HM S Rank + Efficency Playlog

[Lord Raven]

I think you can work a rescue chain with Thany rescuing Tate and a mounted unit taking her from there so Klein can talk to her easier.

[dondon151]

Or you can just talk to Klein much earlier...

[Anouleth]

Given that Klein appears quite close to you on turn 8, and Tate appears on the other side of the map on turn 10, I would expect most players would talk to Klein much earlier than Tate.

[GreatEclipse]

Chapter 10

11 Turns (124)

1473 Exp (16205/14100)

---

Roy: 11.36

Zealot: 3.30

Allen: 11.81

Lance: 10.14

Rutger: 18.43

Lot: 9.65

Thany: 2.33

Sue: 12.59

Shin: 10.29

Linina: 7.38

Clarine: 9.69

Saul: 12.82

Gonzales: 12.07

Klein: 1.00

Tate: 8.00

Supports:

Roy x Allen C

You probably think I prefer the A route because the benefits are so much better than the other. You would be mistaken: Echidna sucks by chapter 15, the chapter 6 Killer Axe will last, the Energy Ring and Barrier are really nice and the lost levels on Gonzales are made up for by Fir gaining a hyper-fast full Critical and Avoid support. No, this chapter is the reason you want to take the other route. There are just too many objective that need to be managed at once, including getting both Lot and Linina to a specific spot on the map within a very short period of time, and Tate and her companions could not have picked a worse time and place to appear (Especially with her AI and recruitment conditions being so bizarre). The original plan was for Thany to airlift Linina over the wall and everyone else to run up the center, with Clarine circling back down to recruit Klein and Thany recruiting Tate the same turn Roy seized, but that failed for reasons mentioned above. I decided to do a turn-by-turn summery this time, because the plan is a bit complicated.

1: Saul starts by casting Barrier on Zealot. He can use Physic now, which allows him to take a position near the back. With the correct positioning, Thany + Sue and Zealot + Shin can kill the 2 Fighters at the start, with Sue and Shin switching them to 1-2 range before getting the kill. This will cause the Shaman nearby to suicide on Shin, who has just enough STR to 2HKO them with Iron, while also allowing Zealot to counter the Mercenary. I prefer the Light Brand this map for its better accuracy and WTA on Shamans. Clarine trades Barrier from Saul and picks up Rutger on the same turn, Allen and Lance rescue-drop Roy, and Lot and Linina advance normally.

2: The Mercenary is killed with Roy, Allen, Lance and Linina beating up on him, then Thany picks up Linina and flies over the first wall into a corner just out of reach for the Steel Bow Archer. Zealot chargers the center, going around the Steel Axe Fighter and weakening him for Sue with the Light Brand. Clarine uses Barrier on Shin, who moves one space under Zealot. He kills a Shaman and weakens an Archer over the wall on enemy phase. Zealot weakens 2 Shamans with his Light Brand.

3: Allen and Lance run right to kill yet another Archer, with Clarine and Roy following. Zealot, Sue and Shin are all I have for the center this time (Lot is too far behind). Zealot + Shin kill the Fighter (Switching Zealot to 2 range again for the 2 Archers), Sue finishes the Shaman next to him. Thany saves the Barrier village and moves all the way to the right. This makes her the target for a Steel Axe Fighter. I find it hilarious that he is so slow and inaccurate that even at half SPD, Thany doubles and faces 25 displayed hit.

4: Thany circles around him and drops Linina safely at the Draco Shield village. Zealot charges north to start breaking down the wall, Shin, Sue and Lot do clean up, Roy and his companions head for the gate.

5: Linina gets the Draco Shield, Thany flies north to kill the Hand Axe Fighter. Sue and Shin finish off some weakened enemies over the wall, Roy team takes care of a Fighter and Mercenary.

6: The wall is finally broken with Zealot, Sue and Shin. The long corridor creates minimal problems for Roy team now that the area is largely cleared out.

7: Lot and Linina get where the need to be just in time. Zealot runs over to provide assistance, Sue and Shin enter the walled off area.

8: Clarine runs downward to recruit Klein (Thanks to dondon151 for the point about save states, it works). Shin kills the Nosferatu Shaman with his Long Bow, Sue the Killer Axe Fighter with her own Killer weapon. They spend the rest of the chapter hitting the villages. Zealot, Thany and Gonzales are enough to handle the Brigands in the north.

9: Klein recruited, Rutger attacks the boss and is healed with Physic by Saul. One priest is left alive because Allen and Lance need exact positioning to rescue chain Klein for a Turn 11 recruitment of Tate (Zinc still dies on enemy phase). The Northern area needs to be evacuated to avoid Tate’s Pegs from committing suicide on your units the turn they appear.

10: Klein is rescued an additional 3 spaces with Lance and another 5 with Allen, and it take-dropped with Thany, who flew over the last turn. Not the most elegant rescue-chain, but it worked.

11: Klein recruits Tate and Roy seizes.

My most impressive clear yet. It is impossible to finish any sooner with all the objectives satisfied.

Edited September 9, 2011 by GreatEclipse

[GreatEclipse]

Chapter 11

11 Turns (135)

1738 Exp (17943/16100)

---

Roy: 11.66

Zealot: 3.82

Allen: 13.70

Lance: 11.29

Treck: 11.08

Noah: 11.22

Rutger 20.00

Fir: 9.55

Dieck: 11.57

Thany: 2.74

Linina: 9.29

Clarine: 11.25

Saul: 14.22

Elfin: 2.01

Geese: 10.40

Bartre: 2.00

Supports:

Rutger x Clarine B

1,750G Spent

Fire x1

Lightning x2

Door Key x5

Elfin used the Angelic Robe in his inventory at the start. Bartre received the Speedwings and Draco Shield obtained last chapter.

This is also a challenging map, but in the better sense. You have 2 Ballista to deal with, one having so much range it overlaps a bit with the other once you get to the first bridge. You also have the always hard to kill Mercenaries, plus a Druid reinforcement with a brutal 28 ATK (The Berserker is thankfully non-aggressive). Roy team (Roy, Linina, Allen, Lance, Rutger and Clarine from now on) head downward with Elfin while Zealot, Treck, Noah, Fir and Saul go the long way around. I had to be fairly cautious this time, with the only notable tactical maneuver being a turn 3 kill of the bottom Ballista Archer utilizing Elfin + Thany with a Silver Lance. This is not a risk free move (Thany needs to dodge either the Iron Bow Archer or Hand Axe Fighter), but I had no plans to camp until he had used all 5 shots.

Edited September 10, 2011 by GreatEclipse

[dondon151]

Wow, they deploy an Iron Ballista against you this early on =/

Edited September 10, 2011 by dondon151

[GreatEclipse]

Chapter 12

11 Turns (146)

1510 Exp (19154/19100)

---

Roy: 11.66

Zealot: 3.82

Bartre: 2.45

Klein: 1.35

Rutger: 20/2.61

Fir: 13.22

Sue: 14.14

Shin: 11.31

Chad: 11.45

Linina: 10.96

Clarine: 12.60

Saul: 15.44

Elfin: 3.12

Ray: 12.00

Cass: 5.00

Supports:

Roy x Linina B

Sue x Shin C

Fir x Bartre C

Clarine received the Energy Ring at the start.

Roy, Linina, Sue, Shin, Klein, Rutger, Clarine and Chad are deployed on the left, Bartre, Fir, Zealot, Saul and Elfin on the right. Bartre + Fir have just enough power to kill the Killer Axe Fighter without allowing him to get off an attack. On Turn 3 Bartre quickly bursts down the wall with Elfin and the Brave Axe, allowing Fir to nuke the Sniper at range 1 for lots of Exp. Sending them inside takes some pressure off the rest of team moving through the corridors, and more subtly, gives Saul Physic access to the other group.

By turn 6 I felt I was going too slow, and had Sue and Shin rescue-drop Rutger to the end of the upper hallway, a rash move that put me an awkward situation. The 2 Steel Axe Fighters died on him immediately, but the Hand Axe ones walled him in, and the Warrior filled the one space gap and attacked Shin. At least I was able to counter him, for like 5 x 2. Oh well, mistakes can be the most interesting tests of skill, forcing you to think out of the box as you attempt to correct them. What I came up with for Rutger to kill the Warrior in front of him, then Shin traded his Long Bow to Sue, rescued him and moved behind her. Clarine took Rutger from Shin and healed him, then Klein moved into Shin’s former spot, traded the Long Bow from Sue and weakened one of the Fighters in the way for her to finish. Sue is attacked at 1 range on enemy phase, but Klein takes him out in one round next turn, creating a clear path for everyone else.

On turn 9 Sue, Shin and Zealot pull a rescue chain so Roy has just enough move to recruit Cass as she unlocks the treasure room Zealot had emptied out. Next turn Roy is rescue chained 20 spaces with Sue, Shin, Zealot, Clarine and Klein and Seizes on the one after.

Finally have access to the progress screen. Combat is at B, and oddly, so is Experience. I double counted all that I've gained up to this point, and while I realized I had a few hundred less than I thought (Must have made a mistake somewhere), I'm still 54 points over the limit. Not anything to be secure about, mind you. With my surplus already gone and still having the combat rank to build, this will be a much more serious challenge than my efficiency run ever was.

[Anouleth]

Sadly, as long as you continue to spell Lilina as "Linina", you will only get a B in Spelling and thus in spirit you will fail to S Rank.

[GreatEclipse]

Sorry for not updating, had no internet connection this week. Currently at 16x, 220 turns with all ranks perfect.

Sadly, as long as you continue to spell Lilina as "Linina", you will only get a B in Spelling and thus in spirit you will fail to S Rank.

I just checked, and I really have been spelling it wrong this whole time. Thank you for correcting me.

Chapter 12x

11 Turns (157)

1631 Exp (20785/21100)

---

Roy: 14.36

Zealot: 4.25

Treck: 11.64

Rutger: 20/4.05

Chad: 14.77

Cass: 9.99

Clarine: 14.43

Elfin: 4.16

A really annoying map. Many Brigands use Hand Axes and a few have Halberds, the Myrmidons and Thieves are really evasive and even Rutger is borderline for a double, plus fog, walls spewing poison and lots of chests to save. Roy and Rutger used up my critical-boosting sword, since I can purchases them next chapter. It may seem counter-intuitive, but you want to avoid opening the ones in reach on turn 1 if you want to prevent Thieves from reaching the later ones. Otherwise, they just make a run for the others, and you’re forced to race them. Between the chests and what Cass could steal, I secured the White Gem, Red Gem, Chest Keys, Torch, an Elixir, 2 Antitoxins and 2 Lockpicks.

Cass is not impossible to train, by any means. Zealot can drop Steel Axe Brigands that would otherwise risk OHKOing her on the counter to under 5 HP with a Steel Blade, and nothing else kills her outright. Plan to use her some more in 14 and 14x, and may even go all the way up 20/--.

Chapter 13

11 Turns (168)

1822 Exp (22608/22600)

---

Roy: 14.79

Elfin: 5.26

Rutger: 20/5.02

Bartre: 3.34

Gonzales: 13.34

Allen: 14.03

Lance: 11.29

Saul: 17.00

Lynina: 13.78

Clarine: 15.50

Klein: 2.42

Shin: 13.90

Sue: 15.57

Thany: 11/3.05

Miledy: 12.38

Supports:

Clarine x Klein C

14,720G Spent

Killing Edge x4

Killer Lance x3

Iron Bow x3

Killer Bow x3

For anyone who thinks the inability to purchase Killer Axes on the B route is a serious case against taking it, I just checked and the one from chapter 6 still has 20 uses. The Brave Axe and Halberd are simply more useful.

One of the most interestingly designed maps, with 2 long bridges on opposite sides both leading to the throne and enemy Wyverns that can attack either. On my last run I sent the whole team upward and just ended up camping for 2 turns with nothing to do while Percival waited to leave, so this time Roy team plus Elfin, Klein and Miledy traverse the top half while Bartre and Gonzales try to wall in Shin, Sue and Saul over the bridge at the start. I say “try” because they were losing huge chunks of health every turn for the first 5 or so, and more man power would not have helped because the bridge is only wide enough for 2 units. Bartre was the biggest help out of anyone this chapter, able to OHKO Mages, counter Javelin Wyverns for enormous damage and good hit at the edge of their range and one-rounding a Paladin with the Brave Axe (The 10B Speedwings allows him to use it without being doubled). This was the first time since chapter 3 someone besides Rutger killed the boss, with Klein taking him on so he could pull back for the reinforcements.

Chapter 14

20 Turns (188)

3707 Exp (26315/24600)

---

Roy: 17.30

Astol: 15.34

Cass: 12.84

Elfin: 7.17

Fir: 20.00

Rutger: 20/6.18

Bartre: 5.15

Saul: 20/1.10

Lilina: 17.56

Thany: 11/3.73

Miledy: 19.19

Cecilia: 1.73

Sophia: 1.00

4,900G Spent

Aircalibur x 3

Restore x 1

Pure Water x 5

Elfin used the Boots a few turns in.

I really needed to build my exp surplus back up, so I camped until every last Brigand reinforcement was dead. The higher turn count doesn’t make things any easier, though. You still need to play it like you normally would first if you want to grind in peace.

On turn 1, Saul cast Barrier on Linina before she moves into view of a Mage. She gets doubled, but now only for like 3 x 2. Astol secures the Boots that same turn with help from Elfin. Thany trades it from him, picks him up, and moves a few spaces back, so Miledy can trades them from Thany and take-drops him over the cliff. Bartre moves to the upper left and Rutger lower right to gradually bait the Wyverns, and Cass makes a run for the Talisman and Speedwings.

Next turn, Lilina + Elfin and Thany + Astol kill both Mages, and I secure the Silence Staff while I’m at it. Elfin trades the Boots from Miledy, then she does what she was made to do this map and flies over to the Mercenaries/Hero over the upper cliff with her Killer Lance. Amazing that she can even survive a critical from the Killing Edge Hero with 13 HP. Best unit in the game if you ask me, her only competitor being Rutger. Well, except for when the Aircalibur Mage decides to move in her direction, and she needs to pull back.

On Turn 7 2 Berserkers and a trillion Brigands showed up around Fir and Bartre. They also spawn in the northern section where Cass currently was (Thany airlifted Astol over there after he secured Warp so both could help out), and in the bottom right corner for Roy, Linina and Cecelia. Miledy flew over to Cass to trade the Silver Card, did some shopping, killed the boss and finally transported Roy to the gate just as the last of them were killed off.

Lalum finally says Exp is perfect and, to my surprise, so is everything else. I was actually getting worried about the Combat rank while camping because so many Brigands have Hand Axes, and it always took 2 units to take them down except for when a Killing Edge critical went off.

All treasure acquired.

Chapter 14x

7 Turns (195)

1295 Exp (27610/26100)

---

Roy: 18.45

Cass: 17.16

Elfin: 7.89

Rutger: 20/7.21

Clarine: 16.46

Cecilia: 2.39

Klein: 3.26

Shin: 15.38

Sue: 15.91

Miledy: 20.00/2.18

Klein received the Speedwings at the start.

The boss on this map is my least favorite outside Sacae, packing 34 ATK and 14 AS with Bolting that one-rounds almost your whole team without a RES boost. Combine that with an underling with a Bolting of his own, and even getting close to him is a challenge if you plan on clearing in under 10 turns.

Miredy moves right she can Javelin the Berserker for her last level before promotion, then spends the rest of the chapter camped on the tile above the pole that puts her just out of Bolting reach. Most Pirates have Hand Axes as usual, so can choose between a safe, reliable kill each player phase with an Iron Sword or a somewhat unreliable counter with the Javelin (She doubles and 2HKOs, the problem is hit rates below 60 and multiple Physic users). Everyone else rushes down the disappearing hallway, with the only other enemy of note (The Nosferatu Druid) killed by Klein with the Brave Bow. Elfin is even more important than usual this time, first letting Rutger reach the first Bolting user in one turn without spending any time in range, then Roy the throne once everything is clear.

Chapter 15

8 Turns (203)

1231 Exp (28841/28100)

---

Roy: 18.75

Elfin: 8.59

Fir: 20/1.37

Bartre: 5.23

Gonzales: 15.39

Saul: 20/3.12

Lilina: 19.19

Clarine: 17.64

Celica: 3.07

Klein: 3.67

Thany: 11/3.74

Miledy: 20/3.01

Igrene: 1.09

Garret: 1.09

Percival: 6.87

Supports:

Roy x Lilina A

Fir x Bartre B

1,000G Spent

Mend x 2

I hate Fire and Heal not being for sale.

I knew the main group would have a few turns to kill, so I cleaned out the convoy by selling all my leftover Vulnerary’s and other things I will never use.

One of the easier chapters, despite having the only Valkyrie in the game and a decent number of Mercenaries. Enemy density is really low, and the boss quickly dies to the Horseslayer. At the start Miredy takes out the 18/-- Wyvern with her Silver Lance and Elfin recruits the all-amazing Percival, who they rescue-chain back to the main group. Percival is then airlifted by Thany onto a mountain near the boss, with everyone else focused on getting as many kills in as possible while they wait.

Percival and promoted Miledy means it’s curtains for Allen and Lance. They were more useful than on efficiency, but still do not impress me at all. Early on all their kills are fed to them by Marcus just like everyone else, and once you get to the Isles they have a hard time staying viable with all the rotating for Exp. Their more balanced stat build just makes them mediocre vs. everything when under-leveled, while units like Fir, Shin and Gonzales even on B route still do great on particular enemy types.

Edited September 14, 2011 by GreatEclipse

[GreatEclipse]

Chapter 16

17 Turns (220)

3122 Exp (31963/30100)

---

Roy: 18.75

Astol: 19.11

Elfin: 10.31

Fa: 10.91

Rutger: 20/7.47

Percival: 7.83

Saul: 20/4.52

Clarine: 20.00/1.00

Cecelia: 4.26

Klein: 4.11

Shin: 19.30

Sue: 17.57

Thany: 11/3.82

Miledy: 20/3.58

Hugh: 17.98

Zeiss: 7.00

Supports:

Clarine x Klein B

5,000G Spent

Guiding Ring x 1

Angelic Robes are nice, but I would rather save my money for chapter 21.

I keep saying “I need to build up my surplus”, but every time I make over 3000 in one chapter I lose it within the next few, and this time will be no different. Exp rank is brutal without the Arena, and I’m not even at the point where un-promoted units are completely unviable. You can tell the developers intended S ranking the whole game to be a great deal more difficult than just the mandatory chapters, because the side quests tend to have Exp requirements around 800 points above what can reasonably be obtained on the map.

The starting position of Roy is really stupid, so Miredy + Elfin transport him 15 spaces to the right on turn 1. After that the group is divided between Rutger, Clarine and Klein accompanying them and Elfin, Astol, Fa, Percival, Cecelia, Saul, Shin, Sue and Thany for the left hall. Almost all the combat on the left side is Percival and Saul setting up kills for Fa, even killing the Paladin and Mamkute. Besides Exp rank, I really want her trained for the Druid bosses in 20x. I finally really have rescue chains down, moving so fast I was able to take out the 2 Aircalibur Mages over the upper wall before they could reach the other group. On the other side, Klein takes out the Bolting Mage in one turn with the Long Bow and the Purge Bishop in 2, and not even the Killing Edge Mercenary is a problem for Rutger. Hugh is recruited at full price, with his Member Card traded to Miledy.

Narshen dies on turn 12 enemy phase to Shin, and the next 5 turns are spent champing for reinforcements. Percival weakens the Mercenaries in the upper-right corner with Hugh finishing, and Fa one-shots the Mages that show up from the stair at the far left. The lower-left Mercs reach the main group near the throne room in 3 turns, with Astol baiting and finishing, and the Fighters all have Hand Axes, so if you put Sue next to a certain wall tile, she can counter one every turn with a Killer Bow. I used up the whole Sleep staff on Douglas so I would have time to pull this off.

All 3 Gems and the Delphi Shield secured.

Chapter 16x

12 Turns (232)

1712 Exp (33675/32600)

---

Roy: 18.97

Elfin: 11.53

Rutger: 20/8.20

Percival: 8.49

Saul: 20/5.73

Clarine: 20/3.32

Cecelia: 5.42

Shin: 19.30/2.29

Zeiss: 13.62

Miledy: 20/4.37

Douglas: 8.00

I had 2 uses of the Long Bow remaining and acquired a Bolting the previous chapter, which is exactly what I needed to take out the Bolting Sage at the start before he could get off one shot. Started by positioning Shin and Cecelia in the upper diagonal slots around Roy. Shin ran up the left stair case and immediately promoted, then Elfin refreshed him so he uses his new +1 Move to reach the Bolting Sage and drop him to under 10 HP. Cecelia ran up the right stair case to finish with Bolting, and was the rescue-dropped one tile back with Zeiss and Miledy to put her just out of range of Silence. It also gives Cecelia exactly enough movement to reach Shin next turn after Windam berserks him. The 2 Mercenaries at the start are stationary, and this whole plan would not have worked otherwise.

After that display of tactic ingenuity (If I do say so myself), it was a long trek around the pillars with the team split up as usual. Roy, Elfin, Percival, Miledy, Zeiss and Cecelia to the left and Shin, Rutger, Clarine and Saul to the right. Zeiss killed close to everything on his side of the map, and his combat was better than I expected. He one-shots Cavaliers with the Horseslayer, and could one-round the Archer with a Slim Lance. Douglas did nothing except absorb a Berserk and provide minor assistance in a turn 6 rescue chain involving Roy.

The plan for Windam was Percival with the Brave Lance. He reaches him a few turns before Rutger, and while he may have only 30 displayed hit, he has 12 chances to land one each round with Elfin close by. With only 4 needing to connect, it looked viable on paper, and had I been willing to save state or RNG abuse I could have cleared on turn 10. Not enough hits landed though, and on turn 11 enemy phase he was healed for 27 HP by a Bishop that spawned earlier after being dropped down to 4. By then, Rutger was available, and they could take him down together.

Lalum says I still need to “Keep up the good work!” on Exp, and there is no way I miscalculated a 1075 surplus, so I think I know what is happening: the game includes the exp limit for the current chapter before you have had a chance to gain any, unlike Blazing Sword, which uses the previous.

[GreatEclipse]

Chapter 17

7 Turns (239)

1028 Exp (34703/34100)

---

Roy: 18.97

Chad: 15.80

Elfin: 12.23

Fir: 20/1.51

Bartre: 5.37

Gonzales: 16.86

Percival: 9.69

Saul: 20/6.76

Lilina: 19.19/2.50

Clarine: 20/4.18

Sue: 17.75

Shin: 19/2.29

Zeiss: 15.50

Miledy: 20/4.53

5,670G Spent

---

Iron Sword x 5

Silver Sword x 2

Silver Lance x 2

Silver Bow x 2

They just had to fill the area at the start full of forests with Mages, as if reliable 1-2 range countering was not hard to pull off already. From a Tactics and Combat perspective it would have been better to simply ignore it, but I need every point of Exp I can get. Lilina and Saul downed a Pure Water and let the enemies come to them. I failed to save the upper-right village, but Eclipse is too useless for even a completionist like me to care. The rest of the team went south without any serious obstacles, with Gonzales and Zeiss receiving priority on kills so I can have them promoted by 21. Final rescue chain took advantage of Nomad terrain privileges. Zeiss + Elfin airlifted Percival over the river to the boss on turn 6 for an enemy phase kill, with Elfin transported as well with Shin and Miledy. Sue and Shin rescue-drop Roy over next turn and Elfin refreshes so he can seize.

Chapter 18

9 Turns (248)

1785 Exp (36488/35600)

---

Roy: 18.97

Cass: 19.98

Elfin: 13.14

Rutger: 20/9.13

Fir: 20/2.90

Bartre: 5.54

Douglas: 8.01

Percival: 10.05

Saul: 20/7.83

Clarine: 20/8.19

Klein: 4.48

Sue: 19.15

Shin: 19/3.12

Zeiss: 18.35

Miledy: 20/5.26

15,940G Spent

---

Thunder x 2

Lightning x 2

Heal x 4

Physic x 4

Chest Keys x 2

Killing Edge x 4

Killer Axe x 3

Javelin x 3

First time Physic is purchasable, and perfect timing given the map.

Supports:

Sue x Shin B

Zeiss x Miledy C

There is no map in this game or any other I have played quite like this one. You face a barrage of extremely fast enemies with both 1 and 2 range weapons, and are forced to camp at the start for a few turns before you can safely advance. It looks intimidating, but I discovered a trick to keep the numbers manageable. On turn 1 Klein is picked up by his sister, who then runs down and drops him onto a set of forest tiles 4 spaces below the lower bridge with a recharge from Elfin (He needs to be rescued-dropped a few spaces back afterward). At 94 avoid, even Nomads only pull 20 displayed hit on Clarine, and her low defenses only help by drawing away enemy fire from units that would actually be in more danger. In exchange, she doubles around half of them with almost 100 real hit and kills in 3. Note that Klein needs a Speedwings to avoid being doubled, and when 5HKOed at 40 displayed hit even with terrain, that would make this strategy nonviable. A wall is formed around the lower bridge with Miledy, Zeiss, Shin and Fir doing most of the combat, plus Cass and Sue sneaking in a few kills.

Contrary to claims by Dondon 151, the Delphi Shield does seem to be accounted for by enemy AI. Nomads were targeting Miledy whenever her brother was also in range, even when she had a Javelin equipped and he did not. This was actually helpful, mind you, as Miledy is in no danger anyway (They do 10 or less to her 50+ HP, and C Zeiss mostly negates critical chances) and it allowed them to be countered with better hit. It seems only Ballista cannot tell the difference.

By turn 5 I was almost out of Fire uses and only a few at the bottom were still alive, but you need to be careful about charging the center. Reinforcements start streaming out of the tents once you set foot there, but no one seems to be able to predict what they will be or when they will appear, and as always they move the same turn. I will ask once more: who was the stupid designer who thought this was a good idea? More than once, I had to load a save state because 2 Nomadic Troopers spawned and were just powerful enough to drop Elfin from full health to zero. Oh, and they also double and 3HKO Roy. A real shame, as this chapter would be one of my favorites otherwise. Percival was sent in alone at first, with Douglas carrying Roy and prepared to follow.

On turn 8 Cass stole the Elixir off Monke with help from Elfin before Percival picked her up and pulled back. She had also secured another off a Myrmidon at the start and yet another off the Wyvern Lord. This guy is a real monster, even by FE6 standards. With 20 AS + Brave Weapons at both 1 and 2 range, only Rutger stands a chance even with that major annoyance removed. He dies at the start of turn 9, allowing Roy to seize. Picking up Elfin was never really an option despite the risks, as otherwise Roy would have been the one risking death the turn he was dropped. My turn count is artificially low, because without save states it would not have been safe to let either even approach the center until the reinforcements had completely ended. Normally I could accept that, but I was already frustrated and just wanted to move on. Oh well, if the game wants to play unfair, I feel no guilt for doing the same.

Edited September 19, 2011 by GreatEclipse

[GreatEclipse]

Chapter 19

13 Turns (261)

1990 Exp (38478/37600)

---

Roy: 19.50

Elfin: 14.44

Rutger: 20/9.40

Fir: 20/4.12

Bartre: 5.74

Gonzales: 19.79

Percival: 10.78

Saul: 20/8.96

Lilina: 19/5.18

Clarine: 20/9.89

Klein: 5.39

Sue: 19.15/2.85

Shin: 19/5.02

Zeiss: 19.15/1.60

Miledy: 20/5.41

1,350G Spent

Pure Water x 3

Supports:

Rutger x Clarine A

Fir x Bartre A

Rutger received the Energy Ring acquired near the end.

Now this, is my favorite map in the game. The way it is built, with a long upward trek into the heavily guarded city, is the only time in any Fire Emblem game I have played where I feel like the invading army. Even the boss, who you would expect to be a huge source of frustration, lends himself to multiple ways of defeating if you think outside the box.

The goal for the start was to have all the Nomads in the area dead by the end of turn 2 and the Wyverns by turn 4, with the Sleep and Silence staffs drained as soon as possible. Rutger, Miledy and Zeiss run to the right, Percival, Shin and Sue to the left, and Klein is positioned as bait on the center bridge. Everyone is needed back at the center by turn 3 so all 10 Wyverns can be taken out in 1 player phase. Percival, Sue, Shin, Rutger and Clarine then plan an assault from the left. Roy, Linina, Fir, Bartre, Miledy, Zeiss, Elfin and Saul move right. Klein and Gonzales camp on forests to the left and right, respectively, for the Nomad and Wyvern reinforcements that appear later. Brave weapons allow 100 HP walls to be broken down with just 2 units, with the left team breaking in first. This is the most difficult part of the map, with a swarm of Nomads and a few of their promoted counterparts, then you have some Myrmidons and Swordmasters mixed in to make enemy phase that much more difficult. I got something set up that would allow Shin to get attacked once at range 1 and then counter-kill something like 5 Nomads in one turn, dropping from 46 HP to 4 in the process. The other team was a few turns late, with the distraction on the other side making it easy for Roy and Lilina to safely approach the gate.

Gel is widely considered the most hardcore boss in the game, but the limitations of his weapon at 2 range are easily exploited, and gave me no less than 3 units that could reliably take him on. Promoted Lilina removes 26 of his 50 HP with Forblaze at 53 displayed hit after WTA and her Roy support. Alternatively, Shin with B Sue does 14 x 2 at 49 with the Brave Bow, and at range 1 Rutger is durable enough to survive a critical and hit him back for 12 at 57, with a 74% chance of doing 36 if he connects. A turn 12 clear was possible with RNG or save-state abuse.

I achieved 3 important benchmarks for chapter 21, with Zeiss promoted, Gonzales ready to promote and Bartre having S Axes. I have been planning for it almost from the beginning, with the intention to activate every trigger point as soon as possible for the best combination of experience and turns. I apologize for the slower updates, if anyone cares. Chapters now take longer to finish and a lot more planning to do well.

Edited September 24, 2011 by GreatEclipse

[GreatEclipse]

Chapter 20

11 Turns (272)

1865 Exp (40343/39100)

---

Roy: 19.50

Chad: 20.00

Astol: 20.00

Elfin: 15.54

Rutger: 20/10.13

Percival: 11.24

Saul: 20/9.75

Lilina: 19/6.56

Clarine: 20/11.19

Shin: 19/6.24

Sue: 19/4.38

Zeiss: 19/3.91

Miledy: 20/6.84

Niime: 19.14

Dayan: 12.05

Supports:

Zeiss x Miledy B

Sue x Dayan C

This map does everything it can to make advancing even one tile as dangerous as possible, with 2 Bolting users at the start, 2 Ballista at the side and a guy with a Berserk staff, so the first few turns took some really careful planning. Before doing anything, Sue, Shin, Zeiss and Miledy are used form a wall, all needing to be positioned 3 spaces above the bottom for this to work. The duo of Fighters and Warriors are countered on enemy phase, and Elfin allows Chad to finish off one of each on turn 2 before both are rescue-dropped back.

The Aircalibur/Physic Sage over the wall to the left has a Red Gem, and the Ballista Sniper on the same side an Orion Bolt. Just having Clarine warp Astol over there by himself is too dangerous, so Niimi silences him beforehand. On turn 2 Astol kills him with a Killing Edge for his last level, takes a hit from the Sniper who abandons his post, grabs his prize and is rescued to safety on turn 3. An unintended benefit of doing this is that the same Sniper who normally shoots at you over wall to the left never returns to the Ballista. The Sage to right with Elfire/Physic/Berserk was intent on Nimmi for some reason, so Barrier made another Silence use unnecessary.

Dayan is recruited on turn 3, and Saul uses my last 2 Barrier charges on Zeiss and Miledy so they can survive 2 hits from Bolting after they take out the approaching Swordmaster. With the dangerous physical enemies cleared, Lilina advances with Roy and Elfin, spending turns 4 and 5 killing the Sages with the Bolting of her own. The team breaks apart at this point, with Miledy, Zeiss, Saul, Niime (This time as the one holding Warp), Chad and Elfin heading to the treasure room and everyone else to the throne. Oddly, the trick with the Delphi shield failed again, this time with the Killer Ballista. Miledy and Zeiss both have 20 DEF, but Miledy has 4 more HP, so if they ignore it when targeting, she should not have taken 35 damage that turn. I decided to Warp Zeiss over the wall to take care of it, also killing the Sniper at the top and the Sage at the bottom just for the experience. Chad manages to get the kill on a Warrior and Swordmaster, maxing out his level on the last map it will be feasible to feed him kills. All the treasure, including the Red Gem on the boss, is secured without holding up the seize.

[General Horace]

Good, somebody else likes chapter 19 too :)

[Colonel M]

I have no clue how anyone can like Chapter 19, ESPECIALLY with Hel being a gigantic cunt with his dodge rates and it's almost impossible to safely 1-Range him. Sometimes I found this chapter worse than 7.

[GreatEclipse]

I have no clue how anyone can like Chapter 19, ESPECIALLY with Hel being a gigantic cunt with his dodge rates and it's almost impossible to safely 1-Range him. Sometimes I found this chapter worse than 7.

His 29 ATK is not so high that it can 3HKO Rutger, so if you just use enemy-phase counters you have no chance of dieing. The chapter is much more manageable than 7, only because you can play it at your own pace.

Chapter 20x

12 Turns (284)

1,790 Exp (42,133/41,100)

---

Roy: 20.00

Elfin: 16.76

Fa: 14.87

Rutger: 20/11.02

Fir: 20/5.53

Bartre: 6.32

Percival: 11.61

Saul: 20/10.77

Clarine: 20/13.31

Klein: 6.47

Shin: 19/8.08

Sue: 19/4.59

Zeiss: 19/5.79

Miledy: 20/8.55

I decided to play this map normally, without using save states to avoid fighting the reinforcements that appear every time you seize the wrong gate. They’re annoying, but unlike chapter 18, you can actually react to them before Roy dies. It made my final turn count highly luck-based, but I only care about that to the extent my skill as a player effects it. All 6 bosses would be worthy of note on any map, with the Nomad Troopers having AS at the level of Gel and the Druids having status staffs and 30+ ATK, and Exp rank means they all need to be taken out, so this is not a chapter for rushing in any case. The bridges are inconveniently placed, so the ability of Shin, Sue, Miledy and Zeiss to cross rivers is extremely helpful.

Elfin, Fa, Saul, Zeiss and Miledy are stationed in the upper right with Roy. This was the most difficult area, mainly because the 2 Nomadic Troopers to the left try to cross the river at the start, plus Barkul repeatedly cast berserk on Miledy and cost Saul his first 3 turns. On turn 4, they rescue-drop Fa, Roy and Elfin across, and he dies, annoyingly, to 3 hits from the Dragon Stone after his gate healing takes place. Roy seizes on turn 6, and to no surprise, is not the correct one. Thoril is killed on turn 8 with Brave Lance Miledy, and his gate is also a dud.

Rutger, Percival, Klein and Clarine are positioned to the upper left. Klein draws some attacks from across the bridge, while Clarine and Percival camp for a few turns to wait out the Nomad swarm. The good news for Clarine is that she now has over 100 supported avoid and gains the weapon rank for Elfire a few turns in, the bad is her being so over-leveled her Exp bonus has stopped making a difference on un-promoted foes. Klein later moves down just to absorb Sleep for 3 turns, while Rutger takes on Kudoka, who dies on turn 8 enemy phase.

Fir, Bartre, Sue and Shin were sent to the lower right. Bartre moves over the bridge to counter-kill the Wyvern Lord with Armads, with Fir rescue-dropped onto a river tile in support range. On turn 2, Bartre is also taken across just he can give Fir more critical on the Nomadic Trooper and Chan, who is killed on turn 5 because at 21 AS not even she can double. Kabul has a Killing Edge at range 1, so Shin is the obvious choice, killing him on turn 7. Sue and Shin make their way to the group above and finish killing Marral on turn 8.

By turn 10 Roy is ready to try again, so Percival runs over to pick him up and, with help from Elfin, is able to drop him in range of the gate Kabul was guarding. Another dud, but not an issue this time because I have tons of units to finish everyone off. Percival + Elfin once again allows another try on turn 12, and the one Marral was on happened to be the one I needed.

Edited September 25, 2011 by GreatEclipse

[General Horace]

I only really liked the scenerio and map design of chapter 19, it was pretty unique to FE6. The boss is a whore though.

[GreatEclipse]

Chapter 21

15 Turns (299)

3,337 Exp (45,470/43,100)

---

Roy: 20.00

Astol: 20.00

Elfin: 18.27

Rutger: 20/12.37

Fir: 20/8.61

Bartre: 8.43

Gonzales: 20.00/8.18

Garret: 7.10

Percival: 11.94

Saul: 20/14.60

Lilina: 19/7.43

Clarine: 20/15.23

Shin: 19/9.04

Dayan: 12.17

Sue: 19/6.79

Zeiss: 19/8.47

Miledy: 20/9.67

Yodel: 20.00

Supports:

Shin x Dayan C

6,000G Spent

Bolting x 4

Merlinus stayed behind and sold off everything in the convoy I knew I would never need, and it was clear after a few turns I would not have any cash for stat boosters with the Funds benchmark I have set for myself, even with plans to secure the stuff usually ignored in chapters 21-23. Not too surprising, with 110K spent on promotions, another 64K on stat boosters (The only one I regret using is the chapter 6 Goddess Icon) and Killer/Silver/Braves used whenever they made a difference. Not a big loss, though, with my team much larger and more powerful than any pure efficiency run would allow. Bolting off 40+ ATK was still too good to pass up.

I have been working on the strategy for this map before this run even started, and it turned out even better than it looked on paper, matching the turn count that DD151 achieved when every trigger point was avoided. The team is spilt into 2 groups, with Elfin and Zeiss transporting Saul onto a mountain to the right on turn 1 and Miledy, Bartre and Fir following. Saul has 81 avoid and enough HP/DEF to take a hit from a Silver Lance, so only the Killer Lance users are a cause for concern. They spend the next several turns defending against the first 3 packs. On turn 5, they activate the trigger point to the right and kill the 9 packs that follow. With Armads and A Fir, Bartre is the best unit on the team vs. Wyvern Lords, able to OHKO even the LV. 13 variants at 90-95 real hit and being 3HKOed in return. I kinda regret giving him the Speedwings, though. Being doubled would not have been that bad since they only have around 20 displayed hit on a forest (Garret is in the same situation on a peak, and he finished without a scratch), and it would have made them more inclined to target him over Fir. Never got much else out it, either.

Everyone else headed downward, also camping for a few turns. The Berserk staff is sketchy on a ranked run with killed enemies yielding no experience, but if anyone ever wants to try it, the Aircalibur Sage at the bottom is an excellent candidate. Shin baits and kills him instead. The Archers, Knights and Bishop that attack are complete non-issues, and with 3 Nomadic Troopers and 2 Berserkers, neither is the lone pack of Wyverns. Turn 6 is when the chapter really starts. Gonzales is warped onto the lower mountains where a stationary group is located, with Garret following the next turn. The remaining team members run rightward, apposed only by a single pack from the start as literally dozens pile up around the other two. With both at level 1, I was gaining several hundred experience per turn.

On turn 10 Percival rushed down to the Mamkute on the right and kills him with the newly acquired Malte. Going any further activates the final 3 waves of Wyverns, with one group above, another to the left, and Gale at the starting area. A turn of down time is spent visiting the secret shop and using Clarine and the Nomads to secure the ground units for transport. Turn 11 is when all the pieces come together, as the 2 packs above are dealt with by the second team and the ones to the left charge in the direction of Garret and Gonzales, allowing the group with Roy to once again advance unopposed save wave 3. A Bolting Sage is near Murdock, but Yodel silenced him before he could do anything. With a charge from Elfin, Rutger killed him in one turn. His Knight Crest was secured.

Saul went through 2 Lightning spells and a Divine, with S rank looking like it could be feasible. Not sure how useful it would be, however. Does Saul OHKO chapter 24 Mamkutes?

Edited October 1, 2011 by GreatEclipse

[Lord Raven]

I don't think he does. Aureola has 45 Mt against a Mamkute and you need ~74-79 Atk to OHKO a Mamkute (so he needs 34 magic lol)

Edited September 25, 2011 by Mercenary Raven

[dondon151]

matching the turn count that DD151 achieved when every trigger point was avoided.

New FE6 0% playthrough got 8 turns on this map.

Really, your only hope of OHKOing mamkutes is Apocalypse Niime. Max str berserkers or warriors with Armads still fall short (84 atk vs. ~90 HP + def). Forblaze and Aureola are both fairly weak MT-wise.

Edited September 25, 2011 by dondon151

[Narga_Rocks]

New FE6 0% playthrough got 8 turns on this map.

But trying to keep getting enough exp while pulling turncounts like that seems extremely difficult, if not impossible. Coming close to your first 0% turncounts while pulling all the ranks would be impressive enough. Your first 0% run in ff6 is probably a better thing to aim for when the other ranks are considered.

Edited September 25, 2011 by Narga_Rocks

[GreatEclipse]

Chapter 21x

2 Turns (301)

338 Exp (45,808/45,100)

---

Roy: 20.00/1.00

Elfin: 18.47

Rutger: 20/13.24

Gonzales: 20/8.45

Niimi: 19.98

Clarine: 20/15.65

Thany: 11/3.82

Tate: 8.00

Zeiss: 19/8.90

Miledy: 20/9.87

This was plan B, after my rout clear (16 Turns, 1565 Exp) was a disappointment. Even airlifting units across the lake at the start and tons of attacking over walls, the chapter felt like it went on forever. The main problem was needing to spilt up the team on a map with limited deployment and strong enemies, a decent number of which completely hold still and in range of Physic. In case you were wondering, it was Roy, Elfin, Gonzales, Shin, Thany and Saul on the left, Percival, Zeiss, Miledy and Clarine on the right. The final Exp count is deceptive, as under 100 on average per turn is terrible compared to what I typically gain, and few hundred was from Elfin/Saul/Clarine who will end up at max level either way. Higher levels on combat units will also lower experience gains in 22 and 23.

I hate Warp-skip strategies, especially when luck is involved, but what I came up with is about as reliable they get in this game. On turn 1, Roy is rescue-dropped across the lake onto the top-right corner with Miledy and Zeiss, with Miledy positioned at edge of the Sniper with her Javelin equipped. The Silence Druid above has near-cap Magic, with a decent chance of ruining this strategy even if Niime uses a Pure Water. However, he also has Physic, and the AI will prioritize healing anyone who falls below half health. At capped STR, she does 20 x 2 to his 49 HP at 80 displayed hit. Next, Clarine uses Warp on Rutger, only rather than sending him to the boss he is positioned one tile below Roy. Clarine is only needed because with 3 Warp charges used this chapter and Niimi at 19.14, I would have wasted 40 Exp. The last slot is completely unimportant otherwise. Niime trades it from Clarine and is airlifted across with Tate and Elfin. Gonzales and Thany transport him across afterwards.

You can only teleport someone onto a tile within your range of vision, so at the start of turn 2, Tate moves up to the central pillar in between the waterfalls and lights a Torch. Niimi Warps Rutger 13 tiles forward, giving him exactly enough movement to bypass the Brave Sword Hero and take on Pereth. This guy is durable enough to need duel-criticals from a Killing Edge or Wo Dao, but with an Energy Ring and the Durandal, he dies in 2 hits. Rutger needs to either hit twice at 77 displayed hit and dodge once at 62, or critical once at 28. Elfin refreshes Niimi so she can teleport Roy 15 tiles, just within reach of the throne. Gonzales, Miledy and Zeiss kill the Sniper and General for a little experience before the seize.

Edited October 1, 2011 by GreatEclipse

[GreatEclipse]

Chapter 22

12 Turns (314)

3,036 Exp (48,844/46,100)

---

Roy: 20/6.60

Cass: 20.00

Elfin: 19.67

Rutger: 20/14.36

Fir: 20/10.78

Bartre: 9.77

Gonzales: 20/9.43

Percival: 14.42

Saul: 20/16.36

Lilina: 19/11.05

Clarine: 20/17.62

Cecilia: 7.75

Shin: 19/10.31

Sue: 19/8.04

Zeiss: 19/10.69

Miledy: 20/11.33

Roy, Cass, Elfin, Rutger, Gonzales, Lilina, Clarine, Cecilia, Zeiss and Miledy are positioned on the right, Fir, Bartre, Percival, Saul, Shin and Sue on the left. Playing around with Warp and Rescue is actually fun on this map because it takes more thought than just sending Rutger to the throne on turn 2, but I needed to get some exp into Roy. It was only used once this time, teleporting Percival on the first turn over the above wall. He falls a bit short of one-rounding the General with a Hammer, so he opens the bottom chest and moves onto the edge of his range with a Hand Axe. On turn he 3 switches to the Brave Lance, opens the top chest and cantos over to the Hero on the switch for an enemy phase kill. He spends the remainder of the chapter clearing out the upper-left portion of the map, with sword rank prioritized so I have a mobile Durandal user for chapter 24. I had originally planned on rescuing him back, but Shin and Fir are so powerful by now that even the lower group of Heroes and the later reinforcements who appear after Roy opens the center door were not too difficult.

The right side went the long way around, moving around the treasure room so they could reach the throne a bit faster. Roy is decent in combat for a 20/1 unit at this point even when not using the Sword of Seals, which is such an excellent weapon I may aside the final Hammerne use for it. Lilina is also finally paying off her dept from all that babysitting before promotion, using Bolting to take out several foes in the adjacent hallway before anyone sets foot in it. The Berserk Druid was just out of reach for the starting area, unfortunately, not that it was too big a problem with an extra Restore user. Miledy and Zeiss entered the switch room from the top right side on turn 5, with Zeiss killing the Hero and Miledy securing the treasure. They stayed behind for the reinforcements.

Roy opened the room to Zephiel on turn 9, and it is the most difficult part of the chapter by far. Rutger can reliably one-round Heroes with duel-criticals from his Wo Dao, Clarine gets them with a critical + normal hit from Thunder, Roy and Lilina kill Mamkutes unharmed and Druids and Snipers are not practically durable, the problem is surviving enemy phase. Reinforcements appear from the stairs every few turns, and allowing any to show up would have set me back a lot (Assuming it did not cause a reset), so I had to take a small risk with Clarine that turn by exposing her to multiple Heroes. On turn 12, Cass runs up to steal the Hero Crest and is rescued afterwards so Rutger can move in. His Energy Ring once again makes all the difference, just barely 4HKOing Zephiel with the Durandal and letting Roy seize that turn after a movement boost from Elfin.

[FionordeQuester]

So how's it feel, knowing that the hardest part of the game is now over?

[GreatEclipse]

So how's it feel, knowing that the hardest part of the game is now over?

What do you mean by that? The EXP rank should not be an issue anymore, so it does feel great to be able to play the last few chapters however I want. I would not call chapter 23 easy, however, with 3 Ballista, 3 status staffs and a boss with capped Magic + Bolting. Chapter 24 is easy to clear, but difficult to low-turn without stocking up on Boots in the chapter 21 secret shop.