When to promote in FE7?

[Vaikanfu]

Is it better to do it at level 10? Or should I wait for level 20? The difficulty has been picking up and I haven't been getting very good level ups. I also don't want to abandon my file so early into Eliwoods story. I am currently on chapter 19 of Eliwood normal mode.

[Baldrick]

The best time to promote is when you need to. If you're having trouble, promoting a few of your better units is a good idea. What's your team levels?

[Roxas]

There's really no worry in promoting people as early as 10, but personally if I'm in dire straits I go for promotion at 14/15 or so

[Original Alear]

I'm sure someone who actually is good at the game can give you more details, but people like to promote kent/sain very early. Like, do LHM, trade a knight crest from wallace (you're not required to use it on him in LHM), get one of them to level 10, then promote before you're done with ch 10 of the tutorial.

[Vaikanfu]

There's really no worry in promoting people as early as 10, but personally if I'm in dire straits I go for promotion at 14/15 or so

Thanks boss. Are there any secret shops that sell promotion items? Or am I stuck with the ones I'm given throughout the course of the game?

Edited November 28, 2016 by Vaikanfu

[eclipse]

While there are secret shops that sell promotion items, it shouldn't be necessary to purchase them at this point in time. The next few chapters will throw several your way. Make sure to keep a close eye on all enemy inventories, and have a thief steal the relevant ones.

[Paper Jam]

I'd suggest getting a unit as close to level 20 as you can before promoting them, since they'll benefit from the extra level ups.

[RiggyRob]

When you need them to is the correct answer - you could wait for level 20, but the chances of you getting a unit to 20/20 are not high, certain characters cap out their stats early leaving you with empty level ups a lot of the time and the benefits of promotion outweigh the stat increases you could get.

[BANRYU]

I'm sure someone who actually is good at the game can give you more details, but people like to promote kent/sain very early. Like, do LHM, trade a knight crest from wallace (you're not required to use it on him in LHM), get one of them to level 10, then promote before you're done with ch 10 of the tutorial.

This is a good idea if you can manage it IMO.

Personally I prefer to wait until 20 or as close to it as possible, but as other people are saying, it's not super necessary (mostly a matter of personal preference for me with the waiting). 15-ish should be perfectly fine.

[Ace Pelleas]

Dude,I highly I recommend leveling everyone to 20 before promoting,you will be losing some of their potential. Maybe Healers can be promoted early,if you're heving trouble stick with Marcus and mybe Oswin a bit and level the units lacking behind

[DeadLuckChris]

I usually promote around level 17.

[Flee Fleet!]

I usually promote my units to level 20, so they might benefit from getting good level ups.

But, then again, units start to gain lesser experience after level 10, so it will be difficult to get them to 20/20.

You could promote them at level 15 however, or as early as possible if you want to. But it's better to promote a unit at a higher level.

[Paper Jam]

But, then again, units start to gain lesser experience after level 10, so it will be difficult to get them to 20/20.

Units start getting less experience after promoting anyway, so it'll be just as hard to get them to 10/20.

I personally don't see any point to trying to get to level 20 promoted; my highest-level units are generally in the neighborhood of level 20/10 by the endgame.

[SullyMcGully]

On my last playthrough, I promoted everyone (even Serra) at 20. But then I only got a few chapters to enjoy my characters newfound awesomeness! So next time, I'm going to do it earlier. The problem is the Lords, though. Despite being some of the best characters in the game, their late promotions cause them fall behind.

[Taprus]

Early on with playing, I would promote before they reach 20 and would notice that the stats feel much lower than desired. Since then, I've made it a point to have them reach 20 before promoting and I usually never regret it.

[TheEmblem]

If your not getting very good growths Id say wait until at least 13 or 15 If you are getting good growths however Id say try and get 20 unless its endgame then best bet would probably be around lvl17-18.

[Topaz Light]

I don't think it's a good idea to promote as early as level 10, generally-speaking, but at around 14~15 or higher should be just fine. I'd hold off on promoting units who are able to contribute adequately as-is unless you really need the higher stats or possible additional weapon that comes with the promotion; prioritize people who really need the boost first.

Of course, generally-speaking, you can't really go wrong promoting magic-users, since you either gain another healer or another magical attacker, depending on who's promoting. Lucius especially, if you're using him, would be a great candidate for promotion, since his instant C rank in Staves means he benefits quite a bit from it.

[FailX]

I'd say when the game starts throwing quite a bit of promoted enemies during mission is when you're gonna need to promote at least a few of yours.