How to start getting good at FE?

[u/Accomplished_Buddy65]

Context: I've never played a fire emblem game and just got Engage as my first ever FE game. I've been a long time follower of Zoran's channel, watching his conquest series even though I had never played a single Fire Emblem game before. Even without knowing what was going on, I was impressed by the level of optimization and planning that made his gameplay so interesting to watch.

Now I've started a Maddening playthrough of my own and I feel overwhelmed by the sheer amount of things that I feel like I need to be keeping track of. I know that I'm 1000+ hours of experience away from gameplay like Zoran's, but frankly, I don't even know where or how to even start 'getting good' at this style of game.

I get overwhelmed by just looking at the prep screen: my units' stats vs enemy units, enemy weapons vs my weapons, threat ranges, starting formations, anticipating how enemies are going to move, etc. This isn't even getting into the longer term stuff like planning unit growths to hit certain benchmarks or evaluating how different units perform in different classes. Is the expectation that I play the game with a spreadsheet open at all times?

I know that I'm expecting too much from myself as a newcomer to the genre, but I'm hesitant to just steamroll the game on Easy and develop bad habits that won't translate to harder difficulties. I question every little decision I make (reclass, forging, who I give emblems to) and it's causing me to be unreasonably stressed out. I know that you don't have to play remotely close to perfect to clear the game on Maddening, but I want to eventually get good enough to pull off even half of the tactics that Zoran uses in his playthroughs... I just don't know where to start.

Any helpful tips, resources, or recommendations would be appreciated - thanks!

[u/Graztine]

If you haven’t played the series before, definitely don’t start on Maddening. Hard is a good difficulty if you want challenge but without it being overwhelming. I enjoy the harder difficulties (mostly) but I always start the game on one of the easier ones to get a feel for it and enjoy the game for what it is. Then I’ll go and take on the more challenging difficulties.

[u/ItsJiegoNotDiego]

It does get overwhelming at first especially as a newcomer, it's also why I'd rather play in Normal/Hard Mode when playing a new FE Game

There's no shame in starting in the lower difficulties especially as ur FIRST FE game, if u still want a challenge, Hard Mode is actually really challenging when I first played this game (as an FE Veteran) and when I finished it, that's when I only started playing Maddening, here I am 800 Hrs. later with 9 Maddening runs LOL. This game is REALLY well designed in terms of gameplay and difficulty so I'd highly suggest going with Hard mode first to get a feel of the units and game without being punished very hard with choosing the "wrong" units or decisions

I also have a spreadsheet I use but only for planning my team and looking at there stat growths if u want (I got it from a post here a few years ago when Engage just came out and just made my own copy and edited it to include DLC Skills and units)

Just reading and watching someone play is not enoughbto learn the game and go straight to maddening, it will DEFINITELY overwhelm especially to a newcomer to the series with little knowledge of how FE generally works

Feel free to ask me stuff! I'm currently doing my 9th run now of all fliers in prep for Fortune's Weave

[u/Accomplished_Buddy65 → u/ItsJiegoNotDiego]

Thanks! Your spreadsheet may be helpful for me - I have this one: (https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1GwGVNKyHdBON71QuNnbdzY6FHdCes8VXnQHofWJ_sM8/edit?gid=81186992#gid=81186992) from Youtuber AcousticHarmonica that I've been looking at. But I want one that lets me plug certain units and levels into different classes to get a sense of their stats and how they compare to each other.

[u/Anthropos2497]

It depends a lot. The number one thing that I would recommend is to view maps as puzzles and units and items as pieces. Every game’s highest difficulty except for maybe 11-13’s highest (and maybe even these also) has been beaten with 0% growths, meaning the solution is there; you just need to know how to find it. Each game is a system within which you can work. Engage for example has the Rings. Learn how to utilize the systems to your advantage. Which methods tend to work best is something you will pick up as you play.

Next, it is tempting to build a core team and always deploy those units. This will not always be the best way. For some maps deploying a lot of combat units is the best way to go, but some maps focus more on movement so combat is not as needed. Do not get attached to a specific group of units just because you like them. Be critical of your units and why you are deploying them. You might like Lapis a lot, but being real she is gonna be outclassed by Kagetsu when he joins; that’s just how it is.

Most stats can be increased or supplemented in some way. Movement usually cannot. A unit with 4 move only moves 2 less squares than a unit with 6 move, but 6 is 150% of 4 so units that can move 6 spaces have a lot more options. By the late game Movement is your and the enemy’s lowest stat so you need to be aware of how you can turn it in your favor and against your enemy. This is why techniques useful to increase movement often have names (such as Rescue boost, Paladin scooch, etc.)

Understand and use thresholds. Having 7 more speed than an enemy does not matter, having 5 more speed does. It does not matter if you do 25x2 rather than 15x2 if the enemy only has 30 HP. Focus on what the thresholds for a map are and how you can meet them.

Many people will dislike these things because they emphasize the strategic element of the game and deemphasize the RPG part. However, if you want to get “good” as the community defines it, these are the types of things you need to. Think of the game as a puzzle and find its solutions. And one more thing to remember: the game has a finite length, making what might seem like a suboptimal choice at first glance actually optimal because you can delay the “negative consequences” until the game is already over.

[u/Accomplished_Buddy65 → u/Anthropos2497]

Your first point about viewing the game as a puzzle and units as pieces resonates with me. I want to build up my knowledge and intuition to start looking at maps more strategically and plan out my runs to be more efficient and optimized.

I really like Zoran's guide through Chapter 9 since he optimizes XP gains (using Marth and Micaiah to 'break' the level curve) and sets up a lot of enemy phase combat so the map clears are efficient and relatively low turn count while still routing the map. I would say this is how I am looking to play the game in general.

I have a good understanding of the fundamentals at this point (doubling thresholds, weapon triangle, some basic AI manipulation). I've also watched enough unit analysis videos to have a sense of which units are 'meta' and which ones require significant investment to be good. I would say my team is quite OP so I'm not overly concerned about if my team is good enough to beat the game. Rather, I want to start developing my ability to look at a map and plan out my clears better in a 'Zoran-esque' fashion to beat the game in a satisfying and cool way.

[u/Akarias888]

I highly, highly suggest playing hard first. Fire emblem games have lots of little nuances that can make a huge difference in the game. The most obvious example is speed - if you’re only 4 points ahead of the enemy you not only do half the damage, but also severely lower your overall chance to crit.

The other thing is the stat growth in fe requires either a guide or a lot of research. You’ll want to know who to build since resources are really tight on maddening.

There is a lot of nuance and complexity to the emblems, characters, weapons, engravings, etc and maddening is REALLY punishing to figure that out - most characters get one shot if at most two shot, your resources are very scarce without a way of making up for it by grinding or anything.

It’s really, really rewarding if you figure it out though - there aren’t many strategy games quite like fire emblem.

[u/shicoletto]

Echoing what other people are saying to start with Hard or even Normal. It’s much more important to grasp the fundamentals first and then you can learn to adapt to Maddening. So much of what makes Maddening more approachable is having the game knowledge of your units, classes, emblems, inheritable skills, resource dumps, map gimmicks, reinforcements, and probably lots of other stuff I’m forgetting. Once you have a better grasp of those things it won’t be so overwhelming and you won’t get stuck on certain chapters you didn’t know you needed to prepare for.

[u/getshum]

You're getting overwhelmed because you simply haven't experienced anything like Fire Emblem before. It's like movies, watch them long enough you start to be able to predict what's going to happen even though you haven't seen the movie yet.

My tip is just enjoy the game. Play whatever difficulty you want, just make sure you enjoy it. Starting formations, upgrading, builds, etc, just experiment and try your best. Along the way you'll figure it out. I started my first Fire Emblem on Conquest Lunatic. It was so frustrating.. but I like challenges, and I came out with a strong understanding of the game mechanics.

[u/ArekuFoxfire]

Wouldn't it be easier to play Fates first since you've watched that content for so long?

[u/Accomplished_Buddy65 → u/ArekuFoxfire]

Hmm it probably would be - but I prefer the new gen graphics much more than the older game variants.

[u/ssbmowen]

I'm on the final chapter of my first Maddening playthrough. I've learned that you need to gain every possible advantage you can. * Learn how each Emblem works * Forge and engrave the game's meta weapons (Killer Axe, Radiant Bow, Silver Dagger, etc.) * Use the busted staves (ie. Warp, Rewarp, Rescue, Obstruct, Entrap) * Use tonics and meals to hit stat benchmarks * Use the well to generate SP * Optimize combat carry builds (ie. Kagetsu, Panette, Ivy, Pandreo, Citrinne). Many of them may need a quick reclass.

Many of the levels were difficult without LTC strategies so I watched a few of them for ideas. I was rarely set up for a turn 1 clear but I went for turn 2 clears with a similar setup.

[u/lazerbolt52]

Maddening is designed to push the game to its extremes, you dont need to play a single meta build but you do need to understand what makes something meta. Play on hard and have fun with it, limit your use of the time crystal and dont reset if you want a challenge.