Soren's Sage speed cap is the worst thing in the game. I realize you can level other things because of this, but it seriously crippled him throughout my run.

No, Calill is useful for a few chapters, I'm pretty sure.

Also isn't this Radiant Dawn? You want to jam as many mounted units as you can because they all get to move after attacking... which is a little ridiculous since they were ALREADY the strongest units before they could do that.