Sire

Just tried the "secret paralogue" that one gets after recruiting the "NG++ character." -- On Hard, it was a bit of a difficulty spike as it definitely seems to be an endgame challenge map. No wonder I saw the map potentially being the hardest map available when in Maddening difficulty. -- I did manage to S-Rank it on my second attempt, but I wonder how I'll have to optimize when I get around to trying the Maddening variant. The hardest part is meeting the HP thresholds... Now, back to juggling Three Hopes with FGO's limited events...

Has anyone tried experimenting with the Element Essence skills for the Relic Weapon Arts? This involves buying the "Crest Accessory" and then equipping the accessory and the weapon on a character with a compatible Elemental Essence. -- I'm working on it myself, but still haven't unlocked it yet for the characters I'm using. (I could just toss it on a character with the proper element and test it there, but I'm still more playing the game instead of testing out different builds.) -- I'm not sure if I'll actually be doing this much, as I tend to stay vanilla and just have the proper wielders use their weapons. Still, it could be an interesting experiment. * * * * * * * * * * As for some of my observations/opinions on Essence of (Element), mostly regarding classes... -- While writing this post, I did some Mock Battle testing (specifically Dark Bishop [Dark] and Gremory [Fire], with their movesets and Hades) to see some differences. While some combat arts, spells, and strong attacks make it obvious how they are enhanced (Firesweep making three tornadoes instead of just one, or the Dark Knight Strong Attack 1 leaving more/larger sigils on the ground), others just say the skill is active but I see no visual changes. Perhaps it's just increased damage or a slight increase to AoE that I missed. -- So, guess I'll just stick to my musing on classes instead of also trying to go into combat arts/magic. === One wonders if some of the stuff somehow broke during development, as I'm hearing the Apex (Weapon) skills may be bugged and cause the user to deal less damage instead of more. Perhaps this may be a similar case for some of the supposed augmented attacks, but I don't know for certain. Classes Mortal Savant: Requires one to use the Class Action and make sure its fully charged. Then, a Strong Attack will be augmented with a certain Element. -- Honestly, I would consider the elemental strong attacks here more of a bonus, mostly due to the setup required. In addition, I imagine the Elemental Essence is more used for actual Combat Arts/Magic, but there is some synergy depending on what class one plays. This applies for all classes, not just the Mortal Savant. -- Also, Strong Attack 3 spam is just as effective baseline (almost like Ryoma/Owain's Strong Attack 3 Spam in FEW). Bishop/Holy Knight: Basically best-in-slot for those with Light Essence, as all Strong Attacks seem to use the Light Element. -- A shame that Rodrigue only has his personal special attack as a Paladin instead of a Holy Knight. -- I haven't gotten around to really messing around with Light Magic and its Combat Arts, so I can't offer much of an opinion on those. -- Some may prefer using a Gremory instead of a Bishop for Light Essence (Flayn, Mercedes), as Gremory is a higher tier and does have some Light mixed in with Elemental. Just pick whatever makes you happy. Dark Knight: Useful for those with the rare Dark Element due to the Class Action and two separate Strong Attacks being Dark. However, it can work with Lightning, Wind, Fire, or Ice if one is willing to spam the same Strong Attack over and over. Bow Knight: A weird one, as I recall the Strong Attack 5 while mounted seems to be a fire attack, while the generic special attack while mounted seems to be wind. However, I have not tested this myself to confirm. Warlock: The standard spellcaster, having two Lightning Strong Attacks with a Light, Fire, Wind, and Ice Strong Attacks as well. It's interesting seeing the Lightning focus here, but I imagine most players would rather go Gremory or Dark Bishop. Still, if one enjoys the moveset of the Warlock, it is available. Gremory: The "jack of all magic" option, Gremory has access to two Light Strong Attacks as well as a Wind, Ice, Fire, and Lightning Strong Attacks. -- Also, if you have an Elemental Essence and use the Class Action of the correct element, you get three ion cannons beams instead of just one. It's a sight to see. -- As an aside, Hapi with Mage's Ploy transforms the default Class Action into a Dark Element, which is not normally available for Gremory. Not sure how useful it is, but it's interesting I guess. Dark Bishop: Like the Dark Knight, Dark Bishops work well with the Dark Element due to the Class Action and two separate Strong Attacks being Dark,. Of course, Dark Bishop can work with Ice, Lightning, Fire, and Wind essences as well, and it helps that the Dark Bishop strong attacks are pretty great.

Finished Azure Gleam yesterday, doing NG+ after my Scarlet Blaze run. Overall, it was another enjoyable story, although it does focus more on Kingdom politics instead of Dimitri himself (as in Three Houses). It's a shame we don't get to see AM Dimitri, but its understandable as circumstances are different. -- Honestly, both stories enrich each other. Having knowledge of Three Houses drastically improves the storytelling as one can see other sides of these characters/conflicts. It's also fun to see the callbacks to Three Houses. (This is through supports and camp convos, not just the main story.) Heck, this doesn't even count the expanded lore and seeing characters and situations that were merely mentioned in Three Houses making actual appearances in Three Hopes. -- As for going from Three Hopes to Three Houses, it'll be an interesting experience. I wonder what the new player reactions would be when seeing the original timeskip designs and storyline, while comparing it to Three Hopes. Now, off to the Golden Deer! After checking the stats on Maddening, its definitely seems more suited for an actual NG+ run of the same route as enemy levels picks up right after the finale on Hard Mode. Sure, one could attempt it on NG+ of a different route using the shared characters, as well as potentially trying it vanilla NG, but I think it's best for after the initial playthrough. -- So, my 4th-6th round of playthroughs will be on Maddening and do the "Kill Byleth" route, use the female avatars instead of male, and going in reverse order. This means I'll be doing Golden Deer back to back, then the Blue Lions, and end with the Black Eagles. -- I probably should find the time to grind out in Records so Arval gets the male-locked class skills, as my Shez now has mastered every class. For a final note, Shez with Sylvain's personal is way too fun. Shez's unique class attacks fast, is mobile, and when paired with the Dark Creator Sword which doubles hits, it's extremely easy to reach the hitcounts and annihilate everything on the screen. Sure, I lose out on the small instant-defeat "dark spikes" and the "shadowflash dash," but being able to attack the entire screen with attacks that kill anyways is just better. Mobility is solved by switching to another character, spamming Strong Attack 3 on the Asura class, or just using the map teleport. -- I need to try Sylvain's personal with the other unique classes, such as the House Leaders. Who knows how big the attack ranges can get on those!

Yeah, I read up the wiki before starting. Thanks for the guidance!

Regarding recruiting Byleth in Azure Gleam... I also learned that Fiendish Blow seems to work well with the House Leader's Elemental Skills, but the "Essence of Element" is worthless unless one is actively using a combat art, magic, class action, or strong attack. (Class Actions and Strong Attacks are usually regulated to the spellcasters, although the Holy/Dark/Bow Knight/Mortal Savant have some elemental effects). -- On that note, Essence of Darkness seems useless on Shez's unique class. Sure, some of the attacks are purple, but they are not actually Dark attacks. It only really has synergy if one uses Shadowblade or the Dark Magic spells. -- Also, it sucks that the standard spellcasters don't seem to have Fiendish Blow and Essence of Element skills. Marianne, Hubert, Manuela, and Flayn seem to be the exceptions (Ice, Dark, Thunder, Light). Guess I need to figure out what magic can be taught so there can be more elemental synergy (managed to teach Hapi Dark Spikes, so she doesn't need to use the Relic Tome to get access. Shame she has no Dark Element though...) As a random aside, I put on Sylvain's accessory on Shez while he's in his unique class. Annihilating the entire screen due to the extra range and damage is great, even though I lose access to the "shadow flash dash" skill. I since removed it since dashing around is a little more important than clearing screens, but its fun.

Has anyone started to delve deep into Weapon Attribute combinations for potential Forge candidates? -- I know I plan on forging a Rapier (although I technically already have a +80 with no attributes, as I didn't know they could drop with them), as well as a Defender's Tome and Exorcist's Tome. -- A part of me wonders if Reckless Power may be best-in-slot, despite the Durability loss. Unless one really just wants to spam Combat Arts/Magic, it's just a straight upgrade damage-wise for everything. One can always restore Durability mid-battle with the purple pots/item drops. == I do wish there was a way to pick and choose attributes when forging instead of relying on pure RNG (or upgrading a lower level variant up to Brave). It would also be nice on how the values were calculated as well, as "makes attacks better" or "improved damage based off of (x) stat" is not really informative... I imagine those with Relics and Sacred Weapons will likely be using those (and potentially giving the "Crest Accessories" to those without so they can wield them if necessary). So, there may not be a huge demand for regular forged items outside of a a few niche scenarios. -- There's also the fact one can just toss on these weapons to other units when the usual wielder is not using them, which further makes regular forging more of a novelty than a necessity. * * * * * As an aside, I'm starting to appreciate Felix's Intense Velocity personal more. While I personally still prefer Ferdie's version, being able to get some extra speed before an engagement starts is nice. It also helps on 1v1 situations, although there almost always tends to be mooks around to build up hit-count. -- I'm also just starting to toss on personal battalions and not worry too much about trying to match and counter enemy forces. This may change when I start Maddening, although I imagine NG+ still makes things rather easy.

Eh, guess I'll place my random notes here as I no longer need them. It was mostly to compare the personal skills available for everyone, but specifically sorting them by their Tactical Ability and their effects instead of their "Unique Tactical Name" -- Not sure if it's useful, but here it is nonetheless. The formatting is a little off, but should be readable. Shez Shadowflash Mortal Coil Attack, DMG UP Byleth Divine Pulse Ashen Demon Attack, DMG UP Jeralt Blade Breaker Captain’s Grit SEIZE, DEF UP Sothis Divine Caprice Sacrosanct Arval Duality Agarthan Arcana Gatekeeper Camaraderie Nothing to Report * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * Yuri Deceit Schemer Balthus Golden Fists King of Grappling Constance Personality Shift Emergent Magic Hapi Nether Sigh Monstrous Appeal * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * Petra Windstorm Hunter’s Boon ATTACK, DMG UP Jeritza Quietus Murderous Intent ATTACK, DMG UP Edelgard Solar Prominence Emperor’s Prestige ATTACK, DEF UP Caspar One for the Books Fists of Justice SEIZE, DMG UP Dorothea Prismatic Resonance Songstress SEIZE, DMG UP Ferdinand Maximum Ambulation Name Drop SEIZE, DEF UP Monica Wicked Impulse Shrewd Operator GUARD, DMG UP Hubert Dark Conjuration Perception GUARD, DEF UP Bernadetta Personal Space Persecution Complex DEFEND, DMG UP Linhardt Easy Breezy Catnap DEFEND, DEF UP * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * Dimitri Azure Lightning King’s Might ATTACK, DMG UP Sylvain Gordian Stroke Adept Flirt ATTACK, DEF UP Felix Intense Velocity Lone Wolf SEIZE, DMG UP Ashe Wind Stance Lockpick SEIZE, DEF UP Ingrid Icy Plunge Heavensent GUARD, DMG UP Dedue Demolisher Staunch Shield GUARD, DEF UP Rodrigue Martial Prowess Right-Hand Man GUARD, DEF UP Annette Couragous Aria Overachiever DEFEND, DMG UP Mercedes Radiant Love Live to Serve DEFEND, DEF UP * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * Lysithea Cursed Expulsion Unsought Power ATTACK, DMG UP Leonie Careful Study Rivalry ATTACK, DEF UP Hilda Lightning Bound Advocate SEIZE, DMG UP Ignatz Dreamer’s Paint... Watchful Eye SEIZE, DEF UP Lorenz Rondo of Roses Distinguished House GUARD, DMG UP Raphael Pure Brawn Goody Basket GUARD, DEF UP Claude Dustcloud Leader’s Acumen DEFEND, DMG UP Marianne Snowslip Animal Friend DEFEND, DEF UP Holst Galvanic Surge Natural Warrior * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * Seiros Purifying Rain Power of the Saints Catherine Twofold Ruin Fighting Spirit Shamir Cold Calculation Survival Instinct ATTACK, DMG UP Manuela Thunderous Refrain Infirmary Master ATTACK, DEF UP

I tend to be the boring guy and have the characters in their master-tier canon classes, especially if they have a unique class. I may mess around more later, especially once I start my 4th playthrough run, but for now I'm staying fairly vanilla as I try to master every class. -- That being said, here's a wall of text for some of the people I thought more about. M!Shez [Asura]: Shez's unique class is way too much fun to use. Excellent combos and mobility, with access to Magic as well. I haven't tried F!Shez yet, but I imagine I'll still stick to the unique class after mastering the others. Edelgard [Emperor, Any?]: I find El's Emperor class to be fun and her personal skill adding fire to everything is great. Honestly, she seems good at anything and I've had fun with all the options I had her in. I do still need to try spellcaster Edelgard though and see how crazy the Fire Spells can get. Petra [Trickster, Falcon Knight]: Petra's focus is on her crit potential and dodging. She seems to keep her unique special in Trickster and it has high crit potential, while the Falcon Knight allows for easier dodges due to increased invul frames. I thought about Wyvern Lord Petra due to her keeping her outfit in Three Houses, but I don't think that works in Three Hopes. -- I may just keep Petra as a Trickster though and use an Evasion Ring for the increases Invul Frames, instead of going Falcon Knight. Alternatively, a Crit Ring for more consistent Crits... Paladin [Ferdinand, Sylvain, Jeralt]: As I delve more into the movesets of Holy Knight and Dark Knight, I do miss the moveset of the Paladin. The ability to easily rack up hits and run around the map juggling enemies is great. Also, these characters have their unique Special Attacks as Cavaliers/Paladins and lose it for Holy/Dark Knight, which is another reason to go back to just being a Paladin. -- Sure, Holy Knight is amazing due to the self-heal potential and can still juggle enemies with their Class Action, but it doesn't last as long as the Paladin (who gets two bars). -- Dark Knight has some flashy moves and has some synergy with Essence of (Element) skills. However, I honestly think it's best suited to those with Dark element, and I tend to prefer the Holy Knight moveset a bit more despite their similarities. == Rodrigue is a special case as he gets Essence of Light, making him the perfect Holy Knight. The downside is that he loses out on his unique Special Attack for some reason, but the gameplay synergy is just too good to ignore. == Jeritza is also a special case since he has Essence of Dark, although he uses a variant of the Dark Knight class. They seem to play the same, so I guess the difference is the outfit and the skills obtained. Bishop [Mercedes, Flayn]: These two get Essence of Light, and Bishops have lots of Light attacks. While I could make them Gremories, I believe their unique Specials are also tied to Bishop, which is another reason to keep them here. * * * * * As an aside, how to "Innate Abilities" work? I've looked over the Class Abilities and Learned Abilities, and I do not see them. Alternatively, I'm just blind. -- Do "Innate Abilities" work in a similar fashion to "Hidden Abilities" in Three Houses?

Still playing through Azure Gleam on NG+ Hard after finishing Scarlet Blaze. I'm trying not to use Shez since I decided to not reset my levels, only using him when I need to speed-run something. // At this rate, he'll probably master all of his classes, so I'll need to figure out what to do with him for Golden Wildfire... (Female Shez is being regulated to the 4-6th playthroughs that kill F!Byleth on all routes.) -- But yeah, having early access to everything is great. Being able to unleash the power of the Relic Weapons early is awesome, as well as having early access to more advanced classes. The Tactics Academy upgrades are also a godsend. -- I thought Felix would be amazing with his personal ability (faster attack speed for a period after dodging), but I find Ferdie's much easier to use and upkeep. I guess Felix can potentially dodge out of attack animations that other characters can't, but having to constantly dodge to keep up the attack speed boost sorta sucks. -- That said, Sylvain's personal ability is the best thing ever. Why charge a Strong Attack like Caspar to increase range and damage when one can upgrade all attacks range and damage based off of hitcount? He's definitely getting the Merc Whistle in this playthrough. -- I also enjoy Rodrigue's personal, as it also increases the range and damage of attacks, but this time relying on timed button presses. While I personally prefer the hitcount so I can just spam away, Rodrigue's slower and calculated approach is also nice. I guess I just had issues with Monica's personal due to the moveset of Mages, as I find Archers (as Shamir) and Cavaliers (as Rodrigue) to work well with the rhythm skills. Alternatively, it may just be my experience playing the game. === I do wonder if there's a different in attack speed by spamming buttons versus going with the rhythm. Would be interesting if they were actually the same speed regardless of button mashing. Story-wise, I'm definitely seeing parallels between AG and SB. While I haven't gotten too far into the route, one major event is shared but the outcome differs depending on what faction one plays as*. I imagine Part One to mainly be mirror parallels, while Part Two becomes a lot more personally tailored to that specific route (with a variation depending on how one element is handled). Farming-wise, I do the "secret easy mission" for gold, although it seems Balthus' personal skill maxes out at 9,999 gold. It is possible to get more by breaking the "money pots," but farming kills does not seem to be worthwhile. It seems better to just speed-run the mission, with Balthus' skill giving extra gold instead of being the primary source. -- I thought about trying to spam Awakening and keep an Awakening chain going, but I don't think it gives anything in terms of gold. So, Warrior Gauge and Special Attack Spam it is. As an aside, there's something I found regarding Edelgard and Dimitri. (*I also put what event is shared and their outcomes.)

Got my Castoria, although now I have no reserve Quatz whatsoever. (Went through like 230 Quartz and 9 Tickets.) // I then realized I had lots of Fragments which gave me 149 more, so I kept rolling. No NP2, but I had a blast. -- Also got some extra 4-Stars, such as Penth (new), Chiron (new), Tomoe (NP2), Kerry (NP4), Saber!Lancelot (NP4), Lobo (NP2) // Kaleidoscope == Probably not going to list my Castoria though until we get the expanded support slots. My Waver, Skadi, and Tamamo are properly raised and have Command Codes, so I'll need to figure out what to place on Castoria. Also, everyone else will probably be placing up their own Castorias instead. Now to attempt and save for Fae Lancelot after using up all Quartz, Fragments and all. * * * * * As for the Anniversary stuff, I'm glad we get the CE and EXP bonuses. I can finally start clearing up my inventory/archives and use up these Valentine and CE EXP CEs! -- I did miss the special Seraph interlude as I was focused on Three Hopes, but I think it becomes free for everyone in the future without the need to spend Rare Prisms, so I'll just wait for that so I can appreciate the story properly (for the third time). EDIT: I thought my Second Archive stash of 600 Embers on top of whatever I had in my inventory would be enough, especially with the x5 Super/Great Success Rate. I was wrong. At least I managed to get all my new Servants to max ascension, with some being maxed out. I'll have to finish leveling the rest later. -- Also, the amount of EXP from 100 to 102 is ridiculous. I decided to try and raise my Herc for fun, but after seeing like a full amount of 5-star EXP cards doing nothing, it was decided to level up the others instead. // I think I will focus on getting a lineup of 100 for my support list as originally planned (sans Support Casters who stay at 92, and Georgios who will likely remain at 90), instead of trying to focus on a single servant. ===== EDIT 2: And for the first time in a long time, I'm actually out of Skill Gems (specifically Gold Caster). I'm also out of QP. Guess it's time to get back to the Dailies and try out the Extreme modes instead of farming mats. ===== EDIT 3: Played around a bit more and found myself with 30 extra Quartz and 10 Tickets. I now have a NP2 Castoria and Jack. I have been blessed this day. -- Now to stop rolling on the banner and actually get to saving... -- Extreme QP is pretty nice. I think it gives like 4 mil instead of 1 mil, although I am running some of the QP CEs. I did have to update my setup slightly as the last turn is a single boss instead of an enemy wave, but otherwise it's another easy farm. --- I wonder about the day my Arash reaches Bond 15. I may end up retiring him and learn how to use Chen Gong, or just use Servants with NP Charge with the correct CEs to 3-turn nodes. Alternatively, I actually try to do the 3-NP Loop setups, as I tended to just stick with an Arash + 2-NP Loop setup.

Finally finished Scarlet Blaze, recruiting Byleth in the process. Overall, I had fun and enjoyed the story, although I can see why people may want more. -- Has a rough surprise during the final chapter as Petra got supposedly one-shot during the boss encounter (she was an extra ally unit and may have been low, but not low enough to auto-heal). I guess there is a good reason to heal manually, but I just reset and used Pair-Up instead of having most of my forces out and about. -- I just went try-hard mode and made full use of invincibility frames by using special attacks. I think Combat Arts/Magic also have some, but I haven't confirmed that yet. -- I also probably should learn how to block... For further thoughts, I'll place it in the spoiler. ..So yeah. Now to Azure Gleam and the Blue Lions!

1. There is a "Training Grounds" option for "Mock Battles" that allows for the freedom of testing out movesets. It should unlock at the start of Chapter 4. -- The potential "good news" is that Three Hopes has class-based movesets, so if you are playing as a Mercenary, any character in that class will have the same core moveset. It's just the details that change (personal skill, support skill, and tactical skill). -- Movesets also tend to stay the same as one gets into more advanced classes, as most get expanded combos. There are exceptions to this, but that applies more for the retail game than the demo. == For a quick rundown, here's how I see most movesets in Warriors games, with this info mostly applying for Three Hopes. === Strong Attack 1 - Launcher (knock enemies into the air) === Strong Attack 2 - Single Target (Best for fighting enemy officers) === Strong Attack 3 - Multi-Target (Best when clearing out regular mobs) === Regular Attacks Chains (When trying to deplete a Stun Gauge, or need the safety of being able to dodge/block as strong attacks may have a wind-up) 2. You technically don't have to give orders to your allies and keep constantly changing between your characters. While it is true one may not get S-Ranks for everything this way (mostly due to the timer), its possible to just main Shez and run around the map manually. Your allies can handle themselves well enough. -- Shezs "ZR" personal skill allows him to "dash" short distances quickly, which can later be upgraded for longer distances. -- In addition, Shez gets a unique skill that greatly helps with mobility during the main chapter 4 mission, so getting from point A to point B is easy for Shez. However, as this chapter is locked in the demo, one won't get to see it. == Of course, you could also manage all your forces by giving them orders and making use of their Tactical Skill, which rewards players for giving that character relevant orders (attacking an enemy, guarding an ally, seizing a stronghold, defending a stronghold). There's also swapping between characters, so you can finish an objective on run character, tell them to go somewhere else, and swap to someone who needs to finish their objective. This way one doesn't have to walk everywhere and is constantly fighting something.

Learning about Hilda's circumstances is interesting, as I did see her outfit as an enemy. Shame it can't be used as a player. -- I wonder if Petra somehow keeps her outfit as a Wyvern Rider/Lord, as she did in Three Houses. As for Dedue, I was hoping it would work as it is in his preferred line, but I guess not.

Regarding the Great Knight outfit, does changing outfits from Standard-Issue to Unique not work for Great Knight?

This is indeed an amazing discovery! But yeah, the sad truth is that there's no real reason to go back to the lower tiers due to Class Skills, improved Adjutant Effects and potentially higher Growth Rates for the more advanced classes. -- That being said, the only one that really gets screwed is the Mercenary due to the lack of Swordfaire. Paladin and Warlock could potentially work if one doesn't mind being slightly weaker, while Bishops at least have some good class skills that is unique to them. I guess this ties in with my Unique Special Attack discovery in the main thread, as Ferdinand and Jeralt only seem to have theirs as Cavalier/Paladin. (Holy Knight and Jeritza's Death Knight have unique movesets. I have not tried Dark Knight yet.) -- Personally, I still think there should've been Master-Class equivalents for these movesets, and characters should always be able to use their unique special attack if they are in their preferred class. -- Guess I'll just hope for Updates/DLC that remedy this (as well as removing gender-locked classes).

So, I discovered that the "Essence of (Element)" does not give you elemental attacks like the House Leaders. It does exactly what it says, augmenting attacks, combat arts, and magic that use said element. If you want to add elemental attacks, you have to use "(Element) Assist" which requires Pair-Up. -- Looks like my mass Warlock training will go back to Bandit/Warrior for Death Blow/Heavy Hitter. I know Death Blow is good as making the Stun Gauge last longer is amazing, but I'm not sure about the rate of Heavy Hitter. I'll keep it on for now, but I'm starting to have so many skills I don't know what to do with them all, and I have the max 10 Slots. -- The House Leaders will likely appreciate the skill though, and I use Shez's Dark Essence when he's in his personal class. Shez's usage is a bit more limited, but it helps thematically when I give him Dark Combat Arts/Magic. Now, as I'm now playing with Master Classes, there is something that bothers me. -- The Unique Special Attacks are more limited than expected. For example, Ferdinand only gets his unique as a Cavalier/Paladin, as Holy Knight has a different moveset and special. -- Gremory also has a unique moveset different from Mage/Warlock and Monk/Priest/Bishop. Maybe this is why some characters only get their special as a Gremory. -- While I love the variety of movesets, if one enjoyed a previous moveset (say Mercenary, Warlock, Bishop, or Paladin), then one has to play in a lower tier class. -- I still think the Master Classes are the superior option due to the class skills and "better movesets," but its a shame to lose out on existing movesets. As an aside, I'm starting to get weapons that damage the user when they are above 50% Health, but are really powerful. I imagine they have great synergy with the "HP Threshhold" skills, but as I'm playing on Classic, I'm not sure if I'm going to experiment with such builds. -- I probably should invest more in the Blacksmith and Forged Weapons, but I've been busy upgrading the camp and trying to learn as many skills as possible. I imagine once the Camp is maxed out, I can then focus on forged weapons and start unlocking some of these special effects. I played a bit more and managed to recruit Byleth.

Got to Part II in the Scarlet Blaze route. Hard Difficulty is rather challenging! I had Hubert die in one map when I was trying to channel the Dark Mage class action (got an arrow to the face). I reset and learned how squishy spellcasters are. -- Then, on a main chapter map, Balthus got combo'd by Catherine and Shamir in another. I reset, and then proceeded to bring out "Try-Hard Shez" with a +20 Rapier. I S-Ranked that chapter, having exactly the amount of damage taken and not a single percent over. // As an aside, enemy Armor Knights are actually pretty resistant to physical attacks when one does not have effectiveness. Who knew. -- Also, screw Snipers and their "Tornado Spin" ability. It messes up my melee combos and can easily lead to being juggled. As a special item one obtains at the start of Part II... As for a surprise MVP, Balthus has carrying me against Tomes as I don't have a Gauntlet user. The Gauntlet playstyle is rather fun too. -- Otherwise, my main lineup of 8 are Shez, Edelgard, Hubert, Petra, Balthus, Ferdinand, Jeritza, and Lysithea. I am maxing out different classes and make sure to field those who are Energized for the EXP Bonus, so my composition does shift a bit. // I do wish I could use more characters, like Monica and Hapi, but I just don't have the space... == As an aside, the Dark Mage moveset is really fun. At first I wasn't really using Hubert as he was yet another magic user, but when I got to Dark Mage, everything changed.

Now that I've played the game a bit (still on chapter 8 of Scarlet Blaze) and knowing a bit more, here's my hopes/thoughts for Three Hopes. 1. Free Update - Forgotten Characters -- Alois, Hanneman, Cyril, & Gilbert are in the base game, but are not playable for whatever reason. -- I was really looking forward for playing as Hanneman and Alois, as well as seeing their supports. Hopefully an update will make them all playable. 2. DLC Bonus - Anna -- While I would prefer if Anna was part of the free update, she could also be used as the "DLC Bonus" character. -- Bonus points if Anna somehow got her own class. 3. DLC Pass - Roster Expansion -- A bonus playable character pack, adding in other characters that appear in the game but where not innately playable (The two Imperial Generals, Judith, TWSITD, etc.) -- Of course, I would prefer if this was a free update, but making these characters playable requires a fair amount of work (voice lines, modeling, personal skills, etc.). Also, it adds some incentive to purchase the DLC if TWSITD were playable, for example. -- Honestly, this is more of a bonus. It is something I would like to see, but if resources are limited, I would prefer a Byleth Route. 4. DLC Pass - Byleth/Ashen Wolves Route, "Golden Ending?" -- I still would love a Byleth route as well as a Golden Ending, but considering that the design philosophy seems to be "No Golden Endings" and "Do not Invalidate Three Houses," I am unsure if this will happen. -- It would be great if Byleth, Jeralt, and Alois teamed up with the Ashen Wolves, as the Ashen Wolves don't have a route of their own in Three Hopes. They serves as the "DLC Route" in Three Houses, so why not do so again in Three Hopes? -- Heck, add in Nemesis as a boss for this route too. There is a severe lack of God Shattering Star in Three Hopes. (Also, we need Shacked Wolves and At What Cost tracks in Three Hopes as well.) 5. Expanded Supports -- I was surprised that some of the chemistry between characters in Three Houses did not carry over to Three Hopes in terms of supports. For example, Lysithea and Edelgard have affinity, but in Three Hopes their support rank is only C and there's no support conversation. -- While I would love support conversations, I wouldn't mind if there was at least higher support ranks between these characters, even if there are no convos for them. 6. Removal of Gender-Locked Classes -- Please make this happen. Perhaps tie it in with the lore and make it a special seal to do so ("Male Pegasus Riders are rare, but in the land of [x], they exist." // "In Morfis, the land of magic, females study the Dark Arts [Dark Mage/Dark Bishop] while males become masters of magic [Gremory]). -- I want my build options! 7. New/Returning Classes -- Ranger, Sword Cavalry -- Griffon Rider, Sword Flier -- Valkyrie, Tome Cavalry -- Dark Flier, Tome Flier -- War Monk/Cleric, Gauntlet with Magic -- Sword Armor? -- Lance Armor?

Yes. There are more characters that are route-specific this time instead of just the House Lord and their Retainer. -- This is from information through the datamine, although by now there people who have finished a route already. -- Also, some characters are recruitable on one route, but not another. For Example...

Regarding recruitment, it is limited per route. You cannot recruit nearly everyone like in Three Houses. Recent information that I have learned about NG+ is troubling if true. It seems like Renown Character Unlocks are for bonus characters only and not route-specific characters, so if you wanted to play a House Lord on a different route, it looks like you can't. // This is in regards to the main story maps, paralogues, and the side maps. -- However, I get the feeling that Records is the "Free Play" mode, although it only allows you to replay the main story chapters and paralogues. Perhaps it may be possible to play with whoever on whatever map (even if its a different route) in Records, but I do not know. == Edit: Definitely feeling that Records is the free mode. When going into Records, you open up what chapter first, and then decide what map you want to play (Main Chapter, Side Maps). This is also where you can S-Rank maps you missed in previous chapters. // As an aside, grinding out the main chapter battles is likely better than grinding out the side ones, since the main battles allows up to 8 units instead of 4. == So, with this in mind, you can probably play as anyone in Free Mode regardless of route (once you recruited them). They just won't be available for the main "Story Campaign" playthroughs. In Three Houses, recruitment was done normally as a game mechanic and not through Renown (although one could buy the support levels to make sure they join your class). While there were special cases of recruitment during the 2nd phase of the game, most of it was done during the 1st phase. -- I was hoping to play with my favorites regardless of route in Three Hopes and not have to worry about the Persuade option in future playthroughs, but it looks like this is not the case. -- This also means that characters who are available on all routes are excellent candidates to level, as their stats carry over in NG+.

Because one was not made yet. There may be a desire for a separate spoiler thread to discuss more things in-depth, but for now I guess this topic may suffice. * * * * * So, how's everyone experience with Three Hopes so far? I've been playing the Scarlet Blaze (Black Eagles) route, continuing off of my demo file where I grinded up a fair bit. -- Thing is, all that gold I farmed? It's gone (this includes the bonus gold for Three Houses and Warriors). Of course, this is likely due to my completionist tendencies of buying practically everything, but yeah... -- Also, I'm finding that as much as I love recruiting everybody I can, it is difficult to keep everyone outfitted and properly leveled without grinding. Also, the "Motivation Bonus" that increases EXP gained gets more people to choose from, lessening the chance of landing on somebody one regularly uses. (Granted, the same could be said of Three Houses. It's just the motivation bonus in Three Hopes encourages players to field a variety of units instead of the same core.) -- Hard Difficulty is fairly challenging. While I haven't had to reset yet, there were some very close calls where the enemy suddenly dealt a lot of damage. My current nemesis are Mages , Archers, and Cavalry. The ranged classes can easily hit you while the Cavalry has a charge attack that hurts a lot. // Note this is after I farmed a bit in the demo. I wonder how difficult Hard would be if I didn't farm... -- I love the Strategy system for the main chapters and definitely foresee it being the core focus on replayability. Depending on how NG+ works, I may skip the Persuade option and get something that actually helps more on repeat playthroughs. // Also, the "Shez Teleport" is the best thing ever, even if it is limited. It definitely allows for rapid response to situations. As for Battalions, I find their inclusion rather interesting. They give a tier advantage against a single type while also defending against their attacks. -- So, you can double down with a Mercenary with a Sword Battalion, making them extra effective against Axe Users. -- Alternatively, you can use the Mercenary with an Axe Battalion, canceling out the "disadvantage" they normally carry against Lance Users. -- Or perhaps one wants more coverage or adaptability to whatever one is fighting. So, if you are a Mercenary and are on a map full of Mages, get a Brawler battalion to get an advantage. --- As a tip, make sure you use a Lance Battalion when facing the Ashen Demon. They should not be engaged unless you are me who decided to fight them anyway and somehow "win." Not sure if that actually did anything though. Story-wise, I'm enjoying Scarlet Blaze. I'm currently on Chapter 6 and look forward to comparing/contrasting the routes when I get around to playing them all. -- Three Hopes is definitely more enjoyable if one liked the world and setting of Three Houses, as Three Hopes builds upon that. Seeing how this are the same yet different in this alternatively timeline is great. Overall, I'm loving the game. It is superior to the original Fire Emblem Warriors in my mind and I can't wait to get back to playing it.

Managed to get in, being in US Central Time. -- I did change the time on my switch to EST after some failures to get in, not sure if that had any effect or not. I'll change it back later. Now to disappear for a bit and marathon Three Hopes. Have fun to those playing!

As tempting as it is for me to pick this up Day One, I may end up waiting a bit for the DLC to come out. -- I don't want to get burned out by the main game, only to find out that over time the game received good QoL updates and other things. -- Also, I'm likely to be playing Fire Emblem Warriors: Three Hopes for a while instead... Also, I have yet to get Xenoblade Chronicles: Definitive Edition. While I've seen bits and pieces of Future Connected, I haven't experienced that storyline and would like to before I delve into XC3. (Heck, I want to replay the first Xenoblade before delving into Future Connected, so things will take a while...) -- As for XC2, I still need to complete all the side quests, max out all the Blades, and take on the Challenge Battles more. The downside is that I haven't played it properly in ages, so the strategies I used and knowing what I need for optimal setups are forgotten. I am on NG+ which helps a bit, but trying to figure everything out again sorta sucks.

Delved a little into the Text Files, specifically looking for instances of Jeralt and Byleth. Some findings in the spoiler below. -- EDIT: Updated with some more findings