Top 10 Most Powerful Characters in Fire Emblem Engage

Fire Emblem is a fantasy tactical role-playing game franchise developed by Intelligent Systems and published by Nintendo. It made its debut in 1990 on the Famicom and has since expanded to include 17 main entries and 5 spin-offs. The series is well-known for its unique gameplay, which combines tactical movements on a grid-based map with an engaging story and memorable characters, similar to traditional role-playing games.

Characters play an important role in any game. The story revolves around them and in games like Fire Emblem, each character has special attributes that can be useful in different scenarios. In today’s article, we will cover the 10 most powerful characters in the Fire Emblem series. We will discuss their traits in detail and describe how they can serve best. 

Before diving deep into characters lets’s first briefly understand the gameplay of the game.

Gameplay

Fire Emblem is a fantasy tactical role-playing game franchise developed by Intelligent Systems and published by Nintendo. The series currently consists of seventeen core entries and five spinoffs. The gameplay revolves around the tactical movement of characters on grid-based maps while incorporating a story and characters similar to traditional role-playing video games.

The developers of Fire Emblem have described it as an “RPG simulation” that combines tactical simulation gameplay with the plot and character development of a role-playing game. This creates a sense of connection with characters that is not present in previous tactical games.

In the Fire Emblem series, battles take place on a grid-based map and the player controls a set number of characters across maps that are tied to both the game’s story and optional side stories. Each character has a specific character class, which gives them set abilities and affects how far they can move across the field. Some character classes have innate skills that are unique to them, and each character has its own stats. Depending on the series of installments, a character’s class can be changed or upgraded, sometimes with the requirement of special items.

During a battle, each character gains experience points by performing actions such as attacking an enemy, healing an ally, or slaying a foe. When a certain level is reached, the character levels up, and new skill points are awarded randomly to a character’s attributes, such as the character’s health, agility, or strength. The more a character is used in battle, the more experience that character gains.

Key Element

A key element in combat since Genealogy of the Holy War is the Weapon Triangle, a system that governs the strengths and weaknesses of certain weapons and types of magic in a rock-paper-scissors fashion. For weapons, lances are stronger than swords, swords are stronger than axes, and axes are stronger than lances. In the magic system, fire is stronger than wind, the wind is stronger than thunder, and thunder is stronger than fire. From The Binding Blade through Radiant Dawn, these three elements are collectively known as anima magic.

Characters can also develop relationships through support affinity, which can increase their battle abilities. The series also features a system where characters can have children who inherit certain skills and stats from their parents. Permanent death is a recurring feature in the series, where defeated units are permanently removed from the party, with few exceptions. However, later games have introduced Casual Mode and Phoenix Mode, which allow for the revival of dead characters. Additionally, Fates introduced the concept of a customizable castle, known as “My Castle,” which serves as the player’s base of operations throughout the game.

Development

The Fire Emblem series began as a dōjin project created by Shouzou Kaga and three other students, which was developed by Intelligent Systems. The game’s unexpected commercial success prompted the development of more games in the series. Kaga worked on the Fire Emblem series until Thracia 776 when he left Nintendo and began development on Tear Ring Saga for the PlayStation. After Thracia 776, the series had several releases on portable devices.

In 2001, characters from the series appeared in Super Smash Bros, which led to the localization of The Blazing Blade for Western regions under the title Fire Emblem. The success of the localization prompted the return of the series to home consoles with Path of Radiance for the GameCube.

Despite the late release on the GameCube, the game was successful, reaffirming Nintendo’s faith in the series. By 2010, the series was suffering from declining sales and Nintendo told Intelligent Systems that if their next game failed to sell above 250,000 units, the series would be canceled. The game’s success ended up saving the series from cancellation.

The series’ original music was composed by Yuka Tsujiyoko, who acted as both composer and sound director until Thracia 776. She has worked on later Fire Emblem games, alongside other composers. The series also includes several notable staff members, including Tohru Narihiro, Masahiro Higuchi, and Kouhei Maeda.

Most Powerful Characters in Fire Emblem Engage

In this section of the article, we will cover the best characters that you can choose from in the game. Each character has its importance and special skills and you will have to choose the best according to the situation you are facing.

1. Alear (Protagonist)

As the main protagonist, Alear plays a central role in the game’s storyline. They possess two unique classes, which are based on his role as the Divine Dragon. Although his sword skills may not be the strongest, he possesses certain abilities that make him a powerful unit.

One of these abilities is Engage+, which is exclusive to Alear. This mechanic allows them to Engage with an ally simultaneously, even if the ally’s Engage meter is not fully charged.

2. Rosado

Rosado is a fictional character in a game who is a wyvern knight and a former member of the cute-loving gang led by Hortesia. He is known for his love of art and his ability to paint beautiful landscapes. He is also known for his lively and passionate personality. 

In the game, he wields both swords and axes and is the only character who can use the Sacred Stones Emblem, which hosts two spirits, Erika and Ephraim, each with unique skills.

3. Veyle

Veyle is a mysterious character in the game and an ancient dragon. Like Alear she is kind-hearted but has faced abuse from those around her. Throughout the game, she is subject to mind control but eventually breaks free and fights against her abusers. 

Veyle uses daggers and tomes as her default weapons and possesses a special skill that enhances damage dealt by nearby allies while also reducing the damage she receives. Additionally, her class skill fills her Engage Meter by 1 at the start of every turn.

4. Alcryst

Alcryst is a valuable addition to your party as an archer. He has higher strength and dexterity compared to another strong archer option, Fogado. Additionally, he benefits from the Covert ability that doubles his avoidance of terrain. He also has the Get Behind Me skill, which increases his strength by 3 when an ally within two spaces is attacked. 

Upon becoming a Tireur d’elite, he can learn the Luna skill, a staple of the Fire Emblem series, which allows him to ignore half of a foe’s defense and resistance based on his dexterity percentage. It’s recommended to keep an archer like Alcryst at the party at all times.

5. Anna

Anna is a recurring character in the Fire Emblem series, known for her role as a merchant. In the game Awakening and Engage, players have the option to recruit her as a playable character. 

In these games, she is portrayed as a young thief who attempts to steal treasure from bandits in an optional quest. If the player frees her from a chest and speaks to her, she will join the main party permanently.

6. Kagetsu

Kagetsu is a retainer of Ivy and joins the party alongside her. Although he does not have a significant role in the story, he is a formidable ally. He starts off with the Swordmaster class, which grants him access to all the highest-tier swords the player encounters. 

Kagetsu is dedicated to improving his skills, enjoys socializing, and has a fondness for food from his homeland. Despite starting as a villain, he is quick to accept others and change his ways.

7. Alfred

Alfred is the prince of the kingdom of Firene and one of the first characters to appear in the story. He is a leader who embodies the characteristics of nobility and compassion toward others. 

In battle, he wields a lance and fights on horseback. This makes him a valuable asset in the early stages of the game before more powerful units become available.

8. Diamant

Diamant is another prince of Brodia that is worth keeping at your party. In our experience, he is one of the best characters in Fire Emblem Engage. He is classified as a “Backup” type, which means he will join an ally’s attack within range and participate in a chain attack to deal extra damage. Diamant has exceptional Strength and Defense stats. 

The Fair Fight skill, which increases his and an enemy’s hit chance by 15 in an encounter when he initiates the attack and the enemy can counterattack, is particularly useful. He also learns the Sol skill as a Successeur, a staple of the Fire Emblem series, which uses his Dexterity to determine the chance of recovering 50% of the damage he dealt to an enemy as health. Diamant is essentially a strong tank character.

9. Ivy

Ivy is a versatile unit in Fire Emblem Engage, as she excels both as a damage dealer and a healer. She has the potential to reach S-rank proficiency with tomes, and her Magic stat is exceptional. Being one of the earliest flying units that can also heal, she can easily reach allies in need. 

She starts with the Single-Minded skill, which increases her hit chance by 20 when facing her most recent opponent again. As a Lindwurm, she can learn the Grasping Void skill, which uses her Dexterity to determine the chances of dealing extra tome-based damage based on half of the enemy’s Magic stat. Units that can serve both as damage dealers and healers like Ivy are incredibly valuable throughout the game.

10. Celine

Celine is a compassionate princess who enjoys tea and nature, but also has a strong inclination toward war. She has a tendency to be overly positive. She possesses advanced abilities in sword fighting, offensive magic, and defensive magic. 

In the main storyline, she is the first character to come with an Emblem and is accompanied by Celica. By merging with Celica, Celine gains the ability to teleport and attack enemies from various locations on the map.

Other Honourable Mentions

1. Pandreo

Pandreo may be known for his annoying howls, but his versatility as a character cannot be denied. In our experience, he was one of the best characters in Fire Emblem Engage. He ended up being both a powerful healer and a magic damage dealer. His Magic, Dexterity, Resistance, and Luck stats all greatly increased. His High Priest Self Healing skill allowed him to use staves on himself, greatly improving his survivability. 

The Party Animal skill checks the number of allies and enemies within two spaces, giving him a 3x bonus to Avoid and Hit chance. Additionally, his Mystical class status ignores enemy terrain Avoidance bonuses, making him an incredibly useful character. Despite my dislike for his howling, I have to acknowledge his effectiveness.

2. Jean

In Fire Emblem Engage, Jean is a versatile character due to his “villager” starting class, which grants enhanced stat growth when leveling up. As a Martial Monk, he has the potential to later advance to a High Priest class, gaining the Mystical bonus and the ability to use staves on himself. With his Expertise skill, players can experiment with different Emblem Rings to develop unique abilities and turn him into a powerful unit.

3. Yunaka

Yunaka is a valuable unit in Fire Emblem Engage, due to her Trained to Kill skill. This skill increases her critical hit rate by 15 when she receives an evasion bonus from the terrain she is standing on. This makes her particularly useful in battle, especially when combined with her Covert benefit which doubles her evasion bonus from the terrain. Even though Zelkov is also a thief, I found Yunaka to be more useful in my game, thanks to her high critical hit rate and terrain evasion bonus.

4. Fogado

Fogado is a prince from another kingdom who is not constrained by royal responsibilities as his sister is the crowned princess. He has a history of venturing out and defeating the Corrupted before eventually joining forces with the player’s party.

Fogado is an outgoing individual who enjoys being in nature, attending parties, and spending time with others. He prefers to fight on horseback, using a bow to engage in combat from a distance.

5. Hortensia

Hortensia is a villainous character that appears throughout Engage’s story. She is a formidable boss that utilizes multiple different Emblems in her various encounters. However, her sister Ivy eventually convinces her to change sides. Although her development is brief, it is impactful and memorable.

As she switches sides, Hortensia brings the Emblem Byleth with her and joins the good side. She has an affinity for all things cute and she fights while riding on her trusted Pegasus.

Conclusion

This article is written to give insight to the players who are trying to explore the game. Through this article, we have tried to present what Fire Emblem is all about. We have covered the general gameplay of the game along with the development efforts put into the game. 

The main objective of this article was to make the players familiar with the strongest characters they can choose in the game. We have covered 15 useful characters, 10 in the main list and 5 as honorary mentions. I hope this serves the curiosity purpose of players who are willing to explore the game further by playing it. For everything gaming, stay with us at Electronic First, where we give you guides and info on the latest and upcoming games. 

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