History YMMV / ValkyriaChronicles4

* UnintentionallyUnsympathetic: Forseti can come off as this in the eyes of some once his backstory is revealed. [[spoiler:He’s meant to be seen as a WellIntentionedExtremist who defected to the Empire in order to save the Valkyria in Federation captivity. But his motivations ring hollow given that he willingly joined the Empire which had been conducting similar experiments on its own Valkyria, him selling out his former comrades, plus his contemptuous treatment of Crymaria, all of which end up making him a selfish hypocrite. Few players shed any tears once Kai kills him, as his actions make him out to be an AssholeVictim rather than the TragicVillain writers had intended. It takes a lot of thinking to start sympathizing with the guy, if one remembers that Forseti had also planned to flee the Empire once his job was done, as he did NOT want any more Valkyria turned into weapons or batteries.]]

** Leena, Leena, Leena. By the time the story wraps up, she [[spoiler: had to: keep up a façade of being another person the whole time, with all the stress that entails; gets shot and almost bleeds out at Siegval, is coerced into playing TheMole for the Empire by her own brother, is overwhelmed by the guilt of betraying the trust of her close friends and allies, loses the man she loves not long after admitting her feelings, and finally has to confront and shot said brother, only to find out shortly afterwards that he still loved her very much, in his own twisted way, and wanted nothing more than a quiet, peaceful life with her and Angie. Then after that, she has to go on the run with the young Valkyria. Of the (surviving) main characters, she probably had it the worst.]] [[TraumaCongaLine To put it mildly]], the girl could use a hug.

* ReplacementScrappy: Crymaria is this to die-hard Selvaria fans. Her storyline is seen by many as the writers attempting to correct the mistakes made in the original ''Valkyria Chronicles'' regarding Selvaria's plot[[note]]Crymaria's backstory and emotions are given more focus. Klaus vocally and explicitly stands up for Crymaria and convinces her to see worth in her life (in contrast to Jaeger who was an AccompliceByInaction until it was too late). Klaus [[spoiler: seemingly dies protecting Crymaria and then helps her to control her powers through his true love for her and they even abandon the Empire to get married]][[/note]]. These concerns are even acknowledged in-game as Crymaria [[AntiClimaxBoss less difficult gameplay-wise]] than Selvaria and a DLC mission even states that the former was jealous towards the latter. The contrast between Maximillian (a charistmatic and attractive prince who groomed and pretended to love Selvaria to make use of her more effectively) and Belgar (a mustache twirling mad scientist who controls his minions through brute force) also made it feel like Crymaria had less of a reason to fight for the Empire than Selvaria did, making her arc less compelling overall. All these factors contribute to the notion that Crymaria is an inferior copy of Selvaria that [[spoiler: got the happy ending that the latter was more entitled to]].

* ReplacementScrappy: Crymaria is this to die-hard Selvaria fans. Her storyline is seen by many as the writers attempting to correct the mistakes made in the original ''Valkyria Chronicles'' regarding Selvaria's plot[[note]]Crymaria's backstory and emotions are given more focus. Klaus vocally and explicitly stands up for Crymaria and convinces her to see worth in her life (in contrast to Jaeger who was an AccompliceByInaction until it was too late). Klaus [[spoiler: seemingly dies protecting Crymaria and then helps her to control her powers through his true love for her and they even abandon the Empire to get married]][[/note]]. These concerns are even acknowledged in-game as Crymaria [[AntiClimaxBoss less difficult gameplay-wise]] than Selvaria and a DLC mission even states that the former was jealous towards the latter. The contrast between Maximillian (a charistmatic and attractive prince who groomed and pretended to love Selvaria to make use of her more effectively) and Belgar (a mustache twirling mad scientist who controls his minions through brute force) also made it feel like Crymaria had less of a reason to fight for the Empire than Selvaria did, making her arc less compelling overall.
All these factors contribute to the notion that Crymaria is an inferior copy of Selvaria that [[spoiler: got the happy ending that the latter was more entitled to]].

* ReplacementScrappy: Crymaria is this to die-hard Selvaria fans. Her storyline is seen by many as the writers attempting to correct the mistakes made in the original ''Valkyria Chronicles'' regarding Selvaria's plot[[note]]Crymaria's backstory and emotions are given more focus. Klaus vocally and explicitly stands up for Crymaria and convinces her to see worth in her life (in contrast to Jaeger who was an AccompliceByInaction until it was too late). Klaus [[spoiler: seemingly dies protecting Crymaria and then helps her to control her powers through his true love for her and they even abandon the Empire to get married.]][[/note]]. The fact that Crymaria is [[AntiClimaxBoss less difficult gameplay-wise]] than Selvaria gives further credence to their notion that the former is an inferior copy of the latter who [[spoiler: got the happy ending that Selvaria was more entitled to]].

* TierInducedScrappy:
** Some character have negative potentials that can seriously hamper them:
*** Neige's Stage Fright drains all of her AP if she's spotted by multiple enemies, which can result in wasted turns and a fragile unit stuck in a bad position.
*** Jimmy's Almost Got 'Em gives him a chance of letting whatever enemy he's attacking survive an attack that could kill them.
*** Rebecca's Conservationist gives her a chance of refusing to use her Ragnaid.
*** Jean's Sloppy gives her a chance of losing all her remaining ammo for the turn after attacking.
*** Emmy's Penny Pincher gives her a chance of only firing half the bullets in her clip when attacking, making her unreliable at scoring kills with the typical low Shocktrooper accuracy.
*** Fleuret's Code of Honour may cause her to do nothing if she attempts a surprise attack, which renders her less versatile than her fellow Shocktroopers.
*** Vancey's Hammered gives her a chance of losing her action for the turn if she uses too much AP. Unlike other examples, she loses this after her Squad Story and replaces it with the extremely useful Former Elite.
** Lancers as a whole still suffer from a bit of a bad reputation due to a combination of [[MightyGlacier poor mobility]] and [[ImperialStormtrooperMarksmanshipAcademy lousy accuracy]], not helped by the fact that eventually [[OvershadowedByAwesome Snipers equipped with anti-tank rifles]] end up making them all but redundant.
** The Glory isn't considered worth the effort to deploy. Partially because it's so fragile that it's likely to be destroyed by an enemy lancer or tank in one shot even without getting hit in the radiator. Players have even less incentive to choose the Glory because of [[MightyGlacier the Hafen's]] superior firepower, plus the Hafen is mandatory for most missions. Nor can the Glory compete with the sheer utility of the [[AwesomePersonnelCarrier Cactus]], meaning the Glory usually remains in the hangar collecting dust. Only players going for some serious self-imposed challenges would ever deploy Glory.

** The scene where Minerva [[TheCavalryArrivesLate lashes out at Claude and Squad E]] for [[spoiler: the deaths of Squad F]] rubbed many gamers the wrong way. Regardless of justification[[note]]since Claude disobeyed direct orders to report directly to the rendezvous point, along with rest of the Federation's reserve troops. Nor was he authorized to attack the Imperial supply base, which also made Claude and the rest of Squad E guilty of insubordinate action.[[/note]], gamers felt Minerva was [[RealityIsUnrealistic 'unjustly' harsh]] on Squad E causing some to hate her for it.

** The scene where Minerva lashes out at Claude and Squad E for [[spoiler: the deaths of Squad F]]. Regardless of justification[[note]]since Claude violated direct orders to report to the rendezvous point, along with rest of the Federation's reserve troops. Nor was he authorized to attack the Imperial supply base, which made Claude and the rest of Squad E guilty of insubordinate action.[[/note]], the scene rubbed many the wrong way causing some to hate Minerva.

** Minerva lashes out at Claude and Squad E, PlayedForDrama, for matters that were completely out of their control, such as [[spoiler: failing to arrive in time to save Squad F, when they were too busy destroying the primary supply line that was a direct line to Gallia. This is never called out and Claude retains guilt for it.]]

** [[RankScalesWithAsskicking Claude Wallace]] is the leader of [[Characters/ValkyriaChronicles4SquadE Squad E]], whose ruthless and efficient leadership and vast creativity led his squad in accomplishing the near-impossible Operation: Northern Cross. Having witnessed the destruction of his home by the Empire, Claude joined the military where he excelled, leading his team into elite status and uniting them together in one cause even if it means breaking protocol and using force. Assigned the mission to invade the Imperial Capital, Claude leads his group against all obstacles, defeating the elite tank unit Ausbruch, breaking through the impervious Siegval Line, and even defeating the Valkyria Crymaria using cunning and [[PragmaticHero cruelly efficient tactics]]. Learning his mission is meant to sacrifice Angie to destroy the Imperial Capital killing thousands, Claude still followed through [[UndyingLoyalty out of loyalty]], only stopping when the Empire declared a cease fire. Though written off in official records due to being involved in Gallia's dirty secrets, Claude Wallace is still by those who nows him as a great leader who has mastered warfare.

** [[AuthorityEqualsAsskicking Claude Wallace]] is the leader of [[Characters/ValkyriaChronicles4SquadE Squad E]], whose ruthless and efficient leadership and vast creativity led his squad in accomplishing the near-impossible Operation: Northern Cross. Having witnessed the destruction of his home by the Empire, Claude joined the military where he excelled, leading his team into elite status and uniting them together in one cause even if it means breaking protocol and using force. Assigned the mission to invade the Imperial Capital, Claude leads his group against all obstacles, defeating the elite tank unit Ausbruch, breaking through the impervious Siegval Line, and even defeating the Valkyria Crymaria using cunning and [[PragmaticHero cruelly efficient tactics]]. Learning his mission is meant to sacrifice Angie to destroy the Imperial Capital killing thousands, Claude still followed through [[UndyingLoyalty out of loyalty]], only stopping when the Empire declared a cease fire. Though written off in official records due to being involved in Gallia's dirty secrets, Claude Wallace is still by those who nows him as a great leader who has mastered warfare.

* ThatOneLevel: The second battle in the DLC ''Squad E to the Beach!'' can be this for players given how easy the previous battle was, even with the three round limit, given that one can easily kill all the aces and get the swimsuits within a turn or two at max. Despite 20 turns standard this time, players will encounter a lot of shocktroopers that have the ability to make you lose ammo the moment they hit you. Thus, snipers and those with explosives can be rendered useless by one enemy shocktrooper hit, requiring he use of your own shocktroopers and their infinite ammo flame throwers. The western flank is also a giant trap and next to useless in getting to that one enemy ace, who is very well hidden in cover and can't be hit by grenadiers. Oh, and attacking from the north means going through tanks and machine gun placements, which you might not be able to take out if your lancers are hit with ammo drain. Luckily, buffing a scout all the way can make the job easy, once the fortifications are clear. ''And'' Claude is a scout, not a tank commander this time. All worth it to get [[BuxomisBetter Minerva's]] BarelyThereSwimWear.

* WinBackTheCrowd: Upon the game's announcement, fans were once again reinvested in the series (especially considering [[NoExportForYou Sega refusing to bring the third game overseas]], the overall lukewarm reception of ''VideoGame/ValkyriaRevolution'').

** To a lesser extent, some of Claude's own decisions are questionable, at best, to downright dubious depending on the scene and who he's dealing with. His idea of disciplining insubordinate troops is to assign them to mock combat (using live ammunition) against the Ranger Corp.[[note]]which nearly gets Simon, Viola, and Emmy killed or horribly wounded during the ''Mischief Makers"'' squad story[[/note]]. But he'll readily and repeatedly turn a blind eye to his friends insubordination, by letting Raz off twice. And when he and Riley find out [[spoiler: Kai betrayed them]], Claude doesn't even ask how or what her reasons were. He and Riley [[ProtagonistCenteredMorality literally laugh it off]] and say [[EasilyForgiven they don't care.]] Yet, during the ''"Price of a Picnic"'' bonus DLC mission, Claude, Raz, Riley, and Kai punish Zaiga and the others for a considerably ''[[ArsonMurderAndJaywalking lesser offense]]''.

** If used correctly, Claude's orders will allow you to make a complete mockery of even late game missions by breezing through them in only 1-2 turns. That includes boss encounters against Klauz and Crymaria. Speaking of which...