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« on: October 04, 2021, 09:17:37 PM »
Banner of the Maid: ok but what if napoleon's sister fought the duke of wellington's sister(?) nearly two decades before waterloo
The nice thing about the game is that class balance is, while pretty far from perfect, a fair bit tighter than it typically is in FE and FE-adjacent games. Like, there's one or two classes that I'd straight up call bad but even then they're probably still better than shit like armor knights or archers (one class certainly tries but at least it actually has mobility.) Cast balance, on the other hand does leave a bit to be desired, especially considering how small it is. But anyways.
Pauline: Fairly good lord-type character although not all that amazing compared to some. The stats are only generally nice (until C25 where they become generally good, especially with the more offensive promotion option) and Grenadier leaves a bit to be desired as a class line (FFM that's only alleviated through situational move boosts that you have to pay to grab, if there's a player-accessable range 2 musket other than the one she starts with I missed it completely, gets countered by light infantry which the game uses quite heavily, like I don't think they're actually the worst class but they're definitely bottom half.) On the other hand, she's generally durable (and being able to restore 20% of her HP on defeating enemies is nice, potentially 70% if it happens with a Heroic Attack), good at producing morale, her personal ability lets her give everyone +3 attack for a turn for the cost of 50 morale (and doesn't even fully use up her turn lol) which is pretty great, the buff to adjacent infantry is occasionally useful (especially the +2 speed version you get from the unlockable promotion), and her stats are actually good enough to one-round line infantry with some finessing, which helps considerably. 7/10.
Lannes: On the other hand you have Lannes who certainly tries to make a case for Grenadier being the worst class since he fails at the things Pauline succeeds at and all he's got to show for it is better HP (although at least in his case it's gamebest) and Armor, and that doesn't make up for how much worse he is against infantry. At least his personal is kind of okay I suppose? And if you want to actually use another Fusilier with Pauline (you probably do at times) he's your only option until C20. 3/10.
Murat: So Murat is probably the most hyperspecialized PC in the game. Hussars use the weakest weapon type (although sabres do at least buff evasion, which helps his dodgetanking game) and Murat himself has one of the lowest base Attack stats but on the other hand his speed is nuts (ties for cast-best post promotion) and his class counters light infantry (which as mentioned are quite common) incredibly hard so he'll succeed at his main combat role unless you let him get underleveled (mostly a problem early as his speed isn't actually wonderful to start off with). And then his personal skill is basically a free +20 hit as well as +10 evade provided the enemy doesn't have range 3+ oh it also buffs other cavalry too, it's pretty great. Mobility is great as well of course. Granted his offense against things that aren't light infantry is quite pathetic (like, struggles to take out enemy artillery pathetic) and his durability when his evade fails him is pretty meh, but I have to think the pros outweigh the cons in his case. 6/10.
D'Eon: Crutch character without being an actual crutch, and one of the few such characters who actually deserves to be called an EXP thief. Well okay I guess the crutch part is being in one of the two candidates for best class in the game (spoilers the other one is also light infantry) but even then D'Eon manages to fuck it up completely. Literally Fire Emblem memes circa 2004, but being light infantry is probably good enough to dodge a zero. 1/10.
Paulette: Artillery! Awful movement but range 4 and the ability to double move (which she gets for free) make up for a lot of lost goodwill. Speed's castworst though so she'll never be that amazing at offense (and tends to weep against line infantry that specifically spoil artillery), but on the other hand she is great at producing morale and artillery gets probably the second best Heroic Attack booster in an AoE stun. Granted, the stun's only 50% so it's no Ashes and Dust but still handy (alternatively she could just oneshot light infantry/cavalry with them, that's fine too I guess). Helps that her base Attack is really high. 6/10.
Aimee: First of the game's two healers, and since you really don't want to be relying on consumeables or campfires if you can help it you're definitely going to be using at least one. Granted, "healer" here also extends to things like turn refreshing and morale generation so. Still, suffers from inventory space problems and is stuck at FFM (although you can at least get Movement +1 for her, which makes the difference between her and the other healer somewhat less stark) but can't have everything I guess. 6.5/10.
Oscar: Elf summed heavy cavalry in this game up pretty well, they're basically armor knights on a horse. Of course, this being game being set during the French Revolution, the defensive stat heavy cavalry are good at is the lesser used of the two and the class they directly counter isn't exactly common or especially threatening (unless you happen to be a Carabiner I guess). Granted, Oscar does pretty well for herself anyways despite the class tree fighting with Grenadier for third-worst. Helps that she's actually good at tanking things that check Armor and that her single hit offense is just nuts, tied for castbest at base if you take the unlockable promotion and that branch gets a skill that lets her randomly perform speed-independent doubles at Lv20 which helps with her worst problem in that regard. 6/10.
Desaix: Well uh. I'd say that they're more useful than Lannes if they weren't absent for a decent chunk of the midgame. And using two heavy cavs is a very map dependent kind of thing to begin with so yeah. X but with less everything doesn't tend to work unless you're in a great class to start with and even then there are limits. At least they get Replace for free? 2.5/10.
Cosette: So, Carabiniers are basically what FE archers want to be. Carabiniers do this thing where instead of dodge tanking they add +1 range to their attacks (although at a Fates-style attack speed penalty before they promote) and have high accuracy, and while they're not the fastest their speed is typically good enough for the things you'd actually use them against (i.e. not light cavalry) and instead of meh Attack like the other light infantry class they get pretty good Attack, and in Cosette's case she tacks on an additional 3 damage to targets on open terrain (so, most things) plus her Speed is best among people in her class so she can actually deal with some other light infantry types pretty well. But wait, it gets better, because the class also gets a skill that basically gives them Galeforce on Heroic Attacks (2BP, but you can buy a better version if you wanted I guess) and one that basically negates the speed penalties that the higher tier rifles come with in return for their increased range lol. On the downside the class is stuck at FFM (but at least they can potentially ignore terrain) and she's quite squishy against cavalry/artillery but probably gamebest PC? I guess the morale generation also leaves a bit to be desired but in Cosette's case the sheer level of offense goes a fair way towards helping me forgive that. Having both a great offensive spread and range takes you a long way. 8/10.
Adelaide: Hello castbest dodgetank. It's not completely foolproof since some enemy types are specifically set up to spoil that kind of strategy but having so many ways to not get hit while having acceptable offense (the base Attack isn't great though the personal and class abilities help with that, but the speed's tied with Murat) while also having range 2 post promotion is good enough for at least second best PC, I think. Helps that the mobility is also good, 6 move/terrain ignoring/canto is about the best you can ask for when having a ranged option (also the class can also buy Heroic Reload+ too lol.) 7.5/10.
Charlotte: Murat with a bit less speed and a worse personal (though not quite as useless as it first appears) but generally better offense. Significantly so on occasion, even, like she can actually one-round enemy artillery sometimes (and for all that it's not relevent in this assessment at all, I certainly wouldn't want to try to win the optional C26 duel with Murat if the game forced it on me.) About as balanced as a female PC in this game gets when compared to their male counterpart and while I think Charlotte probably loses the comparison I don't think it's enough for a different score. 6/10.
Eugenie: Mounted healer. Only has +1 move on Aimee for the most part (technically 2 but let's be realistic, you're paying for Movement +1 on Aimee if you're using her at all) and an occasionally useful command skill (pity it's only for a single attack), but that's still some power creep. 7.5/10.
Ernestine: Adelaide with a bad personal skill instead of a great one, comes in slightly underleveled, and has a slightly worse stat spread. Still doesn't fail enough at her class nearly to be bad though. 6.5/10.
Dutheil: Sappers are weird and mostly bad, they're line infantry but more of a support class than anything, except making use of their support is annoying and hampered by their having gameworst mobility (and they need an extra four levels to promote, just to rub salt in the wound) and their other gimmick of being able to partially ignore Defense doesn't really make up for how utterly garbage their offense is. Like, being able to get more uses of Triumph Music (the game's dance equivalent) is great and all? But you probably have enough as is even without using one. And of course he also wastes his good defensive stats by having heavy cavalry-level speed. Still, what support there is is probably good enough to save his class from being the -actual- worst one, but still. And I think on reflection I'd rather have him around than Lannes if I had to choose so. 3.5/10.
Lafite: Paulette who trades some Attack for a better splash damage skill and has to pay for being able to double move. Not a winning trade in the slightest but hey, artillery is artillery. 5/10.
Laure: Carabinier, this time with castbest Attack and a personal that buffs range for a turn. Gives up speed for it (still above average, good lord Carabiniers are dumb) and joining at Lv14 on C18 isn't the best but hey, Carabinier is Carabinier. 6.5/10.
Therese: Same problems as Laure, but with the worst statspread (still above average at Attack/Speed) of her class and her personal sucks. Still, she's a Carabinier and doesn't fuck it up completely so she's not the -actual- worst female PC (spoilers it's the one Elf missed) but still some Robespierre-approved anti-royal propaganda here. 5.5/10.
Philipp: So. Philipp's light cavalry class uses rifles instead of sabres, great, everyone loves rifles right?! Unfortunately Horse Chasseurs just suck completely, having the same base Attack problems as Hussars while having significantly less speed, and instead of a passive that helps them not fail at their most fundamental combat niche, especially since they use rifles and have to run into Defense, which light infantry are good at they get added range on counters and the ability to not be doubled on enemy phase. In fact I'm not sure what it is they're actually supposed to do other than take away the enemy's ability to perform Heroic Attacks and maybe counter enemy artillery after promotion, and those aren't really things that are good enough to justify a deployment slot. Oh they also promote at Lv19 so they have to wait later to use the good shit. Yeah, no amount of mobility can save it from being the worst class in the game IMO, even scrubs like Lannes and Dutheil can do something remotely worthile with their classes. Fuck, even D'Eon can at least pretend to dodgetank, for all that I think he's still probably worse. 1.5/10.
Nicolette: Joins at Lv13 on C20 and promotes at Lv19 and starts off in a line infantry class OH BOY. +4 Attack/Speed against higher level targets is the sort of passive the likes of Donnel and Mozu seethe with envy at however and that and being able to learn Replace (in fact I think she's the only non-cavalry who can?) makes up for some of that lost goodwill. Plus, like Pauline, her stats are just generally solid across the board Also, somewhat excitingly, she has the option to promote to Carabinier if you don't want more Grenadiers. I think I do agree with her being better than Therese but not enough for a higher score, so. 5.5/10.
Julie: The other Sapper and, as you can probably guess from that, the actual worst female PC. I guess her personal ability makes her better than Dutheil despite joining unpromoted at C23 but good luck actually using it outside of C28 seeing as how it requires 100 morale to use (this is a little unfair, it's a great effect, but it also either requires musician time you could use for other things or throwing someone who gets doubled by everything and has mediocre offense into combat.) On the other hand you could have concieveably promoted Dutheil by that point and I struggle to think of a compelling reason to use two Sappers so it's not like I can consider her to be all that meaninfully better. 4/10.
Leclerc: Joins unpromoted at C24 are you kidding me also he's another Horse Chasseur because of course he is. 1/10.
Rose: Only around for the last two maps, but hey, artillery with a free +1 movement and she hands out +2 speed to everyone on open terrain just for existing and she actually joins properly leveled. 6/10.
Napoleon: Last map only, but the personal ability rules and the stats are Pauline-level so I don't really have any complains other than him being in the worse Grenadier class. 5.5/10.
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