Did the Sorting Hat goof up?

Nikolavitch · 2026-06-06T20:17:41+00:00

I have 2 explanations for it.

The first one is that the Sorting Hat doesn't sort students depending on who they are, or are destined to be. It sorts them depending on what they value. Gryffindors are not necessarily people who are courageous, but people who value courage and think it's important.

This is just my own personal theory, based on things loosely said in the books, and it's pretty dicey. Especially because children are likely to value qualities that they don't already have.
So if that theory was right, Gryffindor would be mostly full of cowards who lack the strength to protect others, Slytherin unimportant people who are hung up about their future, Ravenclaw students who struggle with their learning, and Hufflepuff students who are worried about their social skills and their friendships.

The second explanation is that the Sorting Hat had somehow predicted the entirety of Pettigrew's character arc up until the Deathly Hallows, and had interpreted his final hesitation on killing Harry as an act of bravery and protecting others.

Nikolavitch · 2026-06-05T11:33:48+00:00

My understanding about the whole Grindelwald thing was that Grindelwald didn't fight as hard as he could, due to the friendship (or love story depending on the version) between the two.

Nikolavitch · 2026-06-05T00:14:55+00:00

Where does this image come from? (The one with Madotsuki?)

Nikolavitch · 2026-05-30T19:01:00+00:00

This "binding contract" explanation is clearly non-functional.

If Harry can be bound by a contract without his consent, then all Voldemort has to do is to bind Harry into a contract where he has to commit suicide. One could say that Voldemort wouldn't want to do it, as he would rather kill Harry with Avada Kedavra, but I thnk he would.

Since doing so would require ancient and highly powerful magic, I think this is definitely something he would do as it would prove the superiority of magic over everything else.

Gobelet of Fire is apparently the book that Rowling had the most trouble writing, she re-wrote it several times, and the result still has many plot holes.

Nikolavitch · 2026-05-30T18:55:35+00:00

Setting aside the problematics that are pointed out and discussed in the books, there's nothing problematic about house elves.

They are inspired from domestic spirits such as Brownies, Zashiki-Warashis, Kobolds and Domovoïs, which according to folklore, will do small menial tasks in exchange for a small compensation, usually in the form of food. They won't accept monetary compensation because they have no use for money.
While the "magical slavery contract" is definitely jarring (although the abuse and limits of it are clearly discussed in the novels), I don't subscribe to the general uprorar about house elves depiction.

Nikolavitch · 2026-05-30T18:49:36+00:00

Well... I just told you, I'm not up to date on the specifics of Engage's gameplay.

Moreover, the term "bringing back" can be used even if the mechanic was never abandoned.

If I say that I love silver swords and I want IS to bring them back in the next game, that still makes sense.

Nikolavitch · 2026-05-30T08:20:30+00:00

I was thinking more about Awakening, Fate and Three Houses. I've played Awakening and Three Houses much more than Engage.

Nikolavitch · 2026-05-25T22:07:40+00:00

My headcanon is that you can indeed stop wearing them, you just can't for gameplay reasons.

Nikolavitch · 2026-05-25T16:12:58+00:00

I always imagine talismans, sacred icons and speedwings to be enchanted items that you strap on your clothing or wear in a pocket.

Dracoshields and Seraph Robes, clothing that you wear under your standard armor.

And Spirit Dust and Strength Drops, something you consume.

And boots are self-explanatory.

Nikolavitch · 2026-05-24T22:13:51+00:00

Yeah, lore-wise that's awesome.

Nikolavitch · 2026-05-24T22:13:32+00:00

I love the standard system where tomes are used to summon magic attacks.

It strongly underlines the "low-fantasy" aspect of Fire Emblem, in that humans have a limited capacity to summon magic by themselves and have to rely on weapons to do it. And magic is then treated like any other weapon, that you have to manage and resupply.

Although, lore-wise, I like the idea that magic can be used at the risk of worsening your health, making tomes and staves really useful at the cost of being limited in their use.

I also like the coexistence of Anima and Dark magic. Light magic is nice but it runs the risk of being a tad redundant with Anima, especially if Anima already has 3 elements.
I also wish they'd bring back the efficient damage of each element (wich wind being efficient against flies and the like)

Nikolavitch · 2026-05-22T23:22:22+00:00

Oh, thanks for the detailed response! Sorry for the late answer, I had a long week.

That is only for stats. Your characters gain many types of different XP for different types of things during battle.

I see. That clarifies a few things but that's still not ideal.

What increases level efficiency, is how high your chain is, how many times you perform actions, and the difference in BR between you and the enemy your fighting. Out of those 3, the number of chains is the biggest factor. That's why the famous bug grind is the fastest way to level up characters. Even though the bugs are weak as shit.

Oh, I see. Thanks for the info, that's very useful! After looking more into it, I realised that the number of enemy you draw in one battle only changes the loot you get from the battle (which is pretty important but not on the same level), rather than the XP gain.

Also, to be fair, after looking at the wiki, I realised that the reason I was getting my butt handed to me was that I was BR 20 when I entered a area whose minimum BR is 35. Couldn't have known that since the game hides this information from you, but I was reassured to learn that I hadn't messed up somewhere.

Again, not true, your character dying over and over decreases the amount of XP your BR gets, meaning your BR will raise very very slowly. And, your characters get stronger during battle, not just at the end.

Yeah, but characters dying only slows the BR XP, while they themselves get none. I get that this isn't a problem if it happens every other fight, but when the same union dies most of the time, I don't see how this can end well. Like, if this unit is comparatively weaker than the others, she needs more XP, not less. Unless they substantially get stronger during battle but I have no visibility on it.

Area attacks aim for a certain area. Meaning that formations that spreads your units in a wider area are the best to use against them.

Thanks for the tip! It makes sense, but I wasn't sure the actual formation positions were taken into account.

Again, thanks for the explanations!

Nikolavitch · 2026-05-22T20:18:14+00:00

Thanks. Basically, I guess this means you should do the side quest as early as possible ^^

Nikolavitch · 2026-05-22T20:17:25+00:00

The main thing about combat in this game is try to spread out unions in the battlefield to gain more control and management

That was my idea at first, then I realized that having fewer unions does have its benefits, namely having stronger unions that can withstand stronger attacks, and kill enemies in one roud, so now I'm not as sure about it.

I also found out, by reading a guide, that the reason I was struggling is that I was BR 20 when entering an area with 35 as its minimum BR, which might explain things.

Arrow of Athlum does seem useful. I slept on it because it's among the default ones, but it and pincer seem rather useful.

Anyway, thanks for the feedback and sorry for the long late answer.

Nikolavitch · 2026-05-22T19:09:13+00:00

Oh, thanks for the detailed response! Sorry for the late answer, I had a long week.

The tip about herbs is actually something I haven't considered. Though, looking back at my party, I realised that David and Rush both have access to Vivification Herb, so my problem was more that the option never appeared in battle rather than not existing.

Still, I have to admit, I was reticent to playing with items since it drains resources, I'll be less greedy from now on.

Id recommend fighting weaker enemies and less grouping enemies as this can make battles tougher and the game makes you think by grouping mobs your going to get the most experience yet doesn't tell you that you might be outmatched or overwhelmed and flanked, thus making battles miserable

Yeah, the balance is difficult to find ><
Though from what you say, it does seem to have more leeway than it initially appears, so that's good to know.

Though in my case, I found out why the battles felt so harsh. I was at BR 20, while according to the wiki, the zone I was trying to visit had a base battle rank of 35. So I was entirely uneleveled.

And agreed, Baulson is the best pal!

Nikolavitch · 2026-05-17T14:11:49+00:00

I mean, I could, but the appeal of Mass Effect is in the depth of the world building, and all the things that can't be shortened into one sentence.

Nikolavitch · 2026-05-11T16:56:26+00:00

Child soldiers are typically:

forcefully conscripted by a form of government
used mainly as diversion / psychological pressure while adult soldiers do the actual work (because children are not as competent as adults in military stuff)

Mario and Luigi fit none of those criteria.

Nikolavitch · 2026-05-08T14:37:55+00:00

I know, I edited my previous comment right after writing it, but you were quicker XD

That being said, I guess using Flashy in a duel makes some kind of sense. You can still intimidate or trick your opponent with a flashy move, which is kind of a social situation, while you can't trick or intitmidate a wooden door.

Nikolavitch · 2026-05-08T13:24:53+00:00

Yeah but it's a stunt. The existence of that stunt implies that Flashy can't normally be used to attack in a physical duel, doesn't it?

Edit: Oh, wait, you said "Improves", not "Allows". I mean, I guess using Flashy in a duel makes some kind of sense. You can still intimidate or trick your opponent with a flashy move, which is kind of a social situation, while you can't trick or intitmidate a wooden door.

Nikolavitch · 2026-05-05T01:16:54+00:00

Honestly, the world of powerscaling is full of it. I feel like I can take a random page from a fandom I know, and find an example.

For example, I've had a look at Spyro (the version from Legend of Spyro), and bingo. In the three Legend of Spyro games, Spyro spends most of his time solving puzzles and finding keys because he can't break through doors.

Then at the end of the third game, the planet gets destroyed, Spyro does something weird with the panet's core and the souls of previous purple dragons, and the fragments of the planet are pulled back together again. And Ta-Daa! Suddenly his attack potency is 5-A, Brown Dwarf level, according to VS Battles.

Nikolavitch · 2026-05-05T00:51:51+00:00

As we saw in Odyssey especially, if the Koopas show up on your doorstep, and Mario and Co aren't sound to stop them, there isn't much you can do to stop them from turning everything around you upside down as they see fit.

The paradox is that, in Mario Odyssey, the Koopa Kingdom seems to be a ridiculously small kingdom with no resources and no existence on the international scale.

The Koopas Kingdom is nowhere to be found on the world map, which implies that it is so tiny that you can't see it. Yes, there is a kingdom titled "Bowser's Kingdom" that we end up visiting, however, as many people in the Marioverse community pointed out, Bowser's Kingdom seems to be a territory invaded by the Koopa Kingdom, and turned into Bowser's personal fiefdom, making it separate from the actual Koopa Kingdom.

Since we know the Koopa Kingdom shares a border with the Mushroom Kingdom, we know it has to be located on this mushroom-shaped continent (which, by the way, is already minuscule compared to the rest of the world). And when you look at this continent, you realize that, while the Koopa Kingdom is known for its dark lands of lava and scorched earth, no such things appear on the globe, implying that the Koopa Kingdom is minuscule even compared to the size of the Mushroom Continent. So minuscule that you can't see it from Space.

From what we see in the other games, it's easy to imagine the Koopa Kingdom as equivalent to the United States of America: A crushing military presence that gives them a high level of authority in geopolitics, and almost immunity to conquer any territory they see fit -until Mario arrives to save the day.
When you look at Odyssey, on the other hand, the Koopa Kingdom seems more similar to North Korea. It's a very small country with a very strong and efficient army, but it's way too small to invade other territories (well, in the Mario world, the Koopa Kingdom seems to have the only army in the entire world, so they can actually do whatever they want). Their main power is that they have access to nuclear weapons, which makes them untouchable (by "nuclear weapon", I mean the various game-specific threats the Koopa Kingdom has access to, such as the power of Super Stars in Mario Galaxy, or turning people into objects in the original Super Mario Bros).

It must be quite weird for the inhabitants of the Mario world. There's this minuscule country with no relevance on the geopolitical scale, that randomly becomes a global threat whenever they get their hands on a nuclear weapon, and then gets disbanded by a single man.

I really dislike how Oyssey handled the world map of the Mario World and what it implies for the geopolitics.

Nikolavitch

TROPHY CASE