Among the tidal wave of new announcements and world premieres at the Game Awards, Fire Emblem Engage received a new trailer detailing its roadmap for expansion pass content. As many fans were expecting, additional Emblem Heroes will be added through DLC, opening up the possibilities for a host of legacy characters to appear in the game post-launch. With Fire Emblem Engage slated to release next month, speculation has begun as to which fan-favorite characters could be part of its expansion pass.
In addition to the characters already revealed to be Emblems in the base game, Wave 1 of the expansion pass will add Fire Emblem: Three Houses' Edelgard, Dimitri, and Claude along with the series' recurring character, Tiki. This first wave is set to launch alongside the game's release in January, with three additional waves launching later in the year. This official confirmation of DLC has shows Nintendo is very committed to fanservice with this title and opens the door for more niche characters to get some much-needed attention.
Breaking Down Edelgard, Dimitri, Claude, and Tiki's Inclusion in Fire Emblem Engage's Expansion Pass
Although the trailer is rather brief, it does give fans a glimpse at how these DLC characters will be incorporated into Fire Emblem Engage's gameplay. The core mechanic of Fire Emblem Engage is the ability to summon these Emblem Heroes during battle to give characters a power boost and access to unique abilities. Units can also "engage" with these Heroes to merge into one, taking on a new appearance and gaining even stronger abilities.
In this trailer, it appears as though Edelgard, Dimitri, and Claude act as one complete Emblem Hero as Alear is shown to wield their three signature weapons—Aymr, Areadbhar, and Failnaught—at the same time. While the addition of these three characters from Fire Emblem: Three Houses seems like a large amount of content, they act as a singular unit in reality. With the power to transform into a dragon, Tiki makes for an interesting Emblem Hero as it appears that she allows her equipped unit to transform into a dragon when engaged. This could end up being quite the powerful combo as Tiki has historically acted as a glass cannon character, so engaging may give the unit the best of both worlds.
Other Characters that Could Make Great DLC Additions to Fire Emblem Engage
Since it seems like Edelgard, Dimitri, and Claude count as one character, players can likely expect two new Heroes per wave of the expansion pass. With that in mind, one great option for a DLC wave could be the inclusion of two characters from Fire Emblem Fates. Xander and Ryoma seem like obvious choices as they could represent both Nohr and Hoshido respectively. The eldest sisters from each nation—Camilla and Hinoka—would make great choices as well. A Fire Emblem Fates wave could even pull the same stunt as the first wave and make all the Nohr siblings and all the Hoshido siblings one character.
As a game with three main lords, Fire Emblem: The Blazing Blade—known simply as Fire Emblem in the west—is currently only represented by Lyn in Fire Emblem Engage's base game. A DLC wave based on this game could add the other two lords—Hector and Eliwood—to round out the roster. Doing so would be a great way to add weapon variety to the available roster of Emblem Heroes as Lyn wields a bow, and Hector and Eliwood could wield an axe and a lance respectively. It's likely more information about the expansion pass will be revealed in the coming months, so fans hoping to find out if their favorite character will be returning shouldn't have to wait long.
Fire Emblem Engage releases January 20, 2023, for Nintendo Switch.
