Improve your least favorite character.

[Ottservia]

4 minutes ago, CyberController said:

And Xander takes that as an opportunity to teach her some morals.

precisely

[DragonFlames]

Xander
Have him be an unrecruitable enemy character. Don't portray him as a hero and don't try to redeem him.

Ryoma
Make him less of a war-monger that just abandons his de-stabilized kingdom to fight a war for someone else. Also make him more intelligent.

Azura
Make her the main villain of the game who has actually been manipulating Corrin to work for her.

 

Kind of like Airy in Bravely Default.

Alternatively, remove her from the game entirely.

Takumi
Let him have his insecurities, but have him be less of an a-hole about it. No matter what kind of problems you have, they are never a justification for being a shitty person / treating others like crap.

 

Edited March 24, 2018 by DragonFlames

[CyberController]

Fix Garon: Don't have him be so obviously evil. Maybe make him actually care about his children, for example. Maybe he's shown to be a tragic villain corrupted over time.

 

Fix Validar: Give him an actual reason for his deeds. I can't think of a good reason why he'd willingly aid a dragon he knows will destroy everything, including him.

[Poimagic]

Peri: Have characters chastise her for her actions, cause being bloody thirsty murderer is not okay

Tharja: Have her have a reason for stalking Robin

[Nanima]

Soleil: Unsure of how to fix it without creating an entirely new character (since she was based on the "Schoolgirl Lesbian" trope). Like have her actually be attracted to girls (in a non-obsessive fashion) and have her be a lot more respectful of them. She could still mess up or be clumsy about it at times but not to the point of chasing girls down the halls or groping them. Have her be a slightly more successful version of her dad, due to actually girls well and not coming on as strong. Also either get rid of her marrying guys entirely, or treat it as an equal option to girls instead of "settling" or a maturing point after "getting over girls" (which she could then also S-support).

Corrin: Not being the avatar for starters. Not having everyone fall over to accomodate them another. 

Makalov: Just.. have him actually grow as a person over the games. That way Astrid falling for him wouldn't be  as terrible.

Oliver: Um... Not have him give off the vibes of a sexual predator?

Berkut: I wouldn't change much per se other than giving Alm more trouble initially and not getting easily owned in all their battles. Oh, and have the game aknowledge that his relationship with Rinea is unbalanced/he is more focused on what he thinks is right for her than what she wants. And then don't have her come back as a reward after getting slain, plus have him express actual regret.

Faye: Actually give her a character outside of Alm and develop her relationship with the other Ram kids.

Edited April 21, 2018 by Nanima

[Cute Chao]

Est  - Have her not be kidnapped/distressed in every iteration. Let her not hog all the support conversations in the games in which she has them (she gets four, I believe, in both Echoes and NMotE while Cain and Abel don't even get to support... doesn't help me liking her even though I know it's not her fault... logically if not emotionally). Show her maturing somewhat in her conversations or, if you keep her as insecure, change Abel's ending so he doesn't spend the rest of his life looking for her - have some resolution there at least.

Ike - I feel like we only should have any focus on him in the last part of the game and just heard about him as background before then as the enemy / ally. Spotlight should have remained on Elincia and Micaiah, honestly, but have him come in for Part 4 with his mercs as a final join up since he's had most of his character arc in PoR and only really needs the BK thing resolved. Let us pick who gets blessed, even if just out of the lords mentioned and don't shoehorn it in so that he has to land the final blow. Also don't make him randomly leave in one of the suckiest endings, which feels completely out of character for him.

Faye - Give her something, anything, that is hers and isn't about Alm. Maybe tone down the 'Alm is my everything' characterisation to a normal crush. Give her a support with another guy where she slowly realises she likes him or a better friendship support with a girl so that we can see another side to her that isn't just jealous and obsessive.

Camilla - Get rid of the thong armour and some of the creepy siblings vibes and otherwise, I actually quite like her. Many of her supports are hilarious because of the Corrin love.

Tharja/Rhajat - Just get rid of her.... We've got too many avater obsessives, and she has very few redeeming qualities, just putting curses on those she's meant to care about. I'm probably being overly harsh, especially since she's not even my least favourite character (see Est), but still...

Oliver - Have him die and stay dead in PoR. That being said, it does create one of the funniest RD lines... so maybe have him turn evil again in RD so we can kill him again.

Edited April 21, 2018 by Cute Chao

[henrymidfields]

Garon/Iago/Hans: Okay, I don't really hate them, because of just how so-bad-it's-downright-funny the story is, but add a lot more backstory of how Nohr is desparate with their food supply. Dial back some of their brutalness so that they're only being brutal by necessity. For Hans, see the earlier chapters of my current LP for inspiration. (For one, he's only being brutal when necessary.)

Elliwood: Maybe downplay him being emotional and idealistic, and have moments where Hector, Lyn and/or Marcus lecture him for doing so. Seriously, it makes me wonder how Eliwood's son managed to be okay in Binding Blade, considering the apparently higher stakes - unless if Eliwood x Lyn was canon, and Lyn was the one who raised Roy to be emotionally strong. Okay, Corrin's characteristic was worse, but at least it was worth a laugh at his epic fail. Here, it's just annoying, considering how much more serious the tone of the story is compared to Fates. Also not helping is how one of the better-characterised Lords is shafted by Eliwood.

Edited April 22, 2018 by henrymidfields

[CyberController]

Nowi: If she's meant to be like a child, make her wear more clothing instead of her current outfit. And don't allow anyone to S-support her. If she's meant to be like an adult, have her act more mature and change her body to represent that.

 

 

[Icelerate]

On 22/04/2018 at 2:32 AM, henrymidfields said:

Also not helping is how one of the better-characterised Lords is shafted by Eliwood.

How exactly does Eliwood shaft any other lord? 

[henrymidfields]

11 hours ago, Icelerate said:

How exactly does Eliwood shaft any other lord? 

Lyndis, who I think should have her story continued from the tutorial chapters, from her perspective.

[Etrurian emperor]

Clive: 

Clive can still be wrong more often then not since that's kinda the job of the Merlinus archtype but they should really remove the implication that he's being a scumbag about it. That he  tries getting rid of Alm only after Alm is done defeating Desaix and rescuing his wife for him gives the impression that Clive was just waiting until Alm's use ran out before trying to fire him which reflects incredibly poorly on this supposedly so honorable knight. Him not being the one who pushed Alm into being the leader might also make his problem a bit more justifiable rather than kinda pathetic. 

[Anacybele]

Camilla: Redesign her completely so she isn't walking around in practically a bra and panties with some armor over them. Make her boobs a bit smaller and more realistic looking. And give more focus to her backstory and how she was treated growing up rather than all the stupid ass-kissing she does for Corrin. Make her less blood-thirsty too. And make her care just as much for her other siblings as she does Corrin. She is WAY too obsessed with Corrin.

Tharja: Basically the same as Camilla, but replacing Corrin with Robin and minus the backstory part since...well, Tharja doesn't even really seem to have much of one. Give her a more interesting one. Also minus the boob thing, I guess, since Tharja's aren't as big.

Mia: Make her more than just "spar with me!" personality-wise. Also give her a more appealing design. She's not even cute or pretty at all with that hair and color scheme.

Lucina: Make her design less of a boring gender-bent Marth when her disguise is off. Give her some more personality in general. Her bad fashion sense is a good start, but not enough. Her VAing could be better too, though it has kinda been fixed with Alexis Tipton replacing Laura Bailey. The former did her better imo.

Chrom: Make him not another generic blue-haired sword prince. Also, if you're going to take some inspiration from Ike and/or Marth, make it actually...I dunno, interesting.

Lyn: Make her more than just the tutorial lord and give her more of a role than just being there for everything other than said tutorial. Also stop shoving her down our throats.

Micaiah: Expand her role so she isn't overshadowed by Ike and Yune later. Make her a bit more sympathetic to other nations instead of selfish about her own for no reason. Have her get called out more for her mistakes/flaws. Give the Daein people better reasons to worship her the way they do other than silver hair and good fortune telling.

Honestly, any female lord (save maybe for Celica) could pretty much do with an expanded role and NOT get overshadowed by the male lord(s).

Edited May 3, 2018 by Anacybele

[CyberController]

On 4/21/2018 at 11:32 PM, henrymidfields said:

Garon/Iago/Hans: Okay, I don't really hate them, because of just how so-bad-it's-downright-funny the story is, but add a lot more backstory of how Nohr is desparate with their food supply. Dial back some of their brutalness so that they're only being brutal by necessity. For Hans, see the earlier chapters of my current LP for inspiration. (For one, he's only being brutal when necessary.)

 

I think Iago needs more backstory too. I don't want him to be a goody two shoes, but I'd give him a reason to hate Corrin. Heck, in Conquest, even though the two are on the "same side", Iago seems to spend more time trying to get Corrin killed then actually fighting the Hoshidans.

[CyberController]

Lilith: Give her something to do aside from   crapping gold bars and dying. She’s Corrin’s half sister, but doesn’t have a big part in the plot, which is kind of a waste.

[Erureido]

Berkut: Show us how accomplished Berkut is as a Rigelian general. One of Berkut's problems is that we are only told Berkut is an accomplished general but it's never actually shown. I feel like there could've been a "meanwhile" scene that would depict Berkut leading an army while conquering a Zofian town or major fort. A scene like that would definitely help communicate Berkut's strength to the audience so that we can actually take him seriously. 

There also needs to be more scenes showing Berkut and Rinea as a loving couple. The only scene where we see the two having a genuinely nice interaction with each other is the Memory Prism showing how the two first met. Other than that, the game gives the impression that they are in an abusive relationship considering how most scenes featuring Berkut and Rinea together depict Berkut screaming and showing hostility toward her. To give the opposite impression, that Berkut really loves her, there needs to be more scenes with him showing that. Perhaps toning down his anger towards her in some scenes may be a god start.

I also read in the Valentian artbook that recently came out that Berkut was so timid as a child that he would cry just from being mounted on a horse, and that was what made his mother strict towards him. Why not have an additional Memory Prism depict that scene? Showing this interaction would make Berkut a more sympathetic character.

Fernand: Have his betrayal happen around the middle of the game. One of the main issues with Fernand is that he is depicted as an asshole from the moment he first appears, with his betrayal happening almost shortly after. If he betrayed the Deliverance later in the story, that would make him more sympathetic. The early part of the story would show his inner conflict over the Deliverance's recent hiring of Alm and his friends, and he could see him starting to question the Deliverance's recent decisions but without going into complete rude territory. Basically, have his Rise of the Deliverance portrayal continue throughout Act 1, and then have his betrayal happen some point in Act 3.

Faye: Provide a clear backstory regarding where her feelings for Alm come from. If you're going to make such a romance a pivotal point to her character, you need to provide context to where those feelings come from so that we can understand why she is so attached to Alm. I'd also rewrite her support with Silque so that Faye isn't being rude to her for 90% of it while showing how obsessive she is over Alm by saying she only wants to be friends with him and no one else. Her last base conversation can also be edited so that she comes to terms with the fact her parents are worried about her for writing more about Alm in her letters and less about herself; from there, she would realize how attached she has become toward her, and she would acknowledge she needs to write more about how the war has affected her. A moment like that would be great character development for her.

I also read somewhere that Faye is someone who doesn't want to let go of the past and wants to continue the life of an average farm girl. I don't ever recall seeing this brought up in the game except for her confession to Alm in their A-support. Why not explore that side to her as well? That would help make her less one-note of a character by focusing on other aspects about her.

Peri: Have the people she interacts with question her actions and behavior, to the point of willing to reprimand when she crosses her boundaries. The fact most characters in Fates don't treat like her like that is where some of her biggest issues with her characters lies. If that doesn't work, then I'd rewrite Peri to make her more like Henry: someone with a clear bloodlust but still a fun person to be around.

Camilla: Less obsessing over Corrin, more exploration into how the concubine wars changed her into who she is now. That single support with Niles is a good start, but it's not enough in delving into her entire backstory. 

I'd also tone down some of the creepy aspects to her, a.k.a. don't have her infantilize Takumi, threaten to cut off Severa's legs, or hit on Hinoka shortly after massacring the soldiers in the Hoshidan capital.

Story!Xander: Simply put, make him more like Support!Xander: a prince who still cares deeply about his country but clearly questions the actions and behavior of his king despite the fact said individual is his father. I'd also rewrite Birthright Chapter 26 by having Elise's death happen after the battle instead of before it. That way, Xander would still feel impacted by her death but the addition of seeing of his slain retainers and soldiers would make him realize of Garon's atrocities toward his own country, and he would join Corrin's army for the final battle to confront Garon.

If Birthright still wants to kill Xander off, they can have his death happen during the scene Dragon!Garon is born. Perhaps in a final act of defiance, Xander would try to attack his father only to be struck down to death. Perhaps Xander's death would make Corrin feel deep grief at first, leading to a moment where Corrin wants to be killed by Garon, but when Garon attacks him/her, Corrin would still go through that brief after-life phase to receive the convincing of Flora, Lillith, Elise, and especially Xander, the last of the four being the final catalyst to wake Corrin back to reality.

Elise: I think it's her Conquest portrayal that needs fixing. For one, rewrite the scene where she, Corrin, Felicia/Jakob, and Silas first meet Kilma so that she doesn't spill the beans that the four are there to crush the Ice Tribe's rebellion. The fact she originally does this in Conquest makes her face-calmingly idiotic for doing so. You could argue that she is the reason the battle between Corrin's forces and the Ice Tribe breaks out in the first place because she of her foolishness, when at the rate things were going prior, it seemed like Corrin would actually avoid a battle with the the Ice Tribe and could've resolved it peacefully.

Another thing I'd do to fix her is by showing how Elise warms up to Sakura. The problem with how this was presented in Conquest is that we are only told she warmed up to Sakura and starting helping in her prison. Because this was only told, seeing Elise and Sakura being nice to each other in the ending doesn't evoke enough happiness as it should, especially when the last time we were shown Elise and Sakura interacting with each other, it was when Elise was being very rude to her during that dinner scene. 

I think the best way to show how Elise improves in that regard is by having her be the one to ask Xander for help during that concluding Chapter 22 scene instead of Corrin. Elise would notice Sakura's grief over not being to help the slaughtered soldiers at the hands of Garon, Iago, and Hans, and thus she would be the one turning to Xander and saying, "Xander, Garon's forces are being way too harsh toward Sakura's soldiers. You need to do something!" Elise could also have some kind of inner monologue during this scene when she realizes how similar she is to Sakura and thus develops a desire to help her. When Xander fails to help Sakura because of Garon's intervention, Chapter 22 would end with Elise looking sorrowfully at Sakura as she is taken away and stating her resolve in helping Sakura in all that she can.

Miriel: Give her more character and backstory to her than just "For science".

Anna: Give her more character and backstory that isn't just being "For money".

Yen'fay: Have him fought more often during the Valm arc so that he actually feels like a major villain in it. This would also help develop the personal connection that he has with Say'ri by giving them more battle dialogues with each other to flesh out both characters.

Garon: Make him less overly evil and make more like a conflicted a person who rules Nohr with an iron fist but still cares deeply for his kingdom and his family members while struggling from the concubine wars that ravaged them. This would help him be more sympathetic and be a villain that we can take seriously.

Iago and Hans: Provide more backstory to both of them, especially Iago, to give us a better understanding why they are so loyal to Garon.

Riev/Jedah/Validar: Tone down their evilness and give them more character and backstory that isn't just "Mwahahaha! We must revive the dark god!" 

Neimi: Okay, I actually don't dislike Neimi compared to the others that I listed, but she's still a character that doesn't do much for me beyond her relationship with Colm. I think the best way to fix Neimi is by toning down the crybaby aspect to her and making her more insecure about things but not always to the point of tears. I feel like she could benefit from more supports in similar nature to the one she has with Amelia. I'd also make Neimi a better unit, since it feels like Innes really outclasses her by the time he shows up (at least from my experience using the two).

Leo: Another character I don't dislike or hate but still makes me feel "meh" toward. The best idea I can think of to improve Leo's character is by not having him call his son a disgrace for dressing like a girl. That's pretty dick-ish of him to do that, and what made it worse is that this action eventually leads to Forrest being captured by bandits, which arguably makes Leo the cause of the conflict. I'd fix the writing of that paralogue so that when Leo arrives, he already has to rescue a Forrest that has already captured by bandits. Yeah, it's nothing new since that how most of the paralogues in Fates are like, but I think going that route would help portray Leo in a better light. I'd also make Leo a better unit by giving him higher Strength and actually making that Brynhildr tome useful compared to what it is actually like in the game.

Edited May 8, 2018 by Erureido

[goldenscarletangel,kaya]

Azura: she needs a second-tier class with good stats and growths. She is extremely weak and hard to stat-grind with Phoenix mode in Fire Emblem Fates Birthright even though you train your units better in Birthright than Conquest and I can’t stand that she dies in my campaign at least five times/ every two chapters. I hate that and if there was a DLC pack to increase her level I would be glad. 

[Alastor15243]

On 5/16/2018 at 9:33 AM, goldenscarletangel,kaya said:

Azura: she needs a second-tier class with good stats and growths. She is extremely weak and hard to stat-grind with Phoenix mode in Fire Emblem Fates Birthright even though you train your units better in Birthright than Conquest and I can’t stand that she dies in my campaign at least five times/ every two chapters. I hate that and if there was a DLC pack to increase her level I would be glad. 

Really? Her stats never bothered me because I never used her to fight. She's a refresher unit, what possible use could she ever have as a combat unit that could trump that?

Anyway, as for my answer: they could fix Peri by making Peri a villain, specifically some high-ranking underling to a main villain and either play up the childish madness to Days of Ruin Penny levels, or throw in shades of MHA's Himiko Toga.