Skipping Recruiting Units

[Randoman]

In FE Games, do you try to recruit every character possible, do you just skip out on recruiting characters that you don't use much or are too hard to get, or do you do a mix of those two?

I personally try to recruit everyone in most cases. However, if a character is too frustrating to get (like Cath or Wendell before I learned he wouldn't attack Marth), is killed off while they're a green unit (like Noah and Treck), I don't like the character at all (like Ray and Cath), or I'm not using another character extensively enough to meet the recruited character's requirements (like using Bartre enough to get Karla), I don't bother. For the 2nd and 4th cases though, I will make an exception if I adamantly want to use that character for that particular playthrough, though.

I'll also throw it out there that I did a specialized playthrough of FE8 where I used only forced recruits only and I killed off/skipped everyone else who started off as a green/red unit, just to relive my days of my very first FE playthrough (FE3 Book 1) where I didn't know about villages and recruiting red units until much later (so no Navarre, Merric, and Castor for me in that playthrough. Thankfully I was able to salvage the file and beat it years later).

Edit: FE11 Gaiden Characters and Sacrifices Do Not Count as Skipping Units for The Purposes of This Thread

Edited May 2, 2017 by Randoman

[NinjaMonkey]

I recruit everyone.

[Magical Glace]

The only times I really skip recruitments, off the top of my head:

• Treck in FE6 Hard (because screw him and his suicidal AI).  I can get Noah due to the more convenient spawn point and Zelot because he can hold his own at least decently (and because he's needed for 20x Illia, and because I use Pegs more than Nomads I always go there)
• Garret/Gonzales if I didn't train Lilina (I don't care much for either, so yeah)
• Karla (because screw using Bartre)
• The Gaiden dudes in FE11 (because their recruitment is bad game design, I am not killing off most of my army for one character).

[Randoman]

7 minutes ago, Glaceon Mage said:

• The Gaiden dudes in FE11 (because their recruitment is bad game design, I am not killing off most of my army for one character).

I completely forgot the Gaiden characters in FE11. I don't want to count them for this thread, since due to it being a "recruiting one character or the other" type of situation of sorts, you can't really blame people for skipping out on one character if it means accessing others with it being a mandatory condition. I'll edit that in the OP.

[NekoKnight]

Outside of Shadow Dragon gaidens (you know why), I always recruit everyone possible and I don't let anyone die even if I don't like them. No one left behind on Nekoknight's crew. Even Pieri.

[Sasori]

I generally try to recruit every character, but I have two units I have never recruited. Both for the same reason too.

I always forget to bring Lilina/Ceada to recruit Garret/ uh Anna's boyfriend and I did't care enough about either of them to restart the chapters. I did't learn in my next playthrough of those games either.

[Light Strategist]

1 hour ago, NinjaMonkey said:

I recruit everyone.

Without question and if possible. 

[Zapp Branniglenn]

I've heard of some horror story recruitments in Thraccia, so if I ever play that game I'll skip the worst of them. But generally I recruit all characters possible for completionism. Just like I keep them all alive even when some don't see a single battle. Excluding Shadow Dragon of course. The less said about that game and its gaiden chapters, the better.

Oh, actually, one notable exception is Shura in Conquest. Only because I think choosing the other option fits the narrative better and I want those boots.

Edited May 2, 2017 by Gustavos

[Azure Sen]

Aside from Michalis in New Mystery and the gaiden crew in Shadow Dragon, I generally recruit everyone.

[Interdimensional Observer]

I go for everyone always generally, but Karla and 9!Nasir I have no problems skipping. I also generally skip recruiting a bunch, if not all of the kids in Awakening and Fates. Never bothered with 11 Gaiden recruits outside of Athena once (who has her uses as an early second Pegasus Knight).

[The Malign Knight]

I can't help but recruit everyone and make sure nobody dies. Well, except Xavier. Fuck Xavier.

[saisymbolic]

I recruit everyone and try to make sure the whole crew is alive.

Except that one time Ryoma died when I first played Fates. He stayed dead that run. It was his just desserts for kill stealing in that prologue chapter.

[X-Naut]

I generally recruit everyone out of habit, but there have been a few exceptions such as in one-gender runs.

[ChibiToastExplosion]

I recruit everyone I can with one exception:

The sands of plegia are always stained red with Tharja's blood.

[Armagon]

I always try to recruit everyone. Except Rhajat. Sorry Hayato, but you stay forever alone.

Story time: In my first Awakening playthrough, i failed to recruit Donnel because i didn't level him up. I also failed to recruit Gangrel as i didn't know you had to talk to him with Chrom 3 times.

[Limstella]

I try to recruit everyone (exceptions being some child units, and Michalis), even if its just to take their weapons, sell/trade them, and send them to do their deaths.

[ping]

9 hours ago, Interdimensional Observer said:

I go for everyone always generally, but Karla and 9!Nasir I have no problems skipping. I also generally skip recruiting a bunch, if not all of the kids in Awakening and Fates. Never bothered with 11 Gaiden recruits outside of Athena once (who has her uses as an early second Pegasus Knight).

My first reflex was to say that I always recruit everyone, even units that I dislike in terms of both character and gameplay (lookin' at you, Mathis), but Karla is actually the one exception. FE11's Gaiden characters I don't count. ;)