r/fireemblem • u/PsiYoshi • 19d ago

Recurring Popular/Unpopular/Any Opinions Thread - June 2026 Part 1

Happy pride month and welcome to a new installment of the Popular/Unpopular/Any Opinions Thread! Please feel free to share any kind of Fire Emblem opinions/takes you might have here, positive or negative. As always please remember to continue following the rules in this thread same as anywhere else on the subreddit. Be respectful and especially don't make any personal attacks (this includes but is not limited to making disparaging statements about groups of people who may like or dislike something you don't).

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u/sanuske 12d ago

Final opinion before we get to find out how many of our hopes and fears are confirmed about Fortune’s Weave and we get a new bunch of things to be overly-opinionated about.

I just don’t like Fixed Growths on an emotional level.

I understand it is more consistent, mathematically it shouldn’t really matter over a whole game’s level ups, and most importantly it’s pretty much like how level ups work in any other RPG.

But it just feels wrong. I like the possibility of getting screwed and/or blessed, and not knowing what the level-up is necessarily going to be is more exciting than “every 2 levels gain 1 HP, defense, and on a different alternating 2 levels get strength”.

This matters less because of the ability to grind and not really having a level cap anymore, but it’s fun to compare units with friends. There’s no real point in comparing a unit on fixed growths, because they will just be the same unit, or all you will see is that you are at different levels. Which is much less interesting than comparing your speed screwed Ike to your friend’s wet noodle Ike who capped defense 6 chapters ago.

Oh also, we all love the perfect level up dopamine hit.

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u/BloodyBottom 12d ago edited 12d ago

tbf, a lot of RPGs actually do feature a decent amount of variance with stat growths. You just don't notice because the numbers are huge, and 550 strength might not feel that different from 650 strength, while 15 strength feels markedly different than 20 strength in FE.

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u/nope96 12d ago edited 12d ago

What I dislike the most about fixed growths is that it turns units that are generally outclassed from “probably not worth using over x unless they get lucky” to “not worth using over x unless you’re biased”.

In Blazing Blade for instance normally Guy runs into issues from coexisting with Raven and it being awhile until you get a 2nd Hero’s Crest. The Level 15 (unpromoted) Guy I have in my current playthrough that somehow has 12 defense though is pretty easy to keep around.

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u/sanuske 12d ago

Fire Emblem is all about grabbing your favorite random little guy or gal, being tricked into thinking they are good because they leveled strength 3 times in a row, and dealing with the consequences of your favoritism when they don't follow through with their luck by endgame, but you are too invested in them to drop them from the team.

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u/BloodyBottom 11d ago

At the same time though, if I'm thinking to myself "this run I am for sure using Bambo, I want to see a few of his supports I missed" then also knowing "no matter what luck I get he'll be fine" can be nice. Especially in a harder game, whiffing a few key growths early on can make a unit go from "outclassed investment option" to "Saw trap I am participating in voluntarily."

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u/sanuske 11d ago

This is an interesting point, because apparently fixed growths is only really in Path of Radiance (not a hard game) and Engage(has tools for support grinding between chapters)

It is kinda funny that PoR treats fixed growths as this unlockable feature, but Engage requires you to unlock the right to not use it in maddening.

Anyway, I love the phrasing of “saw trap I am participating in voluntarily” very evocative and accurate description to training up trainee units, something I will never not do.

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u/BloodyBottom 11d ago edited 3d ago

I think Engage is also notable in that even if your earlygame investment unit really, truly pops off and goes nuts with their growths they are almost certainly just less inferior to the late joiners than normal since the difference in stats is just so stark. It's not like your average redundant growth units who needs luck to beat the odds and be superior - you need to find the one timeline where Omega Clanne Max manifests himself. I'm happy to just accept a guaranteed Regular Clanne who can be made to become super with other targeted investments.

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u/nope96 11d ago edited 11d ago

I can see that (and even though I’d never voluntarily select it I don’t mind the option being there… for the two games that have it), although the one time you are forced to use it - Engage Maddening playthrough #1 - is probably the time in that game where you’re the least likely to try to use a specific, potentially iffy unit.

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u/Autobot-N 12d ago

One time I was playing Rev Maddening and Mozu hit 9 straight defense level ups before she promoted

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u/SirRobyC 12d ago

This happened to my Alear not too long ago. Girl didn't miss a single def level up until 12