Sire

I am rethinking my farming strategy. Ever since it was mentioned on Reddit, I noticed the rates of Hiragumos increase with the new chapters. The other two currencies are best farmed at their 10/20 AP battles. Considering I would like to level up Nobu more and could use the Fous for something, I'll start low and work my way up. I could also use the Forbidden Pages for my guys. As for my eventual Hiragumo farm, I'll probably try my luck with the Lancer one. I have a level 50 Caesar and a level 80 Okita support, and maybe with some strategy I'll get better drops there instead of farming the Saber node. I don't think I'll be able to reliably clear anything higher as I do not have good Riders or Lancers.

I think I am going to love these, so thanks for the translations! Veronica playing with the dolls is adorable. Cordelia and Felicia's comic is also amusing.

I like the fact that this is an actual balance patch instead of adding new stuff that tries to be competitive with the old stuff. So, I lean more towards approving of these changes. However, I am still hesitant as better weapons and new heroes with higher stat lines are becoming the norm. While I like the changes, there are still concerns elsewhere that prevent me from fully enjoying the game.

Docas looks and sounds amazing, and his EN voice lines even mention the mutton! Joshua sounds all right, but his art is done by the same guy who did Seth and M!Robin. It's okay, but not really a style that appeals to me. While I never understood the love for Lute back in my Sacred Stones days, I think I am starting to see the appeal. She looks and sounds the part of what I remember of her character. I guess my poor interpretation is because she never grew to be an amazing unit for me and the fact she died on my first playthrough. While Mia's VA apparently returns from Radiant Dawn, something about the voice throws me off. I can't really state what though...

Why does Fire Emblem Heroes always has to be a rollercoaster ride for me. They do something I dislike, then immediately turn around and say "Hey, look at all this awesome stuff!" This Direct has made up for some of the Ayra debacle in terms of releasing her on a separate banner. If they do it again though... As for my thoughts... Overall, the reveal has me interested enough to redownload FEH and give it a whirl. It solves one of my problems (Killers vs Slayers, as well as the general reveals of better weapons). However, I am still cautious about this whole thing. There still seems to be a trend of placing higher stats on heroes and increasingly better weapons. There is also the possibility of the Ayra banner being done again with another character down the line (say releasing Micaiah alongside existing heroes). I'm back in, but am not willing to fully reinvest myself into FEH. I'll need to see where it goes from here.

Eh, I'm not sure if I'll be able to farm Rider effectively. I've been farming Saber because Orion + Nobu + Emiya Support works well, so I get some extra points as getting a bonus Hiragumo drop. // I only did the Assassin node once on full try-hard mode. I used Cu Caster + Medea + Tamamo Mae Support and managed to get through it. As for my progress, I bought one of the Hiragumo Golden Skulls and I have my 1st copy of Nobu for merging. I am not looking forward to farming Hiragumos for materials after I purchase the final Golden Skull...

Fair enough. I tend to group everything together even if it has already been stated, so my apologies for repeating the class modifiers. Have a safe trip!

As for who I want to Ascend... - Tamamo Cat: My mainstay and first 4*. She awaits her final ascension, and then I can focus on raising Heracles. - Heracles: This (I want to raise Heracles since he has better survivability and single-target than TamaCat.) - Georgios: He is a favorite of mine and I plan on Grailing him to 90. Before that, I need to ascend him up enough... - Caesar: While I did not like him at first, I learned to love the guy after actually seeing him do stuff in the story and his interlude. He is also my only real Saber. - Artemis Orion: She is my first 5* and she is supposed to be amazing down the line. I already see her potential since I've been farming the 40AP Saber quest. - Nobu: Nobu Nobu! (I can use another good Archer character, and I plan on maxing her out. Hopefully I can get all the stuff, my guys are good, but aren't capped.) - Medusa, Euryale: I feel like raising the Gorgon Sisters. Medusa gets priority after Georgios, then Euryale after Orion (and Nobu). I do not have Stheno yet. As for the Honnouji event, I am currently trying to farm the Hiragumos so I can get the last 2 Golden Skulls. I'll probably end up skipping its Event CE as I do not have the points value to actually field it. After that, I'll probably take a closer look at what servant needs what so I can farm for materials. Lastly, I went though the Friend Code ID list and sent a bunch of requests. I also updated the list as well, mainly moving inactive users out and listing the in-game names. Serenes FGO Friend Code IDs (NA)

Trainees make sense as they are typically put on villager characters, as X-Ray stated. Veterans make sense because they are put on the Jagen archetype characters. (A shame since the journey does not matter as much as the destination in Heroes, but I digress.) The class modifiers also make sense: - Infantry units serve as the foundation. - Flier units share the same stats as Infantry. They gain the ability to fly, but become weak to arrows. - Cavalry units suffer a penalty to stats, are weak to Horseslayers, and cannot travel through Forests. However, they gain +1 Move, which is very powerful. - Armored units gain bonuses to stats, but suffer against Armorslayers and suffer -1 Move. Even Ranged and Dancer/Singer modifiers make sense, due to the power of ranged attacks and the power of granting a unit another action. CYL modifiers, at least for me, was expected to be a one-time thing. I am okay with these units getting a boost because it was a special event. However, now that other characters are getting "Special" boosts that is basically on par with CYL boosts, I wonder what is the point of CYL in the first place. These boosts not only apply to stats, but to skills as well. Why does there have to be a "Special" modifier in the first place? * * * * * * * * * * I guess the point I am trying to make is that I expected CYL "power level" to be above the power curve and was okay with it since it was a "one-time thing." (I count the Black Knight being unofficially part of the CYL event.) However, new units are now matching CYL units in terms of "power level," and that concerns me. If there were just new trainees, I would not care because trainees typically only have better stats and not exclusive skills. We are now getting new units with better unique weapons and "Personal Skills" are becoming a thing. Maybe I am just being petty about the numbers, but the picture I am seeing is a an overall increase in power with the new units. New weapons are better than the old ones. Personal skills, while adding flavor to units so they are no longer stat sticks with different personalities, can get out of hand.* While there may not be power creep now, the trend that I personally perceive is that Heroes is leaning towards that direction with the increases in power. That is what worries me and what sapped my enthusiasm for the game. *I say Ayra is the biggest offender. If her Astra was simply a stronger variant on the vanilla skill, like the Black Knight, there may not be as much complaints. However, Ayra's Astra using SPD as a basis. That could have been a new inheritable skill line! // Arden and the Pursuit Ring can also be considered this. Yes, he is restricted by his movement and low RES, but when it works it is super effective.

Seems like the definition of Power Creep (according to Extra Credits) only applies to things "above the power curve" and "affecting the meta." Applying this to Heroes, since Reinhardt and Brave!Lyn are currently the top units, if new released units match or are at a higher level than those two, then that will be considered Power Creep. Another way of saying this is that if a new unit is released that performs Reinhardt's or Brave!Lyn's job better, then that is Power Creep. (Bride!Cordelia can be considered "Power Creeped" by Brave!Lyn.) A Heroes example that is not Power Creep is Gray. Gray is superior to Laslow in almost every way, only suffering -1 to HP but gaining 6 SPD. Laslow does not see much use and can be considered to be below the "Power Curve" while Gray is a little closer to baseline. While Gray is better than Laslow, he is not a top pick like Reinhardt or Brave!Lyn. Gray does not affect the meta or is above the power curve, so him being stronger than Laslow is irrelevant in terms of the "Power Creep" definition. (In relation to Extra Credits videos, this is the Magma Rager vs Ice Rager argument.) * * * * * I believe that the "layman's" definition of Power Creep is more out of a concern of the "Increasing Power" trend. Since any increase in power is considered "power creep," this is why arguments like the "Magma Rager vs the Ice Rager" or "Killer Weapons vs Slaying Weapons" happen. The Power Curve and the Meta is thrown out of the window when this variant of the definition is used as the only thing that matters is the increase in power. There can be a better replacement to the worst item in a game and that can be considered "power creep," even if it doesn't affect the high end of play at all. Either way, I am not a fan of the direction Heroes is going. I perceive Heroes to be setting trends for increasing power since the Performing Arts banner, with some disturbances as far back as the Summer banners. This is just me being in disagreement on how balancing should be handled, but I am no game developer and I have no relation to Heroes. * * * * * As for my overall opinion, I am basically in agreement with XRay's post statement below. I differ in that I am personally not okay with the stat boosts because they break the "theoretical formula" that has been the norm for a while, even if they are put on underwhelming units. I am a bit of a traditionalist and old-fashioned and I tend to dislike experimental changes.

Hey, I'm not the new guy anymore! I also just started about three weeks ago. For the tips I got when I first started, go to this post and read the next page or two. However, to summarize some of them and to add my own... 1. Maxing out a character is a super long term goal. Most of the gameplay here will be about the journey instead of the endgame. Learn to love what you have. 2. The RNG and Gacha in this sucks. There is only a 1% chance of pulling a 5-star character, and a 3% chance of pulling a 4-star character. The summon currency here (Saint Quartz) is also in low supply. This is a stark contrast to Fire Emblem Heroes where the rates are higher, there are pity rates, and one is swimming in Orbs. (Granted, there are a lot more characters in FEH so the chances of getting who you want is lower, but I digress.) 3. Going off of 1&2, if you like rerolling, it is recommended you do so. Talandar's post explains this in great detail, but to reiterate some of it... -- A: It is impossible to pull a 5-Star character on your first summon. If you want to head into FGO with a 5-star, you will need to gather more resources for a second summon. -- B: A 4-Star character is guaranteed on your first summon. Heracles is considered the best of them. Emiya is nice to have as a long-term investment. Personally, I got Tamamo Cat who is a Berserker (glass cannon) similar to Heracles and she is still part of my core team. I hear Stheno sucks and is the worst 4* unit, so it may be advisable to re-roll if you get her. 4. It is recommended that you level up as soon as possible. Leveling up refills your Stamina bar, increases it by one, and allows for more Friends to be on your Friend List. Once you have 40 natural stamina (it can overflow in FGO), do the Level 40 Ember Gathering quest. Not only this will power level your Avatar, but you also get EXP Cards that can be used on your summoned Servants. Jeanne is considered the best support character for this, just make sure the Jeanne you field is from your Friend's List and not a stranger. (She can't use her ultimate ability if she is not from your friend's list.) 5. Send Friend Requests. In FGO one can get a support character and it is not uncommon to be using a "maxed Servant" to carry you through content. Using a friend's servant helps you out by the carry, and they get points if their unit is used! 6. Once you can start doing the Daily Quests reliably, try to get at least 100 Mana Prisms per month. You can buy Summoning Tickets for 20 Prisms each, which equate to one summon in the Gacha. Summoning Tickets are capped at 5 a month. Serenes FGO Friend Code IDs (NA)

I got an Okita friend support, but I sent a friend request.

I got mine when I was doing the 10 AP quest, from Arash. Like I said, I was not expecting it at all. As for detailed drops, I don't know as Arash was the only servant in the 10 AP one and he was the last.

I got the Gudao drop early and I wasn't deliberately going for it. The only thing that sucks is that I do not have Emiya for the 40% bonus, and I don't think I have enough points to put the Point CE on everybody. (I also do not have Sakura Saber and still do not plan on getting her, even if her Crit star generation is insane. I see why Crit+Buster builds work so well...) As for drop lists and the like, I recently discovered this site and have been using it as a resource. I use the normal FGO Wiki as well. For farming strats, what I've seen on Reddit is... I finished the 10 AP farm for the CE and Skull and plan on trying to work on the 20 AP one today. The Hira-gumos are going to be a pain since I still do not have a proper "high-level" team, but at least I have plenty of time to farm them. I also have 20 Golden Apples to burn as well.

Round 100 [Long Hair Gents]: F!Corrin, Frederick, 4* Hana, 4* Mathilda, 4* Ogma Random Extras: Gunter, Cherche, Lissa Blue = Active Duty (Good or Perfect IVs, New Desired Character)Red = Reserves (Character Merging, Skill Inheritance, Retirement) * * * * * * * * * * And with Round 100, I am leaving Heroes for the foreseeable future. Recent developments have sapped my enthusiasm to play or even log in. It sucks because I love Fire Emblem, but I won't go all pessimistic in a pull topic. Anyways, I hope you guys continue to enjoy Fire Emblem: Heroes. Best of luck on your future pulls! * * * * * * * * * * Past Pulls

Voted for Shadows of Valentia for both. As an "Old School Classic Reset Guy," I love Mila's Turnwheel as I can simply re-think my strategy a couple moves back instead of restarting the entire chapter. However, I also enjoy the implications if one goes for an Ironman run, such as if Gray dies and how it affects Tobin.

I used some Summoning Tickets in hopes I would get some new Servants to play with. For 5 Tickets, I got some CE fodder, Darius, and Heracles! Getting Heracles on my last ticket was a pleasant surprise and made the experience worth it. I'm not really interested in Okita and I plan on trying to save up my Quartz for Scathach. After her, I'm not quite sure who to save up for considering everyone is so spread apart. Maybe Brynhildr and Alter Jeanne? Rate Up Calendar List - Reference

I'm not happy about the powercreep and the execution behind Ayra's release. Recent trends are also troubling, so much so that I lost my enthusiasm for playing Heroes. I haven't even bothered with Tempest Trials and had some of those "Dev Challenges" quests left uncleared. I haven't even chosen a team for the Voting Gauntlet if that is going on... Some of my problems with the game are... 1. The introduction of Slaying Weapons. This is before Ayra, but Slaying Weapons outclass Killer Weapons, period. If this was to make Killers more viable in terms of balance, then I understand the changes. The execution, however, is not something I agree with. (If Killer Weapons could be upgraded into Slaying Weapons, then this would become less of an issue for me.) The general introduction of new weapons have also been rubbing me the wrong way. Seashell+ and Dancer's Fan+ outclass the normal Silver Dagger due to their additional effects. Heck, the Dancer's Fan has Breath of Life 3 while Aura, an original Legendary Weapon, only has Breath of Life 2! 2. Legendary Weapon Powercreep is another concern. For the CYL heroes, I thought it would be a "one-time" thing that happens only on the very special of occasions. However, as of late new Legendary Weapons have been outclassing the originals. Valter may be considered the first due to his Cursed Lance, but since he was free no one seemed to mind. For summons, Elincia may be the first while Azura may be the second. Obvious Legendary Weapon Powercreep reveals itself with Sigurd and Ayra. Yes, they may be considered "on par" with the CYL heroes (Ayra's sword is essentially a SPD version of Brave!Roy's Durandal), but if CYL is the new standard, I am not liking where this can possibly lead. I understand some people like gear treadmills. Take World of Warcraft for example. Each expansion has superior gear to the last, and getting the best items resets over and over per expansion release. However, I am not a big fan of these treadmills and prefer "alternative, horizontal progression" than simply buffing up the numbers. 3. The slow increase of BST and stats is another concern. I thought Heroes had a formula for balancing and CYL was again, a "one-off" thing. Recent heroes seem to be trying to be on par or better with the CYL heroes, and that does not sit well with me. Sigurd has 4 more points than other Cavalry, and Ayra has "Trainee" stats. The new Armor units of Jakob and Henry do not have as sharp of a stat penalty due to their ranged weapons (unless they considered 1 movement to be draining so they did not lower the stats as much). 4. Uninheritable skills. On paper, they are nice as they bring back some sense of individuality to each character instead of everything just being a stat stick with different personalities. However, some of these skills are just insane. The Follow-Up Ring seems nuts, even if it is stuck on an Armor Unit. Why isn't Regnal Astra a normal "new special" and is restricted to Ayra? It will need some tweaking, sure, but a SPD version would be nice to complement existing skills such as Ignis, Glacies, Dragon Fang, and Vengeance. 5. The execution of the Ayra banner. This basically speaks for itself, why is Ayra, a new unit, tossed into a banner with old ones?! This has been discussed to death by others. 6. Tempest Trial Bonus Heroes - This is another complaint. Why are there no "Free Heroes" available to be used, such as the Askr Trio or Masked Marth? Why isn't Seliph a bonus hero if he is featured in the story of the Tempest?! I understand the focus wants to be on the first generation, but still. * * * * * Long story short, I'm not too happy with the direction Heroes is going. I thought IS was doing all right, especially with the CYL event. After Performing Arts, it started going somewhere I did not agree with. My logic is probably flawed and screwed at this point, but my faith is Intelligent Systems is gone once again. Only time will tell if I will stick around long enough for them to change their direction, if they change at all.

Personal Wishlist - Demoting some 5* units. - Getting a lot of new 3* & 4* units - Restructuring Story Mode to be amazing and not "We are under contract, so let's fight!" (This is never going to happen...) - Implement a Forge to upgrade Killer Weapons to Slaying Weapons. Other weapon types may follow suit (Silvers, Gems, and Armorslayers come to mind) - Veronica and Bruno better be playable before 2.0, or at least their story arcs wrapped up.

Off the top of my head... Dragon's Dogma: Dark Arisen - The main story is rushed. It has a grand design behind it, but it is over rather quickly. (It also has a weird way of thinking who your "S Support" partner is, which can lead to some odd situations...) - I expected more from its post-game. I thought I could explore and experience the entire world again, but all we got is some changes to the main pathway from the starting village to the city and some special encounters scattered about. - The difficulty is all over the place. Early-game was extremely rough, but once the player gets going the game gets fairly easy. The exception is Bitterblack Isle, which serves as the "ultimate post-game dungeon." (It likes to throw BS combinations at you.) - There is not a proper sequel to this title. Sure, there's Dragon's Dogma Online, but that is JP only. - There is no way to "S Support" your customized Pawn... Xenoblade Chronicles - The sidequests kill the inner completionist in me. While some of them have some good storylines, a guide or wiki is a must if trying to do almost everything XC has to offer. This is especially the case when coming back to the game after a while. I don't remember where to find "x" mob to defeat. Xenoblade Chronicles X - The music threw me off at first, but eventually after listening to everything 10,000 times I get around to tolerating/liking them. Still, I'm not really a fan of rap music, even if this is likely to remain XCXs' style. Lyrical pieces aside, some of the other music in XCX is amazing! - The main story is rushed. Seriously, they introduce a villain and basically we defeat the villain in the same chapter. At least XCX makes up for this in the spectacular side quests and exploration. God Eater Resurrection / God Eater 2 Rage Burst - Holy heck, these games are long. Really long. Resurrection essentially has 3 main story arcs while GE2RB has 2 story arcs. I guess it is my fault for marathoning through Resurrection and then trying to immediately play the second. Despite the length, I did enjoy my time with these games, although I still need to finish up the 2nd arc of GE2RB. - GE2RB have mismatched subtitles to the voiceovers on occasion. I do not know if this is intentional or not as Resurrection was more polished than GE2RB. - I had no real problem with the difficulty. Yeah, there are some extreme spikes (Blitz Hannibal, the final boss for Resurrection) , but overall I had a fairly easy time with it. (Longsword / Shotgun main)

Might as well toss in my requests: Georgios and Euryale.

A part of me feels like Grailing Georgios, even if there are technically better candidates for these grails. I just love the guy, he tanks, he loves to take pictures with his camera, and is an all-around great dude. The only other two tanks I can think of are Leonidas (who is also cool) and Chevalier d'Eon. Otherwise, I'll probably end up saving my grails for someone down the road. I need to pull a highly desired character first before I can think about using the Holy Grails... * * * * * Thanks for the Orion tips! I recently started raising her and she quickly surpassed Eurydale who was my previous "archer main." I guess her NPC portrayal does not accurately showcase her power.

Games I loved at first but now somewhat dislike? I could probably list more besides PC games, but I will try to stop myself here before I end up looking at my entire library... Darkest Dungeon - I loved the theme and enjoyed the gameplay. However, I find the main "core" of the game to be quickly repetitive. I'm the type of guy who likes building one "ultimate team" and typically sticking with it for a playthrough than having "multiple specialized teams." Trying to find the right combinations, making a suitable party, and leveling all of them up quickly became a chore. I want to like Darkest Dungeon, but the core gameplay is too repetitive for my tastes. Every now and then I'll boot it up and play a little, but I do not see myself playing for prolonged periods of time. (I never even got to do the first venture into the Darkest Dungeon itself...) Factorio - A few years back I enjoyed watching the Yogscast and their various Minecraft series. One of the things I always enjoyed was all the machinery and stuff moving through pipes, and Factorio is more or less that game. I enjoyed the game for a fair number of hours but then realized Factorio is nothing but trying to be efficient as possible. Trying to optimize a factory and getting all these separate parts in one place to create things became more like "work" and less like "fun." Like Darkest Dungeon, I open it up to mess around a little bit, but is not something I would regularly play. Starbound - Following after Terraria, I was excited for Starbound. This was back when I was running a Youtube channel and my friends and I planned on doing a series on Starbound when it released. The early prototypes came out and while I enjoyed myself for a while, the novelty quickly faded away. I just could not get over the art style, especially for Humans. It just looked so off to me, and the gameplay was not as solid as Terraria. // Now I did go back recently after they officially launched the game, and while the gameplay is a little bit better, I rather just play Terraria instead. I prefer Terraria's sprite style and gameplay over Starbound. I also tend to be more of a Fantasy guy than a Sci-Fi one. Sanctum, Sanctum 2 - These are essentially Tower Defense games combined with some FPS elements. Honestly, I have no recollection on why I got them. Sure, they were somewhat enjoyable, but after a while the games just did not resonate with me. I guess the TD aspect was okay, but the FPS elements didn't feel good. I guess one could say I was using a water gun against mobs instead of something that felt powerful. I suppose I just found other games that did the Hybrid Tower Defense better, such as Orcs Must Die! (although even that nowadays seems to be going downhill...) World of Warcraft - @Tolvir more or less explained it for me in his post on the first page, but I'll say my piece. I used to love WoW and be a massive Blizzard fan, but my enthusiasm for the company began declining later in the Cataclysm era. I started "in the dying days of Burning Crusade" (right before Wrath of the Lich King) and WoW was my first real MMO. (I played Runescape if that counts.) I remember logging in for the first time as a Dwarf Warrior and exploring the mountains. I remember flying over the Burning Steppes and Searing Gorge saying "One day, I'm gonna be strong enough to level here." I made lots of alts and even got some Horde characters going. It was a fun and memorable experience. I was initially excited for Cataclysm, eating up all the information I could about it. (I indirectly got into PC Gaming and Steam because of Totalbiscuit, who was doing heavy Cataclysm coverage at the time.) However, when I learned they changed the way Paladins worked, I was not too happy. Sure, before it was just "spam buttons whenever it is off cooldown," but they changed it to a pseudo-combo system like the Rogue. I already had a Rogue and do not need a Rogue in Paladin Armor! I went through Cataclysm anyway and got to max level with my Human Retribution Paladin, but my interest was essentially gone. Around this time, Guild Wars 2 caught my eye... Anyways, over the years the Blizzard I learned to love and enjoy faded away. Diablo III was not that good, Starcraft II's story was crap, and WoW was making changes I did not agree with. Yeah, they got Overwatch now, but the only interest I have in it are the shorts and cinematics they make. The only Blizzard games I play nowadays are Starcraft II (The Arcade reminds of my Warcraft 3 days while the Co-Op missions are fun diversions) and a little bit of Heroes of the Storm (because it reminds me a little of the "good old days"). I feel like ever since Blizzard merged with Activision it has been going downhill. World of Warcraft, TLDR - Blizzard's stories declined in quality and the company made decisions I did not agree with.