FE6 Hard Mode Character Rankings

[Dark Sage]

Ok. I found some enemy stats in Wars of Dragons but I can use another link for later chapters enemy stats. Links will be appreciated.

Roy

Level: 1

Join Time: Chapter 1 (Starts in this chapter)

Affinity: Fire

Supports: Alan, Lance, Lillina, Lalum, Thany, Sue, Sophia, Cecilia, Marcus

Base Stats: HP 18, Strength 5, Skill 5, Speed 7, Luck 7, Defense 5, Resistance 0

Growth Rates: HP 80%, Strength 40%, Skill 50%, Speed 40%, Luck 60%, Defense 25%, Resistance 30%

Analysis: One of the first characters, Roy doesn't start out very well, like most of the characters in Hard Mode. Starting with only a Rapier, which has 25 uses and you want to save with no spare Iron Swords to trade, Roy shouldn't fight all that much in the first chapter. His performance is unimpressive, with 10 attack (11 on axers) and 7 AS with 5 defense, 4RKOing fighters while getting 2RKO'd in return. Against archers, he also 4RKOs them, getting 3RKO'd. He can finish off a few enemies that Marcus gets but otherwise, you want him to stay back. Chapter 2 isn't much better. While he can now get an Iron Sword, he faces loldiers with decent HP, attack and WTA. While he does 2RKO them, he gets 2RKOd in return, assuming he's at level 2. Soldiers have 66 hit rate on him while fighters can still prove somewhat of a danger, though handaxes mean less hit to him.

Chapter 4, he's quite useful against Cavs, though he needs a keep watch on him to prevent death. From then on, things look up, with Chapter 5 being dominated by axers, allowing for some nice experience to be put into him. With a C with both Lance and Alan, a level 5 Roy should have 15 attack, 9 AS, and 10 crit, 20 with a rapier. Not bad at all. Western Isles also is good for him, having WTA against a good portion of the enemies there and with his supports with Alan and Lance building, he can prove most useful. Unfortunately once you reach Etruria, Roy's usefulness takes a sharp drop. Rapier is good, but the enemies there are quite strong and he faces a lot of WTD. Being locked to swords means mediocre attack and with his 6 Con, using stronger weapons could cause him to get doubled. Worse, he can't promote until Chapter 21, further digging himself in a hole. For the most part, he's little more than a support bot, but his limited move could also be a detriment to that as well.

Support wise, B Alan, B Lance is the way to go, giving the best boosts for all of them, leaving only a C elsewhere. Of course if you prefer to not support him with either cav or free up his supports, Lillina is great for attack, though she's unlikely to be in play. Lalum is the next best choice, Fire and Thunder being a solid combo, though it's not the fastest in the world. Thany wants Dieck and Lot, Sue's also not likely to be in play, with a mediocre Wind affinity not helping her case either and LOL Sophia. Marcus sucks after awhile, but he can be good for a C while you're using him.

Overall, Roy's decent but not particularly stellar.

Rating 5.5/10

Edited July 2, 2011 by Sagekitty

[Psych]

His promotion time hurts him a bit since he'll start fading late game.

Maybe move him down half a point.

[Dark Sage]

That's an idea...

Marcus

Level: --/1

Join Time: Chapter 1 (starts in the chapter)

Affinity: Ice

Supports: Lance, Alan, Lillina, Wolt

Base Stats: HP 32, Strength 9, Skill 14, Speed 11, Defense 9, Resistance 8, Luck 10

Growth Rates: HP 60%, Strength 25%, Skill 20%, Speed 25%, Defense 15%, Resistance 20%, Luck 20%

Analysis: Marcus is a god the moment you get him, 2RKOing enemies and doubling them, leaving enough HP to build up your units and dodges most enemies with great tanking qualities. He has excellent tanking qualities and A in lances with C in swords. In addition, once he gets a handaxe, he'll be the best character in the early game, his move and rescuing being an additional bonus. His one weakness is he's surpassed in boss killing, but he's not particularly bad. Chapter 4 is even better for him. Sure, he can't double all that much, but Silver Lance is excellent and WTC plus tanking makes him a savior in this chapter.

He starts to slow down in Chapter 7, when his bad growths rear his ugly head. By now, Dieck, Rutger and Alan and Lance surpass Marcus in stats, if not in weapon ranks. He's still useful for rescuing and is essential for the chapter but by Chapter 8, there is a real chance of him dying if you're not careful. By that time though, he's replaced by Zealot, who's superior in every way. In addition, he's fragile and easy to double and kill late game, making him very difficult to use without stat boosters.

Supprot wise, Marcus got the short end of the stick. Lillina is unlikely to be in play and wants Gonzales and a C with Roy. Alan, Lance and Roy are taken, leaving lolWolt. Marcus's Ice affinity is great, but his options are either taken or bad.

In conclusion, his late game and mediocre mid game hurt him, but his godliness early on mean a lot.

Rating: 8/10

Edited September 27, 2010 by Yoshimitsu

[Junkhead]

The only thing I'll complain about is Roy's score being at least 1 point higher than it should be. Seriously, his start is worse than FE7's Lyndis. =/

Overall good.

[Narga_Rocks]

The only thing I'll complain about is Roy's score being at least 1 point higher than it should be. Seriously, his start is worse than FE7's Lyndis. =/

Overall good.

Really? Because I've found that his start are his best chapters. That's probably only because after his first few chapters I can't be bothered to have him actually do much of anything and thus his level lags and he starts to get bad by chapter 10 or so. Thus, however bad his start may be, those are still his best chapters. Having a 12 or 15 mt weapon on the second or third most annoying enemy type in the first few chapters doesn't hurt, either.

[Galenforcer]

I agree. Roy's rapier makes him cool for the early chapters, since enemy cavaliers are annoying to kill in the beginning. After Western Isles, he starts being crappy and a bad combat unit other than rapier chip. Also being a support bot for Alan and Lance puts him above someone like Lyn.

[Aquilae]

Roy barely does any damage to the cavs and armors (4RKOs Cavs, 2/3RKOs Armors), and he gets 2HKOed in return. I found Roy a really bad choice for killing Cavs / Armors since he has no durability and low Movement.

Lyn puts a really big dent in Cavs / Armors unlike Roy, and she doubles a whole lot more too. Lyn's durability is only slightly worse than Roy, given that she faces weaker enemies. Most of the time, Roy's support bonuses aren't in play as you have to build them and Roy may not always be in range.

[Anouleth]

Yeah, it's not like Lyn has good supports of her own with powerful characters like Florina and Eliwood and Hector.

[Junkhead]

Roy barely does any damage to the cavs and armors (4RKOs Cavs, 2/3RKOs Armors), and he gets 2HKOed in return. I found Roy a really bad choice for killing Cavs / Armors since he has no durability and low Movement.

Lyn puts a really big dent in Cavs / Armors unlike Roy, and she doubles a whole lot more too. Lyn's durability is only slightly worse than Roy, given that she faces weaker enemies. Most of the time, Roy's support bonuses aren't in play as you have to build them and Roy may not always be in range.

This, exactly.

I mean, there's hardly any difference in durability when both are getting 2RKO'd by everything. Lyn even has an earlier promotion, and passable dodge against axe users, at least.

Using Roy as a support bot isn't exactly ideal. We have to remember that Marcus, Alan & Lance got at a much faster pace with their 7 Mov. It'll be hard to keep up with those bonuses, and more harder to build them up in the first place.

[Anouleth]

This, exactly.

I mean, there's hardly any difference in durability when both are getting 2RKO'd by everything. Lyn even has an earlier promotion, and passable dodge against axe users, at least.

Using Roy as a support bot isn't exactly ideal. We have to remember that Marcus, Alan & Lance got at a much faster pace with their 7 Mov. It'll be hard to keep up with those bonuses, and more harder to build them up in the first place.

Well, every chapter is Seize. You should be rescuing Roy forward with your 7 move units for faster completion. But there will still be cases where you want a flying unit and he won't be in range.

Really, if Roy can have Alan/Lance, Lyn can have Hector or Florina or Eliwood.

[Dark Sage]

Alan

Level: 1

Join Time: Chapter 1 (starter)

Affinity: Fire

Supports: Roy, Lance, Marcus, Tate, Wolt, Ward

Base Stats: HP 21, Strength 7, Skill 4, Speed 6, Luck 3, Defense 6, Resistance 0

Growth Rates: HP 85%, Strength 45%, Skill 40%, Speed 45%, Luck 40%, Defense 25%, Resistance 10%

Analysis: Considered one of the top characters in the game, Alan certainly has a lot going for him. He is second best in Chapter 1, due to decent damage and ok enough durability and speed to survive and dodge a few hits. After that, it only keeps on getting better. His Lance and Roy supports are awesome, giving him great attack, hit, and crit. He's great against the loldiers, his move great for rescuing and flexibility and his growth rates are excellent, keeping him afloat for a long time. While he does have a bit of trouble doubling cavs early on, he'll grow enough speed soon to fix that and should soon be your first characters to promote. It's recommended to raise his sword rank early on so that on the Western Isles, he can use Steel Swords, which he puts to excellent use. If he's not doubling, he's doing big damage per strike. His only flaws statistically in the game are his mediocre Luck and Skill and terrible resistance. The prior two can be covered through supports however.

Support wise, all he needs are A Lance and B Roy. Tate's ok, but slow and lol Wolt and Ward. Marcus won't be in use lategame, so he's not that great an option either.

Oveall, decent start, great middle, perfect finish.

Rating: 9.25/10

[Narga_Rocks]

Roy barely does any damage to the cavs and armors (4RKOs Cavs, 2/3RKOs Armors), and he gets 2HKOed in return. I found Roy a really bad choice for killing Cavs / Armors since he has no durability and low Movement.

Lyn puts a really big dent in Cavs / Armors unlike Roy, and she doubles a whole lot more too. Lyn's durability is only slightly worse than Roy, given that she faces weaker enemies. Most of the time, Roy's support bonuses aren't in play as you have to build them and Roy may not always be in range.

I suppose that makes her more useful, though I found that Roy was pretty accurate with the thing and since most units take 3 rounds to kill cavs anyway having Roy able to finish it off with over 90 hit was important at times. In any case, he's certainly better early on when there is something he can do than, say, midgame where he is underleveled and mostly just being carried to thrones. Sure, he's not exactly fantastic early on, but at least he's better in chapter 4 than he is in, say, chapter 13 to 21.

Edited September 27, 2010 by Narga_Rocks

[Salad Utensil]

This, exactly.

I mean, there's hardly any difference in durability when both are getting 2RKO'd by everything. Lyn even has an earlier promotion, and passable dodge against axe users, at least.

Using Roy as a support bot isn't exactly ideal. We have to remember that Marcus, Alan & Lance got at a much faster pace with their 7 Mov. It'll be hard to keep up with those bonuses, and more harder to build them up in the first place.

Roy's avoidance is probably better against axers since supports...in general...build significantly faster, Roy is always being used every chapter, and axes got a significant hit boast from FE6 to FE7. Though Lyn has significantly better offense...probably...since enemy AS tends to be much lower in FE7.

Maybe this character ranking will actually get done...compared to the other one that was abandoned...

Edited October 7, 2010 by Brighton

[Dark Sage]

It will.

I have a lot on my plate bur right now, I'm doing the easier characters to rank. Wolt is pretty easy (lol terrible), and the only ones that'll be hard to write for so far are Ellen and Thany.

[Dark Sage]

Lance

Level: 1

Join Time: Chapter 1 (starter)

Affinity: Anima

Supports: Roy, Alan, Marcus, Wolt, Lot, Clarine

Base Stats: HP 20, Strength 5, Skill 6, Speed 8, Luck 2, Defense 6, Resistance 0

Growth Rates: HP 80%, Strength 40%, Skill 45%, Speed 50%, Luck 35%, Defense 25%, Resistance 15%

Analysis: One of the top characters in the game, Lance initially doesn't seem like much. Sure, he's got some dodging ability in his early chapters and his WTC and movement are excellent, but he's merely third place in Chapter 1. Unlike in Normal Mode, he doesn't start off doubling enemies, so you'll have to put in a bit of work to get him up to par.

However, that is extremely easy. Lance not only soon doubles everything, but he also deals decent damage to boot. His WTC is a great boon and his damage output combined with his doubling and high avoid makes Lance an extremely brutal character.

Supportwise, he's best with A Alan and B Roy. Other options include giving him a C with Marcus or a C with Lot. Clarine has Dieck and Rutger filled out and lol Wolt.

Overall, Lance is a very good character and I wholeheartedly recommend him.

Rating: 9.25/10

[Anouleth]

Supportwise, he's best with A Alan and B Roy. Other options include giving him a C with Marcus or a C with Lot. Clarine has Dieck and Rutger filled out and lol Wolt.

Why is Clarine supporting Dieck and Rutger? One of them, sure, since it's a great support, but they're 1+1s that don't share movement. She'd probably take Rutger, just because he's easier to rescued-drop and he wants the support bonus more. But Dieck as well? I find that unlikely.

[Narga_Rocks]

Why is Clarine supporting Dieck and Rutger? One of them, sure, since it's a great support, but they're 1+1s that don't share movement. She'd probably take Rutger, just because he's easier to rescued-drop and he wants the support bonus more. But Dieck as well? I find that unlikely.

Yeah. In an efficient playthrough, it's hard enough building +2s, forget the +1s unless you are talking a C by mid-Sacae/Ilia. If you are really really good at support building without affecting turncount.

[Anouleth]

Well, I managed to get Rutger/Clarine to a B. The support really pays off when you can do stupid stuff like rescue-drop them in Chapter 14x or Chapter 15.

[Dark Sage]

Still, at the very least, Lance is already booked for supports, not to mention that Clarine could possibly get a C for Dieck.

[Anouleth]

Why is he 'booked'? I find that supports with Roy are annoying to build because he spends half the time in someone's saddlebags (generally Clarine because she doesn't have to enter combat). I'd much prefer Roy-Allen-Lance-Clarine-Rutger-Dieck-Lot than try to make support triangles with Roy-Allen-Lance and Clarine-Rutger-Dieck.

[RNG Princess]

I'd give Roy a 5 becuase he's in the way most of the time ^_^

[Narga_Rocks]

Well, I managed to get Rutger/Clarine to a B. The support really pays off when you can do stupid stuff like rescue-drop them in Chapter 14x or Chapter 15.

Didn't I beat your turncounts by an average of 2 per map? And dondon/aquilae beat you by even more?

The speed of support building is always highly dependent on your speed of completion. I mean, you took 25 turns in chapter 8 to my 18. 16 in chapter 6 to my 11. That's already an extra 12 from just two chapters.

Also, Rutger x Clarine is a +2 anyway, so there's nothing really wrong with choosing to build that (it is, in fact, a good idea to try). I'm just saying it may take a little longer than you'd think based on your playthrough. And +1s should almost never get past a C.

Edited October 31, 2010 by Narga_Rocks

[Mekkah]

Support chains involving a +1 might as well not exist in any GBA game being played efficiently. Clarine's only support is Rutger, Lance and Alan are each other's only support.

[Anouleth]

Didn't I beat your turncounts by an average of 2 per map? And dondon/aquilae beat you by even more?

The speed of support building is always highly dependent on your speed of completion. I mean, you took 25 turns in chapter 8 to my 18. 16 in chapter 6 to my 11. That's already an extra 12 from just two chapters.

Also, Rutger x Clarine is a +2 anyway, so there's nothing really wrong with choosing to build that (it is, in fact, a good idea to try). I'm just saying it may take a little longer than you'd think based on your playthrough. And +1s should almost never get past a C.

I didn't realise my turncounts were that bad. I mean, I realised that my Chapter 8 was pretty awful.

I forgot that Rutger x Clarine was +2 as well. I guess that's just another point in favour of not bothering trying to support Clarine x Dieck.

Support chains involving a +1 might as well not exist in any GBA game being played efficiently. Clarine's only support is Rutger, Lance and Alan are each other's only support.

What about Marcus? I mean, we can use him all the way into the Western Isles. A C wouldn't have much effect before we ditch Marcus, but it would exist.

[Narga_Rocks]

I didn't realise my turncounts were that bad. I mean, I realised that my Chapter 8 was pretty awful.

Compare. You had a lot of good chapters too, though. I don't think you ever actually beat dondon/Aquilae, but you beat me by 1 a couple of times. However, on average you still lost by enough that it affects support building. 2 might be exaggerating, though. Maybe more like 1.5 per.

I forgot that Rutger x Clarine was +2 as well. I guess that's just another point in favour of not bothering trying to support Clarine x Dieck.

Yep. Clarine x Dieck is a C sometime during Sacae, maybe chapter 15 at the earliest. 59 turns is a lot. In fact, it's 4 turns more than you need for B Rutger x Clarine. And that's not happening until chapter 14 or 14x unless you are going slowly. My first HM playthrough (which took longer for basically each chapter) had a B during 12x. I think I had even more turns than your playthrough, though.