Fire Emblem: Shadow Dragon/Walkthrough

IMPORTANT NOTICE!!
This guide was written for the EU version of this game. Many readers play the American version, and thus, find my guide confusing due to changed names.

Here's a list of changed names:

Characters
 * Shiida = Caeda (probably the least guessable)
 * Nabarl = Navarre

Key Terms
 * Akaneia = Archanea
 * Medon = Macedon
 * Doluna = Dolhr

Classes
 * Chameleon = Freelancer

Introduction
THIS GUIDE WILL CONTAIN SPOILERS!

As you might have read above, this game will cover pretty much every corner of this game. There is a few excepts (Nintendo WFC details)

Game Modes [1C]
Game Modes are split into two sections: main game and extras.

Main Game: The main storyline. Basically, the bulk of the game. The main thing to note here is that you choose between Normal and Hard Mode.

Extras: There are some extra features here:

1) You can erase data here 2) Online Nintendo WFC (and wireless too) - there are two real features of this. First, you can loan and receive characters. I would think that you can't use them in the main game, only online.

You can also fight with friends and others. Note: I don't do WFC online for DS. I will need help from others to explain. For now...

According to the description, you have an army that runs around and tries to capture various castles. Your opponent has an army too and there are two ways to win this game:

1) Kill everyone else 2) Capture the most castles in the time limit.

Game Basics [1D]
You are given an army of (insert amount of characters here) to defeat the enemy To finish a map, you have to usually defeat the boss and "seize" (with Marth) the spot he was on.

There are various terrains that offer their own bonuses. Forests are pretty common and give a bonus in avoiding attacks. Other terrains include hills and mountains, some of which are special in that they hinder troop movement.

There is gold in this game also, you get it from selling items and chests. Enemies DO NOT drop gold. There are also a set amount of enemies for a map, it isn't randomly generate battles.

There is a weapon triangle, between the three: swords, lance, axe. They offer small bonuses, yet unlike other games, this game doesn't really make swords superior to axes by a vast amount.

It goes: Sword >>> Axes Axes >>> Lances Lances >>> Swords

Each character (and enemy) have a class, such as Mercenary or Fighter. They have their own weapon skill, a mercenary for example can only use swords. He can't use axes to fight, only swords. Only a few unpromoted units can use two different weapon types (Cavaliers)

A unit can "promote" to the next class by using an item called the Master Seal. An archer will be promoted to a powerful sniper. A mercenary becomes a Hero.

These promoted classes are stronger than the unpromoted and often can use two weapon types (ie, lances and bow).

Each character has its own stats (short for statistics). They grow each time you level up. To level up, you need to gain 100 exp. Exp (short for experience) is gained by killing enemies. Harder enemies give more experience and bosses tend to give a full level. Note that promoted classes level up slower.

Characters will die if they reach 0 health. Once they die, they are gone forever. You can't get them back. (Well, you technically can get ONE unit back in chapter 24, but nevertheless, it isn't worth it since the unit will be seriously underleveled)

Going back to stats, they increase pretty randomly. Sometimes, you won't even gain any stats and sometimes you'll gain in all but two stats. Some characters have better "stat growths" then others. However, stat growth is still mostly determined by a game function called RNG (Random Number Generator).

Sometimes you get good stat growths from the RNG, other times not so much.

There are different stats. Strength, Magic, Skill, Spd, Lck, Def, Res... Most of them are self-explanatory:

Strength, Magic: (Depends on what class you are) Affects how high you hit.

Skill: How often criticals are.

Spd: How well you avoid enemies.

(The following was found on serenesforest's great combat equations)

Lck: Affects critical avoid rate and a little bit on accuracy and avoid.

Def: Reduces physical damage

Res: Reduces magic damage.

In battle, there are five different unique structures:

1) Village: Gives you items such as gold or units. Must visit with main character. Sometimes gives weapons 2) House: Gives tips. Nothing else. Can be visited by any unit 3) Armory: Sells weapons. Can be visited by any unit. 4) Shop: Sells magic such as Blizzard and Heal. Also has potions like pure water. 5) Fort: Heals your character at the beginning of the Player Phase.

There are also some more unique objects:

1) Door - Obstructs path. Must use thief or Door key to get by. 2) Chest - Contains useful item. Must use their of use a key.

One last thing: I mentioned DANGER zone once. Might as well explain here.

DANGER zones can be accessed by hitting X in battle. They show where all the enemies can move, the boundaries. It is useful in planning how far to move a unit to lure in the enemy.

That should be good enough for the basics of basics, read the game's tutorial if you REALLY can't figure it out.

Hard Mode [1E]
As many of you might have noticed, this guide does not cover the hard mode part of this game.

The Hard Mode is the same game as the Normal mode, same story. The only difference is the insane difficulty added onto the characters. There are five different difficulties in Hard Mode, ranging from * to ***** (with ***** being the most difficult).

I do intend on eventually writing a ***** guide, but I wish to first adding on and making my Normal Mode section improved.

Please note that I am extremely open to H5 (Hard Mode *****) help and advice.

Houses/Dialogue Format [1F]
I find it prudent for this guide to relate the various dialogue that occurs in this story. The format is as follows:

(for Dialogue)

DIALOGUE

[insert dialogue from Character1 here] [insert dialogue from Character2 here] [insert dialogue from Character1 here]

(insert action such as Character 1 leaving)

[insert dialogue from Character2 here]

END DIALOGUE

For houses, I will summarize what happens tips the people give you at the beginning of the chapter. It will look as follows:

HOUSES

1) [insert useful tip] 2) [insert not-so-useful tip] 3) [insert obvious tip] 4) [insert not-so-obvious tip]

END HOUSES

The Forge [1G]
Starting when you are able to prepare before battles, you can access a forge feature via "Armory" >>> "Forge".

Basically, you pay gold to upgrade a certain weapon. This is useful in helping weaker characters out at the beginning.

There are different stats you can upgrade:

Mt (Short for might - thanks to Johnny D): Upgrades how much you can damage.

Hit: Upgrades how often you hit.

Crit (short for critical): Upgrades how often you land a critical.

Wt (Short for weight): Changes how hefty a weapon is, a less heavy weapon lets the user hit x2 instead of the regular one hit.

First, you have to pay the initial cost. This depends on what type of weapon your unit is holding. It also depends on the type of weapon (Bow, Sword, Axe)

Note: Devil Weapons cannot be forged. Firestones cannot. Also, items like the Parthia cannot be forged.

Also note that the price does not change if you are forging an item with only 1 durability compared to if you forged it with 30 durability.

Here are the initial costs: (thanks to serenesforest since I honestly wouldn't have figured this out myself - note that I don't copy it exactly)

Note that this below chart is pretty useful for when I explain it later.

Here it is:

Base Value/2 (refer to above) + ((Decimal upgrade) X Base Value) = Cost

Here is the way the upgraded stats are worked out. You have to refer to the next chart:

Most of you are probably wondering what the above section was all about. Well, simply put, you need to refer to the top chart for each upgrade you make.

That means that if you upgrade the damage, hit rate, and critical, then you need to refer to the above chart three times. Basically, just find the % for all three stats.

For example, if I am forging a weapon and making it have +1 Mt, +10 Hit, and +3 Crit, then I will find the three %s: 50%, 150%, and 50%.

Then, you need to make them into decimal form them add them together. Taking my example above, I get:

0.5 + 1.5 + 0.5 = 2.5

This number is the cost for the upgrade (called the decimal upgrade in the equation).

Let's put this to example. Say I am forging a Silver Sword for +1 Mt, +50 Hit, +27 Crit, and -4 Wt. Here are the steps:

1) I find the base cost of a silver sword. 2000G. 2) I refer to the charts and get the four %s. In order: 50%, 2750%, 2250%, 500% 3) I convert them into decimals. In order: 0.5, 27.5, 22.5, 5. 4) I add them together to get 55.5. 5) Plug in the equation:

2000/2 + ((55.5) * 2000) = 112,000

Highly Recommended Party [1H]
The following is a list of units that I will recommend using/looking into. THEY ARE IN NO PARTICULAR ORDER!

1) Wolf - This character is amazing. Just simply, his stats growth outplays the fact that he even comes later. He starts out pre-promoted, but seriously, his stats still beat most characters.

2) Abel - This Cavalier is one of the most reliable. I know that at the higher levels, I can send him to lure in a unit without getting killed.

3) Frey - Just below Abel, he matches well and can be described like Abel. High strength gain rate, making him a powerhouse.

4) Marth - Necessary obviously. But he is strong on his own and can fight decently.

5) Shiida - Once she gets to those higher levels and is promoted, she will be a monster with lances. Good movement rate too. (Called Caeda in American version)

6) Merric - His proficiency with magic is astounding. Rips knights to shreds. Only problem is his defence.

7) Gordin - I explain this in the section you get him. He isn't weak. Give him a chance to prove himself as a sniper and you won't regret. Of course, charac- ters like Wolf outclass him if you unlucky with stat gains. Still, he makes for a good pre-Wolf game character and a great sniper if you are lucky.

8) Lena - Healers are always necessary in your party and she is like one of the earliest, yet best healers you will get. Enough said I believe.

9) Nabarl - His low defence makes him questionable in making this list. However, the myrmidon lovers won't find a better one to use than him. Critical hits are often and once he becomes a swordmaster, he will tear through almost any unit, generals included. (Called Navarre in the American version)

10) Sedgar - I personally never used this character. I chose between Wolf and Sedgar and stuck with Wolf. Though I heard that Sedgar is just as good as Wolf so I decided to add him to this list.

11) Beck - Strong ballista. Due to the nature of this game, ballistas have many weapons that let it kill various units. First, Beck can destroy other ballistas. Then, Beck can also kill all fliers with Arrowspatte. To top this off, Beck can even shoot through walls, and his range is incredible. Solid unit that is topped off with a good stat increase.

NOTE: As a general rule, units that come pre-promoted are usually inferior to those that do not. I do not recommend using any pre-promoted units other than Wolf and Sedgar (note that units like Beck and Marth cannot be promoted so they aren't considered "pre-promoted") and that Wolf and Sedgar are overpowered, so they make an exception.

Also NOTE that I do not encourage the early use of a Manakete. The first one you can possibly use in the game is limited to 30 attacks/counterattacks due to the 30/30 USE of the Firestone. This means that basically he is useless after he runs out of attacks, making him an unreliable character.

EPILOGUE [EPI]
"After Medeus's demise, Doluna would relax its shadowy grip on the land and fade into obscurity: the Empire was finished. The fires of war that had raged across Akaneia would die, and light would come to take darkness's place. But before any of that came to pass, there were a few final moments of Marth's tale that need telling...

(DIALOGUE)

Shiida: Marth, you did it. It's finally over.

Marth: I've waiting a long time for this day. And now I'm not entirely certain what to do with it...

Shiida: Marth...um, we haven't talked much since leaving Talys. But I thought.. Do you know where you will be going?

Marth: To Altea, of course. War has left my kingdom in ruins. I cannot waste another day; I must return to help rebuild.

Shiida: So...I suppose that means you have bid Talys farewell for good...

Marth: Don't be silly, Shiida. I need to at least go thank your father and tell him the fighting is done.

Shiida: My father...? Marth, I'm not asking about my- Never mind. Please excuse me...

(Shiida leaves and Nyna walks in)

Nyna: Marth, did something happen? I just passed Shiida, and she looked heartbroken...

Marth: No... Well, we were just talking. And she asked me...

Nyna: Ha ha, oh, Marth... How can a man who faced the Shadow Dragon be so desperate to avoid facing his own feelings?

Marth: I- my- what? I don't know what you are talking about.

Nyna: You wish to send Shiida home to Talys, then, and return to Altea alone? That is what you want?

Marth: Well, that's where we both belong. I don't see what my wants have to do with anything.

Nyna: Clearly not. Marth, if you have anything to say to Shiida, say it now. Love cannot always make the leap from heart to heart by itself; sometimes you must speak it aloud and give it wings. Surely a great leader like you can muster the courage for that?

Marth: .....

(Marth leaves and finds Shiida)

Marth: Shiida...might I, er, have a moment?

Shiida: .....?

Marth: I did not speak with my heart before. When I said I would go to Altea, I... Well, I had meant... I hoped you would be at my side.

Shiida: .....!

Marth.: As you said, we have not spoken much since Talys. With you, I felt I never had to say a word. If the battle started to take its toll, you were always there...close by...I would see you there, so beaut- ahem, so brave... and I would, um,....derive! Yes, derive great strength! Derive...

....Ugh, why is this so difficult?! Shiida, I'm just trying to tell you I-

Shiida: Marth... Shh. Me too... Me to. [Just in case you are an ignorant gamer, they just confessed their interest]

(END DIALOGUE)

"So concludes the tale of Falchion, blade of light; Marth, its wielder; and his battle with the Shadow Dragon. Herein its events have been chronicled, that none may ever forget."

After this, the Campaign Summary shows. It displays the turns taken to finish each map and the time.

Then, it shows all the character biographys and what happened to them. Here is each character's ending. (Thanks to mmo_006 who even has a video on YouTube where you can watch the ending)

(PREPARE FOR LONG SECTION!!!)

Marth - Altean Prince

Marth returned to war-torn Altea and devoted all his energy to restoring the kingdom to its former glory. He was later crowned king.

Shiida - Talys' Heart

Shiida visited her father in Talys before returning to Altea with Marth. Their whispers of love warmed the castle halls.

Jagen - Bones Of Iron

After the war, Jagen laid down his lance and became one of Prince Marth's closest advisors.

Cain - King's Voice

Cain remained in Altea to instruct younger knights in the ways of war. He was a shining example, never did he neglect his training.

Abel - Altea's Shield

Abel left the army and opened a small shop. He was to be married; but in the end his fellow knights were his most steadfast companions.

Draug - Gentle Giant

Draug was put in charge of an outland garrison. The people there soon came to love their kind but stalwart protector.

Gordin - The Ungagged

Gordin squired himself to an Akaneian knight, to further his mastery of the bow. Later he returned to Altea with his brother.

Wrys - Altean Healer

Wrys built a monastery and spent his remaining years caring for children who had lost their parents in the war.

Ogma - Loyal Blade

Ogma returned to Talys to serve the people. Perhaps love was not his strong suit; history contains no record of him marrying.

Barst - The Hatchet

Barst briefly enlisted in the Akaneian army, but later deserted - to become a pirate, by some accounts.

Bord - The Lopper

Bord returned to his peaceful life as a woodcutter. In time, he became renowned for his craftsmanship.

Cord - The Chopper

Cord returned to his peaceful life as a woodcutter. In time, he became renowned for his speedy work.

Castor - Loving Son

Castor hurried home to his aging mother, medicine in hand. They lived modest lives.

Darros - Seawalker

It was back to the sea for Darros, by all accounts, carefree, he departed Akaneia's shores for the last time.

Julian - Honest Thief

Julian gave up thievery for good and found an honest job in Medon.

Lena - Angel To All

Lena cared for orphans at a convent in Medon and dealt out love in equal shares to all she met.

Nabarl - Silent Sword

Nabarl vanished after the great struggle, but for years, imposters appeared, hoping to profit from his reputation the world round.

Merric - Mirthful Mage

After helping Marth stamp out the fires of war, Merric returned to Khodain where he continued his magical studies.

Matthis - Dashing Noble

Matthis left the army in favor of a dull and predictable life in Medon; to him, bliss.

Hardin - Coyote

Nyna offered Hardin her hand in marriage, and so he was crowned the twenty-fourth king of House Akaneia.

Wolf - Aurelian Hero

Wolf remained a knight of Aurelia. He helped rebuild, and later captained an elite force called the Wolfguard.

Sedgar - Aurelian Star

Sedgar remained a knight of Aurelia. He helped rebuild, and later became vice-captain and pillar of the Wolfguard.

Roshea - Aurelian Hope

Roshea left the army, but later returned and became an Aurelian paladin. Records show he resided in Altea for a time.

Vyland - Aurelian Son

Vyland remained a knight of Aurelis and helped rebuild. Always, he put the friends with whom he had grown to manhood first.

Wendell - Wise Teacher

Wendell became the senior mage in Khodain and embarked on a journey that took him from land to land in pursuit of truth.

Rickard - Big-Time Thief

Rickard returned home to live in peace- or so he claimed, even as the area experienced a surge in break-ins and purse-snatchings.

Bantu - Fire Dragon

Bantu sealed the dragonstones' power and disappeared, but his wish was to live out his years in the Dolunian countryside.

Caeser - Hired Sword

History lost track of Caesar after the war. Perhaps he found work as a bodyguard; or perhaps some country made him a general.

Radd - Lady-Killer

Radd fell in love during the war, and gave up his sword to win the woman's heart. Whether he succeeded, we shall never know.

Roger - Still Single

Roger found his way back to Grust in the end, and reached out to the many people whom the war had touched.

Jeorge - Perfect Shot

Jeorge worked diligently to rebuild Akaneia. Later, he was chosen from the palace's heights to become archer-captain.

Maria - Petit Princess

After studying in Khodain for a while, Princess Minerva returned to Medon to serve her people as a cleric.

Minerva - True Leader

Minerva put all her effort into restoring Medon to glory. All wished for her to be queen; all except Minerva herself.

Linde - Miloah's Child

Linde entered Princess Nyna's protection and became a lady at court.

Jake - Anna's Love

Jake helped rebuild a town destroyed during the war. He and his lover Anna always dreamed of travelling to far-off continents.

Midia - His Anchor

Midia honored her princess' request to remain with the Akaneian Knights, and later became their captain.

Dolph - Spitting Image

Dolph had a short career as a general before leaving the army. Some said the move was a tacit rejection of the king-to-be.

Macellan - Dead Ringer

Macellan left the Akaneian army without a word of explanation. He settled near the border and formed a band of watchmen.

Tomas - Quiet Bow

No one knew what became of Tomas after the war, but some suggested he returned home to live in peace.

Boah - Royal Bishop

Boah resumed his duties as Akaneia's royal bishop, guiding the kingdom while the people got back on their feet.

Beck - Born Shooter

Beck became famous for subjugating a group of borderland rebels who- having never seen a ballista- panicked and promptly surrendered.

Astram - Midia's Hero

Astram was made captain of Akaneia's free company. He was given Mercurius and with it carved quite a name for himself.

Palla - Elder Sister

The war left this ones self-assured knight's heart in knots; but Palla still worked diligently at rebuilding Medon.

Catria - Middle Sister

Catria returned to Medon to rebuild. Love for a certain man flared in her heart... then flickered when it went unrequited.

Arran - Free Paladin

Arran became Captain of Altea's knights. His efforts helped many a town rise from the ashes after the war.

Samson - Assuring Hero

Samson continued to ply his blade as a mercenary, but never sold his sword to any but those who met his standards.

Xane - ShapeShifter

After the war, Xane left without a word. It was not until later that Marth learned his true identity.

Est - Little Sister

Est fell in love with an Altean knight, and found that the path of the heart was a surer route to happiness than that of the spear.

Tiki - Dragon Scion

Tiki lived a peaceful lie with Bantu. She spoke fondly of her adventures with Marth, even long after they had ended.

Lorenz - People's Man

Lorenz put Grust's prince upon the throne and became his regent, but he and Akaneia did not always see eye to eye.

Elice - Life Giver

Elice returned to Altea with Marth. Ever serene, she stood by her bother and watched him grow into a fine leader.

Gotoh - White Sage

At Nyna's request, Gotoh became archmage of Akaneia. The world never knew a better teacher.

Frey - Brave Knight

Frey stayed in Altea to help rebuild his ravaged kingdom.

Norne - The Volunteer

Her stint as a warrior over, Norne returned to her home in Altea and lied an unremarkable but happy life.

Athena - Vun Voman

Vere she vent, nobody knows... One theory is that Athena returned to the border village where she was born.

Horace - Man Of Worth

Nyna pardoned Horace after the war, and he resumed his life as a landed noble. In the years to come, he worked hard to heal Akaneia.

Etzel - Spell Slinger

The spell slinger Etzel vanished after the war as quickly as he came. His wanderings took him around the world for years to come.

Ymir - No Monster

The fighting done, Ymir returned to his village in Grust: the one place that had accepted him. He was content the rest of his days.

Nagi - Holy Avatar

Marth would have thanked Nagi after Medeus fell, but there was no one there to thank. Had she returned home? None ever knew.

Chapter 1 - Marth Embarks [HM1]
Enemies: 1 Thief w/ Iron Sword 1 Hunter w/ Iron Bow Boss w/ Steel Axe (Insane Amount...15+) Pirates w/ Iron Axe

Reinforcements: None

Recruits: None

(NOTE THAT MAJOR CREDIT FOR QUITE A FEW IDEAS BELOW GOES TO THUNDERMAN. He has written a great H5 guide on the SerenesForest forums. If you go there, it is stickied as of now. Note that his account name there is not ThunderMan)

Alright, get ready for one of the toughest battle you will probably ever play in this game. The insane difficulty is indicated when you go ahead and try to fight the thief. Don't actually attack, but just check your options. Notice how the thief can even double some units!

First thing to do is use Marth to get the 10,000 Gold from the village. Then, use Jagen to get many Javelins from the Armory. I'd say 5 would suffice. Next, distribute them to Shiida, Draug, and leave the rest to Jagen.

Yes, that is right. First of all, Cain only has an E-rank Lance. That means he can't use Javelins, yet. Use the Iron Lance for him throughout this map. We want him using Javelins as soon as possible.

Next, you also probably are wondering why I want to use Jagen. No, I don't want to keep him throughout the game, but note that he is needed to take the damage for now.

His silver lance is also something that your will most likely want to use in this battle.

Note that I don't think it is even possible to get through this battle with all units if you don't use Jagen. No, not even an abnormally large amount of critical hits will save you.

Alright, enough talking and let's get to the playing. Use Abel's Javelin to attack the thief. Should hit him pretty hard. Next, use Shiida to attack. At last, use Cain to finish him off. If any unit misses their attack, you might as well restart since you will be crippled from the damage the thief will deal.

After that pest is defeated, DO NOT ADVANCE. In fact, drop most units back. If a pirate attacks Gordin, he will double and kill him. This means you should drop most weak units back near the house.

A really good unit to use to take hits in this battle (other than Jagen) is Draug. With 11 defence, he only takes 5 damage out of his 20 max. This lets him lure in units to the death.

Move whoever is hurt to the fort near your mass of units briefly, then send Jagen to the bottom (near lower village where the thief was) and equip the Silver Lance. Leave all units but him out of range of attack, but move your able units (Cain, Abel, Draug, Shiida) to the border of the enemy attack range.

Next turn, your Jagen should be attacked by some 1-2 pirates, clear them out but still keep your distance since more enemies are coming. If Jagen is really hurt at any time, like less than half his max HP, drop him to the fort unless he is going to indirect attack or finish an enemy off.

The next few turns should yield a charging pirate mass. This basically is the game's last attempt to defeat you early. If you get by this, you are safe for the rest of the chapter (since the other pirates don't move)

This part also demands luck since Javelins have a horrible hit rate (67 or so) This makes it very hard to calculate how to defeat an enemy.

A lot of times, you'll end up having all your able units teaming on one guy to finally get him. This is painstakingly dangerous since 2-3 enemies flood you at a time.

As a general rule, don't let anyone but Draug and Jagen take more than two hits without healing. Also note that you have no means to heal yourself other than the forts. This means that the fort near you is invaluable.

It is exactly hard to tell you what to do since the pirates take separate paths depending on where your units are. Just remember to let them come toward you first, and stay out of their attack range.

If the coast is clear and there are only two pirates standing in the middle island strip, you are good to advance...However, first heal all your units at the fort.

Next, bring in all units to the boundaries of the attack range. Use Draug to systematically lure in units. One at a time. Use the forts to heal him often.

Next, there is the hunter to take care of. He can double a few of your units, but as normal, he is venerable to direct attacks.

This guy moves on his own. Do NOT let him attack any unit. Lure him in far then kill him with a cavalier.

Move in after and a pirate in the back will charge. Retreat, lure this guy in then kill him.

After this, advance yet again. This time, lure in the two remaining pirates. Kill them with sheer numbers, then visit the village. I wouldn't use Wyrs, but his Heal is good enough to keep units alive for now.

Last thing you need to worry about is the boss, he is easy...

BOSS: Gazzak
HP: 35

Weapon: Steel Axe

How to beat: No direct attacks. In case you didn't hear me, I said NO FRONT ATTACKS!

Instead, use Javelins and such to take him down. When killed, you get your first Vulnerary.

If you made it so far, good job. A few more chapters then the difficulty curve drops.

Chapter 2 - Pirates of Galder [HM2]
Enemies: Boss w/ Hand Axe 2 Thieves w/ Iron Sword 2 Hunter w/ Iron Bow 2 Cavalier w/ Iron Sword 8 Pirates w/ Iron Axe

Reinforcement: None

Recruitable: Darros w/ Steel Axe Castor w/ Iron Bow

This chapter's hardest part is the beginning. You will struggle trying to fend off an attack from both sides.

In three turn time, two cavaliers will arrive from the west. These guys are definitely a pain if you haven't cleared the north threat yet. I restarted many times due to them.

Because of this, we need to be free of threats from the north.

However, there lingers a problem. There are simply too many strong units to eliminate at once. It becomes an impossible task therefore unless you try a special plan. And that is what I have.

Remember that Vulnerary that you got from the boss last chapter? Give that to Jagen. Next, move him all the way up to the fort on the north island. Think I am crazy? No, Jagen WILL survive. Use him to pile some damage on the thief (with a Javelin)

Next, move Ogma and Bord back a bit and move Draug to the fort. End your turn.

Upon the start of your turn, Jagen will be healed to 13 HP and Draug will be at 9 or so HP (after healing). Immediately use Jagen's Vulnerary then end his move.

Next, use a combination of all your units to destroy the four enemies. It is tough to describe how to do this, but luck in hitting definitely plays a role. Though this is what I recommend roughly:

Kill the west-most pirate first. Flood him with Javelins, Iron Lances, and Iron Swords. Bord and Cord even can do a healthy amount in one attack. Barst's Hand Axe is like another Javelin.

Next thing to take care of is the other pirate. Use whatever units that still have a turn. If possible, kill both thieves too.

On the enemy turn, the pirate will abandon Jagen in favor of attacking whoever killed the thief. The cavaliers should be closing in.

Back to your turn, use Jagen's Javelin to damage the thief from behind. Defeat him easily after. Now, retreat all your units from the lower level upward, note that the hunter left on the north island is practically harmless.

Leave Ogma or someone with a decent speed/defence on the plain before the bridge. Even Draug, even though he will be doubled, survives barely.

They should attack Ogma or whoever you put, and you should either heal or replace that unit with another (cavaliers work well). Use Jagen or someone to finish the hunter on top.

If you see that the cavalier will die to one hit, kill him and then forcefully finish the next cavalier.

If you have made it this far, good job. This was definitely the hardest part of this map. Next thing to do is heal all your units. Then, take note that the save point is something we want (you don't want to repeat the above again, do you?).

Bring all good units toward the area, outside the enemy attack boundary.

Then, proceed with care. Make sure the unit you put does not have less than 4 speed in relation to the pirate on the bottom-left corner.

Save the game at the map savepoint and get ready for the next wave of enemies.

This one is a little trickier since the recruitable unit is next to another hunter. You need to recruit with Shiida, and the other hunter CAN deal 18 damage, more than Shiida's max (even with her 1 HP gain from a level up)

This of course, is extremely tricky. Either you risk letting them charge at you before recruiting, or you recruit Castor at the bridge, move units to block the square Shiida can be attacked from, and move Castor to the other.

Castor will unfortunately, die. I did not plan to use Castor, so I did not exactly care too much. If the reader wants to struggle to keep her alive, you can go ahead.

After this, the only last part is the boss. Use lure and kill tactics to defeat the last few pirates. Visit the armory and village eventually and get 5000 gold

You don't need to get anything from the armory, unless of course it is like a Hand Axe for Barst.

Last thing to worry about is the boss...

BOSS: Gomer
HP: 32

Weapon: Hand Axe (drops Steel Sword)

How to beat: This guy is quite tough. First of all, he has 16 strength. He WILL practically kill any unit in one hit not named Ogma, Jagen, or Abel. This is because he also boasts 11 speed, which means he will double any unit with less than 8 speed (low-HP units like Shiida will be knocked out by brute force).

First, bring all able units over, even if they will not partake in the main assault.

The trick is to equip Ogma's Steel Sword, heal him up, then leave him next to the boss. DO NOT ATTACK. Next turn, the boss will attack and has a 50% chance of hitting.

We are waiting for one of the following to happen:

A) Ogma lands a critical (most likely- he did it for me twice in five attempts) B) The boss runs out of Hand Axes (not likely, but possible)

If Ogma gets hit, run him to the fort nearby and let him heal. Move him back next turn.

Once you land a critical, the boss should be left with a small amount of HP left. Now, use all your units in a mad rush to try and defeat the boss. For me, Ogma had leveled up strength, so only one more attack with a Steel Sword was necessary.

This boss drops a Steel Sword when dead.

Congrats if you have killed the boss, Chapter 2 complete!

Chapter 3 - A Brush in the Teeth [HM3]
Enemies: Boss w/Hand Axe 3 Hunters w/ Iron Bow 2 Thieves w/ Iron Sword (they have 15 speed...) 8 Fighters w/ Steel Axe (they have 38 HP each...)

Reinforcements: None

Recruitable: Lena/Julian (at beginning) w/ Warp and Iron Sword respectively Nabarl w/ Killing Edge

All I can say is good luck with this level. Everything looks simple, but I can almost guarantee you that if you underestimate the fighters, you WILL lose a unit or two...or three...you get the point.

First thing to do is move Lena + Julian downward. Next, move Marth + Barst to the west. Marth is heading to the village to get the Devil Axe and Barst is going to use it.

Jagen should give the Vulnerary from last battle to Barst (assuming you used my guide for Chapter 2, if not then it simply is the one you got from the Chapter 1 Boss) For the rest of your units, just position them on the eastern border.

Use the X button to position Shiida safely on the mountains (she is needed to recruit Nabarl).

On the second turn, move Lena + Julian all the way down. Trade Wrys's Heal to Lena for she is better. Visit the village with Marth, and trade the Devil Axe to Barst. Use the X range button to place ALL units away from attack in the right side (near mountain).

Next turn, a whole lot of stuff will happen. First, use the X button again to find where Barst can be placed to ONLY be attacked by one of the three fighter.

Equip the Devil Axe for him, move Marth + Jagen to the east.

Nabarl and two thieves should have popped up. Use RANGED Javelin attacks to fight the thieves first. Recruit Nabarl, BUT DO NOT ATTACK WITH HIM! There are three fighters above that are ready to defeat your army if you try to do so.

Our goal is to defeat all the thieves WITHOUT using Nabarl. The only two units that are fit for the following job are Ogma and Nabarl. We want to form a blockade that will stop the three fighters while we deal with the left enemies.

Once you find a way to kill the thieves, place Nabarl FORWARD ENOUGH SO THAT THE ENEMIES CANNOT BYPASS HIM. Picture of where to place units: /  \ EE / |EM| |NM| |OH| | |   /  L \ --- F   |

Legend:

--- and / and \ and | = boundaries. Terrain of them don't matter.

M = mountain (not passable by your unit or the enemy) H = Hill (passable by some of your units and by the enemy fighters) L = Lena (healer) F = the fort on the bottom N = Nabarl O = Ogma (you need both)

As I hope you can see/understand, Nabarl much be far enough to become a true blockade. Otherwise, the fighters can bypass the hills and attack venerable units like Lena, things won't look pretty...

The fighters have a chance of missing Nabarl/Ogma. In that case, it is good. If they hit, you will probably have to switch the unit out for the other one (Nabarl/Ogma depending on who got hit). Lena, of course, heals the hurt unit.

Note that the single most dangerous thing is to get hit, then critical counter- attack the enemy. This will kill the enemy and allow the next fighter to hit you, almost a 100% chance of death.

Keep this system going for the next few turns until you finish with the left frontier (then you can think about wiping out the remaining survivors)

Back on track to yet the other danger...actually it deserves it's own section.

BARST & OUR EPIC DARE PLAN TO DEFEAT THE SEEMINGLY IMPOSSIBLE RUSH
I must have restarted the chapter at least ten times due to the annoyance of the enemy rush. The idea is to move a unit to a square where ONLY one enemy can attack it. Keep retreating and using Vulneraries to keep your health up.

At first, I used Jagen + Silver Lance. This...fails since I can only kill one unit by counterattacks by the time the enemies reach my main army.

I have found however a real risky way to beat the rush without killing units.

We left off with Barst and his Devil Axe about to get attacked. If you have horrible luck, and this applies for any time you use a Devil item, the weapon will harm your user, in this case Barst. A 24 damage hit WILL finish Barst off with no doubt.

You sadly have no way to stop this, so you must hope for about three hits that you don't have to restart the whole chapter over.

Each hit with the Devil Axe does 24 damage, two blows will defeat any fighter.

Keep retreating until you realize that the fighters are close to attacking other units. Move them away just enough to get out of the range of attack.

Bord and Cord become useful here, they deal 10+ damage with one blow (though you have to watch that they don't die because they only have 20 HP).

If done correctly, here should be the situation:

(Your Units) Barst (a little less than max HP with no Vulneraries left) Cord (Full HP) Bord (Full HP) Other units - Jagen, Cain, Marth, Abel, Shiida (Full HP)

(Enemies)

2 out of the 3 original Fighters left (Both at Full HP)

At this point, move Cord + Bord (or Barst again if you trust his Devil Axe) just into range of the first of two fighters. Other two units should be nearby.

After the front fighter eats a counterattack, IT starts. It's impossible to hold on any longer, use everything and anything in an attempt to kill the two weakened fighters. All you actually got to do is kill the weakened one then make sure all units in attack range of the other one can take it.

A good way to do this is to surround the remaining fighter with four strong units (Shiida, Jagen, Cain, Abel/Marth) works. Note that Abel will get doubled if he only has 7 speed and he has the Javelin equipped.

With this, you should defeat the vigorous left advance. Good luck BTW.

END OF MINI-SECTION (about Barst and my plan to stop the left rush)

At this point, here is the rundown of enemies that should be left:

1 Boss 2 Fighters nearby him 2 Hunters nearby him 1 Hunter in the mountain area still 1 or 2 Fighters left in the blockaded area.

Kill the last few fighters then swoop in to finish the hunter in the mountain area. He moves when you get somewhat close.

Oh and use the green save point if you haven't already.

Next, we pick the two hunters near the boss. Lure & kill (note they also start moving before you get into attack range). Lure the two fighters (I would bring your whole army just to be safe).

You can blockade the fort and easily defeat the two. It ends with them having a horrible 37% hit rate and you having near 100% (using Ogma + Steel Sword).

Last part is the boss...arguably the HARDEST BOSS IN THE WHOLE GAME!

BOSS: Reynard
HP: 41

Weapon: Hand Axe (Drop Mend)

How to beat: With 15 STR and 14 SPD, this guy outclasses almost anyone in your army. After fighting that long battle, you don't want to throw away the game by losing to this guy, do you?

While many people advocate using Ogma + Killing Edge to critical, I advertise for you to simply do the following:

(MAJOR CREDIT TO MEKKAH!) Just sit Ogma and waste his Hand Axes until he has none left.

After this, he has no way to attack...so have fun getting EXP for your units.

NOTE that I would not advise wasting Lena's Heal on this. Use the fort instead.

OR you can just follow the Ogma + Killing Edge + Critical strategy because he only had a 44% hit chance on my Ogma (for only 14 damage -- out of my 26)

If you got this far, CONGRATS! You have beaten (arguably) the hardest three chapters of Hard Mode 5. Whew...

(Chapter 4 and the rest are coming with next update...be patient)

Q: I have to sacrifice someone in the Prologue, who should I?
A: Jagen or one of your least likeable cavaliers. Some people sacrifice Gordin, but I say otherwise.

Q: How do I access the Gaiden chapters? Are they worth it?
A: To access the Gaiden chapters in this game, you must have less than 15 char- acters at the time when you finish the preceding chapter. Whether they are wor- th is a different story. You get a character from each respective chapter, so unless you REALLY want that character OR this is your first time playing and you let many characters die OR you are a perfectionist OR you just want to try it out...then don't try to get the Gaidens.

Q: How do I use ____ Sword/Axe/Lance/Bow? It appears in grey.
A: Either your character's class does not support that type of weapon, or your weapon level is too low. Fight with that type of weapon more to level it up.

Q: How can I recruit Minerva in Chapter 7?
A: You cannot, you must hide in the back until she leaves in impatience. You can recruit her later. Note that as KaKtuZ added, you may kill her if you want.

Q: How do I recruit the Manakete in Chapter 11?
A: You cannot, he is not a recruitable character.

Q: How do I recruit Camus?
A: You cannot, but you can recruit the general on the map with Shiida or Marth.

Q: How do I kill Gharnef?
A: You need Starlight, created by the two orbs. If you are fighting him in Chapter 15, where you first meet him, avoid contact with him.