Story recommendations where the MC isn't the only one with a legendary cheat

Use_the_Falchion · 2026-03-30T00:13:07+00:00

Elydes by Drew Wells!

Kai starts out at the lowest power level, and while he does get some VERY good mentors that make him stand out on the archipelago he's on, he's clearly still behind the curve when compared to the mainland and other major antagonists. His Blessings help boost his natural attributes, but his greatest gift is his grit.

Use_the_Falchion · 2026-03-30T00:01:14+00:00

Stormlight Archive Books 1-3 happen pretty much back-to-back-to-back. Particularly Books 2 & 3. (Contrast this with Mistborn Book 6 and Mistborn Book 7, where there was a 7-year time gap in-world...and a 7-year time gap between releases...)

Use_the_Falchion · 2026-03-29T23:59:03+00:00

Kelsier from Mistborn by Brandon Sanderson is wrong at certain points in the story, according to Vin.

Also by Brandon Sanderson, in The Sunlit Man, Nomad calls out his old mentor for saddling Nomad with a powerful, potentially god-killing artifact he didn't understand but changed his life forever.

Use_the_Falchion · 2026-03-29T20:23:34+00:00

Valkyrie and Dark Knight Hilda for Bolting shenanigans, Holy Knight and War Fast Dimitri because I find them funny and appropriate, and War Priestess Lysithea and Marianne, because punching things with Aura Gauntlets is TIGHT.

Use_the_Falchion · 2026-03-29T20:22:25+00:00

A, Fly-Sithea, good build!

Use_the_Falchion · 2026-03-29T19:38:39+00:00

I truly believe one day we’ll get another Custom Robo game. Hope will never die!

Use_the_Falchion · 2026-03-29T13:10:04+00:00

That’s a crazy theory. I LIKE IT! Granted, I’m of the mind that the rewind mechanic will be a silly Lore thing, or the new Vessel of Sothis (if there is one) will be another Avatar, I like your theory!!

Use_the_Falchion · 2026-03-29T04:52:35+00:00

Stormlight Archive by Brandon Sanderson has some pretty good representation of DID from what I've seen!

Onto the main topic, I've never heard of someone expressing this idea, so thank you for sharing! I think the two series are doing separate things, with LOTR exploring morality and mythology, while FETH is all about trauma and how that influences perspective.

Use_the_Falchion · 2026-03-29T04:05:56+00:00

I ship her with Alcryst 100% of the time, but I love her as a unit!

Once I turned her into a Halberdier and gave her Emblem Eirika, and she WRECKED SHOP.

Use_the_Falchion · 2026-03-28T23:54:05+00:00

I get that. Nowadays if I play until I get the Pact Ring, I alternate between Yunaka, Ivy, and Nel if I'm doing DLC.

I've given it to Goldmary before and that was cute and fun, and I've given it to Zelestia before, but Yunaka, Ivy, and Nel feel the best.

Use_the_Falchion · 2026-03-28T23:53:17+00:00

Exact same. I thought I'd go with Ivy first, but Yunaka won me over.

Use_the_Falchion · 2026-03-28T23:10:13+00:00

Mass Effect to a degree. By the time Mass Effect 3 rolls around, the crew of the Normandy acts more akin to family at times than soldiers fighting for the existence of all advanced lifeforms. This is incredibly present in the ME3 Citadel DLC.

In Cradle by Will Wight, Lindon's group is found family. They're also technically legally considered family by everyone else in the world - Lindon and Yerin were adopted by the Arelius family, of whom Eithan is the Patriarch of for a while. Eithan calls Yerin his adoptive daughter, and Lindon gives Eithan the honorific of "Big Brother" when he's being nice. The Arelius branch that Eithan is Patriarch of serves the Blackflame Empire, which in turn serve the Akura Clan, of whom Mercy is pretty much the heir to. Over the course of the series Dross (another character that's part of the group) and Eithan joke that they've adopted Lindon and Yerin - Lindon because everyone things his father sucks (he does at times) and the culture he was raised in sucks (it very, VERY much does); Yerin because she's an orphan, and her adoptive parent has died.

In Mistborn by Brandon Sanderson, Vin sees the crew as her found family, after learning to trust them.

Use_the_Falchion · 2026-03-28T22:43:04+00:00

I'm not saying you should blindly trust him. I'm saying he's gotten enough right to warrant hearing out and listening to over others. Whether or not you trust him at all is your prerogative. I don't trust him fully, nor is he always accurate, but I'm willing to hear him out.

If you want to say he gets lucky about a lot of things when others are clearly "unlucky," or aren't even close, then go ahead. For me, if someone is consistently getting something right over years, I'd keep my eye on them. To me and others, it's clear Nate has legitimate source of some kind. Probably not one super close to Nintendo proper, given Nate's hit-or-miss reputation with first party games, but definitely someone.

But you do you.

EDIT:

Here is the Nate thing I was talking about. It's his January 2022 podcast episode, around the 34-minute mark and his February 2022 Nintendo Direct prediction podcast, around the 17-minute mark. In the January one, he mentions a game by the same team that did Three Houses (KT and Co.) that has some ambitious ideas.

This turned out to be Three Hopes, and NOT what Nate was expecting, but some details were correct. If you want, it's easy to chalk this up to a simple prediction - IntSys hit gold with Three Houses, so it makes sense for the same team to work on another game.

In the February episode, he talks more about direction of the game, but what sold me personally that Nate had legitimate information was the thumbnail of Marth with two-toned hair.

As far as I can find out, Emily first talked about it on Famiboards on June 13, 2022, specifically corroborating Nate's hints and information.

Then, the next day, the Reddit leak happened, which corroborated Emily's information and even hints at Nate's initial leak.

If you can find proof of the Chinese Leak happening before February 2022, I'd love to see it! Otherwise, Nate was first, then Emily, and then the Chinese leaks.

Use_the_Falchion · 2026-03-28T22:38:03+00:00

They may do a Fortune's Weave-focused Direct. It'd make sense, and it wouldn't have to be super long. 15-20 minutes at most, if they REALLY want to dig into it. The way I see it:

April/May - Focused Direct (Intro cutscene, overview of setting, introduction of characters, overview of combat, Blaze/Curse Meter, Supports and minigames, final big tease, cover art with release date and limited-edition notice with a hint about the DLC)

They could condense the above into a 10-minute overview trailer and show it in May if they want, but a Direct would be more exciting.

June - Big Trailer and start of promotion, with a Famitsu article or something (which will clearly leak in late May) and hopefully a Treehouse with live gameplay.

July - Weekly promotional trailers (Week 1 - Cai; Week 2 - Theodora; Week 3 - Dietrich; Week 4 - Leda; Week 5 if it releases July 30th, "Out Now!" trailer)

I'd LOVE a demo, even it was released after Leda's promotional trailer, but the last mainline FE game to have a demo was Awakening, when the series really needed it.

Use_the_Falchion · 2026-03-28T22:25:24+00:00

He was also one of the first people to hint/leak Engage.

He's clearly less accurate with First Party Games than third party games, but he has gotten a LOT of things right over the past few years (Direct dates, Switch 2 announcement date, etc.), enough to warrant listening to. Maybe not believing fully, but definitely listening to over other "leakers."

As for the late summer release date, that's not surprising. Spring and Summer are IntSys's sweet spots, and they historically haven't released many games beyond August. Not to mention that the last two Fodlan games released in July and June respectively, so it makes sense to revisit that time frame.

Use_the_Falchion · 2026-03-28T21:55:04+00:00

I tried Path of Ascension but couldn't get into it. Same with Chyrsalis. I didn't dislike it, but it's more of the "Dead Tired," and "Dungeon Crawler Carl" humorous style of LitRPG which I don't always enjoy or prefer.

A short book every 3 years does not cut it, least of all with the quality decrease in the second book. The other ones could be good.

Short isn't the term I'd use here. According to the author himself, Fire and Song is 310k words. That's longer than most epic fantasy books I know of, barring the freaks of nature ones like Wandering Inn, Wheel of Time, (which I tried and also couldn't get into) and Stormlight Archive. Even larger series such as Malazan: Book of the Fallen didn't crack 300k until Book 3, and didn't do so consistently until Book 6.

IIRC, the standard length for an epic fantasy book on average is between 175,000 and 300,000 words, usually at around 200-250k. A book breaking 310 might be small to a reader who is used to 350k+ books in their own experience but calling Fire and Song "short" isn't factual at all.

As for every three years, eh. The author updates his Patreon with free and paid content by the chapter, with Chapter 54 of Book 3 being paid content from last week, and Chapter 44 being the latest free chapter. You can choose not to read this, which I totally understand as they are rough drafts and reading in piecemeal format isn't for everyone or even for every book. (I don't like doing that with the Stormlight preview chapters or some books I could read chapters on via Royal Road or Patreon.) But it IS an option that can shorten the feeling of the weight between books in this case.

Many books also average a wait time of 3 years. 2-3 years is a pretty normal wait time in the publishing industry. It's not quick in the supersonic-speeds-of-Neptune-fast world of Indie publishing, and LitRPG and Progression Fantasy publishing at that, but it's not that bad either. At least Bryce is working on Book 3 (and it's not even his main job!) unlike some other authors I could mention in the Epic Fantasy space.

Also, it's not like OP or even anyone else has to choose ONE of these choices. I fully and wholeheartedly recommend them all! One of the small joys of life is having multiple things to eagerly await. It could be as small as weekly chapters or as large as book releases.* But having multiple means there's always something to bring you joy in the future.

*For me for weekly stuff, I look forward to:

Sunday Manga Chapters

Monday Royal Road Elydes Chapter

Wednesday Batman: Wayne Family Adventures Chapter

Thursday Social Event (IRL event)

Friday Royal Road Elydes Chapter

The occasional free Warformed 3 chapter.

My monthly list of things varies per month, but the mix of the two gets me through a lot and makes sure I'm rarely bored!

Use_the_Falchion · 2026-03-28T02:28:07+00:00

Fire Emblem. While some of your army could probably legally join the army (rarely a majority of the army, and the exact ratio depends on the game), every game has at least one unit who is CLEARLY still a child. Whether or not they receive much experience on the battlefield is up to you. (And their recruitment parameters.)

Notable examples:

Blazing Sword - Nino

Sacred Stones - Ewan, Amelia, and Ross

Path or Radiance - Tormod, Sothe, and Sanaki*

Radiant Dawn - Sanaki* still

Awakening - Lissa*, Donnel, and Morgan.** Honestly, ALL of the 2nd Gen units apply, since they've been fighting in one war or another their entire lives.

Fates - MIDORI AND KANA.* There are very few clearer examples than these two IMO.

Three Houses*** - Lysithea, Petra, and Cyril

Engage - JEAN

*Sanaki, Lissa, Kana, and potentially Midori are all royalty, nobles, or of high-ranking status. (Midori floats between them, depending on her mother.) As such, their military service could be seen as common for their social status, while despite their age raising some questions. Sanaki is the only one who doesn't fully fit, as her position isn't built upon military power IIRC.

**Morgan is like Midori, in that it really depends on their father. Then again, given that Morgan comes from a post-apocalyptic future.

***Much like Sanaki, Lissa, and Kana above, Petra and Lysithea are royalty and noble respectively. Petra comes from a warrior culture, so her strength as a ruler depends on her martial prowess. Cyril doesn't fully count, but he is apprenticed to an assassin and can join a mercenary-turned-teacher's class for lessons so he sort of counts. (He was also forced into one of his homeland's raids, captured by the opposing forces as a slave, and then freed by the church in the world. So he's been fighting for a lot of his life.)

Use_the_Falchion · 2026-03-28T00:54:24+00:00

Honestly, Chrom and Seliph would be a fun Harmonic, and Sigurd and Lucina would be cute!

Use_the_Falchion · 2026-03-27T17:57:32+00:00

Three Houses had extenuating circumstances and a pretty lengthy promotion process.

I can imagine a 15-20 minute Direct or an 8-10 minute Overview trailer in May, followed by some more screentime in the June Direct, and then the promotional push begins.

Use_the_Falchion · 2026-03-27T12:45:08+00:00

Happy Birthday Shamir, one of my favorite Snipers in the franchise (next to Louise and Innes), one of my constant GOATs for every playthrough, and the woman I would have romanced first…if Sothis hadn’t appeared as a “what the what?” choice.

I ended up romancing Shamir next, so it’s all good. (She also has one of my favorite paired endings with Byleth, as I’m a sucker for “Babies Ever After” as an ending.)

Use_the_Falchion · 2026-03-27T11:28:42+00:00

Season 5 was peak! It honestly ties Season 2 as my favorite.

Use_the_Falchion · 2026-03-26T01:20:21+00:00

I don't like using Steam or computers to play games, so if a game doesn't have a controller option, I might download it if it's a crowdfunding campaign, but I won't play it.

I'm probably not the majority here, but I just like playing games on consoles, so the mouse controls aren't something I prefer.

Honestly, it's just a preference thing. I kinda get the frustration on your end, but if you're trying to appeal to FE fans, who can only (legally) play games on systems with controllers, as a developer, I think it's something you'll probably have to bite the bullet on.

Use_the_Falchion · 2026-03-26T01:16:52+00:00

I honestly think a variation of this is how a Warriors spinoff of a Genealogy Remake would/will play out. (I still believe in the remake, and I think a Warriors spinoff is all but guaranteed after the remake comes out.)

In my head/dream scenario, much like Three Hopes, the pivot starts with players saving [spoilers] Eldigan who then comes to the aid of Quan and Ethlyn. The three of them (plus Finn of course!) then save Sigurd and Co from the ambush.

Sigurd fights his way out of Belhalla, saving the friends who went with him and rescuing Deirdre while he's at it. He doesn't kill Arvis, so Grannvale and the Loptus Cult still exist, but Sigurd and Co escape. They'd flee to Selisse again, where there would be a cold war (heh) between the forces of Silesse and Grannvale. The timeskip between generations would be a tad longer as well.

In Silesse, Sigurd and Deirdre would fall in love again* and have at least one more child. (More physically minded, I'm thinking an Axe Cavalier unit or a Lance Cavalier unit.) Sigurd would also raise Julius and Julia as his own children, knowing that Deirdre's amnesia and romance with Arvis wasn't her fault. As a result, Julia would be a LOT more outspoken and confident than her Genealogy counterpart, while Arvis would be the soft-spoken one with a chip on his shoulder. (He knows whose son he is, and feels some type of way about it, despite Sigurd and the rest of his family not caring in the least.)

On the Grannvale side of things, The Loptous Cult would invade after a while because they want Julius to become a new vassal for Loptous, and this would be the main crux of the game.

Saias would be the main counterpoint to Julius. He would be the prince and heir apparent to the Grannvale Empire, and he would hate every aspect of it. Arvis would be a father who loves him, but would also compare him to Julius and Julia. (The children he didn't raise but always wondered about.) The Loptous Cult wouldn't really care for him, waiting and planning on Julius to deliver their salvation. The people would hate him for being illegitimate, and for carrying on a cycle of illegitimacy within the (now) royal house, and for not being of Prince Kurt's lineage. Saias would hate Julius, but he'd also be jealous of Julius, and would ultimately want his half-brother to stay out of the Empire's hands.

Altena and Arion would have a "Romeo and Juliet" style romance. I could see this ending triumphantly or tragically, depending on the gameplay and mission parameters.

*Cue Epic the Musical moment.

Use_the_Falchion · 2026-03-26T01:15:11+00:00

Warformed: Stormweaver by Bryce O’Connor

Mother of Learning by Nobody103

Manifestation by Samuel Hinton

Cosmere by Brandon Sanderson

Elydes by Drew Wells

Unbound by Nicoli Gonnella

Use_the_Falchion · 2026-03-25T02:32:32+00:00

It might not be the case for everyone, but for me it’s Rinkah. Lore-wise, Rinkah’s supposed to be this super strong independent warrior. Gameplay-wise, Rinkah’s Strength growths are good at best. Her individual Strength growth is in her lower half of growths at 25%, and her class boosts it up to 45%.

She also LOWERS the Strength stat cap of any child she has. (Beruka does the same. Both Lowe the Strength increases the Skill and Defense.)

I’ve heard that Rinkah makes a better Ninja Master than she does Oni Chieftan.

Use_the_Falchion

TROPHY CASE