Image used with permission by copyright holderThe Nintendo Switch might be taking up the majority of your time as of late, but don’t put away your old 3DS just yet.
Fire Emblem Echoes: Shadows of Valentia
arrives this May, and the game’s limited edition is too adorable to pass up.
Launching alongside the standard version of the game on May 19, the Fire Emblem Echoes: Shadows of Valentia limited edition comes packed with a hardcover artbook, soundtrack CD, and, most importantly, a cute pixel-art pin set featuring the characters Alm, Celica, and Marth — Marth has been seen in several past Fire Emblem games, including the original that was remade for the Nintendo DS as
Fire Emblem: Shadow Dragon
.
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The package also comes with reversible cover art meant to replicate the look of the game Fire Emblem Gaiden, which features the same story, characters, and basic gameplay mechanics of Shadows of Valentia.
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Shadows of Valentia‘s structure bears some resemblance to the Game Boy Advance title
Fire Emblem: The Sacred Stones
, as protagonists Alm and Celica control two separate armies and take part in “different quests.” The game introduces real-time, 3D movement in some areas alongside the turn-based strategy gameplay for which the series is known, and it also includes an “illusory hero” system — using up a bit of the heroes’ health, players can summon temporary allies to help them in tough encounters. Every single Amiibo Nintendo has released thus far can be used to summon additional friendly monsters, and the Fire Emblem Amiibo like Ike, Roy, and Robin can be used in-game as additional illusory heroes.
Fire Emblem Engage bond levels: how to get max Bond Levels fast
Fire Emblem Engage has a lot of systems to keep track of. Even ignoring all the different combat mechanics, you have your level, class, Support Levels, equipment, and more to consider. One thing you shouldn't forget about is Bond Levels. Bond Levels are somewhat like Support Levels, only instead of other units, these bonds are between you and the Emblems you collect that contain the spirits of heroes from past games. Leveling up these Bond Levels will vastly increase your power, so here are the most efficient ways to reap those sweet rewards in Fire Emblem Engage.
What Bond Levels do
As mentioned, Bond Levels will greatly improve your character. Once you have increased your Bond Level enough with a specific Emblem, that unit will continue to learn new skills that they can keep even when you unequip that Emblem Ring. As such, you can then mix and match learning more skills from new Emblems as you increase their Bonds and then switch to new ones.
Best ways to increase Bond Levels
Each Fire Emblem title introduces a new twist for either the tactical combat sections of the game or the social aspects. With Fire Emblem Engage, the stars of the show are Emblem Rings, which allow you to equip rings to your units that pair them with a hero from previous titles. These rings give a few stat buffs, but also allow that unit to use some of the skills of that specific hero, more of which unlock as they level up. Normally, those skills can only be used while a ring is equipped, but you do have the option to inherit skills from an Emblem to keep for good. Here's how skill inheritance works, and which skills are the best ones in Fire Emblem Engage.
How to inherit skills
In order to inherit skills from an Emblem Ring, a few things are required.
Fire Emblem Engage class guide: class skills, strengths, and weaknesses
Tactics games can be fairly complex thanks to them typically having a higher number of units to manage, level, and outfit. Fire Emblem Engage focuses down more on the combat side of the equation compared to Three Houses, so keeping your team scaling as the game goes on is vital. Instead of just having a linear experience and leveling system like most normal RPGs, Fire Emblem Engage continues the tradition of having a class system, where each unit can level up and change into different classes with different skills, strengths, and weaknesses. With dozens of options between Base, Advanced, and Special classes to pick from, it can be hard to know which ones are best. Let's run through some of the best options for each type.
Best Alear class
We'll single out your player character of Alear since they have a pretty definitive best class in Divine Dragon. Exclusive to them, this class's skill, Divine Spirit, reduces their Engage Meter by one, has an A in Sword proficiency and B in Arts, and high base stats.
Best Base classes
