Now what Fire Emblem is back with Fire Emblem Engage is a return to basics for the tactical RPG series. The newer game removes many of the social elements and multiple branches of Three Houses, for a more linear and streamlined approach.
Although, we must admit that it brings a significant new feature to the game, and that is the Emblem rings. Summoning heroes from other Fire Emblem worlds, these rings have major story and gameplay implications in Fire Emblem Engage.
Bonus Rings help round out the nostalgia by remembering other iconic heroes and granting buffs of their own. This is how the Emblem and Bond rings work in Fire Emblem Engage.
Emblem Rings
The headliner of the new team is the Emblem rings. There are only 12 in total, and you unlock them in a linear order as the story progresses. Each of these features a glowing blue spectrum from another Fire Emblem game, each with their own unique abilities. Those 12 are, in no particular order:
- Marth
- Lucina
- Roy
- celica
- Sigurd
- Leif
- Lynn
- erica
- ike
- micaiah
- Corrin
- byleth
These rings have a major impact on the story, as warring factions fight in part over control of rings that could turn the tide of the conflict. But they also have gameplay implications, as each emblem has its own set of abilities and special attacks that can be used when you equip it on one of your characters.
Emblems specialize in different types of weapons, so to maximize their utility, you’ll want to equip them on characters that complement their abilities. Lyn, for example, is an archer and she would fit better in a ranged unit, as she will take full advantage of her abilities.
Emblem ring abilities come in three types:
- Synchronization: passive stat bonuses, only active while you have the Crest ring equipped
- Engage: active attacks and abilities, only available while you have the Crest ring equipped
- Inherited: passive stat bonuses and active abilities, learned from Emblems in the Chamber of the Ring after reaching the required level in exchange for SP; thereafter, it can be equipped in a legacy slot, whether or not it has the corresponding emblem ring equipped; Inherited effects do not stack if you also have the Crest ring equipped
Entering the “Engage” state with an emblem in battle will enable attacks and special abilities that can be used for three turns, after which there is a cooldown period before you can engage again.
Each emblem also has its own set of unique and powerful weapons that can be used when you are in an Engaged state with them. These can be increased in the Chamber of the Ring with the use of special crystals.
You will level up your equipped Emblems by fighting them or by paying Bond shards in the arena. Eventually, you will also need to participate in special Max Bond Level battles to unlock your full potential.
Link Rings
The other lesser type of rings are the Bond rings. Unlike Crest Rings, you can obtain an unlimited number of these less powerful rings and equip them on any character that does not have a Crest Ring equipped. You cannot equip a Bond ring on a character who already has an Emblem ring. You can equip Bond rings by going into the Emblem ring menu and using the D-pad to scroll through the Bond rings.
Unlike Emblem rings, Bond rings do not have special attacks or unique weapons. Instead, they provide passive stat bonuses, with larger bonuses for higher ring levels.
Link Rings are essentially a gacha mechanic, allowing you to throw Link Shards to get random Link Rings. You can pay 100 Bond Shards for one Bond Ring or 1000 for 10 Bond Rings at a time. Each one is sorted by emblem, so Bond rings spawned under Byleth’s banner will feature characters from Fire Emblem: Three Houses.
Most of the Bond Rings spawned this way will be of the lowest level (Rank C), but you may occasionally randomly find a higher level Bond Ring.
Bronze (C-Rank) rings now give a stat boost, while Silver (B-Rank) gives two, Gold (A-Rank) gives three, and an S-Rank ring gives a slightly higher stat boost between those three stats, along with a passive ability. But you don’t have to wait to unlock the best random rings. Instead, you can create them by using your lesser rings in excess.
It takes two C Rings to create a B Ring, three B Rings to create an A Ring, and four A Rings to create an S Ring. Once you’ve purchased many Bond Rings, you can upgrade them all together to create a complete set of Legendary Rings. , but each emblem has 10 Bond ring characters, so getting a full collection will take a lot of time and a lot of grinding.
That being said, Bond rings are not strictly necessary. The abilities they grant are relatively minor compared to Emblem Rings, and since you can’t equip an Emblem Ring and Bond together, you really only need Bond Rings to give an advantage to any unit that doesn’t already have an Emblem Ring equipped.
Since battles rarely consist of more than 12 units, by the end of the game you’ll almost always be equipping each of your deployed units with an Emblem ring, rather than Bond rings. But for those who want to squeeze every drop out of Fire Emblem Engage, it gives them something else to chase for 100% completion.
