist is welcome to use them. As for the BEXP dump, that can be accurate if you don't feel like staff-spamming.

Either Rhys or Mist work. Just depends on who you like more. I tried Rhys once or twice and found him too slow for my liking--but I didn't BEXP-abuse as hard as I do in later playthroughs.

[Eselred]

Magic Swords >>>> FE9 Light Magic.

Higher bases are really irrelevant in a game where you have nigh-infinite Bexp.

It's not "nigh-infinite BEXP" at the beginning-mid game when you're dumping BEXP like crazy into Marcia, Kieran, Jill and then maybe Astrid and Makalov who all join in rapid succession. There just isn't any room for Mist when much, much better units are clamoring for those resources.

Also, how is Mist gaining all these swords ranks, since weapon ranks are pretty slow in this game? By fighting all the time? That's not very optimal, because she's a mediocre combatant at best, and if she's fighting all the time, then she's not healing, which is her best function. And if Mist is seeing a ton of combat, then that means other (better) units aren't. Look, Rhys isn't great, but he does what he does without any extra investment or effort.

Healers shouldn't really see combat anyway; it means you goofed up.

I used to use Mist back in the day, but nowadays I prefer to lean towards more efficient play unless the game has a post-game like Sacred Stones or Awakening. Using Mist is not very efficient.

Edit: In response to Dual Dragons, I haven't yet used my Arms Scrolls either, but I would prefer to use them to say get Kieran or Makalov D lances so they can use Steel right away than waste them on Mist. That's just my preference though. PoR is pretty easy and flexible so you are free to play however is most fun to you. I choose to lean towards efficiency.

Edited March 16, 2015 by Eselred

[Radiant head]

It's not "nigh-infinite BEXP" at the beginning-mid game when you're dumping BEXP like crazy into Marcia, Kieran, Jill and then maybe Astrid and Makalov who all join in rapid succession. There just isn't any room for Mist when much, much better units are clamoring for those resources.

I don't dump Bexp into Kieran, because his bases are fine when he joins. Astrid has Paragon, so I don't know why I would dump Bexp into her. By the time Makalov joins, I already have enough Paladins to stomp through the game. Having a healer is more valuable at this point.

Also, how is Mist gaining all these swords ranks, since weapon ranks are pretty slow in this game? By fighting all the time? That's not very optimal, because she's a mediocre combatant at best, and if she's fighting all the time, then she's not healing, which is her best function. And if Mist is seeing a ton of combat, then that means other (better) units aren't.

It's really easy to raise weapon ranks with steel, which Mist can use as soon as she promotes. Not to mention, she can still heal in player phase, while keeping a sword equipped to attack in enemy phase. Not to mention, Reyson. Worst case, you have arms scrolls.

Edited March 16, 2015 by Radiant head

[Eselred]

I don't dump Bexp into Kieran, because his bases are fine when he joins. Astrid has Paragon, so I don't know why I would dump Bexp into her. By the time Makalov joins, I have enough Paladins, and swords are the worst in the weapon triangle, so I don't know why I would want to invest more Bexp into him.

It's really easy to raise weapon ranks with steel, which Mist can use as soon as she promotes. Not to mention, she can still heal in player phase, while keeping a sword equipped to attack in enemy phase. Not to mention, Reyson.

Kieran joins at level 11. For reference, I think my Oscar was level 15 or 16 when Kieran joined. I prefer to keep them similar so they can stomp things together.

Paragon reduces the amount of BEXP required, and Astrid joins at level 1 in Chapter 13. You seriously raise her from level 1 nearly midway through the game without using BEXP?

Makalov is on a mount and can get lances or axes upon promotion. You can either BEXP him to 20 (21) or Master Seal him when he joins. A far better investment than Mist.

[Dual Dragons]

Edit: In response to Dual Dragons, I haven't yet used my Arms Scrolls either, but I would prefer to use them to say get Kieran or Makalov D lances so they can use Steel right away than waste them on Mist. That's just my preference though. PoR is pretty easy and flexible so you are free to play however is most fun to you. I choose to lean towards efficiency.

Get everyone quicker to Steel is the best way to go, so yeah I can see why you do that.

Haha, that's true. I'm generally a low-mount user (like Jill and Mist low-mount), but I want to try a higher-mount playthrough some day. I take preference on personality over efficiency sometimes.

@Astrid: I've used her once or twice in the past and found she's pretty easy to train after the initial chapter. She can also start training in that chapter if you give her a Steel forge just to snipe at some ravens, the two-three Halberdiers, and/or some low-level enemies. I didn't really need to BEXP her (except to get certain stats) and she did pretty fine afterwards. Quite easier to train than Mist despite being bow-locked until promoted...

[Ownagepuffs]

Mist can be BEXP'd to 10, seal'd, then be your only source of mounted staves until Elly joins. She's worth the investment, but not for combat.

In regards to Boyd, I'm not really a big fan of him in PoR because the quickest and easiest way to win is mount spam. Boyd is a foot unit and has a shaky start, so I prefer not to bother raising him when there are so many other great units. I use him when he is forced but then send him to the bench. But that's just my preference; the game isn't hard enough that you must mount spam, it just makes everything go much faster.

As for Ike, he is amazing. I mean seriously look up his growths. It's obscene, which is why they had to nerf him somewhat in RD. He laughs at the weapon triangle with his ridiculous growths. Additionally, if you give him the Boots and Knight Ring, he can keep up with Oscar for that sweet Earth support. Aether and Ragnell are just the icing on the cake. He promotes kind of late in the game, but not as late as other lords (cough ROY cough).

Once Boyd gets into doubling range he's outperforming Ike for literally the whole game until Ike gets Ragnell. Boyd is very easily the best foot in the game. This is hardly fair.

[Irysa]

Mist always does fine for me in the middle of combat. She can dodge most hits because PoR enemy units are a joke, and her water affinity boosts her defense when she supports Titania, Jill, and maybe Boyd. At worst, she needs a Seraph robe.

mist survives in combat due to lolfe9 enemies but she has serious issues ORKOing most enemies without a Magic Sword, of which there are a very limited amount and are only accessible later in the game. her survival is not the issue, it's the fact that she will lure units off titania or your other mounts which leads to worse enemy phase which leads to having to slow down in general.

I absoloutely support using mist, but as Ownage said, she's a utility unit, and should be used that way.

Edited March 16, 2015 by Irysa

[Eselred]

Mist can be BEXP'd to 10, seal'd, then be your only source of mounted staves until Elly joins. She's worth the investment, but not for combat.

Once Boyd gets into doubling range he's outperforming Ike for literally the whole game until Ike gets Ragnell. Boyd is very easily the best foot in the game. This is hardly fair.

It is very fair, as the bolded emphasizes. FOOT unit. Ike is your Lord, thus forced, and has ridiculous growths, an awesome PRF weapon (albeit late), and a unique skill that is amazing. Boyd is an optional foot unit, and that slot is better used for a mount if you are playing efficiently. As I have stated many times before, FE9 is easy enough that you can use whomever you want and crush the game and have a good time. My perspective is to mount rush each map to finish them as quickly as possible. To each their own.

Mist does make a fine support unit, and I debated using BEXP to get her to 10 and Master Seal her. But I already had Rhys healing for a few chapters and nearing promotion and that BEXP would be better used on other combat units. Ones on mounts...

Speaking of mounted units, they are durable enough, especially with supports going on, that they don't really need Mist hanging around to stay out of enemy range and possibly heal them. On the occasions that they do need a heal, then that's what healing items are for. Or just move them out of danger, because they have 9 MOV, Canto and two diverse weapon types.

[omglmaowtf]

Okay so I'm about to start chapter 10...

Just what is the max number of units I can field in endgame party?

Wanna know if Neph is worth bothering with, Lethe & Mord worth investing bexp, or even if Volke is worth paying for the thief utility