Fire Emblem: Awakening
Chrom Solo Guide
Version 1.06
Copyright 2013 Kenneth B. Fletcher (aka Charpig)
Contact: [email protected]

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I take no responsibility for anything that may happen as a result of using my 
guide.

There are two websites that have my permission to post my guides:

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Updates
Version 1.01
Added strategy for Irreconciliable Paths

Version 1.05
Added strategies for more DLC content

Version 1.06
Added alternate strategy for beating Grima

Introduction
North America has been long overdue for a new Fire Emblem game, and now our
prayers to Naga have been answered.  While this sentiment is better saved for a
review, Awakening is the best Fire Emblem I have played yet.  With that said,
it is time for a solo challenge.  The challenge is to beat the game using only
Chrom.  Will he take his place with Ike and Ephraim as a hero of legend, or
will he die a horrible death?  Let us find out.

The rules:
-Only Chrom may be deployed for each battle.  This includes required battles,
skirmishes, DLC chapters, and paralogues.

-Some battles will force you to deploy units other than Chrom.
In this case, you may use the units as you see fit.  If you recruit a unit
during a fight, you may use that unit until the battle ends.  However, make
sure that Chrom does most, if not all of the work.

-Items found on event squares can be used, and you can buy items from Anna when
she appears.

-This guide is written for Hard Classic, but you may use any difficulty.  I
don't know if it is possible on Lunatic, though.

-DLC and SpotPass content may be used.  Not all DLCs are released yet, but I
may update this guide later to cover them when they are released.

General Tips
-Always have Vulneraries and Concoctions on you.  Always.  Aether will not
always activate when you need it most.

-When Chrom promotes or changes class, train him in lances ASAP so he can use
Javelins and other useful lances.

-Ultimately, the best class for Chrom is Paladin, as it has the best Mov, and
it gives Chrom much needed Res.  However, you will want to make sure that
Chrom learns Aether and Rightful King from the Great Lord class.

-Use stat boosting items as soon as you get them.  There is no point to
hoarding them.  On rare occasions, you can get stat boosters from Anna or from
skirmishes.  If you start a new game plus with high Renown, you can get access
to several statboosters early in the game.

-If you want to get high Renown before starting this challenge, first play the
Golden Gaffe DLC to max out your gold.  Then, repeatedly summon Mist's team
from Path of Radiance.  It costs the least to recruit, at 2000 gold.  Keep
doing this until your Renown is maxed or as high as you want it.  Then beat the
game and your Renown will carry over to a new game.

-If you are able to use some of the items obtained from event squares (the ones
that sparkle), don't hesitate to bring them out in a tight spot.  In particular
the Confects can be useful, as they last for a whole battle.

-Wait until reaching Level 20 before promoting or changing class.  Chrom will
gain enough EXP to reach Level 20 in no time.

-If you buy an item from Anna, she will disappear when you leave.  So, if she
has multiple items that you want, buy them all at once.

Walkthrough
Note that since this guide is for a special challenge, I assume that you have
beaten the game at least once.  So, in general, you should know how to play
Fire Emblem.  I would imagine that most people who play Awakening have played
Fire Emblem games before anyway.  You probably could use this guide even if you
haven't beaten the game yet, but note that this is not the easiest way to beat
the game.

Note that when I say a unit should pair up with Chrom, I mean to actually
have that unit use the Pair Up command.

For each chapter, I will list any forced or obtainable units that aren't Chrom.
I will not cover the children's paralogue chapters, as to unlock them, you
have to deploy units that aren't Chrom, and that violates the rules of this
challenge.

Premonition
Other Units: The Tactician

Have the Tactician pair up with Chrom, then defeat Validar with the Silver
Sword.  Easy enough.

Prologue
Other Units: The Tactician, Frederick, Lissa

Trade the Tactician's Bronze Sword to Frederick, then have Frederick pair up
with Chrom.  Chrom should get most or all of the kills.  Note that for the
early chapters, you will want to be aware of any enemies that have Gamble or
Zeal.  This seems to occur a lot more often on higher difficulty levels.  But
eventually Chrom should get enough Luck to avoid being criticaled.

Chapter 1
Other Units: The Tactician, Frederick, Lissa, Virion, Sully

Chrom should have no problems as long as he is on a fort.  Again, have Fred
pair up with him.

Chapter 2
Other Units: Tactician, Frederick, Lissa, Virion, Sully, Stahl, Vaike, Miriel

There are a lot more enemies, but it's still not too difficult.  The enemies
will usually not approach you unless you get within their range, so take your
time.  You have both Lissa and the forts for healing.

Chapter 3
Other Units: Sumia, Kellam (can be recruited)

This is the first map with a preparation phase, so as per the rules of this
challenge, only Chrom can be deployed.  However, Chrom can recruit Kellam.  
Make sure you have Vulneraries, in case you need them.  Kellam can pair up
with Chrom to increase his Def.

After this chapter, you can start encountering Risen on the world map.  Fight
them if you want to.  The formations are random, but they shouldn't be too
hard at this point in the game.  You will usually get some small Bullions, but
sometimes Risen will drop nice items.  Also, there are two event squares on
each skirmish map, which have a chance of yielding an item.  Next, you can
also encounter Anna on the world map.  If she has a Master or Second Seal for
sale, don't hesitate to buy it.  Be warned that unlike in Sacred Stones, there
is no option to retreat from a skirmish once you enter it.  Finally, if you
carried over high Renown from a previous game, you can get a lot of stat boost
items.  You need at least 50000 Renown to get all the stat boosters.  A Second
Seal is included in the Renown awards.

Paralogue 1
Other Units: Donnel

Note that the Paralogues are optional, but I will cover them anyway, at least
the ones that can be accessed.  Have Donnel pair up with Chrom to keep safe,
but make sure to put his items in the Convoy before the chapter ends.  Take
advantage of the pillars, as they provide a Def boost.  The chests contain a
Killer Lance and a Rescue Staff, neither item is particularly useful for Chrom.

Chapter 4
Take down the Mages and enemies with Hand Axes.  Marth shouldn't be too tough,
but if you can't take him down in one round, he will heal himself.  Chrom
should be close to Level 20 at this point.  If you have a Master Seal, make
him a Great Lord so that he can learn Aether.  If not, use a Second Seal to
make him a Cavalier.  Either way, start training him in Lances.

After beating this chapter, the DLC chapters can be accessed, but I did not
partake of them at this point.  However, if you ever need to level up Chrom,
the Golden Gaffe and EXPonential Growth are best, as the enemies do not fight
back except when attacked.  For the Entombed that have Counter, attack them
from two spaces away with Javelins.

Chapter 5
Other Units: Maribelle, Ricken

For me, this chapter was a Bronze Lance Beatdown.  Chrom should be able to
effortlessly curbstomp the enemies.  Ricken will probably die, but at least
have him go down fighting.  Maribelle, the survivor, can Pair Up with Chrom.

Paralogue 2
Anna could die on this chapter, but aside from that, nothing too difficult.
If Chrom has used the Boots, he has a better chance of saving her.

Chapter 6
Other Units: Panne, Gaius (can be recruited)

Be prepared to sacrifice both Panne and Gaius.  First, have Chrom kill the
enemy down and to the left of Marth.  He will kill some enemies during the
enemy phase.  Panne will arrive next turn, move her to a pillar.  Chrom should
block the space down and to the left of Marth, equipped with a Javelin.  On
the second enemy phase, Chrom will kill stuff, Panne will tangle with a fighter
and Marth will take a beating.  Next turn, Chrom should be able to recruit
Gaius.  He can attack on the same turn that he talks.  Have Gaius take out the
fighter that Panne weakened, then send Panne to assist Marth.  Use Gaius as
bait to lure the enemies away from Emmeryn.  He'll die, but so what?  Marth
and Panne will most likely fall as well.  But, focus on taking out the Thieves
so they can't open the door leading to Emmeryn.  Then Chrom can block the 
single space to Emmeryn's left.  This chapter might take a little bit of luck,
but rest assured it is indeed possible.  Don't freak out if a mage attacks
Emmeryn, as she can easily survive one.

Chapter 7
Other Units: Cordelia

This chapter is much easier than the previous one.  Have Cordelia pair up with
Chrom and trash the wyvern riders.

Paralogue 3
Dumb villagers!  Always running right into an enemy's range!  I couldn't save a
single one.  Oh well.

Chapter 8
Other Units: Gregor, Nowi

Pair Gregor with Nowi and move them north.  They can handle themselves against
a few enemies, but you don't want to leave them in danger for too long.  The
villages have both a Master and a Second Seal, if Chrom needs one.  At this
point, I had made him into a Cavalier to learn Outdoor Fighter.

Chapter 9
Other Units: Libra, Tharja (both can be recruited)

Chrom should reach Libra as soon as possible.  Note that Libra can initiate the
recruitment conversation, but Tharja will not.  Once Libra is recruited, have
him Pair Up with Chrom.  It doesn't matter if you recruit Tharja or not, but
if you want to recruit her, do not talk to her until all other enemies are
dead.  The boss drops a Dracoshield, which helps if Chrom has fallen behind in
the Def stat.

Paralogue 4
Other Units: Anna (can be recruited)

Send Chrom up the middle, he should be able to reach Anna on the second turn.
Anna should, of course, Pair Up with Chrom to stay safe.  If you want the chest
items, help yourself.  The boss drops a Talisman, and one of the chests has an
Arms Scroll.

Chapter 10
You will want to catch the Thief with the Seraph Robe ASAP, but the others do
not matter.  You may wait out the reinforcements if you wish, but for this
chapter only the commander needs to be defeated.

Chapter 11
Other Units: Olivia

Pair Olivia with Chrom so that the poor girl doesn't get killed.  The Thief
usually goes for the left chest, which contains a Large Bullion.  The other
Chest has a Goddess Icon, but if you want it you must use a Chest Key.  One of
the Hero reinforcements drops a Speedwing.  At this point, I promoted Chrom to
Great Knight.  I have heard that it is possible for Chrom to marry Olivia if
they gain enough support points in this battle, and Chrom has not had a support
convo with any other girl.  But in my case, he had supported Maribelle, so he
married merry Maribelle.

If you want to complete the Champions of Yore DLCs to get the All Stats +2
skill for Chrom, now would be a good time to.

Chapter 12
Other Units: Cherche

Cherche should pair up with Chrom to keep out of the way.  Then, Chrom can
teach those pesky Valmese not to set foot on Ylissean soil.

Chapter 13
Other Units: Henry

Have Henry pair up with Chrom to keep him safe.  You can either go straight
for the commander or fight the reinforcements for more EXP.

Chapter 14
For this map, you only need to beat the commander, but before you do, I suggest
getting the Talisman from a regular General.  Also, one of the enemies drops a
Chest Key.  I suggest saving it for later, none of the chests on this map have
necessary items.  At this point, I made Chrom into a Paladin.

Chapter 15
Other Units: Say'ri

Move Chrom forward to quickly rescue Say'ri, then the rest of it is straight
forward.  If Chrom is a Great Knight, beware of the General with the Hammer.

Chapter 16
One of the Thieves has a Speedwing, catch him if you can.  Reinforcements come
from the sides, but to win this chapter you only need to beat Cervantes.  See
how his mustache sways in the wind!

Chapter 17
Go for the chests on the left, they contain Boots and a Seraph Robe.  Let the
Thief open the door and open a chest before killing him, then open the other
chest yourself.  From now on, all enemies are promoted, so they should give
good EXP.  However, note that only one pair of Boots can be used per unit, so
if you already used the Boots on Chrom from the Renown awards, the Boots found
in this chapter cannot be used on him.

Chapter 18
None of the chests are of interest.  I would just go straight for the boss and
kill him, rather than mess around.

After this point, Paralogue 17 will be available, but there is no way to beat
it with just one unit.  Fortunately, it is an optional chapter, so boo-ya!
Also, depending on who Chrom married, other Paralogues may be available.  I
will not cover them in detail, since they are not necessary.  But, if Chrom
married a female Tactician, Morgan's chapter will be available, and beating it
yields a powerful Naga's Tear.

Brady's chapter (if Chrom married Maribelle) - There is zero chance that you
will be able to save all of the villagers.  Only the boss needs to be beaten.

Cynthia's chapter (if Chrom married Sumia) - Cynthia will have inherited Aether
from Chrom, so don't approach her carelessly.  Also, the regular enemies on
this map are extremely powerful, so don't take them lightly.

Inigo's chapter (if Chrom married Olivia) - Not much to say here, just a lot of
flying enemies and Assassins.  Chrom will definitely want throwing weapons.

Chapter 19 and 20
By now, Chrom should be strong enough to shred Walhart and his army with
ease.  In Chapter 20, the far right chest has a Spirit Dust, and Cervantes
drops a Dracoshield.  However, the Spirit Dust is only useful if you wish to
have Chrom make use of the Levin Sword.

Chapter 21
I would ignore the chests and go straight for the boss.  The magic users may or
may not be a threat depending on Chrom's Res.  Either way, they will still be
annoying.  The one thing to be careful of is that many enemies will have their
mastery skills.  For example, Sorcerers may have Vengeance and Berserkers may
have Wrath.  So, let them attack you first and kill them in a single counter.

Note: I do not know if enemy Assassins can ever have Lethality or not.  I have
not seen them with it, but if they do have it, sucks to be you!

Chapter 22
You can bypass most of the Deadlords and go straight for Aversa.  Tigris will
have Counter, so if you decide to fight him, attack him from two range.  The
other Deadlords can do a lot of damage.

Chapter 23
Other Units: The Tactician, Basilio, Flavia

The Tactician must be brought for this chapter, so pair him/her up with Chrom.
After Validar is taken down for the first time, Basilio and Flavia show up.
Just have them hide in the corner and let Chrom take care of business.  For the
second fight with him, Validar has both Dragonskin and Vengeance.  So, make
sure to keep Chrom healed in case Validar activates Vengeance.  Also, you will
want to have the other enemies dealt with beforehand.  Watch out for the
reinforcements that come from the stairs.

Chapter 24
Keep Chrom on a fort, and let the enemies come to him.  An Armorslayer is good
to have, it will take care of those pesky Great Knights.  They tend to have the
Luna skill.

Chapter 25
Send Chrom up the right side, as there aren't as many Generals.  One of the
Generals will have a Beast Killer, which is dangerous if Chrom is a Paladin or
Great Knight.  Do not screw around on this chapter, you must kill Aversa as
soon as you can.  Otherwise, the enemy reinforcements will overwhelm Chrom.

Before going to fight Grima, make sure that Chrom has the Gradivus and forged
throwing weapons.  To get money for forging, sell off stuff you don't need,
and you can also play the Golden Gaffe DLC.  I would make sure to have at
least ten or so throwing weapons in good condition, in case the last battle
drags out.  The Levin Swords work too, but they tend to not be as effective.
Also, make sure that Chrom has maxed out stats.  You can let Mag slide, though.
I had Chrom's class be a Paladin for the final battle.  However, it is useful
to learn the Hit Rate +20 skill from the Sniper class.  Make Chrom a Sniper,
then go to the EXPonential Growth DLC.  Fight enemies until Chrom learns the
skill, then keep leveling him up until he can change back into a Paladin.

Chrom's skills:

-Aether
-Luna
-Rightful King
-All Stats +2
-Hit Rate +20

Oh, and make sure you bring some Elixirs.  The Gradivus can also be used as an
item to restore all HP.  If the Exalted Falchion is used as an item, it heals
only 20 HP.

Endgame
This battle requires a lot of luck, but since this is Fire Emblem, are you
really surprised?  First, have Chrom attack the Berserker directly in front of
Grima, either with the Gradivus or a forged Spear.  Grima will attack Chrom,
hope that he doesn't activate Ignis.  A bunch of other enemies will attack
Chrom as well, he should kill most of them.  Once Chrom has an opening to
attack Grima, use the Exalted Falchion.  Now, this is where luck comes in, as
there are a million things that can go wrong, but only about two things that
can go right.

Things that can go right:

-Chrom activates Aether twice in a row

-Grima misses Chrom

Things that can go wrong:

-Grima activates Ignis

-Grima dodges an attack or activates Pavise

-The Physic staff users heal Grima

-The enemy reinforcements swarm Chrom and beat the crap out of him

So, as you can see, winning is based mostly on chance.  It will probably take
you more than one try.  Trying to take out the enemies doesn't help, as they
just keep coming and coming.  You just have to attack Grima and hope for the
best.  It will only take about two to three turns at most, so even if Chrom
does die, it's not a lot of time lost to reset and try again.

Note that I assume that you are playing Hard Mode.  If you are playing Normal
instead, Grima does not have Ignis, nor a ton of units guarding him.  So,
Grima is much, much easier to beat.  I came up with a better strategy for
beating Grima on Hard (see below):

Alternate Strategy
Now that the Dread Fighter class is available, make Chrom learn the Aggressor
skill from it.  Chrom should now have the following skills:

-Aggressor
-Aether
-Rightful King
-Hit Rate +20
-All Stats +2

This time around, make Chrom a Great Knight rather than a Paladin.  Also, Chrom
should have all of his stats maxed.  With this setup, Grima will only do 27
damage to Chrom if he activates Ignis, and most of the surrounding enemies will
do much less damage (excepting the magic users and the ones with Hammers, but
the ones with Hammers will usually miss).  If you have a forged Spear, take
out the Berserker directly in front of Grima with it.  On the enemy phase,
Chrom should kill most of the enemies, allowing him a clear path to Grima.
Then attack Grima with the Exalted Falchion.  The Aggressor skill will kick in
allowing Chrom to deal more damage than normal.  It might take two to three
turns to kill Grima, depending on if Chrom activates Aether or not.  Victory
is still not guaranteed with this setup, but I found it works the best.  I
actually beat Grima without activating Aether on him, although Aether did 
activate on the other enemies, keeping Chrom healed.

DLC Chapters
This section covers the DLC chapters.  Not all of them are released yet, but I
will update this guide when they are released.  It may be true that some of the
chapters will not be possible with a solo character, but I will be the judge
of that.  The DLCs can be attempted anytime after beating Chapter 4.

Champions of Yore
Depending on when Chrom attempts these chapters, they can be moderately
challenging or laughably easy.  Just be warned that if Chrom is a Cavalier,
Marth's Noble Rapier does effective damage against him.  Also, the magic users
can put a hurting on Chrom if he has low Res.

Golden Gaffe/EXPonential Growth
You don't have to do anything to win these chapters, just let the enemies
retreat.  But, they are good chapters to play if you need gold and EXP.  For
the Entombed that have Counter, attack them from two range.

Infinite Regalia
Only the boss needs to be beaten in this chapter.  I do not recommend trying
to take on all the Deadlords.  The Deadlords will only attack Chrom if he is
within range, so take them on one by one until the boss can be targeted.  I
sent Chrom up the right side, as that is the weakest side.

Lost Bloodlines 1
This chapter is considerably harder than Champions of Yore.  Make sure that
Chrom is promoted before attempting.  Move Chrom to the fort south of his
starting position, and wall the enemies.  The most dangerous enemies are
Mareeta, Altena, Julius, and Arvis.  Leif can also be a pain in the neck due to
him consistently evading attacks.  The enemies will usually attack the green
people first, keeping some of the heat off of Chrom.  The group on the left
side of the map won't move until you get near, so save it for last.

Lost Bloodlines 2
Alm and King Marth are the enemies to watch out for.  Deen can also be bad news
because he has Counter.  Try to keep the enemies spaced out, so you don't have
to take them all on at once.  After this fight you get a Dread Scroll, and
Chrom can be made into a Dread Fighter.  I suggest doing this, so Chrom can
learn Resistance +10 and Aggressor.  Plus, the Dread Fighter class has awesome
battle animations.

I don't know if you get any reward for keeping Arvis alive, as I failed to
save him.  You still get the Dread Scroll, at least.

Lost Bloodlines 3
If Chrom has Res +10 equipped, he has very little to fear from the magic using
enemies.  Even so, there are a lot of enemies to hack through, and one unlucky
moment can ruin things.  All of the enemies will make a beeline for you, but
because of their starting positions and movement differences, they tend to
spread out.  Take advantage of this.  Chrom can also position himself on a
castle for defense bonuses.

Smash Brethren 1
The toughest enemy to deal with is Titania.  She has Counter and can't be
baited into attacking Chrom from 2 range.  Fortunately, the NPCs will usually
attack Titania, and that can weaken her enough for Chrom to finish her off from
2 range.  Ike has Aether, the BK has Luna, and Sephiran has Vengeance.  The
enemies will, of course, target NPCs first, so you can use them as bait.

One note about Counter is that it will not activate during a killing blow.  I
didn't figure this out for a while, but it can be helpful.

Smash Brethren 2
This time, the mighty Titania is on your side, but not even she will last that
long.  Karel is especially dangerous as he has both Luna and Astra.  Lilina and
Ephraim have Luna, and Nergal and Lyon both have Vengeance.  Aside from that,
things should go smoothly.  The NPCs will get utterly wiped out, but who cares
about them?

SpotPass Paralogues
This section covers the extra Paralogues that can be downloaded through Spot
Pass.  Right now there is only one, the Dead King's Lament, but there are sure
to be others.  These chapters can be accessed after beating Chapter 25.  Note
that you can also battle the SpotPass teams if you wish, but I won't cover
them.  Just be careful, as some of them are extremely powerful.

Dead King's Lament
The Berserkers can be very damaging, so mind your step around them.  There is
a single fort in the middle of the map.  Gangrel can be recruited, if Chrom
speaks to him three times.  If you want to recruit Gangrel, do not equip a
ranged weapon, or else Chrom will counter attack and kill him.  If not, just
go for the boss and end the chapter.  Visiting the village yields a Seraph Robe
but at this point, I doubt you will need it.

Irreconciliable Paths
Keep Chrom in the woods as much as possible.  There are quite a few enemies,
but if you move around the map, you can get the enemies to separate somewhat
so only a few of them can attack Chrom at a time.  Use the Exalted Falchion
when you need to heal.  Make sure several throwing weapons are available, and
the Levin Sword can help too.  Several reinforcements come a few turns into
the battle, but no more come after that.  So, as long as only a few enemies
can attack Chrom at once, you should be okay.

A Hard Miracle
This chapter is easy enough to complete, all Chrom needs to do is kill the
boss.  But you will not be able to save Emmeryn, unless you are willing to
cheat on this solo challenge.

Final Comments
Now, Chrom can take his place among Ike, Hector, and Ephraim as a hero of
legend.  For the most part, this "challenge" is very easy.  Only the final
chapters are hard, with the enemies having forged weapons and mastery skills.
In particular, Grima requires a lot of luck to beat with just Chrom.  This
challenge probably isn't possible on Lunatic Mode.  But if anyone does manage
it, let me know.

Contact
I can be reached at:

[email protected]

Also, if you are a fellow GameFAQs member, you may send me a private message.
Please only ask questions relating to this guide.  I suggest putting "Chrom
Solo Guide" as the subject so I don't mark it as spam.  If you have criticisms
please be constructive, not destructive.

Credits
Serenes Forest, for being an excellent Fire Emblem resource in general.

The Vaike, because he is a good Teach.

Nintendo and Intelligent Systems, for being intelligent enough to make a great
Fire Emblem game.

GameFAQs, for hosting my guide.

Anyone who has taken the time to read my guide.