Sire

If we were to go by Hero Merit which is fairly accurate... My main team consists of Ephraim, Erika, Nino, and Ryoma. I use these guys for practically everything that needs to be handled with Level 40 5* Enemies. It helps that Nino and Ryoma are fully optimized. Ephraim has Defiant Defense and Swordbreaker, but I am now (extremely slowly) going to transition him to Triangle Adept and Lancebreaker instead. Erika also wants Triangle Adept, but she wants to run Renewal for her B passive. Then, I have Sharena and Olivia to swap in as needed. Typically I tag out Ryoma and use Sharena for Arena when she is in season (or I need another Blue), while I use my 4* Olivia for Grand Hero Battles. Spring!Camilla is high because I run the Tower Dailies with her for the extra Shards & Crystals, but otherwise she is not optimized at all. For my full hero list and their builds, see my Google Sheets document.

The gameplay and its mechanics are fun. (Terrain Effects, Echoes' Magic System, the lower stat thresholds, Weapon Arts, Dungeons, etc.) What could be improved are the more annoying aspects, which for me mainly rely on map design. I can deal with Cantors and Witches and would not mind if they stuck around, but I want better map designs at allow my army to actually get places and that are aesthetically pleasing. Slayde's final showdown may be a decent map in terms of favoring the enemy for terrain, but I don't care for its appearance that much. Other things that could be improved (in my opinion) are... 1. Mage Class Movement. Please give them +1 MOV, so only the basic classes and the Soldier line are capped at 4 MOV. 2. Enemy Spellcasters "breaking the rules." Why can they use Mire and Death instead of being forced to use Miasma when attacked? Why can the enemy do that but not my guys? What if I wanted to use Excalibur instead of Fire? Either balance it out so the player can also do this, or make the AI be forced to use their basic spells when under attack. 3. Dungeon Improvements. While Echoes was the first attempt at dungeoneering, the two major points for me are camera control and character control. If I want to sidestep an encounter, I should be able to do so. Sometimes it seems like the collusion boxes are larger than the actual models, so I may not be even touching the enemy and it initiates a battle. Also, an indicator if enemy reinforcements would arrive would be nice, or increase the render distance. Sometimes I see a single guy on his own, attack him, and suddenly I'm surrounded by a dozen hostiles... * * * * * Of course, I would have loved to see some maps with varied objectives like in the Tellius games or Fates: Conquest, but this is a remake of Gaiden. Still, if they ever decide to revisit Valentia and re-use most of its mechanics, I would love to see better map design and objectives besides rout the enemy or slay the leader. Edit: I was watching some of the videos of the Deliverance DLC, and it delivers on the varied objectives format while staying within the mechanics of Echoes. The first map is a glorified rout mission where one has to save a certain character, and it has fieldable generics. The second map has a "rescue and escape" objective. The third is a pure "retreat" while the forth provides a defense mission! Sure, these maps do take place within the current map designs of Shadows of Valentia (save for the retreat map), but at least they chose the better maps from the map pool to use. Man, now I feel like I want a sequel to Shadows of Valentia that has its mechanics but with fun map designs and various objectives... (And it is not Awakening or New Mystery. What happens on the continent for those 2000 years or however long it is?)

If we count Musuo Stars (Warriors All Stars), it has 27 characters, but I doubt this counts as a collab title as it seems to be "in-house" like Warriors Orochi. The next amount is probably Hyrule Warriors Legends, but that is more of an updated version of the original Hyrule Warriors. (13 heroes at vanilla launch, 24 for Legend's launch) So, not counting those, most of the other collabs I scanned though have 13 or so characters at launch. It even seems that Dragon Quest Heroes and One Piece Warriors follow the "13 Character Formula," and as previously mentioned Hyrule Warriors also had 13 characters at launch. Now, characters does not necessarily mean the available movesets, look at Hyrule Warriors and how many different unique weapons and movesets were available for the characters. However, Fire Emblem is more about the variety of characters instead of having one hero wielding different weapons. I want to say Hyrule Warriors had 20 "unique movesets" at launch with its 13 characters. So, maybe there is a chance for 20 different characters for FE: Warriors, each with their unique moveset. * * * * * TLDR: I think Fire Emblem Warriors will have at least 13 characters since previous colabs seem to stick to 13 characters. If I were to guess how many playable characters will be at FE: Warriors launch, I want to say 20, but am expecting less. If there is more, I'll be pleasantly surprised. Source: Koei Wiki

Mostly just repeating myself here in a more civilized topic... 1. Saw the Shadow Dragon, Awakening, and Fates representation coming. Sure, I'm a little saddened by the fact other games may not get much representation outside of DLC, but I don't mind this limitation. Besides, there are good characters in those three titles! 2. Looking forward to the Bond conversations as character interactions is always a high point for Fire Emblem games, or at least it should be. This will especially be the case if Warriors gets an English dub. I remain hopeful because Echoes was fully voices, Heroes had voices, and the Switch Fire Emblem may also be fully voiced. 3. I'm interested to see if they implement flying units such as Pegasus Knights (Caeda) and Wyvern Knights (Camilla). Will they just be glorified "cavalry units" that use the flying trait to look cool, or will they actually fly around the battlefield? 4. Also looking forward to the Musou-style remixes of Fire Emblem songs. Look at this version of Hyrule Field for example, from Hyrule Warriors. Now, imagine an End of All remix or a Dusk Falls remix. While those two are fan covers, I wonder what FE: Warriors would do! 5. I'm personally hoping for Walhart to be the Lu Bu of Fire Emblem Warriors. However, I have a feeling that role will likely end up being given to either Camus or Xander if an OC is not created, like Volga was for Hyrule Warriors. 6. Also hoping for switchable characters on the map, like Samurai Warriors Chronicles, and not the "tag-team" system of Warriors Orochi.

I consider the Zweihander to be superior the to Steel Sword, but Steel Lances and Steel Bows work pretty well if in mid-game and does not have access to the cool endgame equipment. Here is my list, using maxed Forge stats, if applicable. Also, I'm not counting Alm and Celica's unique swords. (This is taking way longer than I originally anticipated...) Swords 1. Astra (MT 10, Hit 100, Crit 50, WT 2 || Astral Blade) // AN: A superior Brave Sword in my opinion, with an awesome weapon art. Thing is, it is only available late into the postgame. 2. Ladyblade (Mt 10, Hit 95, Crit 10, WT 0 || Hexblade, Flamberge) // AN: Imagine Alm's Royal Sword catering to females and is more magic oriented. It is a shame it can only be used on the Priestess class [unless you really want to run Villager], so one has to choose between the Ladyblade or one of the Rings. That, and Priestesses are not really front-line fighters unless built for the role, or one does not want to use the Beloved Zofia for Celica. 3A. Zweihander (MT 13, Hit 85, Crit 15, WT 2 || Sunder, Penetrate, Tigerstance) // AN: Beats Brave Sword if focused on the player phase and using skills instead of doubling foes. Always use the Zweihander over a Steel Sword. 3B. Brave Sword (MT 9, Hit 90, Crit 40, WT 0 || Penetrate, Grounder) // AN: An excellent weapon is focused on the enemy phase and having enemies come to the player. 4. Rapier (Mt 6, Hit 100, Crit 15, WT 0 || Anti-Cavalry, Anti-Armor, Subdue, Shadow Gambit, Destreza) // AN: One of the best weapons if on Alm's route and when facing down hordes of Armors and Cavalry. Otherwise, while having nice skills, it pales compared to general weapons like the Brave Sword or Zweihander. 5. Silver Sword (Mt 12, Hit 100, Crit 5, WT 1 || Duelist Sword, Roundhouse) // AN: Can be used as a "budget Zweihander" that is also focused on increasing Avoid for skills. Also, Roundhouse is practically the "Luna" skill from the general FE games. Shadow Sword - Fun for the novelty, but the low Hit rate and the chance to backfire makes it useless to me. Mercurius - Fun for the novelty - its only saving grace is the fact it has Recovery. If the player is using healers (as they should be), then any other weapon is straight out superior to the Mercurius due to better stats and combat arts. Ilwoon - While better than the Shadow Sword and it has some Combat Arts, the low Hit Rate makes it an undesirable weapon. Lances 1A. Sol (MT15, Hit 80, Crit 0, WT 4 || Solar Thrust) // AN: Another late post-game weapon, it's main appeal is the high burst damage one can obtain when utilizing Solar Thrust. Other than that though, save for the high MT, I would prefer using other weapons. 1B. Gradivus (MT 13, Hit 110, Crit 5, Wt 4 || Recovery, 1-2 Range) // AN: A fun weapon to use since it has ranged capability, but since Echoes has plenty of enemies that have more than 2 range, it's usefulness is somewhat lessened. Still, it is a fairly solid weapon if one does not mind sacrificing combat arts. Remember that you can get a free Gradivus in the final dungeon! 2A. Steel Lance (MT 11, Hit 90, Critical 10, WT 1 || Armorcrush, Tempest Lance) // AN: A solid mid-game weapon in handling Armors as well as high value targets due to the Tempest Lance. Steel Lances merely lose 1 MT and 10 HIT compared to a forged Silver Lance, but have much better arts and +5 Crit. 2B. Rhomphaia (MT 11, Hit 90, Critical 20, WT 2 || Armorcrush, Knightkneeler, Dragonhaze) // AN: While not desirable in the main game since there is only one Ridersbane without DLC, Rhomphaia has more value in the late game since its users can take advantage of Dragonhaze, which is the SPD equivalent to the Zweihander's SKL art. Consider this weapon to be a better version of the Steel Lance, much how the Zweihander is better than the Steel Sword. 3A. Ridersbane (MT 9, Hit 85, Crit 20, WT 1 || Anti-Cavalry) // AN: One of the best weapons on Alm's route during the story due to the overwhelming presence of horse units. It does lose some of its luster outside of story mode though 3B. Blessed Lance (Mt 5, Hit 95, Crit 15, WT 0 || Anti-Terrors, Recovery) // AN: One of the best weapons on Celica's route during the story due to the overwhelming presence of Terror units. It is best paired up with a Falco Knight so one can take advantage of the Anti-Terror effectiveness alongside Banish. Unlike the Ridersbane, the Blessed Lance still has some usage post-game since Terrors are still common enough to warrant using the Blessed Lance. 4. Saunion (MT 10, Hit 80, Crit 5, WT 3 || Swap, Defensive, Archballista, Range 2-3) // AN: A fun little weapon to use for Lance Users who want to pretend they are Archers. Specifically, it is probably best used on Falco Knights due to their maneuverability. Aside from that, however, I find other weapons to be better suited for Lance users, and I rather use an Archer than a flier with Saunion. Duma's Lance - Personally, I find little value in Duma's Lance and its Vengance-like combat art, but it can be a decent weapon when fully upgraded. I suppose it just depends if one likes having the weapon around. Emperor's Lance - I don't have the DLC, so I can't really comment on this weapon. However, Lionine Poise sounds fun to use when placed on an Armor character. Kriemhild - This is an Enemy Only weapon, not even obtainable by DLC. Makes sense considering how powerful it is, but it would have been fun to mess around with... Bows 1A. Killer Bow (MT 9, Hit 90, Crit 30, WT 2 || Anti-Fliers, Hunter's Volley) // AN: This weapon will make Archers go places one will not believe. Hunter's Volley is extremely useful at all stages of the game, especially if the Archer can't normally double the target. Get one as soon as possible, you will not regret it! 1B. Parthia (MT 9, Hit 85, Crit 0, WT 4 || Anti-Fliers, Recovery, Trance Shot) // AN: Perhaps a subpar bow on the surface that has Recovery, but Parthia makes up for its shortcomings due to Trance Shot. What was once 5 Range now becomes 8, even if it is just a one-shot wonder. However, if one does not care for the extra range of Trance Shot, it is best to look elsewhere. 2. Luna (MT 10, Hit 85, Crit 0, WT 5 || Anti-Fliers, Lunar Flash) // AN: Lunar Flash will always hit and deal some extra damage, but besides that it has little value as a weapon. I personally rather be running a Killer Bow than the "postgame weapon" of Luna. Consider this to be a slightly better weapon to the Steel Bow. 3. Steel Bow (Mt 8, Hit 75, Crit 10, WT 3 || Anti-Fliers, Heavy Draw) // AN: A solid early to mid-game weapon where +8 MT is fairly significant. However, I recommend getting the Killer Bow as soon as possible as it absolutely annihilates its competition. Still, a Forged Steel Bow can go places, I used it on my characters before learning how great the Killer Bow is. Radiant Bow - Just use a mage. Really, just use a mage. Bonus Speed Ring - Speed Ring Best Ring. The extra movement and SPD helps a lot, especially when put on Healers. Mage Ring - The extra range the Mage Ring provides is a blessing from Mila. Now magic users can also pretend they are artillery! (Best used on Sages since they innately have a Hit buff to their Black Magic, but it helps on Priestesses too.) Coral Ring - A good ring to use when not using the Speed or Mage Rings, especially when using your magic users to bait enemy Arcanists or Witches. You could just use the Hexlock Shield, but I find Recovery to be extremely useful on magic classes. Animus Ring - Boss Only item, so don't expect to be using this! Steel Shield - Do not underestimate the Steel Shield, especially when using Defensive. -10 Physical Damage is pretty good for a WT of 2! Dracoshield - If you absolutely, positively, must have a wall, then use the Dracoshield. I find that being faster than enemies, dodge tanking, and killing foes is better than using a meatshield.

Link: Treasured Memories (Fire Emblem: Sacred Stones)

Caught the stream a bit late (11:00 PM Central), but I did enjoy what I did see! Of course, the classic "I'll crush these bastards for you, Celica!" "Don't worry Celica, I'll crush those bastards!" was requested and delivered upon (multiple times). The funny thing is Kyle's normal voice is practically Alm, so it can be enjoyable imaging various things said and place it out of context as Alm saying it. In addition, I loved seeing the Guests on the show and look forward to future developments. As for me, I'll likely be catching the vod and trying to be there for future Streams (even though I don't have a Twitch account). At any rate, thank you for streaming and best of luck to your future endeavors!

When Heroes first released, I mostly just cared about the IV calculator on Gamepress, but eventually converted over to the Fire Emblem Heroes Wiki since I find that to be a superior resource. Later, I ended up liking the Combat Calculator, which it seems you guys have picked up. As of present though, I do still find the Wiki preferable as my Fire Emblem Heroes resource since I also like glancing at the Tier List. Anyways, here is my feedback. 1. Individual Character Pages - I mostly use the Wiki to determine Character Natures. Every now and then I like to use it to read character quotes. -- General Feedback: I do like your particular page layout for individual characters over the Wiki's version, mostly because the relevant information is condensed on a single screen with no need to scroll around. However, the Wiki is currently better as it has all the various stat information, including different natures and different star ranks. -- Layout Feedback: I feel like the pages would look better (at least on PC) if there were just three columns and nothing on the bottom. This is because I find the Innate Skills and Other Information to be redundant and take up too much space for what little they provide. So, I can see A: Character Image (with the variants), B: Show Max Stats and Level 1 Stats (with variants), C: Display all the skills (Weapon, Special, Assist, and Passives) Just remember that this is merely a suggestion, feel free to work with whatever you believe is best! 2. Character Matchups - Honestly, while I can somewhat see what is this is supposed to provide, I simply find the combat calculator with the "One Versus All" or "All Versus One" to be better. Besides guessing the top left is favorable and the bottom right isn't, I personally don't find much value in this feature. 3. Stat Charts - I find the Wiki to have a better chart, especially after they added in their sorting tool on their Stats Table. However, I do appreciate the gathering of all the heroes with their certain numbers in their respective stats, such as the SPD Chart and the BST Chart (here is the SPD Chart on the Wiki for reference). Overall though, I still like the Wiki's Stat Table due to its versatility. 4. Weapons, Specials, Assists, and Passives - Currently I find the Wiki versions better because of the formatting as well as the descriptions. The major thing for me is condensing the passives into a single level instead of listing their every level. * * * * * I appreciate the effort put into Kagero Chart. For the most part, I see using the site for the combat calculator and little else as I have the Wiki everything else. However, as the site grows and adds in more features, I can see it becoming competitive with the Wiki and Gamepress. Either way, best of luck with your site!

Man, if Ephraim made it into Warriors, I would love to see a Chrom x Ephraim bonding session so I can relive the first Heroes Voting Gauntlet... As for further ideas... 1. Marth x Chrom, Marth x Lucina (Same continent, thousands of years later. Also, the classic Lucina disguising herself as Marth thing. [Will we have a Marth disguising himself as Lucina in Warriors?...]) 2. Walhart x Alm, Walhart x Celica (Even though I expect Alm & Celica to be DLC, this is something I would like to see. Does Walhart go too far for Alm and Celica's tastes?) 3. Adult!Tiki x Young!Tiki (Future and Past interactions! I think I see a theme here...) 4. Camus x Xander (Talking about loyalty and personal beliefs most likely.) 5. Robin x Azura (I just want to see Robin come up with superior strategy than Azura and call her out on her BS tactics. :D) 6. Caeda x Camilla (Pure Pegasus Knight vs Sultry Wyvern Knight.) 7. Corrin x Chrom (A reference to the Before Awakening DLC?) 8. Corrin x Robin (Avatar interactions!) 9. Chrom x Ephraim (Battle Brothers) 10. Camus x Alm (I am not the person you think you know.) 11. Takumi x Caeda (Caeda tries out her "Do you believe in love" routine with Takumi. Hilarity ensures?) 12. Lucina x Azura (Perhaps Azura tries to teach Lucina how to dance and sing?)

Disclaimer: I am not affiliated in any way with Super Smash Flash 2 or McLeodGaming. I simply enjoyed playing SSF2 and thought others may be interested. Don't know if anyone around here is interested, but Super Smash Flash 2 is essentially a fan-made version of Super Smash Brothers, but in Flash form. It has been in development for a really long time and it has been nice to drop by every now and then to check up on their progress. Apparently, the Beta was released yesterday (May 29th, 2017). I'm downloading it now since I enjoyed messing around with SSF2, but it seems the site is getting an influx of people excited for the release as the webpages are slow to respond and the like. For many, the draw (or turnoff) is the inclusion of characters that are not really seen in a normal Super Smash Brothers game, such as Naruto, Sora from Kingdom Hearts, or Goku from Dragon Ball Z. Other "originals" include the Final Fantasy Black Mage, Chibi-Robo, and Lloyd Irving. Of course, the classics like Mario, Link, and Kirby are still around, as well as some of the later additions such as Pit and Meta Knight. // There is even an Event Mode and Online Play! There is a ton of cool stuff to be found, but I'll leave that to be discovered. Anyways, here are the main page of the fan game, as well as the changelog and the announcement video. At the very least, watch the announcement video, it is only 3 minutes long. Main Page: https://www.mcleodgaming.com/games/ssf2 Changelog Page: https://www.mcleodgaming.com/games/ssf2/changelog Announcement Video

Also making some updated predictions based off the new information that characters are likely limited to Shadow Dragon, Awakening, and Fates. Honestly though, this is mostly just repeating what I said for the three titles that are represented... This time, I am trying to limit myself to 20 characters, trying for about 5 per title. Although, I have a feeling that the roster may be expanded a little compared to Hyrule Warriors, maybe up to 25, but no more than 30. Original Post Link - for reference Sire's Predictions 1 & 2: Original Twin Swords - We have confirmation on two original characters that are twins and wield swords. They may or may not be avatar-like characters. 3: Original Villain - We still need a bad guy somewhere in there. 4 & 5: Original Something - Either Allies or Enemies, I do not know which. 6: Marth - Confirmed in Famitsu. I still think he will likely be a fencing-type character. 7: Tiki - I still imagine Tiki will likely end up like Minda in Hyrule Warriors, having two different forms (Shadow Dragon and Awakening). At the very least, I'm personally hoping for the Awakening version to appear, preferably in the base game and not DLC, but I have a feeling Young!Tiki will take priority... 8:Camus - Who better to represent the Camus archetype than Camus himself? Also, since mounted characters are confirmed to be in, Camus could very well serve be a lance user on horseback. Also, I'm expecting Camus to be the Lu Bu, unless Walhart makes it in (and I prefer Walhart). 9: Gharnef - The Dark Magic villain guy. Whether there will be more to him besides dark magic villainy remains to be seen. 10: Caeda - To serve as a supporting character to Marth as well as represent fliers. Thing is, I see Caeda being more of a glorified mounted unit instead of a proper flier, but Pegasus Knight representation is nice. 11: Chrom - He's still in. I mean why should he show up in a trailer and then just disappear? 12. Male Robin - I still think Male Robin is practically the Canon Robin, with the female version acting as a glorified costume. It helps he can serve as a tactician character among a cast of mostly nobles. Also, he has potential story-wise... 13. Lucina - It is Lucina, who is extremely popular and can easily do the classic Lucina / Marth thing. 14: Tharja - If Tharja is not in this just for the fanservice, then something is wrong here. I can live without her appearance, though (give me Cordelia instead! :D) 15: Gangrel - I personally rather have Gangrel than Validar, but I see them going Validar if they are going to use Grima. Aversa can stay a generic. Gangrel is unique as he combines his Levin Sword with his trickery. B: Walhart - To serve as the true Lu Bu and act as a mounted axe user. 16: Female Corrin - seems to be getting most of the spotlight (So Conquest is canon folks! You heard it here first!...), so I think she will be used as Fate's Avatar representation. She will be unique by combining her swordplay with her Dragonstone. // Her male counterpart can be done as a glorified costume, and the reason I make Corrin female is because I see Robin being a male. 17: Xander - I believe his sword was shown in the trailer. He will likely fight as a "mounted juggernaut." 18: Ryoma - I believe his sword was shown in the trailer. He can serve as the "Fast Swordsman" type character. 19: Takumi - Serves as the main Archer hero. He's an iconic Archer lord, and who else can be blame if Takumi is not in Warriors? 20: Camilla - Sex sells, and Camilla has plenty of assets to go around. More of less I expect her inclusion to be the same as Tharja's, but it helps Camilla is a Fates royal and can serve as a Wyvern Flier who combines axes with magic. B: Azura - She can sing "Lost in Thoughts All Alone" by all by herself, but she is fairly important to Fate's plot, so I can't imagine Warriors leaving out Azura. Also, Diaochan with a spear? Anyone? No? NPC / Boss Medeus - The likely final villain for Shadow Dragon. I am wondering if he will show up as a boss similar in the fashion to Hyrule Warriors or even be playable as a Manakete version. Grima - I'm still hoping for Grima to show up, either as a stage for the awesome factor or as an alternative moveset for a certain character. Also, story potential! Garon - Not my personal favorite, but considering his antagonist role in Fates, his role playing Fate's FEW villain is high. A part of my hopes they play around with Garon more to make his story more awesome instead of what we got in Fates, but I doubt that... (Redeemed Garon? Please?) Anakos - Apparently he already has the power to mess around with dimensions, so he may play a role in the story. Personally, I rather have Grima since he is more awesome, and has more story potential instead of boring Anakos. Besides, I mostly see him serving as an NPC role unless they make big bosses a thing in FEW. DLC Ike - Ike is a fan favorite, he has to make it in through DLC unless he sneaks into the vanilla game. Roy - Roy is the boy of many, although I personally don't care much for him. Still, DLC potential! Alm & Celica - Based off the new release of Shadows of Valentia, having them make an appearance would be welcoming. Main Lords of previous titles - Erika, Ephraim, Lyn, Eliwood, Hector, etc. // Personally hoping for Erika and Ephraim, although seeing Hector would be cool too. Now if we can add Villains to the list, seeing Lyon would be pretty neat...

Man, I guess everyone set their expectations high on this one. Did no one take the cues from Hyrule Warriors and how it represented the Legend of Zelda series (Twilight Princess, Skyward Sword, Ocarina of Time)? Other fan favorites were added in as DLC later, and I expect that to happen here with Fire Emblem Warriors. So, Fire Emblem Warriors focusing on Shadow Dragon, Awakening, and Fates makes sense. Sure, I would have liked to see some of the classic characters like Ephraim and Lyn, but I am not going to write off this title just because it doesn't have my favorite characters. Honestly, if one just wants certain characters, it is better to be playing Fire Emblem Heroes instead of Fire Emblem Warriors. Warriors games are about the hack and slash action, and I'm sure I'll love the title even if the representation is limited. For me, I'm excited at the prospect of Walhart being the Lu Bu, although I have a feeling they will likely just use Camus instead...

Round 43 [Rite of Shadows]: 3* Fir || 4* Catria || 4* Barst || 4* Cain (+ATT, -SPD) || *4* Lilina (???) Round 44 [Rite of Shadows]: 3* Selena || 3* Fir || 3* Wyrs || 3* Virion || 3* Est Round 45 [Bridal Blessings]: 3*Sophia (+DEF, -SPD) || 4* Jagen || 4* Maria || 4* Palla || 5* Sheena (+DEF, -HP) Blue = Active Duty (Good or Perfect IVs, New Desired Character)Red = Reserves (Character Merging, Skill Inheritance, Retirement) * * * * * * * * * * Not much in the terms of pulls as of late since the last time I posted here was May 14th. Anyways, managed to get a decent Cain. While he would likely prefer -RES, he only loses out on two engagements on the offensive due to being -SPD. I don't think he will be doubling anything and I tend to use Cain as a "Defensive Brave User," so I think I will be fairly happy with him. This Cain will be replacing my original 5* Cain that I got from my second ever pull on Heroes who is +DEF, -HP. Now if only I can pull some Death Blow fodder... As for Lilina, this is the first time I ever pulled her so I decided to train her up regardless of her nature. This may prove to be useful down the line due to Skill Inheritance, but at the present I do not have any specific build in mind. I now have yet another Sophia in my roster of Sophias, and I think this may finally be the one. Originally I was running a +ATT, -HP Sophia, but since she is so slow I find that she would benefit far more from DEF (lower two hits) vs ATT (raise one hit). I plan on making her a Close Counter & Quick Riposte tank mage at some point, but there are plenty of other characters that take priority over Sophia. Lastly, I got Sheena when hoping to pull for a Bride!Cordelia. At least the heroines are drawn by the same artist, but Sheena's nature is not up to my standards. Thing is, she is a 5* unit, so I will be keeping her and probably start putting skills on her while waiting for an optimal Sheena to come along. She can also help with filling out my Armor team, since I originally retired two of my previous Sheenas. At the present, I have a Draug and an Effie who are both Neutral natures. They would prefer some optimization, but right now I don't mind. I still really, really want a Bride!Cordelia, but it seems the characters I desire most (sans Erika and Ephraim) do not tend to come my way. (Takumi, Hector, Azura, Reinhardt, Celica, Lucina, an optimized Fir, and so on.) I guess I have until June 14th to try and pull for her... * * * * * Past Pulls

I am now tempted to toss down $40 for Bride!Cordelia. I haven't gone full whale on previous banners (money spent there was more to support the game instead of pulling for specific characters), but Bride!Cordelia may make me change my mind. The Perfect Bride title fits her rather well; I dare say she is too beautiful to resist...

Just Cavalry? All I need is Lukas with Ridersbane, park him on a Forest Tile, and watch as he destroys everything. Wait a second, this isn't Echoes... Also, I now need to add Lukas as one of my desired characters... * * * * * If the map will be Cavalry heavy, I imagine -wolf tomes being useful here. F!Robin should definitely be useful against Camus, even with his Grani's Shield. Either way, I look forward to getting Camus on my team so I can finally have a good lance cavalier. My only candidates for Horse Emblem are Cain, Xander, and Olwen at the moment...

I love Echoe's soundtrack! Here are some of my favorites... Echoes (Title Screen Theme. Even though I heard it before, when I first started up the game, I sat on the title long enough for the class roll to play.) The Ark of Dawn (Celica's early travel map theme. It's relaxing, as if one wants go to out sailing...) A Song for Bygone Days (The travel map theme of Part 4 and postgame. I love the sorrow this piece invokes.) March to Deliverance (Alm's main battle map theme. It's time Zofia marches to war!) The Sacrifice and the Saint (Celica's main battle map theme. I was surprised to hear this play during postgame [Thabes] when I had Celica as my main lead!) Lord of a Dead Empire (Also known as Rudolf's battle map theme. I'm a sucker for music that incorporates choirs, so yeah...) Praise This Despair (I believe this is Berkut's final map theme. Given the setting, this song fits well!) Twilight of the Gods (Final battle against Duma. It's a classic!) Fate (Event music, but I believe it also plays in the Sluice exploration sections.) The Heritors of Arcadia (A beautiful song, more so than Fate's Lost in Thoughts All Alone. Both are good, but I just prefer Echoe's ending theme more.)

I went in and was a little past the midway point before realizing I was not prepared, so I decided to do the Dread Fighter Loop on Gray and Saber before heading back in. I'm still in the process of training so I haven't beaten the Labyrinth yet on Hard/Classic. At this moment, Gray and Saber now outclass my 19/20 Alm and they are just starting their Myrmidon training, so I expect them to do most of the heavy lifting. As for my party... Alm - Hero (Royal Sword or Falchion) Celica - Princess (Beloved Zofia) Saber - Dread Fighter (Forged Brave Sword) Gray - Dread Fighter (Forged Brave Sword or Forged Rapier) Tobin - Bow Knight (Forged Killer Bow) Kliff - Sage (Mage Ring) Clair - Falcon Knight (Forged Gradivus) Tatiana - Saint (Speed Ring) Uncertain Conrad - Gold Knight (Forged Gradivus) || I choose Conrad as he seems to have the most potential out of my available Cavaliers for leveling, and he has a support option. Other options are Mycen (favorite character, has support options) and Zeke (to protect Tatiana). Delthea - Priestess (Mage Ring) || Honestly any Sage or Priestess will do here and I originally planned on using Mae, but I am leaning towards Deltha due to her stats, potential growth, and magic set. I thought about using Sonya as well.

Called Lyn, but did not see Charlotte coming. Thing is, I don't care much for Charlotte, so feel free to take away any Charlottes that even think about showing up in my pulls. I can live without her skills. As for Lady Lyndis and Caeda, they look pretty and would be nice to have, but are not something to go crazy over. The main character I'm interested in is Cordelia. Cordelia is absolutely beautiful in her artwork, and I'm quite happy she gets something amazing since I find her original art not to my tastes. If I were to spend money on Orbs here, it would be for Bride!Cordelia. Now if only I am lucky enough to pull an optimized version, provided she manages to show up at all... However, there is one thing that does disappoint me and that is because there are no guys. While I can live without it, it would have been nice to widen the demographic and add some balance to the banner.

I personally used Thabes when doing the Dread Fighter -> Villager loop. Resetting all the way back to Villager makes EXP gain worth something again, as a single kill on the first level of Thabes will be an instant level-up instead of the nothing one obtains when a T3 class. Also, the side income of Silver Marks and Provisions help when not relying on the DLC. Since the character keeps the same stats (save for Movement and class-unique skills), it is easy to powerlevel Villagers. I managed to get my guys (Gray and Saber) from 1-20 just casually fighting and breaking pots for loot on floor 6. Now to repeat for the Mercenary and Myrmidon lines until most of their stats are capped...

Clair - "I know, I am simply terrible!" (It fits Clair so well, this line.) Deltha - "Sorry, not sorry." (It's a classic line for me.) Genny - "I'm ready to roll!" (I find this hilarious and adorable for some reason.) Gray - "Come at me fools!" (Makes sense, especially since Gray is probably my best character outside of Alm and Celica.) Luthier - "Fool!" (Mostly because it fits in so well with his other lines. Sadly, I can't remember his other lines off the top of my head.) Mae - "Sure, I'm still hyper. Let's go!" (Gotta love Mae. Thing is, Kliff is currently my end-game mage of choice. I find Sages to be better with their +Hit passive than the Priestess ability to wield Swords. Also, Kliff is awesome and the ability to double with Sagittae is amazing. The main reason I keep Mae around is because of Seraphim.) * * * * * There's more quotes that I enjoy, but I can't recall any of them at the moment.

Regarding Mila's Turnwheel usage in combat - What are the conditions to reset the RNG for a battle using Mila's Turnwheel? Sometimes it seems I can use the Turnwheel to change the battle outcome (so a hit becomes a miss, or I have one of my characters get a needed critical), while other times the RNG does not seem to change at all. The latter case is my current situation where I am in Thabe's Labyrinth and Zeke always seems to suffer from a critical hit. Edit: Got another question. Is there any way to continue leveling up and gaining stats as Alm and Celica without Statboosters or Overclassing? I just got Alm to level 20 (I think he is actually 19/20 or something) and noticed he can not gain any more levels. I know there is the Dread Fighter loop for the male characters and I can use Villager Forks to level up all over again, but Alm and Celica can't use the Villager's Fork. I also like the default outfits for Alm and Celica and would prefer not going into Overclass for them.

In terms of player choices, I wouldn't mind the way Starcraft 2 (specifically Wings of Liberty) did its story and its various choices. At its core, the main story was made up of several short story arcs, such as trying to help out a group of colonists or doing jobs assigned by a shady organization. Each side arc would wrap itself in an okay manner, but the main draw was the various rewards that carried with the player as he/she progresses. Now granted, some of the choices in Starcraft 2 don't really matter in the grand scheme of things, but that can be addressed during the transfer. So, transforming this into Fire Emblem terms, let's say the setting is an Empire undergoing a civil war. The player plays a heir to the imperial throne and seeks to unite the empire once again and can choose what kingdom to focus their efforts on. So, does the player head off to the Holy Kingdom to gather Clerics and Paladins, or head off to the Military Kingdom for their famous Wyvern Riders and Generals? Perhaps the simple farmers need a helping hand as they are harassed by bandit and nobility alike, or clear out the corrupt Merchant Kingdom to reestablish naval routes and mingle with foreign mercenaries. The main story would be uniting the empire, but side respective kingdom has its own side arc that should wrap up its own loose ends. Of course, the main story's climatic clash and "big bad" can be hinted at throughout the side arcs. (Perhaps it is another Tellius situation where someone wants to provoke a war large enough to wake up a god / goddess for something.) As for something that actually affects gameplay, say the player needs to besiege the "unbreakable fortress." While the ultimate objective is to take the fort, the player is allowed to engage in other activities that will affect the Fort's strength. For example, say there is a special shipment of weapons heading to the fortress - intercepting it grants the player these weapons while ignoring it grants these weapons to the defenders. Maybe by helping out a local villager, he may say there is a hidden back route to the Fortress, opening up a new deployment zone when the battle begins proper. Perhaps there is a high-ranking officer can could be assassinated, but the more noble among your party will object if such an action is taken. These examples can go on and on... * * * * * The biggest problem with branching storylines is that while they are awesome on paper, they may not necessarily be the best investment since most players will not experience the entire game and all the side routes. The most dedicated will, but the casual player may only finish one route, provided they finish the game at all. As for how to make a proper branching storyline for Fire Emblem standards, I am still uncertain. All I can think of is Tactics Ogre, but even that mostly just branches off in the middle but eventually ties itself together towards the end. The only branching paths I am familiar with are the Visual Novel style ones, but taking that and adding Fire Emblem mechanics will be a huge undertaking indeed. This is not even including the various "bad endings," "normal endings," and "true ending" format of VNs...

Since I finally beaten the game, here are my thoughts on Celica and why she is swayed during Part 4. 1. She is a devoted Priestess of Mila and is taught that Mila practically solves everything. As this is one of her core beliefs, it is easy why she would rely on Mila so much. 2. Celica's entire mission revolves on Mila. Her first objective is to go to the Temple of Mila and inquire on why the crops were doing poorly. Upon discovering Mila is missing, Celica's new mission is to bring Mila back to Zofia. Apparently she will do this by any means necessary, even if it means sacrificing herself. 3. Celica has been mostly isolated and in hiding for the majority of her life. While she is supposedly intelligent enough to ward off assassins, she is still rather naive in the fact she always tries the diplomatic solution even if it is hopeless (See Celica trying to negotiate with Pirates in Part 2, even Saber says that is a lost cause). She is reeled in by her companions, but when left alone she may make poor judgements... 4. Celica believes sacrificing herself will save Zofia from drought since Mila should return and give the lands her blessing. More importantly, she would save Alm (who she saw get killed in a vision) since she loves and cares for him. When Jedah also explains how it will help Rigel and Valentia as a whole, Celica has a further reason to sacrifice herself for the masses as it should stop the bloodshed and make "everything happily ever after." (Of course, this was too good of a generous offer, but the seed of doubt was placed in Celica's mind as soon as she learned of it. That gnawed away at her until she finally broke.) 5. When Celica finally turns, it is because of two main reasons. A: Her companions are not around to slap her out of it, and B: Celica relents under "torture" because she is seeing visions of Alm suffering as he finishes the fight with Rigel. This is especially the case after seeing Alm kill Rudof. She does not want to see any more suffering and places her hopes entirely on Mila's return. When one breaks and falls into despair, one will turn to anything that is a source of comfort, even if it is an unhealthy decision or a lie. Celica chose to put her faith in Jedah's deal which will prove to be her downfall. (Luckily Alm is around to save the day and have everything become sunshine and rainbows, but that is not the point of this topic.) * * * * * Now, while I can understand why Celica goes to the dark side at the end of Chapter 4, a part of me is still not really buying why she started considering the deal in the first place. Maybe she was thoroughly convinced that her sacrifice was the only way to do things and there were no alternatives?

While the gameplay may seem archaic, I do not mind it at all. Sure, it can be improved as some maps and enemies can be rather problematic, but so far I have not found anything to be unwinnable on Hard Classic. I'm rarely, if ever, use Phantoms and don't really grind and I am clear out maps on my first attempt without too much trouble (I think I had just three maps where I had to call upon on Mila's Turnwheel), If you can get past the archaic gameplay or do not mind its mechanics (I see the problems, but they do not bother me as much as I thought they would - Teleporting Witches and Cantor Summoners, maps with a lot of downtime and not much maneuverability, etc.), Fire Emblem Shadows of Valentia has the best presentation of all the Fire Emblem titles, period. The music is amazing, the voice work is top-notch, the art is beautiful to look at, and the animations and class designs look awesome. It has proper character interactions and world building, and these characters are actually people instead of gimmicks (save for Faye and some of the new additions). The base game is definitely worth the purchase. As for the DLC, while I plan on getting everything, the most value would likely be the Deliverance pack as it has more story content. Also, the Cipher pack may be interesting to pick up since it features original characters from the trading card version of Fire Emblem, and I hope to see those short things voice acted and slightly story driven as well. The Overclass is a neat extra toy while the other two packs just make it easier to min-max your teams (Money, EXP, and Items - Easy Mode & Hard Mode). TLDR: - If you value story and presentation and can bear through "outdated but functional" gameplay, purchase Echoes. - If you value pure gameplay and strategy, Echoes may not be the title for you due to its outdated and "flawed" mechanics. - I personally love Fire Emblem Echoes: Shadows of Valentia, and it is probably my now favorite Fire Emblem title. Gameplay wise it is still easily beaten out by Fates: Conquest and the Tellius games, but the presentation wins me over. I don't think I can experience a new Fire Emblem game without voice acting since Echoes did such an excellent job with it.