Is it possible to get Kent/Sain to level 20 in Lyn's story?

[Alastor15243]

Just wondering, been considering attempting a ranked run someday, and I figured the biggest problem would be the limited number of units you can promote, and obviously a good workaround, as long as you don't care about your Lyn mode ranking, would be to use the knight's crest in Lyn's story to give yourself a free promoted unit. I remember trying this as a kid, but I can't remember if I actually got Kent or Sain to level 20 by the end. Is that possible?

[MCProductions]

I did a Lyn solo of Lyn Hard mode once, and she only reached level 19, so I doubt it

That said, if you don't care about a couple levels, go for it.

[Shadow Mir]

Short of boss abuse, I doubt it.

[ruadath]

I don't think so. But you can reasonably comfortably get Sain/Kent to level 15/16 even if you are going for ranking, so I imagine you won't miss too many levels.

And besides, if you are rigging levels (not sure if you are), Sain/Kent will cap all their important stats except HP/Def by the time you hit around level 15. Even if you're not rigging, they'll come close to doing it regardless.

EDIT: Also, note that promoting Sain/Kent in LHM is not necessarily a good think for ranking EHM/HHM. Since the EXP requirements are pretty huge, and there isn't too much pressure on your tactics rank (turns), it will often be more convenient to have a level 12ish Sain/Kent who you can actually use to kill things rather than a OP promoted one who's EXP you are trying to minimize and therefore can't use as much as you'd like.

[maybe]

Just wondering, been considering attempting a ranked run someday, and I figured the biggest problem would be the limited number of units you can promote, and obviously a good workaround, as long as you don't care about your Lyn mode ranking, would be to use the knight's crest in Lyn's story to give yourself a free promoted unit. I remember trying this as a kid, but I can't remember if I actually got Kent or Sain to level 20 by the end. Is that possible?

yeah, it is

with much boss abuse

but it is

[Alastor15243]

I don't think so. But you can reasonably comfortably get Sain/Kent to level 15/16 even if you are going for ranking, so I imagine you won't miss too many levels.

And besides, if you are rigging levels (not sure if you are), Sain/Kent will cap all their important stats except HP/Def by the time you hit around level 15. Even if you're not rigging, they'll come close to doing it regardless.

EDIT: Also, note that promoting Sain/Kent in LHM is not necessarily a good think for ranking EHM/HHM. Since the EXP requirements are pretty huge, and there isn't too much pressure on your tactics rank (turns), it will often be more convenient to have a level 12ish Sain/Kent who you can actually use to kill things rather than a OP promoted one who's EXP you are trying to minimize and therefore can't use as much as you'd like.

But I heard you're only allowed to use roughly 60k worth of promotion items (6 normal promotions) and keep a max funds rank, and that promoting lyn and eliwood takes 20k. Wouldn't promoting Sain in advance actually IMPROVE your experience rank in the long run by giving you more promoted units you can spread the experience around without resorting to the prepromotes of varyingly questionable effectiveness?

[ruadath]

But I heard you're only allowed to use roughly 60k worth of promotion items (6 normal promotions) and keep a max funds rank, and that promoting lyn and eliwood takes 20k. Wouldn't promoting Sain in advance actually IMPROVE your experience rank in the long run by giving you more promoted units you can spread the experience around without resorting to the prepromotes of varyingly questionable effectiveness?

Depending on what mode you are playing, you actually have quite a bit more than that thanks to Silver Card and/or HM-exclusive chapters. Funds isn't something you really need to worry about as long as you pick up all of the valuable treasures on each chapter (and don't drop the final weapons). For the most part, you don't really want to be promoting people until the Chapter 25ish anyway, because you'll end up losing out on valuable combat experience; it's more valuable to cycle your units around.

How many people do you plan on promoting anyway? You probably won't need/want more than Priscilla, a horseman or two, a flier or two, Raven/Guy (if you really want one of them, can be useful) and maybe Eliwood. And you have plenty of money for that.

Which mode are you playing on again? I can give you more advice depending on the answer you give me.

Also, it's not like promoting Sain/Kent will screw you over either. You'll just most likely end up benching them or using them only as boss-weakeners until mid-late game, by which time you probably would have had plenty of time/funds to promote anyway. It's your call.

[Paper Jam]

Not only does the Silver Card make the Funds rank easier to keep at 5 stars in Hard Mode than in Normal Mode; so too do the Tactics requirements of the Arena chapters (specifically 16x, 20, and 23-Linus in Eliwood's tale; that's 17x, 21, and 24-Linus in Hector's tale).

Chapter 23/24-Linus in particular allows about 15 turns' worth of arena use without cutting into that chapter's 5-star Tactics par (assuming that you reach the arena by turn 6 and defeat Linus on turn 22); at about 600 gold per fight and 3 fights per turn, that's about 30,000 gold right there.