Hey everyone,
Lately, I've been researching the version differences between the JP and NA versions of The Sacred Stones. (You can find a list of differences at TCRF:
https://tcrf.net/Fire_Emblem:_The_Sacred_Stones/Regional_Differences). In case you're still wondering which version to use, here are some pros and cons to consider:
Pros of JP
- Resets are faster
- In Chapter 5, you can purchase Torches from the vendor during the chapter instead of having to wait until you get onto the world map.
- Monster bosses are a lot weaker. For instance, the Chapter 18 boss only has 22 HP on JP Hard Mode.
- There aren't forts underneath Caellach and Valter in Ch15, so they can be attacked on Player Phase without having to sit through the fort healing animation. Caellach pursues your units when they get in range, which can save some time.
- Some characters have higher bases on JP, which can help during rout maps. In particular, Vanessa has 1 more SPD; Artur has 1 more MAG and SPD; Tana has 1 more STR at the cost of 1 SKL and SPD; and even Franz has 1 more STR and SPD.
- Animations aren't automatically turned on during the Fomortiis battle.
Cons of JP
- Most enemies are 2 levels higher on Hard Mode.
- Some characters have worse bases. Ephraim route Cormag has 1 less STR and 1 less SKL; Rennac has 2 less STR, 5 less SKL, and 2 less SPD; and Syrene has 2 less STR. This is based on Normal Mode, but I don't think recruitable enemies get HM boosts in FE8.
Other
- Gorgons are fliers in the JP version, which might make Ch18 faster.
- Some enemies have different inventories and drops in JP version. For instance, the Ch18 boss doesn't carry Stone, and the Ch15 Dragon Axe Berserker doesn't carry a Hand Axe. I haven't looked at all of the changes, but only one important difference comes to mind: the Chapter 16 Sage doesn't drop Purge. Purge wasn't used in the latest test run, but it might be an issue if siege tomes are ever needed again. Purge and Bolting can be bought from the Ch14 JP Secret Shop (along with Energy Rings, though they're probably unnecessary), but this obviously costs time.
- Some bosses carry 1-range weapons by default in JP rather than 1-2 range weapons. The most notable cases are Caellach and Valter, so it might be better to attack them from range.
- Contrary to what was said a few posts back, weapon effectiveness is 3x in all versions of FE8.
Overall, it seems JP would be faster on Normal due to the faster resets and better character bases, but I'm not sure about Hard due to the stronger enemies.
(As an aside, it's clear that Sacred Stones was rushed when you look at the JP version. My favorite example is that Pablo actually
loses two levels in between encounters, even though he has higher stats in the rematch.)