5 tips for beginners in Fire Emblem Engage

The latest entry in Nintendo's long-running Fire Emblem franchise, Engage is a return to roots for the iconic tactical role-playing series. Gamers take on the role of the protagonist, Alear, a Divine Dragon awakened with fading memories of their past. Their mission is to collect 12 Emblem Rings and invoke the spirits of past Heroes to save the continent of Elyos from the tyrannical Fell Dragon.

Beginners to the series may be overwhelmed by this seventeenth entry, and as such, this guide will list down five tips that are sure to accentuate their stay in the world of Fire Emblem Engage.

Note: Minor spoilers for Fire Emblem Engage will follow. Viewer discretion is advised.

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5 essential tips for players beginning Fire Emblem Engage

Whether you’re a beginner or a veteran of the series, here are five useful tips to support your journey on the continent of Elyos.

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1) Familiarize yourself with the combat system

The triangle system makes a return in Engage (Image via YouTube/BenFM)

Fire Emblem Engage is much more combat-focused than its prior entry, Three Houses. The game features the return of the triangle system, albeit with modern additions and tweaks, to make for a more enjoyable experience.

Swords, Axes, and Lances pit off against each other in a rock-paper-scissor-styled weakness system. Engage also incorporates three new classes - Bows, Tomes, and knives, which are only weak to physical attacks while retaining various advantages.

Mastering this combat system is vital to winning battles in the game, as the correct usage of the system will result in a “Break” that will incapacitate the affected unit for the rest of the turn, allowing players to maximize their damage output. Naturally, since the triangle system affects your party members, gamers must be extra careful when executing their moves.

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2) Survey the battlefield after each fight

Post-battle exploration and conversations are important activities in the game (Image via YouTube/BenFM)

After each successful battle, players can survey the battlefield for 30 minutes from the top-down view. Spend this time bonding with your teammates to earn various bond fragments to enhance them even further.

Additionally, remember to gather all dropped items on the field and adopt all the animals, represented by gold and orange dots on the mini-map. The dropped items are crucial for weaponry and food.

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3) Make sure to spend your spare time at the Somniel after a battle

Somniel has plenty of refreshing content beyond combat for gamers to enjoy (Image via Nintendo)

Spending time post-battle is just as important as partaking in successful fights. Head back to the Somniel after each battle to rest and recuperate.

There is a lot to do at the Somniel, ranging from mundane tasks such as collecting respawning items scattered across the map, cooking meals to temporarily increasing the stats of your favorite characters, and, most importantly, practicing mock battles to gain experience points to level up your characters.

Gamers can also visit the Ring Chamber to further deepen the bond between Emblems and party members for an added advantage in battle.

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4) Spend your Experience to level up characters wisely

Dealing the final blow results in an EXP bonus for that party member (Image via YouTube/Rubhen925)

Using a character regularly during combat in Fire Emblem Engage will generate more experience points for them. To make the most of the EXP bonus, players must make sure the character they wish to level is the one to deal the final blow to an enemy.

One can also partake in multiple side activities within Somniel, such as training with them to increase their experience points and, consequently, their Levels.

However, it must be noted that players must not grow too attached to early-game characters and instead grow their roster in a more balanced fashion, filling up all the gaps in their party compositions.

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5) Manage the in-game currency optimally

Investing Gold into nations results in great yields later (Image via YouTube/BenFM)

Gold is a rare resource in Fire Emblem Engage and must be spent wisely, much akin to real life. Players will have to balance between spending Gold on various items and upgraded equipment for their party members and donating it to the countries of Elyos.

Donating Gold to neighboring countries helps them level up, and they reward the player with a Companion Pack as gratitude. In addition, exploring these regions will generate more items after Skirmishes, along with an increased chance of spawning rarer enemies.

Since Gold is vital to maintaining your party and surrounding kingdoms, it is heavily recommended to invest in Donations.

Fire Emblem Engage was released on January 20, 2023, by Intelligent Systems exclusively for the Nintendo Switch.