Earth Affinity Playthrough

[kryptonite]

I'm doing an Earth affinity playthrough on my HM playthrough, as +45 Avd on almost everyone will be a very big help...

Characters
Nolan
Volug
Zihark
Fiona
Lucia
Ike
Oscar
Tanith
Ena
Caineghis
Renning
*required*
Micaiah
Sothe
Sanaki
Kurthnaga
A Heron (probably Reyson since this is HM)

Supports:
Micaiah - Sothe
Nolan - Zihark
Volug - Fiona
Ike - Oscar
Tanith - Sanaki
Ena - Caineghis
Lurth - Reyson
Renning - Lucia

Weapons:
Nolan - Urvan
Volug - Fang
Zihark - Vague Katti
Fiona - Wishblade
Lucia - Alondite
Ike - Ragnell
Oscar - Forged Silver?
Tanith - Forged Silver.
Ena - Red Breath
Caineghis - Great Fang
Renning - Amiti? I wish. >_> Forged Silver.
*required*
Micaiah - Rexaura
Sothe - Baselard
Sanaki - Rexflame/Cymbeline
Kurthnaga - Black Breath

I've gotten to chapter 8, and Micaiah has a lot of HP and Def, but her Spd is awful (11 at level 16?), Nolan is very... unusual this time, having really good Str and Def but his Spd is meh (15 at level 20).

Err- There is one big problem: Fiona. She sucks. Really bad. >_> Her stats are in the single digits (but Spd, 10) at level 12! She can't damage half the enemies! She can't even use Paragon. And she's 2HKOed when she uses a Steel Lance and can't do damage with an Iron one or a Javelin. :X

It would kind of ruin my support chain, but dropping her would be only be a benefit. >_> Should I drop her? (and I gave her some precious B EXP so she could level up on the first turn... D:)

[Somewhat Overcooked Cheese]

If you want, bring her in 1-F and train her against Jeld a big by giving her some Bronze Lances.  Otherwise you don't have many options.

If you don't train her though, give her Wishblade to Oscar.

[kryptonite]

I'm guessing you mean break Jarod's weapon first, right?

But what if she can't do damage? Her Str and Skl are pretty... god-awful. >_>;

[Somewhat Overcooked Cheese]

Well Jarod's defense is 18, so you'd need something to beat that.  The Iron Greatlance is guaranteed to do one damage to him even when she's at her base of 8 strength.  It only has 75 accuracy though, and IIRC Jarod has around that in avoid so it might take a while before you even hit him.  Once Fiona gets stronger you can move to weaker, more accurate weapons ( Steel, then Iron, thaen Bronze ).

There's always Radmim, but since he's a magician and he's not on a throne...at least try to get the kill with Fiona and see how it works.  He does have a Priest nearby, IIRC.  Just make him waste his Elthunder before, though.  His defense is low enough so that Fiona can do some damage with a Bronze Lance with base strength.

[Ayanami]

Ugh! With Fiona, you don't really have hardly any options. Boss abuse might do more harm than good? Suppose that she never grows any Power and Skill as this can possibly be done with Bonus EXP abuse! But, you may want to give up on her as no amount of leveling will get her to be a good unit. Honestly, she is the absolute worst unit of this game!

[kryptonite]

Well, Fiona isn't even usable for the chapter with Radmim (geez, did IS TRY to make her unusable? >_>), but I abused the non-moving enemies in the chapter before (I had a spare save because Laura died even though she had +50 Avd >_>) I think I'll give her the Seraph Robe Rafiel has... :X

And well, I'm hoping +45 Avd will make her a viable unit.

[rushe]

Well, Fiona isn't even usable for the chapter with Radmim (geez, did IS TRY to make her unusable? >_>), but I abused the non-moving enemies in the chapter before (I had a spare save because Laura died even though she had +50 Avd >_>) I think I'll give her the Seraph Robe Rafiel has... :X

And well, I'm hoping +45 Avd will make her a viable unit.

for some reason i still have my doubts

[Ayanami]

Hmm that can work. She definitely will need a Seraph Robe as she does have trouble in growing HP. She also will need the Secret Book as well as the Energy Drops. This the only surefire way to possibly make her any good! And you have to boss abuse Jarod anyways because she joins too late in Part I!! And that you can only use her in just a couple of missions in Part I!

[FE Corrospondant]

Fiona is disgusting.  I took one look at her bases and almost instantly sent her out to be killed, but reconsidered after thinking on it for a bit.  I still regret that reconsideration ...

Ultimately, Fiona will become a hassle rather than a helper.  Her vile bases coped with her lack-luster growth's will bring her down.  Way down.  Her only real upside is having Imbune as a personal skill, which I just take off her and put on someone useful.  Replace her with someone better ... Soren, perhaps?

Everyone else I have little to say for.  Voulg doesn't cross my mind much in playthroughs, as I use few Laguz (excluding nobles and Ranulf).  I premoted Lucia once.  Didn't like the results so I dumped her.  Tanith is actually okay.  Better than Sigrun by leaps and bounds, IMO.  Everyone else I agree with whole-heartedly.

[kryptonite]

Well, I'm using VERY Earth affinity person.

Actually, my Fiona grew pretty well. @_@ Every single level up, she gained HP and Skl, and she maxed out Res before promotion. She goined a lot of Str and Spd and Def too, although they aren't that good, they're... decent now.

[Naesala]

Well, I'm using VERY Earth affinity person.

Actually, my Fiona grew pretty well. @_@ Every single level up, she gained HP and Skl, and she maxed out Res before promotion. She goined a lot of Str and Spd and Def too, although they aren't that good, they're... decent now.

*heart attack*

[Somewhat Overcooked Cheese]

*heart attack*

Almost anybody can be decent in this game given enough training.  Capping all stats isn't everything.  Tormod and his group can be good with some abuse, Oliver and Bastian with some stat ups, and both Meg and Fiona given some training in the early parts of the game.

[Neofox]

Oliver and Bastian only really need a Speedwing each to be good, and Meg has enough time where you can give her BEXP up to 99 EXP before each chapter and then have her level up immediately until she is sufficient (which actually shouldn't take too long since she's got high growths in skill and speed, her only really low bases... in fact she should be able to double enemies by the time she promotes).

[FE Corrospondant]

But with that 35% Def growth and a half-capped base (10) on a class that is generally MEANT to defend, I find Meg as nearly useless ... but this is coming from a Greil Mercs fan.

[Neofox]

She has high growths in stats where she has low caps, indeed, but BEXP and the fact one stat must always go up on a level-up means that once she does cap her skill and speed, her other stats will have an easier time going up.

I'm not saying this makes her good, but she's at least a usable option.

[FE Corrospondant]

That's very true.  BEXP makes it so 3 stats will always increase, if humanly possible, and that throws nearly all arguments out of the window.  With Meg, she'll be capping Spd rather quickly (65% growth is beating out even Gatrie by 5%).  Then throw BEXP into play and you've got yourself a presentable little Meg on your hands.  But Fiona on the other hand ... lets just say ... =P

[Somewhat Overcooked Cheese]

That's very true.  BEXP makes it so 3 stats will always increase, if humanly possible, and that throws nearly all arguments out of the window.  With Meg, she'll be capping Spd rather quickly (65% growth is beating out even Gatrie by 5%).  Then throw BEXP into play and you've got yourself a presentable little Meg on your hands.  But Fiona on the other hand ... lets just say ... =P

Fiona has growths over 50% in 4 areas: Speed, Defense, Resistance and Luck, along with decent 40% in Strength and Skill.  Sure, she starts at a somewhat high level for her bad bases, but later on those stats will cap rather quickly and she'll be able to use Bonus experience to boost her other stats.  Resistance will cap very quickly and so is Speed and Defense as a Lance Paladin, with Luck not too bad behind.  After some bonus experience she'll easily catch up in Strength and Skill, max Magic and raise her weakest point in HP.

Not to mention that even though HP is her weak point, she has the Imbue skill and ok Magic to correct that.  Add in good avoid ( made better thanks to Earth affinity ), speed AND defense in both areas and she'll be rather tough to take down for someone with an HP that low.

[FE Corrospondant]

Hmm ... again, another interesting and valid point.  I guess in RD anyone can be somewhat good, although I'm sure this has already been realized by most.  Perhaps I'll try using Meg and Fiona in my next go-through ...

The real reason I think people are biased towards Meg, Fiona, etc. is because their horrid bases and/or difficulty to train.  The Greil Mercs and Laguz Royals are just so damn easy to use, it's hard to try to sway in the direction of others.  But with BEXP abuse anything is possible ...

What about Leonard and Brad?  Mine have always turned out badly, although I'm sure they can be good with training ... right?

[Harper_Meister]

What about Leonard and Brad?  Mine have always turned out badly, although I'm sure they can be good with training ... right?

Well, I've not ever seen a reasonable Leonardo (the most trained one I've used got 13 STR at 20/17  ) but my Brad's are another thing entirely; he's always an absolute death machine- though perhaps I'm lucky with his Speed ups; I seem to get one every other level or so, and of course, his STR and DEF are wild. In fact, since Nephenee died in my first playthrough, Brad was the Wishblade user in that one; and he capped everything and was constantly impaling stuff.

[FE Corrospondant]

Well in my last playthrough BOTH Leonard and Brad were crap.  At Lv 20/10 they both had 15 Spd, which is just plain disgusting.