What to expect in Sacred Stones? / Thoughts (Update)

[May]

I recently purchased a copy of Sacred Stones (a legit one!) and I am excited to play it. I barely know the story, however I know some of the characters because of Heroes. What are some things I should expect when playing the game? I’ve heard the game is pretty easy compared to other games, so should I play it on the hardest mode available? Also, no spoilers.

Thank you!

Edited March 18, 2019 by Aera

[EricaofRenais]

It is fairly easy, it was my first FE and was good place to start for me.  Seth is the prepromote and is very good and is great for end game.  There is a route split so you should play SS twice to get the full story.  If you like using dragons you should look up the way to restore Myrrh's dragon stone because otherwise she only has one stone.  There are two optional towers that you can use to train units, so don't worry to much if your units need levels.  Mind the hints at the start of chapters as to who you should have talk to certain units to recruit them.

Edited March 3, 2019 by EricaofRenais

[Ertrick36]

Have you ever played Fire Emblem Awakening or Fire Emblem Echoes: Shadows of Valentia?

It's sort of like those.  Though it doesn't have asinine level design like the latter nor marriage and children like the former.

Whether you should play it on the highest difficulty depends on your experience with the other games.  I think if you can play through Awakening on Hard, you can handle Sacred Stones at the highest difficulty.

[𝐅𝐞𝐧𝐫𝐢𝐞𝐥]

few tips from what i remember(i'm a bit rusty on Sacred Stones):

- you may want to keep 2 separate save files once you reach the route-split between Eirika/Ephraim, otherwise you'll have to play the prologue chapters all over again in case you want to play the other route;

- you can grind exp on monsters from the field map too, similar to the system of Awakening/Fates;

- there's 2 different class promotions for each basic class, just like in Awakening/Fates, so choose wisely. Summoners are broken, by the way;

- the basic gameplay mechanics are pretty much the same of previous GBA titles.

[Shadow Mir]

I don't know what other FE games you've played, but this game has a branched promotion system, like Awakening and Fates after it did. Unlike in those games, however, you cannot swap to the other choice, so choose wisely. Aside from that, Seth is broken, and Myrrh is limited in uses (or rather, her dragonstone is; she becomes useless if it breaks). Also of note, attack speed is not necessarily the same as speed - it can be lowered if your unit is using a heavy weapon, so be mindful of that. Storyline wise, expect a ton of filler, half-baked ideas, and bad villains.

Edited March 3, 2019 by Shadow Mir

[Interdimensional Observer]

If you opt not to grind, I can see some fights actually being a little difficult on Hard- namely a couple on Ephraim's route.

Be sure not to once you've picked a route, to save at the prep screen of any chapter's battle, since you won't be able to withdraw and buy stuff or grind if you think you need to. Also, for Chapters 7-8, 11-12 Eirika, 11-12 Ephraim, 14-15 Eirika, and the final two battles, you can't return to the world map between these chapters, so be sure you're ready for these. 

If you need funds because grinding is eating into you weapon supply, then after completing Chapter 10 of either route, you'll be able to go up to the third floor of Valni, where a chest always contains 3000 gold.

While certain characters are definitely better than others in certain contexts, Seth being a Jagen able to last the entire game, everyone here is usable. And with grinding, you can catch anyone up to par with a little time investment.

[Slumber]

Easy and a ton of filler.

[Rose482]

Fun with a very good cast, it has my favorite cast when it comes to the GBA games, also the villains are great.

[Zapp Branniglenn]

-If you don't want to fight the monsters in the overworld map, you can retreat on the first turn and you will be able to pass by.

-If you're interested in post game content, Bishops are the best class in the game, and every character that can promote into one should. Effective damage against all the monsters and healing utility. They'll also be your best units in late game as well.

-This game has the smallest roster outside of Gaiden. So don't expect to recruit a bunch of new units in general.

-If grinding out a full support library interests you, you can actually do it in a single playthrough thanks to the ability to make a save to a new file after exiting the Tower of Valni. You just have to avoid getting A support with any of those units until all that grinding is finished.

-There are no bad units in this game, especially with the ability to grind. It's just that some units recquire more babying/grinding than others, and that's typically what people mean when they say they're not as good. Units such as Eirika, Tethys, Marisa, the three Trainees.

-This game is fun! Dunno why people go out of their way to bash it.

Edited March 3, 2019 by Glennstavos

[May]

So it has been nearly two weeks since I received The Sacred Stones in the mail, and I can say it's more enjoyable than Awakening (gameplay-wise) and Fates (story-wise), but sits kind of below Echoes in terms of both. Though I really enjoy the characters and the story so far, I have yet to finish the game purely because of frustration. 

My first file I restarted twice. Once at Chapter 8 and Chapter 16 (Eirika) because I realized I didn't like the how I promoted my units. Also, I didn't want to use Tower of Valni. I am currently on Chapter 14 on Ephraim's route. I paused there purely because of frustration. The only promoted units (other than Seth) I have right now is Lute who basically solos everyone. I believe the game is pretty much on the easy side because of the stats of the enemy units, but the shittiness is off the charts, OML. It's not as cancer as Conquest Chapter 26, but those two druids in Chapter 14 is giving me a lot of trouble (to me, it made Conquest Chapter 10 FUN). 

I realized that one of main differences between The Sacred Stones and the 3DS-era games is that growth rates heavily affect the usability and enjoyability of your units. For the 3DS-era games, you can slap buffs on if the units have poor growths in some stats or have a pair-up unit (Awakening and Fates). My second first file, I had to stop using Vanessa because her strength growths were poor, however I managed to use Colm who had good defenses and evasion. In my main file now, Lute, Cormag, and Vanessa are my best units that are not Seth or Ephraim. I plan to use Eirika's route as my endgame file. 

So my overall opinion on the game (without finishing the game yet) is it feels like junk food. Like it's fun to play and kind of easy to go back to, but there's nothing worthwhile going on in terms of gameplay. Rise Above is rising in my list of favorite Fire Emblem tracks. Natasha, Cormag, and Artur (and maybe L'Arachel) are becoming my favorite characters in the franchise. 

-

Edit: I also thought Selena was going to be recruitable the moment I saw her the first time... Like the game gave her a good premise like they did with Cormag, but they just gave her a bad ending. 

Edited March 18, 2019 by Aera