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Boss: Difference between revisions

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[[File:Ss fe13 boss map.png|thumb|300px|right|<small>[[Garrick]] is the boss of {{title|Awakening}}'s [[The Verge of History|Prologue]], and is marked as such by the crown icon in the corner of his sprite.</small>]]
[[File:Ss fe13 boss map.png|thumb|300px|right|<small>[[Garrick]] is the boss of {{title|Awakening}}{{'}}s [[The Verge of History|Prologue]], and is marked as such by the shield icon in the corner of his sprite.</small>]]


A '''boss''' or '''commander''' is a type of enemy [[unit]] who functions as the leader of an enemy army. Typically, there will be one boss unit per chapter, the boss will be more powerful than the rest of the enemy army and will wield superior weapons, cannot or will not move around the chapter's map of their own volition, are situated on advantageous [[terrain]] types like forts, gates and thrones, have a semi-unique appearance and actual dialogue, and are distinguished by specific boss battle music.  [[Objectives#Defeat boss|Defeating the boss]] is a common [[objectives|objective]] for chapters, and by default is also part of the [[Objectives#Rout enemy|rout objective]].  Some games - {{title|Blazing Sword}}, {{title|The Sacred Stones}}, {{title|Path of Radiance}}, {{title|Radiant Dawn}} and {{title|Awakening}} will denote on the map which enemy unit is the chapter's boss, by placing an icon in the corner of their sprite; the icon's contents vary from game to game.
A '''boss''' (Japanese: {{hl|ボス|Bosu}} ''boss'') or '''commander''' is a type of enemy [[unit]] who functions as the leader of an enemy army. Typically, there will be one boss unit per chapter, but there can be multiple. Bosses are often minor characters in the story, but major antagonists also take roles as bosses.


While these conditions are the norm, exceptions are common. In {{title|Genealogy of the Holy War}}, the sheer scope of its chapters resulting in each chapter having multiple bosses, fought in turn as the player's army travels between [[castle]]s. The majority of the games commonly feature multiple bosses comprised of a lead boss and a number of mini-bosses, less powerful and important bosses typically encountered at a chapter's midpoint.
==Gameplay==
Bosses tend to be more powerful than the rest of the enemy army accompanying them, and will wield superior weapons. They also situate themselves on advantageous [[terrain]] types like forts, gates and thrones, have a portrait and actual dialogue, and are distinguished by specific boss battle music. Bosses generally remain stationary, but there are some bosses that move, with one random example being [[Bone]] from {{FE8}}.  


In {{title|Genealogy of the Holy War}}, {{title|Thracia 776}} and {{title|Radiant Dawn}}, bosses will also often have one to five [[leadership]] points to aid their army. While for the most part bosses remain enemies for their entire presence in a game, there are rare examples of bosses who can be [[Recruitment|recruited]] by the player, like [[Tiki]], [[Hannibal]], [[Pirn]] and [[Oliver]]; in [[Trial Map]]s and similar modes, it is also common to allow the player to use plot-critical bosses in their army as a reward for game completion.
[[Objectives#Defeat boss|Defeating the boss]] is a common [[objectives|objective]] for chapters, and by default is also part of the [[Objectives#Rout enemy|rout objective]]. Since {{title|The Blazing Blade}}, a chapter's boss has been denoted by an icon in the corner of their sprite; the icon's contents vary from game to game, but it is often a shield.
 
With the exception of {{title|Gaiden}} and {{title|Genealogy of the Holy War}}, bosses award more [[experience]] than other enemies do when they are defeated. This experience bonus is typically a flat added bonus varying from 10 to 40 depending on the game. In {{title|Three Houses}}, the experience bonus is instead a multiplier that doubles the final experience value.
 
In ''Genealogy of the Holy War'', the sheer scope of its chapters result in each chapter having multiple bosses, upwards of four, fought in turn as the player's army travels between [[castle]]s. The majority of the chapters commonly feature multiple bosses comprised of a lead boss and a number of mini-bosses, less powerful and important bosses typically encountered at a chapter's midpoint.
 
In ''Genealogy of the Holy War'', {{title|Thracia 776}} and {{title|Radiant Dawn}}, bosses will also often have one to five [[authority]] points to aid their army. While for the most part bosses remain enemies for their entire presence in a game, there are rare examples of bosses who can be [[Recruitment|recruited]] by the player, like [[Tiki]], [[Hannibal]], [[Perne]], and [[Oliver]]; in [[Trial Map]]s and similar modes, it is also common to allow the player to use plot-critical bosses in their army as a reward for game completion.
 
In {{title|Shadow Dragon and the Blade of Light}} and {{title|Gaiden}}, every boss is "class grown"; they are statistically identical to generic units of their level and are usually only distinguished by their location or equipment; they are stronger than the units around them simply by virtue of being higher-leveled. A majority of bosses in {{title|Genealogy of the Holy War}} also operate on this principle, though some are internally coded as exceptions, which is required to set [[Holy Blood]], a non-zero [[luck]] stat, or personal [[skills]]. Most returning bosses in {{title|Shadows of Valentia}} also are class grown, though some, including most of the newcomers, are not. In all later titles, bosses instead have personal, (usually) fixed stats. However, in {{title|The Binding Blade}}, [[Roberts]], [[Maggie]] and [[Rose]] are uniquely set to be treated as a class-grown generic enemy with personal base stats on top; this is responsible for Maggie and Rose's stat variance on Normal mode.
 
==Boss quotes==
[[File:Ss fe08 myrrh boss quote.png|thumb|[[Myrrh]] apologizes to [[Morva]]; an example of a boss quote.]]
Across the series typically more important bosses get customized conversations with certain characters, typically the characters that have these conversations are acquainted with each other. Boss quotes can vary in length, with dialogue ranging from quick insults to lengthy conversations.
 
On much rarer occasions bosses will have varying death quotes depending on who defeats them. [[Saizo]] killing [[Kotaro]] in {{FE14}} is one example.
 
Non-personal quotes are in every game, although the Famicom installments reserve them for important bosses. Boss death quotes are even rarer in these games. ''Mystery of the Emblem'' standardized every boss having a battle and death quote. Personal battle quotes were introduced in ''Genealogy of the Holy War''.
{{Clear}}


==Boss abuse==
==Boss abuse==
"Boss abuse" is the act of exploiting a boss for the purposes of [[experience]] gain. By taking advantage of the consistent stream of boss healing per turn from their occupied terrain, players can waste a boss's weapon until it breaks and is left helpless, then have a lower-level slowly chip away at the defenseless boss as a way to gain it easy, if time-consuming, experience.
"Boss abuse" is the act of exploiting a boss for the purposes of [[experience]] gain. By taking advantage of the consistent stream of boss healing per turn from their occupied terrain, players can waste a boss's weapon until it breaks and is left helpless, then have a lower-level slowly chip away at the defenseless boss as a way to gain easy, if time-consuming, experience. Alternatively, the boss can be attacked at ranges from which it cannot counterattack, such as attacking a [[bow]]-using boss at one range.
 
Some games have measures to prevent this; for instance, in ''Awakening''{{'}}s [[Lunatic Mode]], attacking a boss repeatedly in this manner produces diminishing returns of experience until it is no longer gained at all.
 
==Trivia==
* {{FE8}} was the first game to give all bosses an [[affinity]]. {{FE6}} and {{FE7}}, the two previous games with affinities, did not give all bosses the attribute.
 
==Etymology and other languages==
{{Names
|eng-name=Boss
|jpn-name={{hover|ボス|Bosu}}
|jpn-mean=Boss
|fren-name=Boss
|fren-mean=As above.
|ger-name=
|ger-mean=
|span-name=
|span-mean=
|ital-name=
|ital-mean=
|dut-name=
|dut-mean=
|kor-name=
|kor-mean=
|ch-simp-name=
|ch-simp-mean=
|ch-trad-name=
|ch-trad-mean=
}}


==Gallery==
==Gallery==
<gallery>
<gallery>
File:Ss fe07 boss map.png|An example of a boss in the [[Game Boy Advance]] games; here, the boss icon is a shield.
Ss fe07 boss map.png|[[Bauker]], an example of a boss in {{FE7}}.
Ss fe13 boss map.png|[[Garrick]], an example of a boss in {{title|Awakening}}.
</gallery>
</gallery>


==See also==
==See also==
* [[:Category:Bosses in Fire Emblem: Ankoku Ryuu to Hikari no Tsurugi]]
* [[:Category:Enemies in Fire Emblem: Shadow Dragon & the Blade of Light]]
* [[:Category:Bosses in Fire Emblem Gaiden]]
* [[:Category:Enemies in Fire Emblem Gaiden]]
* [[:Category:Bosses in Fire Emblem: Mystery of the Emblem]]
* [[:Category:Enemies in Fire Emblem: Mystery of the Emblem]]
* [[:Category:Bosses in Fire Emblem: Genealogy of the Holy War]]
* [[:Category:Enemies in Fire Emblem: Genealogy of the Holy War]]
* [[:Category:Bosses in Fire Emblem: Thracia 776]]
* [[:Category:Enemies in Fire Emblem: Thracia 776]]
* [[:Category:Bosses in Fire Emblem: The Binding Blade]]
* [[:Category:Enemies in Fire Emblem: The Binding Blade]]
* [[:Category:Bosses in Fire Emblem: Blazing Sword]]
* [[:Category:Enemies in Fire Emblem: The Blazing Blade]]
* [[:Category:Bosses in Fire Emblem: The Sacred Stones]]
* [[:Category:Enemies in Fire Emblem: The Sacred Stones]]
* [[:Category:Bosses in Fire Emblem: Path of Radiance]]
* [[:Category:Enemies in Fire Emblem: Path of Radiance]]
* [[:Category:Bosses in Fire Emblem: Radiant Dawn]]
* [[:Category:Enemies in Fire Emblem: Radiant Dawn]]
* [[:Category:Bosses in Fire Emblem: Shadow Dragon]]
* [[:Category:Enemies in Fire Emblem: Shadow Dragon]]
* [[:Category:Bosses in Fire Emblem: New Mystery of the Emblem, Heroes of Light and Shadow]]
* [[:Category:Enemies in Fire Emblem: New Mystery of the Emblem]]
* [[:Category:Bosses in Fire Emblem: Awakening]]
* [[:Category:Enemies in Fire Emblem Awakening]]
* [[:Category:Enemies in Fire Emblem Fates]]
* [[:Category:Enemies in Fire Emblem Echoes: Shadows of Valentia]]
* [[:Category:Enemies in Fire Emblem: Three Houses]]


{{NavMech}}
{{NavMech}}


[[Category:Units]][[Category:Glossary]]
[[Category:Units]]
[[Category:Glossary]]

Latest revision as of 03:13, 15 October 2023

Garrick is the boss of Awakening's Prologue, and is marked as such by the shield icon in the corner of his sprite.

A boss (Japanese: ボス boss) or commander is a type of enemy unit who functions as the leader of an enemy army. Typically, there will be one boss unit per chapter, but there can be multiple. Bosses are often minor characters in the story, but major antagonists also take roles as bosses.

Gameplay

Bosses tend to be more powerful than the rest of the enemy army accompanying them, and will wield superior weapons. They also situate themselves on advantageous terrain types like forts, gates and thrones, have a portrait and actual dialogue, and are distinguished by specific boss battle music. Bosses generally remain stationary, but there are some bosses that move, with one random example being Bone from Fire Emblem: The Sacred Stones.

Defeating the boss is a common objective for chapters, and by default is also part of the rout objective. Since The Blazing Blade, a chapter's boss has been denoted by an icon in the corner of their sprite; the icon's contents vary from game to game, but it is often a shield.

With the exception of Gaiden and Genealogy of the Holy War, bosses award more experience than other enemies do when they are defeated. This experience bonus is typically a flat added bonus varying from 10 to 40 depending on the game. In Three Houses, the experience bonus is instead a multiplier that doubles the final experience value.

In Genealogy of the Holy War, the sheer scope of its chapters result in each chapter having multiple bosses, upwards of four, fought in turn as the player's army travels between castles. The majority of the chapters commonly feature multiple bosses comprised of a lead boss and a number of mini-bosses, less powerful and important bosses typically encountered at a chapter's midpoint.

In Genealogy of the Holy War, Thracia 776 and Radiant Dawn, bosses will also often have one to five authority points to aid their army. While for the most part bosses remain enemies for their entire presence in a game, there are rare examples of bosses who can be recruited by the player, like Tiki, Hannibal, Perne, and Oliver; in Trial Maps and similar modes, it is also common to allow the player to use plot-critical bosses in their army as a reward for game completion.

In Shadow Dragon and the Blade of Light and Gaiden, every boss is "class grown"; they are statistically identical to generic units of their level and are usually only distinguished by their location or equipment; they are stronger than the units around them simply by virtue of being higher-leveled. A majority of bosses in Genealogy of the Holy War also operate on this principle, though some are internally coded as exceptions, which is required to set Holy Blood, a non-zero luck stat, or personal skills. Most returning bosses in Shadows of Valentia also are class grown, though some, including most of the newcomers, are not. In all later titles, bosses instead have personal, (usually) fixed stats. However, in The Binding Blade, Roberts, Maggie and Rose are uniquely set to be treated as a class-grown generic enemy with personal base stats on top; this is responsible for Maggie and Rose's stat variance on Normal mode.

Boss quotes

Myrrh apologizes to Morva; an example of a boss quote.

Across the series typically more important bosses get customized conversations with certain characters, typically the characters that have these conversations are acquainted with each other. Boss quotes can vary in length, with dialogue ranging from quick insults to lengthy conversations.

On much rarer occasions bosses will have varying death quotes depending on who defeats them. Saizo killing Kotaro in Fire Emblem Fates is one example.

Non-personal quotes are in every game, although the Famicom installments reserve them for important bosses. Boss death quotes are even rarer in these games. Mystery of the Emblem standardized every boss having a battle and death quote. Personal battle quotes were introduced in Genealogy of the Holy War.

Boss abuse

"Boss abuse" is the act of exploiting a boss for the purposes of experience gain. By taking advantage of the consistent stream of boss healing per turn from their occupied terrain, players can waste a boss's weapon until it breaks and is left helpless, then have a lower-level slowly chip away at the defenseless boss as a way to gain easy, if time-consuming, experience. Alternatively, the boss can be attacked at ranges from which it cannot counterattack, such as attacking a bow-using boss at one range.

Some games have measures to prevent this; for instance, in Awakening's Lunatic Mode, attacking a boss repeatedly in this manner produces diminishing returns of experience until it is no longer gained at all.

Trivia

Etymology and other languages

Names, etymology, and in other regions
Language Name Definition, etymology, and notes
English

Boss

--

Japanese

ボス

Boss

French

Boss

As above.

Gallery

See also

Game mechanics
Out-of-battle management Base (Barracks • Base Camp • Base conversation • Everyone's Conditions • Expedition • Garreg Mach Monastery (Abyss) • My Castle • Somniel) • Bonus experience • Dungeons • Gameplay modes (Difficulty • Creature Campaign • New Game +) • Gold • Lessons • Mila Shrines • Peddler • Preparations • Renown • Shopping (Armory • Bargains • Forge • Item shop • Merchant • Online shop • Secret shop) • Supply convoy • World map
Battles and chapters Arena • Battle save • Boss • Castle • Chapter (Alternate route • Paralogue • Side quest) • Chest • Combat forecast • Event tiles • Hidden treasure • Objectives • Reinforcement • Skirmish • Terrain (Hazards) • Turn (Turn rewind) • Weather (Fog of war) • Village
Stats Units Action • Affinity • Authority • Biorhythm • Charm • Class (Class mastery • Class relative power • Unit type) • Constitution (Aid) • Defense • Experience • Follow-up critical multiplier • Growth rate • Hit point • Holy Blood • Inventory • Level • Luck • Magic • Movement • Proficiency • Resistance • Skill • Speed • Strength • Weapon level • Weight
Weapons Brave weapon • Critical rate • Durability • Hit • Kill bonus • Might • Personal weapons • Range • Weapon experience • Weapon level • Weight • Worth
Unit mechanics and commands Adjutant • Attack (Counterattack) • Auto-Battle • Battalion (Gambit) • Canto • Chain attack • Chain Guard • Class change (Reclass) • Combat art • Crests • Dance (Galdrar • Play • Sing) • Death (Decoy) • Dismount • Dragon Vein • Emblem Rings • Fatigue • Inventory • Laguz transformation • Love (Jealousy • Inheritance) • Pair Up • Rally • Recruitment • Rescue (Capture) • Skills (Offensive skill) • Smash • Staggering Blow • Status effects • Support • Talk • Trade • Unit (Avatar • Bond units • Bonus unit • Einherjar • Loan unit • Prisoner • Replacement unit • Substitute character) • Visit
Calculations Attack • Attack speed • Avoid • Bonus damage • Critical hit (Combination bonus • Dodge • Triangle Attack) • Hit rate (True hit) • Random number generator • Weapon triangle (Trinity of magic)
Connectivity amiibo • Data transfer • Double Duel • Downloadable content • Link Arena • Multiplayer battle • Online shop • SpotPass • StreetPass
Other Barrier • Birthday • Class roll • Glitches • Multiple endings • Rankings • Sound Room • Tactician bonus
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