What's the harm in a little reckless besieging? Let's Play FE: The Sacred Stones

Between the last two updates I played and beat this game. I abused the hell out of the tower and waited till 20 to promote for everybody. But if you're not gonna tower abuse, there's not a lot of chance to take advantage of those promoted units before it's done. Though if I'd known so many spellcasters can pick up healing post-promote I wouldn't have stressed over Natasha's XP so much.

I suppose it all depends on how you want to play the game. There are really four main styles of play as I see it:

Casual: don't mind about turn count, will take time to level up units to L20/gain max supports for everyone
Ranked: will aim to beat the game's ranking system - takes into account turns used, exp gained and so on.
Efficiency: try to complete maps in the most efficient means possible (lowest turns), but doesn't consider other ranks like funds
Speedrun: aim to complete maps as fast as possible in terms of real time

Of course, there are many ways of combining these four styles of play. A ranked or efficient player may spend some time on turns going through arenas, which if a unit has nothing better to do for the rest of the map is still efficient (and gains extra funds/exp adding towards a ranked score). A speedrun may require a certain unit to need a particular Str score to beat an enemy or Def to survive a hit, for example, so a bit of time grinding is needed. Within the more efficient playthroughs, if you want a particular support you'll have to plan positioning carefully in order to both maximise combat and have supporting units end turns together, so as not to waste time.

I guess what I'm trying to say is that while you can take as much time as you want to grind staffbots to L20, and gain all the supports you want before continuing, it takes time to do so. I don't always want to spend 30 turns at the end of a chapter just to generate supports or heal minor injuries, I would rather just move on most of the time. Maybe it's just my love of speedruns or ranked playthroughs of FE games, and I'm not denying there's a bit of bias in my opinion. Whatever works for you I guess. Remember Fire Emblem is at heart a tactical game, so seeing actual tactics displayed in playthroughs interests me more than seeing overpowered units stomp through all but the last chapters.

Sorry to derail the thread a bit. I'm enjoying the LP so far, keep it up!

Well now, I never said Rascally Badger was doing a bad job. Those were simple tips for those who haven't played the Fire Emblem series. Even so, you can still be good at a game and make an ill-advised decision, on the basis it will work. I'm good at this game and I've made some suicidal moves playing Fire Emblem on the theory that "my beserker will kill the enemy" or "he/she/they will dodge the attack".

Heh, you're fine. I'm just being overcritical. I'll work on it.

And I am a casual player! AND I AM PROUD.

Seriously. All those other methods are just SO WRONG.

If leveling units up to 20 and gaining max supports is "casual" I wonder what you'd call someone who plays the game without obsessing about supports or milking every drop of experience.

I guess you'd call them vaterite.

Let’s Play Fire Emblem: Sacred Stones End of Part 1 Intermission.

No battle this time, but loads and loads of story. Also, I’m going to take a look at my troops to decide who gets continued use. First up: Post-battle flashback for the twins.



The last time we saw him was a year and a half ago...

Ephraim:
You're right. It was at Grado Keep. ...Has it really been only a year and a half?





Eirika:
Oh, please, I'm sure you could wait a few moments longer...

Ephraim:
You're late. How does it take you so long to prepare for such a simple trip?

Lyon:
Rest easy, Ephraim. There's no need to be so curt with your own sister. After all, a king must learn how to treat women with honor and discretion. That's what Father MacGregor says.

Eirika:
Thank you, Lyon. You, unlike my dear brother, are a true gentleman. I was up far too late thinking about my prayer to the temple flame last night. And I'm afraid I... I overslept...

Ephraim:
Your prayer? What are you babbling about?

Lyon:
Come now, you know that the flame has been burning since the time of darkness ended. You must know the story that the flame will answer the prayers of any pilgrim!

Ephraim:
Really? I didn't know that.

Eirika:
Oh, Ephraim... Father MacGregor is going to scold you for neglecting your studies so.

Ephraim:
...Don't even joke about that. So tell us, what have you decided to pray for, Eirika?

Eirika:
I, uh... It's a secret.

Ephraim:
I should've known. You're so boring.

Lyon:
Well, how about you, Ephraim?

Ephraim:
Me? Let's see... I guess I'll pray to become a stronger fighter.

Lyon:
That's just like you, Ephraim.

Eirika:
Just like you indeed, Brother.

Ephraim:
... I can never tell if you're complimenting me or mocking me.

Lyon:
Praising you, of course! Right, Eirika?

Eirika:
Hee hee... Yes, that's right.



Eirika:
Very much so, Lyon.

Lyon:
...Now, I'm the one who cannot tell if he's being praised or...

Ephraim:
You're being praised, as always, Lyon.

Eirika:
Tell me, why the sudden decision to visit the temple? Did my brother do something again?

Ephraim:
Now listen, you...

Lyon:
Oh no. It's not what Ephraim's done. It's what he hasn't done. He's learned nothing at all about the Sacred Stones and the temple flame, so...

Ephraim:
Father MacGregor became angry. He said, “One destined to become king and rule over a nation... must know the history of his kingdom and must respect the Sacred Stones.?Ever since I came to Grado, my life has been chastisement and castigation. Father MacGregor does not think me to be altogether too...kingly.

Lyon:
And yet General Duessel has nothing but praise for you, Ephraim. He says you've brave and true, that you've the making of a great king.

Ephraim:
A great king? I honestly have no idea what that means. Eirika should succeed the throne. I would be happy simply taking my lance and traveling the land as a mercenary.

Eirika:
Ephraim, that is nothing but foolish, irresponsible romanticism! Do you realize how much your words would fill Father's heart with grief?

Ephraim:
Are we speaking of the same man? Our father will likely outlive us all. For now, I'm content just learning the lance from General Duessel. What about you, Lyon? Is there anything you want to do?

Lyon:
Me? Well, I... I suppose I want to become like my father.

Eirika:
You were born to be the Emperor of Grado, Lyon. It suits you.

Lyon:
No, I don't think so. I'm not--




That Lyon is such a nice boy. I hope nothing happens to change him. Unrelatedly, are those of you who have not played the game picking up creepy vibes from our royal twins here. If I had to guess I would say Eirika back near the start of this conversation was praying for brotherly love. But maybe my knowledge of later interactions (and A Song of Ice and Fire) could be skewing my perception.

Eirika:
Lyon... You are so honorable. You should learn from him, Brother.

Ephraim:
...Again with your criticism! Tell me, Eirika. What say you to dressing like me and becoming king in my stead? You're so skinny, I doubt anyone would notice you're not really a man.

Lyon:
Ha ha ha...

Eirika:
Ephraim!



But the emperor... He's clearly not behaving rationally. I just hope he's not so far gone that he'd hurt his own flesh and blood.



Soon at Castle Frelia:



Eirika:
I'm so happy to see you, Tana.

Ephraim:
I'm sorry, Tana. I didn’t want for you to worry.

Tana:
Oh, it doesn't matter now... All that really matters is that we've been brought together again. My own brother will soon return from the field. It will be nice to sit down and discuss things again.




Innes:
You didn't expect less, did you? Do you think Grado's slugs could touch me? With my bow, I'll take down every Grado soldier form here to the emperor's palace!

Ephraim:
Well met, Innes.

Innes:
...Ephraim.




Tana:
Brother! Mind your tongue! This is no occasion for such harsh words. Ephraim and Eirika have lost their father to this terrible war...

Innes:
...... I'm sorry to hear of your father's death. Hear me, Ephraim. Our most important task is to defeat Grado and end this war.

Tana:
Oh, Innes... I'm sorry, Eirika, Ephraim.

Ephraim:
It's all right. It's comforting to see that, in all of this, at least he hasn't changed. Innes has hated me for as long as I can remember.

Tana:
My brother looks upon you as a rival, Ephraim. And as you know, he wants to be the best at everything. The best king, the best general, the best fighter, the best man... He won't allow himself to be beaten at anything.

Innes:
Tana, you talk too much.



There's much that I have to tell him.

Eirika:
It will be out honor to attend.

Innes:
This way.



I've directed the body of Frelia's army south to engage Grado directly. Our troops are proving themselves superior, and the battle progresses favorably.

Hayden:
Hmm... But the riddle still needs answering. Why did Grado begin this war in the first place?

Eirika:
Your Majesty, we may well have found something relating to that... We learned something on our travels, news that weighs heavily upon us.

Hayden:
Ah, yes. Our messenger delivered your report to us a few days ago. Grado is trying to destroy the Sacred Stones... Is that it?

Eirika:
Yes.

Hayden:
We've strengthened the tower's defenses. Frelia's stone is safe for the time being. But we remain confused in this. What does Grado hope to gain by destroying the Sacred Stones?

Eirika:
We don't know. The legends say the stones protect us all from the power of darkness.

Ephraim:
...I can't say if it relates, but I have a story about Grado. It's...been troubling me, and I would like to share it with you all. Myrrh. Come here, please.

Myrrh:
Yes?




Myrrh, would you please tell everyone here the story you told me?

Myrrh:
...... ...Please, Ephraim, you tell them.

Ephraim:
She's a bit shy.

Ephraim:
Very well. Myrrh tells me that she belongs to an ancient race of dragon folk. They're mentioned in a few legends. They’re called the tribe of Manakete.

Eirika:
Manakete?

Hayden:
Yes, their name appears several times in the tale of the Sacred Stones. It says they were neither human nor demon but a separate, aloof race.

Ephraim:
Please, Myrrh.

Myrrh:
...... We live in the east...in Darkling Woods. One day...

Eirika:
Yes?

Myrrh:
We felt something. An ominous energy to the south.

Ephraim:
From the direction of Grado. They felt a...force flowing out of the Grado Empire.

Myrrh:
Saleh and I... We went to investigate this energy. But on our way down, we came across a battle and were drawn into the conflict.

Ephraim:
Myrrh got lost and was wandering aimlessly in an isolated region near Grado's border.

Myrrh:
I met some wicked folk there. They deceived and enchained me. They stole my dragonstone. They were preparing me for transport. It was in that moment when Ephraim appeared and rescued me.

Eirika:
......

Ephraim:
I stumbled across Myrrh by chance when Grado's men had ambushed us. Everything she told me seemed beyond belief, and yet... And yet, when I saw her wings, what could I do but believe?

Myrrh:
This dark wave of energy still flows from the southlands. Its current is strong and runs deep. It has awakened the evil ones. I want to stop it.

Hayden:
Hmmm......



Hayden:
What? That's impossible! What of the soldiers on watch? There were supposed to be many...

Soldier:
The enemy forces... They were led by Caellach the Tiger Eye and Selena Fluorspar! Our soldiers fell before even half a day had past!

Seth:
Selena Fluorspar...



I don’t comment on the story much because I simply do not have much to say. It isn’t bad, but it’s run of the mill fantasy stuff. I can't imagine it is what draws anybody to play Fire Emblem. I feel kind of obligated to here, at the end of what is essentially Part 1, when we get a huge plot dump. We find out more about the friendship among Eirika, Ephraim and Lyon, which forms the backbone of the story, as well as a bit about Myrrh and the Manakete, but a lot of this serves to simply reinforce what we already know, that Grado is after the Sacred Stones. And there's more.

That is a fine fighting force that Hayden and Innes left guarding the stone. They almost hurt a few of them.



Do we gain anything by this? Not that I care, but...

Frelia Soldier:
Black-hearted...fool... What have...you...done? Without the stone's...protection... the horrors...will spread...

Caellach:
Huh? What's this? Still breathing, are you? Come. If you've any last words, I'll hear them, fool of Frelia.

Frelia Soldier:
You...monster...

Caellach:
You waste your last words on insults? And feeble ones, at that... Hardly the right note to enter the eternal on, wouldn't you say? Well then, die.



But if we don't clean up these Frelian curs, they might--

Selena:
You do not raise your blade to anyone who is powerless to resist you! The emperor does not desire us to kill without cause! That would be murder!

Caellach:
Right, the emperor... Your name's Selena, ain't it? Tell me, Selena. What makes that pasty- faced old fool's word so important?

Selena:
Wretch... Do you dare insult His Imperial Majesty!?

Caellach:
Hey, hey, I'm joking. Don't get so worked up.



That Selena seems like a decent person, but these new Grado generals are all douche bags. I wonder if something is up.



Dogs and cats living together, mass hysteria.

Hayden:
Vigarde's mad invasion... And now this, the destruction of our sacred talisman. And we have no idea of Grado's goals. We are in the dark times once again. But even so, we cannot sit here, wringing our hands. First, we must warn the nations that house the remaining Sacred Stones. If Vigarde seeks to destroy the Stones, they are all in grave danger. Jehanna and Rausten must be warned. The nations must joined together to fight our common foe.

Eirika:
Do you think they will believe us?

Hayden:
Hm... It is a difficult tale to believe, I must agree.



I will travel to Jehanna, where I will forge an alliance with her queen. If our Sacred Stone has been destroyed, the Frelia could be in greater danger. Father, I cannot let you leave the nation in such a time of crisis. It is imperative that I be the one to go.

Hayden:
Hmmm…



Eirika:
Rest easy, dear brother. I will journey to Rausten by ship across the North Sea. There will be no danger. And I have made a vow. I will fight as you have until the day Renais is liberated.

Ephraim:
...I understand.



If we start here and press forward with all our might...

Hayden:
And once you reach the capital? Vigarde's generals will be there waiting for you.

Ephraim:
If they oppose us, we will fight.

Hayden:
...You've got your father's foolhardy courage, don't you? ...Very well. I entrust all our hope to you three. Innes, you will go to Jehanna, Eirika to Rausten, And Ephraim to the imperial capital. Funding you will have, but of soldiers, we have few to spare. For each of you, a difficult road awaits.



Yes, lets divide our forces three ways to fight this overwhelming force. And since his last campaign in Grado worked out so well, Ephraim of course wants another go at it.



Eirika:
Please, Ephraim... I will be fine. There's no need for you to worry. Mine is the easiest task, and I'll be in no danger. I'm far more worried about your mission. Challenging the might of an empire with a handful of men?

Ephraim:
What's this now? Have you lost your faith in me?

Eirika:
No, of course not. I know your true strength, Ephraim. No one can defeat you.

Ephraim:
Ha ha! Hearing you say that fills me with confidence. I think I know my own limitations. I won't overextend my reach. I can't die and leave you on your own, can I?

Eirika:
Ephraim...



Eirika and Ephraim are very close siblings.



I am taking Eirika’s route first. After I finish it and (spoilers) Eirika and Ephraim are reunited, I will go back and show Ephraim’s side of the story.



Kyle, Forde, I'm traveling to Rausten. I ask that you two serve my brother well.

Forde:
Actually, there's been a slight change of plans.

Kyle:
We're going with you, Your Highness.

Eirika:
What? But...

Kyle:
Prince Ephraim rides with Frelia's finest at his back.

Forde:
And this was a personal order from the prince himself. He said, “I don't need you loafing around here. Go and keep Eirika safe.?Since when is battling all of Grado loafing about? Honestly!

Eirika:
You're right! My brother's mission is far more dangerous than mine. I will go and speak with him...

Kyle:
Princess Eirika. Prince Ephraim said he's not concerned for his own safety. These are the words our prince gave us, and we believe he means them.

Forde:
That's the truth of it.

There's no cause for worry, Princess Eirika. We can all attest to the prince's tenacity. No matter how close death comes, the Pale Horse will not catch him.

Eirika:
...Kyle, Forde... I understand. Thank you for your service and bravery. You are my brother's most trusted and most valiant companions. I would be honored to have you ride at my side.

Kyle:
The honor is ours. We ride for Renais and for Princess Eirika!





Now is the official start of Chapter 9, but I've got a little more business to attend to.

The Tower of Valni is one of the much criticized additions to the Fire Emblem formula in Sacred Stones. The Tower, and later the Ruins, give the player extra, repeatable maps that allow players to grind. But I think they are great additions. Yes, grinding levels in the tower will upset the balance of the game, but it is optional. From my experience players are more likely to find the game too hard than too easy. It is just good design to provide a way for novices to get an edge in a game as unforgiving as Fire Emblem.

That said, I do not plan to play through the Tower until after I beat the game. So we will be ignoring it for now.



Now it is time to review the troops and actually set my weapons and items for the first time since I started. Players less eager to run on ahead without really paying attention to details would probably already have done this.



First, I have every character give all their items to the storehouse.

Now to look at the troops



Eirika is pure awesome on this play through. Even if I did not have to bring her into every battle I would anyway. That pesky HP problem will be solved as soon as I give her that Angelic Robe I picked up last battle.



Here’s the cavalry. Seth’s stats are about those of a Cavalier who class changed at level 13, which really for role he plays, the same as that of Marcus from the previous GBA Fire Emblems, he is actually not too bad. But there is no reason to use him over any of these 3 guys. All three of the cavaliers are looking good. Franz is definitely going to be used. As for the other 2, I often use both, but Gilliam is not letting me toss him aside and forget about him this time. Unless readers have a clear preference, I’m going to switch them back and forth until one of them is clearly superior or they are both too under leveled to use.




Now for the infantry. Ross is looking good. He could be better, but he is only level 2, I’m sure he will be the beast he usually is. Gilliam is excelling where you expect a Knight to excel, in strength and defense, but his complete lack of speed is growing worrisome. Especially now that I will want to use him less to soften up enemies for weak units but to just take them out. I never gave Garcia a chance, and I don’t intend to.



I like Archers, I will probably keep using Neimi. At least for a while. I will use Colm, there is no doubt. Neither of them is setting the world on fire, but a few good levels could change that. Joshua has not got as much use as usual, but there is no chance he gets dropped. Just look at that speed. As long as he gets 4 or 5 strength points before class change time he will be great.



Vanessa is still too low leveled to call a lost cause, but as of next battle I will have a very good reason to not use her anymore. She is going to get comfortable with Seth and Garcia on the bench. Lute is going to be used forever, always. And her stats justify it. Artur, though, will need more help. His use of Light Magic, which is very effective against monsters helps, but he is just statistically not as good a Lute. He gets at least to level 10 though. His real trouble begins when Healers start to change classes.



There is little difference between these 2. One more skill point for Moulder, as well as a hefty advantage in Con. Natasha has a significant Luck margin, as well as Res. Honestly, I’m leaning to Natasha, but I could be swayed by popular support and Moulder’s moustache. I only have room on my squad for one of these 2, and I can’t afford to split Exp with them.



I for some reason failed to take pictures of who I gave each of these stat up items to. I know that the Angelic Robe went to Eirika, and there is a very good chance that she also got the Dragonshield. The Secret Book was either Gilliam or Ross. Also, all weapons were redistributed to the characters, with those in use getting first pick.

End of Intermission. Now I hope to be on a biweekly (fortnightly) schedule, so in 2 weeks, hopefully, on the Chapter 9: the Distant Blade.

Said it for me.

I used Natasha when I played, so I support stache-healing in the LP. I also used all the horsie boys and could never tell them apart. I always had trouble remembering who had what weapons at hand.

I neglected Neimi early on and regretted it, using the tower to catch her back up when I realized how important it is to have a bow around. I eventually brought Vanessa back in towards the end, but that's with tower abuse and she has stupid hair anyway.

Personally, I always use Franz and no other cavalier besides Amelia when I promote her that way (which is almost every time), and I promote the use of mustaches with Moulder. He's just plain better.

I've never been a fan of Moulder and his 'stache. Awesome facial hair isn't enough to warrant long-term use. Unless it's Dan McNinja. But regardless, I'd use the Secret Book on Ross. Skill tends to be a problem with Axe users. But it's kinda a good thing Ross is going to be Berserker, because Criticals always hit.

General General Rogue
if only because you cannot get a full force of Generals.
and Artur and Seth and Dozla

How do magic and ranged weapons interact with the weapon triangle?
Heck, how does the weapon triangle work, if it's more complicated than axe>lance>sword>axe?

Magic forms its own triangle (Light > Dark > Anima > Light), while Bows just kind of stand off to the side.

How the whole thing works is pretty simple. Magic destroys melee units since they usually have crap for Resistance and are unable to counter without appropriate weapons. Meanwhile, if a melee unit gets the first strike mages are completely doomed because they usually have crap for Defense. Finally, archers just kind of walk around weakening melee units/killing flying units.

This doesn't account for evasions, double attacks, or criticals of course. So I guess you could say the base guidelines are usually inaccurate.

EDIT: Wait, I think you also wanted a more detailed explanation of the weapon triangle. It's exactly how it looks: Axes beat Lances which beat Swords which beat Axes. Where it gets complicated is the many types of Axes/Lances/Swords.

From the top of my head there are 8 general groups:

Basic: These are the weapons you can buy in most shops. There's nothing special about them, and they should probably be on every character just in case. Note that they are balanced by price and uses; Silver weapons are by far the strongest, but they usually only have 20 uses and cost like 8000 gold. Meanwhile, Iron weapons have around 40 uses and cost maybe 2000.

Reaver: These weapons reverse the weapon triangle. Swordreaver, for instance, is an Axe that is effective against Swords but weak against Lances. These things are pretty damn awesome since they have a decent amount of uses and boost your critical chance.

Killer: These things are ridiculously broken. Not only are they strong by themselves, they also boost your critical chance an insane amount. In the hands of a Swordmaster or a Berserker, everything you face will die (unless it's a General and you're a Swordmaster that is). Sadly, they only have like 20 uses.

Brave: These weapons are amazing. Every single one of them guarantees a double attack, and if you would get a double attack normally you get a quadruple attack. They have a nice number of uses, but you'll chew through them like crazy.

Long Range: This is exactly what it sounds like. There are usually two kinds, with the first being easily available and the second being incredibly rare. Not that with Swords every kind of long range weapon is incredibly rare.

Special Property: This group includes a vast array of weapons such as Slayers (weapons that both increase damage and critical chance against certain enemy types), Weighted (Thin weapons have crap attack and slightly higher critical chance, Heavy weapons have decent attack but are probably completely unusable to anything that is not mounted), and lolrandom (this would basically just be whatever the programmers think would be cool. An example is the Devil Axe, a weapon with massive attack power that either hurts the enemy or the user)

Main Character: This is the weapon the main character starts with. It's pretty much a renamed Iron weapon, but it will also do increased damage to a certain type of enemy, usually Knights.

Legendary: This is a weapon you collect during the plot. Its durability ranges from crap to mediocre, but it gives insane stat bonuses and can basically kill anything ever. It also requires a weapon rank of S.

Hey, kawazu-style durability. Because you're using them 2/4 times per attack? Or does doubling only count as one use?

Bingo.

It could be worse - it could be FE9 Astra, which eats up 5 uses of a weapon if it activates, even if you don't need to use all 5 extra attacks it grants to kill an enemy.

Ah, I'm all caught up! I just finished reading Tanto and PapillonReel's fantastic Fire Emblem Let's Plays this week, so I thought I'd jump on this one as well. And this time, I'm not 3+ years late to the party!

Reading all this Fire Emblem stuff is making me want to replay one of my copies, but the only one I have with me is Sacred Stones. I've already gone through it twice before, so maybe I should try to catch up with Mr. Badger's progress on Hard Mode. I'm most certainly a casual player of Fire Emblem though, although I do consider myself a fan. My strategy for choosing characters starts and ends with "this person looks cool!" I mean, I willingly choose to use laguz each time I replay Path of Radiance. I know, right?



Even though the main stories can be pretty run-of-the-mill stuff, I still get a kick out of it. I like reading the quality localization and I especially love the wonderful support conversations. I loved the stories of the Path of Radiance/Radiant Dawn duology even though the supports were gimped in the latter game. And even though the gameplay was good, I hated Fire Emblem: Shadow Dragon for the DS because it had none of the personality the other games had. And it was ugly.

Anyway, keep up the hard work, Badger! I'm rooting for ya! Even if you and others keep making a lot of mistakes with your apostrophes. Hint: apostrophes are never used for pluralization. Elixir's and Assassin's aaaaaaaaarghhhh

P.S. Here's something no one has talking about in regards to FE8: the music! I really like the song, "Rise Above". I would LOVE to hear a high-quality rearrangement or remix of that tune.

Something related - a new TAS of FE8!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hHJeAc3-5nA

Obvious spoilers if you don't want to see the upcoming maps. Enjoy, for those who do!

So... who knew Vanessa was such a badass?

Anyone can be awesome if you abuse the RNG. Pierce and unrestricted movement do help quite a bit though.

I actually have the next post done, but I currently don't have the time to work on this that I need. So I am slowly getting stuff together so that I can get a sustained series of updates going before I start updating again.

Which reminds me; does anyone have any support suggestions? I'll try to get some information about who can support who up soon, but other than Eirika/Ephraim I'm open to suggestions.

Lute/Artur is my OTP. As such, I will be mortified if it doesn't get taken to an A-rank before the end of this LP.

I like L'Arachel/Joshua.

I'm more of a fan of L'arachel and Ephraim.

Or L'arachel and anyone, really.

L'Arachel is better off not paired with anyone. As for Joshua, I'd rather see him supporting Natasha. Of course, I support stache-healing too, which is why I'll push for Moulder/Colm support as well.

L'Arachel pairs best with Ephraim, but it's too bad he's not up for decision. Ah well, maybe Rennac will do in a pinch.

Ooh, almost forgot. I'd like to see Gerik/Tethys as well - their support conversation is all kinds of inspirational, and it seems like the closest thing to a canon pairing for them. The two really pair well together.

Also: I request that you make extensive use of Marisa because she's the coolest. Swordmaster. EVER. I'm not sure which supports you'd go with for her though, since everyone she supports with seems be taken already. Maybe Tana? Let's go with Tana.

Hooray, I'm caught up! I had actually gotten pretty far in this game a few years ago, but I got stuck on one of the last chapters because I suck at SRPGs. I think my friend still has his copy of it, though, so maybe I should play again.

You could always grind for an hour or two in the Tower and try it again. FE Sacred Stones is probably the easiest game in the series, so it's a good starting point (well, or the DS one, because it's so simplistic).