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Alfric2011-12-14 19:16:16

With this game, I discovered that actually playing Fog of War stages are not fun. An opinion that it seems every Emblemite shares.

I'd go with Ranger, since it seems to have better promotional gains, especially the movement. Sure Strike isn't too useful in this game.

I had a feeling that Josh and Natasha would support each other when I was trying to foretell your future party members. On a slightly-related note, trying to find someone that could support both him and Ephraim (since the lords can support each other) was essential to tying up all the loose ends. Of course, now I know that neither lord will be a major player in this campaign, but it's nice to see that some parts of my theory haven't been debunked.

And now, let's talk about Neimi! How I`ve been waiting to analyze this choice! According to my research, she is the only archer in the game, and thus the only character that an Orion`s Bolt can actually be used on. Additionally, this will make her the only female Sniper or Ranger in the game. There is a male sniper that we will be introduced to during Eirika`s story, and it's possible make a Mercenary into a Ranger. Should the latter occur (though you probably won't want more than one person focused on archery), the already-recruited Garcia and Ross could take up the positions of Hero and Warrior, and a later recruit comes as a Berserker.

Now, to briefly look at statistics. It seems that Neimi does get rather good gains when becoming a Ranger. But at max stats, compared to a male Ranger, the only stat that will be better is her Resistance, and neither her Strength and Defence will be quite as good (a whole 2 points less in both categories, if my resources are accurate). As a Sniper, on the other hand, the differences are a bit more even, with small penalties in strength and defence being balanced by resistance and speed.

With all of that said, with my main deciding points being endgame statistics and the fact that all promoted classes will still be available to you (not that you'll use them), I'd suggest turning Neimi into a Sniper. My apologies for tying up the vote and creating a wall of text. Have a nice evening!

...Oh, one last thing. [CENSORED] having to play through Fog of War stages.

Neimi for Ranger. Horse, plus Sword use, plus already getting a decent prepromote Sniper.

Also, the Sniper skill is near useless on the playables. Even the prepromote doesn't need it. I really don't see much reason to make Neimi a Sniper. Unless you think the stat differences between the two make that much of a game changer or really like Ballistas for some reason, go Ranger.

@Neimi: Seems that, with 2 votes to one, Neimi is going to be a Ranger this time around.

@Doctrain: Yeah, I haven't heard from a single person who enjoys Fog of War stages over normal ones. I'm sure there's someone like that out there (heck, I can respect what the stages are trying to do, but there are just some aspects of it that make it too tedious to enjoy as much), but I haven't met them.

@Endark: I'm impressed by all the work you put into that analysis, I must say. Sadly, while Garcia is with us, Ross will not be a member of this party. I'll also note that this party is going to be relatively small, only numbering to a total of six people once all is said and done, since this run is of the same style as the Tellius run, being just an ordinary run with a preset party of units.

@Otherarrow: Yeah, Sure Shot is pretty much useless given the accuracy of bows and the high skill of the two possible snipers. Rather sad too, since all of the other skills in the game are quite good to some degree.

@Alfric: I think that Great Shield is useless for the same reason as Sure Strike: Generals already have the best defense in the game. I guess it can work against magic, but the General will be far away from them.

Pierce can freeze the game with ranged weapons, but other than that it's great.

@Doctrain: At the very least it can provide some decent longevity for when you want to tank all types of enemies. It is probably the least useful of the non-Sure Shot skills, though, since Slayer wrecks monsters (a large portion of the enemy force), Lethality insta-kills (always nice, especially for a class with a 20 strength cap), and Pierce is basically Po R/Genealogy!Luna, which is always appreciated.

I already assumed that Ross wouldn't be a member by the fact that he hasn't been mentioned since he was recruited, but mentioned him to show that having somebody in every class would be possible. On a related note, your grand army will consist of only six people? My, that's far less than I assumed. Then again, my first assumption included the lords and Seth in more prominent positions...I should really stop assuming things at this point, but it's somewhat addicting.

Well, best of luck with the next few chapters. Going in with about half the number of people you're allowed to bring will be tricky, but considering how well you've handled various Fire Emblem games in the past, I'm sure that you'll pass with flying colours.

@Endark: Ah, yeah, I understand now. Yeah, my armies tend to be rather small unless I'm playing a game I haven't played much before (like Sword of Seals and New Mystery), since I want to try out a lot of people, or are playing Genealogy, where you generally have to use everyone.