GameCube | Fire Emblem: Path of Radiance

Fire Emblem Path of Radiance
FAQ/Walkthrough
Ver. 1.0(first)
By Jonny Humphries AKA ilikefood42

Version History:
May 17, 2006: -Finished

Table of contents
-Introduction [intr]
-Controls [cont]
-Stat Explanations [stat]
-FAQ [faq]
-Walkthrough [walk]
 -Prologue: Mercenaries [merc]
 -Chapter 1: The Battle Begins [theb]
 -Chapter 2: Rescue [resc]
 -Chapter 3: Pirates Aground [pira]
 -Chapter 4: Roadside Battle [road]
 -Chapter 5: Flight! [flig]
 -Chapter 6: A Brief Diversion [abri]
 -Chapter 7: Shades of Evil [shad]
 -Chapter 8: Despair and Hope [desp]
 -Chapter 9: Gallia [gall]
 -Chapter 10: Prisoner Release [pris]
 -Chapter 11: Blood Runs Red [bloo]
 -Chapter 12: A Strange Land [astr]
 -Chapter 13: A Guiding Wind [agui]
 -Chapter 14: Training [trai]
 -Chapter 15: The Feral Frontier [thef]
 -Chapter 16: The Atonement [thea]
 -Chapter 17: Day Breaks [dayb]
 -Chapter 18: Crimea Marches [crim]
 -Chapter 19: Entrusted [entr]
 -Chapter 20: Defending Talrega [defe]
 -Chapter 21: Without a King [with]
 -Chapter 22: Solo [solo]
 -Chapter 23: The Great Bridge [theg]
 -Chapter 24: Battle Reunion [batt]
 -Chapter 25: Strange Lands [stra]
 -Chapter 26: Clash! [clas]
 -Chapter 27: Moment of Fate [mome]
 -Chapter 28: Twisted Tower [twis]
 -Endgame: Repatriation [repa]
-Extras [extr]
-Weapon List [weap]
-Item List [item]
-Update History [upda]
-Copyright Information [copy]
-Contact Information [cont]
-Special Thanks [spec]
-About me [abou]


------------
Introduction [intr]
------------


Hello, everybody! Jonny Humphries is my name, and Fire Emblem Path of Radiance 
is my game. If you're reading this, then my walkthrough was posted. I've been 
a user of Gamefaqs for years, but this is my first FAQ, so please excuse the 
lack of style. I'm a big fan of the Fire Emblem series, and there weren't as 
many walkthroughs for POR as there were for the others. That's why I decided 
to do one myself. I tried to keep the spoilers to a minimum, but some probably 
got through. I don't refer to specific plot events, but I do make occasional 
comments as the story progresses. Also, I didn't put in a hand-holding guide 
for EVERYTHING in the game, because that would take up far too much time, 
energy, and space. If you don't know what to, the game has a very user-
friendly interface. If all else fails, just use the Y button and a help window 
will pop up. 

So, without further ado, here's the guide! I hope you enjoy reading and using 
it as much as I enjoyed writing it.

--------
Controls [cont]
--------
*Note: I got this information from the game's instruction manual. Most of it 
is reworded.

Control Stick -move cursor in menus
              -move cursor in battle
              -move units to specified spot on the map
              -press down + A button to scroll through messages quickly

A button -confirm selections
         -scroll through dialogue and messages
         -select units in battle
         -bring up map menu when placed on an empty square

B button -cancel selections
         -return to previous screens
         -skip scenes

Y button -display unit information when a cursor is on a unit
         -open up help window in menu screens

X button -in battle only, move cursor through units who have not received     
            orders

Z button -display map menu
         -display previous conversations

R button -hold to remove displays from map screen

L button -zoom camera in and out of the map screen

C stick -change camera angle

Start button -begin battle during preparations screen
             -bring up status screen during battle
             -skip cutscenes entirely

-----------------


Stat Explanations
-----------------
Each of the characters has a whole multitude of stats, each of which 
determines something about that character. I'll be explaining each of them 
here.

Hit Points- HP-
This is the total amount of damage a character can take before dying(or, as 
the story permits, being critically wounded). It's the most important stat in 
the game, because without, your characters are dead meat. But remember, Just 
because a character has a lot of HP, doesn't mean they have a lot of staying 
power. Characters like Boyd and Largo may have a lot of HP, but with their low 
defenses, they may not be able to stay alive as easy as you think.

Strength- STR-
This is the character's physical attack power. It determines how much damage 
they can do when equipped with any physical weapon, with some exceptions. This 
is important to any character who uses swords, axes, lances, or bows, plus all 
Laguz characters. The formula for calculating your characters attack power is 
STR + weapon MT = attack power.
Also, it determines if a character's attack speed is reduced when using a 
weapon. If a weapon's WT(weight) is greater than your character's STR, then 
the difference will be deducted from your character's speed.

Magic- MAG-
This stat determines how much damage a character will do with Magic tomes and 
several specific weapons. This stat is usually meaningless for physical 
attackers, but for Mages and Priests, it's crucial. Magic is the same as STR 
when dealing with magic tomes, and there are some physical weapons that deal 
damage based on the unit's MAG stat.

Skill- SKL-
This stat determines how often you hit with your weapons or magic tomes, as 
well as your ability to critical hit. I haven't figured out how to calculate 
exactly how it works, but the more SKL you have, the better chance you have to 
hit with your weapon or magic.

Speed- SPD-
Speed is more important than you might think. It determines the frequency of 
your attacks. And by that, I mean that if your speed is at least 4 points 
higher than your opponent's, you'll do what is known as a double attack. 
Meaning, of course, you attack twice in one round. Also, speed is factored in 
when using a Thief to steal. His speed must be higher than the opponent's to 
steal. Also affects a unit's ability to avoid. Again, I'm not sure of the 
formula, but a higher SPD equals more dodge rate.

Luck- LCK-
to be honest, I don't know quite what Luck does... if anyone can help me on 
this, I'd appreciate it.

Defense- DEF-


Defense is usually more important than HP. It determines how much damage is 
taken when somebody attacks a unit. The calculation is: enemy's STR + weapon 
MT - your defense = damage taken. If your DEF is higher than your opponent's 
attack power, you won't take any damage. Characters like Gatrie may not have 
as much HP as others, but with their iron-clad DEF, most enemies will barely 
even nick their armor. Be aware that no amount of DEF will save a character 
from magic attacks, though.

Resistance- RES-
Resistance determines how much you take form magical attacks. The formula 
goes: Enemy's MAG + tome MT - your RES = damage dealt. It's the same principle 
as DEF, really. Not much else to say about it.

Movement- MOV-
This stat is basically how many spaces a unit can move in one turn. What else 
can I say?

Weapon Level
This stat, while not presented with a number, rather takes the form of a 
letter grade. It corresponds to the type of weapons the character can use, and 
the higher a weapon level is, the better and stronger weapons they can use. 
The levels go, from worst to best: E < D < C < B < A < S. You can S rank only 
one weapon type, though. You increase your weapon level by using weapons of 
that particular type. 

There are some other, not as important stats such as weight and build. 
Honestly, the in-game tutorials can explain these WAY better than I can.

---
FAQ [faq]
---
For this section to mean anything, somebody needs to have asked me questions! 
Start the ball rolling, readers...

-----------
Walkthrough [walk]
-----------
Here it is, the meat of this guide. The game progresses Chapter by Chapter, as 
I have listed. I decided to do something rather different for this 
walkthrough. Rather than put a big character list at the end of the guide, I 
have included short entries on each of the characters as they join your party. 
I figured that would make it easier for the more indecisive players as they go 
along. Plus if you want info automatically as you get them, you don't have to 
scroll down to the character list or go back up. You know, that sort of thing. 

The advice for the Chapters is based upon my personal experience and character 
preference. You do not need to follow my advice to the letter, rather my 
advice is just opinion. That's the fun of this game, there are nearly 
unlimited ways to beat each chapter, limited only by the player's imagination! 
And if you do find another strategy that works, by all means implement it. If 
you like, send it to me. If I think it's good enough(or if it works), I'll use 
it and give you full credit for it. 



However, people who are already experts at this game will find nothing new 
here. I admit I am not as into the game as some people out there. Thus, I will 
be making no references the Random Number Generator(except in this example), 
nor will I be listing the level, stats, or stat growth rates for each 
character. Sorry folks, I don't have that kind of time.

DISCLAIMER: the strategies I outlined in this walkthrough are for easy and 
normal modes only so far. I have not played through hard mode yet, but once I 
do, I may list strategies then. Sorry about that.

With all that out of the way, enjoy the walkthrough! And in case you wanted to 
find info on a specific character, here are the Chapters in which they join. 
Just go to the table of contents and hit ctrl +f. Then type in the 
corresponding chapter to see the character profile:

Ike- Prologue
Boyd- Chapter 1
Oscar- Chapter1
Titania- Chapter 1
Rhys- Chapter 2
Shinon- Chapter 3
Gatrie- Chapter 3
Soren- Chapter 4
Mia- Chapter 7
Ilyana- Chapter 8
Mist- Chapter 9
Rolf- Chapter 9
Lethe- Chapter 9
Mordecai- Chapter 9
Marcia- Chapter 9
Nephenee- Chapter 10
Brom- Chapter 10
Kieran- Chapter 10
Volke- Chapter 10
Zihark- Chapter 11
Jill- Chapter 12
Astrid- Chapter 13
Malakov- Chapter 14
Stefan- Chapter 15
Tormod- Chapter 15
Muarim- Chapter 15
Devdan- Chapter 16
Reyson- Chapter 18
Tanith- Chapter 18
Ulki- Chapter 18
Janaff- Chapter 18
Calill- Chapter 20
Tauroneo- Chapter 21
Ranulf- Chapter 23
Haar- Chapter 23
Lucia- Chapter 24
Bastian- Chapter 24
Geoffrey- Chapter 24
Largo- Chapter 25
Elincia- Chapter 26
Nasir- Chapter 27
Ena- Chapter 27
Tibarn- Endgame
Naesala- Endgame
Giffca- Endgame

That was a lot of typing. Now, finally, enjoy Ike's grand adventure!

---------------------
Prologue: Mercenaries [merc]
---------------------
Victory: Defeat boss
New Characters: Ike(Ranger)- automatic
Items: Iron Sword x 3

At the beginning of the battle, you will be asked if you want to use the 
tutorials. It's up to you whether or not to accept, but if you say no, you'll 
have three extra iron swords in Ike's inventory for the next chapter. Besides, 
what do you need tutorials for if you're using my guide? :P In any case, move 
Ike as close as you like to Boyd, so you can attack next turn. Boyd won't 
initiate combat with you, so he'll go down in two turns. 

Fourth turn, move next to Greil and use your vulnerary. Attack as often as you 
can, and you'll win without having to heal again.

~Character Profile: Ike~
Ike is the main character in the game, so you pretty well HAVE to use him. 
Luckily, he's very strong. As is my experience, he has great HP, strength and 
skill growths, and average to good in everything else. Be careful if he gets 
screwed for strength, as he'll need it later in the game(specifically chapter 
27 and up). One of the best sword users in the game, and one of your most 
versatile characters overall.
Use Him?: Yes, and put an Occult scroll on him when you get the chance. Aether 
is one of the best skills in the game! 10/10

----------------------------
Chapter 1: The Battle Begins [theb]
----------------------------
Victory: Seize
New Characters: Boyd(Fighter), Oscar(Lance Knight), Titania(Paladin)- all 
automatic
Items: Iron Axe(boss drop), Steel Sword(southeast house), Seraph 
Robe(northwest house), Iron Sword(drop)

At the beginning, your party members tell you the basics of the weapon 
triangle. Heed their advice, it will serve you well! As for the battle, start 
with Titania grabbing the steel sword from the house by your starting point, 
and have her stay out of combat. She's strong, but REALLY sucks up EXP, so use 
her only when necessary. 

Have Boyd attack the nearby southern fighter, Oscar attack the northern 
fighter, then have Ike finish him off. He needs all the EXP he can get. Turn 
two, don't bother trying to save the northeast house, it can't be done. Have 
Boyd finish off the fighter, Ike fight whoever he can, and Oscar visit the 
remaining red house. 

Clear off the remaining enemies and the boss as you so desire, but don't take 
unnecessary risks. And be sure that everybody has at least a few empty weapon 
inventory spaces for item drops. You need all the armament you can get.

~Character File: Oscar~
Oscar is the first knight(Cavalier style) you get, and one of the more useful. 
For me, he's always had good skill and defense, and average to good speed. 
Upon promoting, he can choose another weapon, I pick bows so he can do the 
triangle attack with Boyd and Rolf, but that's not necessary. His strength 
tends to lag later in the game, though. But he's solid overall, and you'll 
likely find him useful for the vast majority of almost any playthrough.
Use him?: Yes, but not in the last few Chapters. 8/10

~Character File: Boyd
Boyd is a hothead. I love his personality, but I don't like his stat growths. 
His HP and STR growths are GODLY, but the rest is just meh. Use him through 
the game, and you'll get a massive damage dealer, but not much else. His speed 
tends to lag later in the game, too, so don't count on him to always double 
attack like most other characters. Use him at your own risk. A big plus is 
that he can also do the triangle attack with his brothers Oscar and Rolf.
Use him?: If you wanna go crazy with the axe users, why the hell not? 7/10

~Character Profile: Titania
She's the mandatory early game prepromote, so she's naturally strong as an ox. 
But don't use her early on, or she'll steal EXP form the people who need it 
more early on. By all means use her if you want a strong axe user, but only 
later in the game when most of your main units are promoted too. And almost 
ALL of her stat growths are great, so she'll almost always turn out very 
powerful!
Use her?: Yes, but wait until later in the game where the rest of your party 
has caught up to her. 7/10

-----------------
Chapter 2: Rescue [resc]
-----------------
Victory: Rout
New Characters: Rhys(Priest)-automatic
Items: Speedwing(boss drop), Steel Axe(drop), Vulnerary(drop)

Okay, here's your first experience with staves! Rhys will be very valuable 
from here on out, so keep him alive! First turn, send Oscar north to attack 
the lone myrmidon, then immediately move him down to join the rest of the 
party. Get Ike and Boyd to attack the fighter to the east. Have Rhys follow 
them and heal however you need. You should have Rhys heal every turn if 
possible. 

On turn 3, Titania will arrive. For the rest of the fight, just advance up to 
the northeast quickly but carefully, and keep everyone healthy and Rhys safe. 
As for the boss, he'll move if you go into his range, so be sure to take him 
out in one round, lest Rhys get slightly chopped.

~Character Profile: Rhys~


Your only light magic user in the game, and your first staff user too. No 
matter what, Rhys is integral to survive the first few Chapters. He stays 
useful through the whole game, in my opinion, due to his overwhelming MAG and 
RES stats and great skill and good speed. The only problem with him is his low 
STR, which cuts into his attack speed with the heavier light tomes. Don't be 
afraid to use a spare energy drop to counteract that effect. Try it, you won't 
be disappointed.
Use him?: you have to early on, but after he promotes, he's very useful for 
both healing and attacking. 8/10

Heh heh... Rolf is a wuss. Does he faint every time his life is threatened? :P 
I also like Shinon's comment about "feathering" enemies. It suppose it's a 
gentler way of saying "BOOM headshot!"

--------------------------
Chapter 3: Pirates Aground [pira]
--------------------------
Victory: Defeat Boss
New Characters: Gatrie(Knight), Shinon(Sniper)- automatic
Items: Elixir(house), Thief Band(Boss drop- only on second playthrough or 
later), Hand Axe(drop), Vulnerary x2(drop)

This is the first Chapter where you have a preparations screen. You can't use 
Boyd, Oscar or Rhys for this one, so you're stuck with Titania, Gatrie and 
Shinon. Be sure to transfer any unnecessary items from Ike and Titania to make 
way for the item drops. 

In any case, whenever you're ready to start the fight, move Titania to the 
open house to the east and receive a valuable Elixir(take note of the guy who 
gives it to her... remember him for later). Ike should go on a killing spree 
here, which should be no problem seeing as many of the enemies here are 
bandits. Gatrie can kill whatever he wants, but don't worry too much about him 
gaining lots of EXP. This is a good chapter to let Ike get ahead of the game. 
As for Shinon, use him as bait. He too is a prepromote(Sniper), so only use 
him to weaken enemies and as a distraction to prevent Ike from getting too 
hurt. 

Just advance up the map, killing as many enemies as you can, heal Ike when 
necessary with the extra vulneraries you get along the way, and you'll be 
fine. Have Shinon weaken the enemies and let Ike get more kills(Gatrie can 
easily kill most of the Myrmidons in one hit with his steel lance). 

At the end of turn 2, a Pegasus Knight named Marcia will appear and confront 
the pirates. Naturally, they'll start attacking her. She can hold her own, but 
get to the ship quickly and have Ike talk to her. Once he does, she'll leave 
safely. Don't worry, you'll see her again later. Once she's gone, have Titania 
and Gatrie shield the stairs that go up the ship and let the pirates come to 
you. Finish them off, and have Ike finish the boss for the win.

~Character Profile: Gatrie~
He's the first Knight you get, and in my opinion, one of the strongest. I'm 
the first to admit that his SPD REALLY sucks, but that can be offset by the 
Knight Ward you can equip on him when he rejoins(if I'm not mistaken, it 
increases his SPD growth. Can anyone confirm this?). But his STR is great, and 
so is his DEF, but then again, he's a Knight! Can you expect anything less? He 
won't double attack his opponents very much, but he's a solid defender anyway! 
Give him a Brave Lance or the Adept scroll, or better yet, both!
Use him?: Yes, keeping the above suggestions in mind. 8/10

~Character Profile: Shinon~
Another prepromote, Shinon starts out pretty early. His stats at the beginning 
are good but not great, and I never used him religiously in a playthrough 
before. When he leaves, he comes back way too late and underlevelled, plus 
Rolf is way better once you get him.
Use him?: If you want another Sniper, be my guest. Otherwise, don't bother. 
5/10

Hmm... I wonder what wyvern would taste like. Chicken? Or alligator?

--------------------------
Chapter 4: Roadside Battle [road]
--------------------------
Victory: Defeat Boss
New Characters: Soren(Mage)- automatic
Items: Regal Sword(before battle), Javelin(boss drop), Iron Lance(drop), Steel 
Lance(drop)

Again, you are without Oscar and Boyd. As usual, free up some inventory space 
in your characters(I dump a bunch of my extra items on Rhys). 

Now, there is a lot of open space in this fight, so you NEED to keep Rhys and 
Soren safe. The best way to do this is to have Soren and Rhys retreat to the 
right edge of the map, and surround them with your remaining characters(I got 
the idea for this from Roni's walkthrough, though. Credits to him). So it 
should be like this:
        X
       XS
       XR
        X -with Soren and Rhys in the middle, and the others protecting them.

Have Shinon go next to Rhys so Rhys can heal him easily, and just let the 
enemies come to you early on. Have Soren get as many kills as possible(he 
needs the levels), and when the enemies stop coming, advance some more 
(checking the enemies' range by moving the cursor on them and pressing A) and 
let them come to you again. Titania is actually pretty good here, as she can 
break formation, kill an enemy, and move back to formation again. 

The boss will move, so lure him in with Gatrie, weaken him with Ike and kill 
him with Soren. It's a fairly tricky Chapter early on, but as long as you 
don't take stupid risks, everyone will emerge intact easily.

~Character Profile: Soren~
The first offensive magic user you get, Soren is arguably the most valuable of 
them. He starts off at the lowest possible level, so he's got lots of room to 
grow, and grow he will!  His MAG growth is insane, and just about everything 
else is great except for HP, STR and DEF. But magic users are not meant to be 
counterattacked, so as long as he stays shielded and attacks from long range, 
he's no problem to keep alive. His low STR will prevent him from using the 
heavier magic tomes, but his MAG is so high he doesn't need them. Or you could 
use an Energy Drop to augment his strength a bit so his SPD doesn't suffer. 
Your choice, hot shot. :P He also comes with Adept, which just adds to his 
awesomeness!

Use him?: Hell yeah! Only his sub-par HP and DEF prevents him from being 
perfect, and that's characteristic of mages anyway. 9/10

------------------
Chapter 5: Flight! [flig]
------------------

Victory: Defend for 6 turns
New Characters: None
Items: Ashera Icon(boss drop), Hammer(drop), Iron Blade(drop)

This is our first defend map. You have to stop the enemies from stepping on 
the flashing square Ike starts out on. Luckily, it's not very hard. You have 
to defend from the west and south. There is a HUGE concentration of enemies to 
the south, so bring Ike and Gatrie south, with Soren behind them. Let Ike and 
Gatrie kill who they can, and let Soren get some more easy kills here. Send 
Boyd, Oscar, and Shinon to the west. As for Rhys, send him back and forth 
between the two groups, healing like crazy. 

Just hold your ground as the enemy reinforcements appear. You don't have to 
kill the boss to complete the chapter, but if you want that Ashera Icon he's 
carrying, it's safe to send Titania down to kill him... just this once. If you 
choose to do so, give her your Hand Axe so she can counterattack the boss's 
Javelin. Just sit tight, rely on Vulneraries if you have to, and you'll win 
without any major problems.

----------------------------
Chapter 6: A Brief Diversion [abri]
----------------------------
Victory: Escape
New Characters: None
Items: Short Spear(boss drop), Vulnerary(drop), Poleax(drop), Mend staff(after 
battle)

This is the first escape mission. The goal is essentially the same as Seize, 
in that you have to move Ike onto the flashing square the boss is on, and have 
him escape the map. For every other character who escapes before Ike, you get 
10 extra bonus EXP.

For the battle itself, you only have Ike, Soren, Oscar, Boyd, Titania, and 
Rhys. Luckily, it's not that hard. You start out in a forest, and what you 
want to do is move out of it as soon as possible and clear out the enemies to 
your right. Once that's done, move south and blockade the bridge. 

It's better to stay out of the Mage's range, then have Oscar move in and take 
him out in one fell swoop. Take out the rest of the enemies south of the 
bridge, and move west to the boss. Take out his henchmen with whatever ranged 
attacks you have, then concentrate all fire on the boss himself. Once he goes 
down, have whoever you can escape before Ike does.

-------------------------
Chapter 7: Shades of Evil [shad] 
-------------------------
Victory: Rout
New characters: Mia(Myrmidon)- appears as NPC, will talk to Ike and join

Items: Mage band(boss drop), Chest Key x2(drop), Steel Lance(drop), Fire 
tome(drop), Armorslayer(east treasure chest), Miracle scroll(west treasure 
chest), Ward staff(middle treasure chest)

First indoor map! I like these for some reason. Nonetheless, the enemies are 
fairly scattered, and it looks like they may overwhelm you, but it's not that 
bad if you're careful and patient. Send Ike directly north of the starting 
point, have Oscar and then Soren attack the Soldier to the west, and the rest 
of your army move west as well. 

At the end of turn 1, Mia will appear close to Ike. She'll move towards Ike 
and talk to him, which results in her joining the party! Yay! After she joins, 
move her southwest with the rest of the party, and keep Ike north, killing the 
enemies and eventually raiding the chest. The rest of the party should keep 
heading west, killing as you go, then north through the middle hallway.
 
On turn 3, a thief appears. KILL HIM as soon as possible! If he gets those 
chests before you do, there's no getting the items back.

At the beginning of turn 5, a neat little scene will occur. Shinon and Gatrie 
will join you, the boss, Balmer, will show up, and so will a LOT of 
reinforcements from the various entrances. Kill them all(one mage drops a fire 
tome too! Nice!), then regroup to the north next to the boss. Kill him with 
Gatrie or whoever can easily survive his Elfire attacks, and you're done!

~Character Profile: Mia~
She's the first Myrmidon you get, and joins at a low level and is rather 
frail. Her STR is not all that great, either, and she relies more on dodging 
then actual defense. She does have a saving grace, and that is VANTAGE! She 
gets the first attack in every engagement, and can usually get the drop on 
opponents that way. If you want to use her, give her some bonus EXP and let 
her catch up with the rest of your party. In my previous playthrough, she was 
my top killer, thanks to the killer combination of a Killing Edge, Vantage, 
and Wrath! Try it out, you won't be disappointed.
Use her?: Yes, if you're willing to baby her with bonus EXP for a bit. Either 
her or Zihark, who joins a bit later. I don't think Mia will end up being as 
strong as Zihark, but she has more time to develop. 7/10

After this chapter, you'll see a very long cutscene. Interesting, though...
Once it's over, Shinon and Gatrie will have left the group, but any items they 
had on them will be transferred to your new convoy!

And speaking of convoy, you now have a base that you visit before every 
battle. You can store your items, buy new weapons and items, award bonus EXP 
to characters and assign skills, watch support conversations, gain new 
information, and save if you need to. The base is fully explained in the 
section of the same title. For the info heading, each of the conversations 
will have one, two, or three stars next to it. One star means the dialogue is 
for character development, two stars is allegorical advice on how to complete 
the next chapter, and three stars gets you a new item or party member. At the 
moment, I suggest feeding Rhys some bonus EXP, and Mia if you plan to use her. 
Always read the new info before leaving, then whenever you're ready, select 
"end" to proceed to the next battle.

---------------------------
Chapter 8: Despair and Hope [desp]
---------------------------
Victory: Defend for 8 turns
New Characters: Ilyana(Mage)- appears as enemy. Talk to her with Ike
Items: Soldier Band(boss drop- second playthrough only), Pure Water(drop), Red 
Gem(drop), Longbow(drop)

You ever notice how rainy days are some of the worst says you'll ever have? 
This is definitely the case for Ike and company, because they seem to have the 
worst luck lately. To defend easily, send Boyd and Mia to the left, Ike to the 
right with Soren and a few extra vulneraries to back him up, and Oscar to the 
bottom. 

Ike can REALLY give his regal sword a workout here, because it'll cut through 
the knights like a blowtorch through an ice sculpture! Titania can do 
whatever, but I recommend you have her help out Ike. If he has to move out 
from the bottleneck to kill an archer, Titania can cover Soren for him. Rhys, 
as usual, needs to stay in the middle and heal whoever he can. 

The battle is pretty standard from there on out, I don't have much else to say 
about it. Ilyana(the mage to the north) will approach Ike but she won't 
attack. Talk to her with Ike and she'll join you. You're free to have her help 
defend the base, but I never used her in any of my playthroughs. If you want 
the soldier band on your second playthrough, I would have either Titania or 
Oscar charge the boss and do a little anatomy lesson with your weapon and his 
head! After 8 turns, you see another cool scene with two very interesting new 
allies...

~Character Profile: Ilyana~
I'm going to be absolutely honest with you, folks: I never used Ilyana. Soren 
was far more powerful than her at this point, plus she's underlevelled. I 
didn't use her enough to form a proper opinion, but if anybody has any further 
information on Ilyana, let me know.
Use her?: I suppose you could if you wanted a whole fleet of mages. But one 
will do nicely. ?/10

*Note: From now on, Soren will give you a report after every battle. He'll 
tell you how much money you earned and spent, how much combat and bonus EXP 
you got, your MVP, any new allies, and whoever died(if anyone). Pretty 
standard stuff, plus you get to make fun of Soren for playing the secretary. 
:P

-----------------
Chapter 9: Gallia [gall]
-----------------
Victory: Seize
New Characters: Rolf(Archer), Mist(Cleric)-both automatic, Marcia(Pegasus 
Knight)-appears as NPC. Will talk to Ike, Lethe(Cat), Mordecai(Tiger)- allies. 
Will join party officially next Chapter
Items: Arms Scroll(Boss drop), Talisman(north house), Restore staff(south 
house)

As soon as you begin the battle, Mist and Rolf will join your party. Mist is 
next to useless now, but Rolf can come in handy. Let Rolf get some easy kills, 
and pump them both full of bonus EXP after this fight. Both of them are WAY 
underlevelled, so keep them out of harm's way.

This is the first Chapter where you get allies(units surrounded by yellow 
circles). Lethe and Mordecai can be a fair help, but it's easier to just 
direct them(only Ike can direct) to avoid the enemy. That way, they won't 
waste EXP or get in your way.

Marcia will appear on turn 4 and fly towards Ike. After a short conversation, 
she too will join you.

It's best to split up your party for this battle. Send a small force(it 
doesn't matter who, just have three or four units) along the beach to the 
northwest and get the items from the houses. The pirates will destroy the 
houses otherwise. Have your main group plow southwest into the enemies and to 
the fort. Just keep Mist close to Ike for now. Have her heal if necessary, but 
don't depend on her for anything. 

Once you've gotten the items from the houses, send your north group through 
the gap in the trees to meet your main party. Once you reach the fort, some 
reinforcements will appear. Slaughter them with whatever methods are most 
fitting with the moral standards of your community, then attack the boss and 
his mage flunkies at your leisure. Neither the boss nor his mages will move, 
so it's easy to pick them off. Seize the entrance, and that's another notch in 
your belt.

~Character Profile: Marcia~
she's the first flying unit and indeed the first Pegasus Knight to join you. 
Too bad she's rather unremarkable. I never used her in a playthrough, but the 
reviews of her are rather unremarkable. I hear she rarely gains HP, and that's 
a bad thing in this game. The enemies are stronger than in previous Fire 
Emblems, and she pretty much goes down in a couple of hits. Plus she arrives 
underlevelled, and by now, Rolf and Rhys should be getting all the bonus EXP. 
She just seems like a liability, plus I've never been a fan of Pegasus 
Knights. Sorry.
Use her?: she can only realistically be useful if you decide to baby her with 
bonus EXP instead of Rolf or Rhys. And I don't want to give either of them up. 
?/10

~Character Profile: Rolf~
Now we're talking! You have to start from scratch, as opposed to Shinon, but 
Rolf has the most room to grow of any character in the game apart from Ike, 
Soren, Mist and Astrid. You'll have to feed him lots of bonus EXP to get him 
up to speed, but he can and will easily surpass any other bow user in the 
game. Every time I played through the game, Rolf maxed out STR, SKL, and SPD, 
and came close to maxing out everything else. He is your ultimate distance 
attacker, bar none. If you're able to get his bow level up to an S, the Double 
Bow is death from above in Rolf's hands.
Use him?: He's the only reliable choice for an archer, and he doesn't 
disappoint. 9/10

~Character Profile: Mist~
I just do not get all these people saying that Mist completely sucks. Yes, she 
does. But only early on. If you're willing to use bonus EXP on her until she 
promotes, she can reliably defend herself with a sword. I mean, she could make 
great use of a custom sword, and even though her STR cap is only 20, that's 
more than enough to kill most enemies with a Steel Blade. And if you're 
persistent enough to get her sword level up to B, she can wreak absolute HAVOC 
with the Sonic Sword.
Use her?: Yes, but only near the end of the game, and after promoting her. 
6/10

~Character Profile: Lethe~
Sorry, I never used Lethe much except to recruit Zihark and Stefan. She seems 
pretty fast, she transforms right at the beginning of the battle, and if you 
let her gain EXP steadily but not hog it all, she seems like she could be 
pretty useful.
Use her?: There are better Laguz out there, but she can certainly hold her 
own. 6/10

~Character Profile: Mordecai~
I tried using Mordecai on my first playthrough, and he was just too clunky to 
use effectively. His speed is horrid, he never gains any more of it, and he 
transforms far too late to get in any good hits on enemies. And it may just be 
me, but I picture him sounding just like Rhinox from Beasties.
Use him?: Nah. Strong, yes, but way too slow in both speed and transforming. 
In this game, that's a death sentence. 4/10

After Chapter 9, you get 20000 gold for practically nothing! Jackpot! As well 
as Lethe and Mordecai actually joining your party. King Caineghis just keeps 
on giving, doesn't he?

----------------------------
Chapter 10: Prisoner Release [pris]
----------------------------
Victory: Escape
Units: 9
New Characters: Nephenee(Talk with Ike), Brom(talk with Ike), Kieran(automatic 
after chapter ends), Volke(hire him when he offers)
Items: Door Keys x3(drop), Master Seal(boss drop), Statue Frag(lone east 
treasure chest), Counter scroll(lower single west treasure chest), 
Javelin(upper left west treasure chest), Short Axe(upper middle west treasure 
chest), Steel Lance(upper right west treasure chest)

When you begin this Chapter, a Thief named Volke will appear and offer his 
services. Hire him! He's one of only two thieves in the game, plus the only 
useful one, and the only one that can promote. Plus he just screams badass.

Ranulf opts not to join you. He's a coward. Bah.

Finally, we get to do a good old-fashioned jailbreak! Woo hoo! There are two 
ways to go about freeing the prisoners. The first is through stealth, which 
means staying out of the ranges of the three guard soldiers patrolling the 
hallways. To be honest, I never bothered to do the stealth thing, so I 
couldn't offer advice on it. If anyone has a good stealth strategy, send it to 
me, and if it works, I'll use it.

But for now, I'll be using the direct approach. You'll finally have some 
flexibility as to who to take on this mission. I'll leave it up to you as to 
who you like. To start, I want to point out how the guards' range of vision 
works. If any of your units are in the guards' movement ranges by the time the 
enemies' turn rolls around, they'll spot you, and reinforcements will arrive 
from above your starting point, the exit to the north, and to the east as 
well. They're nothing you can't handle. Be sure to blockade both north of your 
starting point, and the stairs just to the east as well. Form your defenses, 
and let the enemy reinforcements from the east and the starting point come to 
you(in a rare move for easy/normal mode, they'll rush you as soon as they 
appear).

Once they're taken care of, move through the halls as a group. As you go, 
don't bother with Sephiran, he won't join you either way. Just head east, open 
the cell with Brom and Kieran in it, and talk to Brom with Ike as well. 
Talking to Kieran is optional(he'll join you whether you talk to him or not, 
but the conversation between him and Oscar is very amusing), and when you're 
done with him and Brom, move towards Nephenee's cell. Blockade the stairs near 
her cell, and let some of the enemies rush you again. Once you've wiped the 
floor with them, unlock the cell using a door key(have Volke move east and 
grab the lone treasure chest) and talk to Nephenee with Ike. 

Now that you've got everybody, you can go and fight the boss. He'll move if 
somebody gets in his attack range, and he has both a steel blade and a steel 
lance. Best to take him out Soren. Either that, or weapon triangle his ass 
before he has the chance to switch to the advantage(during the playthrough I 
used to write this walkthrough, my Oscar was using a steel lance. The boss 
moved to attack me, and I criticaled TWICE in a row! Awesome!). Once him and 
his myrmidons are gone, raid the remaining chests, take out the halberdier and 
the two knights that are guarding the exit, then escape for the win.

Oh, and after the Chapter is done, let Volke come with you. He can really come 
in handy.

~Character Profile: Brom~
Sorry, I never used Brom in any of my playthroughs. Couldn't tell you whether 
he sucks or not. He starts out weaker than Gatrie, though, so I can only 
assume he likely stays that way.
Use him?: No. You have a perfectly good knight already(or will again soon, 
anyway). ?/10

~Character Profile: Kieran~
He's the Red Knight companion to Oscar, and they share a heated rivalry. But 
Kieran is respectably strong, though! Axe users are few and far between in 
this game, so another one is always welcome. Gamble is a useless skill on 
Kieran, though. Axes have the lowest accuracy of any weapon, and Gamble only 
makes that twice as much of a problem. If you MUST use Gamble, either forge a 
high accuracy axe for him and make your life more exciting(not that it'll help 
much), or promote him and choose swords as a new weapon.
Use him?: Definitely. His strength is great, and all his other stats are very 
good to mediocre except his resistance which is horribly weak. 8/10

~Character Profile: Nephenee~
She's the first playable soldier in the North American releases of the Fire 
Emblem series, and she doesn't disappoint. Her HP is comparatively lower than 
many of the other infantry style units(cavaliers, knights, etc.), but she more 
than makes up for it with her great speed and dodging ability, plus Wrath. In 
my opinion, Wrath is one of the most useful abilities in the game, and 
actually makes Nephenee's low HP become an advantage! If you feel like taking 
a risk, she can demolish entire platoons of enemies without breaking a sweat. 
If the risk is too much for you, you can offset that a bit by assigning her 
the Miracle skill, or better yet, Vantage! And on a side note, her name sounds 
French. That automatically makes her cool. :P	
Use her?: Yes. One of the best lance users overall, and Wrath only sweetens 
the deal. 9/10

~Character Profile: Volke~
Your first Thief, and the only worthwhile one in the game. If you want to 
steal your enemy's weapons or unlock doors and chests, he's your man. He's the 
only reliable character that you can use to make off with a ton of loot, and 
his fighting skills are respectable too. Granted, knives are the weakest 
weapons in the game, but Volke's unnaturally high(for a Thief) STR makes up 
for that. Once Daggers and Stilettos become available at the item shop, load 
him up and he can hold his own and then some. That, and he's a great candidate 
for an Occult scroll once he promotes into an Assassin.
Use him?: Yes. He's the versatile Swiss Army Knife of your group, with combat 
skills, lock-picking, and stealing. 9/10

--------------------------
Chapter 11: Blood Runs Red [bloo]
--------------------------
Victory: Arrive
Units: 13
New Characters: Zihark(talk to him with either of your Laguz characters)
Items: Laguzslayer(talk to "Man" at your Base), Master Seal(boss drop), 
Dracoshield(south house), Elwind(middle house), Killer Lance(top house)

I can NOT believe Ranulf would let people do that to him. I'd claw their eyes 
out if I were a Laguz!

Before you begin the battle, be sure to bring Volke and either Lethe or 
Mordecai(I chose Lethe). Reposition your party so that your Laguz is as far to 
the north as possible.

When you begin, send someone immediately to the west to get the Dracoshield 
from the house and fend off the myrmidons close by. I used Nephenee, but any 
lance user will do. 

Send your Laguz plus one other strong unit north to recruit Zihark(if your 
Laguz is within his range, he will talk to them) and plow through the 
vigilantes and assorted baddies to the north. Be sure to visit the northeast 
house for a very useful Killer Lance, but be careful! Once you pass the red 
house in the middle of the map, the Black Knight will emerge. You can NOT 
defeat him, so don't even try. Just stay out of his range and he'll leave you 
alone.

Send everyone else northwest up the street, and be sure to kill the soldiers 
behind you first. Just use two units to do that, they can catch up later. Have 
Volke swipe the Heal staffs off the priests and kill them after stealing from 
them. Fight your way up to the northwest(be sure to get the Elwind tome from 
the house along the way), you won't meet with terribly strong resistance.

On turn 5, a Wyvern Rider named Jill will appear in the southeast corner of 
the level. Do NOT kill her, either. If she survives this Chapter, she will 
join you in the next one.

 The boss will move to meet you, though he's a pushover if you do things just 
right. Put someone juuust within his range, and he'll attack with his iron 
bow. Then bring Volke in, steal his Laguzslayer, and surround his sorry ass! 
He'll be completely at your mercy. Once he's out of the way, continue north 
towards the ship. Take out whoever's left at the top, then have anyone arrive 
at the designated spot to clear the map.

~Character Profile: Zihark~
I never used him in any of my playthroughs so far. If anyone has any info on 
him, please let me know. ?/10

Okay, what is it with Ranulf and getting his ass kicked all the time? He 
doesn't deserve that... *sigh*

--------------------------
Chapter 12: A Strange Land [astr]
--------------------------
Victory: Rout
Units: 10
New Characters: Jill(Wyvern Rider- will talk to Ike), Sothe(Thief- watch the 
conversation with "Boy" at your Base, and a scene will occur that gives you 
the option for him to join)
Items: Blue Gem(boss drop), Laguz Stone(drop), Coin x2(drop), Secret 
Book(drop), Arms Scroll(drop)

Be sure to bring both Rolf and Soren in this battle. All flying units are weak 
to bows, and Ravens are weak to Wind magic.

This is a very unusual Chapter. It's a big wide level, but your party is 
confined to the ship. The only enemies are Ravens, and even though there 
aren't many, reinforcements keep arriving. It's best to form a perimeter close 
to the mast and hold your ground, concentrating on picking them off one at a 
time. Even though there aren't many of them, these ravens are strong, and 
they'll usually double attack some of your slower units like Boyd or Rhys. 
Which reminds me, if you bring Rhys, keep him surrounded at ALL times, lest he 
get pecked to death. Many of the Ravens either drop items or have items you 
can steal, so keep an eye out for them.

After turn 2, Jill will arrive from the southwest. She'll talk to Ike and join 
the party to help you fight off those Laguz she so detests. She comes with a 
Laguzguard too, so use her to her fullest potential here.

On turn 5, the boss, Seeker, will move in on the ship. Keep your vulnerable 
units out of his way and take him down with Rolf, Soren, or any of your 
stronger units to win.

~Character Profile: Jill~
Out of all your flying units, Jill tends to be the most durable. The bad thing 
is, her stat growths are rather unreliable. Depending on whether or not you 
get lucky, she can either be one of your best units, or one of the worst. 
Level her up at your own peril, but she's always ended up being pretty good 
for me. Plus she can use axes once she promotes. Whenever I use Jill, I go 
from using lances to using axes almost exclusively for her, and with her SKL, 
they work great with her.
Use her?: I would say so, if you don't mind a bit of bonus EXP abuse to get 
her up to speed. 8/10

~Character Profile: Sothe~
Sothe is a unique unit. He has a skill called Blossom that reduces the amount 
of EXP he gets down to about 1/3rd normal, but his stat growths are increased 
greatly. However, he also cannot promote. Now, I'm no genius, but I happen to 
know that most of the stat caps for unpromoted units are just 20. So even if 
Sothe's stats grow like wildfire, they'll be stuck at about 20 at the most, 
and he WILL lag behind, no matter how you look at it. The only reliable way to 
get him to level 20 is feed him bonus EXP, but that's still a lot. He's not 
worth the investment, plain and simple. However, he is useful to pick locks 
and treasure chests with Volke, but only on Chapter 13 really. 
Use him?: No, unless you want to loot a level faster. If you DO use him, don't 
bother with the bonus EXP, and protect him like you would your own groin. 2/10

Looks like not all the Laguz are as bad as people think... and I have a 
feeling that the prince and his silent aide will be back in the sequel, at 
least if there is one...

*Note: during your stay at the base after Chapter 12, there will be a 
conversation at your base labeled "3 Brothers". Be sure to listen to it! 
Oscar, Boyd, and Rolf will be talking about a new attack they're developing...

--------------------------
Chapter 13: A Guiding Wind [agui]
--------------------------
Victory: Defend for 10 turns
Units: 12
New Characters: Astrid(Bow Knight- speak to her with Ike), Gatrie(Knight- 
rejoins if you speak to him with Astrid)
Items: Longbow(Boss drop), Killer Bow(middle ship- bottom left chest), 
Elfire(middle ship- bottom right chest), Laguz Axe(middle ship- top left 
chest), Longsword(middle ship- top right chest), Occult scroll(top ship- left 
chest), Energy Drop(top ship- middle chest), Speedwing(top ship- right chest)

While picking units, I suggest you bring Volke, Mordecai, and Sothe if you 
feel like taking a minor risk. Mordecai is crucial to recruiting Astrid and 
Gatrie, and Sothe makes getting all the treasure chests quicker and easier.

This is a really fun Chapter, one of my favorites, actually. However, Astrid 
is very weak and if you don't hurry to talk to her, she's liable to get 
killed. It's best to have Ike reach her in one turn, which is only possible 
through some hardcore shoving. You can even use Mordecai(a unit I don't 
recommend using often) to Smite Ike and get him into position before he moves. 
Once you talk to Astrid, have her talk to Gatrie and he'll rejoin your group. 
Bet you missed him, eh? If you're still planning on using him, give him the 
Knight Ward Astrid comes with to equip and he'll be like a wall to your 
enemies!

As for the battle, once Gatrie rejoins the party(which should be on the first 
turn if you followed my advice), have him protect the stairs on the center 
ship. Then have Astrid retreat to southern ship, she's more a liability than 
anything else. However, if your Ike's level is already maxed out, have him 
guard the stairs and have Gatrie block one of the bridges. Hell, it's what he 
was made to do!

Have your toughest defenders block the bridges to the center ship, and kill 
the enemies as they come. The pain-in-the-ass NPCs will likely get in your 
way, so either shove them out of the way with spare units(Mordecai again?) or 
let them die. It's your choice. 

Have Volke(and Sothe, if you feel like it) raid the chests on the top 2 ships, 
but step lively! When the Ravens appear, they'll raid the chests too and try 
to escape with the loot. If you kill them before they leave, they'll drop 
whatever they stole, so you have a small safety blanket there.

I don't really have much else to say about this Chapter, except that the 
boss(who may or may not be related to Chuck Norris) doesn't move, at least not 
in my experience, and he's really easy to kill. You can even steal his Steel 
Bow before killing him(which I recommend). The enemies should be cleared out 
well before the ten turns are up, so just sit back and relax if that's the 
case. 

~Character Profile: Astrid~
Astrid is quite possibly the most underlevelled character you get. Her only 
immediate use is to re-recruit Gatrie, and her low level and stats make her a 
liability on the battlefield. I'm not saying Astrid sucks, far from it. In 
fact, her Paragon skill, which doubles the EXP she gets, will allow her to 
catch up fast, but you likely have stronger mounted units like Kieran and 
Oscar, both of whom can use bows if you choose.
Use her?: If you want to. I never did, but I think she can turn out fairly 
strong. Someone confirm this, please. ?/10

I like Naesala's jacket. Stylish...
Heh, I could so picture Mist and Sanaki getting into a catfight over Rolf. :P 

--------------------
Chapter 14: Training [trai]
--------------------
Victory: Defeat boss
Units: 13
New Characters: Malakov(Sword Knight- talk to him with Marcia)
Items: Killer axe(boss drop), Laguz lance(drop), Laguz bow(drop), Red 
Gem(drop- comes with Malakov), Spirit Dust(south house), Secret Book(left top 
house), Vantage scroll(right top house)

Before you begin this Chapter, be sure to bring Marcia with you if you want to 
recruit Malakov. It's one crappy character recruiting another, so you don't 
even have to bother if you don't want to. Perfectionist that I am, I still got 
him on every playthrough... >_<

This is a pretty easy and unremarkable chapter. Split your party into two 
groups, one of about 4 units plus Marcia, and the rest in another group. Send 
the smaller group up to the northwest to recruit Malakov, and have the rest 
plow up through the middle of the level. If you feel like it, have Volke swipe 
an antitoxin or two, they can come in handy.

Not much else to say until you get to the boss. When you get close to him, 
he'll summon a few Feral Ones, which are Laguz that are stuck in animal form. 
Normally, this would be pretty bad news, but, like the boss, the Feral Ones 
won't move. Take them and the boss out from a distance, the Feral ones because 
they're strong as hell, and the boss because you don't want him to use his 
Killer Axe. I think it's cheap how in this game, the weapons the enemies carry 
lose durability if they use them. The previous FE games were an improvement 
over that... >_< Nonetheless, heed my words and kill the boss from afar, as 
that axe is valuable, and you need all the Killer Axes you can get. Trust me.

Character Profile: Malakov
This guy looks like Ronald McDonald on drugs, I swear. I know jokes about 
Malakov are a dime a dozen, but he deserves them all. You have far too many 
sword users and mounted units as it is, but Malakov doesn't offer Kieran's 
killer strength, Oscar's versatility and triangle attack, or Astrid's Paragon 
ability. Everything about him is just average. No, wait, his RES sucks too. 
The sad thing is, the best thing about him is probably that Red Gem he comes 
with, at least you can sell it.
Use him?: As if you would kick anyone good off your team for THAT! 3/10	

After the Chapter is done, one of my favorite cutscenes occurs. And I'm not 
sure if that gray cat in the background is Ranulf or not wouldn't put it past 
him to miss something as important as this. Damn slacker... :P

*Note: Apparently, after this Chapter, Sanaki pays you 10000 Gold. The game 
doesn't alert you to this except when Soren reports your battle results.

------------------------------
Chapter 15: The Feral Frontier [thef]
------------------------------
Victory: Defeat Boss
Units: 14
New Characters: Stefan(Swordmaster- see below paragraph), Tormod(Mage- joins 
after completing the Chapter), Muarim(Tiger- joins after completing the 
Chapter)
Items: Boots, Coin x2, White Gem, Shine tome, Physic staff, Silver Blade, 
Statue Frag, Guard scroll(all hidden in sand), Vague Katti(varies- see below 
paragraph)

*NOTE: bring all your strong magic users, Volke(and Sothe if you want) and at 
least one of your Laguz!

Another one of my personal favorite Chapters, this is the mandatory desert 
level with a crapload of hidden treasure in the tradition of Living Legend 
from FE7 and Scorched Sands from FE8. I enjoy these levels, mainly because I 
like using Mages. I bring this up because Mages and staff users are immune to 
the slowing effects of the desert sands.

In fact, Mages, staff users, any flying units, and thieves are all unaffected 
by the slowing sands. The rest of your units' movement will be substantially 
reduced(especially poor Gatrie- he can only move ONE space at a time!), except 
for the Laguz, who will only be slightly affected. The upshot to all this is 
the hidden treasure. I will list the following locations of said treasure in 
grid format, the X coordinates going left to right, and the Y coordinates 
going bottom to top:

Boots: [X 12-14, Y 16-18]
Coin(2 of them): [X 1, Y 9-11] and [X 13-15, Y 5-7)
White Gem: [X 27-28, Y 15-16]
Shine: [X 8-11, Y 10-12]
Physic: [X 17-19, Y 9-11]
Silver Blade: [X 3-6, Y 8-9]
Statue Frag: [X 26-28, Y 3-7]
Guard Scroll: [X 2-5, Y 1]
Stefan or Vague Katti: [X 26, Y 17]

This is why I said to bring Volke and/or Sothe. Once a unit stops on any of 
the designated co-ordinates, there's a chance they'll get the item hidden in 
that area. The higher a unit's LCK, the more likely he or she is to get the 
item. But thieves will almost definitely get the item on the first try.

*HOW TO GET STEFAN: Stefan is likely the easiest character to miss in the 
game, so pay careful attention. The single grid space I pointed out for 
getting the Vague Katti is precisely 3 spaces left and 2 spaces down from the 
top right edge of the level. If a Beorc unit waits on that square, they will 
only find the sword. But if a Laguz unit stops on that square, Stefan will 
appear and join your party. He'll be equipped with that sword anyway, so you 
have nothing to lose.

The actual battle in this level is pretty easy. Just send your magic users out 
to destroy as many of the enemies as possible before they transform into their 
beast forms. When they do, they're not nearly as tough as the ravens were in 
Chapter 12, so you should have no problem dealing with them one on one. Be 
sure to use Jill's Laguzguard, and there is no better time to stay just within 
the enemies' range and let them come to you.

Once they're mostly cleared out, send Volke throughout the level and grab the 
treasures unhindered, and be sure to send your Laguz of choice to the 
northeast to get Stefan as I pointed out earlier. Once that's all done, Kill 
Muarim however you like. He's not as difficult as he seems, that Demi Band 
cuts into his stats something fierce.

~Character Profile: Stefan~
Stefan is strong. No other way to put it. His strength lies not in his STR 
stat(ironically), but that he comes with his class's Master Skill: Astra! I 
know some people say it's overrated, but the ability to that much damage has 
got to be worth something. His stats are solid otherwise Except for luck, and 
if you want another swordmaster, you can certainly do worse(hack, cough, 
Lucia). Plus after this Chapter, if you talk with him at your Base, you get 
another Occult Scroll! How cool is that?
Use him?: If you want another swordmaster, sure. But get him anyway for all 
the cool extras that come with him! 7/10

~Character Profile: Tormod~
Tormod is the last unpromoted unit to join your group, and as you would 
expect, he is VERY underlevelled. I never used him, but he does have a unique 
ability called Celerity that lets him move two extra spaces. Seeing as Mages 
have low movement ranges compared to most other units, I can see how useful 
that might be, though. Couldn't form an opinion otherwise.
Use him?: He could potentially come in handy. I have no experiance with using 
him, though. ?/10

~Character Profile: Muarim~
Muarim joins much later than Mordecai, but he is much stronger than him. For 
one thing, his speed is better, and he comes with the Demi band. This useful 
little trinket lets a Laguz stay in animal form at the cost of a slight stat 
reduction. Since the Laguz tend to be a bit overpowered, this kind of even 
things out. In terms of stats, Muarim is about average for a Laguz. You can 
take him or leave him.
Use him?: Your choice. I usually hold off the Laguz until Ranulf joins(that 
weak cowardly bastard!!!), but he's certainly not bad. 6/10

-------------------------
Chapter 16: The Atonement [thea]
-------------------------
Victory: Seize
Units: 
New Characters: Devdan(Halberdier- Talk with Soren, Rolf, Mist, or Tormod)
Items: Occult scroll(talk to Stefan at Base), Spear(boss drop), Gamble 
scroll(drop), Chest Key x2(drop), Ashera Icon(East treasure room- left chest), 
Silver Lance(East treasure room- right chest), Physic staff(West treasure 
room- right chest), Bolting tome(West treasure room- left chest), Full 
Guard(Middle treasure room- right chest), Dracoshield(Middle treasure room- 
bottom chest)

Whoo! Even though Reyson is a pretty boy, he still packs a punch! He could 
probably even knock Ranulf on his ass!

*Note: Before you start the next battle, go to Info while at your Base and 
talk to Stefan. After an interesting dialogue, you'll be given a choice. 
Select "study" to have Stefan stay in your party, and you'll receive a very 
valuable Occult scroll.

This is one of those standard indoor battles with lots of loot to gather. 
Don't bother brining Sothe as backup, just Volke will do fine. Start by moving 
east, then north as a group, killing all who stand in your way. Once you reach 
the first treasure room on your way, stay there and use a few stronger units 
as bait for the Mages and Knights hanging around in the middle of the level. 
Once they move in to attack, kill them as you will. Also, leave a strong axe 
user behind(Kieran, Boyd, someone like that) to deal with the soldier 
reinforcements that appear from the starting point.

While Volke raids the east treasure room, move west and stay out of Devdan's 
attack range until you have no further distractions. Just send one of the 
child units mentioned above into Devdan's range(he won't attack them), and 
talk to him to get him to join you.

In regards to the west treasure room, I personally like to visit it before the 
middle treasure room. Since a thief will eventually appear and attempt to raid 
the west room before you do, it's best to get it out of the way as soon as 
possible. Once that's done, move to the south treasure room, raid everything 
in there too. After the chests are all empty, regroup your party in the 
central north area of the level, take out whatever enemies are remaining in 
the central north area, then kill the boss and seize to win. It's difficult to 
screw up royally in this chapter, so you don't have much to worry about.

~Character Profile: Devdan~
This guy's personality is quite amusing, from what I've seen. Too bad he isn't 
very useful. When I got him in the playthrough I used to write this 
walkthrough, all of his stats except LCK and RES were vastly inferior to 
Nephenee, and they were at the same level. He gets BIG points for being the 
first playable black guy in a Fire Emblem game, but alas, he's outclassed by 
Nephenee and most of your other lance users too.
Use him?: If you've been using Nephenee, no need to. 5/10

----------------------
Chapter 17: Day Breaks
----------------------
This chapter is unique; it's the longest in the game. But the whole thing is 
composed of four separate battles all occurring withing the same general area. 
It sounds like a big job, but don't worry. You can still save in between 
battles, but once you start, you can't change formation or get items form your 
convoy. So before you begin, be SURE each character has enough weapons to last 
all four battles. 

There is some flexibility, though: you can choose reinforcements at the 
beginning of the second battle onward. You can choose up to two extra units 
for the second, third, and fourth fights. They won't arrive right away, 
though, they'll show up two turns or so later. I never bothered with the 
reinforcements. If your main party is strong enough, you shouldn't need them.

Without further ado, on to the battles!

Battle 1
Victory: rout
Units: 10
New Characters: None
Items: Killer Lance(drop)

this chapter starts out with an easy battle. The terrain looks all the same, 
but if you look carefully, parts of ground are labeled "swamp", and they 
reduce your movement much like the sand in the desert. It isn't much of a 
deterrent, though, and if you just advance as a group and kill whatever comes 
your way, you should be fine. But leave a lance user at the bottom of the 
level, to take care of reinforcements.

All of your main units should be either promoted or about to promote by now, 
so you can out-muscle or -magic any of the soldiers that come your way. The 
only tricky thing about the chapter is that reinforcements arrive from the 
south on turn 2. Just exterminate them with your lance user, and you'll be 
fine.

There is one more thing to be aware of, and that is the halberdier at the top 
of the level. He has a Killer Lance, and with it, he is a genuine threat! Just 
give Jill an axe or, failing that, send a high defense unit to take him out, 
and you'll be fine. Better yet, use a bow to shoot him down and get his Killer 
Lance untarnished! Once every enemy is dead, you'll move on. Serves them right 
for serving that despicable Oliver.

Battle 2
Victory: Arrive
Units: 10 + 2 optional reinforcements
New Characters: None
Items: Poleax(drop)

FAIR WARNING: If Ike isn't level 20 yet, this is the LAST battle you'll have 
to reliably train him! Make it count!

This map is a little trickier, but only if you decide to go the hard way. The 
easy way is just rushing to the east and Arriving as quickly as possible, 
offering little resistance. The hard way is splitting your forces along the 
divide at the beginning, killing as many enemies as possible along the way.

If you plan to go the easy way, you don't even need this walkthrough. Just run 
your ass off to the east and that's it. But for the hard way, just split your 
units into two groups and go up the separate paths. Have Volke swipe anything 
that isn't nailed down(there's a Physic staff ripe for the taking!), and kill 
as you so desire. Enemy reinforcements will arrive from the west and north at 
the end of turn 2, but they're nothing you can't handle. Wipe out whoever gets 
in your way, and it's clean sailing to the next level.

Battle 3
Victory: Survive for 10 turns
Units: 10(12 if you got reinforcements last chapter) + 2 more 
reinforcements(optional)
New Characters: None
Items: Mend staff(drop), Elfire(drop)

After you complete battle 2, a scene will occur. Now, Ike will be permanently 
carrying a new friend, and his skill and speed will take a huge drop as he's 
rescued her.

For this battle, you need to protect Ike for 10 turns, which isn't so bad. 
Just have Ike hide in a hedge, well out of the enemies' range. You start with 
a lot of enemies on all sides, but it's not as bad as it seems. Clear out the 
enemies behind and above you, then form a defensive wall with your units 
concentrated on the southeast. Slowly advance southeast and destroy whoever 
gets in your way, and you should do fine.

Reinforcements will also appear from the northwest on turn 5 and many turns 
past that, so keep Ike going south with the rest of the group. Since Ike is 
rescuing Leanne, he won't be able to fight or dodge particularly well. So 
don't put him in harm's way, wait out the remainder of the 10 turn limit, and 
you'll be fine.

Battle 4
Victory: Defeat boss
Units: anywhere from 10-16(depends on when you brought in reinforcements)
New Characters: None
Items: Nosferatu(boss drop), Adept scroll(drop), Armorslayer(drop)

After all those long battles, you finally get to fight that bastard(sorry, but 
I can't think of anything else to describe him) Oliver. Don't worry, we'll get 
to him in due time.

The first thing I have to point out in the level is the mage just a bit to the 
left of your starting point. He has a Meteor tome, which is a long range fire 
magic- it can hit up to 10(!!!) spaces away. This is likely your first 
experience in this game with long range magic, so let me warn you. Even though 
it only has 5 uses, he can decimate your party in that time. Since Ike still 
has Leanne with him, he's likely vulnerable to a double attack(during the 
playthrough I used to write this guide, my Ike had 16 speed, which was cut in 
half to 8 by the rescue- the mage had 12 SPD, so he was able to double attack. 

Now what do we do about this? I hope you brought a flying unit, because 
they're the only ones who can reliably kill Mr. Meteor early on. I suggest you 
do so, or, failing that, keep everyone out of his range except for one high 
RES unit and let him waste his Meteor tome. Your call, but it's probably the 
biggest threat in this map.

For most of this chapter, the going is pretty easy. As mentioned above, if you 
find a way to kill the Meteor Mage, it'll be even easier. Just advance south, 
then west, the loop around to the northwest where Oliver is. None of the 
enemies provide much of a challenge, but reinforcements do appear at your 
starting point on turn 5 onwards.

Once you start looping north, Tibarn, Reyson, Janaff, and Ulki will appear. If 
you don't want any interference with the rest of the enemies, rescue them all 
if possible. You do NOT want them killing Oliver or the Halberdier to his 
left, because they both drop valuable items. Let me say: you wan that adept 
scroll! So keep them out of the way, and kill the rest of the enemies to the 
north unhindered. Kill Oliver(be sure to make it a most painful death- I used 
Rolf- BOOM headshot!), and you're finally done this tiring gauntlet.

After the battle, several interesting cutscenes occur. Is it just me, or does 
Mist look different in the cutscenes than her character portrait? Plus, after 
these scenes are over, Ike finally gets promoted! Sweet! 

*MAJOR TIP: Now that Ike's promoted, use an Occult scroll on him. He'll gain 
Aether, which is quite possibly the strongest skill in the game. You won't 
regret it.

Chapter 18: Crimea Marches
Victory: Rout
Units: 13
New Characters: Tanith(Falco Knight)- joins automatically, Janaff(Hawk), 
Ulki(Hawk), Reyson(Heron)- all join at the beginning if you accept Reyson's 
offer, Shinon(rejoins- see below)
Items: Renewal scroll(if you refuse Reyson's offer) Tornado(boss drop), Brave 
Bow(drop), Knight Killer(drop), Recover staff(far left treasure chest), Wrath 
scroll(far right treasure chest), Silence staff(next-to-far-right treasure 
chest)

Another major tip: Bring Rolf in this chapter if you want to Get Shinon back! 
I'll explain how in a couple of paragraphs.

This is a perfect Chapter for Ike to gain some levels and catch up to everyone 
else. Be sure to let him get a lot of kills in this battle. He teams up very 
well with Reyson, and with a little planning and his help, Ike can decimate 
almost all the enemies at the beginning.

Start by sending everyone up the stairs and east along the wall. Let Ike lead 
the charge and have Volke raid all of the chests along the way. Leave an axe 
user or two behind to deal with wyvern rider reinforcements, though. And be 
prepared for a bunch of assorted Cavaliers to appear at your starting point as 
you near the end of the wall.

It's okay to spread your troops thin in this battle. If any of your main units 
weren't promoted when you started chapter 17, they likely are now. Make them 
all count, and you'll clear the baddies out with no problems. But be warned: 
Ravens will appear from the north, as well, but they're not nearly the threat 
they used to be in chapter 12.

Now, I'll tell you how to get Shinon. Send someone tough into his range to 
lure him towards you, then talk to him with Rolf. After the conversation, 
defeat him with Ike. Shinon will not actually die, but simply retreat. After 
the chapter is done, he will rejoin as before.

The boss is probably the strongest magic user you've seen so far, but he's no 
threat if you use a physical attacker. Most anybody can down him in two hits 
or so. After he's gone, spread your units thin and eliminate whoever's left to 
win.

~Character Profile: Tanith~
I never used Tanith much, but I know how her Reinforce ability works. You can 
use it twice a battle to summon two Pegasus Knights and one Falco Knight. Ike 
can then direct them as he would yellow units. Any kills they make are 
converted into Bonus EXP at the end of the battle. It's a useful ability, I 
gather, but I never used it- or Tanith herself- too much. I hear she can turn 
out good, plus she comes with a Sonic Sword! I know someone who can use that 
far better than Tanith can...
Use her?: Why not, if you want another flier? ?/10

~Character Profile: Janaff~
Only two Hawks join you for the bulk of the game, and the differences between 
them are subtle. Janaff is one level higher than Ulki, but his STR is lower. 
His speed is WAY higher than Ulki, though, and he has a built-in skill called 
Insight that increases his hit %. He's fast, he's decently strong, but I only 
recommend using one Hawk at a time.
Use him?: No reason not to, but don't use both at once. 7/10

~Character Profile: Ulki~
Ulki is more of the strong, silent type as opposed to Janaff. He has more room 
to grow(precisely one more level's worth), and he is actually stronger than 
Janaff, but slower too. Not much else I can say, I haven't used him too much, 
although with his free built-in skill, Vigilance, few people can touch him.
Use him?: He'll have no problem staying alive and dealing damage. He's a 
serious candidate for the Demi Band. 8/10

Character Profile: Reyson
The only unit in the game who is not designed for combat at ALL, pretty boy 
Reyson can still come in handy almost all the time. Fair warning, though: his 
defense is HORRIBLY weak. Unless you want to urinate away all of your 
Dracoshields on him, you'll be protecting him all the time. However, with his 
Chant ability, Reyson can make a single unit move again, much like the Dancers 
from previous games. Even better, his TRUE usefulness shows when he 
transforms. When he does, he can make units on all sides of him move when he 
Chants, and in either form, he can restore a good amount of HP to any adjacent 
unit. He's a great way to augment your army with a free healer, and using your 
best units twice in one turn is never a bad thing. 
Use him?: definitely, but be prepared to keep him out of harm's way. 9/10

---------------------
Chapter 19: Entrusted [entr]
---------------------
Victory: Defeat Boss
Units: 13
New Characters: None
Items: Knight Ring(see below), Killer Axe(drop), Laguz Bow(drop), 
Longsword(drop)

*Note: While you're at your Base, watch another "3 Brothers" conversation. 
Once you do, you'll be able to do a Triangle Attack with Boyd, Rolf, and 
Oscar. I'll explain how to do it in the Secrets section.

Before you start the battle, be sure to bring both Reyson and either Janaff or 
Ulki! They'll both be a HUGE help in removing a major threat from the 
battlefield.

Also, take note of the ballistas on the battlefield. Archers and Snipers can 
use them to launch a powerful arrow a long distance. So it's in your best 
interest to take them out as quickly as possible.

The enemies here pose little threat, but since Naesala's here, he will! There 
is one easy way to get rid of the treacherous Raven king, however. If you have 
Reyson and either of your Hawks on the field, which you should, send any unit 
with strong resistance right into the outer edge of Naesala's range, with your 
Hawk of choice next to them(but completely out of Naesala's range).  Naesala 
should zero in on them and use Vortex on the unit. Then talk to him with your 
Hawk, and Naesala should lighten up a bit. He will then move towards Reyson, 
talk to him, and give him a Knight Ring. after the conversation, he and his 
Raven henchmen will leave. You get a hefty amount of Bonus EXP from not 
killing any of the Ravens, so it's in your best interest to avoid it. 

As for the rest of the Chapter, send a flying unit(equipped with the Full 
Guard) to handle the ballistas. For the love of Ashera, KEEP REYSON OUT OF 
THEIR RANGE. He will likely die in one hit if he gets shot by a ballista. Just 
move up to the north as a group, keep your fragile units out of the ballistas' 
range, and you'll be just fine.

The boss has a Sonic Sword, too. Interesting... and he kinda looks like he 
could be Stefan's long lost brother or something. Nonetheless, he must die. I 
know it's tempting to put a high RES unit next to the boss so he'll de-equip 
the Sonic Sword, thus allowing you to steal it, but don't bother. Volke is 
still unpromoted, and his SPD maxes out at 20 before promotion. The boss's SPD 
is exactly 20, and since you need higher SPD to steal from somebody, you 
can't. Too bad. But the boss will go down without putting up a major fight 
anyway. He's a fairly easy kill, so don't worry.

After this Chapter is done, Volke will reveal his purpose for following you, 
along with a few other shocking truths. He will then offer his services 
further. Accept, and he'll promote- to an Assassin, a character class unique 
to Volke in this game. He can still steal and pick locks, but now he can learn 
Lethality(the Assassin's signature one-hit kill move) if you give him an 
Occult scroll. I suggest you do so.

-----------------------------
Chapter 20: Defending Talrega [defe]
-----------------------------
Victory: Arrive in 15 turns
Units: 11
New Characters: Calill(Sage), talk to "Woman" at your Base and accept her 
offer
Items: Tomahawk(boss drop), Shine tome(drop), Provoke scroll(drop),  Smite 
scroll(north house), Rescue staff(south house)

Okay, Petrine really needs to calm down.

This Chapter is sort of like a Seize Chapter, but you only have 15 turns to 
Arrive at the goal. It's okay, though, 15 turns is way more than what you'll 
need.

This is one of the few chapters where I suggest NOT bringing Jill. If she has 
any contact with the boss, that is, if she attacks him, she'll switch sides 
and go back to the enemy. The only way to bring her back is if she has an A 
support with somebody, but that's not likely. Just don't bring her this time, 
it'll be easier.

It's safe to send the bulk of your units east then north to take on most of 
the enemy forces. There are a few Sages with long range magic, so be on the 
ball when it comes to healing people who need it. You should also send two or 
three extra units to the northern house and get the Smite scroll and to take 
out the enemies up there. Make sure the units who go to the house have high 
DEF and ideally use axes, because they'll eventually be attacked by Wyvern 
Riders. Actually, I like to use Volke to do that, since he's freshly promoted, 
he could use some EXP. Another good idea is to use Rhys or Mist and keep them 
in the middle of the level with a Physic staff(you should have several by 
now). Volke could likely use the healing, too.

Just advance as quickly and carefully as you can, visit the southern house 
along the way, and kill the boss with Ike(or any strong sword user- the boss 
has a Tomahawk). You should easily be able to complete this mission in 6 turns 
or so with little difficulty.

~Character Profile: Calill~
The first of two prepromoted sages who join you, Calill can come in handy more 
than once. It's not her stats that are her main strength(which aren't too bad 
for her level), but her weapon levels. She has a B in all weapon levels and 
decent STR, which means she can use ALL the long range magic tomes with no 
difficulty whatsoever. Feel free to use her on a regular basis in your party, 
but her best use is as a "Sniper Sage", as I call her, firing off the long 
range tomes. She's pretty competent, but her biggest problem is that she uses 
knives instead of staffs. Oh well, you can't have everything.
Use her?: Yes, as either a Sniper Sage or regularly. She performs equally 
well. 7/10

--------------------------
Chapter 21: Without a King [with]
--------------------------
Victory: Seize
Units: 13 
New Characters: Tauroneo(General)- Talk with Ike
Items: Killing Edge(drop), Occult scroll(comes with Tauroneo)
Treasure rooms(counter clockwise from the closest room to starting point): 
Stiletto and Parity scroll(first), Energy Drop(second), Talisman(third), 
Corrosion scroll and Thoron tome(fourth), Master Seal and Brave Sword(fifth)

*Note: Volke will have a LOT or treasure hunting to do in this level. It's all 
optional, but you'd be a fool to pass it up. I suggest giving him the Knight 
Ring if you have it. Not only will he be able to move from room to room more 
efficiently with it, but he'll play an integral role in helping with battling 
Ena. Pair Volke with Reyson to make a super fast burglar team!

Although it's not necessary, having a Restore staff will be pretty handy. 
There are two Bishops with Sleep staffs. One is in the northwest, one is in 
the throne room. If they send your units to dream land, then the Sages lurking 
outside the throne room will send them to death land. That's much worse. 
During a previous playthrough, my Gatrie was killed while he slept and that 
angered the hell out of me. I hope it doesn't happen to you.

This is your biggest battle yet, but as usual, careful planning will get you 
out alive. Split your party into two groups and send your main group northwest 
over the indoor moat. Keep heading northwest with that group until you can 
circle down south to the throne room where Ena lays. 

Have your second smaller group(with Volke in it) head directly north, with 
Volke raiding the treasure room along the way. Send them directly west as well 
and have Volke loot every treasure room he can.

The group heading north then west will also fight Kasatai along the way, and 
he's sort of like a mini-boss. He's not difficult to defeat, but be warned! He 
has both a Brave Lance(which lets him attack twice in a row), and the Wrath 
skill! If you get his health low without killing him, he could put some 
serious hurt on your units. Just use long range attacks and magic to put him 
out of his misery, and he won't even get a single hit in on you.

Your two parties should meet just above the throne room. Head southeast from 
there, killing along the way, but stop before you get into the white armored 
general's range. That's Tauroneo, and you can recruit him. Ike can easily stop 
just outside of his range, then run right up to him and talk to him. Easy, 
yes. 

Once you get Tauroneo, have everyone charge the throne room and gang up on 
Ena. Do not attack her at melee range if you can avoid it, she's the strongest 
boss up to this point. She also recovers 10 HP per turn(partially due to the 
Seize square, partially because of her Renewal skill), so you'll want to take 
her down quickly. If you want to make things easier, wait until you've raided 
all the treasures, then steal Ena's Elixir with Volke. Then get him the hell 
out of the way either with Reyson, or just move again if Volke has the Knight 
Ring equipped. Once Ena finally falls, seize the spot she's standing on and 
you've won! Congrats!

~Character Profile: Tauroneo~
Sorry, folks, I never used him. You really only need one Knight/General in the 
game, and you've had Gatrie for the longest amount of time. In my opinion, 
Gatrie > Tauroneo > Brom, or at least that's the way it seems. I never used 
Brom or Tauroneo, but he does seem to have a nice redeeming factor with a 
built-in Resolve skill. Plus he comes with an Occult scroll! Rock on!
Use him?: Why bother? You have a perfectly good General, unless Gatrie got 
killed. ?/10

----------------
Chapter 22: Solo
----------------
Victory: Defeat boss
Units: 11
New Characters: None
Items: Killer Bow(Boss drop), Chest Key x2(drop), Bolting tome(drop), Sleep 
staff(Left room, bottom chest), Nosferatu tome(left room, middle chest), 
Spirit Dust(left room, top chest), Silver Bow(right room, bottom chest), 
Tomahawk(right room, middle chest), Bolganone tome(right room, top chest) 

You have never faced this many enemies at once so far! At first, this battle 
looks like it's hopeless, but trust me, it's not. Most of the priests are 
unarmed and at a low level. True to what the boss says, they are the shields 
of the real enemies here. Try not to kill any of the priests, or your Bonus 
EXP will suffer, and you won't get the really cool S rank staff at the end.

The best thing to do to avoid killing the priests is shove them out of your 
way. I know your parents told you not to push people out of the way, but we 
have to be a bit impolite here. If you're anything like me, you don't shove 
people around too much in this game, but now's your chance. Shove them out of 
your way to get into the treasure rooms east and west of your starting point, 
then kill the enemies in the rooms. Once you've cleared everybody out of the 
way save for the priests and grabbed the items in the chests, regroup in the 
center and move north, several people at a time. 

It can get pretty crowded as you move north, so I recommend sending only 4 
units or so to the top. Reinforcements will appear from the entrances east and 
west of your starting point, so keep a few people behind to deal with them. 
You will likely need Volke to get all of the treasure chests in this level, 
but if you have any spare chest keys from previous Chapters, now is one of the 
best times to use them. If you have one extra, it's better to just let Volke 
take one side, then give another party member an extra chest key and take the 
other side.

While you move up the central hallway, shove as many of the priests to the 
side as you can. Some of them, like Tomenami, are Bishops equipped with Light 
tomes. Keep a careful eye on your units' ranges and the enemies' ranges. You 
don't want to kill any of the priests by accident, so don't place any melee 
units directly next to the Bishops, or long range units one space away from 
the bishops. If your units counterattack, they will likely kill the priests by 
mistake. You don't want that.

The boss himself is extremely easy if you have some free inventory space for 
Volke. Position a high defense unit(I used Gatrie) two spaces away from the 
boss, and he'll use his Killer Bow to attack. Even if he does critical, a unit 
with high defense should easily be able to survive it. Then sneak in, steal 
his Killer Axe, then hit him at melee range over and over. He should go down 
without a fight, and he'll drop his Killer Bow to boot! By the way, one of the 
priests next to the boss has a Physic staff. You might want to steal that off 
of him if you have the room to carry it.

Victory is yours, and if all of the priest survived, not only will you get a 
very generous amount of Bonus EXP, but you'll also receive the Ashera staff, 
which is the S rank staff. Congratulations!

----------------------------
Chapter 23: The Great Bridge [theg]
----------------------------
Victory: Seize
Units: 13
New Characters: Ranulf(Cat)- joins automatically), Haar(Wyvern Lord)- talk 
with Jill
Items: Flame Lance(Boss drop), Heavy Spear(drop), Blizzard tome(drop), 
Longbow(drop), Killer Bow(drop), Hammerne staff(speak with "Woman" at your 
Base)

Ranulf returns! He WOULD interrupt a nice moment like that, go figure.

Before you go into battle, speak with "Woman" at your Base. Aimee, the item 
vendor, will give you a Hammerne staff, quite possibly the most valuable item 
in the game.

The bridge itself has a series of sinkhole traps in it. If a unit moves over 
any of the traps, he or she will stop in it and be stunned until the enemies' 
turn comes around. I'm going to do you a favor and list where all the traps 
are, in the usual X(horizontal) and Y(vertical) coordinates format, going from 
left to right and bottom to top:
[X 15, Y 4], [X 17, Y 2], [X 17, Y7], [X 17, Y8], [X 20, Y 3], [X 20, Y 4], [X 
20, Y 5], [X 23, Y 4], [X 24, Y 7], [X 26, Y 2], [X 31, Y 1], [X 33, Y 7]

Now that that's out of the way, you can enjoy the battle! Just advance all of 
your units across the bridge except for Jill. Leave her behind, you'll find 
out later. If you're using Rolf or Shinon, give them a Longbow and they can 
easily reach the archers in the ballistas before moving in behind them. It 
just removes the threat that much quicker.

It goes without saying that you need to be careful of the ballistas' ranges. 
Keep your fragile units back until you disarm the ballistas by killing the 
archers manning them. If you're using Reyson, take even more caution. One 
arrow from any of them is enough to kill him instantly.

As you advance, be careful of the trap holes. Your units won't take damage, 
but they'll be immobilized. That can leave them in a precarious position. 
Later in the map, Haar and a small squad of Wyvern Riders will appear at your 
starting point. Talk to Haar with Jill and he'll join up with you. Then just 
have Jill clear out the reinforcements that linger at the far east portion of 
the map.

Eventually, you'll get your first glimpse of Lucia and Bastian, several 
Crimean soldiers. They'll send in some Paladins as reinforcements. Don't even 
regard them, they'll usually just kill a Wyvern Rider or two before getting 
killed. They won't attack Petrine(and wisely so, she'd roast them!), so you 
can fight her unhindered.

As for Petrine, she'll put up a good fight with her spiky bangs of doom and 
her Flame Lance. The thing is, her lance actually does magical damage like the 
Sonic Sword(using her MAG and your units' RES to calculate damage). So just 
send any unit with decent RES to take her down. Attack her with Soren and 
you'll see an interesting exchange. Once Petrine finally bites the dust, seize 
the spot she was standing on and you win.

~Character Profile: Ranulf~
After getting beaten up by random villagers, almost killed by the Black 
Knight, and disappearing for almost half the game, Ranulf's back in full 
force. Luckily, he's strong enough to justify joining late. All of his stats 
are great except for RES, and the only reason I made fun of him through this 
walkthrough is because he's my single favorite character in the game. He's 
well-rounded(read: exceeds in all areas but RES) enough to serve you well, and 
he's likely the best candidate for the Demi Band.
Use him?: Best Laguz in the game except for the three kings. You tell me. 
10/10

~Character Profile: Haar~
His eyepatch reminds of when Kramer had one on Seinfeld. :P nonetheless, his 
stats look pretty solid. I never used him, but I hear he can make a solid 
alternative to Jill if she gets screwed for stats. I suppose he's all right, 
but I have yet to form a definitive rating for him as a result of not using 
him. Sorry about that.
Use him?: he does have good weapon levels, too. If you don't want Jill... ?/10

--------------------------
Chapter 24: Battle Reunion [batt]
--------------------------
Victory: Arrive in 15 turns
Units: 11
New Characters: Lucia(Swordmaster) and Bastian(Sage)- both will arrive on turn 
2, Geoffrey(Paladin)- joins automatically after battle
Items: Savior scroll(north house), Nihil scroll(southwest house)

This Chapter is a bit unusual. The boss is not guarding the spot you have to 
Arrive on. The goal is in the northwest, and the boss is actually to the 
south, across the river from your troops. Geoffrey is to the north, guarding 
the castle instead. Don't worry about him, he'll be fine.

Split your party up into two groups and take a larger group west across the 
river to meet Rikard(the boss) and the troops over there. By now, you should 
have no problem slicing, stabbing, hacking, and magicing through them. Be sure 
to visit the house to the west before finishing the Chapter. As usual, take 
out the ballistas as soon as possible to avoid a major hassle later on.

Send a smaller group north to the house, also killing enemies along the way. 
This group will have to deal with some Wyvern Riders and Wyvern Lords, as well 
as a berserker who could be a real threat if he criticals. Just do a sort of 
pincer attack between the two groups, ending at the castle itself. It'll be no 
problem.

On turn 2, Bastian and Lucia will show up on the field at your starting point. 
Get them away from the starting point, because once you get into Rikard's 
range, guess who appears again...

The Black Knight! Yup, he's back again! Same as before, you still can't kill 
him, so just keep away. If you fight him with Ike anyway, they'll have a short 
exchange and the Black Knight will disappear. 

Rikard himself is decently strong. He has both a Short Axe and a Silver Blade, 
plus the Parity skill. That means you can't use any of your skills when 
fighting him, but he'll still go down pretty quickly. Not much else to say 
about this Chapter, you shouldn't need the whole 15 turn limit. Also, take 
note of Geoffrey's units. He has on his side the only Valkyrie in the game 
other than Mist.

Another cool scene will take place with Ike. This totally lays the foundation 
for a battle of epic proportions!

~Character Profile: Bastian~
The last magic user to join you, Bastian is probably the worst. His stats are 
unremarkable, he can't use staffs, and he has the useless Corrosion skill. 
Soren can use wind magic WAY better than this guy can. On the plus side, his 
Shakespearean English style of speaking put a smile on my face more than once.
Use him?: No. All the other Mages can do what he can, only better. 4/10

~Character Profile: Lucia~
Again, her personality is cool, but Lucia can't hold a candle to Mia, Stefan, 
or Zihark(my order of preference for the other Swordmasters). Her STR kind of 
lags, which is a liability at this stage of the game, and she could have a way 
better skill built in than Parity. The rest of her stats are okay, and if you 
haven't trained a Swordmaster but REALLY want one, I suppose she's passable.
Use her?: Only if you're desperate to have at least one lean, mean, critical 
hit-scoring machine on your team. 6/10

~Character Profile: Geoffrey~
The last paladin to join you in the game, Geoffrey is one of the best! He can 
use both lances and bows, and he comes with the Paragon skill. He's at a good 
level(11), and combined with that and Paragon, he's immediately usable. When 
he reaches level 20, dump Paragon for something else. Paladins are commonplace 
in this game, but he's probably the best of them all. And look at that DEF! 
That is some nice DEF. But DEF aside, the rest of his stats are rather well-
rounded too. Plus he comes with a useful Brave Lance.
Use him?: If you can spare a unit slot, go for it! 9/10

-------------------------
Chapter 25: Strange Lands [stra]
-------------------------
Victory: Rout
Units: 12
New Characters: Largo(Berserker)- talk with "Man" at your Base
Items: Bolt Axe(boss drop), Purge tome(drop), Laguzslayer(drop)

First things first. Talk to the "Man" waiting at your base, and you'll get the 
chance to hire Largo, a "world-class berserker". I recommend you do, because 
he really can come in handy for the last few Chapters.

The first thing I have to point out are the boulders. The enemies will push 
them down the hill, and whoever gets caught in their path(friend or foe) will 
take 10 damage. Don't group your units together if you can help it, and 
remember that the boulders won't travel straight. If you can rush up with a 
flying unit and exterminate the enemies manning the boulders before they push 
them, so much the better. It would be best if a staff user had a Physic or two 
to cover everyone just in case.

The Chapter is all uphill from here. Literally. Mounted units have their 
movement reduced on this map, so you may want to leave them out. The boss 
carries a Bolt Axe, and he's not afraid to use it. I actually suggest having 
Jill or any other flier charge straight up the middle of the level, and taking 
the boss head on. The Bolt Axe won't do enough damage to make him a serious 
threat.

Split your party in two, and move up the sides of the hill. Kill as you go, 
and don't take any stupid risks. This chapter is only as difficult as you make 
it for yourself.

There are a few Physic-using enemy Bishops here too, so have whatever 
characters you can use long-range magic. Soren can likely use Blizzard at the 
time, and Calill(if you feel like using some Bonus EXP on her) will perform 
easily with any long range magic. Have them assist in taking out the boss if 
possible.

Ranulf's right. This is just one big mess...

~Character Profile: Largo~
FINALLY, we get a Berserker! They're my favorite non-magic class in this whole 
series, it's just too bad we only get Largo now. Personally, I think he's 
underrated. Yes, I know his DEF and RES are horrible, but he is ALL offense! 
If you want to Bonus EXP abuse him for a few levels, his defense will merely 
be adequate, but that's all he needs to wreak some havoc. His STR is some of 
the best in the game, and everything else is decent except for DEF and RES. If 
you REALLY want to kick some ass with him, give him Wrath or Resolve as 
skills. I personally think he's a great asset overall. Too bad he comes so 
late in the game.
Use him?: Absolutely! With the right skills, he can be the most offensively 
strong unit in the game! 7/10

------------------
Chapter 26: Clash! [clas]
------------------
Victory: Seize
Units: 19(!)
New Characters: Elincia(Princess Crimea)- joins automatically
Items: Runesword(boss drop), Silver Sword(drop), Laguz Bow(drop), Laguz 
Lance(drop), Laguz Axe(drop)

As soon as you leave your Base, you'll see a scene with Elincia. She'll join 
your army- 21 Chapters too late(and she's also mandatory to take into battle)! 
She claims the pegasus belonged to her great-grandmother. Those things must be 
long-lived.

You can take 19 units with you, and I think that's rather excessive. You 
likely don't have 19 strong units, so anywhere from 12-15 will do just fine. 
Just focus on taking your main team, whoever they may be.

As for this battle... I'm not going to list too much advice. This is a big, 
easy Chapter, and a lot of fun. There are next to no obstacles on the field, 
and there are so many different ways of tackling the enemies that I can't list 
them all. Just use whatever methods come to mind, and don't take unnecessary 
risks. Keep your fragile units away from the heavy-hitting enemies, and you'll 
do just fine.

As for Bertram, steal his Spear then beat him to death with a magic unit. You 
want that Runesword. He's not difficult at all. Seize the entrance to the fort 
after killing Bertram, and you're done!

~Character Profile: Elincia~
Elincia also has a unique character class. Think of her as a Falco Knight who 
uses staffs instead of lances. She's great for healing, although not so hot 
for attacking. She does, however, come with her own sword, Amiti. It has 
unlimited uses, strikes consecutively like a Brave Sword, and increases her 
DEF and RES by 3. If you want to level her up fairly easily, you might want to 
let her get some easy 1 HP kills, but other than that, you should stick to 
healing. If you have some Bonus EXP to spare, you may as well throw at least 
some her way. Elincia also holds the honor of being the last Beorc to join 
your party.
Use her?: yes, but more as a healer. 7/10

--------------------------
Chapter 27: Moment of Fate [mome]
--------------------------
Victory: Arrive
Units: 11
New Characters: Ena(Red Dragon) or Nasir(White Dragon)- depends on the fight 
with the Black Knight
Items: Occult scroll(boss drop),  Double Bow(drop), Chest Key x3(drop), Silver 
Lance(drop), Door Key x2(drop), Spear(east treasure room, right chest), 
Fortify staff(east treasure room, left chest), Resolve scroll(west treasure 
room, top chest), Bolganone tome(west treasure room, left chest), Laguz 
Axe(west treasure room, right chest), Physic staff(middle room, right chest), 
Silver Lance(middle room, left chest), Ragnell(see below)

Big tip: Stilettos are now available at the item shop! Buy two or three for 
Volke, and he can slice through Knights and Generals like a flamethrower 
through Frosty the Snowman. 

Before you begin this battle, I HIGHLY recommend you have Ike at level 20. Use 
Bonus EXP to max out his level if you have to, and make sure his STR and SKL 
are both maxed out(at 26 and 27, respectively). Also, give Mist a Physic staff 
if you've been using her a lot(which I have). She can be a lifesaver in the 
coming battle. If you haven't used her a lot(or at all), load Ike up with 
Elixirs. He'll need them.

This chapter is only slightly tricky. Send someone to kill the Thief to the 
west as soon as possible. He has the valuable Double Bow, which is the best 
bow in the game! Split your party into three groups to go left, right, and up. 
Keep a healer to each group as well. Bring Volke too, he'll have a lot of 
stealing and treasure raiding to do. This is your last chance to use Volke's 
five finger discount, so have fun with it!

There's not much else I can say until you get to the Black Knight after 
Arriving. Fight well, fight smart, and stay alive. Oh, and steal everything 
that isn't nailed down from your enemies. You need all the Physic staffs you 
can get.

Once you open the previously hidden north area and the east and west treasure 
rooms, a great many more enemies will be revealed to you. Stay in the doorways 
and kill them as they come to you. Then raid the chests and loop a few units 
into the room in the middle of the map. Once you've gotten all the treasure 
chests on the map, move up to take out the boss.

The boss has a Knight Ward equipped, so you might have difficulty killing him 
quickly. The good news is you have a choice of weapons to steal off of him. 
Either place a unit two spaces away from him, let him use his Spear and steal 
his Brave Lance, or just go up to him and swipe his Spear. Your choice, but I 
prefer to go for the Brave Lance. Kill him, take the Occult scroll he drops, 
then seize the spot he was on to proceed to one of the coolest battles in the 
game...

--------------------------------------
Chapter 27 Part 2: Black Knight battle
--------------------------------------
Victory: ???
Units: Ike and Mist
Items: Ragnell

This is it. The climax of the game. Ike vs. the Black Knight. One on one. Plus 
Mist. Yeah, even if you didn't use Mist in the Chapter, she'll still appear in 
the room with them. If you have been using her, she can come in handy to heal 
Ike as he battles the Black Knight. If you haven't been using her throughout 
the game, just have her Escape. Oh, and pray that you gave Ike an Elixir or 
two.

Once you arrive in the room, Ike will have the blessed sword, Ragnell, in his 
inventory. This is the ONLY weapon that can damage the Black Knight. As for 
the fight, it's not nearly as hard as it's made out to be. Not if you took 
note of two things I mentioned earlier: 1) Make sure Ike's STR and SKL are 
maxed out, and 2) he has the Aether skill. Those are BOTH crucial! Basically, 
this battle is all about luck. If Aether activates maybe two or three times, 
you're good to defeat him. Be sure Ike is standing RIGHT next to the black 
Knight, because Aether won't activate if you attack at long range with 
Ragnell. Be warned that the Black Knight also has the Luna skill on him, and 
if it activates, you will take VERY heavy damage. Just be thankful his 
critical % is 0(I think).

Remember that the chance for Aether to activate is equal to Ike's SKL as a 
percentage. If it's maxed out, you have a 27% chance to activate it, which is 
just over a 1 in 4 chance. If it doesn't activate, you'll do 9 damage at the 
most. There's not much else to say about the battle. If you're fully prepared 
like I outlined above, just park yourself in front of the Black Knight, attack 
like mad, heal when necessary, and get a good luck charm.

As a note of caution, several enemy reinforcements will appear on turn 3(I 
think... correct me if I'm wrong). One of them will be a Bishop. He has 
Physic. I think it goes without saying that you need to end the battle 
quickly, if only because of that! Otherwise, combined with Renewal and the 
Bishop, that Black Knight will not go down easily if he appears.

For good or ill, the battle will end either once you've defeated the Black 
Knight, the battle took more than 5 turns, or you Escape. If you kill the 
Black Knight, you get the good scene and Nasir will(FINALLY!!!) join your team 
in the next Chapter. If either of the latter two outcomes occur, you get the 
bad scene and Ena joins your party instead. Either way, the BK is toast.

~Character Profile: Nasir~
One of two Dragons who can potentially join you, Nasir is the stronger of the 
two. He comes at level 18(!) and to be honest, most of his stats are just 
average. His movement isn't good enough to keep up with the rest of your 
group, and most of his stats, although pretty good, are usually just enough to 
get by with him... not what you'd expect from an ancient, powerful Dragon.
Use him?: you have no choice in the last Chapter, but for Chapter 28 I say 
yes. Just be prepared to let him get a few kills and get him to level 20. 6/10

~Character Profile: Ena~
If you get the bad ending to the Black Knight fight, you get Ena instead of 
Nasir. This is a mixed blessing. You see, she comes at a lower level and has 
predictably inferior stats to Nasir as a result. The good news is that she has 
more room to grow because of that lower level. She just might end up being 
stronger than Nasir overall, but you'll have a hell of a lot of training to do 
if you want that result.
Use her?: you have no choice in the last Chapter, but if you want to level her 
up, then by all means do so. 6/10 

-------------------------
Chapter 28: Twisted Tower [twis]
-------------------------
Victory: Seize
Units: 12
New Characters: Tibarn(ally only)
Items: Rexbolt(boss drop)

Before you begin this Chapter, I strongly suggest you get at least one Laguz 
weapon for each of the characters you're bringing into this battle. You are 
about to fight a LOT of Laguz.

Here we go. The second-to-last Chapter in the game. We're almost there. The 
vast majority of the enemies in this Chapter are assorted Laguz, including... 
*gulp* Dragons! How the Daein army got a hold of THEM is anyone's guess, but 
the fact remains: they are the hardest normal enemies to kill in the game, and 
I'm going to devote a whole paragraph just to killing them in a moment.

Apart from the Dragons, this is a fairly easy Chapter. Tibarn joins your group 
as an ally, so you get to Direct him with Ike. I personally like to have him 
Avoid all the enemies so you can get all the EXP, but that's just me. Just 
advance as a group, kill whatever comes your way, and STAY OUT OF THE DRAGONS' 
RANGE until you're absolutely ready to take them down.

Now, as I promised, here's how I deal with the Dragons. They are weak to 
Thunder magic, but their resistance is so blasted high that it doesn't make 
much of a difference. I prefer to forget about Thunder and just use Ike to 
weaken them. With Ragnell, he can attack from long range, and he'll deal 
respectable damage with it. Laguz Bows are a huge help, as well as Killer 
Axes. In fact, if you use Boyd or Largo, and they get a critical hit, they can 
kill them or come close to killing them in one attack! Basically, you want to 
keep out of their ranges until you're ready, then rush them and deal with them 
in a single turn. If the Dragons get the chance to attack anyone, the damage 
could potentially be irreparable.

The rest of the Chapter is standard stuff. It's a wide open expanse, so you 
can fight freely without having to worry about moving around. The boss has a 
Bolting tome and Rexbolt, the S rank Thunder tome. He won't move, so stay at 
least 10 spaces away at all times. When you're ready, move your units into his 
range and let him use Bolting on somebody. When he does, he won't be able to 
attack at short range, so just rush him and beat him into submission before he 
can fight back with Rexbolt. Once he falls, Seize the spot that was behind 
him, and you win!

---------------------
Endgame: Repatriation [repa]
---------------------
Victory: Defeat Ashnard
Units: 14
New Characters: Tibarn(Hawk King), Giffca(Lion), or Naesala(Raven King)- see 
below
Items: Physic staff(drop), Speedwing(drop)

Before you go into battle, I suggest you use all your Bonus EXP on your units 
who have not yet gotten to level 20. Use all your stat up items as well if you 
haven't already. It's also a good idea to buy fresh weapons for everybody, and 
make sure they're the strongest weapons that they can use(Killer, Brave, 
Silver, and so forth). Physic is available at the item shop, so buy new Physic 
staffs for everybody who can use them. Oh, and give everybody an Elixir or two 
afterwards if you can afford it.

Once you arrive at the palace, a scene will occur. Now it's up to you to move 
up to Ashnard and take him out! If you look at the map, the amount of enemies 
will seem overwhelming. Don't worry... it is! At least, if you decide to split 
up your party this time. This is the hardest mission in the game, but it's not 
impossible.

*Note: Whichever Dragon joined your party has to go with you on this mission.

Once one turn has passed, you'll get the option to bring one of the Laguz 
Kings on the field! DO IT! It doesn't matter which one, they're all godly in 
terms of power! I like Giffca the most, but Naesala is my favorite in terms of 
personality... actually, Giffca has the highest STR, Naesala is the fastest 
and comes with Vantage and Vortex(his Wind attack), and Tibarn strikes more of 
a balance between SPD and STR. Any one of them will be a huge help.

What you want to do is move everyone straight up the middle of the level. Only 
let Ike into Bryce's range, and the two of them will fight it out. Ike can 
easily defeat Bryce, who will die a true warrior's death(based on the dialogue 
between him and Ike). Then come the Dragons...

When dealing with these monstrous reptiles again, do what you did before. Just 
wait things out, heal your characters, and take them on one at a time. Once 
the Dragons are killed, barricade the entrances to the fountain. Wait for the 
enemies to come to you, and kill them as they approach. Just send flying 
units(I used Jill and Elincia) or mounted units out to kill the enemy Bishops 
before they can heal anybody, then have them retreat back to the fountain 
immediately.

Once you have a clear path to the north, move up towards Ashnard as a group. 
Don't bother with the rest of the enemies to the sides, and only kill those 
who get in your way. Once you get to Ashnard, it's a whole other game...

Ashnard does not mess around. His sword is a long range weapon like Ike's, and 
he packs a MAJOR punch! The only characters who can damage him are Ike(with 
Ragnell), your Laguz King, and Nasir(I never got Ena, so the jury's out as to 
whether she can damage him. Can anyone confirm this?). Just whittle him down, 
and heal your attackers with Physic. Ashnard is the most powerful enemy in the 
game, as one would expect. He's big, he's strong, he's tough, and he's fast. 
But he's not unstoppable. With a bit of planning and luck, he will fall 
easily.

Once you defeat Ashnard, the Epilogue will begin. Some more secrets are 
revealed, but I won't say anything else about it except for two things: 1) the 
ending TOTALLY leaves the door open for a sequel, which I hope they will have, 
and 2) during Ike and Elincia's cut scene, listen carefully. You can hear the 
classic Fire Emblem theme playing in the background. Listen closely...

-----------
Weapon List
-----------

Coming soon...


---------
Item List
---------

Coming soon...

------
Extras [extr]
------

Coming soon... I just have to get a GBA so I can connect my GBA Fire Emblems 
up to the Gamecube and get all the other maps.

---------------------
Copyright Information [copy]
---------------------

This FAQ/walkthrough is the intellectual property of Jonny Humphries, 
copyright 2006, except in areas otherwise noted. Only Gamefaqs.com has 
permission to host this FAQ, as it is the only site I will be sending updates 
to. Do not rip any of this off, do not copy it illegally or sell it for 
profit. Basically, please leave it alone. If you want to use sections of it or 
something like that, e-mail me with your request and I will likely say yes, 
depending on what you're asking. And if you want to copy and paste this onto a 
wordprocessor and save it on your computer, by all means do so. In fact, if 
it's more useful that way, I encourage it. Just respect my work, please.

-------------------
Contact information [cont]
-------------------
you may reach me at the e-mail address: ultimate_jonny_2(at)hotmail(dot)com. 
Generally, I won't take long with responding unless I am busy, but don't take 
it to heart if I don't respond right away. I have a job, I have friends, I 
have other things to do besides gaming. You MAY e-mail for:
-general comments about the guide
-CONSTRUCTIVE criticism, i.e., suggestions for improvement
-compliments
-additions or things I might have missed
-alternate strategies
-questions that aren't answered in the walkthrough. I try my best, but there 
are things I may have missed. I'm not perfect, embarrassing as that may be. :(

Please do NOT e-mail me with:
-bland, groundless, or insulting criticism
-messages with lots of l33t speak or poor spelling, punctuation, or grammar
-things like "OMG jill su>