As the conclusion to the Hoshido arc is drawing near, it's time to write a last progress report before wrapping up the whole thing. The final showdown is going to be bloody and messy, that much is sure: not only are story-related battles getting harder by the chapter, but I stopped clearing Challenges a couple of chapter ago in order to get in shape for the Nohr arc. The last three engagements, i.e. from chapter 23 to 25, were ruthless battles that I managed to win only by the skin of my teeth, with just a couple of characters still standing at the end. I was literally down to my last unit during the chapter 25 confrontation, with only Ryoma alive to slay the boss; you can easily imagine the relief that washed over me when this survivor hanging onto half of his HP bar landed a death blow on said boss. While I find the fact that Ryoma is so much more powerful than other units a bit overindulgent and ridiculous overall, his amazing capabilities certainly come in handy in such circumstances.
Ryoma "I save the day" aside, my final dream team comprises Corrin (obviously), Kaze, Scarlet, Kagero, Reina, Hinata, Oboro, Subaki, Hana, Azama, Takumi and Shura, as well as Caeldori and Hisame, who are respectively Subaki's daughter and Hinata's son. I generously used Master Seals on all units that could benefit from it, which led to most interesting class changes. Hana is now a Priestess and can wield both the bow and the staff; likewise, Azama has gained the ability to fling around the naginata when becoming a Great Master. Subaki and daughter Caeldori are now Falcon Knights and can also wield low-tier healing staves, which makes a grand total of four polyvalent units that can work both on the offensive and healing front. Most of my other units have become offensive powerhouses through the class change process: Hisame and Hinata are now Swordmasters, Kaze and Kagero are Master Ninjas, Oboro is a Basara and Takumi a Sniper, and all can wreak havoc on the battlefied. My force is overall well-balanced and doing a decent job on the battlefield, if not a stellar one; but I attribute my often lacklustre fighting performances to my lack of experience in the SRPG field. The only notable issue that cropped up lately is the weakness of my four flying units, who have been regularly and thoroughly overwhelmed in the last confrontations. They were doing a great job in the first twenty chapters with their ability to cover large expanses of terrain and scour isolated opponents out of the battlefield, but they are clearly reaching their limits in the last chapters. With hindsight, I wish I had ditched two or three of them earlier and focused on other potentially interesting offensive units; but what's done is done, and I have to make do with the force I created with my own hands.
For my fellow gamers interested in the romantic side of Fire Emblem, here are the pairings I managed to craft throughout my playthrough: Kaze/Corrin (obviously), Caeldori/Hisame, Takumi/ Kagero, Subaki/Hana and Hinata/Oboro. I also paired Orochi with Saizo and Silas with Azura in the early stages of my playthrough—before mercilessly ousting the four of them from my force as I focused on other units. As you can see, I played it safe and mostly went along the game's not-so-subtle pairing suggestions. Poor Ryoma didn't find a mate yet, nor did Azama and Shura; as for Reina and Scarlet, they are still single as well—courtesy of the game itself, which doesn't allow them to marry for some reason. All in all, I think we're pretty much set romantically, as I won't integrate any new units just for the sake of marrying my remaining trio of bachelors.
I'm now more eager than ever for wrap up my playthrough. Bring it on, game! My force is all prepped up and my body is ready! This is the final push, dear fellow gamers; I'll see you when I'm done beating Garon to a pulp and dancing over his remains. Thanks for reading, and be my guest anytime!
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