I own IV and Untold, but I can never find the time to actually go through them. I adore the music and the mapping but I always get intimidated that I might build my characters wrong. Hopefully sometime soon I'll be able to actually sit down and focus on IV.
I'm looking forward to Persona Q so that might help me get a better feel for how the games work. I also want to try III at some point because the sea theme is very appealing.
Few comments and pieces of advice:
1, While some of the older EO games had really unbalanced skills, with some being OP and some being kind of useless, EO IV is pretty balanced so it's not too hard to create a good party
2. When building a party, think about the roles each character has and try to specialize rather than be good at everything. Focus on a few skill trees with synergy rather than trying to dole points out to everything
3. Subclass, but don't be too afraid to focus more on main class skills if you think it works better. I had some characters in IV who pretty much never used their subclass skills, but you do get extra skill points for subclassing
4. Don't be afraid to rest to refresh a character's skill points if you think they've been built badly. it costs a few levels, but it can still be worth it
5. Later on in EO IV when you unlock new classes you're given items which allow you to create a character at a higher level than usual (though it's limited use). The level will be around where you're expected to be when you first get the item, so if you want to try out new classes or builds this is a good option
6. Don't neglect status skills or binds. Especially not binds, since they're super useful
