How hard is the game without using Rutger and Dieck?

[Harvey]

Ok I know that its possible to beat the game with 0% growths and all and this isn't me bashing on FE6 and all...just a question that's popping on my head. Just how hard is the game without using either Rutger and Dieck?

 

[MisterIceTeaPeach]

If you play on normal, it's not hard because Rutger hasn't HM boosts so he's not as OP as he is in HM.

As for HM the problem is that all your other sword users will have lower skill => lower accuracy against the bosses.
Roy with the armorslayer / rapier and supports can work against the knight bosses in chapter 7 and 8... but unlike Rutger he requires way more attempts.
Henning is beatable if he has the hand axe equipped with any sword paladin and a very well trained Lugh / Lilina. If Roy has a bit strength at least, he can help a little bit too.

The main problem is beating chapter 7 without them because you need tanky a / o dodgy units, and Dieck and Rutger belong to the better ones.

[Magical Glace]

I go without Dieck all the time because I never cared for him, Rutger I'm not sure about, since he's one of the few FE6 earlygame dudes who can reliably hit stuff.  Allen and Lance can probably handle things after a few levels of bias but I don't think they can really compare with HM base Rutger for quite some time.  

[Shin]

In Normal Mode, the game's pretty manageable. Your cavaliers generally get up to scratch fairly quickly and Marcus can do the hard work. In Hard Mode, a lot of your units aren't particularly effective during the early game or are even detrimental in the case of Roy, Wolt and perhaps the axe dudes. Rutger really helps with the ultra dodgy axe bosses early on as well as Leygance and Henning. Beyond that, he's less clutch but Rutger and the paladins, along with Dieck to some extent, pretty much carry the early game.

[Refa]

It's not advisable on HM.  Even if you're not planning on permanently using either (although really, you have to invest a decent amount into Rutger so he can kill the bosses more reliably and after that, why not just stick with him), they both make for some fantastic filler units (especially Dieck, who's great at feeding kills in my experience).

[Harvey]

3 hours ago, Shin said:

In Normal Mode, the game's pretty manageable.

.........yeah...I'm not so sure that this can be said for someone like me who's played the game on a blind playthrough. Then again, it can be beaten with 0% growths....

I just feel that Rutger is pretty much a handholding option to those having troubles raising units and killing bosses since FE6 RNG is problematic most of the time(I'm talking about interms of hit rate). Pros may be able to beat the entire game without both of them but even then, since money is also needed by a ton in this game, Rutger can easily make money for you once he becomes promoted.

 

[Xanaxian]

On NM I actually prefer using Oujay over Dieck. Rutger is a little harder for me to shake off because I like him more as a character and as a unit, but if you're willing to put in the effort to train Fir, she makes a serviceable swordmaster as well.

On HM, yeah, I highly recommend using Dieck and Rutger. 

[grandjackal]

On HM, not using Deick makes earlygame a pain in the ass, but he's not so good or important that he's irreplaceable. Just pretty good. 

Rutger on the other hand? He's basically your only real bosskiller for a long while. Not using him is a legitimate pain in the ass. 

[Irysa]

On HM you at least can eventually train Fir (who should be able to kill Gelero and beyond with enough investment), but the hardest part of the game gets way harder. You'd basically be forced into heavily focusing on Marcus's Sword Rank so he can use Rutger's Killing Edge ASAP (assuming you recruit him but just dont use him), and you'd probably want to try to get his Roy support online before Dory (15 turns next to/carrying Roy for a C, 20 for the other two Cavs and Wolt).

Once you promote Alance they can take over that role but when it comes to Henning every Paladin is going to just be gumming him with the Killing Edge and Light Brand praying for some hits and crits.

Edited April 27, 2017 by Irysa

[Harvey]

15 hours ago, Irysa said:

On HM you at least can eventually train Fir (who should be able to kill Gelero and beyond with enough investment), but the hardest part of the game gets way harder. You'd basically be forced into heavily focusing on Marcus's Sword Rank so he can use Rutger's Killing Edge ASAP (assuming you recruit him but just dont use him), and you'd probably want to try to get his Roy support online before Dory (15 turns next to/carrying Roy for a C, 20 for the other two Cavs and Wolt).

Once you promote Alance they can take over that role but when it comes to Henning every Paladin is going to just be gumming him with the Killing Edge and Light Brand praying for some hits and crits.

 

umm....what about normal?

Ok so based on the posts, is it safe to say or to state a rule that without Rutger, the game's nearly impossible?

If not, then have any one of you guys never used him throughtout your entire playthrough?

 

 

[Irysa]

35 minutes ago, Harvey said:

umm....what about normal?

On normal you won't really miss either of them because the Paladins have good enough stats to manage the bosses.

36 minutes ago, Harvey said:

Ok so based on the posts, is it safe to say or to state a rule that without Rutger, the game's nearly impossible?

If not, then have any one of you guys never used him throughtout your entire playthrough?

Definitely not. I've done a playthrough without Rutger on HM. I did have Dieck but it should still all be doable without him if you sink enough EXP into the other units.

[Shin]

I've done a chumps run in HM, using the less than stellar members of the cast. You can survive without Rutger, but it's by no means easy.