Red Fox of Fire's character review topic (Complete)

[Bryan]

I would be suprised to see Ike get anything below a 9/10. He is pretty awesome! With his broken ragnell & awesomeness.

[Dat Nick]

just fails at trolling really

[Bryan]

just fails at trolling really

How is that even related to the topic?

[Dat Nick]

That image is a wordcensor for R e v a n

Edited December 28, 2009 by BARST SAGAT

[Deliriyum]

So what is keeping Calil down to a four? Availability and being too slow to double at first? I guess I'd have to see Soren's rating to give a comparison but still, she is one of the best magic units, and I doubt she'll see much competition for rexflame(lolTormod and Sanaki does just fine with her light Cymbeline)

Edit: I know this is somewhat irrelevant because its personal experience, but in my current PT Calil capped all her stats except defense without stat boosters. Pretty damn good in my book.

Edited December 28, 2009 by core34510

[Bryan]

So what is keeping Calil down to a four? Availability and being too slow to double at first? I guess I'd have to see Soren's rating to give a comparison but still, she is one of the best magic units, and I doubt she'll see much competition for rexflame(lolTormod and Sanaki does just fine with her light Cymbeline)

Edit: I know this is somewhat irrelevant because its personal experience, but in my current PT Calil capped all her stats except defense without stat boosters. Pretty damn good in my book.

I don't use Calil. She may be good... But I have Saniki, whos forced, and Tormond (If I am doing a male only playthrough.)

Also, why is R e v a n censored?

Edited December 29, 2009 by Bryan

[Dat Nick]

because he's a fail troll

[Bryan]

because he's a fail troll

Lol. I wasn't active when that happened.

[Iced]

J'yo is also censored

[Defeatist Elitist]

just fails at trolling really

Dude, trolling and joking are most certainly different things.

What I said there was a joke, not an attempt at trolling.

Edited December 29, 2009 by ZXValaRevan

[Dat Nick]

it's not a joke if it's not funny

[Defeatist Elitist]

it's not a joke if it's not funny

bro.

Chill out man.

[Candlejack]

Speaking of jokes HEY WHATS UP GUYS

[Naglfar]

it's not a joke if it's not funny

So, what, did Fia pee in your soup or something?

[Dat Nick]

no

he just fails at being funny

[Florete]

Ok guys, I think you all should stop spamming up my topic now.

[Deliriyum]

Ok guys, I think you all should stop spamming up my topic now.

I was just thinking the same thing, but I didn't want to come out of no where and say "Get back on topic" as I don't want to MiniMod

[Florete]

Ike

Geez, I'm finally done with the non-existent part 2 people and can get into the interesting characters who actually have a lot to talk about! And so we start with Ike, the leader of the Greil Mercenaries.

So we have Ike. He doesn't double everything right away, but he does double more than most. He also happens to be among the most powerful of your units, both in Strength and Defense.

Can anyone see where this is going?

It just so happens that 3-P is really the most of his doubling problems. 3-1 enemies suddenly become slow enough for him to double most everything, and in the coming maps enemies mostly grow Speed at the same rate as him or possibly slower, so he's somewhat borderline doubling on occasion on the slightly faster enemies but still doing better than like anyone else on the defensive but slow Generals.

However, one of the big advantages the part 3 people get is a lot of maps in which they can slowplay BEXP, a tactic that helps Ike quite a lot. By the time he caps Skill he can start using it and as soon as he caps Strength he has good chances of getting Speed on his level ups. Depending on how fast you level him this should happen around 3-5 or 3-7, so he'll be less borderline on doubling by then. From there on he should be able to get almost everything that isn't a Swordmaster, and with his massive Strength he ought to be killing left and right.

Offense is not his only strong point. There's Defense. His Resistance is not so good, but he has the second best base concrete Defense of the Mercenaries and Earth affinity, as well as decent defensive growths. In other words, he's not likely to be taking too much damage and he'll be dodging a lot anyway, as well as providing someone else with the avoid to dodge all the time. Mia is generally agreed to be his best partner since he only really needs the 23 avoid his affinity gets itself and the Hit and atk Mia gives can help against a few enemies, as well as making Mia a defensive beast.

And Ike never really slows down. He promotes at the end of part 3 after getting freaking Ragnell and also gets access to Axes and Aether. He pretty much just continues to rape face for the rest of the game while never dying, easily your best combat unit. In conclusion, Ike is a force to be reckoned with in this game and will not disappoint. If everything else isn't enough, he also has smaller advantages like free weapons forever and he never uses a unit slot. I probably missed a few things, but his raw combat ability is what's so badass about him.

10/10

Transfer changes:

Ike can get HP, Strength, Skill, Speed, and Defense from a transfer.

Wtf.

Recall the biggest problem he had: borderline doubling. Guess what? It's gone. 25 base Speed doubles everything not a Swordmaster or Lombroso until 3-10, where his Speed can be capped. Even along the way he'll start doubling those pesky Swordmasters because he can start slowplaying BEXP immediately, getting Speed as soon as the second level when he already has HP, Strength, and Skill capped. Oh, and he's more durable at base than the previous winner, Gatrie, now, since he still loses 1 Def but has 4 more HP and more avoid. I did some calculations if Ike uses BEXP on every level with a transfer and came out with the following (approximate) level 20 averages, the numbers in parentheses being how high from average it is:

HP: 50 (+0.15) (Cap at 12)

Str: 27 (Cap at 12)

Mag: 5 (+2.1)

Skl: 30 (Cap at base)

Spd: 30 (+3.85) (Cap at ~17)

Lck: 22 (+5.3)

Def: 26 (+1.4) (Cap at ~14)

Res: 13 (+4.65)

As you can see, he hardly even cares about Magic enemies or crits anymore. At least not as much as he might have before.

Another little tidbit is his performance against the 3-P boss. Before he was not doubling and doing 18 damage a hit to Silvano's 39 HP, a 3 hit. Now he doubles and does 20, a one round. What. The. Hell. This guy breaks the game.

10.5/10

Titania

Titania could almost be considered the Jeigan of the Mercenaries, but only because she has low experience gain as a result of a high base level. She has fairly solid defenses albeit low HP and a lot of Strength combined with Axes making for hard-hitting action. The only real problem with Titania is her Speed. Her base is not particularly low but not quite enough to double and while her growth is fairly good she doesn't level fast enough to really use it. She is, however, a prime candidate for a Speedwing, which will get her doubling faster and keep her doubling more often, although it isn't quite perfect. Whenever she doubles she's amazing since she's one of the strongest members of the team, making a very powerful offensive unit.

Defense can be a bit of a problem for her. She has a decent base Defense but a fairly low base HP. Her HP growth is okay and her Defense growth sucks. Coupled with her slow leveling speed, this means it won't be long before she starts getting hit fairly hard. Luckily for her, she is a prime candidate for supporting Oscar due to similarly high move and making good use of the bonuses, as well as Oscar appreciating the Defense boost, the only problem being that Oscar would actually like atk more. Still, even without him, her defenses shouldn't ever get too bad as long as she levels well and supports someone for a Defense boost. And of course, don't forget that she has 9 move and Canto to stay safe in a pinch and reach more enemies when able.

And it just so happens that as a result of her high base level, she'll also be the first to promote aside from any quick Crowns on others. Assuming she did get a Speedwing, by the time this happens she'll be much better off in all areas and doubling will be much less of a problem. Due to high offensive growths and mostly decent caps she'll be a pretty solid character for the rest of the game, all else included.

9/10

Transfer changes:

Titania can reasonably get Speed and Skill from a transfer. This is better for her than it looks at first glance. The Speed part is obvious. Her reliance on a Speedwing goes down and it can go to someone else. The Skill mostly helps with BEXP, allowing her to slowplay for some of her lower stats a bit in the last few levels before her promotion. Of course, the Speed is the big one, since it allows her to double a lot where she couldn't before. Combined with her high move, Canto, and decent defenses this makes her an exceptionally good team member. In fact, all that really keeps her down is her occasionally shaky defenses and situational Paladin restrictions.

9.5/10

Soren

Oh, Soren. So many fangirls (and boys), yet unable to live up to the hype. I won't be liked for the following review and the score to follow it.

So Soren starts in 3-P with the rest of the Mercenaries. His player phase offense is decent. He hits fairly hard, usually a 2 hit kill though often borderline. His durability sucks. He's 2 hit killed by every physical enemy without exception, so if anything doubles (just Swordmasters) it's a one round. This is how he is for quite a while, pretty much playing GM clean-up crew, an ability that's nice but particularly special.

Upon capping Skill and Resistance with two levels each, and Magic a bit later, he gets some BEXP potential, though what he needs, Speed, is still tied for third highest growth with the next two being only 10% behind, so it isn't guaranteed. In other words, he's likely to never double, especially with a tier 2 Speed cap of only 23. Of course, this brings in the possibility of Crowning, but his to-remain crap durability limiting him to player phase offense and healing with two other competent healers on the team does not put him high on the priority list for a Master Crown. And then his bad mobility is not helping his case either.

He doesn't really get any better either. Terrible defensive growths all around means he's always restricted to player phase, and low Speed means he isn't going to be doubling. Staves on promotion is pretty cool, but at that point the demand for healing has gone down, so it's no longer as special, albeit still a point in his favor. He'll mostly be limited to the same type of chip damage all game.

His affinity is pretty nice though. Atk and avoid is a decent combination in most cases and would be helpful if paired with a character like Nephenee or Ike assuming they don't get anyone more preferable. However, this is a minor point in spite of his flaws.

4/10

Transfer changes:

Soren can reasonably transfer for Magic, Skill, Speed, and Resistance. This is honestly pretty cool despite the fact it doesn't do a whole lot in the durability department. He actually has a reasonable chance to start doubling soon due to a higher Speed base and better BEXP potential as a result of Skill and Resistance coming capped and Magic capping in just two levels. He'll be a bit less borderline on the 2 hit kills and might be able to get his defenses up to reasonable places in time. Hell, he might be a decent candidate for a Crown.

4.5/10

Edited December 25, 2010 by Yui

[Loki Laufeyson]

I won't be liked for the following review and the score to follow it.

No kidding. Particularly since hes actually the most functional mage in the game. Who the hell else are you gonna use? Ilyana Little Miss No Speed? Tormod of No Availability? Calill (LOL)? Seriously, hes the only decent mage in the game. (also considering what magic levels he maxed in PoR, gives him that uber bonus to his levels during the transfer.) Yeah also forget Adept much?

[Florete]

I won't be liked for the following review and the score to follow it.

No kidding. Particularly since hes actually the most functional mage in the game. Who the hell else are you gonna use? Ilyana Little Miss No Speed? Tormod of No Availability? Calill (LOL)? Seriously, hes the only decent mage in the game. (also considering what magic levels he maxed in PoR, gives him that uber bonus to his levels during the transfer.) Yeah also forget Adept much?

"Most functional Mage" or however you want to put it does make him good overall. Best of a shitty class is not saying much. Adept? I didn't forget, I left it out because he loses it immediately. He's one of the worst users of Adept.

[Narga_Rocks]

I won't be liked for the following review and the score to follow it.

No kidding. Particularly since hes actually the most functional mage in the game. Who the hell else are you gonna use? Ilyana Little Miss No Speed? Tormod of No Availability? Calill (LOL)? Seriously, hes the only decent mage in the game. (also considering what magic levels he maxed in PoR, gives him that uber bonus to his levels during the transfer.) Yeah also forget Adept much?

Why must you use a mage? If this was like any of the nicer FEs where having a mage around means enemy generals cry it would be one thing. A lot of units 2RKO Generals anyway and while 2 Hammers doesn't give a lot of uses they do allow any axe user to ORKO if they double. Soren is lucky to 2HKO and frequently 3HKOs and doesn't double. So he's basically worse than a lot of your other attackers against Generals, and that's basically his best case scenario. And he'll not be dodging frequently enough to send him out there on enemy phase when he's getting 2HKOd by everything, so I have to ask what does it matter if he's the most functional mage in the game (which he isn't thanks to Micaiah and, yes, Calill)? Asvel he is not. (In fact, he still couldn't hold a candle to pre-Narga Yuria even if you remove the hp drain effect of Resire)

Oh, and Ilyana does his job about the same. Sure, he frequently 2HKOs stuff that she 3HKOs when both are given forges, but honestly why is he soloing any enemies? Against the majority of enemies she's basically just as capable of combining with most random GM units to KO a unit as Soren is.

Also, being (N), Soren (N) doesn't get any weapon levels from PoR. Although, the Bs he starts with (A wind) are good enough for most tasks anyway. Just needs 1 thunder level to get to Arcthunder and Thoron is not practical to purchase and a forged thunder is > Arcthunder anyway. He has no need of Bolganone since he doesn't appear in 4-5 (making Ilyana and Calill better choices to raise anyway if you absolutely must raise a sage) so B Fire gets him all the fire he'll ever be able to use and E thunder is honestly all he needs for thunder. Well, the 3-11 Thoron could be purchased if you really want, but an 8mt forge (1 less mt than Thoron and possibly fixed by a card) has 24 mt on dragons anyway vs. 27 mt from Thoron. And the forge will have better hit (and >= crit since Thoron is only 5 crit, but that doesn't matter much) and probably be cheaper per hit. T version already has a higher score if starting with S Wind, A Fire, A Thunder makes a difference over ABB.

Who the hell else are you gonna use?

Ike

Haar

Mia

Titania

Gatrie

Janaff

Ulki

Shinon

Nephenee

Oscar

Mordecai

Ranulf

Boyd

Mist (healing)

Heather (when necessary)

Rhys (healing)

I see no reason to use Soren when I have more units (that are better than he is) than slots already.

And yeah, Adept on Soren is only an argument for players that don't seem to realize that you can give Adept to someone that uses it better. Playing efficiently, giving Soren credit for Adept would be like giving Fiona credit for Saviour and Imbue (so 3-6 easy button with Saviour Sothe, for example).

Edited January 3, 2010 by Narga_Rocks

[Shadow Mir]

Florina: I don't really see the point of the weapon rank boost that you say Soren can get, because it really doesn't mean much of anything if there are no high level tomes to use, now does it? Speaking of which, Arc tomes don't even become available until part 4 (other than the Arcthunder and Arcfire in 1-E's bargain bin). Also, Soren isn't even the most functional mage in the game. So sorry. And as Red Fox and Narga pointed out, Soren can't really use Adept well.

[Blademaster!]

Aww I was hoping to see something on what possible reasons Ike would ever use Axes instead of Ragnell.

[Zkirsche]

RFoF, I thought you agreed Brom (T) > Tauroneo in the tier list?

Aww I was hoping to see something on what possible reasons Ike would ever use Axes instead of Ragnell.

Hammer for the BK/Other Generals.

[General Spoon]

Aww I was hoping to see something on what possible reasons Ike would ever use Axes instead of Ragnell.

The only reason I can think of would be to use hammer on the Black Knight.