The Lunatic Club

[shadykid]

True, like all FE games. On my first hard run, I wasn't confident about using Pair Up, so I only rarely used it, but I'm totally abusing it now because the loss of an extra action on the player phase is almost always made up by a much superior enemy phase. I thought I would be doing hard mode for my casual runs, but it's only my second hard run and already it's starting to feel too easy.

I also did a normal run, which was just a joke.

oh my

and seconding lolnormalmode, +spd Avatar doubled with Chrom doubles everything in prologue

[dondon151]

Yeah, Dondon, FE12 Lunatic is harder. While I went through Lunatic not nosferatanking and using some other units like Cordelia, Lucina and Panne, at times I felt like I should have just undeploy everyone else and deploy only Chrom and +def Avatar. Because +def Avatar is just that ridiculous. You know how Avatar in FE12 was considered OP? Well, FE13 Avatar is like 10000 times better and I may be underestimating Avatar.

In FE12 Lunatic, you had to have other units cooperate. In FE13, deploying other units is making it harder on yourself.

so i suppose it's some combination of pair up, veteran, and the plethora of kill boss maps that make this game much easier? the first two are what allow MU to be OP, and the last one is what makes deploying other units less efficient?

isn't rescue-skipping also very good?

[Florete]

so i suppose it's some combination of pair up, veteran, and the plethora of kill boss maps that make this game much easier? the first two are what allow MU to be OP, and the last one is what makes deploying other units less efficient?

isn't rescue-skipping also very good?

Personally, I wouldn't say deploying more units is ever less efficient as long as you have at least one reliably powerful unit to take out bosses (for me it wasn't even Avatar, but Morgan). And yes, a high amount of maps can be cleared within 3 or 4 turns with the proper Rescue strategy. The majority of chapters from 15 to the end are boss kills (I think it's just 23, 24, and one more that aren't). Some can be cleared in one turn easily as long as you have a unit who can kill the boss, like 15 (this doesn't even need Rescue or Olivia to do, lol) and 19. Chapter 19 would have been a nightmare for me if I hadn't been able to quick clear it like that.

Rescue being an E rank staff makes things a lot simpler, too. You get a few along the way for free, but they're reasonably cheap and already buyable by the time you beat Ch 12.

[Constable Reggie]

So, chapter 16. Enemy stats just got a huge boost and the back/pegasis reinforcements arrive too quickly for me not to get overwhelmed. Advice?

[PKLucas531]

There are some "Defeat Commander" maps where Galeforce can't 1 turn the map alone, like 21 or 22 off the top of my head, but adding in Rescue skipping solves this. When you clear in 1 turn w/ Galeforce it's usually because your flier can go in a straight line, kill something, then go in another straight line to the boss. 21 is indoors, so you have to rescue chain around the walls & corners and such at least halfway, then your GF user can cover the rest of the distance.

Ch. 22 the enemies spawn boxed in on the left/right sides, with the boss in the far center, so there's nothing for your GF user(s) to kill and get another turn. You have to rescue chain your bosskiller close enough for them to reach the boss, since every enemy is basically out of your way (although you might not want to 1-turn map this as they drop the legendary weapons (not sure how useful most of them are)

[shadykid]

then again, in chapter 22 the enemies can't even really start attacking you on the first turn unless you go to them, so there's that

[Paperblade]

imo 1 turning isn't very viable in Lunatic because enemy stats increase so much that you won't be able to keep up with just boss kills

The win conditions don't really have much to do with it, it's just MU is so powerful you can have him run at things and everything dies

Edited March 15, 2013 by Paperblade

[Quick]

How many turns does it take to best chapter 20 ASAP? I'm trying to beat this game really quickly so I can just go to postgame.

[Titamon]

So, chapter 16. Enemy stats just got a huge boost and the back/pegasis reinforcements arrive too quickly for me not to get overwhelmed. Advice?

Use nosferatu or rescue-skip

[Interceptor]

The NowixGregor experiment in Lunatic is working out pretty well so far. It took a little effort to get her going (via temporary boosters), but she counters everything, leveled up very quickly, and wound up being pretty tanky and 2HKOs/ORKOs like a boss. I tossed her a Speedwing, since she was borderline. Gregor never sees any action except on Dual abilities, but got to Hero anyway. She's probably my third best lead unit after Avatar and Fred, though Lucina and Morgan will soon be giving her a run.

[Florete]

I figured Nowi was doomed to suck since she had trouble doubling on Normal mode.

You learn something new every day.

[Peppy]

So, is henry any good on Lunatic mode?

[Interceptor]

It's all about effort and resources with Nowi. Also, Pair Up is broken. Instant C with Gregor, Merc/Hero give a nice cornucopia of stats (SPD/SKL/DEF), plus Speed Tonic is cheap and buyable after Ch8. There are good fort spots for training, although Stones are problematic. IIRC you don't get a second one until after Gangrel, and then they aren't mass-buyable until after Ch12.

Her SPD is doomed long-term, though, with a Manakete cap of 33+2-4, plus whatever you can get from Pair Up and temporaries. C'est la vie.

[Redwall]

Pretty much everyone is usable as a combat unit if you invest enough effort. With Henry, you'll want to feed him a lot of kills during Chs 13-15, as the enemy strength increases noticeably as soon as Ch 16 starts. I'm lazy, so I don't use Henry as a combat unit, but instead promote him immediately to Dark Knight for the +1 Mov from his Pair Up (he's also great as a Hex/Anathema bot for Grima, who otherwise has rather high Avoid). If you're satisfied with your team composition sans Henry, you may benefit from not feeding him any kills at all and just using him as occasional support.

[Florete]

Don't you basically want to reclass Nowi asap anyway? If you don't she's stuck with two mediocre skills and a level 30 cap. I'd take building a new weapon rank over that. Wyvern Rider looks like a nice option.

[Othin]

Skills aren't necessary, a LV30 cap just means an easy Second Seal wraparound, and raising new weapon levels is just a pain. Manakete is the special thing Nowi has going for her.

[Florete]

Nothing's necessary, but I've found having a variety of skills to be quite an advantage.

I don't care about "special" if it's so limiting.

[sunshineYON]

I figured Nowi was doomed to suck since she had trouble doubling on Normal mode.

You learn something new every day.

I dunno. Nowi is the only unit in my Lunatic playthrough that can't die. All those modified Silver Weapons the enemy wield do 5 damage to her max and she has 80 HP... that is if she is hit, which is very rarely, due to Fred being her husband with Dual Guard+. Even Chrom and my Avatar have trouble if they get unlucky with Aether and Sol respectively as they get swarmed. Morgan might be the only other unit that holds a candle to Nowi's survivability. Now I'm playing casual and I can see the value of defense in classic even more.

[Blademaster!]

Don't you basically want to reclass Nowi asap anyway?

Reclassing Nowi is a terrible idea unless you do it to a promoted class, which I believe you can do once she is over level 20. Lol reclassing to mage and Wyvern Rider essentially gives her +1 hp and +2 skl/spd in exchange for -3 str, -4 Def, -9 res, a general drop in all growthes but Str which is now +10 higher not to mention she still deals more damage with a dragon stone than with a max atk forged bronze axe and still keeps two range attack. Then you have the problem of getting her to D axes. And even then, a +2 Iron Axe will cost you 100 more than a dragon stone (assuming you have to buy the axe first), though being able to use Hammers is nice.

Panne/Yarne only work out because beast stones are terrible for the most part. They deal as much damage with a bronze axe as they do with a beast stone and get more def in exchange for -5 spd, which is pretty easy to fix for them anyway.

[Florete]

I don't know if you included this, but Wyvern Rider also gets the auto +2 Str skill, flight, and +1 move. She'll be leveling faster so she'll make up any stat deficits and building the new weapon rank will help in the long run.

Cost of an Iron Axe forge is hardly a big deal unless you're dropping max crit on it.

[pinkbubblegum]

Haha, oh my... I will shamelessly admit that Lunatic was too much for me.

As soon as I got my game, I set my difficulty to Lunatic-Classic, trudging head-on, thinking that I could take it. In Map 4 (Where Miriel and Vaike enter), I was getting my butt kicked very badly and could progress no further ;;

I do want to try my hand at Lunatic-Classic again though! Possibly after beating my current playthrough > u <

It's just so hard to actually get through Map 3 without having to rely purely on luck, hoping that that one enemy unit with a hammer misses Frederick haha.

[Interceptor]

Don't you basically want to reclass Nowi asap anyway? If you don't she's stuck with two mediocre skills and a level 30 cap. I'd take building a new weapon rank over that. Wyvern Rider looks like a nice option.

There's an argument for this, but for now I prefer her in her base class.

Manakete has the best defensive growths available to her (better than any of the other options), 26 levels to grow before needing a Seal, effective damage vs. dragons, strong 1-2 range that hits DEF, and really solid class base stats. She's not weak to anything you'll typically see. I actually used a Second Seal on her to grow another 29 levels as Manakete, because she just flies through levels you like wouldn't believe.

The skills that she is missing out on, don't seem like they would be worth the trouble of reclassing and training. There's a couple of Breakers, +2 STR, assorted hit/avoid skills, Deliverer, Lifetaker, and MAG she doesn't want as a Manakete. Mostly things that would boost her defensive parameters, it seems like. I guess at some point it might be necessary to get better avoid, but she doesn't miss for now, and her DEF/RES are really high at the moment (40 DEF with Gregor... even Avatar is impressed at that).

Wyvern Rider is probably the best option, though. Two useful skills, decent stats. I'm just not all that excited about losing the Dragonstone bonuses, eating effective damage from bows, and getting wrecked by mages.

[Blademaster!]

I don't know if you included this, but Wyvern Rider also gets the auto +2 Str skill, flight, and +1 move. She'll be leveling faster so she'll make up any stat deficits and building the new weapon rank will help in the long run.

No, I forgot the +2 str...

[shadykid]

I think the big thing about Nowi as a manakete is the ridiculously easy levelups after a certain point (reclass back to level 1)

that being said, that extra move would be very helpful....

[arvilino]

There's an argument for this, but for now I prefer her in her base class.

Manakete has the best defensive growths available to her (better than any of the other options), 26 levels to grow before needing a Seal, effective damage vs. dragons, strong 1-2 range that hits DEF, and really solid class base stats. She's not weak to anything you'll typically see. I actually used a Second Seal on her to grow another 29 levels as Manakete, because she just flies through levels you like wouldn't believe.

The skills that she is missing out on, don't seem like they would be worth the trouble of reclassing and training. There's a couple of Breakers, +2 STR, assorted hit/avoid skills, Deliverer, Lifetaker, and MAG she doesn't want as a Manakete. Mostly things that would boost her defensive parameters, it seems like. I guess at some point it might be necessary to get better avoid, but she doesn't miss for now, and her DEF/RES are really high at the moment (40 DEF with Gregor... even Avatar is impressed at that).

Wyvern Rider is probably the best option, though. Two useful skills, decent stats. I'm just not all that excited about losing the Dragonstone bonuses, eating effective damage from bows, and getting wrecked by mages.

I'm wondering whether that would even be worth it to get the other skills for her during the main game in Lunatic. She's bound to get more level ups as a Manakete on the merit of being able to be involved in more rounds of combat(due to higher Defense/Res) per turn. Additionally would the evasion boosting skills really be that useful on a slower tanking character as opposed to a faster one like Panne for example?

Edited March 16, 2013 by arvilino