Jump to content

Army Building


meowcakes
 Share

Recommended Posts

This is my first time playing through FE7, and I was wondering if there are any classes or characters to stay away from. Someone told me that Fighter should be avoided, but is there anything else?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Replies 50
  • Created
  • Last Reply

Top Posters In This Topic

Generally everyone is usable to some degree. Neither fighter is particularly amazing, but they'll work. Generally, as a new player, it's easier to have a mix of classes. Try and have at least one person who flies, one who can heal etc. and you can't go far wrong. Either that or just everyone who comes riding something, that works too!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Avoid archer probably, use the nomad instead. If you're going to heavily use Marcus (the crutch character), make sure you at least train others so that he isn't your only frontliner, as he tends to drop off during the last chapter. Def avoid the fighters since they're blown away by Dart, Geitz, and Hawkeye if you really want an axe user. Train your pegasus knights well as they're pretty decent in this game. Use mages too, as most of them are good. Like Shin said, use a bunch of classes since you want to try out people for yourself.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

The only characters I'd avoid like the plague are Renault, Nino, Bartre, Dorcas, and Dart.

Edited by Levant Caprice
Link to comment
Share on other sites

The only characters I'd avoid like the plague are Renault, Nino, Bartre, Dorcas, and Dart.

Dart's not a terrible unit if you train him, though. Hell, he's pretty awesome when trained.

Oh right, if you're not going to look up the locations of hidden items in the desert chapter, you probably don't want to use Dart.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Most people say avoid Fighters because you have to get lucky with their growths for them to be stellar units, and given their low starting levels, they are highly vulnerable to being RNG-screwed. Dorcas, for example, tends to really slack in the Speed department while Bartre might not get the Skill he needs to offset the lower accuracy of axes. That's not to say they can't be good, as I've had some amazing Bartres in a few playthroughs, but if you want a consistently good unit in your army, look elsewhere.

Dart, on the other hand, can be really good if he manages to get a few points more in his Skill. Just make sure to find the Ocean Seal or you won't be able to promote him. Hawkeye is an acceptable replacement if Dart is too much trouble for you to raise.

Most elitists would say avoid the Myrmidon/Swordmaster class, but I'd say they're fine if you're trying the game for your first time. They dodge like maniacs and are pretty much untouchable to axes once their Speed gets really high, their only letdown tends to be in their low Strength, but the Swordmaster critical boost tends to make up for this. Mercenaries/Heroes, on the other hand, are much more balanced characters that can be counted on for more than just dodging axes.

Archers start with rather poor base stats and have really wishy-washy level-ups, and Rath is only a little better by virtue of having a horse. Much like Fighters, Archers can be good if the RNG works in your favor, but if they aren't gaining much after several levels, you might just wnt to forget about them and hope the Nomad doesn't disappoint.

All of the Cavaliers can turn out good in my opinion, but there is the issue of limited Knight Crests to go around, so I would only pick whichever one is turning out the best growths for you. Isadora is meh, and Marcus is your Jeigan, don't ever give him experience and just let him secure villages.

Oswin is one of the few good Armor Knights in the Fire Emblem series, but he needs a Knight Crest to promote, which means you might have to give up a Paladin to use him for the later game. That said he's not bad at all if you don't mind his lower movement.

Magic users are definitely a must, the question is which ones to use since there are a limited number of Guiding Rings to promote them, and it's not only mages/monks/shamans that can use them, but also your staff healers too. I'd recommend Priscilla for your healer, unless you are carrying over Serra from Lyn's mode and you find it too much trouble to get the other healer up to speed. For offensive magic, all of them are fine choices, though Canas gets access to the gamebreaking Luna if you feel like cheesing some annoying opponents down the road. Note that all promoted magic users can use staves, and can serve as backup healers.

Pent is also a very good prepromote Sage if you really like having lots of magic users around.

Pegasus Knights require a lot of care to use early on, as their damage is weak starting out and their evasive ability isn't yet developed. You must keep them out of reach from brigands and especially archers, and only let them attack for the killing blows to help them level up faster. Early on they might feel like a liability, but once enemy magic users start to become a thing starting with the ship chapter, they will begin to show their true usefulness. The Wyvern Rider Heath, like most others in the series, is very good when trained up from his rather low starting level.

You will need a Thief for several chapters in this game, not just for unlocking doors and chests but also for Fog of War vision and stealing valuables off of some enemies and bosses. Matthew gets the job done early on, but I prefer using Legault once he shows up because my Matthews often gets screwed by the RNG. I wouldn't recommend promoting either of them to Assassin since they cannot steal after promotion and Jaffar is already a very good Assassin.

As for the Dancer... use her or don't, it's up to you. Just be aware she is very frail and can get killed easily by flying units or long-range weapons if you aren't paying attention.

Yeah, I kinda went overboard, but I wanted to be more comprehensive.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Dart's not a terrible unit if you train him, though. Hell, he's pretty awesome when trained.

Oh right, if you're not going to look up the locations of hidden items in the desert chapter, you probably don't want to use Dart.

Maybe, but ehhh, I generally don't find him worth it when there's Hector. His bad start also dissuades me from using him.

Edited by Levant Caprice
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Archers start with rather poor base stats and have really wishy-washy level-ups, and Rath is only a little better by virtue of having a horse. Much like Fighters, Archers can be good if the RNG works in your favor, but if they aren't gaining much after several levels, you might just wnt to forget about them and hope the Nomad doesn't disappoint.

Alternatively, Louise and Geitz could fit any need for a bow user should one come up. (The latter does require the Lords to have a combined level of 50 or higher, though.)

Isadora is meh

I dunno. A horse and WTC don't seem like indicators of a "meh" unit. I'll grant you she's not superb, but "meh" is one of the last words I'd use to describe her.

Marcus is your Jeigan, don't ever give him experience and just let him secure villages.

Not very good advice for anyone having a difficult time with the game very early on. I think "don't overuse him" would be better. Especially considering that boss kills exist, which can help ease the worry of anyone fearing that he'll fall behind when promotion time rolls around.

For offensive magic, all of them are fine choices, though Canas gets access to the gamebreaking Luna if you feel like cheesing some annoying opponents down the road.

A quick nitpick, a weapon by itself isn't particularly "game breaking" in any way. Especially considering the fact that Luna only has 35 uses, and has around 2-3 copies. And more often than not, all Luna's good against is bosses and magic units. More often than not, it's better to use a Flux tome on a common enemy.

As for the Dancer... use her or don't, it's up to you. Just be aware she is very frail and can get killed easily by flying units or long-range weapons if you aren't paying attention.

It's better to use them, though. Seeing as an extra movement chance for one of your units is nothing to sneeze at. Edited by Just call me AL
Link to comment
Share on other sites

If it's your first run on normal mode, FE7's easy enough that basically anyone you like is usable. Don't give Marcus all the kills, but don't be afraid to use him, either - you can use him pretty frequently and still be able to train the rest of your army. He never gets properly shit, either. Think of him as a panic button, I guess.

Oh, and look up the hidden item locations on the desert level if you use Dart, because frankly the hidden items are bullshit and one's his sole promotion item. I don't even think he can use Earth Seals.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I've never found Isadora to be anything more than "meh" in the runs that I used her. She's not awful, but there are much better picks for mounted units.

Maybe I try too hard to discredit Marcus, but unless you strip him of his weapons, even an Iron Sword will allow him to one-round bandits in the starting chapters--which is not good when your units could really use those early level-ups. Jeigans certainly have their uses, killing enemies shouldn't be one of them unless you really need their power, or just want to clear the stage fast.

Perhaps "gamebreaking" was the wrong word to use in regareds to Luna. But it is definitely a very effective ways to damage most bosses, as well as annoyingly resistant units in general since it ignores resistance, is quite accurate, and has good critical potential too. I would definitely not pass up something like that.

And since you plan to use Nino, be prepared to do some babysitting. Assuming you go into the gaiden chapter following her recruitment, you must take extreme precaution around the siege tomes and pegasus knights--they're actually quite brutal for her. The chapter after that is easier to work with thanks to the chokepoints and overall low resistances among the enemies. And of course, make sure you have a Guiding Ring leftover to promote her.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Going from personal experience, don't discredit the units most people way would be better off benched in favour of someone else. Wil and Rebecca have almost always been on par with each other in my runs, and often Wil proves to be more useful because of his strength, but most people I've encountered seem to think Rebecca is always the better unit. Same with Serra vs. Priscilla. Serra is nigh-untouchable when she promotes and her crit rate is surprisingly good (light tomes!!), but Priscilla has the edge with movement.

Generally the prepromotes in this game are good. Not always stellar, but they work to fill your gaps. I personally tend to use them.

Always use Hector. And always train Florina, even if you plan to bench her later on when you get new flying units. Her movement early game is so, so useful.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I've never found Isadora to be anything more than "meh" in the runs that I used her. She's not awful, but there are much better picks for mounted units.

She's pretty much a prepromoted Kent that joins immediately before you enter the desert. The only thing wrongs about her that I can think of are her durability, CON, and availability.

Maybe I try too hard to discredit Marcus, but unless you strip him of his weapons, even an Iron Sword will allow him to one-round bandits in the starting chapters--which is not good when your units could really use those early level-ups. Jeigans certainly have their uses, killing enemies shouldn't be one of them unless you really need their power, or just want to clear the stage fast.

There's more than enough EXP in this game to get away with both using Marcus and using just about everyone else. Simply put, if you happen to have difficulty training other units while using Marcus, you're doing something wrong.
Link to comment
Share on other sites

These are the characters I consistently use when I play FE7:

1. Lyn

2. Kent / Sain

3. Raven

4. Serra

5. Erk

6. Canas

7. Nils / Ninian

8. Eliwood

9. Hector

10. Rebecca

11. Athos

12. Priscilla

Link to comment
Share on other sites

If this is your first time, you're most likely on Eliwood Normal. . .so you can literally get away with anyone. Here's what I'd recommend:

- Someone on a horse (two or three if their stats warrant it). And whether or not Marcus is viable is tied heavily to what he levels. The more Strength/Speed he gets, the longer he'll last (12 Speed minimum early, Strength is more = better). Hell, I've gotten a Marcus that was beastly enough to warrant a slot all the way to the end! Lowen can work, if he cooperates. One of Sain/Kent will usually turn out better than the other. Isadora's ONLY if Lowen/Sain/Kent somehow screwed up. Her problem is her awful CON.

- Dorcas/Bartre require loads of Speed to keep up, but if they're doing that, more power to you. Dart's a total glass cannon, dunno if that's your thing. If you really want an axe-user that nigh-impossible to screw up, use Hawkeye and/or Hector. . .or Geitz, if you manage to get him.

- Myrmidons/Swordmasters are really reliant on either Strength procs or supports. If they do not have either, drop 'em. You have better options.

- Mercenaries/Heroes are a stronger, bulkier version of Swordmasters without the extra crit. I do just fine without them.

- Thieves rock, and having two Assassins in the game is perfectly fine! Assassins can still pick locks!

- Of the magic users, Erk is super-dependent on his levels, Lucius is a glass cannon, and Canas will be slow. Pent can and will outclass all three of them, and he doesn't give a hoot about the magic triangle.

- Rath requires time, but is a favorite of mine because I have yet to see him fail. Wil/Rebecca require good levels. Louise requires Pent. IMO the best bow user is Geitz for killing things, and Rath for sheer mobility.

- I'm not fond of the pegasi, but I do like the wyverns!

- Priscilla has the better affinity and a horse, Serra has availability and light magic on promotion. Your call.

tl;dr - As many paladins as you can stomach, Rath if you have the patience for him, Geitz if you even get him, and Pent/Hawkeye, with MAYBE a wyvern rider.

That should cover it. Hope it helps!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

If this is your first time playing, just use who you like. I'll give some general advice, though.

- Spam heal and promote your healer(s) at ~level 17. They gain loads of BEXP, and the extra three levels aren't too necessary.

- Mounted and flying units are generally just better. I'd only invest in one Pegasus sister, since you're on ENM.

- Ninils is a blessing. Abuse them as much as much as possible during Lyn Mode so they have better avoid in later chapters.

- Try to have at least one S-rank user of every tome/weapon, though I don't consider and S in Dark very useful, because Luna.

- Don't disregard prepromotes, many of them turn out pretty well. (Pent and Louise slay all. I'm unbiased, I promise.)

- Don't avoid archers. There are a ton of wyverns in this game, and archers deal with them incredibly well. (Still unbiased.)

- Always train a thief, and keep them up to par so they don't require a guard every time you want a chest opened.

- I don't recommend paying too much attention to your rank, that detracts from the fun of the game. Save that for ranked runs.

Don't ruin your first experience with FE7 by worrying about efficiency and whatnot. In general, just remember that the more mounts, the better.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

fe7 nonHHM is pretty easy.

the only really bad units are Rebecca, Wil, and Nino.

Any mounts is good because mobility and at least decent combat/utility.

Any staffer is decent because staves.

Flyers are good because best mobility.

etc.

Bartre has surprisingly good growths and only really wants an early speed level. Dorcas is ok, and Dart is pretty good too.

Hawkeye is still the best axedude imo. He's fucking unkillable.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Bartre has surprisingly good growths and only really wants an early speed level. Dorcas is ok, and Dart is pretty good too.

Yeah, no. One speed level ain't taking Bartre from scrub to not scrub. Dorcas fares better, but is still not that great.

Edited by Levant Colthearts
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Yeah, no. One speed level ain't taking Bartre from scrub to not scrub. Dorcas fares better, but is still not that great.

A single point of speed on his first level does let Bartre double the plethora of slow enemies early on. The problem is that he doesn't double anything beyond soldiers or thwomps and his growth isn't enough to get him ahead of the curve. If his base were something like 6 or 7, and his growth were like 50%, then he might have a chance long term. Or, you could just use Raven, who essentially comes stronger and faster than Bartre forever.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

A single point of speed on his first level does let Bartre double the plethora of slow enemies early on. The problem is that he doesn't double anything beyond soldiers or thwomps and his growth isn't enough to get him ahead of the curve. If his base were something like 6 or 7, and his growth were like 50%, then he might have a chance long term. Or, you could just use Raven, who essentially comes stronger and faster than Bartre forever.

There's only a 40% chance of that happening though. And eventually those slow enemies go away, leaving Bartre in the dust...

Of course, ENM isn't much of a problem for him.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

There's only a 40% chance of that happening though. And eventually those slow enemies go away, leaving Bartre in the dust...

That's essentially what I said, his early game performance hinges on him getting that point.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

A single point of speed on his first level does let Bartre double the plethora of slow enemies early on. The problem is that he doesn't double anything beyond soldiers or thwomps and his growth isn't enough to get him ahead of the curve. If his base were something like 6 or 7, and his growth were like 50%, then he might have a chance long term. Or, you could just use Raven, who essentially comes stronger and faster than Bartre forever.

Bold: Which is why I said that it ain't taking him from scrub to not scrub.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Or, you could just use Raven, who essentially comes stronger and faster than Bartre forever.

I suddenly remember the support between Raven and Bartre... Even in the literal realm Bartre can't trump Raven.

As for my opinion for what units to use in first playthrough. Just use the units you like to use. Most of the suggestions here are fine to consider (despite the few hating Nino. Who has the potential of being the strongest magic user in the game. 30 magic ftw~). Just make sure you level up the lords Lyn, Eliwood, and Hector since you'll need them to be strong. Hector should be easy to level up because you just need to find Knights or Cavaliers with lances and watch him absolutely destroy them with Wolf Beil (be careful of the uses though).

Aside from that... have fun. Just make sure you play smart against the final boss... his attack ignores defense (I found that the hard way when rescuing Hector with Oswin. RiP)

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I think an experienced player will find all units really useful for various aspects of the game. Bartre/Dorcas are more useful early and eventually dumped rather than kept, but they can be used later on when given growth. Look at any draft plays in this game.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

 Share

  • Recently Browsing   0 members

    • No registered users viewing this page.
×
×
  • Create New...