PaigeFTW: Build A Perfect Army in ‘Fire Emblem: Fates’
Of Nintendo’s many franchises, the only three I claim loyalty to are Pokemon, Zelda and Fire Emblem, and of those three, only Fire Emblem truly causes me to lose my mind in a gaming marathon of insanity.
The series’ heyday on Gameboy Advance was followed by a lackluster era on consoles, until the 3DS Awakening revived the series once more. Fates takes more from Awakening’s book than Blazing Sword or Sacred Stones, but that’s not a bad thing.
In a nutshell, here is my review: I love it; buy all of them. I was lucky enough to get one of the coveted special editions that contained all three versions of the game (Birthright, Conquest and Revelations), and it was worth every penny.
But today we’re talking strategy. As a Fire Emblem maniac, I’ve developed a strategy that will get you through the toughest Conquest maps (yes, you’ve heard right, Conquest features series-high difficulty spikes, no exaggeration).
Spoil everything.
If you want to build an army ready for the big leagues, you simply have to know exactly who you are getting and when. This may entail spoiling the game. I don’t consider this a major loss, as Fire Emblem has never really had very compelling plots, anyway (the joy is in support conversations, as always).
Don’t underestimate the value of planning. You can’t waste experience in Conquest on anyone you don’t plan on using. If you know you’re not going to use Silas, then for god’s sake, don’t let him take a lead early on. Focus on Corrin, if nothing else. Try to keep the experience centered on a balanced base group of about 12. It’ll be tough early on, but you’ll reap the benefits later …
Other tips: Utilize the pair-up support system – you’ll get useless characters out of the way, build support points and possibly give yourself a second chance at life (or an extra attack). And don’t be afraid to heal. Heal staves aren’t as expensive as weak, fragile healers are.
