Valkyria Chronicles Catch-All

Just started playing Valkyria myself.

I know I'm all late to the party since the VC is like a year old, but goddamn this game is awesome.

Aaron D. wrote:

Just started playing Valkyria myself.

I know I'm all late to the party since the VC is like a year old, but goddamn this game is awesome.

Well, *I* haven't played it yet, so you're still ahead of me It's been sitting on my pile since October. One of these days...

Aaron D. wrote:

Just started playing Valkyria myself.

I know I'm all late to the party since the VC is like a year old, but goddamn this game is awesome.

Turns out that late to the party means you can always get helpful advice on the game and most of the time, get a deal on it as well.

For those of you who just got the game, the DLC is still on sale I believe. It's $5 per pack, so a good opportunity to get some extra missions and a hard mode (if you want it).

Make sure you play the game on hard before you buy the Hard Ex mode (I think that's what it's called).

I got this from Amazon yesterday. I'm enjoying it so far, but I guess I just don't "get" the combat. I'm getting f'ing slaughtered on one of the opening missions. I forget it's name, but it's the one where Welkin shows up on turn 3 with a tank. You start with Alicia and 2 town watchmen. I can't keep Alicia alive.

As soon as I select someone, the game drops from the overhead down to the street level, and the shocktroopers immediately start ripping me to pieces. I've tried like 5 times, and in the last one, a ST ran right up to Alicia and shot her point blank in the face. Her grenades have been useless as she has pathetic range with them, and can't get close enough to throw one.

The combat procedure is, well, kind of odd. I don't like that as soon as I select someone and it drops into 'live' mode, I'm being wailed on before I can even press a button.

You have to remember that VC is a SRPG, meaning each side takes turns moving and engaging.

You can't play it like a shooter even though the field is presented in 3D. Think of it like playing chess.

Your girl is a scout, meaning she can't go up against a shock trooper directly (out in the open). The trick is to get close enough to your target to fire on them, but always have a cover point before engaging. On that level, go up the right side of the map (behind the buildings) and stick to crouching behind sandbags whenever you can.

Be aware that enemies will fire on you while you're moving, but the moment you press R1 to go into fire mode, they stop. Once you pick your target, go for the headshot. As soon as you finish, press X to crouch your character (takes less damage), and immediately press O to back out to your map as enemies will go back to firing on you once you finish your turn. All this works in reverse in your favor too.

The game is very tactical and rewarding, but you have to wrap your head around the rules before you can make progress.

Jeff-66 wrote:

I got this from Amazon yesterday. I'm enjoying it so far, but I guess I just don't "get" the combat. I'm getting f'ing slaughtered on one of the opening missions. I forget it's name, but it's the one where Welkin shows up on turn 3 with a tank. You start with Alicia and 2 town watchmen. I can't keep Alicia alive.

As soon as I select someone, the game drops from the overhead down to the street level, and the shocktroopers immediately start ripping me to pieces. I've tried like 5 times, and in the last one, a ST ran right up to Alicia and shot her point blank in the face. Her grenades have been useless as she has pathetic range with them, and can't get close enough to throw one.

The combat procedure is, well, kind of odd. I don't like that as soon as I select someone and it drops into 'live' mode, I'm being wailed on before I can even press a button.

It takes a bit to get used to it. With that mission you shouldn't ever have people close enough to shoot them point blank. You start on the right side of the street as I recall so on move 1 have the watchmen crouch behind the sandbags, then have Alicia use a grenade on the sandbags on the left. It is important because a character crouched is about impossible to kill and the enemy will crouch along those left sandbags. Now the mission for the enemy is to destroy the town gate so you are better off just letting them come to you. Welkin shows up on turn 3 and he is the only way you are going to destroy the tank so you job until turn 3 is to soften up the enemy.

Here is a great FAQ on the game and below is a spoiler of the mission - which is almost completely different than my suggestions!

Spoiler:

*Thanks to Ragnorok450 for pointing out the hidden enemy ace.

Killing the tank is your main objective, and there are 8 hidden enemies,
including 3 leaders. Saving between each phase is recommended. The big
secret to this map is: save your CP for phase 3 when Welkin arrives. That
said, it is advantageous to kill the enemy leaders as well for bonus XP. My
suggestion is to completely skip your first player phase. This will cause the
enemies to advance toward your generally well-defended position (even if no
one is crouching, you still might evade). The tank will advance and shoot at
the gate. Several soldiers will advance. Two or three of the scouts should
die against your troops; hopefully the scout leader hidden behind the tank
will be one of them. The shocktrooper is the only real threat, but thankfully
he is more interested in taking out the gate than killing you.

On your second phase, select Alicia and have her run up the hill on the right,
killing the advancing enemy there with point-blank headshots if he is not
already dead. Run her further up the hill and quickly end her turn. Then
select her again and immediately throw a grenade between the shocktrooper and
the crouching scout hidden behind the house on the left. That should kill
both of them. Ignore the other scout and immediately run north and turn right
and head toward the enemy leader to the east hiding near a group of houses.
Reselect her and serve him a healthy dose of point-blank shots to the face.
At this point Alicia should be standing behind a hill so that she isn't being
targeted by any enemies, which is a relatively safe position. Make sure she's
NOT standing next to the barrier! If the other enemy leader did advance but
didn't die, you can try running your healthiest guardsman up and finishing him
off (although that tank is murderous). Try to save at least 4 or 5 CP for the
final phase - you need at least 9, and you'll gain 5. End your phase. The
enemy will pound the gate and may take out a town guardsman.

For the final phase, move Welkin forward through the barrier wall. It's also
worth noting that you can drive a tank through trees, so don't bother to swing
wide around the one in your way. Once you're past the wall, throw a mortar on
the final scout or shoot him with your machine gun (or ignore him). Now, SAVE
and select Alicia. Run her north and east back toward where Welkin started.
There's a small alley between two houses that you can access; run forward
between them and behind a tree is your first enemy ace! He's a tough one, so
be careful approaching him; use the tree for cover, and get as close as you
can. You will need to shoot him in the head to kill him, but he has a nasty
tendency to evade (all aces are harder to hit that way). If you miss and he
doesn't kill you AND you have more than 6 CP remaining, feel free to reselect
and try him again - otherwise, just reload. Once he's dead, save again and
then select Welkin. Move him around the corner of the building and fire on
the enemy tank; aim for the weak spot on its back. It will take two shots
minimum, or 4 CP, although if your shots veer off it might take 3. If you
miss too horribly, don't be afraid to reload. Always try to get as close as
possible before firing, but don't get so close you can't aim. If the last
leader is still alive, be sure to finish him off before you take down the
tank, as this ends the mission.

Your reward for killing the ace is a scout weapon called ZM Kar 1(g). It has
horrible accuracy and range, but twice the damage per shot. Personally, I
prefer accuracy for my scouts.

Thanks very much for the tips.

I wasn't trying to play it like a 3rd person shooter, the opposite in fact, I was trying to make it more turn-based. I guess I'm just not used to the real-time/turn-based hybrid nature this game seems to use. I had moved Alicia to the very end (nearest the gate) of the sandbags, and one of the shocktroopers just ran all the way down the left sidewalk right up to her and just blew her away point-blank.

Farley, I started reading the spoiler part and discovered I can save mid mission? It says to save between phases. I didn't know I could do that, that will be very helpful in itself.

Thanks for the pointers, they were very helpful.

Also, standing next to comrades will get them to shoot with you.

Save grenades. They're limited each mission and you primarily want to use them on multiple enemies.

The number 1 rule in this game is to not press forward too fast. Don't leave your men hanging, they'll get killed.

Also, even if Alicia gets killed, she's a main character and doesn't actually die off completely in the game. You get her back after the mission. So don't be afraid of that. You want her alive, of course, because she gives you action points.

I agree with the last statement in the above spoiler. Accuracy > damage for Scouts. They're weak, so you wanna keep em farther away from enemies. Shock Troopers, however, have enough health you can run right up to an enemy and unload an entire clip if you so desire. Maybe not in the beginning of the game, but eventually.

A couple of things that might help you.

First off, grenades are not for spamming. They are for breaking up sandbag cover and hitting multiple dudes at once. Also they're not super effective against shocktroopers. Only use a grenade if your opponents are crouching behind cover.

Second, make sure you end all of your turns crouching behind cover if at all possible. Then when they take their turn you'll be taking pot-shots at them not the other way around. Crouching in the grass is also a good way to end a turn.

Third, take the fight to them. If you move your way through the grass past the house on the left of the road you can take shots at soldiers before they see you.

Try to end your turns in such a way that the enemy will have to run past you in the open on their next turn. You can severely limit their mobility or kill them outright during their own turn by placing characters in cover facing an area you know the enemy will have to traverse.

Finally if you know your opponents have their guns trained on Alicia, don't use her. Use one of the watchmen first to kill those attackers or at least draw their fire. Then when you start her turn you should be better able to move before they start firing on you.

Hope that helps.

garion333 wrote:

Save grenades. They're limited each mission

Not true. Grenades are limited to a certain number per turn. You should get a new grenade per character per turn.

Yeah, since that mission is so early in the game, Alicia is the only one with grenades.

I use her to roll up the right side of the map, sneaking along the row of buildings to the left of the hill. At the end of the row there's an encampment of 4 enemies, two behind sandbags and two in front of them.

One or two well-placed grenades takes them all out.

Grenades are pretty useful. They can destroy some kinds of cover and knock enemies out of others, and cover makes a huge difference when it comes to damage. Even if you have a clear shot at someone's head, cover can make the difference between a 1-shot kill and a 5-shot kill. It's obviously a bit too early to worry about this, but once you get your scouts to elite rank (I think it's level 10) they gain access to a rifle-mounted grenade launcher with much greater range and a very high angle (characters use their rifle more like a mortar than a launcher).

New DLC coming out soon. It's a follow-up to the bit about goddamn freaking obnoxious Edy.

garion333 wrote:

Also, even if Alicia gets killed, she's a main character and doesn't actually die off completely in the game. You get her back after the mission.

In this particular mission, when she dies, the giant words "GAME OVER" appear

Aaron D wrote:

I use her to roll up the right side of the map, sneaking along the row of buildings to the left of the hill. At the end of the row there's an encampment of 4 enemies, two behind sandbags and two in front of them.

Ok, for those suggesting move up the right side, do you mean just leave the water tower area altogether, and go up the side towards where Welkin is going to show up with the tank? I thought the idea was to defend the gate, but perhaps it's just best to wait for the tank?

Also, I noticed something else ... occasionally my guys will actually fall all the way prone on the ground (as in making themselves harder to hit), and I've seen them duck even lower behind sandbags than a normal crouch. Thing is, I'm not sure if I did this with a button/thumbstick or if it was just a meaningless animation. Is there a way to drop prone or go into a deeper crouch?

AmazingZoidberg wrote:
garion333 wrote:

Save grenades. They're limited each mission

Not true. Grenades are limited to a certain number per turn. You should get a new grenade per character per turn.

Are you sure grenades recharge each round? I thought that was only the Lancers recharged their ammo. I thought Engi's needed to resupply grenades.

It's been a while since I've played, however.

@Jeff: The prone stuff that happens is random based on stats for evade. You'll find that enemies do it too.

garion333 wrote:
AmazingZoidberg wrote:
garion333 wrote:

Save grenades. They're limited each mission

Not true. Grenades are limited to a certain number per turn. You should get a new grenade per character per turn.

Are you sure grenades recharge each round? I thought that was only the Lancers recharged their ammo. I thought Engi's needed to resupply grenades.

It's been a while since I've played, however.

@Jeff: The prone stuff that happens is random based on stats for evade. You'll find that enemies do it too.

I know that you do regenerate one grenade per turn. I think the sniper is the only limited-ammo class that doesn't regenerate ammo but it's been a while. The tank regenerates mortar and smoke rounds, for instance. I think the idea is that if you needed to grab an engineer to reload your grenades every single time it'd be much harder to make tactical use of them.

I bow to your all encompassing knowledge.

Jeff-66 wrote:
Aaron D wrote:

I use her to roll up the right side of the map, sneaking along the row of buildings to the left of the hill. At the end of the row there's an encampment of 4 enemies, two behind sandbags and two in front of them.

Ok, for those suggesting move up the right side, do you mean just leave the water tower area altogether, and go up the side towards where Welkin is going to show up with the tank? I thought the idea was to defend the gate, but perhaps it's just best to wait for the tank?

Also, I noticed something else ... occasionally my guys will actually fall all the way prone on the ground (as in making themselves harder to hit), and I've seen them duck even lower behind sandbags than a normal crouch. Thing is, I'm not sure if I did this with a button/thumbstick or if it was just a meaningless animation. Is there a way to drop prone or go into a deeper crouch?

I'm sure there's lots of ways to tackle the mission, I'm just going with what worked for me. I'm unsure of what triggers your tank to show up (it was mentioned earlier that you wait 'till Round 3), but I always assumed that it was triggered by clearing out X amount of enemies.

I took Alecia out of the water tower cover for that mission and had her go on the offence for that mission. Remember that as long as you have AP left after you take your shot, you can always retreat to safer ground. That's why I have her sneak along the first set of buildings directly north of the water tower. I was able to sneak up on the guards, pop off a grenade, and drop back to safety all in a single move.

I'm not sure what prompts the prone position (if it's always available or not), but I did notice that when I'm around buildings or crates I get the Press X prompt to lie prone. Not sure if you can do it out in the open. Otherwise, you get the Press X prompt to crouch when next to sandbags.

Also, grenade-carriers do indeed get a free grenade for every new round of play.

LobsterMobster wrote:

I think the sniper is the only limited-ammo class that doesn't regenerate ammo but it's been a while.

Snipers regen ammo at a rate of 1 per turn too. It's just that you're constantly using that ammo, so it's easy to drop them down to the point where they only get one shot per turn.

Aaron D. wrote:

I'm not sure what prompts the prone position (if it's always available or not), but I did notice that when I'm around buildings or crates I get the Press X prompt to lie prone. Not sure if you can do it out in the open. Otherwise, you get the Press X prompt to crouch when next to sandbags.

You can crawl in any grassy area. That will make you invisible to enemies that haven't already spotted you on their turn. It will also make you harder to hit. Watch out enemies will use this tactic in later missions. A good way to flush them out is with grenades and mortar fire if you have a general sense for where they are.

Ok, I tried going up the right side -- that didn't work either. I kept all my guys alive, but this time the enemy soldiers just gang-banged the gate with grenades and their tank hit it for massive damage each turn. My tank shows up on turn 3 no matter what I do, and his initial movement range isn't enough to engage the enemy tank on his first turn. By the end of turn 4, the gate was down.

Off to attempt #8 or #9, I forget. Losing count.

Jeff-66 wrote:

Also, I noticed something else ... occasionally my guys will actually fall all the way prone on the ground (as in making themselves harder to hit), and I've seen them duck even lower behind sandbags than a normal crouch. Thing is, I'm not sure if I did this with a button/thumbstick or if it was just a meaningless animation. Is there a way to drop prone or go into a deeper crouch?

You can't control it but it does matter. It is a stat based reaction when attacked. Remember even though it appears real time it is still turn based with roles going on in the background. It is like rolling a critical in D&D.

Jeff-66 wrote:

Ok, I tried going up the right side -- that didn't work either. I kept all my guys alive, but this time the enemy soldiers just gang-banged the gate with grenades and their tank hit it for massive damage each turn. My tank shows up on turn 3 no matter what I do, and his initial movement range isn't enough to engage the enemy tank on his first turn. By the end of turn 4, the gate was down.

Off to attempt #8 or #9, I forget. Losing count.

Until you get used to it reading the FAQ might be good. It takes a bit to figure out how this game works since it is so different. The FAQ I posted doesn't have any story spoilers so it shouldn't hurt much to check it. Well it might hurt your pride.

Jeff-66 wrote:

Off to attempt #8 or #9, I forget. Losing count.

Jeez, I don't remember having that much trouble (and I only just started playing myself).

Maybe you should look at a YouTube video for that mission or something. The game really is great, but I imagine it wouldn't be if you get stuck.

Aaron D. wrote:
Jeff-66 wrote:

Off to attempt #8 or #9, I forget. Losing count.

Jeez, I don't remember having that much trouble (and I only just started playing myself).

Maybe you should look at a YouTube video for that mission or something. The game really is great, but I imagine it wouldn't be if you get stuck.

Oddly, I'm not frustrated. I understand there's a learning curve, so I'm not bothered much. I can tell it's a quality game, I just need to learn the mechanics of the combat.

This attempt I did *much* better. I got clever (finally) and took out the sandbags on the far side, at the southernmost point near the gate, where all their troops hide while grenading the gate. Then I left my two town watchmen behind sandbags on my side, so when the enemies approached the gate, they are out in the open. That worked for the most part, but they couldn't kill 1 shocktrooper.

Now the problem I'm having is with using the 82mm cannon on my own tank. I'm desperately trying to take out their tank before it gets another shot in on the gate (which will end the mission). But, even though my tank's crosshairs are dead center on the enemy tank, the shot went over the tank and hit the damn gate! I killed my own mission, heh. At least now I can re-load from a mid-mission save (yay for those).

I think I'll read the FAQ now

Thanks again for all the tips.

Good to hear you're patient and inching along.

Sometimes when I watch a YouTube video for a game I get a whole new perspective on gameplay mechanics that may have never occurred to me otherwise. It's the "Aha! I didn't know you could do that!" moment.

Tanks are really only vulnerable in their engine core. You will see it go from 3-5 hits to kill to 1.

And remember it is all roles and stats. When the shot goes over the tank it isn't because you were not aiming right it is because you rolled low - not that you see that part. This is why they talk about saving between each turn, in case you have terrible luck.

farley3k wrote:

Tanks are really only vulnerable in their engine core. You will see it go from 3-5 hits to kill to 1.

And remember it is all roles and stats. When the shot goes over the tank it isn't because you were not aiming right it is because you rolled low - not that you see that part. This is why they talk about saving between each turn, in case you have terrible luck.

Ahh! that makes sense then.

I finally beat that damn mission. Taking out those southernmost sandbags seemed to be the missing puzzle piece.

Another question though -- I noticed one of their shocktroopers was able to a) run a long way, b) throw a grenade at the gate, and c) turn to my guy and shoot at him ... all in one turn. My guys all get to do one action in a turn (like, shoot, take a health vial, or throw a grenade, etc)

Why was that ST able to both toss a grenade and shoot at me in the same turn? (and yes, I promise to RTFM and the FAQ today, heh)

Jeff-66 wrote:

Another question though -- I noticed one of their shocktroopers was able to a) run a long way, b) throw a grenade at the gate, and c) turn to my guy and shoot at him ... all in one turn. My guys all get to do one action in a turn (like, shoot, take a health vial, or throw a grenade, etc)

Why was that ST able to both toss a grenade and shoot at me in the same turn? (and yes, I promise to RTFM and the FAQ today, heh)

One guy can do multiple things per turn, but certain actions (like throwing a grenade or shooting) are hampered by limited ammo in some way. And moving gives you diminishing returns; each move in a turn goes a shorter distance.

Wrapping one's head around this, and the odd notion of "saving" CP (don't use all your moves in one turn and they will carry over, to a certain max) is weird.

Honestly I ended up giving up halfway through the game because it was so stressful! But that is my own intellectual shortcoming, not the fault of the game. The only thing I would "fault" the game's system for is that the occasional bit of luck in hitting/missing a shot can make an enormous difference in one's overall plans; and even that is subjective.