Fire Emblem Engage is finally out on the Nintendo Switch and there are sure to be plenty of people stepping into the world of Fire Emblem for the very first time. While the game isn't the most difficult for first-timers to get into, it might be a little confusing for people who don't have experience with JRPGs.
The first entry in the Fire Emblem series released in 1990, and though sales for the series began to decline in the next decade, the unprecedented and massive success of Fire Emblem Awakening in 2012 completely revived the franchise. The games are known to be some of the best tactical Japanese role-playing games, influencing many others in the genre. They have also begun to incorporate social simulation aspects in recent years. This latest game follows a divine dragon awoken from a millennium slumber as they attempt to defeat an evil dragon. Here are a few tips and tricks players can use to make sure they get their campaigns off to a great start.
Make Sure to Optimize Units
Fire Emblem offers the player a lot of potential for customization, including letting them pick and choose the abilities, equipment, and combat arts for each unit. However, this process can be time-consuming at best and intimidating at worst for players who aren't really familiar with the characters' various strengths and weaknesses.
Fortunately, the game includes a great feature called "Optimize" which will automatically select the optimal choices for abilities, equipment, and magic. This will allow players to build the best characters and loadouts as possible based on their own levels and inventories with a simple press of a button. To save time on units, make sure to click the L button to optimize in the unit menu.
Leave Nothing Behind in Fire Emblem Engage
After a long fight, players might be tempted to just button mash and get to a new screen. However, it's important that, besides chatting with various characters and earning bond fragments, players check the battlefield for items and animals. On the mini-map, items are yellow dots and can include more bond fragments, ingots for weapon upgrades, and food. Animals are orange and are important for generating rare ingredients for crafting.
Take the Time to Rest After Battle
It's equally important to take some time to visit the player's home base of Somniel after each battle. It might feel repetitive to do the same post-battle routine, but it's integral to stick to it so that the player's army is always in fighting shape. Along with collecting the items that spawn in Somniel, players should cook a meal, which will increase teammates' support and give a temporary stat buff. They should also train, talk to various characters, and more. Not only are these things important in making the team stronger, but one of the strengths of Fire Emblem is its complex characters, which gamers can get to know best off-field, so make sure to balance combat and non-combat gameplay. This is also where players will become familiar with characters they can romance.
Pay Attention to Unit Types in Fire Emblem Engage
Each unit will be one of eight types -- Armored, Backup, Cavalry, Covery, Dragon, Flying, Mystical, or Qi Adept -- and each unique type gives the unit special abilities. On the battle screen, the unit type can be viewed in the bottom left corner, and picking a good mix of unit types that will help out in a variety of situations will allow players to adapt to any circumstance they encounter in battle. It's also important that the player keeps these types in mind during combat, as doing so will help them take down enemies more efficiently.
Try to Hit a Break in Battle
A brand-new feature that has come to Fire Emblem with this latest game is a debuff combat mechanic called "Break." Inflicting Break on an enemy in battle lasts one entire turn and prevents the enemy from counteracting. This skill is especially critical in Permadeath mode, but it's also very useful in both offensive and defensive situations.
Break kicks in when the player lands a hit using a weapon that has an advantage over the enemy's gear. The advantages are as follows: Swords beat axes, axes beat lances, and lances beat swords. In addition, Combat Arts will have an advantage over bows, tomes, and knives. Keep these in mind during fights and make the most of gear matchups.