Why is the Arena Broken?

[NamelessParasite]

Something perplexes me. In the previous FE games, the Arena was just means of racking up a few levels in case a unit was underleveled for the challenge ahead. Neato, really.

But in the GBA games it has infinite matches and it's the best means of overpowering everyone all the while getting hysterical amounts of money for winning. Plus, with the inclusion of RNG-abuse, you can make your units cap stats like there's no tomorrow. So, my question is...

Why exactly did the developers make the arena so broken in the first place? In the previous era, you can just play up to 7 or so matches and level up a couple of times only. So why fix what isn't broken?

Edited June 29, 2015 by NamelessParasite

[momogeek2141]

Actually, that only applied in FE4. Thracia discouraged it by making it ridiculously hard without a high PCC unit.

[Bagfisch]

Ever since FE1 arenas were broken as hell.

With the exception of FE4 you could spend a few hours there and the rest of the game plays itself.

Edited June 29, 2015 by Bagfisch

[Lord Raven]

Although Arena was pretty risky without save states lol

[Book of Ereshkigal]

Although Arena was pretty risky without save states lol

They are. And without savestates to try your luck on risky matches it may take a while to get a match that you're sure you'll win, and even then you could still get rng screwed.

[Jedi]

Arena grinding is also a massive time sink, if you are willing to stay and get op (Not that you even need to even in HM). I guess you deserve to be op?

It's like grinding on any other RPG. Not really that broken

[deleted35362]

i got crit to death by a 1% when i was training my last person. that's why!

[Terrador]

Ye Olde Gigantic Arena Grinde is actually not a great strategy, except in FE7, where one use of Ninis's Grace per unit turns it into a cakewalk. There's simply too much at risk--you have to be a quick draw on the math to play optimally, and even then the temptation to not be as conservative as possible skyrockets as you get bored. The limitations of the hardware are really what do it. Besides, grinding is in piles of games anyhow--as long as the game isn't balanced around the grind, I don't mind the option existing. Sometimes even then it's not particularly odious (see: Pokemon RBY/FRLG, to a lesser extent DPPt)

[Paper Jam]

That's why FE6 and 7 have Tactics rankings, isn't it? And while FE8 doesn't, it does have other possibilities for grinding (and fewer Arenas) that diminish the Arena's relevance in that game.

I'm not sure about FE6, but I know that it's hard to grind the Arena in FE7 except on Linus' version of Four-Fanged Offense on Hard mode, and even then you can't grind the arena indefinitely without taking a hit to your Tactics.

[Topazd]

Soft resets make the arenas a bit too safe in the GBA games, but they're not particularly different otherwise in comparison to the other arenas in the series.

At least you don't get your money back tenfold like in FE1.