How does everyone feel about Roland as a unit in battle? Am I the only one with no luck making him work? He feels like he dies so quickly compared to basically any of my other melee units. I'm through Chapter 11 and I'd say he's easily the worst unit of the ones I often use. I'm probably just using him poorly. I think in my head I'm treating him like a similar unit in Fire Emblem, where they tend to be a bit tanky-ish. I don't think Roland is intended to be that. I guess I have to babysit him a lot more, but I feel like I'd rather pour my healing into my better frontline units.
I love Roland. The Prince That Was Promised! He won me two battles when all hope was lost, and for that has my undying loyalty and eternal dibs on the
auto-rez item.
He is not who he appears to be at first glance. Initially, I tried employing him in a marauder role, out on his own, unsupported, disrupting enemies from the flanks. That didn't produce good results. Even isolated enemy units aren't often very isolated in this game, and for all the multi-target attacks Roland gets access to, they won't let him win 1v2.
Roland can't afford to outrun his healer. He may extend a little, but generally should be be able to fall back into Geela's range within a turn or two at most. His tool kit is maximized in the thick of it, where enemies are bunched up. Having a knockback alone is almost enough to make any unit awesome, add the excitement of spotting multi-hit opportunities where they occur and it creates a fun engaging playstyle. Attack, move, do passive damage by moving, get into position to assist on a follow-up, repeat the next turn. That's his rhythm.
Once the enemy front lines have been thinned out, he can rush down stragglers, finish off a healer or an archer, while your main force pushes ahead, and catch up with the rest faster than any non-mounted unit.
Similar to Hughette, Roland provides a win con on certain maps. Take out ranged foes and Roland is free to kite tanks and any but the most mobile swordsmen all day long without ever being touched: poke from a safe distance of two squares, run away, do it again until everyone is dead. If Roland happens to get cornered? No worry. Simply Rush towards whoever is blocking the way, come out the other side, proceed to run away.
Upgrades are also a huge benefit to him. Getting a workhorse ability like Double Thrust FP-discounted adds up. And both of Roland's promotions grant constantly used utility, which can't be said for all or even the majority of units.
.
