Poll: Fire Emblem: Awakening - Which difficulty do you play on?

[Eduku]

I thought it would be interesting to see which difficulty modes people have been playing on, and how many people are making use of the new casual mode.

As a series veteran, my first playthrough was on hard classic, being the recommended difficulty for past players. I then moved onto lunatic casual to test the waters, but found it diminished my use of strategy due to lack of permadeath - I got into the habit of not thinking about where I was putting units and even sacrificing them to lure enemies out because I knew they'd be back in the next battle. So now I've braced myself and decided to overwrite it with a lunatic classic playthrough, and see just how many hairs I'll tear out.

So, which difficulty did you choose? And what do you think of the difficulty of Awakening?

 

[tippy2k2]

Hard Classic, though in retrospect, I wish I'd have just done normal for the first play-through (almost done with the game!).

On Hard mode, I just feel like I get screwed over by a lot of things that you have no control over sometimes. My main character getting killed by a critical on a 3% shot or four reinforcements showing up right behind my healer gets a lot of people killed and there's nothing I can do about it but take it like the little girl that I am...

ESPECIALLY that reinforcement crap. The game has become PAINFULLY slow because everyone stays in pairs at all times and we're all hugging each other like a giant hippy circle because any minute, the four freaking horsemen of the apocalypse could show up right behind our lines.

 

[Eduku]

ESPECIALLY that reinforcement crap. The game has become PAINFULLY slow because everyone stays in pairs at all times and we're all hugging each other like a giant hippy circle because any minute, the four freaking horsemen of the apocalypse could show up right behind our lines.

Yeah that's probably one of, if not THE worst aspect of hard and upwards, the fact that reinforcements can move on the same turn as they appear is really cheap, especially if you've spent time setting up this super impenetrable formation of doom. They do warn you before they come though, so just be paranoid and keep away from forts and map edges and you should be in the clear. Should being the key word here.

 

[StormShaun]

As a newcomer to the Fire Emblem series I couldn't help but do normal + casual mode.
Though do not worry fellow Fire Emblem fans, I have completed the game for a first time.

And yet soon I will complete my hazing (but more honorable) into the Fire Emblem fandom!
So basically I will try to again on classic mode to get the real feeling of the game.

I really enjoyed it the first time.
Especially the pairing up system.

 

[hazabaza1]

If/when I do get it it'll either be normal classic or hard classic.
Really enjoyed Radiant Dawn when I got to play it, but never had the chance to get to the end.

 

[Tethalaki]

I was new to Fire Emblem (I've only played one other similar game previously) so I chose Hard-Classic.

After about Chapter 10 or so I regretted not starting on Lunatic straight off the bat. I'm at about Chapter 12 on Lunatic and looking forwards to Lunatic Plus now.

If a game isn't making me pucker my arse-hole while I play it than I'm not truly having fun.

 

[Atmos Duality]

Played Classic Normal, and then a bit of Lunatic Casual.
Gave up when I grew tired of its awful, easily exploited AI.

 

[Lunar Templar]

norm/cas

cause I'm not a TBS person or a strategy person at all really

 

[LunaticPanda]

Hard-classic, for like the third time, I have a lunatic-classic run, but, I can't be as bothered with it as I would like to be. =(

 

[Mr. Omega]

Hard/Classic. I plan to beat it the "default" way first. I've beaten harder games in the series, I'm not letting this be where I back down. Though I certainly look forward to replaying in casual mode...

I also am trying not to go with any game-breakers. Not using Second Seals, avoiding using the children in story missions. This is basically a purist run. Next time is my "for the lulz" run.

I really like the option to turn off perma-death, even if I'm not using it yet. Not sure about the differences between Hard and Lunatic, so I can't comment on the rest of the difficulty, but the game does have a nice difficulty curve over the course of the campaign.

 

[TheEvilCheese]

First playthrough was hard/classic, laughably easy by then end because I had Manakete Morgan and Nah paired with Owain and Laurent. Nah or Morgan can literally solo any of the content in the game on H/C (I haven't bought DLC yet) and there was no real grinding involved.

About to start lunatic playthrough, looking forward to it. But I can already tell it's not going to be a hector hard mode, the inclusion of random battles changes everything.

 

[New Frontiersman]

I started with Normal Classic just to test the waters, because I hadn't played the series much before but now that I've finished that I'm playing a runthrough on Hard Classic. So far I'm doing pretty well. I'm also playing with a female main character on Hard Casual at the same time so that I can see the female support scenes.

 

[Byte2222]

Hard & classic, although I've still not finished it because it came out later in the UK and I have a degree/exams getting in the way. Only one more week! Hard is... plenty hard for a first playthrough, particularly because surprise reinforcements will tear you a new one. I have played previous Fire Emblems before (including Gaiden) but I don't tend to play on particularly hard difficulties.

 

[Moonlight Butterfly]

Normal and Classic.

I'm new to the game but someone told me that you get better at the battles if you have permadeath on. I am enjoying it a lot so far. Played it in hospital while drugged up to the eyeballs so I can't be that bad at it xD

 

[Gxas]

I can't really vote, considering that I'm playing normal/casual to experience the whole story/all the side missions, but will be playing all the other difficulties in due time. Of course, if I don't get it all finished by October, when Pokémon comes out, then it'll never get finished

 

[CleverCover]

Since its my first time ever playing a Fire Emblem Game...Normal+Casual.
I'm trying again on Normal+Classic. It sucks because every time I get far in a level, I lose a man and have to restart.
Never leave a man behind!

 

[NightmareExpress]

I don't get what the difference between classic and casual is (outside of epeen).
I play classic (because why not?) and restart if things go sour...but I'd most likely do the same in casual as well.
The permadeath feature and making units more personal is genius, but I don't think a majority of players take advantage of 'em at all. Just instantly reset, try again. No real consequences for your failure outside of another go at it.

Tis a shame, really.
Another(?) classic lunatic right here.
What's the difference between Lunatic and Lunatic+?

 

[TheJazzyH]

I don't get what the difference between classic and casual is (outside of epeen).
I play classic (because why not?) and restart if things go sour...but I'd most likely do the same in casual as well.
The permadeath feature and making units more personal is genius, but I don't think a majority of players take advantage of 'em at all. Just instantly reset, try again. No real consequences for your failure outside of another go at it.

Tis a shame, really.
Another(?) classic lunatic right here.
What's the difference between Lunatic and Lunatic+?

Lunatic+ is like Lunatic, except random enemies can come equipped with +versions of some of the best skills in the game, including Vantage+, Luna+, Aegis+, and Pavise+. The plus grants these skills 100% activation rates without any restrictions. Even bosses can have them. =(

I personally started on Lunatic, but started over on Hard-Classic after spending nearly a month just to get to Chapter 5 on Lunatic. Hard is perfect for me, as with most people, as I can enjoy the story while still getting a challenge gameplay-wise.

 

[SlaveNumber23]

I'm finding Hard + Classic to be a really good mix of fun and challenge. While Hard difficulty really isn't all that tough on its own, the real challenge is keeping absolutely everyone alive, particularly the squishy healers. I've had to even leave out the healers altogether on one of the fights because they kept getting picked off by enemies with a huge movement range.

Also, does anyone think that Frederick makes the game a little too easy? I paired him with Sumia so he gets enough speed to attack almost every enemy he encounters twice and he kills even boss units in a single turn with no troubles, taking barely any damage from enemy attacks. Its a viable strategy to just leave all your units at spawn and send Frederick into the middle of the enemies, where he decimates them all with counterattacks, barely losing any of his own hp.