Topic: Fire Emblem Engage for Nintendo Switch

Without going into any specific spoilers, one interesting thing about Engage's story for me is despite it's external candy coating and general shounen trappings, it is a story remarkably defined by failure, rather than success through the power of friendship or whatever. In fact, I'd argue the vast majority of the story based goals per chapter (not the mission goal itself), you fail at almost every time, and it usually costs many people their lives. The story doesn't ever really do anything with this, or at least hasn't so far at least, so really all it does is create a tonal disconnect, but I still appreciate it all the same.

Can we agree Alear is the best player character since the Tellius games?

Ar first I thought Alear looked strange, but now I think they not only look normal, but their design is awesome (playing female, male didn't resonate with me as much, and voice acting isn't as good). They're extremely relatable which is a huge change from the Byleths, Robins and Corrins.

Idk. They've really grown on me in a way I wasn't expecting. Not saying they're my favorite protagonist in the series, but I do think they're one of the better ones we've had in a long time. Just being voiced and not being a blank slate is probably a big part of that, but alsonth3 fact they show weakness and character growth as they step into a leadership role.

On the topic of hardest things experienced with FE, I've found that nothing has compared to Radiant Dawn Part 3 Chapter 13. Out of all the stuff localized the only ones I haven't played are Fates Conquest, Fates Revelation (only played the Birthright path for Fates and didn't like it enough to justify playing the other 2 routes) and NES FE1 (stopped after a few chapters, it hadn't aged well like most NES games and made me appreciate the remake more).

All this talk of the other games really makes me want to maybe consider them. Are the majority of them on DS, how cheap are the games on DS these days or are they all like scalped physical copies for stupid amounts? I remember there were like a hundred DS models too, lol. Is there a specific DS I need to play these games?

@Ryu_Niiyama
Do you, by chance, have the Fire Emblem soundtracks ripped digitally? I have Awakening, Fates, Echoes and Three Houses soundtracks on disc, but I'd like to have them digitally on my phone. I don't have a CD player to rip with, so I was hoping if you had ripped them already you could share, if you were so inclined. Figured I'd ask anyways, before ordering an external CD drive to rip with.

@Pizzamorg The current list for released outside of Japan not on the Switch:

• Fire Emblem (GBA) - DS models with a GBA slot can play this via backwards compatibility, also on Wii U VC
• Sacred Stones (GBA) - DS models with a GBA slot can play this via backwards compatibiliy, was part of the 3DS ambassador program, also on Wii U VC
• Path of Radiance (GCN) - Wii models that read GCN games can play this via backwards compatibility
• Radiant Dawn (Wii) - Wii U can play this via backwards compatibility
• Shadow Dragon (DS) - Remake of Shadow Dragon and the Blade of Light, 3DS can play this via backwards compatibility, also on Wii U VC
• Awakening (3DS)
• Fates (3DS)
• Echoes (3DS) - Remake of Gaiden

Regarding physical copies, GB/GBC/GBA/DS games have a big problem regarding the selling of fake carts. The best outcome was having a 3DS and Wii U but those eshops are being shut down in 2 months which makes things complicated.

Thank you for this @GrumbleVolcano I actually think I might still have one of those original XL 3DSs in a box somewhere, the Pikachu one. If I go and buy the four DS games on the Eshop, I assume they are mine even when the store closes down?

@JaxonH sadly not yet. My 3H OST is still in the shrink wrap and I have game rips of the others (I have the OSTs as well) but my media/gaming computer isn’t hooked up yet.

@Pizzamorg Yes and will last until the system dies. Redownload will be an issue sometime in the future (the March shutdowns are basically you can't buy anything but can redownload). Do note that while Shadow Dragon is digitally available on Wii U, it's only playable on 3DS via physical DS cart. So unless you bought a 3DS prior to the 2011 price drop and hence are part of the ambassador program there's 3 games that are currently downloadable on 3DS (Awakening, Fates, Echoes). Those 3 3DS games are also available physically.

@Grumblevolcano
Not that I advocate piracy, because I unequivocally do not, but for unreleased JP games I see no harm. And for that, a modded 3DS is a crucial system to own for Fire Emblem.

FE1, FE2, FE3, FE4, FE5, FE6, FE7, FE8, FE11, FE12, FE13, FE14, FE15 all available on a modded 3DS, in English.

Granted, FE1 has an official localization on Switch, an expanded SNES remake as FE3, and that expanded SNES remake has a remake as the DS games FE11 and FE12, while FE2 has a 3DS remake as FE15. So the first 3 games aren't really needed and can be safely ignored.

But for the two Judgral SNES games FE4 (Holy War) and FE5 (Thracia 776), as well as the FE7 prequel on GBA we never got- FE6 (Binding Blade), and the DS remake of the 2nd book of the expanded SNES remake FE3 (that itself remade FE1), FE12 (Heroes of Light and Shadow), it's clutch.

That's 4 key games in the series that were never localized- Holy War and Thracia on SNES (FE4 and FE5), Binding Blade on GBA (FE6), and Heroes of Light and Shadow on DS (FE12). Add to that the navite DS game Shadow Dragon (FE12), the three 3DS games Awakening, Fates and Shadows of Valentia (FE13, FE14 and FE15), as well as the GBA ambassador releases Blazing Blade and Sacred Stones (FE7 and FE8), that's basically the entire series barring the Tellius duology, Three Houses and Engage.

With 17 main games in the series, getting all but 4 on one system is quite the feat. I love my small, black New 3DS (not the XL, just the New 3DS) for Fire Emblem. The 3D pops so much harder on the smaller model screen, and the graphics look better too. And it's super portable.

@Ryu_Niiyama
Thanks. If you ever do, let me know. I may order a CD drive though and Google the best way to rip them while maintaining track number and song name. No sense having them on CD if I'm not gonna put them to use.

@JaxonH I agree that Alear is the best one I've played. Robin is fine. Corrin is slightly better, but from what I've played, they're still a little wooden. Byleth is peak player insert.

I think the voice acting helps out a lot.

Ahhhhh... mmmm yes.... that's it.

Chapter 8 soundtrack is slapping hard, right on cue. The first few chapters started out surprisingly strong, but as is typical for FE games, the music only gets even more epic as you progress.

@ElRoberico
Ya, I don't necessarily dislike the blank protagonists. Both Awakening and Three Houses had one, and those are among my favorite games ever made. But, it is nice to have more of a character for a change, which, I do think I prefer. And that's what Alear feels like- an actual character written as well as any other, that just happens to allow you to change name/gender.

I think what made me realize how much I prefer it was Fire Emblem Warriors Three Hopes, with Shez. I was taken aback by how quickly I grew attached to Shez thanks to the voiced dialog. It was in such stark contrast to Byleth in Three Houses.

@JaxonH Byleth wasn’t blank. She just didn’t have fully voiced dialogue. She interacts with others and her win quotes show she can string a sentence together. Plus she teaches a class. She obviously speaks…a lot. I feel like it worked because imo Byleth’s VA wasn’t emotionless/flat so it would have been jarring being informed that she was only slowly gaining emotions while her voice sounds normal.

Also will do on the osts. Looks like the three hopes OST is coming out soon. Gotta get that.

@JaxonH 3DS Ambassador program didn't have FE7, the 10 GBA games were:

• F-Zero Maximum Velocity
• Sacred Stones
• Kirby and the Amazing Mirror
• Minish Cap
• Mario Kart Super Circuit
• Mario vs. Donkey Kong
• Metroid Fusion
• Wario Land 4
• WarioWare
• Yoshi's Island

@Ryu_Niiyama
Ya, I already preordered the Three Hopes OST.

@Grumblevolcano
Ah, right you are.

(Fire Emblem Engage Suggestions)

Once you've assigned an emblem ring to a hero, it isn't set in stone. Eventually you'll want to swap them around once a hero has maxxed their bond with the emblem. Certain emblems have interesting synergies - Sigurd for example bestows a move bonus on cavalry units, but his canter ability works really well on ranged units.

As for the number of heroes you'll be recruiting, consider them spares. You won't be able to field them all (I liked in Shadows of Valentia, where every unit could be fielded until post game, where the two armies merge). Pick your favourites, and focus on them. Having two healers is ok, when you can specialise each of them into different roles with class change.

Multiple attacks boils down to the speed stat. If your speed is 5 greater than your opponent, you'll strike twice. The opponent will retaliate between your attacks under most circumstances. A characters speed can be affected by weapon weight, so if you're defending, be aware that heavy weapons could cause you to be doubled.

Basically what @edhe

Covering a lot of the same ground, but just speaking from personal experience here are my thoughts on the first two questions (last one doesn't need answering again as that is a factual based question).

One of the coolest things about the Emblem system @Reyren is how flexible it is. I am sure there are probably meta combos, as there always are in things, but if you are just playing to have fun, there isn't really a right or wrong pairing I've found. You can say pair a bow based Emblem to a bow based Unit to make that unit even stronger, or you can pair it with say a slow, axe based, unit to offer them increased versatility. I personally prefer this approach, because the Engage system can kinda feel superfluous if you are only making use of their one hit mega attack thing when you Engage and nothing else. However, if I can give me Unit a really strong weapon they wouldn't be able to use otherwise for three turns, that seems to offer me a lot more out of Engaging.

I believe this also allows you wider class options when it comes to promoting or respec'ing, but I'll be honest, I don't fully understand how this works.

As said above, it is also worth keeping a steady rotation of Emblems, rather than gluing them to one Unit. Almost every Emblem in the game will have more general Skills which are actually very impactful and being able to bolt them onto all your Units and not needing to rely on the Emblem to use them is great. This is stuff like Canter, Vantage, Divine Pulse and other such skills.

This equally goes for your Roster of Units. Thanks to the rewind system, even if you are on Classic, the chance of losing a Unit is fairly low, so you can absolutely invest in a core roster of Units and just ride them until the end if you wanted. Those early chapters give you a Unit or two to cover almost every point of the triangle, and more options still once you start being able to promote.

That said, you do get around three units every chapter up until Chapter 15ish I think from memory, and generally they are the highest level Units you will have and at a certain point they also start at an Advance class which may save you a Master Seal, which they are pretty stingy on handing out for most of the game.

So you can by all means keep a constant rotation too if you want to, this is something I have personally done. I have had no Units so far that have featured in every mission, and depending on the Emblems I have in any part of the story, some Units can play key roles for stretches and then go in the box never to be played with again.

Just be warned that as Units start falling behind, there isn't an obvious way I have found to help them catch up and keep up with the rest of your team, so if there is a Unit you feel a real affection to, you should probably keep them in.

@Reyren
Jean has that skill that grants extra Stat growths, so he's already surpassed my Framme.

But Framme is just so adorable I can't help but use her. At least, I try rotating them out to keep them both leveled, and if it's a difficult map I may bring them both. Good to have options ya know

@edhe
What about Build Stat? I know about Speed+5 but this game has some calculation with Weapon Weight and Build, and that somehow factors into Speed. Is it Actual Speed = Sp - (Wt - Bld)?

I'm going with the original recruits personally. I benched Vander.

My team consists of Alfred, and Celine, with Louis fast approaching level 20 (everyone else is around 10). I'm trying to bring Yunaka with me most missions, because her dagger attacks are quite handy.
My Framme is actually doing fairly well, and I take her along every battle. She's capable of finishing off pegasus knights quite reliably, and I can't wait to promote her.

My Etie is struggling though, but I'm determined to make something of her. She's around level 10, but she refuses to gain any build. She sits at 4 BLD, 4 Def, which translates to 5 SPD with her Iron Bow +1. I'm aiming to train her into a sword bow knight, and I believe in order to get the sword proficiency for her to promote, I need to pair her with Marth until she learns sword proficiency. Is this correct?

Boucheron is my last unit I try to include, when the numbers allow it. He takes a lot of damage, which makes him a bit of a liability, so I thought I'd see how he does as an Axe Knight. It'll be a shame to lose his chain attack ability, but I've had a lot of success with Louis, and I thought I could do with another tank.

Ironically Framme was one of the few units from the start I dragged through the game with me due to her healing capabilities, but now I changed her to a Martial Arts master she might be one of my strongest offensive units. She absolutely wrecks.

I've also kept Vander around from the beginning, although I've started to use him less late game. That said I switched him to Great Knight and the dude basically takes zero damage from anything now. I can just use him to draw enemies away and they just bounce off him, it's nuts.

Those other four you mentioned I basically barely used through the game, other than brief stretches when I've paired them with an Emblem. Boucher on and Alfred are probably the most useless, Etie can be a monster with the right Emblem pairing in my experience and Celine's unique Advance class offers some unique versatility, but I just find her so fragile.