Fire Emblem Engage is the latest entry in Intelligent Systems’ beloved tactical RPG franchise, sporting a diverse cast of characters with unique abilities and strengths. It’s an excellent game to enjoy on your Nintendo Switch, and our guide will help you make the best decisions for your team. We have created a Fire Emblem Engage Characters tier list based on their performance in combat, the amount of progression the player has, and their usefulness in different situations. Let’s explore the ranking of all characters and what makes them stand out in Fire Emblem Engage.
Fire Emblem Engage Tier List
Below is a ranking system detailing the creme de la creme in terms of playable characters all the way down to those units who will require a lot more effort to implement effectively. Thankfully, unusable characters are few and far between. Our approach considers factors such as stat growths and utility provided.
S-Tier includes the best damage-dealing and utility-based heroes; while A-Tier units offer high mobility, range, and damage or utility; B-Tier units are unique, but fall behind their more optimized counterparts with mediocre stats or other hindrances; C-Tier units are characters who are meant to help get players through the early stages of the game but don’t keep pace with later units — even into the midgame. Finally, F-tier units are hampered by too many issues to be consistently reliable.
Ultimately, each unit is viable with enough work, and it is recommended players choose the units they enjoy and implement some creativity. It’s also worth experimenting with Emblem combinations to see where they best align with the corresponding unit. As an example, pairing the mobility-gifted Sigurd with a sluggish armored unit allows them to better position themselves on the front line.
S Tier
These units dominate the battlefield and are noticeably more advanced than everything below on this list. Many people would not consider Chloé an S-tier unit, but with optimized strategy, she lies heavily on the line between A-tier and S-tier. Her high speed and mobility make her the ideal option to pick off opposing units before they have a chance to set up, while the remainder can either cleave through groups of soldiers at once or support their allies from afar. The easiest way to clear maps is by deploying as many of these units as possible.
- Ivy
- Panette
- Seadall
- Hortensia
- Veyle
- Chloé
A Tier
A-tier units typically have one or two high-level aspects, such as movement, but fall behind on stat growths or versatility compared to S-tier. They are your staple characters throughout the story but are not all dominating. For example, Alear provides extraordinary support abilities, with several skills in the game activated by merely standing in the Divine Dragon’s presence, and Fogado has great damage output with enough speed to double, while also being able to move in and out of the fight.
- Alear
- Diamant
- Mauvier
- Lapis
- Merrin
- Fogado
- Zelkov
- Kagetsu
- Goldmary
- Lindon
B Tier
These characters, like most others, can work with some fine-tuning. However, they have toolkit weaknesses, better counterparts, or stat growth limitations that prevent them from going any higher. While C-tier heroes suffer from falling off early game, these heroes tend to lose steam somewhere around the mid-game. Anna is a key example of a unit who requires a re-class to prevent her from landing at the bottom of the list.
- Celine
- Jean
- Alfred
- Louis
- Anna
- Saphir
- Amber
- Alcryst
- Pandreo
- Rosado
C Tier
These are characters who are only applicable early-game or simply not worth advancement. They might be extremely powerful in the opening stages, and it’s best to accept them for that. Vander is an excellent unit for beginners as the prototypical promoted second-in-command, but his slow growth rates mean that he won’t progress much past that point. Leaning on him too much will soak up valuable XP that your fledgling units will desperately need. The other C tier units have glaring weaknesses, particularly defensively, where one false move can have them disposed of in a single blow.
- Vander
- Clanne
- Framme
- Boucheron
- Etie
- Jade
- Timerra
- Yunaka
F Tier
Very few F-tier characters on this list. You can make the below characters work, but Citrinne is incredibly situational, and Bunet does nothing that another unit can’t do better. Even at face value, he is not necessarily weak, there is just no need for him unless you’re particularly fond of his design or personality. Even if Citrinne is buffed up, there are moments when she struggles. Essentially, it’s just not worth the time, and better options exist.
- Citrinne
- Bunet
That’s everything you need to know to get started using our Fire Emblem Engage Characters Tier List. Tactical combat is always a treat, and it is at its finest in this recent Nintendo Switch title. Understand that each character is entirely playable, and the main point is to have fun, so don’t sweat the tier lists so much! For more strategic info, check out some of our other guides below.