Play RD before PoR?

[Dronagon]

I bought this copy of Radiant Dawn last year and I still haven't played it. I've wanted to several times, but I don't own PoR (Buying RD was already pricy, PoR is even worse...) and though I do plan on getting a copy of it someday, it's not going to be anytime soon. Now I know that I should be fine playing them in reverse order, but is the story or are the characters more enjoyable if you play them in order? Or should it really not matter much and should I go for it? Is there any other benefit from playing PoR first?

[HF Makalov Fanboy Kai]

no way you should play RD first, first off PoR is way easier, second off it gives off character stuff alot better, RD doesn't, only because your expected to know about them beforehand, meanwhile RD is one of the harder games in the series imo.

also you can't fully appreciate elicina's character development if you jump in RD first.

[Draco]

RD usually fills you in on stuff that happened in PoR but I wouldn't recommend playing them out of order, b/c development is handled in PoR and you can't fully appreciate it if you just jump into RD. Plus PoR is a lot easier.

I'd say just use an emulator for PoR if your computer could handle it. I still have my copy of PoR but it was really spendy.

[BrightBow]

I would say that all the good parts of RD's story rely on PoR. But with PoR being so hard to come by, playing that game first is definitely easier said then done.

There is also a Data Transfer feature. But for the most part, the only thing that does is to give the old characters small boni if they cap a stat and reach lv.20 (the remaining differences are really, really, really insignificant, so I won't go into detail here). So not only is it not really important, trying to get something to transfer in the first place requires one to be a munchkin in PoR, which makes an already easy game even easier. This feature is definitely not a good reason to play PoR first.

Edited June 3, 2015 by BrightBow

[HF Makalov Fanboy Kai]

I would say that all the good parts of RD's story rely on PoR. But with PoR being so hard to come by, playing that game first is definitely easier said then done.

There is also a Data Transfer feature. But for the most part, the only thing that does is to give the old characters small boni if they cap a stat and reach lv.20 (the remaining differences are really, really, really insignificant, so I won't go into detail here). So not only is it not really important, trying to get something to transfer in the first place requires one to be a munchkin in PoR, which makes an already easy game even easier. This feature is definitely not a reason to play PoR first.

says you, there are several characters that really benefits from transfers

[BrightBow]

says you, there are several characters that really benefits from transfers

But does it improve the game experience for a first-time player? I really don't think so.

Edit: Personally I actually quite regret optimizing my transfer file as much as I did. Ike and Sothe didn't need to be even more broken then they already were.

Edited June 3, 2015 by BrightBow

[Anacybele]

You should've waited on getting either game. Wii games are now downloadable on the Wii U eShop and surely, GC games will follow in the future, meaning RD and PoR should both become available to download, eventually.

Edited June 3, 2015 by Anacybele

[Dronagon]

I'd say just use an emulator for PoR if your computer could handle it.

I should've mentioned that I already tried, but it can't sadly, and I could get a new pc but I rarely play games with high recuirements on my pc so i'd be better of buying a copy of PoR.

You should've waited on getting either game. Wii games are now downloadable on the Wii U eShop and surely, GC games will follow in the future, meaning RD and PoR should both become available to download, eventually.

(That was in january 2014, I don't think wii games were downloadable back then already, but I could be wrong) I would buy them digitally for sure, but I'm kind of a collector, so I'd really get myself a physical copy EVENTUALLY, but meanwhile Radiant Dawn is sitting there on my shelf collecting dust, which is why I'm considering playing it now rather than later.

As for the data transfers, are the only things that change stats? or does it give anything else?

[Anacybele]

Oh, okay, I see. And yeah, I understand, I want to keep my copies of PoR and RD myself even though I also want to eventually be able to download them on the Wii U.

Data transfers change stats and can add additional conversations to RD. For example, if you transfer an A support between Ike and Soren, a special conversation between the two will be available, I believe. It's likely because of their best friend status.

Edited June 3, 2015 by Anacybele

[Dual Dragons]

As for the data transfers, are the only things that change stats? or does it give anything else?

- if Ike and Soren have A support in PoR and you transfer, there's an additional Info convo that can be seen if they ALSO have an A support in RD, it's the second playthrough+, and other conditions are fulfilled

- an A support between characters in PoR becomes an additional Bond support in RD (gives +10 Crit and Crit Dodge bonus)

- an A support between Jill and Mist in PoR transferred enables Mist to recruit Jill; a similar case is between if Ilyana or Brom have A support with Zihark in PoR

- supports in PoR are the only ones that are stored in RD's support library

[Original Alear]

IMO if you're just gunning for gameplay, you should consider playing RD first. It's a lot more fun than PoR IMO, except perhaps PoR maniac? But if you feel enthusiastic about the story, I'd definitely advise you to play PoR first.

[Sentacotus]

I got RD when it came out and it was before I got PoR. Story wise you'll be fine they explain enough before the chapters to know whats going on and the context of everything. Gameplay wise yeah its probably one of the harder FE's but not anything too grueling if you've played Fire Emblem before. PoR does make things easier with transfer units and you know quite a few minor character plots through supports in that game.

[Mekkah]

I watched (not played) RD before PoR. I think doing it in the regular order would've been better but I really enjoyed both regardless.

[HeroMystic]

At the very least, learn the story of PoR before going into RD. You're going to be very lost if you don't.

[BrightBow]

I think it's a bigger concern that RD might spoil PoR instead of PoR being required to enjoy RD. And I am not really talking about plot twists here.

PoR revolves a lot about things that initially seem like they are black and white but turn out to be a more complicated later on. Over the course of the game, there is a massive lack of clarity about the motivations of the characters and factions involved in the story. Heck, Ike's very own tactician is a pragmatist who comes across like he might sell him out for his own benefit at the first opportunity.

And I really loved this sense of ambiguity when playing this game, this insecurity about who is really on my side and how the journey would develop. As far as I knew, I might even have sealed my own fate by certain dialogue choices that I made. And RD would just set all of these things straight in advance and ruin the experience.

Edited June 3, 2015 by BrightBow

[Sentacotus]

I think it's a bigger concern that RD might spoil PoR instead of PoR being required to enjoy RD. And I am not really talking about plot twists here.

Agreed. I was solid on what was going on in RD without having played PoR but of course it spoiled the entire plot of PoR.

[NinjaMonkey]

At the very least, learn the story of PoR before going into RD. You're going to be very lost if you don't.

I played RD before PoR and I didn't get lost.

[Jave]

You should've waited on getting either game. Wii games are now downloadable on the Wii U eShop and surely, GC games will follow in the future, meaning RD and PoR should both become available to download, eventually.

Nintendo has said absolutely nothing official regarding downloadable GC games on Wii U, so I wouldn't get my hopes high regarding that.

[Ekans647]

I did the same thing as the OP, except I finished RD and haven't played PoR. I enjoyed the game immensely. The plot was fantastic, gameplay was gripping and challenging, and the characters was compelling. I didn't feel like I missed anything since RD was such a strong game on its own. I'm obviously going to play PoR on day though if I can get over how horribly ranger Ike holds his sword.

[RedScizor]

I've only played RD but I still enjoyed it a lot. I didn't feel like I was missing out and enjoyed the characters and story greatly. I'm exited to some day play PoR and get the full story though.

[ruadath]

FWIW, I played RD before PoR and really enjoyed it. I really enjoyed both the gameplay and storyline, and felt that RD did a good job of making sure the player understood the main plot points of PoR that were relevant to the story of RD even if they did not play the game. That being said, after completing RD, I was left with a strong desire to find out all of the details that were missing in my understanding of the overall story from PoR, and purchased a copy of that game. I must say, that while the overarching plot points of PoR were stated in RD (i.e. the good guys win, Ike's backstory, etc.), there were still a lot of plot details that weren't covered in PoR that made playing through the latter very interesting even though I had already beat RD.

In summary, while playing PoR first is obviously preferable, I don't think you can really go wrong with playing RD first.

[Tragonight]

Play PoR first. It'll leave you with a better impression of how Tellius games work, the characters, the lore, and backstory.

Some parts in RD (I won't spoil anything) are more epic when you've played PoR first and know what's going on.

[bookofholsety]

i played fe10 first and never got to play fe9 until years later, and didn't really have an issue there, but...

I think it's a bigger concern that RD might spoil PoR instead of PoR being required to enjoy RD. And I am not really talking about plot twists here.

PoR revolves a lot about things that initially seem like they are black and white but turn out to be a more complicated later on. Over the course of the game, there is a massive lack of clarity about the motivations of the characters and factions involved in the story. Heck, Ike's very own tactician is a pragmatist who comes across like he might sell him out for his own benefit at the first opportunity.

And I really loved this sense of ambiguity when playing this game, this insecurity about who is really on my side and how the journey would develop. As far as I knew, I might even have sealed my own fate by certain dialogue choices that I made. And RD would just set all of these things straight in advance and ruin the experience.

this is a pretty good point and a good argument in favour of tracking down fe9 first