I'm not the best Fire Emblem player out there, but i was good enough to beat Fire Emblem Engage on Maddening. So i thougth, a ironman challage on hard could be to easy. I was so wrong.
Chapter 4 - First Unit Lost
Louis is for me the Kellam of Engage. I just forgot to move him. Louis: 0 battles, 0 wins
Until Chapter 10 i thougth the challange is to easy on hard, but i was so wrong. I got for sure more careless because i rushed through previous chapter, but i think chapter 10 is a turning point in this game and get harder in the middle part of the game.
Chapter 10 - Major lossed because of careless decissions
Celine got killed by a crit of Hortensia
Lapis, as sword flier, got killed by Lyns enage attack of Hyacinth. I just made a mistake with her positioning.
My team so far: Alear as Archer, Afred, Yunaka, Anna as Mage, Alcryst, Citrinne, Ivy, Zelkov, ~~Lapis~~, ~~Celine~~
Chapter 12 - limited movement in the desert
Fogado got killed by reinforments. Of course i was my mistake that got him into this situation, but i knew he doesn't survive and i doesn't found any solution anymore to rescue him. Fogado: 5 battles, 2 wins
Chapter 14 - I hate crits
Alcrys got killed by a crit. I haven't learned so far to play arround crits and that will not be the last one. His brother will take his place in the army to fill that missing spot that hits us very hard.
Chapter 15 - Yunaka is untouchable
Nobody died here, but that all thanks to our best girl Yunaka. She was able to deafeat tank/dodge all the attack of the strong reinforments all alone and gave us serveral round to defeat them. We could have been wiped without her.
Chapter 17 - Marni is a strong girl
Because of bad positioning Rosado, that wasn't long in our team died against a attack from Marni with her very effetive weapon Rosado: 9 battles, 5 wins
Chapter 14x - legends can die
I thought Alcryst or Lapis deaths hit me hard, but this is almost a sin. At least Yunaka diedn't die to a random enemy, she died to attack from Beyleth. I thought, like always, Yunaka dodges one more attack, like she always does it. I pushed her already to her limits before, i pushed her to hard.
Chapter 18 - enemy get teleported
I got a bit angry because Citrinne died. She died because Mavier teleported a mounted Unit and Citrinne has very low defense. I thought she i perfecty safe on her position, but she died. Yes it's my fault but i forgot Mauvier does that.
Zelkrov died in this chapter as well. I don't know what i did wrong on him, because he got one hit by Mauvier. I thought he should be safe because of my calculation. I was wrong.
Zelkrov: 51 battles, 26 wins
Chapter 15x - Corrin is not strong but dangerous
Diamant folled his brother on this chapter because i doesn't respect the abilty of Corrin, that lowers the enemies stats, into my calculation. So he got killed by a combination of corrins ability and a few enemy Units. Took some time to made him strong after his brothers death, but at 15x he was quite useful. Diamant: 49 battles, 22 wins
Chapter 17L - Don't play at night, you get worse
Merrin wasn't long in the team because she joined after Yunakas death. So she wasn't very strong and died to bad calculation from two enemy units. Merrin: 29 battles, 12 wins
My team so far: Alear as Bow Knight, Afred, ~~Yunaka~~, Anna as Sage, ~~Alcryst~~, ~~Citrinne~~, Ivy, ~~Zelkov~~, ~~Lapis~~, ~~Celine~~, ~~Fogado~~, Panette as wyvern knight, Hortensia, ~~Rosado~~, Goldmarry as Griffin knight, ~~Diamant~~, Seadall, Kagetsu, Jade as Wolf knight, Timerra as Flier
Chapter 21 - Please stop playing at night
This was maybe the most horrible chapter i had. I attack with Lyns engage attack one of the staff use besides Veyle, but wasn't ready to go into attack. What i don't know, this attack triggers unlimited enemy spawn from every side. I still thought they new flood of enemies end at some point so i just fight against them and slowly go to Veyle. But the new spawn of enemies doesn't end. At some point there were about 60 enemies on the field that approach me. Sadly i lost Seadall and Kagetsu from these enemies. I really thought they vipe me or i lose more Units, but somehow i found a path that lead me besides Veyle and i was able to defeat her. Kagetsu: 34 battles, 24 wins
Chapter 22x - Rookie got strong and died
Timerra joined my Team after the death of....i don't know anymore but she wasn't that strong. But on Chapter 22 she feels like she was usable, so i just pushed her into to much enemies and lost her.
I married Goldmarry because someone i ask thought she is beautiful.
Because i lost 14 Units and many of them got a lot of experience, i hadn't much possiblities for the endboss anymore. Some of the unit i use were just weak. So here is my Endboss team: Alear, Alfred, Chloe as rookie healer, Jade the weird wolf knight, Ivy, Hortensia, Panette as wyvern knight, Pandreo to heal, Anna, Lindons another heal, Saphir as Bow knight, Mauvier and Veyle
Final chapter: I'm so sorry
Eeehh this is the worst death. Sombrom killed his daughter because he removed the engage state and her other weapon made her to slow, so she got doubled.
The Units that beat Sombrom:
Alear: 267 battles, 184 wins (Divine Dragon) with Leif
Goldmarry: 105 battles, 78 wins (Griffin Knight) with Eirika
Alfred: 274 battles, 118 wins (Avenir) with Sigurd
Chloe: 20 battles, 8 wins (Griffin knight) with Micaiah
Jade: 59 battles, 37 wins (Wolf Knight) with Byleth
Ivy: 199 battles, 126 wins (Lindwurm) with Corrin
Hortensia: 101 battles, 52 wins (Sleipnir) with Marth
Panette: 123 battles, 88 wins (Wyvern Knight) with Lucina
Pandrea: 46 battles, 20 wins (Hight Priest)
Anna: 206 battles, 138 wins (Sage) with Roy
Lindon: 16 battles, 5 wins (Sage)
Saphir: 32 battles, 25 wins (Bow Knight) with Lyn
Mauvier: 47 battles, 22 wins (Royal Knight) with Ike
Three Houses was easy enough that in my playthroughs deaths were rare even without using the rewind, but I get what you're saying. Though Three Houses was also unique in that it was much easier to optimize characters to perform well (what with the game taking place in a school and all) and IMO party slots per map felt a lot less restrictive than especially Engage. In Engage I felt shorthanded for the challenge the map presented far too often, and it felt like IS was trying to build difficulty through sheer numbers of enemies to the point of it almost feeling unfair at times. (I will say Awakening felt rather fair and well balanced. I'm playing through Echoes now and it would be balanced... if not for that absolutely horrible map design. How did IS think anyone could get through a map where you have to send your units down literal gauntlets of bow knights that can hit you from a distance on both sides AND take out armored units at the end of each gauntlet, without losing at least half your team, especially when the only ones who can really damage those armored units are squishy mages?)