Did this game have enough Grima? (Spoilers)

[Retsudo]

Okay, we have Grima. The Fell Dragon who is apparently above Medeus. We finally see her more or less in person....and then Chrom and Co. run off to Valm. Which didn't have that much to do with Grima aside from a few things that Excellus and Aversa say.

So overall, did we really have enough focus for somebody so dangerous? You think we could have done without Valm in favor of something more Grima focused? Or at least a different Valm?

[Masked_Hunter1825]

Valm was mostly a war on the side. It was an excuse to get the stones needed for the Fire Emblem.Grima probably had no reason to mess with Valm if the shepherds were fighting for them. On the other hand, if the FE was stolen on Carrion Isle then Plegia probably worked to kill Valm instead since they would have no other choice.

In any event, more Grima would've been nice other than the small side-quest 17 with Risen. Valm was really just preparing for the final fight.

Grima is also pretty freaky looking when you see his actual face. For some reason I keep hearing him with a spanish accent as well.

[Retsudo]

The game never explains how the FE was taken apart or how any of the stones ended up in Valm though.

[Masked_Hunter1825]

When all the lands shifted around and everything, Basilio says that when Ferox formed they got one of the gems. I'm guessing the same thing happened in Valm. Not sure how the FE was taken apart but i'm guessing it was around the time of Grima's first defeat.

[nocturnal YL]

Could've done something like FE8. An enemy nation sends out troops everywhere, and you'll help them as you slowly discover what's behind their attack.

Or do it like FE12. Hardin's role was clear from the beginning, and Marth's side learned about Medeus' resurrection on the way. Their goal was very clear: take out Hardin, then Medeus (once they realized his existence).

Valm does look like a distraction there. Unlike the previous games (FE6's Bern, FE7's Black Fang, FE8's Grado, FE10's Black Knight stirring stuff up among other things, FE12's Akaneia), while Valm's invasion does make Chrom's job harder, it does not have much to do with Grima.

Walhart does not want to see Grima taking over the world himself, unlike the apparent enemies in the previous games. It does not appear that he wants to usurp the other continent while they are busy fighting Grima, either - the invasion's timing looks more like coincidence than anything. This makes the Valm batle look even more like a distraction.

Better: have Plegia cooperating with Valm, reveal that they have somewhat made someone from Valm (like Excellus) work with them. Chrom's goal was changed to stealing (not borrowing) warships from Plegia and charged to Valm, which fight with not only their army but also supplies from Plegia. Upon, Valm's defeat, Plegia would realize they have lost a powerfully ally, freaked out, and prepare to steal the Fire Emblem back as Chrom returns.

Edited February 24, 2013 by nocturnal YL

[I.M. Gei]

Yeah, the battle conversation Avatar has with Aversa in Chapter 22 really felt like it would have gone better somewhere in the Valm arc; I plowed through Valm thinking, "why is this relevant again?" Then the whole thing with Validar just reared its ugly head at the start of Chapter 21.

Speaking of that, beating him felt like a real victory, and then, "Oh shit, it's that man/woman who looks exactly like my Avatar!"

[Ciaran]

The main reason for the Valm story branch is twofold. One, you're assisting an ally, Virion, who comes to you in need. This is before you know what the catalyst for Grima's resurrection is, why it happens, anything like that, they only know that it does happen. They also know that they need the gems and that at least one is held by Chon'Shin, a nation within Valm like Rossanne.

The whole point of Walhart was to be a counter-argument to Emmyren's peaceful ambitions. He has the same objective that she had, and you come to know that you have (stopping Grima), but his methods and actions put you at odds with him even without the stone he has taken.. Honestly it's a better plot point to me than "we were always fighting the bad guy" to have a "we defeated someone who was also working towards our same objective inadvertently" moment, even if the fact is that you can't let him conquer everything anyway.

The Valm invasion thing is actually the entire crux of the problem with Grima as it provides the opportunity to gather the stones and by stopping the empire you protect Plegia, and the Grimleal, from destruction prior to their ability to awaken Grima.

TL;DR: The point of Valm is that you help a friend and stop an invader while making progresson your major quest, not knowing that you actually allowed your main quest to become a necessity in the first place. It's meant to be a moment of humility, like maybe your characters aren't always correct in their actions and sometimes doing what's necessary can have after effects you can't predict.

EDIT: Forgot to also mention that Tiki had one of the jewels as well. So two jewels were in Valm, and you want to help out an ally and not get, you know, conquered when a much bigger threat is coming eventually that you know of.

Edited February 24, 2013 by Ciaran