Sire

Not really. Remember that Dragonstones are "melee magic weapons" with Flametongue+ being identical to that of a Silver Sword+ with 15 MT. I suppose the reason for the damage nerf to 13 is because there are no real "magical swords" at the moment, and the fact it is inheritable (considering it is a "+" weapon and not a unique one.) However, that does look pretty cool though! If I had a template, knew the font, and had the pictures, and could create a custom unit for every concept I make, I could be fancy too! Thing is, fancy pictures is a little too much effort for me with the amount of stuff I make... (Next post should be my full Guardians team with 4 OC characters, including Crystal. I just need to figure out the confession dialogue for two of them...) As an aside, the OP has been fully updated and now should have all the respective characters in this topic. That was a bit more work than I originally anticipated, but it is nice to have everything in the same place now.

@Nightmayre Add me to the list who also likes your Limstella, especially the quotes! The only thing I am unsure about is the Ardent Sacrifice skill and don't know why that is in her kit, but otherwise everything looks awesome! * * * * * I think it is time that I revisited some of my past characters, make some revisions, and start compiling them all together on a list for future reference. So, I'll start with some of my "fully fleshed" custom heroes! (Also, I am updating the original post with links to all of the custom heroes made in this topic. This should help with exposure and helping others find characters that may already be made!) Changelog Marcus - The Forsaken Knight Marcus - The Ashen Knight (Alt Marcus) Morgan - Gift From Afar (Lucina!Morgan) Renee - Star Seeker (Cherche!Morgan)

Yeah, double checking on the Choose Your Legends event has Chrom for the 4th male slot. (Overall, Chrom is 8th while Xander is 42nd. At least Xander knows the meaning of life, right?...) I guess I like Xander's design a little more than Chrom, even though Chrom is a "better character" than Xander is. I think I posted enough in this thread for one day. Back to your usual discussions!

Who said it has to be Erika x Ephraim? It would be Erika being married to Seth while Ephraim marries Tana! It just so happens the twins have their marriages around the same time (and the fact no other Sacred Stones characters are in Heroes yet.) I somewhat forgot about Tobin as I am not overly familiar with Shadows of Valentia yet, but he is not currently in Heroes. As for Reinhardt, the JPN games I have no knowledge whatsoever, so if he fits in he can be added to the list! I'm thinking repeat characters is a possibility because if they are popular, it may mean players would whale for them. Of course, giving people's wallets a break would be appreciated (and that is not considering the possibility of a "Summer Festival of Swimsuits" that may occur in July.) Then again, I'm still not overly familiar with Gacha games, so take my words with a grain of salt. While I can see Marth, Caeda, Roy, and Lilina, I'm personally not too enthusiastic about those characters (save for maybe Caeda, Marth is okay). I can see Roy being popular due to Smash, but I am uncertain on Lilina's popularity. If they do end up being released and have awesome artwork, skills, and stats, I may change my mind, but currently I rather see other characters get representation. Replace Roy and Lilina with Erika and Ephraim. I am not biased towards Sacred Stones, honest!

Personal Wishlist: Erika, Ephraim, Lyn, Hector (Matthew, Leila) Predicted Characters: Marth, Caeda, Xander, Lucina (Chrom, F!Robin) Unrequited Love: Cordelia, Catria, Palla, Faye, Tharja (Issue: Too much focus on the female characters.) Shipping Wars: Marth x Caeda || Abel x Est Roy x Lilina Eliwood x Ninian || Nino x Jaffar M!Robin x Lucina || F!Robin x Chrom M!Corrin x Azura || Saizo x Kagero || F!Corrin x ??? || Xander x Ryoma (pls no) * * * * * As stated above, I would love to see Erika and Ephraim in their respective outfits (it helps Erika represented the Bride class in Awakening), while a part of me wants to see what Lyn and Hector look like in a wedding dress and a tuxedo respectively. I also would not mind if there is yet another version of Lucina (probably wielding a lance this time), but would prefer if other characters got the spotlight. For bonus stuff, Matthew and Leila need to be a thing. Leila needs to be in FE: Heroes. Also, add in support and base conversations! I want to see cross game interactions! FE: Heroes is a fan game, go nuts with it! As for predictions, Lucina is almost obvious given how popular she is. (Tharja is also a possibility, but I dislike Tharja so I did not add her on my list.) I chose Xander due to his popularity (and think he is more popular than Chrom), while Marth and Caeda are the original couple. Also, Caeda has the whole "Do you believe in love" thing going for her. I also added in Chrom and F!Robin because I think it would be interesting to see F!Robin in a bride outfit (as well as obtaining her outside of GHB, see Xander), and so Chrom can get his chance instead of waiting for another day.

As far as I am concerned, Bruno is so set on saying "Zacharias is dead or gone!" that it simply strengthens my belief that they are the same individual (Bruno = Zacharias = Masked Man) Remember, not everything a character says is the outright truth. I think Bruno (Zacharias) is just trying to mislead the party in the event he does eventually succumb to the curse and is "truly gone." As long as Bruno keeps some of his sanity, "Zacharias" will be around to save the day. When Bruno's sanity expires, so does "Zacharias."

After my first horrible, horrible experience with the Arena this week, I managed to do two full runs and improved my score on the second. Now I'm sitting at 4,622 points, using Ryoma, Ephraim, Nino, and 4* Anna. Provided my ranking updated itself immediately, I'm currently slated for a promotion to Tier 16. Current ranking is 28,264. Thing is, I expect to fall out of that range. I haven't done a Deathless yet, and with the Voting Gauntlet going on and the Arena quests, I'm sure plenty are spamming the Arena for the time being.

Round 42 [World of Radiance]: 3* F!Corrin || 4* Seliph || 4* Hana || 4* Effie (+N/A, -N/A) || 5* Ike (+DEF, -HP) Blue = Active Duty (Good or Perfect IVs, New Desired Character)Red = Reserves (Character Merging, Skill Inheritance, Retirement) * * * * * * * * * * Pulled again on World of Radiance saying "What do I got to lose? Orbs?" And then I got Ike. I also got Effie too, which is the first time I ever pulled Effie. I also got Seliph, but I once got a 5* version of him and simply sent him home because I didn't care much for his kit (this was before Skill Inheritance I think). Hana is nice and while I somewhat like her character, she does not have good skill chains to pass on as a 4* unit. Now, if I ever end up swimming in Feathers, I may have a good chance of getting a highly merged 5* Hana, but until then, she's mostly sitting in the reserves aside from my prime. Then, as for F!Corrin, I still want an optimized version of her I can use. Right now I am training the one I already have for skills and SP. The new one may be sacked for Draconic Aura... In other news, my complaints about the Arena is due to RNG being RNG. I guess I just got extremely unlucky and got 9 matches in a row that hard-countered my team. After going back into it again, I managed to pull off a 4k score, but could try for a proper Deathless run. Then if I stay above rank 15, I more or less keep the same Feathers I earned in the old system, save for getting an extra 400 if I pull off an "Bonus Defense Win." I also get the benefit of getting free Orbs. // So, things are looking brighter again, but I want to see if I can continue climbing the ranks. It helps knowing that matchmaking still seems to work on team strength instead of being restricted to ranking only with team strength (which I initially assumed to be why I was facing off against such highly optimized teams that outclass my own.) * * * * * Past Pulls

Well, I think the latest updated killed my enthusiasm for playing Fire Emblem: Heroes. Specifically, the Arena changes. (Just lost 9 times in a row, full routs. How can I manage a Deathless Run if can't keep anyone alive in the first place?) Sure, I like theorycrafting and messing around with cool units, but when facing off against optimized after optimized team, my guys stand no chance. I have no proper counter to Flier Emblem, Dancer Emblem, and Optimized Emblem. (I'm running into Lindes, Lilinas, and Julias with -blade weapons. Flying teams with Spring!Camilla, outfitted with tons of repositioning skills making it nigh impossible to get a good lure. Wide open battlefields with Dancers that make positioning difficult as I can not take on the enemy one at a time. // I would be fine with this "Lunatic+ difficulty," but only if my guys were properly trained enough to handle such content!) Currently, I'm at rank 15 with no merged units. Here is my current roster. Now granted, once the Arena stabilizes (and if I'm lucky enough to stay above Rank 12) maybe I'll find some joy in playing it again, but right now I have no real desire to continue playing Heroes. Arena is the main source of feathers, and without feathers, I am getting nowhere in terms of progression. Another thing is that this is a kneejerk reaction to constant losses. However, I probably won't be able to do my usual Advanced Arena runs and get above 4k offensive rating until it stabilizes, but given my current feelings towards the game I may just end up dropping it entirely. My time and money can be put to better use elsewhere, despite my love for the franchise...

Pulled Characters: Arthur x2, Ephraim x2 Voted Characters: Leo x2, Lyn x2 Not Yet Implemented: Duessel, Flora, Miciah x2, Nolan * * * * * I got Arthur, but it will take a while for him to be a proper administer of Justice as I don't know what to do with him yet. Ephraim is serving as a core unit for me, which I am quite grateful for! I want Lady Lyndis far more than Leo. I mostly just voted for Leo to overthrow Donnel at the time. Leo is all right, but not one of my top-favs. As for the NYI, I'm probably going to be waiting for a really, really long time, maybe aside from Micaiah...

Don't know if unlucky, but I just ran into a bunch of Dancer teams with units that counter my team pretty hard. Doesn't help I do not have a good 5* Bonus unit this round either (currently using Ryoma, Erika, Nino, and Felicia). The fact that the maps I played are mostly open does not help either. 1. Azura, Ryoma, Hector, Takumi (I wanted to make this team...) 2. Reinhardt, Azura, Camilla, ??? (No mobility, Azura + Reinhardt means deathless is impossible for me.) Man, what happened to just plain Takumi and M!Robin, heck, even Lindes, Ninos, and Julias? I can handle those. These dance compositions are murdering me... So, initial impressions are that I miss the old maps. I'll probably have to reevaluate everything again, but I do not think I'll be maintaining my Arena ranking for a while if this is how things will go...

Like DehNutCase said, I want the Flametongue+ to replace Lightning Breath because... 1. +4 Damage than normal Lightning Breath 2. No +1 Cooldown to Skills (meaning Bonfire can actually activate, especially since A!Tiki is slow.) 3. I will lose the ability to retaliate at range, but that is what Distant Counter is for. So, in essence, I am creating... A!Tiki with +4 Damage overall with no +1 Skill Cooldown while keeping the ability to retaliate at range at the cost of an A Passive (due to Distant Counter). Also, the Lightning Breath attack is replaced by a Fire Breath attack. I find this to be a better deal than just having Lightning Breath and Defiant Atk or L. Breath with Triangle Adept (It works for Nowi since she is a blue. A!Tiki is a Red.) * * * * * It still saddens me that Young!Tiki is statistically superior to Adult!Tiki in almost every way, but favoritism is carrying me here. Thing is, +SPD (+3), -RES (-4) Y!Tiki may actually be pretty good, so I may not want to sacrifice her and just wait for a different one... Taken from the Max Stats Chart at Fire Emblem Heroes Wiki Name HP ATT SPD DEF RES Total A!Tiki 40 35 23 35 24 157 Y!Tiki 41 31 30 32 29 163

I do believe lower star units have lot more potential than their 5* ones, and that is due to SP. SP Per Level 1-10: 6 11-20: 12 21-30: 18 31-30: 24 Total SP from Leveling: 590 SP SP Per Killl: 3 SP (At least 60+ kills, or 180+ SP from kills [Remember higher levels require more EXP to progress.]) Estimated SP Total, 1 -> 40: "770+ SP" * * * * * 4* units tend to have 300-350 SP over their 3* counterparts (200 for the Weapon, 100-150 for the Skill). However, sometimes that unit may not have a desirable weapon or skill for the planned build, "freeing up SP" for other uses if leveling a lower star character. So, I am in full support of leveling up characters all the way to 40 for each of the star ranks due to Skill Inheritance and SP gains. Grinding out SP at max level with kills alone sucks. (My Ephraim needs to kill 40+ units so he can get the SP needed to learn Swordbreaker 3 to finish out his build.) = = = = = However, the advantage 5* characters have is that they are far easier to merge if one gets duplicates (while there may be plenty of lower star characters, who has the feathers to promote them all?), and merging will improve stats and inherit skills. The problem of course is getting a 5* duplicate in the first place and not wanting to sacrifice that unit for 5* exclusive skills... TLDR: 1. Train up 3* Units for maximum SP Gain. (1 or 2 * units can be done, but keep in mind they will earn less SP.) 2. Use 4* Units for Skill Inheritance fodder. 3. Use 5* Units and take full advantage of Merge Allies to improve stats and inherit skills. (Use the "770 SP" to learn different skills from other characters, then merge into the desired 5* hero with desirable natures.)

Round 38 [Hero Fest]: 3* Matthew || 3* Cecilia || 4* Barte || 4* Gwendolyn || 5* Y!Tiki (+SPD, -RES) Round 39 [Hero Fest]: ??? || ??? || ??? || 4* Marth || 4* Stahl (+SPD, -RES) Round 40 [Hero Fest]: 3* Lissa || 3* Florina || 4* A!Tiki || 4* Barte || 4* Palla Round 41 [World of Radiance]: 3* Lon'Qu || 3* Draug || 3* Jagen || 3* Arthur || 4* Cecilia Blue = Active Duty (Good or Perfect IVs, New Desired Character)Red = Reserves (Character Merging, Skill Inheritance, Retirement) Purple = Uncertain (I Have No Idea) * * * * * * * * * * Not going to bother posting natures if I am not going to use the unit, so it saves me some time... Well, I suppose after getting a string of 5* units my subpar luck has to make a comeback.I have too many Marths given that he is obtainable as a 4* character. If Heroes wants to give me a 4* Sword, give me Roy so I can sacrifice him for Triangle Adept! 4* Marth has no real skills to pass on... (No luck on the Hero Fest banner either. I guess I'll get my chance at the excellent heroes another day...) Then, alongside Sophia (who I didn't pull here, but did elsewhere), I now have Barst and Barte filling up my roster. Sophia is at least useful for Dragon Fang and Fortify RES while Barst can be sacked for Spur Atk, but Barte's Brash Assault is useless. Come on, give me Frederick or Sheena instead of Barte and Barst! Give me an optimized Fir instead of Sophia (and some Henry and Hinata so they can be sacrificed)! As for the actual pull, I am still unsure what to do with my Y!Tiki. It may be one of her better natures, but I am tempted to sacrifice her to my Adult Tiki so A!Tiki can get Flametongue+ for one of my planned builds. (She will still need Distant Counter and Quick Riposte, making this sacrifice a bit risky and uncertain, but I do prefer A!Tiki to Y!Tiki.) Then for Stahl, I got some use out of an older version on one of my old Cavalry runs, but I ended up sacking him. I may try running Defiant SPD and either Ignis or Bonfire on him and see how well that goes. He may even want a different weapon besides the Ruby Sword. * * * * * Past Pulls

The reason I state this is because when I was researching it... 1. I read somewhere a player used Seliph and Brash Assault saved the dude's life. 2. The game automatically pre-calculates the effects of Brash Assault when doing the combat forecast. (This entire thing is a link, click me!) However, looking over it again, it was probably a false alarm and I just remembered it "working" instead of the finer details that went about testing it there. As for me, I never tested it myself and got rid of my only Seliph. I do have a Barte I can try to mess around with, but finding the proper conditions will be hard... EDIT: Test Conditions for Brash Assault Barte HP: 36 || Activation HP: 14 HP (Brash Assault 2 || 40%) Barte SPD: 22 S!Flier Speed: 31 1. Barte (34-> 10 || 14 ATT) vs Sword Flier (32 ->18 || 12x2 ATT) -- Result: No Mid-Combat Brash Assault 2. Barte (9 -> 0 || 11x2 ATT) vs Sword Flier (32 ->18 || 7x2 ATT) -- Result: Brash Assault Active, Low HP when Initiating For 3, I had Azama heal Barte instead of taking the attack at 2. The Fire Balm (inherited) activated, which is why there is an attack increase. 3. Barte (34-> 10 || 14 ATT) vs Sword Flier (32 ->18 || 7x2 ATT) -- Result: Brash Assault Lost, HP now above 40% when Initiating. * * * * * Looks like it's busted and Brash Assault is as useless as ever. It requires the HP to be below 50% (BA 3) at the start of combat and does not activate in the middle of combat (like all other skills). = = = = = @Katrisa It sucks that Healers get locked out from a lot of skills. They do less damage due to their special modifier, can't access skills that would make them useful (Pain + Poison Strike, Slow + Seal Atk) or even mess around with offensive skills for entertainment (Luna or Sol on a Healer.)

Haven't had a productive week, but I did get some other stuff done... First, I updated the Google Spreadsheet a bit with some more builds, so feel free to give it a look if you are interested in the builds themselves with minimal explanations (write-ups take a while, and that's on a good day..) Second, I'm posting part of @BANRYU's request on how to make Brash Assault, Guard, Obstruct, Windsweep, and Watersweep useful. For now, I only have Brash Assault and Guard fully written out, with the rest receiving a mini-writeup with (maybe, hopefully) a proper one to come "Soon™" Brash Assault Brash Assault - Unit automatically makes a follow-up when at HP ≤ 50% and attacking a foe that can counter. Note: Citation needed for mid-combat activation. Brash Assault does not trigger mid-combat. I find Brash Assault to be best used on units with High ATT but are naturally slow, like Chrom, Cherche, and Lilina. Thing is, since Brash Assault only trigger under 50% HP and requires the user to attack a target that can counter, it also requires the unit to be rather bulky and survive hits when under 50% health. So, for Brash Assault to be effective, it needs… 1. High ATT 2. Low SPD 3. Less than 50% HP (at max rank) 4. Attack an enemy that can counter so it can trigger. It does not trigger on the defense. … makes it an extremely niche skill. Brash Assault is best utilized when using triangle advantage and maybe even against the same color. However, using BA for when one has triangle advantage may be overkill (and Triangle Adept is a better candidate – do you want to be screwed over by the opposite color or have a skill that may not always work when under 50% health?) Then, when fighting against the same color a (weapon)breaker skill is far more useful. Despite this, Quick Riposte is superior since units are more likely to be near full health (especially with a healer) instead of half health or lower for Brash Assault. The only saving grace with Brash Assault is that it can trigger mid-combat, so if an enemy defender knocks your character below 50% in a battle, your hero will trigger Brash Assault and get a follow-up on the attack. [Neutral Chrom will likely overkill Greens with Brash Assault due to his high ATT, or may not even need the follow up attack. When facing Reds, say Neutral Lucina, Chrom will still end up taking 19 damage before finishing off Lucina. The fact Neutral Chrom needs to have 22 HP or lower makes Brash Assault extremely situational, unless he manages to trigger it mid-combat if he has 20-41 HP going in.] Of course, it works well on Lyn because she is the only character capable of also running Desperation because of her weapon, so Lyn will double any melee attacker she runs into. That combined with her innate Defiant Atk makes her rather dangerous when she has low Health, but she is the only exception to Brash Assault. Overall, Brash Assault is mostly useless. Outside of Lyn, I dare say Brash Assault is the most useless skill in the game since it requires so many conditions to utilize properly. Guard Guard - If unit's HP is ≥ 80% at start of combat, enemy is inflicted with Special cooldown charge-1. (If using similar skill, only highest value applied.) Guard is an odd one, but can be considered useful for teams that prefer to outlast their opponents instead of nuking them down (Thing is, Glass Cannon metas always seem to be a thing…) Off the top of my head, I can see Guard being extremely useful in countering units that love running Moonbow and units that run Killer Weapons. It is also good at shutting down enemies more reliant on their skills to deal damage, such as Niles, Felicia, and Henry. To best use Guard, the unit in question should be… 1. Fast – If the unit is slow, Guard can still help, but fast units get the most benefit as they are not doubled. 2. Defensive – Having high HP, DEF, and RES are preferred. Of course, as most units tend to specialize in either DEF or RES instead of both, pick your battles wisely. Some Heroes that are good with Guard are Titania (who comes with it innately), Selena, Erika, Shanna, and Catria. Just know that if the unit is fast and has “good” survivability, chances are they are sacrificing their ATT power so they may not be able to take out the enemy. * * * * * Mini Write Up- Obstruct, Windsweep, Watersweep Obstruct - Prevents foes from moving through adjacent spaces while this unit's HP ≥ 50%. (No effect on foes with a Pass skill.) In a world of glass cannons, who will protect these glasses from cracking? In the world of Heroes, it would be another glass cannon as if the opposition is dead, then they can't attack you! However, maybe 4 glass cannons will be too much, 3 + a defensive unit may work better. This is where Obstruct comes in. Honestly, I don't use Obstruct, but there have been cases where "I need to kill (x), but this unit is in the way and I can't get rid of that unit to get to (x)." The biggest draw here is to safeguard squishy characters, such as glass cannons, with a hero that can actually take some hits. Off the top of my head, I can see Xander using Obstruct well with a glass cannon team (Xander, Hana, Nino, Linde) since Xander can retaliate at range and has physical bulk despite being slow. He also has an extra movement point being a cavalry unit, which helps him maneuver to block the path of foes. // Now, in regards to Xander's weakness to magic, the girls should be able to nuke the potential threats to Xander while Xander safeguards them from harm. Then the girls proceed to nuke the rest of the map. Watersweep - If unit initiates attack, no follow-up occurs. Against foe with magic, staff or dragonstone, if unit’s Spd - foe’s Spd ≥ 1, foe can’t counterattack. 1. Pointless against staffies, they deal next to no damage anyway. Maybe useful against Pain users in extremely niche situations. 2. Can be somewhat useful for Falchion users on Dragonslayer duty, especially against Nowi. Still fairly niche though. 3. Usually mages are attacked in melee, and melee users will want to double. The alternative is that mages are lured to attack a ranged unit for retaliation. Using a ranged unit to attack a ranged unit is a niche situation in my opinion, and chances are the player wants the mage dead and not wounded since many characters have poor RES. In essence, Watersweep is another niche skill. I can see it becoming more prominent if lots of mages start running Close Counter, but until that day, melee units clear out mages just fine. Windsweep - If unit initiates attack, no follow-up occurs. Against foe with sword, lance, axe, bow, or dagger, if unit’s Spd - foe’s Spd ≥ 1, foe can’t counterattack. It's nice for chip damage and countering Vantage or Quick Riposte users (Vantage Ryoma and Hector come to mind), but otherwise the general consensus is to kill the opponent and not deal chip damage. The problem with Windsweep is that it requires... 1. A unit with high ATT 2. A unit with high SPD ...to be used right. Thing is, units with high SPD like to double things, and if they do not double things, then what is the purpose of being speedy? Maybe if one is trying to use a speedy unit as an "HP Tank," then Windsweep may be useful (high SPD + HP is better than low SPD + a poor DEF or RES stat), but such units tend to have low ATT power. Also, when placed on a melee unit, it makes attacking bows and daggers counterproductive as they will not be able to counter anyway. (Bonus) Firesweep - Unit and enemies cannot use counterattacks (currently only found on the Firesweep Bow, Faye's weapon). If Firesweep was a skill, it would automatically make Windsweep and Watersweep almost invalid. Think of it like the skill Desperation, but instead of an HP threshold to activate, the unit simply can not counter. So, getting x2 or x4 hits on an enemy, "for free" at the cost of not being able to counter is extremely powerful when used properly on the player phase. Add a dancer or a buff blade team to the mix, and Firesweep can easily become the new meta as whoever has Firesweep must be taken down immediately or else suffer losses. (The alternative is to field a proper tank to lure the individual, then dispatch of the troublemaker.) So, suffer losses if the Firesweep Unit attacks you or suffer losses by charging in to take out the troublesome unit, leaving your team exposed to the rest of the opposing team. While I like Skill Inheritance, I would not mind seeing "banned Arena skills" become a thing should Firesweep ever become an actual skill...

One of these days I'll get around to the actual Visual Novel and its sidestories...

This treads into the more competitive, "I want to be the best" mentality, and of course optimal natures (and skill builds) will matter there. What I meant by saying "No" in the long run was for the general playerbase of Heroes. The true answer to everything will always be on a case-by-case basis as there is never a single-overarching answer. If players are having fun optimizing their characters to become the very best, then go for it.

I guess for the most part I like Ike, Hector, and Ephraim the most, as they are the resident bad***es that fight when they need to and are straight to the point. As for a possible ideal lord, I want the same "blunt, fighter" Lord who has a strong sense of honor and pride. This will prove to be his downfall as he leads his army into an actual suicide mission where they get slaughtered by the enemy, but the Lord is taken captive (which is far more humiliating for him / her than death.) Then, some time later, he is freed as the lord was supposed to be "one of the best commanders around" (or perhaps the only "good" commander left) and has to find redemption and peace while trying to lead yet another army to ultimate victory. // In essence, one can say there are two major groups (or generations if one wants to go that far) of characters, where the majority of the first being killed off in the suicide mission. The survivors will have varying opinions on the Lord (some may feel sympathetic, others may think he is arrogant, while others just want to keep on fighting the good fight.)

For me, I get into a mix-max mentality and want to do things "in the most efficient manner" so I do not waste time. Now, it can be said I have minor OCD and I am self-aware that my "efficient / completionist" mentality is not always a healthy one or always promotes "fun over efficiency," but that is how it is. For some examples when I use Natures... 1. Choosing between two units with different natures. I have two Kageros, a 5* version and a 4* version. 4-Star Kagero has a "perfect nature" (+ATT, -DEF), while the 5* version does not. So, I use the 5* Kagero to learn some skills (Poison Strike 3, Moonbow, and maybe Savage Blow when I can find one...) to eventually merge on to my 4* Kagero when she finally unlocks her potential and becomes a 5* unit. So, not only does my chosen Kagero "inherit" the skills the 5* version did, she will have them already learned and get the merge bonus as well! Then, my chosen Kagero will have extra SP to use (mostly for Life and Death and an Assist Skill), and doesn't need to worry about learning Poison Dagger+ since she learned it already from the merging process. ----- Of course, the alternative is simply using the undesired unit for skill inheritance fodder, passing on skills to different units. If there are no real useful skills on that unit or I happen to really, really dislike said character, then they can be retired for the meager amount of feathers. Previously, this happened with Subaki, Hinata, Donnel, and surplus Healers, but as of late I've been hoarding characters because one never knows when they will be useful (or required for a quest - curse you Subaki!). 2. Brand new unit with an undesirable nature. They hit the bench. I have no reason to train them up unless I need unlock their potentials for skill inheritance. The only exception to this rule is if that unit happens to be a favorite character of mine and I have no alternatives. Personal examples are Fir, F!Corrin, and M!Robin. They all have subpar natures, but I am training them anyway because I love the characters. (It also helps later when the whole Skill Inheritance thing.) 3. Brave Weapons and the Speed Benchmark 99% of the time, Brave Weapon users will want +ATT and never want -ATT as their nature as the extra +3/+4 ATT (+6/+8 in combat) can go a long way to secure a kill. Then, I consider 32 SPD to be the "benchmark" as it prevents Neutral Lucina and Neutral Linde from doubling. If characters can get or bypass 32 SPD, I highly recommend it as doubling and preventing enemies from doubling you is extremely important in Heroes. The only time a person will want a -SPD Bane is if they are really slow in the first place, or go so fast that they do not need the extra SPD (usually there is a specific build in mind if there is a -SPD hero.) Another time to want a +SPD Boon is when a character can get +4 from the Boon instead of the +3, like Azama. If the hero can get over 30 SPD, I would do so. A +SPD Azama with the +3 SPD passive will have 33 SPD instead, 7 more SPD than Neutral Azama! * * * * * However, despite all this, do natures really matter in the long run? No. At the end of the day, Fire Emblem Heroes is a video game. There is no need to stress oneself over getting what is optimal or not. Just gather all of your favorite characters together, poke at them in the stats screen, and have fun. Would it be nice if your favorite character had optimal natures? Sure. But the character alone should be enough. If one gets far too focused on the numbers and not the characters, then I doubt one will get far enjoying Fire Emblem Heroes.

I tend to run Ephraim, Erika, Nino, and a Bonus Character (otherwise Ryoma). Depending on what Bonus I use, I'll swap in Ryoma and Sharena if needed. 1. Ephraim is a physical tank, especially against Swords. 2. Erika (does not have Distant Counter, Renewal, or Iceberg yet) provides buffs for Nino and helps against Greens. 3. Nino nukes everything and and helps deal with Lindes and Reinhardts. S1. Ryoma is my anti-everything, especially Takumi and Green Mages. // I probably should use a different skill besides Astra, but I haven't bothered with it yet. S2. Sharena (no Fury or Renewal yet) is more of a "faster, offensive" Ephraim in taking out Reds and Blues. Ephraim +DEF, -RES Siegmund Moonbow Rally Resistance* Defiant DEF* Swordbreaker* Threaten DEF Erika +SPD, -HP Sieglinde Iceberg* Rally Defense* Distant Counter* Renewal* Hone SPD Ryoma +SPD, -ATT Raikinto Astra Swap* Defiant ATT Vantage* Hone SPD Nino +SPD, -RES Gronnblade+ Draconic Aura* Draw Back Fury* Desperation* Breath of Life* Sharena +N/A, -N/A Fensalir Luna* Rally Attack Fury* Renewal* Fortify DEF * * * * * Now, my dream team is Ryoma, Takumi, Azura, and a random character (maybe Nino or M!Robin?), but I still do not have a Takumi or an Azura yet...

Still trying to figure out which Wylfred that is supposed to be. I'm guess the Neutral route, as he is not as bloodthirsty and sacrificing everyone on the "evil route," but he also does not seem to be going for repentance either with the "good route." Otherwise, it looks good! My memory of Valkyrie Profile: CotP is hazy though, but I think the stuff suits Wylfred fairly well.

Before Skill Inheritance was a thing, I was usually sent home Subaki and Hinata as I did not care much for them. Nowadays though, I tend to keep everybody. When my Barracks starts to overflow, then I'll start thinking about sending home some people, but otherwise everyone has a purpose. (Currently sitting at 134 / 200 Heroes,)

Where was the interview talking about the game in terms of "seasons?" I think this is the first I've heard about it, and at this point I sincerely wonder if there will be any "expansions" or giant roster additions. So far, we never got a new 3* hero since release (aside from quests and Grand Hero Battles). All the new Focus heroes are either 5* exclusive or can be pulled at as a 4*. // I really want to see the 3* roster expanded - if "main lords" such as M!Robin and Eliwood can be pulled as a 3*, I wouldn't mind seeing other popular picks pullable at that rarity as well (such as some of the Fates royals or a 3* Roy.)

So, I've been thinking about Banners as of late since the number of "Main Lords" are slowly dwindling. I think all that is left is... FE 2, 15 - Celica (Coming Soon™) FE 4 - (1st Gen? Not too familiar with Genealogy) FE 5 - Leif & Company FE 10 - Micaiah and the Dawn Brigade (One can argue for Elincia, but then that opens up the entire Tellius roster due to all the different nations and such.) Then for other banners... Choose Your Legends Banner (hopefully before FE: Warriors [in the Fall], at least before Christmas) Fire Emblem Warriors (full of the OCs that will no doubt come from that game.) Summer Festival Banner (I am certain this will be a thing in July, swimsuits for everyone!) Halloween Banner (Given that Christmas and Easter is celebrated, I am expecting Halloween outfits.) Christmas Banner (We already have a Christmas Robin and Tharja, so I expect them to be a thing.) So, that is 9 banners, or about 4.5 months worth of banner content for the rest of the year. I wonder what will be put in in the meantime for the other 2.5 slots. Fire Emblem: Switch is not until 2018, so I guess Heroes will simply put in characters from existing titles once again like with the previous banners? Personally, I am really hoping to see more Sacred Stones representation. I want to see Seth, Duessel, Marisa, and L'arachel in Heroes! Anyways, what do you guys think? Will 2017 flesh out the rest of the main lords and include seasonal banners, or will we simply see a return to adding characters from older titles?