[Is maniac mode really that "maniac"?]

Everyone else has covered why no enemy range is bad, but I think no weapon triangle was bad as well. Unlike enemy ranges, it was a simple calculation that didn't require you to memorise the stats for every movement type on every terrain, just a simple rock-paper-scissors system (I guess there are three, but the magic triangles are mostly irrelevant since you generally only use physical units against mages), and it removes the strategic aspect of choosing the right weapon for the job.

I completly agree, that was a bad idea to disable the weapon triangle. It´s part of the series. No weapon triangle makes it easier to calculate the damage, which is contadictory on hard mode. It enhanced the biorhythm, which is annoying, because the biorhythm is improved compared to PoR. Characters who got a "worst" biorhythm for lots of turns will get much trouble to hit and avoid enemies.

[Is maniac mode really that "maniac"?]

Quoted for truth. FE10 Hard is certainly more challenging than many of the previous FEs (especially since FE8 and 9 are some of the easiest in the series), but it's not exactly Awakening Lunatic or Shadow Dragon H5. The Dawn Brigade suffer most, with now having to deal with such hilarity as multiple members of their team being OHKO'd by even archers (srsly Leo and Micaiah are OHKO'd by an archer in 1-3), EXP gain being reduced in a team strapped for EXP, and then two of the games hardest chapters shortly after (1-E and 3-6). But the real issue is that the mode is just frustrating a lot of the time. Not being able to see enemy ranges doesn't add anything to the game. It just means you can sometimes miscount or misremember the move cost over certain terrain, and suddenly someone dies. Is that fun? Is that an extra strategic element? No, it's just an annoying reset that makes you feel cheated. Does removing the Weapon Triangle add anything? No, it just means you pretty much stick to one weapon type since there's no little incentive to use Lances on Haar when he can smash everything with Axes.

I've beaten FE10 on Hard twice, and have no interest in doing it again. Conversely, most other FE's I still enjoy playing on their hardest difficulties.

I don´t like this mode for some reasons.

Decreasing BEXP is actually a good choice, but decreasing the normal exp gain makes training units tedious and not worthwhile. This has an impact on the choice of your units. You are limited to use the prepromotes. Sure, thats common on harder difficulties, but other FE games gave you still a chance to train weak units and it could pay off. Base Stats matter more and a huge part of the game feels irrelevant of growths. You basically get some units, use them for two chapters, get new units and replace the first units with them and so on. I´m exagerating and this not the norm in Part 3, but it is noticable.

The other reasoon was named. Not knowing about the range of enemies can be a huge deal. The biggest problem is the introduction of new terrain. I still don´t know how many tiles a unit wastes by climbing up a floor to the next level. Or how much they need to get over sand or swamp or whatever. There are situations when I can´t know how far an enemy can reach, even though I know about his movement. If this game wouldn´t have so much unique terrain, I wouldn´t complain as much about this.

The main downside of Radiant Dawn is, that the three groups are complety unbalanced. At first you got the fragile DB. In part 2 the promoted and decent CKs, who has to fight mainly tier 1 units. And in part 3 you got the overpowered GMs (especially with PoR-boosts). The game starts very hard and becomes from time to time easier, because your groups will be better compared with the enemies. In part 3 you got "easy" chapters with the GMs and "annoying" chapters with the DB.

Another huge problem is the availibility of characters. For example Tormod is just a guest. He steals Exp in part 1 and comes totally underleveled in part 4, so he´s (unfortunately) useless. On the other hand Ilyana has the best availibility for any reasons.

Characters like Meg and Fiona are impossible to train on hard mode, because the other DB members are MUCH better at this point, and the enemies will double attack and kill them.

The disabled enemies range is a question of taste. Like I said, I like it, because you have to think. It takes much time, but it´s training for the brain (to my mind). It´s an interesting and unique feature in the series. Yes the problems are swamps and slopes. I believe swamps cost 4 and sand 5 spaces of the moving range. 1-8 has the most annoying terrain, because of the swamps and the draco knights.

[Is maniac mode really that "maniac"?]

Many people say, that Mard/Maniac mode in Radiant Dawn is a pain in the ass. Seriously I know no one except for MageKnight404, who did a LP of Radiant Dawn on hard mode.

To my mind the differences between Normal and Hard mode aren´t that huge:

- no enemies´s range: I love this feature. You really have to think. But f you´ve mastered on normal 3-4, you know, what you have to do.

- classic save: no new feature

- no tutorials: no problem, because you know the whole concept

- no weapon triangle: in my opinion even an advantage, because you don´t have to calculate the weapon boni. You just have to care about the biorhythm.

- no affinity boni: Another advantage, because more enemies than your units get them.

- enemies got higher levels and stats: Well, that´s a problem for the Dawn Brigade. In part 3 the laguz (tigers with 41 Strength and cats with speed 22) kill everyone with 1-2 hits except for Volug, Tauroneo and a good Jill. It´s painful, but if you use the appropriate skills to the appropriate characters and you play considered, you can take the win. The chapters with the Crimean Knights and Greil´s Mercenaries are not too bad, especially if you got PoR-boosts. Part 4 is not a problem either, if your groups are balanced. I recommend to bring Jill to the Silver-Army, because she´s the best in the desert chapter (4-3).

- much less Bexp: Another valid point, especially for the DB, because you haven´t got enough to class change all DB members before part 3.

- the number of the enemies is the same like on Normal.

- all the bosses got the same stats and weapons like on Normal.

Hard/Maniac mode is challenging, but I like the challenge. You just have to think and play carefully to master it. And to my mind it´s lots of easier than Lunatic mode on Awakening, which is more unfair. But that´s just my opinion. I´m really interested about your opinions.

[BEXP in chapter 22?]

I´m on chapter 22. I one-turn it by killing the boss with magic (Meteor). I don´t attack anything else.

According to the BEXP Guide on the site, I get 660 BEXP:

For clearing it within 12 turns: 300

All priests alive: 18*20 = 360

Yet I get 720 BEXP. It says so in Sorens report and I have 720 BEXP and a bit more in the base. Did I miss something? Has the BEXP Guide mistakes?

Playing on Hard Difficulty.

There are definitive 21 priests on hard mode, if I count the two priests in the close spaces.

[Hello everyone :)]

Welcome to the Forest! I also wanted to play FE4 (Genealogy) when I came here, and I believe you should be able to find a translation patch to use in the NES/SNES section; I personally used Gharnef's.

Thanks for your advise :) I´ll try it out!

[Hello everyone :)]

Welcome to Serenes Forest! Nice avatar by the way.

Yeah, Tana is awesome and my favourite unit in Sacred Stones :)

She´s cute, nice, beautiful, confident and a fantastic fighting unit.

She´s besides Marcia (cracker girl) my favourite Pegasus Knight in Fire Emblem!

[Hello everyone :)]

No, I'm just welcoming someone :< Is there something wrong with that?

By the way, OP, I was introduced to FE through Super Smash Bros. as well~ We have a section dedicated to the SSB series, so if you're still interested you should drop by :3

Thanks for your advise :) I voted and left a suggestion, who should be in the next smash bros.

[Any other FE games you recommend?]

Every FE game is great except for Shadow Dragon for the DS. If you´re not got that much experience in the series, I´ll recommend you to play Blazin Sword or Sacred Stones for the GBA or Path of Radiance for the GC. They got fair difficulty and so it´s enjoyable to play.

[Hello everyone :)]

Hello everybody, I´m MisterIceTeaPeach.

Seriously I came to the Fire Emblem Series acciendentally. In Super Smash Bros Brawl Ike was my favourite fighter but I didn´t know, who he was and in which games he appeared. Relating to Ike, Radiant Dawn was my first game of this series, I played. If I played it the first time I was peeved, because I didn´t understand the concept. Already in chapter 3 I had Game Overs and I almost gave up. But I took the time and used the tutorials (thanks Anna) to understand the concept of Fire Emblem.

And now I´m really a fan especially of the based strategy concept, the stories and the character designs.

So I played the previous part Path of Radiance, the GBA games, Shadow Dragon and finally Awakening.

I really would like to try out Genealogy of the Holy War, Thracia 776 and Heroes of Light and Shadow, if I could get a translation patch.

I was trying to do Awakening on lunatic, but I gave up. Now I´m doing Radiant Dawn on hard mode for the second time. It´s hard enough...

I really look forward to this site and nice to meet you all!

[Fire Emblem in Smash 4 Thread (2 Non-FE Newcomer Confirmed! An FE Assist Confirmed! 4/8/14)]

I really would like to see the avatar from FE13, because it´s the main character. There should be 3 different male and female types in the character selection, you can choose. The avatar cannot only use swords, but also tomes, so it would be a cross of Marth and Princess Zelda. Nothing against Chrom, but the avatar would be more interesting because of choosing the gender and the opportunity of using two different weapon types.