Preparing For Battles With Nohr In Fire Emblem Fates: Conquest

The time is almost upon us. Fire Emblem Fates is about to be released in North America. Depending on which version of the game you’re buying or have pre-ordered, you could have access to the Nohr, Hoshido, or Revelations campaigns. Each one requires different tactics and thinking, so I’ll be going over tips you can use for each campaign, beginning with Fire Emblem Fates: Conquest.

Fire Emblem Fates: Conquest is the most challenging path and most like the original Fire Emblem games. You don’t have the opportunity to take on optional battles between story battles, with children-acquiring Paralogues and very rare invasions being the only exceptions. Battles will have specific objectives, like attempting to reach certain bosses within a certain number of turns, and there are often overwhelming numbers of enemies.

While there may be some stigma associated with disabling Fire Emblem Fates’ permadeath option, I would recommend it for the Conquest route. Your army will grow to a respectable size, but some of the encounters in this storyline are rather intimidating. It’s easier to recommend a Casual run, where people won’t be gone for good. As for regular difficulty, go ahead and choose whichever level you’d like. While you can’t increase difficulty while you play, but you can decrease it.(I went with Phoenix, due to wanting to actually beat the route before writing this article and being under a time crunch.)

Since time is at a premium in Fire Emblem Fates: Conquest, it’s best to focus on the characters you know you’ll be using later in the game. You want people with strong defense, good attack power, versatility, and that you just plain like. This probably means someone like Arthur, Nyx, or Silas could be benched early on. Keep characters in groups of two or more, and make sure you have people who can heal nearby. Jakob/Felicia and Elise will be critical early on, and you’ll probably want to split into two groups when you can, with one of each at the center to support them.

The Nohrian royal family are essential party members. Elise is one of only two healers you’ll have for a while, and she becomes even more valuable once you switch her from the starting Troubadour to a Strategist. Camilla is godly, what with her mobility, wrecking power, and eventual Savage Blow skill that reduces the health of foes with two spaces by up to 20% after she attacks someone. Leo comes with the incredible Brynhildr spell, which is powerful and can halve damage from magical attacks, and Xander is worth it for his Siegfried blade. In an army where funds are at a premium, having two characters who come with such incredible equipment is a godsend.

You also want Niles around. This isn’t the Hoshido run, where you’ll have plenty of ninja who know Locktouch, the skill that unlocks doors and chests. You’ll have Niles and Kaze with that ability. That’s it. I favor Niles, because he also has the Capture command that’s incredibly useful for catching the unique boss units from the Paralogue chapters and bringing them over to your side. (Note: Draj is called Candace in North America. She actually has pretty decent stats!) My Niles has a rating of 133 as a level 4 Bow Knight and always impresses. His critical is high enough to make good use of a Killer Bow.

I also recommend using Odin, Laslow, and Selena. In my game, both Laslow and Odin have proven best for creating dynasties. I paired Odin with Elise, and the resulting Ophelia ended up getting Demoiselle and promising magical stats as a result. Laslow’s daughter, Soleil, has fared even better. She’s a level 3 Hero at the moment, with a rating of 112, and inherited her father’s chance of restoring health with Good Fortune and his Strong Riposte. Unfortunately, Soleil didn’t get Mozu’s Aptitude skill, which could have increased her odds of stats leveling up, but she did get her mom’s Underdog skill. Personality-wise, Soleil is bright, cheerful, and very popular with cute girls, though my focus on pairing up first generation characters and decision to go with a female avatar hasn’t allowed for an opportunity to see the new conversation between Soleil and the avatar.

Selena, however, is great as both a mother and an endgame unit. In terms of starting stats and skills, she isn’t too different from Laslow, but her improved avoidance and Fierce Rival personal skill, where she’ll critical if her backed up partner does, is a huge help. I paired her with Kaze, so I could have a Midori with the Good Fortune skill that can restore up to 20% HP at the start of a turn based on the luck stat, but she’s incredible when working with Niles or Camilla, who both have high critical stats.

I’d also like to salute my team’s surprise favorite, Leo’s son Forrest. I paired up Leo and Asura for the sake of convenience. There were a few maps with heavily armored guards, and letting Leo have an extra turn to pick them off was a huge help. The Forrest resulting from that union is currently a Strategist with a rating of 130, Luck +4, Resistance +2, Seal Magic that reduces an attacked enemy’s magic by 6, Gentilhomme, which reduces damage received by female allies nearby by 2, and a Fierce Counter that deals an additional +2 damage when he’s attacked by a man. I try to keep him with Nina and Soliel, and it’s worked very well so far!

Now, as for monetary concerns, I recommend saving your money for Master Seals. They’re 2,000 gold each. Even though you’ll get some Offspring Seals during Paralogues and a few through storyline missions, they probably won’t be enough. Save your money for those and healing staves for your Troubadors, Butlers, Maids, and Strategists. Once you’re past Chapter 20 and know who your endgame team is going to be, then put money into Blessed equipment, which will restore HP automatically, or Killer equipment.

With Fire Emblem Fates: Conquest, it’s best to be cautious and patient. Plan ahead. Know which characters you like and focus on them. Don’t be afraid to dump someone, if you know you won’t really need them later. Yes, you’ll eventually need to use characters like Arthur, Benny, or Silas to get their kids, since children are tied to fathers this time around, but use Paralogues to build bonds between lesser characters. Focus on your 10 favorites for storyline battles, and make sure your siblings stick by your side.

Fire Emblem Fates will be released in North America on February 19, 2016. Siliconera’s Nohrian castle can be found at 01720-47948-56162-86246. Allow me to warn you, though, my team is pretty fierce. At Chapter 19, my team’s power level was 1,311.