I haven't played any Fire Emblem games, where should I start?
- Thread starter Xerolin
- Start date
Either Awakening or the new one Fates (but get the Birthright path as it's easier and great for new players).
I recently tried out the series too about a couple months ago now. I picked up a used copy of Awakening and absolutely loved it. I'm enjoying Fates even more (and I've also played the more difficult Conquest path after playing Birthright).
Either game is a great place to start, but if you plan on playing Awakening at some point I suggest playing it first as even though I loved the game when I first played it I find it rather hard to go back to after all the new stuff they added on in Fates.
I recently tried out the series too about a couple months ago now. I picked up a used copy of Awakening and absolutely loved it. I'm enjoying Fates even more (and I've also played the more difficult Conquest path after playing Birthright).
Either game is a great place to start, but if you plan on playing Awakening at some point I suggest playing it first as even though I loved the game when I first played it I find it rather hard to go back to after all the new stuff they added on in Fates.
Last edited:
pokedude729
Cat King
Xerolin- I'd start with either Awakening, Birthright (both on 3DS), or Blazing Sword (On the Wii U eshop as just "Fire Emblem" .
GuerrereraD, there really isn't a FE timeline, just ceryain games being sequels (Blazing Sword-> Binding Blade/ Path of Radiance->Radiant Dawn/ some of the Marth Games)
GuerrereraD, there really isn't a FE timeline, just ceryain games being sequels (Blazing Sword-> Binding Blade/ Path of Radiance->Radiant Dawn/ some of the Marth Games)
The timeline is similar to Final Fantasy where some some games are a part of 1 timeline, but other games are completely unrelated and on a different timeline.
The actual first game on the timeline is Genealogy of the Holy War, which is Japan exclusive and possibly the hardest of any FE game. So you probably shouldn't start there...
In your case I would recommend Sacred Stones as it's not related to any other game in the series. It's also close to the original style of games but it also has newer features to make it easier to start off. Best of all, it isn't Japan exclusive! I may be saying this because it was my first game but it's still a nice place to start.
To the main topic, don't get Fates please. It doesn't play anything like any other FE game so you may get used to the style that Fates is in. It's great to play EVENTUALLY, but just not for starting off.
Last edited:
classically.trained
Senior Member
The first FE game I played was Sacred Stones, and I really enjoyed it! I've heard that some people think it's easier than other FE games and idk if that's true, but if it is that makes it even better for beginners.
it is probably the easiest fire emblem game
i recommend just starting and playing them in order
Halloqueen
Senior Member
People recommend Awakening and Fates because they're usually the only ones they've played and have experience with. Unfortunately, they're poor representations of the series as a whole, as Awakening doesn't have good map design and doesn't have varied objectives other than "kill everything." Fates got rid of the series staple weapon durability, meaning that weapons no longer break and need repaired/replaced as they did for years, and now have buffs and debuffs attributed to them instead. Both Awakening and Fates: Birthright encourage grinding for stats, which is not a common theme of the series. Meanwhile, Fates: Conquest is a bit challenging even for series veterans and isn't a good starting point.
Additionally, both have far less interesting stories and characters.
So, where should you start? If you have a Wii U by any chance, your best bet is to pick up either Fire Emblem or Fire Emblem: The Sacred Stones on the Wii U Virtal Console. They're both Game Boy Advance games.
The game known simply as Fire Emblem is the 7th installment, and in Japan is known as Rekka no Ken, which means Blazing Sword. It was the first Fire Emblem game released outside of Japan and is regarded as one of the best games in the series by many. It's new-player friendly as a result, and early on it has tutorials and hints that will help you figure things out.
Meanwhile, Fire Emblem: The Sacred Stones is perhaps even more friendly to a newcomer than FE7. It's a bit similar to Awakening and Birthright in that it has the option to grind using Skimishes and the Tower of Valni, where you fight monsters. Its a good game that can bridge Awakening and Fates fans to older titles, or veterans to the new style.
Besides having better story, characters, and objectives, FE7 and Sacred Stones are also far less expensive than Awakening or Fates. Being on the Virtual Console, you can get them for around $7 instead of wasting $39 on something you might not even end up liking.
Finally, as has been addressed, there isn't a strict timeline to the series as most of the games take place on wholly different continents and even different worlds. There are some games that are sequels to other games though.
Additionally, both have far less interesting stories and characters.
So, where should you start? If you have a Wii U by any chance, your best bet is to pick up either Fire Emblem or Fire Emblem: The Sacred Stones on the Wii U Virtal Console. They're both Game Boy Advance games.
The game known simply as Fire Emblem is the 7th installment, and in Japan is known as Rekka no Ken, which means Blazing Sword. It was the first Fire Emblem game released outside of Japan and is regarded as one of the best games in the series by many. It's new-player friendly as a result, and early on it has tutorials and hints that will help you figure things out.
Meanwhile, Fire Emblem: The Sacred Stones is perhaps even more friendly to a newcomer than FE7. It's a bit similar to Awakening and Birthright in that it has the option to grind using Skimishes and the Tower of Valni, where you fight monsters. Its a good game that can bridge Awakening and Fates fans to older titles, or veterans to the new style.
Besides having better story, characters, and objectives, FE7 and Sacred Stones are also far less expensive than Awakening or Fates. Being on the Virtual Console, you can get them for around $7 instead of wasting $39 on something you might not even end up liking.
Finally, as has been addressed, there isn't a strict timeline to the series as most of the games take place on wholly different continents and even different worlds. There are some games that are sequels to other games though.
1 (FE: Shadow Dragon and the Blade of Light) -> 3 (Fire Emblem: Mystery of the Emblem)
These are Marth's games. They take place on the continent of Akaneia.
2 (Fire Emblem Gaiden)
This is Alm's game. It's called Fire Emblem Gaiden. It takes place on a different continent called Valentia.
4 (Fire Emblem: Genealogy of the Holy War) -> 5 (Fire Emblem: Thracia 776)
These games star Sigurd, Seliph, and Leif. They take place on the continent of Jugdral, which as far as we can tell is on the other side of the same world. The events in Thracia 776 take place in the middle of Genealogy of the Holy War.
7 (Fire Emblem: Blazing Sword) -> 6 (Fire Emblem: Binding Blade)
6, despite being released before 7, is actually a sequel. The main character in 6 is Roy, who is the son of Eliwood, one of the main characters in Fire Emblem 7. They take place on the continent of Elibe, which is on a different world from all the previous games.
8 (Fire Emblem: The Sacred Stones)
Wholly unrelated to the rest of the series. It takes place on the continent of Magvel, which again is on a different world.
9 (Fire Emblem: Path of Radiance) -> 10 (Fire Emblem: Radiant Dawn)
These are Ike's games. They take place on the continent of Tellius, which again is on a different world and unrelated to the rest.
11(Fire Emblem: Shadow Dragon) -> 12 (Fire Emblem: Heroes of Light and Shadow)
Remakes of Fire Emblem 1 and 3 for the Nintendo DS.
13 (Fire Emblem: Awakening)
This game takes place on Akaneia, the setting of Marth's games, 1,000 years later. Akaneia is now known as Ylisse. The continent of Valentia from FE 2 also shows up, now known as Valm. As you can imagine, most everybody from Marth's time is dead, so it's not really a sequel.
14 (Fire Emblem Fates Birthright & Conquest)
These games take place in the kingdoms of Hoshido and Nohr. Unrelated afaik.
These are Marth's games. They take place on the continent of Akaneia.
2 (Fire Emblem Gaiden)
This is Alm's game. It's called Fire Emblem Gaiden. It takes place on a different continent called Valentia.
4 (Fire Emblem: Genealogy of the Holy War) -> 5 (Fire Emblem: Thracia 776)
These games star Sigurd, Seliph, and Leif. They take place on the continent of Jugdral, which as far as we can tell is on the other side of the same world. The events in Thracia 776 take place in the middle of Genealogy of the Holy War.
7 (Fire Emblem: Blazing Sword) -> 6 (Fire Emblem: Binding Blade)
6, despite being released before 7, is actually a sequel. The main character in 6 is Roy, who is the son of Eliwood, one of the main characters in Fire Emblem 7. They take place on the continent of Elibe, which is on a different world from all the previous games.
8 (Fire Emblem: The Sacred Stones)
Wholly unrelated to the rest of the series. It takes place on the continent of Magvel, which again is on a different world.
9 (Fire Emblem: Path of Radiance) -> 10 (Fire Emblem: Radiant Dawn)
These are Ike's games. They take place on the continent of Tellius, which again is on a different world and unrelated to the rest.
11(Fire Emblem: Shadow Dragon) -> 12 (Fire Emblem: Heroes of Light and Shadow)
Remakes of Fire Emblem 1 and 3 for the Nintendo DS.
13 (Fire Emblem: Awakening)
This game takes place on Akaneia, the setting of Marth's games, 1,000 years later. Akaneia is now known as Ylisse. The continent of Valentia from FE 2 also shows up, now known as Valm. As you can imagine, most everybody from Marth's time is dead, so it's not really a sequel.
14 (Fire Emblem Fates Birthright & Conquest)
These games take place in the kingdoms of Hoshido and Nohr. Unrelated afaik.
Last edited:
Fates plot :/
Sacred Stones is mad easy. I'd play that first to see if you like the "type" of game it is - I have friends who love RPGs but can't stand being confined to a grid for battles (the Disgaea series does something similar but with much less emphasis on strategy, lol). I'm not gonna act like I've played all the games since I certainly haven't - working on it tho! - but I'm definitely confident in recommending Sacred Stones as your first just in terms of accessibility. FE7 is also pretty safe, I think.
I know a lot of longtime fans of the series aren't happy with the most recent additions to the series, but I'm gonna put it out there, Awakening is fairly easy and has lovable characters. The quality of the story is uh... okay as much as I like the game, the story is pretty bad. But I've put hundreds of hours into it anyway, still had a lot of fun with it. If you can find it cheap, try it out, borrow it from a friend, whatever.
I would honestly avoid all the Fates games for now if you're trying to get a feel for the series itself rather than getting in on the latest one specifically. If you do want to play the ones everyone's talking about RIGHT THIS SECOND, though, I'd recommend Awakening over Fates Birthright, but that's personal bias on my part. I'm a Conquest gal through and through. Nohrian scum 4 lyfe
Path of Radiance + Radiant Dawn are supposed to be wonderful as well, but I haven't been able to find them in stores and it's pretty ridiculously expensive for a Wii game online, so unless you luck out and find it somewhere or emulate it (are there Wii emulators? um.) or watch a playthrough, I'm not sure how likely it'll be that you're able to play it ;-;
I think this HAS to be framed in terms of like, how much of a challenge are you looking for really, and how important are characters/story to you? Because like with Final Fantasy, if you ask a bunch of longtime fans where to start, our answers are gonna be tainted by nostalgia and personal ties to certain things and blah blah blah... If you hate yourself, start with Thracia lmfao
...don't do that
oh my god I'm rambling, sorry.
TL;DR - Sacred Stones and FE7 are both fairly easy and have pretty good characters and story. Awakening sacrifices a cohesive story but is still a blast. Fates is sadly a cash-grab where you need to play all three routes ($80 bruh) to get the full experience (or read game scripts/summaries for whatever you didn't buy lol). If you really want to hit up Fates though, as much as it pains me to say this, Birthright is probably the one you wanna go for.
I never thought I would rec Birthright to someone what's happening to me D:
I know a lot of longtime fans of the series aren't happy with the most recent additions to the series, but I'm gonna put it out there, Awakening is fairly easy and has lovable characters. The quality of the story is uh... okay as much as I like the game, the story is pretty bad. But I've put hundreds of hours into it anyway, still had a lot of fun with it. If you can find it cheap, try it out, borrow it from a friend, whatever.
I would honestly avoid all the Fates games for now if you're trying to get a feel for the series itself rather than getting in on the latest one specifically. If you do want to play the ones everyone's talking about RIGHT THIS SECOND, though, I'd recommend Awakening over Fates Birthright, but that's personal bias on my part. I'm a Conquest gal through and through. Nohrian scum 4 lyfe
Path of Radiance + Radiant Dawn are supposed to be wonderful as well, but I haven't been able to find them in stores and it's pretty ridiculously expensive for a Wii game online, so unless you luck out and find it somewhere or emulate it (are there Wii emulators? um.) or watch a playthrough, I'm not sure how likely it'll be that you're able to play it ;-;
I think this HAS to be framed in terms of like, how much of a challenge are you looking for really, and how important are characters/story to you? Because like with Final Fantasy, if you ask a bunch of longtime fans where to start, our answers are gonna be tainted by nostalgia and personal ties to certain things and blah blah blah... If you hate yourself, start with Thracia lmfao
...don't do that
oh my god I'm rambling, sorry.
TL;DR - Sacred Stones and FE7 are both fairly easy and have pretty good characters and story. Awakening sacrifices a cohesive story but is still a blast. Fates is sadly a cash-grab where you need to play all three routes ($80 bruh) to get the full experience (or read game scripts/summaries for whatever you didn't buy lol). If you really want to hit up Fates though, as much as it pains me to say this, Birthright is probably the one you wanna go for.
I never thought I would rec Birthright to someone what's happening to me D:
Last edited:
Halloqueen
Senior Member
They're definitely really good games. Some of the best in terms of story and characterization in the series. Path of Radiance would be a good starting point if it weren't so expensive due to the rarity. Radiant Dawn, being Path of Radiance's direct sequel, featuring more complicated objectives and also being expensive, isn't a good place to start.
It's pretty unfortunate that they're so pricey. PoR is a good entry point and if it were more accessible, more people could learn about Ike as more than just "that guy in Smash Bros." Here's hoping that someday we get Gamecube and Wii games on Virtual Console so more people can play them.
I'd suggest you to start with FE:Awakening over FE:Birthright or Conquest as these titles are the easiest to find at the market these days. Aside from that, FE:Birthright/Conquest also has references and some of its DLCs are somewhat linked to the FE:Awakening. It's pretty fun to play, explore classes, and create your own class combinations. 
Similar threads
