TrueNoble

I play on Hard mode, and it's fine, although I do notice the difference. Especially with those assassins! I'm yet to plunge into Maddening mode, but certainly will after this playthrough. For the record, I do count groups of enemies placed far across the map as objectives. So yes, my horses and fliers are always pushing distant objectives, while my infantry squad wades through prolonged fights, especially against demonic beasts, and throwing out long range Meteors or Physics to support the horses from time to time. It is this level of coordination is what allows a mixed army to perform just as efficiently--if not moreso--as a move stacked one. Sounds fun. Like I'll be making more use of Armoreds as well as War Masters, and having horsemen land finishing blows on targets that they soften during enemy phase, then canto out. It's not as if one can't be flexible. Some call this 'turtling,' but the key is to never have your Armored attack on ally phase, only on enemy phase, and always move it forward if its one of those maps designed with a destination. Basically acting as a much slower, sturdier horseman with no canto, at least until they attain Great Knight. I care to state this because don't find using Armoreds in this way to be particularly slow, especially in scenarios where you can't rely on your horsemen to do the job, and thus not make use of their higher movement range anyway because you're forced to position them more carefully, away from too much aggro. Aha! Here you've made a fine case for most of the final form Infantry classes, and I agree with everything you've said here! And furthermore, I'm pleased to hear that some classes have achieved greater relevancy in the new difficulty, just as I had predicted they would. Really, all I ask is that people look deeper than just the movement stat, because all they risk from doing so is potentially missing out on more interesting strategic elements, that can hardly be called less 'efficient,' if you coordinate your units efficiently. I worry that some newcomers to the franchise might be made to think the only right option for effective play is to make all their units horsemen or fliers, which could cheapen the experience for them, if not give them the impression that Three Houses is a poorly balanced mess, which I don't think it is. I love this game because I think it's actually one of the better balanced games in the franchise. And, it's largely due to how they've gone about balancing the classes through what I see as a mix of direct and indirect means. Let's look at some of these classes a bit more in-depth: For Swordmasters, I intend to look more into the class but right now I do have some ideas of what niches it could fill. Perhaps it's a reclass option for when you would like a high AS front line unit? You know, to roll out on maps with a lot of quick enemy units. Or similarly, a frontline option against the faster demonic beasts like hawks and wolves, that can then kill a barrier quickly with Astra. Now, I would also like to make note of Assassins here, because of the unique utitlity provided by their Stealth trait. I've mentioned it a few times before in other long essays I've written elsewhere on this forum, but I'll gladly mention it again because I think it's just so dang cool! Anyway ~ if you or anyone else reading this doesn't know already, the Stealth trait prevents Assassins from being targeted by enemies that are also in range of another one of your units. In other words, an Assassin Petra standing next to a Ferdinand will never be targeted by a nearby enemy Brigand or w/e. They will attack Ferdinand. The thing with this is that the Assassin still takes up a space on the map, which means you can position them to better wall off your squishies just by keeping them near to your Tank! XD Better still, have them equip a Bow so that they can provide support bonuses to said tank. I think some people are too hung up on the name--'assassins'-- thinking only of their offensive capabilities, but to me at least that's really the least of what they've got going for them. All the Axe and Brawler classes are just stepping stones leading up to War Master, save for maybe Grappler. Or maybe it's a class you can switch your War Master to train on for a while for the Skill and Speed growths, if you so please. As for the Hero, my current Ferdinand is generally reclassed to it when he's neither a Paladin or an Armored, just because it gives him more offensive potential than an Armored when the extra defense would otherwise be excessive, and I don't see a need for an extra horse. I see it as just a solid, middle-ground front line option that works fine in most situations, offering solid growths for any frontline. (Side note: Ferdie <3) To clarify, I write with the assumption that NG+ is being taken full advantage of. I am on my fourth playthrough now, with full statue bonuses, so certainly my experiences would be different than say a fresh file on Maddening. What with the added bonus renown they recently patched in, getting multiple high skill levels on all of your units is fully within the realm of possibilities on a single playthrough, with renown to spare. However, if one opts to not use New Game+, I'll give it to you that this is a valid concern. However, one thing that helps is to stick to weapons that you gain ranking bonuses for on the class you currently have equipped, as often as possible. And can I just say there's just so much more strategic depth on a New Game+, man! With more freedom to train your units in various fields, I've really come to appreciate their individual strengths and weaknesses, and apply them to my units accordingly. This is undoubtedly the case of a fresh file on one of the harder difficulties, but I simply do not think this is true of a New Game+. But of course I can only speak on behalf of Hard Mode right now. My one experience with Mortal Savant so far was to use it as a niche option on Felix, for when I desired a mix of both magic and melee damage, and the battle wasn't taking place on a desert map. He also gets access to Thoron, which is quite nice for the purpose of infantry stacking versus demonic beasts with the added perk of also out-ranging most varieties of them, and he was even often fast enough to double with it. Other than that, magic is obviously good for dealing with armoreds, or to dispatch enemies that are more threatening than most trash mobs on the counterattack, like assassins or warriors, from a distance. Sure you can also do this with a bow, but their RES stats tend to be lower anyway. However I will agree that I'd be hard-pressed to think of a Reason user that would be a good fit for the class...other than Lysithea, maybe. Since I don't give her the Thyrsus, the extra attack range and Swordfaire boosted damage of an upgraded Levin Sword would be nice to have versus Demonic Beasts. Gremories do get more Physic, Fortify, Meteor, Warp, and to a far lesser extent Rescue uses than a Dark Knight, on top of having more uses on their basic attack spells. On paper I'd say they're better for a unit you lean on heavily for both long ranged and short ranged offensive and utility purposes, including cheesy Warp strats with the aid of a Dancer and another Warp cast by, say, your Linhardt on the same turn. Really...if you think about it, with spells like Meteor, Physic, Fortify, Silence, Ward and Warp at their disposal, foot casters basically are long range movement classes. What the x2 traits do is they effectively double their capacity for "keeping pace" with the 1 or 2 horses and your fliers, with a combination of offensive as well as healing support, even when there are great distances separating them. As for what the 2x does to help them as a unit in a close range, infantry beast killing squad, it simply allows the player more flexibility in their cast patterns when balancing spell weight with damage, while also taking into account the amount of uses left on each spell. Thinking of it now, I would say the Gremory class challenges the player to really push to get as much mileage out of all the extra spell casts available to a unit in every single battle. To push their frontline into more threatening situations than usual, with the knowledge that you have so many spare physics to burn. To come up with more and more complex Warp + Rescue strats. Even have your Dancer stay attached to them for most of the battle, helping to mitigate their low move so that they're popping the nearest trash mob at every opportunity, twice as often. On the other hand, if you primarily use a caster for their Reason spells then the Dark Knight is far from a bad alternative. I definitely agree that Dark Knight is the best end game for most guy casters/hybrids in the game, but don't see it as a strike against either the Warlock or Dark Bishop class, necessarily.They're still the classes I revert my DKs back to on smaller sized or desert maps, for the better growths / avoiding movement penalties, solidifying their place as a relevant reclass option even after achieving Dark Knight. Other than that, yeah, I keep them as Dark Knights most of the time. :p Even hand 'em each a Crescent Sickle, 'cuz it' just looks so right. Dark Knight is probably my single favorite class, if I had to pick. I even made Hubert a Dark Knight and mostly kept him on the class as well, and would go so far as to definitely call it a huge power spike for him, even though it's clear to anyone he's far from front line material. The reason for this was because it actually allowed him to keep pace with Edelgard, who did serve as my primary frontline :p, with him occasionally providing her with Rally support when he wasn't picking off faster threats that she had weakened with a counterattack.

Never did I say infantry was strictly better in my post, nor was it an attack on cavalry or flier units, nor, I might add, a case of contrarianism for the sake for the sake of contrarianism. Simply that the movement stat is a tad bit overrated. I don't argue that either Infantry or Cavalry is strictly better than the other, except to say that overall Infantry are better at handling Demonic Beasts--namely War Masters, Gremories, and Snipers, working in tandem for the one turn kill. I merely am of the belief that the true impact of apparent changes to the basic map design philosophy, buffs to long range spellcasting, and introduction of demonic beasts as a mechanic are being ignored in favor of upholding classic notions about the value of movement range. With all these factors taken into account, it is absolutely possible for one to still clear what I'll call murder maps in 3/4/5 turns with a thoughtful mix and coordination of all different move types, if the issue lies in what is or is not optimal. Not only does Three Houses allow you to lean more Infantry-heavy without risking dragging out the battle, I do believe as stated above that there are some advantages to be gained from doing so. This is also a good point, what with all those pesky Assassins running around: Still, without even talking about fliers, there's no denying that horse units are powerful, but a soloing Leonie, Lorenz or Ferdinand on a horse can often do the same job as an entire team of cavalry units; that is tanking and/or dodging multiple hits while steadily pushing into distant enemy ranks and chipping or killing on enemy phase, while constantly maintaining that forward push. Two at most, preferably that Support each other, is usually my limit. Meanwhile Infantry pushes a glut of enemies that's situated closer to where all your units started the map at, toward any demonic beasts and/or long range weapon fixtures (yes, these actually matter now) that are on the field. Maps in Three Houses are, more often than not, highly condensed, meaning less travel time between mobs of enemies. Less a distance to travel to reach objectives. More room to mix and match your unit movement ranges, while weighing the value of the extra movement with other perks they might gain from reclassing to something else for the time being. My main reason for mentioning growths (with the expectation that one would argue this exact point against it) is that when you put a unit on a horse even on maps where that extra movement and canto are not wholly needed, you are only punishing the unit for however many levels you have left to use them for. This is certainly less important when it comes to end game horse promotes like Lorenz, but the point I make here actually mostly applies to standard Cavalier characters from early on in the game. For example, Ferdinand and Sylvain, whom I only change from a Mercenary/Hero or Mage/Warlock respectively, into a Paladin when I absolutely need the movement. Such as for the battles at Gronder Field, or those large fort maps. When there's two corners of the map and a central objective for the infantry to seize, or a fleeing Death Knight to catch up with. ;0 It's true that the 2x Magic on Gremory is strictly a luxury, but I will say that if we're comparing class traits I'd still say it's a more valuable luxury than slightly higher damage on a Lysithea / Annete / Doro that already oneshots anything. The 2x is also nice for Warp abuse strats on Lysithea, and more Meteors on Doro and, again, with how squishy these three are, I don't think the extra movement range is as useful when one is mostly only using it to attack on ally phase, rather than both phases. Such as how Dark Knights like Sylvain and Lorenz are able to. And if they're being kept safe behind a defensive wall, such as a War Master, the extra movement doesn't really have a defensive application either. Of course, this is all assuming someone plays with their army split up between infantry and cavalry, as I do, but in the case of having everyone on a horse keeping astride of one another as they all push in the same direction, I can see the value of it. Yet, I still don't see how this strategy would be inherently more efficient than the one I've described outside of a few select maps. Wha!? I thought Speed was the most important stat in the game! O:< And yet, even a speed-screwed Sylvain (he's recuperating now, don't worry) getting doubled still takes far less damage than a single hit on an Ignatz, and he still manages to kill in one attack because of his Strength combined with his trait effect. A Lorenz with far less Magic and Speed than the other Thyrsus user still being able to one shot everything, often doubling, but it's really because of his fat HP stat that he can rack up multiple mook kills in one enemy phase instead of just one kill on each ally phase! Context is important. A unit's intended role is important. Different stats become more or less important as these two factors vary. HP and Luck are extra valuable stats for a War Master Raphael, because of his trait. Luck for higher activation chance, and HP for higher percentage heals from it. Combined with Quick Riposte, this unique stat interaction is what makes him Godly late game moreso than just his raw damage. DEX matters more on an archer that learns Deadeye than those that do not. And to add to this, I believe that movement range even matters more or less to different units serving different roles. And, while one might argue it's better to just give every unit more mobility anyway, it's no longer a strict requirement to play optimally, and playing with some Infantry sprinkled in does still have some benefits to take into account. TL;DR: (because if brevity is the soul of wit, then call me witless)

Depends on what role you want them to serve in your army, I'd say. Contrary to popular opinion, I find mobility to be grossly overrated in this game, compared to older titles, even if you're going for a low turn count. Mixed units are fine, so long as you can coordinate them effectively by taking care to send your horsies and fliers as far as they can go to reach enemies and objectives, while letting infantry push through the more immediate threats. Plus, infantry squads tend to be better at dealing with Demonic Beasts quickly. Training maps and some main story missions don't even need the extra mobility for you to get from one group of enemies or objectives to the next, and you'll even be rewarded with better growths by reclassing your cavalries into infantry for these maps. Generally if you're opting for a more mobile class but not making full use of that extra movement, it's excessive. They...might as well not have that extra mobility, if they don't actually make use of it on a particular map. Basically, a unit on a horse should be able to comfortably take multiple hits on enemy phase. If they can't, then that movement is prone to being wasted. But more on this later... Holy Knight is a weird class, being that it is decidedly a damage oriented Faith class, but I liked it well enough on Marianne and as a fun side option for Bernidetta. I also intend to try it on Ferdinand in my current playthrough, since Nosferatu and the Faith damage bonus would pair well with his trait, keeping his topped off. I also agree that Linhardt gains little from the promotion to Holy Knight, even on just Easy Mode for my first playthrough, but now that I have Alert Stance on mine it might actually offer him the makings for a front line drain tank. Maybe... Dark Knight I see as being better for the magic users that can comfortably survive solo, deep into enemy ranks like Lorenz and Sylvain, since they are less constricted in where they can go with their newly acquired mobility, compared to the squishy mages that you might otherwise be tempted to slap a horse under, which will often lean more heavily on ally phase than enemy phase. Thus, again, wasting that great boon that is mobility, and having their stat growths suffer on top of it. The glass cannons i.e. Hubert, Hanneman, Annette, Lysithea, and Dorothea function fine squadding with like a War Master to push through the main enemy front and nuke beasts, while also supporting their more mobile allies from afar with Faith spells or Meteor. That being said, any male unit can acquire the Life Taker talent, which I think Hanneman and Hubert could really benefit from should you wish to have them function more like a Lorenz or Sylvain. This game does not punish you, or suddenly turn every map into a tedious slog if you don't turn every one of your units into a Wyvern Lord or cavalry. It only might become that way f you don't coordinate your units effectively, and shun potentially more optimal reclass options on a map-by-map basis.

I played this more defensively on my first playthrough; not sending anyone too far away from Rhea, making sure the squishies were sufficiently boxed in, and more aggressively in future playthroughs when I knew of what to expect. At that point, it goes from feeling like a survival mission to a kind of coordinated, multi-front assault. On my most recent Hard mode experience with this particular paralogue: Snipers Bernie and Shamir with Close Counter were positioned to the right, near the lake, where the fliers come in from. Then when the initial barrage of fliers is dealt with, Linhardt Warps Sniper Bernie to the other side of the lake, where her Hp+5, her Armored Knight re-classed adjutant Caspar and Leather Shield are sufficient to endure any attacks from whatever's waiting there (a few peg knights, easy pickings), and then deal with the commander. Paladin Ferdinand meanwhile gallops out to face the Bishop on the left of the map along with Assassin Petra trailing behind him, cozily protected from any surprise aggro due to stealth. The tanky Warlock Lorenz w/ Thyrsus and Dark Mage Sylvain push to clear out the enemies grouped to the South, with Wyvern Rider Ashe making picks alongside them as well. Catherine, Shamir, Peg. Knight Byleth, Ferdinand and Petra can deal with the assassins that show up later, which Byleth could swoop in with a Gambit to stall/cut their evasion and let the others finish. I'd say this paralogue is a neat little test on unit coordination, no matter if it's your first try or not. Such that if you're in the dark, I implore any1 new to this paralogue to please protecc your sweet baby Flayn >__<, but if you know what's coming then you can instead strategize to wipe out all the threats on the map before they even come near Rhea, or the aforementioned sweet baby Flayn. It's certainly more fun the second and third times around, which I sadly can't say about a few other paralogues. x.x

There's a lot I've personally read into Edelgard's character, based on things I've noticed within cutscenes as well as gameplay. Some of what I'm about to present might be seen as leaps, especially when it comes to tying some observations of certain gameplay decisions made by the devs in with the wider narrative, but as this is a video game and not a movie, I feel these observations are useful to take into consideration as well: My core conceit is that Edelgard is, above all else, a tragic figure forced through reasons completely beyond her control down a bloody path. TWSITD used her, her entire family, in a bid for power over the continent. If she hadn't gone along with their wishes, they'd probably just as easily disposed of her as they did the rest of her family, or reduced to her a puppet monarch like her father and ruled that way. The way they used even one of their own, Kronya, then cast her aside so callously is a good example of what they could just as well do to Edelgard at any given moment. The way Kronya even begs the player for help in her final moments...is sort of reflective of Edelgard's final moments in non-BE runs, where she wishes she could have "walked" with the player. Seems her plan was to let them use her just long enough to be in a position where she could turn the tables on them, and destroy the institutions in place (i.e. crests, the church) that fueled the ideology behind their misdeeds. Or, perhaps this was just how she came to justify doing so to herself, as she was going to have to follow their orders anyway. The epilogue of Crimson Flower indeed mentions she takes the fight to them, but as it's been said earlier in this thread it doesn't outright say she is ever successful in fully defeating them. This leads me to what I think is the main flaw of Edelgard's approach, in that she takes too much of this responsibility onto herself. Even Hubert, who actually does a lot of the heavy lifting for her, which we see some evidence of in a letter he leaves behind on the Golden Deer route, does so mostly in secret, thus adding to her feeling like one pitted against the world, as the last survivor of her family that fell prey to TWSITD's cruel experiments. The one and only Flame Emperor cursed with deeper knowledge of TWSITD's existence. And this is something that's even directly brought up in the HubertxEdelgard Supports. Nemesis himself, I think, is shown as a kind of parallel to Edelgard, as this lone, powerful warrior that defied the Gods; a legend Edelgard strives to replicate, at her own peril. Which makes it all the more fitting that you fight him on the Golden Deer route, with Claude making the big, awesome friendship and unity speech in the final cutscene, since that's what ultimately rules the day. Not Dimitri, who pathetically dies like a wild dog off screen in that route. Not even Dedue going in alone to finish what Dimitri started, as I'll have you know I even paved the path for him to solo Edelgard, but the game itself literally does not allow him to drop her below 1 hp. Maybe this is true of NPCs when fighting any boss, but if not: Dedue LITERALLY cannot do it alone, and someone from your party needs to intervene. We see other NPCs land killing blows all the time, like Catherine when you first meet her, or Gilbert, or the Almyrans that briefly team up with you in Golden Deer, and yet it is specifically here, at such a pivotal moment, that Dedue cannot fulfill Dimitri's wishes all by himself...even though the designers have deliberately given him the stats that could allow him to do so if you try and let him. I even think Edelgard's unique promoted Lord class serves a thematic purpose. She becomes an Armored Lord, as noticeably the only girl unit in the entire game with a penchant for Heavy Armor. Of course, there's the obvious draw from this that the heavy armor and indeed the whole flamboyant Flame Emperor persona is like a defense she has built around herself, but I also find it curious that this class was deliberately designed to not be able to cast Magic, even though Edelgard has such a strong Magic growth, near-premium (other than Lysithea) access to Black magic in her regular spell list, including Luna which perhaps not accidentally gives zero-recruit Beagles a much easier time in killing the Death Knight in his first appearance, and a fantastic budding talent in Reason on top of it. Almost as if...this facade, these walls around her, are holding her back from her full potential? And how standard Mages are generally more reliant on tankier allies to protect them. Edelgard's fatal error was that she could have reached out to Dimitri and Claude, to form some kind of global unified front against TWSITD, but she doesn't. Edelgard deeply believes that the fate of mankind rests on her shoulders, and hers alone. Yet she knows what she is doing is wrong, and seems to always refrain from bloodying her own hands at every opportunity to further highlight this notion. See: her begging Byleth to kill her for the sake of peace in Golden Deer, her lamenting Dimitri's death in Crimson Flower as an unfortunate necessity to further her agenda, and, I think what is most important to note of all, the fact that in the BL route she doesn't stab Dimitri in the heart, or anywhere else that could seriously kill him when given the chance, but rather goes well out of her way to rise from her fallen position to stab him in the shoulder. She could have EASILY killed him there, using the dagger to carve her path as was said, but consciously did not...rather it seemed she just wanted to force him to kill her, to put an end to her brutal campaign, same as she begs Byleth to in Golden Deer. The instant she's defeated, cracks start to show in her facade, because deep down she knows what she's doing is wrong and feels tremendous guilt over it, but nonetheless still feels trapped into going through with the plans of TWSITD. In Crimson Flower it's all a steady upward climb for her armies, so she proceeds with a more single-minded determination. This idea that what she is doing will be better for all in the long run, like a light at the end of the tunnel when she's through fulfilling the wishes of TWSITD, which the game takes great care to show are always keeping tabs on her in one form or another. Monica abruptly butting in on a conversation you're having with Edelgard on a sensitive topic. Arundel, at one point, even punishes her with javelin nukes for stepping slightly out of line during the Crimson Flower route, if anything just to flex some of their muscle. Letting her know they still owned her. What I'm saying is that Edelgard strikes me as a cornered animal. She basically launches her campaign to stay in the good graces of the slitherers, centrally driven by the idea that by seizing complete control of Fodlan she can then perhaps exert some more control over her own destiny for a change, after being moved around from capital to capital, deprived of any true family (before her time at Garreg Mach<3), experimented on, and generally used as a pawn by TWS her whole life. For this I don't hate her; I pity her. I wish things could go differently, without resulting in her dying in such a hollow, unfulfilled state, even knowing it isn't possible not counting what I feel to be the extremely wrong outcome of Crimson Flower, yet I'm also glad that the developers didn't chicken out by providing it as an option. At least, not as an available option on release. However, now... The thing I hope for the most out of future story DLC is, really, a new route where Edelgard can reach out to the other Lords for help before things get too extreme, and possibly redeem herself. A lot of what I've presented here is mere theory, so some more concrete insights into her deeper feelings and way of thinking would be most welcome in this hypothetical new route as well. I know this isn't the place for it, but here's my hastily thrown together pitch: 😄 Three promoted Lords in the party post-timeskip. Maybe a new, even larger threat, like...idunno, zombie dragons killed during the massacre at Zanado brought back by Rhea somehow, after she completely snaps at the very notion of Edelgard's redemption because of her flagrant similarities to Nemesis and her lingering bitterness over the desecration of the tomb, much like she does if you spare Edelgard in the Beagles route. With even Catherine, Seteth and Flayn (maaaaybe Cyril) determining she's in the wrong and joining your side to fight them. Also, give poor Flayn a unique Pegasus-mounted magic class, ty.~

Oh, i can think of a few.~ In a game with such an excellent New Game+ feature, I think it's valuable to take note of special cases like these. Raphael has the worst start of all the main Brawlers imo, but scales better than them all by a mile as an HP and Luck stacked juggernaut, with access to multiple self-heals through the brawler class rewards alongside his trait, further bolstered by an equipped Goddess Ring. On top of this, there's Quick Riposte to mitigate his enemy phase doubling issues. He's the most zero-to-hero of all the units, in my experience; going from barely surviving enemy phases at the start...to cleanly solo killing the end boss of Golden Deer. From the moment I saw his trait I knew it would be like that, despite what anyone else had said on his potential, and it really do be like that. Lorenz with an early Life Taker and Fiendish Blow. The former for sustain as a front line caster, the latter for one-shotting on player phase to reliably get those heals. Ferdinand with any combination of Armored Blow and Renewal, even Warding Blow later. This isn't to say he's inherently weak or starts out bad, as he is in fact one of my favorite most dependable units across all playthroughs, but he is admittedly slightly weaker pre-Prayer/Goddess ring, and pre-armored unit certifications for the bonus defense, and these skills can help with that on New Game+. Like Raphael, his trait is something to grow into it throughout an entire playthrough, but unlike Raphael he generally has an easier time doubling common enemies, and with Armored Blow and Warding Blow he can take less, at many times 0 damage from the counterattack if it lands, to better preserve his HP all throughout the run. Darting Blow on Flayn, to help with her miserable starting Speed, works well with the added range of Caduceus. Desperation on Bernidetta, to remove some of the risk from her high risk, high reward playstyle whether she's an archer, cavalier, or mage. Side note: do give her an Iron Shield so she can get hit when you need her to be in order to activate her trait, but not take much damage and still double most enemies despite the added weight. Reranking flying on Ashe up to C, as it's quite useful to have him as a flier in conjunction with his lock picking, when needed. I like to certify him as a Bow Knight and Wyvern Lord on the same run to switch between, as I find there are definitely some maps where one is clearly a better choice than the other when taking Ashe's subpar bulk into account, and both options still have good enough mobility to run around and unlock doors + chests. Theorycrafting now, for when I redo Blue Lions: Life Taker on Felix, since he has no trouble killing things but lacks in survivability as the game progresses, especially if you opt to not give him a battalion. Reranking Authority on Annette, to gain access to all the Rally skills (including Rally Movement!), I'm thinking of equipping all the rallies to buff like Felix or Dimitri with a Horseslayer to land the finishing blow Death Knight on his first appearance, after the usual Gambit spam damage chip. Otherwise, she has very limited use in this fight. Speeding up Manuela's ransition into a FalcoKnight, probably pretty good with a Levin Sword. And lastly, one that caught me by surprise: Fierce Iron Fists (Grappler special combat skill) on Caspar actually helped me on the Remire Village encounter with the Death Knight, Hard Mode. He soloed it, albeit with his Dorothea adjutant coming in clutch to land the finishing chip of damage. xD Caspar's trait makes it easier to hit enemies even on top of forest tiles, and If any of those hits had crit it would have been clean.

I think I was lucky to have Crimson Flower be my first route. By the end of it I was certain I'd just done something very wrong, and I've kind of envisioned every route preceding that as like a Groundhog's Day-esque purgatory of trying to make amends for it. All the while, growing more and more distant from Edelgard...seeing her die all pathetic and alone time and time again, knowing exactly why it has to be that way, yet never really feeling any better about it.

On my current playthrough, I'm in the business of crafting a Dancer Lindhart w/ an Evasion Ring and Levin Sword, Sword Avo+, Renewal, and Alert Stance. xD

Fortunately you're not stuck to just one sword class on any sword main unit, as the game permits you to strategically reclass from map-to-map. Using Felix as an example, how I look at this during unit selection is: Assassin isn't the sturdiest pick for a front line class, and the mechanics behind Stealth can sometimes be counter-intuitive for such a role, so there's alternatives in Swordmaster (which I would take with Axebreaker for axe unit heavy maps) or Hero (with Lancebreaker and Axebreaker for more general purpose use) to serve as the infantry's front line. Mortal Savant is there as a strictly niche option for being able to deal higher mixed damage than otherwise just slapping a Levin Sword unto any of the other sword classes.

Raphael late game seriously, just equip him with a Goddess Ring and throw a few Seraph Robes and Godess Statues his way to scale his trait + for combat arts the self heal and that draining punch skill w/e it's called that he and Byleth get + QR An ability that so far I've only seen really benefits Ignatz, since he's generally weak both physically and magically. I give him this, the Seal Strength ability he learns, and by using Break Shot along with these debuffs suddenly he's a good initiator / chip damage-r for demonic beast battles. If it stacks with Venin Bow's poison, I'd like to include that as well. Interestingly, these debuffs and Poison Strike's effect also applies to Balista shots. see: Ignatz Yes, definitely my first thought as a good unit to take Desperation on, as it also can occasionally have have some crazy synergy with her crest too, no? Also, I would like to note she's more versatile than I once figured, as I've recently discovered, and that Desperation further helps her unlock her full potential in this regard. For one, she can take desperation as a Holy Knight (for more sustainable front line fighting, with the aid of empowered Nosferatus) or Dark Knight (for more powerful front line fighting), or the classic Bow Knight for less versatile, purely physical damage, with a more safe albeit generally more Player Phase-focused playstyle. It's not too difficult to unlock all of these Masters on the same playthrough, either, thanks to her proficiency in both Lances and Riding (albeit budding), as well as Bows, allowing you the versatility to reclass depending on what you think will be more valuable, on a map-by-map basis. Her trait does apply to magic damage too, after all, and she does generally get enough Speed to double common threats, effectively doubling its damage bonuses...even tripling, should you activate her crest power.

I can't say I strongly dislike any of the students as combat units. In fact, most of the fun I got out of the game across multiple playthroughs was coming up with the best utilization of each one of them as a cooperative force, rather than strictly as individuals. So, for me to tier them based on combat effectiveness would be...difficult. With combat out of the equation, here's a personal Tier ranking of the playable cast (with one exception) simply as characters, based on combined value of two grading factors: - how charming I found their portrayal to be, - how eager I was to learn more about them. In strict descending order--left to right--from the highest to lowest according to this personal rating. As it so happens, the two factors don't necessarily correlate. Some, like Ferdinand and Dorothea, are like 99% Charm, but that alone is enough to place them so high. Also, yeah forreal tho lmao the man didn't miss Aura just to be treated like this

Edelgard made the most powerful play she possibly could, as someone in her particular position. She mentions at one point in Beagles pre-timeskip that she believes sacrifices made for the greater good are necessary, and extends this belief to all the people in Fodlan that would fight and die during her crusade. However, it's not something she takes lightly, and I would argue she didn't have much of a choice in the matter. If she hadn't seized power in such an extreme fashion, she likely would have just been disposed of by TWSITD outright, for not living up to their expectations. And, if she hadn't endeavored to make such sweeping changes to the system of nobility, she likely would have been taken advantage of by the same delinquent nobles who took advantage of her seriously ill father, once TWSITD ran out of uses for her. She speaks a lot about what's good for all the people of Fodlan, or paying for the sacrifices within her family and other innocent lives made by TWSITD in their experiments on her and, to be clear, I do think these are all real motives she has governing her actions, but what it really all comes down to is she was basically trapped from day one. She had to go big in order to break free of their control not only over her, but Fodlan as a whole, or die trying.

Oh, yes, Sylvain is simply lovely.. And overall I would say Blue Lions truly is the House of special bois. ❤️ Obviously there is a certain other special boi, from Golden Deer, that's very close to my heart, and then there's also Ferdinand from Beagles, but if we're talking some hypothetical house-by-house special boi ratio Blue Lions definitely comes out on top for me.

Yes, precisely this! The fact of the matter is that most characters in the game...most people in the world...have faced some degree of abuse, tragedy, suffering, all that bad stuff throughout their life, that's shaped them into the person they are now. It doesn't follow that just because we're clued into Bernadetta's particular circumstances that the entire tone of the character should shift for everyone. It can be assumed that most of the students never even gain this knowledge, but regardless must still come up with their own unique strategies for dealing with her...let's say eccentric personality, which as I detailed previously just as often leads to humorous moments in the supports as it does some actually quite sweet and tender ones (Ferdinand B, Dorothea B, Sylvain B come to mind). The tragic backstory is really only one part of the Bernie cake! Her particular eccentricities would remain the same whether or not you were ever made aware of it. Adversely, whether or not we still laugh can be changed, once we're provided with this context. Our perspective can change. I do believe that "oh shit, I shouldn't be laughing at this character anymore" reaction people here are describing was wholly intended by the writers. Just think of how many persons you might know inrl whose odd quirks and behaviors might actually that, although you might find amusing now, could have a basis in some as of yet unknown childhood trauma, or psychological disorder. Obviously Bernie's own quirks are a bit extreme, but that's what makes her a character. Many of the students in the game that aren't named Ignatz are extreme in some regard, and sure you can argue that it's insensitive to have one character's extreme traits be literally their anxiety and constant state of paranoia, but as I detailed in my previous response you can see from support conversations that these aren't even her sole defining traits. Taking all this into account, is the Bernie cake not just a reflection of humanity as valid and meaningful as any other? If not more so? (Also yes, I do see fit to give the writers within the confines of their work on Three Houses that much credit.)

I do think it valuable to note how none of the other students seem to find Bernadetta's ways particularly funny...except for Hubert, but that's Hubert for ya. I like it even more that a number of students find her to be outright annoying, even if just at first, because that's far more realistic than everyone being a 24/7 Hugbot for her. SPOILERS, Bernadetta supports (yes, I think they are particularly worth watching): Bernadetta is presented as a victim of the institutions of her world, fallen to such a pathetic state that at first it might seem all there's left to do is to point and laugh at such a lost cause. However, instead of this, over time we see how the other students try their damnedest to help her: Caspar and Ferdinand's well-intentioned efforts, the subtlety of Sylvain seemingly recognizing her as not just another girl to hit on and dispose of in his usual way, but instead going the extra mile just to make her feel even a tiny bit better about herself. Ingrid finding common ground with her, motivating her. Seteth encouraging her to make more use of one of the talents she's developed. It's all very...sweet, and not as one note as I've seen some people claim. The characters in the game consistently treat the situation with Bernadetta seriously, which tempts the player over time to see Bernie as more than just how she outwardly asserts.More than just a one-note joke. Adding to this, throughout these support conversations one can catch little glimmers here and there of how Bernadetta is making an effort to grow, and change herself for the better. What follows is more SPOILERS for Bernadetta supports, as I try to break a few of these examples down, if anyone reading this would care to avoid them: There's the time when she's seen muttering to herself "tomorrow's got to be just an inside day, Bernie," at the start of the Hubert C support, which at first glance might be seen as a line purely meant for laughs, but I saw as an early indicator of her purposely striving to break out of her old ways. In the Ferdinand B support, she claims some of the blame for hurting him, and admits she should talk to more people at least sometimes. With Leonie, she pushes past her usual anxieties when she recognizes a clear use for one of her gifts in a way that could help someone. She apologizes to Raphael, then makes more of an effort to overcome her anxiety around him. She finds the courage to open up to FELIX of all people, the most bristly MF in the whole game. Even if all this is just baby steps, it's hopeful. However, there's never any singular moment in which "Yay! Bernie's all better now!" which would have been a total stinker. The world effectively chewed her up then spat her out, but she's still alive and kicking, still . Trying her best despite her insecurities, and practically tossed by the wayside by her parents. Willingly returning to lay her life on the line for Byleth's cause post-timeskip, even though she'd surely much rather just remain shut away. Gradually, after seeing enough of Bernie within these contexts, more than just hearing her troubled backstory, I think you're meant to stop laughing as you come to realize she isn't just a mere comic relief but representative of an actual, fleshed out human being. However, that's not to say her behavior should be expected to change in any way as It's like...a person who goes around screaming fish all the time (Flayn), at all hours of the day, might seem funny at first to some, but that's not to say they don't still have some very serious, deep underlying psychological issues. There may be something inherently funny about the outward behaviors of this hypothetical fish guy, or Bernadetta's paranoia, but in the latter's case there is much more to them than just that one aspect of their personality, which I think the game's writing respectfully illustrates quite well, and just knowing why they act the way they do isn't going to magically change them, even if it does alter your perception a bit. I think eventually you're really meant to stop laughing and instead start rooting for Bernie, just as many of the students do.

I've found Dark Knights, War Masters and Wyvern Lords to be a potent combination for clearing maps in which all three movement types can coordinate efficiently. Infantry pushes through the main cluster of enemies, acting as the primary Demonic Beast elimination unit, while the "overpowered" fliers actually make use of their higher mobility by taking off for distant corners of the map that the infantry can't immediately reach. The Dark Knight (Sylvain or Lorenz) meanwhile solo pushes side threats, since they're generally fairly bulky and hit hard both physically and magically, as well as being further blessed with access to the Lifetaker mastery ability through Dark Bishop. Here, I would also like to give another special mention to Assassins, for their unique utility as an addition to your infantry group, and one unit who works especially well as one. Assassin Ignatz was good to have beside Raphael, since it provided the latter vital support boosts in hit and evade, as well as blocking off enemy access to my Dance-sithea in the back line, without any risk to himself due to the nature of the Stealth mechanic, and further enhancing Raphael with his access to Speed and Dex rallies. In this way, he was providing so much utility just by simply standing there. Lethality and Poisonstrike helped compensate for his mediocre damage output when it came to combat (albeit his least valuable role by a country mile); two abilities that can be considered excessive on most other units but perfect for one such as him, with high DEX but abysmally low Strength and poor Magic to boot.

I've just started my third New Game+, Hard mode, finally returning to Black Eagles where it all started, only this time for the church route. Using renown I carried over Wrath, Vantage and Death Blow for my Caspar, but everyone else is fresh. Call it my insurance. It's been a long time since I've focused on the Black Eagle students, and I'm excited to see what I can make of them this time. For one, Alert Stance on Lindhardt could lead to some fun and unique play patterns. xD For a caster, in any case. Maybe something whacky like Holy Knight Bernadetta. I'd forgotten just how impressive Petra is straight out of the gate, the damage Bernie can do with her trait active, and how tanky Ferdinand is even from this early on. I missed these guys.~ Some support conversations have added context, as of me playing through the other routes, which is quite nice.

Yup, hit rate's not a problem for either of them, which is why I didn't mention it prior. But since DEX was mentioned as one of Lysithea's advantages in a response, I saw fit to add this in case there was any question of his accuracy among those that haven't leveled him.

It may be easier that you cap at Dark Knight but level him as a regular caster before then, as I have on my first Golden Deer playthrough, albeit at the cost of DEF growth. Speed Penalty on just the Master rank isn't so relevant. Perhaps better yet one can cycle between horse and caster as you're leveling him depending on the map, as you progress in the game. Something like...going caster on desert and slower maps, and kill-squadding with Leonie as a mounted elsewhere. Then loan out the wand to Lys on maps when he's a Cav or Paladin. Something I'll play around with in future runs. In this way, he is at the very least more flexible than Lysithea pre-Dark Knight, and should perhaps be taken advantage of, as well as to give him more balanced stat growths in Speed and Defense going forward. As for the stat comparisons: His Magic stat is often sufficient to secure kills, without being overkill. His DEX is suffice to attain 100 hit chance against common enemies, further aided by having Reason Prowess and supports, again without being overkill, and allotting him decent crit. His low Speed is even sufficient to double consistently, and not get doubled except in fringe cases like Swordmasters and Assassins, which barely scratch his chunky HP bar anyway, which I can confirm is preserved even if you do level him purely as a caster...something which the developers no doubt took into account. I repeat: Lorenz being tankier is very much a valid strength he holds over Lysithea, since it means he can front line, because I'd like to drive home again the fact that he isn't a traditional caster once you attain Master rank, and heck even while he's still leveling. If we were to account for carrying Lifetaker over on a New Game+ it's even better, because it can also be activated off of Frozen Lance on maps where you play him as a mounted unit. Once be becomes a Dark Knight, being a magic user that isn't afraid to take a few hits makes him the ideal niche user of Thrysus, for the advantage in countering even very distant foes during enemy phase. Something you would miss out on at times if you were to give it to...say...a squishy back line unit, with less enemy phase relevancy. It is because of this added flexibility that I still believe he comes to greatly outshine her as the staff's user as the game progresses, even if one were to make Lysithea a Dark Knight as well. Lifetaker means you don't generally have to rely on healers, as it's really quite easy to find a unit to kill and activate its effect with all that movement and range, going off of his sufficient mixed physical and magical damage, then position yourself to draw in more enemy attacks during the next enemy phase with canto. Besides, I'd argue that mounted speed penalty of a mount is much harder on Lysithea than on Lorenz, because he has the HP and slightly better defenses to survive being doubled by things like Swordmasters and Assassins, or simply failing at evading a few hits during enemy phase. Could Lysithea really be counted on to do the same? Even with the use of Nosferatu, which slows you even further, and still requires you to take at times upwards for 20+ damage from a single hit before countering. Can she regularly risk drawing aggro from three, or four, or five enemies in one phase? Lorenz can, and with very little discretion. As for skill uniqueness? He has what he needs to kill things, often in one turn just like Lysithea, despite the lower Magic stat. Sylvain doesn't get very unique reason skills, but does that make him any worse of a unit? The important thing is that the skill selections of both units allow him to hit from a variety of damage and speed drop ranges, depending on your need. Of course, being able to trivialize Death Knight on his first appearance is something unique to Lysithea, and no one can take that away from her.She indeed also has a number of effective damaging spells beyond that, even though the strength of her Miasma on its own often renders them redundant. If anything, it's perfect that Lorenz and Lysithea start the two out in the same house, since it pretty much ensures Lorenz gets that much needed Dark Seal, for use in scaling into late game. Ideally I wouldn't even pit the two against each other on a viability scale to begin with, as I think they sufficiently fill two completely different roles, and work perfectly fine together in the same army, but the issue of who gets the staff is a major one. I still maintain that Lysithea is the better user of it early on, but Lorenz simply makes far more use out of it as the game progresses, both offensively and defensively, and I should add without outright relying on the occasional damage reduction to do so. That is merely an added perk, that nonetheless activates often enough to keep you from falling below even half HP. My current playthrough's Lorenz actually has more natural HP than my Leonie right now, interestingly enough. And the two work very well together as a fast-clearing, self-sufficient support pair, with their equally great attacking ranges. Two Leonies is, in fact, better and faster than one! However, unlike with the more generally straightforward and consistent Leonie, I believe the Thrysus is a valuable component in allowing Lorenz to get to that level, as is Lifetaker, an ability that has been rightfully described as "niche" but which happens to suit him perfectly. He effectively becomes a Magic Bow Knight with built-in Pavise and a reliable self heal on player phase. It is potent. It is efficient. Perhaps something that needs to be seen to be believed, if his stats on paper give no good indication, which is understandable. Now then, I feel I've said enough, and I must restrain the urge to even get started on Caspar, because I could seriously go on and on about Mr. One Man Army himself...~

I suppose one way is to redesign the AI to be more gambit-happy against Mounted and Flying units whether or not they're currently mounted, and increase enemy gambit accuracy across the board. Equip more archer enemies with bow battalions expressly as a counter to the infamous flying death squads. Hand out more Horseslayers to random units. We have like, what, 12 divine pulse charges at max, so none of this is all that unreasonable. They really should go crazy with it.~ Also, if it were indeed possible, as a general balance change I would patch Alert Stance to have its effect removed upon damage taken.

I did also give Lysithea the wand at first, but I would actually argue that Lorenz makes for a much better user of it in the long run. I know it's long, but I hope some will take the time to read, and perhaps consider this precious mushroom-head guy in a whole new light. ❤️ To start off with, a quick review of Lorenz's most clear advantages over Lysithea, as I see them. They are his smoother progression into Dark Knight, higher defensive stats across the board, and I would submit, perhaps most important of all, his access to Lifetaker from the Dark Bishop class. With a build like my current one: Thyrsus, Black Magic Range +1, Reason Prowess, Defensive Tactics, and Fiendish Blow, altogether he becomes a versatile, decently durable, mobile, comfortably self-sustaining front line unit. Now, then! Here is my hot take on why he should get the staff in the long run: A Lysithea with Thrysus sits in the back line and plucks off a distant enemy with it every player phase, as even if she had the range of a Dark Knight, she's likely still far too squishy especially in later maps to act as a front line. So, barring some crazy ability on her like idk Vantage, one can consider all spaces on the map where she would be attacked by multiple enemies in later maps off-limits when you're picking where to Canto to, which...makes that added mobility a bit questionable as to its worth. On the other hand, Lorenz gets a lot of HP. It surprised me as I was playing through, really. His DEF too, while not the best, is noticeably higher than Lysithea's, and he has a fantastic RES, which is also significantly higher than Lysithea's own and becomes more and more valuable for front line units as the game progresses. His speed, while a tad low (same growth as Edelgard, 1 less base value), isn't so low that he gets doubled by common enemies as the game progresses. and moreoften gets the doubles himself. Lorenz can and does take multiple hits during enemy phase, with some hits being reduced by the staff's effect from time to time, counters even max range Bow Knights, then likely plucks something off at a distance during player phase for a Lifetaker heal. Then, from there, has the option to canto onward, maintaining your party's forward momentum. In this example, one can see that Lorenz makes full use of all the benefits of the staff, while also giving the player better forward momentum than Lysithea would even if they went through the extra trouble of making her a Dark Knight over a Gremory. Lysithea's a great unit, but Lorenz was designed to be much easier to make into a Dark Knight than her for a reason, I think. The extra investment of two Dark Seals to achieve Lifetaker might be off-putting to some, but it's far better to progress him as a caster anyway, and it's not like Lysithea would mind allowing him to get some hits in for Reason exp in her stead, thanks to her trait. His abilities, particularly Lifetaker, are what really gives him an edge, which obviously will involve some extra grinding + repeat playthroughs, but the game is designed with all that taken into account what with the presence of Knowledge Orbs, grind maps and New Game +, so it's not something I would hold against him or any unit within the context of Three Houses, unless we're talking, like, actual speed runs. I would even be so brazen as to say Lorenz's impact as an individual unit scales throughout multiple playthroughs far better than Lysithea's, with this particular build. My main concern is that harder hitting foes with higher crit compounded with his lowish Luck might screw him over in harder difficulties, but we'll have to see... Anyway, there are dodge tanks and then there are tank tanks. With Lifetaker, Lorenz is something of a drain tank. (Just be sure to level him as a caster--NOT as a cavalry--until he becomes a Dark Knight.)

I would like to note that Lifetaker feels particularly good on Dark Knight Lorenz with Thyrsus equipped, since said wand lets him counter even Archers and Snipers, as well as occasionally reducing damage to him. Since he can strike decently well both physically w/ Frozen Lance, and magically at many different ranges, there's almost always an enemy unit nearby he can use as a battery during the player phase without worry of counterattack if need be, then broken style canto to maintain momentum.

Hubert: Dark Knight because he looks sick as hell, it makes it easier for him to keep pace with Edelgard, apply that res buff to stack with her passive, as if she wasn't already unstoppable enough. He's the glassiest glass cannon ever so the mobility and canto also helps him in that regard (in future runs I'll be sure to get him the Dark Bishop mastery skill as well, since killing in one turn is something he has absolutely no trouble with). He's also a great user of the Magic lance you get in the BE route, but gets good damage on Frozen Lance even before that. Dedue: War Master for the mobility, and so he can reliably one-shot pretty much everything as his physical tankiness starts to become less and less relevant further into the game, and that minus in riding hinders his growth into a Great Knight. And besides, in Dedue's absence I came to prefer Great Knight Gilbert as a tanky initiator for his better mobility and more flexible defensive trait, death squadding very nicely with Dancer Annette and Bow Knight Ashe all the way up to the final map. Hilda as a Wyvern Lord is just soooooooooooooooooooo good, on my current first Golden Deer run. Gets MVP almost every match, for what it's worth. Good support pair with Claude, as she can keep pace with him, following up with a sick Killing Blow and Strength + 2 ability boosted smack after he draws in enemies with alert stance and chips them, while also having nice synergy with Seteth since they have Supports AND mutually beneficial traits. Because of her low accuracy, I find supports all the more valuable, and the evasion they grant also works well off of her decent Speed.

I've made a point to give Dancer to a different, main house unit on each run. Annette was a fine dancer on my Blue Lions playthrough. Doro on Black Eagles. Lysithea, now, on Golden Deer. The extra movement is quite nice for casters, and on that note I also make a point to give the Boots to my dancer each run, if only so they can keep in step with mounted units better. However...I'm thinking now that Felix could be funny for a more physically oriented take on the role, perhaps for my next BL run. xD

I've done Crimson Flower and Blue Lions thus far, in that order, halfway through Golden Deer (just got to the timeskip), but between those two it's hard to choose, really. I found them both to be most gripping, in their own ways. Blue Lions actually had me rushing through the months a lil just to progress with the story! On the other hand, Golden Deer seems a lot more chill. Understandably it's less intense by comparison up to now, although but I've been noticing small hints dropping here and there about Claude that I'm interested to see be paid off later. If I were hard pressed to pick a favorite I would say Blue Lions, mostly because of the writing for Dimitri. Still, they were both emotional rollercoasters in their own right, for sure...