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What is your unpopular Fire Emblem opinion?


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19 minutes ago, Modamy said:

It's always seemed like hybrid units work out the best in games with generally low res enemies since it won't take a lot of magic to deal decent damage to them. In a game like fates where enemies have good def and res gaining physical or magic after a promotion when you used to focus in only one doesn't help since you're going to continue doing the best damage with what you were already using. In games with better def and worse res gaining magic could actually help you chip some bulky opponents, but these classes with no real focus end up being pretty worthless for anything other than their skills.

Even so, in a game where hybrid units could be viable, I'd prefer if there weren't upwards of 10 hybrid classes. Even 5 is a bit too much for me.

I know this has never really been a problem, and it'd be the flipside of "Oh, all hybrid classes are pretty worthless", but I don't like it when it feels like a bunch of units are effectively prepared for EVERY scenario. Kind of takes out the strategy part when everyone could carry weapons and magic, swap on the fly, and be effective at both. So if they were limited to something like a Lord promotion(IE Robin, Corrin, Lachesis and Leif), I think I'd be fine, while everyone else has to make due with the weapon types they're given.

I wouldn't mind there being more magic weapons to compensate for this, though. So you could still have a physical unit with a respectable magic growth that could make use of it in certain scenarios.

Basically I just want a bit more care and thought into when IS decides they want to toss in classes that can do more. Same would go for a bunch of physical classes that can wield every type of weapon also isn't ideal, and nearly a class type for every weapon combo. I like when it feels like every class type has a role. It becomes muddier when you start giving classes more tools at their disposal. Instead of a giving us a few really good tools to build a house, it feels like we're getting a bunch of cheap Swiss army knives.

TL;DR: I think "Less is more" would be a good philosophy going forward after Fates for IS. In many ways, but especially in regards to classes and class balance.

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5 minutes ago, Slumber said:

Even so, in a game where hybrid units could be viable, I'd prefer if there weren't upwards of 10 hybrid classes. Even 5 is a bit too much for me.

I know this has never really been a problem, and it'd be the flipside of "Oh, all hybrid classes are pretty worthless", but I don't like it when it feels like a bunch of units are effectively prepared for EVERY scenario. Kind of takes out the strategy part when everyone could carry weapons and magic, swap on the fly, and be effective at both. So if they were limited to something like a Lord promotion(IE Robin, Corrin, Lachesis and Leif), I think I'd be fine, while everyone else has to make due with the weapon types they're given.

I wouldn't mind there being more magic weapons to compensate for this, though. So you could still have a physical unit with a respectable magic growth that could make use of it.

I agree, I've never really liked how Fire Emblem has just added a bunch of classes that just seem to be really pointless Frankenstein-esque mishmash of other classes. It feels like some just said "How about we fuse some classes into one?" without any actually thought as to what their role in the game would actually be.

Fire Emblem was what introduced me to strategy games as a whole and as I've played more Fire Emblem and other strategy games I've just come to the conclusion that Fire Emblem really bad at balancing it's classes and the introduction of so many pointless classes in Fates is just proof of that. The games just do a poor job at giving every class a role that only they can do and now they've just decided to throw that out and let people customize units to do whatever they want.

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On 2/6/2018 at 8:25 PM, NekoKnight said:

Not sure how unpopular this is but despite some of the praise it has gotten over recent developments, I don't think Heroes has a good story. It moves at a snail's pace, character depth and development is minimal, and at its best moments, it's a typical Fire Emblem sort of story, nothing to write home about. It's a mobile game, so I don't expect it to have an amazing narrative but I know they can do better. Granblue Fantasy is another gaccha game that pumps out more developed side stories and main story developments in a month than Heroes did in a year.

I have to agree but honestly, is it really that big of a deal? Especially with recent updates, i always got more of a feeling that the game was more about using our favorite characters. The story is really just there to move things along. I don't know anything about Granblue Fantasy but isn't that game an original thing? As in, it's not part of a pre-existing series? If so, it would make sense why the story is more relevant there.

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25 minutes ago, Armagon said:

I have to agree but honestly, is it really that big of a deal? Especially with recent updates, i always got more of a feeling that the game was more about using our favorite characters. The story is really just there to move things along. I don't know anything about Granblue Fantasy but isn't that game an original thing? As in, it's not part of a pre-existing series? If so, it would make sense why the story is more relevant there.

It's not a big deal in the sense that an excuse plot will "suffice" for a mass crossover, but I think they can do better. There is a treasure trove of possible interactions between characters and new stories to tell, so I consider it a shame not to capitalize on that. I, having played every English game in the series, find the story and use of characters uninspired, what should that say for people who only have FEH for their perspective on Fire Emblem?

Granblue has both original characters and characters pulled from other series. They frequently write self contained, episodic side stories as well a main narrative. It's not fantastic but it blows FEH out of the water.

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I prefer to call them my "idiosyncratic" Fire Emblem opinions.'

- Awakening's plot, while bad in execution, still does things better than a good chunk of the other games (Fe7, Echoes, Obviously Fates)

- The Camus archetype is a terrible archetype. They're rarely sympathetic and usually only fight for such vapid virtues such as "honor" or "loyalty".

- Eliwood is cooler than Hector

- Alm and Celica are both two of the worst non-avatar lords. Both bring down the plot with their idiocy, and Alm's mellow personality and hero-worship bring down the game's themes

- Awakening!Alm would have been really interesting

- Ranked Runs aren't fun. It's annoying having to micromanage every unit and every item you buy to get an A-rank

- Sumia is better than Cordelia

- Fatigue was a cool feature

- Fe7 Cast is pretty hit-or-miss

- Awakening has one of the better casts in the series

- The 5-support Limit is dumb. Just do A+ for paired endings

- Rescue, while not as easy to abuse as pairup, is nearly as game-changing and further promotes Horse Emblem

- Fe5 Indoor maps were cool

- Ike shouldn't have been in FE10, or he should have been transfer-only à la Suikoden II

- Most characters with unrequited love are poorly handled and I don't get its popularity

- People who only use high-base units are cold-blooded capitalists who bear no love for the little man

 

 

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8 minutes ago, AlphaZero said:

- The Camus archetype is a terrible archetype. They're rarely sympathetic and usually only fight for such vapid virtues such as "honor" or "loyalty".

- Ranked Runs aren't fun. It's annoying having to micromanage every unit and every item you buy to get an A-rank

- Fatigue was a cool feature

- Awakening has one of the better casts in the series

- Fe5 Indoor maps were cool

- People who only use high-base units are cold-blooded capitalists who bear no love for the little man

These.

Though, I would've liked Thracia 776's indoor maps a lot more if your only indoor Lance users actually had good Lance ranks.

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Ishtar still shouldn't be a GHB unit. :D

I'd like to say same with Aversa as well, but really I'm indifferent on Aversa. It's just that considering Aversa ranked above Ishtar it would only be fair that she should get the same treatment.

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9 hours ago, AlphaZero said:

- Awakening's plot, while bad in execution, still does things better than a good chunk of the other games (Fe7, Echoes, Obviously Fates)

How do you mean?

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- Sacred Stones is the most absurdly overrated entry in the series. Its story feels like it was written on the back of a napkin at an IS staff party held to celebrate the success of FE7. Lyon's "I'm actually a nice guy and I like you/A DEMON IS POSSESSING ME SO I HATE YOU" schtick does not make him deep. Even Nergal has a deeper backstory. Heck, even *Garon* has a deeper backstory. Too much of the game is just fighting hordes of monsters. No antagonist in this game seems to have any motives outside of ambiguous chaotic-evilness or blind loyalty. Even Hard Mode is easy. And the game is too short, which is made worse by the fact that a good chunk of missions are just monster brawls. That said... I'm still thinking of revisiting it to do an Eirika HM run soon, since it's one of the quicker FEs to complete and I haven't done a runthrough of it in years :^_^::^_^::^_^:

- Conquest's plot is *far* from being the worst in the series, and its cast of characters is actually pretty decent.

- Radiant Dawn is better than Path of Radiance.

- Ilyana is not garbage.

- The series would be better if Kaga were still at the helm.

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10 hours ago, NekoKnight said:

How do you mean?

Maybe Awakening's plot isn't better than it seems, moreso that it gets too much slack for things that other games in the series do.

Fe7's plot always felt a little too cavalier for my tastes. With the exception of Lloyd and Linus, I'm not a big fan of the Black Fang (A group of morally-upstanding assassins is kind of paradoxical IMO) and Nergal pulls a lot of stuff out his ass. There isn't really a reason as to why he doesn't just send the best assassins after Eliwood & co. once they become something of a threat. The plot sort of feels like it's going through the motions save for some certain parts. For Awakening, I like how, for the most part, it does feel like an actual war campaign. Granted, Nergal is at least a much better Villain than Validar, and I like the development Eliwood and Hector get. I'd probably place it about even with Awakening.

Echoes I feel is substantially worse. I hate how Echoes plot runs contrary to its world-building (How is the country who has done nothing but Militarize for centuries losing to the lazy hedonists? Why does the human embodiment of Duma lack the warmongering qualities representative of the deity?) and theming. Most of the story is centered in Alm's route, which is a bit of a problem in a game with dual protagonists. Alm's origins is crappily foreshadowed (Desaix literally figures it out in Act 1 off of him not being related to Mycen, which is dumb, but the others, Alm included, just pretend that there is nothing a wee bit suspicious about Alm having a holy brand and wielding a royal sword only he can use). Jedah is the same sycophantic evil dragon worshiper that Validar is, but with more dastardly cackling and blue. Berkut and Fernand are probably some of the worst the Camus archetype has to offer. Fernand is rather sympathetic in the Memory Prisms and DLC (His story self is pretty bad), but Berkut does nothing sympathetic the whole game, and I'm supposed to somehow feel bad for him? There are things I really like about Echoes. I, like many others, adore the presentation and am a fan of the world-building on paper, but just because it is a breath of fresh air after Fates does not make it stand out for me.

I feel that Chapters 1-11 of Awakening is some of the best writing in the series. It's fast-paced, engaging, and gives a lot of development for Chrom and provides good set up for the later chapters (which is squandered in the end, however). As I stated before, Awakening's script treats war with the respect that is warranted for the most part, which sometimes isn't the case in Fire Emblem. Awakening's cast, while ostensibly cliche, is rather interesting and carries with them many good supports and characters. Awakening still has many problems. The plot starts to slowly worsen after Chapter 11, with it nose-diving after 18. Validar, as said by many others, makes Dick Dastardly look nuanced. Even with those flaws, I don't think Awakening is close to the worst stories in the series.

 

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8 minutes ago, AlphaZero said:

Maybe Awakening's plot isn't better than it seems, moreso that it gets too much slack for things that other games in the series do.

Fe7's plot always felt a little too cavalier for my tastes. With the exception of Lloyd and Linus, I'm not a big fan of the Black Fang (A group of morally-upstanding assassins is kind of paradoxical IMO) and Nergal pulls a lot of stuff out his ass. There isn't really a reason as to why he doesn't just send the best assassins after Eliwood & co. once they become something of a threat. The plot sort of feels like it's going through the motions save for some certain parts. For Awakening, I like how, for the most part, it does feel like an actual war campaign. Granted, Nergal is at least a much better Villain than Validar, and I like the development Eliwood and Hector get. I'd probably place it about even with Awakening.

Echoes I feel is substantially worse. I hate how Echoes plot runs contrary to its world-building (How is the country who has done nothing but Militarize for centuries losing to the lazy hedonists? Why does the human embodiment of Duma lack the warmongering qualities representative of the deity?) and theming. Most of the story is centered in Alm's route, which is a bit of a problem in a game with dual protagonists. Alm's origins is crappily foreshadowed (Desaix literally figures it out in Act 1 off of him not being related to Mycen, which is dumb, but the others, Alm included, just pretend that there is nothing a wee bit suspicious about Alm having a holy brand and wielding a royal sword only he can use). Jedah is the same sycophantic evil dragon worshiper that Validar is, but with more dastardly cackling and blue. Berkut and Fernand are probably some of the worst the Camus archetype has to offer. Fernand is rather sympathetic in the Memory Prisms and DLC (His story self is pretty bad), but Berkut does nothing sympathetic the whole game, and I'm supposed to somehow feel bad for him? There are things I really like about Echoes. I, like many others, adore the presentation and am a fan of the world-building on paper, but just because it is a breath of fresh air after Fates does not make it stand out for me.

I feel that Chapters 1-11 of Awakening is some of the best writing in the series. It's fast-paced, engaging, and gives a lot of development for Chrom and provides good set up for the later chapters (which is squandered in the end, however). As I stated before, Awakening's script treats war with the respect that is warranted for the most part, which sometimes isn't the case in Fire Emblem. Awakening's cast, while ostensibly cliche, is rather interesting and carries with them many good supports and characters. Awakening still has many problems. The plot starts to slowly worsen after Chapter 11, with it nose-diving after 18. Validar, as said by many others, makes Dick Dastardly look nuanced. Even with those flaws, I don't think Awakening is close to the worst stories in the series.

 

I agree that a lot of FE stories are filled with flaws but I don't really think any of the games should escape criticism just because another game shares those flaws.

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4 hours ago, AlphaZero said:

There isn't really a reason as to why he doesn't just send the best assassins after Eliwood & co. once they become something of a threat.

Um...but he does. After they mess up his plot in Lycia and escape Valor he pretty explistly says ''Okay playtime is over, send the Four fangs at them'' 

This isn't even that late into the story. 

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5 minutes ago, Etrurian emperor said:

Um...but he does. After they mess up his plot in Lycia and escape Valor he pretty explistly says ''Okay playtime is over, send the Four fangs at them'' 

This isn't even that late into the story. 

Oh no, I never meant to imply that about Awakening, I like all the games on that list, It's just that I personally think that the same things Awakening is criticized for are ignored a lot when discussing the other games. I think most of the Awakening criticisms are valid. I just don't understand it when people say FE7's or even FE4's plot is better by leaps and bounds.

5 minutes ago, Etrurian emperor said:

Um...but he does. After they mess up his plot in Lycia and escape Valor he pretty explistly says ''Okay playtime is over, send the Four fangs at them'' 

This isn't even that late into the story. 

I know, but it takes 3 chapters for the first of the Four Fangs to make the first move, and they don't even take the initiative? Eliwood and friends are able to go back to Ostia and then travel across the continent to Nabata and Bern. In universe, that would be a lot of time, wouldn't it? The Black Fang are shown to track down their targets. Hell, they do it in Hector's opening chapter, so why don't they track down the people that are a top priority at the moment. My problem with the Four Fang is that, even with orders to dispose of Eliwood immediately, they just treat it like some side job, sending Ursula and even Jaffar on other missions despite the fact that Eliwood's continued existence jeopardizes the Black Fang and Nergal.

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Despite the Camus archtype being portrayed with more reverance and sympahty I actually think the Lorentz archtype tends to be far more noble, interesting and symphatitic.

The Lorentz archtype must face the uncomfertable realization that in order to do the right thing and to best serve their people they must rebel against their lords despite this leading them to be known as traitors to their former comrades. They place the greater good above their own honor and dignity. That's really, really noble while a Camus can be seen as insisting on serving against the common good because they are that invested in their own honor or misplaced feelings of loyalty. 

Camus joins an evil overlord trying to overthrow humanity because knightly vows dictate he must stay loyal to a scumbag lord,  Shiharam drowns his villagers for the sake people who made it very clear they will never accept him and Xander keeps serving Garon. Its a common theme that the Camus doesn't just hinder the wider world but their very own people as well. All for the sake of their own self satisfaction.  It tends to help a Camus if he has an emotional bond with their evil lord like Selena or even Xander. 

What hinders the many Lorentz characters is that they tend not to be very important. Camus is a very big deal in Archenea while Lorentz joins very late and dies very, very quickly in the sequal and while Tauroneo is very well written he's still very much a side character even if his bond with Greil should have given him more importance. The one from binding blade is by far the least important of the Etrurian generals and later games skipped them alltogether.

What also doesnt help their popularity is their age and appearance. They tend to be big old man rather then the tall, handsome blondes that dominate the Camus archtype. I have a feeling that matters a lot to some people and that its a big reason the later games decided not to have them. 

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11 minutes ago, AlphaZero said:

Oh no, I never meant to imply that about Awakening, I like all the games on that list, It's just that I personally think that the same things Awakening is criticized for are ignored a lot when discussing the other games. I think most of the Awakening criticisms are valid. I just don't understand it when people say FE7's or even FE4's plot is better by leaps and bounds.

I know, but it takes 3 chapters for the first of the Four Fangs to make the first move, and they don't even take the initiative? Eliwood and friends are able to go back to Ostia and then travel across the continent to Nabata and Bern. In universe, that would be a lot of time, wouldn't it? The Black Fang are shown to track down their targets. Hell, they do it in Hector's opening chapter, so why don't they track down the people that are a top priority at the moment. My problem with the Four Fang is that, even with orders to dispose of Eliwood immediately, they just treat it like some side job, sending Ursula and even Jaffar on other missions despite the fact that Eliwood's continued existence jeopardizes the Black Fang and Nergal.

Don't quote me on this since its been a while but doesn't the Four fang get their orders only when Eliwood is already about to enter the desert? From there Athos warps the party to Pherea which is at the border with Bern so to me the timescale matches up. Eliwood faces one of the Reed brothers as soon as he set foot in Bern and while Ursula and Jafar get another job said job involves heavily increasing Sonia's influance in Bern, something the heroes fear is something akin to Elphidel corrupting Darin. That's a huge job that's pretty justifiably given to their elites. 

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10 minutes ago, Etrurian emperor said:

Despite the Camus archtype being portrayed with more reverance and sympahty I actually think the Lorentz archtype tends to be far more noble, interesting and symphatitic.

The Lorentz archtype must face the uncomfertable realization that in order to do the right thing and to best serve their people they must rebel against their lords despite this leading them to be known as traitors to their former comrades. They place the greater good above their own honor and dignity. That's really, really noble while a Camus can be seen as insisting on serving against the common good because they are that invested in their own honor or misplaced feelings of loyalty. 

Camus joins an evil overlord trying to overthrow humanity because knightly vows dictate he must stay loyal to a scumbag lord,  Shiharam drowns his villagers for the sake people who made it very clear they will never accept him and Xander keeps serving Garon. Its a common theme that the Camus doesn't just hinder the wider world but their very own people as well. All for the sake of their own self satisfaction.  It tends to help a Camus if he has an emotional bond with their evil lord like Selena or even Xander. 

What hinders the many Lorentz characters is that they tend not to be very important. Camus is a very big deal in Archenea while Lorentz joins very late and dies very, very quickly in the sequal and while Tauroneo is very well written he's still very much a side character even if his bond with Greil should have given him more importance. The one from binding blade is by far the least important of the Etrurian generals and later games skipped them alltogether.

What also doesnt help their popularity is their age and appearance. They tend to be big old man rather then the tall, handsome blondes that dominate the Camus archtype. I have a feeling that matters a lot to some people and that its a big reason the later games decided not to have them. 

I don't think there is anyone who views the Lorentz archetype as more noble and sympathetic so I'm curious why you find this as an unpopular opinion. 

Tauroneo becomes a camus in part 3 Radiant Dawn which is why I find his character interesting because he isn't stuck to a single archetype. 

Also, he's very unpopular despite a lot of story presence in comparison to the Dawn Brigade as shown by CYL. I think old men like Duessel, Nolan, Tauroneo, Athos, Renault, etc. don't get enough love by the fanbase which sucks because I'm a sucker for the wise-old men archetype. But in Tauroneo's case, I think his design is one of the best in the series and he's very handsome despite his old age so I think he should be a lot more popular. 

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5 minutes ago, Icelerate said:

I don't think there is anyone who views the Lorentz archetype as more noble and sympathetic so I'm curious why you find this as an unpopular opinion. 

 

Well you just said it. You don't think anyone vies the Lorentz as more noble which inherently makes it an unpopular opinion. Unless its a typo and you meant to say there's no one who doesn't view the Lorentz archtype as more symphatic. If that's the case I'd point to the large popularity of the Camus archtype, the prominance they tend to get and as you said, people like old Tauroneo apparently not being very popular. 

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13 hours ago, eastcanman said:

Heck, even *Garon* has a deeper backstory.

Wait. Garon has a backstory? Meaningful history that show's he isn't laughably one-dimensional? What did I miss during my conquest playthrough?

On 2/11/2018 at 1:11 PM, AlphaZero said:

The 5-support Limit is dumb. Just do A+ for paired endings

THIS! What magical law prevented the gba cast from having more conversations with each other?

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8 minutes ago, ChickenBits said:

Wait. Garon has a backstory? Meaningful history that show's he isn't laughably one-dimensional? What did I miss during my conquest playthrough?

One dimensional? Come on, Garon's so morally grey it shows.  

 

Jokes aside, he's actually does have a really interesting backstory. It's told in the form of supports but it's there. Here. The personalty part tells you what you want to know.

http://fireemblem.wikia.com/wiki/Garon  

 

I would have loved to play Fire Emblem: Concubine Wars.

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15 minutes ago, Køkø said:

One dimensional? Come on, Garon's so morally grey it shows.  

 

Jokes aside, he's actually does have a really interesting backstory. It's told in the form of supports but it's there. Here. The personalty part tells you what you want to know.

http://fireemblem.wikia.com/wiki/Garon  

 

I would have loved to play Fire Emblem: Concubine Wars.

Huh, I knew that the concubine war effected the siblings but I never included Garon in the mix for some reason. I thought he was just a tyrant who had many wives simply because he could. Fates, you're writing would've been absolutely stellar if it was more consistent and all the interesting tidbits weren't covered up like footprints in the rain. Conquest ending didn't exactly help either, the King has been long dead and is nothing but a shell. 

Even after reading the wiki it seems like I can't bring myself to agree with the sentiment that Garon is deeper than Lyon.

A game centered around that theme would be really interesting. The politics, alliances, shady schemes and how everyone plays their part.

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1 hour ago, Etrurian emperor said:

Well you just said it. You don't think anyone vies the Lorentz as more noble which inherently makes it an unpopular opinion. Unless its a typo and you meant to say there's no one who doesn't view the Lorentz archtype as more symphatic. If that's the case I'd point to the large popularity of the Camus archtype, the prominance they tend to get and as you said, people like old Tauroneo apparently not being very popular. 

No sorry I meant Camus being more noble than Lorenz. I thought it's commonly excepted that Duessel is more moral than Selena. I think the popularity isn't because people find them more sympathetic but attractive. I'm with you that older characters deserve more popularity but people are feel free to like whoever they like for whatever reason. 

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1 hour ago, Etrurian emperor said:

Don't quote me on this since its been a while but doesn't the Four fang get their orders only when Eliwood is already about to enter the desert? From there Athos warps the party to Pherea which is at the border with Bern so to me the timescale matches up. Eliwood faces one of the Reed brothers as soon as he set foot in Bern and while Ursula and Jafar get another job said job involves heavily increasing Sonia's influance in Bern, something the heroes fear is something akin to Elphidel corrupting Darin. That's a huge job that's pretty justifiably given to their elites. 

I lost my post, so I'll try to summarize it: Nergal should know that Athos is in Nabata. Since Athos is the only person who could feasibly stop Nergal, he should be aware of the danger that would be presented if Eliwood were to ally with him. Nergal should make killing Eliwood a top priority, as the other assignment, while very important, wouldn't endanger his whole scheme if delayed. Really, Nergal should've just cut out the middle man and killed Eliwood and co. himself. I mean, that isn't impractical for him to do so. Or he could send an some of his morphs to do the job if the Black Fang's hands are tied. 

Also I found this gem when Lloyd is telling Linus why they can't both fight Eliwood

Lloyd: "Moron. It’s a precaution. Fangs cannot afford mistakes. Don’t worry, I’ve underlings aplenty. I’ll taunt the foe and draw them to the fortress in the north. I doubt I’ll lose, but… They’ve survived this long, so they must be tough. I might run into trouble. Deliver your report, then get back here with reinforcements.”

He's like "I'm only doing this to be sure. I got this, but they are pretty strong. I could lose this one. But whatever, go give your report." That's the cavalier attitude that Eliwood's group gets. Lloyd sending away aid that could change the tide of the battle is the exact opposite of a precaution. Linus also doesn't wait for backup, he just charges in, which is kinda the opposite of what an assassin is supposed to do. You kinda deserve to die when you're this stupid. Also, Limstella was in the area, so why not send them to kill Eliwood?

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4 hours ago, AlphaZero said:

I lost my post, so I'll try to summarize it: Nergal should know that Athos is in Nabata. Since Athos is the only person who could feasibly stop Nergal, he should be aware of the danger that would be presented if Eliwood were to ally with him. Nergal should make killing Eliwood a top priority, as the other assignment, while very important, wouldn't endanger his whole scheme if delayed. Really, Nergal should've just cut out the middle man and killed Eliwood and co. himself. I mean, that isn't impractical for him to do so. Or he could send an some of his morphs to do the job if the Black Fang's hands are tied. 

 

Don't mean to bash Nergal, but I think you'll like this dissection I did before:

Spoiler

Here I think is outline of Nergal's opportunities: 

  1. Tricks Ninian and Nils to crossing over the Dragon's Gate. Doesn't summon more dragons. Why? Probably not enough quintessence to control them, which would be reasonable if he was just testing out the Gate when Ninian and Nils came over. If he couldn't lure anyone through the Gate, he couldn't open it and collecting quintessence for the task would be meaningless.
  2. Hector C21- Nergal tries using Ninian to open the Dragon's Gate. Despite not having started the war he was planning to get a massive amount of quintessence from, Nergal is able to get the necessary amount just from killing Elbert. Tries to kill LEH via the Fire Dragon summoned, but Nils interrupts the summoning and the Fire Dragon dies caught between dimensions. Before Nergal can kill LEH and recapture N&N, the dying Elbert stabs Nergal with what must be a random small knife badly enough that Nergal must flee and heal his wounds to the point he can control dragons again by gathering fresh quintessence, this is until Hector C29.
  3. Nergal, who must have been keeping an eye on LEH the whole time, comes to take N&N after C29, and despite having the power to take both siblings and LEH, he agrees to Ninian's begging and takes only her. Leaving a "parting gift" of a magical blast that could have killed everyone, but didn't because Athos was there. Athos for some reason doesn't attack Nergal, which could have kept him from dragon summoning. With Ninian in tow and himself in good health, Nergal could have summoned dragons, but he doesn't. Nergal shifts Ninian and lets her run off to Eliwood.
  4. This brings up the Hector C30 opportunity, where Nergal shows up after Ninian is killed. Why? Probably to collect the quintessence of her mentioned before, though he does say he's there for Nils too, since Ninian refused to obey him. Needing Ninian's obedience is odd since Nergal didn't need it back in HC21 when he brainwashed her, and the Fire Dragons he planned to summon certainly wouldn't obey him of their own accord. However, in showing up to mock Eliwood in his misery and get Ninian's essence and Nils, Nergal, just as he is about to kill LEH, is attacked by Athos for 5 displayed damage, in response to which he say: Nergal:
    “The purest fire… Flame breath. Very impressive, Archsage Athos. However… However, fire is no longer my foe! Look! Not even a legendary blade can cause me harm! At long last, I am impervious! Ha ha…ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha!!!”
  5. After this laugh, Nergal teleports away. And then tells Limstella the injury leaves him incapable of controlling dragons now, since he already went through the Black Fang's quintessence reserves. While it seems that Limstella's power augmentations were done shortly before LEH showed up for the final battle, I think this implies the Black Fang Super Replicas made with the BF essences of the originals were done earlier than that, unless they're cheap to make (then why didn't he make more?). Nergal fails to kill the heroes in the final battle, thus losing his final chance to control dragons and the world. His final statement (with the 19xx addition): 
  • Nergal: “Why? Why must I lose? More power… I must be… stronger… I… Why? Why did I… want power? ……Quintessence? [No NoA, it's Aenir!] …Don’t…under…stand… but… Gaa… Not like this… I will not die…like this. With my last breath… tremble…and…despair. Hwah ha ha… Ha…ha ha ha…”

 

From this breakdown, I think Nergal's biggest mistakes are made in Hector C29-30. He could have fulfilled his plans without any issues then, but he messed up and let himself lose too much of the quintessence he so badly needed at that point. At least with C21, he didn't know Nils would show up or that Elbert could survive a quintessence extraction- nobody else does (barring Brendan sans NoF visiting perhaps).

Edit: I just realized there is an undefined period of time when Nergal had Elbert and N&N, yet he didn't open the Gate then. This opportunity was lost when N&N tried to escape Dread Isle. And despite having Elbert, Nergal still tried to start a war in Lycia, which provided the trail of connections which led LEH to Dread Isle. So, had Nergal abandoned his Lycia plans and just offered up Elbert, all would have gone over well for him. This is a flaw.

 

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I sometimes I wonder if the Camus archetype is always designed as a pretty character with the intention to make the people feel bad about being unable to play with them...

In the other hand the Lorenz is old and wise; it's the kind of character only adult people enjoy.

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