Part 22: Chapter 11A Hard Mode
Chapter 11A: The RNG GivithNo map this time, since the chapters are functionally identical in terms of starting units. So that's something.
I hear people like to use these so-called "Jaigen" units for this map. Fuck em', I say. Go big or go home!
Alan and Lance immediately bolt for the right wall. Their support will keep them alive, and they have some stuff to do in the village.
Rutger and Clarine on the other hand head south.
The main party heads through the center. Gonzales learns how to read, and somehow this makes him more accurate when swinging at things.
We push onward. This is the point where in most of my runs, something stupid happened and Roy took an arrow to the face or something similar. I'm really glad I don't have to admit to a reset counter or something similar. It'd make me look pretty bad.
Klein is interesting, because despite having hard mode bonuses, he's still inferior to a later sniper we'll be getting in only a few chapters who doesn't get prepromotion bonuses. Think about that.
Shin's been moving like a banshee out of hell to get to this bandit before he sacks the village.
Alan and Lance too. They took the northern route specifically to route this bandit.
Oh and of course, Klien's archers decide to gleefully wander into the slaughter.
Then Tate shows up. All of this in a single turn. 11A is like a graduate class in multitasking.
Echidna shows up
, and those archers somehow survive a dual axe onslaught. 
We begin rescuing their dumb asses before they run up and try to attack that shaman or something.
Echidna's two fatal flaws are low strength and low constitution. Here they are manifest: a steel axe weighs her down so much that she can't double despite her 18 speed, and she's barely doing more damage with steel than this guy can with a handaxe.
I got SO lucky here. The RNG was not very kind to me in regards to levels, but god damn if it did not keep me from rocketing my resets into the hundreds.
We grab Tate, and all those pegs turn green. Looks like we're about fi-
-...Of course we're not. These cavs do NOT fuck around: in addition to pretty high stats, they're carrying steel and killer weapons.
Tate gets hard mode bonuses also, +5 HP, +3 STR, +3 SKL, +4 SPD, +3 LCK, +1 DEF, +2 RES. Not shabby at all. This is the main reason I didn't even give Thany a chance: she'd have to have been damn blessed to keep up with her sister, and that experience could go elsewhere. Like Rutger.
Oh crap, I forgot about Rutger. He's got like 8 lance users bearing down on him.
Are you worried? I'm not worried.
So yeah. Rutger. Level one and two away from his strength cap. He's actually dead on in most things, and even behind in HP and RES, but he's +7 in strength.
Also I realize his HP contradicts that first level up screen: that was from another failed run, but it was the only shot I had. He obviously maxed strength here too, however.
Lance hit 20 also, so why not?
He could not be more average if he tried. Whatever.
Rutger takes kind of a heavy beating, but then again that crit rate
Okay, so this screenshot has quite the story behind it. Bear with me.
In hard mode, a second group of cavaliers spawns from the south, around where Klien came in. That's bad enough. Accompanying them is actually the only hard mode exclusive boss: Robarts. He's a Paladin with 51 HP carrying a silver lance. Yeah. Also, like all other reinforcements he moves the second he shows up, which means he can dick you if you're not ready.
I was not ready. Robarts immediatly rode up to an injured Geese, whom he was very capable of oneshotting. Having spent the better part of the last three hours trying to beat the chapter, I was a tad irked, and had to step away from my computer.
It was then that I heard the "Miss!" sound over my shoulder. I turned around just in time to see Geese:
1) Dodge a fatal blow at 80% odds
2) Proceed to proc a 1% crit chance while carrying the haliberd
3) Kill Robates in a single blow, while I was in too much shock to properly screenshot
4) Get an empty level for his efforts.
So... yeah. I'm not sure if I was lucky or not. I'll take it though.
The rest of the team lets Tate and Klien's forces go, and finish off the remaining foes.
Rutger also takes a bit of a gamble with his life, but finishes off his foes in spectacular fashion.
I remind you that Rutger killed 10+ lance wielding paladins.
Finally finished, we have some last minute business to attend to.
Like using Klien's white gem to buy ourselves some bling. The moment you are recruited into Roy's army, your valuables are forfeit.
Oh, and Murder.
Also Arena Abuse! Using the Arena is very easy in FE6 for several reasons, and I have it pretty much down to a science. I'm not going all out: just training Gonzales and Tate up to snuff. I tried giving Geese a try, but he got a second empty level up (that's two in a row, I don't even want to calculate those odds) and I dumped him.
Take note that Gonzales has 52 HP. At 15/0.
Tate is less impressive, but she's by no means bad. Better than Thany would have been, anyway.
I can now go back to not hating myself. Until Chapter 14, at least.
Tate: Tate is usually my peg knight of choice, as she'll get more strength than Thany. However on hard mode she's a whole new creature with those bonuses, and Thany can take a hike. Not much else to say. Fliers are great, bonuses are great, together they're amazing.
Klien: As I mention below and above, Klien is essentially useless due to an incoming character. Still, he's better than Wolt. So that's something. I guess.
Echidna: Echidna needs two things: strength and a body ring. After that she's pretty great. Before that she has issues doubling, and can't take advantage of her A Rank in axes since they weigh her down so much. Still she's quite good as far as prepromos go, and her 18 speed is down right respectable if she has a light weapon. I won't be using her, but she's pretty great.