This article contains endgame spoilers for Fire Emblem Engage.The fourth wave of Fire Emblem Engage's expansion pass is set to take a wildly different turn from the events of its base game, with one core conceit having been flipped on its head. The Fell Xenologue DLC appears to showcase a waning restriction on the Fell Dragon's power against corrupted emblems, which could hold further narrative implications.
Fire Emblem Engage builds upon the characterization of its protagonist, Alear, through its story revelation in the base game's Chapter 20; when prompted to summon the Emblem of Echoes Celica, Griss reveals to Alear that they hold the blood of the Fell Dragon, determined through their reliance on the power of incantation instead of prayer as their summoning method. This comes as a startling discovery to the game's cast, though they continue to believe in the protagonist's efforts and abilities as the Divine Dragon who will lead Elyos to a safer future.
Fire Emblem Engage's Fell Xenologue DLC Appears to Alter the Fell Dragon's Power on an Emblem
The discovery plays not only into Alear's controversial character design given the duality of their origin and upbringing, but also in the emblem mechanic itself; throughout its base game, emblems that are summoned to Alear and their allies' sides fight for the good of the world, working to defeat the corrupted forces that fester the region's lands. The emblems, comprised of past Fire Emblem protagonists, are able to fight and act on their own accord, speaking freely with Alear and their allied forces both in and outside The Somniel. Despite Alear's blood relation to the Fell Dragon, their powers bestowed from Queen Lumera as well as their good-natured intentions are what motivates the emblems to grant strength to their cause, working side-by-side as equals.
Conversely, emblems summoned to the Fell Dragon side - seen primarily through boss encounters with Fire Emblem Engage's infamous Four Hounds - exude a red aura, unable to speak or exhibit any type of autonomy. The power of the rings from which they are summoned takes on a dire tone, most notable in the game's Chapter 11 mission, where Alear and their allies are forced to flee in a near-death confrontation after losing the emblem rings to the opposing Fell Dragon forces. The game puts high emphasis on the inability of the emblems to act on their own merits in these circumstances, providing context as to why their strengths are being lent for evil.
Fire Emblem Engage's Fell Xenologue DLC, which is set to release on April 5th, emphasizes a new narrative focus; its trailer includes quite the divergence in tone, featuring the lords of Elyos' four nations and their retainers as darker, hostile versions of their base game selves. The corrupted emblems that fight alongside them appear to be from past DLC expansion waves, including the likes of Hector fighting alongside Alfred, as well as footage of Tiki, shown emitting a red aura.
Interestingly enough, Tiki is depicted as being able to speak to Alear even while under the control of the Fell Dragon's power, demonstrating at least some semblance of freewill. However, it's not yet clear if this is a characteristic that will be seen through her alone, as some fans have speculated that Tiki's own power as a Divine Dragon could be the reason why she is able to circumvent the restrictions on speaking. Whether it's a solitary depiction or a trait that will extend to the other emblems, this divergence shows the Fell Xenologue DLC taking quite a turn from the status quo of the base game.
Additional footage from the DLC's trailer shows some of Alear's allied forces in the fray, including Elusia's Hortensia and Solm's Fogado fighting against their darker selves; if there are in fact two sets of the game's cast weaved throughout Fell Xenologue's narrative, then it will be interesting to see if a duplicate to Alear's character will be present as well. One of Alcryst's lines in the trailer calls out Alear's dragon divinity as being a farce; while this could coincide with the conflicting nature of Alear's origins from the base game, it could also point toward the darker versions of the cast revering a different Alear akin to their past self from the base game, who might be the one channeling the Fell Dragon's influence across the emblems.
Perhaps a version of Alear who survived without receiving Queen Lumera's aid is the one in control of the enemy forces, which might have some effect on the waning power of the corrupted emblems. Alternatively, Alear's grave shown at the beginning of the trailer could point towards the nations believing there is no Divine Dragon at all, causing them to act selfishly for their own survival amidst the ensuing chaos. All of this begs the question of who exactly is the one causing the corruption, given that the Four Hounds aren't aiding Sombron in this narrative. Whatever the case, it'll be interesting to see just how the Fell Xenologue DLC changes the expectations set by the base game.
Fire Emblem Engage is available now for the Nintendo Switch.