Valkyria Chronicles Catch-All

I just finished this up over the weekend, and it definitely holds up.
The pig only makes a few minor appearances after the beginning, thankfully.

Shock troopers get better and better as the game goes on, I found. At first their low movement points and short range on the guns means they're not especially effective, but I think the maps near the end start favoring them more, and their hit points will be far higher than anyone else on your squad.

Eventually I found my "ideal" lineup, and once I did I rarely diverted from it.

Lineup wrote:

[color=white]
Scouts:
Alicia
Wavy
*Freesia (when more scouts needed)

Shock Troopers:
Rosie
Jane - She has a potential "Hard Worker" that sometimes lets her attack twice in the same turn.
*Lynn (when more shock troopers needed)

Lancers:
Largo
*Jann (armed with a mortar instead of lancer, only when needed)
*Hector/Walter (when extra lancer needed)

Engineers:
Karl
Nadine

Sniper:
Marina
[/color]

I have no idea if it's an ideal lineup, but I never had any problems with it.

If I could change a few things, the first thing I'd do is lessen the reliance on tanks. I loved my tanks, but they were a bit too strong. Advancing the tank and taking cover behind it was the default strategy on a few too many levels. I ended up really enjoying the missions where I didn't have a tank, for whatever reason, or when the tank was a liability.

Next, I'd either make Alicia, Rosie, and Largo non-optional characters, or I'd let you assign the * (star) to whichever characters you liked. Not bringing them along puts you at a big disadvantage, and I can't see why anyone would choose not to bring them along, so just take it a step further and require them to be there.

My last piece of advice would be to level your scouts to Level 11 ASAP - their upgrade makes them much more effective versus shock troopers, who tend to grind scouts up and spit them out.

So my final verdict is still very favorable. The gameplay holds up, despite a few snags/slogs/flaws and the story kind of holds up (but I wouldn't recommend it solely for the story).

I'd love to see another similar game from Sega - I know sales weren't spectacular in North America, but I hope the favorable reaction and sales elsewhere keep it going.

JohnnyBarnstorm wrote:

I get the impression, though, that there are several ways to solve this map... what did the rest of you do?

Spoilers wrote:

[color=White]I walked my closest shocktrooper up, killed the guys in the way, then walked to the back of the car where the glowing blue part is and killed it with two bursts. Won on the first turn. There's no reason to ever attack anything but the radiator when facing vehicles.[/color]

Scaphism wrote:

If I could change a few things, the first thing I'd do is lessen the reliance on tanks. I loved my tanks, but they were a bit too strong. Advancing the tank and taking cover behind it was the default strategy on a few too many levels.

You could get 'A' ratings doing that? Two action points is a great deal of Scout advancement to the next flag, or two reinforcements at a forward base. I found myself always dropping in with a minimal starting set of troops (2 to 4), and leapfrogging forward as fast as possible. The tank was a distant memory after the first move; it takes way too many AP to utilize it.

One of the things I liked best about this game was that you chose your own difficulty. Sure, you could advance slowly behind your armor and always keep in cover, but that would lead to a poor rating. If you wanted the 'A,' you had to get aggressive and take chances.

Scaphism wrote:

Shock troopers get better and better as the game goes on, I found. At first their low movement points and short range on the guns means they're not especially effective, but I think the maps near the end start favoring them more, and their hit points will be far higher than anyone else on your squad.

Well, I used Scouts primarily through the entire game. Except for the last one or two missions in which you are somewhat forced into using Shocktroopers and Lancers. My basic strategy was to run a bunch of Scouts around so I could get two or three people shooting all at once. So, basically, my ideal setup was all Scouts.*

I believe that once the Shocktroopers are up to Elite status then they get a movement bonus. Correct me if I'm wrong.

*This is actually my main gripe with the game. Engineers and Snipers are pretty useless. Actually, Snipers are almost always useless. I wanted to use them more, but their movement is so low that they can't go anywhere and with their chance to hit being fairly low (i.e. not 90%) through most of the game, well, they stink.

garion333 wrote:

*This is actually my main gripe with the game. Engineers and Snipers are pretty useless. Actually, Snipers are almost always useless. I wanted to use them more, but their movement is so low that they can't go anywhere and with their chance to hit being fairly low (i.e. not 90%) through most of the game, well, they stink.

I respectfully disagree. Engineers worked well as a pseudo scout for me, with the added bonus of being able re-load lancers and snipers as well as disable mines. Some of my favorite moments in the game were hearing the click as a scout stepped on a mine, ending my turn, and having an engineer disable the armed mine.

Also my snipers were death incarnate. I made sure to level them up as quickly as possible and with upgraded weapons, their hit rate quickly became almost 100%. It's true they are weak early on but once they hit elite and if you can find a nice nest you can control almost the entire map from one position.

Actually, Snipers are almost always useless. I wanted to use them more, but their movement is so low that they can't go anywhere and with their chance to hit being fairly low (i.e. not 90%) through most of the game, well, they stink.

I agree wholeheartedly with snipers needing more movement, but can't sign off on the rest. I found my snipers we vital in taking out particularly lethal units--other snipers, mainly.

Generally, I moved the big tank once a round to get past the hardened stuff, though I did this less once the scouts got the rifle grenades. The little tank, however, didn't see much action. I don't recall the shocktroopers getting enhanced movement like the scouts, but I did rely upon them pretty heavily, as my scouts tended to get blind-sided.

I haven't played this in weeks, but I really enjoyed it a lot. My first reaction was that it was as good as FFT, but that quickly fell apart upon reflection. Now I think of it as "as close to as good as FFT as we can expect". I'd eagerly snatch up another.

Have any of you guys beat the main character's special mission? I tried that bastard something like 8 times before I said "Screw it, I'll do it later," but I haven't been back yet.

Yeah, I certainly apologize for including Engineers. They were useful, but (and this is entirely my own fault) they died way too easy for me because they would just stand there while people would shoot them.

I started a new game + so I'll have to give snipers another go. As I said, I used Scouts primarily and because of their range of movement and the rpgs attachments I pretty much was able to do everything with them (except take out tanks).

In fact, I found the game to be a tad bit too easy on the normal setting, but loved just about every minute of it. VEGETABLES!!

I started a new game + so I'll have to give snipers another go.

Marina, in particular, when leveled to the Max get's something like "Ultimate Accuracy" or the like, which entirely eliminates the...uh..."Miss Circle" if you will. Where the crosshairs say the bullet will go is where it will go.

Mr Crinkle wrote:
Scaphism wrote:

If I could change a few things, the first thing I'd do is lessen the reliance on tanks. I loved my tanks, but they were a bit too strong. Advancing the tank and taking cover behind it was the default strategy on a few too many levels.

You could get 'A' ratings doing that? Two action points is a great deal of Scout advancement to the next flag, or two reinforcements at a forward base. I found myself always dropping in with a minimal starting set of troops (2 to 4), and leapfrogging forward as fast as possible. The tank was a distant memory after the first move; it takes way too many AP to utilize it.

One of the things I liked best about this game was that you chose your own difficulty. Sure, you could advance slowly behind your armor and always keep in cover, but that would lead to a poor rating. If you wanted the 'A,' you had to get aggressive and take chances.

I didn't say I got 'A' ratings, although I did on maybe...30% of the battles? (6 or so sounds about right.) It was always an option to win though, which is why I called it a default strategy. I didn't feel any compulsion to try and get an A rating on any of the maps, I just played to beat a map and move on. The game was long enough as is, without experimenting to find the best way to beat each map, but if that's what drove you, more power to you.
I rarely, if ever, called in reinforcements to any bases that I captured, I just plowed ahead with the troops that has successfully gotten through the map to that point.

As for which units worked best, scouts were maybe a bit too good. They really ended up being a do it all unit and it highlighted just how important movement points were.

I used engineers and snipers (Marina, mainly) extensively, and I always has Rosie and Largo around...but if Rosie and Largo did not give extra action points I hardly would have used them. I used my tank to take out enemy tanks, or when that wasn't possible/didn't work, I'd give a few of my units the anti-armor Order and send them around the back to shoot a radiator.

The engineers and scouts were pretty fragile, even though I had them leveled to ~16. My shock troopers and lancers were only level 12 or 13 and had far more hit points and many had resist crossfire, making them much more durable.

I still had a terrific time with it, but I wish those solutions hadn't been so similar. It led to me really enjoying and looking forward to the maps where I didn't have a tank with me.

I suspect you could play with a completely different strategy and still be successful, which is good to a degree, but at some point it becomes so easy that you don't really need any strategy to win, just pick a direction and go with it. I may pick it up again in a few months and try out New Game+ on hard mode to see what's different, but who knows?

I think I'm at about Chapter 4 right now. This is the first time I've played a strategy-type game and I'm loving it. I find that I'm really terrible at it, though. I don't particularly know what I'm doing when it comes to choosing squad members and such. And the idea of being able to get an A or B rating in the missions is pretty much foreign to me at this point. Mostly C and D thus far. I've been lumbering along similar to Scaphism's strategy. Move the tank, then hide people behind it. Time to try some new tactics.

I really like that it's making me step back and rethink my approach to the situation after I run through it the first time and get my ass handed to me.

How much thought do you guys put into which squad members you're choosing? Do you go through and compare who belongs in the city vs country, etc., or just kind of stick with your favorites?

Do you go through and compare who belongs in the city vs country, etc., or just kind of stick with your favorites?

Favorites, rotated out if it seemed like a really bad idea ("Sand Allergy" on the desert levels, for example).

I can't wait for a PS3 price drop, I really want to play this game. It sounds fantastic.

I got this for Xmas and I just don't have the time I want to sink into it. I'm going to have to wait until school's over in April.

Lard wrote:

I got this for Xmas and I just don't have the time I want to sink into it. I'm going to have to wait until school's over in April. :(

I bought it around Christmas, but it's a game where it's REALLY easy to pick up where you left off, since every battle is independent and you can always go back and watch earlier cutscenes. I've been playing a chapter every couple of weeks. Each battle can take anywhere from an hour and a half (for a skirmish map, for instance) to 4-5 hours if you are having a hard time. It's not like a traditional JRPG where if you leave it for a while, you have no idea what you were aiming for or who does what. The units are fairly simple, as are their abilities.

As an aside, I got Jann to join my army...

...wow.

Okay, I do a video podcast about gay themes in games. I am going to have to do one about the State of Gays In Games. Jesus. This dude, the first thing he says when he joins is heyyyyy soldier! and then rants on about muscles. He also wears eyeshadow.

Yep, he's on the same level as that horrible gay character from GTAIV. And the one from Enchanted Arms.

I thought Jann was a very butch woman. He/She also has the "Largo-Lover" attribute, and I think "likes men." In any case, there's no question whom Jann lusts for, just which team he/she starts for.

I like when the character has "fancies men" and "fancies women". I can't remember who that was . . . . Looked it up: Ted.

I'm not familiar yet with which characters are which, but the last mission I did was to cross the river and liberate the bridge (chapter 4). I forget the name of one of the lancers I was using, but that fool couldn't hit a damn thing. Seriously, I think I had him shooting at tanks every round and he missed every singe time. This was from across the street, not across the map.

The poor accuracy is the counter to the power of the Lancer. And yes, it sucks.

I usually would use up an extra turn/star/whatever to get the Lancer right behind something. I didn't find any reason to shoot at tanks except for the radiator/engine/whatever in the back. Too many shots otherwise.

JohnnyBarnstorm wrote:
Lard wrote:

I got this for Xmas and I just don't have the time I want to sink into it. I'm going to have to wait until school's over in April. :(

I bought it around Christmas, but it's a game where it's REALLY easy to pick up where you left off, since every battle is independent and you can always go back and watch earlier cutscenes. I've been playing a chapter every couple of weeks. Each battle can take anywhere from an hour and a half (for a skirmish map, for instance) to 4-5 hours if you are having a hard time. It's not like a traditional JRPG where if you leave it for a while, you have no idea what you were aiming for or who does what. The units are fairly simple, as are their abilities.

That's good to know, thanks. It's something I'd actually like to give my full attention though.

garion333 wrote:
Scaphism wrote:

Shock troopers get better and better as the game goes on, I found. At first their low movement points and short range on the guns means they're not especially effective, but I think the maps near the end start favoring them more, and their hit points will be far higher than anyone else on your squad.

Well, I used Scouts primarily through the entire game. Except for the last one or two missions in which you are somewhat forced into using Shocktroopers and Lancers. My basic strategy was to run a bunch of Scouts around so I could get two or three people shooting all at once. So, basically, my ideal setup was all Scouts.*

I believe that once the Shocktroopers are up to Elite status then they get a movement bonus. Correct me if I'm wrong.

*This is actually my main gripe with the game. Engineers and Snipers are pretty useless. Actually, Snipers are almost always useless. I wanted to use them more, but their movement is so low that they can't go anywhere and with their chance to hit being fairly low (i.e. not 90%) through most of the game, well, they stink.

I don't think any class gets a movement bonus at any point.
I think I've avoided plot spoilers, but there have been gameplay spoilers. Still, don't look if you don't want to know.

Class Upgrades wrote:

[color=white]
Scouts - at level 11 they get a grenade launcher, which dramatically increases their effectiveness vs shock troopers and makes them more versatile generally. They're still restricted to 1 grenade/turn unless an engineer restocks them.
Shock Troopers - They get a flamethrower, which can do pretty massive AOE damage on the horizon in front of them. Range is short, damage is large. Very effective against enemies hiding in grass.
Lancers - get access to a Mortar (which is a lot like the mortar on tanks.) However, unlike the other upgrades, equipping a lancer with a mortar is an either/or choice. You take the mortar, or you take your rocket lance. The flamethrower(shocktrooper) and grenade launcher (scout) is in addition to your normal rifle.
Sniper - No weapon upgrade, but by this time your basic sniper rifle is getting VERY accurate and very long range.
Engineer - No weapon upgrade, sorry.
[/color]

I found snipers really effective though - you just can't use them to move around. You plant them and that's it, but their range is so good they can cover effectively half of every map with decent sight lines. They were one of the only units I would ever summon to a forward base. And since I used tanks a lot, I found engineers very useful, especially the ability to resupply and repair.

Scaphism wrote:

I don't think any class gets a movement bonus at any point.

You're right, I looked over some stuff and what I'm thinking of is double movement, which is a potential.

Scaphism wrote:

I thought Jann was a very butch woman. He/She also has the "Largo-Lover" attribute, and I think "likes men." In any case, there's no question whom Jann lusts for, just which team he/she starts for. :)

Jann is most definitely a man. In his personel file, it refers to him as a him. He's just really effeminate.

Oh, hello. Good news. DLC confirmed for April.

That is great news. The hard mode doesn't sound particularly interesting (although I'll probably pick it up) but the new mission packs sound great, and they continue to flesh out the story which I still hold as a real strong point for the game.

I'm enjoying this game so much. I like that I can pick it up and play a mission or two as I have time, though I usually want for more time to lose myself in the story for longer stretches. Hopefully by 2021 I'll manage to get through the whole game so I can purchase the DLC content off the PS4 network...

fleabagmatt wrote:

I'm enjoying this game so much. I like that I can pick it up and play a mission or two as I have time, though I usually want for more time to lose myself in the story for longer stretches. Hopefully by 2021 I'll manage to get through the whole game so I can purchase the DLC content off the PS4 network...

I just got to that one part. Fousen. Yipes, I saw the Jewish allegory, but, that's pretty heavy stuff for a cartoony JRPG. And then in the next scene they have that damn pig again.

I'm in the same boat as you, though my progress has been stopped by that mission going up the cliff. Suddenly the difficulty is CRAZY high. I guess I'm supposed to keep using the smoke rounds. Or I have to keep doing the skirmishes until I have elite ranked troops... but I've been playing this since Christmas!

I picked this up yesterday played for about an hour, and so far I love it. Nice not to see the typical JRPG with the world ending, but no one really dies. Within the first couple scenes you get to see innocents get mowed down. I felt myself actually caring for the heroes, and believing that war is imminent.

I did find it amusing that the hero in the very beginning kills 3 soldiers, and in the next scene is happy go lucky.

I've got nothing constructive to offer other than fleabagmatt's pic kicks ass.

I cannot find a sealed copy of this new. I hate buying new games that are open (Gamestop, I'm looking at your shelf copies).

Grrrrrrrr.... I want this game for the weekend. I'm going to end up buying a damn "new" open game because of my weakness.

I cannot find a sealed copy of this new. I hate buying new games that are open (Gamestop, I'm looking at your shelf copies).

Grrrrrrrr.... I want this game for the weekend. I'm going to end up buying a damn "new" open game because of my weakness.

Right now, the guy at Sega who approves sequels is looking at the numbers of Valkyria, Magnus, and his finger is hovering on the "Approve" button. But he's wavering. He's looking at those numbers thinking "I dunno. If we sold one more copy, then sure, but...I just don't know."

Right now he's doing this.