Defense & Reinforcements: Expectations and Hopes

[Falcom]

With those new modes coming within a week or two left, I can't help but feel excited to see what they're all about. But what do you expect/hope these game modes will do?

-Would it be included in the story? Or maybe something similar to the arena rankings?
-Is there some kind of reward for this? Orbs, feathers, crystals, or shards perhaps?
-How do you expect defense to work? Would we be protecting one general tile? Or multiple tiles? Or an ally unit? (actually it'd be interesting to see ally turns)
-Where would reinforcements spawn? Do they just add forts to the maps and have them spawn from there? Or is there also a general tile(s) that they will come from?
-How difficult would these modes be? Will there be 3 different levels of difficulty (normal, hard, lunatic)?
-To add onto the previous question, would the type of difficulty also affect number of turns to complete the map? How many turns do you expect?

These are just some questions. But do you have any ideas or suggestions for what you want this mode to be?

[Galactaray]

I'm hoping they'll be some context to the maps and thus possibly a bit more story related in regards to the story in heroes. I'm pretty much expecting a defense map similar to the Rausten SS defence map protecting some unit. There probably will be 3 different difficulty modes such as with all other maps currently out, for higher difficulties you probably should be defending for more turns as the whole thing about higher difficulties is also that you may need more time to clear. I hope that they'll combine the 2 map objects as a good defence map has reinforcements.

It's very likely that most reinforcements will be from Forts similar to the ones in Fates and Awakening as those are the most balanced and reduce frustration surrounding the game. I say most reinforcements as with some maps they'll make it very obvious where reinforcements are coming from so the player knows. I also wouldn't mind if they remix some older maps with the defence/reinforcement objectives.

 

These maps however make the most sense in a story based setting and I'm against a defence map for Sanctums and unsure if we'll get reinforcements in Sanctums. If these maps must appear in sanctums hopefully they'll be without the defence and just a simple clear map. But let's hope and see.  

[ILikeKirbys]

I'm hoping the Defense & Reinforcement maps will be good places to bring a healer, since right now my Sakura's only really good for training up low-level units (a role for which I am currently using Maria, so she can't even do that right now) and I'd like to make use of her in the future. So, here's hoping healers are good in (at least the higher-difficulty) Defense maps.

Defense maps will most likely be included in the Main Story (I'm kinda hoping that we'll get new Main Story chapters when the Defense maps update drops... slim chance, I'm sure, but I can hope), but I'd kinda like to see a Defense map Arena too (separate from the current Arena, but accessed in the Arena menu area thingy), if only to get a little more variety in the Arena (and potentially more feathers).

Fora specific maps I'm hoping to see, I'm really hoping for a remake of Conquest Chapter 10, 'cause I really liked that one.

I'm also hoping that when Pent comes out, one of the maps we get with his banner will be a Defense map remake of Living Legend (since IIRC the mission on that map is to protect Pent, so it would make sense) with an ally Pent who easily slaughters everything on the map (to be true to Living Legend, this should at least be true on Normal; Hard/Lunatic should actually require some amount of protecting Pent tho, especially Lunatic). Don't let me down here, IntSys.

I dunno how many turns would be needed to clear Defense maps, that would most likely depend on the map itself, but hopefully the higher difficulties can require more turns to clear in addition to having stronger enemies with more and better Skills.

Final thing I'm hoping for: Ally units. I would understand a Defend X Tile (probably a throne) maps, but it would be nice to have allies for Defense maps, if not as units that must be protected (though I would very much like this to happen), then as temporary meatshields to stall the enemy (perhaps not the entire enemy force, that would most likely be boring, but against a larger portion of them) while you set up your team to defend (that wouldn't get any stat boosts or skill changes on higher difficulties, and thus would get wrecked earlier, to increase the difficulty by decreasing the time you have to prepare your team before a full assault begins).

[Kiran]

While I don't think we'll get new story maps with this update, I do think that defense maps will be added to the story when they do add in more content. Rather then a defense arena, I think that the permadeath event might play into this? It'll be interesting to see how well your roster defends against a threat. 

One thing that needs to be added with defense is either forts or telling us beforehand where reinforcements are coming from. With such a small map, you are screwed unless you know beforehand where enemies are coming. Unless reinforcements come right before the player phase, so we'll see them before they start attacking. 

[Roflolxp54]

I can see healers becoming very viable in a defense map with endless reinforcements with the player's units having to defend a certain area for a certain number of turns.

It could also be interesting to see in the training tower as it introduces an element of risk vs. reward; do you position your units in such a way that 1 unit can farm exp. and SP while at a greater risk of unit dying and losing those exp., SP, and Hero Merit gains? Or do you position your units in such a way that 1 unit doesn't get the lion's share but all of your units are able to survive the map?

[BestFriendJ0]

A survival mode where the amount of enemies you defeat before you inevitably fall contributes to an overall score could be possible.

I can also see a very simple "don't let them touch the chair" maps, or timed defense where they come continuously, but after a set number of turns you win. Those two are pretty standard for Fire Emblem. 

I honestly hope that units don't just come out of nowhere, and for the love of all, DO NOT place them at the start of the enemy turn, AND give them a turn as soon as they spawn. That was probably the number one reason I had to restart chapters in the GBA games, and of course I didn't want to lose anyone. 

[Phoenix_Kensai]

More than anything, I'm hoping that they'll come with some new game mode. I feel like the biggest thing lacking in Fire Emblem Heroes is some sort of repeatable challenge - the Arena is fun, but you don't get many matches per day, and the final stratum of the Training Tower can be challenging, but doesn't feel like it counts for much on its own. I want a way to spend stamina that isn't grinding in the Training Tower and doing the occasional new Paralogue.

So I'm hoping that the update will come with some new challenge mode. Some sort of survival mode would be great, something where you see how long you can last or how many maps you can clear in a row, with rewards depending on how well you do. Even if it's only gradually increasing Hero Merit rewards or extra crystals, maybe with occasional quests tied to the mode, I'd be happy with that.