Best & Worst First Map

[Mars of Aritia]

Which first map do you think is the best? Which is the worst? you can vote for any version of the chapter (so each version of Marth embarks is valid for example).

My thoughts on each if you care to read them:

Spoiler

FE1: The first ever map and one of the most reused. It’s a fun little map, although I feel enemies are a bit too clustered in the west, and Marth is too busy running around visiting the villages to fight. Strangely, the original version is my favourite, and FE1 is dare I say it, kind of enjoyable before you experience the hell that is inventory management in that game. In the FE3 version you have to dismount Jeigan if you don’t want him to kill everything. (Though replacing Riff with a single vulnerary is hilarious, as that is about the extent of his contributions). And aside from the general ugliness that is FE11, it suffers from unnecessary adding a weapon triangle, which makes Doga pretty bad, and Cain starting with E lances, so no javelins for him. H5 is an RNG fest with a lot of shaky 70% hits, so if you miss them you will probably die.

FE2: A nice simple map to ease you into Gaiden’s quirks. I like the side objective of getting your villagers up to promotion level, so you’re encouraged not to just have Alm solo the map. Enemies are not very threatening though, even for villagers, and I have no idea why they added a healing tile in the top left corner behind a wall, though Gaiden is known for it’s bizarre map design. No one will ever reach it and enemies annoyingly seek it if their health is low. The remake version is pretty much the same except you have an extra villager, enemies give a lot more EXP, and Alm seems to annoyingly crit more often.

FE3: This is a pretty bad map with a ton of annoyances. The biggest problem is the stupid mountain choke point, with half of your units unable to even cross it. I guess it’s there to teach dismounting? At least there’s a few thieves to give your stragglers something to do. And there are a ton of enemies in the narrow path beyond the mountain that wait for you to cross instead of come to you, which further slows things to a crawl. Meanwhile Marth has to go all the way to the east to get the village then cross the mountain, which wastes more time. The boss is weird as you don’t even have to fight him, though it’s cool how he literally explodes after talking to him. I haven’t played the FE12 version, but it looks like they wisely removed the mountain and widened the path a bit.

FE4: I feel it’s cheating including this, as it’s a full fledged map with multiple objectives unlike the others, and yet it still eases you into the game. This is probably my pick for favourite. You have a nice selection of units to play with, and the map is small enough that even your foot units are actually useful here. I like to have Arden deal with the first village while everyone else is running around. The way villages work also encourages you to keep a good pace, and enemies get gradually stronger as you progress through the stage, though it would be nice to have more enemy variety. You even get to witness the brokenness of the holy weapons. An added bonus is it’s probably the only FE4 map you can beat in one sitting.

FE5: I’m not sure what to think of this one. This one is different in that you are not fighting bandits like almost every other FE. You are encouraged to capture enemies and it’s easy to get carried away with it, though it’s useful to stock up a bit here. There are quite a lot of houses which I feel slows things down, especially Orsin’s house outside of the village, and Eyvel tends to kill things more than you’d like. And the map is almost over by the time Dagda’s team catches up. There also pretty much no terrain to play with at all in this map. Overall an ok map but nothing special.

FE6: This is a pretty good chapter. It’s reasonably challenging, but still pretty manageable to start with, and it’s a nice place to train Roy. Your units are pretty much the same as FE1 minus a flyer, as this game loves to rehash the first game. One problem with it being filled with axe users is Bors has horrible accuracy and is constantly missing, though I guess he can be made useful by weighing down Marcus so he doesn’t double and kill everything. I do feel it is slightly larger than it needs to be, though it’s no where near as unnecessarily huge as the rest of FE6 maps. And FE6 has pretty bad music too, though that’s a minor complaint here.

FE7: From here on, most of the first maps start to become extremely simplistic. The map itself a flat rectangle with all the terrain in the corners for some reason. Normal mode is completely scripted which is a bit annoying, but I guess it’s useful for a new player. Hard mode is a bit RNG reliant as Lyn faces a small chance of death, but it’s not a big deal.

FE8: This map is ridiculously narrow, though it’s very simple so it’s not a big problem. I’m not sure what the point of the bridge on the top left corner is as there is not reason to go up there. This map is just a place to give Eirika a level as Seth certainly doesn’t need it. Even on hard mode it’s practical to let her doing everything. Easy mode is also completely scripted, though some amusing things can happen if you break the script.

FE9: This map is a completely flat square with nothing on it. The chapter is extremely easy too. It does a good job at story integration though, with the unique training weapons (which are stronger than iron weapons lol) & the discipline skill, which doesn’t seem to do anything. And it’s the only time Greil appears as a unit. Why they didn’t make him a trial mode character is a mystery.

FE10: We finally return to a proper starting chapter, and it’s pretty nice one too. It was my first FE chapter actually. It does a good job at teaching proper tactics of dealing with enemies, and the enemies are reasonably tough on harder difficulties, so you can’t just rush and tank them. They also very subtly get slightly more powerful with each wave (11 atk, 4 def, 11 atk, 5 def, 12 atk 6 def, then the boss) which is very nice touch. The map itself is very pretty, and the music is great too. The only problem I have is that Leonardo comes a bit late on higher difficulties, and the idiotic hard mode changes are slightly annoying.

FE11: A very forgettable map. They didn’t even bother to give it a proper name. This one is pretty much unloseable unless you drop all your weapons, so just walk all the way to the throne and win.

FE12: This one barely even qualifies as a map. It is just a tiny square with two enemies on it, though it’s nice to see Jeigan for once. The only notable thing about it is it almost impossible for some types of MU to beat it on higher difficulties (an archer on lunatic needs a ton of resets just to ensure the soldier has only 6 str, otherwise he is always 2hko).

FE13: This map is completely pointless and should’ve just been a cutscene. It’s just there to waste time getting to the prologue. This is my pick for worst.

FE14: This map is also pretty pointless, but at least it’s nice enough to give you a preview of most of the cast and their abilities. One really annoying thing is the menu is not accessible until next chapter, so you if don’t like the default settings you will have to suffer through it here. The map is also completely unloseable, as no matter what you do it just ends after two turns.

FE15: This is a weird map. You get 1 completely broken unit and 6 completely useless units. I’m not sure why they even put them on the map and gave them unique models, as they can’t do anything and there is no penalty for losing them. Though it is nice to use Mycen before he disappears until the end of the game. Again this should've just been a cutscene.

FE16: Haven’t played this one so can’t comment on it.

 

Edited September 9, 2020 by Mars of Aritia

[Dark Holy Elf]

I like FE10's and FE16's best. FE10 you already covered, FE16 does a good job of introducing mechanics (thickets in particular, but also combat arts) and the list of available PCs is obviously neat.

[Jotari]

Oh wow. What a fascination question to which I have absolutely no answer to. Pretty much all of them do a rather decent job. Well, not really Fates as that's sort of a blank chapter with just a heal tile. Mystery of the Emblem's one also sucks a bit. BUt the others? Huh...Yeah I"m really stumped on this one. Genealogy of the Holy War's one stands out for being much larger part of the game though so it has more impact while simultaneously hitting all the right beats of what is essentially a tutorial.

Edited September 9, 2020 by Jotari

[Benice]

I like FE6's and FE10's first maps the best out of mainline FE games, as they're some of the only ones that are truly maps and not just a more-or-less scripted intro, and they're also the only two that I found to be engaging. I thought that FE16's was okay too. FE4's does a good job of showing the game off, for better or for worse. I found Thracia's to be a little too roundabout and easy, but still not Lyn mode tier, and it is a first map.

Also, even though it ain't on the list, Berwick's first map (A reason to fight) is easily my favorite and is probably better than a good portion of maps in most FE games. It's a real map that is easy enough, it demonstrates what every unit can do fairly well, (Unless you're named Sherlock,) and there's incentive not to turtle.

I didn't particularly like TRS's first map, but it's not so bad. It is a real map, at least. And the green units don't kill themselves.

Edited September 9, 2020 by Benice

[Zapp Branniglenn]

Radiant Dawn's prologue chapter rocks, from what I remember. You're not stuck with just one unit, but also not half a dozen units. Three is just right, and the conflict is symptomatic of the usual conflicts the Dawn Brigade deal with before the real plot kicks off. That's what your "prologue" ought to be, showing off the status quo of the protagonists and world before the plot begins and starts upending everything. 

[BrightBow]

"A Reason to Fight" from Berwick Saga. Not even a contest.

There is quite a bit going on on this map, with several ways to approach things. For example you can try beating down the mini boss protecting the bridge or you could simply ignore him and take the northern route and cross the river through a shallow in the north east. The later one would have advantage of helping you create an escape route for Dean and Izerna. There is an event going on in the town that requires you to reach it before turn 15, as well as several enemies trying to escape the map with dropable gold, all stuff that puts pressure on the player to keep moving, but isn't actually a hard requirement.
Not to mention the entire playable cast has different abilities rather then just a slightly different distribution of numbers. So they are just inherently more fun to use then any other map 1 cast.
Storywise, while fighting Verian deserters is little different then fighting brigands, it does provide a bit of a peek in the future of what serving in the Verian army has in store for our heroes, to be merely the latest batch of bodies to be thrown into the meat grinder.

[Mars of Aritia]

I added a question for which one is the worst, as a lot of those simple ones obviously won't get votes in the best of poll lol.

 

[Jotari]

I'm not sure how much the premonition in Awakening should really be counted. Sure there is gameplay in that moment, but Awakening does have a very definitive first map (and it actually was the first map for those of us who played the prerelease demo!).

[BrightBow]

Worst is "Girl of the Plains". Because it teaches you that you should attack a boss on player phase with a character who dies in two hits.

[null]

Best map:

A Skirmish at Dawn (FE16) - This chapter teaches you the basic mechanics in a way that presents both a fair challenge but while also giving the player options in how they approach each situation. Very solid.

Worat map:

Birth of a Holy Knight (FE4) - Yeah, not a fan of Genealogy, and this map wouldn’t make me want to keep playing. It’s way too sparse and bland. The music for the Army of Verdane is pretty great though.

[X-Naut]

Voted Warrior of Fiana for best for being a somewhat atypical first map and being a good but not handholdy introduction to Thracia in general.

There are several non-maps to pick from but I ultimately decided The Fall of Renais was the weakest because lol seth

[Mars of Aritia]

3 hours ago, Jotari said:

I'm not sure how much the premonition in Awakening should really be counted. Sure there is gameplay in that moment, but Awakening does have a very definitive first map (and it actually was the first map for those of us who played the prerelease demo!).

The game treats it as it's own chapter, it's got it's own story card, and turns are counted for it in the epilogue. It's the first map you play in that game and you have to slog through it every time you want to play the prologue from a new game.

[Jotari]

1 minute ago, Mars of Aritia said:

The game treats it as it's own chapter, it's got it's own story card, and turns are counted for it in the epilogue. It's the first map you play in that game and you have to slog through it every time you want to play the prologue from a new game.

Yeah, but it clearly isn't the designated tutorial map of the game. I think most people would even forget it exists.

[Hello72207]

Considering that i've only played the first map of FE1,2,4,5,6,7,8, and 9, I really liked FE6 HM first map, expecially if it is your first time playing HM. Why? Because it shows that HM is gonna be, well, harder then normal. If you try to play like you could on normal you will quickly find yourself in a bad situation.

Another first map I enjoyed was FE4's because it does a good job of showing off things without being hard and it has a big map for most games, but small for FE4. This helps the player get used to big maps.

One that is not listed, but that I enjoy personally, is the first map of Hector mode, especially on HHM. There is so much going on that you can risk your units by fighting all of the enemies to try and get the gem and the xp, or you can just run straight for the boss and kill him.

One of the worst ones are:

FE7 lyn mode first. Way to simplistic and the map is far too big for two enemies, one of which doesn't even move.

FE8's is also very few enemies, doesn't really prepare the player for the rest of the game, and can be one-turned.

Edited September 9, 2020 by Hello72207

[Lightcosmo]

I have to go with FE7 as well. The tutorial is a pain and two enemies just isn't interesting at all either way.

And the map theme... ugh, that map theme is god awful in my opinion!

For best, RD is the best to me. Decent start with enemies that can actually fight back, yet still ease you into it.

Edited September 9, 2020 by lightcosmo

[MisterIceTeaPeach]

FE5's first map is my favorite because the plot comes to the point at once and it's not just an axe brigands plundering village chapter.

[Benice]

I'm also gonna say that Lyn mode's first map is my least favorite, because it is far too handholdy in my opinion, it's very large for a map with one mobile enemy, and it teaches you to attack on player phase with a unit who will die should the boss connect on both player and enemy phase.

[Samz707]

6 hours ago, Benice said:

I'm also gonna say that Lyn mode's first map is my least favorite, because it is far too handholdy in my opinion, it's very large for a map with one mobile enemy, and it teaches you to attack on player phase with a unit who will die should the boss connect on both player and enemy phase.

It's not as bad as Echoes teaching you that enemy units will attack the really strong Mycen over the weaker children, which isn't how the rest of the game/series operates.

I feel it does sorta teach you that Lyn is fragile so you kinda want to keep on her tile bonuses during Lyn mode.

I've only played FE6/7/Echoes/Awakening/TH but I'd say it's my favourite first stage since it at least teaches you how your main lord for Lyn mode is fragile. (Not that I think Echoes/FE6/TH's first stages are bad, I just like how Lyn mode at least teaches you "Hey Lyn is a dodge reliant unarmored character who takes alot damage from hits, think about that.")

As for worst, Invisible Ties from Awakening, was kinda expecting the chapter after it to be on this list (Which I personally think is a kinda bad first level, "The Verge of History", for reasons both gameplay and story related.) but this stage isn't really good in any way, it's basically a glorified cutscene and I hate those, it's pretty much nothing, the only noteworthy stuff happens in CG cutscenes that could have been shown without the bare-minimum of gameplay as it doesn't even teach you anything with it's gameplay, it practically feels like filler to be honest it's that pointless.

Edited September 9, 2020 by Samz707

[Interdimensional Observer]

I'd ignore the "only one character" stages- Lyn Pro, SS Pro, PoR Pro, Awakening Vision, Fates Vision and C1, SoV Pro, and instead count the subsequent chapters of each game. Not sure what I'd count for New Mystery, but definitely not the first Prologue battle. It's more fair to do this I think.

I do like that Thracia 1 is more of a "normal" full-fledged map, and PoR Chapter 1 is tiny but also a semblance of a real map. RD and FE6 are better-is ones in this category too (albeit, I haven't done Binding Hard), and so is 11 Eliwood were one to count it.

This said, barring the higher difficulties of SD, I have some inexplicable attachment to Talys. I blame Awakening DLC for this.

Edited September 9, 2020 by Interdimensional Observer

[Shanty Pete's 1st Mate]

Favorite: I chose FE6. I'm not the biggest fan of the game, but this starting chapter does everything right - there's interesting obstacles to move around, a Village to visit, and you get to learn the relative strengths of the makeup of the core of your army. Plus it's not too long, but nor is it super-short.

Least favorite: Invisible Ties, from Awakening. There's basically nothing to this map, and it doesn't really teach you about strategic positioning. It's just moving the two main characters toward a boss, and fighting him. It's just a setup for the "Premonition" cutscene.

[Benice]

6 hours ago, Samz707 said:

I feel it does sorta teach you that Lyn is fragile so you kinda want to keep on her tile bonuses during Lyn mode.

But it rewards you for risking her death, which is my problem with that.

6 hours ago, Samz707 said:

's not as bad as Echoes teaching you that enemy units will attack the really strong Mycen over the weaker children, which isn't how the rest of the game/series operates.

Well, if squishy units aren't in range, enemies are generally compelled to attack the only unit they can reach, barring FE4, where enemies will ignore your units if they deal no damage.

(And I like how literally every time you say something, I appear to disagree with you. Sorry! I'll try not to be so contrarian in the future.)

[Samz707]

3 hours ago, Benice said:

But it rewards you for risking her death, which is my problem with that.

Well, if squishy units aren't in range, enemies are generally compelled to attack the only unit they can reach, barring FE4, where enemies will ignore your units if they deal no damage.

(And I like how literally every time you say something, I appear to disagree with you. Sorry! I'll try not to be so contrarian in the future.)

I can see your point.

I also guess (again, only played a few FE games so I could be way wrong) it's the only FE tutorial I can think of that teaches the player how dangerous crits are, (Even if the odds are incredibly silly for it to have happened in normal gameplay.) in the games with critical hits I've played (I don't play that many games with them admittingly) they're either a a Small bit of extra damage, status effect or double damage, FE is the first series I've played where critical hits are pretty much instant kills, sure they're technically triple damage but for most characters in most combat situations that might as well be an instant-kill in my experience since only really knights against weaker enemies can survive critical hits as well as bosses. (Since while it is scripted, it is presented just using fixed-odds gameplay rather than outright a cutscene.)

I could be wrong but I'm fairly certain in Alm and Celica (and the wiki claims this too so I feel a bit more comfortable saying this even if it's been a looong time since I played that level.) Enemies will ignore the children when they're in-range to go after Mycen, they'll only target any of them if Mycen isn't in range too.

Also there's nothing wrong with having contrasting opinions, you're not a contrarian just because you have your own opinion, you shouldn't feel bad about disagreeing with others.

 

[Slumber]

FE4-6, 10 and 16 all have solid first chapters. I think 6 would be my least favorite out of those, and 4 would be the best. As you said in the OP, 4 is just a whole-ass chapter. A bit more on-rails and there are some features in the castle locked to you, but yeh. It even demonstrates the most important message of the game to you perfectly: Foot units are trash.

Worst would probably be FE7 or 8. 7 is just nothing. Flat map, one normal enemy, and a boss. 8 straight up is like, 8 tiles you can utilize, and it borderline plays itself.

[AnonymousSpeed]

On 9/9/2020 at 10:38 PM, Shanty Pete's 1st Mate said:

Favorite: I chose FE6. I'm not the biggest fan of the game, but this starting chapter does everything right - there's interesting obstacles to move around, a Village to visit, and you get to learn the relative strengths of the makeup of the core of your army. Plus it's not too long, but nor is it super-short.

In normal mode, Alan kills fighters in 2 hits. Lance kills them in 3 hits, but doubles. It's, like, the perfect way to communicate their strengths even if you don't really check the stat screen. Doesn't work so much on hard mode but you can't win 'em all I guess.