Radiant Dawn Playguide: P1-1
Nolan -- Key Stats: Str, Spd. Nolan's first weapon is a Steel Axe, and he begins with a 5 Str deficit on its weight. He needs Str and Spd on his levels to eliminate these penalties, or he'll be in trouble when laguz battles start to roll around.
Map Tips:
Advance at a measured pace, beginning with Nolan in the front, followed by Micaiah (for protected kills) and then Edward, with Leo visiting the house. It's a strong initial position that enables your units to quickly clean up enemy units on turn 2.
Don't approach the Javelin-wielding Soldier until you can do it with Edward or Nolan from up close. Otherwise, he scores free damage. When he's defeated, make sure to visit that house behind him for the Hand Axe, and that needs to be traded to Nolan before the end of this chapter.
When you start to advance to the north, there's a junction point that allows movement west, north, and south. Do not place a unit there. Instead, place one in the space north and one in the space west. That arrangement is more easily defended, and allows you to strike over the shoulder or heal as necessary. Keep using Sacrifice!
Hard Mode: Be sure to maintain a gap between your front units and Micaiah while the Archer is around, as if you've been using Sacrifice, he can probably one-shot her. Once he's finished, you can afford to move her up to directly behind Edward and Nolan.
Boss Type: Retaliatory. The boss doesn't move until he's been involved in at least one round of combat (if he attacks you, that counts). If you kill his comrade with the Hand Axe, you can box him with Edward and Nolan. Edward needs to get the Steel Sword before he Escapes.
Hard Mode: Since there's no weapon triangle, Nolan is actually a better option than Edward for taking the first few hits. If properly boxed, the boss can be finished in one turn with a strike from three of your units, but if someone misses you've still got another. Trade the dropped sword before you escape; you'll want it ASAP in the next map.