Fire Emblem Engage is the newest game from the long-running Fire Emblem series to hit the Nintendo Switch. Being a well-known series from its original days back on the Nintendo Entertainment System, it has now come full circle, bringing back a lot of nostalgic names in the series along with its own original cast of fresh faces. Now many players find themselves wondering which Fire Emblem Engage characters are the best in the game.
The strength of the Fire Emblem series has always been its impeccable storytelling and compelling characters. The battle system is also one of the game’s strengths, with the tactical aspect oftentimes being more challenging than initially expected. But today, we will be shining the spotlight on the characters in Fire Emblem Engage.
Recruitable characters in Fire Emblem Engage
There are a total of 36 recruitable characters in Fire Emblem Engage. With characters spanning across time and space in the Fire Emblem universe, the diversity of options you get to choose from is unparalleled compared to previous games in the series. Some of the familiar faces have already shown promise by outperforming some of the newer entries in battle, but how do you know which characters are reliable picks to play with?
To make that decision easier for you, we have come up with a character tier list, ranking all 36 characters in terms of their usability in battle and ease of play throughout the main storyline. Each of these characters is unlocked periodically as you progress through the chapters of the main story and eventually you should have access to all of them.
Related: All playable and recruitable characters in Fire Emblem Engage
Fire Emblem Engage character tier list
The characters in this list comprise all of the recruitable characters. They will be divided into tiers depending on what players are currently playing and so far, a meta of sorts has already developed since launch. This entire tier list is based on opinion and individual impact in the game currently, so this list may very well change in the future depending on updates and overall performance as time passes on.
Starting off, here are the D-tier characters in Fire Emblem Engage.
D-tier characters
These are the bottom-of-the-barrel characters. They could be strong in particular lineups, but currently, they are just more effort than they’re worth in battle.
Boucheron
Boucheron is a powerful knight of Firene and one of the retainers to prince Alfred. He is also Alfred’s close friend and has known him since childhood. He starts off as an Axe Fighter initially.
Bunet
Bunet is a royal knight from Solm and is prince Fogado’s retainer. He is also the prince’s personal chef and is passionate about finding new ingredients. He starts off as a Great Knight.
Lapis
Lapis is a royal knight of Brodia and one of the retainers of prince Diamant. She starts off as a Sword Fighter and has shown unnatural strength despite her relatively fragile-looking frame. Raised in the wild, she is tough and knows how to survive better than most.
Mauvier
Mauvier is a member of the Four Hounds, an organization devoted to resurrecting the Fell Dragon. He has a chivalrous personality and is very honest to a fault. He starts off as a Royal Knight.
Vander
Vander is a powerful knight that was one of the first characters introduced in the original trailers. He is the 32nd generation Steward of the Dragon and the caretaker of Alear while they were asleep. His weapon of choice in battle is a giant axe and he uses it to great effect in battle.
C-tier characters
These characters can be situationally good and could work wonders if played right. But since we still haven’t explored the game completely so far, it’s safe to say they aren’t being used to their full potential.
Amber
Amber is a royal knight from Brodia and is the retainer of prince Diamant. He is a wholesome person but his headstrong nature gets him into trouble often. He dreams of pursuing the legends of the world and starts off as a Lance Cavalier.
Anna
Anna is a recurring character throughout the Fire Emblem series and she makes her return in Fire Emblem Engage. The version of Anna in this game is much younger than in previous games where she acts as a mentor figure. She was rescued by Alear when she was surrounded by bandits and has now joined their army to find her missing family.
Chloé
Chloé is a noble and the cousin of princess Céline. She is also a powerful knight and serves faithfully as one of the princess’ retainers. She enjoys peace and loves to see the beauty in all things. She starts off being a Lance Flier as her initial class.
Citrinne
Citrinne is a royal knight of Brodia and one of the retainers of prince Diamant. She is also the cousin of the princes of Brodia and was raised as royalty. As such, she spends lavishly for the people around her. Citrinne starts off as a Mage.
Framme
Framme is the 33rd generation Steward of the Dragon with her twin brother Clanne. She is awestruck by Alear and co-founded the Divine Dragon Fan Club with Clanne. She starts off as a Martial Monk when first introduced.
B-tier characters
The middle-of-the-roads characters. They work well in most lineups and are moderately powerful. Not as great as the upper echelon just yet, but maybe they are just sleeper picks waiting to be discovered.
Céline
Céline is the princess of Firene and the youngest sister of Alfred. She starts off as a Noble wielding both swords and tomes in battle. She dislikes fighting and tries to solve problems by more peaceful means like negotiation.
Clanne
Clanne is the 33rd generation Steward of the Dragon along with his twin sister Framme. He is also obsessed with Alear and co-founded the Divine Dragon Fan Club along with his sister. He starts off as a powerful Mage.
Etie
Etie is a knight from the kingdom of Firene and the childhood friend of princess Céline. She was chosen as one of two retainers to prince Alfred along with Boucheron. She is very focused on training her strength and starts off as an Archer class.
Fogado
Fogado is the younger brother of Timerra and is the first prince of Solm. He is carefree and lacks a sense of responsibility since his sister will be the next queen. He’s, however, a determined protector of his kingdom’s people and starts off as a Sentinel.
Hortensia
Hortensia is the second princess of Elusia and Ivy’s younger half-sister. She starts off as a Wing Tamer and has a playful personality. She can be selfish but is very affectionate towards her family. She was tasked by her father to steal the Emblem Rings from Alear.
Lindon
Lindon is a scholar from Elusia who starts off as a Sage. As is befitting of his class, he has a great thirst for knowledge which leads him to perform all sorts of experiments during his studies.
A-tier characters
These characters work great in most lineups. If you don’t have access to the best characters in the game, these work just as well, if not better in certain situations.
Diamant
Diamant is the crown prince of Brodia and the older brother of Alcryst. He has been groomed to be the next king of Brodia and starts off as the Lord class. A natural-born leader, Diamant has a serious personality but also aims to inspire people, like his brother Alcryst, to do their best.
Goldmary
Goldmary is a royal knight of Elusia and the retainer of crown princess Ivy. She has a shy personality but can come alive at times if she is passionate enough. She starts off as a Hero.
Ivy
Ivy is the crown princess of Elusia who starts off as a Wing Tamer. She has a serious and quiet personality, which is the total opposite of her half-sister. She also bears the regal aura of royalty around her and her people are quick to notice that.
Jade
Jade is a royal knight of Brodia and a retainer of prince Diamant. She has a dutiful nature and takes her tasks very seriously. Her serious nature makes people think she is heartless but she is quite cheerful when she lets her guard down. She starts off as an Axe Armor class.
Kagetsu
Kagetsu is a royal knight of Elusia and one of the retainers of crown princess Ivy. He has a cheerful personality with an exotic voice and a magnetic personality. He starts off as a Swordmaster.
Pandreo
Pandreo is a royal knight of Solm and one of prince Fogado’s retainers. He is the older brother of Panette and starts off as a High Priest. Despite him being a devoted clergyman, he loves to enjoy himself and have a good time.
Rosado
Rosado is a royal knight of Elusia and the retainer to princess Hortensia. He is also her childhood friend and enjoys the pretty things in life. He starts off as a Wyvern Knight.
Saphir
Saphir is one of the most powerful knights in Brodia. He starts off as a Warrior and is a highly motivated seeker of truth who will not be discouraged from his goal.
Timerra
Timerra is the crown princess of Solm and the older sister of Fogado. She is very outgoing and friendly and enjoys spending time around her brother and close friends. She starts off as a Sentinel.
Veyle
Veyle is a mysterious child that appeared when Alear was in trouble. She is over 1,000 years old but has the appearance of a teenager. Not much else is known about her and her class is Fell Child.
S-tier characters
Undeniably the best characters in the game right now. They work well in any lineup and outperform most other characters in any situation. They take some time to build up their strength but your patience will pay dividends in the end.
Alear
The main protagonist of the game, Alear can either be male or female depending on the player’s choice. They were asleep for the last 1,000 years since the war against the Fell Dragon. Now that its resurrection is imminent, Alear has returned to battle once more. Their class is Dragon Child.
Alcryst
Alcryst is the second prince of Brodia and the younger brother of Diamant. He starts off as a Lord but his personality is very different from that of his brother. He lacks confidence and is apologetic to a fault. He is, however, very social and when push comes to shove, Alcryst is dependable in battle.
Alfred
Alfred is the first prince of Firene and starts off as a Noble. He wields his lance atop horseback and is a force to be reckoned with in battle. He is also the older brother of Céline and is fiercely protective of his family, friends, and his kingdom.
Jean
Jean is an aspiring doctor who hails from a small village in Firene. Starting off with a lack of confidence, Jean wants to become braver and stronger, so he joins Alear’s army. He starts off as a Martial Monk.
Louis
Louis is one of the most powerful knights in Firene, starting off as a Lance Armor class. He is one of princess Céline’s retainers and is a peaceful man by nature. He dislikes violence but will fight to protect his friends and allies for the sake of peace and loyalty.
Merrin
Merrin is a royal knight of Solm and is a retainer of princess Timerra. She is an animal lover who is obsessed with meeting rare creatures and lives a life of extravagance. She starts off as a Wolf Knight.
Panette
Panette is a royal knight of Solm and one of the retainers of princess Timerra. She is Pandreo’s younger sister and used to have a wild personality until she became more refined as a knight. She starts off as a Berserker.
Seadall
Seadall is one of the most famous dancers in Solm and is a fortune teller. He comes off as mysterious with an undeniable charm but is actually a kind soul. He starts off as a Dancer.
Yunaka
Yunaka is a Thief that has a somewhat unorthodox personality. She is relatively pure of heart and teams up with Alear after hearing the divine call from a magic ring.
Zelkov
Zelkov is a royal knight from Elusia and is the retainer of crown princess Ivy. He has a quiet personality but enjoys a lot of hobbies and learning new things. He starts off as a Thief.
