Serra or Priscilla?

[The Envoy of the Beginning]

I'ma need you to back that ass up reaaaal quick.

Serra: Quirky funny character with hilarious supports.

Priscilla: "I need my brother bla bla bla" "Oh no you scared me, Guy" "Oh Guy, you startled me again" repeat.

Priscilla is a dull, uninteresting character. In fact, I prefer Serra just because of this.

Being dull and uninteresting doesn't necessarily make one's personality worse than another. Most of the disliked/hated characters in FE aren't bland.

[Ownagepuffs]

I don't understand why in this poll, Priscilla is destroying Serra, but in the other one, Serra is winning...

Because the OP states

Use whatever criteria you like. Anyway, for me, Saul for FE6, Serra for FE7, and MOULDER THE BOULDER for the win.

And Serra is more entertaining than Prissy so she could be getting personality votes. This poll is about who is better as a unit, specifically.

Prissy is winning now, but still.

[Florete]

Because the OP states

And Serra is more entertaining than Prissy so she could be getting personality votes. This poll is about who is better as a unit, specifically.

Prissy is winning now, but still.

I honestly doubt that is what is causing the difference. Yeah, there's different wording, but the polls aren't explicitly different enough.

[Radiant Dragon]

Priscilla has started to pull ahead in that poll, it seems. Although one possible cause of the disparity between the two polls could be that Pent is pulling away some of the votes that would otherwise be going to Priscilla in that one.

[timehopper]

I've always personally had better luck with Serra. She's completely untouchable in my current run -- in fact I don't think she's been hit since level 14 (she's promoted and lv 10 now). Priscilla has always lagged a lot for me, so I tend to favour Serra now. But the lack of mobility is a little saddening...

[Carmine Sword]

Priscilla is better because she has a horse in a Fire Emblem game and Serra doesn't. Better bases and a higher magic gain upon promotion just seals the deal even further.

[Klokinator]

Serra wins because

[MacLovin]

Prissy because wincest.

[feplus]

The Prissy / Serra comparison is more interesting in the context of ranked runs. Both are among your best units.

In casual play Prissy stomps.

[Florete]

The Prissy / Serra comparison is more interesting in the context of ranked runs. Both are among your best units.

In casual play Prissy stomps.

Not really. Priscilla still wins for all the same reasons.

[feplus]

In ranked play, Prissy's advantages become mostly theoretical. She's still got a horse and the better weapon type post-promotion, but ranked play introduces two new winkles to the comparison:

1. Larger level lead for Serra. Assuming a player opts to go through Lyn's Mode- which has fairly generous turn requirements- Serra's level lead can grow to something significant.

2. There is no reason not to use both healers extensively. Does a horse really matter when you're guaranteed to get both to 20/0, promote both because of their experience-gain bonuses, and end up with both at ~20/5?

Edited February 19, 2015 by feplus

[Jedi]

In ranked play, Prissy's advantages become mostly theoretical. She's still got a horse and the better weapon type post-promotion, but ranked play introduces two new winkles to the comparison:

1. Larger level lead for Serra. Assuming a player opts to go through Lyn's Mode- which has fairly generous turn requirements- Serra's level lead can grow to something significant.

2. There is no reason not to use both healers extensively. Does a horse really matter when you're guaranteed to get both to 20/0, promote both because of their experience-gain bonuses, and end up with both at ~20/5?

Question, why would someone grind one healer, let alone two. To level 20 without combat being a possibility

Edited February 19, 2015 by Jedi

[feplus]

Because experience is at a premium in ranked, specifically EHM and HHM. Healers enjoy their own experience pool distinct from combat units.

[Dual Dragons]

Question, why would someone grind one healer, let alone two. To level 20 without combat being a possibility

In the setting of ranked runs, there's an advantage to the healers in that they draw from an "infinite pool of EXP" because of their staff use, rather than taking from the battle EXP. It's why staves like Barriers can be good since you don't have to rely on a unit being hurt and as long as you keep a unit to use Barrier on close by you can use Barrier.

Now 20/# may be a bit of a stretch for some because of turn requirements. I find 15/# being a good level to promote. Then, yeah, once they promote, the EXP bonus they get is definitely a plus.

But even in ranked play, I still find Pris easier to use. Horse aside, there's still the supports that Pris gets quicker. Even if it is Wind and not Serra's Lightning, Serra is just very painful to raise supports with. I'd rather have the healer have more movement than the fighters than the other way around.

[Baldrick]

Question, why would someone grind one healer, let alone two.

ranked play

1. Larger level lead for Serra. Assuming a player opts to go through Lyn's Mode- which has fairly generous turn requirements- Serra's level lead can grow to something significant.

1. Wouldn't a level lead going into Eliwood/Hector mode be a liability? You get less non-combat EXP.

[General Horace]

yeah it's beneficial to make them hit 20, and with the lax turncounts, it's pretty easy to do so.

Serra's level lead is a mixed blessing too, depending on what level she leaves Lyn mode at too.

edit: dammit baldrick

Edited February 19, 2015 by General Horace

[dondon151]

2. There is no reason not to use both healers extensively. Does a horse really matter when you're guaranteed to get both to 20/0, promote both because of their experience-gain bonuses, and end up with both at ~20/5?

yes? is this supposed to be a rhetorical question? i love it when someone asks a rhetorical question and the better answer is not what they intended it to be.

EDIT: a "higher leveled healer" is about as useful as a "higher leveled dancer," i.e., not that useful.

Edited February 19, 2015 by dondon151

[feplus]

1. Wouldn't a level lead going into Eliwood/Hector mode be a liability? You get less non-combat EXP.

It's a tradeoff. Typically I do HHM runs fresh (no Lyn Mode), but I can see how a higher-leveled healer could be a boon in earlygame HHM. Just a small thing to consider.

yes?

Why? They'll be used roughly the same amount and they'll both have access to a plentiful supply of physic staves from the Ch.22 secret shop.

Depending on where their magic stats end up, Prissy is probably the better choice to bring to Berserker as a warper (or you could use Pent instead), but I fail to see how the difference between the two is anything remotely significant.

Edited February 19, 2015 by feplus

[Baldrick]

It's a tradeoff. Typically I do HHM runs fresh (no Lyn Mode), but I can see how a higher-leveled healer could be a boon in earlygame HHM. Just a small thing to consider.

It's really not worth it. Healers shouldn't be attacked even if they can dodge (combat), and you want to be healing as much as you can so not topping up a unit with Heal is arguably better (and Mend exists if a unit is in mortal peril)

[Florete]

In ranked play, Prissy's advantages become mostly theoretical. She's still got a horse and the better weapon type post-promotion, but ranked play introduces two new winkles to the comparison:

1. Larger level lead for Serra. Assuming a player opts to go through Lyn's Mode- which has fairly generous turn requirements- Serra's level lead can grow to something significant.

2. There is no reason not to use both healers extensively. Does a horse really matter when you're guaranteed to get both to 20/0, promote both because of their experience-gain bonuses, and end up with both at ~20/5?

1. Experience is the rank that basically the entire run revolves around, so getting Serra a significant level boost really is a double-edged sword.

2. Just because we use both (and both are great), doesn't mean we can't determine which is ultimately more helpful. And 20/5? In both of my HM S-rank runs*, Priscilla ended up as the highest leveled unit on my team, being 20/20 in HHM and 20/16 in EHM; they have that class experience bonus, so obviously you want them to see a lot of combat. Serra was lower in the end in both despite promoting first because of the advantages commonly cited for Priscilla.

*Okay, technically Jaffar was a couple levels higher in my EHM run, but I think that's not really notable.

[feplus]

It's really not worth it. Healers shouldn't be attacked even if they can dodge (combat), and you want to be healing as much as you can so not topping up a unit with Heal is arguably better (and Mend exists if a unit is in mortal peril)

I agree with you. That said, compared to a base Serra, level five Serra has two extra magic, two extra HP, roughly a point of extra defense, two extra points in resistance, and roughly 6 extra avoid. I wouldn't make the tradeoff myself, but I could see certain players sacrificing potential experience for a slightly more effective healer with slightly better survivability (and a faster track to promotion) on those tricky earlygame HHM maps. That's not nothing, especially if you're the sort who promotes healers prior to 20/0.

2. Just because we use both (and both are great), doesn't mean we can't determine which is ultimately more helpful. And 20/5? In both of my HM S-rank runs*, Priscilla ended up as the highest leveled unit on my team, being 20/20 in HHM and 20/16 in EHM; they have that class experience bonus, so obviously you want them to see a lot of combat. Serra was lower in the end in both despite promoting first because of the advantages commonly cited for Priscilla.

*Okay, technically Jaffar was a couple levels higher in my EHM run, but I think that's not really notable.

Never had a healer get near those levels in my ranked runs, that's impressive experience management. At those levels I can see a strong case for the gap between Serra and Prissy being meaningful.

[Baldrick]

That's not nothing, especially if you're the sort who promotes healers prior to 20/0.

Well, let me put it this way. It's less useful than the extra experience would have been.

Bolded:

Does a horse really matter when you're guaranteed to get both to 20/0,

???

Edited February 19, 2015 by Baldrick

[dondon151]

Why? They'll be used roughly the same amount and they'll both have access to a plentiful supply of physic staves from the Ch.22 secret shop.

Depending on where their magic stats end up, Prissy is probably the better choice to bring to Berserker as a warper (or you could use Pent instead), but I fail to see how the difference between the two is anything remotely significant.

are you seriously asking why it's better to have a horse and +2 mov if you're a 1-2 range combat unit that also uses staves

there's also approximately zero reason to use warp in HHM ranked playthroughs.

Edited February 19, 2015 by dondon151

[feplus]

Getting healers to 20/0 before promoting is my preferred approach. If you're the sort who promotes healers earlier, letting Serra get some extra levels in Lyn Mode is a fine course of action.

are you seriously asking why it's better to have a horse and +2 mov if you're a 1-2 range combat unit that also uses staves

there's also approximately zero reason to use warp in HHM ranked playthroughs.

1. No. I'm asking whether such things make a meaningful difference. On ranked play, you've got plenty of physic staves (marginalizing the utility of mounted healing post-Ch.22) and you'll be using both healers extensively (meaning you won't have to choose between the two). Now, if your healers end up at near-max levels as in Red's runs, Prissy's advantages become more relevant.

Recall my first post in this thread: The Prissy / Serra comparison is more interesting in the context of ranked runs. Both are among your best units. That's all true. Both are among your best units and the differences between them are much smaller than in casual runs- I would argue smaller to the point of negligibility, though it depends on how much you level them and how much combat they see.

2. That's just silly. First, warping through Berserker is the optimal approach, as it's a map with limited experience, a zero-turn requirement, and only two unit slots. Second, warp spam is a great way to build up a lot of extra experience, giving 42 experience even to promoted healers.

Edited February 19, 2015 by feplus

[Baldrick]

Getting healers to 20/0 before promoting is my preferred approach. If you're the sort who promotes healers earlier, letting Serra get some extra levels in Lyn Mode is a fine course of action.

If you're not doing a ranked run, yes. But then you don't need two healers.

2. IIRC funds is a stricter rank than tactics. If you warpskip, you'll probably miss out on stuff, and Warp isn't exactly cheap.