The Grustian Expedition - Fire Emblem Mystery of the Emblem Book 2 Walkthrough Part 21

3 years have passed since the War of Shadows concluded (really two since it ended in the beginning of 605 AC and this game takes place at the end of 607 AC), and 1 year after the Valentian War. Archanea had slowly worked on restoring its nations to their former glory before the war. However, the flames of war had slowly begun to rekindle. With the Archanean occupation of Grust turning ill, the Grustians have begun a rebellion to repel the Archanean invaders. Prince Marth and the Alteans were ordered by Emperor Hardin to assist in the subjugation of Grust. Marth rallied the 7th Platoon and set sail for Grust, embarking on another journey. Marth has the same exact growth rates as he did in Book 1. The only difference is that he starts at level 3 with higher stats. Being 19 now, he is more experienced with warfare. He's not gonna perform better or worse than he did in Book 1 so just make sure to keep his levels up and feed him stat boosters if he needs to round out. However, don't level him up too much as some future items will make him especially stronger. Arran has fallen ill over the years and isn't as strong as he once was. Taking Jagen's role from the previous war, he serves as the commander of the 7th Platoon. His stats are pretty good with his 10 weapon level letting him use everything but Gradivus. His 10 DEF is one under Draug which does let him serve as a tank should he need too. However, his growths are all 10% with LCK being 0%. As such, you shouldn't use him long-term as he will rarely get better. It's not a bad idea to give him an Iron weapon to weaken foes for your other allies to kill. Cecil is a new recruit in the 7th Platoon. Of the three Cavaliers, Cecil is the best of them. Her stats are fairly equal between 6-8 in every category and her growths being around 60%. She can double with a Slim Lance easily but only needs one point of SPD to double with Iron Lances. Her base weapon level lets her use Arran's Silver Lance though she won't double with it for awhile. Of the Cavaliers, I'd recommend using her but do note that her 50% HP and 10% DEF will leave her more frailer. Cecil, I need you, Cecil! Luke is another recruit. His stats are slightly lower than Cecil's and his growths are low at 30-40%. He can double with Iron Swords and Slim Lances but he'll need more SPD to catch up to Cecil. His best growth is his 90% HP where he'll be gaining HP every level. This can let him be quite a tank especially if you only promote him close to level 20. Roderick is the final Cavalier recruit. He's the greenest of the bunch being level 1 with 5-6 stats. His growths are more balanced being between 40-60%. He's not terrible but he will lag behind the other two. You will need to put in work to get his stats up but even then, he should be on the lower end of priorities. Gordin is a veteran in the 7th Platoon. His growth rates remain the same but he's now level 5 with higher stats. At level 5, he only needs 5 more levels to promote to a Sniper. Basically any SPD or MOV problem he has will be patched with his promotion bonuses. In the next two chapters, Gordin will get some easy EXP based on the enemies you have to fight. I always prefer to have an Archer on my team and since Tomas isn't in Book 2, Gordin is always a good substitute here. Ryan is Gordin's younger brother and the last new recruit. Unfortunately though, Ryan is not a great unit. He starts at level 1 with far lower stats than Gordin. Although his growths are higher being around 40%, you'd still have to get 9 levels to promote him. He would be better than Gordin stat-wise, but a Sniper promotion will make both good that it will make little difference. You can train him, but it will definitely take a bit. Draug is another veteran of the previous war. The only difference besides being a higher level and stats is that his weapon level growth is 40% from 20%. Overall he's a pretty good tank that can have a good use but Book 2 has very terrain heavy maps which will greatly impede Draug's usefulness. If he was recruited after mid-game, he would be good but unfortunately he'll fall off very quickly on those maps. Marisha is a cleric from Grust. She's a healer, what more do you need. Her 30% STR and 70% weapon level growth will have her using better staffs and healing more before too long. She'll gain access to two unique staffs so it's a good idea to keep her around.