EOUII Rantage!

[Maxine MagicFox]

Yeah. The DLC includes everything. It's all just one pack.

[Hong]

Expert/Classic

Protector/Highlander/Sovereign
Gunner/Hexer

Second stratum. Everything seems fine so far. Sovereigns are immensely powerful. This game, you get a stable healer out of them right from the beginning thanks to their mastery and early Protect Order. Inversely, the Victory Cry/Monarch March build, which many would go for first in EOIII, is now way out there as far skill point investment. Still good since all the prerequisite skills are strong. HP Up is not very exciting, but Sovereigns lost some HP and Vit from previous versions, so it's just fine on Expert.

[Wolkenritter]

My copy arrived today! Time to play catchup. Still debating on whether I should have a Protector or Highlander though. My party is aimed for locking down things with ailments and binds, but extra defense would be welcome considering how EO4 and EO1U went without a Fortress and Protector respectively.

EDIT: Ah screw it, I'll go with Highlander, Blood Fortune too good. EOU1's story mode is dumb, but the Highlander was a lot of fun to play as.

I expect to die a lot since my party rivals my EO4 party in paper thin defenses.

[Hong]

Just as a warning, but statuses are more difficult to apply in this one than the last two entries.

Though I don't think a lot of the people who have said that have tried all these new skills to boost affliction rates. Plan to take them up after my Hexer finishes maxing Venom Curse.

[Wolkenritter]

That's quite unfortunate... since that has been my favorite playstyle since EO2 =(

Those ailment boosting skills do look very attractive though, but I generally work on actual skills before passives so I probably won't be getting them for a while.

As for the 1st strata, I've encountered nothing but Moles. The game knows I don't have any characters with actual defense stats T_T

[HumbleOkinami]

Ive had little to no problem landing binds with my party and keeping them applied. I threw a Blood Fortune and Curse mastery grimoire onto my DH and focused mainly on my passives like curb attack before goin for my whip skills. Having your hexer with max weakening curse helps too.
Im just getting ancy for when I can start slinging that Ecstasy around!

[Maxine MagicFox]

I've got a Dark Hunter with a few points in the status affliction rate boost (can't remember name of skill atm) but if anything, Hong, I would have said the opposite for this game: it feels like it's EASIER to afflict binds. My DH is doing a wonderful job. Obviously not all binds hit, but the rate is very decent. My Landsknecht, too, for his head bash skill.

[Wolkenritter]

Gag has always worked for me so far, but using random mooks probably isn't a good way to check status affliction rates. Once my party is strong enough to kill deers, I'll probably test it out on them.

Also, as if in tradition, my War Magi dies in one-hit to Crawlers, and they only feel like attacking her. Why is it always my poor healers that get picked on? =(

EDIT: Add Wild Wings (They appear earlier now!?) to the list too. 1st encounter, it mauled by poor War Magi.

[Maxine MagicFox]

When I attacked a Ragelope the head bash worked and my very new Viper skill worked. It actually felt about average for an FOE fight. I was worried about it, too. EOIV had a horrible FOE-bind rate. What I saw against the Ragelope was promising. It shook it off in three turns, but then this is EO. Boss fights are quick and deadly affairs.

I have seen nothing so far to make me think my DH will not be a valuable asset. Otherwise I'd switch him out and put in a Protector... or maybe a Troubadour.

[Fluffernuff]

i couldnt be happier with my team right now. it just feels like they have an option for everything and work so well together.
the only one im sorta kinda disappointed with is my hexer, but thats only because once she does her job, she's got nothing to do... just sitting there defending waiting for things to happen...

meanwhile i've slid my princess in the front row brandishing some fearsome war edge skills, and retooled my alchemist to the back row.
Im kicking the idea around in my head to TRY out gunner for my group as they fill the same role as my alchemist(that is, abusing elements easily from either row)
i know, i know. make up my mind for a 5th, right?
i have to ask though, am i the only one who thinks alchemists dont really do enough damage for their TP cost? i mean when my war magus is hitting harder with a guard edge than my alchemist with a compressed thor formula on a weak point....

but seriously. i have to say... war edge princess is fearsome. it finally feels like my princess is finally the guild leader she was always meant to be. she doesnt just issues orders... she COMMANDS!

[MrTwinklehead]

[Wolkenritter]

[Sigma]

Made it to the third stratum, but was forced to rest my Hexer in the process. Will Retire everyone when they get to 30. That will allow me to fix my Hexer back to where they were along with redistributing my War Magus' skill points.

[sponge7325]

Right, so I officially have the game ordered now. I've decided to run through Classic Mode first, and then Story Mode on a New Game+ if I can keep my Classic characters too and stuff. I won't have the Highlander DLC by the time the game arrives, which kinda sucks, but I suppose that that isn't the worlds biggest problem.

Anyways, I ran through party ideas and I think I've struck gold, though this may just be wishful thinking:

Landschneckt - Prince - Protector
Gunner - Alchemist

I mostly really wanted my EO2 and EO3 leaders to fight side by side so that's why my Prince is up front. I added the Alchemist for elemental attacks and my Gunner for pierce and binds. The Protector was my last idea, as I was happy enough with those four, I decided that it wouldn't hurt at all to have more protection. Overall, a pretty by the books team, but it feels to me like it'll work out really well (Even though we don't have many status effects, though that's what Grimoires are for I guess), but then again, I don't have the game yet, and things can go horribly wrong in the Labyrinth, so any critiques on my team might be nice.

[Wolkenritter]

Beat Chimaera. Completely bound him while he was trapped and went to work! Its shame I don't have Ecstasy yet, it would've been fantastic for this fight.

2nd strata is next, haven't done much exploring, though I do know if its like EO2 its the return of an old fan favorite (Giant Moas).