This article was posted concurrently in the r/fireemblem subreddit, where it presumably will have some discussion in the comments if you want to check that out.
The Pumpkin Mandomizer is a fun little set of rules I’ve made for myself in order to make my Hard Mode True Ending playthrough more interesting.
Basically, while I am free to use any unit I want at any time during the playthrough, I’ve randomly selected the above team, and am required to bring them into the final battle.
If you want to see the original post about the rules, click here.
I hope you enjoy coming along with me for the ride, and feel free to give strategy suggestions in the comments below!
Intro
Once upon a time, the Humans and Dragons used to be able to live in peaceful coexistence, but then the Humans decided for some reason that the Dragons shouldn’t exist anymore, so they started a giant war that almost broke the very laws of Nature, somehow.
However, in the end, the racism of the Humans proved too much for the Dragons, and they, defeated, disappeared from the face of Elibe. Humankind made the best of a terrible situation, and spread to the four corners of the lands, forming numerous countries and just generally getting along.
Fast forward about a 1000 some-odd years, and everything is going swimmingly. The nation/regions of Etruria, Bern, Lycia, Ilia, and Sacae have more or less been able to coexist in harmony, with no major conflicts.
But everything changed when the Fire Nation Kingdom of Bern attacked.
Hello, everyone! Carl here. Today’s the day I restart my journey through Elibe, and this time I’m going to get the True Ending–on Hard Mode. As I mentioned before, in order to spice up the run a bit more, I randomly picked my final 8 team to bring into the last chapter, so I have to constantly keep that in mind with each chapter I play–sure, I can use whoever I want, but if those 8 units aren’t up to par by the final chapter… well, I consider that as good as a softlock.
So, I’m taking the time each week to journal my journey (wait, are those two words etymologically linked?), so I hope you all enjoy it! I’ll be updating the playthrough chapter by chapter, letting you experience the game through my eyes and talking about the highs and lows of each one. Granted, the first two chapters don’t contain any of the units I will be using in the endgame and without much in the way of battle preparation at this point, there’s not much to talk about, but I hope this gives you a good taste of what’s to come!
Chapter 1: Breath of Fate
Following Bern’s invasion of Lycia, Marquess Eliwood of Pherae calls his son (and our boy) Roy back from his study abroad in the neighboring region of Ostia, in order to lead Pherae’s troops to join up with the Lycian League in the counterattack against Bern.
Eliwood has fallen ill, see, so he can’t do it. His 15-year-old son, however? Now he’s definitely the boy man for the job!
Unfortunately though, in the confusion wrought by Bern’s disturbance, bandits have laid siege to the Pherae castle, in the hopes of looting it and the surrounding villages for treasure.
Roy and a few knights, who happened to have just returned from Ostia, are saddled with the first of their many trials and tribulations–routing the bandits, retaking the castle, and saving Eliwood! Oh, and also the heir to the throne of Ostia, Lilina, who’s here too to say hi to sick ol’ Eliwood.
Not much to say about this chapter! It’s chapter 1, alright. Marcus took most of the heat and my other units mostly just stepped in to finish units off.
Alen, however, did start the run off with a 2% crit, which was very much appreciated. No resets needed; easy peasy.
I’ll be showing my progress down below after every chapter; greyed-out text belongs to units or weapons I haven’t gotten yet, and if you zoom in reeaaal close, you can see that I’ve helpfully put little +X numbers next to each stat that has gone up. We’ll see how tedious this gets.
Chapter 2: The Princess of Bern
Having successfully driven off the bandits, Roy meets back up with Pops and Lilina. Lilina wants to join Roy in the fight against Bern, but Eliwood forbids it–after all, what would become of Ostia if something happened to the beloved heir to its throne? Apparently Pherae doesn’t care about Roy all that much.
Anyway! Battle time for Roy! Accompanied by the merchant Merlinus, Roy’s team heads for the castle of Araphen, where the Lycian League is currently meeting. However, while on the way there, they swing by the Bernese border in order to meet up with some mercenaries hired by Eliwood.
But all is not well…a very high-tier-looking wyvern rider searches a nearby castle for King Zephiel of Bern’s younger sister, and a cleric finds Roy’s group, begging for help in rescuing her mistress.
Soldiers searching for the cleric discover Roy’s army, and a battle ensues, with the mercenaries joining part of the way through.
It’s chapter 2! It’s chapter 2. I parked Dieck on a fort on the right and let him kill everyone, and used Shanna to carry the armorslayer and some javelins I purchased over the mountains, and Dieck used that armorslayer (armor KILLER in Japanese) to take the boss out. Roy didn’t see much in terms of battle, so literally zero stats to report on the team this battle.
Shanna is one I want to really focus on using; fliers are good in general and given I have to use Juno I think the Triangle Attack once I pick up Thea will be helpful in getting her some more use.
I did start chapter 3, but I figured I’ll wait until next week when it’s finished to report on it. I play for about 3 hours every time, so hopefully I’ll see you next time!
Thanks for reading!