LHM + HHM Playthrough: S-Rank + Max Tactician Stars

[ruadath]

I've decided to change the format of these a little bit.

Preparations: Marcus takes Bartre's Iron Axe and Oswin's Javelin, and should still have the Iron Lance Oswin gave him earlier. Lowen gives his Iron and Steel Lances to Oswin. Guy forks his Iron Sword over to Matthew, and Dorcas grabs Hector's Hand Axe. Matthew gives some of his Vulneraries away so he has space to steal/loot.

Team: Hector*, Eliwood, Marcus, Rebecca, Lowen, Oswin, Dorcas, Serra, Matthew

Marcus, Dorcas and Oswin are units who will absorb most of the EXP on this chapter (since none of them will make it to my primary endgame team), while Rebecca works toward B bows. Serra is also 3 heals aways

from B staves; once she achieves that, I can bench her for a while and use Priscilla in her stead. Matthew is here to steal the chests, and Lowen is here just for mobility purposes (he doesn't have anything but an Iron Sword right now, but will be useful for rescue-dropping people). Eliwood is just here to gain support points with Hector, since neither of them are going to be doing anything.

Formation:

Not too much to explain here; Oswin wants to be as close to the NE corner as possible, Dorcas as close to the center. Marcus is positioned so that he can start attacking on Turn 1, and Lowen is there to rescue Matthew and pull him out of danger.

Turn 1:

Marcus rides South and takes care of the western of the two knights with his Iron Axe. His position will aggro Sealen to a perfect location for us to kill him next turn.

Matthew moves next to Lowen, who rescues him and around the wall into safety and north as far as he can. Hector moves north of Lowen, taking him and dropping Matthew further north, while Eliwood moves to the crevice east of Hector. Rebecca moves 1 south, Dorcas 4 south, Serra 1 SE, and Oswin 2 east.

Enemy Turn 1:

Despite me not rigging anything here, almost every enemy attack except for a couple missed here. Sealen fires at Marcus with his Longbow but misses. The other Knight suicides on Marcus, and another Knight attacks Dorcas from the west. The mercenary on the north opens the door, and a soldier attacks Dorcas and gets killed. Another soldier throws a Javelin at Dorcas and misses (Dorcas is still at full HP after all of this). A couple of archers fired at Marcus, with one hitting. The west nomad attacks Rebecca, hitting her, and the thief moves up, unfortunately blocking one of the spots I had planned to attack Sealen from.

Turn 2:

Oswin rams through the mage who stupidly entered the doorway with his Steel Lance. I burn an RN, then move Rebecca 1 SE to double and crit-kill (more WExp) the knight that Dorcas injured last turn. She is still in range of the nomad, who will attack her and die on the enemy phase. Dorcas heads east and attacks Sealen from above with the Hand Axe, dodging the counter (still at full HP!). Lowen rescues Dorcas and then pulls up as far north as he can.

I then burn one more RN, and Marcus kills Sealen (who misses AGAIN in the counterattack) from above with the Javelin (note that he can't do this with the Hand Axe, as the speed penalty makes him slow enough not to double him).

We get a Dragonshield! Yay! Hector moves next to Oswin to trade-equip him with the Iron Lance, and the rest of the party follows him (no healing for Serra this turn).

Enemy Turn 2:

Not too much goes on. An enemy merc doubles Oswin for 0 damage and gets hurt. The javelin soldier strikes Rebecca from up close, and the nomad follows up from behind him, getting killed, but reducing her to 1 HP. An archer and nomad attack Marcus and get killed by the javelin, and another archer attacks the defenseless Lowen. A nomad also doubles Oswin for 0 damage. The thief approaches the treasure door.

Turn 3:

Marcus kills the archer with his Iron Lance, Oswin takes out the enemy merc, and Rebecca doubles the fighter from behind the wall. Serra heals Rebecca, and then everyone arranges themselves as follows (Lowing dropping Dorcas and then moving one up).

Enemy Turn 3:

The fighter breaks down the wall, Matthew and Lowen get hit by ranged attacks, and the nomad doubles Oswin for no damage again. Oh, and the thief opens the door.

Turn 4:

Marcus OHKO's the mage with the Iron Axe, Oswin doubles the knight (Iron Lance), and Dorcas kills the soldier. Rebecca takes out the fighter for a nice level.

Serra heals her again. Lowen rescues Rebecca, and Matthew moves next to the enemy thief.

Enemy Turn 4:

The Knight attacks Oswin and dies. The nomad again fails. The thief opens the first chest for the Silver Axe.

Turn 5:

Serra heals Lowen. She levels up and hits B staves.

Matthew robs the thief of his lockpick, Lowen moves south and drops Rebecca. Oswin attacks the nomad.

Enemy Turn 5:

The nomad attacks Oswin.

Turn 6:

Matthew opens the remaining chest for a Mend staff. Rebecca shoots the thief. Oswin waits.

Enemy Turn 6:

Same as before.

Turn 7:

Oswin takes out the nomad. Rebecca finishes the thief (gets the Silver Axe).

And that's that; perhaps the easiest chapter since 11! Let me know what you think!

Edited July 27, 2015 by ruadath

[Brinzy]

Woooo milestone! Congrats on the Tactics completion!

That Chapter 15 play looks pretty hairy so far. With Lowen holding Dorcas, I'm surprised he didn't get killed.

Also, just an opinion, but I think you should link each chapter in your opening post like this.

[ruadath]

Woooo milestone! Congrats on the Tactics completion!

Thanks, as always. I really appreciate your support on this playthrough!

That Chapter 15 play looks pretty hairy so far. With Lowen holding Dorcas, I'm surprised he didn't get killed.

I looked at the screenshots I posted and realized that it I accidentally make it look like Lowen is in danger when he actually is not. On the screenshot I've posted, you only actually see he enemies near Lowen with Dorcas rescued after then enemy phase is completed. At then end of turn 2, there are actually only 2 archers who can get to him. The closer one however, takes a spot that prevents the further away one from hitting him, so Lowen (thanks to his high speed and defense as well) only gets hit once for 4 damage. The further away one then hits Marcus and gets killed by his Javelin.

By the end of turn 3, Marcus has killed the Archer, and Lowen has retreated and dropped Dorcas. The only thing that can (and does) target him is the mage for ~10 damage, but he has more than enough HP to sustain that and all the enemies get killed on turn 4 anyway, so he has nothing to worry about.

Also, just an opinion, but I think you should link each chapter in your opening post like this.

Thanks for the suggestion! I'll try that and see if I can figure out how it works.

Edited July 27, 2015 by ruadath

[Elieson]

Guy's Con is just so bad

I'd recruit Harken > Karel because Brave Sword is worth 1800G > than Wo Dao alone.

---

Thanks for the suggestion! I'll try that and see if I can figure out how it works.

Just click the # on your post

Then this pops up. Copy this URL

Then, type out something like Chapter 11 in your OP, Highlight Chapter 11, click the Link button, and paste the link in there.

Edited July 27, 2015 by Elieson

[ruadath]

Done! Thanks for the help, Elieson!

[ruadath]

Alright guys, so I've started to begin preparations for Chapter 16... and the first thing I need to decide on is who I am taking. I've got 8 units, and Hector is forced so that is 7 for me to choose from. For mobility purposes, I'm taking all my mounted units (Marcus, Lowen, Priscilla), and I want Matthew to steal the Lockpick, which gives me 3 more units to work with.

I imagine Hector, Lowen, and Florina will be doing the bulk work of getting Hector to the throne, so my remaining 3 units will be focused on helping Matthew and gaining EXP. That probably means Erk should come at the very least, and I suppose Rebecca can do some work taking out PKs. Matthew will need a physical fighter to accompany him... so should that be Guy or Eliwood? I imagine the latter, if only for more EXP gain...

EDIT: I'd love to take Bartre to this level, but I imagine he wouldn't be too useful against the hordes of sword-wielding enemies in this chapter (I don't have time to take him across the mountains like Hector to fight the cavaliers...) unless you think otherwise?

Edited July 27, 2015 by ruadath

[Elieson]

Why not replace Bartre with Oswin? What's your EXP requirements for Ch16?

[ruadath]

Oswin is too slow and overleved. EXP requirement is 1100. I also have 7 turns (though I wouldn't mind beating that, since my early surplus has now vanished, and I need to make preparations for 19xx). Funds won't be an issue thanks to Lyn's White Gem.

[Brinzy]

I tried using Bartre for a few attempts on that chapter, and it just did not seem to be worth the hassle. My Bartre was significantly weaker, but there are still too many swords to deal with from my experience. Rebecca was helpful by staying north, pulling the Javelin Pegasus Knight and killing her. If you want her to kill the Iron Lance Pegasus Knight that will attack her that's nearby (said Pegasus is one attack square closer), and you aren't interested with baiting it out, be sure that Rebecca can tank a hit or RN abuse for her to dodge. Rebecca can also support from the cliff above on the melee units. It depends on what your general goals are here, because she did have a few turns where she didn't attack anyone since she was walking through the Mountains.

Consider that you will need Eliwood leveled to a minimum of 10 by the end of 23x if you want Linus map, which I assume you do. I doubt you will have a level 20 Lyn as well. If you don't want this, then take Guy. I believe Guy will have a much easier time leveling up by letting him get on the Forest in Chapter 17x and just having him destroy all the Pirates. On the other hand, given those pirates are a higher level, Eliwood could also power fast here.

Personally, I would use one of them here and use the other one later to make up for it.

Edited July 27, 2015 by Brinzy

[ruadath]

Hey, thanks for the advice.

Consider that you will need Eliwood leveled to a minimum of 10 by the end of 23x if you want Linus map, which I assume you do. I doubt you will have a level 20 Lyn as well. If you don't want this, then take Guy. I believe Guy will have a much easier time leveling up by letting him get on the Forest in Chapter 17x and just having him destroy all the Pirates. On the other hand, given those pirates are a higher level, Eliwood could also power fast here.

Personally, I would use one of them here and use the other one later to make up for it.

This is a really good idea! I wasn't really thinking about that, but Guy could totally dominate that square. In any case you're right that I need to start getting Eliwood some levels for Linus, so I think he'll be my choice (he probably also won't be fast/strong enough to solo the mercs, which is good for my overall EXP).

I guess I'll run with Rebecca, Erk, and Eliwood then!

Also, on an entirely separate note, I'd like to mention something that I haven't so far in this playthrough: weapon durability. Because I've refused to buy any weapons so far, I'm really starting to hurt in terms of weapon uses left; I've got two Iron Lances in the 20s, two Iron Swords, one in the 10s and one in the 20s, and the same for Iron Axes (I've got plenty of Bows thanks to Chapter 13 and only one archer). Thankfully, Lyn's team provides enough Swords/Lances (including another Javelin!) to last me till I get the Secret Card in 19x, after which I will go nuts making purchases in Chapter 21. Unfortunately, the same is not true of Axes, so I will have to be careful about how I manage those, especially considering Hector might break an Axe killing all of the cavs in this level. Using Bartre to the extent that I wanted to may not be possible.

EDIT: Although I may just suck it up and buy an Iron Axe. I'm certainly planning to buy 2 door keys for the next chapter, so it might not hurt too much (only 270G after all). What do you guys think? I could certainly afford it. Something similar might be said of purchasing another Heal staff, though I can afford to procrastinate doing so for a bit longer.

Edited July 27, 2015 by ruadath

[Brinzy]

Well, it sounds like buying the Iron Axe before Chapter 21 is the difference between using Bartre from now through 21 and not, basically. The Steel Axe isn't quite as efficient, so one of the things I was thinking of (using Dart's Steel Axe for Dread Isle if your weapons break) may not be something you are interested in.

Do you think it would be possible to train Bartre reasonably on or after Chapter 21? If I recall, Chapter 22 is full of reaver weapons (don't fully remember, but I'm getting there soon), and so while the Wyverns would destroy him, he could take on swordies. Chapter 23 is desert... and he wouldn't be a big help in 23x, although he'd get experience. He may fare better in 24 if you keep him away from the dangerous swordies, but that may involve keeping him away from combat in general. Chapter 25 offers very easy experience with a little RN abuse if he farms the pirates. From then on out, he would need the stats to really keep up and not be a liability, because the next two chapters may have him not seeing that much action, and Night of Farewells would be his last real chance at catch-up experience. He'll get demolished on Cog of Destiny.

Unless it's going to ruin something, I would personally just use Bartre and tell Hector to wait his turn. The Steel Axe in 19 could be a compromise.

[Elieson]

Ch22's Reavers are easily countered by Florina & any other Lance user. If you want to use Bartre in Ch22, he's better off trecking Southbound and engaging some of the Cavaliers that rush you, or powering through the ArmorKnights so your other units can bumrush. Alternatively, HandAxe!Bartre shouldn't have a problem with the Mage reinforcements if you need some extra EXP.

[ruadath]

I'll add to this discussion; although Hector can shave a good chunk of uses of the Iron Axe off in this chapter, he's probably not using it much afterward (at least through chapter 21). Chapter 17 is a mount rush, with Hector carried upward as necessary (or just by Marcus/Sain). 17x might see some use, but I probably want to use other units, and if Hector does do anything, it'll most likely be with WB. 18 is a defense map, which means there is no reason to have Hector fight at all. 19 too should only involve Wolf Beil, 19x is going to be mine tricked (and the magic seal just means mass kills anyway). I'm not sure about 19xx, but 20 certainly is another only use WB on the boss. So it might just... barely be feasible to go on without purchasing an Iron Axe. I'll be kicking myself later if it becomes an issue, however.

The heal staff can just be bought on pirate ship or something if I need it (probably do).

[Brinzy]

One of my biggest fears is making a decision like that and then paying for it several chapters later. However, if you have rationalized it to the point where you don't think you need it, it may be safe to say that you are right. I would absolutely buy a Heal staff, because you won't be able to buy another one for three maps.

I don't even know what HHM 19xx looks like.

[ruadath]

One of my biggest fears is making a decision like that and then paying for it several chapters later. However, if you have rationalized it to the point where you don't think you need it, it may be safe to say that you are right.

Frankly, I feel the same way about making such decisions, but thankfully this time I'm documenting my run well enough that I can literally just follow the playthroughs I write here and redo the relevant chapters to get the same results. Like you said, however, I would prefer not to do that.

[Brinzy]

Fortunately that seems like the last decision you will have to make. I guess one way to see it is it will allow Hector to say relatively lower leveled than he would be normally.

As for Bartre, it sounds like you're deciding to go with it. Any plans on promotion orders between him, Raven and Guy?

[ruadath]

As for Bartre, it sounds like you're deciding to go with it. Any plans on promotion orders between him, Raven and Guy?

This is a good question, and one that I have been pondering for quite some time myself. I definitely foresee Raven getting promoted at least at the same time, if not before Guy. Bartre, on the other hand, could either be a very early promotion if I just plan to 10/5 him for Karla and dump him, or could be one of the latest ones if I decide he's worth making a useful endgame character. I'm still undecided.

[ruadath]

So after doing some trial runs yesterday (no serious attempts yet), I realized that I forgot something really important: 1100 EXP is a quite a bit, and more than we have had to get on any map so far. Remember Chapter 14? On that map we slaughtered ~35 enemies and didn't hit 900. Granted, I was rushing the chapter and let Marcus/Hector take some kills I normally wouldn't have, but still. I'm probably not going to go for a quick finish here, since I'm guessing that I will likely need all 7 turns to get all of the EXP (kill all of the enemies). This probably means I can afford not to bring Marcus and bring someone like Bartre instead, but I haven't decided yet.

[Brinzy]

Bartre does seem like the next best fit if you're looking to train him. Of course, Guy or Eliwood would suffice.

[ruadath]

Chapter 16 cleared! I took the full 7 turns, as I found it necessary to get all of the required experience. The basic strategy was to have Florina carry Hector and Lowen over the mountains to make a push for the boss, while Eliwood, Erk, and Rebecca gained EXP taking out enemies on the west half of the map, and Kent/Wil did on the east. Matthew also stole the thief's Lockpick and both villages were visited. I would have liked to have sold the Red Gem this chapter since we had a surplus, but I was unable to get anyone there quickly enough (everyone was busy doing other things). Oh, I also bought a Heal staff and 2 Door Keys for the next chapter.

Actually, it might have been possible to do it in 6 turns had Florina been able to keep up with Lowen and Hector for longer, but thanks to her lower HP/Def, I had to pull her out of the charge on turn 5 to prevent her from dying. This could have been avoided if I was willing to either do RNG abuse, or possibly if I had not promoted Sain in Lyn's story but given Florina the Angelic Robe instead.

I think promoted Sain will recoup his value quite soon though; don't you?

Edited July 28, 2015 by ruadath

[Brinzy]

I sure hope so with all those stats.

[ruadath]

This is going to be a long one...

Preparations: Eliwood gets rid of his Vulnerary (trade to someone else). Hector takes the Iron Axe from Marcus and his Hand Axe back from Dorcas. Lowen grabs his Lances back from Oswin, in addition to the Javelin from Marcus. Marcus keeps an Iron Lance only. Priscilla takes Serra's Heal staff.

Team: Hector*, Eliwood, Marcus, Rebecca, Lowen, Matthew, Erk, Priscilla

I think the reasons for this team have been explained well enough in the previous posts.

Formation:

Turn 1: Hector equips the Iron Axe; for fun, I had him move between Marcus and Florina and talk to the latter for a special Hector Mode only conversation.

Marcus rescues Hector and moves as far east as he can go. Florina flies above him, takes Marcus' Iron Lance but equips the Javelin (leaving Marcus unarmed), then takes and drops Hector east onto the mountains. Everyone else on this team moves as depicted.

Wil moves below the vendor, Kent visits the vendor and buys 2 Door Keys and a Heal, the moves as far west as he can. Sain moves behind him and trade equips him with the Iron Lance. Lyn moves behind him (in the forest) and trade equips herself with Sain's Iron Sword.

Enemy Turn 1: A bunch of people attack; I don't feel like describing all of the details. Most importantly, the thief moves up to attack Eliwood (after he kills a PK), and Florina kills a Javelin PK thanks to the Javelin she equipped. Oh, and Hector got this nice level from hitting a Myrmidon with 58% chance.

Although he didn't get Str/Spd, this is an important defensive level for Hector; his Def/Res is coming along nicely, and that will be important for later in the game.

By the way, here is an example of what the Nitrodon Tactician points script looks like. Pretty cool, huh?

Turn 2: Matthew steals the thief's Lockpick from above, Erk moves above him and kills the thief with Thunder, and Eliwood kills the mercenary above him. Marcus moves to the space east of Matthew, and Priscilla moves behind him and heals him.

Hector takes out Guy the enemy myrmidon with his Iron Axe, then Lowen and Rebecca take out the PK (the latter getting the kill). Florina rescues Lowen and moves 4E, 2N, staying outside the range of both the archer and the ballistae (or any enemy unit, for that matter).

Down south, Wil moves one NW and takes out the PK. He gains 42 EXP from the kill, and got 11 on the last enemy phase when it attacked him, so we really got our money's worth out of using him here. We'll plan to do the same with the other PK. Kent stays where he is and takes out the injured merc. Lyn moves one SE, and Sain one E.

Enemy Turn 2: People move up to attack Eliwood's group, and a merc and myrmidon attack Kent. A bunch of cavs appear and head towards Florina. The other PK attacks Wil from up close, but he dodges.

Turn 3: This time Lyn's team gets to go first. Lyn attacks the PK (Iron Sword, so she doesn't kill it) from the forest to the west. Kent takes out the Guy impostor myrmidon, and Sain rides onto the village and waits, but does not visit; we don't want him to waste precious uses of the Heavy Spear on the bandit that will attack him next turn (or precious EXP either). Wil burns 3 RNs, then finishes the PK from the east.

Matthew moves 2 west. Erk moves one south (to where Matthew was) and blasts the injured merc below him. Priscilla moves between the two of them and heals Eliwood, and then Eliwood pokes the cav. Rebecca moves south.

Florina moves 2 south, drops Lowen east onto the forest, then flies back up to where she started (Iron Lance equipped). Hector moves 1 SW onto the other forest.

Enemy Turn 3:

A few cavs attack Eliwood, Erk, and Sain respectively, while the remaining merc dies on Kent. A whole slew of them charge Florina, and she levels up (she doubles and kills 2 of them).

One cav attacks Hector and gets badly hurt. Two mages target Hector, but thankfully both miss. The balistae hits Lyn.

Turn 4: At this point, we're a bit over the halfway mark in therms of EXP required (550); we are at 568. Hector will gain 70 from bashing Bauker, so we still have 470 EXP to gain outsider of that, which is a reasonable (if just barely) target for the next 4 turns.

Eliwood moves around the 5 HP cav and finishes him from the east. Erk moves 1 south and takes out the other cav. Priscilla heals Erk from the north. Rebecca heads directly south and doubles the approaching bandit. Everyone else near Eliwood arranges themselves as follows. (positioning here is to ensure the enemy bandit flees).

Hector takes out the Thunder mage from the north (the mage misses). Florina kills the archer from the east, and Lowen rides through the enemy to kill the ballistae archer

Lyn trades Kent back the Iron Sword, who uses it to kill the bandit. Sain visits the village for a Heavy Spear, then waits east of Kent.

Enemy Turn 4: A swarm of enemies attack Florina; she just barely survives. ~350 EXP to go.

Turn 5: Matthew visits the village for a Red Gem; Marcus takes it from him and rides as far east and south as he can. Rebecca takes out the retreating injured bandit.

Up north, Florina attacks the merc on the fort from the east. Lowen kills the other merc from the east, allowing Hector to charge through and kill the other cav (from the east as well).

Eliwood and Erk finish off the remaining bandit.

Kent trades his Iron Sword to Sain, then moves up toward the remaining merc in the vicinity. Sain trade equips Lyn with the Iron Sword, then moves 3 west of her. Lyn approaches the bandit, and will moves out of his range.

Enemy Turn 5: The bandit attacks Lyn and gets hurt. The fort merc attacks Florina, but misses, and the mage blasts Lowen. A cav and bandit reinforcement appear.

Turn 6: Marcus moves as far east as he can onto the forest. Lyn attacks the full health bandit and Wil finishes the injured one. Kent moves into the range of the merc, and Rebecca moves just outside of it. Florina kills the retreating enemy cav, Lowen takes out the mage and Hector Wolf Beil's the boss (killing him). Hector and Florina level up.

Turn 7: Wil, Florina, and Lowen each kill an enemy (Florina breaks her Iron Lance), and Kent and Rebecca team up to take out the last merc, clearing the map. Mracus trades the Red Gem to Sain who sells it. Hector seizes. I finished with 1126 EXP, which means I could have afforded to heal twice less with Priscilla, but whatever. She only healed 3 times anyway.

*images being added later*

EDIT: As you can probably tell, I got lazy near the end of this. I'll fix it later.

Edited July 28, 2015 by ruadath

[ruadath]

And since I didn't add this after the last chapter, here is a stats summary.

Name:     Lv.XP HP STR SKL SPD LCK DEF RES
Hector:   9.42  27  14  10  12  6   13  3 (C support Eliwood)
Oswin:    10.06 29  14  9   5   3   14  4
Matthew:  7.91  23  8   8   16  3   5   1
Serra:    6.06  20  6   7   13  10  4   8
Eliwood:  5.64  20  8   8   11  10  8   2 (C support Hector)
Marcus:   2.39  32  16  16  12  8   10  8
Rebecca:  8.22  22  10  8   12  7   7   3
Lowen:    7.89  28  12  9   11  6   10  2
Bartre:   6.14  33  13  6   7   5   5   0
Dorcas:   7.88  34  10  10  8   6   3   0
Guy:      7.30  28  11  17  17  6   8   3
Merlinus: 8.00  20  0   7   8   15  6   2
Erk:      6.66  22  9   9   12  5   3   7
Priscilla:3.33  BASE
Lyn:      8.45  22  9   12  16  10  5   1
Sain:     1.13  33  20  9   17  8  13   4
Kent:     8.26  27  12  8   13  3   8   2
Florina:  9.21  22  12  11  16  12  7   9
Wil:      4.76  21  8   6   7   6   6   1

As you can see, Bartre is starting to lag behind a bit... and he (probably) won't get used in the next chapter either! Perhaps I should have just used him instead of Dorcas in Chapter 15...

Edited July 29, 2015 by ruadath

[ruadath]

I'm thinking of reloading my save state on the final turn of Chapter 16 and buying a couple of Iron Lances and maybe an Iron Axe. It will cost me roughly 1,000G, but... actually having weapons is too "convenient" for me to pass up the opportunity (especially when there are a ton of combat rounds on Chapters like 18 and 19xx, and I have to last a good way into Chapter 21 anyway).

EDIT: I've decided to go with just one Iron Lance (and no axes), since I'm willing to use the Steel Lance I got earlier, and Dart's Steel Axe once he arrives.

Edited July 29, 2015 by ruadath

[ruadath]

I need to start building up a turn surplus for Chapter 19xx, so I'm probably going to mount rush this chapter in the hope of obtaining a substantial lead on tactics. This means most of my team is already predetermined for the upcoming chapter:

Hector*, Marcus, Lowen, Matthew (chests), Priscilla, Sain, Kent, Florina

I can bring 2 more people, one of which should be Oswin, since Merlinus is going to need a guard who can fight off cavalry without needing a healer. That leaves me with one more foot soldier. Erk is perhaps the best candidate since he can blast through the chapter's Knights... but perhaps Bartre is another viable option?

In any case, since this is becoming increasingly important, I'm going to mention my plans for weapon preparation beforehand:

Lances: I have one beat up Iron Lance (11 uses), a relatively new one (37 uses), and a new one. I also have a Slim Lance, a 29 use Steel Lance, and 2 (12/18) Javelin (and the Heavy Spear/Silver Lance, but no one is going to use those). Oswin is slow and won't be doubling people, or fighting until late in the chapter, so he can take the 11-use lance (and the Slim Lance as back up, just in case). Florina is also only going after the Shaman, so it will suffice to let her take a Javelin. Kent and Lowen can each take one of the new Iron Lances, and Marcus can grab the Steel Lance (if he needs it). One of Kent or Lowen can take the other Javelin.

Swords: Not really much use for these here, but I have 4 Iron swords (10,10,23,38). Matthew will probably take one of the 10 use ones, and Sain, Kent, and Lowen can grab the others (again, they won't be using these most likely).

EDIT: One of the cavs (likely Kent) won't get an Iron Sword; that will go to Priscilla, who will give it to Raven after recruiting him so he doesn't have to waste his Steel Sword.

Axes: I have 2 (22,7) Iron Axes, (12,16) Hand Axes. Hector is basically going to get carried this entire Chapter, so I doubt he'll need anything (except perhaps Wolf Beil, but I'd rather conserve it at this point, as it has only 9 uses left). Marcus or Sain (haven't decided) can take the 7 use Axe, while Bartre gets the 22 use one (if he comes at all). Sain and Marcus will probably get the Hand Axes.

Staves/Magic: I wasn't originally planning on including this, but there are a couple of reasonably important things to say here. First of all, Erk obviously gets the dropped Fire from the last chapter, which will be his staple weapon unless he needs Thunder for something. Priscilla will use the new (30 use) Heal staff instead of the old one; this is in case there is a level in the near future where I want to bring along both healers (shouldn't be, but you never know).

Edited July 29, 2015 by ruadath