General Playthrogh

[Gamer7625]

I was wanting to do a normal play of PoR since it had been awhile and just wanted some/any opinions on the team I am planning on using. I am planning on doing Random growths and on Normal mode.

1)Ike

Skill: Aether

Main Band:Knight Band

Support(s): Soren-A; Oscar-B

Stat Booster(s):None

Some people may say to use Vantage/Wrath/Resolve/Adept in any combination, the thing is I like those skills on other people, and besides Aether is a classic Ike skill that I think is more useful than the others above for him. Since Ike is Soren's only good Support (and the only worthwile one for Soren) and I like Soren too much not to use him, I decided to give them the A Support. While Oscar is a mounted unit and Ike is, obviously, not it might be a bad idea to support them. However, Ike and Oscar only have a 2 move difference so they will still be close enough to get their boost, which makes it worthwhile

2)Oscar

Skill:Sol

Main Band:Fighter Band

Support(s): Kieran-A; Ike-B

Stat Booster(s):None

Sol is good for any of the Palidin since it can increase their longevity. The same is true for Oscar and turns him into an effective tank with his Lances and Axes (once he promotes). I give him Kieran Support because Kieran can use the Avoid boost and Oscar and Ike can dodge even easier, plus who doesn't love two Earth supports?

3)Boyd

Skills:Vantage, Wrath

Main Band:Sword Band

Support(s): Mist-A; Brom-B

Stat Booster(s): Talisman x1, Skill Book x1

Vantage and Wrath are the perfect combination for Boyd in my opinion. If Boyd stacks up damage, which is lessened thanks to his two Water Support buddies, he can tear tremendous holes in the opponent with Vantage, letting attack first all the time, and with Wrath. Mist and Brom are both Water supports who will boost Boyd's slightly troublesome defense and boost his already massive attack.

4)Soren

Skill:Adept

Main Band:Laguzband

Support(s):Ike-A

Stat Booster(s):None

Pretty straightforward Soren. May seem unneeded but Soren has never needed much to be great. He gets a good bit of training early on and once he starts doubling, and once Adept activates more, he becomes very good. I do, however, give him one of my Laguzbands to help him survive the Laguz we fight on certain chapters, and most noteably the ending two.

5)Mist

Skill:Miracle

Main Band:Laguzguard

Support(s):Boyd-A; Jill-B

Stat Booster(s): Ashera Icon x2, Arms Scroll x2, Spirit Drop x1

Mist may have low magic at the start and an E rank in staves, but she its not too difficult to solve that. I give her the Mage Band for a few chapters, till she catches up in levels usually, and make sure to train a bit of my characters and let Mist heal even the smallest wounds and she will quickly catch up. In Chapter 9 I've gotten her staves to a C Rank, which is a huge approvement from an E. Mist keeps Boyd alive and proves to even be a good person with Jill, along with stopping her form going with her father who I am just enough of an ass to have her face. Giving Mist the Arms Scrolls lets her use the Sonic Sword as soon as she class changes, which is a HUGE plus to her.

6)Marcia

Skills: Adept, Resolve

Main Band: Knight Band

Support(s):Tanith-A; Kieran-B

Stat Booster(s):Seraph Robe x1, Energy Drop x1

Marcia has proved herself the times I have used her in the game. Yeah she takes a little work, but just look at someone like Nephene, who also needs some work before becoming very strong. Marcia can also support Tanith fantasticly, giving each other an attack and avoid boost they both need, while she supports Kieran and makes the Axe user a little bit stronger. I use Adept to help her slight attack problem even more and with Resolve if she does get hit enough she will deal even more damage.

7)Brom

Skill:Luna

Main Band:Knight Ward

Support(s): Zihark-A; Boyd-B

Stat Booster(s):Boots

Brom might not be the best Knight, but he definately has the best Support element that can be used very well, also gaining two of the best support elements back in return. Luna is sort of a filler, as there isn't many other skills I can think of giving Brom and it can give him a nice boost sometimes. Brom and Zihark work greatly together and if Boyd is around the three of them can handle the entire Weapon Triangle together.

8)Kieran

Skill:Sol

Main Band-Archer Band

Support(s): Oscar-A; Marcia-B

Stat Booster(s): Speedwing x1, Skill Book x1, Talisman x1

Kieran is a really good character if you give him a little extra treatment. He may have some trouble with accuracy in the beginning, but that is quickly and easily fixed. The fact he gets two really good supports really help him out too and can make him even better. While Wind isn't the best element, Kieran still fits in the team very well.

9)Zihark

Skills:Adept, Gamble

Main Band: Wyvern Band

Support(s): Brom-A

Stat Booster(s): Dracoshield x2

Zihark is my favorite Swordmaster in the game and is a very good one to use. Brom and the Dracoshields fix his Defense, which is only needed if he actually gets hit. With Gamble Zihard has a high possibility of having a 100% critical chance and a hit % still above 50, add in Adept and there is very little chance the enemy will get away from him.

10)Jill

Skill(s): Guard, Savior

Main Band: Thief Band

Support(s): Haar-A; Mist-B

Stat Booster(s):None

Jill really only has problems when she first joins if she fights the Birds, which may make it difficult but it still isn't real hard to use her. Jill can take some arrow hits without worrying, for one or two hits that is, and she can still dodge hits, while maybe not as much as Marcia or Tanith but it can happen nicely. Guard and Savior are filler Skills, but they can be useful. Guard can stop an enemt from trying to attack her and save her from the little damage she may have received, while Savior lets her protect someone who needs it without being hampered, if only Ike had that skill during chapter 17...

11)Muraim

Skill(s):Smite, Nihil

Main Band:Demi Band

Support(s): Zihark-B

Stat Booster(s):None

Muraim may be the only character who isn't needed, however, he is my favorite of the Laguz and does fit in the chain. His skills are filler ones, but ones that are useful. Not much to say about him since he is a Laguz and pretty explanatory.

12)Tanith

Skill(s): Reinforce, Miracle

Main Band:Full Guard

Support(s): Marcia-A

Stat Booster(s):Seraph Robe x1, Energy Drop x1, Spirit Drop x1

Tanith has always been a good character to me and with Marcia boosting her attack more Tanith can accomplish even more than she could before. Since Tanith does have the lowest HP of my fliers I give her the Full Guard. The Spirit Dust helps the Runesword and Flame Lance become more powerful and help her take out enemies quicker, while the other two boosters should be obvious.

13)Haar

Skill(s):Guard

Main Band:Paladin Band

Support(s): Jill-A

Stat Booster(s): Speedwing

My final character, Haar. He may have some accuracy issues, which never seemed to be 100% solved, but he still is good and can hit like a truck. Give him a forged Axe and the accuracy problem is lessened majorly, even if he might not double a good bit of people it still works.

[whase]

if you want my advice, I'd say use less units. at most use 10 units.

I once used only 4 units on hard mode, it was one of my easiest PTs of FE9 ever.

I'd drop the last 3 of that list, and maybe Brom. though that's your choice completely.

[Shadow Mir]

I'd personally say Zihark has no need for Gamble since trading off hit for crit sounds as smart as robbing a police station (AKA, it's just never a good idea).

[Gamer7625]

Only problem with only using 10 people is idk who I'd remove to keep my Support groups good. Also I have found Gamble a useful skill on Zihark. I don't use it often but it can help in certain circumstances, since he will still usually have over 50% accuracy and 100% critical

[dondon151]

if you want my advice,

stop, we all know you have terrible advice.

[Anouleth]

Some people may say to use Vantage/Wrath/Resolve/Adept in any combination, the thing is I like those skills on other people, and besides Aether is a classic Ike skill that I think is more useful than the others above for him.

You can think that, but you're wrong. Resolve is a far better skill than Aether.

Zihark is my favorite Swordmaster in the game and is a very good one to use. Brom and the Dracoshields fix his Defense, which is only needed if he actually gets hit. With Gamble Zihard has a high possibility of having a 100% critical chance and a hit % still above 50, add in Adept and there is very little chance the enemy will get away from him.

You know, it's better to have 100 hit and 50 crit than 50 hit and 100 crit..

[Colonel M]

You can think that, but you're wrong. Resolve is a far better skill than Aether.

Agreed. This just makes Ashnard a hell of a lot less painful than he could be.

You know, it's better to have 100 hit and 50 crit than 50 hit and 100 crit..

DON'T TELL SNOWY / AKU CHI IT MIGHT IMPLODE THE UNIVERSE!!!

[Shadow Mir]

Also I have found Gamble a useful skill on Zihark. I don't use it often but it can help in certain circumstances, since he will still usually have over 50% accuracy and 100% critical

Having a 50/50 chance of the enemy getting off unscathed makes Gamble one very unappealing skill... Also, Nihil's pretty useless. Plus, Luna wouldn't help Brom much...

Edited April 23, 2012 by Metal King Slime

[bottlegnomes]

You know, it's better to have 100 hit and 50 crit than 50 hit and 100 crit..

Not necessarily, since 50 displayed hit is actually 50.5 hit that means you have a slightly better overall chance of landing a critical. Now that I'm done being stupid, yeah, gamble is pretty useless.

Anyway, looks fine as is, though I'd suggest giving Mist Sol. Even if her skill is piss awful, there's still a chance of it activating, and she needs the extra healing more than Oscar or Kieran need it and Brom needs the extra damage if he's getting sole access to the KW.

[Gamer7625]

You can think that, but you're wrong. Resolve is a far better skill than Aether.

You know, it's better to have 100 hit and 50 crit than 50 hit and 100 crit..

I know Resolve is a very good skill, I will always agree with you there. But if I were to take Aether from Ike and give him Resolve, then where would that Occult skill go? And while having more hit is better, what if Zihark has no way of finishing someone off and I want to be assured he will get a critical? Because believe it or not he doesn't crit everyone even with a 50% critical hit score.

Having a 50/50 chance of the enemy getting off unscathed makes Gamble one very unappealing skill... Also, Nihil's pretty useless. Plus, Luna wouldn't help Brom much...

And what should I do with those skills then?

Not necessarily, since 50 displayed hit is actually 50.5 hit that means you have a slightly better overall chance of landing a critical. Now that I'm done being stupid, yeah, gamble is pretty useless.

Anyway, looks fine as is, though I'd suggest giving Mist Sol. Even if her skill is piss awful, there's still a chance of it activating, and she needs the extra healing more than Oscar or Kieran need it and Brom needs the extra damage if he's getting sole access to the KW.

Seems peple think I am using Gamble every turn, I'm not! I'm using it very rarely. Also what skill should Brom get? I don't like giving him nothing. I know Mist would like Sol but I need alternatives. I've not been given any really.

[Shadow Mir]

I know Resolve is a very good skill, I will always agree with you there. But if I were to take Aether from Ike and give him Resolve, then where would that Occult skill go? And while having more hit is better, what if Zihark has no way of finishing someone off and I want to be assured he will get a critical? Because believe it or not he doesn't crit everyone even with a 50% critical hit score.

And what should I do with those skills then?

I hate to sound like a douche (and if I do, I apologize), but you're not assuring he'll get a critical by using Gamble. If anything, you're only shooting yourself in the foot.

Sell Gamble and Nihil; it's not like they'll be any help.

[Gamer7625]

You don't sound like a douche and I do appreciate the replies. I know Zihark isn't assured a hit with Gamble, and this could just be my stubborness, but wouldnt his Adept skill help suppliment this and give him an even better chance to hit? I'm mostly speaking out of experience (and I know PEMN) but he has always finished any enemy I happen to use Gamble on, the rare occasion I do use it.

[PKL]

Gamble sucks yo. And u arent forced to use those occults, it isnt a requirement to beat the game or anything. Just give aether to ike until resolve comes.

[FionordeQuester]

Just out of curiosity, is your accuracy usually as low as 50% when you use Gamble? Either way, his logic seems sound to me. I mean, if Gamble can be switched on and off, then why not have it as a backup?

[Gamer7625]

Gamble sucks yo. And u arent forced to use those occults, it isnt a requirement to beat the game or anything. Just give aether to ike until resolve comes.

I know the Occult skills aren't required, I just don't like to waste them. Furthermore, can you give me good reasons to remove the skill from Marcia, someone who could appreciate the strength, and give it to someone who gets a move that heals him and lowers the opponents defense? If so, then what should I give to Marcia in return?

Just out of curiosity, is your accuracy usually as low as 50% when you use Gamble? Either way, his logic seems sound to me. I mean, if Gamble can be switched on and off, then why not have it as a backup?

Zihark's accuracy is still above 50% even after Gamble and thank you for the back-up

Edited April 24, 2012 by Knight of Zero

[Silent Mercenary]

Just out of curiosity, is your accuracy usually as low as 50% when you use Gamble? Either way, his logic seems sound to me. I mean, if Gamble can be switched on and off, then why not have it as a backup?

When I use Zihark, I usually give him Gamble and a forged slim sword (very costly, but there's enough money by chapter 17). He usually has hit ranging from 65 to 85 and a crit between 50~75 (in all 3 NoA modes). Without the forge, I haven't seen either hit or crit below 45. With Killing Edges it would be more worthwhile, but those are rare. It's not worth using Gamble often, but it does has its uses, and it's better having it on someone than wasting/selling it. Zihark is probably the best to give use to it, since he has Adept. My main use for it is when he will 1HKO an enemy, I activate it so there's a chance he misses the first hit, and that's more Wexp for him.

Gamble is more of a fun skill if you don't want to make your game too predictable. Nihil, Parity and Corrosion are the ones of low use in this game.

[Gamer7625]

I really only use Gamble with a weapon like a Killing Edge or the Vague Katti, since those weapons have high critical chances already Gamble just helps them and I still have a nice accuracy and, like I said before, Adept can give me more chances to hit

[Colonel M]

Just use the Occult on Ike up until Resolve exists, then get rid of Aether for Resolve. It doesn't really hurt since this game is piss easy anyway so long as you don't act retarded.

I really only use Gamble with a weapon like a Killing Edge or the Vague Katti, since those weapons have high critical chances already Gamble just helps them and I still have a nice accuracy and, like I said before, Adept can give me more chances to hit

That's about the only time you should kind of think about it, and even then, you need to realize mounts will still nuke the game anyway to the point where almost any foot unit shouldn't exist barring maybe Maurim.

Edited April 24, 2012 by Colonel M

[aku chi]

stop, we all know you have terrible advice.

But whase actually gave good advice. Unintuitively, training more combat units past some threshold (which could be argued to be anywhere from 4-8) can make the game harder.

DON'T TELL SNOWY / AKU CHI IT MIGHT IMPLODE THE UNIVERSE!!!

Problem? I demonstrated mathematically how Gamble can be useful. It's hardly a great skill, but it has its uses on a Swordmaster or Sniper.

[Snowy_One]

Heck, I didn't even say that. Just that it wasn't completely useless when put on a character who can get enough hit from supports (Mia, Stefan, and maybe Rolf) it's not completely useless (yes, I know Rolf sucks and him getting the supports he needs to make it work would be a huge thing. I'm only focused on if a character could get gamble to work though).

[Colonel M]

Problem? I demonstrated mathematically how Gamble can be useful. It's hardly a great skill, but it has its uses on a Swordmaster or Sniper.

Even a rock can be useful for knocking a door, but we don't use it to generally knock a door, do we? Don't forget that Swordmasters have a cap of 25, and their base Skills (Adept and Vantage) take up 10. With Mia, that means no possible Wrath and I have no fucking clue how it affects Zihark in any way. Astra is... kind of useless anyway... so I guess it's fine on Stefan? Though I think Stefan should really be the only one messing with Gamble with Heaven Affinity and having an actual Skill base that's sky-high.

EDIT: After a second general look... I forgot how durable these enemies can get in this game (I'm used to FE12 and their higher HP and lower Def values).

Besides, does Gamble even help clear anything that's exactly in the way of things or is it one of those "oh it can be useful for the enemies you never have to face" sort of fiasco? We know that enemies like these kind of pop up from time to time, but start taking supports into account if you seriously want to for Mia (since that would at least be Snowy's assumption) and Mia could ORKO the Fighter with Vague Katti anyway. I'm not, but I'm not really assuming Mia exists either, so.

Edited April 24, 2012 by Colonel M

[dondon151]

But whase actually gave good advice. Unintuitively, training more combat units past some threshold (which could be argued to be anywhere from 4-8) can make the game harder.

this is FE9, where the BEXP pool is the limit, decent prepromotes are in great abundance, and enemies are super easy

[aku chi]

Astra is... kind of useless anyway... so I guess it's fine on Stefan?

Astra is another one of those skills that is unfairly critiqued. I certainly wouldn't remove it for Gamble, especially on Stefan: the strongest Swordmaster. With good Str, innate crit, and Astra, Stefan has a high chance to ORKO just about anything. I also would prefer to give Mia some other skill that combos with Vantage (like Wrath, Adept, or Guard). Zihark is a fine Gamble candidate, as are Lucia, Rolf, and Shinon should you care to use them.

this is FE9, where the BEXP pool is the limit, decent prepromotes are in great abundance, and enemies are super easy

Your point? Do you disagree that, at some point, training more combat units makes the game more, and not less difficult?

[Colonel M]

Well when you think about it, no resources give Brom a mount and he's on the team...

...Get rid of Brom.

[Anouleth]

I know Resolve is a very good skill, I will always agree with you there. But if I were to take Aether from Ike and give him Resolve, then where would that Occult skill go?

It doesn't matter. Just sell it or something, or skip getting it. You shouldn't use every Occult just for the sake of using every Occult.

And while having more hit is better, what if Zihark has no way of finishing someone off and I want to be assured he will get a critical? Because believe it or not he doesn't crit everyone even with a 50% critical hit score.

Except that Gamble doesn't assure a critical hit since he can still hit. If Zihark has 100 hit and 50 crit, he has a 50% chance of hitting and a 50% chance of critting; if he has 50 hit and 100 crit, he has a 50% chance of missing and a 50% chance of critting. The first option is obviously superior.