How to get into FE6

[gringe]

I like how the game has so many characters. A lot of them aren't too useful but that's why I made the Numbers Patch the game isn't all that crazy difficult anyway. Makes replaying the game with different characters fun.

Each character in FE6 has at least 5 support conversations, which equates to... well, a lot more than either FE7 or FE8. Most of the supports are pretty good I think, but a few characters in particular are very dull. Wendy, Ogier, and Cecilia in particular. The developers just had too much volume to tackle, I guess.

[Mint Sherry]

Oh, and definitely watch out for classes like Swordmasters and Beserkers. Their base crit rates are 30%, so you gotta watch out if they have killer weapons, since they're very likely to take out one of your units in one hit.

Also, I suggest you use Rutger, since he's has extremely high crit rates when promoted to a Swordsmaster and equip him with a Killing Edge. He will be wiping enemies of the face of the Earth so long as you are careful with using him.

Edited August 1, 2016 by Mint Sherry

[quasimopho13]

Yeah, I'm really hype for Rutger since he wears red and has that crazy crit. He's been high on my priority list for a while. Will likely throw a wo dao on him to capitalize as much as possible on that. Though, to your point about killing edges, they seem to have better availability.

I appreciate all the tactical advice from everyone, but I'm actually not looking for strategies. I like to figure those out on my own.

Edited July 31, 2016 by quasimopho13

[NoMommaGarchomp]

FE6 is my favourite FE (Alongside 12) because all chapters are different and fun (I actually kind of like C14). At first I wasn't very fond of the characters, but after Ch. 8, I found many characters I like. Lugh, Lilina, Raigh, Milady, Zeiss, Gonzales, Fae, Perceval etc. In the beginning I was getting really bored and only liked Dieck, Roy, FE7 Marcus, Rutger, Allen, Lance and Clarine...
It has amazing animations just like the rest of the GBA games, one of my favourite villains in the series, Zephiel! Manaketes were awesome opponents (Which made me try out FE12 as well). The Gaidens are really well done IMO and you should get them under any circumstances... But screw that Douglas requirement... I had to play chase with him... The 5-move Douglas chased my 5-move Roy all around the map because I got careless and I had to keep him alive, so no Rapiers allowed. And I had extreme fun doing that, because it made me think in a way no other FE had. Having to recruit Lugh as well... Then the mighty Clarine came to rescue my Roy and managed to dodgetank Douglas because she is just that amazing

Honestly, don't drop it yet. I did that mistake once...

[henrymidfields]

Oh, and definitely watch out for classes like Swordmasters and Beserkers. Their base crit rates are 30%, so you gotta watch out if they have killer weapons, since they're very likely to take out one of your units in one hit.

Also does not help that critical activation percentage is...exactly as shown, as opposed to much more skewed towards the low/high ends like accuracy percentage is. I (both nearly and outright) lost Perceval/Milady (two being more frowned upon by the lady Luck stat; otherwise they're generally above average) a number of times because of those nightmarish Berserkers. FE6 is one of the few games where you actually need the Luck stat on your side - as opposed to how the majority of others just ask you to not get completely smitten by Lady Luck like Arthur did.

Actually, if you have enough Speed (and Luck), then Defense essentially becomes a dump stat in this game. It's very easy to avoid tank (as long as you're mindful of weight penalty) - this is one of the reasons why Japanese game guides back in 2002 (though I can't say for Serenes) value Clarine, Rutger, Fir, Sue, and Shin highly.

Edited August 7, 2016 by henrymidfields

[Katie]

Speaking of Clarine and Rutger, making them support with each other is very helpful gameplay-wise.

[Magical Glace]

Actually, if you have enough Speed (and Luck), then Defense essentially becomes a dump stat in this game. It's very easy to avoid tank (as long as you're mindful of weight penalty) - this is one of the reasons why Japanese game guides back in 2002 (though I can't say for Serenes) value Clarine, Rutger, Fir, Sue, and Shin highly.

Oh, last I checked, Serenes favors those units too.

Dodgetanking was very powerful in all three GBA Games. Partly because enemies sucked outside FE6 Hard, partly because the avoid formula and terrain were generous, and partly because of the 2 RN system.

[Xanafer]

This is really helpful since I'm playing through FE6 right now for the first time. One thing that threw me off though is that weapons are more inaccurate in 6 than they are in 7 and 8. Seeing that 55% Hit with a steel lance is really unfitting to me. Is skill a more important stat than ever in FE6, combined with the fact that weapons have lower hit rates than the other 2 gba games?

Edited August 6, 2016 by Xanafer

[Magical Glace]

This is really helpful since I'm playing through FE6 right now for the first time. One thing that threw me off though is that weapons are more inaccurate in 6 than they are in 7 and 8. Seeing that 55% Hit with a steel lance is really unfitting to me. Is skill a more important stat than ever in FE6, combined with the fact that weapons have lower hit rates than the other 2 gba games?

Skill is important in 6 due to the low Hit rates of anything not called Swords or Anima, and enemies having stats.

Axes are the most infamous for this.

[SimpleTactician]

Skill is important in 6 due to the low Hit rates of anything not called Swords or Anima, and enemies having stats. Axes are the most infamous for this.

Triggers flashbacks of Gonzales missing 70% of his attacks in my 2nd playthrough across 12 chapters

Secret Books are almost just as valuable as Speedwings in this game.

Nah, who am I kidding, Speedwings FTW. Also, try and go to Ilia after chapter 16 / 16x on Hard Mode (If you plan to play HM to begin with). FE6 is the game that made me hate Nomad Troopers for life.

Edited August 6, 2016 by MathMagoo12

[Katie]

Skill is important in fe6, but I wouldn't say its better than ever in it. I find skill to be most important in games with skills that trigger based on your skill stat.

[henrymidfields]

Oh, last I checked, Serenes favors those units too.

Dodgetanking was very powerful in all three GBA Games. Partly because enemies sucked outside FE6 Hard, partly because the avoid formula and terrain were generous, and partly because of the 2 RN system.

Yeah, see, there are differing opinions between the two. Example 1: Having played the game back in 2001-02, it was only last year, and in this forum, that I heard people over here having an issue with Dorothy's low base stats. One of the writers for the player's guide at Mainichi Communications back in 2002 considers her low base stats as a fairly worthy trade-off of her high growth levels. (On a similar note, the Nico Nico and Pixiv communities reckon Donnel in Awakening is worth raising. I wonder if my compatriots back at home are less averse to babying, arena grinding and such.)

Another example would be people having an issue with Lilina's low Speed growth. The same player's guide recommends giving Lilina all the Speedwings you could find, over using Lugh. (They reckon the latter's high Skill/Speed is redundant and without the benefit of a higher critical hit rate like, say, Rutger.)

Of course there are certain things the majority on both sides of the Pacific agrees such as Wendy and Sophia being unusable; Alan, Lance, and Dieck being the best Ax users; and of course, Rutger and Sue being the two of the supreme gods of Avoid Emblem.

Edited August 8, 2016 by henrymidfields

[Lord Tullus]

3 words: Bartre's Awesome Mustache. (Visit the Right most village in chapter 9)

Another thing I'd like to say about FE 6 is that the gaiden chapters all have a gimmic to them. That doesn't make them good, but it makes the maps have... flavor.

They are boring and repetitive at times, but the way that the color and design of the visuals of each gaiden chapter wonderfully corresponds to the legendary weapon, so it feels you are in an enchanting location. The world of FE 6 has something to be admired, and for me, it's the simple art of color-coded map design. Same with a ton of the regular chapters as well. They are much more colorful than the other two GBA games, in my opinion.

Perhaps it's a fresh, nastolgic feeling, but I think FE 6's Maps are all well designed in one way or another. Gameplay sucks? Story time. No? The color of the map matches the objective. Not that either, huh? How about the atmosphere? There is always something pleasing in almost every map if you look for it. And FE's 7 and 8 fail to give that experience to me.

Edited August 11, 2016 by Lord Tullus

[MisterIceTeaPeach]

This is really helpful since I'm playing through FE6 right now for the first time. One thing that threw me off though is that weapons are more inaccurate in 6 than they are in 7 and 8. Seeing that 55% Hit with a steel lance is really unfitting to me. Is skill a more important stat than ever in FE6, combined with the fact that weapons have lower hit rates than the other 2 gba games?

Honestly the best way to get into FE6 is to play the redux hack.

It shall be a modified version of this game.

I haven't played it yet but I heared that the balance issues were fixed for the most part.

Axes and lances are more accurate (like in the other regular parts) and most characters have more fitting bases and growthrates.

This game would make much more fun if you could use other classes aside of sword using units.

Edited August 12, 2016 by Ayama Wirdo