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First time Fates player


Life
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Which path for my first time through (Hard Mode)?  

14 members have voted

  1. 1. Which game?

    • Birthright
      5
    • Conquest
      9
    • Revelations
      0


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So, I've never actually played Fates and I'm giving this a go. Few questions:

1. Due to not owning a 3DS, I'm emulating this game. Does this mean that at some point, the game just lets me decide which path I want to take or would the rom just be coded for one path?

2. I've heard things like "Conquest is the best out of the three", "Birthright is the easiest" and "Revelations has weird gimmicks". Can someone expand on this just so that I have a rough idea of what the actual differences are (gameplay-wise only).

3. Why does the writing seem like something I'd see out of a romhack circa 2000? It's honestly absolute shit.

Edited by Life
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1. Normally the game lets you decide which path you take after chapter 5, but it depends on the ROM. I would wager that you are in that situation, though, since I don't know of a ROM that isn't all three games together (doesn't mean they don't exist).

2. Conquest is the best because it has the most engaging map design and the most challenge. Every map contains a unique challenge and each of those challenges is difficult but fair. Birthright is easier than Awakening. Revelation likes to have it both ways, but unlike in Conquest the unique challenges are hamfisted or outright stupid, and they stop mattering when you can out-grind the enemy units.

3. It's pretty well-known to be bad.

Edited by De Geso
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1. I can't answer your first question, as from what I am aware there are 3 versions of the Fates cartridge and there may be different types of ROMS. (<- Completely ignorant on how ROMS work)

2. Conquest is the hardest and gives you no opportunity to grind, it has some interesting maps that feel like the fire emblems of old. Birthright is just awakening with a couple cool maps, but grinding can make the game a complete joke. Revelations tries to have some specific themes in the map you have to work around/take advantage of, unfortunately the maps feel longer and more of a chore because of it.

3. Story and writing are the most common complaints out of this game, I can't really defend it as someone who likes this game.

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I love Fates but I almost feel like telling you not to play it and pick something else as it seems quite clear that you won't be enjoying it. Feels like you may even have started playing with some prior prejudice. 

The writing is nowhere near as bad as some of you make it out to be. 

It's better than Awakening. 

 

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36 minutes ago, Vince777 said:

I love Fates but I almost feel like telling you not to play it and pick something else as it seems quite clear that you won't be enjoying it. Feels like you may even have started playing with some prior prejudice. 

The writing is nowhere near as bad as some of you make it out to be. 

It's better than Awakening. 

Naw, I make my own choice. My favourite game is FE7 despite all of its issues so I have no real issue with bad writing.

Also, at what point do units start dying? On Classic, of course. Feels like everyone just retreats temporarily for story purposes even though I went Classic.

And should I pick Conquest or Birthright first?

Edited by Life
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25 minutes ago, Life said:

Naw, I make my own choice. My favourite game is FE7 despite all of its issues so I have no real issue with bad writing.

Also, at what point do units start dying? On Classic, of course. Feels like everyone just retreats temporarily for story purposes even though I went Classic.

And should I pick Conquest or Birthright first?

Birthright is going to feel like an absolute joke after playing conquest.

Do birthright first and then conquest if you're hellbent on playing both (birthright is pretty skippable tbh), just so it feels like you're advancing from easier play to harder play instead of going backwards

Like--Birthright on lunatic is easier than Conquest on hard, by a pretty large margin.

Start with Birthright Lunatic, if you've already played other Fire Emblems and aren't a complete newbie to the franchise.

Then go Conquest Hard.

And then only go Conquest Lunatic once you've learned what to expect from Conquest Hard + if you're a glutton for punishment 

Edited by Shoblongoo
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I already picked Hard. I'm worried that Birthright will now be a walk in the park.

I can actually pick any one of the three. I'll keep a save file at Chapter 6 so that I can skip the first 5 chapters.

So first time: Birthright, Conquest or Revelations?

Edited by Life
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Also, you don't actually have to make a seperate save at Chapter 6: The Path To You. The main menu has an option called "Branch of Fate," which lets you jump right into the game from Chapter 6 (you can alter your avatar, but their level-ups and support up to this point are carried over from the last time you reached chapter 6).

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Conquest is a really engaging and entertaining game. It really tries ideas and when the execution is well done the game is amazing, when the execution is poorly done it's... also amazing.

Birthright and revelations are just bland nothing games.

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46 minutes ago, Life said:

I can actually pick any one of the three. I'll keep a save file at Chapter 6 so that I can skip the first 5 chapters.

You don't need to do this. The game lets you start from the "branch of fate", and you can make a new avatar starting at chapter 6.

I really recommend only playing CQ and ignoring the other two routes, but if you plan to do all three anyway Birthright>Conquest>Revelation>Conquest ad infinitum is the natural progression.

Edited by De Geso
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2 minutes ago, De Geso said:

You don't need to do this. The game lets you start from the "branch of fate", and you can make a new avatar starting at chapter 6.

I really recommend only playing CQ and ignoring the other two routes, but if you plan to do all three anyway Birthright>Conquest>Revelation>Conquest ad infinitum is the natural progression.

Didn't know that.

I guess I'll be going Birthright first. Might even document what I like and don't like here. I do love the new pair up mechanics because I wasn't a huge fan of Awakening's first take on them.

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1. I do not know about ROMs, but assuming that it is similar to the dumps that are installable on hacked consoles, you should know that the European version of the base game does not actually include any path and one is forced to install a complement to continue playing after Chapter 6. All three paths and all other DLC maps are included in the DLC dump, which is a different file. I know this because I downloaded them directly from Nintendo's Content Network back when it was possible to backup exact digital copies. One needed to install both files to actually be able to play a campaign. (It confused many, I know.)

Note that one actually downloaded the "tickets" that were made public; so, it is possible that other bundles of the game were available digitally in Europe. But the common files that were available through CIAngel or FreeShop were the ones that I am telling you about.


2. Just pick Conquest.
I like to play a couple of chapters of a game to learn the basics, and then I restart the run and play "seriously." If you do the same, go Normal Classic to try it and then go Hard Classic for your actual run. (Unless you are completely new user, it is not worth it to play a whole campaign on Normal.)

Even if it is "free" for you, the only reason to pick Birthright would be that you (profoundly) prefer its characters over the Conquest's ones. The maps and challenge are nowhere near as fun.


3. Yeah, the story is shit. But Conquest's gameplay is so good that you will not care.

Edited by starburst
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I'm not new to FE. But I did step away from the series around the time that FE12 came out (hated FE11 and FE12) and really only just started playing the newer games. My niche is really FE4-9.

I would like to play all three versions the full way through, to be honest.

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Birthright feels very generic, like a somewhat better and harder Awakening. Its story is ok because it's simple enough to deliver what is expected of it, without any redeeming or damning qualities. I'd say it only gets absurdly easy by the midgame, the rest is fine (but still not hard).

Conquest's early game has some of the best maps of the series, in my opinion, and it reminded me a lot of FE10's maps both in design and difficulty. They're fun and challenging up to the midgame, where gimmicks become much more important (and annoying, in my opinion).

Revelations is supposed to be the third route you play, but if you don't care about following the story, well... It has some of the worst, gimmicky maps I've seen. Imagine a fog of war map. With solid fog of war that hides units that move when they're discovered. Yeah, that sort of cool gimmick. It felt like an afterthought, unbalanced route with mediocre map designs at best.

 

I second starting Birthright Classic Hard, but if you feel it's too easy, I recommend jumping straight to Conquest. Revelations is ok if you're curious about it, but it is the worst designed route.

Edited by Rapier
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18 minutes ago, Life said:

I would like to play all three versions the full way through, to be honest.

Fair enough. For what it is worth, I too started with Birthright because everyone said so. The thing is that its characters and gameplay never felt interesting enough. I stopped playing it around mid game and forgot about it.

It was only after several weeks that I decided to give it another chance and picked Conquest. It “clicked” immediately, and I have completed it over twenty times since.

The paths felt so different to me, that you will want to allow yourself to play the others even if you did not like the one you picked first. (Until you play Conquest and experience the epiphany of the one true path. Ha!)

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Just to chime in, units in Revelations aren't balanced for what maps they show up in. Like some characters show up in ch 5 Conquest or ch 2 Birthright show up in Revelations ch 12 with stats meant for the point in those other games. So be prepared to lose them very easily.

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Well, Rinkah has one rule that she abides by. So does the city of Philadelphia.

Live by the doink, die by the doink.

I'm guessing that Oni Savages are Armour Knight replacements for Hoshido. This new unit system for Hoshido units is going to take a while to understand.

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Actually, Oni Savages are basically Brigands. Samurai are this game's version of Myrmidons, since those don't exist. And the Nohrian Outlaw and the Hoshidan Ninja are both Thief subclasses, with Outlaw taking on shades of Archers.

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35 minutes ago, Life said:

I'm guessing that Oni Savages are Armour Knight replacements for Hoshido. This new unit system for Hoshido units is going to take a while to understand.

The parallel classes may surprise you, mate.

http://serenesforest.net/fire-emblem-fates/classes/parallel-classes/

The list is actually meant for the class mechanics and not exactly as folklore counterparts (like Wolfskin and Kitsune would be, or Troubadour and Shrine Maiden), but most examples coincide. I actually like the Cavalier / Ninja and Knight / Spear Fighter counterparts, for they reflect the composition of their armies.

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Gah! More Fates 

Ok, in all seriousness: 

Conquest is vastly superior to both Birthright and Revelations. After playing Conquest, do not, I repeat, DO NOT, waste your time with Birthright or Revelations. It's not worth it. Birthright is way, way too easy (Ryoma) and has an awful story, Revelations has a good first half and then turns into a big, steaming pile of shit in the second half. 

Even though Conquest suffers from bad writing and an awful story, there are some notable upsides. The tactics are devillish, the maps are great, and the gameplay is great. However, it is unfathomable (to me) how people could have enjoyed Conquest, unless you completely ignore the story. Welp, that's just me. 

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Right, why does Subaki have ridiculous Def on joining? You're a Peg Knight. You are absurd. Especially in a desert map.

I see what everyone means by this game (Birthright) being easy. Eh, it's a welcome break from Maddening.

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6 hours ago, Life said:

Right, why does Subaki have ridiculous Def on joining? You're a Peg Knight. You are absurd. Especially in a desert map.

I see what everyone means by this game (Birthright) being easy. Eh, it's a welcome break from Maddening.

Subaki is an armor knight riding a pegasus. He's a weird unit yeah.

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I should've answered earlier. ;/

Birthright units have some weird stats to go with their classes.  Birthright is also the most basic route, and has the best writing of the three. . .which isn't saying much TBH.  I think it's a good starting point just because it establishes some things about the world that the other two routes ignore, and you can play with the Hoshido variants of weapons.

Conquest has gimmicks, but as long as you do things like stop and read enemy skills, you should be fine.  The difficulty flow reminds me of FE12 (stupid early maps, lull in the middle, then the end tries to slam your face).  The writing is awkward.  Unit balance would be okay if PoR Jill 2.0 wasn't on this route.  Or the single worst personal skill (and no, it's not Arthur, despite what a certain someone would say).

Revelation's map gimmicks are on-par with FFT nonsense.  The story is also bearable up until a point - after that, it feels like another writer stepped in, and all hell broke loose.  Unit balance is out the window.  Take this route seriously only if you're interested in seeing cross-army kids.

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