When it comes to Fire Emblem games, Awakening is one of our favourites. Perhaps it was the perfect use of the 3DS hardware or the re-introduction of a second generation, maybe even the controversial Pair Up system. Either way we couldn’t put it down for a good few months back when it released, an experience that we’re happy to report is still happening to this day, thanks to Three Houses opening new fans eyes to the series. Unlike us, these new Fire Emblem: Awakening players may not be familiar with the series at all, and as such they’re likely to have numerous questions before they delve in. Today we’re going to answer some of the most frequently asked questions that we still see being posed online.
How Many Chapters Are There?
There are a total of 25 story chapters in Fire Emblem: Awakening. Whilst this may not seem like a great deal, especially given how small some of the opening chapters are, the game is filled with optional content. Everything the game has to offer, at time of writing at least, is as follows:
- Main Story: 25 Chapters
- Optional Side Quests: 23 Chapters
- DLC Quests: 25 Chapters
Some of the side quest chapters will feature new characters for you to recruit, though they will only appear once certain characters reach an ‘S’ rank of support with each other. The DLC quests, some of which require payment via the Nintendo eShop, allow you to recruit returning characters from previous Fire Emblem titles.
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How Long Does It Take To Beat?
The main story will take you approximately 15 – 25 hours to complete, depending on your experience with the battle systems, though to rush it in this way would see you miss out on the huge amount of additional content available. During our playthroughs of the game, in which we do all side quests and recruit every non-DLC character, it took an average of 58 hours.
We’ll collate our times into a short list, along with a link to a website that allows users to log their times, to give you an idea of a community average:
- Main Story Only: 15 – 25 Hours depending on experience.
- Main Story & Side Quests: 40 – 60 Hours.
- Main, Side & DLC Quests: 60 – 100 Hours depending on how much you enjoy ‘maximising’ your characters skills, classes and statistics.
You can view the communities statistics HERE.
When Should You Promote?
Promoting your characters is critical in Fire Emblem: Awakening, much like any of the titles in the series. Having the right class can make all the difference in a game based on ensuring statistical superiority. That being said, not all characters are created equal, so whilst we understand that promoting at 20 is ideal from a stats perspective, we’d recommend the following three categories when deciding your promotion time.
Units Struggling to Contribute
You should promote units that are struggling to contribute at level 10. This will give them the statistical boost that they need to keep them relevant, at least for a short amount of time. Often these units do not last until the end game, however promoting them early will get you some good usage out of them before they fall away.
Average Performing Units
If your unit is performing OK, for example they do damage but do not completely kill the opponent, you should consider promoting them at or around level 15. This will let them gain some more stats without them feeling completely useless like those mentioned above. Once promoted they will become high performing units, though they’re unlikely to reach the heights of the following.
High Performing Units
If you have units that are killing their opponents alone, or doing very significant amounts of damage, you should consider waiting until level 20 to promote them. They’re clearly already useful, so waiting and allowing them to gain more stats should not cause any immediate issues, and once promoted they will only further their battle winning skills.
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Can You Grind?
It is possible to grind in Fire Emblem: Awakening, though these options differ depending on the difficulty level that you choose. Whilst we would generally recommend that you don’t – these games are designed to be experienced without making yourself super powerful – the following are your options for grinding:
Side Quests
An obvious way to grind is to complete side quests. Not only are these often filled with enemies that you can use to gain experience, but you’ll also find additional items or characters to recruit.
Map Battles
Once a main chapter has been completed, you will often see enemies pop up in different sections of the map. These are effectively free additional battles that you can complete in order to gain experience. You will find that these appear once Chapter 3 is complete, and they will continue to appear throughout the remainder of the game. Gold Bullion and other rewards can be gained by completing these skirmish battles.
Reeking Box
The Reeking Box can be purchased in certain armouries on the map. When used, these will cause Risen to appear at your location, which can then be battled to gain experience and rewards. On higher difficulties the price of this item is increased, to the point where only Normal mode guarantees a profit will be made from the battle.
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Categories: Fire Emblem: Awakening