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I wound up finally picking this game up as something new to play while my home internet is still knocked out from the hurricane. I've just made it to the timeskip. Thoughts so far: 1. This game is, uh, a lot. There's multiple submenus of abilities and powers in combat, every character has three innate abilities, you can recruit adjutants and every character has combat arts and you have to give orders on an RTS map and you can deploy multiple characters out of a larger cast all with unique perks and abilities and and and and it's all while there's also a fast-paced hack'n'slash you need to be doing. This is the first game of this type that I've ever played, and I feel badly overwhelmed. 2. I desperately wish for a training mode or free explore thing to let me get to grips with actually playing this game, without a ticking clock the game grades me on. Also to play around with the different characters and weapons and what all this nonsense actually does. 3. I didn't know that picking 'slow and steady' at game start meant the gameplay would still be manic but now it's randomly interrupted by people leveling up. 4. Shez mostly looks fine, but the camera constantly perching up above characters to look down into Shez's cleavage is getting really obnoxious. I swapped her back into her Academy outfit just to put a stop to that particular nonsense. 5. The story's mostly been fine, it's been fun enough seeing events play out differently, but I feel like things went off the rails really goddamn fast. The fourth level was civil war in Faerghus and killing Dimitri's uncle. 6. Azure Gleam immediately positioning Bernie's dad as Public Enemy #1 at the start of the post-timeskip made me laugh, and it's for sensible reasons to boot. 7. I've been taking a liking to Ingrid so far. Her freezing enemies she launches with the light-light-light-heavy combo gives her a lot of useful crowd control. Overall, mixed feelings so far, with most of my issues stemming from what I feel is this game expecting me to already be familiar with this genre and having no sense of pacing for someone who's new to this kind of hack'n'slasher.
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Oct 7, 2022 15:23
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| # ¿ May 16, 2024 11:36 |
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Bongo Bill posted:The game has A Lot of mechanics introduced very rapidly, which on top of the frenetic introduction of a Musou is definitely overwhelming, but each of them individually is very simple, and the overall structure is forgiving. You'll get the hang of it. You might find it helpful to take notes. A manual would have been nice. Genovera posted:I don't remember when the Training Grounds unlocks, but it does have a Mock Battle option to try out characters. You'll also be able to replay levels, so don't worry too much about your rank. You can always get a better rank later. Good to know! The time clock grading makes me want to rush through things instead of experimenting with all my different tools. I don't think I've used a combat art yet. quote:That choice just picks a few settings to use in the options menu. You can turn off the midfight level-up screens. Handy, thanks!
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Oct 7, 2022 18:21
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So, how does reclassing work in this game? I'm a bit confused by the class trees and star system and I'm not sure what level I need anything to be at. Are there any particularly useful classes I should be shooting for or important pitfalls?
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Oct 7, 2022 20:09
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Good to know! Serenes Forest has lead me to decide that I am reclassing Shez to Myrmidon immediately and sending her up the thief tree.
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Oct 7, 2022 20:48
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Another question. I'm in Azure Gleam chapter 4, the Valley of Torment, and there's a map point, labeled a stronghold, that says it requires completing all side missions in the area. I've done all I can see. Is there a way to see a list of side missions or am I missing something?
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Oct 8, 2022 01:32
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Scrap Dragon posted:Side Missions refers to the optional objectives within a mission, in that case it'd be the mission for the territory that stronghold is in Ah. So these places aren't locked by chapter? I should return after Aillel? I saw that I can replay the battles for this area.
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Oct 8, 2022 01:50
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McTimmy posted:You can replay any battles, but you won't be able to come back to the chapter's world map later, so if you skip anything locked you'll need another go-around to get to it. So how am I supposed to survey this thing then? I even replayed every side battle to make sure I did the side objectives. If not the fancy gold mission, how do I tell what I'm missing?
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Oct 8, 2022 02:55
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I'm a ways further into the game now, just cleared the Dedue/Felix/Ingrid paralogue. Current thoughts: * I'm struggling with hitting s-ranks in missions mainly due to merely getting A for enemy kills. Maybe I need to be whacking every base captain I meet? * I'm enjoying the story quite a lot. So far Azure Gleam has mostly been focused on internal Kingdom problems putting out one fire after another, and I enjoy the greater emphasis on just how complex, delicate, and explosive the Kingdom's internal politics can be. * I've taken a shine to thief/assassin as my favorite class to play so far. It juggles enemies like nobody's business. Can't get hit if your enemy never touches the ground! It's my favored class for Shez so far. * Gay levels have escalated perceptibly. Flayn was either incredibly inappropriate with no sense of boundaries (always possible with her), or she was blatantly hitting on lady Shez. I'm not sure I like it considering how her voice actress has been going for even younger than in Houses. * I have found myself kind of wishing that there was a 'take enemy officer alive but don't force them into your army' option. I've been poaching everyone, and using those strategies had the Lions take Dorothea and Bernie alive simply because they remember Dorothea and Bernie being kind, gentle people at the Academy. Shez sounded as confused as Bernie was that this apparently meant putting Bernie in uniform to fight for the Kingdom. * On the other hand it did make me laugh how no one cared about Hapi being in the game, including Hapi herself. Your first clue that she's even present is when you simply get the Persuade Hapi strategy. Petra, Dorothea, and Bernie all get some story presence however minor. Hapi is just kinda here and the only explanation given for recruiting her is Dedue noting that she's skilled but lacks motivation.
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Oct 10, 2022 13:42
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Judge Tesla posted:This isn't happy fun times at school anymore, its "Get the gently caress out there and fight, I don't care if you are now fighting everyone you knew and loved" You'd think Bernie would be more useful as a political hostage, though, and knowing her she'd probably be fine living under house arrest.  Hapi and Petra are more or less happy to be here now that Dorothea is also here (for Petra) and the Lions are openly facing the forces of Agartha (for Hapi).
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Oct 10, 2022 15:04
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All good tips, thank you! The juggling capability of thief/assassin with the ice explosions has been particularly amusing for me because it seems to work even on all bosses who aren't named Byleth. Weapon triangle disadvantage? Who cares! Welcome to the dreaded Faerghus bouncy castle, Death Knight! Lysithea at least made it quick for you in Houses. Every non-Byleth boss so far has ended up going down that way, pounded into a corner and juggled to death by knockbacks and launches. Also I've been training up Bernie specifically because it looks like I'll be killing her dad at some point and I'd like Bernie to do the job when the time comes.
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Oct 10, 2022 20:11
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One interesting theme I've noticed in Three Hopes: Dimitri shows a lot more of the understated intelligence and cunning he has in part one of Houses - you might remember how Dimitri figures out that Arundel was killed and replaced by an imposter. Three times now in Hopes, the key to the Lions' victory has been Dimitri making friends and allies in perhaps unexpected places and employing them to the utmost. The pro-Imperial rebellion might have taken the Kingdom by surprise, had Miklan and his bandit gang not been secretly hired by Dimitri. Arianrhod probably would have fallen already, had Dimitri not sent in the Knights of Seiros to reinforce the garrison. Cornelia and the Western Lords might well have held out against the Lions, had Dimitri not arranged for a Duscur army to make a pincer attack from the west as the Lions marched from the east. People in this story keep expecting Dimitri to be a reckless, blindly aggressive dumbass, and keep getting taken off-guard when Dimitri proves to actually be a very competent strategist.
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Oct 11, 2022 14:03
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I'm in Act 3 now and, uh, that escalated quickly.  Rest in peace, Ferdinand, first unavoidable former student death of this game.I think I'll give Shez's BFF whistle to Ingrid. My gameplay for story missions relies heavily on the thief/assassin YYYYX combo strung together endlessly to juggle enemies into oblivion, and it sounds like I'll be able to add Ingrid's ice launch personal on top of that to make what I've been calling the bouncy castle even more devastating. Also, that A support for lady Shez and Ingrid was extremely subtexty and I am loving here for it.
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Oct 12, 2022 15:25
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Deltasquid posted:There's no point in powergaming here, just give your whistle to your best friend This is my plan. I am here for the massive subtext of lady Shez's A support with Ingrid, and it looks like Ingrid's trait will combo beautifully with how I like to play, forming a virtuous cycle of closeted lesbian icy juggling death.
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Oct 12, 2022 18:07
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Eimi posted:I would also highly recommend checking out Hapi, Petra, and Lysithea's supports with Shez as well. Because there's subtext and there's Lysithea getting angry at Shez complimenting another woman. According to the recruitment guide I'm using, Lysithea is not available in Azure Gleam. Hapi, eh. They didn't even have a C support talk, just a green 'you are now level C!' announcement, and her personality is repellant to me. At least she perked up after the Lions found themselves openly facing Agartha as the bad guys. I also find it amusing how annoyed Arval is getting that I'm picking the options for Shez to decide she likes it in Faerghus, believes in what Dimitri is doing, and she's ready to let the past be the past with Byleth. There's a lot of neat little world-building details in Hopes, like Rodrigue explaining that pegasi are a symbol of Faerghus because they can deliver messages and supplies even during winter when intense snowfall cuts off many travel routes in the Kingdom, and Sylvain pointing out that it's not your imagination, everyone in Faerghus loves heavy robes and fancy cloaks, they're both fashionable and incredibly warm during the harsh Faerghus winters.
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Oct 12, 2022 18:26
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Epi Lepi posted:????? Repellent? You gotta elaborate cause that's a wild take that I just don't understand. This game is my first real exposure to Hapi beyond LPs (I never bought the DLC for Three Houses because none of it offered anything that interested me), and her entire character I've seen so far is "I don't want to be here, everything sucks." I have Bernie for that already. The Lions pick her up in the first post-timeskip mission, and so far I haven't gotten a single support conversation between Hapi and anyone. Just a bunch of C support levels with no actual conversation, even with Shez. I get the feeling that Hapi has a bigger role to play in one of the other stories. My experience with her so far is that she's an annoying personality attached to a character who's completely irrelevant to the story. She is the only character I've gotten so far who absolutely no one else in the story has commented on her being here.
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Oct 12, 2022 18:50
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Epi Lepi posted:You should probably watch some of her supports from 3H because this game assumes you know all of her traumas and issues, I don't think it ever directly restates the information that we learn about her in the DLC. I would say the same for the rest of the Ashen Wolves tbh, they're all great characters, but I think that Hapi suffers the most from the game assuming you have all the information already. I did, and she still hasn't made a good impression on me. Oh look it's another depressed alien abductee. I think all the Ashen Wolves are kind of trash, honestly. They feel very... fanficcy, like they're always two or three steps ahead of the plot. And when Hopes can't even be bothered to notice Hapi's in the story beyond a whopping two support conversations with Shez, well, that's that. Something I'd wish I'd noticed, though, was that Dimitri has up through A supports with Bernie. I doubt I have enough time to wrangle that left in the game, but definitely something I'll want to shoot for if I ever play Azure Gleam again. I've generally been enjoying the game so far, even if I do think that this character roster has officially gotten too drat big with the addition of the Deer. Another thing for that future playthrough, Rodrigue's MAG is far, far higher than his STR. Dark Bishop Rodrigue next time I play Azure Gleam? Edit: Also, there's no way that Dimitri/Felix A support didn't off-camera end with "And then they boned so hard it triggered Dimitri's support innate." Cythereal fucked around with this message at 13:52 on Oct 13, 2022 |
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Oct 13, 2022 13:33
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The Lions don't seem to have a native brawler in Hopes, so I've been using Sylvain for that and it meshes beautifully with his innate. Gold is no concern now that I have Despoil on Shez, Felix, Ashe, Annette, and Flayn.
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Oct 13, 2022 20:24
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I thought it was amusing how this chapter's paralogue had all the senior Blue Lions turn to the camera and tell the player that Faerghus wouldn't value Crests and Relics half as much as they do if people would just stop loving invading their country. I've liked how Hopes has really been emphasizing that Faerghus, ultimately, is poor. It's a harsh land. Rich in mineral resources, yes, and they breed the best horses and pegasi in Fodlan. But the climate is awful, the land isn't fertile, and they're perpetually under threat of invasion, while the richest and most powerful nation on Fodlan considers their existence illegitimate. It's a land that clings to its faith and its martial pride because they have precious little else and almost everyone they share a border with wants them crushed under their boot.
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Oct 14, 2022 03:38
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That is Azure Gleam complete. Not the best paced game, it was dragging pretty badly in the final stretch, and I think I would have preferred a more expansive ending to the game, but all in all a satisfying experience, and a surprising one at that. I wasn't expecting to enjoy this game as much as I did, once I got accustomed to how it played. I liked the story pretty well. It's mostly what I wanted out of a new Faerghus story, and I think the Blue Lions crew really benefited from the opportunity to see a different side of the characters and their personalities. The game even an idea I wrote about in the regular Three Houses thread: Edelgard getting Dimitri on her side by pointing to the Agarthans and going "Those are the people responsible for Duscur! Let's kill those motherfuckers!" Doesn't quite go as hoped, but I was smiling pretty hard. I just think that ultimately, all the stuff with Arval and Epimenedes dragged the story down way more than it helped. That all felt very Final Fantasy, and I mean that as a derogatory comparison. Still, sure beats slogging through White Clouds again, and I finally got bisexual Ingrid at the end.
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Oct 16, 2022 02:09
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I never used Cyril because he's too drat young. Lysithea and Petra as 15 year olds at the game start are borderline as it is, but Cyril looks and sounds too much like a kid for me to be comfortable sending him into combat.
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Oct 22, 2022 13:04
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Ferdinand: "You are truly the noblest of nobles!" Lorenz: "Nay, your humility shows that you are truly the noblest of nobles!" Constance: "Actually, I am the nobles of nobles!" Shez: "Y'all selling tickets?" Ferdinand, Lorenz, Constance: "We shall have A TOURNAMENT!" Fire Emblem Three Hopes is a serious game about war and the cost of making your ideals a reality. The paralogue did in fact take into account who got the most kills. Constance was the furthest behind in levels, so the one who was egging everyone on the first place ended up winning. Ferdinand and Lorenz had to console each other with the finest of tea and tea cakes Cythereal fucked around with this message at 21:23 on Oct 23, 2022 |
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Oct 23, 2022 21:19
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Judge Tesla posted:Someone never sent Agitha to her death against Ganon in Hyrule Warriors and it shows. I have never played Hyrule Warriors, no.
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Dec 17, 2022 22:56
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Blackbelt Bobman posted:Is Scarlet Blaze the gayest route? Because Monica is gay af (in a good way obv) All of the routes are pretty drat gay. Ingrid's now bisexual over in the Blue Lions, and I can't read Dimitri and Felix's A support ending in any way but 'and then they boned so hard it triggered Guardian of the Meek.'
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Dec 19, 2022 23:44
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Azure Gleam also has this: Sylvain: Hey, beautiful! You doing anything tonight? Yuri: You know I'm a dude, right? Sylvain: Nope, my bad. Hey, handsome! You doing anything tonight?
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Dec 20, 2022 00:56
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Blackbelt Bobman posted:Is Claude the only one of the three who wasn’t horribly traumatized as a child? Nope, he's just better at hiding it than Edelgard and Dimitri. quote:Also Felix is such an rear end in a top hat wtf Felix's whole thing is that he's a very caring and loyal dude who is utter poo poo at expressing himself. quote:Are the secret characters that require Renown to unlock any good? Is it worth unlocking them? I have enough I just wasn’t sure how much I cared. All three are kinda lovely characters anyway! They are very powerful. quote:Also, the enemies are already really high level and I’m not even that far into the game. I’m on ch 6 and the enemies are level 30+ already. Is that because I’m on Hard or is it NG+? Either way, I’ve spent tons of gold keeping my new recruits’ levels up. It's because you're on Hard. Hard expects you to grind side stories and mission replay to keep your level up.
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Jan 7, 2023 00:35
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Blackbelt Bobman posted:Also lol at the story beat after killing Lonato where they say, “Man, we should take Arianrhod, it will be lightly guarded.” Then it just cuts straight to the next scene of them saying, “Wow taking Arianrhod was so easy.” Talk about a story shortcut! Specifically, the guy in command surrendered without a fight because he felt Dimitri was the biggest threat. Hint hint about the nature of his loyalty. If you're not interested in Faerghus politics, Azure Gleam may not do much for you.
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Jan 7, 2023 05:01
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The Lions also have Cyril hanging around all game but he's never playable.
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Jan 21, 2023 23:20
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I suppose it's not like the Lions need another late-joining wyvern after Jeritza. I know he starts as death knight, but Domineer is worth it. Another reason why Three Hopes Claude is hot trash compared to Three Houses. The game has a great trait like Domineer and Golden Wildfire is the only route that doesn't have access to it without NG+.
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Jan 22, 2023 00:01
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I found Azure Gleam a bit unsatisfying because it ends with a big hook of whether Claude will actually act on his yammering and betray the Kingdom/Church alliance or not, after spending all game going "I'm totally going to do something... someday!"
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Jan 22, 2023 03:11
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I like Azure Gleam.  It gave me more of what I felt was the most interesting part of Azure Moon - Faerghus' complicated internal politics, why everyone is so invested in Dimitri as king despite all his issues, and what Dimitri's campaign of reform as king is likely to involve. And hey, bisexual Ingrid! I don't hold Claude being pointless against Azure Gleam, because that's just Claude in Houses/Hopes in general.
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Jan 22, 2023 03:19
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Initial results from this new campaign where I'm putting almost everyone towards their secret bonus class are mixed. Felix and Sylvain are both thriving as mages, and Mercedes is doing well as an archer with a magic bow. Rodrigue and Annette, though, are turning out mediocre. They're both natively magic characters, but I'm putting them into physical classes, and the result so far is that they're both gaining okay-ish amounts of both STR and MAG without doing well at either. Time will tell whether cavalier Flayn and brigand Hapi will follow suit.
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Jan 23, 2023 16:02
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Blackbelt Bobman posted:Annette with her hero axe Crusher is incredible because it uses her magic stat to calculate damage. Best Wyvern Rider. Every character gets an extra trait from finishing one particular master rank class, usually one you wouldn't typically associate with the character, and some of these secret bonuses are very strong. Gatekeeper's gimmick as a character is that he gets a secret bonus from every master class. The secret classes for each character: Shez: Dark Knight Dimitri: Great Knight Dedue: Warmaster Felix: Dark Bishop Sylvain: Dark Bishop Ashe: Dark Knight Ingrid: Bow Knight Mercedes: Bow Knight Annette: Wyvern Lord Rodrigue: Great Knight Claude: Wyvern Lord Lorenz: Mortal Savant Raphael: Holy Knight Ignatz: Dark Bishop Hilda: Great Knight Lysithea: Mortal Savant Marianne: Holy Knight Leonie: Falcon Knight Holst: Dark Bishop Edelgard: Gremory Dorothea: Holy Knight Petra: Falcon Knight Bernie: Great Knight Hubert: Dark Knight Ferdinand: Great Knight Linhardt: Trickster Caspar: Dark Knight Monica: Trickster Yuri: Bow Knight Balthus: Dark Bishop Hapi: Wyvern Lord Constance: Falcon Knight Seteth: Holy Knight Flayn: Dark Knight Manuela: Trickster Catherine: Holy Knight Shamir: Trickster Jeritza: Wyvern Lord Byleth: Holy Knight Jeralt: Warmaster Rhea: Gremory Sothis: Mortal Savant Arval: Wyvern Lord My new game, aside from Shez who I completed Dark Knight with in Golden Wildfire, I'm gunning everyone for their bonus class. Cythereal fucked around with this message at 17:23 on Jan 23, 2023 |
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Jan 23, 2023 16:39
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"She is utterly exhausting." - Dimitri on Bernadetta, saying what everyone feels but few ever have the courage to say.
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Jan 24, 2023 03:32
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I mean, I do like Bernie, but I do think she runs her schtick into the ground. They do go up to an A support, though, so I'm curious if it's going to make noises about actually pairing them off.
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Jan 24, 2023 14:12
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| # ¿ May 16, 2024 11:36 |
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Discovery: the Azure Dagger (the item from giving Dimitri the merc whistle, thereby giving Shez Azure Lightning) is loving nuts if you have male Shez and go for warmaster. The lightning effect when you launch enemies starts getting really spammy on a brawler. Definitely making Dimitri himself a warmaster the next time I play Azure Gleam. Until then I'm enjoying myself immensely.
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Jan 26, 2023 20:19
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