Big Changes to Traditional Combat
Fans of the last few Fire Emblem entries might be surprised to see the longtime weapon triangle system absent from Echoes. Instead, a system based entirely on stats is used for combat. For example, if an attacking unit’s attack is higher than the other unit’s defense or resistance, the resulting difference will be the amount of damage done. Of course, plenty of other stats like Luck, Speed, and Skill also play into the overall performance of characters. This new system integrally changes the way that you approach battles in Fire Emblem, as strategy no longer needs to be based around which weapon has the advantage on which. There are still differences between weapons and units, however, like hit rate and the overall amount of damage they can cause.
A few other small changes also shake up how things play out in Echoes. Magic users now need to sacrifice HP in order to use spells, flying units aren’t as weak to archers as before, and archers can attack from one space away as well as up to five or six eventually. For longtime fans that never played Fire Emblem Gaiden, the new systems in Echoes may take a bit getting used to. Don’t worry though, there’s still plenty of strategy necessary to overcome battles.
