Preparing for older games?

[DisobeyedCargo]

So after playing awakening several times now, I want to expand further into the Fire Emblem series. I am definitly getting FE Echoes next, it looks really amazing, but afterwards, I want to look at some of the older games, such as Binding Blade, Genealogy of the Holy War, Sacred Stones, etc... 

 

my problem is that, I have only played on casual mode, and I know that all games prior to New Mystery of the Emblem only have classic mode. Is there anything I need to know before I walk into an older game so I do not screw myself over midway into the game?

[Slumber]

Just don't decide to start with Thracia 776, Radiant Dawn, or Binding Blade and you'll probably be fine. You'll probably want to ease into those, as they're probably the hardest of the pre-Awakening FEs.

If you want to start with something that won't have you pissed off, start with Sacred Stones or Path of Radiance. They're very easy.

Don't put yourself into this mentality that somehow games without casual mode are ridiculously stressful and difficult. Remember, most of the people who consider themselves "veterans" started playing the games when they probably weren't even teenagers yet. I started with Blazing Blade when I was 11. Don't play fast and loose, and you'll be fine.

Edited June 10, 2017 by Slumber

[DisobeyedCargo]

So just take it slow And don't choose a really hard game, I should be fine then. 

What exactly makes Radiant Dawn, Thracia 776, and Binding Blade so hard?

[Azz]

Radiant Dawn is just very unbalanced and the way it's chapters work, you can only use certain characters at certain times which can make it so some characters go underleveled which makes Part 3 of RD difficult for Part 1 units.

Thrcaia is not a hard game, it just throws a lot of cheap things at you that make the game incredibly frustrating. I've played Thrcaia about 3 times but I would still need a guide to play the game.

Binding Blade isn't that bad, it just has some balancing issues that really harm the game.

Like Slumber said, it's best to start with Scared Stones or Path of Radiance to get into older games. Scared Stones more so since it is more easily gotten since it is available on the Wii U virtual console, is fairly cheap on Amazon on the likes and GBA emulators tend to run fairly smoothly. With Path of Radiance it can be pretty expensive online, has yet to be put on the virtual console (If it will at all) and Dolphin can be pretty slow on some PCs if you don;t have good specs.

[Slumber]

18 minutes ago, DisobeyedCargo said:

So just take it slow And don't choose a really hard game, I should be fine then. 

What exactly makes Radiant Dawn, Thracia 776, and Binding Blade so hard?

Radiant Dawn introduces more mechanics that can catch people who have been playing the franchise for years off guard(Like height advantages), the first part of the game is very unforgiving, and it keeps jumping between main casts.

Thracia is the game in the franchise that leans most heavily on the "strategy" aspects of the franchise, which really just means the game will fuck with you more. The game gives you a lot of opportunities to make your own units very powerful, but this usually won't stop the game from steamrolling you every time a new scenario pops up. The first chunk of the game is a gauntlet of "Escape" objective chapters, and it'll eventually keep ramping up, and then it'll start switching to Rout and Defense chapters. Plus, it introduces a second way for you to lose your units. It also, I think, has the most "missable" units in the franchise.

Binding Blade just has a bunch of BS, if I'm being honest. People tend to say Thracia has the most unexpected bullshit, but I'd say Binding is even bullshitier(I still really like it). It has some straight forward map design, but weapons like axes are nearly worthless, as their base accuracies are so low. The game encourages leaning on pre-promote units more than any other game in the franchise that I can think of, since it heavily limits your access to promotion items. Swordmasters and Berserkers have an innate +30 crit bonus. Great when it's on your side, but the game won't shy away from tossing Swordmasters and Berserkers at you(And especially Berserkers with Killer Axes). Expect surprise deaths whenever a Swordmaster or Berserker is on screen. Some really tricky reinforcement ambushes, with really unforgiving turn limits on chapters. Also, Roy is probably the weakest Lord in the franchise because his growths aren't great, and he doesn't promote until the penultimate chapter of the game, making him a forced liability for most of the game.

If I had to compare Thracia and Binding, Thracia is controlled chaos, while Binding is uncontrolled. If you fail once in Thracia, you can usually prepare yourself better in the future, while Binding is more of a case of "Will the RNG Gods bless me today?"

Edited June 10, 2017 by Slumber

[DisobeyedCargo]

Good to know, If it's on the 3ds Eshop I'll buy it, or just use an emulator if worst comes worst (I prefer to purchase games to support developers more and only pirate if it's the only way to get a game).

ill keep this information in mind when I finish Echoes and go to sacred stones

[Azz]

Sacred Stones is only available on the Wii U eshop sadly (It was on the 3ds eshop a while ago for the Ambassador program but that ended way back). It is available on Amazon for around £18.

Edited June 10, 2017 by Azz

[DisobeyedCargo]

6 minutes ago, Slumber said:

Radiant Dawn introduces more mechanics that can catch people who have been playing the franchise for years off guard(Like height advantages), the first part of the game is very unforgiving, and it keeps jumping between main casts.

Thracia is the game in the franchise that leans most heavily on the "strategy" aspects of the franchise, which really just means the game will fuck with you more. The game gives you a lot of opportunities to make your own units very powerful, but this usually won't stop the game from steamrolling you every time a new scenario pops up. The first chunk of the game is a gauntlet of "Escape" objective chapters, and it'll eventually keep ramping up, and then it'll start switching to Rout and Defense chapters. Plus, it introduces a second way for you to lose your units. It also, I think, has the most "missable" units in the franchise.

Binding Blade just has a bunch of BS, if I'm being honest. People tend to say Thracia has the most unexpected bullshit, but I'd say Binding is even bullshitier(I still really like it). It has some straight forward map design, but weapons like axes are nearly worthless, as their base accuracies are so low. The game encourages leaning on pre-promote units more than any other game in the franchise that I can think of, since it heavily limits your access to promotion items. Swordmasters and Berserkers have an innate +30 crit bonus. Great when it's on your side, but the game won't shy away from tossing Swordmasters and Berserkers at you(And especially Berserkers with Killer Axes). Expect surprise deaths whenever a Swordmaster or Berserker is on screen. Some really tricky reinforcement ambushes, with really unforgiving turn limits on chapters. Also, Roy is probably the weakest Lord in the franchise because his growths aren't great, and he doesn't promote until the penultimate chapter of the game, making him a forced liability for most of the game.

If I had to compare Thracia and Binding, Thracia is controlled chaos, while Binding is uncontrolled. If you fail once in Thracia, you can usually prepare yourself better in the future, while Binding is more of a case of "Will the RNG Gods bless me today?"

Geez a THIRTY crit bonus, AND killer weapons, that's fucking terrifying. 

I think after Echoes I'll go for sacred stones.

[DisobeyedCargo]

7 minutes ago, Azz said:

Sacred Stones is only available on the Wii U eshop sadly (It was a while ago for the Ambassador program but that ended way back). It is available on Amazon for around £18.

Damn, I don't have a Wii U, I can get an emulator easily though. Thanks for your input, I should hopefully know what I am doing, and not make stupid decisions like sending a flying unit within range of an archer on my first turn my first time playing awakening.

on another note, thanks to Slumber, I now have a new favorite quote! "Will the RNG gods bless me today!"

[Shadow Mir]

1 hour ago, DisobeyedCargo said:

What exactly makes Radiant Dawn, Thracia 776, and Binding Blade so hard?

Radiant Dawn has a punishing first part (and it doesn't help that anyone dying is a game over in the first few chapters). Also, RD enemies are actually competent stat wise. There's also other stuff that can catch you off guard, like the shifting casts.

Thracia... To be blunt, I'd sum up what makes Thracia so hard as "poor game design". In particular, bullshit thrones, escape maps and permanent status effects.

Sword of Seals has weapons that, in general, are less accurate than in the other GBA games, and once again, thrones are a real pain in the ass.

[DisobeyedCargo]

3 minutes ago, Levant Mir Celestia said:

Radiant Dawn has a punishing first part (and it doesn't help that anyone dying is a game over in the first few chapters). Also, RD enemies are actually competent stat wise. There's also other stuff that can catch you off guard, like the shifting casts.

Thracia... To be blunt, I'd sum up what makes Thracia so hard as "poor game design". In particular, bullshit thrones, escape maps and permanent status effects.

Sword of Seals has weapons that, in general, are less accurate than in the other GBA games, and once again, thrones are a real pain in the ass.

So if I'm reading correct, BS, BS, and poor accuracy.

and I assume sword of seals is another name for binding blade, unless I'm just stupid.

are all FE games connected by plot, or is it split in mini series, or does it just go the Final Fantasy route?

[Punished Dayni]

22 minutes ago, DisobeyedCargo said:

are all FE games connected by plot, or is it split in mini series, or does it just go the Final Fantasy route?

Some are connected; Thracia 776 and Geneology, Binding Blade and Blazing Sword, Path of Radiance and Radiant Dawn are each in the same setting (as in they're a pair of games in the same setting).

Sacred Stones is unconnected, Shadow Dragon, Gaiden, Mystery of the emblem and Awakening (as well as Thracia and Geneology, though those haven't been connected as much to the others) are in the same world (multiple continents) and Fates..... I'm not going to get into that today. Of course, dragon gates and outrealms mess with this, but again, not getting into that.

[Lightchao42]

51 minutes ago, DisobeyedCargo said:

are all FE games connected by plot, or is it split in mini series, or does it just go the Final Fantasy route?

There are several different settings, but the gist of it is:

• Mystery of the Emblem is the sequel to Shadow Dragon. Gaiden/Shadows of Valentia takes place in-between, but aside from some character appearances the plots are unrelated. Awakening takes place 2000 years after Mystery.
• Thracia 776 takes place in the middle of Genealogy.
• Blazing Blade is the prequel to Binding Blade.
• Sacred Stones is standalone.
• Radiant Dawn is the sequel to Path of Radiance.
• Fates has some characters returning from Awakening, but otherwise it's standalone.

Edited June 10, 2017 by Lightchao42

[Zapp Branniglenn]

Have any of your Awakening playthroughs been on Classic mode? Normal/Classic Awakening is harder than FE7-11 on their easiest difficulties despite permadeath. Anyway, just don't stress too much about it. All the internationally released games are very accessible to play. If you ever care to play the japan only games with translation patches, steer clear of FE5. It does not like you. It does not want you to play it. And save 6 until after you played 7. Both because 7 is the prequel and 6 is way harder. And FE 1-3 all have remakes that are more fun. 4 is really good, just a bit of a slog to play.

[DisobeyedCargo]

11 minutes ago, Gustavos said:

Have any of your Awakening playthroughs been on Classic mode? Normal/Classic Awakening is harder than FE7-11 on their easiest difficulties despite permadeath. Anyway, just don't stress too much about it. All the internationally released games are very accessible to play. If you ever care to play the japan only games with translation patches, steer clear of FE5. It does not like you. It does not want you to play it. And save 6 until after you played 7. Both because 7 is the prequel and 6 is way harder. And FE 1-3 all have remakes that are more fun. 4 is really good, just a bit of a slog to play.

None have been on classic mode, I'm a bit of a wus.

Seems to be a common claim threat 776 should just not be touched unless I hate myself. I have gotten Sacred stones now, and I will begin playing that tonight. Anything that I need to keep in mind that is different from Awakening (other than permadeath).

[Zapp Branniglenn]

Just now, DisobeyedCargo said:

None have been on classic mode, I'm a bit of a wus.

Seems to be a common claim threat 776 should just not be touched unless I hate myself. I have gotten Sacred stones now, and I will begin playing that tonight. Anything that I need to keep in mind that is different from Awakening (other than permadeath).

Easy mode and Normal Mode are the same in Sacred Stones as I recall. Easy mode just has quick tutorial messages teaching you to play the game up until chapter 9 where there is virtually no difference. In SS, you'll find some Fog of War maps. You can't see the enemy until you get close. But they can see you. Here's a tip: torches are an item that give you amazing vision range. And thieves naturally have that amazing vision range. If you give a thief a torch and have them use it, their vision range is doubled, which is amazing. It really helps take the stress out of these maps. SS in general is a lot like Awakening. There's an overworld map where you can shop and grind for EXP between chapters, as well as branching promotion classes. You won't find these mechanics in pre-awakening games. Except Gaiden and its remake Echoes. 

[DisobeyedCargo]

1 minute ago, Gustavos said:

Easy mode and Normal Mode are the same in Sacred Stones as I recall. Easy mode just has quick tutorial messages teaching you to play the game up until chapter 9 where there is virtually no difference. In SS, you'll find some Fog of War maps. You can't see the enemy until you get close. But they can see you. Here's a tip: torches are an item that give you amazing vision range. And thieves naturally have that amazing vision range. If you give a thief a torch and have them use it, their vision range is doubled, which is amazing. It really helps take the stress out of these maps. SS in general is a lot like Awakening. There's an overworld map where you can shop and grind for EXP between chapters, as well as branching promotion classes. You won't find these mechanics in pre-awakening games. Except Gaiden and its remake Echoes. 

Cool, is promotion similar where you use a generic item on everyone at or above a certain level or do you have to take them to a shrivel or something? and is it safe to wait till max level to promote for more stats?

[Zapp Branniglenn]

16 minutes ago, DisobeyedCargo said:

Cool, is promotion similar where you use a generic item on everyone at or above a certain level or do you have to take them to a shrivel or something? and is it safe to wait till max level to promote for more stats?

In GBA era, there were several promotion items pertaining to specific classes. And they're rare. The Master Seal exists and works on any anybody but there's like one of them. And the lords don't promote until a certain point in the story. But SS is kind of cool where you can say no to those promotions and receive an item that lets you promote when ready. 

I would wait until level 20 if you want the most stats out of your characters. There's no second seal item, so your promotion choices are permanent. Promoting early isn't a terrible idea, it just results in drastically reduced experience gains. And less level ups means less fun. May as well wait to 20.

Edited June 10, 2017 by Gustavos

[DisobeyedCargo]

14 minutes ago, Gustavos said:

In GBA era, there were several promotion items pertaining to specific classes. And they're rare. The Master Seal exists and works on any anybody but there's like one of them. And the lords don't promote until a certain point in the story. But SS is kind of cool where you can say no to those promotions and receive an item that lets you promote when ready. 

I would wait until level 20 if you want the most stats out of your characters. There's no second seal item, so your promotion choices are permanent. Promoting early isn't a terrible idea, it just results in drastically reduced experience gains. And less level ups means less fun. May as well wait to 20.

Okay, cool. Will these items be purchasable at all? Sorry about all the questions, I just don't want to go in blind.

[Zapp Branniglenn]

16 minutes ago, DisobeyedCargo said:

Okay, cool. Will these items be purchasable at all? Sorry about all the questions, I just don't want to go in blind.

No, not unless you can access the Secret Shop which you probably won't come across on a blind playthrough. You earn the items from chests and defeated enemies from main chapters. And there's almost enough in the game to promote every character. You won't be using everybody so it's not a big deal. They do a dickish move in chapter 6 where you must keep these NPCs alive for your first promotion item that works only on archers. Only one archer in the game can use that item to promote, but if you failed to get it, then she's just not going to promote, and that sucks.

[DisobeyedCargo]

2 hours ago, Gustavos said:

No, not unless you can access the Secret Shop which you probably won't come across on a blind playthrough. You earn the items from chests and defeated enemies from main chapters. And there's almost enough in the game to promote every character. You won't be using everybody so it's not a big deal. They do a dickish move in chapter 6 where you must keep these NPCs alive for your first promotion item that works only on archers. Only one archer in the game can use that item to promote, but if you failed to get it, then she's just not going to promote, and that sucks.

Okay, well thank you for all of your information. I shall start playing sacred stones now!

[arkel]

This is slightly arbitrary, but I would recommend playing the games in this order:

FE8 - Sacred Stones (GBA) - Eirika & Ephraim

 

FE7 - Blazing Blade (GBA) - Lyn, Eliwood, and Hector

FE6 - Binding Blade (GBA) - Roy

 

FE1/FE11 - Shadow Dragon (NES / DS) - Marth

FE2/FE15 - Gaiden / Shadows of Valentia (NES / 3DS) - Alm & Celica

FE3/FE12 - Mystery of the Emblem / Heroes of Light and Shadow (SNES / DS) - Marth

FE13 - Awakening (3DS) - Chrom

 

FE9 - Path of Radiance (NGC) - Ike

FE10 - Radiant Dawn (Wii) - Micaiah and Ike

 

FE14 - Fates (3DS) - Corrin

 

FE4 - Genealogy of the Holy War (SNES) - Sigurd & Seliph

FE5 - Thracia 776 - Leif (SNES)

 

Sacred Stones is short and easy, so a great entrance to the older games. Blazing Blade is a prequel to Binding Blade, so story-wise, you'll probably want to play those one after the other. Shadow Dragon, Echoes, and Heroes of Light and Shadow occur in the same place just a few years apart from one another, and share many of the same characters. Awakening occurs many years later, but in the same location and has many references to Marth and Alm. Path of Radiance and Radiant Dawn are also tied by plot, and Radiant Dawn is one of, if not the, hardest game in the series, so try to save it until after you've finished the ones I've already mentioned. FE4 and FE5 play quite differently than the other games, and since they're the only ones still only accessible on the SNES, the controls and interface take some getting used to. Probably save these for last.

[Magical Glace]

On 6/10/2017 at 3:47 PM, Slumber said:

really unforgiving turn limits on chapters.

FE6's turn limits really aren't that pressing, though, they're actually pretty generous even when not going for LTC.  So long as you aren't actively stalling, you should be more or less fine.  The only one that may be a problem is Chapter 14's, but that's mostly due to the desert sand slowing everything besides non-mounted healers, mages and fliers down.   

 

Anyway, FE11 gives replacements for units who die, with a lot of story units seemingly serving this purpose, as well as the literal "if below X number of units get generics", and Gaidens with extra resources and characters being unlocked by keeping your army small.  If that maybe helps reassure you about units dying.  So I guess that may be helpful.

Edited June 18, 2017 by Glaceon Sage