Preparing a Conquest/Revelations run - advice appreciated

[Logain08]

Hello everyone,

Sorry for the very open-ended topic. As I live in Europe, I have no idea how long I will have to wait before I can play this game. So I spend the majority of my time reading up about this game and learning about the different characters, classes and skills. I plan on buying Conquest and Revelations when it comes out in Europe and I am thinking about doing a Lunatic/Classic run on both games. I finished Awakening on Lunatic before, although I nearly threw my 3DS to shreds in the early parts of that game on Lunatic, since the enemy was destroying me and it seemed like my units were outmatched continuously. But I digress.

Based on my research, I am thinking about going for a +spd/-luck or +mag/-luck male Corrin for both my Conquest and Revelations playthrough (I have a hard time mixing things up once I get attached to how a character plays). My first question is whether or not the choice of asset/flaw depends on whether I'm playing Conquest or Revelations? Yato - if I understand it correctly - seems to get different bonuses dependent on the route you take. Taking this into account, should I alter my asset/flaw choice?

I know next to nothing about the story, but I generally want to find a balance between optimizing my pairings and finding a spouse for each character that more or less fits with the story and/or their personality. So for Corrin, I am guessing this amounts to either Azura or Felicia. Correct? Or do these pairings not make any sense story wise or gameplay wise?

For Corrin's talent, I see several options depending on what asset/flaw you pick. I do not think I'm going for ninja, since I'm not taking strength as my asset (mistake?), but I am thinking about going for cavalier. Apparently this gives Corrin some nice bonuses and a paladin with a Levin Sword seems to be good based on what I read on these forums so far. But I like having my main character in his "canon" class (e.g. Robin as a Grandmaster) and for Corrin this would be Nohr Noble. I'm thinking that with speed as my asset, I will double most of the time reliably, even without help from other characters, but will do less damage than if I had picked strength or magic as my asset.

So my second to last question is as follows: if I want Corrin to be a Nohr Noble, what asset/flaw/talent combination would fit him best?

And then for my last question, regarding skills. Can anyone give me advice as to what are some of the better skills to have on a Nohr Noble. I like balanced play and a Nohr Noble can use swords and tomes. Rend Heaven seems like a good skill to have, but is it worth picking spear fighter as your talent for? In general I get the impression that people - opposed to Awakening - no longer favor skills that can proc since stats seem to be lowered for this game. Does this mean skills like Sol, Luna, Aether and so on should be disgarded in favor of more "always on" benefits such as Elbow Room? And to what degree should I rely on the option of buying skills for my avatar (such as perhaps, Swordfaire or Rend Heaven)?

Sorry for the long post, but any advice is greatly appreciated! Many thanks in advance!

And for those of you on the other side of the ocean, enjoy playing Fates!

[CocoaGalaxy]

Yato is fixed at 2 DEF/RES for first, 4 DEF/RES for second in Nohr,

In revelations, the boost is 2 STR/SPD/DEF/RES, 4 STR/SPD/DEF/RES for second in Nohr

Buying skills does break the game for the more powerful skills, which may or may not be balanced by the fact that skills still cost gold to buy. Ultimately the choice is a personal one, I would say.

I can't really give any advice for Mods and Classes, those would mostly be something you would decide depending on your playstyle.

Aside from, don't choose -Spd, and you probably won't want +Luck either. Anything else is fair game, but technically everything is as well.

For Lunatic, it might be spoilers, but I'd say that it's pretty unadvisable to do a Lunatic run without viewing the game, as Nohr is quite brutal compared to the other two routes. Revelations has a pretty sharp difficulty jump right after the decision, and DLC isn't necessarily (though it can break the game) going to be able to save you, so having foresight for decisions is pretty important.

Also you'd have to decide if you want to use DLC or not. It's a thing, I guess.

Managing what you buy is fairly important in Nohr as well

Edited February 24, 2016 by CocoaGalaxy

[Logain08]

Thank you for your answers! Suppose I don't buy skills, what skills (and talent) would benefit a Nohr Noble most according to your opinion?

I think I would eventually use DLC when it becomes available in Europe, but I would first like to try and see how far I can get on my own merit. Do you know of a list of items and gold you can get in Conquest that doesn't spoil too much? I didn't know lunatic Conquest was that difficult that you'd need to know what was coming in order to prepare for it...

[CocoaGalaxy]

Well Lunatic Conquest does have enemy exclusive skills and weapons, high stats (I won't give any examples since it'd be a bit spoilery), map gimmicks and placements..and whatever else I don't know about. Yeah I haven't actually watched an entire lunatic conquest playthrough, but it's quite tough.

Oh and, reinforcements like to stream in like nobody's business (having ~12 units appear each turn isn't really that rare, sometimes more)

You need to know your funds and supplies, what to buy and what not to buy, manage your skills, "pray" that you stats work out, plan for paralogues, decide which characters to use and how to use them

I've been hearing a lot of bad things about Endgame in particular, so I suppose it's not that easy....

The only consolation of sorts is that the boss is kind of weak, even with his skills...then again it's a matter of standards.

Edited February 25, 2016 by CocoaGalaxy

[Logain08]

Thanks again for your reply! Everything you say makes it seem like lunatic Conquest is nigh impossible to do on a first try...Maybe I should reconsider and just go for hard. But I remember in Awakening where hard was quite challenging in the beginning but in the second half of the game, my units became so powerful that I kinda missed the challenge a bit. So that's why I was considering going for lunatic, knowing the beginning would be hell, but towards the end it would even out a bit more. But based on what you said, it may be that it never really evens out...

Can you give me some tips on what are some good skills to have on a Nohr Noble if I mostly plan on wielding Yato? Thanks in advance!

[CocoaGalaxy]

Samurai>Swordmaster as secondary class is pretty broken as is.

Timing your reclasses to get skills (debatable depending on the skills in questions, also different people value skills differently I guess) is also another thing, I have no idea how people plan those.

For starters, enemy stats are fair to unfair in general, and exp scales differently, so there's really not much of a chance that you'll completely steamroll the game.

Also level ups are rigged in Lunatic, so you can't just save scum for better levels.

[Logain08]

Do you have any experience with hard/conquest? If so, do you consider that to be a fun, but fair challenge? Thanks for answering again btw!

[joshcja]

Conquest is true to its split description, throws the book at you and gives you the tools to manage it on the difficulty that matches your skill as a player.

Its honestly the best route by far in terms of gameplay. (revelations is a good game but the maps can feel slow and clunky at times, and birthright is a joke, but its still fun, oni lady is waifu)

Edited February 25, 2016 by joshcja

[Logain08]

So you would argue that Conquest/Lunatic is difficult but fair? I'm seriously torn here. But I still have have months to prepare, probably, since there is no release date in sight for Europe :-)

[Lemui]

So you would argue that Conquest/Lunatic is difficult but fair? I'm seriously torn here. But I still have have months to prepare, probably, since there is no release date in sight for Europe :-)

... I would.

My experiences on Conquest Lunatic have been fustrating but not at the unfair point, just making stupid mistakes. I think it only gets really "unfair" difficult on a handful of maps. If you're up for a difficult challenge I'd say go for it. However I would recommend doing Hard first, as it's a good introduction to map mechanics and requires a lot less of resets if you fail, and it'll make your chances of having a ton of resets a lot less.

Edited February 25, 2016 by Lemui

[joshcja]

So you would argue that Conquest/Lunatic is difficult but fair? I'm seriously torn here. But I still have have months to prepare, probably, since there is no release date in sight for Europe :-)

Yeah its doable blind if you've played fire emblem way too much. (Rip my life)

If you want really clean feeling clears on the maps you will wind up resetting quite a bit (the longest one for me was ch17, its really easy to turtle through but getting a clean efficiency clear took me like a day and a half of scouting/routing/attempts). If you're fine with just slogging through the resets aren't bad at all.

Fair warning: Conquest is absolutely nothing like birthright.

As for corin I would go +def or +mag with draco or diviner as her talent with a luck flaw. Draco allows for some really abusable early game tricks and has some of the best skills in the game. Diviner is utterly useless to her but it grants kana/other kid access to broken exp gains with nobility+exp luck skill stack and you dont need to kidnap a rally magic user.

Edit: Protip: use odin and arthur, even if they fall off in your run due to deployment constraints they still make 2 of the best kids in the game and give big big utility (also ophelia's paralouge gives semi-exclusive access to some of the best tomes in game)

Edited February 25, 2016 by joshcja

[XeKr]

Lunatic Conquest is very hard blind. It can get as crazy as Lunatic+ if you don’t have the right team or are screwed by growth rng (though enemy setups are fixed, you can’t reset for easier ones either…). But you can start on it and lower the difficulty down whenever if desired. Hard is already fairly challenging, imo, and is a great blind first run experience.

Corrin is arguably strongest when using the Levin Sword, because it gives very powerful 1-2 range in a game where it’s generally nerfed. However, his mag growth isn’t very good, so +Mag is a very strong option. It also helps Dragonstone ohkos (with attack stance if necessary).

When I use +Spd, I still try to go to Paladin to get Elbow Room/Defender and Dark Knight to get Malefic Aura which is tons of free magical damage. It also allows more reliable doubling (I often use Pair Ups like Malig Knight!Gunter for more damage, defense, flight, and move, but no Spd), and a Corrin that can’t double is a very sad one. I do like +Mag in Revelations though because enemies are more buff and Yato gives Spd. I actually used it in a no-reclass Lunatic run, so you could maybe use that as a baseline if you don’t care to go around picking up the +damage skills.

As she gives +2 atk/def, plus Mag and Spd in her base class, Felicia is one of the best Pair Up units for Corrin. However if marrying Felicia, Kana won’t be very useful. But that’s okay unless you just really want to use Kana. You can also have Felicia as the usual Pair Up unit and marry someone else. Note it might be slow turn/timewise to marry Azura, but you can always pick levels with stationary bosses and just dance grind. Both are reasonable storywise.

I suppose I’ll also mention I don’t use any DLC, forging, skill buying, the online stuff, because it can get kinda cheesy. If you buy skills you can Nohr/Hoshido/Quixotic/Replicate/Vantage and a Pair Up with Sol/Luna/Astra/Rend Heaven or whatever for complete steamrolling. (Proc-stacking the activation rates of Astra/Sol probably the most important, as you're just invincible well the lategame in Conquest might still mess with you...).

Edited February 25, 2016 by XeKr

[Thor Odinson]

If you want Corn to stick to Nohr Noble you could always just pick their talent to benefit their spouse instead--unless you're gunning for a particular skill on a Hoshido class. For all other Nohr classes you can always A rank somebody and dip into that class for a few levels.

[Logain08]

Thank you all for your answers!

Couple follow-up questions:

- XeKr, do you know if a +Mag Corrin can still reliably double enemy units in Conquest? I'm guessing it's easier in Revelations since Yato gives speed there and not defense as in Conquest. Like you said, a Corrin that cannot double seems to be a very sad Corrin, and therefore it's something I absolutely want to avoid.

- What skills would you recommend for a no-skill buying +Mag/-Lck Corrin? Maybe I should take Samurai as my talent for access to vantage and later on astra and swordfaire for extra damage. Then get an A support for access to cavalier to get elbow room and maybe later on malefic aura. Or is this wishful thanking?

Thanks everyone for your input on Conquest/Lunatic. I think I'm going to try it and if I really cannot beat it, I can always lower the difficulty if need be, frustrating though it may be. Although I have to admit, based on what everyone is saying, it seems like it is an exercise in frustration and patience.

[joshcja]

Dont worry about doubling in conquest lunatic, its not important on non sweeper units. The best tank weapons in the game (dragonstone, nos, 1-2 range mele varients) cant double period.

nhorian royal line skills + whatever, the level 15 skill gives you 5 freebies regardless.

astra is bad.

[XeKr]

Thank you all for your answers!

Couple follow-up questions:

- XeKr, do you know if a +Mag Corrin can still reliably double enemy units in Conquest? I'm guessing it's easier in Revelations since Yato gives speed there and not defense as in Conquest. Like you said, a Corrin that cannot double seems to be a very sad Corrin, and therefore it's something I absolutely want to avoid.

- What skills would you recommend for a no-skill buying +Mag/-Lck Corrin? Maybe I should take Samurai as my talent for access to vantage and later on astra and swordfaire for extra damage. Then get an A support for access to cavalier to get elbow room and maybe later on malefic aura. Or is this wishful thanking?

Thanks everyone for your input on Conquest/Lunatic. I think I'm going to try it and if I really cannot beat it, I can always lower the difficulty if need be, frustrating though it may be. Although I have to admit, based on what everyone is saying, it seems like it is an exercise in frustration and patience.

RNG is RNG, and it depends on what you consider “reliable” (like if it’s a certain probability).

I will say though that +Spd will more reliably double (as in have a higher probability to). And this is particularly important if you’re spending time with Silas/Odin who don’t give Spd while trying to pick up Cav/Dark Mage. Though otoh these skills are slightly less important if you have the +Mag.

I admit I’m biased because I had a +Mag Corrin that couldn’t double, no matter how much +Spd tonics/Pair Up I threw at her. Any Speedwings are ones Xander/Leo aren’t taking, and their Spd is certainly questionable. This makes a big difference in later maps, if Xander and Corrin aren’t are strong as they could be (and usually are) since they have by far the best enemy phase durability. And they still aren’t invincible which says a lot about everyone else.

In many situations, not onerounding might be okay, as you can finish off the (maybe Draconic Hex’d) enemies on your player phase. Still, sometimes with Seal Skills and Poison skills, not one-rounding makes a much bigger difference. Filling up the Dual Guard meter 3/2 as fast also mitigates a lot more damage and allows surviving a lot more hits.

So while it’s probably more likely than not a +Mag Corrin can double fine, whatever small chance there is that Corrin can’t double in Nohr is unacceptable to me (and growths are fixed in Lunatic). So I like +Spd to make that chance as small as possible. While a similar argument can be applied for the other routes, in my experience there’s enough leeway to feel safe there (the probability that Corrin can’t double when it matters is smaller, and small enough to me. I don't know about others.)

Samurai is definitely good since it gives strong skills, has class avoid plus high Spd base and growth while you’re in it, and is rare in Nohr. I only don’t use it because I like getting Elbow Room/Defender and the +2 move asap, then going to Dark Knight for the nice Mag base (still 8 move and 8 base Def too, SM is frail). Might be a little costly goldwise if swapping between Paladin/Dark Knight/Swordmaster too, given how late Swordfaire is, but not too bad. Also something to keep in mind is seals aren't unlimited until later, unless buying from online shops.

Dont worry about doubling in conquest lunatic, its not important on non sweeper units. The best tank weapons in the game (dragonstone, nos, 1-2 range mele varients) cant double period.

nhorian royal line skills + whatever, the level 15 skill gives you 5 freebies regardless.

astra is bad.

While Nosferatu/Dragonstone tanking can work, I don’t think it’s as efficient because it doesn’t one-round enemies. And you get hit by Seals/Poison so it isn’t necessarily the easiest method either.

It’s very hard to take full advantage of Nohrian Trust without grinding/skill buying. Felicia/Jakob/Gunter who are the most practical pairs, only give Luna, or Felicia needs to suffer through 3 levels of low Str E rank weapons as a Hero.

Astra fills the Dual Guard meter immediately and does 2.5x damage, so it’s definitely not bad.

Edited February 25, 2016 by XeKr

[Logain08]

Thanks for all your replies, very useful! I will have to think about this some more as I prepare my final character, but still plenty of time to do so. :-)

[XeKr]

Another small consideration, +Mag is far better at using Tomes/Scrolls (not as much reliance on the high mt of the Levin Sword, and no -20 avoid) and in particular there are a few great ones in Ophelia’s paralogue (Horse Spirit, Calamity Gate) or the C rank brave weapon that offers some incredible utility. Of course, Leo uses them amazingly as well and Corrin does have the build the weapon rank from E.

Also in Revelations/Birthright Horse Spirit is more common, which is another +3 Spd to the Yato's bonus (+5 difference for a lot of the mid/lategame is significant leeway). While it seems like some people are having success using Odin in Conquest (as he needs to be married for Horse Spirit access), he is a character with rather low base stats and may not be easy for everyone to use.

[Logain08]

Are you saying that you can use those two scrolls (Horse Spirit/Calamity Gate), which are otherwise inaccessible in Conquest to boost Corrin's speed? So basically, as a Nohr Noble, you basically have Yato in your inventory for the bonuses and use those tomes for extra bonuses as long as you equip them, something to that effect?

I don't understand why Odin would only get access to Horse Spirit if he's married. He can use tomes and as long as you have a specific tome and he has the weapon ranks necessary, then he should be able to use it, no?

[Shadow Mir]

I don't understand why Odin would only get access to Horse Spirit if he's married. He can use tomes and as long as you have a specific tome and he has the weapon ranks necessary, then he should be able to use it, no?

It's more that the weapon in question is only obtainable in Ophelia's paralogue on Conquest.

[avengerfive]

No one mentioned Conquest Ch.25. I highly recommend training a Bow Knight for this chapter. If your Corrin doesn't have the correct build, you make need to rely on a Bow Knight with Kunaibreaker. Enemy ninjas on this map have a Lunatic exclusive skill that can make the level extremely difficult. Possibly run-stopping difficult.

It might be possible without a Bow Knight, but you may need to burn status staves that I would rather use in Ch.26.

Edited February 26, 2016 by avengerfive

[Logain08]

Is there a list somewhere of the lunatic exclusive skills that enemies have? Might be useful to prepare for different situations, like the one mentioned above. Again, thanks for everyone's input!

[XeKr]

Yeah Horse Spirit is in Ophelia's Paralogue and boosts Spd (And Def/Res) when equipped so you don't have to worry as much about missing Spd benchmarks. It has low Mt though, so non-Mag boons might not do much damage with it. Calamity Gate is a reaver/reverse weapon, which is rare in Nohr, and lets mages beat Shurikens/Lances that normally destroy them.

http://serenesforest.net/fire-emblem-fates/miscellaneous/skills/

I think the experience of encountering some of these blind is pretty incredible, but I guess the possibility of legitimately being stuck is a worrisome one. This is what I meant by "right team" though. >_> (imo it isn't as bad as a "useless" Corrin because that's game-wide and leads to even more situations like this. And raging against rng vs. meticulous design is a slightly different story, though I think mostly Corrin-less clears do require a lot of complex/clever thought)

Edited February 26, 2016 by XeKr

[Logain08]

I had never even heard of reaver/reverse weapons before. Seems interesting. I have to be on the lookout for these two scrolls then, as they seem to be quite good for either a magical Corrin or another magic-user (Nyx, Odin).

Thanks for providing me with the list of those lunatic exclusive enemy skills!