Welcome to Gaia! ::

Like I said, she requires favoritism. I put my DB priorities on Edward, Nolan and Aran, who don't need any bexp. (plus micaiah blah blah blah)

This. SOOOOO much this. There is just SO much right with this to me.

Isa: I never attacked your opinion at all. I never said you shouldn't vote for Kellam or that it's wrong to vote for Kellam, and a lot of other people are in agreement that he's very good. I just pointed out that saying he has the highest growths doesn't mean much and is an unfair comparison, because he's in a game where there are MUCH higher growths overall and that doesn't make him better by itself. His UNPROMOTED caps are higher than some people's General caps, even. And that's pretty factual. I didn't at all mention anything else you said about Kellam. Vote, don't vote, whatever you want. I'm certainly not going to feel bad for saying something objectively true that in no way attacked anyone or their opinions, though.



Best: Oswin

I was torn between FE10 Gatrie and Oswin for a long time, and toyed with the possibility of Kellam, and they're very good. Gatrie has a LOT going for him, all things considered. His growths are just brilliantly placed and he's one of the best candidates for an early Master crown to kick a** for a long time. I'm certainly not counting his availability against him since NO ONE has great availability in FE10 due to its structure. It's about as good as it gets, certainly. Even so, Oswin starts with a very noticeable level lead in FE7 and has good growths to match. He can tank and destroy in FE7 in ways Gatrie, good as he can be, just can't. Rescue-dropping is a lot easier in FE7 than 10, too which makes the poor movement of Knights less of an issue. Oswin is clutch in 0% growth playthroughs, even, which is a testament to his viability. He just starts incredibly strong, and if used, never stops being really strong. And this is for the vast majority of the game. Kellam's in a game that really helps him be great as well, between being able to pair up with someone mobile, to not having to deal with Armorslayers and such, to making someone a lot better physically with Pair Up, etc… but he's not as niche about it since Frederick exists and can arguably provide all the things Kellam provides to other units more effectively when it's most important and by the time Kellam would surpass Freddy, your whole team is competent to the point of it likely being irrelevant. Vaike provides similar supports as well although it's not so clear cut with him. Kellam's good. Has the potential to be very good, even. But I think Oswin is better, considering everything Oswin is capable of by himself, the largely different contexts of FE7 and 13 considered.



Worst: gotta say Ardan.

It's not his fault, either. This game just does nearly everything in its power to make Ardan unviable. But even if you DO use him, he's not good. Lex, Sigurd, and Cuan all come with equally impressive Strength and Defense growths fulfilling those tankish requirements if you want that, but they all ride horses to accompany their good tankiness (Lex makes Ardan irrelevant especially since he can reach his tanky potential super fast thanks to Elite). Not having a horse in FE4 is tough enough, but can be dealt with. Not havinga horse, Pursuit as an innate skill (and the speed to double anyway even if you have access to the Pursuit Ring, and actually being slowER than the average infantry unit to travel is just too many nails in the coffin. To use Ardan is to shoot yourself in the foot to such an extent that is not true for any other Knight in the series, I'd say. He DOES get you the Pursuit Ring, but he never has to fight an enemy ever to accomplish that, so I don't think he should get points for it.



As for Meg, I DO think she's a bad unit. A lot of it is circumstantial. She's a member of the Dawn Brigade, where it's easier to focus on making a few units really awesome rather than trying to use a good number of them evenly (I'm partial to Volug+Nolan+Zihark+Jill for units to raise, myself), and investing in Meg is generally not rewarding compared to the other people you can invest in. You CAN choose to give her a lot of favoritism, but it'll take a long time before she really pays you back for what you put into her, I think. And that 22 Speed cap in second tier is really unkind to her. If you want tankishness, again, other units that aren't even Knights treat you better for long stretches of the Dawn Brigade stuff. She CAN be made to be impressive, but it's not until very far into the game that she can actually do much for you, and even then, her caps are inhibitive, I think. Even if I wanted to use her, anything I'd use her for, someone else arguably does better. Nothing special even if you do put all the favoritism in. Still, she's more viable than Ardan. And even if she NEVER contributes in combat, she could support someone who needs a hit boost. At least she has the potential to do things for you. Still, one of the worst units in FE10, all things considered, I think.

Wendy is just… Bors exists (and Barth, depending on what you want - heck, I'd sooner take Douglas). I could go on, but don't feel the need to. Not the worst in the series, but she's down there.

Hey guys, it's that time of the week again where I bring up the next topic.

This weeks topic is: Final Boss Music

I think we need a break from the gameplay and have a little fun with music instead. Enjoy. If you guys don't know the title of the song and can name the game or the name of the final boss, I'll count it.

Best: To Challenge Ashnard (FE9)
This is just the most epic of the final boss music I've heard. FE10's "A Grasping Truth" almost made it here, but that song feels too ethereal to be a final boss theme, even if it makes complete sense for fighting Ashera. But Ashnard's final boss theme is the only one that really makes me feel like he's a huge threat and someone to take seriously. The chorus in the background really helps this effect, and though the chorus re-appears in Awakening, "Id (Purpose)" is more of a chapter theme than specifically for the boss battle.

Worst: Medeus, Shadow Dragon (FE11)
This was tricky, but I do believe the electric guitar riff near the beginning just made me think "this is not a song you'd hear in a Fire Emblem game." But you hear it there anyway, and it's the final boss's battle theme, no less. The fact that there are other electric and synth instruments playing throughout the song just made me cringe.

Best: Since the last thread, I've been exposed to more FEs. Therefore I have been exposed to more FE music. Themes I'd consider for best are To Challenge Ashnard, Dark Earth Dragon (which I just recently realized I really like, with those changing keys, steady beat, and rising and falling chromatic scales), and Id Purpose (which has the honor of being what got me super hyped for Awakening). Versus Julius is good too(very descriptive of the fight itself, but separate from the game it doesn't hold up as well, in my opinion).
More honorable mentions go to A Grasping Truth and Campaign of Fire, as well. FE's got a few different types of bosses, and different types of themes to go with them, though of course some of them are more descriptive than others.
I do think I'll stick with my old answer and go with To Challenge Ashnard, though. It might not be the most subtle theme ever, but it is the theme that makes you want to turn and run. It is as big and thunderous as Ashnard himself is, oozing that huge presence he has. What really makes me like the piece is the dynamic and tempo changes. I really like when everything quiets down and comes to a slow, only to slowly slide and build right back up to the pounding. Extra points for the beginning of the theme too. It does not play on any other mode than hard mode. And then it only plays after Ashnard has gone berserk, adding a new layer of "holy s**t" where there was room left for one. It's intense, descriptive, and diverse.

Worst: The original Versus Medeus. I can hear the vision... kinda... but it all got lost in 8-bit mishmash and scratching at the chalkboard of my mind. And I like a lot of Dark Dragon's 8-but music. After all, there's no shame in liking 8-bit music, it has a charm and style all its own. Just... not this one. Versus Medeus is much better in Mystery of the Emblem and in Shadow Dragon.

Although I said that I won't be participating after what happened, I decided to at least give it a try. However, let it be known that my reason behind the voting are based by my experience AND guts. I don't care if you're going to shove stats and data in my face. But you should be aware that not everyone are exactly like you.

Anyway with that out of the way, might as well give my vote. Just to let you know, I have to listen to Youtube to refresh the songs on the games I'd played.

Best: I'm giving my vote to To Challenge Ashnard. As my teacher once told me when I took music class, the music tells the story. You can easily tell the emotion and action inside the music based by how the tempo is flowing as well as the rhythm and beat sounds. I will admit it was a nearly a tie between To Challenge Ashnard and Campaign of Fire. Both songs give the introduction of the final boss. They both have the feeling of fighting and struggle. And if you listen very carefully, you can hear a slight fear and doom linger within the song. However, what made To Challenge Ashnard as best is by the atmosphere it gives out. Like Tiki said, the song made Ashnard big, powerful, and thunderous as he battles against his foe. You can feel the chill running down your spine as well as having a lump in throat as the song plays. In addition, you can also sense that the heroes are having doubts within themselves about whether they can win or die trying when challenging Ashnard, shaking their determination about their beliefs.

Worst: Although it greatly sadden me to say this since this song is so wonderful and beautiful to listen, I have to say that the title goes to ID (Purpose). As I said in the best, the music tells the story. And since this topic is about final boss' theme, I have to sadly say that this song has failed to match. The reason why it is given is because the song makes it sounds like it central toward the heroes instead of the final boss. It makes you feel determination and courage to battle with no fear or worry. It also makes you feel reassured your beliefs and that everything will be okay, even if it looks like the battle has gone badly or that your side is losing. As I said, this song focuses more toward the heroes than toward the final boss. If you ask my opinion which song will suit best as Grima's theme song, it will be The Life Force Shall Renew Me.

Of course, if the song is focused more on Grima instead of the heroes, the worst song would have gone to Return of the Demon King. Although this song has some doom and death lingers in, I also hear a hint of sadness within the song. Not to mention, there was no challenge or struggle of power within the song. To be frank, it feels more like the preparation of the battle or to search your foe within the castle with determination.

LOLWUT @ ID (Purpose) for worst up the shizzles like crizzles. What game were you playin'.

Best: FE6' Shaman in the Dark
I love To Challenge Ashnard too, and the start of literally made me fall out of bed when I relistened to it, but ther's just something about this music when fighting Idoun that sticks with me.

Worst: the original VS Medeus
If you picked somethin' else, you obviously didn't listen to all the themes smile

--

Best: FE10 Haar
Duh.

Worst: not sure yet, sticking Zeiss here for now, because I remember him being kind of too little too late.

Best: yeah, I'm gonna go with FE10 Haar.

But I seriously think Dean is HUGE competition for the title. Let's go over just how much he has going on:
-Perfect weapon ranks
-doesn't cost a promotion item (in a game where you definitely have to manage them a bit more closely than usual)
-9 movement (and a chance to grow MORE when leveling up, low as it is), 6 unmounted.
-2 movement stars (basically a 10% chance of refreshing himself to move again every turn, no Dancer even needed)
-an AWESOME personal weapon (Dragon Lance) which has 60 uses, a brave effect, and gives him Ambush. It basically makes him unkillable at 1-range and capable of killing virtually everything that attacks him on the enemy phase without ever getting hit. That brave effect makes him a great candidate for capturing, too, which IS how you get the majority of your weapons and such in FE5.
-20% support from the very valuable Linoan (and giving her 10% back); supports are built in, in FE5, no building required, providing hit, crit, avoid, and dodge. 20% supports are particularly rare, so to receive one (and from a good unit to boot) is pretty awesome! 10% supports to and from Eda if you want her around, too, not that that's worth much.
-PCC of 3. This means his chance to crit on his second attack when he doubles is tripled. If Linoan is in Range, that means a free 60% crit on his second attack. Even without her, Killing weapons are virtually guaranteed to always crit on the second hit between their 90% crit on his second attack in addition to his natural crit.

Holy s**t that's a lot of awesome. I get that Haar is awesome in FE10, too, and can do things no one else can. But his doubling can be shaky, especially on Hard Mode. And FE5 is quite a unique beast to compare to other entries, since it's got things like dismounting and fatigue, and availability in FE10 is queer, too. Comparing Haar and Dean is sort of like comparing apples to oranges since their contexts are so different, but I DO think Dean might be best. I'll think upon it some more.

Miledy is crazy good, too. Especially with Hard Mode bonuses.

Worst: Eda. Definitely Eda. And to think she's related to Dean.

Zeiss is pretty underwhelming, too. And surprisingly, the Awakening additions are towards the bottom too, in my eyes. Cherche comes kind of late and underleveled, especially for a mother, and with a lousy class set if you're just going through the game. Gerome suffers by proxy since his mom has to build up a support to be available at all, which makes him come particularly late. Cherche can provide good mobility support though, as a Griffon Knight. But even then, she's outclassed if you're willing to reclass other units to a Wyvern Rider before she joins (and there are plenty of good candidates; particularly Panne).


If I remember correctly, FE9 Jill got worst last time, which makes me sad, because she's one of the best units in FE9, I think, just by virtue of being a flier with good availability, good supports, and being in a game with Bexp.