______ __ _ ____ ______ ______ _ ___ ____ ______ __ _____ __ __ ____ /_ __//_ |/_' _ |/_ __/ /_ __//_' _ ' _ \/_ _ \/_ | | __//_ '_ ' _ \ | |___ | | | |_| | | |___ | |___ | | | | | | | |_| | | | | |___ | | | | | | | __/ | | | _| | __/ | __/ | | | | | | | _ < | | | __/ | | | | | | | | | | | |\ \ | |___ | |___ | | | | | | | |_| | | |__| |___ | | | | | | |_| |_| |_| \_\ |____/ |____/ |_| |_| |_| |_____/ |___/|____/ |_| |_| |_| T H E S A C R E D S T O N E S =============================== _____________________________________________________________________________ /_____________________________________________________________________________\ G A M E M E C H A N I C S F A Q --------------------------------- Version 3.1 Date: March 30th, 2006 By Ashwin Suresh (AKA Armads/Sealed Lance) Location: Australia E-mail: mindreader[dot][email protected] THE LATEST VERSION ALWAYS AVAILABLE AT GAMEFAQS _______________________________________________________________________________ \_____________________________________________________________________________/ =============================================================================== O============================= TABLE OF CONTENTS =============================O =============================================================================== I. Introduction.....................................................[0100] a. Author's Word....................................................[0110] b. Using this Guide.................................................[0120] II. The Units........................................................[0200] a. Classes..........................................................[0210] b. Characters.......................................................[0220] c. Secret Characters................................................[0230] d. Class Choices....................................................[0240] e. Trainees.........................................................[0250] f. Monsters.........................................................[0260] g. Myrrh............................................................[0270] h. Supports.........................................................[0280] i. Skills...........................................................[0290] III. Combat...........................................................[0300] a. The Basic Stats..................................................[0310] b. Weapon Level.....................................................[0320] c. Formulae.........................................................[0330] d. Terrain & Movement...............................................[0340] e. Weapon & Magic Triangle..........................................[0350] f. Status Ailments..................................................[0360] g. Triangle Attack..................................................[0370] h. Effective Weapons & Classes......................................[0380] i. The Link Arena...................................................[0390] IV. The RNG..........................................................[0400] a. Definition.......................................................[0410] b. RNG Abusing......................................................[0420] V. Abuse of All Kinds...............................................[0500] a. Arena Abusing....................................................[0510] b. Towers & Ruins Abusing...........................................[0520] c. Support Abusing..................................................[0530] VI. General Advice...................................................[0600] VII. Glitches.........................................................[0700] VIII. FAQ..............................................................[0800] IX. In Closing.......................................................[0900] a. Legal Disclaimers................................................[0910] b. Contact Details..................................................[0920] c. Version History..................................................[0930] d. Final Word.......................................................[0940] =============================================================================== O======================== I. INTRODUCTION - [0100] - =========================O =============================================================================== +-----------------------------------------------------------------------------+ a. Author's Word - [0110] - +-----------------------------------------------------------------------------+ I'm back once last time to put my first ever guide to rest. Fire Emblem: The Sacred Stones was good while it lasted, but the ride had to end somewhere. Granted, I will always enjoy FE7 more. Think of this update as a sign of things to come; I'm getting this FAQ up to speed first because it was particularly shoddy, being my very first guide. This is probably the last time I'll update this guide (yeah, I said that before - but I mean it this time). But don't worry, my other guides will continue to flourish. As I said, this is the general format I plan to use. To those who have read this guide before, good luck and hope to see you again in the future. ~ Armads Who am I? -------- I am known throughout the Fire Emblem world as Sealed Lance. To some people, I'm probably a nobody, because my emergence on GameFAQs was rather late (2004). But to those who were there when I was most active, and particularly on this game's GB, I am known quite well. Being the passive observer most of the time, I have acquired plenty of knowledge and have gained valuable expertise on many aspects of Fire Emblem. Hence, I know more than most. Having said this, there are some (although not many) who know more than me, and I do not deny that fact. +-----------------------------------------------------------------------------+ b. Using this Guide - [0120] - +-----------------------------------------------------------------------------+ First of all, what is a Game Mechanics guide? There are many definitions, depending on what type of games you have played in the past. In terms of Fire Emblem, 'Game Mechanics' is a fancy way of saying 'Formulas and other Miscellaneous junk'. Got it? Good. I don't mean to sound too technical, because I would get a mountain of questions afterwards. This guide is designed as simple as it gets. The guide's main concept is related to aspects of gameplay. Obviously, the basics have been disregarded. Within my guide you will find terms, formulas, useful tips and tactics and other random but useful information about Fire Emblem. There are enough character guides, weapon guides and walkthroughs out there if you are looking at those portions of the game. All of the following are fundamentals of Fire Emblem, if you want to be considered somewhat knowledgeable at the game. Take the time to read everything carefully and learn them. By the way, if you see a word spelt "incorrectly" that is probably due to the fact that I am Australian, and some words are not spelt the same as a few other countries. =============================================================================== O========================= II. THE UNITS - [0200] - ==========================O =============================================================================== All aspects regarding units are covered here. +-----------------------------------------------------------------------------+ a. Classes - [0210] - +-----------------------------------------------------------------------------+ Here's the standard: Class name Promotion item Usable weapon Skill Additional weapon gains Promotion gains Personal description Class caps If the stat is not written for promotion gains it means that they gain nothing in that area. I do not use the game descriptions because they tend not to be that good and you already know about what the game says. The personal descriptions are my opinions only, so they are not required to be followed, just some recommendations. Class caps for all classes that are not promoted aside from HP and luck are 20. Promoted class caps are varied except for luck which is 30 and HP which is 60. CAPS refer to the maximum a unit can reach. It would be pointless if all classes could reach 30 in all stats. However, some units are better than others. Trainees have the same caps as unpromoted units. LORDS Lord (Female) Promotion item: Lunar Brace Usable weapons: Sword Promotes into: Great Lord Additional weapon gains: none Promotion gains: HP +4 STR +2 SKL +2 SPD +1 DEF +3 RES +5 CON +2 MOV +2 Class caps: STR 24 SKL 29 SPD 30 DEF 22 RES 25 Personal description: Eirika is great, but somewhat weak in some respects. You cannot rely on her to deal enough damage to kill a foe in one turn early on and her defence sometimes is poor. You can, however, rely on her speed, skill and luck and her strength and resistance are always decent. Lord (Male) Promotion item: Solar Brace Usable weapons: Lance Promotes into: Great Lord Additional weapon gains: none Promotion gains: HP +4 STR +2 SKL +3 SPD +2 DEF +2 RES +5 CON +2 MOV +2 Class caps: STR 27 SKL 26 SPD 24 DEF 23 RES 23 Personal description: Ephraim is an awesome unit before promotion. He can kick any melee unit and can cope with almost any magic unit. With awesome growth and the use of lances, he won't need to be paid special attention, he is just that good. Some complain his caps don't do him justice, but he is still undesputedly one of the best lords in the FE series. INFANTRY Journeyman Promotion item: automatic at level 10 Usable weapons: Axe Promotes into: Pirate OR Fighter Personal description: Great potential indeed. But Ross isn't that good a unit. He has insane strength, luck and HP. That is about it. He is horribly slow and he has mediocre stats in all other areas. Promotion gains: Fighter HP +2 STR +2 SKL +1 RES +1 CON +3 MOV +1 Pirate HP +2 STR +2 SPD +1 DEF +2 RES +2 CON +2 MOV +1 Fighter Promotion item: Hero Crest OR Master Seal Usable weapons: Axe Promotes into: Hero OR Warrior Personal description: Fighters are a perfect platform to the warrior class. The advantage these guys have over pirates are that their promotion item is less rare and expensive. Pirate Promotion item: Conqueror's Seal Usable weapons: Axe Promotes into: Warrior OR Berserker Personal description: Pirates are OK. Use them if you plan to have a berserker. Mercenary Promotion item: Hero Crest OR Master Seal Usable weapons: Sword Promotes into: Hero OR Ranger Personal description: Since there is only one in the game, there isn't much to say. Mercenaries have good constitution for sword fighters and also have good defence, skill and strength as well as HP. Gerik should become a hero because his speed isn't all that great. Archer Promotion item: Orion's Bolt OR Master Seal Usable weapons: Bow Promotes into: Ranger OR Sniper Personal description: Neimi is the only archer. She is a great unit and since you already have a sniper later in the game (Innes) make her a ranger. Warrior Promotion gains: HP +3 STR +1 SKL +2 DEF +3 RES +3 CON +2 MOV +1 Usable weapons: Bow, axe Skills: none Weapon Gain from: Fighter - E bow Pirate - E bow Stat caps: STR 30 SKL 28 SPD 26 DEF 26 RES 22 Personal description: Warriors are strong units. Their use of bows give them range, they tend to be fairly well rounded units with high strength. They have good constitution to wield fairly heavy weapons. Berserker Promotion gains: HP +4 STR +1 SKL +1 SPD +1 DEF +2 RES +2 CON +3 MOV +1 Usable weapons: Axe Skills: 15% critical bonus Stat caps: STR 30 SKL 29 SPD 28 DEF 23 RES 21 Personal description: Berserkers are very good units when used correctly.They have high caps and their solo use of axes can be remedied easily with a swordslayer. Ranger Promotion gains: Female HP +2 STR +2 SKL +2 SPD +1 DEF +3 RES +3 CON +3 MOV +2 Male HP +3 STR +2 SKL +1 SPD +1 DEF +3 RES +3 MOV +2 Usable weapons: Bow, sword Skills: none Weapon Gain from: Archer - E sword Mercenary - E bow Stat caps: (Male) STR 25 SKL 28 SPD 30 DEF 24 RES 23 (Female) STR 23 SKL 28 SPD 30 DEF 22 RES 25 Personal description: Rangers are fast units, they are like nomad clones. Truly worthwhile to have at least one on your team. Hero Promotion gains: HP +4 STR +1 SKL +2 SPD +2 DEF +2 RES +2 MOV +1 CON +2 Usable weapons: Sword, axe Skills: none Weapon gain from: Fighter - E sword Mercenary - E axe Stat caps: STR 25 SKL 30 SPD 26 DEF 25 RES 22 Personal description: Very well rounded units. They have solid defences and excellent offenses as well as having good choices of weapons. Sniper Promotion gains: HP +4 STR +3 SKL +1 SPD +1 DEF +2 RES +2 CON +1 MOV +1 Usable weapons: bow Skills: Sure Hit Stat caps: (Male) STR 25 SKL 30 SPD 28 DEF 25 RES 23 (Female) STR 24 SKL 30 SPD 29 DEF 24 RES 24 Personal description: Snipers are decent at best. I prefer Neimi as a ranger and Innes is a decent sniper, but I wouldn't bother with him unless necessary. Super Journeyman Usable weapons: axe Skills: 15% critical bonus Stat caps: STR 26 SKL 29 SPD 28 DEF 23 RES 23 Personal description: Exceptional caps, but Ross won't reach many of them. Still, it is worth a try. SWORDSMEN Myrmidon Promotion item: Hero Crest OR Master Seal Usable weapons: Sword Promotes into: Assassin OR Swordmaster Personal description: Myrmidons are frail and sometimes hard to train. They reap decent rewards. They are sufficient but seem to be outclassed by other classes. Thief Promotion item: Conqueror's Seal Usable weapons: Sword Promotes into: Rogue OR Assassin Personal description: Always a useful unit, can use lockpicks and can steal. It always seemed like they would never be replaced but the rogues are now superior. Thieves are fragile but are highly required units in the game. Assassin Promotion gains: Male HP +3 STR +1 DEF +2 RES +2 CON +2 Female HP +2 STR +1 SKL +1 SPD +1 DEF +2 RES +1 CON +1 MOV +1 Usable weapons: sword Skills: Silencer, Extended vision, Disable trap Stat caps: STR 20 SKL 30 SPD 30 DEF 20 RES 20 Personal description: Assassins are always risky units. They are fragile and have no perks except for their Silencer skill. This redeems them only to an extent. They are good boss killers if you are willing to take a chance. Their stat caps in some areas are fairly low so it probably is wise to consider the Swordmaster over this class. Rogue Promotion gains: HP +2 STR +1 DEF +2 RES +2 CON +1 Usable weapons: sword Skills: Pick, Disable Trap, Enhanced Vision Stat caps: STR 20 SKL 30 SPD 30 DEF 20 RES 20 Personal description: One of the most handy units in the game. Saves money and can give you good rewards when used well. Rogues are easily one of the most useful units in the game because of their incredible skill. Use it well and don't be afraid to use it. Swordmaster Promotion gains: Male HP +2 STR +2 DEF +2 RES +1 CON +1 MOV +1 Female HP +4 STR +2 SKL +1 DEF +2 RES +1 CON +2 MOV +1 Usable weapons: sword Skills: 15% critical bonus Stat caps: (Male) STR 24 SKL 29 SPD 30 DEF 22 RES 23 (Female) STR 22 SKL 29 SPD 30 DEF 22 RES 25 Personal description: Swordmasters are decent units. They are inferior to rangers and generals now and have a distinct disadvantage having weak strength, defence and no secondary weapon. SOLDIERS Recruit Promotion item: Automatic at level 10 Usable weapons: lance Promotes into: Knight OR Cavalier Personal description: Amelia is possibly the hardest trainee to level up. Give her EXP from weakened enemies and make sure she is out of harm's way until she promotes because one hit and she will most likely die. When she catches up with your other units she becomes a very powerful unit. Promotion gains: Knight HP +2 STR +1 SKL +1 SPD +1 DEF +2 CON +4 Cavalier HP +1 SKL +2 SPD +2 DEF +2 RES +2 CON +3 MOV +2 Knight Promotion item: Knight Crest OR Master Seal Usable weapons: lance Promotes into: General OR Great Knight Personal description: Knights are walls. Their defence is near impenetrable once they are levelled up. Many of their other stats suffer excluding HP and strength. In short, they are the tanks of the game and are very useful. Cavalier Promotion item: Knight Crest OR Master Seal Usable weapons: lance, sword Promotes into: Paladin OR Great Knight Personal description: Cavaliers are fast, fairly durable and possess excellent movement and aid. Thus they have excellent leverage on the battlefield to rescue other units in need and battle from a long distance. You will find out that they aren't as good once promoted. Paladin Promotion gains: Female HP +1 STR +1 SKL +1 SPD +2 DEF +1 RES +2 MOV +1 Male HP +2 STR +1 SKL +1 SPD +1 DEF +2 RES +1 CON +2 MOV +1 Usable weapons: sword, lance Skills: none Weapon gain from: none Stat caps: STR 25 SKL 26 SPD 24 DEF 25 RES 25 Personal description: Paladins have lost all that made them decent. They have lost their command over the weapon triangle! Despite this, one may consider paladins as an option over the great knight for their speed and skill. Great Knight Promotion gains: Female HP +3 STR +1 SKL +1 SPD +2 DEF +2 RES +2 CON +1 MOV -1 (this is not a mistake) Male HP +3 STR +2 SKL +1 SPD +2 DEF +2 RES +1 MOV +2 Usable weapons: axe, sword, lance Skills: none Weapon gain from: Knight - E sword, E axe Cavalier - E axe Stat caps: (Male) STR 28 SKL 24 SPD 24 DEF 29 RES 25 (Female) STR 26 SKL 26 SPD 25 DEF 28 RES 26 Personal description: Meet the defensive alternate to the paladin. Similar to the Great Lord of FE7, the Great Knight has low skill and speed caps to provide a massive boost in defence. Great Knights provide higher stat caps than Paladins, command over the weapon triangle and higher defences. However, there is a price to pay. Great Knights suffer from the attributes of a knight and a mounted unit (ie. a horseslayer and hammer weaknesses) as well as lowered movement. General Promotion gains: Male HP +4 STR +2 SKL +2 SPD +3 DEF +2 RES +3 CON +2 MOV +1 Female HP +3 STR +2 SKL +3 SPD +2 DEF +3 RES +3 CON +2 MOV +1 Usable weapons: sword, axe, lance Skills: Great Shield Weapon gain: E sword, E axe Stat caps: (Male) STR 29 SKL 27 SPD 24 DEF 30 RES 25 (Female) STR 29 SKL 28 SPD 25 DEF 29 RES 26 Personal description: Meet the almighty class. Undesputedly the best class in LA battles, the general has the highest caps in the game. Combined with the skill of invulnerability and command over the weapon triangle the general is the strongest class. Generals suffer low speed and movement but this is outweighed by huge constitution and a boots or two. At least one general is recommended. Super Recruit Usable weapons: lance Skills: 15% critical bonus Stat caps: STR 23 SKL 30 SPD 29 DEF 22 RES 26 Personal description: A swordmaster clone lance-user essentially. FLYING UNITS Pegasus Knight Promotes with: Elysian Whip OR Master Seal Usable weapons: lance Promotes into: Falcon Knight OR Wyvern Knight Personal description: Pegasus Knights are weak to bows and most physical attacks, however they do well against magic. You may find it difficult to level up Pegasus Knights, but they can easily be levelled with weak monsters. Wyvern Rider Promotes with: Elysian Whip OR Master Seal Usable weapons: lance Promotes into: Wyvern Lord OR Wyvern Knight Personal description: Meet the flying tanks. They have the same weakness to bows as pegasus knights, but they have high defences and MUCH lower resistance. Falcon Knight Promotion gains: HP +5 STR +2 SPD +2 DEF +2 RES +2 CON +1 MOV +1 Usable weapons: sword, lance Skills: none Weapon gain: E sword Stat caps: STR 23 SKL 25 SPD 28 DEF 23 RES 26 Personal description: Falcon Knights are probably the inferior class to Wyvern Knights. The main problem is constitution, but if you want to Triangle Attack you need at least one Falcon Knight. Wyvern Lord Promotion gains: HP +4 STR +2 SKL +2 DEF +2 CON +1 MOV +1 Usable weapons: sword, lance Skills: none Weapon gain: E sword Stat caps: STR 27 SKL 25 SPD 23 DEF 28 RES 22 Personal description: The wyvern lord is a more physical tank than anything else. Cormag is an ideal Wyvern Lord. Wyvern Knight Promotion gains: Female HP +3 STR +2 SKL +1 SPD +2 DEF +1 RES +1 CON +4 MOV +1 Male HP +3 STR +1 SKL +2 SPD +3 RES +1 MOV +1 Usable weapons: lance Skills: Pierce Stat caps: (Male) STR 25 SKL 26 SPD 28 DEF 24 RES 22 (Female) STR 24 SKL 27 SPD 29 DEF 23 RES 23 Personal description: Pierce is the most devestating offensive skill ever. It makes this class deadly and one activation can mean in many cases a dead enemy. I have at least 2 of these fliers. Their stat caps are not that great but are fairly rounded and are a compliment to Pierce. MAGES Pupil Promotes with: automatic at level 10 Usable weapons: anima magic Personal description: Juan is weak and very fragile with 0 defence. Level him up and watch him wreak havoc. Again, this trainee requires patience and weak monsters to level up. Promotion gains: Mage HP +1 SKL +1 SPD +2 DEF +1 RES +2 CON +1 MOV +1 Shaman HP +1 SKL +2 SPD +1 DEF +1 RES +2 CON +2 MOV +1 Mage Promotion item: Guiding Ring OR Master Seal Promotes into: Sage OR Mage Knight Usable weapons: anima magic Personal description: Mages are physically very fragile and cannot take much of a beating. They are not frontliners, to say the least. Their use of anima magic means they will penetrate any low resistance units such as knights and the like. Mages are typically fast and your standard magic user. Shaman Promotion item: Guiding Ring OR Master Seal Promotes into: Druid OR Summoner Usable weapons: Dark magic Personal description: Shamen are more durable than mages and are particularly useful because they can destroy mages and there are many of them. Dark magic is also useful because of the Luna spell which ignores resistance when dealing damage. Shamen are also adept at taking out low-resistance units. Monk Promotion item: Guiding Ring OR Master Seal Promotes into: Bishop OR Sage Usable weapons: Light magic Personal description: Monks are especially vulnerable to physical attacks and have the lowest defences in the game. They are, however, magical tanks and they possess the use of the most accurate and critical-prone magic. Cleric/ Priest Promotion item: Guiding Ring OR Master Seal Promotes into: Valkyrie OR Bishop, Bishop OR Sage Usable weapons: Staff Personal description: Clerics are average units required for healing purposes. Since there is only one troubadour in the game who comes late clerics will be healers for most of the game. They are invaluable if used correctly and kept away from the frontlines of battle. Mage Knight Promotion gains: Female HP +3 MAG +2 SKL +1 DEF +2 RES +2 CON +3 MOV +2 Male HP +4 MAG +2 DEF +2 RES +2 CON +3 MOV +2 Usable weapons: anima magic, staff Skills: none Weapon gain from: Mage - C staff Troubadour - E anima magic Stat caps: (Male) MAG 24 SKL 26 SPD 25 DEF 24 RES 25 (Female) MAG 25 SKL 24 SPD 25 DEF 24 RES 28 Personal description: Mage Knights are versatile units with high movement and the command of staves and anima magic. They are mobile healers in most cases. Sage Promotion gains: Female HP +3 MAG +1 SKL +1 DEF +3 RES +3 CON +1 MOV +1 Male HP +4 MAG +1 DEF +3 RES +2 CON +2 MOV +1 Usable weapons: anima magic, staff, light magic Skills: none Weapon gain from: Mage - E staff, E light magic Monk - E anima magic, E staff Stat caps: (Male) MAG 28 SKL 30 SPD 26 DEF 21 RES 25 (Female) MAG 30 SKL 28 SPD 26 DEF 21 RES 25 Personal description: Sages are excellent offensive units. Their new use of light magic makes them even more potent than before. Druid Promotion gains: HP +4 SPD +3 DEF +2 RES +2 CON +1 MOV +1 Usable weapons: anima magic, staff, dark magic Skills: none Weapon gain: E staff, E anima magic Stat caps: MAG 29 SKL 26 SPD 26 DEF 21 RES 28 Personal description: Druids are one powerful class. They are not so different from sages and are good units to have. Summoner Promotion gains: HP +3 SKL +1 SPD +3 DEF +1 RES +3 CON +1 MOV +1 Usable weapons: staff, dark magic Skills: Summoning Weapon gain: E staff Stat caps: MAG 27 SKL 27 SPD 26 DEF 20 RES 28 Personal description: Summoners have lower caps but this is compensated by their skill: summoning. More is described in the skills section, but this skill alone makes summoners great units to possess. Bishop Promotion gains: Female HP +3 MAG +1 SKL +2 SPD +1 DEF +2 RES +2 CON +1 MOV +1 Male HP +3 MAG +2 SKL +1 DEF +3 RES +2 CON +1 MOV +1 Usable weapons: staff, light magic Skills: Monster Slayer Weapon gain from: Cleric - C light magic Monk - C staff Stat caps: (Male) MAG 25 SKL 26 SPD 24 DEF 22 RES 30 (Female) MAG 25 SKL 25 SPD 26 DEF 21 RES 30 Personal description: Bishops are very useful units. Their skill is useful because of the sheer number of monsters in the game. Their resistance also makes them magical tanks. However, their physical weakness prevails and may end up resulting in their demise. Valkyrie Promotion gains: HP +3 MAG +2 SKL +1 DEF +2 RES +3 CON +2 MOV +1 or +2 Usable weapons: staff, light magic Skills: none Weapon gain: E light magic Stat caps: MAG 25 SKL 24 SPD 25 DEF 24 RES 28 Personal description: Valkyries are similar to mage knights, except they use light magic. Up to the user to decide which one they prefer. Super Pupil Usable weapons: dark magic, light magic, anima magic Skills: none Weapon gain: varies Stat caps: MAG 29 SKL 28 SPD 27 DEF 21 RES 26 Personal description: A fusion of all the other magic classes, perfect for LA battles. Use Ewan wisely and well. Naturally, everyone should use this class. OTHER Necromancer Usable weapons: dark magic, staff Skills: summon Stat caps: HP 60 (I believe he has 80 as an enemy) MAG 30 SKL 25 SPD 25 DEF 30 RES 30 Personal description: Lyon is a powerful unit with an infinite-use weapon. The thing is, some of his caps are low and his low supports providing him no chance of a good LA use. His infinite use tome (Naglfar) will come in handy to rack up cash from the Tower and Ruins to but stat boosting items. Manaketes Usable weapons: Dragon Stone Skills: none Stat caps: Same as an unpromoted unit with +10s & +20s in some areas Personal description: Myrrh is a keeper. Use her sparingly but well because you will find her to be a handy boss-killer. Dancer Usable weapons: -- Skills: vitalising one unit for an extra turn Stat caps: STR 10 SKL 10 SPD 30 DEF 24 RES 26 Personal description: More a burden than much practical use. Not worth your time really. New classes include; Rogues, great knights, wyvern knights, mage knights, rangers, priests, trainees, super-trainees, necromancer and summoner. +-----------------------------------------------------------------------------+ b. Classes - [0220] - +-----------------------------------------------------------------------------+ Another standard to expect: Name: Class change: Starting stats: Growth rates (%): Usable weapons: Description: Name: Eirika Class change: Lord -> Great Lord Starting stats: (Lord L1) HP 16 STR 4 SKL 8 SPD 9 DEF 3 RES 1 LUC 5 Growth rates (%): HP 70 STR 40 SKL 60 SPD 60 DEF 30 RES 30 LUC 60 Usable weapons: sword Description: The lord you are stuck with until the path branches and you might be stuck with her through the entire game if you choose her route. Luckily, she becomes pretty damn good. I say becomes, since to start off with she doesn't have too much going for her. For the beginning portions of the game, you'll have to feed her EXP from brigands and other weaker enemies. She won't be dishing out much damage but will be able to easily avoid almost all attacks. After promotion, she becomes as good as her brother, with great strength for a solo sword user with all round excellent stats to back it up. Name: Seth Class change: Paladin Starting stats: (Paladin L1) HP 30 STR 14 SKL 13 SPD 12 DEF 11 RES 8 LUC 13 Growth rates (%): HP 90 STR 50 SKL 45 SPD 45 DEF 40 RES 30 LUC 25 Usable weapons: sword, lance Description: The Jeigan of the game - though that doesn't quite sum him up. He's more like.. A superpowered Jeigan with good stats. He's actually pretty good - he serves as a mobile tank for most of the game and you'll find his use slightly diminishes as the game progresses. Name: Gilliam Class change: Knight -> General/Great Knight Starting stats: (Knight L1) HP 25 STR 9 SKL 6 SPD 3 DEF 9 RES 3 LUC 3 Growth rates (%): HP 90 STR 45 SKL 35 SPD 30 DEF 55 RES 20 LUC 30 Usable weapons: lance, sword, axe Description: The big tank of the game. Gilliam starts off being just a plain solid wall, but you'll find in little time he becomes an insane tank with enough speed to demolish foes who dare strike him. Just watch out for his weakness to magic. Name: Franz Class change: Cavalier -> Paladin/Great Knight Starting stats: (Cavalier L1) HP 21 STR 8 SKL 5 SPD 8 DEF 6 RES 1 LUC 2 Growth rates (%): HP 80 STR 40 SKL 40 SPD 50 DEF 25 RES 20 LUC 40 Usable weapons: sword, lance, possibly axe Description: Not such a bad unit, but he isn't the best either. Franz is outshined in the beginning by Seth and later on by Kyle. Franz does not excel in anything as much as the other cavalier options available and is probably only a secondary option. Name: Moulder Class change: Priest -> Bishop/Sage Starting stats: (Priest L2) HP 20 MAG 4 SKL 6 SPD 9 DEF 2 RES 5 LUC 1 Growth rates (%): HP 70 MAG 40 SKL 50 SPD 40 DEF 25 RES 25 LUC 20 Usable weapons: staff, light, possibly anima Description: Did you ever wonder if there would be a perfectly balanced sage, that was somewhat average but still decent against everything? Meet Moulder. He isn't exceptional, but some people like him for his balance. Name: Vanessa Class change: Pegasus Knight -> Falcon Knight/Wyvern Knight Starting stats: (Pegasus Knight L1) HP 17 STR 5 SKL 7 SPD 12 DEF 6 RES 5 LUC 4 Growth rates (%): HP 50 STR 35 SKL 55 SPD 60 DEF 20 RES 30 LUC 50 Usable weapons: lance, possibly sword Description: Vanessa is pretty ordinary to tell you the truth. Tana is superior to her and the fact that the class itself isn't all that easy to train means you shouldn't use her much except for maybe early on to move people across maps quickly. Name: Ross Class change: Journeyman -> Journeyman/Fighter/Pirate -> Journeyman/Warrior/ Berserker/Hero Starting stats: (Journeyman L1) HP 15 STR 5 SKL 2 SPD 3 DEF 3 RES 0 LUC 8 Growth rates (%): HP 70 STR 50 SKL 35 SPD 35 DEF 25 RES 20 LUC 40 Usable weapons: axe, possibly bow, possibly sword Description: Insane potential that isn't met - until the Secret Shops become available! By all means use this guy and nurture his power as an insane berserker! He has the stats where they count, he's a little slow though. This guy is a great addition to any team, whether it be general or LA. Name: Neimi Class change: Archer -> Sniper/Ranger Starting stats: (Archer L1) HP 18 STR 4 SKL 5 SPD 6 DEF 3 RES 2 LUC 4 Growth rates (%): HP 55 STR 45 SKL 50 SPD 60 DEF 15 RES 35 LUC 50 Usable weapons: bow, possibly sword Description: The first impression I got from her was Rebecca clone and that is what she is - except powered up a lot. Still, she needs to be babysat right up until she promotes and then becomes one hell of a unit. With the movement from a ranger, she can snipe off pretty much anybody. Name: Colm Class change: Thief -> Assassin/Rogue Starting stats: (Thief L2) HP 18 STR 4 SKL 4 SPD 12 DEF 3 RES 1 LUC 8 Growth rates (%): HP 75 STR 40 SKL 40 SPD 65 DEF 25 RES 20 LUC 45 Usable weapons: sword Description: Those of us who looked for a godly thief; here you go. Colm kicks ass because he has the stats where it counts, but a little extra; great strength and decent defences. Not your average thief, that is for sure. He can easily hold his own against most enemies and even some bosses. Name: Garcia Class change: Fighter -> Warrior/Hero Starting stats: HP 28 STR 8 SKL 7 SPD 7 DEF 5 RES 1 LUC 3 Growth rates (%): (Fighter L4) HP 80 STR 65 SKL 40 SPD 20 DEF 25 RES 15 LUC 40 Usable weapons: axe, possibly bow, possibly sword Description: The average axeman. Typically strong and sturdy but very slow. Garcia isn't exceptional outside of LA teams to tell you the truth. Name: Innes Class change: Sniper Starting stats: (Sniper L4) HP 29 STR 15 SKL 13 SPD 15 DEF 11 RES 9 LUC 15 Growth rates (%): HP 75 STR 40 SKL 40 SPD 45 DEF 20 RES 25 LUC 45 Usable weapons: bow Description: A solid character that is pretty useless due to the forces of Neimi and Gerik. They are the superior bow users, but Innes can serve as a reasonable substitute if you have neglected them. Name: Lute Class change: Mage -> Sage/Mage Knight Starting stats: (Mage L1) HP 17 MAG 6 SKL 6 SPD 7 DEF 3 RES 6 LUC 8 Growth rates (%): HP 45 MAG 65 SKL 30 SPD 45 DEF 15 RES 40 LUC 45 Usable weapons: anima, staff, possibly light Description: Can you say overpowered Nino-like magician? Lute is your solution; crazy magic, decent in almost all other places except a bit frail. Lute will penetrate the defences of many many units and will probably be in your main team for a LONG time if not always. Name: Natasha Class change: Cleric -> Bishop/Valkyrie Starting stats: (Cleric L1) HP 18 MAG 2 SKL 4 SPD 8 DEF 2 RES 6 LUC 6 Growth rates (%): HP 50 MAG 60 SKL 25 SPD 40 DEF 15 RES 55 LUC 60 Usable weapons: staff, light Description: A very good healer. She's your typical bishop - her magical stats are very impressive with nice speed to back her up. She'll need that speed - her defence is poor. Her skill suffers a bit, but light magic makes up for it. Name: Cormag Class change: Wyvern Rider -> Wyvern Lord/Wyvern Knight Starting stats: (Wyvern Rider L9) HP 29 STR 13 SKL 8 SPD 10 DEF 12 RES 1 LUC 3 Growth rates (%): HP 85 STR 55 SKL 40 SPD 45 DEF 25 RES 15 LUC 35 Usable weapons: lance, possibly sword Description: This guy is all about force. Good defences and good strength as well. He has one major weakness: magic; so a pure water or barrier is handy. He is basically the flying equivalent of Gilliam so he has little trouble dealing with masses of foes. Name: Ephraim Class change: Lord -> Master Lord Starting stats: (Lord L4) HP 23 STR 8 SKL 9 SPD 11 DEF 7 RES 2 LUC 8 Growth rates (%): HP 80 STR 55 SKL 55 SPD 45 DEF 35 RES 25 LUC 50 Usable weapons: lance Description: Meet possibly the most powerful FE lord in existance. Ephraim boasts some unbelievable growths and he is also balanced! Watch him as he becomes your most powerful unit... Once he promotes he'll only be restricted by his somewhat low caps. If only he had Hector's caps he would truly be a monster unit. Name: Forde Class change: Cavalier -> Paladin/Great Knight Starting stats: (Cavalier L6) HP 24 STR 7 SKL 8 SPD 8 DEF 8 RES 2 LUC 7 Growth rates (%): HP 85 STR 40 SKL 50 SPD 45 DEF 20 RES 25 LUC 35 Usable weapons: sword, lance, possibly axe Description: An average cavalier who excels in speed and skill not so different from a certain serious red-head... He's just too balanced and not exceptional. Kyle is the superior option. Name: Kyle Class change: Cavalier -> Paladin/Great Knight Starting stats: (Cavalier L5) HP 25 STR 9 SKL 6 SPD 7 DEF 9 RES 1 LUC 6 Growth rates (%): HP 85 STR 50 SKL 40 SPD 40 DEF 25 RES 20 LUC 20 Usable weapons: sword, lance, possibly axe Description: Probably the best mounted unit in the game; Kyle is a tank. He can take a lot of hits and has enough strength to clobber enemies as well. With his nice speed and skill he'll be doubling often and not missing a lot at all. Name: Amelia Class change: Recruit -> Recruit/Knight/Cavalier -> Recruit/Paladin/Great Knight/General Starting stats: (Recruit L1) HP 16 STR 4 SKL 3 SPD 4 DEF 2 RES 3 LUC 6 Growth rates (%): HP 60 STR 35 SKL 40 SPD 40 DEF 30 RES 15 LUC 50 Usable weapons: lance, sword, possibly axe Description: She needs to be babysat for a LONG time - right up until she's midway to becoming her final class. But once she gets going, nothing can stop her. She is a great fighter and she's cute too ^.^ Name: Artur Class change: Monk -> Bishop/Sage Starting stats: HP 19 MAG 7 SKL 6 SPD 9 DEF 2 RES 6 LUC 2 Growth rates (%): (Monk L2) HP 55 MAG 50 SKL 50 SPD 40 DEF 15 RES 55 LUC 25 Usable weapons: light, staff, possibly anima Description: Artur is a Lucius clone - he's a magical tank but little else; which means he is very very fragile. Watch for those physical units and watch Artur desecrate the rest. Name: Gerik Class change: Mercenary -> Hero/Ranger Starting stats: (Mercenary L10) HP 32 STR 14 SKL 13 SPD 13 DEF 10 RES 4 LUC 8 Growth rates (%): HP 90 STR 45 SKL 40 SPD 30 DEF 35 RES 25 LUC 30 Usable weapons: sword, possibly bow, possibly axe Description: A good candidate for best unit in the game. That's how good this guy is - he excels in almost everything. He's got it all - great offence, defence and some luck to boot. He has a little weakness to magic but that won't be a problem. Name: Tethys Class change: Dancer Starting stats: (Dancer L1) HP 18 STR 1 SKL 2 SPD 12 DEF 5 RES 4 LUC 10 Growth rates (%): HP 85 STR 5 SKL 10 SPD 70 DEF 30 RES 75 LUC 80 Usable weapons: -- Description: She's not much of a fighter obviously, but she can hold her own with her insane evasion. Not that that will be too helpful, she'll be on the backline for most of the battles (if at all). Name: Marisa Class change: Myrmidon -> Swordmaster/Assassin Starting stats: (Myrmidon L5) HP 23 STR 7 SKL 12 SPD 13 DEF 4 RES 3 LUC 9 Growth rates (%): HP 75 STR 30 SKL 55 SPD 60 DEF 15 RES 25 LUC 50 Usable weapons: sword Description: The deadly and beautiful master of the sword, Marisa. She's frail and excels in only typical areas; speed, skill and luck. She suits the assassin mould well, unfortunately assassins aren't very good units. Name: Saleh Class change: Sage Starting stats: (Sage L4) HP 32 MAG 16 SKL 18 SPD 15 DEF 10 RES 15 LUC 11 Growth rates (%): HP 50 MAG 30 SKL 25 SPD 40 DEF 30 RES 35 LUC 40 Usable weapons: anima, staff, light Description: Not bad. Saleh is reasonable but is average in most places, so he isn't your ideal mage. Look towards Lute and Artur moreso. Nothing much going for him except maybe his weapon levels (...) Name: Ewan Class change: Pupil -> Pupil/Mage/Shaman -> Pupil/Sage/Mage Knight/Druid/ Summoner Starting stats: (Pupil L1) HP 15 MAG 3 SKL 2 SPD 5 DEF 0 RES 3 LUC 5 Growth rates (%): HP 50 MAG 45 SKL 40 SPD 35 DEF 15 RES 40 LUC 50 Usable weapons: anima, possibly staff, possibly dark, possibly light Description: Great potential and good stats making him an adept mage. Very weak to begin with, so he needs to babysat like many others before him. Excellent in all fields, really. This proves the theory of lower levelled units surpassing higher levelled units later in the game (with a few exceptions, of course). Name: L'Arachel Class change: Troubadour -> Valkyrie/Mage Knight Starting stats: (Troubadour L3) HP 18 MAG 6 SKL 6 SPD 10 DEF 5 RES 8 LUC 12 Growth rates (%): HP 45 MAG 50 SKL 45 SPD 45 DEF 15 RES 50 LUC 65 Usable weapons: staff, possibly light, possibly anima Description: This girl's on steroids. Insane stats in all areas except her fragile defence. The only downside is that her classes are some of the worst in the magic family, so towards the end others might catch up to her. Name: Dozla Class change: Berserker Starting stats: (Berserker L1) HP 43 STR 16 SKL 11 SPD 9 DEF 11 RES 6 LUC 4 Growth rates (%): HP 85 STR 50 SKL 35 SPD 40 DEF 30 RES 25 LUC 30 Usable weapons: axe Description: Horrifyingly bad. Just look at him! Hopeless everywhere except he has some power and some HP. But how will that help him when he gets double by almost everything, misses almost everything and has shaky defence? He has no use outside of the LA. Name: Rennac Class change: Rogue Starting stats: (Rogue L1) HP 26 STR 8 SKL 11 SPD 15 DEF 8 RES 3 LUC 5 Growth rates (%): HP 65 STR 25 SKL 45 SPD 60 DEF 25 RES 30 LUC 25 Usable weapons: sword Description: Another lost case. Rennac's got nothing on Colm. He's just a rogue there in case you somehow did not train Colm up. He's somewhat useful as a secondary utility guy, but otherwise he isn't all that good. Name: Duessel Class change: Great Knight Starting stats: (Great Knight L8) HP 41 STR 17 SKL 12 SPD 12 DEF 17 RES 9 LUC 8 Growth rates (%): HP 85 STR 55 SKl 40 SPD 30 DEF 45 RES 30 LUC 20 Usable weapons: sword, axe, lance Description: He's an average tank, which isn't too bad for a prepromote. He's a high level but none of his stats are all that outstanding. His offence and defence can easily tangle with minions, but watch for the rare cases where his armour will get dented. Name: Myrrh Class change: Manakete Starting stats: (Manakete L1) HP 15 STR 3 SKL 1 SPD 5 DEF 2 RES 7 LUC 3 Growth rates (%): HP 130 STR 90 SKL 85 SPD 65 DEF 150 RES 30 LUC 30 Usable weapons: dragon stone Description: What a beast! And I mean what a beast! Just look at those growths that exceed 100%!! She'll be demolishing everyone. Her speciality is the most powerful of enemies, so don't be afraid to use her. Name: Knoll Class change: Shaman -> Druid/Summoner Starting stats: (Shaman L10) HP 21 MAG 12 SKL 9 SPD 8 DEF 2 RES 10 LUC 0 Growth rates (%): HP 70 MAG 50 SKL 40 SPD 35 DEF 10 RES 45 LUC 20 Usable weapons: dark, staff, possibly anima Description: Great magical stats like Artur, but even more frail. Barely any luck and low defence means this guy will be demolished by physical units. Lucky as a summoner he is able to attack from long range with his many minions. Name: Joshua Class change: Myrmidon -> Swordmaster/Assassin Starting stats: (Myrmidon L5) HP 24 STR 8 SKL 13 SPD 14 DEF 5 RES 4 LUC 7 Growth rates (%): HP 80 STR 35 SKL 55 SPD 55 DEF 20 RES 20 LUC 30 Usable weapons: sword Description: A very solid character as far as swordsmen are concerned. He has all the makings of a great swordsman and has reasonable stats to back himself up. The only problem will be he may not deal too much damage with his sword for a while. Name: Syrene Class change: Falcon Knight Starting stats: (Falcon Knight L1) HP 27 STR 10 SKL 13 SPD 15 DEF 8 RES 10 LUC 12 Growth rates (%): HP 70 STR 40 SKL 50 SPD 60 DEF 20 RES 50 LUC 30 Usable weapons: lance, sword Description: She isn't too good. Tana is much better than her. Syrene has little in her favour. Her stats are nothing great and her class is even worse. Name: Tana Class change: Pegasus Knight -> Falcon Knight/Wyvern Knight Starting stats: (Pegasus Knight L4) HP 20 STR 8 SKL 8 SPD 12 DEF 7 RES 7 LUC 8 Growth rates (%): HP 65 STR 45 SKL 40 SPD 65 DEF 20 RES 25 LUC 60 Usable weapons: lance, possibly sword Description: She reminds me in many ways of Farina. Sure, she isn't her equivalent, but she is the best of the fliers. She boasts great stats across the board and has very little or no weaknesses, except that she needs to be babysat a little to start off with. Her bow weakness remains, but she can overcome that in time. On top of that, she's cute too! I think I have discussed the secret characters enough elsewhere. They all are unlocked and there really isn't much to say about them, except that they are not exceptional. Lyon's caps and use of Naglfar is just about the only thing worth nothing, really. But for your benefit, I'll give their starting stats, growths and usable weapons. Look at some other guide in GameFAQs for more information. Name: Caellach Class: Hero L12 Starting stats: HP 47 STR 19 SKL 14 SPD 13 DEF 15 RES 13 LUC 14 Growth rates (%): HP 85 STR 50 SKL 45 SPD 45 DEF 30 RES 20 LUC 20 Usable weapons: sword, axe Name: Orson Class: Paladin L13 Starting stats: HP 45 STR 18 SKL 15 SPD 14 DEF 14 RES 11 LUC 6 Growth rates (%): HP 80 STR 55 SKL 45 SPDE 40 DEF 45 RES 30 LUC 25 Usable weapons: sword, lance Name: Riev Class: Bishop L16 Starting stats: HP 49 MAG 14 SKL 21 SPD 19 DEF 16 RES 18 LUC 9 Growth rates (%): HP 75 MAG 45 SKL 50 SPD 40 DEF 30 RES 45 LUC 15 Usable weapons: light, staff Name: Ismaire Class: Swordmaster L9 Starting stats: HP 35 STR 16 SKL 20 SPD 23 DEF 8 RES 15 LUC 12 Growth rates (%): HP 75 STR 30 SKL 60 SPD 55 DEF 20 RES 25 LUC 30 Usable weapons: sword Name: Selena Class: Mage Knight L11 Starting stats: HP 38 MAG 13 SKL 13 SPD 16 DEF 11 RES 17 LUC 10 Growth rates (%): HP 85 MAG 40 SKL 55 SPD 40 DEF 20 RES 30 LUC 25 Usable weapons: staff, anima Name: Hayden Class: Ranger L10 Starting stats: HP 37 STR 17 SKL 14 SPD 17 DEF 12 RES 12 LUC 17 Growth rates (%): HP 70 STR 40 SKL 45 SPD 45 DEF 25 RES 25 LUC 40 Usable weapons: bow, sword Name: Glen Class: Wyvern Lord L12 Starting stats: HP 46 STR 20 SKL 17 SPD 13 DEF 18 RES 5 LUC 7 Growth rates (%): HP 85 STR 45 SKL 50 SPD 45 DEF 35 RES 40 LUC 20 Usable weapons: sword, lance Name: Valter Class: Wyvern Knight L13 Starting stats: HP 45 STR 19 SKL 17 SPD 17 DEF 13 RES 12 LUC 3 Growth rates (%): HP 80 STR 40 SKL 55 SPD 50 DEF 20 RES 20 LUC 15 Usable weapons: lance Name: Fado Class: General L11 Starting stats: HP 46 STR 20 SKL 14 SPD 12 DEF 18 RES 11 LUC 5 Growth rates (%): HP 85 STR 55 SKL 40 SPD 30 DEF 45 RES 25 LUC 25 Usable weapons: lance, sword, axe Name: Lyon Class: Necromancer L14 Starting stats: HP 44 MAG 22 SKL 13 SPD 11 DEF 18 RES 19 LUC 4 Growth rates (%): HP 85 MAG 50 SKL 55 SPD 55 DEF 45 RES 45 LUC 30 Usable weapons: dark, staff +-----------------------------------------------------------------------------+ c. Secret Characters - [0230] - +-----------------------------------------------------------------------------+ During defeating both the Tower and Ruins, at certain stages you will obtain secret characters. BUT ONLY AFTER FINISHING THE STORY MODE. The secret characters are: Tower- 3F: Caellach 6F: Orson 7F: Riev Once: Ismaire; start a battle (skirmish etc.) to get her Three times: Selena; start a battle (skirmish etc.) to get her Ruins- Round 5: Hayden & Glen Round 7: Valter Once: Fado; start a battle (skirmish etc.) to get him Three times: Lyon; start a battle (skirmish etc.) to get him This process is very tedious, especially doing them three times each. Do it at long intervals so it isn't so boring. Look to the section right above for the secret character's stats. None of the characters are all that good, but the one character you might consider using is Lyon, because of Naglfar. It has infinite uses, handy to save money and good for certain tasks. Make sure you keep the Hoplon Guard Caellach comes with and the Fili Shield Valter comes with. Secret characters CANNOT be used in the Link Arena. +-----------------------------------------------------------------------------+ d. Class Choices - [0240] - +-----------------------------------------------------------------------------+ People are always asking which promotion is better or more advantageous. The answer is simple... Choose whatever you want! Have fun and experiment. You can adapt and change to whatever you want and if you don't like it, you can promote otherwise next time! Don't trust anyone's opinion but your own. Here are my choices: Wyvern Knight > Falcon Knight Ranger > Sniper Wyvern Lord = Wyvern Knight Summoner = Druid Sage > Bishop, Mage Knight Bishop > Valkyrie Mage Knight = Valkyrie Hero > Ranger BUT THE RANGER MAY BE EQUAL OR BETTER IN THE LINK ARENA Swordmaster > Assassin General > Great Knight Great Knight > Paladin Berserker > Warrior Warrior > Hero You should know the above opinions are based on personal experience. Like I said, the best way to find out is trial it out yourself! Save and try out a unit, if you like it keep it and if you don't, change. You will always have next playthrough too anyway. +-----------------------------------------------------------------------------+ e. Trainees - [0250] - +-----------------------------------------------------------------------------+ Trainees are unique classes introduced in this Fire Emblem. There are 3: Ewan: Pupil Amelia: Recruit Ross: Journeyman These classes are unique because they are the unpromoted forms of normal unpromoted classes. They can branch out in many ways when promoting: Recruit > Knight/Cavalier > General/Great Knight/Paladin Pupil > Mage/Shaman > Mage Knight/Druid/Sage/Summoner Journeyman > Fighter/Pirate > Warrior/Berserker/Hero The trainees all promote automatically at level 10 but not on the same level as where level 10 was reached... The next battle chapter (whether it be skirmish, story chapter or tower/ruins)is where the trainees promote and you choose. After that, the normal stage 1 class (such as fighter) can be promoted anytime after level 10. ============== SUPER TRAINEES ============== These are special promotion paths for the trainees that have to be unlocked after completing both Ephraim and Eirika routes or completing one route and playing a map of the other lords. After doing so, when your trainee promotes something different can happen: Trainee > Trainee again >(anytime after level 10 with promotion item) > Super The promotion items are: Ross: Hero Crest Amelia: Knight Crest Ewan: Guiding Ring The super trainees have certain abilities of their own... Super pupil: Use of light, dark and anima magic but no staff Super recruit: +15% critical rate Super journeyman: +15% critical rate +-----------------------------------------------------------------------------+ f. Monsters - [0260] - +-----------------------------------------------------------------------------+ On your journey in Magvel you will encounter numerous monsters that will try to bar your path in numerous ways. They appear on the world map, in the Lagdou Ruins and in the Tower of Valni as well as various chapters. They tend to be weaker than humans. Bishops are effective against them with their skill Slayer, but the legendary weapons are also effective. Bael Use: Claws Big spiders that use talons. They usually can poison you. They have lots of HP and can cause problems early on the game. Elder Bael Use: Claws Stronger version of Bael. Tarvos Use: axes Centaur monsters that wield axes. They are easily dispatched with swordsmen. Their physical attributes are decent. Maelduin Use: axes, bows Stronger Tarvos that can wield bows. Don't underestimate their power. Gargoyle Use: lances Pesky flying critters that can be a pain if you are unprepared. Axemen and bows destoy these monsters. Deathgoyle Use: lances Stonger gargoyles. They can deal some serious damage to unprepared units. Mauthe doog Use: fangs Hounds that are very fast but are weak. If they double a weak unit you are in trouble. Later on they are a joke because they cannot deal any damage and they die in one hit. Gwyllgi Use: fangs Three-headed hounds that are stronger versions of the mauthe doogs. Dispatch them in the same manner. Gorgon Use: dark magic These creatures are weak but annoying. Some of their spells can turn you to stone and some deal huge amounts of damage but have a low chance of hitting. They look like Medusa serpent-like creatures. Cyclops Use: axes Axe-wielding giants that have huge strength and defence. They don't hit much but when they do, they can hurt. Bonewalker Use: bows Weak units that can prove pesky with their bows, particularly Longbows. Wight Use: swords, lances Weak units but in huge swarms can be dangerous. Axes and lances can crush them. Revenant Use: claws Slow zombies that are weak. The weakest monsters you'll find. Entombed Use: claws Stronger Revenants with a lot of HP. Mogall Use: dark magic Physically weak eyeballs that cause problems to weak resistance units. Arch Mogall Use: dark magic Stronger Mogall that can deal huge amounts of damage to weak units, not that you have any anyway. Very destructive at sniping low RES units. Zombie dragons Use: Wretched Air Strong beasts that pack a huge punch. They sometimes miss but they are very powerful and can kill your units easily. Legendary weapons are not such a bad idea to use here. +-----------------------------------------------------------------------------+ g. Myrrh - [0270] - +-----------------------------------------------------------------------------+ Myrrh is unique because she is a manakete. She can only use the Dragonstone and it has only 50 uses which CANNOT BE REPAIRED by Hammerne. Use her well. Level her up by weakening enemies with others and using her to finish the enemy. Use her only in very difficult situations such as difficult bosses and Round 10 of the Lagdou Ruins. Her growth rates are insane, sometimes she will gain +2 in a stat, don't be surprised. She CANNOT BE USED IN THE LINK ARENA, this isn't a bad thing as she would be too broken. +-----------------------------------------------------------------------------+ h. Supports - [0280] - +-----------------------------------------------------------------------------+ SUPPORTS are conversations between units which reveal information about that character which you may not have known otherwise. More importantly, supports yield bonuses based on affinities. Supports occur after a certain amount of turns. More about the no. of turns can be found in a support guide. Not all characters can support however, so you must know who can support who. This is revealed in the game as you progress on the start menu before you begin a chapter. A person can support at a maximum support "A". As turns continue a "talk" command will appear and a conversation will take place if you choose to use it. Afterwards the game will say "support level risen". The SUPPORT LEVEL rises to "C" afterwards. As more turns accumulate more conversations occur until the maximum "A" level is reached. A unit can have a maximum of 5 conversations in the game, for example, Ross could have: A Garcia B Amelia OR A Garcia C Amelia C Ewan And so on. Think of A as 3 conversations, B as 2 and C as 1. As the level rises the bonus improves so it is in your best interests to get a unit a maximum of 5 conversations and the optimal setting would be (A unit 1 B unit 2). This is important to consider in the Link Arena where 5 units are pitted against each other. AFFINITIES are a particular attribute of characters which determine which support bonus they yield. There are 7 affinities: fire, wind, thunder, light, anima, darkness and ice. The following is a series of the elements accompanied by their respective bonuses. FIRE LEVEL: C: Attk: +0.5 Hit: +2.5% Avoid: +2.5% Crit: +2.5% B: Attk: +1.0 Hit: +5.0% Avoid: +5.0% Crit: +5.0% A: Attk: +1.5 Hit: +7.5% Avoid: +7.5% Crit: +7.5% ICE LEVEL: C: Def: +0.5 Hit: +2.5% Avoid: +2.5% Crit Evd: +2.5% B: Def: +1.0 Hit: +5.0% Avoid: +5.0% Crit Evd: +5.0% A: Def: +1.5 Hit: +7.5% Avoid: +7.5% Crit Evd: +7.5% WIND LEVEL: C: Attk: +0.5 Hit: +2.5% Crit: +2.5% Crit Evd: +2.5% B: Attk: +1.0 Hit: +5.0% Crit: +5.0% Crit Evd: +5.0% A: Attk: +1.5 Hit: +7.5% Crit: +7.5% Crit Evd: +7.5% THUNDER LEVEL: C: Def: +0.5 Avoid: +2.5% Crit: +2.5% Crit Evd: +2.5% B: Def: +1.0 Avoid: +5.0% Crit: +5.0% Crit Evd: +5.0% A: Def: +1.5 Avoid: +7.5% Crit: +7.5% Crit Evd: +7.5% DARKNESS LEVEL: C: Hit: +2.5% Avoid: +2.5% Crit: +2.5% Crit Evd: +2.5% B: Hit: +5.0% Avoid: +5.0% Crit: +5.0% Crit Evd: +5.0% A: Hit: +7.5% Avoid: +7.5% Crit: +7.5% Crit Evd: +7.5% LIGHT LEVEL: C: Attk: +0.5 Def: +0.5 Hit: +2.5% Crit: +2.5% B: Attk: +1.0 Def: +1.0 Hit: +5.0% Crit: +5.0% A: Attk: +1.5 Def: +1.5 Hit: +7.5% Crit: +7.5% ANIMA LEVEL: C: Attk: +0.5 Def: +0.5 Avoid: +2.5% Crit Evd: +2.5% B: Attk: +1.0 Def: +1.0 Avoid: +5.0% Crit Evd: +5.0% A: Attk: +1.5 Def: +1.5 Avoid: +7.5% Crit Evd: +7.5% The most offensive affinity is LIGHT. The most defensive affinity is ICE. These bonuses can be used to help units' weaknesses become stronger and make the unit more valuable. You learn more about the unit from supports as well. One should try to make a team of supported units for greater effect. One should remember one thing: the game rounds down all values so "0.5%" would mean "0%" instead. Thus it is in the best interests of the player to give the unit an optimum support (A unit 1 B unit 2) This should cover the basics, but for a more in-depth guide look to a support FAQ. +-----------------------------------------------------------------------------+ i. Skills - [0290] - +-----------------------------------------------------------------------------+ These are the abilites certain classes possess. This guide includes the formula rate for calculating them. General Great Shield opponent's level = activation % Wyvern Knight Pierce own level = activation % Swordmaster 15% critical bonus always Berserker 15% critical bonus always Assassin Silencer critical rate/2 Sniper Sure Strike own level = activation % Bishop Slayer x3 vs. monsters, x2 with Ivaldi Bowmen Efficiency x3 vs. flying units (wyverns, pegasi, manakete) Rogue Pick can open chests and doors without lockpick Super recruit 15% critical bonus always Super journeyman 15% critical bonus always Enhanced vision: Rogues, thieves and assassins all have greater vision than other units in general, making them useful for fog-of-war Disable trap: Rogues, thieves and assassins can disable traps. Simply place them in front of the trap or on the tile and the turn the trap is meant to activate the thief will disable it. Steal: Rogues and thieves only, allows them to steal non-weapon non-staff items off enemies and gain some EXP for it. Stealing can only take place if the rogue or thief has more speed than the enemy. Summoners have a skill to summon Phantoms. The units increase in level and their stats improve as your summoner becomes stronger. They wield axes and are good diversions for the enemy. Summoners gain EXP from summoning. Find out more in the "Summons" section. A skill activates when the unit glows yellow momentarily. This does not apply to Berserkers, Swordmasters, Rogues, Bishops, or bowmen because they are always active. However, the assassins Silencer activates the same way as in FE7, it appears as though the unit does a normal critical but there are 3 mirages and there is a red streak for a second instead of the normal black split-second visual in the animation. The old returning skills from FE7 are Silencer, bowmen's efficiency, swordmaster critical bonus and berserker critical bonus. ================== OVERWRITING SKILLS ================== Silencer overwrites Great Shield Result: OHKO Great Shield overwrites Pierce Result: No damage ======= SUMMONS ======= Why are Phantoms that are summoned by Summoners useful? - the AI is programmed to attack them first, making them great bait - economic to use and can dispose of enemies easily You should really know summoners have 1HP. Some people wonder about why Knoll's summons are better than Ewan's. This is due to the fact that summons work by auto-levelling to the summoner's level. The growths are: Ewan: STR 70 SKL 40 SPD 20 LUC 40 Knoll: STR 50 SKL 50 SPD 40 LUC 55 Lyon: STR 60 SKL 45 SPD 30 LUC 60 The equipment of each Phantom is random; either Devil, Killer, or Iron Axe as well as a Tomahawk. A few things worth noting: - Phantoms are considered flying units; they can bypass any terrain and have no avoid bonuses from terrain - Phantoms cannot trade with other units - There cannot be more than one Phantom summoned by the same summoner at one time, so you can't "Summon rush" - Phantom glitch can be exploited - Easy EXP The people that can summon: Summoners (Knoll, Ewan) Necromancer (Lyon) =============================================================================== O========================== III. COMBAT - [0300] - ===========================O =============================================================================== Every aspect of combat is referred to here. +-----------------------------------------------------------------------------+ a. The Basic Stats - [0310] - +-----------------------------------------------------------------------------+ When referring to stats you must know the following: HP: Health Points; If it reaches 0 your unit dies and cannot be used again STR: Strength; damage you deal to opponents but is dependant on defence MAG: Magic; damage you deal to opponents but is dependant on resistance SKL: Skill; affects hit rate and critical rate SPD: Speed; affects evasion rate and attack speed (AS), with 4+ more speed than the opponent you can double attack them LUC: Luck; affects hit rate, evasion rate & critical evasion rate DEF: Defence; affects the damage taken from strength-based attacks RES: Resistance; affects the damage taken from magic-based attacks MOV: Movement; affects how far your unit can move CON: Constitution; affects what weapons your unit can wield without AS loss, who they can rescue and who can rescue them- it is to your advantage to use higher constitution units to wield weapons with greater WEIGHT (Wt) but keep in mind they cannot be rescued by lower constitution units. There is an exception- if the unit is mounted even if their CON is low they can rescue higher constitution units. For example, a cavalier with 9 con has 16 aid, so any unit with 16 or less con can be rescued. When a unit is rescued, the unit who is rescuing suffers a severe speed and skill penalty where they are both halved. GROWTH RATE is the % chance a unit has to level up a stat CAPS refer to the maximum of each unit's potential in a stat HARD MODE BONUSES do NOT exist in this game for units you recruit (damn!) However, some units get better stats for different routes and there are stat variations, in other words units stats may not be exactly the same of each playthrough. Pay special attention to ATTACK SPEED, LUCK and CONSTITUTION which are rarely mentioned in the game. +-----------------------------------------------------------------------------+ b. Weapon Level - [0320] - +-----------------------------------------------------------------------------+ Determines which weapons you can wield. If a unit has an A weapon level in swords it means they could wield a Silver Sword (requires A rank) and they cannot wield Audhulma (requires S rank). There is WEAPON EXP which determines the rank. E = 1-30 D = 31-70 C = 71-120 B = 121-180 A = 181-250 S = 251+ Weapons give 1-2 EXP per hit but heavier weapons tend to give more EXP. Staves give 2-8 EXP. Most classes get a +40 EXP weapon EXP bonus upon promotion. You cannot get a rank higher than A (181) before promotion. S rank is beneficial because it adds +5% to critical and +5% to hit rate. Only one weapon can be S ranked. +-----------------------------------------------------------------------------+ c. Formulae - [0330] - +-----------------------------------------------------------------------------+ Interested in formulas for details within the game? Attack speed: Weapon Wt. > Con = Speed + (Con - Weapon Weight) Weapon Wt. < Con = Speed Weapon Wt. = Con, = Speed Hit rate = 2* Skill + 0.5* Luck - Target avoid + weapon hit rate + Bonuses (+5% from S rank in weapon level and 0-25% depending on supports) Avoid = 2* attack speed + luck + bonuses (0-25% from supports, 0-40% from different terrain) Damage = Power + Effective Weapon Might - Target Effective Defence + Bonuses ( 0-5 Def from supports) Effective weapon might = (Might + Weapon Triangle advantage)*3 if weapon is effective against target Effective defence = Def/Res + Bonuses (0-5 Def supports, 0-2 from terrain) Rune Sword/Light Brand damage range 2 = Power/2 rounded up affecting resistance Rune Sword/Light Brand damage range 1 = Power affecting resistance Critical rate = Weapon critical + 0.5*skill - target critical evade + bonuses (+5% if S in weapon, +15% for swordmasters/berserkers, 0-25% supports) Critical evade = Luck + Bonuses (0-25% supports) Criticals deal damage*3 and you can only critical if you hit Magic swords cannot critical when casting a spell Staff accuracy = 30% + Power*5 + Skill - Enemy staff evade + bonuses (+5% from S rank staff level, 0-25% supports) Staff evasion = Res*5 + Distance from target*2 + bonuses (0-25% supports) Effective against weapons = triple their normal might Steal = if a space is free in the thief's inventory and they have greater speed than the enemy (cannot miss) Exp formula: (this is in the words of kyo_kusanagi83) 1. Battle Exp (hitting an opponent) (31-(Own Level-Opponent's Level))/ Own Class Value 2. Battle Exp (defeating an opponent) 30+(Enemy's Class Value x Enemy Level)-(Own Class Value x Own Level) Modify the final number for 2. if the opponent is: A Boss: +40 Rogue/Bishop/Valkyrie: -20 Thief: +20 Entombed: +60 Class Values: Trainee class/Entombed: 1 Soldier/Priest/Thief/Troubadour/Manekete: 2 All other classes: 3 For calculation of levels, take promoted classes to be +20. That means a Level 1 Paladin would have a value of 21. +-----------------------------------------------------------------------------+ d. Terrain & Movement - [0340] - +-----------------------------------------------------------------------------+ ======= TERRAIN ======= Different terrain gives different bonuses, for example forests. Throne panels affect only physical defence. NB: Fliers receive no terrain bonus Woods: evasion +20% def +1 sand: evasion +5% high mountains: evasion +40% pillar: evasion +20% def +1 throne: evasion +30% def +3 castle gate: evasion +30% def +3 sea: evasion +10% mountains: evasion +30% def +1 village: evasion +10% Any not mentioned do not give a bonus. ======== MOVEMENT ======== Thanks to Juigi Kario for this section: *Forest: 3 for mounted units except Rangers; and 2 for anybody else (except fliers) *Rivers: 2 for Pirates and Berserkers; 5 for Lords, Thieves, Rogues, Assassins, Swordmasters, Heroes, Snipers, and Rangers; and nobody else allowed. *Sea: 2 for Pirates and Berserkers *Mountains: 6 for promoted mounted units besides Rangers; 5 for Rangers; 3 for Axemen, Warriors, Bandits, Pirates, and Berserkers (and possibly Novice Axemen); and 4 for all other foot units except Armor Knights and Generals. *High Mountain: 4 for Bandits and Berserkers *Desert: (Special thanks to Saint Magician for his correction here) Normal movement range - all flying units and unmounted magic users including the pupil class, thief 3 squares - Sniper, Hero, Berserker, Rogue, Swordmaster, Assassin 2 sqaures - Dancer, Paladin, Ranger, Mercenary, Archer, Warrior, Myrmidon, Pirate 1 square - Knight, General, Cavalier, Great Knight, Fighter, Mage Knights, Troubador, Journeyman, Recruit, Valkyrie Uncertain: Thief Valkyrie Pirate +-----------------------------------------------------------------------------+ e. Weapon & Magic Triangle - [0350] - +-----------------------------------------------------------------------------+ This is the basic triangle for units, which means that one unit has an advantage over the other in most cases using the weapon which beats it. Sword beats axe Axe beats lance Lance beats sword There is a similar concept in magic: Anima beats light Light beats dark Dark beats anima The weapon triangle lowers hit by 15% on the losing end and raises hit by 15% on the winning end. It also lowers weapon might by 1 on the losing end and raises it by 1 on the winning end. If a REAVER weapon is in play such as an Axereaver etc. then the triangle is reversed. The winning end gets +2 weapon might and +30% hit and the losing end gets -2 might and -30% hit. If you have two reaver weapons the triangle becomes normal again. +-----------------------------------------------------------------------------+ f. Status Ailments - [0360] - +-----------------------------------------------------------------------------+ An enemy may use a status staff on you to affect your units to their advantage. The same can occur when you use a staff on them such as Sleep. All statuses start at the count of 5 turns. At the start of the character's turn the count reduces by 1. Once the count reaches 0 the character becomes normal status and can act immediately. A unit can have only one status condition at a time. Enemies may overwrite status conditions but you cannot. POISON Applied from certain traps and weapons. Takes 1-3 (random) damage at the start of your turn. SLEEP From a "Sleep staff". Character cannot receive commands and cannot attack. They can dodge. Getting hit does NOT wake them up. BERSERK From a "Berserk staff". Character attacks a unit (friend or foe) to which it can deal most damage relative to their HP. They cannot receive commands. Acts exactly like the "attack" AI. Acts after all non-status units. SILENCE From a "Silence staff". Cannot use magical tomes or staves. PETRIFICATION From a Stone. Cannot act on their turn at all. Enemies gain +30% critical when hitting a unit that is petrified. +-----------------------------------------------------------------------------+ g. Triangle Attack - [0370] - +-----------------------------------------------------------------------------+ What is it? The three FEMALE fliers must be arranged in a triangle formation surrounding the enemy. In other words, two to the left or right of the enemy and one above or below, which can vary depending on perspective and can be done vice versa. Notes: - The unit that attacks must be Vanessa, Tana, or Syrene - The two who are not attacking must be Pegasus/ Falcon Knight - It is an automatic critical ie. 100% critical 100% hit rate. Subesequent hits are normal and any counters by the enemy are directed at the unit that begins the triangle attack. A triangle attack does not activate on counters. The attack must be in a triangle formation but any of the 3 can initiate it. The other 2 can have finished their current turn. +-----------------------------------------------------------------------------+ h. Effective Weapons & Classes - [0380] - +-----------------------------------------------------------------------------+ Bows are effective against fliers Bishops effective against monsters Legendaries effective against monsters (only DOUBLE damage, the exception is Gleipnir which does not have this effect o.o) Dragon weapons effective against wyverns/dragons Bows are effective against dragons/wyverns Demon weapons are effective against demons. Horseslayer, Halberd and Zanbato effective against mounted units Hammer, Heavy Spear effective against knights/generals/Great Knights Reaver weapons reverse the triangle Swordslayer is effective against myrmidons, swordmasters, mercenaries, heroes Dragonstone is effective against all monsters Reginlief/Rapier are effective against cavaliers, mage knights, great knights, paladins, valkyries and generals. +-----------------------------------------------------------------------------+ i. The Link Arena - [0390] - +-----------------------------------------------------------------------------+ The LINK ARENA or LA as some people would say is an extras option where a team of 5 units are placed against a team of another 5 units. This is limited tactics, but a few pointers and terms to know: A SUPPORT CIRCLE is a chain of 5 units which exactly or nearly exactly match each other. For example, here's one LA team I made: Gilliam A Dozla B Garcia Ross A Amelia B Garcia Garcia B Gilliam B Ross Amelia A Ross Dozla A Gilliam A support circle is needed to ensure all units are supported by all other units to gain the maximum power of each unit. Each LA unit has 5 item slots- don't be scared to use them all! In fact it is far better to do so. For example, Gilliam A Dozla B Garcia S rank lances A rank swords A axes General L1 Vidofnir Killer Lance Swordslayer Brave Sword Hoplon Guard Ross A Amelia B Garcia S rank Bow A axe Warrior L1 Nidhogg Killer Bow Killer Axe Swordslayer Brave Bow Garcia B Gilliam B Ross S Axe A Bow Warrior L1 Swordslayer Killer Bow Killer Axe Swordreaver Silver Bow Amelia A Ross S sword A axe A lance Audhulma Brave Lance Swordslayer Killer Axe Killer Lance Hoplon Guard Dozla A Gilliam Garm Killer Axe Swordslayer Brave Axe Silver Axe NOTE: This support chain is actually not possible, but use it as an example :p When doing so, take into account the weapon which you will achieve the maximum rank (S rank) to wield legendary weapons. This also requires thinking on which units should hold the HOPLON GUARD(negates the critical rate of the foe) and who should wield which weapon based on their support bonuses. Remember there are 2 Hoplon Guards now. For flying units consider who shall hold the FILI SHIELD. The bonuses of each legendary weapon are: +5 STR: Siegmund, Sieglinde +5 SKL: Gleipnir +5 SPD: Garm, Excalibur +5 LUC: Nidhogg +5 DEF: Vidofnir, Ivaldi +5 RES: Audhulma Your LA team should be all maxed, which is easy to do with the Secret Shop that sells infinite stat boosting items except Swiftsoles for 8000G. If your unit has no wyvern knights or snipers, like mine, then it is most desirable to keep your units as low a level as possible to ensure that Great Shield is not activated. To clarify: It is best if you have no units' whose skill relies on their own level to be as low a level as possible (ie. level 1) to minimise the chance of enemy skills activating. Trainees are an excellent LA choice because of their specialities and supports with each other. Secret characters and Myrrh CANNOT BE USED IN THE LA. I may consider a Link Arena Guide at a later date, but the best combos for a legitimate LA team include: Dozla BERSERKER Garcia WARRIOR Ross BERSERKER Amelia GENERAL Gilliam GENERAL/Ewan SUPER PUPIL With Ewan, a full support chain (everyone has maxed out supports) can be achieved, though with Gilliam you have the power and versatility of a second general. Your choice. I admit, that the control enemy glitch is becoming a part of the culture of the Link Arena battles nowadays, so you might as well exploit it to have S rank in dark magic, especially for berserkers as their strength and magic are interchangeable. Use Naglfar or Gleipnir to demolish the foe. I personally gave up on the Link Arena after hearing how easy it is to cap all stats and it became worse after the new control enemy glitch was discovered. I recommend that you have a non-glitched LA team as well to back yourself up. =============================================================================== O========================== IV. THE RNG - [0400] - ===========================O =============================================================================== Good for you - with this you'll understand the RNG. Read on to find out. +-----------------------------------------------------------------------------+ a. Definition - [0410] - +-----------------------------------------------------------------------------+ The RNG stands for Random Number Generator. I wouldn't be surprised if you are familiar with the term, it applies in a few GBA games even, an example is the Golden Sun series. What does it mean? It basically is a built-in feature in the game that determines many things in the game including: - whether the unit will be criticalled, will evade, will hit the enemy and anything to do with battle that involves % - the odds that each of the seven stats that can rise will increase I don't want to go too into depth with the concept of RNG but you should be familiar with the term. Using this information you can RNG ABUSE which involves manipulating the RNs (random numbers) in order to produce a favourable outcome (such as hit an enemy or dodge an attack) where you otherwise would have failed however, such situations are usually avoided by good strategy. The main reason for RNG abuse is because of levelling up characters in all their stats. As you already know GROWTHS affect how characters level up. There is always a chance (with some exceptions) that the character will not grow in a stat. RNG abuse has one primary purpose: level all the stats in order to reach the character's CAPS and become an ultimate LA team member. In this Fire Emblem it is no longer necessary because of the fact that you can buy infinite stat boosters from secret shops. However it is good to remember the RNG determines many aspects of gameplay. +-----------------------------------------------------------------------------+ b. RNG Abusing - [0420] - +-----------------------------------------------------------------------------+ If you're looking to find out how to RNG abuse go here: http://faqs.ign.com/articles/520/520430p1.html Here's the basics: * 2 RNs are used to determine hit rate odds. * If the hit is a success, a 3rd RN is used for critical hits odds. * If the hit is a failure, the game will use only the 2 RNs for hit rate odds. * If an assassin is successful in performing a critical, a 4th RN is used to determine if the critical is a one-hit KO or not. * 7 RNs are used when a unit levels up. * During the beginning of an enemy's turn, 1 RN is used. * Usable items like vulnarities or using staves do not use RNs. * It is still unknown how the Arena uses RNs. Note: I do not know much about the RNG I have to admit. If you're looking at ways to manipulate the RNG to get Swiftsoles etc. go to the RNG Guide on GameFAQs, or ask on the FE: TSS GB on GameFAQs either in an individual topic or in the sticky topic for ways of manipulating the RNG. It seems the RNG depends also on whether you are in Creature Campaign or not. Down the track, I have realised the sticky topic has the strategies for perfect level ups in Creature Campaign in the Tower or Ruins, so I recommend heading there for more details. You're probably better off ignoring this whole section and going to that topic directly or asking around for more details, as I have never attempted to RNG Abuse before... (I know, kind of pathetic, but I find it too tedious). =============================================================================== O===================== V. ABUSE OF ALL KINDS - [0500] - ======================O =============================================================================== Here you'll find out about how to quickly and effectively use certain places in the game to maximum advantage. +-----------------------------------------------------------------------------+ a. Arena Abusing - [0510] - +-----------------------------------------------------------------------------+ This is the process where you use the arena to rack up money and experience for your units. Very effective (and cheap) when done right. Make sure you are not afraid to tap the B button if abusing, because you'll need it to survive. Remember: B to give up, only activated on your turn of attack. Never use knights in the arena! High defence units will be pitted against enemies with Silver weapons. Arena abusing is best done with high speed units and low defence. If you see a swordmaster or berserker, give up! A critical will almost certainly be the end of your unit. Arena enemies DO NOT HAVE CAPS! They can have huge amounts of HP just like monsters, sometimes above 80. Watch what you do and take care. Arena abusing is not as effective as before because of tower and ruins abuse. Seriously, this is not a recommended method of levelling up. You have so many sources of EXP, especially with the world map and the towers and ruins. If you are in dire need of money, use RNG tricks to gather items for some quick cash. I personally never required money, but possibly if you're building a LA team or maxing out all characters you may look towards some spare cash. +-----------------------------------------------------------------------------+ b. Tower & Ruins Abusing - [0520] - +-----------------------------------------------------------------------------+ This is the process whereby you level up your units in the Tower and/or Ruins for as long as you want. Very easy to do and cheap, because you can always "Retreat" and do it all over again. Best strategy? For unpromoted units: (Tower of Valni) Clear 1F, exit, save and head back in. If your unit dies, restart. Works everytime. Tower abusing is fine early on, but later you will find you may not gain even a level per floor of the Tower. The Ruins offers more EXP, but is more lethal. For promoted units: (Lagdou Ruins) Clear Round 1, exit, save, rinse and repeat. More tedious but more EXP. +-----------------------------------------------------------------------------+ c. Support Abusing - [0530] - +-----------------------------------------------------------------------------+ The cheap tactic to get 100% supports easily. Since the Tower and Ruins do not save, all you do is get an A support between characters and then reset. The conversation is saved but the actual support is not on file, so do that with everyone to easily get 100% supports (still time-consuming, but a LOT faster than conventional methods). =============================================================================== O======================= VI. GENERAL ADVICE - [0600] - =======================O =============================================================================== Some random stuff I decided to put in to help. A lot of you probably won't need this section unless you are looking for some obscure facts. ============== TOWER OF VALNI ============== Very simple place, available right after Chapter 8 whichever route you take. Tower abuse will be available right from that stage and will remain even after clearing it. I have found out certain levels of the tower are unlocked after certain stages. Floor 1 opened after Chapter 8 Finished Floor 2 opened after Chapter 9 Finished Floor 3 opened after Chapter 10 Finished Floor 4 opened after Chapter 11 Finished Floor 5 opened after Chapter 12 Finished Floor 6 opened after Chapter 13 Finished Floor 7 opened after Chapter 15 Finished Floor 8 opened after Chapter 15 Finished BTW, you should realise that once you retreat from the tower OR clear it, you will start from the beginning when you re-enter. I would leave clearing it until after completing the game so that you can unlock some secret characters. Nothing at all difficult about this place, the Lagdou Ruins is a different story. Some of the maps will prove annoying such as 8F clearing every platform individually and 9F the shooting stars. The Tower requires little strategy, just use whoever you want to level - whether it be neglected characters or healers etc. ============ LAGDOU RUINS ============ This place becomes available after Chapter 19. Much more difficult than the Tower. Most units here are promoted and are strong enough to be a threat even to your best units. What's more annoying? There are tonnes of units. There are traps at certain stages to be aware of and there is no way to save in between! A few tips: - bring Bishops; but make sure they are well guarded because they will be subject very often to OHKOs - conserve your legendaries for Round 10 - Magic monsters are far more dangerous than physical units, kill them FIRST - Kill fliers, bowmen and other pesky units before the main physical units - Be reasonable about who you send where - Be prepared that a LOT of your units may well reach 20/20 - Stock up and conserve on good weapons, stick to basic weapons when possible Round 10 is fairly difficult (for a beginner), here's the basics: - Try to take out a few with long range spells or weaken them - Take Bishops, legendaries and Myrrh - Isolate the dragon zombies and kill them - Take your best units - Don't make mistakes! If you screw up, you'll have to start from scratch again to save the character who died... NOTE: This floor isn't so bad. With bishops, you can readily snipe the enemy with ease and not take any damage at all. ====== DESERT ====== Chapter 15 is a desert chapter... The desert is unique because movement is distorted and hidden items are located here. Movement changes: (Credit goes to Saint Magician) Normal movement range - all flying units and unmounted magic users including the pupil class, thief 3 squares - Sniper, Hero, Berserker, Rogue, Swordmaster, Assassin 2 sqaures - Dancer, Paladin, Ranger, Mercenary, Archer, Warrior, Myrmidon, Pirate 1 square - Knight, General, Cavalier, Great Knight, Fighter, Mage Knights, Troubador, Journeyman, Recruit, Valkyrie Uncertain: Thief Valkyrie Pirate It is important to know the items are only roughly in a location, take the time to look carefully. Hidden items: Silver Card (IMPORTANT): far NE near the ridges Metis's Tome (IMPORTANT): near the eastern bones Eclipse: near Valter's fortress and the destroyed village SE Swiftsole: the bones NW of Valter Killer Bow: S of the bones E of the village with the Master Seal Wyrmslayer: near the bones E of the village with the Master Seal Body Ring: N of the village Silence: N of the Body Ring, S of the bones near Caellach Warp: near the far NW bones where Caellach is, may need to eliminate him first To get all the items, it is better to clear all reinforcements first and then find the items by a waiting game. The Warp is probably the only one that may require confrontation with Caellach. Caellach and Valter DO NOT move, so don't be afraid of them... much. ============ SECRET SHOPS ============ In order to access them, you need the Member Card. Rennac has it, so recruit him or steal it off him for it. SECRET SHOP LOCATIONS: --------------------- These are the locations WITHIN CHAPTERS. Don't worry too much about missing them. Chapter 14 Eirika: Queen of White Dunes W of Carlyle, on the other side of the wall (go west or through the gate in the east). Silver Blade 1800 Killing Edge 1300 Killer Lance 1200 Battle Axe 1000 Killer Axe 1000 Killer Bow 1400 Barrier 2250 Physic 3750 Lockpick 1200 Hero Crest 10000 Knight Crest 10000 Orion Bolt 10000 Elysian Whip 10000 Guiding Ring 10000 Ocean Seal 10000 Chapter 14 Ephraim: Father & Son On the western path, near the western gate where the archer is located just adjacent to the wall (from the other side, go around). Steel Blade 1250 Silver Blade 1800 Killing Edge 1300 Killer Lance 1200 Battle Axe 1000 Killer Axe 1000 Killer Bow 1400 Barrier 2250 Physic 3750 Lockpick 1200 Hero Crest 10000 Knight Crest 10000 Orion Bolt 10000 Elysian Whip 10000 Guiding Ring 10000 Ocean Seal 10000 Chapter 19: Last Hope Above the eastern chests, east of the the eastern point of your main group defending Mansel. A difficult shop to find and really no point risking a rogue or thief to get to it. Barrier 2250 Physic 3750 Hero Crest 10000 Knight Crest 10000 Orion Bolt 10000 Elysian Whip 10000 Guiding Ring 10000 Ocean Seal 10000 ============================ CREATURE CAMPAIGN LOCATIONS: ============================ These are the locations AFTER STORY MODE. An option over certain places appears "Enter ?". Select it and select the person with the Member Card. The Secret Shop will appear and rarities will be available. This is great in conjunction with the Silver Card. Remember these are on the World Map in Map mode. Grado Keep: Lancereaver 1800 Swordreaver 2100 Axereaver 1950 Killer Bow 1400 Brave Sword 7500 Purge 3000 Bolting 2500 Eclipse 4000 Silence 1200 Recover 2250 Angelic Robe 8000 Energy Ring 8000 Talisman 8000 Lockpick 1200 Hero Crest 10000 Knight Crest 10000 Orion's Bolt 10000 Elysian Whip 10000 Guiding Ring 10000 Ocean Seal 10000 Jehanna Hall: Lancereaver 1800 Swordreaver 2100 Axereaver 1950 Killer Bow 1400 Brave Lance 7500 Purge 3000 Bolting 2500 Fenrir 9000 Fortify 8000 Recover 2250 Angelic Robe 8000 Energy Ring 8000 Body Ring 8000 Lockpick 1200 Hero Crest 10000 Knight Crest 10000 Orion's Bolt 10000 Elysian Whip 10000 Guiding Ring 10000 Ocean Seal 10000 Rausten Court: Shamshir 1200 Spear 9000 Battle Axe 1000 Brave Axe 7500 Brave Bow 7500 Fimbulvetr 6000 Aura 8000 Physic 3750 Angelic Robe 8000 Energy Ring 8000 Secret Book 8000 Speedwing 8000 Goddess Icon 8000 Dragon Shield 8000 Hero Crest 10000 Knight Crest 10000 Orion's Bolt 10000 Elysian Whip 10000 Guiding Ring 10000 Ocean Seal 10000 =============== LEVELLING TO 20 =============== You should make sure you level up your units to 20 before promoting them. Promoting them earlier lowers their potential and weakens them. It may take longer but it is worth the wait. It also saves time when you are attempting to cap their stats. In a Link Arena team make sure your units (when promoted) remain at level 1 unless they require to be level 20 due to their ability. Go to the LA section for more details... ============ METIS'S TOME ============ Meet the new Afa's Drops from FE7. In case you are wondering, if you use this item the game only says "maturity increased". What does that mean? Just like the Afa's Drops in FE7 the growth rate of each stat (HP, STR/MAG, SKL, SPD, LUC, DEF, RES) will increase by 5%. Very useful if used correctly. This rare item is found in the desert of Chapter 15, don't miss it! For the record, the myth in FE7 about it doubling EXP is FALSE. Neither Metis's Tome or Afa's Drops double EXP, they both have the same properties. ============ USE OF ITEMS ============ There are a few items that are actually decent but few people see their use. Barrier & Pure Water: +7 RES which diminishes every turn after that by 1 Resistance is very useful especially in situations with a lot of long range magic users. But, low resistance means little. Barrier and Pure Water remedy the problem easily. Silver Card: reduces cost of items by half Very economical :) Especially near the end of the game where money becomes VERY important. Member Card: allows access to the Secret Shops One of the most useful items in the game, allows access to the best artefacts for the Link Arena from Secret Shops. Some items are uniquely bought in the Secret Shops. Metis's Tome: +5% stat growth Interesting, especially for very balanced characters. Makes somewhat average characters excel, don't underestimate 5%. Effective weapons: effective against... Useful. Very useful, particularly in Hard mode. In a tight situation, 3x damage is a big difference. =============================================================================== O========================= VII. GLITCHES - [0700] - ==========================O =============================================================================== A few glitches have been found, some potentially damaging to your save file. --- NEVER EQUIP A LONG RANGE SPEAR TO YOUR WYVERN KNIGHTS. The game freezes if Pierce is activated when the Wyvern Knight has a long range spear. --- THE MINE GLITCH REBORN! CONTROL ENEMIES You can use the summoner to control enemy units. When a phantom is attacked, reset when the cursor is on the enemy still and not greyed out. If timed correctly, when you reset you have control over the remaining enemy units that have not moved that turn. THIS ONLY WORKS WITH ANIMATIONS TURNED OFF. The main advantage of this is now classes can all use dark magic and because of strength and magic being interchangeable, the LA tables shift back in favour of the big berserkers. --- THE KNOLL BUG (OBSOLETE) You may have heard of the Knoll bug, famous on GameFAQs... There is a glitch where summoners when summoning sometimes randomly gain weapon levels in other physical weapons but their magic is converted to strength... I haven't tried it before but I have seen proof of this bug. You can level up previously unusuable weapons to max. effect. This glitch is now obsolete thanks to the enemy control glitch. --- INFINITE HAMMERNE GLITCH Supreme inquisitor's words (on boards): 1) Move your Main Lord next to a Gorgon egg. 2) Use the enemy control glitch. 3) Have the egg use Supply to get anything you want to replenish, EVEN Dragonstone! ***WARNING: This comes at a cost, the first item in the Egg's list will disappear when it hatches, so you may as well give it an Elixir, have it use one so it hatches the next turn, and then loses it when it hatches.*** 4) When the egg hatches, the bottom four items/weapons/magics will be at full! 50/50 Dragonstone, 3/3 Elixir, Maxed out Legendary weapons, etc! I probably won't add anymore glitches - the enemy control glitch is the big one to remember. You might want to remember the wyvern glitch one as well, because that is pretty hazardous. =============================================================================== O=========================== XIII. FAQ - [0800] - ============================O =============================================================================== Here I will answer any questions that have been posed to me. Once again, I urge readers with questions to drop me an e-mail. A reply should be expected within a few days at the most. Q] How do you unlock the super trainees? A] This is the question I get asked BY FAR the most. Apparently, my first explanation wasn't good enough, so I'll do it again, step by step. STEP 1: Complete the game on either route (Ephraim or Eirika) STEP 2: Complete the game again, this time on the alternate route STEP 3: Start a new file. Level a trainee to 10 (eg. Ross.) STEP 4: Choose the NEW third option to keep them as a trainee. STEP 5: Level the trainee to 20 as with a normal unit. STEP 6: Promote the trainee using either Hero Crest/Knight Crest/Guiding Ring. It depends on who you are training. For Ross, it's the Hero Crest. The rest is self-explanatory. STEP 7: Tadah! Super trainee for you. Q] Can I use ... for my guide/site? A] Yes, I allow information to be extracted from my guide. NOTE: You must ask for special permission to copy and paste extracts of the guide. You must also notify me when you take information from my guide. In addition, full credit must given. I know I'm being strict, but it's the law. Q] What happened to the name Sealed Lance? A] I got bored of it, although I'm still recognised with that name. When e-mailing me, call me SL, Lance, Armads, or nothing at all, whatever you want. Q] Anything coming up soon? A] After my exams, I'll wrap up some revisions for some of my other guides that need a LOT of work done. After that, the sky's the limit, as they say. I'll get two weeks break (first time since the beginning of the year!) to do more work. Keep on the lookout! =============================================================================== O========================= IX. IN CLOSING - [0900] - =========================O =============================================================================== +-----------------------------------------------------------------------------+ a. Legal Disclaimers - [0910] - +-----------------------------------------------------------------------------+ According to the Fair Use doctrine, this document can be used for commentary, criticism, reporting and educational purposes only. Profiting from this document is strictly considered illegal. This document cannot be reproduced except for personal or private use. It cannot be placed on any web site or other media publicly without advance written permission. Use of this guide on any web site or as part of a public display is strictly prohibited and a violation of copyright. This document is copyright � Armads (Ashwin Suresh) 2005-2006. Any persons who disobey the above conditions shall face punishment to the full extent of the law. All trademarks and copyrights contained in this document are owned by their respective trademark and copyright holders. +-----------------------------------------------------------------------------+ b. Contact Details - [0920] - +-----------------------------------------------------------------------------+ E-mail: [email protected] E-mail is the only medium I will communicate through. No IM programs either. If you decide to contact me, use clear, succint English so that I understand you and what you want. Any chain mails and other inappropriate e-mails such as spam, trolling and flaming will be dealt with harshly. I am generally a nice, reasonable person and I am not asking the impossible, so please bear with me. If you have any feedback at all such as commentary, or constructive criticism, don't hesitate to contact me immediately. Due to factors such as maintenance and convenience, I permit only a selected few sites to host my past, present and future guides. Please understand my situation and I sincerely apologise if you are disappointed for not being able to host my guides. The sites that have hosting rights are: GameFAQs & all affiliates...............................[www.gamefaqs.com] Neoseeker..............................................[www.neoseeker.com] Supercheats..........................................[www.supercheats.com] Under no circumstances can this guide or any of my other guides be hosted on sites other than above. Any such actions are considered breaches of copyright and shall result in action being taken against the group(s) involved. +-----------------------------------------------------------------------------+ c. Version History - [0930] - +-----------------------------------------------------------------------------+ DAY STARTED: 19/3/05 --- VERSIONS 1 - 2 19/3/05 - 1/8/05 RIP... Old version, basic guide established, errors corrected, discoveries were found and I updated. Shame FE8 lasted only a couple of months in its prime. --- VERSION 3 19/11/05 Everything redone, everything more elaborate and complete. One new section. Good fun, but tiring. --- VERSION 3.1 30/03/06 One more layout change. This is a peek at the layout for future guides. Almost certainly my final update for this guide. +-----------------------------------------------------------------------------+ d. Final Word - [0940] - +-----------------------------------------------------------------------------+ If you can help me in any of the sections of the guide, e-mail me. When you do, make sure you add the exact name you want in the credits. Thanks to the following for making this guide a reality: --- CREATORS/HOSTS GameFAQs - CJayC a.k.a. Jeff Veasay Neoseeker SuperCheats Nintendo Intelligent Systems --- VETS OF FE/ DISCOVERERS Gamersara, metroidcomposite & others (rpgdl.com/FE.php), Dark Twilkitri Control enemy glitch - eugene171 --- USEFUL SITES IGN: http://faqs.ign.com/articles/520/520430p1.html RNG abuse - out of date due to Canas123 and Ryushikaze's guides. Sanctuary of Strategy: http://s7.invisionfree.com/FESS - Home to many FE players,vets and beginners alike. Pegasus Knight: www.pegasusknight.com - Japanese, but was a great source of information when the game was first released. Angel Sword: http://myweb.tiscali.co.uk/angelsword/sacred/main.htm - Kudos to Tiena, who did a great job providing information about a lot of stuff <_< --- SPECIAL THANKS Readers who corrected my guide in the past - The Great Gonzales, endlesfimbulvetr, Saiyan Dragoon, Dustin Smith, Acemontiero, Dragon Fnord, Cacticus, iva123, Alanna82, mech gouki, johnyzap Indirect/direct contributors to my guide - Supreme inquisitor, Juigi Kario, Thornlet, Saint Magician My brother: inspiration osrevad: the ASCII art --- THE OLD "READ HERE BEFORE POSTING" SERIES Helpers - Lu Aza, moon1244, PsychoSwordsman, User33, Maxout623, ShadowKid14, Sprawlers, vicas3, kharn the betrayer, Brifox7, mattrod, bd43, BBEG, Hairy Sniper, eccentrox, LoserCrusader25, DarthMarth, iceysnowman, Shining Blade SP, Four Swords Link, BBEG, Baofan, Chaos Stryker, Spiritmongrel Special mention - kyo_kusanagi83, who helped with pretty much everything :p One of the great things was I got to work with a lot of well-known people in this guide, which expanded my contacts quite a bit. I appreciate any form of feedback and if you have thoughts about new sections I can add, feel free to e-mail me. Glad to be of service if you learned from the guide. ~ Armads (http://www.gamefaqs.com/features/recognition/52183.html) +-----------------------------------------------------------------------------+ END OF DOCUMENT - Copyright, Armads 2005-2006. All rights reserved.