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As with any title in the series,Fire Emblem: Engageboasts a long journey filled with extensive and challenging combat, and as extensive and draining as it can be, recent titles have implemented a place for you to take a breather. That place, for Engage, is the floating keep known as the Somniel.
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It’s more than a relaxing haven to break up the action between chapters, as you’ll be able to experience a range of mini-games and visit a number of important facilities. The boons of the Somniel are as much a way to waste time as they are necessary for further building and developing your army.
What Is The Somniel?
From strength training to lunch breaks, the Somniel is anoptional locationyou should continue tovisit between each chapter.
Here, you’ll be able tobuy important equipment,train units falling behind,andgrant you and your allies special temporary boonsto aid in upcoming fights — as well as enjoy many other perks. With each chapter, thenumber of your facilities may grow in number or in stock(i.e., stores increasing the number of items available).
3
22
6
4 / 6
5
4
11
15
13
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8
Tower of Trials - Relay Trial and Outrealm Trial
Tower of Trials - Tempest Trial
Someof these facilities will always be available to you inunlimited quantity, andothersmay have aset number of times you can use the facility and enjoy its benefits.
For example, you may continue to use the shops indefinitely so long as you have the resources to purchase and sell, Strength Training can only be completed once, and Standard mode Arena Training can be done three times.
You canfreely travelbetween facilities onfootor bypressing the X buttonto bring up theSomniel mapandFast Travel.
Respawning Items And Support Conversations
While adventuring in the Somniel, there will beitems on the ground you may pick up. These items are typically food, which you can use to either cook with or feed to Sommie, and gift items you can give to characters standing around the Somniel.
Items found on the ground willrespawn randomlyin new locations and with new rewards. You can find them locating thepale, sparkling marker on your minimap.
Characters with blue or white chat bubbles over their head have standard dialogue you can share with them, and talking with them will net you theopportunity to give them gifts. Giving giftsraises their affectionfor Alear.
Allies with agolden chat bubble will have a support conversation with Alear(seen on your minimap and in the Somniel map when fast traveling), and you can access these conversations by eitherspeaking with them directlyoropening your menuto accessall support conversationsthrough the option “Reference.”
Somniel Locations
My Room
Located on the second floor of the Cafe Terrace, your room has two interactable areas:
TheMemento Draweris unavailable until Chapter 22, but it can be used tostorethe Pact Ring. This is a necessary ring used inromancing a character,so long as you are already ranked A with them. Otherwise, you won’t be able to interact with this drawer for the majority of your gameplay.
YourBed has three unique modulesyou can choose when interacting with it, which will be relevant for the majority of your adventure:
ByResting,you’ll be able toadvance timein the Somniel and trigger “wake-up scenes” where you’re awakened by an ally in a special cutscene . These cutscenes, as well asstory cutscenes,support conversations, andbond conversations, can all bere-watchedby selecting “Reminisce.”
Additionally, you’ll also be able tolisten to musicfrom the past and other Fire Emblem titles. Finally, you’ll be able tolower the difficulty setting here,but you won’t be able to raise it.
Cafe Terrace
When first visiting the Cafe Terrace, you’ll be able to access the:
TheMusic Boxwill allow you toplay music across the Somnielthat you unlock along your journey (as well as those you unlock by scanning Amiibo figures). Meanwhile, theBulletin Boardoffers the ability toDonategold to support the nations of Elyos, which in turn gives youunique effects for each region:
Additionally, you may use theBulletin Boardto access theSomniel Mapand receive rewards forAchievementsthat reward you with importantBond Fragments— useful in creating and melding Bond Rings.
Once you complete thesixth chapter,you’ll be able to access theDiningfeature. At the end of every battle, a random ally will be assigned to cook you a meal. Each ally will have certain dishes that they are proficient in making — indicated by the sparkling emote next to the dish’s name — which will determine how likely they are to succeed in making a high-ranking dish.
Choose characters that both like the meals you’re preparing and use the necessary extra ingredients for a better score. Dining willincrease the support level of the allies dining(not the chef) as well asgive temporary stat bonusesfor both your general army and specific units.
If you want to switch the chef,rest in your room.
Ring Chamber
After unlocking theRing Chamberin thefourth chapter, you’ll be able to access a number of important skills necessary to molding your perfect army. At first, you’ll havefour possible options:
Polishingan Emblem Ring will allow thebondsbetween a unit and an Emblem toincrease, even if that unit doesn’t have the emblem equipped. After yourunits reach level five with an Emblemand have theirfirst Bond Conversation,you’ll be able tospend Skill Points (SP) to Inherit that Emblem’s skills.
More skills become available as their bond increases, but so does the cost. to get many skills (or upgrade your pre-existing skills), you’ll need a large amount of SP.These points can be gained by wearing an Emblem Ring(or, alternatively, a Bond Ring for fewer points) and gaining an amount of SP equal to the XP they earn during battles.
You can also gain SP byfighting Emblems in Arena Trainingor randomly when stepping on thespaces of Spirits of the Fallenwhen inonline play.
Bond Ringscan be forged by spendingBond Fragments, giving units without an Emblem Ringstat bonusesand the ability togain a lesser amount of SPthey can use to Inherit skills.
Creating Bond Rings is entirelyrandomand costs either100 for a single ringor1,000 for ten. Once you have enough Bond Rings of a specific type, you canMeldthem together to create evenstronger versionsof that ring.
You have a slightlyhigher chance of netting rarer types of Bond Ringsif you choose tosave your Fragments and buy ten rings at a time.
Once you havecompleted the sixth chapter, you’ll also be able to also accessEngage Weaponswhich allows you toaugment and striptheunique weaponsof Emblems.
You can useCrystalsto increase the stats of a weapon andBanesto add extra effectiveness against certain weapon types — both of which are rewards in theTempest and Relay Trials. You can increase the augment capacity of a weapon by increasing the Emblem’s bond level.
Arena
TheArenais a door to the east of the Plaza and Cafe Terrace where you’ll be able to participate intwo types of training:
Naturally, fighting inStandardmode will pit aunit of your choice against one random unit from your army, and fighting inEmblemmode will pit that unitagainst a random Emblem.
You cantrain up to three timesper visit to Somnielin Standard modeandunlimited times in Emblem modeat theprice of Bond Fragments, but both increase the support levels between characters and the experience of the unit you choose.
Plaza
The most important feature of the Somniel, thePlazafeatures the portal to the world map andfour storesyou can shop at throughout your journey. The first two stores are:
As expected, theArmorygrants youaccess to weapons, and theItem Shopgrants youaccess to consumable items(like vulneraries) andstaves. They are both availableafter completing the fourth chapter.
After completing the fifth chapter,you’ll be granted access to:
TheBoutiqueallows you tobuy new resting clothesfor you and your allies to wear while in the Somniel, and theSmithyallows you toforge, enhance, and engrave weaponsas well asexchange crafting materialsfor others.
Orchard
Available from the beginning, the Orchard grows a variety ofplants that you’re able to harvest after returning to the Somniel after a battle. These endlessly respawn and can be used to feed Sommie, the Somiel’s resident guardian of cuteness, and your allies when Dining.
After completing the fifth chapter, you’ll also unlock theAmiibo Gazebowhere you can activate your Amiibo and gain special prizes like music and outfits.
Training Yard
When first accessing the Somniel, you’ll be able to participate inStrength Trainingled by Alfred. Participating in the Strength Training minigame will grant youunique but temporary effects for Alearas well as a number ofBond Fragments. Depending on the type of training you do, you’ll be able to enjoy different types of bonuses:
AfterChapter Fouris complete,Sommie will be able to join youduring these training sessions to give you a little needed motivation andnegate up to six bad mistakes. Additionally, the levels of difficulty available for each type of training will increase as the story progresses.
It is currentlynot possible to quit training,and there is only one chance for you to do Strength Training per battle. Should you wish to exit, you must eitherfail a challenge or wait for it to end.
OnceChapter 11has been completed, you’ll also get to go onWyvern Rides, ashooting minigamewhere you’ll need to shoot as many targets as possible to get the highest score. Completing Wyvern Rides will net yourewards like consumable items and Bond Fragments.
Like Strength Training, higher difficulties will become available as the story progresses, andSommie can assist you by helping shoot targetsduring a specific portion of the course.
Farmyard
FromChapter Fouronward, you’ll be able toadopt animalsand send them to theStable. Animals can be adopted by raising the donation level of their home region, and each type of animal givesunique items when grazing.
You can setup to five animalsto graze at any one time, and their unique item will spawn beside them after returning to the Somniel from a battle.
Just south of the Stable, theRecords Hallcan be accessed after completingChapter Six. When inside the Records Hall, you’ll be able to:
As you continue to progress the store and add new characters to your roster, the amount of freedom you have in customizing your profile card and styling new Photo Shoots will increase. To obtain the cards of friends, you’ll need to meet them in the Tower of Trials during online play.
Furthermore, near the Farmyard is theFortune Teller,available to you after completingChapter 15. It is onlyaccessible at night, and it has no real effect on your army. Other than helping youmake sure certain units will pairwith one another at theend of the game,it only really seems to offer little tidbits of lore for each character.
Poolside
Generally a place where your units will be able to gather around and enjoy the water, aFlea Marketis added nearby once you’ve completedChapter 13. The market can be used to buy gifts which you can give to character to increase their bonds with Alear and have support conversations.
Lookout Ridge
Currently, there areno facilitiesatLookout Ridge. However, if you have purchased the Expansion Pass, visiting this location after completingChapter Sixwill allow you to find theEmblem Bracelet. This bracelet contains theEmblems of Edelgard, Dimitri, and ClaudefromFire Emblem: Three Houses.
Pond
After completingChapter Eightof the story, you’ll be able to gofishing at the Pond. The fishing minigame is another game where Sommie can assist you if you fail to press A in time, and succeeding will net youfish for cooking(or feeding to Sommie) and, potentially,Bond Fragments.New fishing rodswill be available for purchasefrom the Flea Marketlater on, giving the potential for catching other types of fish.
Grotto
Down in theGrotto,you’ll find amysterious shrineand, usually, a number of collectable, respawning items. After completing Chapter Four, a strange creature will appear calledSommie(which you will have the option to rename, should you so choose). It will be able to:
to enjoy your time with Sommie the most, you’ll need toraise its affectionby:
You canFeed Sommieany type of food, butrarer ingredients raise its affection more drasticallythan common ones and increase the number of Bond Fragments you receive.
Petting Sommie will always net you100 Bond Fragments, andDressing Sommiewill alsoincrease its affection. Keep in mind that Sommie’s affection will decrease over time, so it’s important to always stop by to spend a little time with it.
You can get the affection bonus for Sommie when Dressing it by simplychanging its outfit and then changing it backif you don’t want to change the outfit it’s wearing.
Tower Of Trials
TheTower of TrialsfeaturesOnline Gameplaythat can only be accessed with aNintendo Online Membership.
Inside the Tower of Trials, you’ll have access totwo of three featuresafter completing thesixth chapter:
Relay Trialswill allow you toteam up with four other online playerstocontrol a single armyin alternating turnsagainst an AI enemy. Your goal is to complete the trial combat within tenor 15 turnsto receive Crystal and Bane rewards that can be used in augmenting your Engage Weapons.
To compete in these trials, you’ll eitherneed to use a Relay Ticket(you receive one every 24 hours) to host a trial orjoin a pre-existing game.During them, you canselect unitsyou wish to use with the restriction of havingno multiples with other players, though this restriction does not apply to Emblems.
Outrealm Trials,also anonline gameplay feature, allows you tocreate your own battle mapsfor players to fight against andsiege the maps of other players. Rewards are given to both the sieged and the besieger, and such rewards include Crystals and Banes, as well as support gifts and rare food items.
When it comes to Relay and Outrealm Trials, you may wish to wait until later chapters as there will bespoilers for maps and unitsandunevenly matched combat. As of Engage’s launch, there isno scaling mechanic for online gameplay.
After completingChapter 11, you’ll also get access toTempest Trials.Unlike the previous two, it isnot an online featureand can be used without the need for a Nintendo Online Membership. In the Tempest Trials, you’ll be tasked withfacing consecutive battlesto complete as quickly as possible. Like the previous trials, they give rare rewards, but the amount of these rewards are decided by the difficulty of your trial.
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