Shanty Pete's 1st Mate
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Posts posted by Shanty Pete's 1st Mate
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12 minutes ago, Acacia Sgt said:
In Chapter 20, Griss willingly gives up his ring (though not before still fighting them, at least) so he can see Alear reawaken it and confirm their growing suspicions that Alear is, in fact, a Fell Dragon.
Fair point on this one, I didn't remember.
12 minutes ago, Acacia Sgt said:In Chapter 19, they actually stop Marni and Mauvier from fleeing right away, so they take the rings off them (like how it was done to Ivy all the way back in Chapter 8).
Okay, but like - how does this work, mechanically-speaking? How were we able to take Ivy's Ring, but not take her into custody? After Hortensia retained her Ring upon defeat, in the prior chapter, I assumed that's just how it'd go. So when Ivy lost hers, it came across as arbitrary. Did she drop it? Did someone on our side sneak it off her hand? Is she stupid? Why do Marni and Mauvier surrender their Rings, knowing they'll be punished for doing so?
Perhaps I'm being too harsh, or else failing to remember something that was well-explained. But I can never recall an instance where, after defeating (but not killing, capturing, or recruiting) an enemy, and getting their Ring, I thought "that makes sense, narratively speaking".
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10 hours ago, Jotari said:
The main reason we fight the hounds so often is that they're the enemies using the Emblems against the player.
They don't need to be. In chapter 11, they're perfectly willing to give Emblem support to total randos. They could've done the same, or else invented other enemy characters to wield the Emblem Rings. Hell, maybe make a "12 Rings" organization of named enemies, each of whom has an affinity with a particular ring? The Four Hounds could be a subset of them, or their internal leaders.
10 hours ago, Jotari said:And the player doesn't reclaim the lost Emblems every time they fight the Hounds. Because they want to have the player keep fighting Emblem enemies. So the bosses using the Emblems need to be able to get away.
See, this was frustrating. If a boss dies, it makes sense that they'd drop the Ring, and you'd get it. But the goddamn Hounds never. Fucking. Die. Why can't they take the Ring with them whenever they lose? Why do you ever get it back, if you haven't killed them? This story wasn't even trying.
1 hour ago, Dark Holy Elf said:I'm a bit ambivalent to having bosses you fight multiple times. I think it can serve a good story purpose, but at a certain point it tends to get a bit ridiculous. I'm pretty happy with the encounters with the Death Knight with the exception of the VW/SS bit where you fight him in two consecutive maps near the end, but I agree the Hounds definitely got tiring.
See, I think his appearance at Remire just came out of nowhere. He's just kind of a "hurry up!" feature that most players can completely ignore. Hell, you don't need to visit that side of the map to begin with. It's cool gameplay-wise, to get a couple Crescent Sickles, but they could've easily added those to chapter 6 instead. I'd drop his appearance here, and maybe put a Demonic Beast in his place, if you need a threat.
On 1/7/2024 at 2:55 PM, Fire Emblem Fan said:Well I guess my next unpopular opinion is that I don't think he looks super cool, and I don't think he's any more intimidating or compelling than someone like Nergal, Gharnef, or Arvis.
Hm, I've never thought of Arvis as "intimidating". Azelle does, but as his brother, it makes sense. The game does a great job of showing him off as "powerful" and "commanding" from the Prologue, where he can roast enemy Brigands alive. But in that sense, he's more like Pent - and while I see Pent as respectable, even formidable, he's not intimidating.
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2 hours ago, Eltosian Kadath said:
The multi-part chapter 17 of Path of Radiance did something similar to that. Each part lets you add 2 reinforcement units, which you chose from the menu between each part, and arrive on turn three of that part of the map.
Path of Radiance also includes Tanith's Reinforce skill, which summons a couple NPCs to aid in the battle.
Anyway, more maps like PoR-17 would be really cool to see in the future. I could even imagine a Genealogy remake doing something along these lines, if they're not keeping strictly to the "big maps" paradigm.
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On 1/4/2024 at 8:28 PM, Jotari said:
We only get textual confirmation of Witches, but, if I'm right, I think some of the cantor's dialogue in the Japanese version is rendered in katakana which is Japanese short hand for possessed speak, suggesting they don't have souls either.
On 1/4/2024 at 8:20 PM, Samz707 said:Well, it's worth keeping in mind that there are forms of possession that don't include soul-death. Like, what Tatarrah does to Delthea before you recruit her. Of course, killing Tatarrah frees Delthea from the control... so when Duma is killed, are the remaining Witches freed? Do they die as well? Or lead a soulless life? Makes you wonder...
On 1/5/2024 at 6:46 PM, Samz707 said:GIves random woman evil powers, refuses to elaborate and never even show up on screen.
Honestly bugs me that the SOV post-game is dedicated to Grima instead of Medusa now.
They tried to make it about Medusa, but it wound up bricking the 3DS. Whole system turned to stone.
22 hours ago, Shaky Jones said:Oh uh, my unpopular opinion is that the Thracia remake should have an avatar. Specifically so the player can wake up from a coma and go "Urrghh...where am I....what year is it?", to which Finn pulls you up and says "It is Thracia, 776.
"Written and Directed by Shouzou Kaga"
On 1/4/2024 at 8:47 PM, Fire Emblem Fan said:The Black Knight is fine, but not this amazing-super-great antagonist or anything.
I think people like him more for his style than his substance. He's undeniably intimidating and cool, without looking over-designed or "tryhard". He's also shown as actually powerful in gameplay - in most appearances, a nigh-undefeatable force. This stuff makes him compelling, regardless of his personality or motivations.
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It's starting to feel like turning beloved, child-friendly characters into horrific killers is about the laziest thing you can do with them. Maybe it was subversive at one time, but nowadays, they're becoming a dime a dozen (and that's after accounting for inflation). I, for one, am not looking forward to "Bugs Bunny captures and tortures Elmer Fudd, the movie, in live-action".
12 hours ago, Jotari said:It most certainly wouldn't happen, but I'd be pretty thrilled if New Zealand brazenly gave the middle finger to the Tolkien estate and made a big budget adaptation of The Silmarillian.
Who, exactly, would be making it? Only Kiwis? The Peter Jackson films were international endeavors. And would they even be able to advertise and release it in international markets? Or would everyone have to set their VPNs to metro Auckland to get a glimpse on obscure-streaming-service-of-the-week?
Obviously, I'm no expert on copyright law. And at some level, everything comes down to whoever has the better lawyers. But it's hard to see this as a winning, money-making formula. And that's without getting into the question of whether it would be artistically sound.
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Disappointment of the year: Fire Emblem Engage. No, it's not an awful game, and there are certainly things it got right. But honestly, I just got exhausted with it. Both in story, and in gameplay. When I don't want to play a game anymore... what's the point?
(Old) Game of the Year: OG Paper Mario. Not my first timevplaying it, but my first time beating it. I grew up with TTYD, so I feared the original would be strictly worse. But honestly, it stands very well on its own. An inspired game that changed what "Mario" could be.
Game if the Year, by Default: F-Zero 99. This is literally the only new game I've played this year that I want to go back to. It's a lot of fun, and fulfills the "skill-based grown-up driving game" itch that kart racers don't always scratch.
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I think there are definitely "degrees" to consider. It's not a dichotomy between "Let's be besties with Daein" and "Let's declare war and destroy Daein".
Ludveck seems too savvy to enter into a war that will cost more Crimean blood and threaten his own popularity. Rather, I see him taking a bit of a "cold war" approach. Expel Daein nationals still in Crimea. Close the border - maybe tear down pitfall bridge itself. Put an embargo on trade, and only relent once Daein pays sufficient "reparations". Maybe go to Begnion, as their "suzerain" state, to try to force the ineffectual Prince Pelleas' hand. All the while, building the Crimean army back up for a "rainy day".
It's possible that war will come, but it certainly won't be Ludveck's first priority, nor his initial tactic.
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On 1/1/2024 at 8:49 AM, Cdijk16 said:
I am using Thany/Shanna consistently and use Zeiss if I have 14 or more deployment slots. Both my Zeiss and Shanna are promoted as well(they were both promoted at level 10)(my Shanna has been given an Angelic Robe and a Dracoshield as well). I am strongly considering giving one of my Boots to Shanna, but I'm not sure on Zeiss since he's one of my weaker units. They're both good choices for Boots though since it would improve their Rescue-dropping abilities a lot, which is the main reason I use them.
Since you have invested in Shanna, I think Boots would be a great choice for her. If I'm not mistaken, she has the highest Aid of any flying unit. This can come in handy if you're using any higher-Con combat units. Plus, more-mobile fliers are just great in general.
On 1/1/2024 at 8:49 AM, Cdijk16 said:I meant to say I had 4 Boots left over AFTER giving 5 of them to Perceval, Alan, Rutger, Lalum and Lance. I'm going to take your advice and give one to Melady, Shanna and Roy.
All sound like very solid picks!
On 1/1/2024 at 8:49 AM, Cdijk16 said:I was thinking of giving it to Klein since he can use Murgleis and the last 3 chapters are full of enemies Bows and the Murgleis are good against. The members of my Ch22 roster that have not yet received boots are: Cecilia, Clarine(promoted), Echidna(can use Armads), Niime, Zeiss, Klein(can use Murgleis), Yodel and Fa. Thanks for the advice!
I like the idea of Klein, since he's moreso suited to player-phase action, whereas other combat units (Echidna, Niime, Rutger) can do great just dropped onto a Forest or Mountain tile. Fa could actually work to this end, too, since she does a ton of damage to enemy Manaketes, but isn't particularly safe taking damage from them.
My one other thought is, a higher-move staffbot could enable Rescue staff strats that wouldn't be possible otherwise. Of course, that also depends on their Magic stat being high enough.
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I'm a fan of at least one pair of Boots on your refresher. It really opens your options up on player-phase.
Another possibility is Roy. Sure, your mounted units can carry him most places. But with every map a Seize, being able to do so from further away is always welcome.
Finally, are you running any other fliers? Zeiss or the Pegasus Knights? They have much higher Aid than Miledy, which lets them transport more units around.
Obligatory "I have not played hard mode and am speaking based on my normal mode experience" disclaimer.
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On 11/30/2023 at 1:36 AM, Jotari said:
If they did give us Archanea Saga, one would have to wonder, would they faithfully adapt the medium it was in, or would we just get the maps. And if the latter, is there even much point if New Mystery exists in the same bundle? Unlike the other remakes I don't think there's anything different about them when it comes to core gameplay (other than the timed and rewind aspect).
Yeah, you're probably right about that. "BSFE but played like a normal Fire Emblem title" wouldn't be representative of the original experience. And it would be much more work than a simple port job.
On 10/26/2023 at 4:47 PM, Zapp Branniglenn said:Vol 1: FE1, 2, 6, 7, Awakening
Vol 2: FE3, 8, 9, 10, Echoes
Vol 3: FE4, 5, 11, 12, Fates
This is my favorite, if they're not doing my proposed "break it up by region", and not doing Switch games. You have a way to play the FE1 story in each one, with each having just one 3DS title. I could see Echoes and Fates swapping (since Sacred Stones is already very "Gaiden-like"), but it's not as though they have to.
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Thanks Tiki, Tiki, and Jotari. Happy New Year to you too.
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18 hours ago, Acacia Sgt said:
So between VR/TB, Cog of Destiny, and the last Kishuna chapter, it would be possible to have Nils reach an A support before the final map(s). Well, maybe, as CoD would be limited in turns for reaching the Kishuna chapter.
I think you mean "Victory or Death". Ninian is playable in "Cog of Destiny", which comes before the chapter where you get a legendary weapon.
Anyway, my answer is Rath. He joins shortly after Nils in Lyn's Story, and then later, he shows up on the "Protect Nils" map. A perfect match! As for content, perhaps Rath could teach him about the music of Sacae? They probably have their own instruments and traditions.
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1 hour ago, Jotari said:
Why assume he didn't? Bad guys end up with Tyfing in the end, so he didn't leave it with Shannan or anything. And despite what it might seem like, Sigurd's sprite does not vanish after getting hit by Valflame. So presumably it was all those Generals standing around Sigurd who got the kill and not Alvis. We actually do see the fight itself in the opening demo.
Reviewing that battle, it's actually problematic for a few reasons:
1. Sigurd only has 10 Resistance. But he has a base of 3, and Tyrfing gives +20. It is literally impossible for him to have less than 23 Res in such a case.
2. Arvis's attack, defense, and hit rate are all unlisted. As a practical matter, though, he does 48 damage, which means he must have 58 Attack power. Valflame has 30 Might, and grants +10 Magic, so Arvis must have 18 Magic. Which would be 12 points lower than the 30 he had in the prologue.
2b. Interestingly, if Arvis had the proper power, and Sigurd the proper (minimal) Res, then Valflame would do... 47 damage. So it's a reasonable outcome, that they got to in the wrong way.
3. 59 attack power on Sigurd is 4 more than his Strength cap, but he could totally have the Power Ring in hand, so this one gets a pass.
4. Valflame has a Weight of 15, and provides no Speed boost. So, Arvis's Speed of 30 is reduced to an effective AS of 15. Tyrfing has a Weight of 7, but provides +10 Speed, giving it an effective weight of -3. Sigurd isn't shown doubling, meaning his AS must be 15 or lower. So, his Speed stat must be 12 or lower. Sigurd starts out with exactly 12 Speed, so the only case in which he doesn't double is, he hasn't leveled up Speed (30%) once, in twenty-five levels-up. Technically possible, but astronomically improbable.
5. Sigurd actually overly damages Arvis. With 59 Attack power, he does 45 damage, meaning Arvis must have 14 Defense. In the prologue, he has 8 Defense... but Valflame grants +10. At a minimum, he must have 18 Defense, so Tyrfing should only deal 41 damage at most.
So, did Kaga intend that Sigurd did, in fact, bring Tyrfing to Belhalla? Almost certainly yes. Could the battle have proceeded as it's depicted in the intro crawl? In broad strokes, yes, but the numbers are off, and it's exceedingly improbable. Why would Arvis attack Sigurd at melee range, when he could step back and avoid the counter? And why isn't Sigurd doubling, when he almost certainly has the stats to do so? Any melee combat that a 60 HP, less-than-20 Defense Arvis initiates against a 59-Attack Tyrfing Sigurd who has gained a single point of Speed, is going to end in a dead Arvis. ...Unless Arvis procs Adept.
2 hours ago, RPGuy96 said:This I definitely agree with. The people making a huge mistake in Chapter 5 are Quan and Ethlin. Sigurd has no particular reason to distrust Arvis and plenty of reasons to think he's friendly.
"Imagine, being a cavalry unit in a desert chapter."
THIS COMMENT MADE BY
MAGE AND FLIER GANG
3 hours ago, Fire Emblem Fan said:I'll expand a little further and say that all three house leaders in Three Houses (even Claude) is in the running for dumbest, because that entire game would be solved if even ONE of them had simply said "Hey, this is what I know about these events. What do you know?" and they just...shared their info.
Claude: "Hey, I'm the Prince of Almyra."
Edelgard: "Hey, I know the secret dark history of the Church and it's rulers."
Dimitri: "Hey... I'm telling!"
Both Claude and Edelgard have serious reasons to distrust Rhea, so it would be phenomenally stupid of them to reveal their secrets to each other - and much less to the goody-two-shoes, pre-skip Dimitri. Unless their plan is to get put under surveillance, thrown out of the Academy, or perhaps even imprisoned.
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2 hours ago, Etrurian emperor said:
That Arvis would then doublecross Sigurd isn't something he could rightfully have expected, especially since Arvis acted out of personal motives Sigurd could never have been aware of.
Valflame-hot take, but Sigurd isn't stupid for anything people call him stupid for. Instead, he's stupid for showing up at Belhalla without Tyrfing. Had he brought the sword, it would provide him enough of a resistance boost to survive Arvis' attack and defeat him in turn.
2 hours ago, lenticular said:In conclusion: Edelgard orders Kostas to kill Edelgard, without seeming to have any sort of plan to prevent this, and only survives due to ridiculous luck. Edelgard is the dumbest girl.
I wonder - did Edelgard imagine she would be among the "noble brats" whom Kostas was targeting? The game never explains how the three of them wound up together, separated from any other students or teachers. It's hard ro envision, say, Dedue leaving Dimitri's side, without a very good reason. So what gives?
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Hardest: Radiant Dawn. You start out as orphans, and you end up killing God(dess).
Easiest: FE7. There isn't an actual war happening, and while Nergal is powerful, he's not the sanest of foes. Plus, you get aid from a Living Legend - oh, as well as Athos, one of the Eight Heroes of the Scouring. Dude probably dispatched dozens of "Final Boss Fire Dragons" on his own.
11 minutes ago, SnowFire said:I feel that saying "Sure, they lost, but it was just because of the betrayal" is like saying after an American football game "Sure, we lost, but it was only because of the turnover."
Wouldn't it be more comparable to a running back taking the ball, turning around, and scoring for the other team? This isn't any sort of "blunder", but a premeditated act of sabotage. Mind you, I don't know if this has any bearing whatsoever on how "hard" or "easy" their journey is.
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Dumbest Lord is Edelgard, based on Chapter 11. Picture this - you want to steal the Crest Stones, which are locked in the Holy Tomb. You also have a disguise, and a seemingly-unfettered ability to warp yourself. Do you A) Break in during the one day of the year when the continent's most powerful political figure, and the wielder of the ultimate legendary weapon, are there; or B) Break in on any of the other 364 days of the year? Even if Edelgard couldn't warp down there without visiting beforehand, she could just... join Teach on their field trip there. Hell, everyone would expect that to happen on BE routes, since she's in Teach's class. Why not show up, take a mental inventory of the stones, and do a quick "warp in, snatch em up, warp out" a week later? And while we're at it, how about not bringing monsters and Metodey, when you say you "really don't want to hurt your classmates"?
30 minutes ago, Alastor15243 said:Are we including the stupidity the writers are forcing onto Byleth and Alear for their perpetual refusal to use their nigh-unfettered mastery over space and time to keep people from dying because the writers somehow think the rewind mechanic needs an in-universe explanation?
Teach is actually the smartest Lord, for letting Rodrigue stay dead. It was necessary to break Dimitri out of his funk. Turnwheel there, and he'll never ocercome his desire for revenge.
(Also for letting Jeralt stay dead, because otherwise he'd turn into one of the White Beasts when Rhea goes berserk, and that would be really messed-up, wouldn't it?)
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Finally, Nintendo is trying their hand at a Strand-type game.
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Also, I think "Njöran" has a typo. Per the wiki, at least, her name should be "Njörun".
Looks great otherwise!
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1 hour ago, BrightBow said:
Like some sort of hero of shadows.
So that's it, huh? We some kinda... Heroes of Light and Shadow?
On 12/12/2023 at 12:58 AM, Jotari said:I would like to answer that question one way or another, but Medeus has such a comically underdeveloped answer that basically any answer would be head canon. The closest we can get to a source on his feelings is that he displays no reluctance to kill Nagi in his battle quote with her.
Too true. Admittedly, in that case, Nagi is the one bringing the fight to him. Had he met the Divine Dragon on more amicable terms, perhaps he'd have tried to create an alliance?
Medeus is undercooked regardless. Less a character, than a force of nature.
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As a result of full voice acting plus renameable avatar, Jeralt never once called his child by their name.
Burn it all down.
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On 12/15/2023 at 6:36 PM, Jotari said:
Again, fighting enemies with a crit rate yourself is a higher risk than Pent dying on normal mode.
Yes, but, let's say Raven dies to an unlikely hit (and crit) from Paul. That sucks, you've lost a great unit. However, there are other units you can train and build. You'll still be able to finish out the chapter, at least.
Let's say Pent dies, instead. That's it. The run's over. You'll need to replay like a dozen or so chapters to get to where you were. Have fun with that.
Like, I don't think anyone is seriously suggesting using a "Game Over condition" unit - Lyn, Eliwood, or Hector - to fight a boss that has crit against them on an Ironmode run.
On 12/15/2023 at 6:36 PM, Jotari said:My comment is that even at the 1% unlikely outcome, you can still use Physic to heal him.
This requires not only that the player actually got the member card, but also that they are aware of the Secret Shops. And that they have the funds to buy Physic. And that they have someone with B-rank Staves at the moment. None of this is guaranteed, particularly for a relatively unfamiliar player doing an Ironman.
21 hours ago, Kirby1up said:So ran into a bit of a conundrum in my run. corrin ended up getting killed during chapter 11. (as well as back in chapter 5)
Ah, sorry to hear that. Up to you what you want to do next. In a "hard ironman", you'd start over from scratch, or switch to a new game. But if you're "soft ironmanning", then it's up to you what self-imposed penalties (knowingly letting another unit die? tossing some valuable items or weapons?) you inflict. Or you could just... keep playing with no penalty, IDK.
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Part II: What Do Legendary Weapons Have in Common?
Hello, again! Let me start by saying that I appreciate all the discussion we’ve had thus far. There’s clearly a lot to talk about, when it comes to legendary weapons, and I hope to provide material and analysis that continues to pique folks’ interest.
All that said, for this second entry, I have a particular format in mind. Namely, considering the legendary weapons we’ve already discussed, I’d like to come up with a handful of “hypotheses” about what traits they might have in common. From there, we can compare against other legendary weapon candidates throughout the series, and pass some sort of judgement. Does the hypothesis hold true across the board? Is it more of a “general trend”, that not all candidates need adhere to? Or is it totally ill-conceived, and worthy of being thrown into the trash? Let’s begin!
Observation: In the Archanea games, all weapons have durability. When they hit 0, they break. …Well, all weapons except 1, that is. That’s right, the Falchion is unbreakable. Neither the Archanean Regalia, nor the renowned Starlight tome, share this trait. In fact, excepting Dragonstones in FE1, it appears to be the only unbreakable playable weapon in the Archanea titles (but I could be missing some). The same applies in Tellius – while almost all weapons have durability, Ragnell and Alondite are exceptions. There’s also Amiti, a treasured weapon to the throne of Crimea. From this, a possibility arises:
First Hypothesis: If a weapon has infinite durability in the player’s hands, in a setting where most weapons have limited durability, then it must be Legendary.
Limitations: The wording here is important: it’s an “if, then”, not an “if and only if” statement. A weapon like Armads has limited durability. As do Forseti and the Lance of Ruin (although, in those cases, you can repair them at the blacksmith). Ergo, while this may be a sufficient condition for Legendary status, it is certainly not a necessary condition. Also, this statement says nothing on Legendary status in settings where all weapons have infinite durability, such as Valentia and Fateslandia.
Counter-examples: Again, I don’t know of any immediately – I had to look up the “Dragonstones have infinite durability in FE1” bit – but it’s possible someone more knowledgeable of the early games could correct me. That said, there is one clear counter-example… except that it’s unclear whether it should apply. See, in Tellius, the Laguz exist. And they fight with their Fangs, or Talons, or other appendages of choice. These “weapons” have infinite durability, but of course they’re not Legendary. Sure, maybe Nailah’s “Great Fang” could be called Legendary, since she’s the Queen of Hatari, but there’s no way the same could apply to Volug’s Fang, or Lyre’s Claw. It seems like a contradiction, but I would argue that what the Laguz use in battle aren’t technically “weapons”. In fact, that’s the whole point of the Laguz – they don’t use Beorc weapons, fighting instead with their bodies. In that case, they wouldn’t be “weapons with infinite durability”, so the hypothesis would not apply to them.
Verdict: With a sufficiently narrow definition of what counts as a “weapon” – i.e. excluding Dragonstones and Laguz Strikes – the First Hypothesis appears to hold. It is a sufficient, but not necessary, condition for Legendary status.
Observation: In the Archanea games, most weapons can have their status increased by Forging. This includes signature weapons, such as the Rapier and the Wing Spear. But there are quite a few that can’t be forged at all. This includes the Falchion, as well as the Archanean Regalia, the Macedonian Hauteclare, and the storied tomes of Starlight, Excalibur, and Aura. The same principle applies in Fodlan: most weapons can be forged into a “+” version, but not the Lance of Ruin. In fact, among playable weapons, the ones which cannot be forged include all the Hero’s Relics (golden icon), the Sacred Weapons (silver icon), the Scythe of Sariel, and the ersatz Archanean Regalia (plus Hauteclere).
Second Hypothesis: In a context in which most weapons can be Forged to improve their stats, a weapon is Legendary if and only if it cannot be improved via Forging.
Limitations: This statement says nothing in contexts where Forging cannot be used to improve a weapon’s stats. This includes Jugdral, Elibe – and Tellius, strangely enough. That’s right, the region that introduced Forging handles it in a completely different way from later games. Rather than a method to improve the stats of an existing weapon, it’s one to create a totally original weapon from a provided template. Sure, you can’t forge Ragnell – but you also can’t forge a Killing Edge, or a Storm Sword.
Counter-examples: These are actually fairly plentiful. When I spoke of the DS games, I missed a few. You also cannot forge the Devil Weapons, siege tomes, and Nosferatu. This was likely done for balancing reasons, but still, it applies. I certainly don’t think the Swarm tome, which shows up about a dozen times in enemy hands, is anything approaching “Legendary”. But, okay, it’s not a sufficient condition for Legendary status – but maybe it’s still a necessary one? That is, not all unforgeable weapons are Legendary, but all Legendary weapons are unforgeable? This one is contradicted rather quickly, however, in Echoes: Shadows of Valentia. That game also has a Falchion (which I’ll refer to as the “Kingsfang” from here on out, to distinguish it from the related-but-not-identical Archanean sword). But while the Falchion cannot be forged in the DS titles, the Kingsfang can be forged in its 3DS title. With 2 gold pieces, its stats can be improved. Likewise for the Royal Sword, the Beloved Zofia, and the Archanean Regalia that (somehow) made their way across the sea. There are weapons that cannot be forged in the game, but they appear scattershot: the Venin weapons, the Sol/Luna/Astra trio, the “default” weapons, non-rusted Axes, and the signature weapons attached to Amiibo units. Of these, I’d say the Amiibo weapons are generally Legendary, while the Sol/Luna/Astra trio might be, and the others definitely aren’t.
Verdict: There appears to be a real tendency for Legendary weapons to be unforgeable, even in games where more generic weapons can be forged. However, there are also some non-Legendary weapons that, for whatever reason, also cannot be forged. Additionally, there is a setting in which Legendary weapons can indeed be improved through forging. As such, this hypothesis is not tenable as a strict rule.
Observation: In FE1, the Falchion could not be sold, a trait it held in common with… every other weapon. By the time of Old Mystery, however, this had changed. You could now sell weapons! …Except for Falchion. And Starlight, by the way. In fact, the Archanean Falchion cannot be sold in most of its appearances. And the only case in which it can be sold (Marth’s Falchion in Fates, apparently), it sells for 0 Gold, so there’s no point in doing so. Likewise for Forseti, and the other Holy Weapons of Jugdral. While you can pay the Blacksmith to repair them, you can’t sell them to either the Pawn Shop, or the Item Shop. In fact, even if you get multiple children with the same Major Holy Blood in Gen II, you can’t transfer a Holy Weapon between them without glitches. And what’s more – none of the Legendary weapons we’ve looked at thus far can be bought in a store. Rather, they are obtained through specific events, or via the game’s natural progression.
Third Hypothesis: In a game where the ability to buy and sell weapons exists, a weapon is Legendary if and only if it cannot either be bought or sold for a profit.
Limitations: Again, this doesn’t apply to the first two games. Echoes allows the selling of weapons, but provides no way of buying them, so this hypothesis might not apply to it, either.
Counter-examples: We need only look as far as Mystery of the Emblem to encounter issues. In that game, the Falchion and the Starlight tome cannot be sold. However, the Archanean Regalia, the Aum Staff, Excalibur, Aura, and Divinestone can be sold – for quite a good sum of money, no less! Maybe not all of them are Legendary, but at least some of them must be. On the other side of the coin, let’s move ahead to the DS games. The Devil Sword – of which there are multiple in either game – cannot be sold in Shadow Dragon. Whereas in New Mystery, the Devil Sword can be sold for 0 Gold. Once again, my own hypotheses are pressuring me to accept Devil Weapons as “Legendary”. Another oddity are the S-rank weapons in FE7. While they have a high value – encouraging Rank-minded players to avoid exhausting their uses – there is no shop available after they are obtained. So, they may be programmed as “sellable”, but as a matter of course, there’s no opportunity to sell them. Does this hypothesis call them Legendary, or not? Should we even suspect them of Legendary status, since they came from nowhere and have no lore backing them up?
Verdict: Clearly, the rules are not consistent about selling them. Some weapons that are almost certainly non-Legendary either cannot be sold, or only sell for 0 Gold. Conversely, some weapons that are almost certainly Legendary can be sold for a profit. Even if a game is internally consistent about it, it’s hardly something that’s held true across the series. On the other hand, I think the “buying” part holds true. It’s hard to prove, but I cannot think of an instance in which a Legendary weapon can be purchased. Even the Secret Shops, which tend to sell rare weapons, staves, and items, tend to steer clear of any products that could vaguely be counted as “Legendary”.
Observation: Falchion – it’s one-of-a-kind! There’s nothing quite like it. Same with Forseti, Armads, Alondite, and the Lance of Ruin. Most weapons, you can obtain multiples of. Not so for the Legendary weapons. And not only are they one-of-a-kind to the player, but they don’t show up in enemy hands. Or if they do, it’s the same weapon that the player can use. While an enemy Swordmaster may use a totally different Wo Dao from your own Mia, the Alondite that the Black Knight uses is the same one that becomes available to the player.
Fourth Hypothesis: A weapon is Legendary if and only if it is one-of-a-kind within its particular game setting.
Limitations: I used the wording “particular game setting” to avoid some thorny questions. Like, is the Ragnell that Priam wields in Awakening the same as the Ragnell in Tellius, or is it different? How about the Parthia you can forge in Three Houses, versus the one that appears in the Archanea games? I’m not interested in answering this – maybe they are, or maybe they aren’t. Either way, they’re each one-of-a-kind within their particular settings.
Counter-examples: So, remember that observation that I made two minutes ago? Turns out, that was a blatant, knowing lie. In fact, you can get another Falchion in Shadow Dragon, if you happen to lose the first one. It’s given to Marth, by Nagi, at the Alterspire – which may be in a parallel universe, or outrealm, or deeprealm. Who honestly knows? Regardless, it has lower combat stats than the original Falchion, but the same name and icon. Of course, it’s not co-existing with the original Falchion, since Marth and co can only visit the Alterspire if he misses out on getting the sword, right? …Ha. Haha. Those are the foolish words of someone who hasn’t intentionally gotten Tiki, holding the Falchion, killed in chapter 24. Doing so returns the original Falchion to the Convoy, while also providing access to chapter 24x. And by using the Aum Staff, it’s possible for the player to have Tiki, Nagi, and both Falchions.
Also, in the finale of Verdant Wind, the enemy Gautier wields the Dark Lance of Ruin. It’s just a dark, messed-up version of the Lance of Ruin haha. Just a glimpse into my dark reality. A full stare into my twisted perspective would make most simply go insane lmao. Its exact provenance isn’t explained in the story (maybe in the library? Reading is for nerds, though), so it’s unclear how exactly it relates to the original Lance of Ruin. It has the exact same stats, but it doesn’t grant Gautier (who has the Crest of Gautier, like Sylvain) the ability to use Ruined Sky. So, not quite identical, but similar enough to raise a bunch of questions.
Finally, there are one-of-a-kind weapons that probably aren’t Legendary. Taking a look at Genealogy, there’s the Safeguard and the Barrier Blade. The former, obtained by Sylvia through a secret event in chapter 4, grants a boost to Defense. The latter, obtained by Laylea through a secret event in chapter 7, grants a boost to Resistance. Not only can neither of these weapons be obtained by any other means, but they also never show up in the enemy’s possession. They’re essentially “secret weapons” to Jugdral.
Verdict: Legendary weapons are usually one-of-a-kind, and one-of-a-kind weapons are usually Legendary. But not always. This hypothesis may be a tendency, but it’s not a rule.
Observation: Do you want to send Astram against Medeus with the Falchion in hand? How about Navarre, or Athena? No vay! In fact, the Falchion can only be equipped by Marth, in all of its mainline appearances. Likewise for the Ragnell, which is an Ike-exclusive. But its sister blade, Alondite, can be used by any unit – who has achieved the maximum rank (SS) in Swords. Armads works like this in FE6, being usable by any unit with S-rank Axes. Yet in FE7, it acts more like Falchion, exclusive to Hector. As for Forseti, it’s sort of a mix. It can be used by any unit with *-rank Wind magic, but having *-rank Wind Magic is dependent on being Lewyn, or else Lewyn’s child. Of course, there are non-legendary weapons that are exclusive to one or just a few characters, such as the Rapier in… most of its appearances.
Fifth Hypothesis: If a weapon is Legendary, then it will either be exclusively usable by a very limited pool of units, or else, it will be usable by any unit who has achieved the highest possible rank in the specified weapon type. By the contrapositive, if a weapon is not Prf-linked, and not at the highest rank, then it cannot be Legendary.
Limitations: Some games, namely the Valentian ones, don’t have weapon ranks at all. Is it fair to say that Gradivus is not legendary, solely because any Lance-wielder can use it? I’m not sure. I don’t like the idea of saying that “only Prf weapons are legendary in Gaiden/Echoes”.
Counter-examples: This statement might have been true before 2019. Of course, that year gave us Three Houses, the game with Hero’s Relics. These weapons, bizarrely, are at E-rank, meaning they’re usable regardless of how much training a unit has done in the specified weapon type. And despite the lore, telling you that they can only be wielded by the person with the proper Crest, they can instead be wielded by anyone. The only penalty is an HP loss when a Crestless unit uses one. Now, there is one benefit specific to certain characters – being able to use the associated combat art. So while Leonie (with no Crest) can use the Lance of Ruin (with an HP penalty), as can Ferdinand (with the Minor Crest of Cichol), only Sylvain (with the Minor Crest of Gautier) can use the Ruined Sky combat art. In that sense, it can be said that the ability to “bring out the full power of a Hero’s Relic” is limited to one character each. But the ability to equip it? Not so much.
Actually, another relatively clear counter-example has been with the series since the very beginning. It’s none other than the Starlight tome. This tome doesn’t have the best stats, and it’s not super-durable, but it is uniquely capable of overcoming Imhullu’s ability to nullify all damage. In that sense, it is uniquely capable of beating Gharnef. Perhaps that’s why, in the DS games, it only demands C-rank Tomes. Depending on the team the player has built, they may not have anyone with A-rank Tomes yet. Presumably, they didn’t want that to be a barrier to being able to take on Gharnef. Likewise, you don’t need to keep a specific unit alive in order to use it. In fact, there is no usable A-rank Tome – the highest-ranked are Excalibur and Aura, which are both B-rank, for anyone not named Merric or Linde, respectively. Starlight finds itself tied with clearly non-legendary tomes, such as Bolganone and Thoron. And in fact, in Old Mystery, Starlight demanded a lower weapon level (9) than either Bolganone (14) or Thoron (12) did. I’m fairly comfortable calling Starlight a Legendary tome, but by this hypothesis, it would not be.
Verdict: Once again, it’s a tendency, not a hard-and-fast rule. Most Legendary weapons are either limited to a single character (or a small pool of them), or else to those units who have achieved the highest rank in the specified weapon type. But not all of them – Starlight, and the Hero’s Relics, present pretty clear and convincing counter-examples.
So, what do you think? Have I made any mistakes in how I interpreted these hypotheses? Or, do you have a hypothesis of your own that you’d like to propose? I’m sure I could come up with more, but I want to save my audience a bit of reading (and myself, a bit of writing). Regardless, I’m curious to hear your thoughts on this matter.
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1 hour ago, Jotari said:
He will dodge four out of five attacks launched at him and to die he needs to be hit with four to five attacks on average.
Or he could get crit by Paul's Killer Axe, and then it's GG.
Do I agree that Pent dying is super-rare, and far less of a Game Over concern than Merlinus or babby Zephiel dying? Yes. Is it technically a case where a green unit could die, triggering a Game Over, through no fault of the player? Also yes.
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10 hours ago, Alastor15243 said:
I know from experience it will screw you over when you least expect it if you aren't really careful.
So I agree in principle, but I also recently soft-Ironmanned FE7 Eliwood Normal Mode, and never hit a Game Over. Even though I was unnecessarily fielding Lyn. It's probabpy because I've played FE7 about 10 times, and ENM is exceptionally easy.
I do think there's a stronger case to be made against FE7, given the existence of "don't let the Green Unit die" maps. Namely, "Merlinus the Peddler" and "Battle Before Dawn". Inexperienced players can really find themselves screwed on either of those maps - not necessarily by any fault of their own.
How would FE8 style split promotions change the FE6 meta?
in Fire Emblem: Binding Blade
Posted
I would assume that, translated to FE6, the Slayer skill would grant effective damage against Manaketes. It already offers bonus damage against Necrodragons in its base game. Enough to favor Bishop over either (Light) Valkyrie or Sage? Debatable, sure.
Also, are we imagining "Ranger = No.ad Trooper"? If so, then they're all screwed, by missing out on a point of movement after promotion. And possibly before, because whatever mounted Bow class promotes into a 7-move Ranger would almost certainly have just 6-move to start with.
Speaking of which, hope Clarine and Cecilia enjoy 1 less point of movement. Ugh. Have fun in the desert.