FIRE EMBLEM: A blockbuster made on a shoestring...

[IMJ]

P.S.: How many people got Stefan or the Vague Katti on the first playtrough?

 

Wow, awesome! The Fire Emblem thread is alive and well! Anyway, I got the Vague Katti on my first playthrough. That top right corner just seemed suspicious anyway, so i sent two characters to check it out. I didnt find out later (through GameFaqs) that you need to bring Lethe or Mordecai up there to get Stefan, bring a human and you''ll just receive the sword. So he's the only member missing from my team.

 

I've finished Path of Radiance just recently and what enjoyable weeks I had! The Laguz are an interesting addition, but I think there weren't enough chapters to truly explore their potential. I always seem to choose the Beorcs more than Laguz :P

 

My fave characters include Nephenee (great character art, plus she dodges everything!), Soren and Rolf. Actually, lots of characters were likable. So Im happy they all return for Fire Emblem 10, I really hope we'll get the game in Europe soon, as the US has it dated this year.

 

For those of you who haven't bought this game, go get it now that it's cheap!

[Jonnas]

Japjer: Oh yeah, I unlocked that Rolf/Marcia conversation as well. That's why I love unlocking supports on the boat.

I recall another support conversation on the boat. This time, Mordecai/Mist.

Mist was folding blankets and the wind sent one of them flying. Mist was then looking for the blanket all over the place because she didn't see where it went. She didn't think for a second that it could have fallen on the sea.

 

 

About Laguz, I too liked them, so I wish to see some improvement and flexibility on them by the next game.

[Japjer]

It would help if they could promote like other units. In the earlier levels they just seem to hog exp and when you can finally lvl them up properly, they've become only mediocre units (with fire or wind/bow weaknesses...ouch!)

 

I'm stuck on chapter 26 at the moment, partially because of that. I can get 19 characters there, but with ~10 enemies coming from one side and another 8 from the other side, one of my member always gets ganged up, of course including a critical. It's not even the weak characters that die, but with a combination of melee & ranged weapons, it doesn't matter how you position your team, one of your members always gets attacked like 4 times...hate it!

 

Even had Muarim die once cause of a crit with a laguz bow...that's like a 4% chance! :(

[Jonnas]

Even had Muarim die once cause of a crit with a laguz bow...that's like a 4% chance! :(

 

Ouch! Critcal Hits with less than 5%. I HATE them.

 

Odd. I didn't find that chapter to be difficult. Just play defensively and the frontline enemy units will come to you, where you can kill them with the units with good attack.

Organize a good defense with Generals or Paladins or whoever has good def and cure them from time to time. That way, it's hard for them to gang up on the wrong unit.

 

Hope that helps.

[Hero-of-Time]

By the way, my MVP was Boyd. The guy has incredible speed, power and HP. Counter and Wrath work wonders with him. The addition of bows was a nice plus, too.

 

P.S.: How many people got Stefan or the Vague Katti on the first playtrough?

 

I got all the characters bar one on my first play through, I accidently killed the guy I was supposed to recruit and couldnt be bothered to start the mission again. Stefan is awesome and I recommend everyone getting him.

 

I think on my first play through Boyd was also my MVP, hes as hard as nails. I was disappointed that Soren didnt get it though

[IMJ]

@Japjer:

Chapter 26, isn't that the level with the tower/prison at the end? I thought that one was kinda easy. I only died a few times because i was not careful enough near the boss with its feral ones.

 

I'd say if your team has many weak members, you could move at a slower pace. Pay attention how far your enemies can reach. Put your strongest character inside their reach to lure them in. Just make sure he wont get attacked by too many, 2 or 3 enemies should be fine.

Assuming he survived the onslaught, you can take out of those enemies one by one. Repeat the process and you should get a lot farther.

 

Also, I had many healers in the game, Rhys was my main healer, while Soren en Ilyana did their fair share of healing too. You might consider using Reyson as well for its healing and 'another turn' ability. Good luck man. You're almost reached the end!

[Japjer]

@Japjer:

Chapter 26, isn't that the level with the tower/prison at the end? I thought that one was kinda easy. I only died a few times because i was not careful enough near the boss with its feral ones.

 

I'd say if your team has many weak members, you could move at a slower pace. Pay attention how far your enemies can reach. Put your strongest character inside their reach to lure them in. Just make sure he wont get attacked by too many, 2 or 3 enemies should be fine.

Assuming he survived the onslaught, you can take out of those enemies one by one. Repeat the process and you should get a lot farther.

 

Also, I had many healers in the game, Rhys was my main healer, while Soren en Ilyana did their fair share of healing too. You might consider using Reyson as well for its healing and 'another turn' ability. Good luck man. You're almost reached the end!

 

I don't think it's the one i meant. The one I was stuck in was a field battle where you start SE and the boss is in front of a little fort NW.

 

I managed to do alright now, I sent both gatrie & taureono to the west to meet up with the swordmasters (who do no damage on them) and generals. gatrie was safe from the bolganone & meteor up north because of that. I did have a little trouble with the wyvern riders that entered on turn 3. Stefan alone doesn't cover it there, thankfully both Soren and Rhys have a physic staff and together they can heal pretty much anyone on the field.

 

And yea, i used 3 healers as well, had Elincia do some smaller heals. It's too late for me to lvl up mist & ilyana now, but these 3 do alright. Rhys and Soren are actually my highest lvl chars

 

It wasn't really my lack of healers, it was one of my units die in 1 turn. I made sure i put Ike up north now to lure the hordes of ranged chars (he has provoke).

 

So i moved on to the next episode, the one inside the fort. Everything went great, Mia was able to clean out the entire left side by herself with help of the runesword (she didn't really need it, that woman dodges EVERYTHING).

 

Boyd almost died though, I had him guard the door on the right side with all the laguz, only he had a killer axe equiped. He critted every.single.time. and all laguz could attack him. He dodged once & ended up with 2 hp :p

 

So I was happy that everything worked out.

Time to fight the black knight! I knew this battle was coming, so i gave Ike about 4 lvls with the bonus exp i saved up. He gets 2 lunas in a row, Ike dies...Any tips for this or is it ultimately all luck-based?

 

 

BTW, IMJ, it's not my first playthrough :p It's my first one on hard though.

[Jonnas]

Japjer:

Unfortunately, the Black knight fight is mostly luck based. If you have Ike with a few elixirs, then your chances are lowered. If you didn't equip Aether, It's almost impossible.You have to hit Aether at least once in the first turns. If you don't have space for the elixir, put them on Mist and trade before she runs away.

 

 

That's all I can tell you. Sorry.

[Japjer]

He has 3 elixirs and 3 vulneraries, aether & provoke. Strength & defense are maxed out already.

 

I never bothered leveling Mist though. She's like lvl 2, so i have to kill those reinforcements with Ike.

 

Should i attack the black knight myself or just kill him by retaliating? I really want to beat him, didn't get Nasir on my last playthrough. It's just so annoying that i have to do the lvl before that again as well .

 

[Jonnas]

Plan your moves carefully so Ike doesn't die. Sometimes, It's best not to attack just because then he won't attack twice and you still have your shot at healing and hitting Aether or a Critical Hit.

And don't bother killing the troops. Just send Mist to escape, since they will not attack Ike

 

[Japjer]

Yay!! I beat him!! My Ike was only lvl 13 or so at the beginning of the chapter. I dumped all my bonus exp on him, then let him kill half the enemies in the normal lvl. When he arrived he was lvl 18

 

3 aethers in row (though 1 actually missed..) and BAM, byebye mister! I wonder why I'm so behind with the exp, but not in strength. In the chapter I'm at now, there's pretty much no risk at all, everyone either dodges, takes no damage or has tons of hp.

 

Yay for Nasir! I wonder why Ena can't fight now though. Storywise, she should be fine to fight.

 

[IMJ]

How awesome someone's keeping this thread alive. You know Japjer, you really make me want to fire this game right away and start another game! Sorry about giving you tips for the wrong chapter btw, but glad you still made it

 

The chapter with the Black Knight, ah. My first playthrough didnt work out that well and I got Ena. Having found out how to get Nasir, I replayed the chapter, giving some level ups for Ike and Mist. Boosting Mist from lvl 2 to lvl 10, then use a Master seal sure wasn't easy. Wasted loads of bonus EXP there. I boosted Ike to Lv. 20 too and he already had Aether.

 

So this time, I was actually very lucky. I dodged Black Knights attack once and in return I hit him with an Aether. That was actually all i needed to defeat him. Kinda easy, but very lucky. So happy I had Nasir instead of Ena, much much better.

 

 

[Jonnas]

Yay!! I beat him!! My Ike was only lvl 13 or so at the beginning of the chapter. I dumped all my bonus exp on him, then let him kill half the enemies in the normal lvl. When he arrived he was lvl 18

 

3 aethers in row (though 1 actually missed..) and BAM, byebye mister! I wonder why I'm so behind with the exp, but not in strength. In the chapter I'm at now, there's pretty much no risk at all, everyone either dodges, takes no damage or has tons of hp.

 

Your Ike was strong because the level up stat gains are based on luck.

(except on fixed mode, where they are gained at fixed rates.

In that mode, some characters that are strong in random mode are weak and vice-versa)

 

 

Then again, maybe it wasn't luck that made Ike so strong by Level 13. He is one of the most powerful characters in the game, after all.

[Japjer]

Well yea, my Ike kind of was strong. At THE fight (don't feel like using spoiler tags :p) he already had strength & def maxed, the 2 most important stats for that fight.

 

And i guess I'm not so invincible after all. Had my Ranulf die on the next map. I forgot to get him out of range of the bolganone-sage and he just HAD to change back to human form as well.

 

@ fixed mode: I never really tried it, I like the randomness of it all. Soren with some actual strength is heaven And also, it makes the game more fun on new playthroughs. My Mia is extremely strong as is Astrid, and I feel i have a somewhat weaker boyd. My Rhys didn't lvl well either, but since he's maxed out and has Shade, it doesn't really matter.

[Jonnas]

Well yea, my Ike kind of was strong. At THE fight (don't feel like using spoiler tags :p) he already had strength & def maxed, the 2 most important stats for that fight.

 

And i guess I'm not so invincible after all. Had my Ranulf die on the next map. I forgot to get him out of range of the bolganone-sage and he just HAD to change back to human form as well.

 

@ fixed mode: I never really tried it, I like the randomness of it all. Soren with some actual strength is heaven And also, it makes the game more fun on new playthroughs. My Mia is extremely strong as is Astrid, and I feel i have a somewhat weaker boyd. My Rhys didn't lvl well either, but since he's maxed out and has Shade, it doesn't really matter.

 

Yeah, I wasn't lucky with Mia, since she never managed to kill anything by her own. I had the same problem with Tanith as well.

Astrid was awesome as well, since I used Gatrie to help her level up. She had low strengh, but was godly in everything else.

Rhys was extremely fragil. He was strong, but he was the character that died the most.

Boyd and Gatrie were awesome by themselves. Jill and Lethe were supporting each other, making themselves awesome. Same thing happened with Ike and Oscar.

And, of course, Reyson. He's just awesome all around.

[Japjer]

Well, I finished the game on hard. I was surprised by the changes though. I thought Ike with provoke would be enough to lure Ashnard to him & noone else. Apparently he only does in crazy mode, so I lost Oscar, Soren & Marcia (though the latter 2 actually dodged him a couple of times

). I'll just have to redo the chapter again i guess, they're my strongest fighters after all. It also sucks how late you get the Laguz King, only after Ashnard touches the Fire Emblem, would've loved to use Tibarn a bit more.

 

 

 

Yeah, I wasn't lucky with Mia, since she never managed to kill anything by her own. I had the same problem with Tanith as well.

Astrid was awesome as well, since I used Gatrie to help her level up. She had low strengh, but was godly in everything else.

Rhys was extremely fragil. He was strong, but he was the character that died the most.

Boyd and Gatrie were awesome by themselves. Jill and Lethe were supporting each other, making themselves awesome. Same thing happened with Ike and Oscar.

And, of course, Reyson. He's just awesome all around.

 

I remember Tanith was the first of my chars to reach lvl 20 on my first playthrough. This time I chose to raise marcia though. She was good, though I think a fully raised Tanith might be a bit better.

 

I also took my time on Mia. I raised her carefully, letting others weaken the enemy (for instance Titania with an iron axe) and let Mia kill them off. Once i reached beignon, she was ready to be a real unit. I gave her Guard, which is a great combination with vantage. Whenever she got attacked, she'd either crit & kill the enemy, or guard would go off and the enemy wouldn't be able to do their initial attack . Even if neither would work, she'd still have a crazy dodge rate, she could take on whole armies by herself at lvl 14

 

And well, Gatrie...I dunno what happened there. I really tried to raise him this time, cause I dumped him early on in my first playthrough. He ended up as my primary reason to keep on resetting even though i pumped him with bonus exp, and even gave him extra movement with an item. I had to let him go in the end, since he was only lvl 5 when Tauroneo showed up and i really prefer the higher resistance on him (and MAG! He even ended up using the sonic sword in the last chapter )

 

Jill and Lethe...hmm, I'll try to raise em on my next playthrough. I was too busy with Marcia when Jill joined, and chose Mordecai instead of lethe, though i dumped him for Ranulf later on.

 

So what levels are your characters usually at the end of the game? I only had about 3 or 4 lvl 20 characters and some as low as lvl 10 (well, the 'pegasus healer' was lvl 3, but she doesn't count :p).However, they weren't much weaker than the high lvl ones.

[Jonnas]

So what levels are your characters usually at the end of the game? I only had about 3 or 4 lvl 20 characters and some as low as lvl 10 (well, the 'pegasus healer' was lvl 3, but she doesn't count :p).However, they weren't much weaker than the high lvl ones.

 

Normally 3-4 in Level 20 and the rest in their 16-17 or higher. Then again, I probably have a different method. The same I use for all Fire Emblem games.

I plan my party at the beginning of the game based on supports and avoid using anybody else, even if it is a healer (There are exceptions. Especially on Hard Modes.). That way, I can see a bunch of supports I haven't yet seen and give myself a challenge by not using certain powerful characters (playing without Gatrie can be quite hard in the first chapters).

 

However, because of that system, I haven't completed Hard Mode yet (and accidentaly spoiled myself while quoting you. When I start reading something, I can't stop.).

[IMJ]

Hehe, Jonnas, you're a true Fire Emblem hardcore fan! Planning your party beforehand is the ultimate way to play the game. I usually dont bother a 2nd play through. Path of Radiance being the first exception.

 

I finished the game with only one maxed out character, which was Ike. Since I gave him the bonus exp to 'the' battle. If not, I'd probably had finished with 2-3 lv 18 characters, a few ones lv 15-17.

 

I usually stick with the characters that you get from the start. Traditionally in FE, the strong characters at the start won't level up that great and will eventually be overtaken by the weaker ones. So i usually focus on the weaker characters. In my game I dropped using Shinon in favor of Rolf, who became a killer sniper.

 

Sometimes I just like the character, so i will give preference him/her. Some characters aren't just as likable, so i wont even bother using them.

 

Oh, I cant wait for its sequel to arrive in the PAL territories!

[Jonnas]

Hehe, Jonnas, you're a true Fire Emblem hardcore fan! Planning your party beforehand is the ultimate way to play the game. I usually dont bother a 2nd play through. Path of Radiance being the first exception.

 

I only plan my party after the first playtrough. In the first playtrough, if I recruit a character that I find interesting and want to use, I check the supports and try to use someone that can support with him/her (the main reason I trained Jill in my first playthrough was because of Lethe). As I said, supports are the moving force behind my playthroughs.

 

I usually stick with the characters that you get from the start. Traditionally in FE, the strong characters at the start won't level up that great and will eventually be overtaken by the weaker ones. So i usually focus on the weaker characters. In my game I dropped using Shinon in favor of Rolf, who became a killer sniper.

 

I do that on my first playtrough usually and try to not use them in the next playtroughs. However, PoR doesn't go easy on you in the first chapters. Hence why I'm still stuck on chapter 11 Hard.

Sometimes, when I use later characters, I may get surprises (Ex.: Geitz and Ranulf). The reason why I didn't use Shinon yet is because of Rolf. Not because he is strong, but more because I don't want to train two snipers. It's a bit complicated if I want to train just Shinon...

 

Sometimes I just like the character, so i will give preference him/her. Some characters aren't just as likable, so i wont even bother using them.

 

That's why I love supports. Characters that aren't interesting at first may have some depth behind them (Karla and Renault come to mind). Plus, characters that aren't interesting to begin with probably have very few supports, so I won't use them much.

 

Oh, I cant wait for its sequel to arrive in the PAL territories!

 

It's you and I, my friend. The reason I haven't bought a Wii yet is because the good games haven't come out yet.

 

On a side-note, any Fire Emblem fan here has tried to play Fire Emblem 6? It's the game Roy stars in.

That game is hard and very challenging. However, it's only in Japanese. The good thing is, there are translation patchs and scripts.

[IMJ]

Good points made Jonnas. Once i figure out who matches with whom, I rarely split them any more. Although I really see it as a bonus, it's not a make or break to me. But then again, I havent really touched on Hard mode yet :P

 

I missed on the Brother's triangle too, since I didnt gave Oscar the ability to use bows. The Pegasus triangle wasn't really something I'd use, since there isn't a single Pegasus knight in my team. Kinda missed opportunity actually.

 

Training Shinon is really hard indeed. I mean, you're missing him half of the game. By the time he joins you again, Rolf should be around or surpassed his level. Plus, you'd have missed an archer/sniper for so many chapters...

 

The supports system has changed a bit in its sequel. As far as I know, it has two support systems. One is the system we all know and love, the other is perhaps the more logical one. Characters you use and stick together will support each other over time, even if they didn't match in the first place. Some may even fall in love i believe. Sounds interesting

 

As for FE6, I wonder why we never got that. I mean, it's directly tied to FE7 and it's got SSBM-famed Roy in it. Perhaps they found FE7 to be the better game to localize and since FE8, as well as FE9 on the Cube, they didnt' want to overkill it. Still... to us Fire Emblem fans, any game in the series is a gift sent from above to us. To me at least :P

 

That's why Im also hungering for its appearance on the DS some day. No matter how much fun PoR was, I still miss the excellent sprite-based animations and speedy gameplay.

[Hero-of-Time]

Its great listening to you 2 talk about the game, makes me realize that Im still a noob when playing this.

 

I have yet to play the GBA games, I have them both but they are factory sealed and I cant bring myself to open the first one as its rare as hell, especially the euro version.

[darksnowman]

Tell me about it... I enjoy reading the chatter about Fire Emblem here too... and I feel like I missed alot of the games features. Does it say in the manual what supports are for? Cos playing the game I just read them when they came up but didnt think much more of them...

 

As for the brothers triangle thingy, I tried to get it to happen, but I didnt get all three of them trained o use arrows by the end of the game.

 

And Hero-of-Time, I've only got The Sacred Stones for GBA... but its kinda sealed up too. Unlike you though, I do plan to play it! And here, if you aint gonna play the first one do you wanna lend me it??

[Hero-of-Time]

And here, if you aint gonna play the first one do you wanna lend me it??

 

I would but only if you can manage to magically transport the cartridge back and forth from its box without opening the seal

[IMJ]

Haha, so Hero-of-Time, do you buy games in twofold? I mean, if you treasure that game so much that you dont wanna remove the seal, then how are you gonna enjoy the game? :P

 

I may talk like a guru for all things Fire Emblem, but my knowledge is just limited to the two GBA and Cube ones. I've always had an interest in the titles, but never could get my hands on it. I think you should be able to find fan translated ROMS on the web, but I want to enjoy them as they intended to be, ie with a trusty controller etc.

 

I suppose Im just a passionate about the series Actually, i dont know which one i prefer more: Advance Wars or Fire Emblem. Both are from the same developer, the basics are the same. The former focuses more on the strategy IMO and the latter has a much deeper story. You grow attached to the characters. If my Neotank has blown up, I just save money and build a new one.

 

Oh, as for the supports, certain characters match with each other. Place them an x amount turns close to each other (no further than 3 places apart from each other) and a conversation can occur. In the GBA games they talked in-game, a new command 'Talk' will show. It's kinda like recruiting a new member. In the Cube one, the conversation will show up in the 'Base' part. Each character can only have 5 conversations and up to 3 levels of supports with a partner.

 

Supporting characters will give each other stat-boosts once you've placed them together (again, no further than 3 spaces). So you'll have to choose wisely who to match with. Do you choose for several C-level supports which give you small amounts of stat-boosts, or do you choose for an über partner, which you move together at all times, creating a powerful force.

 

Having said that, I usually only unlock a few percent of all the possible supports. As I said before, it really is just a bonus. You dont need it to beat the game, though it certainly helps you a lot.

[Jonnas]

I missed on the Brother's triangle too, since I didnt gave Oscar the ability to use bows. The Pegasus triangle wasn't really something I'd use, since there isn't a single Pegasus knight in my team. Kinda missed opportunity actually.

 

I've tried the Oscar/Boyd/Rolf attack and yeah sure it looks cool. But I don't use it, since the Bros. can kill every single enemy on their own (except bosses).

 

The supports system has changed a bit in its sequel. As far as I know, it has two support systems. One is the system we all know and love, the other is perhaps the more logical one. Characters you use and stick together will support each other over time, even if they didn't match in the first place. Some may even fall in love i believe. Sounds interesting

 

I heard it too. Can't wait to see how it plays.

Also, it makes sense. In PoR, Boyd would get more bonuses if he fought alongside a supported Ulki or Brom than he would get fighting alongside his brothers. Story-wise, that doesn't make sense. The secondary supports are probably going to correct those storyline flaws.

Still, as long as we get support endings this time I won't complain.

 

As for FE6, I wonder why we never got that. I mean, it's directly tied to FE7 and it's got SSBM-famed Roy in it. Perhaps they found FE7 to be the better game to localize and since FE8, as well as FE9 on the Cube, they didnt' want to overkill it. Still... to us Fire Emblem fans, any game in the series is a gift sent from above to us. To me at least :P

 

I may talk like a guru for all things Fire Emblem, but my knowledge is just limited to the two GBA and Cube ones. I've always had an interest in the titles, but never could get my hands on it. I think you should be able to find fan translated ROMS on the web, but I want to enjoy them as they intended to be, ie with a trusty controller etc.

 

As you already mentioned, a ROM and translation patch would let you play FE6, but if you prefer a console, that's cool. I prefer a console as well, but FE6 was too tempting for me.

 

That's why Im also hungering for its appearance on the DS some day. No matter how much fun PoR was, I still miss the excellent sprite-based animations and speedy gameplay.

 

That would be awesome. Aerial battles in one screen and ground battles in another is a good idea. Plus, Fire Emblem works better in a Handheld.

 

I suppose Im just a passionate about the series Actually, i dont know which one i prefer more: Advance Wars or Fire Emblem. Both are from the same developer, the basics are the same. The former focuses more on the strategy IMO and the latter has a much deeper story. You grow attached to the characters. If my Neotank has blown up, I just save money and build a new one.

 

Fire Emblem definetely tops Advance Wars. Fire Emblem is much more about strategy. In chess, the queen is a precious piece that you don't want to lose. Now, imagine if you want to protect every single piece. You need to think your strategy through, don't you?

In Advance Wars, you're right. The strategy part comes in at the beginning, when you barely have any money. Afterwards it's a piece of cake. In Fire Emblem, even certain boss fights need some strategic approach to beat (and give the finishing blow with the right person for experience points in some cases)

 

Oh, as for the supports, certain characters match with each other. Place them an x amount turns close to each other (no further than 3 places apart from each other) and a conversation can occur. In the GBA games they talked in-game, a new command 'Talk' will show. It's kinda like recruiting a new member. In the Cube one, the conversation will show up in the 'Base' part. Each character can only have 5 conversations and up to 3 levels of supports with a partner.

 

Supporting characters will give each other stat-boosts once you've placed them together (again, no further than 3 spaces). So you'll have to choose wisely who to match with. Do you choose for several C-level supports which give you small amounts of stat-boosts, or do you choose for an über partner, which you move together at all times, creating a powerful force.

 

A few points that you missed:

 

-In PoR, supports are achieved by having two characters fight in the same map for a certain number of chapters;

 

-In the GBA ones, to achieve supports, you actually have to leave them next to each other for that amount of turns, I believe. The bonuses are still available inside the 3 spaces limit;

 

-In PoR, you can see the stat gains in their respective character windows while the bonuses are active. In the GBA games, better resort to FAQ;

 

-The bonuses vary between couples based on their elements (Ex.: Earth/Earth combination like Ike/Oscar gives them huge Avoid; Water/Water combination like Mist/Boyd gives them great Attack bonuses; Water/Earth combination gives them half Attack, half Avoid).

 

 

By the way, Hero-of-Time, play that Fire Emblem you have. My favorite thus far:

 

Fire Emblem > FE: Path of Radiance > FE: Sword of Seals > FE: Sacred Stones