So I'm starting FE4 for the first time!

[Draco]

Topic.

I guess the ROM I got is in English?

I'm going in mostly blind; is there anything I should know? I try not to be too dumb on my first playthroughs, like to know what I'm doing.

I've played all of the FEs before but 1-5, so how is this one different from what I'm used to?

Thanks!

[Zasplach]

It's extremely different, but my advice is go in almost completely blind, people will ruin the story for you, not on purpose, just in a roundabout fashion.

This is the only page you need, because there are a few very important secret items in the beginning

http://serenesforest.net/genealogy-of-the-holy-war/miscellaneous/secret-events

and oh yeah, pursuit is the only way your people can double reliably. Otherwise, blind is great, most fun that way.

[Draco]

Also, how is weight handled in this game? I've seen a few items that are super heavy.

You know how the GBA games have Con and SD/RD/PoR have Strength? What's the mechanic in this one?

[deleted35362]

you should know that a lot of this game is walking. lots...and lots....of just walking units....

maps too big

[Soledai]

Also, how is weight handled in this game? I've seen a few items that are super heavy.

You know how the GBA games have Con and SD/RD/PoR have Strength? What's the mechanic in this one?

Attack Speed = Speed – Weapon Weight

Edited March 16, 2015 by Soledai

[Zasplach]

And if the unit has pursuit and has one AS higher, they will double.

[Baldrick]

You can't trade. In order to move items around, sell it in the shop and then have the other unit buy it. This isn't always feasible, because each unit has their own money bag. Thieves can give their money to another unit.

Double attacks and critical attacks are only possible if you have the Pursuit/Critical skill respectively.

In the unit menu, there's a screen that shows you talk options. Check it every time you seize a castle.

There's an in-game save option in the main menu, available before you have moved any units. You should keep a couple of saves, including one at the beginning of the chapter because you can't restart the chapter otherwise.

That's all I can think of for now. That secret event link has spoilers near the end, so don't read it all at once.

Edited March 16, 2015 by Baldrick

[Mango Giamatti]

You do not raise weapon ranks in this game, other than changing class. A unit's weapon rank is determined by their class and holy blood.

There is also no collective gold. Each character has their own wallet.

The arena also works differently. You access it in the home castle (it's absent in a few chapters), and each character only fights seven opponents with increasing difficulty. If a character loses in the arena they do not die, rather, they are reduced to one hp. This is the easiest way to give your characters money.

[BrightBow]

I think you will be fine if you just keep an open mind and don't rely too much on knowledge from previous Fire Emblems. Heck, even the save feature is fundamentally different in this game. It works just like in an normal RPG, so if you want to be able to restart from the beginning of the chapter, you have to keep a separate file.

Btw, you can only save at the beginning of a turn, before you have moved any units. So don't be surprised if the option doesn't show up mid-turn.

Edited March 16, 2015 by BrightBow

[Starman]

Promotions are when your unit is level 30

and there's an option to promote at a castle

i usually run all my units through the arena first before starting the chapter and usually return to the arena at later castles in the chapter

Zasplach told you of the secret events that can happen in the game like the hero axe and pursuit ring

and of course, pairings

and that's something else that people will lend advice on

[Zasplach]

Promotions are when your unit is level 30

Level 20

[MacLovin]

You'll love horses and people with major holy blood.

Uh, and have fun with this game, it gets tricky at times. Nothing you can't figure out on your first run!

oh and check SF for the hidden things if you want, some hidden items change a units performance rather drastically, like the early Hero/Brave Axe.

Weapons are repairable.

Arena's have an effect on the rng.

The Lord is the best character in the game.

Any skill with arrows in its icon is really good.

[MacLovin]

idk man, Levin and Tiltyu make something even crazier.

[Moishe Oofnik]

Stick Lewyn and Ferry together for as much turns as you can

That is all the advice you will need.

Why just get the convo in chapter 4

[momogeek2141]

You will notice lovers in the weapon rank screen. That actually affects the Second half of the game. You can make people lovers by sticking them together.

[momogeek2141]

Yeah but by then Levin is likely loving Sylvia (on blind PTs at least), so better off the normal way.

[HF Makalov Fanboy Kai]

Yeah but by then Levin is likely loving Sylvia (on blind PTs at least), so better off the normal way.

i can attest to this happening on my first playtho.

[sirmola]

You want to save, quit and load the game at some point before chapter 4 and at some point soon after the begining of chapter 6. (either using the emulator's "reset" option, or by closing and opening the emulator.) Make sure that you are loading an in-game save and not a save state. This prevetns some minor glitching, keeps you from playing half the game with oune leadership star fewer than the developers intended, and keeps the chapter 4 defence sword event from freezing the game.

Fair warning: the english file that you got is just a japanese rom with the fan translation pre-applied. Normaly, this is is good because it saves you effort. In this case, however, you want an untranslated rom to look at the ending, because it freezes in the fan translation. (you can then use the ending translation linked somewhere in this forum. (I like to do this by using autopatching, and then renaming the patch file after the final boss has been defeated.) YOu could also use the vietnamese translation to view the ending, because that translation uses english character names for some reason, so the ending ends up more understandable than it would be in japanese. Another issue is that this fan translation has had several playable versions and the older ones leave out some dialog. In you ever encounter the characters engaging in filler dialog discussing the need for filler dialog to prevent a game freeze, you have an old version of the patch, and should get a newer version.

Edited March 17, 2015 by sirmola

[MasterJP28]

Sigurd should use the Silver Sword period! Make sure it has 50 stars ASAP...

[The Geek]

Don't bother trying to level up Deirdre/Diadora when you get her.

Make sure you have a long period of free time before you start a play session, most chapters take me 2-3 hours to beat.

[X-Naut]

It's perfectly fine to spam save states when doing the arena, FE4 arena has the worst RNG in the series.

[Leif]

This game is a walk in the park compared to Thracia 776, you'll be fine. Be sure to pair Lex with Ira so their kids get that delicious Elite Skill. Speaking of Ira, her recruitment is tricky so watch out.

[Guy Starwind]

It's extremely different, but my advice is go in almost completely blind, people will ruin the story for you, not on purpose, just in a roundabout fashion.

This is the only page you need, because there are a few very important secret items in the beginning

http://serenesforest.net/genealogy-of-the-holy-war/miscellaneous/secret-events

and oh yeah, pursuit is the only way your people can double reliably. Otherwise, blind is great, most fun that way.

This!!! I've made it my duty to stop new FE4 players from coming here. Not that I don't like ya but I just don't want the game to be ruined for new players. I went in blind save for the link mentioned above and had a blast doing it. People will also tell you who to pair. Screw those people and pair who you want. I did. I didn't get the best pairings but who cares I still loved it. I'll just say three things.

1. Use Fin.

2. Make a second save. You can't restart chapters.

3. Don't come back till you finish the game.

Edited April 12, 2015 by Guy Starwind

[Zasplach]

This!!! I've made it my duty to stop new FE4 players from coming here. Not that I don't like ya but I just don't want the game to be ruined for new players. I went in blind save for the link mentioned above and had a blast doing it. People will also tell you who to pair. Screw those people and pair who you want. I did. I didn't get the best pairings but who cares I still loved it. I'll just say three things.

1. Use Fin.

2. Make a second save. You can't restart chapters.

3. Don't come back till you finish the game.

Yeah, I read the old posts on the forum and liked your spiel, so I basically copied it.

This is kind of an old thread, I wonder how the original poster ended up doing.

[Guy Starwind]

Yeah, I read the old posts on the forum and liked your spiel, so I basically copied it.

This is kind of an old thread, I wonder how the original poster ended up doing.

People actually listen to me. Brings a tear to my eye. :)

Hopefully they had a good time.