As a long-time Fire Emblem fan with over 200 hours across multiple entries in the series, I‘ve developed an in-depth understanding of the complex factors determining a unit‘s capabilities. With the latest entry Fire Emblem Engage featuring one of the largest rosters ever with over 30 playable characters, evaluating all their strengths and ideal roles can be an overwhelming task, especially for newcomers.
That‘s why I‘ve created this extensive 2000+ word Fire Emblem Engage unit tier list after completing my own Hard Classic playthrough. By breaking down each unit into S, A, B, and C grades, I aim to provide fellow strategists with clearer insight into building unstoppable armies!
Tier List Rating Methodology
First, let‘s outline the criteria I utilized to assign units into tiers:
S Tier: Game-changing units dominating through combat performance. They exceed in multiple statistics like Strength, Speed, and Resistance allowing them to crush or withstand enemies. Exclusive weapon types, skills, classes also give them unmatched versatility and power.
A Tier: Excellent mainstay units with outstanding qualities. While not exceeding in every area, they still perform far above average and have very strong combat potential through high damage, durability, mobility or utility.
B Tier: Situational specialists that require smart play to maximize strengths and navigate limitations. Though lacking raw power, they have very potent niches like magic damage, healing, or beast transformations that enable them to excel in the right contexts.
C Tier: Units possess significant flaws like cripplingly low Speed or Defense that severely hinder their combat performance without constant protection or strict positioning. They may have flashy skills or unique classes, but overall require heavy team support.
I took into consideration both the units‘ baseline statistical aptitudes at their starting class and their long-term growth trajectories across level ups when assigning tiers. The rating also reflects their performance based on my own extensive firsthand experience utilizing them with various roles, classes, and skill combinations in my playthrough.
Now let‘s dive into the full S to C ranked list featuring in-depth evaluations of notable units!
S Tier List
S Tier units dominate battles through their outstanding combat capabilities and unmatched versatility. They exceed statistical aptitudes in multiple areas, permitting flexible roles while excelling offensively or defensively. Exclusive skills, rare classes, and equipment also grant unmatched advantages.
Alear (Male/Female)
Lead Unit Role:Primary Offensive Backbone
Key Stats: High Strength, Speed, Luck, Well-Rounded Aptitudes
Exclusive Perks: Divine Dragon Class, Engage Summoning
Exceptional base class aptitudes combined with well-balanced stat growth rates cement Alear‘s unmatched versatility as the protagonist. His high Luck permits frequent dodges while Excellence skill boosts Experience gains for quick leveling. This feeds his raw power – fantastic Strength and Speed allowing devastating double attacks.
But Alear‘s truly game-changing advantage is exclusive access to the Divine Dragon class and legendary Engage ability. His dragon form grants colossal bonuses to all core statistics along with boosted weapon experience gains and movement. Meanwhile, Engage summons hero Emblem spirits granting Alear temporary stat boosts and skills.
With such unparalleled combat dominance and flexibility supplemented further by mythic weapons like the divine Pact Ring, Alear rightfully earns his top tier spot as the ultimate offensive backbone unit.
Diamant
Lead Unit Role: Frontline Damage Sponge Tank
Key Stats: Extreme HP, Strength, Luck
Exclusive Perks: Paragon Knight Class, Divisible HP Skill
While boasting S Tier across the board aptitudes, Diamant particularly shines defensively with his colossal HP pool and Luck avoidance. He demonstrates outstanding Strength for offensive punishment too. His Paragon Knight promotes into the Forgemaster class wielding Axes and Lances while wearing heavy armor.
This grants significant defense amplification while retaining solid mobility for a heavy unit. Combined with his personal Divisible HP skill permitting survival of some lethal single attacks, Diamant serves as an extremely durable damage sponge able to weather sustained assaults.
His high Strength and Royal Lineage skill also let him maintain excellent offensive threat despite a defensive focus. Capable of both soaking tremendous punishment and doling out painful counterattacks, Diamant is peerless as an all-purpose combat tank.
Other Noteworthy S Tier Units
Veyle: Half-Divine Dragon Hybrid wielding both spells and dragon form transformation
Kagetsu: High Skill Swordmaster dodging attacks and clearing maps quickly
Hortensia: Mounted offensive spellcaster with phenomenal Resistance and Luck
A Tier List
While a notch below S Tier dominance, A Tier units still boast outstanding qualities core to many team strategies. Some specialize offensively while others provide strong utility or support functions. But collectively, they can serve as the cornerstones of mighty armies!
Anna
Specialized Niche: Utility Support
Key Stats: Great Dexterity, Luck, Resistance
Exclusive Perks: Trickster Class, Personal Gold Skill
The quintessential Fire Emblem merchant Anna unsurprisingly brings fantastic economic advantages through her personal skill further increasing gold drops from enemies. This permits buying the best weapons and gear to empower other units!
While no pure combat beast, she still brings great utility through her Trickster promotion gained from the Thief class line. It uniquely blends Swords for offense with Staves for healing teammates. Combined with her stellar Dexterity and Luck aptitudes for accurate and critical attacks, Anna can chip enemies while keeping allies battle-ready.
Her high Resistance also helps vs enemy mages. With gold funding and backup support sustain, Anna exemplifies the A Tier hallmarks of specialized utility.
Saphir
Specialized Niche: Physical Damage Juggernaut
Key Stats: Immense HP and Strength
Exclusive Perks: Soaring Storm Follow-Up Attacks
This hero earns his Reluctant Vagabond title through raw power and durability that lets him overwhelm opposing armies. Boasting titanic HP backed by solid Defense and Resistance, Saphir serves as an imposing damage sponge able to weather endless assaults.
His Strength reaches even more terrifying heights, permitting devastating strikes that obliterate foes, especially on critical hits. High Movement as a mounted Knight ensures he can actively chase down key threats. Saphir also gains the Soaring Storm skill guaranteeing follow-up attacks above 50% HP for securing kills.
With HP sustaining his offense and sheer attack power overwhelming enemies, Saphir exemplifies the overwhelming domination expected of A Tier damage juggernauts!
Other Noteworthy A Tier Units
Fogado: Mounted Knight with excellent balanced physical statistics
Ivy: Pegasus air support dishing magical damage and healing
B Tier List
While lacking top tier dominance, B Units fill helpful combat roles or niches once properly utilized. They each feature standout strengths backed by glaring weaknesses requiring careful management by savvy strategists. With smart positioning play, they can truly shine!
Lindon
Specialized Niche: Magic Nuker
Key Stats: Extreme Magic, Resistance
Exclusive Perks: Sage Promotion Class
As an aspirational scholar mage, Lindon unsurprisingly brings awe-inspiring magical devastation by endgame. Boasting amazing Magic Resistance growth backed by solid Luck and Speed, he reliably slays foes with potent spells while avoiding enemy mage counterattacks.
His unique bloodline trait Lifesage further amplifies spell damage for securing kills. While certainly no physical tank with poor HP and middling Strength, Lindon can unleash his full nuking potential by promoting into the mounted Sage class. This improves positioning to blast targets from safety.
By keeping Lindon away from physical attackers his spellcasting comfortably destroys all but the most magic-resistant enemies. This sheer magical devastation potential cements his niche value.
Celine
Specialized Niche: Anti-Magic Bait Tank
Key Stats: Huge Resistance and Luck
Exclusive Perks: Nullify Miasma Damage Reduction
While lacking any physical prowess with below average HP, Strength, or Defense, Celine makes her mark as a formidable magic damage sponge with phenomenal Resistance aptitude. Her sublime Luck also gives excellent avoidant allowing her to evade enemy mages with ease.
She even reduces damage against her one weakness in Dark Magic via her Nullify Miasma passive skill. Combined with ranged counterattack spells herself, Celine can effectively bait and decimate opposing mage units. Though certainly requiring protection from physical fighters, her outstanding magical durability makes Celine invaluable against spellcasting enemies.
Other Noteworthy B Tier Units
Bunet: Royalty granting solid bonuses to supported dragon allies
Merrin: Cavalry beast unit transforming into a swift battle wolf
C Tier List
C Tier units would seem formidable at first glance but contain deeply exploitable flaws preventing consistent top tier success. They may wield deadly weapons or wield rare combat magics but are held back by issues like low Speed, Durability, or poor Movement.
Without constant protection and strict positioning play, their weaknesses quickly expose them to defeat from more well-rounded units. Still, clever strategists can find some niche applications if they don‘t mind the headaches!
Vander
Core Weakness:Extreme Physical Durability Issues
Stats:Potent Magic Attack and Resistance
Exclusive Perks:Forbidden Sentinel Dark Magic+Lance Class
Vander seems mighty at first as royalty harnessing the forbidden power of Dark Magic. His phenomenal Resistance lets him easily withstand magical assaults while retaliating from range against mages.
But abysmal HP, Defense, and middling Speed means he quickly folds to any physical damage source able to reach him. He must avoid combat with ALL non-magical classes to stay alive and his low Movement gives enemies ample opportunity to engage him.
While certainly bringing unique Dark Magic ranged offense to the table, Vander‘s crippling combat limitations against ubiquitous physical units greatly overshadow his benefits outside the most mage-heavy maps.
Bunet
Core Weakness:Extremely Slow Speed
Stats:Strong Strength and HP
You‘d expect blazing Speed from a dragon princess but Bunet instead suffers a cripplingly sluggish Speed stat hampered further by the Great Knight armor hindering her Movement to only 5 feet! This lets enemies easily swarm for overkill defeats unless she receives constant escorts.
While boasting decent offensive power as expected of royalty and able to transform into a formidable dragon, none of that matters if Bunet rarely gets turns from being doubled while unable to double foes herself! Her solid defenses may help initially but eventually crumble from sustained assaults.
I still have trauma from losing her in my early playthrough before realizing how important Speed is in Fire Emblem! While great on paper, Bunet‘s abysmal Speed cripples her potential without extreme measures for protection and boosting avoidance.
Closing Thoughts on the FE: Engage Tier List
And there you have it – the comprehensive 2000+ word Fire Emblem Engage Unit Tier list reflecting my experiences both utilizing the characters myself and observing their capabilities when battled as enemies!
S Tier units like Alear and Diamant deserve their phenomenal fame, able to smash apart enemy brigades or weather endless attacks while crushing counteroffensives.
But the solid capabilities of A Tier andSpecialized niche units like Anna or Lindon reiterated for me the truth that thoughtful team building and tactics surpasses individual power. Even "weaker" units can demonstrate advantage against the right foes or enable game-changing combo potentials!
I hope these extensive evaluations and personal insights help my fellow strategists form your own unbeatable armies. Remember to consider both units‘ standout strengths and crippling weaknesses when devising battlefield plans. The difference between victory and defeat often depends on clever player positioning play rather than raw statistic differences alone.
Now I‘m eager to hear your own thoughts on the list – let me know which tiers you agree or disagree with the most! I‘m open to debate and may revise ratings as player wisdom on optimizing classes, skills, and combo potentials develops further with the game‘s life span.
Until then, may your Emblem Engage adventures overflow with triumph!
