Dayni's Tellius Foray

[Punished Dayni]

So today was the start of Dayni's attempt at his final old FE title.

I will say it's nice to see visually and musically things have improved already, the presentation of places in Daein is already improved on PoR and . The VA work is about as expected though (especially the narrator), while there hasn't been too much character wise that's clicked so far and the Begnion occupation is as dickish as expected.

And on that front I have to say I am so stupid. Mainly because I've gotten a game over twice already and both were slips on my part. First I though Michiah could finish a fighter off so left her in range when she couldn't and then proceeded to die (I was planning on attacking the other one at first but then I was stupid), then I didn't even realise there was a turn limit on the same map and got a game over that way. Level's haven't been too bad so far, Leonardo even got a level with all but luck (which was in the first map so that's kept. :) ).

Also as an aside, I couldn't get my save noticed by RD, I assume that you should be able to do so first time right?

[Interdimensional Observer]

4 minutes ago, Dayni said:

Also as an aside, I couldn't get my save noticed by RD, I assume that you should be able to do so first time right?

You should, not sure what the problem would be. You played Hard PoR, so it can't be the Easy Mode transfer freeze bug.

 

5 minutes ago, Dayni said:

And on that front I have to say I am so stupid. Mainly because I've gotten a game over twice already and both were slips on my part. First I though Michiah could finish a fighter off so left her in range when she couldn't and then proceeded to die (I was planning on attacking the other one at first but then I was stupid), then I didn't even realise there was a turn limit on the same map and got a game over that way. Level's haven't been too bad so far, Leonardo even got a level with all but luck (which was in the first map so that's kept. :) ).

A little tip- mages in RD can be quite fragile, even by their usual standards. Hope Miccy gets like ~12 Spd towards Part 1's end, there is a reason why I say this.

Also, when you get the new Staffer, if you don't need Micaiah to do something important on a turn, have her Sacrifice on an injured unit and then heal Micaiah- EXP for the both of them that way.

And one other thing, when BEXP becomes available, the system was changed to guarantee exactly 3 stat points per level when leveling up with BEXP. Most Beorc units have 310 to 400 in growths, so until they cap a stat or two and fall below 300, it is technically inferior to use BEXP on them. Although getting someone to say 95 experience via BEXP and then having them poke something to level up on turn 1 of the next battle will result in a perfectly normal levelup able to proc any number of stats as usual.

[Punished Dayni]

21 minutes ago, Interdimensional Observer said:

You should, not sure what the problem would be. You played Hard PoR, so it can't be the Easy Mode transfer freeze bug.

Thought that might be the case (also sure that wouldn't be a problem as I've got the PAL region to work with). It is entirely a consequence of how I've been playing these due some issues that caused Nintendont and Dios Mios to not work as I'd hoped and I only got Nintendont to work by loading it explicitly on its own (Trust me, it was a mess but barring this no issues otherwise). I'll have to see what can be done (as this is the only thing that was going to be affected by that, I think maybe transferring the save data onto where it could be recognised seems to be the best way).

Besides, I'd want the bonuses on a different playthrough anyway. (From what I can tell, I think there's story-related replay value. Not sure what in all honesty). Still trying to be blind barring knowing bits and pieces I was already spoiled on.

21 minutes ago, Interdimensional Observer said:

A little tip- mages in RD can be quite fragile, even by their usual standards. Hope Miccy gets like ~12 Spd towards Part 1's end, there is a reason why I say this.

Also, when you get the new Staffer, if you don't need Micaiah to do something important on a turn, have her Sacrifice on an injured unit and then heal Micaiah- EXP for the both of them that way.

And one other thing, when BEXP becomes available, the system was changed to guarantee exactly 3 stat points per level when leveling up with BEXP. Most Beorc units have 310 to 400 in growths, so until they cap a stat or two and fall below 300, it is technically inferior to use BEXP on them. Although getting someone to say 95 experience via BEXP and then having them poke something to level up on turn 1 of the next battle will result in a perfectly normal levelup able to proc any number of stats as usual.

Michiah at least has procced speed once so far. (And for the sacrifice suggestion, that sounds about right. For now it's just my frail mage though)

As for BExp, honestly I wasn't that lucky with it when I used it (Barring for Jill. :P), so I think I was expecting to be like that and am fine with it.

[Interdimensional Observer]

4 hours ago, Dayni said:

Besides, I'd want the bonuses on a different playthrough anyway. (From what I can tell, I think there's story-related replay value. Not sure what in all honesty). Still trying to be blind barring knowing bits and pieces I was already spoiled on.

Two extra characters, neither all that great in gameplay, and a couple of extra scenes become available. The scenes all come at the game's end and provide some extra plot details, but nothing absolutely central to the storyline, if still nice. 

It doesn't make much sense why the stuff isn't available on a first playthrough, but so things are. 

Edited February 4, 2019 by Interdimensional Observer

[Punished Dayni]

On 2/4/2019 at 3:58 AM, Interdimensional Observer said:

Two extra characters, neither all that great in gameplay, and a couple of extra scenes become available. The scenes all come at the game's end and provide some extra plot details, but nothing absolutely central to the storyline, if still nice. 

It doesn't make much sense why the stuff isn't available on a first playthrough, but so things are. 

Ah well.

Well, an update. I beat chapter 2 (Who knew not leaving Michiah in the range of the archer who could 1-shot her was a good idea?) fine enough, was working on Chapter 3 and things had been working out until reinforcements came from the entrance and the partner characters were in range. Shame, because some good levels, steals and whatnot were lost.

Also I think levels are going alright so far, though is Michiah being around the same level as Leonardo and Edward a bad call?

[Interdimensional Observer]

3 hours ago, Dayni said:

Also I think levels are going alright so far, though is Michiah being around the same level as Leonardo and Edward a bad call?

She promotes after the final battle of Part 1, just as a heads up. You'll get a Paragon scroll sometime during Part 1, and of all the unpromoted characters, only Micaiah has the skill capacity to use it, so go ahead and give it to her.

RD modified the skill system in that if a skill isn't locked to a character, you can remove them freely and reassign to anyone else at no cost. So when Micaiah is done with Paragon, you can throw it on someone else. The only exception is the skills characters come with which can be removed, such as Leonardo's Cancel and Edward's Wrath, left on their respective character, the skills will not cost capacity, but if removed and given back to that unit, those skills will then cost skill capacity. 

[Punished Dayni]

18 hours ago, Interdimensional Observer said:

She promotes after the final battle of Part 1, just as a heads up. You'll get a Paragon scroll sometime during Part 1, and of all the unpromoted characters, only Micaiah has the skill capacity to use it, so go ahead and give it to her.

RD modified the skill system in that if a skill isn't locked to a character, you can remove them freely and reassign to anyone else at no cost. So when Micaiah is done with Paragon, you can throw it on someone else. The only exception is the skills characters come with which can be removed, such as Leonardo's Cancel and Edward's Wrath, left on their respective character, the skills will not cost capacity, but if removed and given back to that unit, those skills will then cost skill capacity. 

Does Paragon affect Sacrifice then? Just asking as I hope that's the case. Also good to know if a unit's just trash that their fixed skills aren't totally fixed.

[Interdimensional Observer]

3 hours ago, Dayni said:

Does Paragon affect Sacrifice then? Just asking as I hope that's the case. Also good to know if a unit's just trash that their fixed skills aren't totally fixed.

I believe so.

 

On that note, some people like throwing Wrath on Micaiah, since she has the capacity for it, and tends to get ORKO'ed anyhow. With Sacrifice she "safely" drop her HP to sub 30% and then gain the extra 50 crit (yes, they nerfed Wrath a little by lowering the HP requirement to below 30%). Just an option.

It doesn't work with the original Japanese version of this game, since there Wrath activates at and under 20% of max HP, and even then it isn't guaranteed to activate- it has an activation rate equal to Skill on top of that. So Micaiah would have a ~10% chance of gaining 50 crit when below 20%. Resolve was similarly nerfed with the same 20% or less requirement and an activation rate of Strength = % (even though it no longer buffs Strength). The international release realized these skills had gone from risky but amazing to absolutely worthless, and corrected them by removing the proc chance on both and raising Wrath's HP requirement to 30% or less, and Resolve's got brought back to the PoR 50% or less.

[thecrimsonflash]

On 2/13/2019 at 4:49 PM, Dayni said:

Does Paragon affect Sacrifice then? Just asking as I hope that's the case. Also good to know if a unit's just trash that their fixed skills aren't totally fixed.

If memory serves me correctly, with paragon sacrifice gives a guaranteed 20 exp per use, sacrifice can also cure ailments, so is saves you the restore as well.

[Punished Dayni]

On 2/14/2019 at 1:23 AM, Interdimensional Observer said:

I believe so.

 

On that note, some people like throwing Wrath on Micaiah, since she has the capacity for it, and tends to get ORKO'ed anyhow. With Sacrifice she "safely" drop her HP to sub 30% and then gain the extra 50 crit (yes, they nerfed Wrath a little by lowering the HP requirement to below 30%). Just an option.

It doesn't work with the original Japanese version of this game, since there Wrath activates at and under 20% of max HP, and even then it isn't guaranteed to activate- it has an activation rate equal to Skill on top of that. So Micaiah would have a ~10% chance of gaining 50 crit when below 20%. Resolve was similarly nerfed with the same 20% or less requirement and an activation rate of Strength = % (even though it no longer buffs Strength). The international release realized these skills had gone from risky but amazing to absolutely worthless, and corrected them by removing the proc chance on both and raising Wrath's HP requirement to 30% or less, and Resolve's got brought back to the PoR 50% or less.

Okay.

And wow, making those skills more RNG reliant is pretty bad in a game where biorhythm exists. Least someone saw sense there I guess?

On 2/21/2019 at 7:58 AM, thecrimsonflash said:

If memory serves me correctly, with paragon sacrifice gives a guaranteed 20 exp per use, sacrifice can also cure ailments, so is saves you the restore as well.

Well, that's good to know.

Anyways, went from the battle save I had to make after last time. Thankfully, I can get Michiah and Nolan up there to save Aimee and Kurth. Unfortunately I had to reset too many times from that battle save due to stupid little things and I was on turn 18 by the end, but Chapter 1-3 is done and Michiah has 13 Spd. And also apparently Ashnard has a child. Regardless, took a swing at 1-4 and so far it doesn't seem too horrible, though I did get a crit or two to make things easier. Also now that I have a convoy and ask I have to ask if I should be focusing on the more expensive bargains or what weapons are worth it right away.

[Punished Dayni]

Finished 1-4 today, though not without lack of stupidity that caused me to reset who knows how many times at this point because I forgot something. I got all of the items from it, Sothe ended up getting the boss exp and most of the party's over level 10... except for Meg, who I dropped and Laura who I have avoided levelling a bit. And afterwards, we get to see Rafiel (aka the Serenes massacre wasn't 100% effective No. 4) singing to some wolves, including Nailah (I hope she's as busted as she is in Heroes) and we get Michiah giving the great burn to Sothe even I saw before. Oh and we get Volug later on.Shame his boosts are lesser because of halfshift.

So, for 1-5 we'll get Jill, Zihark and Tauroneo? I am already excited.

[MisterIceTeaPeach]

Zihark, Jill and Tauroneo will show up in 1-5, but they are controllable one chapter later. 

 

I did not quite get on which difficulty this game is played (assuming normal when the steel bow archer in 1-2 could oneshot Micaiah), but if it is normal, I recommend to focus on only a limited amount of units in the first playthroughs because the Dawn Brigade chapters can be rough sometime and so not good for experience sharing. You can get along without Laura when not the full party can be brought anymore. In part 3 she is really helpful though. 

 

Volug's half shift is locked till the end of part 1. He also may not day before the final chapter of part 1.

 

I recommend to promote at least one first tier unit before the end of part 1 (obviously Jill or Edward) to make more use of the paragon scroll. 

[Punished Dayni]

4 hours ago, Necrofantasia said:

Zihark, Jill and Tauroneo will show up in 1-5, but they are controllable one chapter later. 

 

I did not quite get on which difficulty this game is played (assuming normal when the steel bow archer in 1-2 could oneshot Micaiah), but if it is normal, I recommend to focus on only a limited amount of units in the first playthroughs because the Dawn Brigade chapters can be rough sometime and so not good for experience sharing. You can get along without Laura when not the full party can be brought anymore. In part 3 she is really helpful though. 

 

Volug's half shift is locked till the end of part 1. He also may not day before the final chapter of part 1.

 

I recommend to promote at least one first tier unit before the end of part 1 (obviously Jill or Edward) to make more use of the paragon scroll. 

I was wondering how recruitable they were. Shame it's the map after.

It is Normal, so I have been getting concerned about that in fairness. I have been avoiding Michiah getting too many kills in more recent chapters, there's a good chance I won't be using other units in this army at this rate.

"day?" Bit confused by that.

Good thing I have 2 Master seals as needed.

[Interdimensional Observer]

4 hours ago, Dayni said:

It is Normal, so I have been getting concerned about that in fairness. I have been avoiding Michiah getting too many kills in more recent chapters, there's a good chance I won't be using other units in this army at this rate.

It's worth training I'd say 3 unpromoted units in Part 1. Not including Ilyana or Laura, Laura heals, so she doesn't take combat EXP from anyone else, and Ilyana leaves the Dawn Brigade after Part 1, if you like her and want to use her through the whole game though, then you can train her.

Jill is a good choice to raise, although her Str can be shaky if anything is going to screw you over with her this time (she kinda starts a semi-Pegasus with Axes statistically speaking). Although usually she turns out very good.

 

4 hours ago, Dayni said:

I was wondering how recruitable they were. Shame it's the map after.

 

Sothe can still chat with them if he has the free time to do so. Ilyana can also speak with Zihark.

If you can't get either over there to do so, here is the dialogue you'd see:

Spoiler

Ilyana and Zihark

Ilyana: Ah…
Zihark: Ilyana! It’s been a while.
Ilyana: Too long, Zihark…
Zihark: So you remember my name!
Ilyana: How could I forget you, Zihark? Why, I think of you often! You treated me to food…glorious food… On 23 separate occasions! But who’s counting?
Zihark: Apparently, you are. And now, might I request something in return?
Ilyana: Well, um, yes. What exactly did you have in mind?
Zihark: For you, something sweet! You join our merry band, and together, we fight for Daein’s freedom. I’m counting on you, my dear. You wouldn’t want to disappoint me, would you?
Ilyana: …Ah…er… What?

Sothe and Jill

Sothe: Hey, Jill? Jill Fizzart? It is you, isn’t it?
Jill: Sothe?!
Sothe: Haven’t seen you since the war ended.
Jill: That does bring back memories… What are you doing out here in the middle of nowhere?
Sothe: We heard that King Ashnard’s orphan was in need of soldiers. We came to find out if it’s true.
Jill: The prince? He’s just inside the fort.
Sothe: Then it’s true?
Jill: It is. Will you help us protect him?
Sothe: Of course.

Sothe and Tauroneo

Sothe: General Tauroneo!
Tauroneo: Well, if it isn’t our little Sothe! I’d never have thought to see you here!
Sothe: General, these ruins you’re defending… Do they hold hope for Daein?
Tauroneo: They do. In fact, these walls hold what may well be Daein’s only hope.
Sothe: I see. Then we must protect this place at all costs.
Tauroneo: Indeed.

Sothe and Zihark

Sothe: Need a hand?
Zihark: Sothe? Where did you come from? What are you doing here?
Sothe: Hello, Zihark. I see you’re fighting Begnion soldiers. I assume you’re siding with Daein here?
Zihark: That’s right. This is my homeland. These are my people.
Sothe: Oh, really? I didn’t know you were from Daein.
Zihark: Yep, I’m a Daein, through and through.
Sothe: All that time we fought together, and I never knew.
Zihark: That’s because I never told you. At any rate, let’s rejoin the fight. We can talk later.
Sothe: Ah, yes…

 

Also, here are some designer notes on the Dawn Brigade. The developers couldn't fit this stuff in RD itself, so they later released it in Japan.

https://serenesforest.net/general/designers-notes/radiant-dawn/the-dawn-brigade/

[Punished Dayni]

3 minutes ago, Interdimensional Observer said:

It's worth training I'd say 3 unpromoted units in Part 1. Not including Ilyana or Laura, Laura heals, so she doesn't take combat EXP from anyone else, and Ilyana leaves the Dawn Brigade after Part 1, if you like her and want to use her through the whole game though, then you can train her.

Jill is a good choice to raise, although her Str can be shaky if anything is going to screw you over with her this time (she kinda starts a semi-Pegasus with Axes statistically speaking). Although usually she turns out very good.

Jeez, really? That sounds pretty horrendous actually. That few? Are we mostly working with promoted units after this, or is there something I haven't taken into account?

3 minutes ago, Interdimensional Observer said:

Sothe can still chat with them if he has the free time to do so. Ilyana can also speak with Zihark.

Just looking at that map, no, no he does not. Ilyana probably doesn't either with all the sand in the south.

Also on those notes, I can't help but think of One Jump from Aladdin blaring as Edward runs away from Begnion troops.

 

[Interdimensional Observer]

17 minutes ago, Dayni said:

Jeez, really? That sounds pretty horrendous actually. That few? Are we mostly working with promoted units after this, or is there something I haven't taken into account?

Not to say that much, but Part 1 isn't so long nor so easy and loaded with EXP to afford many more. When you regain control of Micaiah's group later, their chapters are defensively-oriented, and people like Sothe, Zihark and Volug will still be there as crutches, but the problem is the enemies will have undergone a large stat spike. Unpromoted units are quite likely to be OHKOed or doubled and killed that way. Being just 20/1 is enough though to survive for any melee unit, barring ginormous HP/Def/Spd screwage.

Although I have been able to squeeze in a fourth unit on Normal, and I never touched my BEXP. Leonardo as a backliner might be able to get away with ending Part 1 in his high teens unpromoted, and the first return fight for the Dawn Brigade is very rich in EXP.

Also, RD has a 3 tier promotion system. Laguz being the exception of course, they have a level cap of 40 instead. Only Part 1 features Tier 1 allies, everywhere else people start at at least 2.

So in practice, there are only two tiers like most games, and Micaiah's team is less the unpromoted and more the trainees of the game. The reasoning for starting everyone else at Tier 2 is never stated, but I think it's because most characters return from PoR and have gained experience as veterans of the Mad King's War. Jill and Ilyana are the rare exceptions who remain at Tier 1.

[Punished Dayni]

On 3/1/2019 at 10:59 PM, Interdimensional Observer said:

Not to say that much, but Part 1 isn't so long nor so easy and loaded with EXP to afford many more. When you regain control of Micaiah's group later, their chapters are defensively-oriented, and people like Sothe, Zihark and Volug will still be there as crutches, but the problem is the enemies will have undergone a large stat spike. Unpromoted units are quite likely to be OHKOed or doubled and killed that way. Being just 20/1 is enough though to survive for any melee unit, barring ginormous HP/Def/Spd screwage.

Although I have been able to squeeze in a fourth unit on Normal, and I never touched my BEXP. Leonardo as a backliner might be able to get away with ending Part 1 in his high teens unpromoted, and the first return fight for the Dawn Brigade is very rich in EXP.

Also, RD has a 3 tier promotion system. Laguz being the exception of course, they have a level cap of 40 instead. Only Part 1 features Tier 1 allies, everywhere else people start at at least 2.

So in practice, there are only two tiers like most games, and Micaiah's team is less the unpromoted and more the trainees of the game. The reasoning for starting everyone else at Tier 2 is never stated, but I think it's because most characters return from PoR and have gained experience as veterans of the Mad King's War. Jill and Ilyana are the rare exceptions who remain at Tier 1.

I'll ask about that, because I will admit I've been too willing to give exp out to a bunch of units. Meg is benched, but other than that everyone else barring Volug has gotten levels so far and with Jill joining it's come to a head frankly.

For future reference, I hate Chapter 1-5. I finally figured out a way to clear it without anyone dying and also killing the boss though. Volug almost died, but hey that's what happens when you get a too many fire mages. Levels are alright I guess, most everyone got at least one barring Volug and Laura. Ledges are also life, which I saw in full in the later part where Leonardo and Edward were able to prevent the archers from being effective by standing there. So after that we got to see that Izuka is helping Pelleas to take back Daein (so that's a flag so red I'm sure bulls can see it from miles away) and Michiah accepts being a general despite Dr. Moreau being involved in the liberation army. Anyways, I'm just happy we got those three units on side for the next chapter. A chapter that will likely not annoy me as much as 1-5.

[Interdimensional Observer]

1 hour ago, Dayni said:

I'll ask about that, because I will admit I've been too willing to give exp out to a bunch of units. Meg is benched, but other than that everyone else barring Volug has gotten levels so far and with Jill joining it's come to a head frankly.

 

If you wish for some guidance:

Spoiler

• Edward is good, having the most potential of the units in his class. Zihark comes stronger at the start and isn't noticeably worse in the long run, but Zihark is nominally inferior tp Edward in every stat but Res in the long run. If Edward has been good for you and you don't mind a second Swordmaster, go ahead and raise him, they're good units. Zihark is totally a keeper, at least for now.
• Leonardo's best growths are Skl, Lck, Res, not exactly the trio you want. Although as I said, he can still sneak in some P3 experience, and Your Results May Vary. And Archers are better in RD than they were in PoR by a decent margin.
• Nolan is Skl and Spd-oriented, but his Str growth is a bit low for a Fighter, it can be his most common form of frustrating screwage. Usually, barring Str screwage, he and Jill are considered the two best Tier 1 units in RD.
• Aran is 75/75/70 Str/Skl/Def, with low Spd growth, making him an Armor Knight without the armor. Quite good I'd say, but some prefer Edward to him, particularly on Hard when Aran might be so slow he gets doubled later on.
• Meg's best growths are Spd/Lck/Res, her worst are Str and Def, she is a typical Pegasus Knight in growths, but dressed in armor and hindered by its low Spd and Res caps. No wonder she often considered one of RD's worst units, it's a mismatch. Still, at least she joined early, though if you didn't feed her some 1-4 Laguz, she is relegated to the bench from now on.
• Jill I already made clear has a Pegasus-like start, with growths similar to Nolan's across the board. She likes a Seraph Robe, and for those able to transfer PoR data, she is one of the two characters in RD who most benefits from transfers. An Iron forge with more Mt to help with her initial AS loss from Steel might not be a bad idea. In the long run she is quite good on average, flight, the best physical weapon type, and excellent caps.
• Laura doesn't steal EXP from anyone else being a healer, which makes her a bit hard to level, if useful regardless of what level she is. Her Mag/Skl/Spd are all 70% growths-wise, hindered by lowish caps.
• Ilyana is believe it or not, the character with the greatest amount of availability in RD. Fragile of course, her Spd growth and caps are low, and Thunder is the worse kind of Magic, but promoting will let her use the other Anima kinds. 
• Sothe is mandatory until the final battles of RD, where he is still always selectable, but you can choose not to field him. His promotion is storylocked.
• Volug has low growths, like most Laguz actually (they're still usually over 300 total, but less so than Beorc), although once he is no longer forced into Halfshifting, every point he gets outside of HP and Lck are effectively worth double of what they are. Since normal Laguz transformation doubles the unshifted stat values in this game.
  • Leveling via BEXP is really useful for Laguz, since it guarantees 3 points.
  • Stat boosters other than Robes and Icons are also good for them, since they're practically worth 4 points.
  • Volug's Lck growth is strangely the highest in the game, 90%. 
  • His Affinity is Earth, Earth offers 7.5 points of Avoid per Rank. So an A Earthxanything Support gives at least 22 Avoid, EarthxEarth gives 45. That is dodgetanky brokenness. Nolan also has Earth Affinity, if you wish to try that out. Or you can share the Avoid with others. 
    • If you wish to make supports, simply fielding two characters in a chapter together will give some points (15 points, 50 are needed to go up one rank). They get more if they end their turns adjacent to each other (+3), one heals the other (+4), one ends a turn having rescued the other (+5) (does not stack with adjacent points, but is worth more), or if one shoves the other (+1).
  • In this game, Laguz can increase their Strike weapon rank. Volug like most Laguz starts at A Rank, leveling it to S will add 5 Mt to his Fang weapon. So even if he doesn't get much EXP from it, having Volug hit things is a good thing, since +5 Atk is great. It takes 70 WEXP, 70 individual hits, more like 35 rounds of combat given Volug very often doubles, to hit S Rank.
  • In the long run, Volug is a good Laguz. Fragile, but fast and hits for a decent hit. He faces some competition and lacks 2-range, but he ain't bad.

 

1 hour ago, Dayni said:

Anyways, I'm just happy we got those three units on side for the next chapter. A chapter that will likely not annoy me as much as 1-5.

The next chapter has two stages, like Day Breaks back in PoR (the hunt for Oliver in the greyed out Serenes Forest). The first stage is not too hard, it lacks a name-and-portrait-having boss. The second isn't too bad either. Both are definitely easier than 1-5, which is indeed a pretty hectic chapter in RD; Easy Mode actually turns it into a Rout instead of a Defend.

Also, Tauroneo is nearly invincible, but next chapter (both halves) is the only one you get to use him in for a bit. So as if his massive level and bases weren't a hint enough, don't overuse him.

Edited March 17, 2019 by Interdimensional Observer

[Rose482]

1-6 could be tricky from what I remember, keeping units that shouldn't be attacked out of range could be easier said than done in this chapter, but you also have a good amount of units that could kill anything to balance it out I guess.

 

Really I guess my tip for 1-6 is that only rush when you have too, if not take your time, becasue one wrong move could put you in a bad spot.

[Punished Dayni]

6 minutes ago, Interdimensional Observer said:

If you wish for some guidance:

  Reveal hidden contents

• Edward is good, having the most potential of the units in his class. Zihark comes stronger at the start and isn't noticeably worse in the long run, but Zihark is nominally inferior tp Edward in every stat but Res in the long run. If Edward has been good for you and you don't mind a second Swordmaster, go ahead and raise him, they're good units. Zihark is totally a keeper, at least for now.
• Leonardo's best growths are Skl, Lck, Res, not exactly the trio you want. Although as I said, he can still sneak in some P3 experience, and Your Results May Vary.
• Nolan is Skl and Spd-oriented, but his Str growth is a bit low for a Fighter, it can be his most common form of frustrating screwage. Usually, barring Str screwage, he and Jill are considered the two best Tier 1 units in RD.
• Aran is 75/75/70 Str/Skl/Def, with low Spd growth, making him an Armor Knight without the armor. Quite good I'd say, but some prefer Edward to him, particularly on Hard when Aran might be so slow he gets doubled later on.
• Meg's best growths are Spd/Lck/Res, her worst are Str and Def, she is a typical Pegasus Knight in growths, but dressed in armor and hindered by its low Spd and Res caps. No wonder she often considered one of RD's worst units, it's a mismatch. Still, at least she joined early, though if you didn't feed her some 1-4 Laguz, she is relegated to the bench from now on.
• Jill I already made clear has a Pegasus-like start, with growths similar to Nolan's across the board. She likes a Seraph Robe, and for those able to transfer PoR data, she is one of the two characters in RD who most benefits from transfers. An Iron forge with more Mt to help with her initial AS loss from Steel might not be a bad idea. In the long run she is quite good on average, flight, the best physical weapon type, and excellent caps.
• Laura doesn't steal EXP from anyone else being a healer, which makes her a bit hard to level, if useful regardless of what level she is. Her Mag/Skl/Spd are all 70% growths-wise, hindered by lowish caps.
• Ilyana is believe it or not, the character with the greatest amount of availability in RD. Fragile of course, her Spd growth and caps are low, and Thunder is the worse kind of Magic, but promoting will let her use the other Anima kinds. 
• Sothe is mandatory until the final battles of RD, where he is still always selectable, but you can choose not to field him. His promotion is storylocked.
• Volug has low growths, like most Laguz actually (they're still usually over 300 total, but less so than Beorc), although once he is no longer forced into Halfshifting, every point he gets outside of HP and Lck are effectively worth double of what they are. Since normal Laguz transformation doubles the unshifted stat values in this game.
  • Leveling via BEXP is really useful for Laguz, since it guarantees 3 points.
  • Stat boosters other than Robes and Icons are also good for them, since they're practically worth 4 points.
  • Volug's Lck growth is strangely the highest in the game, 90%. 
  • His Affinity is Earth, Earth offers 7.5 points of Avoid per Rank. So an A Earthxanything Support gives at least 22 Avoid, EarthxEarth gives 45. That is dodgetanky brokenness. Nolan also has Earth Affinity, if you wish to try that out. Or you can share the Avoid with others. 
    • If you wish to make supports, simply fielding two characters in a chapter together will give some points (15 points, 50 are needed to go up one rank). They get more if they end their turns adjacent to each other (+3), one heals the other (+4), one ends a turn having rescued the other (+5) (does not stack with adjacent points, but is worth more), or if one shoves the other (+1).
  • In this game, Laguz can increase their Strike weapon rank. Volug like most Laguz starts at A Rank, leveling it to S will add 5 Mt to his Fang weapon. So even if he doesn't get much EXP from it, having Volug hit things is a good thing, since +5 Atk is great. It takes 70 WEXP, 70 individual hits, more like 35 rounds of combat given Volug very often doubles, to hit S Rank.
  • In the long run, Volug is a good Laguz. Fragile, but fast and hits for a decent hit. He faces some competition and lacks 2-range, but he ain't bad.

All that seems pretty sensible. I'd say for the most part that everyone has done alright stat wise in fairness. Well, maybe barring Ilyana but as is she's often involved in chipping and she's got enough bases she can just make a unit disappear on occasion.

Sothe has gained 3 levels already, which is probably too many.

3 minutes ago, Rose482 said:

1-6 could be tricky from what I remember, keeping units that shouldn't be attacked out of range could be easier said than done in this chapter, but you also have a good amount of units that could kill anything to balance it out I guess.

 

Really I guess my tip for 1-6 is that only rush when you have too, if not take your time, becasue one wrong move could put you in a bad spot.

I looked at it briefly.

Turn 2 reinforcements surprised me with their volume and at that point decided good night because it was late.

[Rose482]

Also I'm not sure if anyone already pointed this or not, but make sure that the characters that you want to keep using later in the game are promoted before the end of part 1, becasue you won't have much of a chance to do so if you waited until later in the game V_V And of course make sure Micaiah is level 20 by the end of part 1, which shouldn't be too hard to do.

 

And yeah 1-6 has flying units, horse units, and a Ballista, so.....things could get hard for units with low defense if you weren't careful, I also remember there  being a master seal to pick up on this chapter, so make sure not to forget about it.

[Punished Dayni]

On 3/17/2019 at 11:35 AM, Rose482 said:

Also I'm not sure if anyone already pointed this or not, but make sure that the characters that you want to keep using later in the game are promoted before the end of part 1, becasue you won't have much of a chance to do so if you waited until later in the game V_V And of course make sure Micaiah is level 20 by the end of part 1, which shouldn't be too hard to do.

 

And yeah 1-6 has flying units, horse units, and a Ballista, so.....things could get hard for units with low defense if you weren't careful, I also remember there  being a master seal to pick up on this chapter, so make sure not to forget about it.

Well, on that front some units are going well there. Like Jill or Aran. And others are struggling at level 15 like the Dawn Brigade..... Oh, that's not good.

Yeah, I forgot that Master seal and had to redo a few turns. Whoops.

Well this has been a long minute.

Anyways, I'd cleared 6-1 a few weeks back now, what with it being unremarkable and getting exp for Jill in particular. 6-2 threw me, but again not so bad when I focused a bit. Jill mostly soloed with a bit of Volug's help on the east with the units chasing Fiona's troops (They only got one of the cavs and the girl who was with them sadly, did I miss out on something there?). Things worked out in all fairness, though she was near death more than once, and got to level 19 by the end of the chapter. Aran's turning out real tanky even if his speed could be better, while Nolan and Lenardo's finally been catching up with good levels (though I suspect Leo will be dropped long term sadly). The boss also failed to kill Leonardo at 1 range with the steel lance. Just, what is he doing (it's about as stupid as my leaving him in range). And Ballista just suck already, that's not a good sign.

As for Chapter 7, I'll admit I've been trying to figure out how to do things quicker. I had done an alright if slow run while figuring out how the ally soldiers act until Michiah took a bow to the head. It'a also not helped by only having 9 units, which for me is 1 short out of what I think would have been a good charge through. Tormod is also really neat, Muarim could be cool but I'll probably go with Ranulf unless cats are bad and Vika exists.

[Rose482]

Tormod/Muarim/Vika are.....something let's just say, they aren't easy to train at all, heck I would prefer to train Meg or Fiona over them lol, of course it's up to you if you want to try using any of them, but I won't recommend it for someone who's playing FE10 for the first time. 

 

Also Tormod comes with a very good skill on him, remember to take it off of him, becasue you....might not get the chance to do it again for a very long time if you waited for later, and also just like last chapter, this chapter also has a master seal, don't forget to pick it up.

I know master seals might seem useless looking at how units can promote without them anyway, but they could save you some exp if you used them on a level 20 unit, and of course if you wanted to promote a unit who didn't reach level 20 yet, which sometimes could be the case if you ended up using too many units and wanted them all promoted before the end of part 1.

[Interdimensional Observer]

2 hours ago, Dayni said:

(They only got one of the cavs and the girl who was with them sadly, did I miss out on something there?).

Nope. Just a little BEXP (400), no other rewards. If Nico the little boy had died, you'd miss out on a rewards-free Base Conversation later, but nothing else.

Each prisoner who survives in Chapter 7 is worth 200 BEXP, if they escape, you get 400 (not sure if it stacks or replaces the survival BEXP).

 

And about Fiona, she has... issues. She turns out well in the long run, but there are problems along the way. Two you should be noticing right away are:

1. Her movement isn't what it seems to be for a Cavalier. All Beorc mounted units, I don't think Laguz fliers, lose 2 Move on maps classified as indoors. They keep their hit-and-run, but this is a weaker replacement for dismounting to balance them. Likewise, they cannot climb cliffs.
2. Her bases. She comes at Nolan's base level with stats that are the same or worse outside of Mag & Res. And Nolan came forever ago by this point. 

This said, I did see someone use Fiona on Hard Mode almost effortlessly for the first playthrough, some blessed levels helped. So you can try. If you want to grind her, then a forged Iron Lance against the boss, if she proced Strength a couple times already, works. Or, wait until you find a Priest with a HP healing Staff and have her attack it again and again, due to their Staff, they'll regen HP every turn. Ideally, have someone who comes in the next chapter use a little niche skill they have on the Priest first.

 

As for Ranulf, he is the best Cat. So you'll be in luck with that.

 

And if you plan to remove Celerity, wait until before the final battle of Part 1 to do that.

Edited March 31, 2019 by Interdimensional Observer

[eclipse]

Cat (the class) is bad because of their gauge.  Ranulf is the best of the lot.

Tigers don't require the micro-management a cat does, but they have their own shortfalls.