ITT DA Ranks The Characters

[Junkhead]

Did you just ignore the few posts before you? Tormod just needs three levels of BEXP to be useful. Rolf needs a ton of BEXP to be a mediocre unit, since he will forever be locked to a below average player phase. Tormod acting as an 8 Mov healer is much more than what Rolf has to afford you.

And to clarify things up, we don't go with the excuse of your "playing style". We play effeciently, not using units that will drag us down.

Edited September 21, 2010 by Totally not Hika's alt

[uzy5o]

I agree. If you gave Tormod a 3.5, I think you should at least raise Rolf by 0.5 or 1 point. You see, Rolf can provide a bit of help where Tormod can't. They are both weaklings who needs to be babyied, that's for sure. Rolf comes at chapter 9 at level 1. That's kinda bad, but raising him is not impossible. Now for Tormod he joins at chapter 16 at level 7. Now THAT'S hard to raise, when almost everyone is promoting you are still babying him. Rolf promotes a bit of earlier. And Rolf is your only bow user for a moment. If you raise him a bit he is great against crows. And he can also chip enemies for decent damage. He can help kill birds in the desert. He has a lot of use when you know how to use him well. Tormod, not so much. He gets almost ORKO'ed by everyone in his starting map, and even OHKO'd by some. And you have better option if you really want a sage:Soren! While the other sniper,Shinon, has really bad bases. So Rold has almost no competition while Tormod has a bit more. And what about BEXP? Tormod joins somewhere where everyone wants BEXP,and late arrivers like Astrid and Makalov could do better use of it than him. Really,raising Rold OR dropping Tormod should be done.

Lol, I actually meant that Rolf should drop or Tormod should rise. The only thing Rolf could do is chip once per turn, and he isn't even good at that. Tormod could do that too, but he could also attack at 1 range, has 1 more move, and gets staffs upon promotion. Tormod can take 300 BEXP, a seal, and he could be immediately useful as a mobile healer. Rolf has no such utility to fall back on, and he needs 1000+ BEXP when he joins just to get out of sucking massively.

What I meant to say was that Tormod has such an overwhelming advantage over Rolf, that I can't imagine any standards under which Tormod wouldn't be winning.

[Anouleth]

I agree. If you gave Tormod a 3.5, I think you should at least raise Rolf by 0.5 or 1 point.

wat

You see, Rolf can provide a bit of help where Tormod can't.

Having used both Rolf and Tormod in efficient play, I can personally attest that is not the case. Tormod has a movement and an offensive advantage even at lower levels than Rolf. For example, at 16/1, Tormod has 21ATK and 15AS with Elthunder, to Rolf's 25ATK and 18AS with a Steel Bow. That might seem like Rolf is winning, but 15AS is still enough to double most enemies in Chapter 18, and Tormod can easily be a higher level than that. Tormod can quickly start ORKOing with a Spirit Dust and his full-atk supports, neither of which Rolf has access to.

They are both weaklings who needs to be babyied, that's for sure. Rolf comes at chapter 9 at level 1. That's kinda bad, but raising him is not impossible. Now for Tormod he joins at chapter 16 at level 7. Now THAT'S hard to raise, when almost everyone is promoting you are still babying him. Rolf promotes a bit of earlier. And Rolf is your only bow user for a moment. If you raise him a bit he is great against crows.

Rolf isn't good against Crows. Certainly, he's not nearly as good as someone like Mia, Zihark, or Marcia who can potentially double and 1-round them.

And he can also chip enemies for decent damage.

So can Tormod.

He can help kill birds in the desert.

A chapter that can be beaten in two turns?

He has a lot of use when you know how to use him well.

So does Tormod.

Tormod, not so much. He gets almost ORKO'ed by everyone in his starting map, and even OHKO'd by some.

So does Rolf, and only a single enemy (the boss) OHKOes Tormod, with only Myrms and Snipers outright ORKOing him. Which rather begs the question of why we haven't given Tormod BEXP when we have something to the tune of 3000-5000 available.

And you have better option if you really want a sage:Soren!

When trained, Tormod is significantly better than Soren, due to a movement advantage, better strength for siege tomes, and full-attack supports that counter-act Soren's magic lead and then some.

While the other sniper,Shinon, has really bad bases.

So does Rolf.

So Rold has almost no competition while Tormod has a bit more.

There is no 'minimum quota' for Snipers. We do not need to deploy any Snipers, when they're generally sub-standard

And what about BEXP? Tormod joins somewhere where everyone wants BEXP,and late arrivers like Astrid and Makalov could do better use of it than him. Really,raising Rold OR dropping Tormod should be done.

So it's fine for Rolf to take whatever amount of BEXP he needs in Chapter 10, but to take BEXP in Chapter 16 is worse? There are many better uses of BEXP than Rolf - Mia/Zihark/Marcia can take it for Ravens, Jill or Nephenee have slow starts, or hell, we could even save it for Astrid and Makalov and yes, Tormod.

And let me tell you this: If BEXP is in high demand in Chapter 16, it follows that BEXP is in equally high demand or higher in Chapter 10.

[Junkhead]

So that's what makes Tormod an Est, ay?

Anyway, I would like to hear word from DA125 himself, to explain to us what playstyle he's actually using for his ratings. I assumed effeciency, since it seems more likely.

[Smiley Jim]

Anyway, I would like to hear word from DA125 himself, to explain to us what playstyle he's actually using for his ratings. I assumed effeciency, since it seems more likely.

Please read the first post(because I added some stuff). I said that I would assume efficiency(or at the least, my view on efficiency). Just because I play the game at a slower pace does not mean you are to assume that. Thank you. Next up is Muraim.

EDIT: Dropped Rolf to a 2.5 because, as you said, archers aren't that good. He lost a point for that, and that I don't feel like raising Tormod more than ~.5 because of his own problems.

Have a nice day.

Edited September 21, 2010 by DA125

[RNG Princess]

I agree with most of these ratings ^_^ but theres some things I must point out.

IMO

Ike belongs in the 7-7.5 or 8 ish area since he has a shaky start, move issues, and his durability isn't great (like it is in RD anyway) + low res.

Jill definitely deserves a 9.5 or even a 10 her flying utility is godly in this game (Ch.17stg3 comes to mind). She also has enough defense and laguzguard to back her up although she wouldn't mind bexp for better speed.

Marcia is being underrated a bit since she's one of the two fliers but she comes earlier as well except she doubles more often.

Astrid can be forged iirc a maxed str steel bow and easily OHKO crows and gain fast levels even if not that the npcs weaken a bunch of enemies so she can easily take those kills too and she has the knight ward although it can be traded it guarantees her an 85% speed growth so has a high chance of always doubling.

I disagree with Mist being higher than Volke and Astrid. She comes with an E rank in staves so she has to staff spam a lot early on to start using mend, and she has durability isssues as well imo she should be closer to Rhys.

Also I personally think Marcia > Kieran but I don't have enough evidence for it now. BTW are you sure Makalov doubles? I recall him having hit issues and not doubling but maybe I'm wrong.

Edited September 21, 2010 by Queen_Elincia

[Smiley Jim]

Ike belongs in the 7-7.5 or 8 ish area since he has a shaky start, move issues, and his durability isn't great (like it is in RD anyway) + low res.

He might have grounds to drop by ~.5, but anything lower than 8.5 is pushing it. Also, the C1 Seraph Robe solves any durability issues he may have for a good portion of the game and he has good claim on the boots. Res isn't even an issue since he has a 40% res growth in this game and won't get 2HKO'd all the time if he's hit by magic.

Jill definitely deserves a 9.5 or even a 10 her flying utility is godly in this game (Ch.17stg3 comes to mind). She also has enough defense and laguzguard to back her up although she wouldn't mind bexp for better speed.

She'd be a perfect 10 if she didn't join at Lv8 when your other units are ~Lv13-15, but she can close the gap quickly due to the ravens giving 50+ CEXP. I'll boost her to a 9.5.

Marcia is being underrated a bit since she's one of the two fliers but she comes earlier as well except she doubles more often.

Ok, I did underrate her a bit. She gets an 8.5/10.

Astrid can be forged iirc a maxed str steel bow and easily OHKO crows and gain fast levels even if not that the npcs weaken a bunch of enemies so she can easily take those kills too and she has the knight ward although it can be traded it guarantees her an 85% speed growth so has a high chance of always doubling.

I can buy that for now.

I disagree with Mist being higher than Volke and Astrid. She comes with an E rank in staves so she has to staff spam a lot early on to start using mend, and she has durability isssues as well imo she should be closer to Rhys.

Mist has better movement and offense than Rice after promotion. Also, by the time she promotes, she won't die as much thanks to her supports(Rice gets 2HKO'd and doubled basically forever, while Mist can avoid 2HKO's from weaker enemies with A Jill/B Mordy and won't get doubled by anything except shit like swordmasters. Also, Mist has more avoid than Rice(inb4 Rice getting weighed down by everything thanks to his anorexic arms)).

Also I personally think Marcia > Kieran but I don't have enough evidence for it now. BTW are you sure Makalov doubles? I recall him having hit issues and not doubling but maybe I'm wrong.

Mak doubles practically nothing thanks to his 7 base AS with an unforged steel sword, and won't double anything but armors/gens until after promotion unless you KW whore him and/or give him one/both speedwing(s). Also, Kevin has a better start(getting 3-4HKO'd is better than getting 2HKO'd and he doesn't have to worry about arrows. After the FG, that last part is moot.) Basically, I can buy Kevin=Marcia, but not Marcia>Kevin.

Edited September 21, 2010 by DA125

[Shadow Mir]

I disagree with Mist being higher than Volke and Astrid. She comes with an E rank in staves so she has to staff spam a lot early on to start using mend, and she has durability isssues as well imo she should be closer to Rhys.

There's the fact that Rhys's only good support option is Mia - Titania doesn't want him, ditto for Kieran, Rolf and Ulki are among the worst characters in the game - among other issues.

Ike belongs in the 7-7.5 or 8 ish area since he has a shaky start, move issues, and his durability isn't great (like it is in RD anyway) + low res.

The low res bit doesn't really apply to Ike in this game - it's not as if every time a mage comes around the corner, Ike starts shaking in his boots like would be the case in RD.

Edited September 21, 2010 by Ein Lanford

[Narga_Rocks]

She'd be a perfect 10 if she didn't join at Lv8 when your other units are ~Lv13-15.

Again, she's Lv5 when others are Lv10. Also, she's quite frail. She's fine where she is.

Mak doubles practically nothing thanks to his 7 base AS with an unforged steel sword, and won't double anything but armors/gens until after promotion unless you KW whore him and/or give him one/both speedwing(s). Also, Kevin has a better start(getting 3-4HKO'd is better than getting 2HKO'd and he doesn't have to worry about arrows. After the FG, that last part is moot.)

I can solve all that for you with one word: bexp.

Not that I care about Mak. You've got Titania, Astrid, Oscar, Kieran for your Paladin needs and Jill and Marcia give you 6 death gods with 9 move. But Marcia and Jill? Those two have one huge "pro" when you are considering which units deserve bexp and which don't: FLIGHT. After chapter 12, Jill should never be less than level 12, and probably should be higher. After chapter 10, Marcia should not be seeing single digit levels again until she promotes. Failing to follow this principle means you either aren't using them seriously (like, not intending to keep them past a few chapters) or aren't using them well.

[Smiley Jim]

I can solve all that for you with one word: bexp.

Not that I care about Mak. You've got Titania, Astrid, Oscar, Kieran for your Paladin needs and Jill and Marcia give you 6 death gods with 9 move. But Marcia and Jill? Those two have one huge "pro" when you are considering which units deserve bexp and which don't: FLIGHT. After chapter 12, Jill should never be less than level 12, and probably should be higher. After chapter 10, Marcia should not be seeing single digit levels again until she promotes. Failing to follow this principle means you either aren't using them seriously (like, not intending to keep them past a few chapters) or aren't using them well.

Ok, I lied slightly about their underleveledness. I really need to stop only looking at the listed level and remember that BEXP exists. I play FE7 too much...

You got one thing right, though. They are excellent recipients of BEXP simply because of their flight. And yes, I had them at around the listed levels on my playthrough(Granted, I didn't know whether or not I was going to use Marcia until C11, so she was only Lv7 at the start of C11. She still gained 3 levels.)

So yeah, what I said is moot.

[Anouleth]

BTW are you sure Makalov doubles? I recall him having hit issues and not doubling but maybe I'm wrong.

He has great strength and speed growths. 55% and 50% respectively. And access to the Knight Ward. Makalov is like a Paladin Est - late-joining with good growths.

If you can't make Makalov double... you need to try harder. It's as simple as that.

[Kaoz]

Short question, why is Zihark 1.5 above Mia? I'm a bit puzzled.

[RNG Princess]

He has great strength and speed growths. 55% and 50% respectively. And access to the Knight Ward. Makalov is like a Paladin Est - late-joining with good growths.

If you can't make Makalov double... you need to try harder. It's as simple as that.

TBH I usually always kill him for the CEXP along with Danved/Devdan, Shinnon, and that other one whats his name Tauroneo.

I only recruited Makalov once and I remember him having a shaky start the difference is that he didn't grow as fast as Astrid as far as the memory can serve, but whatever I have no proof against him so I'll leave him alone.

and idk about you guys but after chapter 13 I give knight ward to Titania just so she can double or I have her bexp abuse + knight ward during base if she's like .99exp.

Edited September 21, 2010 by Queen_Elincia

[Narga_Rocks]

Short question, why is Zihark 1.5 above Mia? I'm a bit puzzled.

Lots of people are anti Mia or love Zihark way too much. That's pretty much why. They are equal at worst (for Mia) until Zihark gets at least +15 avo from his supports (+5 or +10 doesn't really change much about their COD, still too high if you have them face a lot) and that takes a while. Mia can easily be better due to a level lead she can easily have at that point. And she can actually do stuff in chapters 8, 9, 10, 11 (Zihark gets recruited in an area that has things you probably want to keep alive and also can't be bexp'd until the next chapter). Which at least counteracts some of Z's win once his supports really get going. Enough at least to put them 1 or even 0.5 apart rather than this difference.

But yeah, basically, lots of people hate Mia in this game for some unfathomable reason and think Z's >>> her just because of his earth affinity.

Oh, and Queen Elincia, while it might be a good idea to let Titania have the KW in battle, that is no reason not to trade it around to everyone leveling with bexp in the base. And that's where Anouleth is wanting you to "train" Makalov after you get him. In the base. If you listen to my idea and give him 6 levels, that gives him 6 * .8 = 4.8 more speed on his base and gets him to 12 str (enough to use steel swords with no AS loss). Instead of that 7AS with steel sword the other guy is talking about, you are now looking at 14 or 15 AS with a steel sword. There are exactly 10 enemies in all of chapter 16 that are not doubled by 15 AS. (There are 38 + Devdan enemies in the chapter, so he doubles 28 of the enemies I'm killing. Nearly 75%)

Of course, people complain about Mia's offence and she can easily be promoted around this time and have more strength and double everything and have nearly as much concrete durability while crushing his avo, but whatever, right?

[Smiley Jim]

Muraim

Base Stats

LVL   	MHP STR MAG SKL SPD LCK DEF RES
00/09   45  16  04  13  15  03  12  05

Growths

MHP STR MAG SKL SPD LCK DEF RES
145 70  05  70  55  35  60  45

Muraim is Tormod's bodyguard and a former laguz slave. Also, he's easier on your CEXP and BEXP budget than Tormod(not that it matters).

If you thought Stefan was ridiculous, Muraim is arguably even more so. There aren't words that explain how good is offense is at base. 32 atk transformed is basically killing everything he touches in two hits, and while 18 AS isn't as broken as 25 AS, he still doubles everything on the map due to how much enemy AS fails in PoR. Even with the demi band, he has 29 atk and 17 AS. Ridiculous. And with 70Str/55Spd, this continues for the whole game. And let's not get to his durability; 45HP/15(14)Def with 145/60 growths is way above average at this point in the game(and 45% res is good for a laguz, as well). And gauge isn't even an issue for him since he comes with a demi band.

It's actually pretty funny to see how similar Muraim is to Mordy. At 20/4, Mordy has -1 HP, -6 speed, and +2 Def on base Muraim while tying str. The one pro that Mordy has is that he's been helping out since C10, but Muraim has a massive edge in speed(it takes Mordy until Lv15 to reach Muraim's speed base). Also, Mordy's support pool and affinity are better than Muraim's.

As for any supports, A Zihark is totally recommended, with Lethe as a secondary. He doesn't come with any skills, but he makes great use of Resolve and/or Adept. Again, Roar is crap. Don't burn an Occult on him.

His rating:

8.5/10

Support suggestion: Zihark A, and he's good to go, I guess.

Band suggestion: He doesn't need any help with stats, so Demi band, anyone?

Edited October 29, 2010 by DA125

[Junkhead]

Please read the first post(because I added some stuff). I said that I would assume efficiency(or at the least, my view on efficiency). Just because I play the game at a slower pace does not mean you are to assume that. Thank you. Next up is Muraim.

I didn't mean it offensively...I'm sorry.

Once again, nice reviews so far.

[Anouleth]

Muraim

Base Stats

LVL   	MHP STR MAG SKL SPD LCK DEF RES
00/09   45  16  04  13  15  03  12  05

Growths

MHP STR MAG SKL SPD LCK DEF RES
145 70  05  70  55  35  60  45

Muraim is Tormod's bodyguard and a former laguz slave. Also, he's easier on your CEXP and BEXP budget than Tormod(not that it matters).

If you thought Stefan was ridiculous, Muraim is arguably even more so. There aren't words that explain how good is offense is at base. 32 atk transformed is basically killing everything he touches in two hits, and while 18 AS isn't as broken as 25 AS, he still doubles everything on the map due to how much enemy AS fails in PoR. Even with the demi band, he has 29 atk and 17 AS. Ridiculous. And with 70Str/55Spd, this continues for the whole game. And let's not get to his durability; 45HP/15(14)Def with 145/60 growths is way above average at this point in the game(and 45% res is good for a laguz, as well). And gauge isn't even an issue for him since he comes with a demi band.

It's actually pretty funny to see how similar Muraim is to Mordy. At 20/4, Mordy has -1 HP, -6 speed, and +2 Def on base Muraim while tying str. The one pro that Mordy has is that he's been helping out since C10, but Muraim has a massive edge in speed(it takes Mordy until Lv15 to reach Muraim's speed base). Also, Mordy's support pool and affinity are better than Muraim's.

As for any supports, A Zihark is totally recommended, with Lethe as a secondary. He doesn't come with any skills, but he makes great use of Resolve and/or Adept. Again, Roar is crap. Don't burn an Occult on him.

His rating:

8.5/10

Band suggestion: He doesn't need any help with stats, so Demi band, anyone?

Uh, why are you recommending Zihark and Lethe? Lethe has poor long-term combat and is probably approaching her twilight chapters. Zihark just gives him more durability, when Muarim already has massive durability. The only thing he wants, +ATK, none of his supports give.

[eclipse]

Zihark gives dodge, which is really cool in my book. Less work for my healers.

[Kaoz]

Lots of people are anti Mia or love Zihark way too much. That's pretty much why. They are equal at worst (for Mia) until Zihark gets at least +15 avo from his supports (+5 or +10 doesn't really change much about their COD, still too high if you have them face a lot) and that takes a while. Mia can easily be better due to a level lead she can easily have at that point. And she can actually do stuff in chapters 8, 9, 10, 11 (Zihark gets recruited in an area that has things you probably want to keep alive and also can't be bexp'd until the next chapter). Which at least counteracts some of Z's win once his supports really get going. Enough at least to put them 1 or even 0.5 apart rather than this difference.

But yeah, basically, lots of people hate Mia in this game for some unfathomable reason and think Z's >>> her just because of his earth affinity.

...That's unfortunate. Any chance you'll reconsider your ratings for these two DA?

Btw, is this one of the rating guides Vincent wanted to have for the main page?

[Smiley Jim]

Devdan

Base Stats

LVL   	MHP STR MAG SKL SPD LCK DEF RES
20/04   36  14  07  15  13  16  11  10

Growths

MHP STR MAG SKL SPD LCK DEF RES
75  60  30  40  35  40  45  25

Devdan here fights like ten men. However, even three years later, as Danved, he didn't say what caliber of men. I'm guessing he meant pussies with zeros in every stat(and 1 HP).

You only need to take one look at his bases and his joining situation to know that he's only decent at best. He's not as bad as some people say, but in the eyes of some, I guess he is. 13 AS is only doubling slugs like armors and soldiers, and with a 35% growth, it gets little better(ok, I lied, the KW raises it to 65, so there). He makes up for this with okish damage; 14 str with a 60% growth means that he will be hitting somewhat hard(he has 24 base atk with a steel lance), so his offense is decent. Durability wise, he's worse than Stefan and only slightly better than base Tiamat. 36HP/11Def is getting 4-5HKO'd by most enemies(watch out for things like fighters and promoted enemies, since they 3HKO him), which isn't too bad, and his durability growths are respectable(75HP/45Def).

He's unlike some of the units before him(and like Stefan)where he can be picked up right off the bat, and doesn't really need babying or BEXP fed. However, compared to the people around him, he is sorely lacking in stats, especially in speed and defense. As I said before, he can use the KW to solve his speed woes(and pad his defense slightly), but let's face it: his bases aren't that great for the level he's at. For reference, 20/4 Neph is absolutely crushing him in most stats(he wins, like, HP/lck/res, and she's winning everything else).

If you are going to use him, I recommend supporting him with Neph and Tormod(Largo comes in too late), and as for skills, I guess he could make decent use of Apept/Wrath or Luna.

His rating:

4.5/10

Support suggestion: Tormod A/Neph B, and I think I'm being generous.

Band suggestion: Knight Ward, motherf***er, do you think it!

Edited October 29, 2010 by DA125

[Smiley Jim]

Tanith

Base Stats

LVL   	MHP STR MAG SKL SPD LCK DEF RES
20/10   32  16  10  18  24  18  15  13

Growths

MHP STR MAG SKL SPD LCK DEF RES
60  40  35  70  40  30  25  30

Tanith, falsely nicknamed 'Manith', is the third flying unit in the game, and like most FE9 prepromotes is very useable from when you get her.

Her base stats aren't too bad at first glance. 24 AS is doubling practically everything in sight for a good while(she misses out on things like C26 swordmasters, which can have up to 23AS)and with a 40% speed growth, this pretty much continues for her whole existence. 16 str with a 40% growth is about average, but she 3HKO's most of her joining map with a steel lance(26 atk), and even against def freaks like generals, she still has 20 atk with a sonic sword hitting res(and 35% mag growth is impressive for a melee unit), so her offense is above average. She has fairly average durability, however. Average atk in her joining chapter is 22, 32HP/15Def is a 5HKO(the highest atk you will see, 26-27, is a 3HKO on her), and her avoid game is good too, sporting 66 avo at base.

What makes her really useful, however, is her unique skill, Reinforce. If you didn't read the flavor text for it ingame, what Reinforce does is that it allows Tanith to summon two pegs and a Falc twice each map, basically giving you free decoys. This is really useful for luring fags like C19!Naesala(since he is a bitch to lure in without a high def unit), or draining ballista/siege tome uses(these get very annoying after a while).

Her support affinity is pretty good. She has Earth aff(and we know how godly Earth is)and supports with two great units, Oscar and Marcia(she also supports with Raisin, but srsly, he shouldn't support frontliners since his physical durability is equivalent to that of wet newsprint.) She has no need of skillz since her innate takes up 15 and in order to put anything useful in, she'd have to delete it(and no way in hell am I deleting something as cheap as Reinforce.) As for anything else, a seraph robe patches up any HP issues she may have had.

With that said, she gets a

8.0/10

Band suggestion: Anything with HP/str/def.

P.S: I am not dead. I've been extremely tired lately and need to readjust my internal clock. I will continue this character rating, as well as the HM playthrough.

P.P.S: Raised her to an 8 because as SF said, flying utility is completely retarded.

Edited September 30, 2010 by DA125

[Anouleth]

I'm not sure how you could rank Stefan higher than Tanith. Stefan has a minor +3 strength lead, counter-acted by Tanith's lance access. Both double everything. Tanith has better durability. And most importantly, Tanith can fly.

[Kaoz]

I'm not sure how you could rank Stefan higher than Tanith. Stefan has a minor +3 strength lead, counter-acted by Tanith's lance access. Both double everything. Tanith has better durability. And most importantly, Tanith can fly.

Apart from that she doesn't die from random crits...

[Anouleth]

I think that's covered under 'better durability'.

[Kaoz]

It's annoying enough to deserve a special mention