It's been over a week since Fire Emblem: Awakening was released in the US; however that doesn't mean everyone has gotten a chance to play it yet. Due to the shipping delay, and preorders, a lot of stores still wont have copies of the game until later this month, or even early next month. Now I'm not saying that you shouldn't give up searching for it, but what I am saying is that not everyone who wants to play the game has, and because of that I decided to make this post.
Now before I get started, I want to say one thing. There really is no right or wrong way to play a game like Fire Emblem; every character has their pros and cons, and everyone out there will most likely favor some characters and classes over others. Even so, here are some tips I would like to share with all of you who are either playing the game now, or plan on getting it on the future. Just please keep in mind that these are my own personal tips and tricks, and that they may or may not be the best for you. So anyway, with that being said, lets get started!
Minor Spoiler Warning: I will be covering information from about the first 1/4th to 1/3rd of the game. I will not spoil any major plot points, but if you want to play this game without any guidance at all, you may not want to read this.
What to do and what NOT to do:
(This is a section I decided to add to this tip post on 4/21/2013.)
If this is your first fire emblem game, here are some things you should do/what you shouldn't do when starting this game. First of all, do NOT use Fredrick! He is already at his second class promotion, and because of that he will be over powered. He will be able to kill just about any unit, yes, but he'll be stealing EXP from your other units, and he will not be leveling up as fast as he should be. (What else would you expect from someone who starts out level 20 and is fighting level 1 units?) So, what should you do about this issue? Well that's simple. Unequip his weapon, use him as a human shield, and only attack with him IF you have no other option. Later on in the game you'll unlock an item called "Second Seal" which will allow you to reclass him. Use that to demote him to his base class, and that will make him useful. He will then gain exp like he should, and you'll be able to turn him into a good unit in the future.
The second thing you want to remember is to ALWAYS TALK TO UNITS WITH NAMES! If a unit has a name or a unique picture (non generic enemy soldier picture), then they can be recruited. Talk to them with Chrom as soon as you can, and avoid killing them. If you do, restart the chapter. (Note: Bosses will also have unique mugshots and names, but they cannot be recruited).
MAKE SURE YOU CHECK EVERY VILLAGE AND OPEN EVERY CHEST! There are rare items in this game, and some can be missed. For example one item is a "Boot" which allows your units to move two extra spaces farther. There are only two in the entire game, and you can easily miss it (as well as other rare items) if you don't open everything. Also if an enemy beats you to a chest first, HUNT THEM DOWN AS SOON AS POSSIBLE! Don't let them escape! On top of that you will sometimes get rare items from villages, but there may also be characters to recruit in them as well. Since chapters don't end until you kill a boss, take your time and make sure you search everything.
Easy Support Grinding, Level grinding, and money grinding without DLC:
Want to get your support levels up? How are you doing on money? Need some more? How about your stats and levels? Want to know a quick and easy way to level up? Well here's a trick which I've actually spent hours using myself, and it has worked out quite well!
During the first part of the game (which I like to call the "intro" of Awakening) you'll be able to open up an extra chapter called "Paralogue 4." Now depending on how much time you are taking with the game it may actually take a few hours to unlock it, but it is also possible to unlock it within an hour or so. Either way, this map is actually a REALLY good way to level grind your characters, build up on cash, and unlock them supports.
The map itself is a snow covered map with a lot of walls boxing the area in. While in the paralogue mission you actually start at the south end of the map; in all extra battles that take place on it you will be starting at the north end. Since the northern end of the battlefield is directly above a narrow path boxed in by walls, you are actually at a pretty big advantage which allows you to fight units head on 1v1 style. You don't have to worry about your characters being attacked from all sides, and you don't have to worry about any sneak attacks; there's really only one way for the enemies to get to you, with the other way being a long out of the way path around the edge of the map.
Although I actually recommend using this trick when your units are at at LEAST level 10 (on their base class), you can actually try this at any time if you feel like risking it. Basically what you do is go buy 10 or so boxes to call the enemies to the map, you pick the two units you want supports for, you have the character you want to level in the lead, and you simply use them to solo the entire map. While at lower levels you will be gaining a few levels per map, at higher levels (after class advancing) you'll be getting 1-2 levels per run. On top of all of that, every two map clears will also be one full support bonus, and that'll allow you to quickly max out all of your supports with one character in about an hour (except for MU's supports. Since they have a support with every character in the game, it'll take awhile before you see all of them supports).
Really this is a great way to unlock skills, and get your characters married off as well, and it also goes hand in hand with my next tip which I RECOMMEND all of you follow.
Galeforce:
Galeforce is a skill in Awakening that you REALLY need to get as soon as possible, but there's one character you should teach it to before all others. So, what is Galeforce? Well it's actually a skill that allows you to move your units twice in one turn if they kill an enemy! By finishing off an enemy with a character who has Galeforce, they will be granted an extra move which will really help you out in the long run. The thing is though, only FEMALE characters can learn this skill normally, and some females will not be able to learn it at all.
To get Galeforce you first need to class change your female units into a "Pegasus Knight," and level them up to at least level 10. At this point all of the Pegasus Knight's skills have been learned, and you can then class advance onto the next class without worrying about missing anything; however there is a bit more too it than that. You see, the Pegasus Knight can actually class change to either a "Falcon Knight," or a "Dark Flier." While the Falcon Knight focuses more on attack and has the ability to also heal, the Dark Flier is more focused on attack magic. Although Dark Fliers really aren't the best choice for characters with a low magic stat, this is the class YOU MUST CLASS CHANGE THEM TO! At level 15 Dark Fliers unlock the skill Galeforce, and that's your main goal. Still, this actually doesn't stop there. (Note: MAKE SURE THE SKILL IS EQUIP TO YOUR LAST SKILL SLOT IF YOU WANT TO PASS THE SKILL ON!)
You see, later on in the game the female (as well as a select other few) characters will be able to pass on their skills to other characters. Although most females who can learn Galeforce will actually be passing it on to other females who can learn it; there is one exception. Lissa actually passes her skills onto a male unit who CANNOT learn these skills on their own! That means this male unit actually has the ability to learn Galeforce (which is a female only skill and one of the best skills in the game), and that also allows for an amazing combo.
S level supports in Awakening are the highest level supports in the game, and they happen when characters get married. This support level provides a high stat boost, and it makes married couples just about unstoppable, and that's where things can get even better for this male unit. Not only can he learn Galeforce, but he can marry a female unit who ALSO has Galeforce! In other words, he'll have the highest stat bonuses possible when paired up with her, and since they both have it, they can actually move THREE times in a single turn! Simply kill an enemy with the male unit, move, switch to the female unit to kill the next enemy, and then use the 3rd (and final) turn to take out a 3rd enemy (if possible). It's an amazing team combo, but it is only possible if you gave the male unit Galeforce.
WARNING: If you want to pass on Galeforce, or any other skills, you must make sure to do it BEFORE playing any of the paralogues which open up after chapter 13. Each of these side missions feature new characters to recruit, just like the side missions early on in the game, but these are the characters these skills can be given to. If you play their chapters before you unlock the skills, you will not be able to pass them on; you have been warned!
Marry Chrom to Sumia, Olivia, or the Avatar:
Now
this tip is my personal recommendation, but I have good reason for it.
While Chrom can get married to other characters, I strongly recommend
marrying him to either Sumia, Olivia, or the Avatar (if you are female). Marrying Chrom to the Avatar will result in creating the "best" character in the entire game, while marrying him to Sumia and Olivia will create the "second best" unit in the game. This unit will be able to learn galeforce, and will also have high stats. If Chrom marries another unit however; you can kiss galeforce goodbye. It is your choice, but I still recommend getting galeforce on as many units as possible.
Well, that's my Fire Emblem: Awakening tips for today! Before I go though, I would like to say one thing... Why not try getting your luck stat up to 50? There's a few skills that add to it, and one even doubles it! Let's just say if you do, you'll never have to worry about equipment again! Good luck everyone!
