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Fire Emblem Engage is far more focused on its combat mechanics than other recent Fire Emblem titles. This is more in-line with classic Fire Emblem, which has been a breath of fresh air for long time fans (and a bit of a downer for those wanting more Three Houses). As a result, Engage has plenty of new combat mechanics to keep things feeling fresh.
Once you have become accustomed to the standard mechanics and the intricacies of the battle system, the game will throw you a whole new system to mess around with. These are Smash Weapons, and they open up a whole new way to mess around with the game’s combat. Let’s dive into them.
More Fire Emblem Engage content:
Combat Guide | Beginner Tips | Game Balance | Launch Trailer | Expansion Pass
When Do You Unlock Smash Weapons?
Smash Weapons are unlocked during Chapter 9. You will gain control over a new Swordswoman, Lapis. She comes equipped with an Iron Blade, which is not to be mistaken for an Iron Sword. The Iron Blade is your new Smash Weapon, and it is the catalyst for the whole mechanic. Once you have a Smash Weapon, they become more readily available.
Benefits Of Smash Weapons
Smash Weapons come with a myriad of benefits that make them well worth considering in your line. Firstly, these weapons typically have far higher damage stats when compared to their non-Smash counterparts. The Iron Blade may be made of Iron, but it hits harder than most Steel weapons – so keep that in mind.
This raw power allows for bearers to very quickly dispatch of weaker enemies, and deal huge damage to enemies with more bulk. However, their biggest draw is their Smash effect. When a character hits with a Smash Weapon, that enemy is launched back. This is shown on the battlemap as enemies being push away from the user 1 tile.
This has buckets of gameplay ramifications. You could push enemies back, moving them out of range to threaten a weakened or squishy ally. You push enemies towards your lines, so allies who weren’t in range before, are now. How about pushing enemies off powerful terrain elements. You could even Smash an enemy multiple times to manipulate their positioning further.
The final boon these mighty weapons grant is the ability to Break enemies in a new way. Typically Break occurs when you hit an enemy with an opposing Weapon Type. Smash Weapons can Break by knocking enemies into obstacles and other characters. This is an excellent way to break a powerful opponent that has a weapon you don’t have a counter for, or to simply add a new way to Break enemies.
Negatives Of Smash Weapons
Smash Weapons are undoutably very powerful additions to your toolkit, but there has to be some downsides, right? Unfortunately, yet. Smash Weapons, despite all of their power, have two glaring downsides that make them a powerful – yet situational – member of your arsenal.
Firstly, Smash Weapons are slow. This means enemies will always get to attack you first. This could straight up kill you if you aren’t careful, so keep healers nearby to keep your Smash-user healthy is almost a must. You could also make sure the character you are using Smash Weapons with, has high defensive stats.
Finally, Smash Weapons are heavy. This often means characters can use them effectively. If a character has low BLD, then Smash Weapons will start to impact their SPD stat. The lower your SPD, the less attacks you get in battle. Not only that, but it also effects how many attacks your opponent gets.
Smash Weapons are very powerful, but use them wisely.
That’s all we have on Fire Emblem Engage for now. Be sure to check out our other guides for more tips and tricks.
