[FE8][Complete] Bells of Byelen (24 Chapters)

Just wanted to pop in and say i’ve play a lot of hacks, was kind of running out of hacks to play - was a bit scared of this one due to the Thracia mechanics but it’s awesome.

Really nails the feel of a fire emblem game and avoids a lot of the trappings of modern hacks. Chapter six particularly is one of the best chapters i’ve ever played. The arena and stuff is so fun.

Awesome work.

Also quick question. Just realized my save is on an older version of the game. Can I use the same gs file? Or do I need to start over

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Hey, glad to hear you’re enjoying the game. If you’re talking about updating to the main patch (1.4), then any old save should work fine. The experimental patch (1.6) won’t work with old saves and isn’t particularly far in dev, so I wouldn’t recommend updating to it.

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Quick question, I never played Thracia - should be promoting at level 10, 15 or 20? What do most people do / what is most optimal?

If you wait until 20 in this game most characters will not reach respectable wranks in the new weapon types they gain. I think most units should go around 15 but I usually hold for 20 on units that are more stat dependent like buldak and Iberis, and those that promote into mono weapon classes

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sorry if this has been asked before, but how did you implement the FE5 capture mechanics and whatnot into the game? Is there a specific resource for this or was it something done independently, and if you did it yourself, how did you go about it? I am looking to use it for my own project but I have no idea where to start on something like this, how did you accomplish it?

Capture has been available for FE8 hacks as both a standalone hack and as a feature integrated with Skill System (latter of which being what this romhack uses).

Very good hack but post chapter 21 when I tried to use the item list all my items I worked really hard to get through out the previous chapters are gone with the wind I kind of lost my mind at this point.

This bug was listed :- Later on in the game, the List command may stop functioning as intended.

Yeah, they’re not actually gone. The way to fix this is to sell off some items until List fixes itself or just use Supply only. Kinda annoying, but there’s no fix that I know of.

i LOVE the UI in this hack, is there any way i could use it?

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Epicer and Pikmin1211 created it, so I would ask them and see what they think.

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I’m sure this is just a skill issue, but man, this one feels difficult! I absolutely love the unique classes and ideas in here. And I like the FE5 mechanics! But it feels like most of my guys are pretty evenly classed with the enemies and it’s hard to get by. Especially with having to rotate the cast because of fatigue. I’m on Chapter 8 currently and I really want to see those other interludes!!!

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Nah, I’ve definitely heard that it can be a pretty challenging hack. It depends though how much you Capture: I find that the less you capture, the easier the game is (in the short term: long term it’s nice to have stuff).

what is so experimental about the experimental patch. any huge changes to worry about or can i just play 1.4 as it is now?

Experimental patch is currently a WIP and will not allow you to complete the game.

Just as a update, I finally got to Interlude 3 to pick up Joie (which is what I really wanted) and I’m on Chapter 20 now. It’s been fun! I mean, it’s been a bit difficult sometimes, but I’ve been able to get going now!

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Arise, Joie Gamers

I recently got to Interlude 3 after another playthrough (my 4th?) and…chickened out of Joie again. It’s just hard choosing a new “solid” unit when there’s goofy stuff like Apsis to mess around with.

It’s worth noting that this is my first time using Varga through the whole game, he’s gotten a lot of speed so that’s been fun

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You’ll be amazed when you go back for a second run. Once you get a feel for all the mechanics and do your first run, the whole game gets soooo much easier. Still difficult, but a good, doable challenge that is so satisfying.

Taste :cook:

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All finished! It took a little while to get in the groove, but I’d say once I got past Chapter 8 I was starting to snowball.

So let’s look at the crew, shall we?

Endgame Team and discussion

Note: This is the start of the first Endgame stage. I’m too lazy to take all the screencaps again at the end.

Peeyew! Man, that is some stinky strength! His utility was amazing, but man he needs some more oomph! If it wasn’t for effective damage, getting a nice sword… Loewe wasn’t so hot, I can’t lie.

Now Cleo, she was the one needing speed. Her healing utility was much better, so I appreciated her greatly. She was pretty okay!! I also loved her character development more than Loewe’s.

Look, I know it’s a meme that Fire Emblem players hate Generals. And Varga isn’t even the best General on my team. But I love him. His mysterious beginnings and then eventual reveal of the relationship with Cleo was great! Let me know who wrote them and I’ll shake your hand(s). Cool guy!

Easily the powerhouse of the starting group. It may not look like it immediately, but she is. That thunder paralyzing ability is amazing! Plus, that movement, and the magic, and…. man!

Love this fella. His 3 vigor stars were pretty handy. Didn’t promote him till late but he didn’t really need to be. Solid all the way.

I liked this dude from the moment I saw him! Plus, he got to talk with Varga which helped. That bow specialty was awesome and killing folks in one shot with the Break Arc was amazing. As you can see, he got the Azurium. Didn’t really get a chance to use it, but it helped his crappy Res.

This guy came in handy. Was glad I picked him up in the Interlude. I largely used all of my Interlude characters a lot (that’s probably everyone, but I thought it worth mentioning). Great stats, great staff utility.

Not much to say other than he’s probably the best character in the game considering availability and stats wise. Heck, he’s even interesting story wise. This guy rocks, but I safely put him away for a lot of the game and then dug out for the ending chapters.

This one was just cruel. A 5 PCC hidden behind the worst Speed and growth in the game. AUGH! But I did like her a lot. She got to 9 speed by the end, which wouldn’t have been enough to double anything. But the dream is what kept everything alive. I did like her, but I don’t know if I would call her “good”. She tended to die a lot from magic.

I think this guy might be my favorite character. Magic Warrior was a super awesome trope to build, and as you can see, with the Raios scroll I made him amazing! And he got extra move to boot! Great design and palette, the Fire Drive was also so cool looking. I’d easily choose him again. He could be my dad.

The last interlude was kind of hard to pick, but this guy was too funky I couldn’t resist. That ability was sickkkkkk.

She doesn’t have a cracked out ability, but she does have great stats and some Vigor stars and: she is my wife. Easily favorite female character by far. Very cute design. Reminds me of Leo from Tekken (I know people may not like theirs OCs compared to official characters but please understand I hold Leo in very high regard as the gender pinnacle).

She didn’t have as much time as the others, but you can’t deny she’s solid and immediately slots into the team if need be. Great design (that hair shading is something!).

Other Interlude Choices:
Cadenza- Ehhhh. He was alright, but his low speed made his damage pretty low. I’d try someone else.
Pelecaye- He definitely was helpful but his lower stats didn’t keep him around. Max Defense, mediocre strength, everything else was kinda below par. Weapon choice certainly helped.

Thanks, Bells team!

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