Jump to content

Ryoma vs Xander....


Harvey
 Share

Ryoma vs Xander  

117 members have voted

  1. 1. Ryoma Vs Xander.....

    • Ryoma
      57
    • Xander
      60


Recommended Posts

  • Replies 59
  • Created
  • Last Reply

Top Posters In This Topic

Ryoma is the better unit. This is one of those times where availability really does hold some weight; Ryoma joining better is a big part of why he's better than Xander when both are OP. (Camilla is also better than Xander for similar reasons.) Though even when their availability was similar I thought Ryoma was definitely better; clearly better offence is nice, and Xander's amazing defence has a big hole (magic).


Story-wise, Xander pretty easily. I like Ryoma well enough and I agree that he's pretty effective in Conquest. But Xander is much more generally interesting and a pretty good examination of how people can be trapped into doing pretty bad things out of loyalty. I disagree with calling him a poor man's Camus and find him easily the best-executed "Camus" in the series, because between Birthright and Conquest you get a much better understanding of what makes him tick.

Not voting in the poll because it doesn't state what criteria to use.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Ryoma definitely is better in gameplay, but he isn't quite invincible. He doesn't have a skill that magically lets him switch between the Dual Katana and Rajinto on the enemy phase to guarantee WTA. Mixed groups of baddies, or those that wield both Lances/Shuriken and Axes/Bows (Generals, Wyvern Lords) can be a problem for him, even sword users with high hit.

Xander on the other hand doesn't care what he faces regarding physical weapons, he can tank it except when effective. Plus tanking is not RNG dependent, it is for dodge-tanking around a certain point, ~30% let's say. 

Mages are generally inaccurate, so Ryoma's anti-mage potential is real, whereas Xander doesn't have any.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Gameplay wise I'd say Xander is the better of the two. Granted, if judged solely on their skills as a unit then Ryoma would be the better unit but there are other things to consider. Ryoma might turn birthright into Ryoma emblem but there are very few moments where you actually need a unit like Ryoma. Birthright is so easy that any unit will do in a pinch and thus a powerhouse like Ryoma doesn't have as much value as he might have had in a more difficult game. 

Conquest is much more difficult and so a unit who can always be trusted to hold his own is more important. Especially when Xander just joins he's one of the only characters that can decimate most enemies in any situation. With his strong defense Xander is ideal for greatly weakening enemies so units weaker than him can finish them off and get the experience. Xander can be trusted to hold a given position without it requiring much worry on your part, and if you make a mistake with him he tends to survive where other units would not have. 
Xander isn't invincible but for a long time he's consistently reliable and very sturdy. 

With Xander I felt I had more means to guide my team more safely through a more daunting game. Ryoma was just a massacre machine in a game where the enemies got massacred by much weaker units already. 

In their personalities I prefer Xander for the same reason I prefer the conquest story over that of Birthright. Ryoma does absolutely nothing to offend but that's because I find there's practically nothing there. All in all Ryoma is just kind of dull. 

Xander has some issues. With his Camus tendencies he doesn't always come off very well while I believe the writers wanted him to come across in a very noble and moral manner. Xanders detractors don't need to be completely in the right but the fact that so many people feel this way means the writers failed to competently convey Xander to the players.
But those flaws stem from there being something to Xanders character. His commitment to his duty as crown prince, his daddy issues and how it all clashes with his morals is at least something, even if it failed in its executions. If Xanders role in the story is lacking then at least his supports pretty consistently convey a pretty interesting fellow which is an edge he has over Ryoma who doesn't really get interesting even with his retainers and loved ones. Xanders relation with his son also comes across as very sweet and supportive while still making it clear there are some issues. 

Edited by Etrurian emperor
Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 2 weeks later...

I chose Xander. First of all I like paladins a lot and will usually select paladins over swordmasters. I like his character better even though in a lot of ways the two are similar, what nailed it for me was Xander's supports with his son vs Ryoma's supports with his son. In terms of skills Ryoma probably has the better kill skills but Xander can switch to lances if he wants and is not locked to only swords. (I know Ryoma can be a weapon master but I'm only considering their default classes).

Xander also has better defense so if necessary can take more hits. And lastly I like Xander's paladin design more than Ryoma's swordmaster design.

P.S. Here's hoping Paladins will wield swords, lances, axes and have canto again.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Story: on this front, Fates is pretty garbage all-around. But at no point did it do anything as irredeemably silly with Ryoma's character as it did with Xander's at the end of Birthright.  Ryoma is super bland though. Xander has more interesting supports. His supports aren't canon to the main story though, and as Ghast has gone over in great detail, the way he behaves in the story completely contradicts the character he's portrayed as in his support dialogue. Xander all around is just a confused mess of a character, burdened with and dragged down by the worst of the bad writing in Fates's confused mess of a story.

WINNER: RYOMA


Character: Ryoma is more useful on player-phase--being able to one-round most units in the game without taking any damage in retaliation due to his combination of raw killing power, and the player-phase evasion buff from duelists blow. Xander is a more useful unit on enemy phase with his tankiness, being phenomenally good at baiting mobs and holding choke points. Xander also does his job in such a way that he will often leave particularly strong enemies alive, but low enough on health that they can be easily picked off by teammates that need the exp. more then he does. Whereas Ryoma just kills them outright. Xander is also more mobile, and gets great utility out of the ability to rescue poorly placed allies with the shelter command. I find its generally more useful for a unit to be good on enemy phase. And above-and-beyond that; Xander contributes more to the team.

WINNER: XANDER



And just purely as a matter of personal preference...I like Xander's design and art better. It feels more Fire Emblem-ish. 

Edited by Shoblongoo
Link to comment
Share on other sites

I brought the Brithright version of the game for default because of Ryoma's epic style (and also because of Takumi's hair). In terms of who would win based on feats from cut scenes and story in the game. Ryoma seems to have way more agility than Xander, and plus Xander has weakness since he is on a horse. In terms of who would win vs each other with max stats and in their primary classes, I would have to say Xander if luck favors him and since his defense would be way too high for Ryoma.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 2 months later...

From a gameplay perspective, I'd have to say Xander. Ryoma's niche is killing enemies as a front line unit. That's nice, but units like Coriin, Saizo, etc. can fill that niche just as well or better than Ryoma. Xander, on the other hand, provides the versatility of a mounted unit and shelter utility. He also acts as a defensive tank which is sorely needed in CQ around his join time.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

 Share

  • Recently Browsing   0 members

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