With this in mind, we’ve put together a quick guide to a few aspects of the game that you could very well miss if you aren’t paying full attention during the all-important early tutorials. Indeed, as comprehensive as Fire Emblem Engage’s tutorials are, there are a few nuggets of useful info that it seems to miss pointing out entirely.
So, without further ado, let’s take a look at some top tips for getting started in this latest Fire Emblem adventure!
Fire Emblem Engage – Quick Tips To Get You Started
Make Full Use Of The Somniel
The Somniel is Fire Emblem Engage’s fancy new hub area and it features lots of ways for you to buff up your party members in preparation for battle. It may seem like a little bit of a faff at times, but making full use of the amenities provided here really can give you a much-need edge in combat, especially later in the game when every extra bit of power you can muster is crucial.
With this in mind, make sure to hit up the Café Terrace in order to cook delicious meals for your team – once the option has been unlocked a couple of chapters into the game. When choosing who to cook for, we usually select party members who are on the verge of levelling up in order to get them over the line and boost their various combat stats.
Oh, and when selecting ingredients to add to meals, think about what you’re making in order to get a decent rank for your creation. You don’t want to add special vegetables to a dessert, that’s just nasty! We ain’t eating no ice cream with vegetables on top.
Remember too, there’s an arena to make use of, with three turns after each battle to be used up in order to rank up party members. You can also increase bonds with your emblems here, so it’s well worth getting stuck into some practice as increased bonds unlock lots of opportunities to inherit useful skills from your equipped emblems.
Strength training (those rather annoying QTE minigames), whilst probably not all that healthy for your Joy-Con, will also net you temporary gains for your next combat scenario, so make a habit of getting stuck into sit-ups and push-ups before every battle. Being a hero is hard work!
Remember To Cash In Your Achievements
As you battle it out with the Corrupted, you’ll unlock and earn lots of different achievements and it’s up to you to remember to cash these in at the Bulletin Board in the Café Terrace at the Somniel. Achievements earn you a ton of much-needed Bond Fragments so don’t forget to regularly check in to grab your rewards.
Automatic Optimisation Vs Manual Optimisation Of Team/Rings/Inventory
Having the option to automatically optimise your weapons, team members and equipped emblem rings pre-battle is certainly a very useful and time-saving option that we’ve made plenty of use of during our time with Fire Emblem Engage. However, there is a downside to this, as we found the further into the game we got.
Choosing to auto-optimise every time means that you aren’t fully exploring the entire available depth of your roster of fighters. We found that auto-optimisation would usually always go with the same team structure, meaning that a lot of the fighters we recruited later in the game were left on the sidelines, and a lot of these fighters are really strong additions to the team who absolutely need to be part of the action.
We reckon it’s fine to use auto-optimization when you need to, but it’s also a very good idea to get into the habit of manually allocating weapons and rings, and making sure to circulate your roster of combatants in and out of action in order to ensure you are getting the most out of the potential of your team.
Use The Convoy During Battles
Full disclosure, we were a good few hours into our first playthrough of the game when it dawned on us that Alear can actually access the convoy during scraps in order to kit themselves and their fellow fighters out with potions, tonics, and health restoration on the fly. Heck, you can even trade gear with adjacent units during fights so, if someone is really up against it, you can run to the rescue, like Joaquin Phoenix at the Oscars.
Another important thing to note here, and we honestly don’t think the game even mentions this, is that there are various items you’ll gain as rewards that go straight to the convoy which, when consumed, give you permanent stat boosts, so make sure you are checking out your convoy and storehouse for talismans and other items which give your party stat boosts that last for your entire adventure.
Bond Rings Are Essential
Sometimes it can feel like a little bit of a hassle to head to the Ring Chamber at the Somniel in order to create and meld Bond Rings, we know it, but it’s an essential aspect of the game that gives you big boosts right across your party, so make sure you get stuck in after every battle in order to ensure that you are creating and then upgrading your Bond Rings so you net maximum gains from them.
Remember too that you’ll need to equip these rings, either manually or via auto-optimization before battles, in order to use them to their full potential. It takes a while and a little bit of work, but having a full deck of fully upgraded Bond Rings will really help you out during tough battles, especially on higher difficulties.
Remember Bond And Support Conversations
Yes, it’s very obvious, but there’s no harm in a reminder. Make sure to indulge in these brief conversations via the “Reference” sub-menu in order to rank up your bonds. It’s easy to forget this stuff!
Paralogues Net You Lots Of Cool New Fighters For Your Team
You’ll already know this if you’re a series stalwart, but for newcomers it’s worth reiterating that Paralogues don’t just earn you rewards and EXP, they also net you brand new characters to add to your roster of fighters. These fighters are absolutely the best units you’ll get your hands on too, so don’t skip Paralogues to save time, you’ll be missing out on some of the best combatants in the game.
Skirmishes Will Save You From Needing To Grind Later In The Game
It’s hard to be bothered with skirmishes sometimes, we know it. Battle fatigue kicks in and you choose to skip ’em in favour of resting up at the Somniel, petting your adopted doggo, and having a cup of coffee with Vander at the café.
But listen, we made the mistake of skipping most of the game’s skirmishes as we blitzed through the campaign and ended up having to go back in order to grind out a few levels when the main campaign missions got too tough. It’s best to clear these battles as they pop up where possible in order to avoid hitting a wall later on, especially on harder difficulties.
Sell Weapons And Items You Don’t Need
Another obvious one, but it’s easy to skip this step and end up with an inventory stuffed full of junk you could be selling for valuable credits. OK, maybe you feel like you’ve got all the powerful weapons you need already and don’t need the extra cash to buy anything, but have you been over at the clothes shop recently? Dude, they’ve got lots of killer sunglasses and summer outfits to make your entire team look totally fly. Remember to sell off all those unwanted items so you too can be the most stylish gang in all of Elyos.
Ensure You Equip Your Inherited Skills And Change Classes
As you fight with an emblem ring equipped, you’ll gradually increase your bonds with that emblem and earn the opportunity to inherit various skills from them. Excellent news. However, you’ll also need to remember to actually inherit and then equip these skills in order to reap the benefits. So, make sure to head to the Ring Chamber at the Somniel in order to inherit skills (this will cost you SP that you accrue during fights), then hit up the “Inventory” sub-menu and head into “Manage Skills” where you can equip all your unlocked options.
In the same “Inventory” sub-menu, you’ll also find the option to “Change Classes”. Here you can use Master Seals and Second Seals (earned in battles and available to buy at the Somniel store) to change and upgrade classes. This is where you’ll see big upgrades in fighting abilities as you raise your fighters through the ranks of their chosen class, so make sure you get in there and actually do some upgrading, as the game leaves it all up to you. Again, stalwarts know all this, for newbies it’s worth reiterating.
Take Note Of Weapon Range
When you’re kitting certain units out with new gear, it pays to make sure you take into account the range of weapons. There’s zero point in having an archer who can only fire on close targets, you need to get longbows equipped to zero in on distant foes. Likewise with lances on cavalry, make sure you’ve got some decent reach in order to hit foes from range, a factor that also feeds nicely into our next tip!
Get Gud With Chain Attacks
Yep. Chain attacks are an absolutely essential part of Fire Emblem’s intense battles and you’ll need to get used to putting them together in order to devastate enemies and turn the tables when all hope seems lost. Stack your units up around foes on adjacent tiles and you’ll be able to benefit greatly from this mechanic. It also pays to have plenty of units with the ability to attack from range, as this gives you more space to work with as you put together big chain attack moves.
The Tower of Trials Opens After Chapter 6
The Tower of Trials gives you one offline and two online ways to play and all of these net you unique crystal rewards that can be used to upgrade your powerful Engage weapons.
Make sure to check in here once you gain access, it’s to the far south of the Somniel, in order to nab these rewards which can make your most devastating attacks even more, well, devastating.
Also, remember that relay trials require relay tickets in order to play, so get busy battling in main campaign missions, skirmishes, and paralogues in order to stock up on these.
Make Donations To Regions For More Rare Monsters And Collectible Materials
This mechanic can also be a little hard to remember when you’re busy with the hustle and bustle of the hero lifestyle. However, it’s well worth dropping by the Bulletin Board in the Somniel in order to throw some cash at regions on your world map. You’ll be rewarded with rare monsters to battle and lots more items and collectibles during excursions!
Check Out The Grotto At The Somniel
This slightly hidden underground area, right down beside the marker on your map for the Tower of Trials, has a surprise friend to meet and take care of for rewards, bond fragments, and other surprises, so make sure to get down and check it out ASAP!
The Flea Market Sells Steel and Silver Ingot
During the second half of the game the flea market will open its doors in the Somniel and it’s worth checking out for steel and silver ingot that can be used to upgrade weapons, as well as for presents to gift to your team in order to raise your bond levels.
Head To The Amiibo Gazebo For Songs and Outfits
The amazingly named Amiibo Gazebo is located just above the pond area on the western side of the Somniel – it’s marked on your map with a white and black info icon. Here you can scan an Amiibo and check out clothing and songs from the game in return. We’ve yet to use this function so there may be other rewards, we’ll keep you updated as we find out!
Horse Manure Makes An Excellent Gift
Our final tip for this guide, and it’s quite honestly the most important one of all. You’ll collect a lot of horse manure as you wander around battlefields post-fight and go treasure hunting around the Somniel, and gifting it to your teammates results in them getting quite upset. Every. Single. Time.
So, make sure to gather up as much of this stuff as you can and gift everyone with it at every possible opportunity. Never waste the chance to annoy your pals.
And that’s it for our quick tips for getting you started with Fire Emblem Engage. Got any tips or handy tricks you’d like to share? Make sure to drop ’em in the comments below!
