Rate the Unit, Day 38: Bastian

[ZemZem]

Dat Rules (stolen/borrowed from Integrity)

- Ratings are assumed to be on Hard Mode+Fixed Mode.

- Votes need some explanation regarding their gameplay performance to be counted. If somebody else said what you want to already, quote them explicitly.

+/- ≤1 point extra regarding personality/appearance is encouraged, but no more. If you exercise your bias privileges, please do so explicitly.

- Numerical votes out of 10, or something proportional to it. Make it easy to calculate for my sake.

- Every ranking phase ends whenever I get out of bed, between 0700 and 0800 EST. Do the math for your timezone, Brits.

- I will insist you do not use the "Not X" reason on any character, where X is another unit. If you do, your vote will be thrown out.

- "Recruits X" or "takes you to X chapter" arguments are explicitly banned. C'mon, people, this shouldn't need to be a rule. That's not gameplay performance.

- Assume that the character in question is being recruited.

- Similar to the "Recruits X" rule, do not use "she brings the sonic sword" or any other justification as an argument.

- BEXP is free to be used in any quantity on any character.

- Rating a unit too low because you think its overrated will make me throw away your vote without mercy public/style_emoticons/default/biggrin.gif.

- I withhold the privilege to tell you your rating is bogus and demand you revise it if it breaks any of the above. I will not throw out votes anonymously, you will be informed and given a chance to revise.

Averages:

Rolf: 1.15

Sothe: 2.03

Lucia: 2.23

Brom: 2.32

Tauroneo: 2.85

Shinon: 3.00

Janaff: 3.32

Ulki: 3.59

Ranulf: 3.93

Devdan: 4.11

Volke : 4.82

Ilyana: 4.98

Soren: 5.15

Rhys: 5.31

Gatrie: 5.46

Mia: 5.71

Muarim: 6.19

Mist: 6.41

Mordecai: 6.55

Makalov: 6.59

Tormod: 6.62

Zihark: 6.65

Haar: 6.73

Lethe: 6.75

Nephenee: 6.79

Callil: 7.21

Stefan: 7.40

Astrid: 7.76

Boyd: 8.29

Ike: 8.57

Tanith: 9.08

Oscar: 9.08

Kieran: 9.23

Jill: 9.31

Marcia: 9.36

Reyson: 9.79

Titania: 9.91

that lucia argument was crazy

now this should be interesting

[Agro]

3/10 - He can siege tome, at least, and has better durability than all the other mages at that level bar Tormod. +1 because of the fact that the translation team put so much effort into his character for 4/10.

Edited May 12, 2012 by Agro

[Hawk King]

Haha, Bastion has more durability than Lucia!

PROS:

-really high growths

-siege tome utility

-good weapon ranks

CONS:

-terrible base stats

-low availability

-no room to grow

Bastion is a cool guy but he sucks pretty bad. His base stats are very similar to Calill's, and she joined 4 Chapters earlier at a much lower LV. The only thing that Bastion does well is wield siege tomes without needing any resourses whatsoever. He is pretty durable for a Sage but with his 6 movement he wont see the frontlines ever. Bastion would only be useful if the Mages were completely ignored and Calill, was only used a few times.

0.75/10 - He is the Sage equivalent of Lucia, but he has a higher chance of actually making a worthwhile contribution.

[Sniper Sirius]

2/10. Give him knives so he can kill bishops lolololol.

[ZemZem]

2/10. Give him knives so he can kill bishops lolololol.

lolololol

Give me more than that, please.

[Snowy_One]

1/10

No availability, slow, can't even use staves to redeem him, only possible use is a ad-hoc sieger which is completely pointless at that point. Garbage all around.

[Lord Raven]

1.6/10, because he's slightly better than lucia but sucks and is slow as shit

[Samias]

Pros:

+Best prose in Fire Emblem

+Has the shortest support requirements in the game with Volke

+Better defences than Lucia

Cons:

-Same magic and less speed than Calill, despite his higher level

-His speed is really bad, even worse than the supposedly-slow Haar

-No staves

-Corrosion makes him less than ideal for attacking enemies that drop weapons

-Joining inventory is less than spectacular

I'm a little short on time but needless to say, Bastian doesn't have anything going for him that you can take seriously. He's a badass character but also one of the least necessary units ever. If he had staves, he'd actually be much better since you could probably throw him a physic and think of him as a bulkier Rhys, but he's a prepromote and thus has daggers. I wish I had time to elaborate on the cons but needless to say, Bastian comes in too high level with poor bases, too late, with a much worse application of stats than Calill. I guess he could shank a bishop with his stiletto. 2/10 since at least he's hitting res.

[Ema Skye]

I've actually tried using Bastian seriously for the first time ever on my current somewhat efficient playthrough (trying to hit all of the turn limits for max BEXP), alongside Haar and Lucia. I used all three of them in Ch.25 as well as Ch.26, and Bastian was solid.

Throw him Tornado from Ch.18, and he's very solid at killing the Wyvern reinforcements. Siege magic allowed him and Tormod to 2HKO the boss (one hit each using iirc Bolting, might've been Blizzard). Ch,26 has him doing the same thing, killing Wyverns with Tornado. I'd even argue that he does this better than any other sage, except for maybe Soren (no one else wants to touch Wind magic, Rolf and Shinon suck and Astrid wants silver axes). Granted, low availability means he is essentially a one trick pony, but given how many Wyverns there are from Ch.24-26, its a pretty good trick.

The only problems I have with him are his availability (6 chapters) and his bad bases (he's more durable than Lucia though :P). His growths can fix those bases.

4 + 1 bias for some of the best dialogue in the series = 5/10

[Colonel M]

I'm just going to give him a 2/10, but +1 bias because his Shakespeare act is much better than Lucia and base Rolf's combat.

Bastian is kind of terrible. Nay, one does not have to see much into that. Though the question is to be or not to be on the team. Hamlet answers that question.

To be, or not to be, that is the question:

Whether 'tis nobler in the mind to suffer

The slings and arrows of outrageous fortune,

Or to take arms against a sea of troubles

And by opposing end them. To die—to sleep,

No more; and by a sleep to say we end

The heart-ache and the thousand natural shocks

That flesh is heir to: 'tis a consummation

Devoutly to be wish'd. To die, to sleep;

To sleep, perchance to dream—ay, there's the rub:

For in that sleep of death what dreams may come,

When we have shuffled off this mortal coil,

Must give us pause—there's the respect

That makes calamity of so long life.

For who would bear the whips and scorns of time,

Th'oppressor's wrong, the proud man's contumely,

The pangs of dispriz'd love, the law's delay,

The insolence of office, and the spurns

That patient merit of th'unworthy takes,

When he himself might his quietus make

With a bare bodkin? Who would fardels bear,

To grunt and sweat under a weary life,

But that the dread of something after death,

The undiscovere'd country, from whose bourn

No traveller returns, puzzles the will,

And makes us rather bear those ills we have

Than fly to others that we know not of?

Thus conscience does make cowards of us all,

And thus the native hue of resolution

Is sicklied o'er with the pale cast of thought,

And enterprises of great pitch and moment

With this regard their currents turn awry

And lose the name of action.

Okay, not really, I just wanted an excuse to post Shakespeare.

Bastian has a couple of uses. He can use siege tomes at base like Callil and has slightly better durability to round it off. Now granted, he is a little slower, but thankfully some of the enemies (like Generals and some of the Warriors) are forgiving for our dramatic fellow. Nay, he will sadly 3HKO these enemies, which is kind of sad even for a Sage like him. Still, consider that enemies like Cats and Tigers aren't exactly the easiest enemies to double on earth, and Bastian can chip these at a distance with a mere Fire tome and leave them at near-death enough for Haar to swoop in and KO with Laguz Axe. 'Tis seems like Bastian and Lucia were made for each other! Oh, she so gracefully misses the ORKOes on her enemies, but fear not! Bastian's meaty chip comes to swoop in to save her and thus allow her to match the offensive parameters of Haar the Wonderful Wyvern Lord!

I don't know. If you like to joke around, you could plow Bastian to Level 20 with BEXP. He'll have like... 23.55 Mag and 20 Spd. It's still a little too slow to double Paladins unless he gets Speedwings too.

Regardless, the biggest thing to remember Bastian for is his siege utility and his meaty chip from a fair distance. Alas, his biggest mistake was to take lessons in Wind magic than the superior Fire and Thunder. He equips his Blizzard tome, and thus chants:

"Blow, blow, thou winter wind,

Thou art not so unkind

As man's ingratitude;"

Bastian's weird quirk is that he uses Daggers, though I know why!

"O happy dagger!

This is thy sheath; there rust, and let me die."

Well granted, he's not killing himself.

Or isn't named Juliet.

But whatever, Bastian isn't that good. He's arguably worse than units like Lucia and Rolf, though thankfully units like Ena exist to make him look more splendid in the spotlight.

3/10 (2+1 bias).

I also used BEXP because for some odd reason this rule was in place:

- BEXP is free to be used in any quantity on any character.

But when you think about it...

...Rolf's score would change a lot with this rule.

Edited May 12, 2012 by Colonel M

[bottlegnomes]

As everyone's said, terrible bases, amazing growths, but no room to grow, low availability, lolknives instead of staves, can chip pretty well. Overall, a pretty terrible unit.

2/10 + 1 bias (1000000000000000000 if I could. He fucking speaks in iambic pentameter) = 3/10

[AMCC4728]

Pros:

+Best prose in Fire Emblem

+Has the shortest support requirements in the game with Volke

+Better defences than Lucia

Cons:

-Same magic and less speed than Calill, despite his higher level

-His speed is really bad, even worse than the supposedly-slow Haar

-No staves

-Corrosion makes him less than ideal for attacking enemies that drop weapons

-Joining inventory is less than spectacular

I'm a little short on time but needless to say, Bastian doesn't have anything going for him that you can take seriously. He's a badass character but also one of the least necessary units ever. If he had staves, he'd actually be much better since you could probably throw him a physic and think of him as a bulkier Rhys, but he's a prepromote and thus has daggers. I wish I had time to elaborate on the cons but needless to say, Bastian comes in too high level with poor bases, too late, with a much worse application of stats than Calill. I guess he could shank a bishop with his stiletto. 2/10 since at least he's hitting res.

Too lazy to type out stuff so make this mine except with a +0.5 bias. 2.5/10

[bottlegnomes]

Pros:

+Best prose in Fire Emblem

But he speaks in verse, not prose.

[OrangeCrush980]

His bases are terribad. Those weapon ranks are his only redeemable factor really.

2/10 for performance, -1 due to purple prose for a total of 1/10

[Gryz]

Unlike his speaking style, Bastian's combat is hardly the epitome of awesomeness. But at least it is... somewhat tolerable from the get-go. Thank goodness for long-range shenanigans.

3.5/10 (2.5 + 1 bias for his awesome shoes)

[Agro]

Does BEXP abusability count in ratings? You can totally BEXP abuse Bastian so that he gets HP/Mag/Skl/Spd/Res on every level for 7 levels :/