Part 63: Final Chapter: Shadow Dragon. (Prep)

Final Chapter: Shadow Dragon. (Prep)

: I’m afraid this is it. This is where my story ends...

: Sir Jagen, please, hold on a little longer...



Well, this one’s been a long time coming.






: They broke into four groups and stormed the four gates of Dolhr Keep-




: Bravely, these warriors fate had chosen steeled themselves for one last struggle.




So, one interesting thing about this map is that this is a “Defeat Boss” map, meaning that Marth doesn’t have to seize the Throne. As soon as Medeus’ HP hits zero, you win.




Like the intro text implied, we’re splitting into four teams for this final map.




That’s one gimmick. The other is these doors scattered all over the map, which will close after certain turns pass, locking you out and preventing units behind them from moving forward without a key (or being a Thief.)

I really don’t like either of these mechanics, so I’m not a huge fan of this map!




There are plentiful staircases as well, which will be spawning lots of reinforcements. The castle doesn’t let up.




Can’t forget these guys! OH BOY.

(If it’s any relief, I think this is the last time I will ever LP a game with a Ballistician in it.)




Some of the doors are cluttered with enemies, so you need to press on the attack. Holing up will get you locked out. There is a shop in the bottom right corner where you can buy Keys, in a worst case scenario...but it’s surrounded by enemy spawning forts.




The ultimate goal of all this madness is getting to the north end of the palace. It’s crowded with these goons initially.




Then, it’s a straight shot down into the Throne Room, which has some Fortify curates, a couple snipers, one final random Manakete, and, of course…




Here he is, the final boss of Shadow Dragon. Medeus is a lot tougher than he looks. With Earthstone bonuses…

HP: 60
Strength: 27
Magic: 1
Skill: 29
Speed: 25
Luck: 0 ()
Defense: 25
Resistance: 23

Plus, that’s at a range of 2, so there’s no cheesing him with any ranged shenanigans. Medeus is by far the strongest foe in the game, and you’ll want to bring in the big guns for him. Marth’s Falchion does effective damage against him, as do Tiki and Nagi’s Divinestones. The legendary weapons are solid backups as well.

Before we take him on, here’s one last look at the team. I already went ahead and used the stat boosters before these shots.




Marth is a character who thrives on exclusive weapons. Throughout this run, pretty much all the real work he’s done has been with the Rapier or Falchion, and I think that’s pretty normal.




My Caeda came out pretty great. She really is mostly just a better Marth, with a similar exclusive weapon and a flying horse.




Abel’s been the jack-of-all-trades for the group since his first chapter, which is sort of the classic role of the Paladin. He’s been a damn good unit, and I’m not surprised he’s ending this strongly.




Barst rules



I have somewhat mixed feelings on Cord. His speed is phenomenal, but his Magic kinda struggled at points, where I had to Spirit Dust him, and he’s squishy as all hell. Still, if he’s at a range to double, he’s probably blowing someone up.




With very little effort Wolf shines. He’s weak against mages, but that’s sort of a Shadow Dragon constant. That kind of Defense will keep him clogging doors for the rest of the game.




I’m really pleased with Caesar. He could use a bit more Strength, but this is sorta what I think Heroes should look like in Fire Emblem. I think he deserves to carry Mercurius into the final battle.




So, Lena didn’t work out. Maria’s stats are nothing amazing, aside from her ridiculous Resistance. But what matters is her ridiculous Staff rank. She’s utility and healing until the end.




Linde’s pretty damn good. Aura is the best tome in the game, and that carries a lot of it. I will say that, after all this, I still prefer Merric. He takes way less effort and experience, so if you aren’t willing to arena grind, I don’t think she’s too viable.




Catria came in late but still kicks ass. 18 Strength! 17 Def! Look at this good shit.




Uh, I didn’t do a ton with Tiki. She’s okay? That movement really hamstrings her.




Ogma’s a pretty worthy companion for Caesar. I still think he’s a little better, since Caesar took a little work too, but not to a huge degree. I only have one Mercurius, but he’s still got the Wyrmslayer for those pesky Manaketes.




Much like Maria, I don’t really care about Wendell’s horrible, awful, truly horrific stats. He’s an old man with lots of staves and that’s why he’s my pal.




I underestimated Beck, I’ll admit it. Ballisticians are better than I thought they were, and I think he’s the stronger of the two.




Lorenz is here because I needed a fifteenth person.

: And so, we finished our quest…

Bonus Content



I made a final group shot of our last team. It’s, uh, it was an honest attempt. I mean, some of it is because of the conflicting art-styles, and I’m holding to that. That guy on the far right is supposed to be Beck. I dunno either. It does look fairly close to his FE1 Portrait.