BigKlingy's impressions and character reviews

[Big Klingy]

EXTREMELY long post alert.

Okay, I just finished FEDS and I’m here to give my final stats and character reviews, but first, my overall impressions.

-The new music was well done. Finally, you don’t have to hear the same map theme for the whole game. The second map theme (not counting the prologue) is freakin’ amazing! (I wish you had it for longer) The remixes are great too, Chiki’s theme nearly made me cry when I first heard it. And at last Camus get’s his own boss theme.

-The artwork shown before each chapter is a great addition, I hope to see it in future games.

-The ‘lock in all ranges’ button is actually quite useful. On the same note, I like how enemies on a throne or gate are considered to have no movement when determining attack range, as I always hated it when, for example, bosses with Bolting in FE7 appeared to have an attack range about twice as big as they actually did.

-I’ve grow to like the save point system. While I originally saw it as ‘un-Fire Emblem’, it’s basically just a battle save you can only use once or twice a chapter, which is fine by me. The one thing I hated about Battle Save in RD was that it made chapters ridiculously easy at times, limiting it’s uses solves this problem completely, and you now have to think carefully before you move again.

-Not sure weather this is a good or a bad thing, but arena abuse is much easier in this game. Once everyone was premoted I had no significant problems there.

And now for some negatives (not many, but still…):

-Support conversations would have been great. I really want to know more about the characters, especially those underdeveloped ones. (I’ll get on to that later) After the system’s absence from RD and now this, I really hope it’s not dropped in future games.

-SMs get a 10% boost to HIT?! Now that’s just messed up.

-Anyone else think Morodorf is a pointless character? He appears as Marth’s tactician/advisor (more like ‘tutorial guy’) but his role is mostly replaced by Nina after you meet her. (which is quite early) I would have MUCH preferred Jeigan to have his role, (as he did in FE3) and Morodorf only appearing if he was sacrificed.

-The only other main one is: I’m not sure western game reviewers will understand it. I bet they’re going to say: “every chapter is seize, no support conversations, lack of character development, very basic plot, it doesn’t have any features of recent games.” And not take into account the fact that it needed to be true to the original.

And finally, here are a few predictions I have for the localised version:

-The Horseman class will be localised as Ranger. (it’s animation looks very similar to FE8’s ranger)

-The ‘sacrificed’ character will be re-recruitable later, probably in chapter 14. (I hope they don’t do this)

-The sidequest requirements will be changed

-Any name changes will cause huge controversy among fans.

-I really hope Ellis’s name isn’t localised as Elise. (it could be if you read the katakana a certain way) Brings back bad memories.

Now, onto the actual character reviews, but first, an explanation is at hand:

I’ve come up with a new method, which all my subsequent character reviews will follow. I was hoping to introduce this in my RD reviews, but the playthrough has been temporarily put on hold, so…

First, I talk about the character in general, their good/bad points, how they did for me, etc, then I discuss four separate aspects, giving each a score out of 10, before the final, overall score.

Potential: This basically relates to a character’s growths. Do they gain good stats in the right areas? Do they end up decent? Any significant flaws? Class caps may also come into play here.

Usefulness: Of course, there are factors other than stats that make a character good. This aspect refers to several things, the character’s reliability throughout the game, what battlefield roll do they fulfil, (after all, you can’t compare a Sage to a Paladin, or a Thief to a Warrior) any special abilities (e.g. flying, lockpicking) Other factors may come into play depending on the game, such as supports (FE6/7/8/9 or Affinity in the case of FE10) or free skills (FE4/5/9/10)

Playtime: This applies more to RD than anything else but… how much of the game is the character usable for, is it enough for them to become decent? Or do they require arena abuse/serious babying.

Character: DISCLAIMER: THIS DOES NOT AFFECT OVERALL SCORE IN ANY WAY. I like to rate the character of units too. The decent ones usually attract me to use them first.

Another note, I didn’t class swap anyone, all reviews are based on original classes. (if an asterix * is shown near a statement, it assumes no class swap is used) No stat boosters were used, and all character reached Lv20 except Marth, Jake, Rena and Chiki. Some may notice I went into the final chapter a few slots short. This is intentional, as I wanted to focus on these characters exclusively.

Marth

Lv: 27

HP: 40

Str: 20

Mag: 0

Skl: 13

Spd: 19

Luk: 27

Def: 12

Res: 1

Marth, while well known in the Smash series, is also known by FE fans as one of the weakest Lords. FEDS, however, gave him a few helpful additions. An extra 10 levels means he no longer ends up total crap, and the Falchion having infinite uses and not slowing him down makes him a great dragon-killer. Stat-wise though, he’s still fairly average, with decent Strength, great Luck, but surprisingly poor Skill (this seems to contradict his Brawl style…I would have thought the’d give him better Speed growth to please Smash fans, but at least his critical animation looks like his Final Smash) Overall, while getting some sigificant improvements, he’s still pretty average. BTW, you can buy Rapiers in this game. Only certain shops stock them however, so keep a look out during chapters.

Potential: 6/10

As stated, average. Luck is really the only area he truly excels in.

Usefulness: 7.5/10

He can open chests, which saves the trouble of looking after thieves, and when those Mumkute reinforcements start flooding in later on, you’ll be glad you’ve got him. (assuming you got the Falchion…) Being able to give a supporting bonus to any character helps too.

Playtime: 10/10

You have to use him in every chapter. Enough said.

Character: 8/10

Generic Lord, but you can forgive him, as he was the first. Being in the Smash series gives him extra points, he, and Roy, were part of what got FE localised in the first place.

Overall: 6.5/10

Oguma

HP: 60 (max)

Str: 19

Mag: 1

Skl: 27

Spd: 25

Luk: 21

Def: 17

Res: 3

Oguma was the start of an archetypal FE character group, a Mercenary, who both starts out and ends up strong, being reliable for the majority of the game. Well of course, he fits that description perfectly. He’s a great frountline fighter from the moment he joins, and while he doesn’t have any truly amazing stats, he has enough Speed to double, enough Strength do some decent damage, enough Skill to hit, and enough HP to not die easily. A decent addition to any team. (and now, with Raddy and Navarre gone Myrmidon, he’s undisputedly the best Hero*)

Potential: 8/10

While he doesn’t particularly excel in anything, he has great stats all round.

Usefulness: 8.5/10

A decent, reliable and dependable frountline fighter, all through the game. Getting axes on premotion doesn’t hurt either.

Playtime: 10/10

One of the earliest joining characters, and he rocks straight away.

Character: 9/10

An ex-gladiator turned mercenary leader, oh yeah! He’s also one of the lucky few to get an optional conversation (with Sheeda)

Overall: 9/10

Barts

HP: 58

Str: 27

Mag: 0

Skl: 22

Spd: 21

Luk: 20

Def: 13

Res: 1

FE3 veterans will remember Barts as the guy who had great growths but couldn’t premote. Well FEDS has thrown the last part of that sentence out the window. His fantastic Strength lets him do massive damage to even the strongest foes, while he also has decent Skill and Luck, and good Speed. (although he has trouble doubling later on) If you want an Axe user, I suggest you give Barts a try, you won’t be disappointed.

Potential: 7.5/10

He’s just what you’d expect from a Warrior. Amazing Strength and HP, and decent Speed, although he has trouble doubling later in the game. His growths have been nerfed a bit since FE3, but unlike Saji and Maji, he has no major flaws.

Usefulness: 8/10

He does the job of a Warrior well. Essentially, if you need power, he’ll provide it. Don’t expect him to be a meatshield, though. Getting bows on premotion helps against Dragon Knights later on.

Playtime: 10/10

See Oguma. Also, there aren’t many enemy sword users early in the game.

Character: 3/10

Well… by his apperence, he seems like the ‘grizzled veteran’ of Oguma’s group, but he’s one of the many who don’t get any significant development. I would have loved to see him and Oguma support.

Overall: 8/10

Rena

Lv: 12

HP: 27

Str: 1

Mag: 12

Skl: 17

Spd: 15

Luk: 25

Def: 5

Res: 21

Every good team needs a healer, and Rena, with her early join time and decent growths, is a prime candidate for the job. While her Magic seems crap compared to healers of more recent games, it’s quite decent by this game’s standards. And in the end, it doesn’t really matter, as Recover staves are easily obtainable. To sum up, while she doesn’t have the best stats, she more than makes up for it in usefulness.

Potential: 6/10

Apart from Luck and Resistance, her stats aren’t that great. Unlike healers of more recent games, she doesn’t become an uber fighter on premotion, her primary use has, and always will be, healing. That said, if you can raise her Magic rank, she’ll become a decent mage killer.

Usefulness: 10/10

You can rely on her for all your healing needs. That warp staff of hers really comes in handy too.

Playtime: 10/10

Another of this game’s great, early joining characters.

Character: 6/10

She actually gets some development, and becomes fairly significant in FE3’s book 2.

Overall: 9.5/10

Navarre

HP: 58

Str: 21

Mag: 1

Skl: 28

Spd: 30 (max)

Luk: 22

Def: 14

Res: 3

I’ve always thought this guy was amazing, but wished he premoted to Swordmaster. Now that wish has been granted, and I can safely say… he’s officially my favourite SM in the entire series! Great dodging ability (well, most of the time… he suffers from ‘Edward Syndrome’ early on) combined with good Strength. (throughout the game, he and Oguma seemed to be constantly trying to surpass one another in that area. In the end, Navarre came out on top, but it was a close call) and even HP (what is it with all the physical fighters in this game having amazing HP?) means he defiantly deserves a spot on any team. He can get a bit cheap on Wi-Fi though. (Damn you 60% critical Wo-Daos!!!)

Potential: 9/10

He’s everything you’d want from a good SM, and more. I’m not sure it’s in his character to have decent Luck, but it works.

Usefulness: 8/10

SMs losing the critical bonus severely hurts him in this department. Other than that, he owns.

Playtime: 10/10

See Rena, Barts, Oguma

Character: 9/10

Best. Swordmaster. Ever. Anyone who hasn’t watched episode 2 of the Fire Emblem animae should do so, NOW. Shame he’s a bit underdeveloped.

Overall: 9/10 (if SMs still had the critical bonus he would have been a 10)

Maric:

HP: 49

Str: 3

Mag: 18

Skl: 28 (max)

Spd: 24

Luk: 25

Def: 7

Res: 17

My mage for this playthrough, and a pretty good one at that. His Magic stat is amazing by the standards of this game, (surpassed only by Linda) and his Skill and Speed are crazy for a Sage. (In fact, when I experimented a bit with class swap, I found he would have had maxed them both in any class but sage long before lv 20) Did I mention he has a signature spell with a high critical rate? The game pretty much forces you to use a Sage, and it’s either Maric or Linda. Both are amazing, and I can’t fault you for choosing either one.

Potential: 9/10

He gets excellent Skill and Speed, and decent Magic. (though it seems quite low early on) His HP growth is abnormally high for a Sage, so he actually can survive some physical hits, in case you’re unlucky.

Usefulness: 9/10

He’s one of only two Mages in the game*, and you really have to use at least one of them. Being able to use Excalibur from the beginning is great, and he can become a useful backup healer after premotion.

Playtime: 10/10

See Navarre. Just make sure you visit that village! (ch. 4)

Character: 7/10

He actually gets a backstory, (have him talk to Linda after she joins) and has significant development in FE3’s book 2.

Overall: 9.5/10 (competition with Linda is the only thing bringing him down)

Hardain

HP: 45

Str: 25 (max)

Mag: 1

Skl: 28 (max)

Spd: 25 (max)

Luk: 13

Def: 16

Res: 7

Let’s be honest, this game throws so many Cavaliers (or Social Knights) at you that it can be difficult to know who to use. Thankfully, Hardain is one of the few who stand out. He’s got the stats Paladins need, and remains reliable through the course of the game. If you need a good Paladin and can’t be bothered deciding between Kain and Abel, or you sacrificed one of them (you bastard…) I highly recommend Hardain. He doesn’t disappoint.

Potential: 9/10

Yes, that’s right, he did max three stats without the aid of items. His only real flaw is his HP, which doesn’t matter that much as he’s more of a hit-and-run attacker.

Usefulness: 8/10

He’s probably the best choice of Paladin if you’re not using Kain or Abel. Sure, Freyr’s good too, but he can’t be used in Hard Mode. Paladins got a movement boost in this game, and they’re really useful to have around at times. (Particularly when equipped with a Knight Killer)

Playtime: 10/10

See Navarre.

Character: 8/10

He’s the prince of Orleans, he looks cool, he’s the villain of the sequel. Need I say more?

FE3’s book 2 poses some interesting questions. Did he really hate Marth in this game, or was that just Medeus’ possession…

Overall: 8.5/10

Wolf

HP: 50

Str: 23

Mag: 0

Skl: 20

Spd: 23

Luk: 11

Def: 18

Res: 1

Probably the biggest and most bizarre change from FE1 to FEDS (in terms of growths) was Wolf and Zaggaro. Known as ‘Hardain’s three stooges’ by fans of FE3 (the third being Viluck, who still sucks) They have now become possibly the strangest characters in FE history. I think this methods a detailed explanation.

Wolf starts out premoted. However, is base stats are roughly the equivalents of a first tier class. However, anyone who actually trains him will notice that he gets insane stat gains upon leveling up. If you stick with him for the length of the game, you’ll find he ends up with stats becoming of someone who was raised from first tier. He’s just as worthy a bow user as the others. I’ll admit he’s a bit strange, and not for everyone, but who can resist the temptation of 4-5 stat ups per level?

Potential: 10/10

Just look at his growths. Note that he’s sure to gain a point of Strength every level. (too bad he’ll always end up one point off max, unless you use stat boosters)

Usefulness: 7.5/10

He’s got crappy bases, and somewhat low Skill, but I’d say he’s just as good a candidate for the Partia as anyone. The only real problem however, is his lack of premotion gains. As a bow unit, being able to use swords straight away is a huge bonus.

Playtime: 10/10

See just about everyone else.

Character: 1/10

What could possibly be worse, he doesn’t say anything unless he dies. (and even then, it’s just ‘Ahh Lord Hardain’) I give him a 1 just because he looks cool.

Overall: 8/10 (some would say he deserves lower, but I like him)

Jake

Lv: 27

HP:

Str: 12

Mag: 0

Skl: 14

Spd: 8

Luk:16

Def: 22

Res: 0

Anna’s boyfriend is finally playable, and he seems to have had a face change. (I thought he was a pirate!) Anyway… he looks awesome, and fights awesome too, just not in the way others do…

See, Jake carries around a giant, mobile ballista, which serves as his only method of attack. Imagine a character who can only attack using Bolting. It doesn’t sound good, but in fact it’s extremely useful. You should seriously consider using him, his abilities are a great help.

Potential: 4/10

Let’s face it, his stats aren’t that great. He can’t take many hits despite his high defence, and you won’t see him double. The only stats that really matter for him, however, are Strength and Skill, both of which are thankfully decent.

Usefulness: 10/10

I can’t really describe how useful he is, it’s really something you have to try for yourself. Basically, he can eliminate weakened units, dangerous magic users and healers (you can kiss those annoying Psysic staff priests goodbye) from a safe distance. He can also weaken enemies for others to finish off. Two tips: forge StoneHedge’s accuracy up, and you’ve got a reliable weapon that will last most of the game. And also, you can buy ballista weapons from the shop in chapter 22.

Playtime: 7.5/10

He joins about one third into the game, but still has ample time to grow.

Character: 5/10

He’s the boyfriend of the ‘tutorial girl’ who appears in every game, and he has slightly more interesting joining conditions than the standard ‘talk with Sheeda’ situation, but other than that, no development.

Overall: 9/10

Tom (I know it’s technically Toms or Tomth, but I think it’s defiantly going to be localised as Tom)

HP: 60 (max)

Str: 21

Mag: 1

Skl: 23

Spd: 20

Luk: 10

Def: 30 (max)

Res: 3

As you can probably tell by now, I took one look at this guy’s portrait and knew I had to use him. I can certainly say I was pleasantly surprised, as he’s not the kind of guy most people use. Essentially, he’s no Oswin or Gatrie, but he’s one of the best meatshields in the game. I honestly don’t see anything ever getting through his massive HP and Defence, (barring Mages) and he’s nearly immune to physical attacks for most of the game. He’s a much better General than Doga (who’s still good, but best class swapped to something else) and until I see how Rodger turns out, I hereby crown him the best meatshield in the game. He lives up to his face portrait. (unlike Mishelan, who is horrible)

Potential: 8/10

He’s excels in the stats a General needs, and has decent Skill and Speed too, although you won’t be seeing him double much. If only he had more Strength, then he would be Oswin’s equal. (he also makes a fairly decent Hero, I might add)

Usefulness: 9.5/10

He’s probably the best meatshield in the game, and there are times when you really need them. (cough*chapter22withit’smassiveamountofreenforcements*cough) Stick him in a gap and, provided there are no Mages around, nothing’s getting through. Getting bows on premotion may seem strange, but they can be a big help sometimes. (shooting over walls, Dragon Knights, etc.)

Playtime: 7/10

He joins one third into the game, but if you use him well (and abuse re-enforcements) he’ll be up to shape in no time. For a bit of a head start, give him a lance in the chapter he joins.

Character: 1/10

See Wolf, except replace “Lord Hardain” with “Princess Nina”

Overall: 8/10

Chiki

Lv: 13

HP: 29

Str: 10 [+10 OR 8]

Mag: 1

Skl: 12 [+7 OR 4]

Spd: 14 [+4]

Luk: 20 (max)

Def: 7 [+15 OR 9]

Res: 12 [+11 OR 4]

[the higher bonuses come from her Divine Dragonstone, the lower from an ordinary Fire Dragonstone]

I didn’t really use her much, but I’d still say Chiki is still a decent character. There’s not really that much to say, like all Mumkute/Manakete characters (apart from Bantou) she’s incredibly powerful until her Dragonstone runs out. However, unlike the others, she’s not completely useless once hers runs out, as she can equip the more plentiful Fire Dragonstones. Her low HP can be a bit of a problem.

Potential: 9/10

Her growths are fantastic, but it’ll be hard getting her to level 30 without breaking her Dragonstone.

Usefulness: 7.5/10

She’s crazily powerful, and can kill Mumkutes in one hit, but then again, so can Marth. She can be used as a meatshield if you’re desperate, but that’s going to result in her Dragonstone running out quickly. (some enemy units have dragon-killing weapons, so be extra careful!) Her attacks are effective against the final boss, but again, so is Marth. At least she can use Fire Dragonstones (without a glitch) making her much better than Myrrh and Fa.

Playtime: 5/10

She joins relatively late, and may have trouble reaching her max level. At least she gains exp quickly.

Character: 7/10

She’s quite significant to the story, but that’s only really explored in one chapter, with no development afterwards.

Overall: 7/10

Gato

HP: 39

Str: 3

Mag: 11

Skl: 21

Spd: 21

Luk: 18

Def: 13

Res: 12

The legendary sage Gato finally joins your party, and he’s got a bit of a problem. See, his stats are insane by FE1 standards, where everything capped at 20. Now we live in a new age, and Gato, along with most other pre-premotes, is sadly underpowered. (in fact, in you look at Marik’s stats, you’ll see that he outclassed Gato in almost every area) It’s a shame they didn’t give his base stats a boost, as the great and wise Gato deserves so much more. His one redeeming quality, however, is that he comes with some very good (and rare) items.

Potential: 5/10

His growths are actually quite good, but he doesn’t have enough levels to get anywhere near his class caps. He is much, much better than the other pre-premote magic users though. (Bishop Boa Of The Awful Magic Stat, I’m looking at you…)

Usefulness: 7/10

Having an A rank in both Magic and Staves is probably his best feature, and he makes a decent healer when fighting the final boss. He joins with a Fortify staff at exactly the right time, and his Worm tome sees a lot of use on Wi-Fi. (mostly in the hands of Linda)

Playtime: 1/10

He has the latest possible joining time, but I give him a 1 because at least he doesn’t need time to develop, and still ends up mildly useful.

Character: 10/10

Oh, all right, I’ll give him a ten. He’s crucial to the story (he plays a VERY similar role to Athos of FE7) and I love the backstory relating to his apprentices, Garnef and Miora, revealed in FE3.

Overall: 6/10

Right, I hope this was useful, because it took me almost a week to write.

[Dr. Tarrasque]

-Any name changes will cause huge controversy among fans.

LOL this is so true that it's already happening.

Informative review but I find that you could've said a thing or 2 about the avoid formula and how some stats are better in this game than they were in the others (like DEF) and about the piss easy difficulty that is normal mode.

I agree with the save point thing btw, it's easily abusable with the devil axe but without them, H5 would be a bigger bitch than it already is.

Btw how'd you like the extreme increase in warp staff availability this game has? >_>

Edited November 8, 2008 by Boo

[_____]

Are you going to do more character reviews? They'd be rather helpful.

[Celice]

-Any name changes will cause huge controversy among fans.

Sheeda is Caeda, or something like that.

[Dr. Tarrasque]

Isn't Caeda replacing the name Khadein (Garnef's land)?

[Just call me AL]

Sheeda is Shiida, or something like that.

Fixed.

Some of the localised names seem to be alternate spellings, which I don't think would cause a lot of controversy. But as for the rest of them, only time will tell.

Edited November 8, 2008 by Little Al

[The Blind Archer]

Nope, it's Caeda, princess of Talys. Shiida was just the literal translation used in Brawl.

http://www.worthplaying.com/article.php?sid=56668

Pronounced "see-da", I think.

Edit: Oh, and Nyna.

Personally, none of the changes announced so far bother me at all.

Edited November 8, 2008 by The Blind Archer

[Don Draper]

A small error you made: Wo-Daos can't have 60 Critical. The max crit the game lets a weapon have is 50.

[Celice]

Nope, it's Caeda, princess of Talys. Shiida was just the literal translation used in Brawl.

As I had said...

It'll be funny to see all the whiners of the translations, at least :P The ones without justification (i.e. i dun liek this one).

[Just call me AL]

As I had said...

It'll be funny to see all the whiners of the translations, at least :P The ones without justification (i.e. i dun liek this one).

Just one question: How do you know for sure since the game hasn't been released in english yet?

[Celice]

Track record, as well as already released names. In fact, I don't think a fourth of the released names haven't been changed. And not the simple, negligible letter changes (Cepheran; Sephiran), but names which had been altered to entirely different meanings, removing the original intention (Ulysses becoming Bastian, Sheeda becoming Caeda, and the like).

I don't care if a fan name is altered. I start to care when the original name is altered for no good reason at all. Just as I'd be ticked if a book is altered, or any other form of literature. Most things, names especially, are chosen for specific reasons. Simply throwing out the original meaning of a name and replacing it with another just seems like a shit on the developers, to me, especially when it's done out of house.

[Big Klingy]

-Any name changes will cause huge controversy among fans.

LOL this is so true that it's already happening.

Informative review but I find that you could've said a thing or 2 about the avoid formula and how some stats are better in this game than they were in the others (like DEF) and about the piss easy difficulty that is normal mode.

I agree with the save point thing btw, it's easily abusable with the devil axe but without them, H5 would be a bigger bitch than it already is.

Btw how'd you like the extreme increase in warp staff availability this game has? >_>

1. I didn't notice any change to the avoid formula. How exactly does it work in this game?

2. Yes, normal mode is very easy (no enemy stat can go above 20) but it still gets hard at times, such as when the game throws massive waves of re-enforcements at you.

3. I only used the Warp staff a few times (i'm not really a huge fan of it) but it seems like they can get quite cheap sometimes. (see the '16 minutes' topic)

[Oguma]

YESH! YOU GAVE OGUMA 9/10! I LOVE YOU!

[cystia]

YESH! YOU GAVE OGUMA 9/10! I LOVE YOU!

Oguma is a must-have in the team.

As a reply to the first post, I do think he really hated Marth.

[Dr. Tarrasque]

1. I didn't notice any change to the avoid formula. How exactly does it work in this game?

2. Yes, normal mode is very easy (no enemy stat can go above 20) but it still gets hard at times, such as when the game throws massive waves of re-enforcements at you.

3. I only used the Warp staff a few times (i'm not really a huge fan of it) but it seems like they can get quite cheap sometimes. (see the '16 minutes' topic)

1. There's less avoid, your characters will hardly dodge shit so DEF is now a very valuable stat while luck's best use is to help with the devil axe (as well as critical avoid, but that hardly exists here too >_>). The most avoid one can get without support bonuses is 45 and for that you need 30 SPD and 30 Luck.... Terrain hardly gives any (Forests give 10...)

This makes chapter 1 in H5 one of the hardest... your characters are dying in just 2 hits and the enemies will often have 100% hit on them. There's no Vulnerary and to get the first healer, you gotta get past a bunch of enemies, which is impossible if you take them all on with direct attacks.

2. The reinforcements are hardly a problem in normal mode, heck I find them to be a blessing/break on newbies since pretty soon those reinforcements will be horsemen whom are promoted and give decent EXP when killed.

3. Yeah, I saw that topic and I myself made use of the warp staff to skip chapters like 8, 16-24 (excluding the ones where you get starlight and fight garnef) on my first playthrough.

[Swordsalmon]

Oguma is a must-have in the team.

There's far better characters to choose other than Oguma. Rena, Zagarro, Wolf, Abel, Kain, Barts, and Sheeda. Them alone are basically all you need. ^_^

[Don Draper]

Don't forget Marich and Marth! Marich actually makes a better Priest then Rena :)

And yeah, with the new avoid formula, Swordmasters have been nerfed bad in any non-H5 mode. Make Navarre a Cavalier, he'll have decent strength and defense, and enough speed to double with a Speedwing (Who else besides Barts really needs a Speedwing anyways?)

[Swordsalmon]

Don't forget Marich and Marth! Marich actually makes a better Priest then Rena :)

And yeah, with the new avoid formula, Swordmasters have been nerfed bad in any non-H5 mode. Make Navarre a Cavalier, he'll have decent strength and defense, and enough speed to double with a Speedwing (Who else besides Barts really needs a Speedwing anyways?)

But then Marich can't use Excalibur, which helps so much against bosses. :( Though Marth is indeed awesome, and was always awesome to begin with.

[Former Guest]

There's far better characters to choose other than Oguma. Rena, Zagarro, Wolf, Abel, Kain, Barts, and Sheeda. Them alone are basically all you need.

Okay.......wtF? First of all, that isn't nearly enough units to make a sturdy team and secondly, Oguma is the best character. Sheeda and Kain come close, but Oguma takes first place overall.

I can already tell I'm going to wreck you when we start debating the merits of this game's characters on the hardest mode. BTW, Marich is a joke.

[Swordsalmon]

Okay.......wtF? First of all, that isn't nearly enough units to make a sturdy team and secondly, Oguma is the best character. Sheeda and Kain come close, but Oguma takes first place overall.

I can already tell I'm going to wreck you when we start debating the merits of this game's characters on the hardest mode. BTW, Marich is a joke.

You could make a pretty decent team with just them; just be quite more difficult. XD Oguma is locked to Swords for the entire game (Unless you go Axefighter, but then Oguma has no Speed and an E rank in Axes) and thus has weaker durability than the indirect characters early-game. Rena is the best character. <3

[Rodykitty]

Marth, while well known in the Smash series, is also known by FE fans as one of the weakest Lords.

Wrong. Marth was never a bad character in any of his games.

When people say Marth is weak, they forget a few things: Stat caps were only 20 for promoted units, and Marth has extremely high growths in FE1/3/DS. Marth had enough potential to not only be an excellent early game unit, but still continue to be decent late game due to the fact that promoted units didn't have higher caps. Not to mention his personal levels add to his usefulness greatly. This is the same reason Barts was such a great unit in the earlier games as well.

People also forget that Marth is actually capable of killing things, and actually capable of surviving without being overpowered (until he gets Falchion, of course).

FEDS adding 10 levels allows Marth to continue being a good unit, as well as keep him the status of pretty much the most balanced Lord ever (not most average, but most balanced). Not only can he continue to level up, but he doesn't have to wait until a ridiculous chapter to promote, he can just continue leveling up even if he hits 20, and he also doesn't become overpowered. Having Marth level up to 30 is the best decision they made for him. It keeps Marth unique in the fact that he doesn't promote, and it keeps him a good unit.

The only time Marth is average is on H5 mode, when enemy stats call for more extremes, but even then he can be trained to be a useable unit that isn't going to be a liability to your team.

FEDS, however, gave him a few helpful additions. An extra 10 levels means he no longer ends up total crap, and the Falchion having infinite uses and not slowing him down makes him a great dragon-killer. Stat-wise though, he’s still fairly average, with decent Strength, great Luck, but surprisingly poor Skill (this seems to contradict his Brawl style…I would have thought the’d give him better Speed growth to please Smash fans, but at least his critical animation looks like his Final Smash)

He gets good Skill growth, and you don't even need much skill to hit enemies anyway (not to mention Rapier adds crit). His speed growth is also high by FEDS standards. Marth is going to be doubling things on Normal and Hard 1-3. And again, his Defense growth is decent. Marth didn't need to be changed to fit his Smash fighting style, he is fine the way he is, especially for a remake that aims to be true to FE1 and not just make Marth another Lyn.

...

Also, Oguma got slightly nerfed in FEDS. He starts out at a higher level without his stats changing, so he's a bit weaker now. The weapon triangle works against him too. Barts is now pretty much Oguma with much better stat bases, and the ability to toss Hand Axes. The Social Knights are also much better than Oguma as well. Oguma loses his title of "best unit in the game", unfortunately.

I actually recommend training Oguma as an Axe Fighter for a little while before switching him as a Mercenary. Yes, his stats will drop, and he gets an E in Axes, but get that E to a D, then switch him back. It is far more important that he gets to use Hand Axes as a Hero than it is to have perfect stats, unless you're trying to make him a WiFi unit or something.

Sheeda is also a Jeigan. I can understand people liking to use her, but she's nowhere in the same league as the best units in the game, with her 20% Strength growth and crappy durability. Her best use comes from H5, where her Wing Spear and High Speed actually come in handy.

BTW, Marich is a joke.

No he's not.

And yeah, with the new avoid formula, Swordmasters have been nerfed bad in any non-H5 mode.

This is true. Swordmasters needed an evade boost, not an accuracy boost. Also though, I fully support the new avoid formula. It makes FEDS about teamwork with your units, which is what FE3 was also about. I am fully glad that the avoid formula was changed, even if it meant Swordmasters getting heavily nerfed, because it makes FEDS a much better game overall.

Swordmasters just need an evade boost, and they'll be a good unit under the new avoid formula.

Anyway, Swordmasters are not completely useless. On H5, speed actually matters. That overkill speed you see on some class swapped Swordfighters? That can actually become useful because you'll be guaranteed to double things as most units aren't. Swordmasters are also the only things that won't get doubled by dragons of any type (other classes have 30/27 speed caps, but I can only see a Swordmaster actually reaching that cap).

Also, WiFi. Swordmasters don't get a crit boost because they would be broken on WiFi. They can already 4x most things with their forged Brave Swords.

Edited November 10, 2008 by FE3 Player

[Just call me AL]

Doesn't Oguma get axes anyways despite whether or not you make him an axefighter, or have him remain a merc and then promote him into hero in this version of the game?

Edited November 10, 2008 by Little Al

[Dr. Tarrasque]

Okay.......wtF? First of all, that isn't nearly enough units to make a sturdy team and secondly, Oguma is the best character. Sheeda and Kain come close, but Oguma takes first place overall.

I can already tell I'm going to wreck you when we start debating the merits of this game's characters on the hardest mode. BTW, Marich is a joke.

That's just laughable, Sheeda's a terrible unit in this game... Only reason I use her is for that Wing Spear of hers and it's certainly not enough to make me say she's a good unit.

Marich a joke... that's once again... laughable. Marich's your best boss killer in the game (through normal play) since after the early game boss stop being axe users (chapter 3 is the last one, not counting 6x), they're Knights/Generals and Cavalier holding a Silver lance and usually nothing else. What's a silver lance gonna do to Maric? Oguma would often have to use Armorkiller and I've seen him have a hit rate of 52% while using it against the chapter 8 Boss in H5.

Oguma did get nerfed in this game... change him to a different class and chances are that he'll end up losing speed and have poor growth on it.

Edited November 10, 2008 by Boo

[Don Draper]

I lol'd hard at Sheeda being the best character in the game. On par with base level Jeigan offensively and defensively at 20/0? LOL.

[Rodykitty]

Doesn't Oguma get axes anyways despite whether or not you make him an axefighter, or have him remain a merc and then promote him into hero in this version of the game?

He'll be stuck with an E in Axes, though, which is very bad because Iron Axes aren't very useful and it takes forever to get the Axe level up. Hand Axes are what you really want. Anything after that isn't too necessary.

Oguma did get nerfed in this game... change him to a different class and chances are that he'll end up losing speed and have poor growth on it.

This is true. His stats will be affected, but if you don't train him too much as a Fighter, his averages will only minimally be affected. I plan on training him as an Axe Fighter because I like having a D in Axes upon promotion to Hero. The reason I am wishing my current Oguma had Hand Axes is because it would make him easier to level up and deal damage, as a lot of late game enemies on H5 have forged Javelins. Edited November 10, 2008 by FE3 Player