With the release of Fire Emblem Engage Nintendo simultaneously released the first wave of DLC for the game’s expansion pass and while some of these items will be obtained a bit later into the game, players will almost immediately receive a nice bonus right away. As soon as players unlock shops in the Somniel in Chapter 5 they will be given a number of support items that, when used on a character, will increase a stat a certain amount. It is worth noting these items can only be used once so while they may provide an early boost to a character’s abilities, it might be worth saving them to see who will be your favorite characters later on. Players will also be given a set of accessories that they can equip to their characters to customize their appearances starting in Chapter 6.
Of course the biggest reason that many will want to pick up the expansion pass for the game will be to obtain more of Fire Emblem Engage‘s signature Emblem Rings. Of course, these pieces of DLC are instead treated as Emblem Bracelets instead and come in the form of the Fire Emblem: Three Houses bracelet as well as the Tiki bracelet for this first expansion pass. Once players manage to complete Chapter 6 they will be able to return to the Somniel and receive a small notification that an item has been located on the Lookout RIdge. As soon as players travel there they will be treated to a scene with Vander saying that a special bracelet has been located and Alear will immediately recognize that it contains a number of souls within it.
As players interact with the Three Houses bracelet they will realize that it contains not only the soul of Edelgard but also of DImitri and Claude making them a rather unique Emblem to equip. Not only is this Three Houses Emblem focused around increasing various stats as players grow their Bond with the bracelet but they will also gain EXP at a faster rate by participating in combat. This means that players can not only use this bracelet to turn their favorite character into a powerhouse but also use it to help lower leveled characters catch up to the rest of the crew. It is also nice to note that since this bracelet offers multiple weapon proficiency bonuses and a number of great inheritance skills this DLC bracelet is an extremely powerful item for customization. Interacting with the Bracelet either in the Somniel or in Bond conversations will feature one of the three souls talking with the characters and in combat they take on a rather unique form.
Every turn in battle the equipped Emblem will swap the soul that is in the lead, meaning that players may start with Claude as the lead character only for Edelgard to take charge the next. The gambit skill that the unit will be able to use depends on which character is currently in the lead with Edelgard able to deal massive damage and set the nearby area aflame, Claude able to poison all foes in the area after combat, and Dimitri blocking all ranged damage for a single turn. Should players wish to use the character’s Engage skill once they have Engaged with the ring, they will be able to attack using an axe, bow, and spear almost guaranteeing a “break” status on the target but usually killing them in one blow.
As for the other Emblem Bracelet players will need to put up a fight to obtain it as Tiki won’t go as easily as the Three Houses characters. Once players complete chapter 6 they will automatically unlock an additional path that can be traveled on the map called “Divine Paralogues” and Tiki marks the first and currently only available stage in this area. If players choose to tackle the map they will encounter a few new mechanics immediately as well as speak with Tiki who wishes to challenge Alear to see if they are a proper fit for her bracelet. As such, they must complete a battle against Tiki’s summoned forces of generic soldiers as well as a fight against herself. The map will include a variety of foes that aren’t incredibly difficult but will continue to spawn after a certain point and will also require players to reach a number of switches to unlock doors to reach Tiki. Reaching these areas is helped by ice tiles that, rather than causing characters to slip, actually help them move extra spaces during their turn.
Once players defeat Tiki she will not only have a heartwarming conversation with Marth but also join the player’s Emblem arsenal as an incredibly powerful tool. Any unit that is equipped with Tiki’s Emblem Bracelet will gain additional stats as they level up to the point that some levels saw every single stat increase and at minimum four stats at once. Also as players activate their Engage with Tiki they will enter an entirely new form as they will assume the form of a powerful dragon that will lay waste to opponents on the field with increased stats. Not only does this make Tiki immune to almost all weapon types making her impossible to break but also an extremely powerful attacker with multiple types of attacks she can help players wield in a fight.
To make Tiki’s Emblem Bracelet even stronger, many of the skills that players can inherit for their characters increase stats such as health, reduce incoming damage, and even increase how long a character can be in their Engaged form as well as decrease the amount of time it takes to refill the gauge. Perhaps one of her most useful features, especially for players playing with perma-death is her ability to grant a nearby ally one revival stone per transformation. These revival stones will automatically prevent a character from dying in battle and restore their health making this a valuable item for characters about to enter a risky situation. Of course, she also makes her wearer something of a tank themselves as anytime they stand still and don’t make an action they will also regenerate an ever increasing amount of health the closer bonded players are with her. As such Tiki becomes an incredibly powerful Emblem making her perhaps the strongest in the game as any character wielding her will turn into a destructive force capable of taking and dishing out plenty of damage.
Players who want to pick up the Expansion Pass containing this DLC as well as multiple planned DLC packs in the future can do so here. Those interested in seeing what we think of Fire Emblem Engage itself can also find our full review here.
