Fire Emblem Engage is the latest entry in Nintendo's internationally-popular strategy RPG series. Since the 3DS title Fire Emblem Awakening, the franchise has had a strong audience in the west who have grown attached to the game's colorful cast of characters. Fortunately, Engage pays tribute to many fan-favorite characters of the franchise's past.
However, Fire Emblem Engage also has a large selection of brand-new characters to become new favorite of the franchise's most hardcore fans. Even so, some characters clearly stand out more than others. Based on their strength in combat, their involvement in the game's story, and their overall personality and charm, these some of the best characters in Fire Emblem Engage.
10 Seadall
Players won't get to meet Seadall until Chapter 15 of the game, which is a pity, because he's an incredibly useful unit to have on hand. As a unit of the Dancer class, Seadall is able to let units who have already spent their turn move again. This can be incredibly useful to get the most out of healer units, who usually can only heal one unit per turn.
Additionally, the enigmatic Seadall also serves a purpose in-between missions. At night, players can have their fortune read by Seadall in the Somniel. Seadall's fortunes can be used to help units bond with each other faster, which will have great benefits during battles if players keep those two units close together.
9 Hortensia
As a princess of Elusia, players will initially encounter Hortensia as a boss unit during Chapter 7 of Fire Emblem Engage. As a pegasus rider equipped with magic, Hortensia doesn't play around, even if she can be easily disposed with thanks to a Bow-wielding unit. However, players can finally recruit her as a playable unit in Chapter 14 of the main story.
Though Hortensia's playful personality can be quite intimidating when she's an enemy, she makes for a fun addition to any player's team. Her usage of both magic and staves is also incredibly valuable, especially when it can be unwise to have a team of mostly Flying units. However, Hortensia is one that's definitely worth keeping around.
8 Yunaka
Yunaka is encountered early in Fire Emblem Engage, appearing in Chapter 6 of the story. Although she's a thief, she becomes a valuable asset to players when she's revealed to be in possession of one of the Emblem Rings. Soon enough, she becomes a member of your team, paired up with the Emblem Ring of Micaiah from Fire Emblem: Radiant Dawn.
While she makes for a good unit due to her thieving skills and partnership with Micaiah, she's also a delight to have around the Somniel. Support conversations with the character are often humorous and entertaining, no matter the pairing. Although there is no higher level to upgrade Yunaka team from the Thief class, players will get a lot of mileage out of keeping her.
7 Chloe
When it comes to Flying units in Fire Emblem Engage, it's hard to beat Chloe. She's first encountered when players recruit Céline, the princess of Firene, in Chapter 4 of the game. By the time players reach the halfway mark of the story, they will find that despite the weaknesses of Flying units, Chloe is one of the strongest players can recruit.
Her usage of the Lance weapon class also makes her a valuable ally to have, especially against Bow units that threaten her as a Flying soldier. She's able to excel in close combat against vulnerable Bow users, as well as keep a Javelin handy to commit long-range attacks against units that would threaten her in close combat.
6 Veyle
Veyle is one of the most important characters in the story of Fire Emblem Engage. She's first encountered as a stranger who the protagonist bonds with during the first half of the game. However, it's revealed in a midpoint twist (spoiler alert!) that Veyle is the daughter of Sombron, the Fell Dragon, and the assassin who murdered Lumera, the player's mother.
After stealing the Emblem Rings, Veyle sets herself up to be the antagonist of the game's second half. However, more mysterious forces at play are later revealed, and Veyle eventually becomes a recruitable ally after Chapter 22. Though she's a late addition to the party, her unique class of Fell Child is incredibly useful during the last few stages.
5 Anna
A Fire Emblem game is not complete without the presence of the wily merchant Anna. Though she oftens serves as a merchant and helper to players, the character become playable for the first time in Fire Emblem Awakening. Since then, she's made recurring appearances as a recruitable unit, which continues in Fire Emblem Engage.
Noticeably, the version of Anna in Engage is a lot younger, giving her even more peppiness and immaturity. She first appears in the game as an Axe Fighter, making her an incredibly strong unit to acquire early on. However, players will have to recruit her by defeating Paralogue 2, one of the game's many side-missions that appear throughout the story.
4 Alfred
Alfred is another early recruit in Fire Emblem Engage, joining the player's team in Chapter 3, when he comes to rescue during an attack on Lythos Castle. A horse-riding unit, Alfred is a Lance-wielder, making him a good parallel to the axe-wielding Cavalry unit that is Vander. However, Alfred has two attributes that make him an even better unit than Vander.
One of those attributes is pairing Alfred with the Emblem Ring of Sigurd from Fire Emblem: Genealogy of the Holy War. As a fellow mounted unit, Sigurd makes for a good support for a horseback unit like Alfred. Alfred's personal skill is also a valuable asset, providing him with +2 Strength for every turn where doesn't attack or use an item.
3 Diamant
Players will be drawn to Diamant quickly after encountering him in Chapter 8 of Fire Emblem Engage. The sword-wielding unit comes with the Emblem Ring of Roy, one of the most popular characters in the Fire Emblem franchise thanks to his appearances in Super Smash Bros. Thankfully, Diamant and Roy make a pretty good team thanks to their combos.
Diamant excels in strength and speed, with enough bulk to make him last many turns without taking too much damage. Players will become especially drawn to Diamant due to the game's story, which puts him in an emotional crisis following the midpoint. Later on, they also might find use out of pairing Diamant with Emblem Ike, another popular Fire Emblem character.
2 Ivy
For a character so clearly designed to be a villain, Ivy makes a surprising ally in Fire Emblem Engage. Like her sister Hortensia, Ivy is first encountered as a boss unit in Chapter 8 during the siege on Brodia Castle. However, after being abandoned by her father, Ivy has a change of heart and comes to the player's rescue in Chapter 11, where they're recruited.
Ivy's recruitment also comes with a bonus of two brand-new Emblem Rings, which is especially valuable after the protagonist has lost the rest. Ivy herself takes possession of Emblem Lyn, which is a surprising pairing for a Flying unit with use of tomes and staves. Nevertheless, players will find an easy time making use of her on their team.
1 Alear
Though players have the option to change the name of their player character, canonically their name is Alear. Like protagonists of the series' past, like Robin or Byleth, they play a major role in the game's story, despite their lack of memory. Players may find themselves incredibly attached to Alear throughout the game's early chapters.
It also helps that Alear has his or her own unique class, Dragon Child, which can level up into Divine Dragon when they reach level 10. Though players may often equip their protagonist with a sword, this higher level gives them access to the Brawl weapon class, giving them quite a diverse range of weapons that they can utilize during battles.
Fire Emblem Engage is available now for Nintendo Switch.