So I'm going to go through all the heroes, card by card, and evaluate how good each is. Second opinions are welcome and will be added to my posts (with credit) if they cover anything I didn't.

EDIT: How is the readability of what I'm doing here?

Diala Passil:

Summary:

Diala is probably the most versatile character in the game; she can be built to be good at anything the game offers but her support ability is the greatest standout.

Precise strike is not something I use often; this is in part because I have Diala attack less often than most characters but also because it comes at a high cost and a you can often get the kill past the defense die (especially if you have her reward).

Foresight similar to precise strike in that you're spending a known cost for an unknown reward that is often not worth it. I generally prefer to use her stress to get use her abilities.

I didn't think highly of force throw when I first saw it; I had trouble believing that the effect was worth the cost (in my defense it's not obvious there aren't a lot of reasons to look at the rules section for push to see that it can be in any direction). I was wrong. Force throw lets her move herself and other people around without spending an action and that's just great.

Patrickmahan continues to point out that I can't read (except new people will read this before the other case of this). Being unable to move herself makes force throw much worse and art of movement better.

I've always loved force adept. It makes everything you do just that little bit more reliable, it's probably the best ability in the game for passing attribute tests (yes, better than toolkit) and it feels really good when you re-roll that die and get the surge or extra damage that you really needed.

All these juicy abilities mean Diala uses a lot of stress, which means she needs to rest a lot, which means battle meditation gives you an almost free focus to anyone on your team when you do something that you need to do a lot. This is really sodding good.

Defensive Stance makes foresight much better, worth using at almost any opportunity (and getting a focus for free when you get lucky when you're attacked is nice too). The problem is that sometimes you just won't have an opportunity because you're already stressed out (and Savvy Imperial players will have Diala fairly low on their target list). My experiences with it have not been particularly positive.

Flightmaster101 says: " The fact that [defensive stance] grants a focus token if you take no damage is the part that makes it amazing."

Before I realized how good force throw was I would swear by art of movement. It is a very powerful effect that will sometimes just win the game out of nowhere for you but a lot of those times force throw can do the same job. Knowing what I know now I probably wouldn't buy it.

Snap kick is simple, it's an extra die of damage on occasion; this is nice but Diala can do much better. I think it's her worst card (though that's not saying much).

Dancing Weapon gives you the ability to attack at range, an extra die to do it with, and an extra surge for damage. It costs a strain but it's well worth it.

Way of the Sarlacc is much more powerful than dancing weapon but much more narrow. Your opponent will often be able to stop you getting more than one bonus attack with this and given that you can often cleave that's probably not worth the strain. Of course sometimes you'll kill a whole squad of elite stormtroopers with it and that's great but it's not the norm. I prefer dancing weapon.

Purchase Priority: Force Adept->Force Throw->Battle Meditation->Dancing Weapon->Defensive Stance->Way of the Sarlacc->Art of Movement

(Something to note about purchase priority: it's obviously dependant on other factors such as the other heroes, the imperial class deck and rewards/items you've gotten).

At this point I think Shu-Yen's lightsaber is a late arrival spoiler so I won't hide it. It is probably the most controversial hero reward with people saying it becomes redundant late in the game. This is true to an extent but it's immensely valuable early on (co-incidentally that's probably when her side mission is easiest). It's obviously best with the balanced hilt as both of its surges are amazing. The ability to deal damage with foresight is valuable even in the late game and if Diala gets the force pike the having a spare weapon with cleave is great.

Next Up: Fenn Signis

Fenn Signis:

Summary: Fenn is very well rounded, similarly to Diala he has good options to fulfil any purpose but his stand out is his AOE damage ability.

Currently (including what's known about RtH) there are two ways for the rebels to get blast. Havoc shot is one. It's fantastic as it's completely a matter of choice if you want to use it so if you need it you have it (in my experience Fenn doesn't use his strain for much other than movement and this ability).

Lone wolf is also very nice. It often makes Havoc Shot or an additional square of movement free and if you don't use it for that it will slowly recover Fenn's health.

Tactical movement is very much like force throw, except possibly even better because it's free. You give up a good portion of the versatility to get that freedom though.

An extra defense die is nice but white is so unreliable; I'm not fond of take cover.

Adrenaline rush is great; it makes any sporadic attacks on Fenn virtually useless (and sometimes worse).

Fenn should almost never need additional accuracy, which makes weapon expert just strain to pierce 1, I won't complain about this but Fenn can do much better.

A three range restriction is nothing so Trench fighter is 2 damage every turn, for free. It's very good.

Suppressive fire gives Fenn more AOE damage on Havoc shot, this is good. If your opponents want to get stunned instead that is an option (which stormtroopers, Fenn's preferred prey, will usually be happy to take).

I've never bought Superior Positioning. Focusing for 1 strain is good and so is the free block but Move is the number one action heroes want to avoid when they can. this is one of the cards I'm not sure about and would particularly like other opinions on.

The bottom half of Rebel Elite would be worth 4 xp on it's own (blast 2 is so much better than blast 1). Getting that, 3 health and 1 endurance is a fantastic bargain.

Purchase Priority: Tactical Movement->Trench Fighter->Rebel Elite->Adrenaline Rush->Suppressive Fire->Take Cover

Veteran's prowess is great. Anyone would be happy to be able to strain while attacking for a bonus damage, Fenn can do it and it comes free with something he already wants to do (though sometimes friendly fire is a thing). I haven't often used the lower half but it's a handy bonus.

Next up: Gaarkhan.

One small input: defensive stance on Dialia. The fact that it grants a focus token if you take no damage is the part that makes it amazing. Due to defensive stance and foresight I almost always have an extra green dice to attack with. Honestly it's given more focus than battle meditation.

Look forward to reading the rest!

Gaarkhan:

Summary: I don’t like Gaarkhan. He’s strong early but very few of his cards do anything but increase the damage he can deal or take.

Charge is the main reason to pick Gaarkhan; it’s that simple.

The problem with rage is that once the IP realizes that he can just shoot something other than the wookie in his face it won’t proc that often.

Wookie loyalty blocks 1 damage each turn (unless Gaarkhan is isolated and not attacked which can definitely happen. This is good.

Wookie fortitude lets him ignore stun (or other conditions) for a strain cost. That would be well worth a point even if it didn’t let him recover health.

Ferocity lets him deal a little more damage when focused but it’s not optional which is annoying since sometimes you’d rather ensure a cleave. The surge option is usually a non-factor. It also suffers from the fact that your focus usually comes when the IP wants.

Staggering blow seems terrible to me; how often will you deal 3 damage to something in melee range, not kill it and have it actually care that it’s stunned.

Rampage is a little aoe damage which is nice but nothing special.

There is a huge difference between “Use while you are attacking” and “Use when you declare an attack”. If Vicious Strike was the former it would be useful. As it is it’s a gamble if it’ll be the 1 point of damage you need to kill something or do nothing, given that Gaarkhan is pretty tight on strain it’s no-where near good enough.

Unstoppable has the same problem as rage, the fantastic +2 damage will usually not come into effect against a good IP because if Gaarkhan is wounded it usually means everyone is wounded and you lose. The top half is still very good since it loosens his strain problems quite a lot.

Brutal cleave is an attack for 1 strain. This is very good (though the IP can mitigate its effect quite a lot). I think you should buy unstoppable before this.

Purchase priority: Wookie Loyalty->Wookie Fortitude->Unstoppable->Brutal Cleave->Rampage->Ferocity

Life Debt is pretty much rage for when the IP attacks your allies. This is fantastic since it punishes them for ignoring you and it makes ferocity better if you get it.

Gideon Argus:

Summary:

Gideon is currently the hardest (in so far as most inclined toward) support hero in the game. He can't do much on his own but he gives amazing bonuses to his allies.

Command effectively lets you transfer an action from Gideon to another hero. Most of his kit is built around it but without upgrades it's mediocre.

I often forget Disabling shot exists. Gideon rarely attacks and when he does it'll often be better for him to recover a strain (or do more damage) than stun his target.

Called shot is great. A surge on demand is a pretty powerful effect and he can give it to anyone he can see without strain.

Patrickmahan points out that I've been playing Called shot wrongly and Gideon needs to be able to see the target rather than the attacker; this definitely makes it worse but I don't think it stops it being worth buying first (though that may change as I play with it correctly).

Military efficiency just doesn't do much, it either gives a bonus damage once per turn in a small number of attacking scenarios or blocks 1 damage (or takes an extra damage to avoid a condition) in a small number of defending scenarios.

No range limit on command is nice but Gideon doesn't have room to prioritize Air of command even with the bonus health.

Mobile tactician allows Gideon to not use move actions. I like not using move actions.

For the cause! is much like air of command; 1 strain to focus someone is good but Gideon can do better.

Recover two strain, for free, every turn. <3 r allying shout.

Masterstroke was one of the first cards previewed for imperial assault; even then it was obvious that it was incredibly strong. You double the effectiveness of the main thing you want Gideon to be doing (it also lets you double the bonus of mobile tactician and your reward).

Hammer and anvil is a very powerful effect; unfortunately to get good use out of it Gideon needs a decent weapon which will not usually be a priority.

Purchase priority: Called shot->Rallying shout->Masterstroke->Mobile tactician->Hammer and Anvil->For the Cause->Air of Command->Military efficiency.

Strain recovery with every use of command is great. The fact that fearless leader comes with a discounted squad of rebel troopers is just a bonus.

Called Shot requires Gideon to have line of sight to the target/victim. Not the hero/ally, making it tricky in maze like maps.

Jyn Odan:

Summary: I’m a fan of DotA2 which leads me to describe Jyn as a carry. Once she gets the stuff she needs she becomes a goddess of destruction, if she doesn’t you feel sad because she never reached her full potential.

Quick draw is a large portion of Jyn’s appeal. Unfortunately a savvy imperial player can often find a way around it.

Opportunist gives you one space of movement after every successful attack, this is nice.

Jyn doesn’t really want to get attacked; Quick as a Whip gives you a movement point whenever it happens though so that’s nice.

Smuggler’s luck offers various minor bonuses. Unfortunately it’s best if you get it early and Jyn simply doesn’t have the time to stop for it.

Roll with it is terrible. Jyn goes through strain fast and she can’t afford to spend it to block 1 (2 if you’re lucky) damage.

Cheap shot has a nice bonus damage but quick draw should not be your main focus.

Gunslinger is the first of Jyn’s power abilities; it’s a unique and powerful effect (and one that I doubt will be repeated) even without the ability to strain for a surge.

Get cocky can either keep you focused a very large portion of the time or make it so you rarely if ever have to rest; both of these are very good things.

Sidewinder is much like mobile tactician in that it lets you move when you do the thing you most want to do, the nice thing about it is Jyn can usually attack three times a turn, that can easily be escalated to the point where move actions are almost never necessary.

Trick shot is cool but it’s really not very good. Sure it lets you attack from further away and stay out of sight, but Mak can do that for half the xp cost, and he’s not as strain starved as Jyn is.

DTDanix values trick shot highly to remove the counterplay to quickdraw. He says quickdraw is Jyn's main extra source of actions and you should aim to use it every turn.

Purchase Priority: Get cocky->Sidewinder->Gunslinger->Quick as a Whip-> Smuggler’s luck ->Cheap Shot.

Alternate list: Smugglers luck->Get Cocky->Trick shot->Gunslinger->Quick as a whip->Cheap shot

Peacekeeper gives an extra attack, it’s unfortunate that you need to be attacked first but still.

Regarding Gideon, Masterstroke is required asap, and should be the first pick, followed by Mobile Tactician.

For Gaarkhan, Loyalty isn't that great, and you can get an item that does the same thing. Fortitude generally doesn't do much early in the campaign either, so you should save up for your favorite 4 cost first.

For Jyn, the whole point of Trick Shot is to make it so they can't play around Quick Draw. If you're going to get Smuggler's Luck, get it first, as it helps you find better items.

Note that Gaarkhan's Charge use the Move X spaces rules, so he can ignore figures and other obstacles when moving, wich give him hight mobility. In fact, with the extra speed from Unstoppable, he has the best mobility of the heroes (as long as he can charge, if not, the same mobility as Jyn and Saska).

I dont agree with DTDanix, Fortitude is awesome, as trading one strain to remove Bleed or Stun is an enormously good trade.

You should factor in the tests skill in your analysis. Tech is the most common in the campaign, folowed by Strength and Sight (barely usefull)

In fact, with the extra speed from Unstoppable, he has the best mobility of the heroes (as long as he can charge, if not, the same mobility as Jyn and Saska).

I disagree with this entirely; the best mobility in this game comes from not spending actions, his only thing that would count is charge and its as little as can count as as much.

For Jyn, the whole point of Trick Shot is to make it so they can't play around Quick Draw. If you're going to get Smuggler's Luck, get it first, as it helps you find better items.

As I said, quick draw should not be Jyn's main focus, I'm very confident it's not worth 4 xp so you can quickdraw the exact target you want for 50% increased cost. Smuggler's luck is only on the purchase priority list as a "things to buy if you've already got all of your good stuff."

The great thing about Gaarkhan is that he does lots of damage and starts with the ability to basically perform an extra action for 2 strain. Nobody else is going to get you extra actions that easily until way later in a campaign. Every turn for Gaarkhan is ideally Charge attack, attack.

Early in the campaign, you usually don't get stunned, which is why I'm saying Fortitude isn't a requirement for first buy. Additionally, if your imperial player is any good at all, they aren't going to be attacking Gaarkhan. Spending that 1xp early is a waste since it does nothing to contribute to the mission when they don't attack Gaarkhan, and you'll do way more by getting a 4xp 1 mission sooner.

Quickdraw is great because that's how you get extra actions as Jyn. Additionally, shooting allows her to move for free. Ideally you want to be using quick draw every round. A good imperial can play around it, but playing around it is impossible with Trick Shot.

It isn't about quickdrawing the exact target you want, it is about being able to use quickdraw at all. It is definitely worth it unless your opponent is playing Subversive Tactics.

Quickdraw is great because that's how you get extra actions as Jyn. Ideally you want to be using quick draw every round.

If you spend 3 strain to quickdraw every round then you're most likely resting every round to cover that, the math for extra actions there doesn't seem good.

Jyn gets extra effective actions from sidewinder and get cocky avoiding moving and resting respectively while gunslinger is a major source of her damage. You certainly won't quickdraw as much without trickshot but you'll be much more efficient in other areas.

(Still adding your opinion but voicing my disagreement).

If the imperial isn't playing subversive tactics, you can usually get away with recovering enough strain via surges to help cover the cost of quickdraw. Get Cocky also helps in this regards, either by removing 2 strain or by focusing you so you're more likely to have surge to spend on recovering strain.

That said, Sidewinder is a great ability, however you might find you can't effectively use those movement points all of the time otherwise you're just flinging Jyn out to die.

Some of the skill choices you make should really depend on your team makeup, items, and imperial class deck. Things like Trick Shot are definitely situational, but can be extremely effective in certain scenarios and shouldn't just be discounted. It is especially powerful once she has the ability to stun.

Given how important pulling the right items are, Smuggler's Luck is probably the best place to spend your first 1 xp. Nothing Jyn can get early is going to make a huge immediate difference. There are a lot of bad items available for purchase.

Given how important pulling the right items are, Smuggler's Luck is probably the best place to spend your first 1 xp. Nothing Jyn can get early is going to make a huge immediate difference. There are a lot of bad items available for purchase.

100% agree. Smuggler's Luck gives so much and all for only 1 exp. It can make a failed attribute test into a success, saving an action or possibly the game. The 2nd ability is less good, but can still be useful. And the third one is great, how many times do you draw the same items no one wants while the one you want is never drawn? Smuggler's luck can fix that. ALL of this for one measly EXP.

Hell, if Jyn is truly a 'carry' like you say then getting a good pistol for her is super important. Smuggler's Luck not only helps with that, but also helps you find gear for your other party members as well.

PS. Diala can't use force throw to move herself. You have to choose another small figure.

Pre-Hoth, I think the best team is:

Gideon, Gaarkhan, Fenn, and Jyn or Mak to fill the last slot.

Gideon maximizes your credits spent and basically takes no items. His turns are commandx2 and move/interact/rest as necessary.

Gaarkhan takes the Force Pike and High-Impact Guard and does 2-3 attacks each round for great damage.

Fenn takes either Pulse Cannon or some other good gun, moves via strain and tactical movement so he can attack more, doesn't use much strain, and gets blast 2.

Jyn takes the Sporting Blaster and DL44 (I think? whichever the pistol with the +2 and +1/+acc surges is) and wrecks with gunslinger for damage surges and quickdraw with stun from sporting blaster.

If you take Mak instead, he needs the pulse cannon probably and he does massive single target damage and gets focused all the time with Jeswandi.

Skills chosen vary slightly depending on imperial class.

For the other heroes:

Biv can be okay, but relies almost completely on his Close and Personal skill. He is almost completely useless vs Subversive due to extra strain. Shake It Off is just not consistent enough.

Saska just can't contribute as much as anyone else.

Diala can be okay, but with Gaarkhan, Gideon, and Fenn, she is redundant. They provide the damage and movement that you need, and for cheaper strain. You generally don't want 2 melee characters anyways, since there is only 1 force pike. She is also weaker earlier, which is trouble since Gideon is bad early on, too.

Pre-Hoth, I think the best team is:

Gideon, Gaarkhan, Fenn, and Jyn or Mak to fill the last slot.

I disagree, but only because I am big on action economy and having tanks out there. I have found health to be a huge factor in this game the more I play it. I can't stand Jyn she just goes down soooo quickly. For me the best team is Gaarkhan (charge is just wicked great for action economy), Biv (close and personal is a Royal Guard slayer), Mak (ability to attack twice with No Escape, and add actions with Expertise, plus Jeswandi training is basically defensive), and then Fenn (all around just amazing). We have this squad in my most recently campaign, playing against Subversive Tactics, and its just such an anti ST team its been amazing. Rebels have dominated this campaign. And its our third full campaign (just have last story mission and finale) and the Imperial has only won 3 missions so far. Really has played out well against this deck.

Does someone who disagrees with me on trick shot want to give an alternative purchase priority list (as general as you can make it which I know is awkward) for Jyn?

Mak Eshka'rey

Summary: Mak has great single target damage, pretty good mobility and some utility. I think he's the hardest to play of the base heroes and I'm honestly not sure I get how to build him.

Ambush allows you do do extra damage for strain. It's good early or against bosses but in the mid to late game Mak won't usually need it to get a kill.

Covert sometimes means enemies cant shoot you and you can activate ambush when otherwise they could, this is very nice.

Disengage, like nearly everything else that gives movement, is really good. My favourite tirck (which is very situational) is to approach figures that are too far away for you to attack twice but if you approach them can get to you and attack twice then disengage when they approach. It's good for a lot of other things though.

Supply network lets you filter cards you don't want from the top of the supply deck (or draw one in a game). I don't think the supply cards are reliable enough to warrant the xp use. (Obviously this has grotesque anti-synergy with mhd).

Jeswandi training is probably the easiest focus in the game. It also gives a nice health bonus. It reduces the value you get from covert but that's worth it.

Target acquired makes it easier to trigger ambush. It also stops you triggering no escape, which is very unfortunate.

Last I checked around half of the missions in the campaign have some sort of interact (other than crates). This gives plenty of opportunities to use Expertise for an extra action. Unfortunately you need to interact first which is sometimes a problem.

I don't think the bottom half of Execute is useful except against the RGC (and occasionally Nexu). Passive stress recovery whenever you kill something is good though.

Decoy does a lot, but it does it once and once alone. I don't think the effect is good enough when compared to the things Mak can do consistently.

No escape gives an attack, with focus, for two strain, he'll rack up strain fast with it but it's worth it.

Purchase priority: Disengage->Jeswandi training->No escape->Execute->Expertise->Supply network

I'm not going to say no to a bonus symbol on every defense roll (even if +evade on white is the worst such a thing could be) but that's not the main bonus of Shadow suit, bypassing the requirements of using ambush is nice (unfortunately Mak's is one of the harder side missions imo).

Up next: I'm postponing Biv and Saska to do pre-play analysis of the RtH heroes; because HYPE!!!

I've not gotten to play the rebels yet, so I find your analysis fascinating. Keep up the good work!

MHD-19 :

Summary: A full healing character, MHD should make it much easier to keep the team healthy.

Let’s list all the things one can get with Medical loadout 2x recover 3 strain and focus, 2x heal 3 damage and remove a harmful condition, 2x heal 5 damage on rest, 1x set aside 4 strain received in the future. This is a lot of good stuff to keep the team healthy.

Ready for Service synergizes really well with the above; if you use medical loadout and rush to someone’s aid then you can have a focus to make up for your lack of attack.

Given that you can pick up bacta infusions I don’t think Bacta injector should be a priority since it’s giving you utility that you already have.

Improper procedure is very useful, especially in the early game, for picking off low health enemies. It also doesn’t count as an attack which might let you trigger ready for service.

I’m re-considering my initial verdict on Field surgeon (which summarized to “I don’t want to gimp attacks to do something I could do with my other abilities”). I still don’t think it’s a priority but it’s a solid choice once you have your core items.

I imagine MHD running round a lot; Fuel injection makes this much easier (have I mentioned that I like just about any mobility card).

I think Miracle worker will be the best deplete card available to the rebels. Sometimes all you need is one extra activation to win and this gives that activation. Even in the worst case scenario it forces the imperial player to spend an extra attack to wound a hero they “should” have already wounded (or they get another turn and double rest).

Adrenal vapor adds a dice to an attack (which is good, especially given that it stacks with focus). I don’t think the fact that it doesn’t exhaust will be relevant often since the strain cost is so high.

I was dubious about the size of the area for Bacta cloud when I first saw it. Now I’m pretty sure the effect is good enough to warrant inclusion even if you’re only hitting yourself and one other figure.

I don’t think the explosive supply cards are good enough for Combat override to be good (at least the top). The bottom is better but it’s contingent on you getting a good weapon on your support character.

Purchase priority: Improper procedure->Fuel injection->Miracle worker->Bacta cloud->Adrenal vapor->Field surgeon->Bacta injector

Systems upgrade saves you an action when you need it most, I don’t think the health is a very large factor since you will usually use the deplete at some point (though it might buy you a turn to rest). I don’t think it’s that strong of a reward card.

Regarding Jyn purchase order:

Smuggler's Luck > Get Cocky > Gunslinger/Trick Shot (order depending on if you have the weapons or have won at least 1 story mission to get the extra xp to afford both).

Regarding Mak:
Jeswandi is probably the first buy, because it should help out significantly more than Disengage for story mission 2. If you're going to get Supply Network at all, you should get that first, but I probably wouldn't get it.

If you're going to get Supply Network at all, you should get that first, but I probably wouldn't get it.

My purchase priority list is meant to cover all the xp you can get, if you have 1 xp available after buying the other things on the list then you may as well buy Supply network. And thank you for the list, I will post it and try it because green eggs and ham and all that.

Verena Talos/Rule 63 Star Lord/Elsa/Zoey Washburne:

Summary: Verena is like the hero I designed except without the espionage side theme </plug>. She’s a hybrid range/melee character with tankieness and a lot of damage.

While the attack on Close Quarters will usually be weaker than Biv’s close and personal (godammit FFG, names!) the fact that it attacks a new target makes it a better ability in my opinion, it should be a large source of her damage.

Duck and Weave is great. A black die will usually give you some blocks so the evade will normally do more work. It could be easier to trigger but it’s not really a hoop.

Combat momentum adds a lot of mobility to Verena; it’s not as good as some mobility talents but it gives you 3 movement if you strain or 1 if you don’t, it doesn’t exhaust and you can use them to go wherever you want.

Create opening will often give you an extra pierce (well, it’s slightly better than one sometimes) for a strain when you need it. That’s pretty useful.

K’tara maneuver is a pseudo charge that also displaces an enemy. The problem is that you could usually attack the enemy anyway so it serves to reposition for future turns. Of course it doesn’t use strain so that’s good.

I don’t think any of the surges given by Student of Battle are good enough to warrant it.

I did an extended post a while ago on how nearly every pistol doesn’t get the full leverage from Point blank shot . It’s still a damage bonus which is nice but it’s a lot of hoops.

Is Verena secretly Boba Fett? Because Improvised cover gives her the same defences as him. It also deals damage to the poor unfortunate next to her.

Master operative adds approximately 4/3 damage to every close quarters attack and gives her 6 endurance. This is very nice.

So she has brutality now. Except half of Combat mastery is ranged. It does take a lot of credits to get both of the attacks to be good but even if one is mediocre this is pretty good.

Purchase priority: Combat momentum->Create opening->Master Operative->Combat mastery->Improvised cover->K’tara maneuver

Iron hand is highly dependent on how many enemies you can keep next to you. Recovering 2 or 3 strain every turn is great, 1 is decent. 0 is not.

Personally I think all of Verena's skills look great. The hardest part is deciding which to get first and resisting the urge to spend EXP.

Personally I think all of Verena's skills look great. The hardest part is deciding which to get first and resisting the urge to spend EXP.

Agreed; though I think weapon selection will be the hardest part of playing her.