Part 4: Journey Begins

As much as I like Conquest, I really don't like the chapters that come before the route split. I'll do my best to power through them... This one especially is miserable.



I can't resist the urge to watch each cutscene just a little so I can get one screenshot to make a silly comment on. I really would like Elise's help, she's a very helpful character. Is it just me or are her arms very long?



New unit time! Or not, that's just Hans. Gunter helpfully points out that defensive pair-ups are now a thing. Most people overlook them in favour of offensive ones (me included!) but unlike in Awakening it's not always best to pair your units up. This chapter however goes by a lot more smoothly when you can stack defensive stats onto your Corrin.



This jerk is Hans. He's not playable, and he never will be. He's already fulfilled his duty in the plot, so now he has to get himself killed... I wish. He'll merely retreat when he's defeated. He will absolutely get himself defeated though.



The objective here is to seize the enemy fortress. There's only one way across the chasm seperating us and the enemy, and it's heavily guarded, so we'll have to dragon vein our way across.



This is the game doing its best to hold up a giant sign saying "don't cross, use a dragon vein, stupid!" There will be many more obvious hints. Hints that I still ignored on my first playthrough, because "caution" doesn't earn you experience points!



Unpairing my units at the end of their turn maximises their killing power. While you can choose your dual attack partner on player phase, you cannot on enemy phase. I'm pretty sure its the unit who's support level is highest you'll join you, but I'm not sure how the game decides when you haven't supported anyone. Anyway, placing Jakob away from Corrin ensures that Gunter will be the one to dual attack with Corrin.



...oh, I think the stat boost Gunter would have given Corrin would have allowed her to kill if I'd have just gone with a defensive pair-up... However, in doing this I have ensured Gunter gets an extra point of lance experience! I planned this all along and I dare you to prove otherwise.



Bulk is nice, but I'm a little worried by that base level speed. I don't want to complain about an almost perfect level but I will.



Here's hint number two. Depending on what type of person you are, you'll think either "oh I should go around then" or "okay boomer, watch me take this fort".



I just posted Jakob's growths last update and I'm still not sure what a Jakob level is "supposed" to look like. The skill stat is actually useful for staff users in this game - you need it to hit offensive staves.



Here is hint number three on what not to do this chapter. Except sometimes... sometimes he doesn't miss. Sometimes he crits. And if you're really lucky and do your best to keep him alive, Hans can go on to kill the chapter's boss. I've even heard that it's possible for him to kill the boss, stand on the seize point and then just... not move, causing the chapter to become unwinnable. Of course you'd have to make all of this happen on purpose, so it would be your own fault if he did softlock you.



I don't actually know what the best strategy for this chapter is, despite how many times I've done it. The bottom path is the most direct path and encounters the least enemies, so I assume it would be the best. I'm pretty set in my ways so it's absolutely possible I've tricked myself out of a really easy solution.



To seize the fortress itself you'll have to get through this absolute jerkwad. Ninjas have naturally high avoid, fortress tiles increase avoid more, and you have no weapons available to gain weapon triangle advantage over him. If you have ever played FE5 or 6 then you don't need to have played this chapter to know what that means.



This chapter isn't even difficult it's just a huge pain in the ass. High avoid! Two ranged attackers that only Jakob can counterattack! It plays like walking through a swamp.



Speaking of Jakob, I'd rather keep him away from the action if I can. He may not be as weak as Felicia but he's still my most fragile unit, and every bow user has weapon triangle advantage against him.



Meanwhile, Corrin takes a seat on this fort where she's nearly untouchable. Again, she's in no real danger... It just takes forever to take down these enemies. If I were clever I could mop them all up with my three units in attack stance but it's just easier this way.



Now it's safe for him to come back. You'll notice that this Archer can two-shot Jakob. Felicia would die just as fast, but I don't even think she'd be strong enough to finish this guy off like Jakob can.



There we go, that's some speed. Unfortunately Corrin's unbroken magic streak dies here.



Turncounts are literally irrelevant here but years of reading people argue about tier lists and efficiency make me feel bad for wasting time healing wounds like this one. There is of course literally no reason not to. You don't even get to keep this heal staff! It gets replenished in chapter 6.



61% hit, and the poison from his shurriken will make Corrin even weaker on subsequent attacks. The worst part is that this is my best option...



who made this boss



If I engage the boss now then these archers will all aggro on me. Its best to choose your position so they don't try to shoot at you from within the safety of the boss's attack radius.



Meanwhile, reinforcements approach from the south. In every difficulty in every route, reinforcements will never move the instant they appear in Fates. Don't think that means Conquest won't sucker punch you with rude reinforcement traps though, because they will!



I planned for this, and Jakob on a fort has nothing to fear from them. Already he's doing something Felicia can't do - even on a fort I think two of them would be enough to finish her off.



Now that is what I want to see! Despite my huge spiel about the power of reclassed Jakob last update, I don't have any plans for doing that this run. But those plans could change.



15 turns into the chapter, only the boss and the bridge guardians remain. From this side it's much easier to defeat them - two of those archers don't move, and the rest can be lured over to you if you approach them from the south. If you want to maximise your EXP you can take them all out... But I don't want to. If Corrin gets too far ahead of the EXP curve then they'll start to level up a snail's pace, so squeezing out every last drop of EXP isn't really worth it.



Two clean hits will take him down. Gentilehomme provides Corrin with a little extra bulk, so now it's time ro roll the dice.



Roll them over and over... And over. Thankfully, the boss tile isn't a fort, it's an old fort. Those don't provide any healing. I really do just need two hits to kill him.



I guess that's okay.



24 turns! If that boss didn't have so much avoid it would have been less.



I thought I'd watch a little to see if I could find a funny line and then this happened. I straight up do not remember Xander showing up. Whatever happens here is immediately overshadowed by Corrin falling into a hole.


Next time: snow