Which lord would you follow into battle?

[Thane]

Alm liberated Zofia in, like, an afternoon after his sword practice, so he's got my vote.

I feel like most lords in the games I've played got some serious flaws, so I think it's hard to say. I mean, Ephraim storms a castle with, what, four people with very limited resources? And then there's Corrin who fails not only politically and strategically, but also morally.

Edited September 29, 2016 by Thane

[Roy Chan]

I'm very glad to see Roy's winning this poll in the leadership department. Out of all the Fire Emblem lords I'd follow into battle, my vote goes to Roy. After the time spent through Fire Emblem: Binding Blade (Version 1.0) in the past, I slowly realized how excellent he is at leadership and being thoughtful, supportive and I still admire him for his unique character today. Being his tactician just makes him stand out, and one would see this in both story and supports.

Read Lilina and Cecilia's support on Roy and how he's making progress as a leader and his inability to learn magic in the past. Roy and Celicia's support on how Cecilia told him how wonderful a leader he's become and to remind him not to soften up. Remember, he received tactical training in the 2nd most powerful nation in Elibe with the help of Mage General Cecilia. And he's already proven to be more than capable of being a leader in battle and making the well thought-out decisions (Elffin for example).

Eliwood was the greatest knight in Lycia, but he wasn't in any shape to lead an army due to being sick. He was grateful for Roy and placed his faith in his own son to lead the army to victory. If only Eliwood was there, he would get to witness his son's leadership abilities and there's no denying Eliwood would be very proud of Roy for that. Having to stop your studies to help your sick father lead the army is what family does for each other, and that's loyalty.

[Slumber]

Ephraim, because no matter the odds, he wins. 

No, seriously. You say it's a flaw that he stormed a castle with 4 people, but he won. He's probably the biggest Gary Stu/Mary Sue in the entire franchise, and he's the least likely to get me killed because God just loves him for some reason. 

Even Corrin had people close to him/her die horribly. Orson and Lyon were already gone before the game even started, so it's hard to say Ephraim fucked up like Corrin does with Kaze/Gunter/Scarlet/Any character that dies on the opposite routes. 

Edited March 11, 2018 by Slumber

[Jotari]

3 hours ago, Slumber said:

Ephraim, because no matter the odds, he wins. 

No, seriously. You say it's a flaw that he stormed a castle with 4 people, but he won. He's probably the biggest Gary Stu/Mary Sue in the entire franchise, and he's the least likely to get me killed because God just loves him for some reason. 

Even Corrin had people close to him/her die horribly. Orson and Lyon were already gone before the game even started, so it's hard to say Ephraim fucked up like Corrin does with Kaze/Gunter/Scarlet/Any character that dies on the opposite routes. 

Well he took a load of faceless knights to go and conquer Grado if you choose Eirkia's route. They're not seen or mentioned at all when the routes rejoin, so presumably they got slaughtered to the man (I suppose maybe they're holding the conquered territories in Grado, but nobody does that if you choose his route and if anyone qualified to do something like that, it would be Duessel).

[henrymidfields]

Pretty much a lot of people vouched for Roy with all the valid reasons possible, so I'm not going to repeat them. Yes, I'd trust someone who can keep his cool, practice good leadership/negotiations/tactics, do all of his homework (or at least as much as he can), and by extension, avoid unnecessary battles. In other words, he's the closest to the ideals that Sun Tzu calls for in The Art of War.

Really, the remake of Binding Blade Echoes should have Fates Conquest mechanisms with Lord-based skills and other perks based on Roy's leadership/intelligence. 

Edited March 12, 2018 by henrymidfields

[Icelerate]

The question doesn't have much context since choosing a leader depends on what types of battles will be fought, their location as well as the enemy. Each lord has their own expertise where they are good at and each of them have merits worth considering. I'll go with Micaiah because she's a fast learner who adopts to shitty situations quickly. 

[eclipse]

Hmmm.

On one hand, Marth actively cares about his underlings, so he's less likely to order his troops to execute suicide tactics (what do you mean FE11 gaiden chapters?).  On the other hand, Roy thinks things through and asks for advice.

. . .my selfish ass says Marth.  I want to come home alive.

[Slumber]

7 hours ago, Jotari said:

Well he took a load of faceless knights to go and conquer Grado if you choose Eirkia's route. They're not seen or mentioned at all when the routes rejoin, so presumably they got slaughtered to the man (I suppose maybe they're holding the conquered territories in Grado, but nobody does that if you choose his route and if anyone qualified to do something like that, it would be Duessel).

Yeah, but in this case I'd be on Ephraim's route. So basically I'd be invincible.

[Jotari]

57 minutes ago, Slumber said:

Yeah, but in this case I'd be on Ephraim's route. So basically I'd be invincible.

Ah! Touche!

[Magical Glace]

1 hour ago, eclipse said:

Hmmm.

On one hand, Marth actively cares about his underlings, so he's less likely to order his troops to execute suicide tactics (what do you mean FE11 gaiden chapters?).  On the other hand, Roy thinks things through and asks for advice.

. . .my selfish ass says Marth.  I want to come home alive.

Roy specifically says in his supports with Allen that he tries his best to avoid casualties in any form and will not use any plan that he knows will have casualties.

Relevant Dialogue:

Allen: Master Roy, I have an idea to break the enemy’s defense…
Roy: Idea?
Allen: Yes. First, we save our best troops and use the others to clash with the enemy’s front lines. Then we shall find a weakness. Please, leave that role to me and my squad!
Roy: But that group will be in great danger…
Allen: We might have some casualties, but we can win the battle! Besides, I am not so easily defeated.
Roy: …Allen, I can’t consider that idea.
Allen: W-Why?
Roy: I can’t use a plan that we know will have casualties.
Allen: But Master Roy, casualties cannot be avoided in a war…
Roy: …I think they can be. I might sound naive, but I don’t consider a victory with casualties to be a true victory.
Allen: A true victory… Can there be a true victory in war?
Roy: I think there can be. That’s why I want to come up with a good plan.

[ChickenBits]

I like living and I'm a coward so either Marth or Roy. Marth gets my vote since I like his character more. Ephraim may be a tactical genius but the dude is so reckless I would die from all of the stress and fear piling up. 

 

[Ae†her]

I predicted Roy as most people's choice before looking, and my predictions were correct. I would go with Roy because he just straight up wins with no setbacks as opposed to what has happened with the other lords.

[Arthur97]

Not Sigurd. Eliwood, Hector, Lyn, Ike and Chrom aren't the brains behind their operations, so not them either. From personal experience (i.e. ones I've played), probably Marth though Kris kind of kills that. Alm seems a bit too reckless and Celica...well, she got her group trapped fighting monsters until Alm's crew could save them. I'm running out of lords. Eirika does not inspire too much confidence to me. Lucina did survive in a wasteland, but that doesn't necessarily translate into battlefield tactics. That leaves...Ephraim. Again, he comes off as too reckless for my liking.

[NoirCore]

I have to go with Roy. Argue his stats and the logic of his smarts at his age all you want, he's smart with war and politics and aims to keep casualties to a minimum.

[MisfitMiju]

Personally the ideal leader for me would be someone who I'd feel their empathy guides how they approach battle in a way that displays that care about troops on an individual basis while being battle minded coupled with this is charisma and how widespread and influential they're conflict was in the grand scheme of things. So I'd be stuck in a three way tie between marth, roy, and lucina

[The_antithesis]

It depends on the situation.

If I'm just fighting for a few battles, I'd go with Corrin or Hector. Both are easily deceived so I could probably outwit them into putting me in a nice situation. Farina managed it, so why can't I?

If I'm in it for the whole campaign, Roy's our boy! Sure, he sucks at combat, but he's canonically the best tactician other than Robin (who isn't on the list) and is very competent at diplomacy (so I won't have to risk my life in battle as much). A good leader doesn't just need to be strong in body, but also in mind and soul, after all.

If I were to just choose an army to support, I'd choose Seliph or Lucina, as they stand a chance at overcoming destiny itself, an achievement more powerful than all the others. 

[Icelerate]

5 hours ago, The_antithesis said:

If I'm in it for the whole campaign, Roy's our boy! Sure, he sucks at combat, but he's canonically the best tactician other than Robin (who isn't on the list)

Where was this stated? 

[Magical Glace]

8 hours ago, Icelerate said:

Where was this stated? 

I think it's more something that's demonstrated rather than stated.  Most lords rely on another character for tactics (the only exception besides Roy I can think of is Ephraim, and even then you can argue Seth serves that purpose to an extent) or it's not really shown how tactics are managed, whereas Roy in his supports is explicitly shown to be the one actually in charge of tactics, on his own.

So in practice it's sorta he's second best after Robin by default.

[Icelerate]

2 hours ago, Glaceon Mage said:

I think it's more something that's demonstrated rather than stated.  Most lords rely on another character for tactics (the only exception besides Roy I can think of is Ephraim, and even then you can argue Seth serves that purpose to an extent) or it's not really shown how tactics are managed, whereas Roy in his supports is explicitly shown to be the one actually in charge of tactics, on his own.

So in practice it's sorta he's second best after Robin by default.

I think Ike's tactical prowess is underrated. Soren may be the strategist that Ike listens to in tactical briefings before battle, but the actual tactics that are applied in battle where the fight ebbs and flows are decided by Ike. Just like Roy's supports show his tactical prowess, Ike's base conversations establish him as a shrewd tactician. 

Spoiler

Daniel
Fantastic. Say, can I ask you a quick question? You're a battle expert, right? You've fought a lot?

Ike
Enough, yeah. What is it?

Daniel
Picture this. Let's say there are two ships. And suppose there are planks connecting the ships at three different points.

Ike
All right. I'm picturing it.

Daniel
Now then, soldiers from one ship are about to attack the other one. Imagine that the defending side has fewer soldiers. If they want to mount a solid defense, what should they do? 

Ike
It seems clear enough to me. Position the soldiers with the best defense on the planks, soldiers like cavaliers and knights.

Daniel
I see. So you would hold the enemy at bay by using your strongest allies to block the primary crossing points!

Ike
Then, you'd want to have your long-range attackers line up behind the tougher units barring the bridges. I'm talking about anyone with javelins, axes, or magic. You'd be able to do a lot of damage without much risk.

Daniel
Sounds like a good plan but...it seems rough on the soldiers defending the bridges.

Ike
You would want to heal them often,obviously, but maybe there's a way to reduce how much damage they take.

Daniel
It's a stretch, but what if I don't have them attack at all? That way, they won't run the risk of getting any counterattacks!

Ike
Hmm... That's not a bad idea.

Spoiler

Soren
Ike! There's an enemy ambush waiting for us on that mountain.

Ike
Mmm... If we go around that mountain and avoid it, how much time will we lose?

Soren
A couple of days, at least.

Ike
In that case, we've no choice but to go through them, right?

Soren
Agreed.

Ranulf
Um, wait a second... Isn't this where there's usually some sort of discussion? Hello?

Daein Soldier
The enemy approaches, sir.

Gromell
Listen up, men! Let them get as close as possible before pushing the rocks over the cliff. We must not let Crimea join forces with those sub-humans!

Titania
Commander, the foes are encamped on top of the rise. I wonder what sort of trap they have this time.

Ike
Those boulders didn't get up there all by themselves... Are they seriously going to roll them down on us?

Soren
At first glance, it seems a simplistic trap, but these narrow paths make avoiding the rocks impossible. I think they may be surprisingly effective.

Ike
So...

Ranulf
"We run up the mountain as quickly as possible and smash the enemy commander!" Right?

Ike
Right... How did you--

Ranulf
I know...genius.

Soren
Actually, that is the best plan. Try to avoid the boulders and reach the top as quickly as possible. Once there, defeat the general.

Spoiler

Crimean Soldier
I'd like your advice on something, sir. Let's say I was faced with an undefeatable enemy. In that case, what should I, as the weaker fighter, do? Should I try to avoid slowing down other better fighters and retreat? Or do I sacrifice myself and try to at least land a single blow on the opponent?

Ike
If it's an enemy general, or just someone that's far too strong for you, there's no need to get yourself killed. But I don't want you to simply run away, either. Study the enemy first, and see if retreating is your only option. I'd like you to do that much, at least.

Crimean Soldier
Study the enemy?

Ike
That's right. What type of fighter is he? What kind of weapon is he using? Things like that. If you can learn to do that, you can determine how best to engage your opponent.

Crimean Soldier
Those are the very core of combat fundamentals, aren't they? Oh, I'm a danged fool! It could be...I think all my troubles started because I wasn't paying enough attention to the basics! You've given me something to think about. And some hope, too. Thank you, sir! You're the smartest general ever!

Also, you forgot about Micaiah who comes up with the strategies.

Spoiler

 

Tauroneo:
“You needn’t apologize. You are in the right. I would never condone the use of poison. However, this does mean we must devise another plan if we are to have any hope of victory.”

Micaiah:
“Yes, you’re right. In that case, what do you think of this strategy?”

 

Spoiler

 

Sothe:
“It looks as if the apostle’s forces are using this road to avoid a head-on confrontation. I guess we were right in assuming that they don’t necessarily want to fight. Micaiah, are you still set on this?”

Micaiah:
“Are the rocks ready?”

Tauroneo:
“Yes. They’re in position.”

Daein Soldier:
“General Maiel’s forces have encountered General Ike’s laguz forces. The battle has begun! The decoy operation succeeded. The apostle and her Holy Guards are heading this way.”

Micaiah:
“All forces, get in position! Our target is the apostle. We will attack her while General Ike is distracted. If we let her through, her army will cross into Begnion. That will surely anger the senate, and the senate will move to destroy Daein. We must fight with everything we have so that Daein may live on!”

Sothe:
“But, Micaiah… Is this really necessary? Can’t we avoid all of this fighting and somehow pretend to obey the senate?”

Tauroneo:
“Micaiah, it was you more than anyone else who used to hate plans like this…”

Micaiah:
“The apostle’s army has incredible numbers. We wouldn’t stand a chance taking them head-on. They would march right through us. We need to give Pelleas more time, but if we hold back, the senate will know we’re up to something. For now…let’s just try to draw this out a bit and stop the apostle’s army.”

 

I'll give Roy credit where it is due, unlike most if not all other FE lords, he's both the primary strategist and tactician of his army while being competent in both categories from the get go. In the beginning of part one, Micaiah was no tactician or strategist so Roy has that over her. 

[Lau]

I was torn between Marth and Roy. They're the only two I could see myself following.

Marth is charismatic, and would sway me over to his side immediately. He cares for his soldiers, and honestly, I'd feel safe following him.

Roy is a damn good strategist, but every strategy has a chance of failing. I love him to bits, but I think I would be a bit worried, like, this boy is only fifteen, jc.

I'm going to have to go with Marth. He's older than Roy, plus he has a larger army. I'd feel safer with numbers, tbh.

[GoldPaladin]

 

I picked Sigurd cause I know he would kill everything in his path with or without a holy weapon.