Nicholas1024

If I can't duplicate what I pulled off earlier, I'm trying this, I never thought to use Virion to bait the dark mage out of his blasted fortress.

Well, I THINK I've got a strategy that just might work. Rather than eliminate the bottom group of enemies and try to hold off the mid part with the mages, I've had quite a bit more success leaving Lon-qu or someone down to hold off the bottom group and send everyone else up immediately. Avatar with thunder and a speed support can double and kill wyvern riders, and Frederick can one-shot the blasted fire mage with his silver lance. With a bit of luck, I actually managed to survive turn 3 (which is actually a record after a dozen-some tries, sadly enough.) Of course, I didn't actually beat the chapter thanks to Lon-qu getting nailed by a 30% and 50% hit on the same enemy phase, but it's progress. Also, when the mages are gone, Frederick + Kellam + Fort is pretty near invincible.

I think Kellam is a touch too low. I'm not entirely sure how he fares as a unit, but just the fact that you get a +5 defense support right off the bat means you can literally take him into chapters for JUST that bonus. The +3 strength boost isn't bad either. I feel like Sully and Stahl are too high. Granted, I didn't use them as much as some units, and perhaps I just got unlucky with their growths, but they just fell behind the rest of my team. I'd bump Cherche up to A tier. Yeah, her speed is bad and you need to watch out for any mages, but her pure strength and defense are amazing, and she's perfectly usable as soon as you acquire her. For that matter, I'd put Sumia-Lucina higher too, Parallel Falchion is arguably the best sword in the game with its combination of availability, unbreakability, and sheer power, and she ended up being one of the few units that I could actually count on to reliably evade things. Chrom I'd also drop a spot or two. He's a good unit, don't get me wrong, but Lucina and the fliers ended up being a lot more useful in my playthrough. And for that matter, Olivia should go up at least a tier or two, I know that galeforce exists and the enemy phase is insanely important this game, but still, she's a dancer.

What about the mages? I'm not worried about Frederick surviving the physical attackers, with Kellam's help he takes only 6/8 damage from the axe users and 0/2 damage from the myrms (Double THAT, you stupid things!). My main worry is both mages attacking him in the same turn and doing upwards of 30 damage between the two of them. Also, I'm planning not to use spotpass/DLC. Or skirmishes. Or Nosferatu/sol, after reading some of this thread. Yeah, I'm insane. :P

Does anyone have any tips for making it through Chapter 5 on Lunatic? The problem isn't Ricken and Maribelle, I got the rescue staff from the Paralogue to save those two. My main issue is just the sheer number of enemies rushing down from the second cliff. The myrmadons double anything that isn't Sumia or with a speed support, the mages do huge damage to everything (meaning I can't let Frederick tank both of them at once), and the Wyvern knights get a sadistic joy from being able to attack anything I have on the field (which is a real problem, considering that the two of them alone can kill my unit without a good support.) I had an easy enough time with the game on hard (despite not using any dark mages or dark fliers), but this mode is just destroying me.