[Maniac] Let's Play Fire Emblem: Path of Radiance

[Interdimensional Observer]

RIP Gatrie- you died loveless, but will certainly not be forgotten due to your early contributions. May your grave be well decorated.

After every prior chapter with hordes of enemies, this one does seem pretty light. A fair contrast between Maniac and Hard difficulties indeed. Maybe they should have added more Ferals. That said, I like that the boss and the Ferals actually move, they're so pathetically easy on every other difficulty (save the near death moving of the boss).

I guess the fog and not overly defensive nature of this map (though you could still choke it no problem), plus its small size, all explain why they didn't overload the map.

Would have been interesting if you had used Lethe or Mordecai. They get convos with the Ferals and you actually get to see a generic Feral Laguz portrait, which doesn't feature anywhere else I think. 

The next chapter is a pain for perfectionists. Getting Stefan, all the treasures, and maximum BEXP basically requires rigging. It also begins the true dominance of fliers.

On the mage thing- Soren is very likely to come close to D Wind by C7's end, and Ilyana already has a D Thunder, so if I want to build WEXP unpromoted, I just stick to those. Getting beyond a C in any magic isn't really needed anyway; forges will suffice if you need more power (a max forged anima tome will have only 1 less might than their respective A tome).

[BrightBow]

15 minutes ago, Interdimensional Observer said:

The next chapter is a pain for perfectionists. Getting Stefan, all the treasures, and maximum BEXP basically requires rigging. It also begins the true dominance of fliers.

Not to mention all those blue Laguz Stones that enemies carry in that chapter (I wonder if that's specifically a Maniac Mode thing or just a general JPN version thing). In my case I decided to just ignore the BEXP and tried to snatch as many of them as possible.

Edited May 14, 2017 by BrightBow

[Deltre]

This was definitely not a perfectionist clear of Chapter 15. Like I said in the video and as I'm sure a lot of you know, the only way to get max Bonus Experience for this map is to spare all the Laguz on the entire map bar Muriam. I didn't do that. At all. Unfortunately, I forgot the Boots which I have a very great need for, so I'm redoing this one anyways. I'll probably do the Soren/Stefan conversation in that case, since I haven't seen it. It's not a recruitment, but I've heard it's interesting.

 

[BrightBow]

You were actually right. Stefan is indeed different in the American version. Because Swordmasters get +15 critical in the international release, so he is actually even better there.

And yeah, Thieves get a huge boost on their probability to find hidden items but there is no guarantee.

And you can cycle through your units with the X button on the Gamecube controller. On a related note, there is also a soft-reset feature by holding Start + X + B.

It took you a while to notice the Laguz Stones. There are tons of them on this map. Seems like just about everyone who does not transform at the first turn carries one. They are single-use, so it's rather tricky to get them. Unfortunately I do not know how close you can get for them without triggering them using it. But I did notice that those Laguz get triggered by units even beyond their movement range, so I ended up getting most of my stones by waiting until they would transform naturally.

I love how the game keeps to immediately address the questions you are pondering. I also love the Sigrun info conversations here. It is a great blend of tutorial, character development and world building.

 

 

Edited May 18, 2017 by BrightBow

[Deltre]

Wow, it's been almost a month since I last updated this! Summer definitely took a bit of a toll on this playthrough, and Echoes certainly didn't help, but I finally sat down and had a chance to record some more of this.

Chapter 16 is certainly a lot more dense with enemies than I remember. Haven't completed it yet, but I really like the changes that I'm seeing on this one; the Thief spawn is kind of brutal here. Not to mention Oliver gets some more screentime which is always nice. 

On 5/18/2017 at 4:01 PM, BrightBow said:

And you can cycle through your units with the X button on the Gamecube controller. On a related note, there is also a soft-reset feature by holding Start + X + B.

I love how the game keeps to immediately address the questions you are pondering. I also love the Sigrun info conversations here. It is a great blend of tutorial, character development and world building.

I have no idea how I missed that for so long, but thanks a million for pointing that out haha. I also really like how the game goes out of its way to address questions that the player has as they come up for the most part. It shows a surprising amount of understanding to what kind of things a person might be thinking as they go through the story, right down to the finer details, which is honestly shocking to me looking back on it. It's really hard to say that the writing in Path of Radiance isn't as good as people give it credit for because of all the small instances like that. 

[Deltre]

And the rest of Chapter 16:

Next up is Chapter 17. Hoo boy

[BrightBow]

Remember me saying on the first page that bosses keep their hard mode stats with one exception? Yep, that sole exception is Oliver. For example he now has 19 magic while only having 9 on Hard and below. It's a shame but there will be no more surprises like this.

No idea why only he got buffed. But considering that as a lv 2 Bishop he is the boss with the lowest level since chapter 8, I think they made him deliberately weak on the lower difficulties, kinda like how TRS did it when fighting nobles as bosses. So maybe for Maniac they wanted to compensate for that.

But that can't possibly be the only reason. If it was merely a matter of wanting to elevate Oliver to the level of the other bosses, then the Sage boss in the very next map would not be far weaker then Maniac Oliver.

 

Edit: Too bad you didn't see Oliver's battle model. It's a deformed version of the generic Bishop. It looks utterly hilarious. No wonder Ike calls him a massive gasbag.

I'm pretty sure that having any of the NPCs die here won't prevent them from getting recruited later. Unfortunately the same isn't true for Mordecai and Lethe in chapter 9.

Fun fact: You can look at Leanne's stats on this map. Since Ike carries her you can't select her directly but once Tibarn's crew show up you can simply select them and then cycle through the rest of the NPCs on the map, which includes Leanne.

"...I'm...sorry...I am ignorant as to what words of contrition will be appropriate to one of the heron tribe. Yet I stand before you as a representative of my people... From the depths of my heart I apologize to you... I am sorry... So truly sorry..."

I suppose Sanaki's approach wasn't too bad. But instead of apologizing for the crimes of her people, she should have told the herons to let go of their hatred and throw herself of a cliff. Oh well, she is only like 12. So she might still grow up to be a true champion of peace. Besides, there probably wasn't a good cliff around anyway.
 

Edited June 20, 2017 by BrightBow

[Interdimensional Observer]

On 6/19/2017 at 1:58 PM, BrightBow said:

I suppose Sanaki's approach wasn't too bad. But instead of apologizing for the crimes of her people, she should have told the herons to let go of their hatred and throw herself of a cliff. Oh well, she is only like 12. So she might still grow up to be a true champion of peace. Besides, there probably wasn't a good cliff around anyway.

She could've volunteered to drown herself instead, her heavy clothing would surely make her sink like a blue whale carcass.

 

More relevant to this topic, I checked my old game guide, and yeah Chapter 16 is hideously thin on enemies on the lower difficulties. The first stretch is all but empty and does little but give the mounties an edge over everyone else. Devdan is all by his lonesome- it's only near the boss that there is any density at all. Maniac does a lot for this chapter.

Though the thieves are too quick to spawn indeed. Below Maniac, I recall being able with a high movement team to get Devdan just as the first thief spawns, so while I still had some leeway on getting all the treasure, this map certainly isn't overly forgiving in this regard.

 

Be sure to load up on weapons for C17- you surely don't want to run out.

 

On 6/19/2017 at 1:58 PM, BrightBow said:

Fun fact: You can look at Leanne's stats on this map. Since Ike carries her you can't select her directly but once Tibarn's crew show up you can simply select them and then cycle through the rest of the NPCs on the map, which includes Leanne.

 

Actually, I think you can just look at Ike's data to see how he's rescuing and then click on Leanne's name to view her stats. I think you could do this in the GBA games too.

[BrightBow]

Geez, didn't Titania already get a perfect levelup somewhere in the last two chapters? I know she is amazing but good god.

Btw Deltre, if you are still following this topic, what skills do you plan to give to Ike? From what I understand you don't want to give him Aether. If it's Resolve, Resolve would only be available at the very end of the game.

Also, you seem to be lacking in Vulneraries surprisingly often. I mean every character got 4 item slots, so there should be little reason not to carry a whole bunch of them.

 

I love that subtle characterization for Naesala here. Having him emphasize to his subordinate to make sure that none of the Kilvas will report to Petrine is a nice way of showing you that he looks out for his men without beating you over the head with it.

Meanwhile the plot had Soren act like a bit of an idiot here. Confronting a suspect by yourself is not a good idea. He even confirmed to Nasir that he hadn't actually told Ike about his suspicions yet. That boy is lucky that he is still breathing.

 

 

[Deltre]

On 6/19/2017 at 1:58 PM, BrightBow said:

Remember me saying on the first page that bosses keep their hard mode stats with one exception? Yep, that sole exception is Oliver. For example he now has 19 magic while only having 9 on Hard and below. It's a shame but there will be no more surprises like this.

No idea why only he got buffed. But considering that as a lv 2 Bishop he is the boss with the lowest level since chapter 8, I think they made him deliberately weak on the lower difficulties, kinda like how TRS did it when fighting nobles as bosses. So maybe for Maniac they wanted to compensate for that.

But that can't possibly be the only reason. If it was merely a matter of wanting to elevate Oliver to the level of the other bosses, then the Sage boss in the very next map would not be far weaker then Maniac Oliver.

 

Edit: Too bad you didn't see Oliver's battle model. It's a deformed version of the generic Bishop. It looks utterly hilarious. No wonder Ike calls him a massive gasbag.

I'm pretty sure that having any of the NPCs die here won't prevent them from getting recruited later. Unfortunately the same isn't true for Mordecai and Lethe in chapter 9.

Fun fact: You can look at Leanne's stats on this map. Since Ike carries her you can't select her directly but once Tibarn's crew show up you can simply select them and then cycle through the rest of the NPCs on the map, which includes Leanne.

"...I'm...sorry...I am ignorant as to what words of contrition will be appropriate to one of the heron tribe. Yet I stand before you as a representative of my people... From the depths of my heart I apologize to you... I am sorry... So truly sorry..."

I suppose Sanaki's approach wasn't too bad. But instead of apologizing for the crimes of her people, she should have told the herons to let go of their hatred and throw herself of a cliff. Oh well, she is only like 12. So she might still grow up to be a true champion of peace. Besides, there probably wasn't a good cliff around anyway.
 

That's a really interesting point about Oliver. It would make a lot of sense from a story point of view for him to be less capable at fighting than some of his underlings. I guess he was just beefed up in Maniac to make him sort of threatening, or at least he would be, if Tibarn didn't make a beeline for him haha. It's kind of poetic in a way. 

It is kind of strange to me how the last few bosses have been increasingly more pathetic, with the lone exception of Shiharam. I have to wonder what they were thinking with Homasa especially, given that his map is an Assassination mission. You'd think he'd be scary being a Swordmaster and all, but nah. 

LOL about Sanaki. There are never any good cliffs around when you truly need them. 

I am going to give Ike Wrath/Resolve, yes, if he ever wants to get defense. Kind of regretting not giving him Aether, not gonna lie. That one fight later on is going to be interesting for sure. Especially since I recently remembered you can't use Resolve until after the fight. 

Never really noticed how crazy Soren would have to be to confront the traitor like that. Especially given everything we know about him. It's kind of out of character, even. Normally, you'd think he'd have at least mentioned his suspicions to Ike or something, so that confronting him wouldn't be so dangerous. 

On 6/23/2017 at 3:17 PM, Interdimensional Observer said:

She could've volunteered to drown herself instead, her heavy clothing would surely make her sink like a blue whale carcass.

 

More relevant to this topic, I checked my old game guide, and yeah Chapter 16 is hideously thin on enemies on the lower difficulties. The first stretch is all but empty and does little but give the mounties an edge over everyone else. Devdan is all by his lonesome- it's only near the boss that there is any density at all. Maniac does a lot for this chapter.

Though the thieves are too quick to spawn indeed. Below Maniac, I recall being able with a high movement team to get Devdan just as the first thief spawns, so while I still had some leeway on getting all the treasure, this map certainly isn't overly forgiving in this regard.

 

Be sure to load up on weapons for C17- you surely don't want to run out.

 

Actually, I think you can just look at Ike's data to see how he's rescuing and then click on Leanne's name to view her stats. I think you could do this in the GBA games too.

I had no idea that Leanne had stats. She's even arguably better than Reyson. You learn something new every day I guess! 

In hindsight, I think that Chapter 16 is actually fine. A bit crazy, and you'd almost never see it coming the first time, but I guess the game kind of expects you to use optimal strategies on the difficulty called maniac, and I think that's fair. It's true that you still need to use mounts to get it done, but at least the way you have to use them here is pretty creative, especially since you have to get Devdan too, and none of your mounts can recruit him bar a promoted Mist I guess. It gives you a reason to use Tormod right away if nothing else, which is pretty cool.

 

So being that I haven't updated this thread in a while, I just added the full playlist and individual chapters to the OP. I'd hate to drop this thread given all the interesting trivia and experiences everyone has been sharing, so check out the OP if you've missed some of the updates that I've put on my channel. I will actually remember to keep up on this from now on haha.

This is the latest update, Chapter 20, in which I am a terrible human being and make Jill confront her Father issues head on. And boy, do I legitimately feel like scum. 

Edited July 20, 2017 by Deltre

[BrightBow]

It surprised me to see you get one of the convos between Jill and the generic Wyvern Knights. On my run I wasn't able to trigger any of them, so I assumed they were not actually accessible in the Japanese version. Maybe only specific Wyvern Riders trigger them. There are a whole bunch of those convos after all.

Btw, the second half of Mist and Jill's A Support is a little different if you wait until after this chapter to trigger it.

Edited July 21, 2017 by BrightBow

[Shadow Mir]

53 minutes ago, BrightBow said:

It surprised me to see you get one of the convos between Jill and the generic Wyvern Knights. On my run I wasn't able to trigger any of them, so I assumed they were not actually accessible in the Japanese version. Maybe only specific Wyvern Riders trigger them. There are a whole bunch of those convos after all.

Btw, the second half of Mist and Jill's A Support is a little different if you wait until after this chapter to trigger it.

Wait, those were a thing? Not that I'd know, because Jill's failed me. Repeatedly, at that. And it gave rise to my refusal to use her ever again.

[Deltre]

I've beaten this game at least three times, and I honestly had no idea that Jill had any conversations with the generics on this map, let alone multiple. I looked it up, and sure enough, there's at least one more conversation that I could have gotten here, but nowhere I've found seems to really know how to trigger it reliably. They really went all out on the little details for this game!

Spoiler

Daein Soldier
Lady Jill, is that you? What are you doing with the Crimeans?

Jill
I'm sorry... I've chosen the path that's right for me.

Daein Soldier
Pah! You would betray your own father?

Jill
...

Daein Soldier
You...traitor!

Jill
...

There's the other conversation, for completions sake.

[BrightBow]

On 23.7.2017 at 7:01 AM, Deltre said:

I've beaten this game at least three times, and I honestly had no idea that Jill had any conversations with the generics on this map, let alone multiple. I looked it up, and sure enough, there's at least one more conversation that I could have gotten here, but nowhere I've found seems to really know how to trigger it reliably. They really went all out on the little details for this game!

  Hide contents

Daein Soldier
Lady Jill, is that you? What are you doing with the Crimeans?

Jill
I'm sorry... I've chosen the path that's right for me.

Daein Soldier
Pah! You would betray your own father?

Jill
...

Daein Soldier
You...traitor!

Jill
...

There's the other conversation, for completions sake.

Just for clarification, those are three different conversations.

[Deltre]

Man, I had a hell of a time getting this part uploaded for some reason. This would have been up sooner but I had to re-upload twice, and with my internet being garbage, things took a while longer than intended. Anyways, Part 25

Call me crazy, but I really like this map for the most part. Reasonably challenging, but it doesn't really enter that BS territory IMO. I elaborate more on that in the next part (which hopefully doesn't fail to upload twice), but overall I think this map is enjoyable.

Also, for you guys who know the story better than I, is there ANY reason at all that 

Spoiler

Soren never mentions that Nasir is the traitor to Ike, or anyone?

I've been racking my brain about that one, and the only thing I can come up with is that there's no proof. But given the people we're talking about here, it's so strange to me that this never really gets answered as far as I remember. It's kind of a weak point in an otherwise solidly written story tbh, but it's not really a big deal in the grand scheme of things. Just strange, really. 

[BrightBow]

1 hour ago, Deltre said:

Also, for you guys who know the story better than I, is there ANY reason at all that 

  Reveal hidden contents

Soren never mentions that Nasir is the traitor to Ike, or anyone?

I've been racking my brain about that one, and the only thing I can come up with is that there's no proof. But given the people we're talking about here, it's so strange to me that this never really gets answered as far as I remember. It's kind of a weak point in an otherwise solidly written story tbh, but it's not really a big deal in the grand scheme of things. Just strange, really. 

Because back when Soren pressed Nasir about his suspicions, Nasir implied that he knows that Soren is a Branded... in other words he blackmailed him into staying quiet.

From back in Chapter 18:

Nasir: I don't have to explain myself to you.
Soren: That's true only until I reveal your purpose to Ike.
Nasir: Everyone has a secret or two that he wants to bury somewhere deep. Including you...Soren.
Soren: ...I don't know what you mean.
Nasir: Oh, I trust that we understand each other.

You can see in the IkexSoren A support that Soren is utterly terrified of the possibility that Ike would find out about this:

Soren: I don’t have any friends, Ike! I don’t have anyone else! If I tell you and you turn on me… I… I… I don’t think I can survive it.

Of course in the same support Soren does reveal his secret to Ike. But it's impossible to get that A support before clearing the chapter where Ike learns that Nasir is a traitor.

Edited July 31, 2017 by BrightBow

[Deltre]

I guess it's true that Nasir has some dirt on Soren, but I still find it a little strange that he didn't do anything even when it became increasingly obvious that someone was warning Daein of their every move. Especially when they get to the capital. Soren doesn't have proof on Nasir, but Nasir doesn't exactly have proof either, and realistically it's not like Stefan or any of the Laguz would corroborate Nasir if they knew he was the traitor. Still, yeah, I kinda see where Soren is coming from after all. Thanks for clearing that up.

Anyways, Chapter 21 goes down without a hitch this time. This map actually makes pretty good use of Sleep Staves and Siege tomes without going overboard on a player that is trying to get all the treasure. There are some jerk moves, like hiding a siege tome behind a door (seriously game, why?), but in general the way this map is designed promotes strategy pretty well. It's probably a bit more frustrating if you're trying to LTC or something, but that comes with the territory. The only thing I didn't understand was the fact that another Thief spawns on like Turn 19, as if the map isn't already over. 

[Deltre]

Not a whole lot of gameplay this time, but plenty of story! I really didn't care for Chapter 22 on Maniac at all, I won't lie. Promoting most of the Priests into Bishops was a terrible move for a map with a gimmick like this. Fortunately, Tormod, Calil, and Soren bail me out. 

[BrightBow]

Ha, it's basically like back in Chapter 24x of Binding Blade randomized.

On my Maniac Mode run I did this chapter the hard way. Didn't end up too well though. The enemy thieves beat me to some of the treasure and I accidentally killed 1 or 2 of the priests. But that way I actually got a little use out of the Statue Fragment.  I gave it too Mia so she could do some pushing. Of course that's just one more reason why using Mia just isn't worth using.

Btw, if you hadn't recruited Reyson there would have been an additional scene where the group finds him outside the temple, the justification for his presence being that he picked up a strong thought. A pretty weak explanation, especially considering that he shows up without an escort. Makes me wonder why rejecting him is even an option, if all it does is to force the writers to come up with dumb explanations to have him join the group anyway.

The bridge chapter is indeed in Radiant Dawn too but it's a lot more bearable in that game. The locations of the pitfalls in PoR are pretty random compared to Radiant Dawn where they are mostly in places where it makes sense to put a trap. Gotta say though, digging holes into stone bridges seems like a pretty ridiculous concept to me.

A little tip for the map: Since fliers don't trigger the traps you can temporarily disable the pitfalls by parking a flier on that tile. As long as a flier occupies that space, everyone can safely move over it.

Anyway, at least the map is beautiful to look at. The bridge is high up in the air and the 3D graphics really gives it a nice sense of scale.

 

Edited August 7, 2017 by BrightBow

[Deltre]

On 8/7/2017 at 7:14 PM, BrightBow said:

Btw, if you hadn't recruited Reyson there would have been an additional scene where the group finds him outside the temple, the justification for his presence being that he picked up a strong thought. A pretty weak explanation, especially considering that he shows up without an escort. Makes me wonder why rejecting him is even an option, if all it does is to force the writers to come up with dumb explanations to have him join the group anyway.

That's pretty interesting. I honestly had no idea about that, considering that I never refuse Reyson since there's absolutely no reason not to take him. I guess they had to explain why exactly Ashnard wants the medallion somehow!

Spoiler

 

Spoiler

 

Chapter 23 is complete! Had to split this one into two parts since I left the animations on there's a fair bit of thought that needed to go into this one. Of course, none of that thought matters when you run head first into a trap the second you try to execute. I'm sure most of us who have played this game know the deal with this map, but I will say that it's a special kind of frustrating to go back and do this one years later without any map or guide to tell you where all the pitfalls are.

I really wish there were some kind of visual cue or something, because if not for the seemingly random placement, or if you just open up a map, this level isn't really all that bad. I think it would be pretty good with that one small fix, actually. Just, you know, pitfalls.

[BrightBow]

The green guys don't actually die all that quickly. Most enemies will wait a few turns before charging towards the castle. Heck, on my run I didn't even engage the troops in the east at all and took the bridge to the north and I still ended up arriving before the boss reached the castle. And I got even pinned down at the starting location for several turns.

Although the outcome was definitely too close for comfort, not gonna lie. And I did a ton of resets on the BEXP screen, so my units were pretty damn strong.

I haven't actually played past this map so far. I wasn't particularly eager to tackle the boulder map, because of how obnoxious those rocks are. You would think rocks would all follow the same rules but instead they roll in whatever way they feel like. And since then, Botw came out, Echoes came out, etc... it kinda feel on the wayside.

 

Btw, in Radiant Dawn Corrosion is actually fairly powerful as far as randomly activated skills go. If it triggers, it reduces the uses of an enemy's weapon based on the users level. Seeing how there are 3 class tiers in that game, this will destroy an enemies' weapon in most situations.

Parity was also changed into a command skill. It still has very limited use but at least it never actively handicaps the user.

 

Edit: By fighting the Black Knight during the map you actually skipped a scene that has Ike leave the castle to confront the Black Knight. That scene leads to the same conversation that you saw here, so the only new part is this brief exchange at the beginning:

Ike: Why appear now? Do you mean to tell me you purposely waited until the battle was over?
Black Knight: Hmph. I know how your mind works. I assumed you would attack the moment you saw me. But perhaps you've learned to judge the importance of time and place.
Ike: To a mercenary, nothing's more important than the contract between him and his employer.
Black Knight: Shall we call off our contest then? When you die here, you'll be in breach of contract after all.
Ike: That's not a problem. All I have to do is win... Ready yourself!
Black Knight: Hmph.

 

Edited August 16, 2017 by BrightBow

[Deltre]

On 8/15/2017 at 4:27 PM, BrightBow said:

I haven't actually played past this map so far. I wasn't particularly eager to tackle the boulder map, because of how obnoxious those rocks are. You would think rocks would all follow the same rules but instead they roll in whatever way they feel like. And since then, Botw came out, Echoes came out, etc... it kinda feel on the wayside.

I just completed that map, and I can confidently say that you made the right choice. Definitely did not enjoy C25.

But that's for another time! Here is C24, in which the game finally starts to get on my nerves, but I'm willing to admit that some of that is maybe my own fault. Still, the design choices in this last arc strike me as kind of weird. At least from the perspective of Maniac mode where enemies are stronger, there are more of them, you get less EXP per fight, no BEXP clear bonus, and HALF the BEXP you'd get on Normal/Hard.

Spoiler

 

Spoiler

 

 

[BrightBow]

I don't think you ever had a Brave Bow. In the international version the Brave Bow is dropped by Shinon. But in the Japanese version (or maybe only in Maniac) Shinon's Brave Bow doesn't actually drop. And he doesn't have it equipped when he joins either. So I don't think there is a way to get the Brave Bow in this version at all.

And just in case you are not aware of this, the critical bonus of Snipers, Swordmasters and Berserkers has nothing to do with Maniac mode. It's simply something that was only added in the international version.

 

Let's hope this map is as bad as it gets. I see no reason why the remaining maps should be any worse but since this is as far as my run got I can't exactly guarantee it.

[Interdimensional Observer]

On 8/7/2017 at 7:14 PM, BrightBow said:

Btw, if you hadn't recruited Reyson there would have been an additional scene where the group finds him outside the temple, the justification for his presence being that he picked up a strong thought. A pretty weak explanation, especially considering that he shows up without an escort. Makes me wonder why rejecting him is even an option, if all it does is to force the writers to come up with dumb explanations to have him join the group anyway.

Yeah that was a stupid move, and the only reward you get out of it, not that you're told in advance, is a Renewal scroll- which equates at 10% of Max HP restored per turn to at most 6 (well 8 with Nasir). What do you lose? The lone refresher, two second rate fliers, your chance at the Knight Ring, and now barring a blitz kill on Homasa you have to fight Naesala- which like C3 Eldigan (the Knight Ring made me think of him) is not a foe you want to fight, at all. Can you kill him? Sure! But it won't be pretty, and if you're an average player who doesn't do something like a Marcia BEXP dump, it'll be downright ugly.

 

The turn 19 thief in 21 is the only thief to appear on difficulties below Maniac, so that's why it's there, but it was still a terrible idea. My problem with map is Kasatai is terribly weak and can be easily circumnavigated.

I think assassinating Schaeffer in C22 was a wise move. The treasure consists of a Silver Bow, Tomahawk, Nosferatu, Sleep, Bolganone, and Spirit Dust- nothing invaluable. There is no way I could put up with the extra Bishops.

The Oribes/Riven Bridge appears to be the sole point of connection between Daein and Crimea, and that plus the fact the bridge isn't that deep makes the pitfalls seem like a terrible idea. I never took the approach you did to this map of moving everyone forward, I generally left a small group at the starting zone to intercept the flankers.

So many promoted enemies on C24! Even your Marcia had a challenge surviving (were it not for some dodges). Geoffrey's willing sacrifice made very little sense looking at the map on the lower difficulties, but on Maniac I could see myself going "maybe Ike should listen to Lucia and Bastian- what does Finn 2.0 contribute really?". 

The boulders will be ugh, but I find the reduced movement more of a chore on the mountain map. No other FE puts you through that I think.

[Deltre]

You're actually right about the Brave Bow, I'm fairly sure. Meaning that it's almost kind of a detriment to re-recruit Shinon, since let's be honest, the Brave Bow is better than him.

I'm aware that the absence of a crit bonus isn't because of Maniac Mode strictly speaking. I can't remember what exactly I said verbatim, but I imagine that I was thinking that Maniac = JP version = no crit bonus.

Here's the boulder pushing simulator. I didn't really care for this map at all, honestly. In fact, I believe that this is likely the worst map in the game, and is definitely worse than the Great Bridge (which I actually kind of like if you're willing to look up the location of the pitfalls). The short version is that there are Siege Tomes everywhere, and the main gimmick (the boulders) lack transparency at times, which can be pretty frustrating. Combine that with terrain that punishes your long-term unit choices (hope you've been using foot soldiers! Oh, but not Generals), and you've got a pretty weak map that hinders most aggressive play, without a healthy dose of RNG in your favor anyways.

Quote

Yeah that was a stupid move, and the only reward you get out of it, not that you're told in advance, is a Renewal scroll- which equates at 10% of Max HP restored per turn to at most 6 (well 8 with Nasir). What do you lose? The lone refresher, two second rate fliers, your chance at the Knight Ring, and now barring a blitz kill on Homasa you have to fight Naesala- which like C3 Eldigan (the Knight Ring made me think of him) is not a foe you want to fight, at all. Can you kill him? Sure! But it won't be pretty, and if you're an average player who doesn't do something like a Marcia BEXP dump, it'll be downright ugly.

 

The turn 19 thief in 21 is the only thief to appear on difficulties below Maniac, so that's why it's there, but it was still a terrible idea. My problem with map is Kasatai is terribly weak and can be easily circumnavigated.

I think assassinating Schaeffer in C22 was a wise move. The treasure consists of a Silver Bow, Tomahawk, Nosferatu, Sleep, Bolganone, and Spirit Dust- nothing invaluable. There is no way I could put up with the extra Bishops.

The Oribes/Riven Bridge appears to be the sole point of connection between Daein and Crimea, and that plus the fact the bridge isn't that deep makes the pitfalls seem like a terrible idea. I never took the approach you did to this map of moving everyone forward, I generally left a small group at the starting zone to intercept the flankers.

So many promoted enemies on C24! Even your Marcia had a challenge surviving (were it not for some dodges). Geoffrey's willing sacrifice made very little sense looking at the map on the lower difficulties, but on Maniac I could see myself going "maybe Ike should listen to Lucia and Bastian- what does Finn 2.0 contribute really?". 

The boulders will be ugh, but I find the reduced movement more of a chore on the mountain map. No other FE puts you through that I think.

I agree completely about Kasatai, the generic Generals that surround him are all much, much scarier disregarding the fact that he has Wrath I guess. The tuning on bosses is pretty questionable sometimes, but I think that he's the last boss to really make me go WTF. 

C22 was pretty silly, yeah. There was really no need to make almost every Priest into a Bishop. It really hurts the gimmick in all honesty, and kind of promotes a Siege skip for anyone who wants the best reward.

I probably didn't have to do what I did on C24, as was pointed out. Geoffrey actually will hold out for a bit longer than I gave him credit for, I just have this irrational fear that all Green Units will die unless I directly interfere. Years of Fire Emblem will do that to a man. I agree that there's a lot of units on that map though. Wait until you see C26!

Edited August 23, 2017 by Deltre